Balance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.