Written by Jay McGarry on August 13, 2010 at 9:32 pm
Most of us ride in a particular discipline. We may be dressage riders, eventers, endurance riders, western pleasure, trail riders and so on. We school our horses on a regular basis and some of us may even do a little cross training. Our horses oblige, usually, and life goes on. There may be some training issues here and there; little blips on the radar, but the job gets done.
Recently, I took my green horse, along with a couple of friends, to Steve Robinson, a western trainer and rodeo rider. I ride English, but Steve came highly recommended. Steve talked a lot about respect and versatility. Hmmmm…. respect; I understand that and am working on it. Versatility…yes. In eventing, I jump stadium, cross country and do flat and trail. (Sean is still working on being good on the trail). What does that mean? I’ve been having a couple of issues with Sean, including getting him on the trailer. Granted, Sean is an off the track Thoroughbred, but it was time to get past this issue
I arrived at Steve’s farm in Massachusetts and got Sean off the trailer. I was there earlier than my friends, so Steve started working with Sean. He did a lot of groundwork with Sean and Sean went on and off the trailer like a charm. Then, he had Sean trot behind a revving ATV on a longe line, and he coped well with that.  Steve then suggested a trail ride. Little did I know what was in store! Steve promptly put a western saddle on Sean. Sean was fine until he was asked to move and then he did a fair amount of rodeo antics, not being used to a rear cinch. Steve said he would ride Sean and I got on another horse, in a western saddle. There is something to be said for the comfort of an English saddle/narrower twist! Edie and Sara M. arrived and mounted up and off we went … to the cattle ring. Steve went into a round pen, took Sean to a cow pen surprisingly, and proceeded to do what is called “sorting”. Sorting involves changing the cow’s direction, being close to it, heading it off, etc. There was my OTTB, trotting fancily after a large calf with fake horns. That was a sight to behold. He was a little skittish when he first saw all the cows, but took right to it.  All of us had our chance to give it a try on the other horses. It was so much fun and boy, did we laugh.
From the sorting, we moved on to a desensitization area. Sean had to walk through strings with bells, go over wooden bridges, etc. After all the horses made it through a few times (without wanting to leap through), we moved on to the trail ride. The ride involved  opening gates, going through cloudy water (many a horse’s nemesis), and so on. Sean learned some good lessons, but he did manage to lie down in the water with Steve, just as I said, “Steve, I think he is going to…”. Oops, too late. Steve stayed on and hopefully, Sean learned that is not a good idea!
When we returned, he “tied” Sean (although Sean was actually not tied at all) to a fence, and there he stood quite patiently for quite a while, until I washed him. Steve had mentioned earlier that even though Sean is an OTTB, I should treat and think of him as if he is a Quarter horse. Interesting concept.
The thread throughout this whole experience was versatility. A horse, when exposed to more than the usual daily routine and training, becomes that much more adept at dealing with the unexpected and therefore, becomes more manageable and rideable. He compared how challenging it is for a country person to be comfortable in a noisy city versus a city person dealing with the quiet of a place like Vermont. Steve talked about how important it is to always give your horse a job that makes him think. Not only does it enhance the learning experience, but it’s a lot of fun for both the horse and rider.
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and at least I know my horse, my off the track Quarter horse, when at an event , will have no problem dealing with cows and moreover, he will have a back up career as a “cow sorter”.
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Written by Kitt on at 9:31 pm
Versatility and flexibility are important for the horse and rider … and it’s a pretty good idea for the instructor, too.
Before I became a saddle fitter, I spent many years making my living as a dressage trainer and instructor. Just the other day, I was doing a fitting for a customer who does endurance and competitive trail, and noticed that the horse’s back was pretty underdeveloped. I mentioned to Rhonda, the owner, that some basic dressage work would help. Nancy Okun, who’s a good friend of Rhonda’s, was working with us as well, and said that dressage lessons would be a big help with her young horse. They began discussing the logistical challenges of finding dressage lessons, and I began thinking that maybe putting my instructor’s hat back on might be fun, particularly since I’d be working with riders outside the typical dressage parameters. Upshot is that we’re going to do our first lesson in two weeks, and I’ll have a progress report for you in the September newsletter!
