More Horse Matters

The Christmas Gift

2011-12-27T20:11:00.000-08:00

It's been two days since we all sat excitedly in front of the Christmas tree sharing the joy of gift giving. My shopping was done weeks ago and my list was simple. Mostly I wanted a new video camera, so I could record my students and the horses as they progress in their journey and enhance their relationship with each other. I am hoping to record their lessons and create a personal DVD that they can watch over and over. It's a great way to learn through visual information. I'm best when I can first see, then do, followed by hear then do and lastly, read, then do. The visual medium is a great tool for me, both as a teacher and a student. I knew I would be using the camera constantly and was so happy to see it under the tree on Christmas day.

But, I must say, my favorite gift this year was a short ride across the street from the stables to the Columbia River park known as Willow Grove. The weather was warm and mild, just under 60 degrees on Christmas Eve. The sun was shining and dropping lower as I began riding in late afternoon. I knew it would be the last day for a while that I would have both the time and the good weather to ride. As I write this, the rain is coming down in buckets, the wind churning as it rings the chimes just outside my window.

The river was calm and the park almost deserted, everyone undoubtedly running around, anxious to put the finishing touches on their Christmas celebrations. I couldn't believe how fortunate I was, how far I had come in my horsemanship and riding. Each time I take Chanty to the park alone, I marvel at how far we've come. She walks slowly down the driveway, crosses the road and up the sandy path that leads to a flat stretch of grass that overlooks the park and is the first view of the river. It's gorgeous and I can now appreciate it fully because I am not focused on slowing my horse. We walk together, our movements in sync. My lower back flexes, my hip,knee and ankle joints gently opening and closing. My contact with the bit in Chanty's mouth is minimal and easily goes forward and back as she vibrates her breath softly across her lips. It is the sound of contentment and I now see the calm confident horse in her that I had dreamed of 6 years ago when I first brought her to this park, kicking and screaming. Back then, she ran in fear and I pulled hard on her mouth, convinced she was misbehaving and needed only to be overpowered by me, gripping and grabbing, bracing every muscle in my body, draped across her back, like the predator I was.

As recently as this past month, I have begun incorporating more focused movement of the lower back, the lumbosacral joint into my riding and emphasizing it during my lessons with students. It is the bridge between the alternating hip movement of the lower body with hips, knees and ankles flexing and the absorption of movement up the spine of the back, through the shoulders and arms, rippling into the neck and upper spine as it connects to the head at "the poll" just between the ears. The spine connects to the pelvis with a joint that allows for forward and back as well as side to side movement. It has not always been emphasized in the descriptions of centered riding or even in my recent studies of the psoas OR it was assumed that this joint was the source of "engagement" of the deep centering muscles of the psoas. In any case, the more I focus on and make myself aware of that body part, the more my conscious competence in using the joint has grown. I am almost at the point at which I can ride without picturing my lower back during a transition or turn, the most important time to keep the movement free and flowing. Not only is the ride easier and smoother for both of us, there is no pain from straining outside muscles previously used to unnecessarily brace and balance on Chanty-no pain for me OR her.

We walked, we cantered and we returned to the stables with the same calm, confident attitude that carried us out just an hour earlier. Now as I returned from our ride, I stepped out of the saddle, hugged Chanty and genuinely showered her with affection and appreciation-no pulling, no racing, no harsh words.

She has given me so many things over the years, but this year I was given a Christmas gift that I will not soon forget. It really is all about the relationship with the horse, creating harmonious movement between two living creatures and it gets better and better every year. I can't wait for the New Year to see what treasures are waiting for me with the horses in my life.

Zen for Riders-Another Milestone

2011-10-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Part I: Do You Really Know What Good Posture Is?

WOW! I finally got a chance to go to a Rider's Seat Combo Clinic with Tom Nagel and Karen Irland this week. Ever since I've become a CR Instructor, I've been hearing about Tom's course and the "missing link" to riding through the correct use of the psoas (pronounced so az) muscle. Tom actually calls it the First Key to Centered Riding, followed by the four basics, techniques and visualizations of Sally Swift's groundbreaking first book .
Sally actually uses the word psoas and shows the anatomy in her 2nd edition book but working with Tom, you are able to isolate the part of your body that represents the true CORE-the place of stability that so many of the best riders can access without thinking (see unconscious competence in previous blog).

Somewhere along the line, we develop habits that force our body to work harder, with tense, tight and often sore outside muscles. I've been told in the past that the key to a stronger back is to develp strong tight "6 pack abs". Turns out, according to Tom, that when you engage your core and the muscles of the psoas, you can create stability in you body that makes it easier to use the abdominals and all the other muscles of movement. With simple tone in those muscles, the psoas takes them along for the ride as you physically move through your day or participate in physical activity, including riding. So why the emphasis on six pack abs? Because you can see them and it represents achievement in physical strength. BUT DO WE REALLY NEED THEM TO BE THAT LARGE? Maybe if you're a competitive body builder. But for the average human, it's more about correct use of your body from the inside out. This was very revealing to me. It explains another comment in Sally's book, that says it is not about physical strength but correct use of self that makes riding so harmonious with your horse. So how do you use your self correctly and what does the psoas have to do with it?

It starts with posture, what those in the know call an independent seat. We have all become dependent on the chair we sit in and when you ride that way it creates an imbalance that not only upsets your horse, but forces you to tense and tighten your outside muscles to avoid falling over. The psoas, deep in the body, connects the upper body to the lower and when you adjust the lower back and pelvis by flexing this muscle, you actually LENGTHEN your lower back and level your pelvis-but you must let those six pack abs soften. With a simple exhale, release of the solar plexus and what Tom calls the scoop motion of bringing your pelvis up, you have created a stable center from which all else will emerge. The top part of the psoas is the core that stabilizes and the bottom part connects to hip flexors. And here was a real surprise for me once I practiced Tom's exercises. When you release the tension in your outside muscles, engage your core, it actually releases the tension all the way to the top of the head-all of a sudden I was moving my head at the top of my spine right where the vertebral column connects to the skull, my "pole" if you will. Now I have stability and my upper body feels longer and more mobile. I have LIFT.

This just gets better and better. But why should you believe me? To quote Mr. Nagel "If it's stable, it works." Try using your six pack abs next time you try to stay on your horse as he spooks at a leaf blowing in his path. You can show the doctor in the emergency room how buff you are as they're wheeling you to the xray department to count how many ribs are cracked on your left chest. Stability in your core and tone in your outside muscles (strength with flexibility) creates ease of movement. Now you're in self carriage (how many times have we heard that term without really knowing what it meant?) To ride in harmony our movement must be vertical and alternate from side to side as our 4 legged horizontal horse moves us forward. It works so much easier once you release the tension and develop simple tone in your outside muscles as you put your psoas to work. At the top of the body are the hyoid (pronounced hi oid) muscles that engage up to level the chin and release the shoulders. It is the scoop at the top of the body.

Having good posture used to mean sit up straight, don't slouch and while it appears from the outside that you are using your body correctly, we now know that a good posture in riding and in life means tone, self carriage with stability that allows freedom of movement, free from pain caused by tension and locked joints. As Karen would say, "How cool is that?"

NEXT: Part II Breathing or "Did You Know Your Horse is a Martial Artist"?

4 Stages of Competence

2011-10-21T09:25:00.001-07:00

I recently read an article "Personal Best"by author Atul Gwande, a writer for the New Yorker magazine and a surgeon who specializes in procedures of the endocrine glands. He's written many books and articles and has been operating on humans for over 10 years.

It just so happens, he also loves to watch tennis in his free time, and was watching professional matches recently, when he noticed that there is a lot of attention paid to the coaches that sit in the stands-mention is made of their facial expressions and reactions, their seemingly silent "conversations" with the players. It turns out, that in addition to having incredible natural talent and the drive to succeed, followed by hours of practice, these amazing athletes attribute their championship career outcomes to the coaches-men and women whose own career may have not been stellar, but whose ability to observe and analyze an athlete's positive and negative attributes enables them to advise players on how to improve their performance. Even the best people in their field need a little input every once in a while to keep them at the top of their game. Gwande says, "...few can sustain their best performance on their own. That’s where coaching comes in. " He then wondered why a coach isn't available to ALL professionals, including himself- wouldn't it be beneficial for all concerned if he performed at his "personal best" every time he operated on a patient?

When I began as an instructor, I had to return to the role of student. I was fortunate then and now that I have met many excellent coaches and teachers. It is important when we learn something new or try to improve on our current performance, that we identify what it is that we are doing that is not working. It usually takes an outside observer, what we call in riding, "a pair of eyes on the ground" to point out specifically where improvement is needed . This first step toward advancing our goals is called "unconscious incompetence", because we are not even aware what it is that we are doing that isn't working or that needs improvement. A good coach or instructor can see it and hopefully offer constructive advice on how to change. Once we are made aware, this "conscious incompetence" becomes the beginning of changes that we will make, sometimes awkwardly as we try to use our body and our mind in a more deliberate and focused pattern of behavior. With a coach watching our "new" movements, encouraging and reinforcing the changes that feel so strange, we begin to find the repetition evolves into "conscious competence"-we now know what works and why and we will, with clear intent, repeat our success with greater ease and less effort.

With each stage we are seeing an improvement and gaining the confidence it takes to push on with the challenging work of acquiring a new skill. Eventually, with hours of practice and positive reinforcement from a talented coach or instructor, we are able to become "unconsciously competent", able to perform without even thinking about it.

The most difficult transition in the progression of learning or improving a skill is from the conscious incompetence stage to conscious competence. It takes a great deal of focus and may lead to failed attempts and frustration. This is where it helps to have a creative teacher willing to make the work interesting and keep a positive approach as you are given instuctions in simple, easy to follow steps. My students have learned the four basics of Centered Riding, have learned to find their center and stay grounded in their stirrups. In recent lessons they've had a chance to practice their "power breathing" which allows them to use their unconscious competence to maintain their balance and tone (strength with flexibility) without having to concentrate on a specific position or technique. Trying too hard to keep your body in one position or use your position in specific turns and twists can lead to tension. With a breath in and out, it can be done all at once. My students improve with the help of a good coach and instructor as they move through the four stages of competence. Wonderful!!!!!

Now That They Know You're a Good Leader

2011-08-25T08:51:00.001-07:00

Followup to Horses Were Babies Once Too

I've really been enjoying the time spent with the arab mare. I don't really connect with her name, so I just call her "Baby". When we had just one dog years ago, I called her "Puppy" instead of her given name Belle and she always answered to it. Horses are very receptive and responsive to the tone in your voice and of course, your body language and so I know the mare will be able to understand when I am talking to her. Our relationship has grown in just 3 short weeks and when I work with her loose or retrieve her from the pasture, she comes right up to me. She has allowed me to trim her front feet without being tied and she has tolerated the saddle on her with lungeing. She does have an issue with backing up and tends to freeze, but we are working on that.

Yesterday, I spent time in the arena with both Chanty and the arab mare with a new friend of mine who wants nothing more than to understand these magnificent creatures and spend time with them as equals. He is learning first hand about the unique relationship that can develop when a human becomes a good leader to a horse.

When I ride or work with Chanty on the ground now, she is quiet and calm and has responded so well to all of our interactions that I jokingly refer to her as my "new quarter horse". She has truly gone to the other side of the charts when it comes to personality traits. Less reactive, calm, confident, even dull to respond at times, I have to convince people that this really is an extroverted horse who used to fly off in all directions with the slightest movement of my hand or squeeze of my leg. But, the beauty of working with horses, is that they are very adaptable, and while they remember the good and the bad, they can learn to accept the direction of a good leader even when asked to do something that in the past caused stress and anxiety. It's all about trust and confidence in your leader.

I know that Chanty finds me trustworthy and by association allows other humans to handle her without any concern. But, when she was at liberty yesterday and my friend worked with her, she saw something different in his body language that made her "radar" go up. Horses are very perceptive to even slight changes in body language and as he walked slowly towards her with the orange stick behind his back, you could see the tension in her body as her eyes got bigger. As soon as he reached to touch her with his hand, she walked off quickly, head swinging defensively, tail waving in the air. Her personality traits have not been extinguished altogether and her reactive, safety conscious nature was on full alert in that moment when she needed it. But that's not what my friend would have predicted she'd do based on her calm demeanor just moments earlier.

It is this so called "unpredictable" nature of horses that inexperienced horse owners will point to when their so called trained horse does something "out of the blue" and they are either injured or simply frustrated and ready to lash out at their animal. The horse is simply reacting to the inconsistent treatment they are receiving from their owner. A good leader is consistent and expects the horse to behave in response to requests of the leader. The requests, though, cannot be outside the horse's emotional, mental or physical ability to respond, and as a good leader you must learn to make reasonable requests of your horse based on their personalities and this ability to respond.

Let's say you were working at a new job that started you off simply putting together 2 parts of a 300 part item. You were shown what was expected in order to complete your task and your aptitude or mental ability to accomplish the task was evaluated, as well as your ability to physically complete the job. After working your way up to 5 parts, you begin to feel confident in your ability to respond to requests from your supervisor. You are rewarded with encouraging words, a reasonable pay and breaks during the day. Then, one day, your supervisor asks you to put together 100 parts of the 300 total parts, explaining the process quickly to you. You are asked to do it in a very short time or you will be docked a half day's pay. If it is done incorrectly, you will be watched over by your supervisor until it is done right and you will still lose a half day's pay.

Your heart is racing, your palms are sweating, your mind is losing focus and you can't think of what was just asked of you moments ago. The directions were given quickly and you can't process what was said. With the pressure of having your boss watching over you and the threat of losing wages, you begin to make mistakes. You feel that the request made of you is unreasonable and you react in your own way based on your personality. The next time you interact with your boss, you are immediately leery and on the defensive, unable to trust his leadership. You may even become defiant or beligerent, disrespectful or simply dismiss his requests.

Now obviously, there is a significant difference in how humans deal with stress and how horses deal with stress, but the fact is, we assume that horses can process our requests and physically perform every exercise we throw at them without fail and their reluctance to do so is a sign of resistance based on disrespect and bad attitude. A good leader knows differently...

Instead of asking you to suddenly put together 100 parts with very little preparation or direction, your supervisor takes you through the next step in the process of say 20 or 30 pieces and allows you to give feedback as to how well you are absorbing the information and how easily you are able to physically perform the task. If you are having difficulties, the supervisor backs up a step and allows you to work on something that you are accomplished at, building your confidence. Your trust in your supervisor grows because you know he won't ask something of you that you are not able to do, but will prepare you when there is to be an advancement in the demands of your job, mental or physical.

A good leader to a horse or human makes requests, with the reasonable expectation that the request will be fullfilled and that the follower will respond without emotional distress. The follower will then respond calmly, confidently and consistently to each new step. Learning will progress quickly and new skills will be retained in the horse's mind (and human's). Trust and confidence in the leader will grow.

Horses can accept leadership from multiple sources-two and four legged creatures as long as the leader knows the language of the horse and will make requests of the horse that are understood clearly, based on that language. I really enjoy Carolyn Resnick's videos Panadero's Journey Part 1 and 2, as they explain how horses interact in the herd and how you as a human can duplicate that behavior. Also, I recommend that you watch Understanding Horses by Robert Miller, DVM.

I tell my students that all of the information they've gained has made their requests clearer to the horse and as such the horses now know you are a good leader. And now that they know you're a good leader, the possibilities for interacting with your horse are endless! And FUN!!!!

It's The Real Thing!

2011-08-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

Summer is now in full swing and the weather has stayed warm and sunny this past week. I've had a chance to trail ride now both with hubby and with friends. Chanty had quite the challenge on the last ride going through deep mud and up and down hills, but she and I did great. I tried to stay as balanced and grounded as possible so as not to interfere with her on the difficult terrain. The woods were gorgeous, conversation lively and every one went home tired but happy. This past Monday, a group of us rode out from the stables and headed across the street to the river and had a great ride. I'm heading out tomorrow with another friend for a "ladies only" ride just an hour from home. Got to get all the riding in while the weather's good.

And, when I'm not out riding, I'm working with a new horse-a 12 year old bay arab mare. Her history is a bit sketchy, but apparently she was ridden in gaming shows and has had at least 2 other owners. Her current owner is trying to find a home for her, free of charge (is anything free when it comes to horses?) to someone who has experience and patience with horses. I was told by a friend who knows the horse, as he's been at the stables for the entire 5 years that the horse has been in her stall or babysitting senior horses, that I would love this horse and we would get along famously. I resisted getting involved with this horse for a long time, knowing what a responsibility it is to own one. And, once I have a horse, I try to keep them for life.

In the year I've been at the stables, the mare has been housed mainly on the other side of the barn, out of site. Now, because an owner with four horses exited the barn, several stalls opened up on our side of the barn and she was moved to a stall right next to Chanty. She goes out with Chanty and the two of them are now sharing the honor of having grazing muzzles placed on them daily to lower their caloric intake. Chanty gains weight just looking at grass and the new mare was a mom at one point, then was totally inactive and overfed for years, so she has the big belly and very little muscle tone. The two bay mares, housed and fed together are now unavoidably a part of my daily life at the stables.

I finally caved in and agreed to work with her for a month, emphasizing to her owner that I could not commit to ANOTHER horse until I was sure she and I would get along and only when I was sure that I was ready to let Rose go to the wide open green pastures in the sky. Her arthritis has gotten worse and she has lost weight since moving to my friend's stable. But, just when I thought she was on her last days, she rallied a bit. The weather turned warmer and she and Sally are both out in the pasture. That's right, even Sal's been out, ever since she began coughing and wheezing with asthma from the dust and sand of her stall, paddock and hay. It's a regular senior citizen's home for horses at my friend's stable.

So, before I commit to another horse and the expense that goes with that (I figured I spend $3-4,000 a year on my horses), I was going to take a 1 month trial period with the arab mare. I had noticed immediately that she was high headed, reactive and full of energy. Lots of go, very little whoa. And, her feet were in terrible shape, having been trimmed many months ago. It turns out that one of her "issues" was picking up her feet. Not surprising, since she had the reactive, extroverted, nervous, worried, run to escape personality traits that Chanty exhibited when I first owned her. Chanty, too, had not had her feet picked up or trimmed for YEARS before I got her. Her owner was afraid to pick them up as Chanty would pull the feet away and she was especially protective of her right hind. Over the years I've worked very hard at gaining Chanty's trust and although she'd rather not lift her back feet for me, she accepts it as long as I'm patient and pick up softly. I then began rewarding her first with "good girl" and then a small treat which she looked forward to each time she held her foot up quietly for me. The new mare also has an issue with her right hind foot and I'm hoping to trim her soon, one foot at a time.

So far we've progressed to the point where she comes up to me in the pasture, allows me to halter her, lead her through gates without rushing (that took several trips back and forth from outside her stall and back, through pasture gates, arena gates and on and on...), pick up her feet, brush her all over, throw the rope, stick and string on her and lunge her in both directions. We're working on leading quietly without rushing forward whenever she sees something around her. In short, she is becoming more trusting and confident around me as I remain calm, confident and consistent every day. I've worked with her 8 out of the last 11 days and it is paying off. It really warms my heart to know that all of the years of reading, watching, practicing and just plain old hard work has given me the knowledge and experience to help this mare return to a life with humans. She loves the attention and the interaction as most living creatures do. I know she wants to go places and be a horse again. What's wonderful is to see how quickly she has recovered and it gives me hope that I will be able to continue to progress with my horses and other people's horses without so much of the frustration and 2 steps forward, 3 steps back course that a lot of horse owners, including myself have struggled with in the past.

I love what I do now and it feels like it's what I was meant to do all my life. That's a pretty big statement, but when you are consistently rewarded with smiles and good feelings, you know it's the real thing. More good things to come, I'm sure.....

Finally, Some Nice Weather

2011-07-02T23:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went trail riding for the FIRST time this year. It's July already and someone told me today that this weekend marked the first time in 9 months, that we here in the NW have had more than two days in a row of clear weather. I took advantage of the weather and trailered out to my favorite trails in the forests of a nearby tree farm. I've been riding Chanty regularly in the arena or at Willow Grove for the last year and she is in great shape. But, she wasn't quite prepared for the creek crossing we encountered at the beginning of the ride. My husband was riding his mountain bike and he was able to cross over a man made bridge that the bikers had built for the trail ride. Unfortunately, for Chanty and I, the step down to the creek was right into deep mud. Chanty was a bit nervous, to say the least and tried to avoid stepping forward. When she finally did, she crossed the water quickly and came to the other bank, just as I was stepping to the left to avoid feeling her body on top of me, but slipped. She stopped immediately as she saw me go down and my husband breathed a sigh of relief that we were both okay! Gotta love her. She was pretty hyped up after that and was plenty charged to go up the hill that was ahead of us.

All and all it was a GREAT ride and my husband commented on the big smile on my face and so took a shot of the two of us at the mid point of our ride.

I even got a chance to work on my centered riding. I noticed that, as usual, when I am on a trail ride, my right leg begins to grip and shorten as I brace to keep my balance. I made a concerted effort to lengthen my leg and release the tension, and as matter of fact, dropped my stirrups one notch with the help of my hubby. What a difference! I was able to stay balanced and centered and move slowly and in harmony with Chanty. Once I stopped gripping and bracing, I'm sure Chanty felt less of a pinch on her shoulders and hips and she showed her appreciation by taking slower steps. She was so comfortable and when it was time to canter, we moved off effortlessly. Again, my wonderful hubby was ready with the camera, this time to take a short video of us cantering through the forest. Ah, it doesn't get any better. We are already planning our next trip out together.

Watch the video Trail Riding at Stella

Posture, Breathing and Awareness

2011-06-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

I had an unexpected stretch of free time last week after two students couldn't make it to their lessons. Having cleaned the two stalls I was responsible for, and taking time to eat lunch, I took Chanty to the outdoor arena and decided to practice my centering and engaging while turning, by riding with no hands. Before mounting up, I set up cones in the middle to create a 4 point outer perimeter and one for a center mark. Then I set up two barrels with about 8 feet space between them. Lastly, I put a tarp down along the outer wall of the arena. At first my goal was to walk the arena with no particular path in mind and spend the time paying attention to me. The cones, barrels and tarps were to be visual markers so that when I did get Chanty moving and turning, we could head towards something.

You may have heard the expression, "your horse is your mirror" and if that's the case, then Chanty is a full length, oversized glaring reflection of every move I make. I started out with pain on my left side from having done some lifting and pulling incorrectly while gardening and doing yard work the day before. I struggle every day to maintain body awareness and remind myself to "use my psoas" and yet somehow I go back to old habits that quickly pull you off balance and strain the muscles normally used for moving and not supporting the body.

As I walked with Chanty I focused on my position and began with some simple stretching exercises to loosen the tension in my muscles. I figured that if I could allow my body to align properly in the saddle, that my lower legs would drape around the horse as my hip joints opened and moved with my horse. Once I felt my posture improve and attempted to remain vertical at the walk, trot and canter, I began to work on turns. I could feel my left side bracing as I rotated my upper body to left. I couldn't release the tension and so I continually pushed Chanty to the right, frustrating both of us as I'd pick up the reins to correct her, knowing all along it was my fault that we were "drifting" to the right. I went back to focusing on my soft solar plexus, taking full breaths that filled my entire body and allowing my psoas to engage, lengthening my spine down as well as upward or what Sallly Swift calls "center and grow". Little by little I was able to release tension in my back and left hip and as I turned my ribs to the left (always keeping my nose lined up with the buttons on my shirt down the center) I could feel Chanty relax under me. The minute my muscles tensed and braced again, she would begin to race off at a faster pace.

Finally, I gave into her need to escape me and we cantered around the arena for several minutes without stopping. Each time she made it around another lap, I would focus on my position and the brace in my body, mainly on the left, until I finally released and cantered with her with tone in my body-strength with flexibility, that allows us to effortlessly follow the movement of our horse. I got off with no pain. We were both tired and a bit sweaty, but I know that the better I was at maintaining my centered position with body awareness, the better we were able to move together as one.

It starts with posture, breathing and awareness. It must follow with the release of bracing, preparing the body with centering/breathing and finally waiting for the movement of the horse as it comes up to meet us. I spent more time than I needed to in coming to this realization that day, but as with all instances of learning, mistakes are made. How else will we know that we are making progress?

Horses Were Babies Once Too

2011-04-28T21:14:00.001-07:00

In addition to my ongoing work in Centered Riding, I've actually begun to take on more horses who need training from the ground up. Let me rephrase that. I've actually begun to take on more horse OWNERS who need training from the ground up. After years of trying to figure out a way to explain the reasoning behind all of the "Revolution in Natural Horsemanship" methods, I think I've finally begun to piece it together so that it makes sense to me and so have begun to share this with other horse lovers.

I feel strongly that teaching people about horse behavior and relationships in the herd has to be done with lots of colorful and meaningful associations to human behavior. No, horses are not human, but no one can deny, that the reason so many people love horses and want to be around them for long periods of time is that they reveal so much to us about our own struggles with confidence and trust and patience. We choose to be with a very large imposing animal, who could potentially harm us, and yet, if we tap into their world for even 20 minutes and make a connection, we feel as if we've discovered the meaning of life. I search and search for better ways to explain how, after 25 years, I've been able to tap into this world for brief moments-some of the most pleasant and rewarding times of my life.

And so, as I say, there's one thing that seems to help humans learn quickly and retain information more than anything else (Read the book "Moonwalking with Einstein" for more details): create some type of association with vivid visual images set in familiar locations , filled with colorful details and lots of humor; a story, if you will, that you will NEVER forget. In the book I mentioned above, the author gives a grocery list of 6 items to remember. In addition to the list, there is an incredibly colorful detailed image of people and situations that are simply unforgettable. Two months later I can still list them.

