Learning Horses

Is it time for a new horse?

2011-12-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

I've been pretty dispassionate about horses the last 3 years. I'll find moments of inspiration but it is easily lost. Is it the wrong horse, the wrong time, the wrong horse community? Or just a general complication of life in general?

When Carmen Micheletti and her trainer Bruce Beyer came to Synergy Stables for a clinic, I realized (even though I didn't have a horse in the clinic), I belonged on a Paso Fino.

So as much as I love the beautiful Phaedre, I don't belong on a walk/trot horse. I learned to ride on a Paso Fino, my heart, my mind and my body all want to hear the four beat gait. Phaedre is doing well and earning her keep as a lease horse, so she will remain in my horse family.

So, now I know that if I am really going to be passionate again, I need a Paso Fino, well certainly narrows things down. I also realized that I loved to show, so I need a show horse.

Last weekend I went to Paso Largo farm and rode 6 different horses, all fun in their own way. I was looking for a pleasure mare and I really loved a mare named Charisma. I also really enjoyed a national chamption Performance Stallion, but of course, he wasn't for sale.

But a black performance gelding caught my eye. He is a big mover, sensitive, and the one that really stuck with me. He would be fun in the show ring and he and I could figure out our business on the trail. I'm trying to make it happen.

My friend Julie of Equine Mine, started her blog years ago in search of her dream horse, I'm just looking for an inspirational one. Wish me luck.

Precious: A tribute. June 1997 to August 2011

2011-08-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be a long time before I had to write something like this. But as I hang out with her this morning, for what will be her last time in the pasture, I know I am doing the right thing. After several minutes she has finally decided to eat, but moving from place to place is causing her such great pain, that she moves slowly and deliberately. They are not the movements of a healthy pray animal, who could flee from a predator at any moment; they are movements of the wounded one, the first to be taken down.

It was almost exactly 10 years ago that my mom dragged me to the Oregon State Fair to see the Paso Finos. It was there I met Bruce and Betty Reed who are the reason I have horses today. Life changing words: “Come out and ride, we love to share our horses”. Not much time later, Precious became my steady mount.

10 years later, here I am, sitting in the pasture at Heavenly Ranch, listening to the birds and the occasionally sound of grass being eaten, waiting for the vet. She looks beautiful this morning, as always the sun darkens her liver chestnut color in the summer and it is especially beautiful this year. She is graying around her muzzle and the white spot she developed on her withers this year stands out. Juliana as brushed her main and tail, her tail reaches the ground and drags through the grass. I hate looking at her cresty neck, a constant reminder of the disease killing her; she is mane side to me now, so I can’t see it.

I was probably crazy to buy a 4 year old horse with hardly any riding experience under my belt, but as I reflect back on our time together, I can’t imagine another horse who could have challenged me in just the right way throughout our time together. Even today, pushing me to make the right decision, no matter how much heartbreak I feel.

She has been my teacher. She has taught me patience, leadership, compromise and made me a great horse woman. That is a lot for one horse to accomplish, which is why I pay tribute to her today.

A few years back I participated in a trail obstacle race with Precious. I rode in a rope halter and a dressage saddle and we pulled a log, took jumps, bridges, a teeter totter, opened gates and about 20 other things I can’t remember. She didn’t do everything, but she did most things and she did them for me. I came in last, but I was so proud of our accomplishment, I felt like the winner.

Precious is known for her bad attitude, but people who really get to know her understand that beneath her protective exterior, is a horse who will try her heart out and challenge you to be your best. She has taken many children for their first ride, she has offered up her services to a lot of kids and teenagers, some who appreciated her and some who didn’t. About 5 years ago, she met Juliana and they fell in love. Juliana spent last night in her stall and will share tears with me today, she is a good friend who loves this horse probably as much as I do.

For all that Precious could do, she hated the show ring, it was one place we really didn’t get along. She was terrified of clapping, a problem we never solved and she would get so stressed out by the entire experience, that I finally quit. She was a much happier horse after that.
Precious helped me learn natural horsemanship, our first teacher was Steve Rother. Years later I discovered Parelli and had many lessons from Ann Kaiser who helped me pass level 1 and earn my red savvy string that I am so proud of.

Gina Gardner introduced Precious and I to dressage and helped me understand what it can do for a gaited horse. My riding and my training will never be the same and she helped me turn Precious into a beautiful picture, I am sad we were not able to share that with the world in the show ring. Precious is one of the Paso Finos featured in her video on gaits.
Julie Fisher is the reason I am in love with trail obstacles and while I don’t think I ever had a lesson with her on Precious, she is the reason I had so much fun in the last years we rode together.

Bruce and Betty Reed, Marianne Deering, Patricia Brady-McKinney and my other Paso Fino friends got me out on the trails and watched me learn and struggle and figure it all out, I hope they are proud of how far Precious and I came together.

My mom intervened in that first year when I pretty much untrained her and was scared to even take her out of her stall. It was because of her I figured out I needed help owning a horse, not a Paso Fino that led me down the path to learning. I know my mom has had moments since then that have topped this, but I think for many years one of her highlights was winning Pleasure Amateur Owner Mares at the Oregon State Fair on Precious, then earning the Reserve Championship. The competition is much fiercer these days, but it doesn’t matter, it was a very proud moment for me as well.

Luis was a Columbian trainer I sent her to after she was diagnosed. I hope I can see him again to tell him she is gone. He and his son Sebastian really liked her and years later would always ask me about her and say in that special way. You could tell how much they really liked her.
That was the thing about Precious. She loved anyone who really bossed her around. Men did that, I did that, so she adored Bruce Reed, Luis and I. She absolutely loves Juliana, but I think the under saddle relationship isn’t quite the same, but of course, she doesn’t fawn over me the way she does Juliana. Our relationships are different.

At 14 hands and 900 lbs, she was a force to be reckoned with and was in control of any pasture situation she was put into. I avoided it most of her life, because if a bigger horse decided to challenge her, I would have had a pretty bad vet bill on my hands. Luckily, when she lived on the farm no one did challenge her and that tiny horse controlled the entire herd of 8 horses. No one went into the barn until Precious did. There was rarely any challenging her, her face showed it all. If I was a horse, I’d stay away too.

Although I came off of her 3 times, only once did she buck me off. Boy did I deserve it too. I had put an old western saddle on her; the skirt was so soft when I cinched the saddle it was folded up underneath itself. I didn’t know it, but I was pinching the crap out of her. Based on the imprint in her body after we took off the saddle, it must have hurt like hell. She launched me out of the saddle and onto my hip and wrist. I was so traumatized. Gina Odermott saw the whole thing. She said she looked like a bronc at the rodeo. I had already known that Precious was a leaper, but it wasn’t until someone took some pictures that I realized how high she would leap into the air. I felt it first hand that day.

I made so many mistakes with her and she still lets me catch her. This morning while I sit here in this small pasture, she has made one loop around the edge; I think the footing is better. When she passed by me, she sniffed me all over and reminded me that my sweatshirt doesn’t smell good. I appreciated the reminder, a very Precious thing to do.

Precious wasn’t ever really ‘diagnosed’ with Cushing’s disease. We eliminated everything else. For months I was at the barn 2x a day, soaking her feet, cleaning her stall and trying to keep her comfortable. I spent thousands on the vet and when Gina suggested it might be Cushing’s the vet agreed it was possible. The tests then weren’t great and ultimately the best test was medication. So we gave her the medication (oh how she hated it-my mom calls her a drug sniffing horse). 4 weeks went by. Nothing. 6 weeks. Nothing. 8 weeks. Nothing. 10 weeks, I had my old horse back. It was Cushing’s, without a doubt.

After almost 6 months of illness, she was back to her old self in almost no time flat. The next 5 years she was completely healthy. She started having problems each spring and fall about 2 years ago. This time she has had problems since February and they aren’t getting any better. She is miserable and in pain and her quality of life isn’t good. So today, I am doing the right thing; making a responsible end of life decision for someone I love very much. It is sad, but when I look back, I know I will not have any regrets.

Today, my mom, Juliana and my friend Christine will share this experience with me. We will cry a lot, but I will tell some of my favorite (and often funny and self deprecating) stories about Precious. We will laugh too and tonight I will probably drink too much wine. I will go to work tomorrow, but probably not at the top of my game.

In this journey there are three people I am forever indebted to. The first two are, Bruce and Betty Reed who invited me into their lives with open arms and who gave me a break when they sold me this horse. They shared their trails, their time and their hearts with me. I love them like family.

The second is Gina Odermott. Gina owns heavenly ranch and has been on this journey with me since the beginning. Even though I left for 5 years to live in Eugene, when I came back, it was just like old times (but with a new amazing barn and arena). Gina has given me advice, called the vet, dealt with broken fences, special accommodations, medication and an often absent owner. She even made the arrangements for me to take care of Precious’ body, which I couldn’t have dealt with. Gina had to say goodbye to her Cushing’s horse earlier this summer, it has been a rough year for this disease. Gina might be the barn owner, but her friendship is what has made it possible to get through this.

The vet will be here in 30 minutes and I think it will be difficult to get Precious to her final resting place. She didn’t want to make the short trip into the pasture. But she is enjoying the sun and the grass and totally annoyed by the flies. Everyone is arriving, the horses are being fed, it is almost time.

Tonight I will raise my glass and say a toast. I hope you will all join me virtually from wherever you are. “To Precious: May your spirit live on as the herd boss of the great big pasture in the sky”.

Parasites Part 1: Proof of Concept

2011-03-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

I can't promise that I will have a lot to say about horses in 2011, but there is a topic I want to cover: Parasites.

I have been on a journey of learning about parasites because of my friend Christine. She confided in me about a year ago that she had developed a method for testing horses for parasites that any horse owner can do. You know what? I didn't even know what that meant. Why would I want to test my horse? Why would I need to test a horse? I was completely clueless.

A year later, I know so much more and yesterday we used the first testing kit sold by her new business Eggzamin to test all of the horses at Synergy Stables. The horses had been dewormed in December and based on normal rotational deworming theory we would have wormed them in February. Based on what I have learned from Christine, we decided to wait until our Eggzamin kit was delivered.

Here is what happened: Only 3 out of 9 horses, all wormed in December had any parasites. Only 2 actually needed deworming. I am sure you might be thinking, only 2? Because a year ago I had the same question. The story will unfold, I promise. Hold tight.

Not only did we test 9 horses, we also spent an hour talking with the Parasitologist from Eggzamin. Oh yeah folks, that's right, Parasitologist. Sexy job I think. It was brilliant. I learned more about Parasites in 60 minutes than I had in my entire 10 years of horse ownership. Worth every penny, sometimes it pays to speed up the learning process.

So today, I stand before and provide my 100% endorsement of Eggzamin.

Tomorrow: Parasites Part 2: A History Lesson

The glorious versitle paso fino

2010-11-11T19:07:00.000-08:00

I was sent this link in my most recent copy of the Northwest Paso Fino Horse Association newsletter. It is a fun video to watch whether or not you love Paso Finos.

Here is what you will see:

1. Beautiful gait. This quick footed stallion has a lovely smooth gait.
2. Versitility: Showing the canter & jump, it illustrates how a Paso Fino can do more than ride around in a circle.
3. Agility. Sideways movments (halfpass, sidepass) are movements for a diagionally gaited horse, for a Paso Fino the difficulty level is much higher, this horse is supple and athletic.
3. Horsemanship. There are moments where this looks out of control, but the reality is, this quick footed guy is being guided by a great horseman who has challenged him to be his best.
4. Partnership. She drops her reins at the canter, spins around poles all the while her trusted steed is keeping her safe.
5. Trust. Both human to horse and horse to human.

And no, it is not played at a fast speed. Enjoy!

Working both sides

2010-11-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

I'm lucky. I'm ambidexterious. I almost do stuff as easily with my left hand as I can with my dominant right hand. I have been that way most of my life and probably chose being right handed because I live in a right handed world.

Being comfortable with both sides of my body has given me a great advantage in the horse world. I am always leading my horses on both sides, my riding is pretty balanced, and it is easy to make sure I am doing things from both sides.

Well today, when I was working with Phaedre, I was on her right side and asked her to lower her head. Guess what, she just stuck it in the air. HIGH in the air. When I did did my next level of reinforcement (touching the pole and moving the nose of her halter from side to side), she also didn't put her head down.

It is such a reminder to make sure we are doing things from both sides of our horses, not just leading and basic groundwork, but also brideling, saddling and even giving wormer. The more things our horses can do two sided, the more flexible mentally they become.

How to Teach Your Horse to Spook

2010-04-30T23:20:00.000-07:00

I don't want to talk about teaching your horse to spook in place, at that, I am not an expert. Rather, I want to discuss the behaviors you should engage in as a rider to ensure your horse jumps, snorts and acts squirrley at every opportunity.

I recently did many of these things to turn my ho-hum Morgan who had never spooked into a spooking machine after her first bobble. I am sure if you engage in these activities, I can guarentee you that your horse will spook.

1. Worry. Worry that everything might spook your horse.

2. Have zero confidence in your horse. The less confidence you have (and have in your horse) the more likely she is to spook.

3. Hold your breath. When we are relaxed we breathe normally, sometimes we even sing a song or laugh. Holding your breath is an awesome sign of tension and your horse will react to it.

4. Over react. Did it scare you? Make sure you let your horse know! You are, after all, a predator, so if you are scared-your horse will be do.

5. Go fetal. We curl up when we are afraid. Sitting up straight, with a deep seat is a sign of confidence, so make sure to fall forward on your horse, it might even help you come off if he is super scared.

If you decide that you don't want your horse to spook, then just relax, be confident, breath and sit back. There are many other things to help, but this is a good place to start.

How to Fit a Saddle: For Women!

2010-04-23T23:48:00.000-07:00

I actually don't know that much about saddle fitting and what a shame. There is so much around biomechanics of both horses and humans that a well fit saddle can save hundreds of hours in resistance, injury and training, not to mention lots of saved money from vet bills, chiropracters, multiple saddle purchases and most of all-saved aggrivation.

I have been looking for a dressage saddle for several months and sitting in every one I could try for over a year. Today, I sat in one that was comfortable. It was the first time I ever sat in a saddle and went 'YES!'. It was like the first time I put on a pair of Dansko clogs, I just felt it was made for me.

Well, this saddle, a Schlesse, wasn't made for me, but it was made for women. After researching them tonight, I found they have published an excellent series on YouTube for the 9 points of saddle fitting. It is well worth 30 minutes of your time. If you have another 10 minutes watch the saddle fitting for women videos. In fact, if you are a woman, watch those first. They are ENLIGHTENING, I think I just came out of the saddle dark ages.

And don't freak out when you see the prices. Yes, they are expensive, but you can find used ones (that is what I am trying). And really, if it is the last saddle you ever buy-it might be worth the investment.

To find them on youtube, click here.

How to: Approach and Retreat-Little Objects

2010-01-12T21:28:00.000-08:00

I got a question recently on how someone can get wet things near their horses head. This is one of my favorite topics, approach and retreat. There are a lot of different theories about approach and retreat, but I want to tell you the story of where the term 'broke' comes from in reference to horses.

I read Monty Roberts book 'The Man Who Listen's To Horses' a few years ago. What stuck with me most was the story about horse a 'broke'. Simply, it would be tied to a post and tormented with objects until its spirit was broken. *SHUDDER* From that moment on, I erased that word from my vocabulary.

So how do we ask our equine friends to accept objects they consider to be potential fatal (after all they are prey animals and I am sure you have met one that thinks it could be killed by a plastic bag)?

So, here is a semi-systematic way of helping your horse gain confidence about a scary object.

1. Find the comfortable distance. How far away can your horse be from the scary object and have NO reaction? That is your comfortable distance, make note and don't fudge. By the way it helps to aproach from multiple directions because horses don't generalize well.