Written by Brady on at 9:30 pm
Punky and I have hit a little bit of a rough patch, since we learned that his superficial bow was not what we thought. He actually had a deep digital flexor tendon issue, grade 1. For those of you who don’t know what that means, (I must admit that I don’t know either); it means that he had a tear in the tendon fibers that weren’t completely healed and he had to go on stall rest again. At least that’s what my mom told me. I’ve just started trotting him again. Since that happened, I’ve been taking little baby steps towards his recovery.
I went to Hitching Post Schooling Trials and went Beginner Novice before I knew that his injury was still bothering him. Dressage was okay. I made “squircles” which is a mix between a square and a circle. Jumping warm-up was fine. In cross country, I was eliminated on the second fence. I felt it was my fault because I had not pushed him enough. But, I was wrong. It was not me; it was the injury that was making him stop. To understand this, I will put it in a way that might sense to you. Let’s say you were scheduled to jump hurdles. It seems reasonably easy, right? But now, let’s add a broken ankle. Would you want to jump? I thought not.
I’m taking advantage of this perfect opportunity, though it is a little less than perfect, to work on his softening on the bit. I’m working on this at a walk and at a trot until Punky is ultrasounded again to see if he is ready to canter and jump.
I rode another horse in a lesson, because frankly, I didn’t want my jumping skills to grow rusty. It was a horse, much bigger than Punky and I was nervous and I was worried that the jumping part would be way bouncier than Punky and I would fall off, not that I haven’t had enough experience with that. I found it was really smooth because I absorbed with my ankles and knees and followed the motion of the horse as Sue told me to. I had a great time. Thank you, Taylor for letting ride Pepe.
Punky and I have encountered one of the many roadblocks we have faced in our partnership and I hope to be jumping him again soon.
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Written by Nancy Okun on at 9:29 pm
I must begin by saying how much I am enjoying my new partner, Reilly! He is so much fun and such a good boy considering his age. We happily go down the trail on short solo jaunts with me singing “You’re So Brave” to the tune of the old Carly Simon song “You’re so Vain”. He likes that! He’s only done a few justified spooks in place when a ground bird flew up in front of him and when we encountered our first deer! One of my big priorities on these trail rides is to have him walk home happily on a loose rein. No Arab Back Jarring Prance, Thanks anyway!
To say it’s been hot is an understatement. Even though I’ve been bemoaning the fact that I’m not competing this year and can be heard whining “this Saturday I’d be doing such and such ride”….I then check the thermometer and see it creeping up to the 90’s and think……..Hmm….maybe a slow walk through the woods isn’t such a bad deal!
When I picked up my copy of Endurance News this month I eagerly read the story called “Beat the Heat” by James Steere DVM. Since I was going to write about heart rate monitors this month…..I thought I’d combine that with things to watch out for while riding in the heat.
I ran marathons in the 80’s and early 90’s. Back then if I saw someone running with a heart monitor I immediately thought they had a heart condition and needed to watch their pulse rate! Yes, I did know that the better conditioned you were the lower your heart rate would be (resting and running) and I knew generally what range I should be running in for maximum efficiency, but most runners back then didn’t have the technology. Today, most endurance riders own a heart monitor and use it to some extent. I always use mine in the Spring when I start conditioning and certainly use it on competitions. I have one conditioning ride with a good gradual hill. I know that my mare will be at a certain rate the first few times we do that slow climb. I know when I see her heart rate come down….she’s getting fitter….if I see it spike and there is nothing around that excited her….I slow down and back off. With that said….don’t be so obsessed with the numbers that you ignore your horse! It reminds me of when I was in labor with my son. It was a LONG labor (a precursor to my endurance passion, I think!) and the doctor decided to hook up a monitor to check the severity of contractions. All of a sudden my coaches ignored me and were enthralled with the monitor screen saying “wow, here comes a big one”….Well I knew a big one was coming and certainly didn’t need a monitor screen!!!
Remember every horse is an individual and their heart rate will reflect their breed and body type as well as personality.