This story starts from the beginning: When a foal is born, she has the physical characteristics inheritied from her parents. Hair color, eye color, size and shape of her head and eyes, legs and feet-everything. Including her personality. Horses typically have either a shy, reserve, potentially more fearful personality OR they have an assertive, sometimes more pushy or dominant personality. These traits can be very obvious to an outside observer or they can be very subtle. The idea of horses having personalities is not new. The well known Parelli "Horsenalities" video and printed material has lots of details about what distinguishes one from another. But what I've discovered is that the way we approach them is easier to remember if we think of how they were treated as babies.

When a horse is still a baby, the mare allows the individual personality traits to express themselves without much restraint-not pushing the shy/fearful horse too far away or overeacting to the naturally sensitive youngster. Nor does she try to dampen the spirit of the willful and sometimes overconfident dominant horse. She creates safety and security and begins the process by which horses learn to follow a confident leader

A leader-a horse or human who does not become confrontational with the dominant horse, chasing her off or forcing her to constantly defend herself. She does not scare the shy horse by driving her away with no chance to find relief from the ensuing anxiety and/or physical exhaustion. A leader asks for something (usually movement) and gives immediate release of pressure when the horse she chooses to lead, gives the correct response. A good leader knows just how much pressure to put on a horse based on their individual personality. She watches for the reaction she gets and adapts her behavior accordingly.

Not every horse needs to be run in circles to get them to respect the leader. Shy, fearful, reactive horses actually find it incredibly stressful emotionally to be run off and may continue to run and run in a circle or confined area until they appear as if they've checked out mentally.

Ah, but the mother mare cannot continue to "look the other way" when it comes to her baby's behavior. Once the foal becomes large enough to interact safely with the herd, she begins to put limits on how much pushing and shoving and kicking, bucking, leaning her baby is allowed to do. Humans understand this and know that they cannot allow their kids to be out of control after a certain age, clinging and crying and kicking and screaming to get their way. And so, the mare uses direct or driving pressure to move her youngster away from her. For the dominant pushy youngster, this may mean a few kicks and pushes and bites from mom or even being driven forcefully out of the herd until the youngster understands that mom is in charge of her movement and is the only one who can allow her back in to the safety and comfort of the herd. The young one then learns to "ask" to return, keeping a respectful distance as well as a constant eye on the leader when she looks at her, just in case she makes another request. This develops respect and confidence in the leader. If this is not a part of the horse human relationship, the dominant horse will begin to assert itself with physical defensive moves. This can be as small as waving the head and neck to push a human away or as big as biting and kicking when the horse percieves any kind of confrontation.

For the shy, reticent, reactive youngster, mom simply walks away from the foal, creating more distance, only using very slight direct or driving pressure to increase the distance when the foal returns uninvited. The mare understands that for the foal to gain confidence, the separation cannot be done severely or rapidly, but eventually the youngster will need to be on her own, able to interact with other members of the herd as well as new sights and sounds. Like sending them to day care or kindergarten to learn to "play well with others." The shy horse who does not learn to trust humans and see them as leaders, will not adapt to new situations easily, may run in fear if overtly reactive or may freeze and explode when pushed too far. We have all met kids and adults who appear calm on the outside, but when under pressure have done things that seemed out of character-a young man who is very smart and calm, but when put behind the wheel during driver's ed cannot figure out which way to turn at a four way stoplight when in the right lane.

Now that I can explain these behaviors based on the relationship horses have with their moms, it makes sense to my students. Of course, most of them are women who have been moms or have been around kids enough. Heck, they understand because they've been kids before. And I tell them Horses were Babies Once Too.....

Part 2: Now That They Know You're a GOOD Leader!

A Serious Skin Infection

2011-02-11T20:32:00.001-08:00

I am fortunate that my "real job" in the world is working in the health care field in primary care, where I see every kind of health problem including staph infections. In recent history, there have been cases in which people have died from "flesh eating bacteria" in which the infection spread quickly through the deeper layers of tissue. This was usually a strep bacteria, but in the last few years, there have been more cases of staph infections, specifically staph infections resistant to a strong antibiotic called methicillin (the so called "MRSA" infections). Staph lives on the skin of humans as well as horses and for the most part causes no problems or possibly minor infections, including the common childhood skin disease, impetigo, in which yellow crusty lesions are found on the skin. But in horses or human with a compromised immune system, the staph infection can rage out of control quickly. Older horses typically have a harder time fighting off disease and so are especially susceptible. Almost 30 yrs old, my mare Rose falls into that category. She could have gotten it from me, as I had recently had small skin lesions that resembled staph, on my hand. They had been from scratches I'd received when trimming, and had healed up quickly with simple hand washing.

It started as a small bump on her face and neck as well as significant swelling in both front lower legs. I thought Rose had just been standing in her stall too long and had some ankle edema and fluid retention. But, when I ran my hand down her legs, I felt more bumps and when I rubbed on the hair, it fell away, revealing significant open wounds on her skin. Because they were linear I thought she had scratched herself. I washed them with warm water and didn't think much of it. By the next day both of her legs were swollen, with open red hot lesions, weaping with yellow serous drainage. The lesions on her head were larger as well. These were not scratches-this was the beginning of a serious staph infection. It may have started with a small break in the skin (humans always come to me, sure that they have a "spider bite"), but it was quickly becoming a widespread outbreak.

Fortunately, I had seen many staph infections in my professional life and knew that the treatment for it was a sulfa antibiotic. And, I just happened to have a 7 day course of the antibiotic in my posession, having kept it from the time when Rose had injured herself on a barb wire fence. Instead of using the sulfa, I sprayed the Vetricyn CF that my vet had given me, with fantastic healing results. I still had some of the spray left and after scrubbing her legs with hibiclens (an antiseptic wash) I sprayed the Vetricyn up and down her front legs. Rose had already been taking daily butte for her shoulder arthritis, so she was not acting pained at all.

Here's photos of her legs in the first days of the infection. Notice the swelling at her knees.

I was able to keep the infection under control by jumping on it quickly and Rose was more than happy to eat the applesauce laced feed that I mixed the powdered meds in. Fortunately, she was never uncomfortable and accept for not being able to go out with her buddy Chanty (staph infections are very contagious), she was perfectly happy and bright throughout the 7 day treatment. I was careful to wear disposable latex gloves to handle her legs and when I scrubbed her. I used a hand sanitizer after working with her and before going in to take care of my other horses.

It's now been about 10 days since I began treating Rose and I continue to spray the Vetricyn on her legs every day. This is the concentrated formula, which can be purchased only from a vet, stronger than the spray you can buy at a pet store. It is specifically for wound healing and on the bottle indicates it is effective against MRSA. The skin is drying up and now looks like this:

What could have potentially been a deadly infection has turned out to be a controlled skin condition that I'm hoping will heal up as fast as it broke out. Rose is going to be moving to my best friend's place nearby for her 2nd and final retirement. All attempts to ride her have been futile, as her shoulder arthritis is very debilitating for her if she tries to do more than a trot and especially with a rider on her back. Ironically, her feet have done wonderfully with the trim and she no longer stands with her weight forward due to painful heels. Her toe walking now is from the stiffness in her shoulders from years of walking incorrectly.

Rose continues to teach me about the horse and especially the senior horse. They are very sensitive to illness and injury and we must always be on the alert for any changes in their health. I think she'll enjoy her new home and will hopefully get to spend time again with Sally, my other aging girl. My dermatologic (skin) challenge with her has been seborrhea dandruff but I'll leave that story and photos for my next blog.

Rosie's New Pasture Mate

2010-11-11T21:08:00.000-08:00

When Rose first moved to her new home at the stables near the Columbia River, she was given a pasture mate who unlike her previous stablemate was much younger-almost 20 yrs younger. Chester, a 12 year old palomino quarter horse was lame when I met him. The diagnosis-navicular disease. His owner had spent the previous six years trying everything to improve his gait and relieve the pain in his left foot. It had been agonizing for both horse and owner and had finally led to a surgical procedure to remove a piece of calcified bone that had grown off of the navicular bone. After complete stall rest for months and shoes to protect his heels, Chester was no better and his owner had resolved herself to keeping Chester as a "pasture pet", perfect to keep 'ol Rose company.

I had begun revising my trimming technique with Rose and putting her boots on more regularly, when I began talking with Chester's owner. I explained that I had begun trimming my own horses after I became disillusioned with traditional veterinary and farrier management of founder and navicular. I had learned that Rose's navicular condition had begun when she was put into shoes at an early age, before her heels had a chance to grow into tough, well developed cartilage deep inside, covered by a wide, healthy frog, necessary in every horse in order to tolerate the physical demands of an active 1000 lb animal. Each year as Rose ran around in shoes, her heels took the full impact of her weight, without really being able to absorb that impact. She then began walking on her toes to avoid the pain. Soon after, pads were put between her foot and shoes. That worked for a short time, but eventually Rose would begin walking up on her toes, and finally would shift her entire body forward to avoid a heel first landing.

In addition to putting shoes on horses at a early age and inhibiting the normal development of the thickened tough cartilage called the digital cushion, horse's can become lame and avoid contact with their heels if the frog is constantly being shaved off with trimming, or if the sole is thinned to put a shoe on, bringing the coffin bone closer to the ground and the angle of the heel going the opposite direction. This can lead to contraction of the heel and lack of stimulation to the internal structures, mainly the digital cushion. With the steep angle of the foot, the natural deep flexion of the tendon at the back of the foot becomes shortened and the joint space narrows as the navicular bone rubs against the adjacent bone and nerve. Pain becomes inevitable and the horse avoids walking on the heel more and more. Shoulder pain follows as the horse's gait shortens and becomes tense and stiff. As the bones rub against each other, a "spur" develops that is simply calcified bone created from chronic inflammatory damage, followed by attempts by the body to repair the bone.

When Chester finally went in for surgery, a piece of bone was removed that was 1/2 to 3/4 inches in length. Now almost 18mos after surgery when we met and still in shoes, he was in pain and being given daily bute or some subsitute for it. I explained the process by which navicular syndrome occurs and offered to trim Chester in what became "the last resort" for his owner. I told her that his shoes would have to come off and we would be using boots with pads on him to help with the transition-this would be a must! She agreed and a week later I began trimming Chester. This was July, just 3 mos ago. His left foot looked like this when I began:

The tip of the coffin bone was pointing down with the bulge of the hoof wall at the toe, a sure sign that the bone had moved forward in the capsule. In addition, evidenced by the shallowness of the collateral grooves at the apex of the frog, his sole was less than an 1/8th of an inch thick

and the coffin bone was JUST UNDERNEATH IT. His heels were contracted, very common in horse's with long standing pain in their heels or shoes that create a narrow width to the foot, depending on which comes first. The most important part of rehabilitating navicular syndrome is to encourge heel first landings-lots of them. Chester was put out with Rose and allow to move around on soft ground for hours, grazing. When brought in to exercise, he wore hoof boots with pads for his heels. In this way he can put the full weight of his body into a heel first landing, encourage stimulation of his inner structures, digital cushion as well as lateral cartilages, so important in side to side movements. Chester was really hard on boots, having ripped offf the gaiters on two different boots, so it was a good thing that his barefoot walking in the pasture was working to stimulate his foot. By September, there was a definite improvement in his ability to take heel first landings without pain. The structure of his foot was changing and his coffin bone while still close to the ground (no concavity of the foot yet) was beginning to level out to a ground parallel (or close to it) angle.

It's now November and Chester has begun going out with younger geldings like himself. He has been running around the arena with his owner at full speed, changing direction, trotting with his head held high and no signs of pain. He is no longer on any med for pain or inflammation and his owner plans to saddle him up for the first time in years. He is a fit 12 yr old whose life could have been cut short by a completely preventable condition. I hope his days of running and playing are all in front of him and that more horses get a second chance, thanks to the wonderful teachings of Pete Ramey and persistent owners like myself who want to help the horse who depends on us entirely for his care. Chester's owner told me that she would share her experience with barefoot trimming with his previous caregivers so that they may learn another method of caring for horses who in the past were considered lame and hopeless.

More good things to come I'm sure!!!!!!

I've Discovered "Feel"-Riding Gets Better and Better

2010-10-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

An amazing breakthrough in my riding has occured. I think I've finally discovered "feel". It is something that I recognize in other activities but in my day to day riding, it has escaped me. I actually began practicing it while driving in my truck recently, hauling Chanty to a clinic four hours from home.

I was apprehensive about travelling so far with her in the trailer, especially through the very congested highways around Seattle. I knew I would have to leave at an early hour to miss rush hour in the big city. I prepared for the trip by making sure my truck and trailer had recently been maintained and that I had a spare tire for the trailer, as well as a way to change it, if necessary. The only issue that remained was how to keep myself from focusing so intently on the drive, the traffic, the other cars,as well as worry about how Chanty was doing in the back of the trailer. The weather cooperated nicely and for the most part, it is a straight shot down the highway. In order to quiet some of my fears, I listened to an audio CD that I keep in my truck. It is Jane Savoie's series on "The Rider's Edge" about techniques each of us can use to overcome fear and negative thinking. It can be applied to any aspect of our lives and can best be summed up as "what your brain thinks, your body feels."

So when I drove down the highway and began thinking, "is Chanty okay back there, is she hurting or nervous from the noise or the bouncing? Am I going to hit heavy traffic and have to change lanes quickly and what if I don't stop in time? what if someone cuts in front of me and I have to slam on the brakes? am I driving slow enough? what's that in the road? how fast am I going?" And on and on and on....
With all that overanalyzing going on, it is no wonder my palms were sweating and my heart was racing and my stomach was in knots. Too much information! I've been driving for 37 years and I've hauled my horse in a trailer for over 5 yrs. Sure this was the longest we've gone and sure there was going to be traffic, but as long as I allowed my abilities as a driver to take over and just feel for changes in the traffic, or the speed of the cars in front of me, I would just naturally adjust to those changes. Stop overloading the system. When you let your instincts take over, it's a sure sign othat you've gained experience from years of practice. It's like putting the car on cruise control or auto pilot. I wasn't asleep at the wheel. I was still very aware of what I needed to do at a moment's notice. But, now I could take it all in as a blending of sights and sounds, all creating one experience.

And that is exactly what I did today when I rode. I was circling Chanty at the canter to the right through cones. When I wanted to make the circle large, I would pass the cone at about 20 feet to the left of it. Then I would spiral down closer to the cone in the center and back out, all the while keeping the circle round and a consistent rhythm and speed to her canter. Instead of analyzing my position, my hands, my weight in the stirrups and every other detail of the movement, I just let my experience take charge. I'd practiced this so many times before and now my body was free of tension. It made it so much easier to just think about what I wanted and let it happen. I could make small adjustments if I needed to, but if I found myself trying to analyze and fix too much, the beautiful feeling would go away. And with it, our harmonious movement. I rode pain free and found I was able to remember how it felt so that I can practice another technique that many successful people use-visualization. I can recreate my rides and "feel" the entire experience, in the comfort of my recliner at home. Then when I take that with me in the saddle, I can have my brain think it and my body will feel it. WOW this just gets better and better.

Teacher as Student

2010-10-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

I'm back from another Centered Riding Clinic. This time it was for instructors who wished to update their CR certification. It's now been more than a year since I met the first of many enthusiastic and energetic people who embrace the teachings of the now legendary Sally Swift. Since last September, I've been able to use my new found skills to enhance my own riding and horsemanship as well as share the information with my students. At this clinic, I was reminded that the foundation of Centered Riding are the four basics, Soft Eyes, Breathing, Building Blocks (Balance) and Centering that works best when we are Grounded. I know I've been using those basics with my teaching but, now I understand them even more and will incorporate them in my daily activities, not just my equine experiences. The clinic, held at the amazing Rhodes River Ranch, was a chance to meet even more people, like myself, who believe in the power of education and the transforming properties of the Centered Riding philosophy when using it in their riding and instruction.

Every time I attend a CR Clinic, I become a student again. I find that it is eye opening in so many ways. As a health professional, I have had a chance on a few occcasions to experience what it feels like to be a patient. The vulnerability, the insecurity, the fear and the uncertainty can be overwhelming. Allowing someone else to dictate the direction of my life for even a short time is not a comfortable feeling for me. When you are the patient, you must let someone else tell you what needs to be done. There is tension and apprehension-our personality dictates how much we "allow" without question. I am usually an active participant in my care because I understand what is going on and the information is not as foreign to me, as it would be to a lay person. What always stays with me after my experience as a patient, though, is the feelings I had for the providers who cared for me. It starts from the moment I meet him or her.

Did the provider engage in conversation with me from the beginning and make me feel as if they were listening or did they immediately dive into what's wrong and what needs to be done? Were they empathetic? Did they answer my questions? Did they try to allay my fears, make me feel more confident in them and in my ability to actively participate in my health care problems, as well as recovery? Did they communicate in a way that made sense to me? Was it an overall positive experience, even if the process involved emotional and or physical stress (sometimes pain is part of the experience)? If the answer is yes to all of these questions, chances are, I will not hesitate to return to that provider when I need care in the future.

The same is true, when I become a student rider of a CR instructor or clinician. It begins with a sense of vulnerability and uncertainty and if a positive connection is not made from the beginning, it can quickly dissolve into a tense experience, physically and emotionally, and an uncomfortable feeling for both horse and rider. This leads to lack of confidence, which creates further tension, until the rider is no longer able to concentrate on their own abilities.

I had just such an experience years ago with an instructor. We had never met and she introduced herself to me. She asked my horse's name only after she expressed several opinions: 1) my horse was too small for me 2) My saddle did not fit me or my horse 3) she did not like the word I used to express my new found experience of balancing myself with seat bones contacting the saddle correctly. 4) She disagreed with a particular method of visualizing a certain muscle in the body to center ourselves, stating that there were more than JUST one and it was incorrect to give credit to that particular muscle. 5) Contradicted me immediately when I explained that the word "allow" when used in riding, to me was not a direction that translated to an active motion in the body.

As you can imagine, I felt immediately deflated emotionally. I loved my horse and had been riding for years. Our relationship had grown and flourished and she had taught me as much, if not more than any instructor I've had in my life. My saddle issues had been ongoing, but I felt I was working with what I had in the best way possible. While I am a long tall person, my horse was certainly not a pony and had the stout, muscular features capable of carrying me without stress or strain. I had been excited and encouraged by the progress I had made with my seat and my balance through a method of releasing tension in one group of muscles of my body, while allowing others to activate. It had improved my balance and centering, further advancing my riding abilities. Being a very procedural person, I liked direction that gave me something I could "do", even if in the process, something passive was happening that made the whole thing work well together. I did understand the process of "allowing" things to happen and go with the feel.

I heard what the instructor said and I knew what she meant, but somehow, the delivery of her words, created emotions in me that translated into uncertainty. With each movement, I questioned my ability, over analyzing my technique and eventually regressed to the beginning rider of my early years. My shoulders dropped, my head rotated when I turned, my weight tipped forward, my feet were no longer evenly weighted in the saddle and my breathing was non existent. I was a mess! How did this happen so quickly?

The first moments of our experience with a new teacher, instructor, doctor, boss, customer service representative, or ANYONE that we look to for help or information, are critical. It's not about them, it's about US. We need to feel confident in their abilities, knowing that they are there for us, listening to our words, understanding our needs, able to communicate with us in a way that makes sense.

As an instructor I am now learning what it means to be grounded emotionally, before I begin a lesson. I will take a deep breath, clear my mind, check in with my own body and release any tension, aware of my surroundings prior to involving my student or her horse. I try to remember to stay balanced when I stand, to use my body correctly and avoid stress on my joints, that creates tension throughout my body, making it more difficult to focus on my student. I give my student a chance to do the same and avoid putting pressure on them to do something in the first 10-15 minutes. Watching them interact with their horse tells me a lot about how their feeling and what the relationship is like at that moment.

It is a wonderful experience to be a teacher. Being able to incorporate my love of horses with my passion for teaching means that I will continue to grow as a person and an equestrian from this moment on. But, I must always remember what it means to be a student. If I have that thought in mind, every time I begin a lesson, I will never fail to create an environment that will promote learning as well as fun for every student. ENJOY THE RIDE!

Out of Retirement

2010-08-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a very busy summer. Since returning from the clinic in Yelm in June, a lot of changes have occured. The first one has been a monumental one for my first horse, 29 year old Rose, who for the last seven years has been retired out to pasture, spending most of her time with Tetley, who is more than 30 yrs old. While I was out of town Rose was given two new pasture mates, one of whom was given to the owner to ride, the other, just visiting while his pasture was being sprayed for weeds. Initially, the young geldings were separated from the old folks by a temporary fence, made partially from old barb wire. Rose, being the beauty that she is, immediately attracted the two young geldings' attention. Unfortunately, Rose was more than willing to back herself up to the fence, raise her tail and "show off" her stuff. When the geldings tried to reach across the fence to connect with Rose, she kicked and caught her hind leg just inside the hock on the wire, tearing the flesh and creating a nasty open wound.

Initially, I was called to attend to Rose and to make daily visits to clean and dress the wound. But, after the visiting gelding left and the new resident gelding was allowed to mingle with Rose and Tetley, it was evident that the threesome was not going to work. The young guy constantly ran Tetley off and made Rose his own. Soon, she was calling me to take Rose out of the pasture and if possible find her a new home. After seven years, I wasn't sure where she could go and have the same freedom and daily movement she needed with the safety of a calm, experienced, docile pasture mate.

As fate would have it, I'd recently met a woman through my job whose mother owned the stables around the corner from my friend's barn. We'd talked and I immediately found her to be friendly and upbeat. When I tried to think of a place to bring Rose, it occured to me that the closest place, most convenient, would be at her stables. Luckily, when I called, she had not one but 3 stalls available! I moved Rose two days later after having the vet give her a "cocktail" of sedatives to make her ride in the trailer less traumatic. Rose has never liked riding in the trailer and with her injury, plus the stress of leaving her home and good buddy of 7 years,I thought it best to make her travel to her new home as comfortable as possible.

Just before we left, the vet took a look at her injury, now 4 weeks old and recommended a spray called Vetericyn VF (twice as potent as the over the counter version), used to help heal wounds. He had not heard of it before and said he was not sure if it would work, as the ingredients were simple saline and sodium phosphate and hypochlorous acid. It claims that it has an "oxychlorine compound" similar to what the animal's immune system produced. I was the first client to whom he was selling a bottle and he asked me to report on her progress. Well, within 1 week, the wound had reduced in size by one third and I didn't even cover it or bother to give her the sulfa oral powdered antibiotics he gave me. (I'm skeptical when the same antibiotic is given to horses for everything and would rather not expose them to it unless absolutely necessary). It's now been 2 mos and the wound is down to a dime size pink scrape, and like other horse wounds I've seen, seems to have created it's own structure with lines of demarcation filled in with new colored skin and hair. Nature is amazing.

Now that Rose is in a stall at a stable, she is on a daily schedule very similar to her retirement: out at 8 am with a pasture buddy (a young horse suffering from navicular syndrome, who after 6 yrs of failed treatment, including surgery and corrective shoeing, has become one of my trimming clients-more on that in another blog....). She comes in at 8 pm and in between has been enjoying the sunshine and the freedom of a two acre turnout.

The big change has been that,now that she is in my care, I have begun to exercise her on the ground and I noticed something interesting. While comfortable out in pasture on her bare feet, she cannot handle the pounding of heel first landings at trot and canter in the arena. It turns out, I had been trimming her feet to fit a horse standing still or standing on soft pasture. She really has not completely developed her heels and the inner structures sufficiently to be worked at more demanding gait or unforgiving surface. So....I am reworking my trim with her and re-evaluating my techniques. I've gone back and read over and over the article from Pete Ramey, "Heel Height, the Deciding Factor." and now it makes sense. Just because it says to keep the heel approximately 1/4 inch off the sole and give the coffin bone a ground parallel angle while standing still (or close to it), this does not work when we have a horse who's heels are mushy and underdeveloped. It just sends them up on their toes, wearing down the wall unevenly and slowing the whole process to a stop.

I'm now putting boots on Rose as much as possible and will be leaving her heels a little higher (maybe up to 1/2 inch) until she shows that she can walk, trot and canter on the ground she lives and works on (mainly arena or grass for now). It's exciting to see her move out more and I've actually saddled her up and walked her around. She is so smooth and so comfortable to ride on. I'm so thrilled and I hope she will enjoy the new activity as well. Maybe she hadn't planned to come out of retirement, but I know she has a lot of good years ahead of her. Maybe by helping young and old riders gain their confidence and find that balanced seat, as a lesson horse. You're never too old to get a new job. WELCOME BACK ROSIE!!!!

Here's a video of my daughter Laura riding Rose for the first time in seven years:

The Power Seat- "One Stop Shopping"

2010-06-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you're old enough to remember the days when in order to get all of the items on your grocery list, you had to go to at least 3, if not 4 different stores. There was the butcher shop, where you bought your meat, a bakery for your bread and donuts, a produce stand where you would buy your fruits and vegetables and if you needed anything for your medicine cabinet, you had to go to the "drugstore". It was time consuming, inconvenient and frustrating if you'd forget something and have to make another trip across town.

Well, now there's a simple solution for shopping-the superstore or supermarket! And just as remarkable, is a simple straightforward way to find your POWER SEAT when you ride. By engaging the supportive, powerful CORE muscles (no, I mean the REAL core muscles) of the psoas, located deep inside the body, you'll be able to sit deep in the saddle, wrap your legs snugly around your horse's barrel and keep your feet exactly where they need to be: grounded with equal weight in the stirrups. You will breathe softly and maintain your balance, and your joints will flex and absorb the motion of your horse.

Thanks to the brilliant, yet simple explanation by Karen Irland, Level 4 Centered Riding Instructor and the genius of Tom Nagel's simple book, "Zen and Horseback Riding", (see previous blog entry, "It's Like Breathing Out and Breathing In") riding is even more fun than I imagined. Although, I had read the book prior to attending a recent CR clinic with Karen, her explanation of how to put it into action made it come to life. Now I can't believe how easy it is, not only to use it in my own riding, but to teach it to others, in MINUTES! You don't have to constantly adjust your body as individual parts. You know, just as you fix one, you have to think through another method for adjusting the others. Not anymore....