2. Check your foundation. This is reality check #1. If you are trying to put something wet near your horses head, can you actually put a non wet object near your horses head? Will he willingly lower is head to have an object other than a halter, bridle or brush near his head?

If not, then find a way to bring your horse pleasure with other objects near his head. But follow the same instructions!

3. Lower the Criteria. Assuming your horse doesn't mind random things near his head, keeps his head low, stays relaxed, isn't worried, then if you are trying for a wet sponge, lower the criteria. Start with a damp towel, not dripping, but almost dry. Make sure he accepts it in other stops on his body and make it warm and pleasant. Use it to massage him! If that works well then go to step #1. Find the comfortable distance.

4. Move slowly. Horses are smart creatures and they are programmed to protect themselves. The hotter blooded/more high headed the horse (regardless of breed), in my opinion takes longer to accept new things, but if done RIGHT will accept them more willingly than a horse who cares less. Moving slowly and taking the time will make your life so much easier in the logn run!

5. Relax. If you can't relax, it is likely your horse won't either. Getting mad, yelling, screaming, crying does little to inspire your horse to be confident. Trust me, I know. I have spent a lot of time doing all those things. Just take a deep breath and pretend you are teaching a kid how to read for the first time. Lots of patience!

6. Approach and retreat. Once you have lowered your criteria, prepared yourself to move slowly AND know the comfortable distance, then approach and retreat. What does that mean? Simple. Move the object slowly toward your horse and I mean SLOWLY, be soft in your body language and watch your horse. Watch for tension, ears, eyes anything that indicates what you are doing is NOT ok. If you see that retreat (slowly of course) and just do something random with the object. Do I need to repeat something not scary? If you can touch your horse with the object, then when you retreat continue to do something pleasurable with it to him.

7. Have patience. Make this a part of your daily routine and slowly close the gap. When you introduce a new element it all starts over, but the more you do these things the less your horse will freak out.

I have some different techniques for bigger objects, but all of this information applies, just some different ways to apply them.

I cannot emphasize enough-if your horse freaks out when you pull out a sponge halfway across the arena, then start ALL the way across the arena. You do NOT want to your horse to pull back if tied. So as absurd as it may feel, this is for your horse, not your ego.

Balance

2009-12-28T21:52:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of discussion about balance when it comes to horses, usually in reference to us as riders. We are always looking for a way to better position our bodies, create better harmony and sometimes, for ways to just not fall off of our horses.

But there is another kind of balance, how do you marry two disparate disciplines to find what will work for both and leave your conscious clear. Confused? Hold tight, let me explain.

If you are a new reader or a (very) faithful longtime reader, you will know that I am interested in a few horse related things:

1. Parelli/Natural Horsemanship

2. Dressage

3. Trail Obsticales

AND to be able to do them all with gaited and non-gaited horses. Talk about a perplexing set of interests. Here are some of the examples conflicts:

1. Unless you teach your gaited horses to trot, you can't officially pass some of the level Parelli 3 and 4 skills.

2. It is believed you cannot compete in USDF or USAE Dressage competitions with a gaited horse.

3. Can't pull a log in a trail obsticle course with a dressage saddle.

Not to mention that "purists" in many of the disciplines say that they can't be mixed. Crap, does that mean I have to pick one? Does that mean I can only be so 'savvy' with a gaited horse? Or never do dressage with a Paso Fino? Or not ride in a trail obsticle course with my dressage saddle?

No, my friends, it is all a matter of balance. I have spent much of the last few years finding that balance and developing the confidence to make the decisions that are best for my goals. It is imperative to be willing to take in new information, but you don't always have to choose to use it.

I will be taking lessons from someone who may suggest I use a flash on my horse, or perhaps even a tie down. These are things I have done, but I no longer wish to do. I am happy to take the suggestion, but ultimately, I am in charge. As I told Santana's owner when she took him home: You will get a lot of advice, but ultimately it is up to you to make the decision that is best for your horse, do what you think is right.

I might not ever be Parelli Level 4 or a riding Dressage Level 4, but then again, maybe I will. But whatever I achieve, it means I have done it with balance.

Tounge Relief

2009-12-28T20:29:00.000-08:00

What exactly is tounge relief and why would you care about it? Well, first it is important to undertand the types of bit pressure. You can review my post on Types of Bit Pressure for a quick tutorial.

Many bits restrict the tounge, even though that may not be the main point of the pressure. The Myler's contend in A Whole Bit Better, that a horse generally needs more tounge relief as they get finished. That is possibly true, but what I really believe is, you will know when there is something wrong with your bit.

If your horse is biting at the bit, sticking out their tounge, avoiding opening their mouth here is something to think about: THEY ARE COMMUNICATING with you.

I have been such an idiot watching Precious fuss with her bit for a year then it dawned on me. She isn't just telling me, she is screaming at me. This bit is no longer working for her. Her bit has some tounge relief, which is the ability to move the tounge around and swallow. Many bits are so restrictive that horses cannot do these things.

However, her bit (pictured right) puts its primary points of pressure on the bars. For Precious, this was originally a godsend, she hated nose pressure, tounge pressure then all of a sudden we found the right combination of bar and curb pressure. But just like us, horses evolve. As the horse matures physically and in training, the horse might benefit from a different bit.

I have tried two "ported" bits. Basically a bit that allows for Precious to move her tounge around and swallow, but still retain the bar pressure that is so effective for her. I was highly successful my first day, putting her in the bit on the left. This bit (I had it in my bit box) does not have the curb action, although you can put a curb chain on it, I just didn't have the proper attachments. This was amazing for her, she was so collected and so soft. But it was just the first ride. One of the Myler brothers told me years ago, that you have to take several rides in your new bit to know if it is the right one. I only took one, however, because I wanted to ride with curb action on the bit, as this was designed. The action of the rings can cause it to twist in the mouth unless you have perfect had position without the curb chain, so while I am really not relying on the curb, I do need it to hold the bit together.

Today we rode in a Kimberwick, that has a nice wide port. It went well, required more contact, but will be appropriate for Juliana, Precious' primary rider. This gives her something that will give her more refinement, but still allows for correction if she needs it. The previous bit requires obedience by the horse and well, Precious isn't always known as obedient. In my mind, it is the reward for good behavior, so I will use it when she wakes up on the right side of the stall.

Tune Up

2009-12-20T20:48:00.001-08:00

It has been a long time since I have posted on Learninghorses.com. Suffice to say, a lot has happened for me in the last year, but the most recent result is that I am now living back in Portland. I moved back a couple of weeks ago and I am enjoying the city life.

Precious will be staying at Synergy Stables, our farm in Junction City, OR. Phaedre will be with me at Heavenly Ranch in Banks.

For the short term, I have brought Precious up with me for a tune-up. I haven't ridden her much in the last couple of years and it shows. Nothing wild or crazy, but the soft collected horse is really going more for stiff and strung out. I'm trying to put it back together.

Here are some of the reminders I had to give to Precious today:

1. Whoa means stop. Not stop in 3 or 4 steps, but stop. To me, the whoa is the stopping of the forward movment of the horse. Basically, not pull back on your horse, instead, prevent him from going forward. If you are riding with contact this can be as simple as closing your hands on the reins and sitting deep in your seat and dropping weight in your stirrups. If you are preventing your horse from going forward and not asking him to go backward, what is he supposed to do?

2. Everything gets sloppy with speed. Slow down. If something isn't working at trot/gait or canter, perfect it first with the walk and work your way up. Precious and I spent most of our ride today at the walk. It was easier for me to remind her and easier for her to accomplish.

3. Leg does not mean speed. Precious wasn't bolting out from underneath me, but as I increased the leg cue, she wanted to travel faster. What is the message here? Remember to be consistent in how you ask. Make sure to have two different cues and never allow one to mean another.

4. Look where you are going. If you don't know where you want to go, neither would your horse. Do you look down at your shoes when you are walking? I think not. Have vision.

5. Be specific and ask specifically. Precious wouldn't stand next to the mounting block where I wanted her to. I had to move her over 4 times, but by the end, she knew exactly what I wanted. I didn't take 'close enough', I asked specifically and got specifically.

It was a fun ride and just amazing to remember how far my girl has come.

Dianne Sept Lesson

2008-10-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

Today I had a lesson from Diane Sept. She is a connected riding instructor with a very long history in gaited horses. We are concerned about Pidgeon Fever in our area so I we are leaving horses at home, but someone let me borrow their Tennessee Walker.

Although not everything Diane taught me was new, the way it was put together was entirely new. First, the lesson focused on me, not my horse, which was a NICE change of pace. I have gotten to a point with my riding where I get less and less feedback about my overall riding picture, while we focus on improving the horse. Not to sound snotty, but I am generally the best student in a clinic because I listen and adapt well. So, I can get great results even in an hour lesson.

So I will call the overall picture of what Diane taught me 'rider silence'. Have you heard the term 'radio silence'? That is when there is no sound on the radio. Rider silence is no noise in the rider's body. I have had many instructors that have had me push the horse to move out with my body, Diane asked me to feel the horse move and let THAT move my body. But not my entire body, my hips were connecting with the back feet of the horse, my upper body was reaching up, quieting the movement in my body.

The result? I was able to open up the horse, he was reaching for the contact, stretching through his topline and putting himself together. It was *very* cool.

What was interesting is that I had been pretty quiet with an impulsive horse and busy with a lazy horse, but I learned I could be WITH the horse in rider silence. I went home and rode Tesoro and he was very relaxed although speedy, so I will ask Diane about that! But I have to admit, when I actually got all of Diane's suggestions working in harmony I didn't have rushing problems. *MAYBE* I just answered my own question!

And by the way THUMBS UP for Diane.

Horse Slaugther-My Perspective

2008-09-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

On a message group I belong to, there has been a dialogue about horse slaugther. Many people have weighed in, most in support of slaughter. I rarely state my opinions publicly, but here goes. Remember, it is just my opinion. Here is what I wrote:

It is an interesting conversation. There are many pros and cons. I have only had horses for seven years, so I haven't seen the cycles that many of you have, but here is my greatest concern:

When there was a meat buyer at auction, there was a bottom value for a horse. The better trained, the better looking, the BETTER the horse was, the higher price. Most of us are riding, owning, producing quality horses that don't end up at auction, but as I drive by the auction house every day when I go to work, I can tell you it is active and alive.

Now that horses have to go somewhere, they are being sold for $50 and $75. I know someone who actually bought a trained horse for $25 (not my version of trained I'm sure, but they were willing to ride it). A horse for $25? So, the horses that don't sell go back to their homes where they are not a match, or where owners cant afford them. Horses that are sold are now disposable because they were only $25 or $75. I can spend $25 in the blink of an eye-I can't even fill my truck for $75, but I spent THOUSANDS to buy my horses (and I got some good deals). They are NOT disposable. They require quality care and only the best situations. I have tried to sell Tesoro, I did for years, but couldn't find him the right home because (like Dianna said) I knew what he needed and I couldn't find it. I would never take him to auction, but think of all the people who are NOT responsible like us. .

They are out there. Have you been to a large boarding facility lately? Have you encountered a serious backyard breeder? Have you looked at Craigslist? Have you visited your neighbors in the woods? Well, I have done all of those things, the way people treat horses is SCARY. If I was a horse up for auction, I would be very afraid.

When the price of a horse is less than a tank of gas (and yes, I know someone who bought a Paso Fino at auction for $75), it doesn't just hurt the horse market, it hurts the animals we took responsibility for when we decided to breed. I wouldn't want to be the untrained horse that hops from home to home to home because it is disposable. Maybe that is why it learned to kick or bite, because it had to defend itself. For irresponsible people it is easy to give up and try again. and again. and again. and again. Only the horse suffers. I cannot abide by that. I would rather see a horse humanely euthanized (or dog, or cat) than to suffer the indignity (and possibly suffering) of irresponsibility.

For this, and many other reasons, I support horse slaugther as a necessity in the marketplace. It should be humane, regulated and taxed. I actually support humane horse slaugther more than the hunting I grew up with where if you didn't have a clean kill, you would track an animal to finish it off. I grew up eating that meat, where an animal very well may have suffered. Now that I think about it, I might not eat game again.

It is a very fine line.

Back on purpose

2008-09-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

I started this blog almost 2 years ago because I didn't even know what a blog was and my new job was to work with website publishers. Over time, the blog evolved and for a good run, I posted a lot of information that was to help people with their horses. Now that two years is passed I know more about online advertising that most people that run a website and I have seemed to have lost the focus of that good run.

How did that happen? Well, I forgot about my purpose. Although I am not a seasoned horse professional, nor have I even had horses for more than a decade, I know my purpose is to help people learn about horses. I remember what it was like to not know ANYTHING and I still know HARDLY anything, but as I continue to learn I will share with you what I learn.

I will be camping the next few days, but when I return, I promise to have some surprises and maybe a few things you didn't even know.

Here is a picture of Tesoro and I this weekend at the Advanced Level 2 Parelli clinic.

Horse Vacation-Jerri Style

2008-09-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I start my official 'horse vacation' where my goal is to ride a horse every day for 9 days, most days more than one.

Here is how it will start:

Parelli Advanced Level 2 clinic in Bend. Not sure if I'm ready for an advanced level 2 clinic, but I'm going to give it a shot. I'm taking Tesoro. It will be my first clinic with Marc Rhea a 3 Star Instructor. I'm looking forward to something different.

Although I have great friends in Bend, I decided to stay in a hotel so I can go to my room, take a shower and SLEEP!

I will get home Sunday evening and Monday I'm headed to a state park for 3 nights of camping. I'm taking all 3 horses and 2 dogs!!! It will be a great time bonding with my family. A friend of mine is coming to ride on Wednesday, but other than that, I am planning on being alone, alone, alone. I'm taking a twin mattress and sleeping in the back of the truck.

I head home Thursday and on Friday I'll attend a Clay Wright Clinic in Veneta (near Eugene). Clay Wright is a natural horsemanship guy with a dressage background, often his stuff is called 'Cowboy Dressage'. He is being hosted by my favorite local teacher Julie Fisher. I'll be using Phaedre in the clinic. I'm really excited!

Clinic is Friday, Saturday, Sunday, then Sunday I have a ride with Brent Hicks a dressage clinician from California. I'll be riding Tesoro. He doesn't have a website (that I can find). I have seen him once before and I decided I'd like to try and ride with him.

It should be an eventful, fun, learning-filled 9 days and I CAN'T WAIT. I could have taken a pretty nice vacation with the money I'm spending on gas and the clinics, but the learning I will do and all the time I will spend without cell phone, email and facebook access will be well worth it.

Would love to see any of you as auditors, or contact me if you want to ride with me Tuesday or Wednesday near Portland.

Phaedre is home

2008-08-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

I took 4 lessons on Phaedre with Julie this week and then I brought her home. There were some sticky patches, but overall she is doing SO good. She moves beautifully and in time she will be a spectacular horse. The most amazing thing is nothing really seems to phase her. I couldn't be more thrilled with my new pony. I plan to ride her for the next four days and then back for another lesson Thursday.

The Phaedre Ride

2008-08-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

Today, I rode Miss Phaedre for the first time. She is obviously becoming Julie's horse as she wasn't greating me at the stall, so I am glad she is coming home this week. But Julie has been doing a great job with her and getting on was uneventful-EXACTLY how it is supposed to be.

I struggled to get her to trot and we didn't try the canter, but Julie noticed when she got on to school her afterwards that her legs were really far foward. Then I started looking at the saddle and indeed, I had it WAY too far forward. So on Tuesday, I will put it farther back and see if things go a little better.