I’m not an expert by any means…..but all of us can be experts concerning our own horses. About 140 BPM is a good aerobic range to work in…meaning that your horse’s oxygen uptake is even with his oxygen burn and that he’s using more fat than carbos for fuel. If he goes into anaerobic range, with a pulse rate up around 150-250 your horse will burn mostly carbohydrates for fuel. Certainly you’ll need to train your horse anaerobicly as a part of conditioning, but it stresses and tires your horse no matter how fit they are. Your aerobic and anaerobic range could be anywhere between 140-180 depending on your horse. This is a great thing to know when the weather is hot and humid. You may need to back down from your normal pace to keep your horse from being anaerobic.
Recovery is THE most important factor especially when it’s hot. If you are traveling aerobically and stop your horse, if he is fit his heart rate should drop to about 70 after one minute and ideally down to 60 after 5 minutes. On a really hot day if he take 30 minutes to recover he is badly fatigued and may be overheated. You need to stop, get into the shade and cool him down with water. Keep sponging him until the water you scrape off feels fairly cool. Keep checking is pulse and watch his eye to monitor his overall feeling of wellness. You may need the assistance of a vet if things don’t improve.
A note here on respiration. At rest a normal respiration rate is around 12 breaths per minute. With exercise it rises just like our own breath. An interesting comment Dr. Steere made in his article was that at the trot the aerobic rate is in rhythm with the gait. As your horse goes anaerobic he cannot maintain this rhythmic respiration and will need to breathe faster than his gate. This is very inefficient and physically harmful. He needs to slow down. At work you horse’s respiration is a bit slower than his heart rate. When you slow down or come to a rest stop respiration should come down to about 1/2 of their heart rate. When the respiration stays higher than the heart rate this is an inversion. This indicates that the temperature of the horse is higher than normal and he’s trying to get his temperature down by blowing off hot air. If this happens at a hold the general rule is that your horse’s temp needs to be below 103 before it’s safe for you to go on. Again, head for shade, sponge like crazy, take his saddle off and offer him tepid water slowly.
Speaking of water…..plan your hot weather rides, whenever possible, to include any type of water. Just standing your horse in a stream while you sponge them can cool their core enormously. Encourage them to play in the water in every form…..ponds, streams, mud puddles and many different types of buckets. Get them used to having water poured over them from bottles and buckets. If they are only used to drinking out of “their very own purple tank” they won’t do well on rides when drinking can mean the difference between serious dehydration and a healthy horse.
Electrolytes are necessary. Again, I don’t pretend to be an expert on this subject which has so many variables it will need an article of its own! Maybe next month!
I do appreciate hearing your comments and questions on these articles. And, I do hope the weather cools and all the bugs die very soon! I hope your season is going well and all your goals are being reached.
Ride Happy,
Nancy
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Written by Nancy Okun on July 16, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Things are going great with Reilly! We are bonding under saddle and there is no better feeling than that! I’ve had many great trail rides with some solid friends as baby sitters and Edie has given me some great lessons in the ring. Just last week we did our first solo trail ride and he was a Prince! If it weren’t’ for the deer flies that threatened to carry us away it would have been heaven!
Edie says he’s a star in Kindergarten, but hasn’t graduated to first grade yet! So we’re still working on bending, leg yielding and going around any obstacles we can find – jumps set up in the ring (whoa! not for us!!), hay wagons, parked trailers – and exposing him to everything going on at the farm – jumping lessons, saddle fitting sessions, hay mowing. As a result he’s getting calmer and more resilient every day…and so am I. He’s been coming home with me and Rianon on the weekends and he trailers like a champ.
I can’t believe he’s only been with me for two months!
I thought some of you who may be planning your first CTR this summer or fall would like to have an overview of early conditioning. I just reread an article on the AERC website (which I encourage all of you to check out -
www.endurance.net) to remind myself of some basic principles.
Every horse is an individual. That may sound pretty basic…but it can’t be emphasized enough. Body type and resting heart rate along with god given metabolics obviously come into play as does a horse’s living arrangement. If your horse is out on 50 acres (lucky him) and self exercises quite a bit, his fitness level going into your training schedule will be different than a horse kept in a small paddock. Horses will have limitations so you will just need to listen and know your horse……the more you ride the more you’ll “hear” and “know.”
Most of us work full time so consistency can sometimes be a problem. You know there will be a thunderstorm on your day off … kids and partners will demand attention …you know the scenario! You can’t make up for not riding one day by riding twice as hard the next. So try your very best, for the sake of your equine partner, to be consistent.
