Rider position from Jane Savoie

Jane Savoie is one of my favorite clinicians, and she has a series of videos she shares on Youtube. I think this is a few months old, but I'm always looking for advice on rider position. Hope you enjoy!

Damned ice! Or, I hate winter and so do my ponies

The Horse magazine has addressed a topic that those of us in the northern climes can appreciate -- ICE. This winter has been a series of freeze thaw cycles and the pastures are just plain unsafe for much of the time. An acquaintance of mine lost her lovely horse in a pasture accident on New Year's Day. The pasture was on flat terrain and horses have wintered there for years without incident. While the pasture wasn't icy, the ground was frozen and "cuppy." NO ONE could have predicted what happened, and my heart breaks for everyone who loved this horse.

What do you do in ice?
Meanwhile, Riley's barn is grappling with the same kind of weather and similar pasture space. At times the fields have been a sheet of ice, and turnout is simply not safe. The problem is, once you start leaving horses in, you have horses that are going to want to RUN when they finally are turned out. And ice in pastures tends to linger for days. My personal feeling is that when a horse goes two days without turnout, you start to deal with a different set of dangers. Unless you intend to leave them in till spring, they'll eventually need to go out in some slippery conditions. And you DON'T want to turn out a horse that's been confined for days onto a skating rink.

The good news: some tips

• Indoor turnout is a safe alternative to icy pastures, according to the Canadian breeder interviewed in Horse magazine. I've found that even a 1/2 hour in the indoor seems to calm the stir-craziest animals down and gives them some relief from confinement. The safest practice is to turn out alone or in pairs, and keep an eye on them. Horse-proofing indoors is time well-spent. Remove any jump accessories such as artifical greenery, towels, bats, pitchforks, jump-cups, etc.
  
• Drive over the paddocks with a tractor or truck to break up sheet ice and reduce the chance of ice cuts to horses feet and legs. If you have access to a grader blade, grade the paddocks to reduce the sheet ice problem and remove the sharp frozen chunks of ground at the same time.
  
• Cover frequently traveled areas, such as around water bowls and feeders, with bedding to level the uneven frozen ground once the sheet ice is broken (quote from resource 2). At the barn where I keep Harvey, they spead old bedding from mucked stalls in icy areas and around paths. While messy, it is a great safety measure.
• Slippery surfaces can be roughened by the application of granular salt or fertilizer. These should be used with some caution as they can be caustic to horses' feet and legs (quote from resource 2).
• Consider letting your horse going barefoot, or if your horse is pastured alone, consider shoes equipped with studs or caulks. Anti-balling pads can provide a safe measure of traction.
  

Fantasy barn manager
In my fantasy barn management position:

• All-day turnout the preferred means of exercise in most weather conditions.
  
• In the event of high winds (if there is no run-in shed), turnout would be limited to a few hours, depending on how well my charges tolerate it.
  
• In icy conditions, the rule of thumb would be "can I walk to the pastures fairly well without slipping?" and "can I walk around the pastures fairly well without slipping?"
  • If the answer is yes, the horses go out.
  • If the answer is no, they stay in and get indoor turnout
• In periods of extended ice (barring weather emergencies like we're having now in the midwest), 3 or 4 days is the maximum you can leave horses stallbound IMHO. Eventually you have to take the leap of faith and start turning out, even if the footing is less than ideal. The safest pasture(s) would be selected for rotating horses out as soon as possible. Horses would be rotated out on that pasture.

Does anyone have any safety tips?

RESOURCE
1. Managing horses in icy conditions from The Horse Magazine

2. Dealing with ice, no water, and frozen ground (a Canadian govt document)

Warmblood registries today

Okay, so in the last posting on warmbloods, I tried to summarize the history of the German warmbloods and how their registries arose. Whatever their differences, the registries seem to share the overarching goal of developing the ideal sport horse. What varies is how they go about this goal--and in some cases the differences are rather dramatic. If you are interested only in buying a good sport horse and don't care about breeding, you might just as well "evaluate the horse in front of you" rather than learning about the registries.

I suspect most of the folks reading this blog love learning about horses, and the well-rounded horseman or horsewoman should know something about the organizations who are breeding and developing the sport horses of the future. Why spend time spend time getting familiar with the practices of each registry? Here is a summary of a discussion on the COTH bulletin board breeding forum. In my opinion, these points illustrate why it is good to know a little about the breeding programs of each registry...

• The Holsteiners have traditionally focused on jumping ability, but according to one breeder on COTH, "focusing on this one trait too narrowly caused them some issues - which they admitted to publicly." The AHHA has gone back to a more well rounded focus on conformation and movement. The Holsteiners have a more "closed" book, in that they are fairly restrictive on their criteria for accepting outside blood - be it TB, Arab or other WB. Like most others, they use "improvement" sires from other registries for specific traits they wish to infuse into their mare base."
• The Hanoverians are a restrictive registry as well. In focusing on dressage, the AHA has reportedly lost its jumping focus and they now have a program to strengthen this focus.


