Thank goodness we never stop learning, and when you are exposed to so many horses out side of your own circle, you can't help but be enlightened by outstanding issues and problem horses. A private seminar just this past week was one that taught me just how important the control over the horse's head really is. Two different riders, along with their horses that were participating in the seminar had real problems with young horses that had months of training. These two riders, and their horses had a big lesson for me to identify, get control of the head.
How far away from getting bucked off your horse are you today. Every ride was a risk in the first ten minutes of riding these two horses, you might get launched. I quickly gathered that we all have a horse like this, it may take a year of letting the horse go where it wants, push it's nose and head into us where and when it wants to. Soon, giving your horse the freedom to take off with no direction when you saddle, get on, and take a trail ride with your horse, never applying a bit pressure to the horse, will soon give the horse so many ideas of freedom it might free you from the saddle.
My first tip to these horses with too much freedom was start at the hitching rail. Tie up your horse with a two foot lead rope was the first lesson we went over, to start with the big lesson of gaining control over the horse's feet. Wait a minute, now we are talking about controlling the horses feet, and this whole blog is on "head control". Right, you will gain control over where the horse's feet go by developing the discipline over the head. These horses were getting three feet of rope or more when tied to be brushed and saddled. With their heads up in the air, dancing around looking for their pasture mates. Now with a shorter lead rope, the horses were taking a look at discipline before we ever left the grooming area.
When moving on to getting the horses saddled and bridled for the riding seminar, the horse's had to give their nose to the pressure asking them to turn and bend the neck to the left to be bridled, and they hated it. The lack of consistency with discipline to move away from the pressure applied to it's nose was more than obvious and unwilling. All of this giving to pressure transfers to riding with the control over the horses nose with the bridle. Since there was no bend to the pressure in the halter, the horse had little willingness in the bridle too.
The start to controlling the horse's feet with head control on the ground is asking the horse to turn around the front left foot. When you have the horse pivoting around this left front foot with the nose giving over to the left shoulder you have enough control on the horse's feet to then wait for them to completely stop moving. This tells you that the time is near to get on the horse and start all the same process over again and again from the saddle. I say, nose control starts when you halter your horse and get it caught, till you release your horse after your ride.
Tie-downs give a horse the same idea of head control that a halter with a short lead rope tied to a hitching-post does. If you have ever ridden a horse with a tie-down that just acted better than ever, even seemed calmer, and you received considerable more control while riding the horse, it had major head control problems. The tie-down is just a bandaid that when it comes off, you will still be bleeding.
Head control areas that I'll cover soon:
Head Control ; In Circles ; In lead changes: In your stop ; In your roll backs ; OVER DISTRACTIONS for roping and shooting off your horse for the first time.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Forward Motion
Today there was a great trail ride for a three year old I'm training. The whole ride was a couple of hours and the terrain was vast. Large and small rocks to climb, trees and cactus to manuver around and through. So many washes between the mountains, saddles, and hills to climb and work down through, some even had water in them. The horse had a big drink about half way around the ride, after we made it into the large pool of water in the one wash. The biggest problem this arena ridden three year old had was stepping into the water and watching closely to a narrow part of the trail that he slipped a hind foot off of for one step. This was a great ride for him because it was a good break from teaching head possittion and body controlled manuevers. With out a lot of training to do on a trail ride because the horse stayed quiet and under perfect control throughout, we just focused on moving forward.
Forward motion is seldom worked on in the arena exercises with a lot of specific intent. Most of the time we might ask for very specific speeds and getting better transitions from one speed to another, or a change of the horse's gate from a trot back to a walk, etc. Yet what would we be missing in our horse if we did not have the forward speed controls.
This is a very broad subject matter like many in my past blogs. I am looking forward to uncovering the specifics of all this in future post. Feel free to add questions in the comment boxes in each post. We will keep moving forward.
Forward motion is seldom worked on in the arena exercises with a lot of specific intent. Most of the time we might ask for very specific speeds and getting better transitions from one speed to another, or a change of the horse's gate from a trot back to a walk, etc. Yet what would we be missing in our horse if we did not have the forward speed controls.
This is a very broad subject matter like many in my past blogs. I am looking forward to uncovering the specifics of all this in future post. Feel free to add questions in the comment boxes in each post. We will keep moving forward.
