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....
Friday, December 4, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
How Heavy is Your Horse's Head?
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.
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.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
"Stand" Over Your Horse and Ride
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.
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.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
A Dream Realized-Every Day Gets Better
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!!!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Discovering a "New" Body-I Have a Tail!!
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!
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!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Just DO IT! Riding "Naturally"
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.
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.
Friday, July 31, 2009
A Good Book on a Hot Day
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!
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!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Centered Riding Becomes a Reality
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/
Friday, July 10, 2009
A Crossroads-The Centered Riding Clinic
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......
Saturday, June 27, 2009
The WHY of Horse Ownership
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.....
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.....
Saturday, May 16, 2009
So Much Gorgeous Weather, So Many Choices
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.
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.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Priorities-What Can You Do in 30 Minutes?
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!!!!
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!!!!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Emotional, Mental and Physical Preparation
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)!
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)!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Never Stop Learning
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.....
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.....
Thursday, March 19, 2009
I Have a New Teacher
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!
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!
Friday, February 27, 2009
In Her Eyes
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!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Just the Way You Are
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."
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."
Friday, February 6, 2009
My Reflection in My Horse
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Patient and Understanding-The Horse is Master
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Two Horses, Two Experiences
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.
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.
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