You should consider your own physical health and fitness, as well. If you become fatigued your riding will become unbalanced and your body will be tense with discomfort. That will cause your horse to tighten or twist his back and potentially cause lameness. It’s easy and fun to incorporate your exercise program with your horse’s by running alongside him as a warm up to your ride….or getting off to hike with him up or down steep hills. It will also give you an appreciation of what we ask our horses to do while carrying our weight. Plus, it will teach him how to stand still next to a rock or log while you mount.
Ring work is essential for a supple and balanced horse. As a result he will be much less prone to injury.. No, I’m not thrilled with ring work either and find myself having “trail withdrawal” the days I do ring work. But ask any of the really successful endurance riders and they will tell you they take dressage lessons regularly. Trotting over cavalettis is also beneficial. I make a maze of them to keep our waning interest alive. Really all you need as a start is 30 minutes a week. Even with that short time you will see a difference in your horse’s carriage.
Make sure your horse’s feet are in good condition and balanced with good angles. Assuming he is in good health and not too thin nor obese you can start riding 3 miles at 5 mph….if you’ve been riding regularly you may increase that mileage very quickly. If your horse is turned out on a huge pasture 3 days a week might be all he needs to get and stay fit. Horses in a smaller paddock could benefit from a 5 day a week schedule but two of those days should be light work, or ring work. Incorporate hills, but go easy downhill especially if your horse is young. They neither have the strength or balance to negotiate downhill grades well and you could damage their joints. Use common sense. If you’ve done a long ride one day, go easy the next. Never increase mileage and difficulty in the same ride. Trot and walk. Practice transitions. Getting on and off on the trial. Stopping at streams or puddles and encourage them to drink. Keep it interesting and fun.
My goal is to comfortably do 5 miles in 45 minutes. Once your horse can do that you can bet you’re ready to do a 25 mile ride.
Next month we’ll talk about pulse as an indication of fitness and condition.
Till then … Ride Happy!.
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Written by Jay McGarry on at 12:54 pm
I don’t know about you, but I am a goal setter and I love the process of learning. I am lucky that I have my horses at home with a large outdoor riding arena in which to school them. Recently, I had the opportunity to board my horse at my trainer’s barn for a few days while my son was at horse camp and it got me thinking. I have boarded in the past, but it is easy to forget how much I enjoy having someone available for feedback, “eyes on the ground” and riding companions. I know my son loved camp for the sheer joy of riding with others who share his passion.
Many of us don’t have the benefit of a regular trainer or riding buddies. I trailer, weather permitting, over an hour each week to my trainer’s barn for lessons and afterwards make notes on what I am working on. Knowing that I don’t always have my trainer available, I find it really important to set goals. They don’t have to be lofty goals, but simply something that keeps me striving to improve myself or my horse, usually both. It is easy to become dependent on a trainer and many riders become paralyzed without constant input. I find that I need to be a “thinking” student. When I learn something I take it home and really work on it. I refer to my notes, think about my schooling, and develop questions to be answered when I see my trainer again. Edie finds the following helpful: “I always advocate a written lesson plan just like a teacher would prepare for a school class. In that plan (which can be flexible or changed as appropriate), I like to have goals, things my horse does well, and things my horse needs to work on, and a systematic plan to get that to happen.”
When I don’t have access to my regular trainer, I try to reflect on previous lessons, or bounce my questions off other knowledgeable horse people. I read a lot and take bits and pieces of things that might be useful and play with them. It takes more motivation when I am on my own, because it would be easy to just plod along doing the same old thing, but never really getting anywhere.
Some people are in a rush to move up quickly, whether in dressage, eventing, fence heights, etc., but for me, it’s important to just take your time and fill in the “holes” and enjoy the satisfying process of learning.
In reality, we must be responsible for our own learning. I set small and large goals. A small goal might be to have my green, off-the-track Thoroughbred stay calm on a trail, or be soft in a “scary” corner of the ring. A large goal might be getting into a show ring for the first time or doing our first small horse trial. Those goals keep me going. Sure, I am competitive and you may not be, but goal setting and learning keeps the process interesting, challenging and rewarding. Knowing that I can’t have my trainer sitting on my shoulder like the “good fairy,” telling me what to do next means I have to think about what I am actually feeling and doing; as a result, it enhances the learning process.