• The Oldenburg Society is much more open to outside blood and the Society tends to look at the "horse in front of them" more than the pedigree. They seem to welcome genetic diversity and "hybrid vigor" while the Hanoverian Society has a more breed-oriented program (less inclusive, focusing more on bloodlines). It is not unusual to find Oldenburg pedigrees with little or no Oldenburg blood. So long as the horse conforms to their desired "type," bloodlines are of secondary importance. Oldenburg horses tend to be a heavier type and the Society has historically focused on dressage and conformation than jumping ability.
  
• Holsteiners and Dutch horses are thought by some to have more flexion in the hocks and knees than other registries. Both also seem to produce a long legged, shorter backed offspring when compared to the more rectangular Hanoverians.
• Trakehners are probably the closest of the warmbloods to being a true breed. It is a closed registry, accepting only quality Thoroughbreds, Arabians and Angloarabians. Trakehners are considered to be more sensitive/hotter than the average warmblood.
  

I love reading this kind of stuff, and can't get enough of it! Breeding forums are a good source of morsels of knowledge, as are each registry's magazine. Talk to breeders, judges, or trainers who have amassed a lot of experience riding different horses. Some folks will tell you that you'll only get the real story from Europeans. I can believe it :-).

RESOURCE
Chronicle of the Horse bulletin board post: Hanoverian vs Oldenburg vs Holsteiner: discusses differences among registries, how the differences originated, and how the registries are run

A followup to last week's controversy

Last week's renvers/travers posting is what passes for "hot controversy" on my blog :-). Recall that I posted some videos of renvers and travers, and several readers responded in scolding tones that the movements were not correct. While acknowledging their points, I secretly felt that the videos -- while admittedly not correct -- were suitable for the article. One could argue that the trainer/rider was exaggerating the bend to illustrate the differences in the movements. I like to choose videos that use non-warmbloods, and that probably swayed me more than anything else. Anyway, we don't need to revisit last week's article. In fact, thanks in advance for not revisiting :-).

Who is that guy, anyway?
The whole incident prompted me to delve a littler deeper into this trainer/horse combination. And I'm not sure what to make of this trainer. The video below will surely fan the embers left from last week's article...

A canter pirouette

Readers will be gratified to know that I feel this is a less than ideal representation of the movement, starting with the absence of a true canter.

I'm not going to mention the trainer by name lest he call up this article when he googles himself. Take a look at the web site. Read the bio. He's studied with Nuno Oliveira and others. He does have a following and many of his clinics are videotaped if you want to go out and find them. His students write about him reverently in blogs and vblogs. The spotted horse is blind and (according to the Web site) has broken three of his legs. If nothing else, the site is interesting reading.


There must be a microculture of classical dressage enthusiasts who don't subscribe to the modern dressage standards. Or maybe they're just a little loony. Your thoughts?

News flash! Animals are not machines

I apologize in advance for a looong rant.

In a recent issue of Chronicle of the Horse, world class event rider/coach Ralph Hill says:
"The majority of people at events I went to watch while coming back from my injury weren’t treating their horses like individuals. They’re treating them like a piece of machinery. That’s what ticks me off more than anything. They just want to go to the social parties and have the horse get them a ribbon."


Are we surprised? Why?
Each new generation of kids is growing up more disconnected from nature and more plugged into technology than the generation before. There's even a new book out on an admittedly a little silly-sounding condition, childhood "nature deficit disorder." Whether this disorder exists or not, most kids don't grow up on farms, don't experience animals in a natural setting, and don't think about them much except in relation to themselves. Technology, on the other hand, is always on, always ready, and only requires moving electrons to function.

Remember when parents were, well, parental?
From my work at a university, I can attest that parental roles are devolving from that of authority figure/mentor/guide to that of a friend -- one that can be humored or ignored. In the horse world, I see parents that not only miss the teachable moments of parenthood, they are scared to death of their kid's disapproval. They go to great lengths to "help" their kids which amounts to handing them everything they need. If we look to parents to revise their kids expectations of their animals, we're likely to be disappointed. In fact, ambitious parents just feed into the take no prisoners approach to competing.

Horse poop! EEEEWWW!
Kids spend hours on their horses practicing for competition, but they're missing a "whole 'nuther side" to their horses' lives. As a 46 year old adult who works eight hours at the barn every Sunday, I have noticed that teens/college age kids can't be persuaded to muck stalls. I've had to bite my tongue when the barn manager explains to me that "Sarah is working today with you today, but she doesn't do stalls. You'll be doing all the stalls while she takes the other [easy, clean, lightweight] work." The Pony Club has a program that works to create horsemen and women, but it seems to be a philosophy that's on the wane.

Since when is water optional?
Years ago in North Carolina, the the barn water pump broke, and horses had only the water in their stalls to last them until the next morning. Most horses had a half bucket. I watched as one young rider after another rode and returned the horse to its stall without even glancing at the water buckets. There was apparently no understanding that exercise would make the horse consume what little water was available. The barn manager was too embarrassed to try to curtail the normal riding activities. Why didn't someone step in and lay down the law? Again, a teachable moment was missed.