Monday, June 6, 2011
A Good Rider
Having the ability to stay on a bucking horse is a talent I've always had, and it has never been enough. That balance has however, given me hundreds of jobs, but I do not consider it a qualifier to being the horseback rider we're working toward becoming here. I wanted to call up my first riding teachers as I was riding this morning. I wanted to apologize to them, after all the help they sent my way to get the results we all were working for, how poorly I must have progressed. It's 29 years in the working since I started getting help starting my first colt under saddle, today I felt better than ever having that job to do. Qualified for the job to ride just a horse in order to progress it into a good one, after 18 years of help in schooling great horses I think I might have graduated from my first years of lessons. Just one riding lesson, or riding with a great rider for one year didn't make me a good rider. The time it takes to learn more than a few tricks in horse training, or to just stay in the saddle takes longer than a three day clinic.
You must be riding with someone watching to progress in the art of horsemanship. The one riding partner I've ridden with the most over the past eight years this August is still shaping my riding. My wife Paula, started watching my riding, training, and competitions back when we first dated. The second purchase we partnered on was a video camera. (first was a wireless horse clipper) We do what we see, so much more than I every realized. We do not watch a bad ride more than once, just enough to see what you don't want to do. Good runs can get a lot better, so we watch them a lot to improve them. I was riding with this great NRCHA competitor for a couple years and with out knowing it, my left shoulder started to duck a bit in my turns. Just like the riders I rode with every morning. I would not have known this with out my riding partner watching me and identifying the source of my new body positioning habit.
There was a competitor at a show asking me if I could come instruct him on some specifics that would help his overall results that he is getting out of his horse. My first question to him was why do you want to get help from me? Three reasons they gave to me, as to my question why, which surprised me. They have seen my personal drive to always improve my own riding and training on my horses, even when I sit at the top of the winner's circle. They connected with the descriptions I give when helping a rider work with their horse. The last thing they listed off was how we work with the talents and balance of horse and rider, instead of changing or increasing bits, tack, or extreme training measures. From someone who understands about how much of a JOURNEY it is to be a horseman, I am eager to share all that I can to help someone else reach their goals.
"There are no great horseman, just great horses" It takes a good horse to make a good rider, and also a good rider to make a good horse. Find someone with what you think is a GREAT horse and get help riding from them. Maybe one day, becoming a core client, you will get to throw a leg over on their best horse and your Journey will take a leap forward. Once you improve your riding, the horses you ride will get better and better. I'm so excited!! for my next horse, and the journey to being a better horseman that horse will take me on.
You must be riding with someone watching to progress in the art of horsemanship. The one riding partner I've ridden with the most over the past eight years this August is still shaping my riding. My wife Paula, started watching my riding, training, and competitions back when we first dated. The second purchase we partnered on was a video camera. (first was a wireless horse clipper) We do what we see, so much more than I every realized. We do not watch a bad ride more than once, just enough to see what you don't want to do. Good runs can get a lot better, so we watch them a lot to improve them. I was riding with this great NRCHA competitor for a couple years and with out knowing it, my left shoulder started to duck a bit in my turns. Just like the riders I rode with every morning. I would not have known this with out my riding partner watching me and identifying the source of my new body positioning habit.
There was a competitor at a show asking me if I could come instruct him on some specifics that would help his overall results that he is getting out of his horse. My first question to him was why do you want to get help from me? Three reasons they gave to me, as to my question why, which surprised me. They have seen my personal drive to always improve my own riding and training on my horses, even when I sit at the top of the winner's circle. They connected with the descriptions I give when helping a rider work with their horse. The last thing they listed off was how we work with the talents and balance of horse and rider, instead of changing or increasing bits, tack, or extreme training measures. From someone who understands about how much of a JOURNEY it is to be a horseman, I am eager to share all that I can to help someone else reach their goals.
"There are no great horseman, just great horses" It takes a good horse to make a good rider, and also a good rider to make a good horse. Find someone with what you think is a GREAT horse and get help riding from them. Maybe one day, becoming a core client, you will get to throw a leg over on their best horse and your Journey will take a leap forward. Once you improve your riding, the horses you ride will get better and better. I'm so excited!! for my next horse, and the journey to being a better horseman that horse will take me on.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Equine Dentist
Today's client had a terrible time driving to my place. His new diesel dually would not run with the diesel fuel he'd gotten on his way down from hours north of Flagstaff, AZ. The fuel filters were changed, and that helped, but the diesel fuel just wasn't burning right for the engine to work.
The journey of a horseman can be accelerated I believe if you own one of these diesel engines. My friend from Prescott was down riding with me and having a terrible time with the horse's head control. You must realize that some form of bit will go into your horse's mouth every time you saddle it up to ride. Just like you will put diesel fuel in the vehicle every time you need to drive it. If you have not had a great equine dentist look at your horse's teeth this year, than your fuel filters will not help, no matter what bit you try to ride your horse with.
