More Exercises

     I hope everyone understands the value of (good) loping circles but there are so many things you can do with the circle as the basis.  Of course, your circles need to be consistant in size and speed, with the ability to speed up and slow down.  The circles need to be as round as possible - not elipses or ovals.  Once you've established good loping circles then you can really start having fun!
    I always teach my horses to spiral into a small circle and then spiral back out into a large circle.  I push out the circle out with my inside leg, keeping the horse's whole body arced nicely, then push the horse back into as small a circle as he's comfortable with, then repeat.
     I teach all my horses to counter bend when loping circles, again, making sure to move the rib cage, not just the head and neck.  About this time in a horse's training I will also introduce simple lead changes.  I always do simple changes before teaching flying changes as this helps a horse to collect up and get ready for the advanced maneuver of a flying change (assuming I choose to teach them and they're able - some horses just aren't built to do a flying change comfortably).
     I start doing counter-canters about this time as well.  I deliberately lope the horse into an egg shaped counter-canter pattern, exagerating my cues.  As the horse gets better with this, you will not have to use such obvious cues and your egg shape can potentially become a counter-cantered circle.  (Email me if this doesn't make sense and I'll help you visualize it!)  Counter-cantering really cleans up a lope and helps slow a horse down as well.  It does this by really lifting the back and shoulders and forcing a horse to use the leading inside leg.
     I also like to lope circles into the wall, using the wall as a tight barrier on one side of my circle.  This helps a horse drive up underneath himself, without me having to force the issue, just some encouragement with my leg is all that is needed.
     I really like a stop, pivot, lope off routine too.  Usually I pivot to the outside and lope off on the opposite lead, being careful to keep my circles the same size and the horse's shoulder up, with their body straight in the transition.
     Another exercise I sometimes use is to ride a circle then ride a straight line out of it and then build another circle (visualize a P or a 9, with the tail of the nine straight though! - the top is your circle, and the leg of the P or 9 is your straight line, then at the end of the leg, build another circle...).  Your horse should line his shoulders up straight whenever he comes out of your circles.  I make sure my horse is not on the wall when I do this as the wall will support the horse and I want to make sure the horse is straight in the shoulder from my cues and my leg and not just from the support of the wall, and I want him to stay straight until I arc him into my next circle.
     An advanced maneuver that is very good for Western Pleasure horses is to lope squares.  The trick here is to have very straight lines connected with sharp 90 degree angle turns.  This helps a horse to lift his shoulder but don't try this unless your horse gets very good with all the circle work I've described and remember that you'll really have to ride the rib cage to accomplish this!
     Another execise I like is to put my horses on the rail at a lope and then flex them off the bridle both to the inside and outside.  Be careful to keep their shoulder up and straight and just flex them in the poll, not the middle of their neck.  Having a horse work the wall with his head and poll flexed to the outside will really slow a horse down but again, make sure he has good basic circle work before you introduce this. 
     It takes quite a while to accomplish everything I've described here,  probably close to a year for most horses but it's well worth it.  Don't try all of these at once and don't over-ride any of them but add them patiently and carefully into your routine and I think you'll find they're a challenging way to keep your horse - and you - in tune!  Talk to you next week!  JD
      

What Does "Bridle Horse" Mean?

     One of you recently asked: what does "bridle horse" mean.  I love the question because there's so much to the answer!
     "Bridle horse" is an old horseman's term that came specifically from California.  It was a term used to describe a horse that had moved from the snaffle to hackamore to bridle.  Usually the term was used to describe a horse that was completely finished and "in the bridle".  These were horses that carried a spade or modified spade bit.  Often working in four reins for a year or more.
     Though the term is used today, it describes a different horse.  The old bridle horse was completely accepting of the bridle and could do any job asked of them while "packing" that bridle.  Nowadays, we usually just mean a horse that has a lot of headset on a loose rein, carrying a curb bit. 
     The old bridle horse not only carried the bit well but carried his body well.  This allowed the horse to do difficult maneuvers while "up" in the bridle.  In other words, not pulling and getting stiff, he
showed no resistance.  Many times the modern horse just hangs in the bridle, accepting the bridle but not necessarily being totally comfortable with actually working with the bridle.  Most horses today carry a different type of bit in the working classes, bits that are much easier for a horse to accept.  The modern demands of the show ring and the lack of time to bring horses along prevent us from making true bridle horses.  We still achieve horses that carry the bit well and can be very pretty but, in the true sense, they are not "bridle horses" even though they are still bridled up.
     So no, the Western Pleasure horse working in Romels is not a true bridle horse.  That phrase and the tradition goes back, way back, to when vaqueros worked cattle in California and carried 60 foot reiatas and sometimes even roped Grizzlies!
     Hope this clarifies the term for you.  If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you!  Talk to you next week, JD.
    