Can anything be done?
I think so. Bob tells many stories about his elderly mom, a die-hard animal lover, confronting her Brooklyn neighbors over the treatment of animals. She did not mince words, and she threatened people with her cane (I'll spare you the specific threat). We need to hear more from people like Bob's mom, and Ralph Hill, who speak up about animal welfare. It's hard to do this in the horse world. I'm grateful to Ralph Hill and an article that strengthens my resolve to speak up rather than shut up.

Taking a breather! Tidbits on equine respiration

Last Wednesday afternoon I started to get a "funny feeling" in my lungs at work--raw and wheezy. By the next morning I was sure I had succumbed to the plague. Well, as my physician later explained to me, it was something less dire: bronchitis. I'm all better now, but in recognizion of this experience I thought I'd compile some info on equine respiration...

Facts about horses and breathing...

• Horses cannot breath through their mouth. All air intake is through their nostrils.
• A foal only a few months old has all the lung tissue it is ever going to have.
• The horse's long nasal cavity serves to take the chill off the air. Air entering a horses nostrils will warm by about 45 degrees F in 1/100th of a second.
• Horses hold their breath over jumps and do not breathe again until they land. When they land, they start breathing out.
• At canter and gallop normal horses take one breath perfectly in time with one stride.
• Tightening a horse's girth too much will affect the horse's performance--not because of constricting the chest and preventing the lungs from expanding, but because it decreases the effectiveness of the muscles around the front of the chest and shoulder that move the forelegs (from The Horse magazine).
• Training and excercise put pressure on the horse's nasal passages which can irritate the spiral, spongy bones in the nostril. This can result in bleeding and making the horse vulnerable to infection.
• If all the horse's airways in the lung were opened out and laid flat on the ground, they would occupy a total area equivalent to 10 tennis courts. The large lung surface assists in heat dissipation during and after exercise. Up to 20% of the muscle heat generated during exercise being exchanged across the lung surface
• The upper respiratory system has been implicated in 47-49% of cases affecting poor performance in racehorses, followed by the cardiac system in 22.3% of cases; and the musculoskeletal system in 15-20% of cases.
• About 25% of all equine veterinary calls are due to a respiratory problem.
• With regard to respiratory infections (and probably any infection): For every degree of fever, a horse should be rested for 7 days.

Normal horse respiration

A horse's inhalations should take about the same amount of time as its exhalations, and a normal horse takes 8-15 breaths per minute. You can count inhalation/exhalation cycles in three ways:

• watch the horse's nostrils move as it breathes
• watch the horse's body (belly rises and falls)
• listen at its trachea or windpipe.

A high respiratory rate can pain, excitement, stress, fever, or infection. Other vital signs will help narrow down the cause of respiration problems.


RESOURCES

Examination of the Upper Equine Respiratory Tract from Upenn.edu

When a Sneeze Is More than a Sneeze: Equine Upper Respiratory Viruses
L.E. Johnson In: NAVC Proceedings 2007, North American Veterinary Conference (Eds). Publisher: NAVC (www.tnavc.org). Internet Publisher: International Veterinary Information Service, Ithaca NY

Facts about Equine Respiratory Disease

from Pfizer

The airway and lungs from The Horse Magazine

Blog review: Daisy the Curly Cat

Charming is an overused word, but I can't think of a more fitting way to describe Daisy the Curly Cat (DCC), a blog I've been following for about six months. DCC is enormously popular, and it enjoys the largest following of any animal blog I know. Daisy, a Devon Rex cat (pictured left) is the undeniable star, but she sometimes shares the spotlight with her male counterpart, Harley. In each blog entry we see the two felines in a series of in-home adventures deftly orchestrated by "mom" (the author/blogger). The blog's premise seems to be that beautifully photographed cats--enhanced by a little vignette or an adorable costume -- will keep readers coming back for more.

Lord knows there are oodles of cat blogs out there. It's hard to pinpoint what makes this one so appealing, but it's one of a handful of non-horse blogs I follow religiously. I can't resist overanalyzing what draws me and many others to Daisy...

• Daisy's mom has a real artistic flair, and I'd bet money she has a graphic design background. How else could she pull off a pink blog with such sophistication? I should note here that I like pink :-).
  
• As a child I tried to dress up my cats, and they responded by going limp, as if feigning death were the ultimate protest. Clearly they were miserable. There's something JonBenet about dressing up a pet unless they really love it. So it's great fun to see Daisy mugging for the camera, basking in the attention, and looking utterly fetching.
• We humans like to humanize our pets. How can we resist embroidering their behavior with human motivations and emotions? And who's to say it's not how what they actually feel? The author brings out both the human and the decidedly feline traits in Daisy.
  

Below I've captured one of my favorite storylines from Daisy's blog. But you should visit and find your own favorite!

clipped from daisythecurlycat.blogspot.com

Sunday Comics with Daisy!




I am pretty sure I could have a career as a hairdresser if I wanted!

Meet my avatar (Yahoo avatars have horses!)

