Gear Up—-They Are Shedding, Get Ready to Ride This Spring!

Ok, so sometimes I think Winter is going to last forever.  Really winter wouldn’t be that bad if we had footing.   But here in Colorado the ground has been consistently wet then frozen since October, I think.  That is a long, long time to have your footing be miserable.  But just yesterday, Tolkein started to have those wonderful gobs of hair come out really easily.  The hair was laying on the floor just like he didn’t need it anymore.  Wouldn’t that be nice?

But whether the hair thing is real or not, we all had better start some preparing for the many, many days of horseback riding.  Those wonderful glorious days are almost here.  I love the days when no one says to me, ‘did you hear it is gonna snow tonight?”    I love the days when we get to plan a ride around what movements we will practice instead of around a weather report.  I am so excited, and I hope you are too.

But after having a layoff we are all out of shape to varying degrees incuding our horses.  They, like us, need time to regain muscle and fitness.  Walking in and down hills is a great way to condition your partner and you can help yourself by using a half seat while going up hill and sitting tall and slightly behind the vertical when going down.  Of course, how much of either depends on the degree of slope your hills have.

Your key points to remember for hill work is

Don’t be a burden, no sack of potatoes in the saddle, please.

Keep your hands low and quiet.

Visualize your horse pushing up the hills rather pulling both of you up.

Stay soft in saddle going up or down the hill, but especially going up.

It is fine, if you find your horse speeding up a little going down, for you to

sit slightly heavier in the saddle to help her balance and slow a little.

Keep your eyes looking ahead and don’t focus on the ground.

If your horse is antsy and wants to trot, only so so going up and not a fast trot at that.

Ride the down side of your hill very deliberately to help her keep her balance.

Starting your walk work is a great beginning to this fabulous season.  Keep at it and as both of you get stronger, your desire to do more will outweigh your initial exhaustion.  Always remember that we are the lucky ones.  Whether you have been in the saddle year round or just finding yourself starting a new season, we are having the most glorious experience possible…..we are riding HORSES!!!

HOW LUCKY CAN WE BE!!!

All I Want for Christmas is My Warm Fuzzy Ponies!!

Happily for me my beautiful ponies are with me every day so Christmas is every day for me!!  Some days I cannot believe that my dream has truly come true!  My eyes are so full with wonder and my heart is aching with joy.  Is that not Christmas?

When I was a child I thought I could grow up to be a horse.  Yes, silly, but I had so much faith in my wish that it took many years before I came to grips with the reality of humanity.  And it grieved me to my soul.  But there was something good and pure that came of my wish to be a horse and my grief at not being one.  The wonder of the child’s anticipation grew into the beautiful bond of the woman and the horse.  Not just one horse but all horses.  The bond is more than the admiration for the beautiful creature.  It is magic, just like Christmas morning.

The magic is so real it fills my heart with wonder and joy.  It feels so much like Christmas Eve, when we all went to bed, with colored lights in the window, too excited to sleep.  We wanted so desperately to get a peek at the Jolly Elf, sleep was impossible, or so we thought!  We giggled and smiled and laughed and talked and eventually we went to sleep.   And on that wonderful morning of mornings, we burst open Christmas with more giggling and more laughter and more smiles!!

Now we are all grown up and have learned to give the gift of wonder to others.  The magic of Christmas is a gift and we pass it one in its purist state, with our own generous spirits.

When I wake every morning, sparkling snow or sparkling sun, I see my special ‘presents’.  And no matter how many times I see them, my heart always skips a beat.  The beat it skips doesn’t really skip, it is more like it elevates.  And as that beat settles back down into my heart, it brings wonder and joy.  It renews me and for one little moment I am a child again, with colored lights in my window.  And in that moment, for me, it is Christmas again!

WHO IS EVER READY FOR WINTER RIDING? NOT ME, HOW ABOUT YOU?

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I know there are loads of people who adore riding in the cold.  I don’t know any personally, but I’ve heard of these wacky ones.  No, they aren’t really wacky but winter riding is certainly not a favorite of mine.  COPE. That is the word I use to describe the daily ickyness of riding when you can’t feel your fingers let alone your face.  I cope with the frigid temperatures and envy the horses who don’t seem to mind any of it.

Coping is done really out sheer determination and love.  I know that I love riding, so muchso that there cannot be a deterrent of any kind.  I know that wind is always annoying and sometimes I feel like I have been to the dermatologist when the sand has blasted my face ‘smooth’!  But adding cold, cold to the wind and suddenly love is truly tested.  Yet, could I stay inside, knowing the glorious time that awaits outside with the furry beasts?  Absolutely not!

Coping is a matter of being creative as well as being determined.  Here in Colorado, we have sun it seems, no matter how cold it is.  Oh, I am so grateful for the sun!  So to cope, I wait for the beautiful sun to warm up the day for me.  I am so fortunate to be able to ride when I choose, so I choose a time when the sun has given us a rise in a little heat.  Yeah!

