Spring in Paradise

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's Like Breathing Out and Breathing In

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

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

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

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

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

Guardians of the Horse

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

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

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

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

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

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

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