What a Fino Weekend

Or part of a weekend I should say.

My friend J has been seizing the dream and applying to jobs all over the country.  She ended up being a finalist for a job in my state, so I did what any supportive friend does and told her that we should go barn shopping together.  So she lined up a few and we did the typical scouting out for boarding barn thing.

However, we also had attended a symposium in the past at a fancy Paso Fino barn and we had also wanted to ride one of them.  She went ahead and scheduled up some lessons and off we went.

I had a big (apparently big for a Paso Fino) grey gelding named Cris.  My friend had a very beautiful, more delicate black mare Jazmin. 

The instructor is big about working with the horse from the ground up.  Build a bond before getting in the saddle, lead the horse around the arena (and lead and lead) before mounting to work on extending and shortening the walk, and getting in synch with the horse there first.

We did eventually get into the saddle though.  Hurrah. 

The lesson I would summarize was a lot of equitation and body control influencing the horse's way of going.  I have such a mixed background in riding that I have finally reached a point where I realize that proper strength and equitation is actually there for a purpose.  My more recent dressage based lessons certainly came in handy in fino land.  My friend J has recently delved into the hunter world after doing the camp/western/reining thing, so it was a very different experience for her too.

Lots of opening and closing hip angle and breathing to compress and extend the gait.  The paso corto (the gait sort of equivalent to the trot, except it is lateral) can really get flying when asked.  Cris was perfectly responsive and a good judge of when I was doing things correctly.  Set him up and off we went.  It was enjoyable riding a horse where really my hands did very little work and the rest of my aids were the predominant force.  Something to strive for with the semi feral mare I think!  

Somehow I managed to get quite sweaty from the lesson which is a first for a lesson in cold October Wisconsin weather.  Cris was more than a little sweaty too, so we wandered around the arena for quite some time.

All in all, an enjoyable experience.  I am a big fan of new experiences across disciplines to try and widen my horizons.  The instructor (who hosts that symposium I mentioned) is also a fan of this.  That symposium we previously attended had Denny Emerson, Richard Shrake, Lynn Palm, and Gayle Lampe all working together to educate an audience and a rider across disciplines on ways to improve the riders and subsequently improve the horse.  Something that's right up my alley. 

It seems to easy a lot of times to say the horse needs fixing first, but the older I get, the less I am finding this is true. Hah, what nuggets of wisdom am I to find in the next few decades of riding horses! 

Memory Monday: Why Balance Is Importance

Instead of "one time at band camp", it seems to progress to "one time...at summer camp..."

And this Monday, it's no different.  However, this memory was the day I realized that having good balance and a good seat was important.

See, I had subconsciously started to figure this out when I was younger and more stupid and willingly rode horses that needed some fine tuning.  Perhaps fine tuning is attributed too much to me as a riding, since it's implying I had some mad skills.  More like, I was the WD-40 that woke the horses up and asked them to please not try and be idiots on a daily basis.  Just please walk, trot, canter and go the direction you are asked with the proper number of hooves on the ground and in a period of suspension at the correct time.  Nothing more, nothing less.

So back to the story.

It was time to go round up the herd again.  Being horses, they eat a lot and there are lots of fields to send them out to graze upon.  Some are closer, some further.  The one involving the little Arab was a close field.  The one on this particular day: not so much.  It was pretty much the furthest point that one could go. 

However, the horse staff did get a little wiser.  If the fields were close, we would walk out on foot and catch a wiley steed which could be entertaining in forty-plus acres of woods at any point and time.  This location was so far that we had left some horses back in our home corral so we could saddle and ride out in the morning.  Saddles were also a new idea, but not a bad one considering we had chosen some "interesting" horses to leave behind, as it wasn't always fair to use the steady eddies.

I don't remember who I had originally rode out the night before, but it was a pretty reasonable horse.  My friend had chosen and rode out an off the track Thoroughbred.  I love them.  They are pretty cool, but understandably, can occasionally loose their marbles galloping in a large group until pretty well schooled.  This Thoroughbred was in the not-yet-well-schooled category.  Friend had saddled him up and on the way out, realized that this may be a bad idea. 