If you take your time and set small goals, you can build on each success and shape the end result into the larger goal. It is what keeps me going when there is no one at “the barn” to pressure me to get something done in a particular way. I try to keep to my plan whether it’s ninety degrees, such as last week, or below 20 degrees. I have goals to achieve and that is what motivates me.
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Written by Kitt on July 14, 2010 at 4:57 pm
This month’s Success Story features Cindy Sanders and her horse Dane. Cindy was looking for a dressage saddle for Dane; he’s a big boy, a rehab case, and built very uphill.
She’d tried several different saddles, but they all sat pommel-high, and Dane wasn’t a happy guy – Cindy described his canter as “cantankerous.” Cindy’s also quite petite, and small rider on large horse adds another dimension into the saddle fitting equation.
We sent Cindy and Dane a used 17″ wide tree high head Albion SLK . The high head dealt well with his big wither, and it had a very thick rear gusset, which balanced the saddle and kept it from sitting pommel-high. Things looked pretty good from the first time Cindy put the saddle on Dane’s back, and a few days later, she told me, “I’ve been able to ride Dane in the Albion enough to make a decision. I believe it is a good match for both of us. He’s not protesting to trot sitting nor canter departs. I am comfortable in it, as well.”
She very kindly posted on the Ultimate Dressage Bulletin Board: “Great eye, great call. We’re a very happy pair. Thank you!” and included the following photos – which truly are worth a thousand words!
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Written by Brady on at 4:43 pm
Phew! Back from camp. GMHA Junior Horsemanship Camp was an exhausting experience. We rode for a combined total of nearly three hours during the day. We typically did flat and/or jumping every day. My camp trainer’s name was Olivia. She probably had the most fun out of all of us in the group, frankly, because she didn’t have to work that hard. She could just sit in the shade and tell us what to do…especially when we were jumping. The temperatures were steaming almost every day. I did soak Punky in the stream daily.
At camp we had to take care of our ponies and horses; feed them morning and night, clean stalls, keep our areas clean and raked, and make sure our tack was very clean. During our lessons and when we took our ponies for a walk, the expectation was that there were no shavings whatsoever, on the ponies.
I worked on folding on the front of the jump and leaning back and giving on the downside of the jump, especially when they were downhill, balancing him right away, on landing. I also learned some supplying exercises and I learned how to communicate with my legs better, to Punky.
In the middle of camp, there was a horse trial. In dressage, Sue Berrill, my trainer, was the judge and she gave me a 40.5, (event score).She told me I was very accurate and I have been working tirelessly on that. Stadium; I was almost finished with a clear round until I was getting cocky and let down my guard, and he stopped at the last fence. Cross country was a stellar experience. I had a clear round and after the last fence I started pumping my hand like a jockey. I came in second in my division.
On the second to last day our trainer had us play some games. We played tennis ball and spoon races, slalom poles that had to weave around, cup and ball races and more. Punky thought the tennis ball was an apple so when I refused to give it to him, he got angry and he bucked. I didn’t come off, but I only had one hand on the reins, because I was holding the spoon and tennis ball in the other. I kept the tennis ball balanced; probably all the experience I have gained from the li’l guy bucking, rearing, you name it, he has done it. We won that game.
I made a lot of new friends. One of them even joked to me that more people know Punky than know me. And, that probably played a big part in me getting the “Bell Wood” annual award. It’s given to the camper who exhibits a strong bond with their pony and made camp special for everyone. All in all, Punky and I had fun at camp and can’t wait until next year.
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Written by Jay McGarry on June 19, 2010 at 12:16 pm
So often we make do with the saddles we have even if they are not a perfect fit. This can be due to many of factors, such as riding a variety of horses, financial constraints, or simply not understanding what constitutes a “good” fit.
One can use pads and such to modify the fit, and this can be successful… or not. Recently, two of our upper level event riders that are in the Black Country Quantums have had some interesting observations.
Ariel Grald stated that she struggled with finding her position in her jump saddle, and as a result, her horse was refusing fences. She said she felt she wasn’t as effective as she could be with her leg aids. When she started riding in the Quantum, she was able to find her correct leg position and she feels that has had a huge impact on her successes lately.