There is much more on this I will continue to blog later, just getting the right dentist is like trusting the mechanic. Mike Lipsey is the one I trust in my area, and he does travel in quite a large part of North America just doing horse's teeth. That would be one reason I use him, he's up on everyone else in experience inside a horse's mouth.
Driving a diesel is not a bad experience, but I sure don't want to try and get anywhere on a bad filter.
The journey of a horseman can be accelerated I believe if you own one of these diesel engines. My friend from Prescott was down riding with me and having a terrible time with the horse's head control. You must realize that some form of bit will go into your horse's mouth every time you saddle it up to ride. Just like you will put diesel fuel in the vehicle every time you need to drive it. If you have not had a great equine dentist look at your horse's teeth this year, than your fuel filters will not help, no matter what bit you try to ride your horse with.
There is much more on this I will continue to blog later, just getting the right dentist is like trusting the mechanic. Mike Lipsey is the one I trust in my area, and he does travel in quite a large part of North America just doing horse's teeth. That would be one reason I use him, he's up on everyone else in experience inside a horse's mouth.
Driving a diesel is not a bad experience, but I sure don't want to try and get anywhere on a bad filter.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Versatility Training
Athletes that are overusing one group of muscles, or stuck thinking in just one process for too long do not perform as well for as long.
This roommate in college was a runner, did the 600 and the mile run competitively. Rarely was there a day without some major cross-training. Running the opposite direction just to avoid strange muscle in-balance or development was very important. Weight lifting was also important with some bike riding. Nike came out about the time I was in college with a new line of tennis shoe called the cross-trainer.
Rustler my black stallion was started in reining training when I purchased him, and about two to three times a week I hauled him to a rodeo arena to lope out big circles as you read about in yesterdays blog. Cattle were often being worked in connecting pens so Rustler would get many opportunities to focus on moving the cattle, following them, changing speed and stoping with the cattle. Rustler's first reining competition was in July of 2003, and was not aware that he had been trained for it. He had been partaking in cattle drives, trail rides, and roping events. He won money in calf-roping,a USTRC shoot out buckle, mounted shooting buckle all while being trained for his first reining show.
Three years later Rustler had shown in several public performances and earning a living as 2003 CMSA Overall World Champion stallion. Rustler had won it all and was loosing his luster to run hard and turn fast in the patterns. With just a few runs on the team-roping cattle and his willingness was turned back on. More than %33 of his speed was lost from just playing the same old game over and over.
I love the horses mind and spirit when you mix up their training with some high performance training along with extreme obstacle courses, (EXCA). Cutting and reining horses really need to get out of the office when you are training everyday. Not just keeping your horse's mind and body healthier, but making you a better horseman.
In 2008 my performance business cramped my schedule for the MSA World Championship weekend. My horses and I were trick riding in SD. for the Spirit of the West's three day Festival the weekend before, and the day before the championship I was performing my gun-spinning show at a corporate event in Phoenix, AZ for three hours. I was sure that my chances at even placing high were being shot down with the over-worked schedule for my horses and my own hands. Rest was much needed after THREE DAYS OF TRICK RIDING, and then three late hours of spinning and holstering my guns. When the first round was over, there was a big and deep breath of air in me, knowing that I had just finished the most difficult amount of versatility exercises for both the horse and the rider. My horses and I cleaned up everything at the World Championships and felt well rested with three days of just loping around shooting ten targets at a time.
This roommate in college was a runner, did the 600 and the mile run competitively. Rarely was there a day without some major cross-training. Running the opposite direction just to avoid strange muscle in-balance or development was very important. Weight lifting was also important with some bike riding. Nike came out about the time I was in college with a new line of tennis shoe called the cross-trainer.
Rustler my black stallion was started in reining training when I purchased him, and about two to three times a week I hauled him to a rodeo arena to lope out big circles as you read about in yesterdays blog. Cattle were often being worked in connecting pens so Rustler would get many opportunities to focus on moving the cattle, following them, changing speed and stoping with the cattle. Rustler's first reining competition was in July of 2003, and was not aware that he had been trained for it. He had been partaking in cattle drives, trail rides, and roping events. He won money in calf-roping,a USTRC shoot out buckle, mounted shooting buckle all while being trained for his first reining show.
Three years later Rustler had shown in several public performances and earning a living as 2003 CMSA Overall World Champion stallion. Rustler had won it all and was loosing his luster to run hard and turn fast in the patterns. With just a few runs on the team-roping cattle and his willingness was turned back on. More than %33 of his speed was lost from just playing the same old game over and over.
I love the horses mind and spirit when you mix up their training with some high performance training along with extreme obstacle courses, (EXCA). Cutting and reining horses really need to get out of the office when you are training everyday. Not just keeping your horse's mind and body healthier, but making you a better horseman.