The most dramatic thing for me was realizing just how much I tighten my abdominal muscles when I ride which immediately pulls you on to the front of your pelvis or pubic bone, instead of on your seat bones . This in turn, limits the movement of your hips, inhibits breathing, creates brace in your lower leg and removes your inner thigh contact. You must soften the abdominals, even if you have to poke yourself with your fingers and breathe through your mouth to encourage the relaxation. It took several attempts to really feel it and keep the softness. Once the abdominals are soft you'll begin to feel yourself sitting in the saddle with knees flexed and lower legs wrapped around your horse's barrel.

Now comes the real key to it all: engaging your psoas. This big muscle on both sides of your spine connects just below the last rib at your back and stretches deep in the pelvis or bowl in your lower body (your bladder is at the bottom of the bowl) and then connects at the top of the big leg bone, called the femur just where we feel our thighs . With your abdominal muscles "mushy" you can lengthen your spine and the stretch the psoas down easily (think of bringing your belly button back towards your spine-you'll initially feel like your slumping-this is your pelvis rocking as you put more contact on the mid portion or seat bones). This immediately tones the inner thigh muscles which creates improved contact with the horse. With the psoas engaged, you are now sitting on your seat bones, instead of pubic. And with your abdominal muscles relaxed, you are able to breathe better and move your hips easily.

Karen was kind enough to remind me over and over, to soften my abdomen and engage my psoas. An additional benefit to allowing this to happen is that when the hips move easily, so do the feet. When you tighten and tip forward on your "pube" as she called it, you brace in the stirrups and bring your heels too far up or too far down, depending on which direction you tend to brace and with it, you lock your hips and knees. But, with the psoas engaged and joints all moving (hips, knees and ankles) it becomes very clear that these natural shock aborbers are more efficient.

The comfort we feel is reflected in our horses movement as well. Now you can feel the left and right, up and down movement of your horse's hips. Your lower legs, thighs toned and secure around your horse can make imperceptable movements to cue your horse and as you remain grounded in your stirrups, you can rise at the trot, allowing your knees, hips and ankles to absorb the motion. Transitions become a simple act of inhaling to warn your horse that something is about to happen and exhaling as you engage your psoas and complete the transition.

Soften abs, lengthen the spine, feel better contact with seat bones, tone the inner thighs for better contact, feel the freedom of movement of all the joints with feet grounded. You've achieved the POWER SEAT with just one simple act: engaging your psoas. It really is one stop shopping! Best of all, it's easy to share with my students and they can tell the difference immediately. Try it and ENJOY!

Singing on Horseback

2010-04-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

I was riding home from teaching a riding lesson yesterday and heard a talk show on the radio that was discussing how to make the most of your voice when you sing. The guest on the show was a jazz singer who teaches voice lessons in Virginia. When asked what advice she gives her students for creating the best sound from their vocal cords, she mentioned an exercise that releases tension in the jaw and drops the tongue, so that it lies flat on the lower teeth. Once you open your mouth, as if to yawn, you will find it easier to produce the sounds, starting with a vowel, for instance, with minimal effort, but maximum results. She teaches that tension is the enemy of the singer. Muscles that are tight cannot efficiently create the energy necessary to perform.

In addition to my passion for horses, I have a great love of music and singing and at one time dreamed of performing professionally. I was very shy when I was young and had to back out of a 5th grade performance of the Beatles classic, "Yesterday", after becoming sick to my stomach with stage fright. I tried again in college, singing with my boyfriend's band at a dance and somehow made it through without fainting. I even took a few voice lessons from a woman in New York city in my early 20s but other than singing at a friend's wedding, have kept my voice a well kept secret. Now, when I find a rare moment of quiet at home, alone, I turn on the ipod stereo and with my own personal microphone and small amplifier, I "practice" my singing. I'm not sure who or what I'm practicing for, but you never know when someone else close to me is going to get married.

As I listened to the radio and the voice instructor's explanations, I realized that recently, I've been using more body awareness and release of tension in my singing to create a much stronger, much more "elastic" quality to my voice, able to move up and down the scales with less effort. It seems that since I've begun my life in centered riding, I've noticed how the release of tension, increase in body awareness and centering , with breathing and soft eyes can improve my singing and for that matter, can be applied to ANY physical activity that you wish to accomplish proficiently and with minimal effort.

As an instructor, it is necessary to keep a large arsenal of tools at your disposal to assist in explaining particular concepts to students. I don't currently have any singers as riding students but I do have students who have engaged in other athletic activities. Knowing how to explain the correct use of the body and releasing tension while participating in a particular activity like riding or singing, is the most challenging part of my job. Probably, because it is the most challenging part of riding for me.

Recently, when I was riding, it occured to me that as a health professional I deal with patients who are nervous, scared and in pain at times and my experience allows me to remain calm, confident and reassuring in order to be a part of their care. But, I had to have training and instruction before I could become an experienced professional. They don't call it "practicing medicine" for nothing.

For example, in order to qualify to perform a procedure in which I examine the colon using a flexible scope, I had to have specialized instruction and training. In the beginning, I was moving my hands and going through the steps as they had been explained to me, but I was not really understanding the big picture. My body would tense as I struggled to find the correct position, inadvertently forcing the scope to move against resistance. Of course, the feedback I received from my patients when they felt discomfort, was immediate. Because I am outside of the body, able to look inside only with a 2 dimensional screen, I needed to have a sense of what was happening as I moved the instrument in one direction or the other, almost through "feel". As I became more adept at the physical skills I needed to complete the exam, I found I did not have to think so hard about what my hands and my body were doing-it became automatic. The tension was gone.

And so, in every aspect of my life and now with riding, I must learn to find the focus and the emotional center that creates the calm and the relaxation, once I have the coordination and physical skills to ride . Then I can allow the automatic part of my brain, the muscle memory as it were, to take over. Whether I'm singing, scoping or riding, it will make for a much more balanced, harmonious experience for all concerned. And if I turn up the tunes while I ride I can SING AND RIDE! Wouldn't that be a joy!

Natural Hoof Care-One Woman's Story

2010-04-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

This article was published on the website of Dr Suzan Seelye at www.quantumvet.com . Suzan is devoted to the healing of horses through holistic methods, as well as educating horse owners regarding their horses health. It tells the story of my experience with natural/barefoot hoof care-C.M.

The first time I heard about Pete Ramey and Natural Hoof Care was when I saw his name listed as a guest on Clinton Anderson’s TV show. It said he would cover two topics, laminitis and navicular syndrome and that he would show how, with the barefoot trim, he could resolve both problems. I couldn’t believe it. If this was true, then it was only a matter of finding someone who knew his techniques and who would “cure” the horses affected by these crippling conditions. Little did I realize, in just one year after seeing Pete on TV, that someone would be ME and that I would be trimming, not only my own horses, but also those of several of my friends.

It just so happened that at the time I first saw Pete on TV, I owned two horses, one with laminitis that had gone to founder (rotation of the coffin bone or distal pedal bone), another with navicular syndrome. I had never been satisfied with the shoeing or veterinary care I’d received over the years and was all ears when Pete said “I’ve never seen a case of navicular that wasn’t resolved with this trimming.”
Over the years, my first horse, Rose had developed worsening lameness and had been wearing shoes with pads, due to a condition I did not quite understand. My “real job” as a medical professional gives me a distinct advantage over a lay person when it comes to recognizing anatomical terms and understanding disease processes. But, the explanation as to why Rose was lame, never made sense. The farrier said she had a condition that weakened the tendons in her front feet at the heels, that then damaged the nerve that ran along the tendon and that eventually it would break down the navicular bone.

Articles and books from vets and farriers had a similar description of the process but would sometimes reverse the order in which it occurred. Was it the damage to the bone that caused the tendon to be stressed causing pain or was it the damage to the tendon that caused pain and damage to the bone. The proof was in the xray, they would say or in the test that was commonly done in which the heel was pinched with metal grabbers. If the horse pulled away, then there was damage at the heel. Or, you could prove that the pain was at the heel and the navicular by “nerving” the horse, in other words, severing the nerve to stop the pain. Unfortunately, you might also eliminate the horse’s ability to feel the ground at his heels. And this was no guarantee that the whole process would not continue-it would just stop the pain. Rose was subjected to a special shoe with padding, but the process continued. I was told that she was born with bad feet and that she was “wolf bait”. Her hoof walls would crack and chip and I was told that it was because they were white hooves and everyone knows they crack easily. Rose began walking on her toes more and more, heels just too painful for contact with the ground, pads or no pads. The farrier said she would only worsen with time.
Rose was mine for 10 years from 1988 to 1998, until I finally sold her to a breeder, convinced she’d never be sound enough to be ridden again.
After selling Rose, I went about looking for another horse that I could turn into my trail riding buddy. I was still learning about horses and horse behavior, still learning how to ride and didn’t have a lot of money to spend on a new horse. I had just been exposed to a few videos from some guy named John Lyons and my friend had taken me to my first horse expo where I began hearing the term “natural horsemanship.” I was at the beginning of a journey that continues to this very day, when I saw an ad for an 8 yr old Morgan Arab mare, written by the young girl who had rescued her from a neighbor. Her description of Sally was so sweet and so full of wonderful details of her personality, that I had to go check her out. She was tall and thin with big brown eyes that were soft and gentle. The young girl’s mother said she would whinny when they came to feed her and that she got along with every animal at the place. But, she said, she had developed “founder” from eating fresh grass in the spring after a winter of very little to eat. She was obviously malnourished and her coat was dull. When I brought her to my stables for a week to “try her out”, I had the farrier check her feet-the same one who had put shoes on Rose. He said and I quote “I wouldn’t pay $50 for this horse.” Let’s just say, I paid a little more than that.
In the beginning, I left Sal barefoot and had a friend’s trimmer do her feet. Then I switched to a different one because someone else told me he was good. What did I know? I wasn’t even sure I understood what founder was, because it seemed that if Sal’s bone was rotated in her front foot that it would be permanent. But she seemed to do well. I began working with her using the techniques my friend had showed me and she lent me more videos, including one from a guy named Pat Parelli. When I finally got up the courage to take her on trails, I was told she would need shoes. The same people who advised shoes, also advised me on feeding Sal, including grain and alfalfa. Sure, sounds good to me. Only, it wasn’t good for Sal. She developed lameness in the spring and after being told that she’d strained a tendon or that she had a bruise on the sole of her foot, I kept her at rest for a while. She grazed on pasture and continued to eat the rich diet that everyone else in the barn fed their horses.

I will never forget the first time I saw Sal laying down in her paddock, unable to get up, her feet swollen with laminitis. Those who’ve studied the horse in its natural environment, say that a horse will never lie down unless they are in severe pain. Their only real escape from predators is to run and to lie down is to relinquish this means of escape. Sal would not get up. A vet diagnosed laminitis and suggested I use butte for pain and have my farrier look at her to adjust her shoes and/or trim. I called the farrier who had taken care of Rose, as he was considered a corrective farrier and seemed to understand what I was talking about. When he first trimmed and re-shod Sal, he began explaining the process of founder. He said that it could be from the spring grass or it could come from vaccines that we give our horses but that he could correct the angle of the pastern bone so that she would not stand on her toe, as that was now rotated down when the most distal bone in her foot, the coffin bone, moved downward. I wasn’t clear on how that had happened again and I was not sure if this was a recurrence of the same condition that she’d had when I bought her or a worsening of it. Was he going to MOVE the bone by putting these “heart bar” shoes on her. And why did he have to chop so much of her hoof wall off at the toe? All I knew was that it got Sal up and going again and as long as she was moving, I was happy. It didn’t even matter that he charged twice as much for the shoes on Sal as he did for “normal” shoes.
I moved to another stables and continued to ride Sal regularly . Our trail rides, while full of stress and struggle in the beginning, had become pure joy for both of us. I could tell Sal loved to run and I would let her move out on the straightaways, through the woods and up the hills. I fed her more grain and alfalfa, thinking she needed the calories to compensate for what she burned up on the trails. She was given carrots when she was a good girl. In addition, I found out about “horse cookies” that everyone raved about, full of molasses, used to treat their horses. Slowly, without knowing it, I was sending Sal into a downward spiral-killing her with kindness. When she first lay down in pain, the vet said she was suffering from colic. But, this was no colic and when the second vet came out, he confirmed that she had laminitis-again. He suggested that her diet may be the problem, but did not think she needed to be totally off grain. Maybe I could soak the hay. And he would do blood tests to check for Cushing’s (a pituitary disorder) and thyroid disease. In the meantime, I should place Styrofoam inside her shoes so she had more cushion on her toes where founder caused the most pain. I could give her butte.
I called out the farrier. He left the shoes on and said he’d be back when her pain subsided. When the vet said he thought it was Cushing’s based on Sal’s test results, I asked about treatment. Pills, he said, for the rest of her life. She was only 14 yrs old. Before I agreed to give her the pills, though, I began researching laminitis and Cushing’s on the internet. I had found an article months earlier in a horse magazine, written by a vet, about a condition called Metabolic Syndrome, similar to human diabetes, in which horses become resistant to the insulin in their body as their sugars increase, with a diet high in carbohydrates found in grain, molasses, alfalfa, orchard and timothy grass and treats like apples and carrots. I read everything I could find on metabolic syndrome and what I discovered was that many vets believed there was a connection between a high sugar diet and recurrent laminitis. And it seemed to occur in particular breeds that genetically were designed to eat very sparse diets-breeds like Morgans . Sal’s foot problems weren’t from some glandular disease, but instead, from feeding her too much SUGAR! I contacted the vet, who seemed to know nothing about metabolic syndrome and told him I would not need his pills. I would not be calling him again. I found a low carb diet for Sal with beet pulp and rice bran and put her on the driest hay I could find. And no more carrots and molasses cookies.
Weeks turned into months and with every shoeing, I could tell that Sal was not improving. She had now been wearing heart bars for almost 5 yrs. I asked my farrier why her “lamellar wedge” would never grow out and he had no explanation. He began asking me about the strange gray mush I was feeding Sally and what it had to do with her feet. I began noticing Sal’s limp in her hindquarters and did not know what to make of it. My beautiful horse, my wonderful trail buddy, my four legged friend was now unable to run with me and I would have to retire her to a life in a dry paddock. I began looking for another horse.

Sally's Feet in Heart Bars (This is after FIVE YEARS of "corrective shoeing")

Ironically, I found a horse in the same stables where I boarded Sal. She belonged to a young girl who had left her on pasture all year round. The mare arrived, obese, thick crested and unshod, and the girl told everyone she was trying to sell her. She had been unable to pick up her feet as the horse would become fearful and kick out, so she had not trimmed her in over a year. A few days before the young girl was about to advertise the horse, the mare lay down in her paddock. The beautiful Morgan was suffering from laminitis. I offered to buy her immediately, knowing I would be able to care for her and feed her the diet she required. Desperate to find a home for a horse she knew no one would buy, she gave me Chanty for practically nothing.
It was about this time that I watched Pete Ramey and soon after contacted a hoof care specialist and begged her to come and look at Sally. And, if she had time, to check out Rose, who I had bought back 4 yrs earlier when a woman called me and asked if I knew what to do with this horse , starved and lame, purchased from an unscrupulous woman breeder, as a Christmas present for her young daughter. I said I’d buy her back from her, and brought her home with me. She began a life of retirement on 8 acres, which she shares to this day with her buddy Tetley.
The day Sal’s shoes came off, I cried tears of joy. Although it would take another 2-3 years of learning to trim through clinics, home study and trial and error, I would eventually learn several things about Sal and Rose’s feet that would relieve them of their constant suffering and allow the hooves to revert back to their natural form and function.
First of all, for several breeds, diet is very important. There are “easy keepers” who require very little to sustain them and who will develop significant health problems on high carb diets, one of which is laminitis. The sugars create toxins which break bonds in the live tissue of the lamina which connects to the hard coating known as hoof wall. With damage comes inflammation, with inflammation comes distortion of the wall, pushing it out and away from the bone deep inside. Once this swelling is under control and the separated hoof wall is trimmed away and new connected hoof wall is allowed to grow down from the hair line, the foot will recover. Founder is not forever! A hoof must be trimmed from the bottom, balancing the heels and toes, allowing the natural concavity of the hoof to form from a thickened callus sole, not carved by a farrier’s knife. Shoes that artificially realign the bone in the foot with the pastern bone are just that-ARTIFICIAL. But laminitis and separation occurs more often than we think and is the result of unnatural forces pulling the hoof wall away from its attachment. It is the most common condition seen in horse’s feet. Cracking and splitting similar to what Rose would have, was not caused by white feet. It was because her hoof walls were left too long, in order to accommodate a shoe. Every time she stepped on a hoof wall that was abnormally long, the forces against her hoof pulled the hard covering away from the lamina. Try standing on long fingernails and not break one as you balance yourself, walking on your hands.

Hoof Wall Separation

Second, anyone who tells you that all trimming is the same, has not studied the horse’s foot in depth. Even those who study and choose to trim as nature shows us, may continue to project their own vision of the hoof based on their studies, instead of working with the hoof in front of them. That is to say, if the trimming is not improving or it is not maintaining a healthy, sound horse, then you must step back and reassess your trimming or your trimmer.
Finally, I learned exactly WHY Rose couldn’t walk on her heels and what exactly had caused her “navicular syndrome”. And, best of all, I was able to trim her myself and eliminate the problem altogether, just as Pete had claimed.
When Rose was 2 yrs old, someone decided she needed shoes in order to begin training. (I bought her when she was 8) When horses wear a shoe, the frog at the back of the foot does not make consistent contact with the ground. In addition, the shoe can potentially squeeze the back of the foot and “contract” the heel so that part of the frog, which should be up to 2 inches wide, is folded up into the foot. Underneath the frog is a mass of tissue called the digital cushion. It is soft and mushy when the horse is young and under 300 lbs. As the horse matures, and makes repeated contact at the frog with heel first landings, this digital cushion will harden and on top of it is the tough frog with a surface much like the rubber tires of your car in which the horse can push off with each step. It creates a secure, non slippery surface that is able to step over uneven ground.
Rose’s digital cushion never developed entirely. Year after year, shoes “protected” her feet and her heels remained soft and mushy. As she matured and began a life as a cutting horse, she was asked to use her heels to slide and stop rapidly. But, without solid, hardened, wide frogs to absorb the concussion of her feet to the ground, she became sore. She would then attempt to relieve her pain by attempting toe first landings. This would further inhibit the development of a solid digital cushion and if she were to put weight on the heel, she would experience more pain. And on and on….Rose has now gone 4 years without shoes and pads. She is 29 years old and suffers from arthritis in her right shoulder from walking on her toes and running abnormally in shoes for years. She stands and walks straight up with a heel first landing and her frogs, wider and harder than ever before. She never suffers from splits and cracks-her white feet as hard as any black feet in the herd.

Sally's Foot on the Mend

Sally continues to need careful monitoring of her diet to insure that she does not suffer from recurring bouts of laminitis. With correct barefoot trimming I’ve been able to grow a well connected hoof, with a thickened callused sole and ever widening frogs. Sally suffers from pain in her hocks as well as in her back and hips, no doubt from unnatural shoeing that placed stress on her joints. She is now benefitting from massage and stretching before we exercise. I ride Sal on hard road, with gravel and uneven surfaces now, but in the beginning, I used boots until her soles thickened and she was able to tolerate the ground we rode on. I highly recommend boots and anyone who trims and does not recommend them is not being realistic with the owner about what it takes to transition to going barefoot.
So much of what we do to our horses is the result of ignorance. We see and hear what others are doing and saying and figure, it must be right, otherwise, why would they do something to harm their horse? But nowadays, there is so much information available to us. There are people who are out there with answers and if we care about our horses, we’ll keep looking. Don’t go to one source, or read one book. Learn as much as you can. Question those who claim to be experts. Don’t take my word for it-learn first hand from several people who’ve struggled with the same conditions. But, most importantly, listen to your horse. The lameness you see today is usually the result of damage done YEARS earlier. Today is the day to find out if those feet can handle the demands we put on them from now on!
If you go to Pete Ramey’s website www.hoofrehab.com you will find an incredible list of resources, including his videos on trimming. You can buy them from him or rent them at www.yourhorsematters.com

NOTE: I apologize for not having any current pics of Sal but have not taken any of them recently. I will update this article with photos and discuss BRIEFLY some more specific issues in future newsletters-C.M.

Carry Your Hands, Carry Your Hands, Carry Your Hands

2010-03-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I had another opportunity to work with an amazing teacher, Dawn Ruthven, a Level 4 Centered Riding Instructor . What did I learn from this clinic you ask? You got it! When was the last time you had to think about carrying your hands? Well, frankly, when there is a horse’s head at the end of those hands! But, it turns out when you use your elbows flexed at about 90 degrees heavy enough to “dig post holes” you don’t have to worry about it. Your hands should be floating, with a light quality, light enough to write your name. The elbows support while the hand gives the aid that you need.

Does your horse always feel light in your hands?-well, maybe for a short time and then for awhile he may ask you to hold him up. Your job is to support your horse, to give him something to balance on. So, raise the outside rein until he feels weightless in your hands, hands that should be like a sponge, elastic and playful. Keep the thumbs tented to allow flexion at the wrist. Your pinky fingers should be closer that the index fingers. You should be able to look into your hands.

When the elbows are NOT doing their job, the hands become heavier. Anytime you feel weight in your hands-remind your elbows to take up the weight, which lightens your hand. And, when there is activity behind, the hands will lighten, so keep the engagement of the hindquarters with a lower leg long and shaping the horse’s body. If you keep the connection in the elbow, your horse will develop greater SELF CARRIAGE, as he strengthens his hindquarters.

This all must start from a quiet, relaxed attitude from the moment you begin your ride. We must get organized and comfortable and “find our elbows”. Don’t forget to explore your position and contact. You are responsible for the quality of your horse’s pace, so remain steady on the outside rein for support while using the inside rein to flex and lower the head and ask your horse to step forward. It is the anatomy of the horse’s muscles in the neck that allow the horse to drop his head when it is flexed to the inside.

It all becomes a balancing act between support in the front and energy from behind. Imagine going through a stream on slippery stones and instead of getting a steady arm from your friend to keep you from losing your balance and falling, you instead find shaky and inconsistent contact with what should be a supportive hand. It would be distressing and that’s exactly what your horse experiences every time you drop your hands. Give the support he needs and he will use himself with energy. Impulsion comes from the hindquarters, so remember to not let the horse start off from his front end. That seems contrary, but try it by kneeling and “walking” on all fours and then pulling yourself with your “front legs” (hands). It leaves the “back legs” dragging behind and feels very awkward. Instead, initiate the forward movement with your BACK LEGS. Don’t drive the front end away but energize the hind end. It is the ENGINE that drives the horse and it is in his hindquarters!

When your horse is balanced, tracking up with his nose just in front of the vertical, there should be no tension in your back or his. Tension will lock the muscles. Keep equal weight in both stirrups and as you post, don’t push off the stirrups. Come up at the post, centered over your horse, and imagine “dropping the ball” from between your knees-this will lower your center of gravity to keep the weight over your horse’s center. Falling forward will only put you and your horse off balance as the posting gets faster and faster, followed by your horse increasing his pace to keep up with you.

This all became very clear to my students this week, when, fresh from my own learning experience, I presented this information to them. I really like the image of helping a friend or spouse (two of my students happen to be a married couple) through a stream of slippery rocks. I took them to my favorite park and had them go up and down hills, all the while, maintaining contact with the horse's head flexed at poll (which means the back is up,the hindquarters are taking the weight) with soft, quiet and controlled pace. The more unbalanced a horse is, the more they need our help "crossing the slippery rocks."

It was a fantastic clinic and I am looking forward to going back in May for another opportunity to work with Dawn and show her how well I can CARRY MY HANDS!
MOST OF ALL: HAVE FUN and ENJOY YOUR HORSE EACH AND EVERY DAY!

4/5/2010: Dawn wrote me after reading the YHM newsletter and this blog and said, "Thank you for your very kind remarks ,really happy that you got such a
good feel.just keep reminding yourself that the elbow is the natural
buttress,the hand the communication center,through the communication the
hand becomes a love affair".cheers Dawn

"Habitual Tension"

2010-03-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

Just that phrase, "habitual tension" sounds uncomfortable. Who would make a habit of being tense or why would you allow it to continue day in and day out? As a health care professional, I see the results of "habitual tension" on my patients. People with headaches, stomach pains, heart palpitations or racing hearts, pelvic pain, sleep disorders, and on and on. At first they don't connect their physical symptoms with the stress that triggered it. But, the more I delve into their history including work and home life, as well as their own personal and family health history, the more it becomes apparent that their physical symptoms are part of the big picture, which is stress and tension. Sometimes, they become so accustomed to the feelings in their neck, back, stomach or head that it becomes "normal." They may take medication to dull the sensations, until nothing works and it affects their daily life. What may seem like something new in their health history, may have begun months or even years earlier and living with it has simply become habit.

What does this have to do with our horses and my recent trip to a Peggy Cummings clinic? Well, actually, a lot! We've all heard of horses who have colicked or developed ulcers from stress and if you've seen the physical signs in person, you know how uncomfortable the horse appears; rolling and pawing, standing with stomach bloated, reaching back to poke at their belly as if to say "what is that I'm feeling and how can I make it go away?" But, what about stress and tension in our horse that presents as something subtle like walking with stiffness in a left front shoulder, not turning or bending on a lead rope either towards you or away from you? How about swinging their head toward you back and forth while standing or walking next to you. Is this disrespect, is it resistance or attitude or is it our horse's way of saying, something hurts, please help me?