I try to be a nice person, so I offered to switch.  I reflected about 35 seconds later that may also be a bad idea.  After all, I had already had a major concussion earlier that summer.

Too late for second guessing oneself, right?

The group and I cruised on out to go find the herd of horses.  The saddle on my steed was a little uncomfortable and in typical lazy Semi Feral fashion, I hadn't bothered to adjust the stirrups.  Who the heck needs those.

The herd was eager to come in and pretty quick.  Some days, they move slower than oxen in Texas heat, but not that morning: unfortunately.

Steed and I spent a mile or two galloping mostly at a 45 degree angle to anything we were intending, exerting way too much effort for the task at hand.  I did find myself for once wondering why I didn't have stirrups.  Eh, just an afterthought.

At the end of the ride, I slid off the big gelding and realized something.  Somehow in the chaos of the morning, the cinch hadn't been knotted or done up properly.  I hadn't checked it when I got on because I had assumed original rider had and you know how these things go.  What I found was just a latigo run through a couple of times, giving the semblance of a cinch being on the saddle, but just barely.

It was the equivalent of one of those fancy belts on dresses actually serving a purpose. 

My next thought was how on earth was the saddle still on the horse?  We had galloped up and down a few hills, did a mile or two (or seven as I imagined in my overly active imagination), and not on an easy ride.  Someone else proudly exclaimed that it was the mystical term "Balance".

So, perhaps on that day, I found out why being balanced on a horse is important.  Of course, at that point I wasn't thinking beyond "Cool, I didn't get another concussion."

I also insist on trying to bring my own luck in these situations too. 

One more stepping stone on my path to someday being a good rider.  ;)  

Pay It Forward

I'm sure plenty of people have seen that maudlin movie.  I certainly have.  And while it's easy to say I will pay it forward, especially as that holiday season creeps closer, it's even easier to forget.

But I had yet another reminder today that we should do that.  A champion of the Arabian horse breed passed away.  But what I will remember most is that no matter her troubles or how busy, if I dropped her a note she would get back to me.  If I had a question about how to try and connect a horse back to it's papers, she'd try and navigate and make a phone call to jump start the process.

When I posted a flower asking what the heck it was (and the verdict was: still don't know.  It wasn't an orchid though!), she carefully looked into all the pictures trying to help me figure it out.  All the while, she had her own battles, mudslinging, and more occurring.

I always felt she was willing to pay it forward and help others.

So I try and do the same.  And I will continue to try and do the same.  But, perhaps I will try harder to return those emails a little faster or respond to those simple situations a little quicker.  It's easy to me to get wrapped up in my personal bubble.

But why not try and take those five minutes to reevaluate the situation a little and see what can be done.

My good deed for the week: lending a blanket to a young gelding that needs a little extra in this cold Midwestern snap.  His owner spent a fortune trying to save his full brother and I can appreciate that those little cheeky horses grow like bad weeds and outfitting them in a wardrobe every few months is rather daunting.

So here we go, let's keep trying to pay it forward.  I have always appreciated the help that I've received, so when I am able, I'd like to do the same.

The flower we tried to diligently figure out what it was.  I hope it blooms again for you.

Things I Love About My Horses

Most horses have quirks which may be fun, annoying, dangerous, or endearing.

I was just reflecting tonight on a few things that I love about my horses.

The Mare

1. Loves to talk while waiting for her food.  She just starts and keeps chattering until she gets what she wants.

2. I love how she takes delicate bites of apples, carrots, etc.  She'll wait until I break the small dainty chunk off into her teeth.

3. How "showy" she is.  It's easy to just turn her loose and she puffs up and goes.  Makes it easy to take pictures, hah.  Can you tell I have enough of them?

4. How easy to tell how she is feeling.  She is pretty much an open book.

5.  I just like watching her trot.  Wee.

6. Her eyes.  She just has these big bug eyes.  

The Filly

1. She is a little obsessed with having her neck brushed and itched.  She just keeps leaning and I'm sure one day she will fall over.