Believing

     I cannot tell you how very important it is to believe in your horse.  This is something I harp on with my riders all the time!  Now, this belief must be predicated on choosing the right horse for the job and choosing the correct level of competition for the horse and rider.  That being said and understood, I'll go further with this short discussion.....
     Believing in a horse's abilities gives the rider a confidence that just shines through when needed.  It gives a "look at me" appearance that can be the winning edge at a show and it helps the rider ride with assurance.  It also helps manage nerves - they just seem to melt away, allowing the rider to enjoy showing their horse.
     Believing in your horse gives the horse confidence as well.  That confidence can help them give their best performance too.  Good horses have a way of coming through with very good performances when they are allowed to succeed (read: believed in!!) by their humans. 
     So, before your next show do your homework - work hard and diligently, build and stick with those practice routines I've discussed in prior blogs - but then set the highest, most realistic expectations you can - and believe in yourself and in your horse. 
     Go to your next show or just your next lesson or ride with an "I know we can" attitude and you'll find you can achieve a lot more than you thought -  and probably have more fun along the way too!  Talk to you next week, JD.

A Mare Called Sadie

     Her nickname was Sadie Sue and her registered name was Smoothsational.  She was a bay, 15 hand, Quarterhorse mare with very little white.  She was definitely her own self!
     She was an outstanding show horse, very broke to ride and competed in a number of events - Western, Hunter, Trail, and more and very, very successful at them all.  I kept this mare for years because I didn't want to be beaten by her. 
     But here's the thing:  If Sadie did not have a halter with a little catch rope (6 inches or so) on her, she was wild and unpredictable.  She would spin out, run off and kick up her heels for all she was worth and God help you if you were in the way.  And, yes, I tried various things to change this behavior.  I roped her from the ground, I made her drag a rope when loose, I put kicking chains on her, but nothing changed her.
     She was also very "snarly" in her stall.  She wanted to be left alone thank-you-very-much! But.... as soon as that halter went on she went to work and I had no problems at all.  She would go quietly to be groomed, saddled and ridden.  She was such a joy to ride.  I even gave lessons on her.  This mare really liked to be ridden and worked. 
     I have heard some very good trainers say they assess a horse by it's behavior when it's loose in a stall or pasture but Sadie proved that theory very wrong.  You can't know a book by its cover and you can't really know a horse until you've worked with them.  Rest in peace Sadie Sue - you'll live on in our memories!  (And I hope those of you who have won her perpetual trophies over the years enjoy knowing a little more about her!)  Talk to you next week, JD.

Making a "Broke" Horse

     Wow - a broke horse, what a wonderful animal!  This is a lengthy subject though so I'll go into more detail with it in another blog.  For now, I'll start by defining what I mean by a "broke" horse.  Here are some attributes that I think are very important besides just "the basics" that go along with a good ride:
- Ability to handle from the ground easily and safely.
- Loading, hauling and unloading easily and safely.
- Being tied up without having a fit or exhibiting any behavior like pawing or rearing.
- Accepting things such as clipping and bathing (though I'll make an exception for clipping ears...they can tickle!)
- Being cooperative for the farrier.
- Knowing the word "whoa" from the ground as well as under saddle.
- Standing quietly when being saddled and groomed.
- Standing quietly with a rider on their back, waiting patiently for their next task.
- Accepting such things as a rider putting a jacket on and off while on their back.
- The skill to drag objects or carry things when asked.  My horses learn to carry flags, pull logs, carry buckets and sacks etc.  Generally, learn to trust their rider and do whatever they're asked without fear or worry.
- Opening and closing gates is also a skill I value in a "broke horse" - even if you don't have any gates to deal with, I think the movements involved in a gate - the side-pass, careful back up, moving forward slowly and deliberately when cued - can be helpful in alot of other situations (like posing for a win picture!). 
- Ability to be lead easily from the ground while my arms are full or I'm pushing a wheelbarrow.
- The ability to "pony" another horse when asked.
- And, a really broke horse might even move cows when needed (tame cows, I must admit).
     So, a broke isn't just the horse that can win their class though that's definitely a part of it.  A broke horse can do the job it's trained for easily and confidently and also live successfully and stress-free in our human world.  A broke horse is a safe and pleasant horse to be around!  More on how you get there in a future blog.......   Talk to you next week.  JD