I'm pretty out of balance and VERY out of shape, but I think in just a couple of rides she and I will find our place. I am getting three more lessons this week, then I'll come for weekly lessons for a couple of weeks. I am going to lots of clinics in September and I am taking some time off, so I will be getting a lot of hours on my girl. I am hoping for our first schooling show in October. :) YIPEE

Horsin' Around

2008-07-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

Today was an amazing day for me and my girls. So I am not sure if I have officially told everyone that I love mares. I feel like even though they have good days and bad days (just like me) and that their love is hard to earn (like me), and it takes them a while to build trust (like me), once you have patience, love and trust they will be very true to you. By the way, I feel the same way about male dalmatians. :)

When I was looking for horse to buy, I knew I wanted a mare, but I would take the *right* horse even if it was a gelding. Luckily Phaedre fit all of my requirements (including no white feet) along with her amazing can-do attitude.

Today we went to the Horsin' Around compeition at Fisher 4F Ranch. So anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows I adore Julie and Craig Fisher and Julie's partner in crime and horses: Darlene.

Today I headed to the Fishers for the Annual Trail Competition. This is the 3rd year I have participated, my 2nd year as a judge. There are 36 (or 37) obstacles on the course ranging from simple to terribly difficult. There is backing through poles, downhill, jumps, trenches with water, bridges (3), squeezes, tarps, more water, roping, trailer loading (send into the trailer only), ditches, step ups (and downs) and a whole lot more. Today I took both of my girls through, here are the results.

Miss Phaedre: I took Phaedre in hand. She was able to do 33 of the 36 tasks missing the large trench with water, another large water obstacle and ground tying. (oh by the way you have 1 minute and 30 seconds to compelete each). I have done almost none of this kind of work with her. Her willingness to try is WHY I bought her and you could not get the smile off of my face. Julie is training her and says that I will really like her under saddle, I just could not be happier!

Precious: I rode Precious and we did 29 of the 36. I passed on two obstacles (step down-it is about 1 1/2 - 2 feet, Uriah fell off Precious last year doing this because she is a leaper) and the tree jump (I'm not comfortable). We ran out of time on the front feet on the tractor tire filled with sand and 360 around it with back feet on ground, but she did it.

The Canteen dip (pick up a canteen off hook, dip it in water, dump it in barrel, hand up canteen) was one I was only going to do part of. And we did, so I was pleased.

She refused the large trench filled with water (I mean LARGE). Below is a video from last year. And it is even steeper than it looks.

She refused another ditch and I wasn't able to rope, so 3 were me, 2 were her and we will share the other 2 (ok, I'll take responsibility for all the ones she didn't do).

It was a grand time and tomorrow I will be back to judge all day!

Liberty Begins

2008-07-13T22:27:00.000-07:00

So in my lesson with Ann Kiser this week I wanted to work on 2 things. Beginning my liberty work and the canter. I need both to pass my level 2 and I just didn't know where to start with liberty.

Ann suggested that I start playing all 7 games with my rope on the ground rather than just taking off her halter and leadrope, just to 'test' how my work is. I found some holes (hind end disengagement) and today I took the halter off for the first time.

I played Friendly, driving and porcupine, the first 3 games AT LIBERTY!!!!! My horse didn't leave me once. I was able to send her back with the yo-yo game (#4), but couldn't get her back to me. I was also able to lead her as well as drive her from the saddle position (don't know what that is called, but basically I stand next to her side with my carrot stick on her back and we move together). I was really proud of us.

So, we didn't have as much luck if she has to move forward (I was not in the round pen). So I'll work on those games a little bit more solid and start them in the round pen.

I'm sure the fact that it was 95 degrees probably helped, but I'm so happy with our result!

My Parelli Plan

2008-07-13T22:14:00.000-07:00

So, I have decided I will do one post in defense of Parelli, then I the subject for me is no longer up for debate or defense.

First, I think it is important to know my plan. My goal is to be a Parelli professional by the end of 2010. I will need a level 3 horse and to attend training at their center in Colorado (and who knows, rules may change by then), but no matter for me, that is the goal. I will leave Yahoo!, technology and "corporate" America to get paid to help people learn about horses.

And why Parelli? Well, first, it is such an EASY way to have instant credibility, marketing and students. I currently pay $65 for a lesson from a Parelli professional, it is hard to charge that and fill up a day's worth of lessons without something like "Parelli" at the front of your name.

Most importantly, I can wake up and look at myself in the mirror and KNOW that I am doing the best things possible for people and their horses. In my six months of studying Parelli I have not only learned a lot about his methodology, but I have learned PATIENCE, PROBLEM SOLVING, and OBSERVATION skills. It is BY FAR the farthest I have come in the shortest period of time and when I watch Pat working with his stallion at liberty I say to myself "I want to do that, I want THAT relationship with my horse". And so, I have invested (it is an education in my future) in lessons, clinics, videos, equipment and I have not looked back. My only wish is that I could take weekly lessons.

My horse is happier, I am happier and we have made progress in ways I couldn't imagine both me as a rider and a horse person and my horse as a partner.

I'm a pretty good debater, I have the trophies to prove it, but I don't feel the need to debate with anyone about Parelli (although if it was a judged debate, I'm dang sure I would win). It is my choice and when someone decides to make the same choice I do, I am happy to help them with their journey. If not, that's ok, I respect our differences. But when you want to know how I do it, don't get mad at me when I tell you the truth.

My new main squeeze

2008-06-19T22:01:00.001-07:00

So, I'm in love. Yes, its true, I have fallen head over heels for a machine. This is a nicely painted hay squeeze. What does it do you ask? Well on the other side of this dafty machine it has forks that stick out to the side that can *hug* a stack of hay and pick it up. You know what else it can do? Put hay into the loft, push it back and all you have to do is pay someone.

This weekend we put our winter hay, all 15.8 tons in the loft and I didn't touch ONE lousy bale. We buy from a guy right down the road and his 'hay guy' Jesse (who I would marry tomorrow for the equipment he owns), brought the hay over in a bale wagon and put it up with the squeeze. It look hardly in any time. I paid basically an extra $20/ton and it was worth every freaking penny.

Bale Wagon picture courtesy of Lisa.

How to have Trail Obstacle Success

2008-06-18T23:23:00.000-07:00

Trail Obstacle has always been one of my favorite classes in shows. Here are a few simple tips to bump up your scores and keep you in the ribbons.

1. Let your horse observe the object. Good trail horses look at things but continue without hesitation, your judge is looking for this.

2. Go slow. We often rush which can cause a horse be less precise. When backing through barrels or stepping over poles, slower is better. A good trail horse will go step by step rather than rushing through something difficult.

3. Mix it up. So your horse will walk over a blue tarp, but how about a black one? An orange one, or a camouflage one? What about with poles on top? Your horse can handle a flag, but can you pick one up? Think outside the box and the more things your horse can get comfortable trying, the easier strange things will be on the trail or in competition.

4. A partial attempt is better than a failed attempt. So let's say you have to side pass over a pole, but your horse is having none of it. So instead, step in front of the pole and ask your horse to side pass in front of it. You can earn points for this and it gets your horse focused on something they can be successful with.

5. Don't be afraid to pass. If your horse is getting worked up on an obstacle, don't be afraid to pass it BEFORE the judge asks you to move on. There are a couple of reasons: first, it shows the judge you know your horses' limits, second, it can prevent them from getting worked up which may make other obstacles more difficult.

6. Don't be afraid to explore the obstacle. If you have to back your horse through poles and he refuses, why don't you walk him 7/8 of the way through the poles, stop him and ask him to back. If I was working on this at home, I would ask my horse to do that, I may even get points for it rather than a zero for getting nothing.

7. Line your horse up properly. For poles, backing, mailboxes, gates, learning to line up your horse is *key* to being successful. It is important to be able to move your horse right, left, back, forward, up down with your leg aides because on a trail obstacle course, you are often using your hands for other things!

8. BREATHE. Don't forget to relax as if you were on the trail and hanging out with friends. If you are not enjoying yourself, your horse won't either!

9. Don't do the speed events until you really know what you are doing-like this guy!

I'll be the judge of that

2008-06-18T00:22:00.000-07:00

And I was! Well, almost. This weekend, I was an apprentice judge for the first time with Mimi Busk-Downey as the presiding judge at the Northwest Pleasure Tennesse Walking Horse Association Show in Albany, OR. It was a FOSH sanctioned show, which means that it was under FOSH rules and we have Tennesse Walkers, Foxtrotters, Peruvians, Paso Finos and Mountain Horses. There were some amazing horses, some not so amazing horses and I learned SO MUCH. I'll have to give everyone some tips for the future about how to edge out the competition, some of it is SO simple!

Goodbye Zapa

2008-06-16T22:55:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I said goodbye to my little Zapa. From before he was conceived to this very moment, I have adored him (or the thought of him). He will be 5 in July so it has been a six year journey of love and learning. He was the first horse I ever saw gelded, my first (and only) after hours vet call, my first baby to work with, my first horse to start, my first of many many experiences. He is sweet, willing, trusting and a very nice horse. I am proud of him and proud of myself for the work I did with him.

He has a great home with his new owner M. Who has been coming to ride him for almost 6 months. I know they will take great care of each other as they both grow up. I have dreams of coming to watch her compete on her HS Equestrian Team, showing them that a Paso Fino can do it just as well.

I would like to thank everyone that helped me raise this boy, Gina Odermott of Heavenly Ranch in Banks, OR (where we boarded for two years), Bruce and Betty Reed in Colton, OR who bred and kept him for me until he was 9 months old PLUS help with trail training, Amber L. who did some great riding of him and rode him in his first show and Christabeth Voss who started him under saddle, Pam Radway of R-Way Farm (another boarding facility) and Gina Gardner and Julie Fisher who gave me great lessons along the way. It really does take a village.

Good Luck Zapa and M. I know you guys are a great match and I (and the world) can't wait to hear about your journey.

Land O' Lakes Purina Food Recall

2008-05-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

If you belong to a message board you may have seen many emails recently about Purina food recalls. According to 'The Horse' a reputable magazine on horse health, the recall is voluntary and precautionary. It affects feed manufactured at three eastern plants that contain above acceptable amounts of mycotoxins.

From Thehorse.com:

The recalled feed was produced at:
Purina's Statesville, N.C., plant between Nov. 3, 2007, and Feb. 8, 2008;
Harrisburg, Pa., Jan. 1, 2008, and Feb. 8, 2008; and
Guilderland, N.Y., Jan. 1, 2008, and March 10, 2008.
Dealers in the following states might have sold affected product:
Connecticut,
Delaware,
Georgia,
Maine,
Maryland,
Massachusetts,
New Hampshire,
New Jersey,
New York,
North Carolina,
Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island,
South Carolina,
Tennessee,
Vermont,
Virginia, and
West Virginia.

For those of us on the west coast, there is no need to be worried. If you live in these areas and use Purina products, please check with your local feed store where you purchased for more information. Your dealer is BY FAR your best resource.

Precious cantered!

2008-05-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

So, first, for my Oregon friends, I am NOT going to the Parelli tour stop in Redmond next weekend. My brother Anders is graduating from High School on Monday the 12th in Anchorage, Alaska so I will be there instead. I'm super sad, but really glad to see the last of my 5 siblings graduate from high school, now if they could all just get through college. . .

Today I did two more Parelli workshops, Level 1 and 2 Tasking Online and Level 2 Freestyle. I did the first with Phaedre and the changes she is going through is AMAZING! I am getting her with her head almost on the ground. Ann taught us how to teach the horse to turn off the friendly game by dropping their head. Phaedre figrued it out quickly, so I finshed every task that way. She easily comes up into forward/right brained/fear based, and I want her to learn to go down just as quickly. I am DEFINATELY going to teach this to all my horses ASAP. We also sidepassed a pole, put her feet on a plastic bag, drive from zone 3 (middle of the horse for those who are not familiar with Parelli) through cones and some other stuff that I can't believe we accomplished so quickly and easily.

In the afternoon we did riding and Precious kept stalling out, so I had to work on her maintaining gait. I finally got the message through when we were about to stop and do 1 at a time cantering. Part of the way to ask your horse to canter is to use your hands to mimic the canter in a BIG motion which gets your body moving the right way. So, when my turn came I though-yeah, right, I really doubt this is going to work. I spent a year working on the canter and never had any luck without rushing, crossfiring or just not getting it. I NEVER got the left lead before-maybe twice, it was so frustrating and I knew I was mostly to blame, my lack of cantering being the biggest problem.

But I have done some great cantering with Lily the last couple of weeks and finally found the balance point that made it easy and fluid. I had really built my confidence, so when I went out on the rail to get the canter, I brought her up into gait, starting moving my hands and VIOLA! I got the canter. Correct lead, instantly, both directions. AMAZING. I can't wait until tomorrow.

I am an official level 1 graduate

2008-05-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

I used my lesson time Friday with 2 star Parelli instructor Ann Kiser to finish my level one assessment and I am complete. To celebrate I started Saturday morning with beginning level 2 online seminar on Saturday morning.

I completed with level 1 with Precious, but plan to start with Phaedre for the rest of my journey. Ann really helped with the big problem I was having so far with Phaedre (bracing!). It is SO GREAT to get off on the right foot with this horse and take her very loving personality and maintaining that while giving her confidence and leadership.

And yes, to answer Julie's question, she is indeed a Right-Brained Extrovert.

Omolene University

2008-04-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

I first read about Omolene University back in February with an ad in Horse Illustrated. I checked out the site, but it wasn't yet live, it is live now and hosting classes on various aspects of equine health and nutrition.

You can earn 'Omolene Hours' as well as coupons for Buy 2 get $20 off. Although I don't feed Omolene products, I have used Purina products in the Omolene line. Specifically, Ultium which is a low-carb performance feed. I have always been very satisfied with what they offer.

If you sign up today you can try to name the mascot and earn 5 Omolene hours. My submitted name was Whoa Joe.

Rethinking pressure

2008-04-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

When I first started learning about horses, pressue was such a buzz word. I was told that horses move away from pressure, which I have finally learned is not true. Instead, I believe they are programed to move into pressure, we TEACH them to move away from pressure and some of us are better at that than others.

So I orginally thought about the pressure of my hands on a horse on the ground or my legs when riding, but now I think about pressure in terms of ALL the things causing a horse to do what they do. The rattling flag, the panels of the round pen, my direct stare, the dogs running behind them in the field, all create pressure on the horse.

So lets say we use two forms of pressure, our body and the panel of the round pen. A horse can feel trapped trying to go between the two. I have seen it plenty in the way I was first taught to use a round pen and even tonight. So, now how can I use a tool like the round pen to help my horse learn about the maintenance of gait without feeling panicked or pressured?

I think it is about observation and experimentation. Tonight, I found the liberty of the round pen was too much pressure for Zapa who was panicked. So I actually put him back on the lead where he immediately became comfortable, so next time I will put him on the 22' lead to experience the round pen without so much pressure. I'll let you know how it goes.

Phaedre Photos

2008-04-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have to admit, I don't know how to spell her name (not that she officially has one since she isn't registered), but you begged, you pleaded, you asked and here they are!

The reasons I bought Phadre:

First, the legs

Second, the profile

Third the balance

Fourth the suspension of the trot

Did I mention the suspension of the trot

Oh me, oh my so many horses I want to cry!

2008-04-21T23:06:00.000-07:00

Actually, that isn't true, but Saturday we went from 7 horses on the farm to 10. Yup. That is what they say, if you have the stalls you'll fill 'em!

So here is the breakdown of what is happening:

Lily goes home in May. I just want to say hats off to Simrat (her owner) for doing such an amazing job with this horse. If I ever had a serious lesson program, I would absolutely lease her back. Lily is the horse who will give people confidence-no lie! She is easy going, does her job and is just a steady, steady girl. I will miss her.

