I'm fixing up this trailer I got with the SO the other day, and I'm all freaked out about using the angle grinder (as a child I was afraid of sparklers too...don't judge). I am not a fan of sparks.
So as I'm holding this thing gingerly in my work-gloved hands trying to psych myself up for it, a thought occurs to me:
"Megan, literally complete idiots use this thing without issues."
So I took a deep breath, got on the damned horse (figuratively) and used the damn angle grinder, sparks and all. I did forget to breathe DURING the actual grinding in the beginning...but I got better at it.
Anyway...Sometimes I feel the same about horses.
I feel like "training" horses has become this big mysterious thing that one certain "horse whisperers" can do. Like there wasn't a time when tons of people trained their own horses. With varying results. But still. No NH needed.
The only thing I really see in common with these lower-end trainer people (and I'm not talking about the top-of-their-sport people), very generally, is that they are reasonably intelligent and observant and consistent about what they do. They have a little sense about how horses learn and they use it to their advantage.
Of course, complete idiots also train horses and do a reasonably good job for the same reasons (I might be in this category. What do I know, anyway?).
Rules for angle grinders:
1. Make sure your equipment is hooked up right. We don't want one of those disks sailing off who-knows-where at 11,000 rpms.
2. Don't try to jump in there and touch metal without getting the damn thing running first. This results in unpredictable and dangerous behavior on the part of the angle grinder.
3. Be sensitive and consistent for best results.
4. Know when to stop.
Sound familiar? Complete idiots can do this stuff. You can do it! Get out there and work your angle-grinder/horse.
Showing posts with label horse insanity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label horse insanity. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Saturday, September 1, 2012
The round pen & a round bale
There has been some serious slacking going on here over at the Chevelle Chronicles.
Part of my problem is now they are the Chevelle AND Tiny Chronicles.
Anyway.
I started a new job about a month ago working for a great equine hospital in town. I have A LOT to learn. But so far so good, and I'm checking into new barns that will be closer to where I'm working now.
I watched a girl work her horse in the round pen yesterday while I was picking out the girl's paddock.
The mom and grandma were also looking on, and the grandma was mumbling something about Clinton Anderson--"Well, that's what the Horse Whisperer would do". Clinton Anderson's the Horse Whisperer, right? To be perfectly honest with you, I can't keep all those guys straight.
The horse, a big chestnut TB-looking lanky guy, was about as unhappy as a horse could be. The round pen was way too small for a horse of his build to move properly in.
She kept making all these "ARRRRHHHHH" buzzer noises every time he did something wrong, while simultaneously yelling "TROT" "WHOA" and "TROOOOTTT!!!!" She couldn't catch him (which is a feat in a 50' round pen), couldn't get him to stop, and was getting increasingly annoyed.
That horse had an expression like he wanted to kick her head in.
He didn't though. He was way too much of a saint for that.
Then, after several minutes of completely mind-numbing activity where the girl expected everything and didn't listen to a thing the horse was saying to her, I heard the grandma say, "Get him to follow you around! That's what the Horse Whisperer does."
So she tried that. She called and called him. That horse wasn't moving a muscle except to get AWAY from her. The absolute LAST PLACE ON EARTH that horse wanted to be was next to her.
It kinda made my blood boil to see.
Horses are such forgiving, amazing animals. I've made so many mistakes with training that I can't even count 'em all. But one thing I really try to be is fair, and to listen. But above everything is: being fair.
This horse was set up to fail, and he did. She didn't notice when he gave her signals that he understood and was trying to comply.
More than anything, she failed her horse.
And the worst part is, she went away from the pen thinking it was his fault.
Ugh. I'm going to have to start offering free clinics or something. I'm not an expert by any definition, but I feel like I could at least help people to notice when their horse is trying, and to reward that try in them.
Then maybe everyone could be happy.
My girls sure aren't perfect, but they are respectful, interested, and calm. They throw their noses in the halter and go towards something new bright eyed, happy, and secure.
Speaking of happy...