Coping means spending a little extra on great riding gear like a warm pair of Ariat insulated gloves.  Catalogs are now filled with hundreds of affordable riding pants that keep us toasty while tacking up and riding out.  I love thermal riding breeches for those really miserable days.  They are so warm, I roast if it is not cold enough.  I can’t believe I just said that!

And riding can be wonderful too even if the ride has to be kept short.  Horses naturally are more energetic during those cold months and like to keep moving.  They are a great example, aren’t they?  I look at it as an opportunity to do some training that works with the natural inclination of the horse.  That makes learning easy for  our riding partner and fun for us!

Riding in winter to me is just my prep time for the great riding will do come next Spring and Summer.  Don’t get me wrong I prefer warmth over cold.  But anytime I can be with my horses and riding them, it is a joyous occasion.  My whole way of looking at this time of year is in the attitude.  I decide when the first leaves fall from my wonderful trees, that nothing will keep me from doing what I love the most.

What about you?  How do you cope and how do you feel about your cold riding time?  I would love to hear your experiences and ideas!

Thank you for reading and happy riding, any time!!

JUMP FOR JOY, DRESS FOR DRESSAGE, BUT GET IN THE SADDLE!!!

Give your horse the gift of yourself.  Get on your horse and ride with all your heart.  Not all days make you the time and desire that you need to get going.  We all have the long drawn-out day at work where nothing happens that you plan.  those days may as well have your name and your horse’s name on them with a big red x through them.  But oh, my gosh, those are just he days we need our horses so badly!

But when your day sucks and your time has completely run out, go to your horse.  Don’t expect anything of him, but give him all you  have.  Give him your time and attention and the wonderful gift of yourself.  Give him the gift of yourself, unfettered and unattached to the busy ness of your day.

When you separate yourself from all the concerns and stress, a magical thing happens.  You allow yourself to become so engulfed in your horse’s world, that you now get to become separate from those strifes.  The wonder of it is that it will take so much from you to put aside all those stress, that your mind will be stronger for the effort.  In turn your ability to become one with your horse, which takes immense focus, with become more important and more real than any of your daily problems.

Yes, sometimes it is hard to get started.  Grooming, tacking up, hey, just getting all our stuff ready, can sometimes seem monumental.  Whether we are training our horses to jump, to do the next dressage test, to ride the coolest trail or just get on for pure fun, our horses give us the ability to forget the rest of the day and the whole world seems much less important.

Our horses, need us for all the obvious but we need them more.  We need them more than any afternoon nap, any vacation abroad, or glass of wine  before bed.  We need their power and their submission.  We need their grace and obedience.  But more than anything, we need their hearts.  Their hearts make us whole and bring us peace and joy beyond measure.

Don’t you agree?

Happy riding!!

Marcia

Image via Wikipedia

Riding Your Prince-How Your Ex Race Horse Blossoms!!

Image via Wikipedia

TB’s are wonderful horses that have huge hearts!  They will do anything for you, if they are treated fairly. Ex race horses have such unlimited athletic ability and combined with their huge heart, they could truly become the most wonderful horse you have ever had.

Yet, with all their great qualities, it would be easy to make mistakes in training ex race horses for ‘normal’ riding.  TB’s that have been on the track have typically not had the opportunity to learn to enjoy human company.  They have not been allowed to just enjoy standing lazily to be groomed or scratched by their human.  So the first thing in training an ex race horse is the patient times you give him.

• Never hurry him.  He needs the time to think about what you want and the time to understand that his life is no longer rushed.
• Give him clear instructions.  You may be used to using your hand and leg at the same time when riding, but that would be way, way too much for him right now.
• Break everything you do, even grooming, into small sections, just as you would for a two-year old child.
• Always speak softly to him, never raise your voice.  It would be simple to scare this guy, but he will be loyal and true if you don’t!
• Give him time to be a horse.  Turnout is critical to his mental and physical development.  Lots and lots of turnout will produce relaxation and give him time to think, away from the demands of his new life.
• Try not to give him grain, at least for the first several months.  Good quality hay will help him more than buckets of oats.  It is always important to help him to be calm and pay attention to you and grain will certainly not help that at all.  Later when he is working regularly and paying great attention to you, you will be able to add some if he needs it.
• Start feeding pieces of carrot, apple or sugar cubes.  Even if he does not eat it now when you let him have the opportunity to smell and try it on his own time, eventually he will.  Then you will have some ammo in your arsenal!

Training the ex race horse is a thrilling experience!  The beauty of the TB is unmatched.  As you are able to do more and more with this new partner, his muscles will change, his attitude will change and you will change too.  You will be so proud of your accomplishment and so happy you took your time.  You will remember the scrawny boy, who got off the trailer confused and scared.  You will look at this gorgeous boy who carries you like the wind over miles and miles and your heart will beam.  You will remember how he never liked to stand still for you, and how proud you are now when he nickers for you and nuzzles into your pockets for treats.