2. How she will leave eating in the field to come over and say hello.

 3. She has little "kissy spots" on her lips.  I know, a physical characteristic again.  Call me shallow.

4. How calm she is at a show.  I suppose that's why she isn't such a lively halter horse.  She'd rather lick the walls than look exhuberant, but a good sign for my future show horse. ;)

5.  She likes to eat Peeps.  Awesome horse.  Anyone who eats Peeps is a winner in my book.

6. Her tail has like three colors.  I keep wondering if she will just pick one and stick with it.

Look at the awesome tail

Such adorable eyes 

So what do you love about your horses?  :) 

 

Crack A Lackin'

It's amazing how a little horse therapy can help people feel better.

My work can be quite high stress and today was no exception.  I was incredibly frustrated and upset part of the day.  The only plus side was that I was able to leave "early" (after an 8 hour shift ;)   I usually work much longer) since the Semi Feral Mare had a chiropractic appointment scheduled. 

I rushed out, grabbed the mare and just a few minutes of brushing her and watching her enjoy her chiropractic appointment was all that I needed to lower my anxiety and stress.  The mare thoroughly enjoyed herself, licking and chewing.  She has a tendency to have some tension up in her poll especially on the left side, which shows up when we ride, so I was quite pleased to see her happily get adjusted, even if my pocket book was adjusted at the same time.

One happily adjusted mare

I had a few minutes left, so I drug the filly out too for a little time as well.  I convinced her to model her blanket for me.  ;)  Anything for a carrot or two.

And yes, I was lazy.  That was her mother's halter.  Can you tell?  She is such a shrimp she is still in a little pony sized halter. 

So all in all, a successful day.  No riding, but I am starting to feel a little less sore.  Maybe tomorrow.  :)

Star Runner

This may be longer than a typical post and I'm sorry if so.  I haven't planned this out yet.

But it seems appropriate on Memory Monday to introduce another major character in my life, my sweet mare Star.

She was a gift my grandmother and father and I never had the chance to say thank you enough.  There's always something about your first horse.

But I learned a lot.  Growing up, I worked with a lot of horses with issues: buckers, bolters, rearing horses, herd bound, body sore, etc.  But I never usually had one that didn't know a lot, but was a gentle soul.  Star was that type.  She didn't do force, like many Arabians.  The more you forced, the harder she was going to hand it back to you.  I had unfortunately learned a little bit more of force with dealing with some thick headed horses and dealing with their vices.

I learned about introducing a horse to water crossings.  She just didn't know.  Patience won out and she became quite reliable about crossing water.  The photo above was her first introduction.

A short time later, she was quite reliable.

Like many teenaged girls, I liked to dress my horse up a little.  She wore plastic bags on her feet, a rain slicker and a helmet.  Safety first.

And I was able to keep learning.  We did a sanctioned trail trial, which was pretty cool.  I had never done one before and didn't know what to expect and it was my first time taking her out by myself.  It was hot, but we survived and we learned.

Unfortunately, I went to university in another state and wasn't able to bring her back with me.  It's always something I regret.  But at the same time, I know she was well cared for by my family.  

I went back on summer break and decided to do more typical things I thought would be fun like jumping.

And Star obliged.

Don't think she was push button, because she wasn't.  But she was always enough of a challenge to make me think a little, but not dangerous to play around with.

But unfortunately, I had to face reality at some point.  She had Degenerative Joint Disease in a knee that was affecting a hind hock.  Soundness was a concern at time. 

So I focused more time on just hanging out.  I decided one summer that I wanted to teach her to do a turn on the forehand.  Should be easy enough, but I didn't grow up on horses that knew lateral work.  My usual experience with horses while younger was trying to do variations of walk, trot, canter, and gallop with bareback in a large herd being the ultimate goal.  I was actually in college before I ever actually rode a horse that knew any kind of lateral work at all, so I was quite smitten with the idea of a turn on the forehand (or haunches, or leg yield, but I digress).

So turn on the forehand it was.

And so I diligently taught her how to do such a turn on the ground.  Then one day, I climbed aboard when she was feeling spry and gave it a go.  Much to my amazement the button actually worked.

I wish I could say there was an idyllic happy ending and she is in my backyard now hanging out.  But heartbreak and horses often go hand in hand.  I regret not being there, but I'd like to think she still knew of my love and kindness.  

So sometimes, it's just another lingering memory of a first horse.  A sweet horse to whom I owe much experience in lessons of compassion and horsemanship.