El Arco is a new Paso Fino that is here for a brief makeover. We have had our 3rd session and this is a sweet little guy who will make someone a great partner. If you know anyone looking for a nice Paso Fino trail gelding, this is the guy. He might not be too shabby at a show or two with a little extra tune up.

Red Velvet (or yet to be named Filly) is a nine month old filly who will be raffled off to benefit the Northwest Paso Fino Horse Association. She was donated and I hope you finds a really good home. More details on how to buy tickets as they come together.

Zapa is coming right along in gait. Every day I get a little bit more, so I am hoping he will go to his forever home by early summer. I am getting gait without the bit which is just what I hoped for. He has hit 15 hands, so he is a good size paso although he still has filling out to do. I know I am biased, but I think I raised the perfect horse! Everyone thinks I am crazy for selling him because he is my best horse, but you know what? I am really proud of the work I have done (and supervised to have done) with him. I have learned SO much and enjoyed so much of it. I might do it again someday (raise a baby that is).

And finally. . .

I BOUGHT A NEW HORSE!

Her name is Phadrae, she is a 15 hand 6 year old morgan mare, bay with a star and snip and NO WHITE FEET!!! She is green broke, although I haven't ridden her, I mostly just checked out her disposition, willingness and temperment, all of which are amazing. She is SO sweet and willing. In her 'test' session, I got her to do everything I wanted including a jump, tarp, poles, sideways all 7 Parelli games, so either someone has done this with her before, or she is a super star!

And if that wasn't enought, she has lots of legs and some really nice gaits. She is a cute little package.

I am going to use her to work towards my Parelli level 3. Pat Parelli suggests you go through level 3 with just 1 horse first before working with another. I had planned to work with Precious and I still plan to 'officially' finish her level1 (although I would most definately say it is unofficially complete), as I dive into Level 2 I realize it will be difficult to go 'all the way' with Precious. First, I would say she is a very challenging horse, but mostly, her gait will get in the way and make it much harder for us to progress. I need it to be the easiest the first time, so a Walk/Trot/Canter horse is a better choice.

So, that is the news on this front. I have another couple of weeks at home without travel and I have been riding like crazy (so many horses!) and I am loving it!

Silent in the shadows

2008-04-03T23:48:00.000-07:00

Bringing the horses back in from the pasture at night has helped me realize how quiet they can be. Hidden in the shadows I only see them when I am within 50 feet and can only hear them when they run. Who knew a 1000 lb animal could disappear before your eyes.

It only helps to reinforce to me what a prey animal they are. Their instinct tells them to remain hidden. It makes it more and more clear why they need to trust in us and to look for us for leadership.

And although we are a predator, we too have a strong flight reflex which I think is why so many people get out of horses so quickly after trying it. Rather than stay and 'fight', if they fear for their own safety, they will 'flight'. Ironic isn't it?

Less is more

2008-04-01T21:50:00.000-07:00

Today I was doing groundwork with Precious and I am finally moving on to something that is taking Precious and I some time to master. It requires sublty on my part and perceptiveness on her part. And you know what. . .

IT IS HARD!

It has been a long time since I have tried something new that was hard. Ok, really, I can teach obsticales, I know how, it isn't difficult because my job and the horses job is no different, we are just generalizing something we have already learned.

Now, I am having to do something different, I am paying very close attention to the signals I am giving. And while the difference between holding up two fingers versus three seems simple now, I am sure it was difficult when I first learned to do it. So now when I send my horse I am trying to send at specific gaits, so what i have been doing for five years has to change and it just ain't easy.

But you know what, it is so cool to think I am getting to this level and I am so excited about what is yet to come.

Vote for Patrick-He is CUTE

2008-03-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

My friend's baby is in this contest and well, there isn't a prize, except to prove he is the cutest! He needs your vote by April 4th, so vote soon!

http://www.thenestbaby.com/stages/contest.aspx?contest=nextnestbaby

I know, it has nothing to do with horses, but he is so cute AND when I met him he was like that the whole time.

Homeward Bound

2008-03-29T21:22:00.001-07:00

After more than a week away from the dogs and ponies, I will head back tomorrow to my beloved home.

Uriah and I spent the last week at Disneyland, on a cruise and in hollywood. We are sick and tired of people, loud music, drunks, lines and screaming children. I am also sick, so instead of attending my conference today I spent most of it in a drug induced stupor waiting for the day to be over. I did manage to get over and see the guys (Cam and Jon), but didn't feel like coughing on potential customers was a great way to create a positive image of our product.

We are packed and ready and should be home tomorrow by 3 PM or so. I can't wait to see those dogs and horses. Going on vacation reminds me where I really like to be: at home.

Level 1 here I come

2008-03-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend I did the advanced level 1 Parelli Clinic with Ann Kiser. She signed off on much of my ground skills/7 games (with the exception of picking up feet) and now I just need to send in my riding skills. Since I feel like I have that down, I will get that sent it ASAP.

The clinic did a good job of reconfirming some things I already do, to help refine my ability to be assertive NOT agressive, to help my horse through her fear of other horses by being her leader and giving me a few new things to work on.

Uriah and I stayed the night with Bruce and Betty so it was a very enjoyable weekend.

Trust me, I'll be cracking the Level 2 pack as soon as I get back from vacation. I feel like I have been doing a lot of the Level 1 stuff forever, since I did my first natural horsemanship clinic, but I like the Parelli stuff much better (and I am getting better results)-amazingly enough, I am moving forward. So I am SO looking forward to level 2.

How to Teach Your Horse to Back Part 2

2008-03-13T17:10:00.000-07:00

So you read Part 1 and made some progress with some fluid backing of your horse. You can now ask for 3 or 4 or maybe even more steps so you want to be able to back your horse under saddle.

So how to you get your horse to back up under saddle? It isn't quite as easy right? Here are a few tips to ask your horse to move backwards under saddle.

First, put the halter you use on your horse in addition to the bridle, and tie your lead rope as reins. DON'T DO THIS AS YOUR ONLY FORM OF CONTROL IF YOU HAVE NOT RIDDEN YOUR HORSE THIS WAY BEFORE. But this is an excellent way to approach backing by putting steady pressure on the nose-the same place you did on the ground, now it is just with the halter and not your hand.

Be consistent and use steady pressure, do not give until you feel a give from your horse. Start light and get heavier only as needed. If your horse makes an effort, then RELEASE. It is the release that teaches your horse so even if your horse only tucks his nose, that is a start.

As you get your horse 'giving' to the noseband (start there to preserve the sensitivity of the mouth) also try to slightly lift your seat out of the saddle and lean forward just a hare. You will be amazed how much easier it will be for your horse to move with your weight off of their back. By shifting your weight forward you give them the ability to move the rear. The moment your horse takes a step, release. Continue with these steps until you can get several fluid steps.

Once your horse is relaxed in backing, pick up the bit. You can also work on improving the subtly of your weight shift so it is not perceptable to anyone but your horse. Eventually if you are consistent, your horse will back merely off of that.

Trouble shooting: start with the lightest pressure. If you grab ahold of your horses face they can flip back (hitting you in the head) or perhaps rear. Think light, light light.

Don't jiggle your reins. If you have taught your horse to back off of pressure on the ground, don't try jiggling, it will only confuse them.

Don't trap your horse: It is tempting to give them a small space to start in, but backing is scary so give them an open space to build trust.

Don't expect perfection: Your horse may only take one step at a time possibly sideways or crooked. That is OK, give them some latitude, they are entrusting their safety to you.

And tomorrow, backing the unbackable.

PS Don't let go of your reins when backing-I was just being silly in the picture!

How to Not Sell Your Horse

2008-03-12T22:23:00.000-07:00

1. Make sure to have the papers, but definately don't register.

2. Breed a cross, especially to a moderate qualilty stallion or mare.

3. Absolutely don't put a picture.

4. Make sure your horse is green and 'needs miles'.

5. Ensure your horse is for an 'intermediate' rider or more.

6. If it is a gaited horse, make sure it doesn't gait, if it is a WTC (walk/trot/canter) horse make sure it needs some work on picking up leads.

7. Please don't spell check, use proper grammer and MAKE sure you sound as uneducated as possible.

8. Never, ever put the bloodlines of your horse in the ad.

9. Provide descriptions 'Doesn't bite, kick, rear and loads, bathes, good for feet' as your description of the horses ground manners

and finally,

10. Under no circumstances should you ever put time, effort, energy or training into the horse AND make sure to charge more than well trained purebred horses with good bloodlines, impecciable manners who have excellent conformation and proper gaits.

How to Teach Your Horse To Back Part 1

2008-03-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

So your horse makes a funny face at you and sticks out their tongue when you ask them to back. You are not alone. Here are a few tips to help your horse be comfortable backing up.

So first, observe-when does your horse back up without your supervision? Probably not all that often. They might back up when getting a nasty face from a higher ranking herd mate, or perhaps trapped in a small space with no place to go forward (trailer/hallway). A horse goes backward when they have no other option. They would rather turn left or right and most importantly, they want to GO FORWARD!!! Remember that is the horses instinct and remember to be patient when teaching them to back.

Backing is about trust. For a prey animal who is genetically designed to go forward-backing is a matter of trust so if your relationship fails, your backing probably will too.

So first, start on the ground. Ask your horse to move away from you using the lightest pressure possible, slowly increasing the pressure until they move backwards. I suggest starting with the nose and remember-if they can feel a fly land on them, they can feel your lightest touch. What you do next depends on your horse. If they don't back, haven't ever thought about backing or got up on the wrong side of the stall this morning, maybe you start using pressure and instead of taking several fluid steps back your horse just thinks about it by leaning back. THAT IS OK. Release the pressure.

Start over. Start simple, ask for a little bit at a time. So if at the end of 15 minutes you get one step, that is OK, find a positive place to stop and try again tomorrow. Be very patient, this is not easy stuff and remember to always give your horse the opportunity to move off the lightest pressure.

You can also ask your horse to move off the chest (or wherever you wish). This teaches your horse to be responsive to pressure which he is NOT by nature. Ok, come on, raise your hand if your horse has ever leaned into you. Look around you and see that everyone else has their hand raised too. Horses thrive on pressure, so reward them by moving off of it by RELEASING at the appropriate time. It will lighten the response and make you all happier.

More to come tomorrow, some under saddle strategies. . .

PS I found a video on Youtube for backing your horse-it involved a shanked bit and spurs, so I decided against it.

Bit by Bit

2008-03-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

In my years of learning about horses there are just a few things that I recommend for EVERYONE regardless of skill level or experience. For some examples, I recommend ground work and natural horsemanship to everyone AT LEAST to give it a try.

But one I would make required for all horse people is the video 'A Whole Bit Better' which was produced by the Myler brothers to explain the Myler Bit System and most importantly, just some basics about bitting.

After watching the video I was able to evaluate Precious' bit evasion and make a choice of the bit I would put in her mouth. She was in training at the time and you know what? The trainer tried 6 bits and settled on the one, the same that I had chosen. We did not communicate, but he figured it out in a different way-this is a man who has been on horses since he was 4 and never done anything but train horses. You can see some before and after pictures on the Mylers website here.

Yes, the video is a sales pitch, but there is a LOT of good information in it, something we all need.

So-the point of this evangalism is-you are SO LUCKY! You can hear Bob Myler (and ask him questions) LIVE tomorrow (March 12th at 5 PM Pacific). You can sign up here or visit Equine Teleseminar. Usually she also offers a copy of the call to purchase which I would suggest. I don't know the content yet, but I can guarentee it will be good stuff.

The Mylers used to come to the Oregon State Fair and helped me in person one year, they are great great people. I can't speak of this highly enough.

Ride A Test

2008-03-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Beautiful Gaits farm and did my first Ride A Test. In Dressage you ride different tests in different levels. In the US there are two introductory levels to the lower levels of dressage (1-4th). There are several tests for each of the levels, but at the very very very beginning before you get all fancy, you start with Introductory A.

And that, is what I did today with Lily. It is a very simple pattern, probably taking me 3 minutes and the 15 minutes that followed were some of the best I have ever had in all horse activities. Usually you get scores from the judge and then you are given a percentile based on the total possible points. So for instance, if you get 114 out of 200 points, you get 57% and that is generally the common discussion point for test to test, evaluation of horses, etc. And it isn't like school where 60% is barely passing, instead with scores of 60% you should generally consider moving to the next level.

The great thing about the Ride A Test is that the judge came out and gave me 15 minutes of her time and talked about what was good and what was not. So here is the result:

I got a 57%. I am SO pleased with myself I can't get over it. I did not get a below a 5 and I also got a couple of 7's. The judge said we were VERY consistent and she was very pleased with the basic rhythm. She said I rode well and had a very nice rising trot. She helped me with 10 meter circles because I overshot the centerline by about 10 feet. She helped me with my transitions and asked me questions. At the end she said to me 'You have a very good understanding of the sport. You have obviously studied or done your homework and you should just go and DO'.

Simrat took video and I can't wait to watch the judges feedback-it is always tough to remember everything that was said. But when I went home, I felt good. I felt REALLY good. Dressage is so good for me because it is 1. an individual sport with only one rider at a time 2. athletic for both the horse and the rider 3. skill building for horse and rider 4. very goal oriented.

When I worked in retail a while back we were judged on 7 different attributes. Each day based on our success we were ranked against the other stores (all 750) of them. Your daily ranks led to monthly ranks and so on. And for each 7 you were measured against the other stores in your area (say 10 of them). Your boss was always happy when you were #1 out of those 10. When I started my department (which I managed) was ranked 500 out of 750. I told my senior associate at that time what they key to being in the top 10 nationally was. It wasn't about being amazing at any one attribute, but being good at all of them. We didn't have to be #1 at any of those just #3 or #4 in all of them. Slowly but surely I focused on my teams core competencies, I worked on making them more consistent and eventually we were always #3 or #4 in all 7 attributes in our region. That changed our national rankings and when I left we were #7 out of 750. That is top 1%.

There are many keys to dressage that I am sure I will figure out over time. But I know numbers and statistics and I can guarantee you this, the same principle applies, be consistent, work on your core competencies and do a good job and everything and the scores will come.

The bit is a priviledge not a right

2008-03-07T22:59:00.000-08:00

I have been priviledged to use my horse several times as a lesson horse. There are many people who know Precious that might find it astounding that I use her for lessons, but you couldn't ask for a better lesson horse. She is safe, responsive, willing AND doesn't just always do everything asked, she will challenge the rider slowly, when they are ready for it, improving the learning curve, but never more than they can handle.

But beginners don't get access to her mouth. I worked very hard to make her soft in the bridle and response to all of the aids and she doesn't deserve to have inexperienced hands tugging at her mouth. Her bit of choice is a myler version of a mullen mouth pellum, which includes a small amount of leverage (although we don't tighten the curb chain), so I am always careful about who touches the reins attached to it.

Instead I will students a rope halter or a bosol. More and more I prefer a rope halter and it bothers the horses less than the leather of the bosol (I do not use a traditional cowboy rawhide bosol, instead I use traditional Paso Fino tack which looks basically like a leather halter with two rings under the chin for attaching reins. I use a plain noseband without any heavy equipment.

Precious hates the bosol. Once I started paying attention to the different types of pressure it was very aparent that she MUCH disliked nose pressure. She is so happy to ride with her bit in but even a few minutes in the bosol will have her showing unhappiness (and yes, this horse can be occasionally happy).

Well, after a year I let Juliana use the reins with the bit attached. Last night they were such a beautiful picture and I was really proud of Juliana because she had the perfect contact without pulling or letting her reins be too free. It takes time to earn the priviledge of the bit and especially of a horse who responds to it.