Sue Berrill, riding in her usual jump saddle, felt the fit wasn’t optimum, but padding it up made it passable. She felt that her horse was jumping well, yet she noted that Lexi wasn’t as soft as she would like. Sue observed the following when she tried riding Lexi in the Black Country Quantum: “She would get a bit tense and braced. While she basculed still, she did so with a tight back. With the new saddle, her jump is fluid and soft and the half halts go through since she’s not bracing her back.”
Little things can go a long way. A balanced, well fitting saddle may not turn you into the winning event riders that these women are, but it very likely allow both you and your horse to do your jobs more effectively.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to purchase a new saddle, but it may suggest that a saddle fit assessment would be a good option. Sometimes, “good enough” really isn’t!
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Written by Edie Tschorn on June 17, 2010 at 1:12 pm
One of the advantages of having our tack shop located on a farm is that we get to watch trainers at work. From our upstairs windows we have a bird’s eye view of rider’s trials and tribulations as they struggle to mount from a block or a stone wall and then have to navigate the gauntlet of capricious horses playing in nearly paddocks. This past week I snuck in a bit of a break and swiveled away from the computer screen and stacks of saddles to watch Tom Curtin, his wife Trina, and assistant Clint who stopped to visit for a few days while they were doing a clinic in Massachusetts.
I have to tell you that after being in the horse business for well over thirty years, I have seen a lot. I have seen the fads, the training gadgets, the whisperers and the hollerers…Tom is a guy who can just ‘get it done’ in a very practical and sensible way. While I have often been impressed by trainers and clinicians who can talk a good game, Tom is able to demonstrate it every time he works with a horse.
I’m sure that many of the cowboys who have had to make their living from the back of a horse probably cringe a bit at the Eastern mentality where many of our horses have a collection of pastel blankets, herbal supplements, designer horse cookies and leg booties. I watched Tom working with a young rider on a horse that had perfected the art of bolting from the far end of the ring, and had discovered that a couple of well placed bucks could send the rider flying through the air. He made two points that were both valid and thought provoking. The first was that we tend to be pretty rude to our horses. How often have you seen a rider or handler carry on a conversation with another person without giving much attention to the horse that they were holding or sitting on? They wouldn’t behave that way in a group of people. The point was made that if you ignore your horse, perhaps you shouldn’t be surprised when the horse finds something else more entertaining and rewarding than standing like a respectful statue. Tom made the point that nothing happens “all of a sudden” and things happen when we have failed to pay attention to the warning signs. The second message that he offered was that it was a whole lot better to be “fair” to our horses than to be “nice”. I realized how many conflicting signals that we give to our horses- and the end result of those inconsistencies is that we really compromise the trust factor. When a horse cannot count on his rider to enforce the same rules all the time, regardless of the situation, the horse loses the advantage of having a leader that he can count on. When that happens, it is not surprising that a horse may occasionally decide that he needs to make his own decisions, rather than listening to a request from someone that has not proven reliable.
Tom advocates treating horses with ‘courtesy and respect’ and requires the same back from them. His consistency produces an end result that shows in his own horses who offer him the partnership that we all dream about. Whether I’m watching from the upstairs window, or from the saddle, I really enjoy watching a good horseman help develop teamwork between equestrians and their mounts!
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Steve then suggested a trail ride. Little did I know what was in store! Steve promptly put a western saddle on Sean. Sean was fine until he was asked to move and then he did a fair amount of rodeo antics, not being used to a rear cinch. Steve said he would ride Sean and I got on another horse, in a western saddle. There is something to be said for the comfort of an English saddle/narrower twist! Edie and Sara M. arrived and mounted up and off we went … to the cattle ring. Steve went into a round pen, took Sean to a cow pen surprisingly, and proceeded to do what is called “sorting”. Sorting involves changing the cow’s direction, being close to it, heading it off, etc. There was my OTTB, trotting fancily after a large calf with fake horns. That was a sight to behold. He was a little skittish when he first saw all the cows, but took right to it. 
All of us had our chance to give it a try on the other horses. It was so much fun and boy, did we laugh.
opening gates, going through cloudy water (many a horse’s nemesis), and so on. Sean learned some good lessons, but he did manage to lie down in the water with Steve, just as I said, “Steve, I think he is going to…”. Oops, too late. Steve stayed on and hopefully, Sean learned that is not a good idea!