Unlike the human patient, we can't elicit a detailed history from our horses, and may never pinpoint the exact moment when it began, but what is now apparent to me after spending the weekend watching Peggy Cummings "connect" with horses, is that much of the tension that we see and feel in our horses starts the minute we put a halter on them. What? That would mean that even as early as the first day of imprinting, if you are so inclined to engage with your foal in this way, you may have begun to create tension in your horse.

But how the heck can you handle a horse, move them from point A to point B or direct their movement, if you can't put that physical restraint on them? Well, apparently, it isn't the rope and halter that creates the tension, it's the "jerk" at the other end. (chuckle, chuckle). Seriously, if you've been around horses long enough, you've either personally pulled on a horse or seen someone else do it. Many "natural" horsemanship trainers advocate quite a bit of pulling and jerking, especially if the horses behavior includes running, turning, kicking or lifting themselves off the ground in response to their handlers' requests. I thought that it was necessary to show the horse who was in charge and because they were big strong animals, that it couldn't be that painful or harmful. But, it begins a pattern of tension and resistance that can occur even when there is no direct pull on the horse.

Horses know what happens before what happens happens, which is to say, they are able to anticipate something about to happen, once they recognize the event that occurs just before that something. So, if every time you walk into your horses area with a halter and lead rope, you then put it on them and pull them or take them out to the round pen, arena, trailer, etc, the horse soon learns to anticipate the activity outside his stall with the lead rope and halter in your hand. If the experience is one of physical stress and strain to the horse or their handler lacks the confidence and skill to create a sense of safety and comfort for the horse, it learns to associate those experience with discomfort or even fear. Muscles tighten, the head and neck recoil, the acids in the stomach flow, tension builds. Now you add riding and you put a poor fitting saddle on the horse with a rider who has little or no balance and a whole lot of her own tension. Day after day this scenario is repeated and "suddenly" you've got a horse who is difficult to handle, lame or shows problems under saddle. If they could talk and drive themselves, they'd be in my office looking for help.

That's where wonderful people like Peggy Cummings can help. Her methods of "Connected Groundwork" use soft, slow techniques that create a way to release tension and overcome bracing. At first, it seemed as if she was holding a horse too close to their face and head on a halter with fleece cushions that would encourage leaning and pushing, but when done correctly, it gives the horse the skills to carry himself and connects the hindquarters which create the power, to the rest of his body. It was subtle and elegant. There was a dramatic improvement in several of the horses, most evident in a big warmblood, whose tension in the neck and poll had created a very dangerous habit of swinging his head rapidly and vigorously towards his handler. Peggy very calmly explained that he was looking for a place to push against to release the tension. Skeptical, I couldn't stop thinking that this horse was using his head to push Peggy away and avoid being asked to move his body, which is true, but it was because he felt tension and pain. He was perfectly happy to move, once the brace and tension was out of his body. With just two 15 minute sessions, Peggy accomplished exactly that. BEAUTIFUL!

The riding just flowed from these wonderful beginnings and now I have yet another way of enriching the relationships I have with my horses and the horses of my students. If this has helped me to relieve some of the tension in their lives as they've helped me relieve stress in my life, then it will be a fair exchange. Breaking a habit is not easy, but the first step is in recognizing it and doing something different, hopefully improving on the situation. Next time your horse acts up, resists, pulls to the right, trips, moves out slowly or any host of "issues", ask yourself, where is the tension? What is my horse trying to tell me?

P.S. One thing that was not addressed was the horses feet. Several of the horses were shod and both shod and unshod horses showed signs of heels that were too low, toes too long in the front with obvious low coffin bones and subsequent toe walking. The effect this has on their knees, shoulders and back cannot be minimized and creates its own tension and resistance when left unchecked. Assessing hoof health is another part of the "big picture". C.M.

Spring in Paradise

2010-02-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought that all of the rain was going to get me down, the weather has been magnificent (60 and sunshine yesterday). My daughter was home from college and it was a rare treat to be able to take Sal and Chanty out to the beach and ride with her. She doesn't get on the horses very often and she commented that she was not used to using her inner thigh muscles to ride....and she's only 20 years old! Is it any wonder that those that begin riding over 40, go through a great deal of physical strain to get it right. It just proves that it is not about "just sitting" on the back of the horse. If you're doing it right, you are exercising and when it goes well and you get off without being sore, then you really know it's working for you!

I had been riding up and down the driveway at the new stables, while the arena dries out and the surface settles. At first I thought that it would not be the type of workout that I was looking for-I was wrong. Riding straight lines, then curves in the road (this is a LONG driveway) with the change in surface height was perfect for strengthening and balancing my horses' bodies. There was one very big puddle that Chanty did not want to go through. We worked on it several days in a row and she is now much braver and able to trot through. She is doing circles around the pile of gravel and the uneveness and change in surface, really challenges her to keep her balance and stay at the same gait with speed and rhythm maintained. Who knew that riding on the driveway would be the best workout she's had yet!

But, the real dream is to complete a "Paddock Paradise". This is an idea and a book, first published by Jaime Jackson, a natural hoof care specialist who is now the executive director of the AANHCP (Association for the Advancement of Natural Hoof Care Practices). The idea is to keep your horse in as natural an environment as possible. Jackson based his ideas on observations made with the wild horse. He was able to determine that the horse normally travels along particular paths that take him past feeding areas, shelter and watering holes. In the process, his movement creates constant wear and tear to the hoof that creates the perfect foot, designed to travel over the terrain they live on. The hoof wall develops a beautiful "mustang roll", the soles are thickened and callused for protection and the frog is wide and toughened-just what we seek in our trimming to keep our horses moving and sound.

He also observed how well the horses maintained their weight and muscle tone. They were moving constantly with very little time spent in large grazing areas of lush green grass, that we consider optimal for horses. Their interaction with each other was that of typical herd behavior and he was able to see first hand how the hierarchy of the herd is established- lead mares and their young, stallions with their bands and all of the dynamics of the group. Their emotional, mental and physical needs were all being met! Surprisingly, the total area that they travelled in was not enormous. They simply moved in a clockwise direction, along a winding path, that switched back and forth. Sounds like something you could recreate on your property, right?

I am especially interested in the idea of putting my horse on a "Paddock Paradise", as they have both had significant laminitis/founder and need to have as little grass and grazing as possible. They need to move and exercise their mind and body. Sally was especially stiff yesterday after being in her stall/run for the previous 3 days, while I worked. I now warm her up with a quick massage, stretching and then light movement on the ground to get her to move her hindquarters on a circle, asking her to step under. But, she needs daily movement to keep her joints and muscles in shape. She will be 20 this year and it is time for me to give her the environment she needs to get out and about. That's where the PP becomes important. I've picked up Jackson's book again and have reviewed the important features. He now has a website that gives even more info and links to several sites that will be helpful, including one that has videos of REAL PPs. I highly recommend both sources. (Note: If you are a member of Your Horse Matters , you can receive a free copy of Jackson's book-find out more at the "Members Only" page).

I am going to start small, with an area that I can reasonably afford to fence. I'll need to reduce the amount of grass on the trail and add some sand and rock along the way. It will be for Sally and Chanty initially but I'm hoping we'll be able to expand it over time and add different features, like bridges and obstacles, as well as shelters along the way. This is going to be a challenge, but I think it's worth it. It just isn't natural to make a 900 pound horse stand in area smaller than most dog runs. There happiness and health is in our hands and I'm ready to make their days better. Look at that....another sunshiney day outside. Gotta go!

It's Like Breathing Out and Breathing In

2010-02-12T22:03:00.000-08:00

It's time to go to a few new clinics and get the cobwebs out of my brain. It just isn't enough to read a book or watch a video to improve my horsemanship and riding. It's fun to listen to someone and watch actual demonstrations or if possible ride in a clinic with an experienced instructor. In preparation for a Centered Riding Clinic I have read a small, but very powerful book by Tom Nagel, called Zen and Horse Backriding. Tom is an instructor and advanced practitioner of Zen bodytherapy and his book is his special approach to riding that combines posture, breathing and body awareness. He especially emphasizes the use of a very powerful muscle, the psoas, which allows us as riders to lengthen our lower spine, tone the seat and inner thigh muscles and provide stability over the horse. It is that stability that gives a rider the confidence to take their horse through greater physical and mental challenges.

I've been working very hard on improving the quality of my transitions, especially my downward transitions and I think this approach to it with its practical steps, is going to make the difference. We've all probably heard about the technique that involves exhaling to get our horse to slow or stop. But, did you know why this works so well? Recently, I started suggesting to my students that if they wanted to drop their lower spine into the saddle, they could simply cough each time they felt like they were hollowing their back, as a way to remind them. There is no way to cough and keep your back hollow and your lower abdomen expanded. A cough is just an exhale that lasts seconds. The psoas in its attachments below the diaphragm pushes the air out as the muscle lengthens downward. At the same time the upper back and spine at the neck is lengthened upward as the muscles at the neck allow the head to move at the atlas joint just between your ears. Try coughing and feel how your back lowers, your buttocks make better contact with your seat.

When you practice the inhale and exhale to slow or stop your horse, you are practicing a means to make contact with your seat and inner thighs, as this same psoas muscle connects from the lower back through the front of the pelvis and on to the top of the femur or leg bone. I've tried the inhale and exhale exercise and with practice have been able to slow my horse within the same gait, what dressage riders call a "half halt" or what western riders might call "rating" your horse, especially in barrel racing, described as a deep relaxation or "melting" into the saddle to slow your horse down.

Can it really be as simple as breathing in and breathing out? Well, this is horse backriding and if you are in it for the long haul, then you've noticed that there's nothing simple about being a good rider. It occured to me recently that there is no other physical activity that involves 2 living creatures in direct physical contact with each other, requiring each of them to be in balance while being strong and flexible enough to move as one- except maybe dancing and pairs skating. But that's TWO HUMANS. We're talking about being on a very large 4 legged creature, with all of its emotional and physical attributes, anyone of which can alter the course of things in or out of the saddle.

So, if you want a great little book that teaches you how to use your breathing and your posture to improve your riding, check out Tom Nagel's book. I'm looking forward to seeing him in person and learn just how "simple" it is to use a breath to control a horse.

Guardians of the Horse

2010-02-01T20:48:00.000-08:00

Hello horse lovers! Is it spring yet? Yikes! It is taking a lot more effort this year to get the enthusiasm going. What do you do to get yourself moving? This past month I literally moved, horses, that is, and now have the girls out at my friend's place. They have their own personal run out back of their stalls and we've noticed a couple of things. First, the horses seem to like standing outside in their paddocks rain or shine, day or night time. Two of the horses, especially like the outdoors-one who had spent the first 4 years of his life in a round pen, knee deep in his own manure. He seems to feel comfortable out and about and loves to peek into the stall next to his where my mare Sal lives. The other gelding has spent the last 7 yrs in a very small stall and was developing swelling in his front legs as a regular occurence. He now stands outside all day and his owner closes his door at night as she thinks he'll stay out in the rain.

The other thing I've noticed is that my gal Sal's coat has become shiny again with no fungal infection in the mane and on the legs. Turns out that the high level of iron in the well water at our previous facility, mixed with the iron in her hay and low starch feed, triggered ongoing insulin resistance that raised her blood sugars. I might as well have skipped the change in feed. I had been trying to bring my own water in, but when the horses were in their paddocks out on the property, there was no way to haul fresh water to them and so they drank fresh water in their stall and well water in the paddocks. I've continued to search the internet for more info, but as was true just 5 yrs ago when my horse foundered for the last time, there is just not enough known about the triggers for laminitis. The average vet doesn't learn enough about hoof care and laminitis at school and any vet more than 10 yrs out of school is clueless unless they keep up their education or they are especially interested in hoof care. Of course, I always look to Pete Ramey's site for the most updated info. His videos now feature particular cases of hoof disease and how to care for the horse through diet and correct trimming.

When it comes to diet, even the horses who've never had laminitis or founder can go out on pasture and eat themselves into laminitis. Their feet will even feel a little warmer than usual, as my friend so astutely noticed when she went to pick her mare's feet, after spending several hours on grass in her newly fenced pastures. Another young horse at the stables is struggling with a case of colic which started before the move.

It all reminds me that we are the guardians of our horse's emotional and physical well being. We ask them to eat and drink what we give them, but is it more than they need? In the wild, horses are grazers that move constantly, eating a lot of forage and dried vegetation, not grain and high sugar foods like carrots, apples and sweet treats. They move about 20 miles a day and drink fresh water in different locations, interacting with a large herd of horses, yet we house them in small pens or paddocks isolated from each other. Exercise comes in small spurts and I've noticed that Sal's muscle tone has suffered from the lack of activity when I felt that her hock arthritis was severe enough to limit how much I rode her. She still needed to keep MOVING!

So, as usual, I begin to beat myself up for keeping my horses in an environment that is convenient for me, not my horses. I have to keep my promise to make each day with the them as stimulating as possible. I've begun learning some massage techniques, allow them to run in a very large outdoor arena and ride them as much as possible, even if it's up the long driveway of the new facility.

Our hope is to build an obstacle course this summer and my DREAM is to build a paddock paradise, that allows the horses to move constantly around an area that simulates the movement in the wild that takes them in a loop through their natural territory, able to slowly graze on small amounts of food, interact with other horses and most of all, stretch their legs and stimulate their feet to wear their hooves naturally. Sounds ideal!

Now that I'm energized, it's time to get out and spend time with my critters. They can't do it without us, so don't forget to be the best guardian possible. And enjoy your horse!

A New Year of Horsemanship

2010-01-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wow, has another year gone by! It doesn't seem possible. I've been looking through my previous blogs to see just how far I've come as a horsewoman (and a person) and as I continue to watch the latest or recently acquired video in my collection, I'm able to quickly see how much progress I've made with my horsemanship. As I've become a better student, so will I become a better teacher both to my horse and students.

At least, that's the goal. It is an ongoing process that should never end. For so many though, it never starts and so the frustration of horse ownership sets in pretty quickly. On these cloudy, rainy, cold winter days, it can be difficult to muster up the enthusiasm to go out and engage with your horse, let alone ride. We tend to think that as long as their stalls are clean and they have enough food, water and a few hours outside, that our job is done. For those of us in it for the long haul, it takes more energy, enthusiasm and imagination to keep the interest alive and to make the horse's life more mentally and physically stimulating. Yes, it's a challenge. So, I keep on watching and learning.

I've even started putting together a mental checklist when I see someone new or evaluate previously viewed trainers/clinicians. I have noticed something interesting in western riding or "natural horsemanship". It is my observation that there are very few men who address the issue of correct riding. Their focus is usually on the horse's behavior and training. The riding instruction comes from women trainers mostly. Many Western trainers will actually omit any specific instructions to the rider as if it is only the horse who exists in the relationship. We are merely a passenger. The horse is being difficult and speeding up or kicking out simply because we haven't executed the right one rein pull or used our leg and rein pull to move the horses hindquarter. Maybe a more severe bit is necessary for that "dull" horse. And there is a lot of pulling going on in Western riding including the "seesawing" that is so common in Western Pleasure with two reins that makes me cringe!!!

English or classical riding instruction videos tend to forget that the horse is part of the picture and that many riders can be given instructions on correct hand, seat and leg position and yet, not have a clue how to get their horse to stand still when they mount, cannot lead their horse from the paddock without holding close to the halter, do not know how to ask their horse to quietly stand to be groomed or for hoof care and a whole host of groundwork issues that show up. It is very common to have someone "hold your horse" while you get on, fully expecting them to pace and turn away and walk immediately once you mount. I, on the other hand, fully expect my horse to stand quietly, even when not tied while I groom, trim, saddle and mount.

As a well rounded horsewoman I need to be aware of BOTH parties in the relationship. We both have a responsibility. For the rider, she must understand what makes a horse tick, their behaviors, their personalities, their innate characteristics. Don't assume that a horse is being "disrespectful" or that there are previous abuses causing the current problems. Learn to recognize physical signs and symptoms of horse's difficulties with movement that influences behavior and their ability to respond to your training or riding. In short, EDUCATE YOURSELF.

But does the average horse owner have time for this-unfortunately the answer is no. We all have jobs, families, outside commitments and interests that sometimes place our horse at the bottom of the priority list. This week I worked extra hours to help increase our savings for future unexpected expenditures. I haven't seen much of my horses this week and I haven't ridden but once in a week. I've tried to spend a few moments looking at some books and videos in preparation for my next lesson with students. It helps to have a mental checklist and find the information that most consistently appears; tips to make my riding and my students riding enjoyable for them AND their horses. I've found that there a several things to look for when reviewing new material:

1) Is the material given in a structured, simple educational format or is it just an informational video that says WHAT is being done, but not WHY or HOW or what to do if it's not working for you? Can you easily repeat what is being done, when you work with your horse or ride?

2)Does it show well behaved, trained school horses with experienced riders only or do they use any untrained horses with inexperienced riders.

3)Are they encouraging safety in riding and working with the horse. Do the riders wear helmets or explain why they do not? Do they emphasize safety ONLY on the ground?

4) Do they explain techniques that can be used for ALL disciplines or is it strictly for "western" or "english" and what does that mean? Shouldn't good riding and horsemanship be applied across the board? Are the techniques easy to duplicate?

5) Do the trainers explain how much the horse's physical abilities or lack of contribute to difficulty with training and riding and behavior issues? Is stubborness, dull mouth, lack of respect or difficult personality for example, used to explain away behavior problems, solved only with more tools or severe handling of the horse's mouth and/or body for control of overall movement?

6) Does the trainer/clinician understand and utilize the idea of balance in the rider AND the horse and explain how these can be achieved separately, then together? Are there specific exerises given to practice and improve balance and movement for both? Do these methods work consistently for you and your horse when you use them?

Of course, I'm sure it's difficult for one person to include both training of the horse from the beginning on the ground to under saddle as well as help for the rider in one video. There are many who try to cover it over a series of videos. They sometimes share the task with their partner, one knowing more about the horse (presumably) and one knowing (hopefully) more about the rider.

But, knowing how much it cost to purchase these videos, you might say that it can be very expensive to take a chance on what you may or may not get out of the videos. Many clinicians and trainers are also good promoters, salesmen/women and have been able to get more attention for their videos. That doesn't mean they are giving you what you need to make your horsemanship experience fun and rewarding. It just means they've got your attention and/or your money.

My advice in the new year is to do whatever you can to make the best of your days with your horse. Buy, rent or borrow books and videos. Take a friend and go to a three day expo and learn whatever you can, go to a clinic, watch programs on cable or satellite TV. Find a good instructor (get references and take a few lessons to see if you like the instructor), ask an experienced horseman/woman who you know has great results and treats their horses with kindness and respect, to help you. Do SOMETHING!-and enjoy the coming year. If you're in the small minority of people who own horses, you may still be a horseowner in 2011. I know I will!

Your Horse as an Athlete

2009-12-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

We have had some incredibly sunny weather here in the NW, making it very cold at night. As with every year, I'm aware of just how "furry" my horses get and if the temp drops too low, I will put their blankets on for warmth. But, usually, it just isn't necessary. What I have begun doing, though, is warming up their muscles before I exercise them. I've begun doing some simple massage techniques as well as stretching and what's interesting is to feel the difference between Chanty, who has no feet or lameness issues and Sal who has had founder and hock problems over the years. You can see how little she moves her hips, feel how hard and tight her back and gluteal hip muscles are and see how much she shortens her stride with the tightness on both sides of her body. Sally is a virtual treasure trove of issues for me to learn about and work on. I can see what abnormal looks like and then appreciate the improvement when I see it in her or other horses with less severe problems.

The massage with Chanty showed me that as I have been asking her to lift her back and use her hind quarters more, she is "feeling the burn". She reacts to the compressions over her hips and hindquarters as if there is a little soreness. Just as we need to go slow with our own bodies and not cram 6 mos of exercise and training into 1 week, we need to give our horse a chance to adapt to a regular program of exercise.

Ever since I returned from seeing Gerd Heuschmann's clinic, I've been focused on the idea of balancing my horse or I should say, asking her to balance herself. I am improving my balance in leaps and bounds and so it makes sense that she needs to take the responsibility for herself. He suggests that while you are helping your horse balance and lift his front end, that you hold the reins as you would the handle of a pot or pan, with the rein coming over the top of your first finger and down through your fist. This keeps your from pulling back, but instead, encourages you to lift your hands more, which is easier on the horse's mouth and discourages them from leaning on the bit.

With the weather so nice, I've been able to ride out on the new trail behind our facility. It has packed gravel, so much easier on the horse's feet and legs than the deep sand. When I want to take her up or down a hill, I think "lift your head", "don't fall" and it creates a slower, more balanced step in both directions, instead of rushing through the change in the incline of the trail. The difference is dramatic. It shows once again that behavior issues under saddle (racing ahead, changing direction suddenly, stopping or resisting in transitions) is not about the horse's attitude or stubborness, but their feeling of inbalance that creates emotional tension. Imagine being a new skiing student and being asked to take off down a slope without being balanced and you can sympathize with your horse better.

This week one of my students rode her 6 year old and worked on circles and bends, so important to flexing the body and allowing the muscles to strengthen equally with stretch that takes away the tension and resistance. With an occasional "lift"of her hands to encourage her horse to carry his own weight instead of falling onto her hands over the forehand, he began to look more coordinated. He was no longer walking with front legs crisscrossing in an obvious side to side movement that wreaked of inbalance. Now he walks out with feet forward and his back muscles sliding forward and back. She has a smoother ride, he's more comfortable and low and behold, she doesn't notice the behavior problems of pulling her in one direction, stopping, resisting her leg cues to move into a trot. It all looks beautiful-simply by allowing the horse to gain the flexibility and strength he needs to feel in balance.

How often do we blame our horse's attitude, stubborness and behavior for our difficulties under the saddle. When you watch a rider who sits off balance on their horse and then asks him to perform athletic movements quietly and proficiently, when the horse is also off balance, you will understand why there is so much struggle and frustration among riders and their horses. They, like you, are not able to simply get out of bed and be a coordinated, talent athlete. The best dancers, ball players, runners, tennis players, etc practice their talent all of the time and through many months and years of building their muscles, increasing their strength and flexibility and learning to adapt to new demands on their body, they improve their performance.

I know that most people just want to "get on and ride"and figure that their horse is like their car-just get in, turn on the key and go. And if you ask nothing of your horse accept to carry you straight from point A to point B with as little effort from you or him as possible, then you should also know that you will be limited to that very same activity from now on. It's when riders want to vary from the simple task of going straight ahead, to even asking their horse to circle one time, that they will notice how NOT simple the act of riding is for them and their horse.

When I was that skiing student years ago, I was left to my own devices on a bunny hill as my companion, skied off down the slope with beautiful movements side to side, flexing and bending his body to slow and turn. Knowing nothing, and allowing gravity to simply take me where it would, I headed straight down at full speed and was stopped only because I came close to a tree (after bumping into several other skiers) and sat down to avoid a terrible crash. I still managed to jam my thumb. My heart racing with total fright, I vowed never to ski again.

Why do we assume that a horse is emotionally,mentally and physically prepared to do everything we ask, with only a minimal amount of preparation and training. Until we think of our horses as athletes who need to mold their minds and bodies, so they can do more than walk a straight line from point A to point B, we are doomed to frustrate ourselves and them at the very least and at the worst, cause permanent physical damage. Unless, you like going straight at a walk all of the time. Not me....

How Heavy is Your Horse's Head?

2009-11-14T22:05:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wonder how much your horse's head weighs? You would if you had to carry it around with you every time you ride. At the very least you'd wonder, why doesn't he carry it himself. After all, he's got all that muscle on his back and hind legs. I'm just one person with two hands!

And yet, every time we pick up the reins, without knowing it, we allow our horse to balance himself by pulling on the reins, reins that we hold in our hands. And if that doesn't work, then he just brings his weight onto his forehand and pulls himself forward. Try doing that while getting on your hands and knees ("all fours"). Can you walk forward easily while leaning on your hands (front end)? Not hardly. Now put a small child on your back, yelling "giddyup horsey" and you can see how difficult it is to balance your self, including that big head at the front of it all.

Riding a horse whose balance is tipped forward is like riding a bike downhill while leaning your head over the handlebars. You can do it, but it doesn't feel comfortable and makes it difficult to ride with any control. If you're lucky, you'll end each ride without crashing, but in the process will begin to feel a lot of soreness from bracing your body against the gravitational pull.

Horses naturally weight their forehand when they are standing or grazing. But, when it's necessary to move off quickly, they can lift their head, shift their weight back and run in any direction with amazing speed and agility. We seem to think that this is something we have to train them to do, but in reality, what we need to do is first, allow them to gain the strength to carry us and then,encourage them to balance us while they run off with natural speed and agility. It's not simply a question of getting a horse to go forward, nor does it help to artificially or forcefully pull the head up. Try it with the child on your back on all fours. Lean onto your hands while this wild child kicks you in the sides and pulls your hair to lift your head. Are you feeling lighter. Does your back lift and your weight shift back to lighten your front end (the weight on your hands)? NO!!! Your back hollows which makes it harder to bring your hips and 'hind legs' forward and your neck is bent back, mouth open, saying OUCH!

In addition to all of the kicking and pulling you are enduring with the child on your back, imagine feeling him constantly moving on your back, off balance, bouncing up and down as you lunge forward trying to avoid the discomfort of the whole ride. Are we having fun yet?

This may all seem like an exageration, but truth be told, we do it every day to our horses. We assume that the horse can take whatever we dish out. We figure we don't have to be balanced and we don't have to help our horse to learn to balance himself. We blame the horse for lifting his head, running away from our hands and our cues or stopping and bucking or kicking out when we ask for change of gait or direction.

What is really going on here? As riders, we are not taught about the meaning of "self carriage". Before a horse can ever learn to walk, trot and canter with a consistent rhythm, we must show him that what we offer is a way to lift his weight off the front end (with soft, giving hands that consistently "lift" the reins, never pulling back) slowly with each step and that while doing this, we will ride with a quiet, balanced seat that is never heavy or driving. Once a horse is able to gain the flexibility and strength in his back and hindquarters, head and neck,through progressive exercises, we can then ask him to move off athletically with speed and agility as we see him in nature, without a rider.