5 Reasons to LOVE Daylight Savings

2008-03-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

Daylight Savings is March 9th! It is one of my favorite days of the year, here are 5 reasons I LOVE Daylight savings:

1. I can ride in the outdoor arena until 7:30 (and later every day)
2. I do not need a flashlight/headlamp to get to the manure pile.
3. I can ride in the pasture until 7:30 (and later every day)
4. We can clean paddocks without a headlamp
5. I can ride anywhere I want outside until 7:30 (and later every day)

Do you sense a theme here? When I first started boarding, the barn owner told me she would buy me a 'Happy Daylight Savings Card' if she could ever find one.

YIPEE! Since I usually don't get home until 5:30 or 6:00, I now have plenty of time to enjoy our HUGE outdoor arena (80x190). I LOVE LIFE ON THE FARM!

Creative Problem Solving

2008-03-04T22:22:00.000-08:00

Every day I work the Parelli program and watch a video, I learn something new. I will not call it life changing, but it is horse changing. I know, I know, it is cult like in people's passion for it. I get that, but if it makes me better with my horses, than what does that matter? Here is my story for yesterday:

Pam gave me some barrels she had laying around her place and we had bought a 3" 8 foot fence post when making fencing choices, so I decided to use that as a rail to practice along with my other obstacles. I was struggling to get Precious to yo-yo over it. For those not familiar with Parelli, the Yo-Yo game is the 4th game which basically asks a horse to come forward and go backwards off of your line with you standing in the same place. It has many excellent purposes including teaching your horse NOT to run out of his/her stall. Very effective for horses like Precious.

I digress.

Rather than forcing her to go forward and backward (my way), I started thinking about how I could make it easier for her to be successful and not so scared. So I took the pole and put one end against the wall. OK, first step solved, but she kept going around the end, so I put a barrel against the end of the pole (long ways).

After playing the squeeze game (#7), which is asking the horse to go through a small space, turning them and asking them to face the small space, over the pole, I was able to get a couple of feet over it and lots of back and forth. Precious eventually offered to go sideways, so I accepted and shortly thereafter, she sidepassed over the barrel.

Six months ago I could have gotten Precious to do the same thing, but we both would have been tired, frustrated and upset. Instead, I was elated, happy, she was calm and relaxed and she let me give her a big hug and happily accepted a carrot. Parelli doesn't change your horse, it changes you. How can you argue with that?

A place of his own

2008-02-24T09:42:00.000-08:00

Moving to the farm has meant a few sacrifices for all of us and a lot of benefit for me. One of the things promised to Uriah was his own studio. It took 3 months, but yesterday he and his dad completed the conversion of our old tack room into Uriah's special practice room/studio. He will be able to study there (he is getting a 4.0 so far in his jaunt back to school) and play music instead of being in our 700 square foot house. It is almost like a club house.

The great thing is now I get the house to myself and can watch horse videos and blog without any complaining!

Back, Back, Back to basics

2008-02-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

I am finally done with two weeks on the road! I did get two days home in between (and yes, I rode both days), but it is great not to start the weekend facing a hotel on the other end.

Last night I managed to get a little riding done with Lily, starting with the Parelli 'Pushing Passenger' exercise. More on that another time as it is worthy of its own posting.

As I moved on, I kept trying to figure out how to get Lily more on her hind-end. She is heavy on her front end (aren't they all) and I wanted to start work on shifting her back. Gina suggested that I ride her along the rail, stop and back her a couple of feet, move her toward the rail so she has to spin on her back legs, keep her together then ask her to move out. I did this exercise a lot with Precious, but she wasn't particularly fond of it and Lily wasn't very good at it. So I tried to break it down a little further.

If backing up helps them put weight on their hind end (which it does), why don't I work on more backing? So I did. I rode in the round pen, so I backed her up straight, sideways, around the pen, occasionally asking her to pivot around (which also requires moving her shoulders) and you know what??? I got lightness and impulsion. It was really an amazing thing! Her trot was much more springy and she was very light in the bridle, I was super pleased. I can't wait to ride her again today!

Daddy is a ROCK STAR

2008-02-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah, Daddy Tanner (Ch. Tramac Joyride'n With Spotlite) is a rockstar and Baby Marshall is proud!

First, Best of Breed at Eukanuba with a 4th group win and today Best of Breed at Westminister. OH YEAH!!!!

Just wait--what Daddy has done in the show ring, Marshall wants to do in the performance ring. GO SPOTS!

Congrats to Jennifer, James and Meg!

Moments of Sheer Despiration

2008-02-11T19:42:00.000-08:00

I wanted to comment on Equine Mine's recent post but didn't feel that I could really express what I had to say in just a comment.

In the summer of 2005 I owned 4 horses and I couldn't ride any of them. In the last three months Precious had been through a stone bruise, abcess and founder requiring my presence at the barn 2x a day and although recovering from acute symptoms we didn't know the cause, when she tore downt the fence and kicked the crap out of my new QH almost breaking her jaw. I couldn't bridle her for a month because of the sores. My gelding Tesoro was in training several hundred miles away and although a 15 year old living with me could ride him (and won 5 championships and reserves at a show earlier that year), he terrified me. My 4th horse was not under saddle and a few weeks earlier had cut himself on the roundpen requiring afterhour vet care and stiches. I was terrified to change his bandages and again relied on the teenager.

In 2004 I had back surgery, so this was my summer to ride and the money poured out in vet bills, board and each day I soul searched asking myself why. And I tried to sell Tesoro, thought that I would have to put Precious down, and some days wished I had never seen a horse.

Did I mention that in that spring show right before she got sick she took off across the arena when it made a terrifying sound and I managed to get her stopped but I couldn't stop shaking and I am still scared to ride in that arena? I think Julie that was when you made the beautiful video of us, there were amazing moments even in the darkest hours.

I can't count the number of times that I thought I bought the wrong horse(s), made the wrong decision and more importantly, I can't count the number of times that I cried. Emotionally wrenching, deep sobbing when I thought I could not go on.

It was, however, my moments of sheer despiration that kept me looking for answers, to find out the problems and to try and have a glimmer of the good times. And sometimes it was very very very hard.

I am not in your situation and I can't imagine it BUT I do know what sheer despiration is and I hope my good friend, that you won't give up. AND no matter what you decide, I will support you.

Please consider this the internet equivalent of a great big hug. I am so proud of you.

Love,

Jerri

Learning Horses Meets Equine Mine

2008-02-03T00:11:00.000-08:00

In reality I have known Equine Mine much longer than either of us have been blogging. I headed up I-5 with Precious this weekend to attend a Parelli Beginning Level 1 Clinic with Ann Kiser. I stayed with Julie and she provided me moral support today EVEN THOUGH it was the most miserable cold weather ever.

I will have many details to post with pictures over the next few days. In the meantime, it is GREAT to hang out her and we always have a great time.

Stacey Westfall

2008-01-31T07:12:00.001-08:00

Elisia sent me a link and said 'Watch this, it will give you goosebumps'. The rider was Stacey Westfall riding bareback and brideless in a national competition. I don't know much about reining, but I would say it was a pretty impressive ride and there may have been a goosebump or two.

Stacey had NO instructor other than her mother until she was an adult. Her mother kept asking her 'How can you get the horse to do that', from a young age she asked her to get inside the horse's head. If there is only one instructor that you can have they should be asking you how you CAN get the horse to do that rather than how can you MAKE a horse do that.

The video on her site is down and I she posted that she is getting a lot of traffic. Below is a video that gives a sample as to why. She still has a saddle on, but she left the bridle at home.

8 Things to Accomplish with your horse in 2008

2008-01-29T22:20:00.001-08:00

One of my most dedicated readers (and most excellent blogger) MiKael's Mania
tagged me with a meme of 7 things you might not know about me. I have decided since I shared 5 things last year I have my own spin on it for my horse blogging friends. And the best part about it, it isn't contagious but for all of those who have been tagged and those who have not, I challenge you to think about this question-what are 8 horse related things you want to accomplish in 2008.

1. Complete Parelli level 1 & get my red savvy string. I'm not sure if this is a horse or person certification yet (I'll tell you after this weekend), but if it is per horse, I want to accomplish it with all three of mine.

2. Put Zapa solidly in gait. He is all grown up and now is the time!

3. Compete at a dressage schooling show with Lily.

4. Complete at least one judges apprenticeship for IJA

5. Host my first 'Learning Horses Day' a day filled with educational opportunities for horse owners.

6. Begin bridleless riding with Tesoro (I KNOW-HUGE!!!)

7. Take at least 3 roping lessons with Craig

8. Take at least 3 jumping lessons

And since you are so curious here are the other two things to round out my 7 things you don't know about me.

1. I have completed two triathlons and plan to do at least two more this year.
2. I have never eaten a banana. Yuck. Gross. Blech.

Canter Departure

2008-01-28T22:24:00.000-08:00

Today is my 6th ride with Lily, I rode her twice at Simrat's and this is our 4th ride here at Synergy Stables. I would have liked to have ridden her more, but I got a little discouraged by the sliding saddle and the time it takes. I have since solved that problem, so no such worries.

Keep in mind as I write this I have spent less than 5% of my time riding on a walk/trot/canter horse and probably less than .05% of my time cantering. Paso Finos can be very funny when they canter and mine are no exception. So cantering has always been perplexing, especially when I can't get the horse to canter. Oh me, oh my.

One of the things I liked about Lily is that she cantered and there wasn't some magic button, but she is out of shape and it was by no means perfect. HOWEVER, today we worked on a square stop and taking off from the hind end. We got very nice halt to walk and halt to trot. So then I worked on walk to canter and wouldn't you know it, we got TWO great departures from the walk.

I am thrilled that not only can she do it, but I could actually get it out of her!

Parelli Bound

2008-01-28T22:13:00.000-08:00

This weekend I am off to my 1st Parelli clinic with Ann Keiser. I am very excited but also quite nervous. First, I can't decide which horse to take. My original plan was Precious but there are two issues, first, she has been off her meds for over a month and the experiment is failing in terms of her behavior (overall health is good, so I am SO GLAD for that). She is just pissy all the time AND I think she will be in heat this weekend. I will be getting her back on her meds this week.

The next problem with Precious is actually a good problem. I was hoping Ann could help me with her over-reactions but I had a huge LIGHTBULB moment yesterday doing groundwork with her in the arena. She has gotten more and more sensitive in her riding aids which just makes her a pleasure to ride. As I ride her better we become better together. BUT she has also become more sensitive in her aids on the ground and I have not become more subtle. OH DUH!!! Maybe she over-reacts perhaps because I yell (stage 4) when all I had to do is ask. So I want to work with that for a while before I get help.

I think I want to take Tesoro. He is great on the ground but under saddle he sometimes loses his mind, so perhaps Ann can help me bring him down several notches. Most importantly, it is one place I know I will not have pressure to put him in a bridle, so he can happily exist in a rope halter.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Can I trust you?

2008-01-27T21:54:00.000-08:00

I have felt a lot of emotional attachment to my animals over the years, but with my horses it has often been about getting what I wanted. Today I think Tesoro and I went to the next level of a trust and I feel my heart warming.

I have been riding Tesoro primarily bareback and with a rope halter for the last few months. We have just been relaxing and enjoying each other's company. I asked Gina Gardner to give me a lesson and to get her observation about his leg/hock and to get some strengthening exercises. She came last weekend and we also had a gaggle of people watching, which works Tesoro up a bit (it usually makes me nervous so, he feeds off of that). For my lesson I put in his bit for better engagement which also makes him nervous. It was a good ride, he worked well and settled down.

Today, he was very calm, but the old habit of not standing for mounting came out again. He wasn't erratic as in the past, but he was definitely moving around and I was going to ride bareback, so I needed him to stand still next to the mounting block.

Instead of getting mad or frustrated with him, instead I said to myself 'how can I gain his trust'. So we just went back to the 7 games, I gave him lots of affection with the friendly game and in 5 minutes he was standing still. It was our best bareback ride ever.

7 acres of snow

2008-01-27T21:43:00.001-08:00

7 acres of snow
Originally uploaded by learninghorses

Today we had our Sneak Preview of Synergy Stables, but sadly we had snow. LOTs of snow. In the eight years I have lived in Oregon I have never had this much snow where I lived and although it surprised me, I have to say I did enjoy it just a tad (but don't tell anyone). Here is our pasture covered in snow.

How To Identify Moldy Hay

2008-01-24T22:57:00.001-08:00

I hate moldy hay and we bought 4 tons that has lots of bad spots. Yuck, I hope we don't buy from them again! Since I will occasionally have to give Uriah feeding duty, I showed him some of the sure tell signs that hay is bad. I have to give credit to Pam the owner of R-Way Farm in Eugene for really filling out my tips.

Moldy hay is BAD for horses and can cause them to colic.

1. It poofs mold spores. Did you ever see those puffball mushrooms when you were a kid? The ones that when you break them filter what looks like dust in the air? Well, moldy hay does the same thing if you hit it, tap it, drop it. Make note of the difference between DUSTY poof and moldy poof-they look different.

2. It looks like mold. Yep, the same thing the experiment in your fridge gets, I have seen it on hay.

3. It looks yellowed. Some of the hay that has not yet molded turns a yellowish color, often with spots of black in it.

4. It feels damp. In Oregon, stuff in the winter often feels damp, especially if there is condensation in your barn. But moldy hay will have a slightly heavier feel to the dampness

5. It is heavy. Do you have a bale that weighs twice as much but is the same size? Mold is a likely culprit.

6. It clumps together. Depending on the hay equipment, I have seen some very tightly packed bales, but when hay is moldy it doesn't break apart evenly as a dry bale does. If you have tightly packed hay in a flake, lightly use your fingers to separate it, if it goes easily it is unlikely mold, if not toss it.

7. It smells like mold. Nothing like an old fashioned smell test. Stick your nose in the flake (or bale), if it smells like blue cheese or the yogurt you bought six weeks ago throw it away.

Disposing of moldy hay-I throw it in the trash or on the burn pile. If you horses will have access to the manure pile don't put it there. I like buying hay from a reputable dealer or from the field (and I have watched the weather), if someone has asked you to pick up hay in the field 2 days after rain-think again.

No matter what, a wasted $10.00 bale of hay is cheaper than a vet farm call. Toss it!

Photo Credit Victor Geere

Synergy Stables

2008-01-23T21:17:00.000-08:00

We finally have a name! I am pleased to let everyone know that Synergy Stables is officially named! You can see our site at SynergyStablesor.com (don't forget the OR at the end, I already did once).

We are having a Sneak Preview this weekend, so I welcome you all to join us (even if only in spirit). Our tag line is 'Celebrating the Horse and Human Partnership'. I get credit for the tag line, mom gets credit for the name.

We still have work to do, but we have come so far and I know (yes, I know) that I owe lots of pictures. I will be putting them up soon, I promise.

Stand Still Silly Lily

2008-01-21T21:36:00.000-08:00

Lily and I went for our first ride together at my place yesterday. She just took everything in stride and I am pretty pleased (after day two) of how well she is adjusting. But ride one is always tricky (I had ridden her twice before she came here) and I had a new experience.

Lily doesn't have well defined whithers which (I learned) can cause a saddle to slide. So I worked hard to get it cinched up which between stick rollers on my girth and a little puffing was quite the task.

I go to mount and she starts walking off as the saddle is sliding down her side. UGH! So more adjusting and I get the saddle straight then a few more tries and she is still walking off. After a few minutes, she gets the idea that I might be more patient that she is silly and I manage to climb up (all 14 hands worth) without my saddle falling over and the brand new horse walking out from underneath me.

After our initial troubles we had a great ride and I was really pleased with just the simple work we can do. Elisia is coming Sunday AM to give me a lesson. We had another ride today-I got smart and last night used a little WD40 to get the rollers on my cinch working properly! It was a short but great ride, I am really looking forward to getting in shape-but not to being sore the next couple of days!