Thank you Star Runner

1991-2012

Misinformation

One of my pet peeves is people that repost information without checking into it.  I agree that someone could easily share this, but to attibute it blindly to CSU just seems silly.

[quote]

This is the result of a multi-year study done by CSU, using state of the art thermal detection equipment. Colorado State University is widely considered to be one of the top three equine veterinary schools in the country:

Blanketing horses is one of the worst things that you can do to a horse in the winter. Horses have the ability to loft and lower their coats to 17 different levels, so it's like exchanging 17 different thermal weights of blankets off and on them all day and night, depending on what they need- except that we don't know what they need as well as they do. Their 'self-blanketing' process works a little like 'chill bumps' do in our own skin. That's why long-haired horses may seem fluffier on some days than on others.

Only three things make the 'self-blanketing' process not work: blanketing, clipping, and wind. Not even snow or rain stops their own thermostats from doing the job. Also horses are in 'neutral' (meaning not using energy for either heating or cooling) when the air around them is between 26 and 38 degrees. Otherwise, they're using energy to control their temps. So- since they're cooling their bodies when the temp is over 38 degrees, they're having to use extra energy to cool themselves when blanketed in temperatures over that.

Any time a horse that is outside and has a long coat is shivering, it's because the horse has opted to shiver to warm itself, instead of using the option of moving. Moving generates a considerable amount of heat for a horse, but they sometimes stand and shiver while napping, etc. It does not mean that they need to be blanketed. However- a horse MUST have a way to get out of the wind in order for their 'self-blanketing' abilities to function fully.

It turns out that blanketing is done more for pleasing the human, than to fill a need of the horse. The horse blanket industry has done a great job of making us think that their product is a necessary part of good horsekeeping- when it is actually an item that is very seldom needed.

Another often unknown fact is that horses become dehydrated more frequently in the winter than in the summer. The horse feels less thirsty because they're not triggered by heat to drink more water, so the lack of appropriate intake often causes dehydration. A suggestion for this is to offer one or two buckets full of cool-to-tepid molasses-enhanced water per day. 50 lb. bags of crystalized molasses are available by order through feed stores (if they don't keep it on hand), and is easier to work with than wet [sticky] molasses. A 50 lb. bag of dry molasses costs under $20.00 and will last all winter for several horses. Molasses are high in iron, and make a good supplemental addition, in any case.

Another little known fact is that horses do not need more feed in the winter than in the summer. In the summer horses are using energy to cool themselves. In the winter they are using energy to warm themselves. Both efforts use similar amounts of energy. In fact, if horses have feed before them for more of the time during the winter, they are less likely to move about, which decreases one of their most efficient heating processes. 

[/quote]

Now the issue that I have is that CSU hasn't done such a study.  I spent the morning crawling PubMed and the only blanket study I easily found was the different cuts and the amount of pressure they put on the withers.  FWIW--in movement, the V-Free type exerted the least amount of pressure while the traditional cut the most. 

When this crawled across my facebook yesterday (yet again), I corrected the poster, who was the Colorado Horse Council.  (S)He didn't seem amused by this.  That's fine.  State your opinion about blanketing, but don't wrap it up as research, when it's just that: an opinion.

Then again, ever the scientist, I have to disclose my conflict of interest.  I do blanket my horses.  They burn fewer calories this way, so less supplemental grain which my pocketbook enjoys.  I also like the fact that they stay marginally cleaner and also warmer, since when they end up laying down in thick gross mud, they mat down and lose the insulating properties of the coat in the first place.  And lastly, I blanket because I do occasionally clip my horses.  Terrible I know, but it enables them to maintain a most constructive heart rate during exercise and recover faster.  Interesting sidenote: I also found a study today that said just that.  Clipped horses have a lower heart rate in colder weather and recover faster and have less surface moisture.  Obvious I'm sure to some, but hey, they did the study to prove it.

On a blanket related note: it's starting to get cold here, so I tried out the Baker Turnout Blanket I got for a song at a yard sale.  Hurrah!  It fit the little red filly.  I'll have to take a picture of her and her styling good looks.  :)  

The Semi Feral Mare is domesticated enough to love wearing her turnouts too.