In 2008 my performance business cramped my schedule for the MSA World Championship weekend. My horses and I were trick riding in SD. for the Spirit of the West's three day Festival the weekend before, and the day before the championship I was performing my gun-spinning show at a corporate event in Phoenix, AZ for three hours. I was sure that my chances at even placing high were being shot down with the over-worked schedule for my horses and my own hands. Rest was much needed after THREE DAYS OF TRICK RIDING, and then three late hours of spinning and holstering my guns. When the first round was over, there was a big and deep breath of air in me, knowing that I had just finished the most difficult amount of versatility exercises for both the horse and the rider. My horses and I cleaned up everything at the World Championships and felt well rested with three days of just loping around shooting ten targets at a time.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Riding Circles
When a horse goes home from the trainer, can it lope a circle. Someone asked for just this one thing when he sent several colts off to 3 different trainers, to lope a circle. Not one of the horses that returned could do it. This motivated me to be sure of ONE quiz every horse I ride would pass.
Ray Hunt would talk about "the perfect circle". My definition of a circle is the horse giving it's three main body parts over to the rider's control while in the loping gate. The horse's head should be in the direction of your circle, at the same level as the shoulder of the horse. The shoulder should be straight and forward in direction, not dropping in or fading out of the circle. The hip should be on the inside of the circle and up under the balanced body of the horse. When you can keep a consistent pace and size with your horse giving his three main body parts in a circle you have the perfect circle. It is one of those things that sounds way easier than it is to do.
My first mentor helping me start a colt at 8 years old got me in the habit of watching the path my horse's feet made as I circled and circled until my horse started making his own trail in the dirt. I was plow reining this colt, with the shortest legs I've ever had while riding, so leg control was out of the equation. Now I enjoy using a lot of leg control to stay off my horses mouth while loping circles. Gordon Kern said, "Brian, if you ride circles every day, and tie your horse to the hitching post for a couple hours everyday, you'll have a good horse." I still practice what he told me 30 years ago.
Ray Hunt would talk about "the perfect circle". My definition of a circle is the horse giving it's three main body parts over to the rider's control while in the loping gate. The horse's head should be in the direction of your circle, at the same level as the shoulder of the horse. The shoulder should be straight and forward in direction, not dropping in or fading out of the circle. The hip should be on the inside of the circle and up under the balanced body of the horse. When you can keep a consistent pace and size with your horse giving his three main body parts in a circle you have the perfect circle. It is one of those things that sounds way easier than it is to do.
My first mentor helping me start a colt at 8 years old got me in the habit of watching the path my horse's feet made as I circled and circled until my horse started making his own trail in the dirt. I was plow reining this colt, with the shortest legs I've ever had while riding, so leg control was out of the equation. Now I enjoy using a lot of leg control to stay off my horses mouth while loping circles. Gordon Kern said, "Brian, if you ride circles every day, and tie your horse to the hitching post for a couple hours everyday, you'll have a good horse." I still practice what he told me 30 years ago.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Buying Horse Training
What ever horse you pick to send off to the trainer, you are investing money into it's future abilities, and hopefully adding to it's potential worth. So you might ask yourself the question before you spend this money,"is this horse worth putting the money into?". Half of my client send me their children to school for as long as their budget will allow me to have them in class. The other half of my clients are sending me their invested "live stock", to add value to a marketable item in the competition arena and certainly at the registered sale, or at the time of liquidation.
I was tipped the other day when I trained a horse for a client and they paid me with a $10 tip added to the invoice. I was awakened to the idea again that I provide a service that could indeed be rated by my clients as very appreciated or not satisfactory. I have always looked at my job to teach horses how to act correctly around their owners and perform to their maximum level, as that of a school teacher. I'm sure my parents never tipped any of my school teachers, it was a job they were expected to perform because it was simply their job. Many folks now even send their dogs to a "school", and the dogs get grades, graduate, and move up into different classes. We must be talking about some real smart dogs. I would tip the dog trainer if he turned my mutt into a registered lab that could track and hunt anything. Do you tip a dog trainer who made a mean dog into a loyal animal that no longer bit your head off when you came home from work? He would be accomplishing more than I could get to happen with all the hours in a day working on it. That is why he has the job of training dogs right?