Self carriage is about giving your horse the responsibility to move his body without bracing, without falling downhill, without leaning on your hands. It is your responsibility to be the best rider you can be first and then to use your seat, legs and hands kindly and gently as you improve your horse's balance. He'll do anything you ask and you won't have to carry his head around anymore.

"Stand" Over Your Horse and Ride

2009-10-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

It's only been recently that I've begun to reconsider the idea of "sitting" on my horse when I ride. Sitting implies that your legs are out in front of you with knees bent at a 90 degree angle, feet way out in front of your hips. Your tendency is to collapse your upper back (looking for something to lean back on) and to allow the chair to absorb all of your weight, while you remain immobile, looking for a place to rest. Sitting is an activity for spectators.

Riding on the other hand requires quite a bit of participation. And when you are doing it correctly, involves more of a "stance" or position or bearing of the body while standing. Yes, standing! In martial arts, the "horse stance" is taught to students as a means of gaining stability and feeling grounded.

A correct stance should line up your skeleton so that your body is supported without using your muscles, which are used to move particular parts of your body. Imagine yourself standing on the ground, hips slighlty bent, knees and ankles soft and flexible, your skeleton lined up with the natural curve of your neck inward (looking from the side), your thorax or upper back curved softly outward and your lower back curved inward with an imaginary tail coming out the back and touching the ground like a kangaroo or dinosaur. Your feet are equally weighted and have the sensation of standing in soft, wet sand.

The feeling of stability is effortless and can be maintained for long periods of time. Your hip, knee and ankle joints can absorb motion if you choose to go down to pick something up or bring your body to an erect position. We are designed to use our skeleton as the building blocks of a very stable structure that has an amazing ability to move in many directions and to use the attached arms and legs to create even more motion.

Why then, do we put ourselves on a horse and immediately expect the experience to be one of passenger and transporter. Some horse trainers even have a "passenger lesson" as part of their program. It focuses on having the horse walk, trot or canter in a controlled environment with no contact with the reins from the rider and was intended to teach the horse to move forward calmly and consistently at the same gait and speed, interrupted only by the rider's one rein flex to slow or stop the horse when he incorrectly speeds up or use of legs/hand held crop/whip/spanker to increase speed if horse slows or stops before being asked.

It implied that the rider had no part in the exercise and was simply "sitting" on the horse, when in fact, the trainer who demonstrated this exercise was always correctly balanced and stable over the center of their horse, moving fluidly with a following seat, joints flexed and relaxed, absorbing the motion. BEAUTIFUL! Unfortunately, none of that is mentioned to the student who would then attempt to duplicate this exercise, sitting unbalanced, rigid and tense, bouncing out of the saddle, constantly wondering why her horse would either speed up or stop very shortly after the exercise began. How many times are we told that it's the horse's fault and we just need to pull more, kick more or use different bits to correct our horse's behavior.

Think about how stable you would be if you put yourself on a horse the same way you'd sit in a chair at the kitchen table. Not bad, as long as you don't move. But what happens when the horse begins to move off. To avoid falling back, we grab onto the reins, push our feet forward into the stirrups, stiffening our hips, knees and ankles and as we begin our trot it feels like we're sitting on top of a jackhammer. Is it any wonder that riders develop back and knee problems. We are told to put our toes out, bring our toes in, round your back and push from the withers, arch your back and sit up, stand in your stirrups and push up from the stirrups to post and all different painful and unbalanced activities that use muscles for support instead of our well designed skeleton.

Next time you get on to ride, try "standing" on your horse. Allow yourself to come up off the saddle and use your feet in the stirrups as the ground and flex your hips, knees and ankles just enough to remain upright without ANY TENSION in the muscles, period! With someone walking your horse as a helper, maintain the position by adjusting your body until you are stable again, using no muscle effort to remain upright. Feel how secure and grounded it feels and how easy it is to resume this position as your seat bones rest on the saddle and how quickly you can rise first to a light or "half seat" and then back to your full seat contact. If you were to remove the horse from under you, you would be able to maintain the position without falling forward or back. Try that while using the "chair" position.

Riding is dynamic-always prepare your balanced body and you'll never think of it as sitting on a horse again.

A Dream Realized-Every Day Gets Better

2009-09-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

The clinic has been over for a week and I have not stopped telling my family, friends, co-workers what a great time I had! And, best of all, I am now a real CENTERED RIDING instructor! I am so proud and pleased to be a part of a great organization. I met some fantastic people who I hope to keep in touch with and gained great insight into the body I live, work and play in thanks to the awesome work by Robyn Avalon through her "Living in a Body Course". Just before we finished our week, I asked Robyn to help me with my position when bending to trim horses. It took her exactly 3 seconds to see the problem-like so many people, I bend at the waist, not at the hips. I lead with my "chin head" and I collapse my upper body. In short, I do not use my skeleton for support and limit the mobility of my arms which are absolutely necessary to be an effective, efficient trimmer. My low back had been hurting as I strained to use muscles that were not intended to hold up my torso. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!! Already, my trimming technique has improved and I've been able to work on the horses longer with no pain.

Robyn was also able to spend time with the whole group giving us each individual lessons on horseback in which we could use our new found awareness to help better utilize our body the way nature designed. My particular issue was with my hips and the following seat, trying to create a better contact with my lower legs, as well as improving my grounding with equal weight on my feet. Just by reminding me to use my "dinosaur tail" and letting my hips flex at the correct position (our hips, as it turns out, are not where our mother showed us they were, at the top of our pelvis, where they would rest their fists, right about the time they were about to call our names loudly when we misbehaved)she was able to create a more relaxed, balanced position that matched the hip movement in my horse; it was not forced or uncomfortable for either of us. Wonderful! Robyn worked with several other riders and not one of them walked away without feeling as if they'd benefited tremendously from her help. All of us experienced a profound change in the way our "body map" was now laid out in our minds.

In addition to Robyn's brilliant help, we were again able to gain incredible insight into CENTERED RIDING through the expert guidance of Level IV instructor Dawn Ruthven. She worked with everyone with patience and respect, allowing us to show our best face during the final phase of the instructor's clinic. When it was all over, we were able to each receive our "orange book", the place where each instructor keeps record of her continuing education while teaching others. It was like receiving my diploma for school-a proud moment, a dream realized.

To the students who came and offered tobe a part our clinic, thank you so much. To the instructors from far and wide who came to participate and share their experiences-I had such a great time with everyone, all of my new friends-Suzan, who was kind enough to give Chanty and I a ride to the clinic and back and who allowed me to share my trimming insights with her. Michelle, who gave me a ride to the clinics from the motel and brought me breakfast, and shared her insight into the work of Feldenkrais. Kathy, who shared her knowledge of riding and the Alexander technique to literally "lift" me in the morning when she saw me slouching in my old body. Rosey, whose youth and enthusiasm for teaching reminded me why I got into horses in the first place. Katie, whose generosity and hard work made it possible for all of us to meet and share in all of the good feelings while learning about ourselves and our horse. Love you K.T.

And ,Dawn, who is my hero-I will aspire to remain as young and energetic at 60, 70, 80 and 90 because I see how it can be done-with love, laughter and a never ending desire to learn.

Robyn, you are a miracle worker! With simple ideas and even simpler techniques, you have changed my life. I will share these things will those I meet-at work or at play. The world will be a much more balanced place to live. THANK YOU ONE AND ALL!!!! I will see you again soon.

Chanty and I are back home and in just the week since the clinic ended, so much has changed in our lives. First, for Chanty there is a chance to be ridden more comfortably by her rider, me, now that I've had the chance to work on my centered riding with some of the best instructors around. She and I worked on our slow cantering yesterday and the most important feature was the idea that she and created a beautiful canter using "shared energy". This is a concept that is so foreign to most riders, especially women.

Most of us are caregivers in some shape or form in our daily lives and so when we ride our horses, we immediately begin worrying about whether our horse is following our cues or whether they are moving out the wrong direction or are about to speed up and we need to get ready to control their every move, lest they take us where we don't want to go and at a speed that makes us nervous. In short, it becomes "all about the horse". Well, when you "share" the ride with your horse, it actually becomes more of an 80/20 proposition, with you being responsible for you, making it MORE about your needs and worry about your position and balance, relaxation while allowing the horse to be responsible for himself. If you improve yourself, you'll automatically make it more comfortable for your horse, who can then follow your cues and carry your weight with graceful, easy, effortless turns and transitions, making the whole picture beautiful and most of all FUN!!!!

So now when Chanty begins to speed up and pull on the reins, we stop and I remind her, IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU, which sets me in the right frame of mind to work on my riding . What a great concept. I am now a riding instructor, but first and foremost, I am a student of riding and as I practice my CENTERED RIDING, every day gets better and better!!!

Discovering a "New" Body-I Have a Tail!!

2009-08-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

This is Part Two of my trip to Beaverton,OR to participate in the Centered Riding Instructors Clinic-here's some of the highlights:

Chanty and I arrived back here at Crescendo Farms Tuesday evening. I was able to share a ride with Suzan, another Centered Riding Instructor/Student who was kind enough to pick us up and transport Chanty with her beautiful big boy, Wizard. Chanty loves company and was able to ride in comfort while we chatted up front about our horses, our families and our new found love of Centered Riding.

The first day was spent entirely with Robyn Avalon, our instructor for the "Living in a Body" course which purports to teach one how to use your body in accordance with our design. It is based on the principles of the Alexander Technique and Body Mapping, so that you can "understand how our bodies are designed to function with natural ease and grace."

You wouldn't think that you'd have to "learn" how to move in your own body. But, what all of us have discovered in just the last 2 days, is that just because we knew how to move with grace and ease as children, does not mean that we can do it 30 or 40 years later, and especially not while we are riding a four legged creature, the horse. I used to pride myself on being very limber and loose; even today, when I want to, I can crank up a really good dance song and move my body in all directions with what I think is fluid and rhythmic movement. But, somewhere along the line, I began asking my body to do something with its muscles that was really designed to be done by the skeleton or supporting bones. Anyone who bends to do some type of work ( I trim barefoot horses in my spare time?) knows that if you do not stand correctly and allow your skeleton to do its job in holding you up equally over both feet, then pretty soon the muscles (usually in your back) will begin stressing and straining to keep you from falling over and OUCH! you've got a the beginning of chronic pain.

What was amazing was that Robyn was able to delve into so much anatomy in such a short time, but because it was done in general terms and with simple, fun exercises, we were all able to apply the techniques quickly and effectively. My favorite exercise was the one which identified the "tail" that each of us have-a part of our hips that includes sacrum and coccyx. Apparently, what we do with this tail can make a tremendous difference in our ability to breathe, move with ease and grace and most importantly for me, support weight WITHOUT effort-and no pain! Best of all, when I discovered I had a dog's tail (meaning I tend to tuck my pelvis under which straightens my spine too much and effects the ease of which I use my limbs)it made a profound change in my riding .The dog tail creates an exaggerated straightening of the lumbar spine which would then bring my shoulders too far forward, locked my hips and put tension in my upper body, neck and head! WOW, just because of a slight angle change at my lower spine.

I had to test this out on the horse and the first chance I got to ride Chanty, I practiced using a much more natural position of the spine or a dinosaur's tail (this is the most neutral and efficient position in which your tail is not between your legs or up in the air-which is a duck's tail, but on the ground a couple of feet behind you). Immediately, I was able to breathe, balance myself in the saddle, move my hips with a following seat and best of all, not disturb Chanty's balance. It is WONDERFUL!!!!!

Who new? We have TAILS!!!!! And they are so important to how comfortably we carry ourselves. Turns out we also have wings and that the bottom of your head is just below your nose. I'm sure there'll be more mind blowing revelations tomorrow in our next session of "Living in a Body". I just hope I recognize myself when I get ready to leave or else I might leave me behind and take that old, broken down body home with me! That would be a mistake!

Just DO IT! Riding "Naturally"

2009-08-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had the rare opportunity to take a trail ride with my grown daughter. She is 19 now and has been coming out to the stables where I keep my horse since before she was able to walk. I'm sure every mom who's owned a horse recalls wheeling their baby or toddler around the barn while they cleaned stalls, fed and watered the horses and even while you ride (with Dad watching, of course). My "baby" continued to come out with me over the years and has ridden Sally and Rose (that's her in the picture from my blog entry from Jan 2009, "My Old Friend Rose") What impresses me about the picture of her on Rose is how balanced and centered she looks on the horse. There is a direct line of communication from the bit, straight up her soft hands to her bent elbow lying just against her hips with the angle of her elbow pointing down like a "post hole digger". Her head is up, she is looking ahead to where she is going and her body is stacked like blocks from her feet to the top of her head over the center of the horse. I'm sure she is breathing and grounded. She is what all of us work hard to be every day on our horses: natural and comfortable. Although Rose was already 22 yrs old and suffering from arthritis and the effects of shoes improperly placed at an early age, she too appears to be balanced and in the early part of the downhill phase of the 3 beat canter, between the 1st and 2nd one. It's beautiful to see and looks effortless for both of them. It was a clear fall day almost 6 years ago that she and I rode together at Willow Grove. That's me on Sal Gal!

Since my daughter has been home from college, I have been showing her a lot of techniques from the Centered Riding book. She rode Chanty last week in the arena and I was giving her hints on turning from her center, using her leg aides correctly and feeling the bend. She was immediately satisfied with the results and commented on how much fun she had riding Chanty, who in the past was difficult to control when new riders were hoisted upon her. It turns out she was telling each and everyone of them "other horses may tolerate your inconsistent, incorrect riding, but I must ask that you are quiet, balanced and learn to communicate with me through correct use of your body, or you can just hang on while I run around here uncomfortable and anxious!" Since I began showing my students how to ride with their balance and centered body on Chanty, she has become one of the best "school horses" in the stables. My daughter couldn't believe the difference!

For our trail ride, I decided to mount Chanty and practice more of my centered riding at a walk while Laura rode the ever tolerant and always quiet, Angel, a quarter horse mare belonging to my best friend. We headed out and I immediately focused on my "following seat" attempting to match Chanty's movements. I had been reading about the exercise called dancing hands and square dance moves that allow you to use your clear intent to move your partner, rather than rigid tense muscles to push and pull your partner where you wanted to go. While I was riding, I tried to imagine that Chanty was a person, not a horse and it made me react to her so much differently. She was no longer a big strong animal that could pull on me and run away from me, but now she was another human who was asking for some silent directions to let her know just which way I was heading and how fast I wanted to get there. It made me relax so much quicker. I also practiced my breathing with conscious forceful exhalations at time-power breathing that helped me bend my joints, find my seat bones and widen my lower back. When all else failed, I took my feet out of the stirrups, she stopped and we took a moment to regroup. Keeping an elastic feel on the reins, I allowed the movement of her head at the walk to remain rhythmic as I felt her lift her hips under my seat. It worked wonderfully, but required quite a bit of concentration on my part. I know I was exaggerating my hip movement at times, but as I get more practiced, it will come without thinking, even what you might call "naturally".

My daughter rode behind us, unaware of all the mental and physical exercising that was going on ahead of her, enjoying her quiet ride with mom. It was a wonderful day, spent with my beautiful girl and my beautiful horse. What could be better!!!! NEXT WEEK: Part Two of the Centered Riding Instructor Clinic!!! I can't wait.

A Good Book on a Hot Day

2009-07-31T13:08:00.000-07:00

Been working on my centered riding, mostly while reading Sally Swift's books. It's been so hot here (up to 108 two days ago), that the only thing we've been doing with horses is hosing them off twice a day.

I've had a chance to watch more from my library of videos as well and the title of one caught my eye: "Balanced Riding". Here was a chance to see how other clinicians approach the idea of balanced riding in their instruction. It gave me a chance to apply the "Four Basics: soft eyes, breathing, centering and building blocks as well as grounding and clear intent" in a real example of riding.

Teaching a rider how to find her balance point, the instruction proceded to ask the rider to move her horse to the left at a walk in a round pen, while the rider held on to a rope attached to a halter. Except, the horse kept moving to the right.

The rider was having difficulty keeping her right leg stretched to the stirrup (because she was using her stronger, contracted right leg to balance herself in the saddle)and it threw off her balance which then pulled her horse in the same direction (her body was not lined up as building blocks and her feet were not grounded evenly in the stirrups). The horse moved very slowly with hips that moved as restricted and tense as the rider who was instructed to secure her"butt"into the saddle by placing hands on the withers and push herself back(rider was no longer centered, using the less centered upper body to secure her seat). With shoulders rounded and arms stiff at the elbow and weight forward, staring down at the horse's head (hard eyes, instead of soft eyes which leads to restricted breathing) it was clear that their would be no feel of balance by the horse from the rider on his back.

There was no evidence of a following seat, as the rider's hips were tense and unmoving, not allowing the horse to move her when its hips moved (she was not giving clear intent to her horse as to which direction she was headed through soft eyes and awareness of her own body and was repeatedly instructed to use the rope to turn her horse-the rider was not turning from her center).

The lesson was intended to improve the rider's "core stability". But, how does one develop stability when their weight is not evenly distributed, relaxed and moving freely with the horse and she is breathing short, shallow breaths, with shoulders, ribs, pelvis and hips stiff and inflexible. The rider expressed frustration as she did not feel her balance was improving. How could it? In hopes of giving the rider a better idea of what was being asked, she was allowed to ride the horse with no contact, keeping her hands on the withers to push herself back to her balance point. Again, because she was tense and restricted in her body and off balance, the horse would not go forward unless the instructor moved a rope near its body to drive it forward. Fortunately, this was a quiet, low key Icelandic horse who naturally is not an excitable, forward going horse. I think the lesson would have gone much different with a more sensitive horse, but only in that the rider would have been focused on slowing and stopping the horse through a series of pulls on the rope or one rein stops, which would have further exaggerated the rider's loss of balance and upset the horse.

Overall, it was a great way for me to "develop my eye", a skill that we were encourage to work on by Dawn during the first session of the instructor's clinic. Unfortunately, it changed my opinion and confidence in the clinician, whose videos I usually find very helpful and instructive. I have gotten a lot of help from them in terms of their benefit to the horse. It's clear that many of the natural horsemanship clinicians may have it right when it comes to the horse, but they still have a long way to go when it comes to helping the rider. I recommend they get a copy of Sally Swift's book and spend a hot summer day inside with a cool drink and READ IT!

Centered Riding Becomes a Reality

2009-07-13T21:02:00.000-07:00

While the clinic has been over for more than 24 hours, this is the first chance I've had to reflect on the entire experience. I can honestly say that meeting Dawn Ruthven and participating in a clinic with her as the instructor has been one of the best experiences in the 20 years I've been with horses.

By the second day, there were several concepts that had made their way into my brain, destined to stay forever. Remember to BREATHE, is the first and foremost. It seems that when you try too hard, straining not only your muscles and joints, but your emotional sensability, you take very short shallow breaths, making it more difficult to move fluidly on the back of a horse.

Next in importance was the correct alignment of the ELBOWS. Dawn's favorite imagery to remind us to keep the point of the elbow down was to picture them as "post hole diggers" that must be positioned straight down in order to create a "buttress" against which the horse cannot pull, but is allowed to lean , while we are NOT allowed to pull back. With the elbows in place, the hands will not have to grab and hold tight, instead they are expected to gently hold the reins, with each finger able to make the slightest, softest connection through to the horse's mouth.

So much of my struggle for the third day of the clinic was associated with the other activity in my life with horses-barefoot trimming. Unfortunately, I tend to use the right side of my body excessively when I am trimming and I've learned that the muscles and tendons I use are being excessively flexed and tightened without the opposite stretch and extension that is necessary to keep the body in balance and avoid damage to the muscles. As I began to ride a day after trimming my own horse, I could feel immediately that my right side was shorter than the left and that the more I tried to balance myself, the more I became intensely focused on just one part of my body instead of being able to breathe, center and ground myself.

That is when the important aspect of body awareness was introduced to us through another instructor at the clinic who is a Feldenkrais practitioner. The method is designed to encourage a person "to experience how the whole body cooperates in any motion. In this way, people can learn new patterns of movement specifically designed to expand body awareness and to enhance the neuromuscular self-image through more efficient and comfortable movement."

The demonstration we were given was specific to the pelvis and clearly identified my own personal limitations of movement based on the shortening of my right lumbosacral muscles and tendons. It was tremendously revealing and expanded the understanding of body awareness as it applies to all aspects of our lives, not just our physical activities. This was another wonderful moment of self revelation and it will make all the difference in my riding as well as my daily activities in and out of the barn.

The second part of the clinic is in just 6 short weeks, giving us all time to absorb and digest all of the information we were given and to share it with our students. I hope I am up to the task. I know that no matter what the outcome of the remainder of the clinic, I have already gained so much information that will dramatically improve my own horsemanship and that I hope to share with all of my future students.

I hope that the CENTERED RIDING concepts will continue to spread throughout the horse world and that amazing educators like Dawn Ruthven will be able to continue sharing the vision of the great Sally Swift (Dawn's 84th birthday is next week and she shows no sign of slowing down). If you want to find out more, go to http://www.centeredriding.org/

A Crossroads-The Centered Riding Clinic

2009-07-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend I decided to expand my horsemanship and my learning and participate in a Centered Riding Clinic for Instructors at Katie Twombly's place in Beaverton,Oregon. This is my account:

Chanty and I arrived yesterday at the Crescendo Farms after a ride through the greater Portland area, a trip that includes highway driving with pockets of congestion and lots of rough patches of road at 60 mph. I feel bad for Chanty back there in her trailer with the sounds of trucks and cars whizzing past her or just the sound of air blowing across the metal of the truck and the wheels bouncing over the highway. I once read in an article from a John Lyons' magazine, that the only true way to know what a horse feels when they're in a trailer, is to go back and ride in one, but so far I've never tried that little experiment. It's probably because, we humans would rather not stand in a metal box with only a small window and a screen to look out as a means to travel even if it's just around the parking lot to see what it's all about. This attempt to empathize with my horse in every situation has been making it more likely that I will take my time and pay attention to her reactions in every situation.

And so, when I brought Chanty to her temporary "new digs" I was aware that she was feeling lost and looking for something or someone familiar. She whinnied several times and paced for a while in between bites of hay and took some time familiarizing herself with the stall which led out to a very spacious paddock and a view of her neighbors out in a large pasture. I was also aware of her frequent glances my way and whenever possible, I reassured her with a stroke to her neck and head and spent some time grooming her. Fortunately, she settled in quite quickly. And why wouldn't she. Crescendo Farms is a gorgeous facility, with large expansive pastures, beautiful stalls and an enormous indoor arena to die for. I could stay here forever.....

Today begins the actual course work and a chance to work with a woman, Dawn Ruthven, who studied with Sally Swift and whose own career with horses has included rider, competitor, teacher and judge. I am looking forward to a chance to expand my knowledge and open my mind to new experiences.

The day began with a warm welcome and introductions. We are fortunate to have a very small personal group of instructors under the expert guidance of Dawn and Katie. In just a short time, I am aware of a feeling of excitement, as I know that I have begun a new chapter in my life with horses. They say that when the student is ready, a teacher will be there to give you what you need. I would never have been able to appreciate what is being given to me in this clinic, just a few short years ago. We take small steps in our life that then bring us closer to another door to open, another opportunity of which to take full advantage. Dawn is "at least" 30 years older than all of us at the clinic, but she has the excitement, enthusiasm and love of learning of someone 30 years younger than me. It is obvious that she has a passion for teaching and is dedicated to bringing the vision of Sally Swift to everyone she meets at these clinics. I feel extremely fortunate to have this chance and will make the most of every moment.

We spent time going over the basics of Centered Riding, complete with demonstrations, with each participant taking turns as the "horse", kneeling on all fours. I have watched Sally's videos and read her book, but here I was practicing the "unbendable arm" with a woman who'd personally learned the technique from Sally Swift. It's like learning to swing a golf club from someone who learned from Tiger Woods.

Once we finished Dawn's discussion of the four basics, Soft Eyes, Breathing, Centering and Building Blocks, as well as grounding, we headed out to the arena to participate in the mounted portion of the clinic, taking turns observing and riding. We were all extremely impressed with the demonstration of how to ground your feet, which is essential to establishing balance and fluidity on your horse. Dawn showed how the tension in the pelvis and hips creates muscle tightening in the upper thigh, closes the angle of the hip, inhibiting the motion of the "following seat" which coordinates your body movement with the horse's rather than interfering with it. She asked the rider to drop the stirrup, allow the foot to hang and with her hands under the upper leg, attempted to lift it off of the saddle.

Like a lead balloon, the leg was almost impossible to move. Dawn began a series of visualization exercises for the rider to follow, each one designed to release tension and free up the muscles and joints and allow the body to absorb the motion of the horse. Once the rider relaxed, it allowed Dawn to move the leg with greater freedom and lightness-and this happened in JUST MINUTES!!! I was able to experience this first hand and I will never forget how it made me so much more aware of my own body. Best of all, Chanty remained relaxed and with instruction from Dawn, I was able to improve my posting and trotting in just one lesson. EUREKA!

I can't wait for tomorrow......

The WHY of Horse Ownership

2009-06-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Mark Rashid's new book, "Whole Heart, Whole Horse". The subtitle is Developing Consistency, Dependability, Trust, and Peace of Mind Between Horse and Rider. I'm not sure at what point in your life with horses all of this becomes significant, because I've been around horses for 20 years, and it's only in the last 1-2 years that it has become really important. That got me to thinking, knowing how much time I've spent with these critters, trying to understand the what, where, when and for how long of horse training and it's just NOW that I've gotten to the why of horsemanship, what chance does the average horse owner have of reaching that question after just a few years, let alone understand the answer?