The girls are eating their way through a 600 pound round bale, and loving it. The free choice hay gives them something to do all day, and they could both use the extra pounds before winter hits. This was after 1 day of being on the round bale--about 100# of hay gone already! I've since removed the wrapping--it was supposed to help keep the bale together, but they took no heed of that--so we'll see what kind of devastation I'm looking at when I get out there today.
Happy Labor Day weekend to one and all! Don't forget to hug your horses :)
Part of my problem is now they are the Chevelle AND Tiny Chronicles.
Anyway.
I started a new job about a month ago working for a great equine hospital in town. I have A LOT to learn. But so far so good, and I'm checking into new barns that will be closer to where I'm working now.
I watched a girl work her horse in the round pen yesterday while I was picking out the girl's paddock.
The mom and grandma were also looking on, and the grandma was mumbling something about Clinton Anderson--"Well, that's what the Horse Whisperer would do". Clinton Anderson's the Horse Whisperer, right? To be perfectly honest with you, I can't keep all those guys straight.
The horse, a big chestnut TB-looking lanky guy, was about as unhappy as a horse could be. The round pen was way too small for a horse of his build to move properly in.
She kept making all these "ARRRRHHHHH" buzzer noises every time he did something wrong, while simultaneously yelling "TROT" "WHOA" and "TROOOOTTT!!!!" She couldn't catch him (which is a feat in a 50' round pen), couldn't get him to stop, and was getting increasingly annoyed.
That horse had an expression like he wanted to kick her head in.
He didn't though. He was way too much of a saint for that.
Then, after several minutes of completely mind-numbing activity where the girl expected everything and didn't listen to a thing the horse was saying to her, I heard the grandma say, "Get him to follow you around! That's what the Horse Whisperer does."
So she tried that. She called and called him. That horse wasn't moving a muscle except to get AWAY from her. The absolute LAST PLACE ON EARTH that horse wanted to be was next to her.
It kinda made my blood boil to see.
Horses are such forgiving, amazing animals. I've made so many mistakes with training that I can't even count 'em all. But one thing I really try to be is fair, and to listen. But above everything is: being fair.
This horse was set up to fail, and he did. She didn't notice when he gave her signals that he understood and was trying to comply.
More than anything, she failed her horse.
And the worst part is, she went away from the pen thinking it was his fault.
Ugh. I'm going to have to start offering free clinics or something. I'm not an expert by any definition, but I feel like I could at least help people to notice when their horse is trying, and to reward that try in them.
Then maybe everyone could be happy.
My girls sure aren't perfect, but they are respectful, interested, and calm. They throw their noses in the halter and go towards something new bright eyed, happy, and secure.
Speaking of happy...
The girls are eating their way through a 600 pound round bale, and loving it. The free choice hay gives them something to do all day, and they could both use the extra pounds before winter hits. This was after 1 day of being on the round bale--about 100# of hay gone already! I've since removed the wrapping--it was supposed to help keep the bale together, but they took no heed of that--so we'll see what kind of devastation I'm looking at when I get out there today.
Happy Labor Day weekend to one and all! Don't forget to hug your horses :)
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Hi Grandma & Grandpa! I have news.
It has been a joke in my family for many years that I would never have children. I remember I decided this shortly after the birth of my little brother, which happened when I was 3. Now that we're grown ups, I love him dearly. Apparently I didn't feel that way when he first arrived. My parents haven't given up all hope on me--yet.
So Mom and Dad, this post is for you.
I want to preface this with an acknowledgement of just how much trouble I am going to be in when you read this. I want to also mention that I have been literally dreading phoning you for days and having this conversation.
It's not an attempt to suck up (it's probably a little late for that), but I truly, truly have the best parents in the world. They are so kind, loving, and supportive, and though they don't really understand my equine or artistic endeavors they understand that both are really important to me. It's not the life they would have chosen--and probably not the life they would have chosen for me--but they understand that it is my life, and they love me anyway.
Or...they did before this post, anyway. Mom and Dad--call me as soon as you're done reading this, okay? I'll be right by the phone.