Courtesy of Yahoo (if you have an account, you can create a Yahoo avatar)

Stacy Westfall video: A western diversion

Okay, I admit I never heard of Stacy Westfall until I ran across a video of this performance/competition on Youtube. She dedicated this ride to her father who had died recently. It was an emotional performance. Between the tribute to her father, the wonderful rapport with her mare, and the audience response I was in tears inside of a minute. Hope you enjoy it...

A Friesian photographer shares some insights

If you read yesterday's article, you know that I ran across a treasure trove of gorgeous Friesian photos at Callyspictures.com. I was so impressed I contacted the photographer Cally Matherly -- a Friesian owner with ties to the breeding world. She travels throughout the U.S. and to the Netherlands and photographs about 400 Friesians at keurings, including many of the approved stallions. The photos on the right in this article are hers. We had a lengthy email exchange on the subject of Friesians -- she graciously shared her perspective with me.

Insights from a Friesian enthusiast
The old style Friesian, (see example on right a a mare), tends to be downhill, with short front legs and a steep shoulder that makes extended work difficult. Just below that picture is another of "a very sporty" approved stallion--modern, tall, and built uphill.

There is a down-side to the modern silhouette, however. In getting the lighter, dressage-y Friesian, CM jokingly laments that "we are losing hair." Feathers are a defining characteristic of the breed, and the purists in the Netherlands are concerned. As an aside, CM notes that the older type Friesian with more fetlock hair and mane is also known for water or swelling in the fetlock joints. The Dutch call it sponginess.





A perspective on cross-breeding
The purists in the Netherlands (and the U.S., I imagine) are also not thrilled with cross-breeding of Friesians. CM does not mince words:

"The U.S. does have some pretty shady crossbreeding going on, so to get a Friesian sporthorse cross you need to be sure the stallion is a good one....People need to be smart when selecting a Friesian to breed to--and the rock bottom stud fee is not going to get you quality!"

Arabo Friesian

CM notes one type of cross that seems to be all the rage in Europe. The Arabo Friesians -- 3/4 Friesian and 1/4 arab -- are "tearing up [European] competitions in driving and dressage."

A few points about Friesian breeders

In Europe and the U.S., Friesian breeder participation in shows is low. The IFSHA is the show circuit thru USEF, and CM says that "hardly anyone shows in it." Keurinigs are the real testing ground for quality. Vanderploeg Friesians is an example of a Friesian breeding farm that demonstrates its quality breeding program through keurings and inspections. The farm has bred 2 approved stallions (only 1% become approved), and they have had several make it to the 2nd round of judging. Note: Only 2-3% make it to that round, so it is very competitive. The farm bred a stallion that did show in the Netherlands, where he made reserve champion at the annual stallion show. "It's quite an achievement for a U.S. bred Friesian to get 2nd out of all the approved stallions," says CM.

My thanks to Cally! Visit her Web site -- she has some wonderful art prints like the one below:

clipped from www.callyspictures.com

The magical lead rope

No, this isn't an obscure Grim's fairy tale. The magic lead rope is a concept that I thought about when Riley was a baby. It's not especially clever or original, but it was a guiding principle for me in his early handling.

Safety, safety, safety
Riley went to his first breed show as a yearling, and I did my best to prepare him. My worst fear was that while we were at the show, he would get away from me and hurt himself. How to make sure this doesn't happen? Teach him that the lead rope is a magical, strong, unbreakable tie to me. That way no matter how scared he is, or how interesting the new sights and smells are he will think the lead rope is all-powerful. It won't even occur to him to try pulling through my hands.

There's a madness to my method
Has Riley tried to get away? Sure! But he hasn't succeeded, and he hasn't tried in a long time. Maybe Riley now believes that the lead rope is magical. The secret behind the magical lead rope is hardly a secret-- just a process for introducing restraint/control...

• Riley's first halter was a soft, thin, single-ply leather, for safety reasons and because I figure babies should not associate humans with pain. Baby horses should think only that humans are fun, interesting, and excellent wither-scratchers.
  
• When Riley became a yearling, I bought a thin nylon/rope halter with knots on the noseband (a rolled noseband would also work). I used it only to work with him in-hand, in enclosed areas, and I was plenty nervous about him getting loose while wearing nylon anything. But the "bite" of the rope really got his respect, and there were only a few, short-lived confrontations.
  
• To prepare for my first show, at 18 months, I introduced a chain over the nose. To get the best effect with a chain, I used it in short light corrections, usually once or maybe 2-3 in succession, then release.

I would never have thought this would be controversial, but some people don't believe in pain-inducing restraint, like chains over the nose, for young or adult horses. It's an admirable philosophy but I don't want a horse that bolts. A friend of mine who scolded me for using a chain is now paying a cowboy $100/hour to cure her two year old's bolting habit.

I did not say I told you so. And I only gloated a wee bit.