Let me explain. When I was first introduced to horsemanship, it was through, what else, videos from a very dear friend. I watched Parelli's original Seven Games and videos from John Lyons, in addition to VHS tapes from Clinton Anderson's earliest days (he was even thinner then). In addition, I read Parelli's book, "Natural Horse-Man-Ship". One of the statements in that book has stuck with me for 20 years and I am reminded of it every time I meet a new horse owner and their horse. I'm not quoting verbatim, but his words go something like this. For every 100 new horse owners there are today, in one year 80% of those original 100, some 80 people will be "out of horses"( I say two years). That means they are no longer riding or engaging in regular activity with their horse and have either sold it or put it on pasture or care with someone else until they can sell it.

Then out of the remaining 20 people of the original 100 owners, within FIVE years of acquiring a horse, 80% or another 16 owners will no longer own or be involved with their horse on a regular basis. That leaves just 4 owners out of every 100 who will still be directly caring for, riding, playing with, showing or training their horse regularly. I thought he was exaggerating, but now 20 years later, I can say that my observations confirm this every day.

Having been a new horse owner in the past, I can still remember the WHY that was in my mind when I bought my mare. I was going to go on long, luxurious rides with my friend, the horse, through verdent pastures, the wind blowing through my hair, our every move synchronized as she took me to a beautiful babbling brook deep in the woods, where we'd both share a drink from the clear cool water and I'd stroke her mane. With very little effort I'd climb on her back and as if she could read my mind, she'd take us both home through the hills and valleys of our gorgeous 10,000 acre ranch.....

And then, reality, bit me in the back side. You've already read some of my posts about the early "adventures" with Rose, my first horse. Once we realize that life with horses is not even close to our ideal, whether that's trail riding, showing, gaming, jumping and on and on... we try to "fix" what's wrong with the picture we now see in front of us, because we're oh so sure it is the horse's fault. Some people send horses to trainers (that term makes me cringe sometimes, because of how easily that title is acquired and how often it is thrown around by just about anyone who's ridden more than the owner who brings their horse to them) for the magical "60 or 90" days of training. Having spent 20 years with horses, and knowing how much I've done with my own in just the last 5 years, that's like saying a child can learn to read and write in 1 week.

We take a lot for granted about horses. They are physical beings, designed to run and it is their graceful athleticism that attracts us to them, but they are not born with someone on their back and we have to understand what it takes for a horse to build muscle strength, flexibility and stability as well as balance in their body AND mind! It's that mind part that is overlooked early on and it is what gets us into trouble with horses in a big way.

In addition,I was given the impression, that although horses didn't look alike, they basically came with the same understanding of what was expected of them. Some professionals lump horses into two categories, hot and nervous OR cold and lazy. One you have to kick harder than the other. The nervous ones you have to pull on more, possibly using a bigger bit or tie down.

Ah, that's the next phase of new ownership. If the training didn't take, then it's time for more tools, gadgets and gizmos known as TACK. Horses are just dumb animals, right? They just need to know how serious we are about our requests/demands by using force and intimidation. Pretty soon, the lovely picture of me and my horse as one riding into the sunset, has turned into a scene from the wild wild west, with my goal being to subordinate and subdue my horse until he submits to my will. It's now a battle to be won. If this technique doesn't work, I'll go on to another. I'll use a bigger stick, a larger knot on my halters. I'll MAKE this horse respect me if it's the last thing I do! I think that's what I said right before the horse bucked me off into a wall and I heard my collar bone crack.

Let me pause for a moment and take a deep, cleansing breath. I was starting to get my pulse up and my fingers were tightening over the keyboard, with teeth clenched. There was a point in my early days with my mare when I watched a couple of different "trainers" work with horses, including a woman who gave my daughter lessons. My little girl was about 8 or 9 at the time, riding a quiet chestnut mare around the arena at a very slow walk. When the trainer asked my daughter to pick up a trot, the horse did not respond and continued to walk. When this continued for several minutes, the trainer picked up a small rock in the arena and flung it at the horse's foot, startling it forward into a trot. Unfortunately, my daughter was not prepared, lost her balance and fell off into the soft dirt. Unhurt, she got up a bit shaken and was coaxed by the trainer to resume the lesson by climbing back into the saddle. It was the last time I took my daughter to a lesson with anyone and the first of many times I would hear myself say, "There's got to be a better way."

It's taken me years to find "a better way" and I had to struggle through many years of learning techniques and training methods, the how, what, where and when, that forgot to include the why. Maybe I had to become physically proficient at using all of these tools to work with the horse. Maybe I should have skipped the work part and just played with my horses. When you watch a lot of professional trainers (and I do, believe me), they seem to be either running their horses around to tire them, because moving their feet gains respect, I'm told, or they are moving ever so slow and deliberate, giving their horse time to absorb the small pieces of the puzzle that you've presented them with. That's where I am now.

Maybe, I'm older and can't pull on a lunge rope anymore or swing a stick and string to hit the mark, but I am trying to use as little energy as possible to get the most effective results. You know what...that's what the horses do. They're trying to tell us to observe their behavior and just act like a horse. They play, they move slowly and deliberately, quietly and compassionately, they hardly ever have to make contact with each other unless it's to scratch that unreachable itch. They want to be with us, they want to trust us, they want us to be consistent and dependable, so that they can be at peace in their life with us. Only then can they take me for the ride of my dreams. If you want that same ride, you should know right now that it will not happen in just 2 short years unless you remain true to the answer of why you wanted a horse in the first place and remember that the horse has to have a say in all of it. Once you make it a battle of us against them, you no longer have a relationship, let alone a friendship.

It's 20 years now and I see no sign of my passion for horses or my quest for a better relationship with them, ending anytime soon. I like being in the 4%, but it does get a little lonely.....

So Much Gorgeous Weather, So Many Choices

2009-05-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

It's official!!! It isn't spring until I can sit on my deck under the umbrella and have my breakfast while writing on my blog. Isn't wireless laptop technology the best? I can now look out over our acre and a half of property with its majestic douglas fir trees and enourmous alders, shading the beautiful slope of green grass-beautiful, that is, until I have to mow it. The striking yellow goldfinch that is our state bird is hanging on the bird feeders and the flowers I planted in the pots last week are blooming. Just behind me I can heard the buzz of the hummingbird tentatively swarming the feeder, trying to decide if that human is just a little too close for safety. And my adorable dog, Benji is sunning himself on the deck chair, watching the birds come and go in front of him, sniffing the air to see if there is anything out there that demands his attention. Ah...I could sit here all day!

The weather this weekend will be some of the warmest we've had this year and as I see it, I have several choices. I could lounge on the deck all day, taking in the sites previously described, I could plant more of my perennials, starting with the shaded areas first and waiting until after 6 to plant the sun exposed ones OR I could head out to the stables and take my girls out and play with them. Why not do ALL THREE!!!!! I've already spent almost an hour out here enjoying the beautiful nature that is in my back yard. After a very long, harsh winter, I deserve to sit and watch the trees turn greener, the flowers bloom larger and hear the chirping and buzzing of the birds in the trees. But...as usual, those stables are calling me.

I am fortunate in that I have access to so much information that can help me improve my relationship with my horses. I try to take a little bit from everyone I watch. Last night, for example, I popped in Barb Apple's DVD again and watched her demonstrate with her beautiful horses how to transition from online work to liberty using the string that comes with the Parelli carrot stick or the Clinton handy stick. She wrapped it around her horse's neck and as she asked her horse to "shadow" her she reached for the string to gently remind her horse to stay with her. I'm finding that the less I pull and tug or even make direct contact with my horses, whether on the ground or in the saddle, the more calm and responsive they are. They are so unaccustomed to being "handled" with direct contact when relating to each other, that it makes sense that once we place some artificial connection to them on their body, that they find it at the very least, annoying and at the most frightening.

I worked on more lateral "mobilizing" exercises yesterday evening (warm and sunny at 7 pm) with Chanty and found that if I practice moving her hindquarters away from a fence while first walking parallel with it, I can get her to make a specific movement without walking forward and then I don't have to pick up on her face AT ALL! She loves that and is so calm that I barely have to shift my weight with almost no leg on her side to push the hindquarters over. Then, when I tried it off the fence, she was less worried about it, knowing what I wanted. I know I've done that exercise before, but more as a prelude to simple side passing. Now I know I can use it to practice leg yields and shoulder in or haunches in. We finished with her quiet and walking slowly and I think we both felt better.

I'm telling you, this stuff works, but it is an ongoing project. One day you feel like you've progressed and your horse is giving you the trust you were looking for and other days, you forget yourself and blame it on your horse. I guess it's like living with family. Your moods affect their behavior and vice versa. It's the big picture that matters. As long as I make a sincere effort to work at my relationship with my horse every day, then, it will continue to improve.

I think I'll hang out here a little longer. Benji has moved off of the chair, so as not to fry his little body and the hummingbird is getting braver. I think the birds are taking a mid morning siesta, but they'll be back-I just filled the feeders. I think I'll have time to enjoy the outdoors today, no matter what I choose to do.

Priorities-What Can You Do in 30 Minutes?

2009-05-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but around here it is just beginning to feel like spring-barely. After gorgeous sunny weather in the 70s, it's now in the 50s and raining. In order to take advantage of the nice weather to plant my garden, I've had to take a break from the horses. How do you get it all done in one day? That has been a challenge for every one who owns a horse and a home and has a job and a family and a garden and on and on.....

So, I've learned to prioritize with the things that I do. Even if I have just 30 minutes to spend out at the stables, I try to make the most of it. In addition to having my horses to ride, I have access to at least 4 other horses, but tend to limit myself to 2 that are on my "needs consistent work" list. I've begun making a physical and mental list of what I am hoping to accomplish with each horse.

After watching Karen Rolff's DVD "Dressage Naturally", I went out and worked on her mobilizing exerises. She finally made it clear to me just how to break down the lateral moves so that both me and my horse can understand them. She demonstrates how to first practice it on the ground so that you learn to move your body while on the ground with the same lift in your upper body as you would when in the saddle to lighten yourself in preparation for asking your horse to move sideways with the hind quarters in a turn on the forehand or to lighten the front end for a turn on the hocks. I spent my precious 30 minutes the other day working on Chanty doing just that. Unfortunately, I had my "let's get this done" attitude, which is the last thing Chanty wants-pressure. The more I pushed the issue and forced my body and hers into position, the worse it got. Karen talks about exercising your horse on a loose rein (no bit, just halter) until they are calmly able to physically move without resistance. While her horse was more of a left brain, slow to go forward horse, I deal with the one who when nervous, goes right through my hands and runs away, before I can ask her to bend or soften or lift her back.

Most of my short sessions are done on the ground, because there is so much you can do with your horse that benefits them emotionally and physically. I've been working on getting Sally to walk and trot while I walk behind her on a 22ft rope. I ask her to whoa and gently lift her tail, without a pull and ask her to back up. Then we walk, trot and canter along side one another, in preparation for doing at liberty. It's tough for her to canter alongside me on a small circle, due to her hock arthritis. She shadows me so well and is getting so good at working on a really long lunge line. I'd work with her at liberty more, but we have only a small pen that's enclosed right now and that is too much work. The pasture works well for wide open running online.

The most fun I've had recently when using my imagination online, was when I had 30 minutes to exercise TWO horses. I had them both on 14 ft lines and I "asked" one to stand next to me in the center and then sent the other one out to walk, trot and canter around me and her buddy. At first, Blondy (the 23 yr old) was very nervous about me lifting my hand over her head and body to let the rope circle around and she kept moving. Eventually, though, they both got the idea and took turns going out to lunge while the other stood in the center with me. Eventually, I'm going to try it at liberty and see if I can keep one close by while the other runs on the outside of a round pen. I'll let you know how that goes.

It's always going to be a challenge to juggle all of the day to day activities. With warm weather, comes more things to do outside. As long as I can give my horses 30 min of my time, I feel it's worth it, as long as I'm stimulating their minds as well as their bodies.

So get out there and challenge yourself-what can you accomplish in 30 minutes? Use your imagination. And if you don't have one, get some great ideas from the best in horsemanship-check out a video at http://www.yourhorsematters.com/

Enjoy the spring!!!!

Emotional, Mental and Physical Preparation

2009-04-09T12:06:00.001-07:00

It's now been about 3 weeks since I began working with the 20 year old Palomino and already I've noticed a difference in her emotionally when we begin our groundwork. All of the years of learning to do the groundwork through repetition of "technical skills" (I can swing the rope, the stick and string and get my horse to move forward, backwards, sideways) did not prepare or explain the need to prepare the horse EMOTIONALLY. Unless the horse is calm and feels safe, she will not be able to mentally process what is asked (an absolute necessity for learning) of her physically. Even then, she may find that she is out of shape physically and finds it uncomfortable to perform physically, which makes her nervous, throwing her emotional state out of whack. It really is all interconnected. Now that I understand that, my work with horses has improved tremendously.

Imagine your first day at work on a new job. You've only been in your office or work environment once before for the interview, or maybe you were never there and this is your first experience away from a more familiar venue. All at once, you are being asked to do tasks that you've never done before and the person supervising you is impatient and frustrated that he/she has to repeat the instructions or ask you to perform the task, over and over and so becomes more aggressive, speaking even louder to you. If you weren't nervous to begin with, you are now. Your heart is racing and your mind is running faster than you can process what is being asked of you. Emotionally and mentally, you are out of your league, even though physically you are perfectly capable of completing the task at hand. It can be something as simple as filling out a form or running a piece of equipment.

Or how about when you first learned to drive? I have recently begun taking my son out to practice on quiet streets and large parking lots with his permit, in preparation for driving school, which begins next week. He is generally a quiet guy, but he keeps his emotions inside until the pressure builds and he can't think. He then begins making mistakes and quickly apologizes, but is unable to process what is being asked of him. He doesn't get angry or shout, instead he almost freezes physically, when he feels overwhelmed.

It reminds me of the horse I am currently working with. She is introverted, skeptical of anything new and tends to keep her cards close to her chest, so to speak, until she feels completely overwhelmed, freezes for a few moments and then her feet start moving. For horses, it can go either way, depending on their personality. My extroverted mare starts moving her feet immediately when she is nervous. This new horse gives a bit of a warning, raises her head, her eyes get big and she begins to tighten every muscle, right before she races off. Being a horse, their feet are their escape most of the time. I'm sure if my son was a prey animal, he'd run first and think later too.

It turns out that my experience with the horses has helped me to understand human behavior and with the recent driving experiences with my son, I know how important it is to remain quiet and calm with him, allowing him to process things before I move on to the next task. I know when he's calm-he lowers his head, licks his lips, blows out.....OOPS, that's what my horse does when she's calm. See how easy is to confuse the two??

So, next time you think about teaching your horse something new or even work on something old, but in a new environment, check to see if your horse (or human) is emotionally ready to accept and process new information or perform familiar tasks while being exposed to potentially scary surroundings. Repetition or simulation of the exercises or tasks helps to prepare your horse to respond appropriately, even when she is somewhere new. As long as you remain calm and accept that your horse may react nervously and learn to take as much pressure off at the right moment, you'll see your horse gain confidence in herself and you.

Now that the mare feels more emotionally ready, she has been able to learn more quickly and takes less time to change from one exercise to another. Her muscles are beginning to tone and strengthen, preparing her to physically perform the groundwork and under saddle patterns that I have asked of her. With time she will adapt to even more new things. It's wonderful to see, in a 20 years old horse-it's as if a whole new world has opened up for her!

I've already begun taking the mare out on the trails near the stables and she made it further this last trip than ever before, calmly, slowly and relaxed. And my son is now able to turn both directions and brake slowly while talking (a sure sign that he is relaxed). Horses aren't so different than us. They want to learn and they want to do it without worrying that their teacher will provoke feelings of inadequacy and fear, undermining their confidence.

It's all in the preparation and understanding your horse (or human)!

Never Stop Learning

2009-04-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I received an email about an upcoming clinic for anyone interested in becoming a centered riding instructor. I first heard about centered riding years ago when I came across a website about Sally Swift and her first book with the same title. I read the book cover to cover and was fascinated with the amount of information about the human and horse body (I am a medical professional and so anatomy and physiology comes easy to me). She was able to explain how to become a better rider by being more aware of your position, your balance, and your body mechanics in walking, riding or any movement. What really amazed me was that she had written the book and started her centered riding movement when she was 61 years old. It proves that you are never too old to follow your passion. She had used the Alexander technique in her own life after being diagnosed with scoliosis. It changed her life.

And so, I've decided to work towards becoming a certified instructor. The organization is going to make it available starting in 2010, with courses starting this summer. In the past I've audited the CHA (Certified Horsemanship Association) course for instructors and felt I should continue my education through centered riding. I want to take the information from centered riding and use it with my students so that they will understand how their bodies can work more effectively, allowing their bodies and their horse acquire strength, tone and flexibility without inflicting pain.

So much of what we do every day that causes discomfort or even debilitating pain is because of the misuse of our body, due to lack of awareness of how it works. This applies not only to the bone, muscles, tendons and joints used to move our bodies, but also, what we put into our bodies to fuel it. It's the same for the horses. We assume that horses are physical beings that naturally run, buck, kick and play and do not need to be conditioned to do the daily activities that we ask of them. We also assume that their backs are able to hold an unlimited amount of weight, no matter what their size or age or their physical condition at the time we begin riding them. We don't take into consideration the ground that they are ridden on and how it affects their legs, feet and all the supporting structures above.

We feed, or should I say overfeed them because we heard that grain and alfalfa is what horses like and NEED. It is like saying, we need 10,000 calories a day because we read that Olympic athlete Michael Phelps eats that much and we want to be healthy and look like him. Most horses require very little to maintain their weight and overall good health and for some (like my laminitis horse), feeding too much can actually cause severe problems.

Ironically, just as I made my decision to complete the coursework for a centered riding instructor, Sally Swift, 96 years young passed away at her home in Vermont. After more than 30 years of sharing her dream with others, she now passes the tradition to those who have respected her teachings for all of these years. The organization has begun to standardize their levels of instruction and publish a handbook for all CR instructors. As stated in their website, this "should help us achieve quality instruction, recognition, and credibility as individual Centered Riding Instructors, as an international educational organization, and for the continuation of the work of Sally Swift." I feel privileged to be a part of that work and look forward to my first clinic in July. The learning continues.....

I Have a New Teacher

2009-03-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've had time to reflect on my horses. A recent show with Chanty was very helpful in giving me specific guidelines for our continuing training. She needs to control her speed while being allowed to move forward on a straight line, specifically in an arena. We've trailered out several times to the local fairgrounds and with just 3 sessions, she is so much better. She has taught me so much about patience and persistence. We have had a major breakthrough in our relationship and I owe it all to her-my teacher.

And, this past week I've begun riding a "new" horse. She is more than 20 yrs old, but is in good health and just needs to get back into shape. She belongs to a young woman who has boarded her horse right near mine for years. With a baby less than a year old, going to school and work, she is like a lot of horse owners who find themselves strapped for time with their critters. I have been enjoying the riding so much and improving my balance and position with leg and seat cues that it is great to try it out on all different horses. So, in exchange for cleaning her stall a couple times a week, I get to ride another horse. It works out for everyone-especially the horse, who is going to get a lot of great exercise-mental and physical. And, I guarantee, she will be teaching me something new.

This palomino tends to have a personality that reacts first, thinks later. Unfortunately, she reacts sometimes by freezing, in terror, until she can't hold it in anymore and then she reacts. Much like my overtly excitable mare, Chanty, she will run very fast when she is nervous. But, when she is calm and we are communicating, she will trot and canter slow and low, a perfect Western Pleasure horse. I describe her movements as "smooth as butter". Being that she's yellow in color, it seems very appropriate.

I've noticed that on the ground, she is not accustomed to being aware of her handler's movements. She knows to walk forward, but tends to overshoot the human and walks right past when I stop. She doesn't like to back up and gets impatient when she is done for the day and wants her dinner (who doesn't?) We're doing basic groundwork and little by little I'm going to ask her to show me just how engaged she can become with her rider. I can see where one would just "get on and ride" this horse, since she acts so quiet when you come up to her. But, the first time you take her somewhere new, a different horse emerges-wide eyed, racing from side to side and pulling away. All of this before anyone even gets in the saddle. She cannot be ridden safely on trails. Confidence is a big issue and one we will be working on. That's why I say that she will be getting mental as well as physical exercise.

She is physically unbalanced and does not like going to the right. We are doing lots of flexing and bending with circles and serpentines as well as lateral movements to get her muscles worked, tendons stretched on both sides. I stay off of her back to encourage forward movement and to allow those muscles to strengthen. I think we will see progress quickly. I've begun riding with music more and more and it is such a great motivator as well as a way to lift your spirits (as if being on a horse wasn't enough). I still dream of getting Chanty to "dance" to my favorite tunes. I'll keep working at that.

The weather is getting warmer (and wetter) and soon I'll be able to work with more horses outside on a regular basis. Each day is another opportunity to learn from some of the greatest teachers around-the horses!

In Her Eyes

2009-02-27T18:23:00.000-08:00

EUREKA! Success! Today was one of those days when I had to just admit that I had been a stubborn fool and was blaming my own laziness or lack of preparation that caused the rides to fail, on my beautiful, sensitive horse. Instead of working on my turns by using my seat and leg with more balance and correct leg position WITHOUT using any reins, I had continued to use my hands to balance myself and in doing so was pulling on my horse's mouth. Over and over again she'd speed up as I pulled to keep myself from falling over. The lack of steadiness on her back made her nervous, then speed up, at which time I would, of course, pull her mouth to slow down, which would make her go even faster to avoid my rough hands.

Today I completely avoided contact and I could see immediately when I was shifting the wrong way, dropping my shoulder or putting too much weight into my left stirrup when I was trying to go right, but would lean too far and put me and Chanty off balance. I could tell immediately when I was doing it right. She would turn beautifully and continue on the rail slowly and more relaxed. We worked on it with my endurance saddle which has a different feel than the dressage saddle, but then after a short rest and a treat, changed saddles and boots so that I could prepare to ride her in that saddle next week. She was fantastic. My student watched and was so impressed at how SLOW Chanty was as she sees her as a very fast horse, because of how many times her nervousness had dictated the speed at which she moves. Nervousness that was caused by my imbalance and erratic pull on the reins. I had to tell my student that we are ALL students, constantly learning and for me, who helps others for the satisfaction I feel, it means that I will continue to improve as a teacher, even as I educate myself.

It never ceases to amaze me how forgiving horses are to us clods of humankind. Chanty, if she were a person, would have seen me coming with the saddle and bridle today and said: "Haven't I given you enough chances to get it right. I'm not going to let you bounce all over me and pull on my sensitive mouth, hurting me and making me feel so scared. Do you think I'm nuts?" Why do they allow us to keep coming back so we can get it right. I suppose it is because their survival depends on living in a herd, putting up with the day to day stress of life. Some don't put up with the physical torment of humans, any more than they would put up with it from a herdmate. They will fight back and make sure you don't do the same thing again. Chanty just wants to get along and knows where her comfort comes from in the form of food, water and shelter. She puts up with me, to a point and I thank her for letting me come back another day and try again. Hopefullly, I will do what works for her from now on so that our rides will be enjoyable and I will see in her eyes the calm, sweet creature that she is...thank you Chanty!

Just the Way You Are

2009-02-20T11:18:00.001-08:00

I am really enjoying this warm sunny weather as it gives me a chance to spend more time with my horses. One of my favorite things to do is ride to music and now that I own an IPOD with some pretty awesome speakers, I can play my music anywhere, including outdoors in the arena. I just put it on and shuffle the songs and off we go. I find that the slower music works well when I'm trying to get my nervous, sensitive horse to improve her lateral moves-shoulder in, travers, renvers (In the travers and renvers the horse is bent evenly from head to tail. The haunches come away from the line of travel either away from (travers) or toward (renvers) the wall. The forehand stays on the line of travel.) It makes her nervous when I put my leg back because she thinks I'm trying to ask her to move off forward and the more I press on her flanks the faster she goes. So then I try to keep her from going forward by holding the rein steady, open and close to get her to slow. It's not that she can't do the maneuvers, it's that she needs desensitizing to my leg so she understands not to move off quickly or exaggerate her entire body around to the right or left as she would on a circle. Lateral moves are so great for getting their back end strong and flexible and the back lifted, so that when you ask them to move off straight or on a circle, they "collect" themselves or work more off of the strength of their hindquarters with very light touch down of the forequarters. Horses only put 60% of their weight on the forehand if they are standing still. Once they learn to balance and strengthen themselves with the weight of the rider, there is much less weight on front end.

With everything new comes stress for my horse (and me) and the lateral moves for her have made her more nervous. I've begun practicing them on the ground with me standing behind her tail and just to the side with the lunge rope going through the stirrup. We also work on WHOA and back up. I'm teaching her to back up with a slight pull of her tail or tap on her back. This is a real challenge for a horse that takes any contact as a reason to move off and especially a pull on her tail. Sensitive right brain horses don't mind moving their front ends away, but they don't like to "give up" the hindquarters as it is their means of escape.

I had the chance to help a new horse owner with her thoroughbred mare whose personality is much like my Morgan, Chanty. Nervous, sensitive and prone to use flight as an escape whenever she feels pressure (emotionally or physically). She does not like the constant pull of the reins and it will be the first issue for her owner-learning to be as light as possible with her hands. I feel for her-I still work on that issue daily. My horse keeps me honest though and I know when I'm getting it right....or wrong.

At the end of my lesson to music with Chanty, I went to retrieve Sal from her dry paddock and brought my portable "boom box" so I could listen while I cleaned her dry paddock in the warm afternoon sun. Sal just wanted me to finish and take her up to eat, but I couldn't resist serenading her to Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are". "I would not leave you, in times of trouble, we never could have come this far...." "I just want someone, that I can talk to. I love you just the way you are." Sal was not impressed but I hugged on her anyway. Her coat is looking so much better since I switched to some dryer/coarser grass hay. The stable owner said that the other hay they supply is actually a "poor man's alfalfa" which contains lots more starches. The worst thing for Sal. Since switching to plain old grass hay, the flaking, gray powder from the skin fungus has almost disappeared and she is not rolling in mud to relieve the itching-her coat is clean and shiny. She looks brighter too. Next issue it to try some low dose bute to control her hock arthritis. I have to keep the old girl moving.