What horse in your barn are you sending off to the trainer to get more schooling. Your weanling, to get it started on it's halter training so you can show it as a yearling? Do you send the old horse in your barn off to get more schooling so it doesn't hurt it's self when you ask it to perform in the arena, or maybe showing it off in the local parade? It doesn't matter, what matters is that you have in your mind what it is you are doing. I have a client that sent a mustang paint filly to get broke. He just wants a horse to head steers in local jack-pot team-ropings. I ride it all winter and he puts his daughter on it at a pole-bending competition. ?+#*#?!!? The next horse this client sent me was another paint, this one is out of some good AQHA stock. The 3 year old filly caries her head low, lopes out slow and easy after three months of getting saddled, we'll only guess what she will get asked to do by it's owner. I would label this as a APHA client, however they do not know what APHA is. They just simply bought some horse training.
Do you ever go and get a hair cut when the beautician doesn't ask what you would like? If you are getting your hair cut just before you're getting an award, going to an important business venture, interview, or meeting the parents. There is meaning and reason for buying the service. I tell them I want you to turn me into Brad Pitt. No, When your hair messes up your day and won't any longer do what you want it to, you buy the service.
I can now see why I got that $10 dollar tip, when I finished the horse's hair cut, the owner liked how low maintenance his horse now was compared to before I started the service. They did more than just buy some horse training, they improved everyday life with their horse.
I have a training agreement for every horse I ride. Goals for your horse to improve on and Goals for the future of the horse are always the most difficult part for the owners to identify. I help them by showing them a few of the agreements forms on top of my pile. I encourage you to do this, don't even think about "buying horse training" just write down those goals for your student that is in school, dog, horse. I hope your goal in buying Horse Training isn't to change the horse's breeding.
I was tipped the other day when I trained a horse for a client and they paid me with a $10 tip added to the invoice. I was awakened to the idea again that I provide a service that could indeed be rated by my clients as very appreciated or not satisfactory. I have always looked at my job to teach horses how to act correctly around their owners and perform to their maximum level, as that of a school teacher. I'm sure my parents never tipped any of my school teachers, it was a job they were expected to perform because it was simply their job. Many folks now even send their dogs to a "school", and the dogs get grades, graduate, and move up into different classes. We must be talking about some real smart dogs. I would tip the dog trainer if he turned my mutt into a registered lab that could track and hunt anything. Do you tip a dog trainer who made a mean dog into a loyal animal that no longer bit your head off when you came home from work? He would be accomplishing more than I could get to happen with all the hours in a day working on it. That is why he has the job of training dogs right?
What horse in your barn are you sending off to the trainer to get more schooling. Your weanling, to get it started on it's halter training so you can show it as a yearling? Do you send the old horse in your barn off to get more schooling so it doesn't hurt it's self when you ask it to perform in the arena, or maybe showing it off in the local parade? It doesn't matter, what matters is that you have in your mind what it is you are doing. I have a client that sent a mustang paint filly to get broke. He just wants a horse to head steers in local jack-pot team-ropings. I ride it all winter and he puts his daughter on it at a pole-bending competition. ?+#*#?!!? The next horse this client sent me was another paint, this one is out of some good AQHA stock. The 3 year old filly caries her head low, lopes out slow and easy after three months of getting saddled, we'll only guess what she will get asked to do by it's owner. I would label this as a APHA client, however they do not know what APHA is. They just simply bought some horse training.
Do you ever go and get a hair cut when the beautician doesn't ask what you would like? If you are getting your hair cut just before you're getting an award, going to an important business venture, interview, or meeting the parents. There is meaning and reason for buying the service. I tell them I want you to turn me into Brad Pitt. No, When your hair messes up your day and won't any longer do what you want it to, you buy the service.
I can now see why I got that $10 dollar tip, when I finished the horse's hair cut, the owner liked how low maintenance his horse now was compared to before I started the service. They did more than just buy some horse training, they improved everyday life with their horse.
I have a training agreement for every horse I ride. Goals for your horse to improve on and Goals for the future of the horse are always the most difficult part for the owners to identify. I help them by showing them a few of the agreements forms on top of my pile. I encourage you to do this, don't even think about "buying horse training" just write down those goals for your student that is in school, dog, horse. I hope your goal in buying Horse Training isn't to change the horse's breeding.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Time to Ride
When will I find the time to ride my new horse so he will learn and start improving? The other question I am asked is "How do I find time to keep my competition horse in shape?" The hours I spend on the phone with some folks out there that don't have time to ride their horse might tell you where I am leading this subject. NOW ! is the time to Ride !