The point of the knots and the chain is only partly for the handler to make a correction; it's mostly to prevent the horse from bolting. If the horse starts to pull away from you the chain or knots will provide a deterrent. The one time Riley really tried to bolt, he yanked me off my feet, but when he hit the end of the lead rope and felt the chain, he stopped. I'm pretty sure that was why I was able to hang on. Since we moved to our new barn, Riley and I have encountered plenty of scary things -- screeching sliding doors to the indoor, the corrugated metal flapping in the wind, and blue rain barrels. But he's always stood his ground. I guess I'll never know if he's just a sensible guy or if I did a decent job with his groundwork. I'm just glad he's growing up with good manners.

Life of a stallion: Ladykiller or lonely guy?

Non-horse people -- and I suspect men especially -- assume that stallions live the sweet life. I've heard otherwise. A friend recently shared a sad story of a "hot" (meaning popular) stallion on the West Coast. She visited a vet facility where this stallion lived -- he had no turnout, and this beautiful animal was clearly miserable, throwing himself against the bars of his stall. His hair was long, his coat unkempt, and he had marks on his body from biting himself. She suspected he was only handled for breeding.

How many stallions lead lives of isolation and confinement? In looking at farm extension publications and other traditional sources, the prevailing advice is management by confinement. Stallions are separated from other horses and out of the ebb and flow of barn activity. In one sense confinement might simplify stallion management. It reduces the risk of disease and it would certainly protect one's investment in an expensive animal. But the isolation of an intelligent, energetic animal is a sad thing.

Letting stallions be horses
To my mind, all horses deserve time outside, free from human constraints, and in a social (herd) environment if at all possible. Is this realistic with stallions? In 12 Stallion Care Myths: Fact or Fiction (from Equisearch), the author states:

"Although it's the nature of domestic stallions to fight over a harem of mares and their foals, they're not territorial-that is, they don't fight over a piece of real estate. Many stallions kept in the same pasture or pen get along as well as any geldings might, as long as there are no mares to fight over."

There are farms that give their stallions a social life. The training center Epona Equestrian Services advocates a new approach to managing stallions, helping them to integrate into herds for a more fulfilling, social existence. The center staff offer a stallion management program to help stallion owners "create living environments modified to help stallions not just survive, but thrive." Individualized to the needs of the stallion and trainer, the program's goal is to improve the horse's ability to relate to both people and other horses, so that their environment can be less restrictive. Some stallions are eventually turned out with mares or with other stallions.

In the Hilltop Farm newsletter article Creating Happy, Healthy Stallions, farm staff describe their approach to stallion management. They allow their stallions to have contact with each other, although it's less contact than the average horse enjoys. While stalled “they can touch noses and even ‘love on each other’ through the bars. They are not walled off,” a farm staff member writes.

Some experts say that stallions can go out with other stallions; some say stallions can go out with mares. Others insist that stallions must be pastured separately. I suspect a lot depends on the stallion, not to mention the owner. Let's hope most stallions lead a better life than the stallion my friend told me about.

So what do you think? Readers, share your stallion experiences!


RESOURCES

Secret Life of Stallions from the Horse Connection

Living arrangement for stallions (COTH thread)

Is stallion ownership for you? from myhorse.com

Just one of the boys from AQHA magazine

Managing a stallion in competition from New Zealand Horse and Pony

Stallion behavior and endocrinology: What do we really know? from Equine Reproduction

Stallion behavior from the Domestic Horse

Stallion Program at Epona Equestrian Services

Secret stallions: Fathers and husbands from the Feb 06 Horse Connection

Stallion handling from Horsetalk New Zealand

Give your stallion a life from Scott Creek

Stallion behavior from The Horse Magazine

Modern Horse Breeding: A Guide for Owners by Susan McBane (Google books)

Friesian breeding: Some perspectives

The Legacy Friesians Web site has a great article, Friesians as Dressage Prospects , by Swedish Friesian trainer Sylvia Lindstrom. In charmingly broken English, the author writes about Friesians as dressage mounts. She says that they are naturally active in the back, hock, and stifle, especially compared to some warmbloods who are "all hock action" but do not use their backs. As a result of the Friesian's natural rear motor, they tend to collect more easily than many warmbloods.

Friesian breeders have come along way in developing their horses for sport, maintains the author. Years ago, when Friesians were primarily bred for carriage/driving use, they did not offer impressive extended gaits or a good canter. This is still true of some older bloodlines, but the modern type Friesians do possess gaits suitable for dressage.

Lindstrom clearly admires Friesians, and she concludes with a few remarks about their temperament. Friesians, she advises, are "not so tough in the soul" as warmbloods, and they thrive on praise. She notes physical differences in maturation and development as well. Friesians develop muscle and stamina at a slower rate than many horses; conditioning work should proceed slowly.

I'm all a-tingle!
Eager to share Lindstrom's insights with y'all, I started looking for suitable photos to include with the blog entry. I ran across a treasure trove of gorgeous Friesian photos at Callyspictures.com, and I contacted the photographer Cally Matherly to ask permission to use them. Cally returned my email in a few hours, with several pictures attached. It turns out she is a Friesian owner with stong ties to the Friesian world, and we had a lengthy email exchange about her experiences. Next time I'll share her perspective.