Oh well, the girls are as different as can be but I enjoy every minute with them. I hope they feel the same and that they would say "Don't go changing to try and please me....I love you just the way you are."

My Reflection in My Horse

2009-02-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I had plenty of time and natural sunlight to trim my old gal Sal. Our time together is always special to me-we've been through a lot together and the quiet moments remind me what a wonderful animal and friend she is to me. Sally is my 18 year old Morab (Morgan Arab), acquired summer of 1998. The year is significant, since my daughter is the same age as Sally and I have some great pics of the two of them, young and energetic, as well as pictures with me, younger and thinner. Sally is my reflecting pond-by that I mean, if you want to know how much knowledge and experience I've gained with horses over the last 10 years, then look at Sal.

After I had determined that my first horse Rose (see previous blog entry Jan 3 "My Old Friend Rose") was not going to trailer easily and I had no clue how to change that, I decided it was time to go looking for another horse. A woman who babysat my daughter ( 8 yrs old at the time) told me to look in the Nickel ads (where I found Rose-I should have named one of my horses, "Nickel") and see what was available. It just so happened that a young girl had placed a rather detailed, lengthy ad about a horse that she described as sweet and friendly, who whinnies when she sees you coming. She had rescued the horse from the neighbor who apparently could not afford to feed her and so had left her in their pasture to starve in winter and to gorge herself in spring when the new grass came in. Her ad was so endearing and sincere, that I had to go check this horse out.

True to form, when I arrived on the property and began walking toward the paddock with the young girl's mother, Sally whinnied loudly as if she knew I had arrived to retrieve her. She was surrounded by a couple of minis which the young girl was breeding and for whom she was going to spend the profits from Sally's sale. Sally also stood next to their dog and a few barnyard birds wandering around. The first thing I noticed about Sal when I got close enough, was her eyes-big, round, brown and soft like melted chocolate chips and just as sweet. I fell in love immediately. What I noticed next, though, was how thin she was and how dull her coat was. The young girl explained that Sally had been living in an overgrazed pasture and had been malnourished for some time. Because of her inconsistent nutritional intake, Sally was anemic and suffering from muscle wasting. Then there were her feet....

The mother mentioned that horses like Sally who are fed very little and then gorge on the fresh grass of the pasture develop "founder". I had read about the condition but knew only enough to make me wonder if I was committing myself to a horse with too many health problems to really justify the $1000 that they were asking for her. I asked the young girl to show me how Sal acted under saddle and she rode her for a few minutes in the outdoor arena behind her house. It was obvious that Sal had no real training and the young girl did admit that she knew that Sal was just "green broke"-accustomed to the weight of saddle and rider with a bit in her mouth, but very little in the way of advanced training.

Needless to say, I decided to bring Sal home and "try her out" for a week. I compare it to the day I announced to my husband that I'd found an ad at the pet store for a lab-golden retriever mix puppy and I just wanted to "go look at her". Who was I kidding? That puppy was mine before we pulled into the driveway. And there was no way I was giving up Sally once I brought her home. The vet confirmed through blood work that Sally was anemic and her protein was low. He was sure she'd improve with good nutrition and exercise. Then I had the farrier look at her to determine what could be done with her feet and was I looking at long term problems. He said and I quote "I wouldn't pay $50 for this horse." Well, I didn't pay $50, I paid $1000 and as they say on the commercial, "The last ten years with Sally-priceless!!!"

Sally was the horse who put up with all of my ignorance, my impatience and allowed me to learn about riding while she tried to figure out what the heck I wanted from her. She was the first horse that learned the "Seven Games" after my good friend Martha (now gone to the great riding stables in the sky) took me to a clinic with a Parelli trainer from Oregon. Sally had to live through all of the early Clinton Anderson videos and struggled to understand why I was asking her to run through poles, barrels and keyhole patterns when I did not have a clue what I was doing. She was patient with me when I asked her do Western Pleasure at the few shows I managed to make it through, even though she is a Morab with a much too high headset to be conformed for Western Pleasure.

What I did discover about Sal was that she likes to go fast! After a very rocky start with trail riding on some of the most beautiful forests in our area, she and I became inseparable and my hours in the saddle with her were some of the most rewarding and enjoyable. She could run up a hill and tear down the trail home at mock speed, sending dust flying in the face of my husband, the mountain bike rider as he slowly trudged up the hill behind us. Every year our trail rides got better and better as I learned to treat Sally as a partner and she and I gained the confidence we needed to enjoy our time together. Only once did I suffer an injury with Sally when she became nervous on a narrow single track when we went between two trees. My knee did not give very well as it sideswiped a large Douglas fir in our path. OUCH!

Sally is also the reason I became a natural hoof trimmer. It was my beautiful Sally who was subjected to my ignorance and overfeeding (kill them with kindness) of grains and treats, thinking I was just keeping up with her increased caloric needs as we rode harder and longer trails in addition to the early dressage training in the arena ( I told you she's been there with me for it all!). Sally's laminitis and founder came to full bloom in January 2003 and although she had been warning me for months (crest getting larger, fat pads over her eyes, shoulders and back side), I did not see it! When it finally reached the boiling point, her feet would no longer hold her and she lay down in agony. Horses will not lay down for very long unless they can not stand the pain and it has to be a lot of discomfort for them to give up their means of escape.

I can feel tears welling up just thinking about what I put Sally through and it has been my goal in life (with horses) to make sure she will never suffer again from the ravage of laminitis. Her coffin bone rotated in both front feet, right worst than left. That began the years of corrective trimming that only prolonged the damage and delayed the healing of her feet which I've been able to accomplish, thanks to the incredible information and instruction of Pete Ramey and his students who've helped me. I've detailed Sal's story at the website and will be featuring the article in its entirety here on the blog in the coming months.

It's been ten years since I first met Sal. Life with me has taken its toll on Sal and we are still struggling with the issue of how much starch is appropriate in her grass hay. I've been told to test it or soak it. I have begun the Triple Crown Low Starch feed which is fantastic but she is still getting too much sugar in her hay as evidenced by the overgrowth of fungal organisms on her skin (that gray powder flaking on her mane, skin of shoulders and the chronic lesions on her lower rear legs). She is basically a diabetic who needs rigid control of her sugars. She gets NO TREATS that have apples, carrots (highest in sugar), molasses treats, cookies, etc.

We'll keep working at it and although Sal suffers from arthritis (years of shoeing that put her joints under great stress due to extreme angles and other "corrective" measures), I keep her moving on the long (23 ft) lunge line and an occasional ride. She reminds me to have patience and to learn more about the horse so that I can share it with other owners. She has a wisdom in her eyes now and when people look at her they see a horse with all the years of experience without having lost the sweetness that's been there all along. I hope she is a reflection of all we've shared and how much I care about her. Luv you Sal Gal.

Patient and Understanding-The Horse is Master

2009-01-27T16:05:00.000-08:00

I've just finished watching a new documentary, "The Path of the Horse" by Stormy May. She was once a trainer and instructor, but recently decided to delve deeper into her understanding (or lack of understanding) of the horse by searching the globe and asking others who have found an incredible connection with horses. In watching the video, I saw yet another reminder of my own immaturity with horses. I forget that in using any kind of force or pain with my horses, that I am just reducing myself to the lesser of two creatures-I am unable to control the horse, because I don't understand the horse's behavior or subtle signals and so resort to using varying degrees of punishment. It doesn't have to be physical pain that we use to control our horses. It can be whatever causes our horse to be distressed and seek escape, either by physically leaving or mentally checking out.

My newest student and her horse are struggling and I have tried to understand what the horse was telling us, but I was not hearing the entire story. The horse does want to be in charge and does have a strong, willful personality. But he also has a lack of confidence with new or scary situations. His choice when faced with some circumstances that he fears is to freeze and to hide within himself until the fright goes away. It occured to me that the reason this is so confusing for humans, is that the first thing we are taught about horses, is that they are prey animals and usually run from what scares them, unless they are trapped, in which case, they would fight, even if it meant that they would be injured or killed.

What possible benefit to survival does this "catatonic" state serve? If a horse was faced with a scary object or situation, why would they want to freeze in place? I thought about it long and hard, picturing the deer that are so common in the woods around our home. Everyone's heard the expression, "he was like the deer in the headlights of a Peterbilt!" referring to the frozen stance of a deer when he finds himself exposed and the object of a predator. It turns out that this works quite well for animals that are off by themselves in an open area. Standing absolutely still and blending in with the surrounding terrain throws off the predator who is looking for their prey to walk, move it's tail or head and neck. There is certainly going to be plenty of horses with the same characteristic to their personality and behavior. Having confused their predator long enough to distract him until he moves on to another area, the horse can then make a hasty escape back to the protection of the herd. It just so happens that the other half of this horse's personality is his independence and dominance that in the wild (as an intact stallion) would make for a great protector for his mare's band of horses.

Every experience with horses is a chance to learn more about ourselves, even more than about the horses. I was so determined to have the upper hand with this horse, that I forgot to listen. I have gotten so much better listening to my excitable, expressive, fearful mare who runs off at the littlest provocation, that I forgot that there are many ways of expressing fear and communicating feelings. I will apologize to the horse and make sure I don't make the same mistake again...but, we are humans and I'm sure there will be other mistakes. Thank goodness the horse is so patient and understanding.

Two Horses, Two Experiences

2009-01-21T18:32:00.000-08:00

For some reason this month has ZOOMED by! I guess once the skies cleared and the snow melted, floods receded, there was nothing left to do but......RIDE! For the past week, I've been on at least 2 horses every chance I could. Not at the same time, of course. I haven't been watching the Tommy Turvey videos or anything silly like that. I keep watching DVDs about the different personalities of horse and how the training varies from one horse to the next. Having owned a very nervous extroverted horse who thinks everyone including me is out to kill her, it's been difficult to work with my friend's horse, who by nature is very outward with his emotions, but uses them to dominate and take charge, unlike my mare who's looking for a leader to keep her from feeling so darn scared all the time.

I've decided to ride the dominant horse now and having worked with him on the ground until I feel he is safe enough to ride, we've begun discussing his difficult (in my mind) nature while under saddle. Asking him to walk off on a loose rein with a gentle squeeze, leads to a head toss and a nose that comes back as if to say, "do that again and I'll bite it off." My answer? Go for it big boy! I use a spanker: either a riding crop, dressage whip or the end of my rope reins tied to the horn. I tap him and very sternly tell him no, which is more for me, than him, but I do believe he knows I'm serious when he hears that on the ground, because my body language follows the sound of my voice. He's looking for a leader who has what it takes to lead and he won't take someone who is inconsistent, hesitant or easy to push on. I call it, "Lead, follow or get out of the way". He's perfectly happy to show you the way out if you let him.

Today was the 3rd time I've ridden him in 4 days. I would love to ride him everyday for several days/weeks, but I guess like everyone else, I have a job that pays for my horse passion and the time is just not there. He was much more responsive in the saddle today and did not fight the idea of going forward on the lightest cue or turn, with weight and seat cues first. I did have to remind him to go left when he would get lazy and not bend, but most of all I tried not to pull on his mouth or face. I thought about using the halter, instead of a bit/bridle, but one of my goals this year is to become absolutely feather light with my hands. This horse responds to pulling with more pulling, in his direction. He can out wrestle anyone and it turns the whole experience into a battle. Instead I use the carrot stick or my crop to tap him along side the right neck to tell him to move away to the left so I don't have to pull him in that direction. By the time our session was over, he was turning figure eights, patterns and circling quieter. Giving him somewhere to go and something to do makes a big difference; he is playful and curious by nature and riding mindless circles does not help his disposition. He was trained by using spurs to get him to go and so it's been a real challenge to teach him that he is responsible for responding to light cues and to relax and lower his head without tiedowns. Every day there is improvement. The goal is to get the owner back on again so she can regain her confidence and not get discouraged about her horse. I want her to understand that on the days that her horse is looking very nervous and right brained, she needs to remain calm and reassuring without getting run over, and on the days that he is calm and domineering, she needs to take charge and let him know what a good leader she is, so he will not even try to take over. It's a real balancing act and more than she had bargained for when she bought her first horse as a new rider.

When I was finished riding the "challenging" horse, I got on my lovely mare, Chanty. We have progressed so much in the last few months. I'm now asking her to stand absolutely still while I get on. I don't touch her head or mouth, just grab mane and put a leg up. Her job is not to lower her head and pull the reins away or step forward or toss her head around and look back at me. When I do get in the saddle, I still don't touch her reins, just quietly place my feet in the stirrup and when I do pick up the reins, it is because she has raised her head quietly and will stand still even with contact on her mouth. Yeah, I know you think, "what's the big deal?" I know I'd win a few bets if I asked several of my fellow horse owners at the barn to do the same. Our horses are pros at walking off the minute you put your foot in the stirrup and if you have a nervous horse like mine, it's almost a given. She was so quiet today that on our short trail ride behind the property, she walked as slow as the quarter horses that love the long stroll. At one point, I asked her to WHOA with the slightest cue and she stood and munched a little while the other 2 horses walked right by her and continued way ahead of her on the trail. Normally, Chanty would not let a horse get even a step ahead of her and if they did, she would race ahead to catch up and get home first. It was incredible-she was even calmer than the quietest horse on the ride, who began trotting and jigging when her buddy went off onto another trail for a short time so that it's owner could keep him from running back to the barn on the way home.

All the work at WHOA and stopping while Chanty was quiet, not while she was worked up has paid off; now she stays calm and with no pulling on her mouth, stops worrying about me hurting her and creating so much worry and distress. The last hurtle is the walk home on the driveway, when she can see the barn. Her pace quickens, her head comes up and the fast walk, sewing machine trot starts. Today, we picked several points on the driveway for markers so that she could see where we were going to stop. She would have to remain calm or I would not allow her to move off. Once she got real close to the barn, she was near our outdoor arena and it was there that I began another lesson. If she chose to speed up going home, we went into the arena and she had to canter around for several laps, change directions and canter some more. Then we left the arena, walked away from the barn for several yards and turned to go back.

After the 4th trip to the arena to canter, she finally began slowing as she walked back. It may have just been physical exhaustion, but it made her feel uncomfortable and she thought twice about speeding up. We'll have to repeat this lesson several days in a row (or at least 2-3 times in the next week) and she will get the message: "If you race toward home, you'll meet the arena surface and you are definitely going to have to go fast, but not because you want to."

No matter what I do with my horses (or other people's horses) I know that they will learn something and so will I. The hope is that we learn something positive that will carry through for the rest of their life and mine.

My Old Friend, Rose

2009-01-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

It was finally time to get caught up on all the trims that have been put off during the really bad weather. I was able to finish 4 of them a couple of days ago and today I made a trip out to see my 28 year old "retired" mare, who lives at our neighbor's place with two geldings, one who is older than my horse.

Rose, a red roan appaloosa, was my first horse. I found her in an ad in a local "Nickel" newspaper over 20 years ago. Her owner was leasing her, asking that whoever was willing to take on the responsibility, would pay for her board and feed and foot care, as well as insure her for loss, in case of death or injury. Little did I know that it wouldn't be long before I was to be part of her first injury in my care. I was what horse people call "green" with horses, knowing little more than that they had 4 legs, the front end was for food and that you were guaranteed to spend most of your time cleaning what came out of the other end.

The first day with Rose, I went out to the stables to acquaint myself with her and began by removing her blanket. Apparently her owner had told me how to crosstie her when I was grooming, saddling or picking her feet, but had forgotten to mention how to correctly release the straps from her blanket before removing it. I guess I thought I'd unsnapped everything, but in reality, had forgotten one of the straps around her back leg.

Looking back, I'm sure that Rose was staring at me wide eyed, knowing I was a noobie, just waiting for me to screw up and put her in mortal danger. She didn't have to wait long. As I pulled the blanket from back to front, I knew immediately that something was wrong. I met with resistance and after giving it a bigger tug, the blanket would move no further. Rose, on the other hand, moved swiftly....straight up. In what was probably seconds, but seemed liked minutes, I watched Rose raise her entire front end up in the air, striking the large fluorescent bulbs above her, breaking one just above her left eye. The crossties did not release her and she pulled back to avoid hitting the post next to her. I don't remember what happened after that, except that once I backed away from Rose and she stopped moving, I could see the blood coming from her scalp. Oh my God....what have I done!!!! I'm not sure whose pulse was racing faster-mine or Rose. True to her patient and generally forgiving nature, she remained still while I finished removing her blanket. It was not an impressive beginning. But, then there was no where to go but up (meaning my progress with horses, NOT Rose's front end).

Within 2 weeks of our first incident, Rose began showing signs of significant agitation while I was riding her. She kept lifting her back leg and striking at the air and touching her side with her nose everytime I put my leg on her. More out of fear for my own safety than concern for Rose's condition, I got off of her. I called in someone from the stables who had been helping me and she watched Rose as she wandered loose in the arena, no longer carrying me or the saddle. She began dropping to the ground and rolling and at one point did not get up, instead looking at her sides and shaking her head. Rose was collicking. It was my first experience with the condition and my first encounter with a veterinarian who cared for large animals. An hour later, after being "tubed" and given banamine, Rose was walking the arena at the end of the lead rope and I was $100 poorer. By this time I was thinking, "This horse ownership isn't just about riding is it?"

Part of my financial responsibility in leasing Rose was to pay for her foot care, which at the time included shoes. The farrier, highly recommended, introduced me to the condition in horses, known as "navicular". This refers to the bone in the foot of the horse and a corresponding tendon, that was apparently responsible for heel pain in horses that becomes chronic, leading to not only shoes, but pads and eventually crippling pain and possible early demise. Rose,was originally trained for cutting, a sport that involves running, sliding, quick turning and side to side movements while keeping a cow in front of her as part of an activity originally used by cattleman to move the cows and keep them together. This put a significant physical strain on her body, especially the legs and feet. She was good at it and so had been used in competition for several years before I met her.

Rose, only eight years old, had been wearing shoes since she was just over 2 years old. My farrier told me, that she was already showing signs of lameness, but that he would continue to take care of her. I figured that as long as he was keeping her in shoes that she'd be fine. Everyone knew more than me at this point, so I just listened and nodded. Little did I know that years later, I would discover that not only was it the shoes that CAUSED the condition of "navicular syndrome", but that by removing them and trimming her properly, she would completely recover. Horses who develop navicular syndrome begin standing with their front legs out in front of them to take the weight off their heels, where the pain is severe. They walk toe first and their trot and canter shows distinct shifts of weight that reflect the discomfort of putting weight on their front heels. The rear feet usually have no problem. (If you want to seriously delve into this, I highly recommend going to Pete Ramey's site http://www.hoofrehab.com/ and search through his articles) So much misinformation about this condition has been circulated that to this day, farriers will tell you that there is a genetic predisposition or that it is because of damage to the navicular bone and associated tendon and that it responds to severing of the nerve in the heel, but will eventually require putting the horse down, usually at an early age.

Well, I'm here to tell you-this is not true. Now three years from having her shoes AND pads removed, Rose stands up straight in the front, walks heel first and is running in the pasture with her 30 year old buddy Tetley and his younger male counterpart Salty. Rose's condition was caused by placing shoes on a horse whose "digital cushion" had not fully developed. As a foal, the digital cushion consists of a soft fatty material which works well for a horse that weighs no more than 250 lbs. But with continued heel first landings, the digital cushion and the sensitive nerves in the heel, become matured and a thickened protective area of the frog develops that allows the horse to run on the surface that they will live and work the rest of their life. Rose's digital cushion never really developed and so with each year that went by, the pain of carrying her weight on her soft, mushy heels, increased. Each time the shoe and pad were placed over the soft area, she was denied a chance to thicken and toughen the area, creating a vicious cycle that led to lameness and significant discomfort with every step.

When I trimmed Rose today, she stood for me with very little discomfort other than what she feels from the pain in her right shoulder. All the years of running with shoes and pads which are very harmful to the joints due to the concussive force of metal to ground that runs up the leg to the shoulder and back, matched by the unnatural toe first landings she had to make to avoid pain at her heels, gave Rose arthritis. Giving her just one bute a day, along with the trimming that has corrected her "navicular syndrome", has made all the difference. Rose's heels now grow quite long to protect the area of her frog that is still less than adequate for an adult horse. After 28 years, she cannot completely reproduce nature's early growth of the digital cushion, but her foot has adapted to the terrain and she is very happy.

She waited a long time for me to get it right for her. But she is a patient and forgiving creature. And like that first day 20 years ago, she let me make mistakes without giving up on me. Now I hug and kiss on her and let her know that she has taught me more than she'll ever know....My old friend Rose!

Safe and Comfortable on a Cold Day

2008-12-20T13:27:00.000-08:00

It's still snowing here and I was able to make a quick trip to the stables before the real heavy stuff starts again. Luckily, we are warm and cozy in our house and our horses are staying inside their stalls today. This is far and away the most snow we've ever had here in the 21 years of living in the NW. I'm originally from Chicago, so I've lived through a couple of blizzards that literally paralyzed the city, stopping the buses, freezing the "3rd rail" on the elevated trains and keeping the streets impassable for almost a week, so I know what real snow is. It's great when you are in school and it means that you don't have classes. For the kids here it means that they got 3 extra days of Christmas vacation. But what you don't do now, you have to make up later.

That reminded me of how many times I've tried to cut corners with horses and their training. When I was inexperienced and lacking in the knowledge I have now, I would find myself struggling to get a horse to stand still while I put on its halter, remove or put on its blanket and numerous other common routine activities that we have to do every day. I would pull on the horse or slap it or yell at it and finish what I was doing, figuring it was no big deal. Then, after owning horses for several years and gaining a little insight, I realized that even the small things can become a major hassle. I still watch horse owners struggling and wonder how involved they really are with their horse, because, it can't be fun to put up with the annoyance of constantly battling with your horse about everything!! I guess they figure, like I did, that it's just this one time and it seems "easier and quicker" to finish and go. It would take longer, right then, to stop and give the horse a quick lesson on how to behave and how to respond to particular cues, so that the routine becomes enjoyable for the horse and the owner.

Why is it that we have time to do the wrong thing over and over, but we don't have time to do the right thing once? I've heard it explained as similar to someone who wants to hang a picture by putting a nail in the wall. Except that, the only thing you have available is a wrench. Sure you can hammer the nail into a wall with the flat end of a wrench, but it's not the right tool or the most efficient way to accomplish the task. Imagine telling a hoof care person that the only tool they can use to trim the horse was a nail file-not a rasp-a file that humans use to take the edges off of their fingernails. Just how quickly would they stop and say, "this isn't working" and tell you just how frustrated they were. Why do we put up with the frustration? We either don't know any better or the alternative takes more time or thought on our part. I compare it to parenting. I'm sure you've all seen someone who instead of thinking ahead and avoiding disruptive behavior in their children, just end up yelling or spanking them in public when they act up. I call it "preventative versus reactive" parenting.

Most of us who love horses learn just enough to get us through an average day with our horses. Clean, feed, lead your horse in without being hurt or at least without having your arm completely pulled out of the socket. One of two things usually has to happen before people realize that they need to expand their knowledge and skills with horses: they begin taking their horse out, away from the routine of daily life and/or the owner gets hurt while handling/riding the horse. The great thing about horses, unlike children, is that they are looking for a leader, every minute of every day and if they meet someone new, human or horse, they start the process all over. They are literally checking your qualifications for leadership as you walk them from point A to point B. They can tell pretty quickly, if you can cut it. Depending on whether their personality is more dominant or submissive, you have to show leadership that fits their needs. Children and adolescents as they get older, figure out how to get around authority and leaders because they figure they don't need them anymore and they've experienced inconsistency and dysfunctional behavior. Horses are much more forgiving and that's why we love being around them. You can have another chance EVERY time you're with them.

So, even if you didn't take care of things today, with a little knowledge and time, you'll convince your horse that you can make his life enjoyable and keep him safe tomorrow and from now on. That's all he really wants. To be safe and comfortable on a cold day......or any day!

P.S. If you look closely, the photo above was taken in the same place as the photo from the fall and the blog entry "A Beautiful Day".

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

2008-12-17T09:50:00.001-08:00

I suppose we're not the only ones having some pretty cold, snowy weather. But, here in the NW it is not typical for us to go down into the teens at night and to have 4 to 6 inches of snow. It only has to snow an inch or two for the schools to be closed because so many people live in rural, hilly areas where the buses would have trouble navigating the slippery roads. Our snow plows come only once the snow has stopped......we're still waiting.

We're inside staying warm and cozy, but I worry about all of the horses out there who don't have shelter or whose water is freezing over with these low temps. Our horses are in stables and have blankets, but it's a real challenge to keep their water defrosted. I'm still wondering how I'm going to get to the stables, even with the studded tires on my car.

Cold weather can be rough on older horses and I'm concerned about my 28 year old mare who lives at the neighbors. She too has a stall and wears a blanket, but it gets harder and harder for her to tolerate these cold winters. Sometimes having the blanket on is worse because we tend to leave it and not brush the horses adequately. Having a thick coat of fur/hair beats a thin blanket that flattens the protective natural coat. Giving horses enough hay to generate body heat is also important and it is always a balancing act for me with my laminitic horses. Too much hay and they get their blood sugars out of whack with the negative consequences, and too little hay and they suffer the stress of being cold during the long dark nights.

It really is beautiful to sit here at the window and watch the snow come down and it'll give me a chance to finish the last of my Christmas cards and wrap some presents and baskets. I just may have to call my friend and see if she can get out to the horses for me today. "Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. And since we've lots of places to go (but can't get there), Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!"