Growing up in Kansas was the best life I could have asked for, minus the hours in the seat of a tractor. Growing up in rural America on a dirt road that was 3 miles to concrete and 30 minutes to a town of any size, everybody knew their neighbor. My Dad could just leave the school bus driver a message on his answering machine (remember those?) which field the tractor and plow were parked at. I would get out of school and get dropped off on that tractor seat for the daylight that was left and send my school books home with my sisters. My horse did not get a ride on those days very often, and you and I have those days still that life doesn't fit in one 24 hour time-frame. When the school bus dropped me off at the long drive way, my horse was only minutes from being saddled. Today my clients, and even my wife wonder how I can get a horse and saddle him as fast as I do. I'm up on the horse and warming him up while others are picking out the color of pad they want to match up with today. Conclusions are made, Brian has saddled so many horses today that he's just warmed up. Maybe Brian's days as a wrangler, saddling his string of horses every morning before breakfast made him fast. I can tell you that it might just be the kid, still living inside me, that is so happy to get out of the tractor seat and in a saddle that makes me so motivated.
My brother had a plan to ride on those days that we knew the hours of farming where to numerous ahead to see any light at the end of the day. He said that the lights in the machine shed would be enough to saddle the horses, and early in the morning he would wake me up in time to get at least a half-hour ride in before breakfast call that was at 6 a.m. It was a good idea, just not enough time to ride for us though.. I still get an anxious feeling remembering the worry in our ears hearing the dinner bell ringing across the creek bottom. Oh.. no... we're late for breakfast again.
I just suggested an idea to another hard working friend. You may not get to ride for as long as you would like to today. Time yourself when you get out of your vehicle from work, get your horse out and saddled, mount it and ride around the whole barn yard one time. Then get off and put your horse away and call me with that time. You now have the minimum riding time calculated for to set your riding goals in the future with. Just the minimum is better than the tractor seat !
Growing up in Kansas was the best life I could have asked for, minus the hours in the seat of a tractor. Growing up in rural America on a dirt road that was 3 miles to concrete and 30 minutes to a town of any size, everybody knew their neighbor. My Dad could just leave the school bus driver a message on his answering machine (remember those?) which field the tractor and plow were parked at. I would get out of school and get dropped off on that tractor seat for the daylight that was left and send my school books home with my sisters. My horse did not get a ride on those days very often, and you and I have those days still that life doesn't fit in one 24 hour time-frame. When the school bus dropped me off at the long drive way, my horse was only minutes from being saddled. Today my clients, and even my wife wonder how I can get a horse and saddle him as fast as I do. I'm up on the horse and warming him up while others are picking out the color of pad they want to match up with today. Conclusions are made, Brian has saddled so many horses today that he's just warmed up. Maybe Brian's days as a wrangler, saddling his string of horses every morning before breakfast made him fast. I can tell you that it might just be the kid, still living inside me, that is so happy to get out of the tractor seat and in a saddle that makes me so motivated.
My brother had a plan to ride on those days that we knew the hours of farming where to numerous ahead to see any light at the end of the day. He said that the lights in the machine shed would be enough to saddle the horses, and early in the morning he would wake me up in time to get at least a half-hour ride in before breakfast call that was at 6 a.m. It was a good idea, just not enough time to ride for us though.. I still get an anxious feeling remembering the worry in our ears hearing the dinner bell ringing across the creek bottom. Oh.. no... we're late for breakfast again.
I just suggested an idea to another hard working friend. You may not get to ride for as long as you would like to today. Time yourself when you get out of your vehicle from work, get your horse out and saddled, mount it and ride around the whole barn yard one time. Then get off and put your horse away and call me with that time. You now have the minimum riding time calculated for to set your riding goals in the future with. Just the minimum is better than the tractor seat !
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Horse-shoeing
Does my horse need shoes? Can you take a look at my horse's feet, I don't think they look right? My horse doesn't seem like he's running, stopping, or turning like he should. Nearly every horse event I've attended, a question about horse-shoeing has surfaced. Many horseman would say it is very important to direct your attention and take good care of your horses feet. It is a detail that can not be over-looked, ignored, or simply let go for a little while.
My first time hanging out with a farrier is easy to remember, even though it must have been over 30 years ago. Less than 7 years old, I was amazed at the steel shoes pounded against the perfectly smooth surface of the farriers anvil. The sound of shaping the shoes gave me the same chill of a horse freshly shod, traveling across a road making the hollow yet powerful clip and CLOP echo. The nails were so uniquely slender, who wouldn't want to have that job! Maybe the reason for my amazement of this first time visit from the farrier, was that I was the next farrier to visit my home.