Are you sitting down? Presumably you are, since you're reading this on a computer...
Then let me introduce you to your second equine grandchild...
So Mom and Dad, this post is for you.
I want to preface this with an acknowledgement of just how much trouble I am going to be in when you read this. I want to also mention that I have been literally dreading phoning you for days and having this conversation.
It's not an attempt to suck up (it's probably a little late for that), but I truly, truly have the best parents in the world. They are so kind, loving, and supportive, and though they don't really understand my equine or artistic endeavors they understand that both are really important to me. It's not the life they would have chosen--and probably not the life they would have chosen for me--but they understand that it is my life, and they love me anyway.
Or...they did before this post, anyway. Mom and Dad--call me as soon as you're done reading this, okay? I'll be right by the phone.
Are you sitting down? Presumably you are, since you're reading this on a computer...
Then let me introduce you to your second equine grandchild...
She doesn't have a name yet. Will you help me name her?
This is the filly I fell head over heels for 3 months ago down in La Salle, CO. Her registered name is Hollywoods Lil Sugar. I went down to see her--twice--absolutely tried to talk myself out of it, tried to out-do her by looking at approximately 100,000 horse ads online...and nothing even came close.
Horses like this don't just pop up everywhere. She is exactly what I've been looking for over the last year. Except maybe the color...but I'll admit, the palomino look is growing on me.
It's been 2 years since I lost my old guy to cancer...and I am finally ready to have two horses again.
For a while there I even had 3, remember, Mom and Dad?
Who am I kidding. There is no way to really justify this to a non-horse person (read: a SANE person or persons, i.e. your parents, who already think you're nuts for moving one horse across the country).
Now I have 2 to move back home. But I will do it, even if I have to stay here through another winter to raise the funds to make it happen.
But there are certain advantages to having 2 equines...
The major one being they can be kept in a pasture together with minimal worry that fences will be crashed through as lone horse tries desperately to get in with the herd down the road.
They have each other for companionship.
I've had 1 horse for 3 years, 2 horses for 4 years (3 for close to a year while I rehabbed a little black mare--more on her another time). I know how much work, time and money they are already.
And if she wasn't just what I was looking for, I would have passed. Believe me. The 100,000 horse ads is probably not that much of an exaggeration. I am very picky.
See, the deal is: this is the first time I've had enough experience with ownership to know exactly what I'm looking for in a horse.
Ben was my first. And bless his heart, he was the best first horse I could have asked for. He was just what I needed and I still miss him like crazy.
Keelan bought Chevelle at auction as a 2 1/2 year old. She had been handled, saddled, and could be sat on--she taught me a lot, especially that I could bring a horse up from not much training (especially since she was thrown out to pasture for 6 months before I did much with her), when to ask for help, and how to have the confidence to figure things out myself. She has been very forgiving of the many training mistakes I've made over the years. I love her dearly, but she is unregistered, very tall, and not built correctly for a lot of the horse sports I'm interested in.
Little black mare was a horse in desperate need. I found her while horse shopping for a friend of mine. She was a great little mare, auction-bound, owned by a clueless family, exceedingly overweight, very reactive, had probably been gamed & cowboy'd all over the place--I took her on the spot--and with proper exercise and consistent, calm training, she was a dynamite little horse with a killer stop. She went to a lady who wanted to use her for trail riding, and it was a perfect fit.
So this horse is the first horse after Ben that I really get to choose for ME. I wanted something small, reining-bred with the best bloodlines I could find, REGISTERED, show quality, highly trainable, kind, young, and not overly handled--and I knew I wanted a filly. I wanted something with a big, kind eye. I wanted plenty of time to work with the youngun before it was time to start saddle training, so I knew I wanted a 2 year old. Of course looks up the wazoo didn't hurt anything. She really fit the bill.
Not to mention, Chev is absolutely thrilled to not be alone in her pasture anymore--especially since the neighbors she did have moved up the road and out of sight--although for now, little filly is still in a pen while she learns easy catching, haltering, leading well, and picking up one's feet for the farrier.