Holiday Shopping

2008-12-05T22:46:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but with the holidays getting closer, I seem to find less time with the horses. Tomorrow, our stables or "the barn" is having their annual Christmas party. We all bring food and exchange gifts and the horses get to go outside and do the same thing they do every day. We're going to try to get out early (me and the friends) and get a quick ride in, but first thing in the morning on a Saturday.....I'm not sure I'll get there with time to spare.

You would think that it would be easy to come up with ideas for holiday gifts for horse lovers, because I iz one, but I think we buy most of what we want and need throughout the year. I think one of the best "little" gifts around are those $1 cotton gloves that you wear until they wear out. For my birthday, my friend got me 6 pairs of them. Plus a couple of boxes of those salty and sweet granola bars, plus a very pink sweatshirt to wear under my vest or just on its own for those not so cold days. I'm still looking for a good pair of "barn shoes"; something that is waterproof, manure proof or at least washable and is good for the arches of the "mature woman" whose feet will be killing her if she doesn't wear something with support.

See, it isn't about buying stuff for the horse or for riding. The tack we use every day is very personal but the stuff we wear or use is pretty universal. It's as if there is a uniform for barn wear. Most people who see me outside the barn, don't even recognize me. Because I keep my hair up in a ball cap (in case I don't have time to shower that day or don't bother to because I'm just going to smell bad after 4 to 5 hours around horses. What am I saying? My girls don't smell bad-it's one of my favorite odors), they've never seen my hair down and can't place me when I say hello. I actually have a real job that involves dressing nicely and professional, but I can't wait to get out to the barn wearing comfortable warm riding breeches and soft, cotton shirts and hoodies or denim.

I think this year I'm going to give the gift of time. Since I have been trimming for almost 3 years, I can offer my services for free to those who are finding it difficult to come up with the funds for their "hobby". And because I have experience working with horses, I can take the time to help someone who is having difficulty with their horse, or spend time with a horse whose owner doesn't have the time for her-maybe I'll exercise her, or clean her stall so she isn't standing there daily for hours. Helping out is something I can do for those around me. Yes, there are lots of horses who need adopting or who need donations of money for feed and health care, but I find that all I have to do is look around me, right in my area and there's plenty of need right here.

Yeah, the holidays can be stressful and finding the right gift can be challenging, but I usually find that more than anything, I want to spend time with the people who share my passion for the beautiful creature the horse. It makes me feel alive and it keeps me sane. Then I can go out and start shopping for the other loved ones in my life. I hope they need gloves....

A Long Ride is Just A Series of Short Rides

2008-12-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

Today my friend and I had the opportunity to go out and ride at a local county park. It sits right on the beautiful Columbia River and since I first started riding over 20 years ago, it has been my favorite spot to ride. It has everything you could ask for to expose my horse to many experiences. It has hills to go up and down, trees to go around, sand and beach with driftwood to walk over, flat terrain for smooth rides on circles and water that splashes at the feet. If we choose to ride there on weekends, it offers an additional challenge of riding around children and dogs. Today, two dogs wanted to check out the "big dogs" walking near them which fortunately, did not disturb either of our horses. It's not unusual for people to walk up to us with their kids and ask if they can pet the horses, even sit on them. In the interest of safety, we don't allow anyone to climb on our horses.

When I first began riding there with my mare Sally, it was not with the control, emotional and physical that I have now. I recall her racing off when she saw waves from passing ships, with me clutching to the horn of the saddle. Fast forward to today....

I currently ride a lightweight endurance saddle with NO horn on my horse Chanty who is now a veteran of the park, the trees, the water, the dogs and most of all the walk back to the trailer. For those of you who ride anywhere outside of an arena, you know that for horses whose number one priority is safety, just the mere act of returning from a ride can turn on the fast forward switch in their brain. When I first encountered this, I tried several of the recently popular techniques that involved disengaging the hindquarters. Unfortunately, that also meant I had to pick up on the bit and pull her head around to slow or even stop her. After several months of trying to control her speed on a straight line, she was no calmer or slower. If anything, she had begun to resent the contact with her mouth and the constant bending. I would become more frustrated and the fighting would begin. If gentle slow pulling didn't work, then I'd try hard, aggressive tugging.

The information I was reading said that the discomfort of stopping every few feet by using the one rein stop, would discourage the horse from running off. This may work for the left brained (see Parelli "Horsenality" DVD from the Success Series) horse, but my right brain extrovert feels more trapped, claustrophobic and threatened if I use her mouth, head or neck to control her.

What's interesting about Chanty is she is like every other horse-basically lazy. When her emotions are under control, she walks slowly, she canters very slowly and does not like to sustain either gait for very long at the same speed. Her trot, on the other hand, is her signature gait. Being a saddleseat Morgan, she loves the high stepping trot that carries so much ground per stride that she makes every other horse canter, just to keep up with her. But, when Chanty is nervous, scared or excited, she can move at a brisk walk or a downright gallop. Every time we headed back to the trailer after our ride through the park, she would "kick it up a notch" and it seemed there was no stopping her. Until......I learned how to break up the long ride back to the trailer with small "rest stops" along the way. The trees in the park made it easy. Similar to Cathie Anderson's technique using cones and the bitless bridle, we would first walk, then trot and finally canter from tree to tree. Just before we reached a tree, I would quietly say Whoa and gently pick up on the reins and release quickly with even the slightest slowing. Of course, it was important to use my seat and legs before reins, but best of all, the mere presence of an object in her path gave her something to focus on each time we headed back and forth. She knew what came just before we reached the tree, the rock, the log or whatever we were using at the time.

Pretty soon, it took less and less effort to get her to stop and best of all, she never felt nervous or worried or uncomfortable, because I didn't pull on her mouth/face, nor did I move her in sharp turns and circles. She began to walk off at a nice slow pace, loose rein. The closer we got to the trailer, the more rest stops in between, but that was fine with me. She got back to the trailer as calmly as she had left. The big accomplishments with horses (and with life) are usually the result of a series of small victories. After all, a long ride is just a series of short rides....

Riding Well Means Never Having to Say "I'm Sorry"

2008-11-26T17:31:00.000-08:00

When I look back over the last 20 years of riding I can now say that in almost every case where I had problems with my horse under saddle, it was usually because of what I was doing to disturb the horse's balance and emotional state, probably inflicting pain either at the front end by pulling on his mouth or by bouncing on his back while moving around erratically, giving mixed signals for whoa and go at the same time.

Anyone who's spent more than a year of consistent contact with a horse, knows that for the most part, they are a patient and forgiving animal. Some animals have more tolerance of course. The ones who don't put up with our foibles, are passed on to owner after owner. We just had a horse at the stables that had been given to a horse owner for free from the previous owner who had also gotten her for free. She was apparently of excellent breeding with several foundation quarter horses in her pedigree.

Unfortunately, no one told her that she was a supposed to be a well bred horse, worth thousands of dollars, which apparently guarantees that her behavior would be exemplary, a horse easy to train and destined to be a success in the arena or out on the trail. She has now been passed on to yet another owner because her personality was one that made her very mistrusting, oversensitive and downright dangerous when pushed to her limits. Fear was the most prevalent emotion for her, followed by a need to be dominating-the scariest combo in a horse. When overwhelmed with fear (which happened easily)this horse will try to run first, then fight vigourously. Without consistent, confident treatment, it's only a matter of time until she hurts someone or is hurt. Unfortunately, many people believe that the only option is to use the mares for breeding, passing on the extreme personality to yet another generation.

Fortunately, my horses recently have been very forgiving, allowing me to continue my education as a rider while I learned to keep my position consistent, the cues as light as possible and my hands as quiet as I can manage. There was a horse, though, in my past who fit the same description as the horse who recently left the stables. Being inexperienced and downright ignorant about the personality differences in horses, I continued to dismiss the signals that my mare was giving me. Instead of becoming calmer and more confident, my time with the horse made her more agitated and mistrusting, to the point where she finally decided she'd had enough. It was the first and only time a horse has injured me-I was lucky, a broken collarbone and a few bruises, including the one to my ego.

Now that I know what I know, I would have used significantly different techniques to train the mare. I would have also known that she was about to blow when I got on her that day. Since that day eight years ago, I've been trying to understand everything I can about the horse, so that it would never happen again, to me or anyone else. And I'm sure I owe the mare that bucked me off, a serious apology.

Today's ride with my current mare was a success. She remained calm and confident from beginning to end, even though I chose to ride with a bit in her mouth. My hands remained quiet and I asked her with cues that were barely noticeable to anyone but her and me. So many times over the past years, I was not so nice to her and she reacted negatively. I blamed her and the ride ended in frustration and disappointment for me and probable unspoken pain for her.

So,today I said "I'm sorry" to my mare for all of the bad rides we'd shared and made a silent promise to continue working on my riding, so that she would never lose her balance or feel nervous or experience pain because of my ignorance or physical limitations. I've learned that riding well means never having to say "I'm sorry."

"Just Get on and RIDE!!!"

2008-11-24T22:19:00.001-08:00

I can still remember the days when I used to come home and talk about my frustrations with the horses and my family would listen politely, but never really understand what the problem was. How hard can it be to sit on an animal and hold on while it takes you wherever you want to go. As if there were an on/off switch that signaled to the horse that you were ready. From there, it's just a simple kick to go and a pull on the reins to stop, right?.

Seems like I've spent the last 20 years trying to do everything to avoid those exact things. And while that is going well, it's only occured to me recently that just that act of bringing my horse out and saddling her up is not a guarantee that SHE is ready to go. We as humans forget that they are living, breathing creatures with emotions, good days and bad days. They are effected by the weather, their feet, their joints and muscles aching, the cold air, the wind blowing, female hormones and most of all they are effected by how they are being treated at the very moment you enter their day.

How many times have you seen someone just hop on their horse and expect today to be just like any other day. Chances are if they do the same monotous things with the horse, it will be. If you ride around an arena at a walk and then a trot, not asking your horse to maintain speed or gait, not turning your horse at a particular spot, not asking your horse to bend around an object and maintain the shape and size of a circle for example, then your expectations will be pretty low and your horse's performance will remain at the same low level. In order to remain interested in horsemanship and riding, I look at something new at least once a week. Being the owner of a rental service that has hundreds of DVDs to choose from, this is not difficult. But, now a days, there is so much information, on TV, in magazines, at expos, clinics AND DVDs, that there is no excuse for wandering around aimlessly with your horse or using the same tired old techniques from the trainers who haven't changed their routine for over a decade.

It seems that even with the wealth of information out there, we still see people who believe that if the horse's head is down and they are going around and around quietly, then they must be well trained. I believe that if you work with someone who is asking to be paid for their knowledge and they do the same thing over and over with your horse, then you should look elsewhere for help. Especially, if you cannot duplicate their results without using spurs to go, severe bits or tie downs to slow or stop your horse and even with "training" your horse does not behave well on the ground.

I can honestly say that today I was very careful about keeping my excitable mare calm from the moment I asked her to stand still as I mounted to the walk back to the stables from our ride in the pasture. I know now when my patience is lacking and I stop and regroup. It saves us from fighting and she remembers the experience the next day. I keep harping on the emotional state of the horse, but since I've begun paying attention to it more, I've seem a dramatic improvement in my horse. With her calm, it gives me a chance to pay attention to my riding, my position, my legs, my balance, all of the things that were impossible to do with her racing off in a fit of anxiety, the two of us locked in mortal combat, or so it seemed.

Now, I don't share all the details with my family when it comes to the horses and all they know is that I'm out at the barn again, riding my horses. When I ride with them (they're usually on bikes), they notice how calm and well behaved my "nervous" horse is and they take for granted that I took their advice to "just get on and ride!"

At least the trim went well...

2008-11-19T21:33:00.000-08:00

The days are getting shorter and so when I decided to go out and ride at 3:30 in the afternoon, I had to remember that there was only a little over an hour until dark. Right now we have just an outdoor arena to ride in and a large round one at that. Normally, I'd take Chanty to ride in the pasture, but decided to ride in the arena, so I could let Sally run loose and exercise on her own. Unfortunately, she was not feeling up to any running around. It's hard to tell if Sal is improving on her new feed or whether she has significant arthritis in her hocks that some days slows her down.

I know how she feels. There are days when I am just a little too achey to ride for long and I can tell immediately that it affects my balance and my ability to focus on what I am asking my horse to do. It isn't just when your off physically, but on the days when you're feeling a little "out of sorts", it's so easy to blame your horse for the missteps and the resistance you feel with each transition. Things began to go from bad to worse and fortunately I was able to see my own mood creeping into the riding. It was close to dinner, Chanty was watching the other horses leaving the arena and there was no reason to push her to do anything beyond what we had done today, even if it was just to raise her heart rate and run her around for exercise. My job that day was to leave things on a positive note. I still had to trim her feet before the day was over.

Since I first acquired Chanty, she has been very sensitive about her feet, especially the back feet. As a matter of fact, the previous owner had her for almost 5 years and had never picked up her back feet. Chanty had not had her feet trimmed for years when I bought her and since I had not begun trimming myself, I contacted a local farrier for the first few hoof care appointments. He was barely able to trim the front feet and was totally unable to handle the back without a serious struggle. As with most farriers I'd met, he considered it a sign of bad behavior and wanted to physically dominate Chanty, which only served to aggravate her more. Her previous owner told me that she was once trimmed with a twitch on her nose to keep her still during the process.

It wasn't until I'd learned more about Chanty's personality and what it meant to her to have her only source of escape taken from her, that I finally understood why she was reacting so strongly to the trimming experience. Instead of constantly trying to reprimand her for reacting normally to her feelings of insecurity and utter dread, I have been paying attention to her reactions and interpreting them from her point of view. I reward her for standing quietly and for calmly picking up her rear foot and letting me hold it and even place it on the hoof jack while I rasp AND use the nippers to trim off hoof wall. That's something no one was ever able to do during the first 12 years of her life (she is now 15, I've had her 3 years). I consider our time to together during a trim, in which she is standing in the aisleway, untied, eating hay , as one of our many moments of success. She trusts me, she is confident and calm and she remembers how much I care for her feelings no matter what situation we are in.

So, maybe the riding exercise didn't go as great as I'd hoped. No day with my girls or being out in the sunshine with good friends (four legged as well as two legged) is a waste. At least the trim went well....

A Small Victory

2008-11-17T21:52:00.000-08:00

It's always the litttle things that we either don't notice or that we appreciate for their simplicity. It never ceases to amaze me how both things could happen at the same time for different people, especially when it comes to horses. After spending just 20 minutes with a horse whose owner had been struggling to simply walk him back to his stall, I noticed that the horse's emotions were dictating his every move. He wouldn't walk forward without looking back at his pasture mates, he would stop and pull his head down to the ground, and his feet seemed to belong to another animal, because he continually slipped or tripped over them on his way. His owner commented several times that he was typically fighting her and overreacting, pulling and throwing his head during their short walk together.

Having made the observation a long time ago that horses react differently to different people, I was now able to prove to this horse that I was someone different from his owner and I was going to offer him a chance to trust a human for more than just this one time. It had to start with something as simple as getting from his safe haven at the paddock where he "hung out" with his buddies all day, to his other safe place, his stall, without feeling threatened, harassed or intimidated. He had gotten very good at intimidating and threatening his owner as a pre-emptive strike and that's where the battles began.

Having walked him back and forth several times with slow deliberate effort, offering him a chance each time to stop and relax, he finally walked the entire distance with his head low and made it to his stall with what I think was a different perspective. The real test would be how he would act the next day, first with me and then with his owner.

Today, it was my turn to bring in all the horses and it was strange for me to doubt whether I could bring in the young horse with whom I'd worked just the day before. Was he going to remember what we did and would it have impressed him enough that he would trust me without hesitating? Only one other horse owner saw me walk the gelding back to his stall and I'm sure to her it was not a notable event. But to me and to this young horse, it was a huge accomplishment and in its simplicity, made me smile. I will ask his owner when I see her again if she was able to walk her horse the short distance back to his stall and more importantly, did it put a smile on her face when their journey ended without their usual battle. Ah, a small victory!

A Beautiful Day

2008-11-15T20:45:00.000-08:00

What a gorgeous day! The picture was taken several weeks ago at the peak of the fall colors, at a location just 5 minutes from home. The leaves were extraordinarily beautiful this year (I guess all of the conditions were right). I almost drove right by, but realized that the trees, the sky, the water, may not look quite that beautiful if I waited for another day when I'd have more time. I wasn't really in a hurry anyway-just headed to the stables.

Today, even though most of the leaves had fallen,it felt like early autumn. It was 60 degrees and clear skies, perfect for being outside. I had promised one of the young women who rides with me and for whom I've helped for a year now with riding lessons, training and working with her new horse, that we would spend a few hours together, ride and even take a short trail ride just off the property of the stables.

We both went to get our horses from their respective paddocks and as with most simple tasks of every day life with horses, it became a chance to teach both horse and owner. Parellis would probably identify her horse as a mix of left brain introtrovert and right brain introvert. He can act dominate, pushy and very food oriented with a "what's in it for me attitude", but mostly he is a horse who is very concerned about his survival and when it comes to trusting humans to keep him safe, he is not convinced that we are up to the task . Walking him up the hill to the stables to saddle him turned into a real challenge and my young friend recounted for me how many times she had struggled to keep him from pulling her so that he could eat the grass on the way up the hill as well as his general disregard for her space and her role as human leading horse and everything that goes with that.

The "lesson" (and isn't everything we do with horses, a lesson?) began with reinforcing the idea that pulling me (now at the other end of the lead rope in order to demonstrate for my friend) was not going to happen, because I was not going to put any tension on the rope. If he dipped his head, I would smooch to him, signalling my desire for him to move forward, thereby lifting his head. IF he did not, he would receive first a slap to the ground near him, then a sharp tap to his side with my stick or end of the rope. Once he complied, we moved on. Having a personality that looks for safety and survival first, he tends to fight back with dramatic moves where he humps up, bucks, kicks out and throws his head to intimidate. Calmly, I reassured him that I was not the enemy and that as long as he didn't pull on me, I would never raise his level of anxiety with any physical threat to him, which is what he expected. Once that was taken away, his attitude changed. It took almost 20 minutes, but it did change and once he was able to control his emotions, asking him to move his feet without resistance, was easier and he was willing to listen to my suggestions. He just didn't want to be SHOUTED AT.....

Once you have a horse's emotions under control, there is nothing you can't do! She was now able to ride him and ask of him, first the most simple and familiar tasks under saddle and then, again without pulling on him and stirring up his innate need to be safe and comfortable, ask him to move out in different direction, maintain circles, figure eights, keep his speed at each gait consistent and respond to weight and leg cues with the lightest effort on the part of the rider. Because she had gotten his emotions under control and knew better how to avoid pushing his buttons and losing that control, she was now able to take him out to the big open pasture to ride. He came through with flying colors. SUCCESS....

But the greatest success for me today was practicing what I preach with my right brain EXTROVERT Morgan mare, Chanty. To say that she is motivated by a need to feel safe and comfortable, is an understatement. When she is pushed beyond her comfort zone (which doesn't take much) she turns into a "sewing machine on speed" with her rapid trot in place that rivals any horse of her saddleseat breeding background. We have been practicing the control of emotions, by first and foremost, identifying them before they get out of control. That is where my education has been helped tremendously by watching my Parelli videos more than anyone else. I knew how to move their feet, backwards, forwards, sideways, etc and rewarding the slightest try. I knew how to disengage the hindquarters and circle my horse, back up my horse, etc, etc. Trouble was that by the time I got to all of these "techniques", it was already too late. I had not listened to the earliest signs that my horse was about to lose it, emotionally.

We headed out on our trail ride after giving Chanty a chance to unwind in the arena with a few patterns and most importantly, without any pulling on her face/mouth (we're riding with a bitless bridle these days) which immediately makes her feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable, emotionally and physical. She of course, wanted to walk a little faster than my friend's new mount, a 13 yr old quarter horse mare who loves trails and who belongs to another horse lover in our close group of friends. But, the minute I felt the energy that moved her forward change from a walk that said "we're going somewhere" to "I've got to back to the barn now, before I die!", we would come to a soft, slow "whoa" with a gentle pull and release on the rein and I would let her turn to wait for her buddy, even letting her eat a little grass to calm her (horses can not be nervous and lower their head to eat at the same time). Most of all I had to keep up my mantra of "calm, rhythm, consistentcy" in which I would pick up one rein to signal her quietly along with my body, that we were walking and she was doing great.

It was one of the best days yet-the weather, the horses and we made it back without a fight, without a bad word and with a horse that was just as calm coming home as she went out. A beautiful day....

"She likes it, hey Mikey"

2008-11-14T19:04:00.000-08:00

Today was another gorgeous day and of course, my other commitments kept me from getting out to the stables until late. I think that is the biggest challenge for us horse owners-finding the time for our critters. And why is it that those of us who are the busiest have not one, but TWO horses? Actually, I'm much more fortunate than most because I spend only 16 to 20 hours at my "real" job and the rest of my time is available to my real passion-horses. Oh yeah, and my family and friends. They understand though, the addiction, and have yet to sit me down for an INTERVENTION, but it's been close in the past.

When I finally made it out to the stable, my friends were already saddled up and riding and I still had cleaning, feeding and grooming to do. I couldn't resist though, and so grabbed ol Sal Gal and took her to the arena with no tack and just decided to jump on her bareback. Okay, so I used a step to get on her back. I don't think I've EVER just jumped up on her or any horse's back. I know Linda Parelli recently demonstrated jumping on a horse by getting them to lower their head and neck and using that to jump up-good for her-still not going to happen!!

Sal was already feeling better on her new "light" food and wanted to trot around with me holding her mane, hoping she'd remembered all those days long ago when we worked on bridleless riding when she was feeling less achey and arthritic (turns out all of those years of wearing heartbar shoes with toes pointing down and constant concussion of her back legs, had created damage to her hock joints). She moved out pretty well and my friends were impressed when she pinned her ears as she passed their horses. Sal has a reputation for being the sweetest horse in the barn. They've only seen the Sal, post founder, hock arthritis, looking older and harmless. But when she's feeling well, she can move out faster than any horse in the barn (it must be the Arab in her, matched with her long legs) and if you're not ready for it, she'll take you back to the barn in an instant.

Back at the barn Sal was more than ready for her evening portion of beet pulp with the great tasting feed that was now part of her dinner. Both her and Chanty have quickly decided that beet pulp alone for breakfast just doesn't cut it. Sal actually left the entire pan untouched this morning, but was thrilled when I sprinkled a little low starch feed on it. I'm so happy she likes it....

The days are shorter now and after arriving at the barn so late, it was already time to go. Tomorrow is supposed to be another cool, sunny day, so more riding outside. I thought about hooking up the trailer and hauling out to the park at the Columbia River but I may need to get home a little early tomorrow and help the hubby with his project. As long as I get to ride my girls ....

Welcome!

2008-11-13T16:56:00.000-08:00

Welcome to "More Horse Matters"

It occured to me that every day is something new with the horses and while it used to be that I kept a journal to remember it all, it seemed a better idea to share it with those who are out there struggling to get it right as well.

Here in the NW, it has begun to rain quite hard, or at least it did for the last 48 hours. As I look out my window, it has begun to look sunny and cool and I know that my "girls" (my 15 year old morgan mare Chanty and 18 year old morgan-arab mare Sally, featured on the site) are thrilled to be out of their stall and running in their paddocks, able to stretch their legs. I won't be able to see them today, but I know they are smiling.

Yesterday, I began feeding my girls a feed from Triple Crown called Low Starch. I'd known about the feed for almost 2 years but until recently, it was not availble in our local feed stores and driving 30 miles to buy feed did not seem fiscally responsible (it cost too much!). In the past I would feed a combo of beet pulp and rice bran with multi vitamins, plus their hay. At our stables, the hay comes from multiple fields and so it varies in its carbohydrate content, bale to bale. I could have all of them analyzed and feed the lowest carb hay, but again, it is an added cost and not very practical. Sally began gaining too much weight with all the extra hay she was getting (to stay warm on the cold nights), and was showing signs of early laminitis-sore feet, fat pads more prominent over eyes, lethargic and more outbreak of skin fungus on mane and legs.

Why is all of this important? Because both of my horses have had acute laminitis and Sally has foundered (rotation of coffin bone) at least 3 times, the last one was 2005, winter time, when I finally learned that it was diet that triggered it. She was on high levels of grain, eating alfalfa, all because I was riding her constantly and I thought she needed it. She is the reason that I went looking into natural hoof care after seeing Pete Ramey. It's a long story and I'll share it with you throughout my entries here, but suffice to say that this time of year is critical when it comes to feeding and managing your laminitic horses.

Hormones in the horse's body are changing in order to adapt to the colder weather and as an adaptation to the change in the natural diet of a horse which can be quite sparse in the winter months. Morgans as a breed (as well as ponies and other breeds) are designed to tolerate very harsh conditions and live off of very little vegetation. We fill them up with lots of excess calories thinking they need to have rich grasses and grains. I had to learn the hard way. At the time, there was not a lot of information-even the vet did not suspect it was a dietary issue and said it was okay to continue feeding grain, maybe just a little less.

Fast forward to today and numerous bags of beet pulp and rice bran later-Sally has not foundered and has grown out her separations and rotated coffin bone (turns out that the bone is not permanently deformed as I so naively believed, but is just moved out of place by the swelling and subsequent laminar wedge that develops). I have now been trimming her myself for almost 3 years. She is my "project" and has educated me about horse behavior, anatomy, physiology, hoof care, not to mention being the most loving, patient, sweet tempered animal I've had (other than my beloved, Belle, lab golden retriever mix, now passed away). I will keep a close eye on Sally and Chanty as I change their diet slowly, but hope springs eternal that I will finally be able to give them the nutrition they need, keep their weight at a healthy level and not put them at risk for further laminitis episodes. I'll keep you in touch...

Sal's Gal