This is a special bond, you and your ex race horse.  It is perhaps stronger than any bond you will ever have with another horse.  He gives you pleasure when you see him free and how much his body has changed.  He responds to your every request, even when he doesn’t understand, because he knows you are fair.  You have a Prince now and together your riding will reach heights that are unexpected and, pure delight!

Ex Race Horse Training-Take Him From Pasture to Prince!!

Can you take an ex race horse and make him a powerful, yet calm riding horse?  Can this fellow become the jumping horse of your dreams or perhaps your upper level dressage horse?  The answer is a resounding…YES!

Let’s say you have found the horse that embodies the look that you have always wanted.  He is a TB with long legs and a beautiful bay with a long mane and tail.  You know that with his size and bone, you can do anything.  His temperament appears to be quite workable as well.  But training this horse will be different from training any other horse you’ve had in your care.  This horse’s training will take a different mind-set from you.

The ex race horse, and I am speaking in general terms, has not had the opportunities that other breeds of horses have had throughout their lives.  Race horses are not treat oriented and will not generally enjoy sugar cubes, and apples and carrots.  Race horses are not encouraged to stand for long periods of time to be groomed and made to look beautiful.  They are typically not trained to stand still for mounting and in general are moved from one thing to the next without much thought to the horse’s feelings.

With these ideas in mind, training the ex race horse becomes more methodical.  Patience is the key.  Slow work that is simple and understandable to his mind will benefit  you both.  Everything you have done in the past with horse training now must be done in a super slow fashion to give the guy a chance to understand that he is not being rushed for anything.  When your new horse is ready for mounting, make that a lesson in itself.  Repeat it over and over again with much praise.  If he starts to move off before you get your leg over his back, start over, calmly and assuredly.  Let him know that he is not in trouble, there is just a new way of doing things.  Eventually, when he get used to sugar cubes, and craves them, you will reward him for the moments he stands still.  Even sitting on him back after mounting is a new training adventure for you both.  He should wait for you to ask him to move off, but if he makes a mistake, you will calmly correct it.

The mindset for training the ex race horse is so critical for your success.  You have to understand that every step for your charge could take a very long time.  I have known the mounting process to take months.

When you first begin to actually ride, don’t be afraid to use your leg.  This guy must understand what the leg means.  When you first walk off, he may take a few trots steps but that is ok, just keep using the word ‘walk’ and praise him when he does well.  You will use the bit the same way.  You will use your voice with your seat and hand to produce your ‘whoa’.   Patient repetition is what he needs and you will be surprised at the confidence he begins to exhibit once he starts to understand the new mindset.

You will achieve success if your mind is open to this new way of toning things down for him.  Tomorrow’s post will continue this training aspect further and it would be great to hear of your experiences as well.

Ride happy horses well!

Marcia

Adult Starting Riding Lessons-What to Look For In a Riding Instructor

As an adult, learning to ride can be challenging.  Learning to ride a horse is a joy but it is a whole other language as well as a new skill.  As adults we know just how vulnerable that we are and how fragile our bodies can be.  But our desire for horses and riding has been quite likely with us for all our lives.  With that desire and passion, adults can easily combine focus and commitment to find success in the saddle.

Yet success will be dependent on the riding instructor.  The riding instructor will first be the interpreter for the language of the horse.  The riding teacher will have to give the new rider clear feedback until the rider is able to do so for herself.  Many times the rider will be doing a cue or movement of some kind, not understanding what reaction to expect from the horse.  But the instructor will give virtual feedback to the rider, which allows the person to learn.

This instructor, who knows and understands horses beyond words, will provide knowledge and instruction to the new pupil.  She will interpret the feedback from the horse until the rider is able to do so.  She will then give the rider the opportunity to see if she understands what the horse is telling her.  Her lessons will be rich in communication from her human teacher and from her horse teacher as well.  She is immersed in the love of horses and the love of learning to ride.  Her instructor is a person, but seems to be part horse in the way that she thinks.  She keeps her student safe while all the while keeping the horse teacher comfortable and happy too.

This riding instructor is not easy to find.  She is out there waiting for you.  She is a pure lover of horses and her kindness in her teaching style is outwardly obvious to all who watch.  She will only teach you in a private lesson, so that you will be able to develop your feel and understanding of the horse.  Later she will let you ride with others, after you have some confidence and skills.  She never, ever yells at you or the horse and is always encouraging.  She explains every aspect of every exercise with patience and clarity.

Why does she do these things?  The answer is very simple.  Love.  Love of the horse.  This riding instructor knows that if you begin your riding career correctly, every horse you ride will be happy.

Correctly ridden horses are happy horses.  It is that simple!!