The complication to this story is--after I had bought the filly (but before I had her hauled up here), the SO informed me that he intends to take an interview offered to him for a foreman position in Vancouver, WA. They fly him out on June 11th. I thought I had several months to save up the funds for horse transport, but if they want him (and I would just about KILL to live near Portland, my family, and my friends again, so that would be fine by me!) then we could be moving fast, fast, fast. I'm looking into horse contacts coming out this way in the summer for the breed & World shows, and with a little luck should be able to hitch them a ride back with someone. Anyone with barn recommendations in the Vancouver area (especially pasture board!), let me know! I will be forever grateful to you. (I'm lookin' at you, Mona!)
So...pictures. Lots more pictures.
Big doe eyes and the tiniest, cutest snip I have ever seen.
Tiny horse
Tiny horse is ravenous
Tiny horse is tiny compared to monster horse
"Oh, hello. Your hair is really messed up."
"Who are you? We are friends?"
Ladies on alert
So that's my update--talk to you soon, Mom and Dad.
(Footnote: SCENE: Kitchen of lovingly remodeled ranch-style 1970s home. It is mid-morning. The is an orange cat meandering around yowling even though he's already been fed. Megan's father is reading the newspaper at the kitchen table next to his coffee cup which is half full. Her mother is seated at the computer. She is browsing a horse blog. Suddenly she gasps, and exclaims
Megan's Mom: "Oh my God--Alan! Megan HAS ANOTHER HORSE!"
Megan's Dad: "You're kidding!"
~FIN~ )
Monday, May 21, 2012
A girl and her horse
I know a lot of people in my life wonder why I spend all the money and the time in this crazy horse game.
And my answer is always the same: I can't imagine my life without horses.
Sure, horses make life more complicated. They are expensive. They need a lot of maintenance. They require space and food in large quantities. But you can RIDE them. And there is nothing like that feeling in all the world.
They were the first things I wanted to draw from the time I could hold a pencil. I spent nearly all my birthday and Christmas money growing up on riding lessons. I worked at summer camps so I could earn extra horse time. My parents were generous enough to recognize how much I loved riding, and for years paid for my lessons twice a month, starting when I was just 11. I never grew out of the horse obsession.
And now that I'm an adult, I really appreciate how much happiness they bring to my life.
They give me something to do and something to take pride in. They taught me responsibility, compassion and patience to an extent I don't know I would have developed without my relationships with horses. I know for certain loving them kept me out of all kinds of trouble as a kid.
To this day, I can't drive by horses in a pasture without checking each one out. I still pretend I'm riding a horse galloping alongside the car when I'm a passenger on a long drive, just as I did as a child. I am drawn to them, all breeds and all ages. I am Horseii.
Every minute and every dollar is worth the sacrifice for all the wealth horses bring to my life.
So I want to thank all those who love me for sticking by me through all the years of horse-insanity: I love you for loving me, and all that I am.
And what I am is a horse girl.
And my answer is always the same: I can't imagine my life without horses.
Sure, horses make life more complicated. They are expensive. They need a lot of maintenance. They require space and food in large quantities. But you can RIDE them. And there is nothing like that feeling in all the world.
They were the first things I wanted to draw from the time I could hold a pencil. I spent nearly all my birthday and Christmas money growing up on riding lessons. I worked at summer camps so I could earn extra horse time. My parents were generous enough to recognize how much I loved riding, and for years paid for my lessons twice a month, starting when I was just 11. I never grew out of the horse obsession.
And now that I'm an adult, I really appreciate how much happiness they bring to my life.
They give me something to do and something to take pride in. They taught me responsibility, compassion and patience to an extent I don't know I would have developed without my relationships with horses. I know for certain loving them kept me out of all kinds of trouble as a kid.
To this day, I can't drive by horses in a pasture without checking each one out. I still pretend I'm riding a horse galloping alongside the car when I'm a passenger on a long drive, just as I did as a child. I am drawn to them, all breeds and all ages. I am Horseii.
Every minute and every dollar is worth the sacrifice for all the wealth horses bring to my life.