Learning Horses welcomes Choctaw Lily

2008-01-20T22:10:00.000-08:00

After months of searching I found the right horse and the right situation! So today, I am pleased to let everyone know that for a short time, Choctaw Lily, a Spanish Mustang, has joined the Learning Horses family.

I have been looking for a walk/trot horse to buy or lease. I decided to do so when it was becoming clear that Zapa was going to be very gaited (duh!). I originally thought I would buy, but as time went on it was becoming more and more clear that the horse I wanted and the horse I needed were two different things.

So after Elisia and I had been several times to look at different horses (and had planned a trip to the coast to meet a nice potential), I wrote an ad for what I really wanted. And, a day later, it came into my life. A note about the horse on the coast-I haven't had a chance to email its owner Pam, but she reads here. Pam, I'm going to keep looking to find the right PNH home for your guy-he still intrigues me!

Simrat Khalsa, of the Akal Ranch was looking to lease her 6 year old mare Lily for the short term. It was the perfect situation. Unlike many horses I saw advertised or horses I rode, Lily has lots of experience doing all the things I love and the best part about it-she isn't spooky. I wanted that, but I also wanted a horse that hadn't learned to be round because she had been tied down and an owner who had put love into the relationship rather than fear.

So I found what I needed in Lily and she won't be around for all that long (in terms of horse ownership), but she will help me learn the trot, the canter and to REALLY get some balance so I can start moving on to bigger moving horses. What I love about Lily though is I can just get on and RIDE. No starting from scratch, worry about being thrown, we can just get to work.

You will hear a lot more about Lily, even about our first ride soon, but I wanted to welcome her and make sure each of you offer her a carrot if you come by the farm.

Photo Credit: Simrat Khalsa

Zapa plays Soccer (in slow motion) (Trilogy)

2008-01-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

I took this video of Zapa's new friend riding him while he kicks around the big green ball. Prior to this he had never played with the ball under saddle. Tomorrow I will post on How To Teach Your Horse to Play Soccer to let you know how I did it. He is going slow here (and staying calm), but over time it would be easy to pick up the pace. Isn't that CUTE???

5 Reasons to Play Soccer with your horse (Trilogy)

2008-01-13T19:38:00.000-08:00

Horse Soccer will be my first Learning Horses 'Trilogy' which will include a 5 Reasons, How To and Video. Enjoy!

1. Soccer teaches your horse NOT to be afraid of big scary things, a skill that translates to many different useful purposes.

2. Soccer breaks up the monotony of arena work, engaging the horses brain rather than just his/her body.

3. Soccer is great for bending. There are lots of turns involved in chasing the ball around the arena. Use this as a GREAT way to ask your horse to bend his/her body without just pulling the head around. Focus on moving the shoulders and hind end while keeping the head straight.

4. Soccer is great for your balance. As you pick up the speed of chasing the ball you will have to stay balanced to keep your horse bending through the body.

5. It is FUN!!!!! Watch the video of Zapa playing-How can you argue with that????

Holy Jumping Bat Horse!

2008-01-11T12:04:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Jax for this one (is her blog deleted?). AMAZING!

5 Reasons to Mat your stalls

2008-01-10T22:42:00.000-08:00

My last boarding facility was the first barn I have boarded at with matted stalls. After two years of matted stalls, I have no desire to go back to dirt. Here are 5 reasons to consider mating your stalls. And yes, with 10 stalls to mat I know how expensive they can be, keep reading. . .

1. Mats prevent urine from passing through to the base floor of your barn. Urine is what causes the smell and the better the barrier, the less permanent smell your barn will have. It isn't quite as simple as that, but it is a good start.

2. Matted stalls give you more bedding choices. Whether you use a lot or a little, it is easier to manage with mats.

3. Mats can save you money on bedding. I have found with mats I can use a LOT less bedding, almost 1/2 of what I was using previously. Conservatively if used 6 bagged of pelleted bedding each month at $5.00 a bag and I was able to use 3 with mats I would save $15 per month. In a year I would save $180 which would cover the cost of mats.

4. Mats save you time. Mats save a lot of time in stall cleaning, especially if you go with the low bedding option. At my previous barn I could clean 4 stalls with runs in 30 minutes. It now takes me 30 minutes to do 3 stalls with no mats and no runs. If I save myself 10 minutes a day, even only an hour a week that is 52 hours a year. Based on even the lowest paying job (or paying someone to clean your stalls, $520 pays for a lot of mats!

5. Mats help keep your stalls level and safer for your horses. If properly installed (gravel first, crushed rock next (easier to level, not quite as shifty as sand) mats will keep your stalls from getting holes dug from urine spots, pawing, etc.

I LOVE MATS!

Georgian Grande

2008-01-03T13:52:00.001-08:00

I have been LAX at reading my favorite horse blogs, but decided to catch up on my lunch hour today. In visiting Halt Near X, I read her post on the Georgian Grande. Halt Near X isn't a fan, but one person's pain is another person's pleasure.

I visited the registry and a farm website, these are some very pretty horses, a combination of a saddlebred and a draft. I must say, I like, I like!

Maddy's Video!

2008-01-03T13:33:00.000-08:00

I love reading Pony Tail Club, she always has a way of making me smile. If you haven't already checked our her end of year video, please watch it, it definately made me smile. I love being asked to Dream Big.

Marshall goes to the moon

2007-12-30T22:45:00.000-08:00

I made a similar post yesterday on Jerrific, but knew everyone here might like to see it too.

Marshall is ready to walk on the moon in this outfit!

Sniffing Curiosity

2007-12-30T22:35:00.000-08:00

Since I know 'officially' own Parelli Level 1, there are some pieces I have missed along the way in terms of learnings and exercises. One of the first recommended exercises is to go out and sit down for 1/2 an hour, no talking and see how long it takes for your horse to touch you.

After spending some time with the horses, treats, and my carrot stick in the pasture I brought my horses into the outdoor arena. I squatted down and just waited. The boys were all over me in just a minute or so, sniffing me all over, sniffing my stick and being close. It was an amazing experience and I have to say in the 6 years I have owned a horse, I have never let them do that. What a shame! It brought a great smile to my face and they enjoyed it to.

Precious was more interested in her 'friend' in the pasture, my mom's gelding Lucero. But she drive them away from me a couple of times, so that was interesting to watch. I know she feels neglected, I swear the more knots her her mane, the more knots in her personality, so I spent twenty minutes untangling it today and then we had a ride. She was a great girl under saddle and she worked well for me even after weeks of no riding.

Tesoro and I worked on 10 meter circles at the corto, trying to use only my upper inner thigh to cue him to change directions. It was a nice short ride, but I feel very productive for both of us.

It was a good day on the farm, things are starting to feel normal and I am glad to be here.

Life on the Farm

2007-12-26T20:42:00.000-08:00

I have spent a lot of time on blog silence, much more than I would like because the last few months have been dedicated to:

1. Remodeling work in the barn
2. Traveling for work
3. Preparing our new house
4. Traveling for work
5. Packing and moving
6. Traveling for work
7. Settling into new house
8. Traveling for work.

Tonight was the first night I went out to the barn worked with horses and did chores since we moved in on the 15th. Slowly but surely things are coming together and I have even found the charger for the camera so I can start to take and post some pictures.

In other news:
1. Zapa is working on a new home. I have found a young woman who is interested in buying him and she is coming to work with him to make sure he is the right horse for her. I want her to come several times before she makes her decision, so I'll let you know how that goes.

2. Uriah got all A's! Yes, my honey is a super student and even earned a small scholarship for next term.

3. Marshall was hit by a car. AHHHHH. . . .It was horrible and happened last Saturday but he is going to be OK. He is now my Miracle Marshall with no broken bones, just lots of stitches and road rash. I am so grateful that he is OK. We still have a long way to travel, but I pray and kiss my baby several times a day.

4. I'm looking for my next horse. I want to lease a horse, so if you know of one I could care lease for six months to a year that is sensible, could do some dressage work and basically give me a lot of tutoring in trot and canter, let me know.

5. Parelli center here I come. Ok, I haven't paid for it yet so it isn't official, but I am going to take the Liberty and Horse Behavior course at the Colorado Parelli center this year. Yep, I want to kick start my path to being a professional learning facilitator (helping humans learn about horses).

6. Tonight I saw the stars. We have had rain, exhausted by the move, overwhelmed with Marshall's accident, floored by Christmas, but even though it was freezing tonight it was great to be on the farm with the milkyway glistening in the background and warm fuzzy horses munching hay in their stalls. Welcome home Jerri.

Singing Horses

2007-12-19T12:04:00.001-08:00

Singing Horses. This is SO funny. I'm not sure why, but it really amuses me and a bunch of people in my office who don't care anything about horses. Thanks Kelly!

OCEAN Obsessive Compulsive Equine Attachment Neurosis Syndrome

2007-12-18T07:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my friend Diana for this one. Funny stuff.

Living with O.C.E.A.N. Syndrome - By Scooter Grubb

Just recently, after years of research, I have finally been able to give a name to what my wife and I have been living with for years. It's an affliction, for sure, which when undiagnosed and misunderstood can devastate and literally tear a family apart. Very little is known about O.C.E.A.N. Syndrome. But it is my hope this article will generate interest from researchers involved in the equine and psychological sciences. You will, no doubt, begin to identify similar symptoms in your own family and hopefully now be able to cope.

Obsessive Compulsive Equine Attachment Neurosis Syndrome (O.C.E.A.N.S) is usually found in the female and can manifest itself anytime from birth to the golden years. Symptoms may appear any time and may even go dormant in the late teens, but the syndrome frequently re-emerges in later years.

Symptoms vary widely in both number and degree of severity. Allow me to share some examples which are most prominent in our home.

The afflicted individual:
1. Can smell moldy hay at ten paces, but can't tell whether milk has gone bad until it turns chunky.
2. Finds the occasional "Buck and Toot" session hugely entertaining, but severely chastises her husband for similar antics.
3. Will spend hours cleaning and conditioning her tack, but wants to eat on paper plates so there are no dishes.
4. Considers equine gaseous excretions a fragrance.
5. Enjoys mucking out four stalls twice a day, but insists on having a housekeeper mop the kitchen floor once a week.
6. Will spend an hour combing and trimming an equine mane, but wears a baseball cap so she doesn't waste time brushing her own hair.
7. Will dig through manure piles daily looking for worms, but does not fish.
8. Will not hesitate t o administer a rectal exam up to her shoulder, but finds cleaning out the Thanksgiving turkey cavity for dressing quite repulsive.
9. By memory can mix eight different supplements in the correct proportions, but can't make macaroni and cheese that isn't soupy.
10. Twice a week will spend an hour scrubbing algae from the water tanks, but has a problem cleaning lasagna out of the casserole dish.
11. Will pick a horse's nose, and call it cleaning, but becomes verbally violent when her husband picks his.
12. Can sit through a four-hour session of a ground work clinic, but unable to make it through a half-hour episode of Cops.

The spouse of an afflicted victim:
1. Must come to terms with the fact there is no cure, and only slightly effective treatments. The syndrome may be genetic or caused by the inhaling of manure particles which, I propose, have an adverse effect on female hormones.
2. Must adjust the family budget to include equine items - hay, veterinarian services, farrier services, riding boots and clothes, supplements, tack, equine masseuse and acupuncturist - as well as the mandatory) equine spiritual guide, etc. Once you have identified a monthly figure, never look at it again. Doing so will cause tightness in your chest, nausea and occasional diarrhea.
3. Must realize that your spouse has no control over this affliction. More often than not, she will deny a problem even exists as denial is common.
4. Must form a support group. You need to know you're not alone? and there's no shame in admitting your wife has a problem. My support group, for instance, involves men who truly enjoy Harley Davidsons, four-day weekends and lots of scotch. Most times, she is unaware that I am even gone, until the precise moment she needs help getting a 50-pound bag of grain out of the truck.

Now you can better see how O.C.E.A.N.S. affects cou ntless households in this country and abroad. It knows no racial, ethnic or religious boundaries. It is a syndrome that will be difficult to treat because those most affected are in denial and therefore, not interested in a cure. So, I am taking it upon myself to be constantly diligent in my research in order to pass along information to make it easier for caretakers to cope on a day to day basis.

The Royal Mews

2007-11-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

I was in London in September and got the opportunity to visit the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace. What is the Royal Mews you ask? Good question. Basically, the Royal Mews is the stables (and eventually garage) where the royal horses are kept. It has also housed a riding academy and is a community within the palace.

In the tour you could see many of the carriages that are brought out for specific state occasions AND ones that are for certain groups (such as the Scots). There were at least six special carriages and the most impressive of all was the gold carriage that weighs more than 4 tons.

There are about 30 horses kept at the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace. I saw a couple in use, one pulling a carriage and another being led to be ridden somewhere. I'm guessing they have some of the others hidden because I sure didn't see 30 horses, just 3 or 4.

The queen picks out the horses name and two name plates are created. One lives on the horses stall and one travels with the horse wherever he/she goes.

The queen used to ride in state affairs, but has not since her favorite mount retired in 1988 (if my memory served me). It was pretty amazing to see, so if ever in London make sure it is on a stop.

I'm going to Blog World, isn't that Jerrific?

2007-11-06T23:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had my first semi-personal connection with a fellow horseblogger. Lijit.com (cool blog search wigit and technology company) was talking about their tool. They discovered I was a horse blogger and GUESS WHAT? They have another horse blogger using their tool, Kelly at Every Rider. So, it wasn't quite like meeting her, but I did feel connected. Cool.

So I thought I'd mention on the off chance that any of my horse blogging friends might be going to Blog World they can find me there. Just post a comment here and i'll give you my cell. You can also find me at the Yahoo! booth.

And finally, after two failed iniatives, Jerrific is launched again. I am much more pleased with the outcome, its purpose is to document the things I think are terrific in this world.

There is more to come over the next few weeks, I hope everyone is happily riding along!

Stall Fronts-HELP

2007-10-18T23:40:00.000-07:00

OK, construction has begun on the barn and it is VERY EXCITING!!!! We have pictures, but I am currently traveling and no access to the camera. The barn has a small arena with 5 12 foot stalls on one side facing the small indoor arena (50x60), then underneath the hayloft are 6 more stalls, 4 of them double size.

Of the four, we will be turning 1 into a nice big tack room (yipee). The other 3 double stalls we will split up, turning the front of them into an aisle. The current entry to those double stalls is on the back of the barn (meaning going through the rain if necessary), but the 'aisle' plan creates the need for stall fronts.

I have looked at a lot of options and have seen nothing I like more than what is at Pam's barn. At Pam's we have the typical tongue and groove stall fronts with a sliding door and a feeder door. But the difference is that under the feeder door is a small door that swings out and attached is a metal box that can hold close to 100 lbs of grain. There is a corner feeder built into the stall so the horses cannot access it and I am tell you, it makes life SO EASY!!!! She had them custom built and with the current pricing I am seeing I think-maybe it is worth the price.

So readers, tell me, what do your stall fronts look like? What is the most economical, most attractive and SAFEST stall front you have seen? What do you wish you would have done?

Is your horse really forward?

2007-10-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

Let's talk about forward and light for a minute. I rode a horse today (and gosh she was pretty) who I was told was forward. And yes, probably compared to what she used to be, she is. She will be a nice dressage horse and perhaps even my nice dressage horse, but more on that later.

What I am used to, however, is riding a rocket. When I get on these horses that require a squeeze, a kick or even a spur to move more forward or to the next level I think-is this really forward? If you haven't had the chance to ride a forward Paso Fino, I beg of you, find a local farm and feel what forward is all about.

These horses are light, sensitive and very very forward. Gait requires impulsion, although not mandatory for all gaited horses, it is a highly common theme. I realize that it looks strange, but if one is in your midst, ask for a ride because it is a ride you won't forget. Oh yes, don't squeeze, just think Go.