Equestrian Classics: My dream halter

Last week I posted a halter for sale -- Riley outgrew it -- and it sold to one of the BTB readers -- hope she has gotten it now! I'd been looking for the company that made the halter, but couldn't find it in time for the posting. Wouldn't you know today just stumbled across it -- Equestrian Classics. Yes, it's pricey, I think I bought one that is not listed on the site. Even the cheaper version I bought was just gorgeous. I told you it was nice.

Click below to go to the Web site

Saturday's Cat Tribute: Video

A sign you'll never grow out of your horse-crazy phase...

Most women your age are buying the video "Four Exercises to a Better Butt." You just bought "30 Days to a Better Seat."

It was on Ebay for $42. I'll let you know if it's any good.

Travers and Renvers; Sorry, which one is which?

Okay, I'm lucky to do the odd shoulder-in (and they usually are odd), I can't be bothered to remember the difference between the travers and the renvers. Fortunately there are videos to help us out..

Travers (haunches inside track, shoulder outside track)


Renvers (haunches outside track, shoulder inside track)


Horses have a tendency to travel with haunches to the inside anyway, and some trainers maintain that travers encourages crookedness. Renvers provides all the benefits of travers without the drawbacks.

Why is there no shoulder out???
Well, actually there is, but it's called counter-shoulder-in, or at the barns I rode at, counter bend. On a straight line there is no difference in benefits of shoulder in and counter shoulder in. When you work on a circle, the benefits are quite different. Shoulder-in on a circle develops the haunch, loosening the stifle and hock. In contrast, counter-shoulder-in develops the shoulder, opening the chest and loosening the elbow.

Info on counter-shoulder-in from:

Lessons in Lightness: The Art of Educating the Horse

By Mark Russell, Andrea W. Steele

Published by Globe Pequot, 2007

ISBN 1599210711, 9781599210711

184 pages

Weanling/yearlings: Lead rope safety

NOTE: Thanks to Rachel, who suggested more articles about baby horse experiences.
I don't remember where I first read this wonderful piece of advice--on a bulletin board, I think, maybe COTH? At any rate it's worth sharing. Attention young horse owners: Get your baby horse used to a lead rope dragging on the ground and banging against them. Do this BEFORE you try to teach him/her to lead, especially if you won't be working in an enclosure. Why? If a youngster gets loose from you he/she may run in terror from the thick "snake" that is chasing them. A panicked baby is at risk for injury, It's easiest to take a few preventive measures to avoid that situation.

What the unattributed source said:
According to the source I don't rightly remember, the safest place to introduce the "dragging lead rope" is an empty stall devoid of -- well, everything -- everything but soft bedding. Put a leather halter on the youngster, and attach a thick, soft lead rope. Then just step out of the stall and monitor the situation closely. Most likely the youngster will run around the stall until he/she gets used to the feeling.

What I did:
When Riley was a 6 month old weanling I had no access to a stall or pen. I needed to work with him on basic handling, but my only "work space" was a 9 acre field with a run-in shed and three other baby horses. If he got away from me while he was in-hand, he might run from the dragging lead rope and get himself hurt. What to do? For better or worse, I modified the technique. Disclaimer: I'm not recommending this, I'm just sharing my successful experience. I can only say that it worked with my one admittedly mellow fellow.

I used:

• an old rein or pair of reins
• a 6-8 foot thick, soft, heavy rope
• a thin leather halter that fits.

My technique:

1. I loop the rein or reins through the bottom ring of the halter (for control).
2. I loop the thick soft rope through the bottom of the halter (not through the ring, just somewhere under the chin).
3. I pull it through so there is about 5-6 feet of rope on the left side (the side I'll be on) and 2-3 feet on the right. If Riley spooks at the dragging rope, he is more likely to jump away from me.
4. Standing on his left side, and holding the rein ends in my right hand, I encourage Riley to walk forward.
   
5. Once Riley gets used to the dragging rope, I pull the existing rope through the halter so that it is about equal length on both sides and more likely to fall against him.
6. I lead Riley some more and let him/her get used to that feeling.
   

What if Riley had freaked?
Well, he didn't. Riley was more perplexed than afraid, and after we walked a bit he ignored it. If Riley had panicked, I could have released one rein and let it pull through as he ran away. In theory, the dragging rope would pull through too, from the weight of the rope and friction of the ground. However, a quick-thinking handler could grab one end of the dragging rope and let it pull through.

The drawbacks
The stall method is the preferred method, for sure. The pasture technique? I guess it's pretty safe, with these caveats.

• A hot-headed baby can always find a way to hurt himself/herself. I maintain that the risk is smaller than the risk of leading a youngster without any preparation of this sort.
• If the baby panics, and the rope pulls free, the baby is at least safe, but nothing is gained.If the rope does not pull through right away, or does not pull through at all, you have a problem, but I don't think it would stay attached to the halter if the baby was really running.
  