So I want to thank all those who love me for sticking by me through all the years of horse-insanity: I love you for loving me, and all that I am.
And what I am is a horse girl.
Friday, May 4, 2012
New barn update: My horse can't relax
Well, there are some good things and some bad things.
The good new is it's literally 4 miles from my house, the guy who owns the property is really nice and my horse has plenty of room.
The bad news is my horse is an idiot. She spends almost all day, every day just pacing the fenceline. She has worn a rut. The grass will never grow back. And all the nice grass, which I've spent all week acclimating her to, really isn't getting eaten because she just paces all day.
I'm at a little bit of a loss as to what to do. Her focus is on the other horses, which makes it annoying to do anything with her. Which means we spend most of the time rehashing the stuff that I thought she had down as a 3 year old (like manners, etc). My ears are still ringing from all the screaming she did right in my ear tonight.
She actually rides fairly well out there, since she has learned that screaming = more work, but it's frustrating to tie her, brush her, saddle her, or do anything else since she is so distracted by getting back to the fence to pace and stare at the other horses that could care less that she's a pasture over.
The only upside is her turnarounds are really coming along...
I admit, I did not expect her to have this reaction. She has never really been a "horse oriented" kind of horse, so I was hopeful the transition to solitary living (within sight of other horses) wouldn't be a big problem for her.
But here we are, a week later, and I thought she would have "settled in" better. She has better days where she does less pacing, but yesterday she was pacing the fence when I left in the morning, and pacing when I got back that evening to put her away. Sometimes she is sweaty, sometimes she isn't. 4 acres of grass, and my stupid horse spends the whole day just turning one way, then the other on 100 feet of fence.
Suggestions?
The good new is it's literally 4 miles from my house, the guy who owns the property is really nice and my horse has plenty of room.
The bad news is my horse is an idiot. She spends almost all day, every day just pacing the fenceline. She has worn a rut. The grass will never grow back. And all the nice grass, which I've spent all week acclimating her to, really isn't getting eaten because she just paces all day.
I'm at a little bit of a loss as to what to do. Her focus is on the other horses, which makes it annoying to do anything with her. Which means we spend most of the time rehashing the stuff that I thought she had down as a 3 year old (like manners, etc). My ears are still ringing from all the screaming she did right in my ear tonight.
She actually rides fairly well out there, since she has learned that screaming = more work, but it's frustrating to tie her, brush her, saddle her, or do anything else since she is so distracted by getting back to the fence to pace and stare at the other horses that could care less that she's a pasture over.
The only upside is her turnarounds are really coming along...
I admit, I did not expect her to have this reaction. She has never really been a "horse oriented" kind of horse, so I was hopeful the transition to solitary living (within sight of other horses) wouldn't be a big problem for her.
But here we are, a week later, and I thought she would have "settled in" better. She has better days where she does less pacing, but yesterday she was pacing the fence when I left in the morning, and pacing when I got back that evening to put her away. Sometimes she is sweaty, sometimes she isn't. 4 acres of grass, and my stupid horse spends the whole day just turning one way, then the other on 100 feet of fence.
Suggestions?
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Selling everything but the kitchen sink
...Sort of!
I do have a few things for sale though.
How about a lovely RJ Classics Diamond collection 100% Italian worsted wool hunter/jumper show coat in 6R that retailed at $399.95 for $100? I loved this coat, but I need the money more. Only got to wear it 2 times. You know you want to be ready for those summer shows...http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-RJ-Classics-Diamond-Collection-Hunter-Jumper-Show-Coat-6R-Retail-399-95-/120892496291?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c25c119a3
I do have a few things for sale though.
How about a lovely RJ Classics Diamond collection 100% Italian worsted wool hunter/jumper show coat in 6R that retailed at $399.95 for $100? I loved this coat, but I need the money more. Only got to wear it 2 times. You know you want to be ready for those summer shows...http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-RJ-Classics-Diamond-Collection-Hunter-Jumper-Show-Coat-6R-Retail-399-95-/120892496291?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c25c119a3
For the love of all that is holy, someone buy it!