Manure Management

2007-10-11T07:32:00.001-07:00

DOH! The call I am promoting was YESTERDAY! But you can still listen to it by clicking the links below. . .

My first order of business at our new barn is to figure out how to manage manure. I want to do it right and that means from day one. I have been doing a little research on costs of tractors and manure spreaders, but in reality, I don't know how to manage manure for 9 horses (my 3 + mom's 3 + 3 eventual boarders).

I know the systems we have used where I have boarded, what has worked and what has not, but I'm also interested in building great compost for my garden and keeping the pasture green.

I'm going to start tonight by listening to Equine Teleseminar.net's Manure Management call which is led by Peter Moon of O2compost.com. I went to the site and COOL. If you have any interest in composting your horse manure, this site (and this call) are for you. The call is tonight, but as always it is recorded, so don't hesitate to visit Equine Teleseminar to order a copy along with her successful calls in the past with folks like Jane Savoie. She has even promised to bring us Linda Tellington Jones in November!

The call is at 8PM Pacific, 5PM Central. I'll let you know how it goes!

Learning Horses Ranches!

2007-10-09T20:31:00.000-07:00

Well, it won't be official until tomorrow (hopefully), but dreams do come true and we are in the final countdown to having our own facility. The big news-my mom has arrived with her 3 horses in the lower 48 (that is how us Alaskan's call it) and will spend some time in the Seattle area and then headed to Eugene shortly.

So we purchased 9.5 acres in Junction City, OR with a barn, small indoor arena, large outdoor arena, 7 acres of pasture plus a few other non-horse details (like a house and garage).

So for the next few months I will take you on the journey with me as I learn all about life on the ranch (or is it farm?). My first project is to get the barn all set up which requires some reworking of stalls, construction of stall fronts, possible installation of automatic waterers (I have an idea!) and fencing.

Of course, we need to be prepared to spread manure, so I have begun investigating tractors-now THAT is a big learning process. Indeed learning proper manure and pasture management is the top priority.

So, of course, I will share my knowledge with you in this learning process and there will be some new categories, lots of new websites and most importantly, opportunity for feedback. I will ask of my friends at Intense Debate to use their nifty new commenting system, won't that be fun? That way it can be interactive for all of us!

Thanks Fabtron!

2007-09-17T06:22:00.000-07:00

Today I got an email from Stan, the President of Fabtron. I had emailed because I had lost a stirrup strap for Pam's saddle. I had no idea where I would get one and was worried about getting it replaced, so I went to the website and submitted to the contact form. Sure enough, I got an email back this morning (and now a 2nd one from Stan mentioning that I am up early), and he said he would put one in the mail for me.

For those of you not familiar with Fabtron, they have been in business since the 70's and they build a lightweight saddle at a reasonable entry price point. I know a lot of people who use a fabtron and I expect that I will always have one in my tack room. I think the price point makes it easy for new riders to get into a saddle, but I often think they have not gotten the information they need to purchase the right size for either their horse or themselves. Sadly, Fabtron often gets blamed for that, but in reality it is just a lack of information on the part of the buyer.

My mom has the Gaited Fabtron which she purchased with my horses in mind. Uriah enjoys riding in the Fabtron's and I'd love to put him in this one (since I didn't get to buy Pam's). I am interested to see how it works for the horses, specifically to see if it will fit Tesoro.

So, moral of the story, if you need a saddle, you can count on Fabtron to be there when you need help! A great customer service story!

How to spend $700 in your sleep

2007-09-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

Last night I spent $700 while I was sleeping. Amazing, yes, I know. I have always considered myself a pretty good spender (not as much of a saver), but I am pretty impressed with how I spent $700 last night.

It went something like this-Elisia came to the house at 9:15 this morning so we could go for a trail ride. We were taking Soda, Precious and Zapa (see upcoming post) to some trails right behind A.'s house. Elisia came to the door and said 'Did you know your truck window is broken?'. Um. Yeah. Pause. That was news to me. We checked out the damage and the truck window was shattered, glass everywhere. I would have pictures to post, the battery on the camera was dead. Although I didn't realize at the time, I have a $500 deductable for my truck (I'll be changing that soon to $200). So, there was $500 I spent (it will be $800 or so to repair as they shattered the super cab window as well).

We are working on cleaning up the glass when my neighbor comes out and says 'oh, look at your trailer'. My truck and trailer were hooked up and I didn't notice that there was lovely RED spraypaint in an up and down s-pattern all along the side of my trailer. I knew my trailer needed some painting work, but I wasn't expecting to do it so soon. I do insure the trailer also, so that is another $200 in my sleep.

So last night may offically be the most expensive night of my life. I need to get out more.

Proud Mama!

2007-09-04T20:35:00.001-07:00

I spent a lot of time being proud this weekend. First I saw Marshall who has been absent for more than a month learning to be a show dog. It was SO GREAT to see him. We didn't win, but it was my first time in a show ring not worrying about getting dumped off a horse (did I mention dog showing is CHEAP??), so it was just a great time. Auntie Sharon came and decided to pick Marshall up, it was pretty funny! He comes home at the end of next week, Jennifer will show him two more days. On Saturday of the show he did win Best of Winners, so that was cool and on Sunday his Daddy won Best of Breed. Of course, the reunion was the best part, he is such a HAM, so full of personality. I can't wait to start working on the obedience, agility and ROAD TRIAL work. Trails here we come!

On Monday we went to Julie's to play on the trail course with mom, myself and A. It was the first time I had all three horses under saddle. I was pretty proud. First, Tesoro managed to stay calm the entire time just until we loaded up. It was amazing. It was the calmest he has EVER been outside of the barn and it gives me hope. He even stood very still for mounting (with steps forward only when I was on) which is the best he has done outside of the barn since I have owned him. Wow.

Precious was a butt, but that is my fault. She doesn't like to be away from the other horses and I should have schooled her before mom got on. We worked on the issues and she did all the obstacles for mom, so I think she enjoyed that.

The amazing news of the horse event was the Zapa was a STAR! A. did SUCH a great job of riding him. She is so relaxed which is just what he needs. She got him to do every obstacle including jumps, water, trench, teeter-toter, tarp, many of which were his first time under saddle and only his 3rd or 4th ride out of the arena. GO Zapa. He is really an 'all around horse'.

It was a great weekend.

Lesson Plan

2007-08-31T23:53:00.000-07:00

Walter Zettl writes in his book Dressage in Harmony that you should always start with a lesson plan of what you wish to work on. He argues that if you really want to study and focus on learning, you must plan for what it is you wish to teach.

For years I took the 'willy nilly' approach to riding, often working on too many things and accomplishing very little. But now I am realizing that there is a flaw in the 'get on and ride' premise.

Although I haven't been planned in minute increments I am working on 'one step at a time', basically getting Tesoro's movements moderated so he moves only one step at a time, unlike his pre-disposition to go twenty steps at a time.

It is going amazingly well, today we sidepassed over poles and a couple of times I got only one step. Trust me when I say, that is an accomplishment (the one step).

Equitales

2007-08-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

Since I have been so absent from blogging, I have been absent from one of my favorite activites surrounding blogging-other people's blogs! I like to start with a blog I like and read their recommendation list (today I started with Julie's list) and sometimes I will start with Horse Bloggers, but I always find something good to read.

Today, I discovered Equitales which (from what I can tell), is a fiction book she is posting 1 chapter at a time on her blog. I read the first post (Chapter 5) just a few paragraphs in and thought-I need to start at the beginning.

So, fellow readers, start here to read the Prologue and enjoy away. Sheesh, I love the web.

How to tie your own rope halter

2007-08-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

I have always liked the selection at Natural Horse Supply, but didn't realize they actually had published instructions on how to Tie Your How Rope Halter (and not just putting it on either). If I can ever figure it out, I'll post a video. The instructions are well written, but I have a feeling it is like riding a bike, it will take some time, but once you have it-VIOLA! Rope halters!

Oh how greatful!!

2007-08-27T06:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I saw two TV shows that gave me a good quick reality check to help me realize how grateful I should be. One was shown on PBS at it was about animal rescue after Katrina. Oh how I cried watching those dogs being saved.

Then I watched Extreme Home Makeover Home Edition (seriously, I love that show), it was about a family whose house had burned down then three months later their oldest son was killed in a car accident. So many tears.

I am so grateful for everything I have, the love and health of my family and my animals being the most important. Every day is a day to be grateful.

5 Reasons to Watch someone else ride your horse

2007-08-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

I recently saw a video of myself riding one of my horses and then got to watch A. (initals to protect the innocent) ride Zapa and remembered HOW GOOD it is to watch someone else ride your horses.

1. You can look for signs of lameness. If you have a horse who has had any lameness problems, sometimes you can get lulled into a false sense of soundness when you ride him/her all the time. Watching your horse being riding can really help you identify when there might be a problem.

2. It can stretch the potential of your horse. As riders, we are all limited by our own flaws either being too strong/soft, to patient/impatient and the full potential of our horse is thereby limited by those flaws as well. By watching A. ride Zapa, I realized he can be asked to go a certain direction, he can relax and boy is he a dream to watch.

3. You can find flaws in your riding. Many times I have watched a trainer ride my horse and they ride the horse SO MUCH BETTER, than I do. So, I know it isn't the capibility of the horse that is in question, it is the capibility of the rider that is the issue. The skill to properly engage the hind end of a Paso Fino while still limiting the forward impulsion is a balaning act of brilliance often poorly executed by those still learning.

4. You can find the flaws in your training. I watched two of my horses go through an obsticle course once and saw that neither of them would back through the poles. That is not a horse issue my friends, that is a training issue.

5. It can bring a rider great joy to ride your horse. Enough said.

It is important to make sure that you pair the horse and rider properly to make the experience positive for everyone, but every once in a while, get off your horse and watch someone else ride!

How to Buy a Used Horse Trailer

2007-08-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

Equispirit offers a great newsletter on horse trailers and this one came to me recently.

What should I look for in a used trailer?

A used horse trailer should have all the same criteria that we have
listed for a new trailer, but in this case, the condition is an
added consideration.

* Make sure the floor and undercarriage are in good condition. This
goes for both wood and aluminum floors, and structural beams under
the floor.
* Check the suspension and tires.
* Know if the brakes work, and find out how much it will cost to fix
them if they don't.
* Uneven tire wear can signify some problem in the axle alignment or
balance of the trailer.
* Horse trailer tires seldom wear out, but dry rot is a common
problem.
* Sometimes the coupler can be worn inside, causing the coupler to be
too large for the ball.
* Check for rust or cracks in places where there is stress. Stress
fractures are a special consideration for all aluminum trailers.
Make sure the frame and welds are structurally sound.
* Sometimes surface rust on steel may be unsightly, but if it is not
in a place where it is supporting the integrity of the trailer it
could be all right.
* If repairs need to be made, ask yourself if you will be putting
more money into it than the trailer is worth.

Spending too much money for restoration may make the trailer
suitable for your own use, but do not expect to add that much value
to the trailer when you sell it.

To learn more about horse trailer safety go to
http://www.equispirit.com. Also check out our latest horse trailer
models, equipped with the finest safety features

Learning Horses RIDES!

2007-08-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of me riding Moonlight Tesoro at the Friday night Demo during the Lynn Gallup Clinic I hosted in July. He is awfully fun to ride. I was trying to neck rein, but he was going a little to fast, notice we broke into the canter a few times in the corners.

It is fun to watch this video with the music, but I am starting to get very concerned about Tesoro's hocks. His movement doesn't look perfect in this video and I have seen him being ridden a TON, so I really know how this horse should move. The vet told me I should have X-Rays before I have his hocks injected again. Yikes!

And yes, he is really that shiny naturally. It was all the audience could talk about (ok, other things, but there were comments from at least 50% of the people)!

Paso Fino Fun Day at Reed's Ranch

2007-08-23T23:44:00.000-07:00

I had a great time at the Paso Fino Fun Day at the Reed's Ranch. I came up on Friday and stayed with Bruce and Betty. Santana's owner Bette and I went out for a twilight trail ride, her FIRST on Santana! Yeehaw!

Tesoro and Santana were not happy about being displaced so when it came my time to ride on Saturday, well, it was a bit of a disaster. I did get Tesoro to do the poles and barrels, only when no one was watching. I'm thinking I forgot to breathe when there was a stopwatch! Oh well, more work to keep me busy this winter. One of these days I will beat Mariann (oohh, Trote y Galope video coming soon).

I think everyone had a great time. I got some amazing pictures and I made this little video of everyone participating, I hope you enjoy!

Horses of Central Park

2007-08-19T23:10:00.000-07:00

In May of this year, I had the opportunity to visit Central Park in New York for the first time. New York itself was as I expected. Loud, dirty, crowded and (the unexpected) foul smelling. When I actually left the office on time for my last evening in New York, I tried hard to make it to the various tourist spots, but the one I wanted to see the most was Central Park.

There were two reasons I was dying to see the green oasis in the center of madness. The first is obvious, being from Oregon, I needed some green. Concrete buildings, the flashing lights of times square are never as exciting as a beautiful tree, the smell of a rose or the squealing of small children as the frolic in nature. But the second reason is also obvious, I knew it was there that I could find horses.

I made my way through the subway (will only a small amount of confusion) and when I emerged from the humid dungeon NYC calls a subway, I immediately saw trees. It was the happiest I had been all week. It only took me moments to spot my first horse, a statue atop the entrance to the park. The live ones were not far away, all lined up on the street of Central Park West, the name I had previously only heard in Law and Order.

In my hour exploration of the park, I took a few pictures, watched the carriages and really understood the term ‘Beast of Burden’. These horses working day in and day out on concrete in the hot weather, eating hay thrown on scaling cement were not the same as the pampered, blanketed and slightly spoiled equines that live in my home.

I was reminded of the evil that is told in the story of Black Beauty that I remember to this day, even though I can recall the plot (or details) of very few books, I remember how Black Beauty was worked, almost to death on the streets of London. Was that indeed the story?

I didn’t want a carriage ride through Central Park. Instead I wanted a trailer so I could transport these horses to a place of rest. It was a beautiful spring day when I was there. Last week it was more than 90 degrees in New York. That is not a job I would wish for any horse.

As I progressed through the park I found Carousel horses, just not very big ones and I couldn’t tell if the Carousel was still in operation or not. Despite my concern for the horses, it was a beautiful green sea and there were moments when it was so quiet, I just heard the trees.

As I made it to the Met about halfway through the park and took a cab to my next tourist destination, the only thing I was missing was a mounted police officer.

I am back in New York this week and I will probably visit the park again, maybe this time with a few carrots.

Silly Girl!

2007-08-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

This video was taken at the Evergreen Gaited Showcase of a friend's horse. After she was done with her classes for the day, her owner would tell her she was done. If you approached her and asked her if she wanted to go for a ride, this was her reaction.

Where in the world is Learning Horses

2007-08-09T14:44:00.000-07:00

OK, so I get it, I have been absent from the blogging world. Summer is meant for riding, not blogging and I have been taking full advantage of that.

So, to bring you up to speed:

In early July I went to the Evergreen Gaited Horse Show. Tesoro and I only rode in two classes and I was really pleased with his performance (minus one particular behavior that we will work on), but I came down with a terrible cold, so that combined with very warm temperatures kept me out of classes for the rest of the weekend.

When I came back home from the show I was on VACATION! Shortly into my vacation Lynn Gallup came from North Carolina for the Paso Fino Horsemanship clinic I put on at 4CJ Stables (you could not ask for a better host!). A great time was had by all, including the 1 Rocky Mountain Horse owner. Lynn headed back to her farm in NC fairly unharmed, but already filled with ideas for next year. She is off to Alaska next!

Of course there were some trail rides and lessons thrown in here and there, by the time I went back to work, I was ready for a horse break!