• Letting the youngster pull away/break free repeatedly will encourage/reinforce a bad habit. That's never good. I guess it's a matter of which risk you want to take -- the risk of injury or the risk of a horse that tries to break free of the handler.
• I think leading him with a dragging rope temporarily confused Riley about leading cues. At the time he was just learning to lead, and my asking him to move forward was in conflict with the backward pressure from the dragging rope. Fortunately, you don't have to do the "drag a lead rope" technique more than once or twice.
  

I welcome any critiques, improvements, experiences from others. Am I overstating the risk of a dragging rope? Are there better methods? Is this too darn complicated?

German warmbloods: A little history

A non-authoritative history from a non-historian, non-expert
Disclaimer: As I write this little summary of German warmbloods I'm muttering a prayer that it's more or less accurate. Please think of this section as a conversational discussion with a friend/acquaintance who's done a little reading, and take it with a big grain of salt.
Most warmbloods are associated with countries (e.g., Dutch, Danish, Swedish), but an important exception is Germany, where registries are associated with regions. Warmblood horses are named for the region or kingdom that produced them, as Germany as a nation did not really emerge until modern times. Regions such as Han(n)over and Westfalia are about the size of a county in the U.S.

The modern German warmblood registries trace their origins as far back as the Middle Ages. Early horse breeders were generally nobility, sovereigns of the region who bred horses for military, carriage, or farm work. For example, in the late 1500s Graf Johann XVI von Oldenburg set up stud farms in his region to produce war horses. Foreign-bred stallions from Spain, Poland, Barbary, the orient, and elsewhere were imported to introduce lighter type horses to breeding program.

Because travelling to other regions for breeding was impractical, each region used its own stock and over time, the horses within a region tended to share certain characteristics. For example, the early Hanoverians were heavier types, while the Holsteiners tended to be lighter. This is not to say that the two types were never cross-bred (they were). Here's an interesting side note:In the Netherlands, regional differences also influenced horse breeding. Two types of Dutch horses emerged as a result of the soils of the regions: a lighter horse for working sandy soil of the central Holland, and a heavier horse to work the heavy clay soils of northern Holland.

Between the 16th and 18th centuries, various state studs were established to make quality stallions available to farmers and breeders. The Lower Saxon state stud of Celle, established in 1735, is perhaps the most influential stud and it is also where the Hanoverian bloodlines formally began. Stallions were often transported from one stud to another, making new bloodlines available across regions. Breeding standards were established and a mechanism for evaluating stock was put in place. Directors for the state studs had a great deal of influence on the breeding programs and the type of horse produced.

State studs kept records of their breeding and pedigrees, but eventually state studbooks were established to formally record horse pedigrees and track bloodlines. In the late 19th/early 20th century, associations like the Hanoverian registry began to take over this responsibility. The Oldenburg Society (which did not have a state stud affiliation) was established in the 1923.

From the late 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, the need for farm and carriage horses was declining. Breeding programs slowly evolved focusing less on heavy work horses and more on leisure riding and competition horses. An infusion of blood from lighter breeds (e.g., thoroughbreds) helped to accomplish the transition from beast of burden to recreational riding partner. As transportation means improved and breeding technology advanced, it became easier for registries to introduce bloodlines of other registries. For example, the Hanoverian Absatz and his approved sons can be found in the pedigrees of many warmblood horses that are not Hanoverian. Some registries permitted this "cross pollination" from other registries, while others (such as the Trakhener) are closed to other warmblood registries.

What can be concluded from this?
My white bread American never-set-foot-in-Germany conclusions are:

• Wow! The German government really influenced its horse breeding programs. State sponsorship! Standards! Govermental control! There were few private breeders out there doing their own thing. No wonder the state of their breeding programs is so advanced.
• While it's true each region developed a somewhat unique type of horse, it would be easy to overstate this. Even early on, bloodlines were shared among regions.
• The difference between a registry and a breed is rather striking. Most Americans aren't terribly familiar with how registries operate.
• I include myself in the above statement :-). The present role of the registries and the state, and the state stud(s), is a bit unclear to me. How do they work together? Who has the upper hand, or is it cooperative? Who funds what? What is the role of the private breeder?

I know I have some readers in Germany, and maybe even some German readers -- can anyone address this last point?


RESOURCES CONSULTED (AND POSSIBLY BASTARDIZED)

Warmblood information from Sonesta Farms

What is a warmblood? from Americanwarmblood.org

The state studs in Germany from Horse-gate.com

German warmbloods from World of Horses

Green Acres Stud's Warmblood Index

Warmblood registries from Citizen Horse Blog

Friesians come in two flavors (who knew?)

Baroque type

I'll be blogging about Friesians and their registry/registries in an upcoming post, but here's a little teaser. It seems that the breed is evolving as it is used for a broadening range of disciplines. Nowadays there is a distinction between the Baroque and the modern sport horse type of Friesian.

The Baroque type is a more traditional Friesian with a heavy build, high knee action, and lots of hair. Baroque type Friesians are built for their traditional use in driving as well as showing, exhibition/performance, and pleasure.

Sport/modern type

The modern type is lighter and more refined, with a "warmblood movement." The sport Friesian is intended for riding/dressage. They may not have the heavy feathering of the baroque type. As an aspiring dressage rider this modern type just takes my breath away.