Or, a pair of pretty much completely perfect Tailored Sportsman 2-way stretch size 32 breeches in that crazy greenish beige color? They don't fit me. Only $40! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tailored-Sportsman-TS-breeches-2-way-stretch-greenish-beige-Size-32-/120892501744?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c25c12ef0
Anyone?
Yep, I'm selling the farm, or whatever the equivalent saying is for selling things so you can build a farm. I need fence money, so a few things have got to go. I'm just gonna go ahead and put the "horse insanity" tag on this one...
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Conformation crunch
Conformation is one of those things that horse people agonize over, and it's one of the most basic determinations of long term soundness and usability: How the horse is put together.
The problem is, sometimes you have less than perfect conformation on a stellar horse, or seemingly good conformation on an underperformer.
Generally though, good conformation = good horse.
Even a horse with a ton of try will break down without special care and lots of attention when it's in hard work if it has a major fault or two.
Truly serious conformation faults are hardly ever seen in top performing horses.
Here's a comparison of Chev as a 2 year old (I think she was 2 years 2 months), and Sugar (we'll call her), who is 20 months.
I always kind of cringe when I see photos of Chev as a young horse (really, any time before age 4).
She was so awkward looking.
I see, specifically, calf knees (her biggest fault), straight-ish shoulder, and kinda funky looking back legs. She also had a huge head which you can't see because Keelan is blocking it in this photo.
On the plus side, she has a long neck, relatively short back, and those funky back legs are straight and feature a hugely long gaskin, which gives her a comfortable, sweeping strike in back. Her hip is a little steep but long. She tracks up well and straight. And she has grown up in a pretty nice looking horse.
She still has the straight shoulder, although if you look at the length between the point of her shoulder and the point of her elbow, you'll see why she has such a comfortable stride. Her calf knees straightened a bit but are still a major fault that I think about every ride. And a lot of the faults that seemed huge when she was a baby turned out to not be such a big deal after all. It turns out this conformation thing is complicated!
***DISCLAIMER: the following conformation analysis deals with specifically quarter horses! Horses are a lot like cars--there's a different style for every need.
I'd like to delve into the nitty-gritty.
A horse is generally considered to be downhill if it's hip (or croup) is higher than it's withers. Here's a conformation diagram so we're all on the same page with horse terms.
This diagram is supposed to exhibit generalized excellent conformation for the quarter horse. Both Chev and Sugar are quarter horses, but Chev is of the more modern pleasure type, and Sugar is a reining/cow bred type.
Anyway, see the croup and the withers in the drawing? Even in this great conformation diagram, most horse people would consider this horse to be "downhill", meaning he's built like he's standing with his rear legs up a hill and his forelegs down in a ditch.
Not so! I would say.
And do you know why?
Because a horse that actually travels downhill when he moves has a lot more to do with the relationship of the hocks to the knees.
As you can see in the diagram, they are almost level with each other. This is ideal.
It's also something I really like in Chevy and the little filly. They both have fairly low set hocks, which allows them to travel in a more sweeping, level way at all the gaits.
I think this horse would feel incredibly downhill to ride. And it's not just because his bum is about a mile above his withers (which might actually be sort of okay, because based on the length of his tail, he's still a 2 year old)--look at how much higher his hocks are than his knees! His front cannon bones are nice and short, but unfortunately, his front legs look like they belong to a completely different horse.
High set hocks are a deal breaker for me.
By contrast, here's an example of a high level reining show horse:
Though she also appears downhill at first glance, her hocks are much lower, almost level with her knees, and her front legs look like they can support her frame without much trouble. She also looks like she'd be balanced and quick in her turnarounds and maneuvers--and she is.
Here's Chev and Sugar:
Even though a lot of their conformation is very dissimilar, especially overall body type, they both have fairly level toplines and are fairly level from hock to knee, even at 2 years old. That tells me Sugar is likely to grow up to be fairly balanced, even if she is a little more post legged behind.
