Safe and Comfortable on a Cold Day

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!

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

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

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....