While I've lamented the changes that have taken place in some breeds (e.g., the Morgan horse), the development of a sport Friesian seems logical and from what I can tell it is being effected without losing the wonderful characteristics of the breed.

Friesian Heritage Horse Association approved mare

However, it's becoming popular to cross Friesians with other breeds, This is generating controversy in the Friesian world. These crossings and the resulting registries (e.g., the Georgian Grande) leave me feeling skeptical, but I have seen some truly lovely Thoroughbred/Friesian crosses. However successful these crossings are or are not, I hope they develop separate and apart from pure Friesian lines.

Now where was I?
Oh yeah, Baroque vs. sport horse friesians. Here are a few video examples of both types. Both of these stallions are approved and meet the very stringent standards of the Dutch Friesian purebred registry, the KFPS (more on this later):

Baroque type Gradus 356


Modern Sport Type Adel 357

Why I love Valena splint boots

There is an unwritten law of turnout boots, as any barn worker will attest: the most difficult horses to handle will have the most difficult turnout boots to put on.

Case in point
Several years and several barns ago, a very pleasant young boarder--Wendy--proudly held up the new splint boots she had purchased for her difficult thoroughbred mare. They were Weatherbeeta molded boots, an early versions of the ones the company makes now (before they did usability testing, perhaps). I stared blankly as the woman showed me how they are properly applied to the leg--it took several steps. What kind of boot requires explanation? Well, these did. And yuck, what a pain. I tried not to show my disdain as she explained the three-way velcro wrap, but meekly asked if Belle would stand still for them. Wendy paused. "Well, you'll have to watch out for her," she answered. Every week I turned on the stall lights to aid my efforts to put the WB boots on Belle. Kneeling down I would remove my gloves and hold them between my knees while separating the velcro pieces with my fingers so they didn't stick to each other prematurely. Meanwhile, Belle shifted away and cocked a hind leg in warning. The stiff material was not easy to wrap around the leg, and you had to maintain consistent pressure while wrapping the elaborate three velcro strap system or the boot would simply open up. Yuck!
When Belle finally left the barn, I actually had a dream about her walking onto the trailer wearing those boots. It was a good dream.


Enter Valena!
Years later another boarder, to whom I feel sincere gratitude, bought a pair of Toklat Valena boots for her very lovely, easy mare (Belle's Law, remember?). Vive la difference! They are a barn worker's dream and a joy to owners. Why?

• They are lined with wool fleece, which makes for a close, comfortable fit.
• They are machine washable
• The outer material is flexible, soft and durable. A smooth texture makes them easy to clean and returns them to a near new condition.
  
• Two big fat elastic straps supply the perfect amoung of give and tension -- they're easy wrap around the leg, and VERY hard to wrap too tightly.
• They last a looong time. The boarder I know has had hers for at least 3 years and they look great.
  
• They cost under $60 for front boots.
• They come in brown, white, or black.
  

As Riley has started lungeing, I've been meaning to buy protective boots for him. Always one to see what's new on the market, I looked at 4-5 catalogs and evaluated boots. There was nothing better than Valena as far as I could tell, and I picked up a pair from VTO Saddlery recently.

Speaking of boots
There is a purgatory (a wee one, only mildly hot, mildly punitive, and not very long in duration) for boarders who request that barn workers put on and take off pull-on bellboots for turnout . A nice alternative that we have in place at my current barn is to have horses wear the boots 24/7, but have staff flip them up for stall time and down for turnout. Works for everyone!

Sinful Sunday: Today's sin is sloth

Well, I was snowed in (more or less) on Saturday. I'm not ashamed of what I did all day -- after all, "lounge" is a verb :-). My Web ramblings did lead me to some "found" cartoons and I'm linking to the existing images. Hope you enjoy!

Self-serving Saturday: Halter for sale SOLD 1/13

Okay, it's the weekend and I refuse to be bound by the moral high-ground of blogdom, specifically the pledge that I will post no ads.

Regrettably for sale...
I bought a great halter at the Rolex Three Day Event Trade Fair in April -- my dream halter, butter soft and the perfect color piping for Riley (or any chestnut). It's horse size, new, black leather with rich amber piping and brass fittings. Alas, he never actually wore it.

I remember trying it on him in April, and the crownpiece was on the last hole on one side, the second to last hole on the other. I reasoned that the next size larger would have been too big. Now, 9 months later, I cannot fit it on his head on the last holes.

In the photo, the piping looks orange but it's really a rich amber, perfect for chestnuts, nice for bays and blacks (who could wear any color), but maybe not the right choice for greys. The leather is butter soft.


Life is unfair
The coup de gras is, it's personalized. Note the name plate that says "Riley." That can be changed of course.


I paid about $70 for it, including the engraving. Make an offer? Contact behindthebit@gmail.com

And Gentle Readers, please don't think I'm a total sellout, targeting my sales effort to a captive audience of BTBers. This is just an easy way to post the photos for the ads I'll be putting on Craigslist etc. Wish me luck!