An Old Saying

     My Dad always taught me to take care of the animals first, before anything else.  This probably came from his farming and ranching background in a time when people really depended on their animals, but I think his thoughts also came from his general fondness for animals.
     Unfortunately though, we as a country have generally left our agricultural heritage behind us and in doing so, many people have lost any interdependence with horses.  What I mean is this, we do not need our horses for plowing, hauling, transportation etc.  They're now "just" for our recreation - which I'm personally very grateful for - but here's the conundrum.....
     Horses depend on us for everything even though they only have indirect and subtle effects on our lives these days.  What I hear frequently is how much horses contribute to our emotional well being.  Now, I'm the first to admit that horses have contributed greatly and positively to my own emotional well being, but somehow, the horses still come out a distant second to many of our own needs.
     You can observe this conflict in the way we breed horses, in many training practices and in the way we care for horses.  So often, their needs are not truly our number one concern.  Examples include barns that are built to be warm and toasty for people but are really breeding grounds for germs that can attack a horse's fragile respiratory system.  You see it in mares that are bred at our convenience but foal so early that the resulting filly or colt will often struggle with health issues, lameness issues or have their ability to interact well with humans or even other horses severely stunted.  I've seen some barns that were beautiful by human standards but didn't have anything near adequate in the way of turnout or exercise facilities. And, one of my personal pet peeves, you see it in people who rush to ride or show on their busy schedule but without a thought to the down-time the horse might need before he's really ready to show or ride again.  And I could go on and on....  but you get the picture. 
     So, to wrap it up - and my apologies to John F. Kennedy:  "Ask not what your horse can do for you, but what you can do for your horse!"   Look around to figure out ways you can improve - truly improve - your horse's life.  Talk to you next week!  JD

Riding Older Horses

     Training and conditioning older, geriatric horses is very different than working with younger horses and especially middle-aged horses.  Those guys, in the midst of their working lives are by far the easiest. 
     One thing I truly believe in is that working older horses in a manner that is approprite to their overall soundness is the best option for them, it simply keeps them younger, longer.  Now, it is very important to work with your vet too when you're working with an older horse (and any horse, really) because most older horses have some issues going on, but veterinary medicine has advanced so far, it's just amazing what we can do for older horses to keep them in great shape well into their older ages. 
     As you plan your work, you'll have to make some decisions on what is right for not only the horse but what you endeavor to do with him as well as what you can do within your budget.  Here are some tips for working with the older horse:

1) Older horses lose condition quicker with age and it takes longer, much longer, to return them to a good working condition so a solid and sustainable conditioning program is a must.  Work up to condition slowly, don't rush, but once you've started the program keep it up!
2) Older horses - just like people (darn it!) - need more work to stay in condition than their younger counterparts.  A well conditioned middle-aged horse will usually keep his condition on three or so days a week riding if turned out for some additional exercise.  I find that the older horse needs four or more days a week of moderate work in addition to their daily turn-out.
3) To achieve and maintain that certain level of condition, I like to work the older horses two days back-to-back then every other day for a few days, then two days back-to-back again (this can work well if you have a busy schedule yourself.  Work your horse every other day during the week, then both days on the weekend). 
4) Remember that the older horse needs his rest but may come out a bit stiff or stocked-up after that day off.  Don't let that deter you, just warm the older horse up slowly - I like to do lots (lots!) of walking and suppling before I start to work them.  I also like to give them a breather after doing any loping and walk them again for five minutes or so between harder work. 
5) I like to do "carrot stretches" (look it up) with my older horses before and after they work.   I've worked this into Wes's daily routine and it really loosens up his neck and back before a ride - and he loves the added carrots!
6) When I'm working the older horse, I encourage them to get their neck down while we're taking our walking breaks.  This helps them stretch out and can also help keep their back stronger.
7) I personally really like keeping my older horses on Adequan.  Most get a monthy dose and sometimes more if they're doing a long haul or a hard show.  I only give bute if they've done some exceptionally strenuous work or at my vet's instruction.
8) Regular shoeing is of the utmost importance as well.  These older horses just need all the help we can give them so work with both your farrier and vet to make sure you keep them at their best from bottom to top.
9) Some of my older horses also get accupuncture as well as chiropractic care to ensure they're as flexible and comfortable as possible.

I hope these thoughts help because these older horses are real treasures and there's no reason you shouldn't enjoy yours well into the golden years!   Talk to you next week, JD.