There were no shoeing schedules when I was growing up in rural Kansas. The horses lived on big round bales of hay (still do there) were saddled early in the morning and put back in the lot that night. Kansas pastures and feed lots served no need for shoes on a horse. The horse's feet grew, split, and splintered, got out of balance but never had a horse trip, stumble, or fall. The job was mine to do with out even asking for permission (some things don't change). Finding some kind of big file in the machine shed, I started picking up one foot at a time and rasping off toe until I could see the improvement I was looking for. I cared just as much about my horse's feet as I cared about riding him. My compassion for the horse strengthened as I met hundreds more horses with feet that needed more care than they were getting. No, that didn't make me a farrier, my horse was barefoot for 10 years until I took him to the rocky trails in east Michigan. My nerves wouldn't let me be in the barnyard when the farrier showed up to put Hobbie's first set of shoes on. Fearing that his feet were not healthy in some way from my lack of education on the subject. When I returned, and the job had been done, I asked the wrangler what the farrier said about Hobbie's feet. Nothing. Soon after that I was in farrier school adding to the CARE of every horse I would ever meet. No, that didn't make me a farrier either. Traveling around with many farriers that I looked up to over the next five years gave me more knowledge to use than school had.
Horse-sense is the main ingredient in horse-shoeing. Caring is the second. The small differences in the way your horses feet are cared for show when you start looking at winning or loosing a competition and the years you want to enjoy riding that horse. Your horse would like to tell you some small details about shoeing that make a big difference to it. Keep the foot balanced under the bone structure of the horse's leg. Try not to get tunnel vision when you look at your horse's feet and not see the legs. The length of the foot from the toe to the bulb should have the frog making up two-thirds of the length, while the point of the apex to the toe makes up one-third of the length. Your horse will enjoy the light weight feeling of it's new "nike air" shoes. Contracted heels will just sneak up and take your horses willingness away from you. Try to keep room for a coin to roll around the edge of the horse's toe on the rim of the horse shoe. Letting your farrier to give your horse the support in the heels that it needs even though you may throw more shoes when you leave the shoe trailing behind the foot as it needs to. Your horse's feet are changing through it's years, so stay on top by always paying attention to it's bottom.
My first time hanging out with a farrier is easy to remember, even though it must have been over 30 years ago. Less than 7 years old, I was amazed at the steel shoes pounded against the perfectly smooth surface of the farriers anvil. The sound of shaping the shoes gave me the same chill of a horse freshly shod, traveling across a road making the hollow yet powerful clip and CLOP echo. The nails were so uniquely slender, who wouldn't want to have that job! Maybe the reason for my amazement of this first time visit from the farrier, was that I was the next farrier to visit my home.
There were no shoeing schedules when I was growing up in rural Kansas. The horses lived on big round bales of hay (still do there) were saddled early in the morning and put back in the lot that night. Kansas pastures and feed lots served no need for shoes on a horse. The horse's feet grew, split, and splintered, got out of balance but never had a horse trip, stumble, or fall. The job was mine to do with out even asking for permission (some things don't change). Finding some kind of big file in the machine shed, I started picking up one foot at a time and rasping off toe until I could see the improvement I was looking for. I cared just as much about my horse's feet as I cared about riding him. My compassion for the horse strengthened as I met hundreds more horses with feet that needed more care than they were getting. No, that didn't make me a farrier, my horse was barefoot for 10 years until I took him to the rocky trails in east Michigan. My nerves wouldn't let me be in the barnyard when the farrier showed up to put Hobbie's first set of shoes on. Fearing that his feet were not healthy in some way from my lack of education on the subject. When I returned, and the job had been done, I asked the wrangler what the farrier said about Hobbie's feet. Nothing. Soon after that I was in farrier school adding to the CARE of every horse I would ever meet. No, that didn't make me a farrier either. Traveling around with many farriers that I looked up to over the next five years gave me more knowledge to use than school had.
Horse-sense is the main ingredient in horse-shoeing. Caring is the second. The small differences in the way your horses feet are cared for show when you start looking at winning or loosing a competition and the years you want to enjoy riding that horse. Your horse would like to tell you some small details about shoeing that make a big difference to it. Keep the foot balanced under the bone structure of the horse's leg. Try not to get tunnel vision when you look at your horse's feet and not see the legs. The length of the foot from the toe to the bulb should have the frog making up two-thirds of the length, while the point of the apex to the toe makes up one-third of the length. Your horse will enjoy the light weight feeling of it's new "nike air" shoes. Contracted heels will just sneak up and take your horses willingness away from you. Try to keep room for a coin to roll around the edge of the horse's toe on the rim of the horse shoe. Letting your farrier to give your horse the support in the heels that it needs even though you may throw more shoes when you leave the shoe trailing behind the foot as it needs to. Your horse's feet are changing through it's years, so stay on top by always paying attention to it's bottom.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Joy of Riding
Joy is found in a song, a dance, a relationship and in pets. When I was eight years old I found joy in a horse named Hobbie. Blogs are not long enough to contain all the stories to be told about Hobbie and I. Hobbie was the first yearling I ever started under saddle, though there were some very frustrating moments, 30 years later my memory holds nothing but days of joy with Hobbie.