August started off with a bang, I judged the Horse 'n Around Trail Competition and Fisher 4-F Ranch. Tesoro and I did novice, completing only 20 of the 31 obstacles, making me realize all the obstacle work I have done with my other horses, I have never done with him. Zapa completed 30 out of 31, in the in-hand competition, but he didn't place. We did finally get him to do the obstacle he refused, but I ran out of time. It was WATER for crying out loud (something that has not been a problem)! The whole weekend was a blast and Julie made AMAZING prizes. You can still play around on the course for the next month or so, its is only $10 per horse, but please call Julie first to arrange a time. Elisia and I went yesterday and GREAT NEWS-Soda went fairly easily into the water! Look at Soda and Elisia jump!

It was a blast and Craig and Julie are amazing hosts. DARLENE is awesome, she gets so much credit for making it all happen. Here is a video of Precious and I going through the trench. And yes, it is as steep as it looks.

On Saturday I am headed to Reed's Ranch for the Reed's annual Paso Fino Fun Day. After that I am taking Santana home after 1 year. It is hard to believe he has been with me for that long and I am excited for his owner to get to enjoy him. Luckily he will be living at Heavenly Ranch, so I can visit anytime!

Marshall has gotten very big and Jennifer of Spotlite Dals has taken him to show for the next couple of weeks. It is awfully quiet at home, but Steinbeck is getting some good family time.

And, of course, my company has been acquired by Yahoo! and I seem to get busier every day with new customers, but job security is good!

The horses are doing well and I am looking forward to working as much as possible with Zapa over the winter. I will be mostly be riding him and Tesoro and giving Precious the occasional tune up. She is pretty happy as a lesson horse, but did remember some of her teachings when we did a little schooling last week. I am looking forward to just having three!

I also got a new truck, so I am SAFE to trailer again. The gas mileage is terrible, but it is a F250 and I can now go faster than a crawl up a hill. Hooray!

On a final note, we have made an offer on property that includes a barn and an arena. My dream is coming true. We could possibly remodel the stall side of the barn to accommodate 13 stalls, but will most likely use several of those spaces for tack, wash rack, etc. There is still a lot pending, so I'll fill you all in (with pictures) when the deal is final. Uriah and I will still live in town, but it will be great to have our own place AND. . .we can trail ride (for miles) off of the property. You can count on me for more clinics and events.

So that is the Learning Horses Summer. Remember when I told you what I would be doing this summer? A few things have changed, but the theme remains the same. Ride, ride, ride.

I'll be back posting again soon.

Mental Preparation

2007-07-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

I have decided to take Tesoro to the Evergreen Gaited Showcase in two weeks. I have been riding Tesoro consistently so I feel like he is in good shape and there are only 3 Paso Fino classes, so between that and a few OGB (Open Gaited Breed) classes, we will take it pretty easy.

What I plan to spend a lot of time on this time is mentally preparing myself for the show. Tesoro is SO sensitive that when I am doing anything but relaxing, he is translating my tension into poor performance. I am going to meditate on my riding for 5 minutes every day for the 12 days, I know that this will help Tesoro and I be team and take us to the next level.

Wish us luck!

How to Work with someone you admire

2007-06-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

Several years ago I read an article by a woman named Lynn Gallup in Paso Fino Horse World. I decided at that time that I wanted to meet her. I know that she and I had some similar views and philosophies about Paso Finos (and horses in general).

I tried to arrange her to judge a show out here, but timing never worked out. We corresponded 1-2x a year and this year I asked her if she would be interested in being a clinician out west. Lynn has never been to the Northwest so I will be her tour guide and she will help us learn about Paso Finos!

How did I do it? It wasn't easy. First, I had to find a facility. My friend Christabeth rented me her BEAUTIFUL brand new facility and she has been an awesome host-and it hasn't even started. By the way, if you need someone to start your youngster, Christabeth is a great choice.

Some extra costs involved were renting a porta-potty + insurance (an add on policy to Christa's). Add in the travel costs for Lynn and then you can start to figure out what to charge. We are hosting as many folks as possible in Eugene and hoping to have great fun with my fellow Paso owners. We are going to provide breakfast/lunch and Christa is hosting a BBQ on Sat Night.

To make it the best event EVER-we are having a demo on Friday. The festivites begin July 19th and I just can't wait!

So if you want to work with someone you admire, just ask and believe and everything else will fall into place!

5 Reasons to ride bareback

2007-06-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

My lessons with Julie have got me working on my bareback riding. Here are my 5 reasons why you should ride bareback.

1. It takes less time. Bareback means you don't have to put on a saddle, so you can save at least 5 minutes not messing with that bulky thing!

2. It is great for toning your legs. No matter how much and how often you ride, a good bareback session will leave you with what my mom calls 'horse crotch'. I sure feel it the next day, but it is excellent for those inner thighs!

3. It greatly improves balance. Do you feel like you are bracing in your stirrups, grabbing with the reins? Try riding bareback to really figure out where your flaws are.

4. You will learn how your horse moves. You will be amazed to feel the muscles your horse uses. I learned with Precious that I needed to move her saddle back!

5. Can you say body position? I find that without my saddle, I end up more with a chair seat, so it makes me conscious of how my saddle assists me with my body position.

If you decide to ride bareback, here are some helpful hints.

1. Have someone lead your horse to get you started.
2. Practice riding with a rope halter and saddle first (or bosol, something other than a bit) so you don't have to ride with a bit.
3. Use a mounting blog and swing all over your horse before swinging your leg over, sometimes they will be OK with a saddle, but not bareback. Do your due diligence first!
4. Work on soft bending and flexing, this will keep the pace slow and really assist you with balance. Keep the hind end moving.
5. Hold onto the mane to help hold you up so it is easier to swing off if something goes wrong.

Go forth and ride bareback! Thanks to Julie Fisher who pushed me to get more comfortable bareback and gave me some of the above tips.

Still Learning. . .

2007-06-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

I've been lackluster about posting lately, but I promise, there is a lot going on. First, I have some new responsibilites at work so I am very focused on making that successful. Did I mention my company is being purchased by Yahoo!?

Second, we are trying to sell our house. Well, not trying, the For Sale sign went in the lawn yesterday, but it has been a ton of work (and looks great by the way). So if you know anyone who wants a 1420 sq ft home in Eugene OR with a shop, garage, family room on an 8700 sq fott lot and is move in ready, let me know!

Third, we are looking for property. Yep, we are trying to find a home for us and the horses. We found one yesterday that looks good and an offer should go out today. Let's hope they accept.

Fourth, I'm riding Zapa again. I have been taking lessons and it has been going fairly well, but not as good as I would like. I did come off last week (face plant into the round pen-lots of emotional brusing), but I'm done with bareback and had a great ride on him the next day (with a saddle that has a horn).

Fifth, I'm working Santana and Tesoro almost every day. Santana goes home at the end of August, so I want to accomplish a few things with him before he does that. I may show Tesoro (although not too motivated to do that), so want to be ready for it.

Sixth, Marshall is getting SO BIG. You can see pictures of all of his litter mates here. Click on Tanner and Phoebe puppies. Jumping is still the biggest problem, so we continue to work on it, but not as much as we should. But he needs to go to the park everyday or he just acts like a crazy puppy, so that fills in the day.

Did I mention we got the garden in AND I went to NY for a week?

Life is busy and believe it or not, blogging comes last.

How to Give a Pony Ride

2007-05-29T06:25:00.000-07:00

I love sharing my horses and offering children their first rides. If I can be the first person that they are exposed to, I can teach first about safety and then about fun.

Here is how I conduct a pony ride to make sure everyone stays safe and the child (and parents) have a good experience.

First, make sure you have a horse suitable for pony rides. Horses are smart creatures and many of them will understand that they need to be much more gentle with children, but not all horses are suitable to give pony rides. Horses that are spooky, rude (nippy or will walk over you) or inattentive or highly sensitive are NOT good choices. The key (in my opinion) is a horse that has excellent ground manners and will follow the leader on the ground and not pay attention to what is going on in the saddle.

Second, have three people. THREE???? Yes, three. It isn’t imperative, but it makes the children the most comfortable. You must have one person very familiar with the horse who works with it often (in this case-me), another person who has spent some time around horses. They don’t have to be an expert by any means, but someone who understands the basics and is not fearful. Finally the parent or someone familiar with the child.

I always use a western saddle. The horn gives the child something to hold onto and gives them a sense of security. Have the leader lead the horse. Have the other two walk on each side of the child, one hand on the child's thigh, one hand on their foot. That has them prepared in case anything happens to catch the child should he/she go sideways.

To start, have the child sit in the saddle and relax. Make sure the instructions are clear to your side walkers. Take off straight ahead at a slow walk, keeping the horses head on the ground. Do not walk quickly as the horse may end up in a jog/trot or intermediate gait. THIS CAN BE VERY SCARY for some children. Your job is not to push the limits, but to make this a positive safe experience.

I ask the child to squeeze with their legs and say walk, but I do not ask them to kick. Every time we do something with the horse, I ask the child to give the command, then I make the horse comply. This adds much more fun for the child.

After the child is more comfortable, I asked them to balance by holding out their arms on their sides. I love to use analogies when I teach, so I ask them if they have been on a balance beam. Most of them have, so I talk about balancing, but sitting instead of standing.

Finally, I fit the child with a helmet prior to riding. I talk about how important it is to wear a helmet, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE PARENT WANTS. If they are riding my horse, in my barn, they will wear a helmet. I have been collecting a variety of sizes for lessons, but if you don’t have any ask the parents to bring a bike helmet. Talk about how smart they are and how the helmet will protect their brain. Kids eat it up. Most importantly, if you ride, wear a helmet in front of that child, even if you normally don’t. Help set a good life habit.

I am sure we all know of people who had terrible experiences with horses when they were younger. If you listen closely, you will figure out that a responsible teacher creating a positive experience can change the way they feel about our beloved equines.

Go forth and ride ponies!

What happens when you push a horse too far?

2007-05-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

I think horses are awfully patient. As riders and owners we don't speak their language, they allow us to ride them even though we are predators and we all know of horses who have acted totally different with children rather than adults.

But what happens when you push a horse too far? Well, there is worse case scenario when we ask for an unachievable jump or impossible distances and we push them physically so they are no longer sound. But I was thinking more in terms of pushing them mentally and the trust barrier.

In the book 'Dressage in Harmony' that I am reading by Walter Zettl, he talks about how it is always important to push a horse, but not too far.

In my desensitizing work with Zapa I am using a plastic grocery bag tied to the end of my Parelli like carrot stick (I got mine from Steve Rother). I left it lying in the arena and went and got Santana to work with. I did my work with Santana and as I was getting ready to leave the arena I picked up the stick and went 'hey Santana, what do you think of that?' and turned around and faced him with it.

Santana has not been spooky with me. He spooked once when a cat jumped from outside the arena into an arena window (they are 5 feet high) and I thought it was kind of surprising too. But Santana jumped out of his skin at the plastic bag. He acted like I had just shot him with a tazer gun. I tried to do some work with him but he was terrified.

Over the next few days he became harder and harder to catch, reverting to many of the habits he had when he first came, such as biting at me and pinning his ears. Three days ago it took me 45 minutes to get him to come close to me in the pasture. I kept pushing him out, bringing him in, pushing him out. He never did let me catch him, so we had to let him run to his stall.

I took him over to my lesson with Julie and she helped me with some round pen work, confirming what I knew, this horse could use a lot of it.

The story continues, but the latest is this: today he worked well with me, not ideal, but better in keeping his ears up, coming to me and generally being respectful. I think I had been working with just enough trust to keep me safe, but not enough to keep me secure. I violated Santana's trust and for that I had to pay the price. I knew deep down this horse required groundwork and trust exercises every day, but often I would opt to ride.

Wayne Dyer says intuition is God's way of whispering in your ear. So, I'll try to listen better in the future.

Trailer Ties: How Stretchy is Your Elastic?

2007-05-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

I trailer a lot. I know some people trailer more, but I have probably hauled 15,000 miles (possibly more) or so in the last 5 years. I like to go to shows, to events, trail riding and for lessons.

In general, my horses are very good in the trailer (Precious wasn't always that way) and I have gotten a little lax in how I manage trailering. Last night when I get to Julie's to use her round pen, I take Zapa out of the trailer first. I then go up to Santana and before I can get him unhooked, he backs ALL THE WAY out of the trailer and stands, tethered by elastic that is in the process of being stretched to its limits (and I am watching start to snap before my eyes).

So, what do you do? When the mistake is already made and you have to resolve the situation before the elastic snaps or the horse jumps on top of you? I reached over to Santana and tried to use the safety latch to unsnap the trailer tie. First attempt, no luck. I'm praying that the elastic won't break and/or the tie won't snap in my face when I undo it. Second attempt it comes loose. The snap isn't as bad as I expected, but did I mention that I didn't have a lead rope attached?

*Jerri bows for the stupidity award*

Of course, I haven't filled you all in on my recent experiences with Santana, so the fact that I was able to quickly catch him was nothing short of a miracle.

This is what my old elastic trailer tie now looks like:

So lesson learned:
1. Unhook horses and attached lead ropes BEFORE opening divider
2. Practice horses standing untied in trailer BEFORE backing them out (which by the way I do with my own horses, but this was only the 3rd time I'd trailered Santana)
3. Use nylon trailer ties (that elastic was scary) so they can't back all the way out of the trailer (I'm still not sure this is the best decision)
4. Always use trailer ties with quick release latches AND spray them with WD40 or Silicone spray if they get sticky (mine were getting sticky so I did this before we went home-I keep a can of that stuff in my trailer).
5. Don't be an idiot, always practice good, safe trailering techniques no matter who the horse.

Riding Bareback in a Rope Halter

2007-05-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. I rode Zapa on Tuesday! It has been more than 6 months and needless to say, I was very nervous. What made me even more nervous was that I did it bareback and in a rope halter! I went for another lesson with Julie (gosh I love her) who helped me with some round pen work. She asked me if I was ready to get on him and in a moment of braveness I said 'Sure!'. I grabbed my helmet and after some swinging around, I sat on him.

I WAS SO NERVOUS!

But I relaxed and we got moving around the round pen pretty nicely. I was told to move softer and ask nicer. I was trying to keep him unstuck in the hind end, moving off of my leg. Once we both relaxed, it was a beautiful thing.

Since we don't have a round pen, I'm going back to Julie's tonight to use hers. She told me my goal was to ride him in her trail competition in August. OK!

Stateline Tack has been sold!

2007-05-15T08:27:00.000-07:00

I know I am a little slow in getting this reported, but Stateline Tack has been sold to the company that owns Country Supply. If you don't know who Country Supply is, think again, they own the popular Horse.com.

Stateline Tack will be closing its doors within the PetSmart stores. So, if you live near a PetSmart, keep your eyes and ears open, there may be discounting coming your way.

How to measure your grain

2007-05-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

In my short time as a horse owner I have seen a number of ways to give horse grain. There is the 'coffee can' method, measure out 1/2 or 1/3 or an entire coffee can, the 'handfuls' method and the guesstimate method.

In reality none of these are as effective as weighing your grain. Every grain will weigh differently and it is imperative to weigh your grain prior to feeding. Two pounds of oats is not the same as two pounds of senior.

That said, once it is weighed you can figure out what that volume translates to in terms of your coffee can, but don't forget to weight it first and follow feeding guidelines. Some grains cannot be 'overfed' as they will provide your horse with too many vitamins or minerals, so be diligent and take this extra step.

Other weighing tips:
A good digital scale is easy to use and can often be reset to zero, even with your container on it.
A baby scale is a good way to measure hay
A non-digital scale is excellent for varying weather conditions and you don't have to worry about running out of batteries.
A fish weighing scale can be used along with a tarp to weigh hay