The specific moment, up on top of a hilly pasture, looking over acres and acres that we covered everyday riding together I knew I had something I had to share with others. Joy in riding my horse that took up so much of my body that I could not keep it all in. This horse and I had many adventures across several states in later years. Both he and I helped many learn to ride and Hobbie alone inspired several to go and purchase horses for themselves. We had 25 years together, Christmas eve 5 years ago he died.
Today is the best day of riding I've had yet. I know this because my knowledge of riding has increased since yesterday and that means the communication between me and the horses I'm riding will never have been better than it is today. The 30 years of teaching new things to horses has continued to spark a new Joy in me. Mentioning a trail ride, a rodeo, or even a performance horse event may not get my blood running like it once did, but DO NOT offer me a colt that's never been rode, because TODAY if am obsessed with the "Joy of Riding".
The specific moment, up on top of a hilly pasture, looking over acres and acres that we covered everyday riding together I knew I had something I had to share with others. Joy in riding my horse that took up so much of my body that I could not keep it all in. This horse and I had many adventures across several states in later years. Both he and I helped many learn to ride and Hobbie alone inspired several to go and purchase horses for themselves. We had 25 years together, Christmas eve 5 years ago he died.
Today is the best day of riding I've had yet. I know this because my knowledge of riding has increased since yesterday and that means the communication between me and the horses I'm riding will never have been better than it is today. The 30 years of teaching new things to horses has continued to spark a new Joy in me. Mentioning a trail ride, a rodeo, or even a performance horse event may not get my blood running like it once did, but DO NOT offer me a colt that's never been rode, because TODAY if am obsessed with the "Joy of Riding".
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Horse's Mind's Eye
So very many folks work their horse with a good goal in mind. Goals like, riding safely down the trail, backing into the box to rope a steer, participate in a mounted shooting event, or show their horse at a big arena. Nearly every day, and at least every month I help a horse and rider begin to develop "Attention Span". Regardless of your goals for you and your horse, if I want it to win the next barrel race, you need the horse a little more attentive to YOU than to just be the fastest at turning three barrels. How perfect your horse may turn a barrel, if it runs you over getting in and out of the trailer, or jumps over the arena when a baby carriage is strolled near by, all that training on your riding goals will not get the job done.
Giving your horse a job is so important, you rarely will find a good horse that doesn't have one. The reason for creating a long lasting span of attention on it's rider is equally as important. Keep the same goals for you and your horse, but add the magic ingredient of involving the horses "mind's eye" in your riding.
EXAMPLE: You commonly take your horse out after you saddle it, and lounge a few circles before you start your ride. Your horse gets into that lounge position and takes off moving it's feet forward in a circle around you, circle, after circle, after circle. If the horse never looked at you with it's inside eye, or even pointed it's nose to glance in toward you, you were missing it's "mind's eye".
My apprentices are capable of taking your horse in the warm-up arena and wearing it out before you get on, and a horseman will prepare the horse in that same amount of time to pay attention to you.
Stay tuned in.... I will share with you things of this topic that get YOUR "mind's eye" !
Giving your horse a job is so important, you rarely will find a good horse that doesn't have one. The reason for creating a long lasting span of attention on it's rider is equally as important. Keep the same goals for you and your horse, but add the magic ingredient of involving the horses "mind's eye" in your riding.
EXAMPLE: You commonly take your horse out after you saddle it, and lounge a few circles before you start your ride. Your horse gets into that lounge position and takes off moving it's feet forward in a circle around you, circle, after circle, after circle. If the horse never looked at you with it's inside eye, or even pointed it's nose to glance in toward you, you were missing it's "mind's eye".
My apprentices are capable of taking your horse in the warm-up arena and wearing it out before you get on, and a horseman will prepare the horse in that same amount of time to pay attention to you.
Stay tuned in.... I will share with you things of this topic that get YOUR "mind's eye" !
Monday, May 23, 2011
Summer Riding
Rustler the Black stallion does not much like riding in the Arizona desert with out a breeze to cool off the day's hot sun. Morning starts before the sun rises, with some breakfast of strategy and alfalfa before the direct sun light will hit Rustler's shinny black hair, shimmering even by the little light from the moon. Finishing last drops in the feed bucket, I have finished brushing him off and applied his personal Wyngz saddle pads. Happy to take the bit after being saddled, Rustler jumps out of his stall like the cool of the morning will lead right into fall weather. This is exactly how to have a great summer of riding !
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