This is a pretty good article on Reining-horse specific conformation by Les Vogt, who has really grown on me over the years: http://lesvogt.wordpress.com/2007/12/21/werent-we-talking-about-prospects/
He mentions something in particular that I was pretty worried about.
I come from the English world, where longish pasterns are coveted. They help give a springy stride, and, I thought, also help with long term soundness.
Turns out you don't want longish pasterns in a reining horse or a horse that has to do a lot of quick, difficult maneuvers. I thought Chev had pretty short pasterns, but as you can see, Sugar's are shorter still.
The last thing I want to talk about is shoulder slope.
It's another area of horse conformation that isn't well understood.
Different sloped shoulders are good for different things. Generally, the more upright the shoulder, the more "torque", and the less "reach".
For example, pulling horses have very upright shoulders: Clydesdales, Percherons, Draft breeds.
Here's a Clydesdale stallion:
Finally, the professional reining horse:
Her angles are similar to Sugar's (which isn't surprising, since they're both reining bred): Shoulder slope is about 50 degrees, shoulder angle between shoulder and humerus is about 85 degrees, and the humerus is long at 80% the shoulder's total length. Historically a long humerus causes the horse to stand more under itself, which is exactly what this horse is doing--but it's also important to consider that photo angles can drastically change the appearance of lengths and angles, and this photo would be much more ideal if the horse was standing more square up front.
Anyway, I'm too tired to know if any of this makes sense anymore--G'nite!
The problem is, sometimes you have less than perfect conformation on a stellar horse, or seemingly good conformation on an underperformer.
Generally though, good conformation = good horse.
Even a horse with a ton of try will break down without special care and lots of attention when it's in hard work if it has a major fault or two.
Truly serious conformation faults are hardly ever seen in top performing horses.
Here's a comparison of Chev as a 2 year old (I think she was 2 years 2 months), and Sugar (we'll call her), who is 20 months.
I always kind of cringe when I see photos of Chev as a young horse (really, any time before age 4).
She was so awkward looking.
I see, specifically, calf knees (her biggest fault), straight-ish shoulder, and kinda funky looking back legs. She also had a huge head which you can't see because Keelan is blocking it in this photo.
On the plus side, she has a long neck, relatively short back, and those funky back legs are straight and feature a hugely long gaskin, which gives her a comfortable, sweeping strike in back. Her hip is a little steep but long. She tracks up well and straight. And she has grown up in a pretty nice looking horse.
Chev at 6 years old
She still has the straight shoulder, although if you look at the length between the point of her shoulder and the point of her elbow, you'll see why she has such a comfortable stride. Her calf knees straightened a bit but are still a major fault that I think about every ride. And a lot of the faults that seemed huge when she was a baby turned out to not be such a big deal after all. It turns out this conformation thing is complicated!
***DISCLAIMER: the following conformation analysis deals with specifically quarter horses! Horses are a lot like cars--there's a different style for every need.
I'd like to delve into the nitty-gritty.
A horse is generally considered to be downhill if it's hip (or croup) is higher than it's withers. Here's a conformation diagram so we're all on the same page with horse terms.
This diagram is supposed to exhibit generalized excellent conformation for the quarter horse. Both Chev and Sugar are quarter horses, but Chev is of the more modern pleasure type, and Sugar is a reining/cow bred type.
Anyway, see the croup and the withers in the drawing? Even in this great conformation diagram, most horse people would consider this horse to be "downhill", meaning he's built like he's standing with his rear legs up a hill and his forelegs down in a ditch.
Not so! I would say.
And do you know why?
Because a horse that actually travels downhill when he moves has a lot more to do with the relationship of the hocks to the knees.
As you can see in the diagram, they are almost level with each other. This is ideal.
It's also something I really like in Chevy and the little filly. They both have fairly low set hocks, which allows them to travel in a more sweeping, level way at all the gaits.
I think this horse would feel incredibly downhill to ride. And it's not just because his bum is about a mile above his withers (which might actually be sort of okay, because based on the length of his tail, he's still a 2 year old)--look at how much higher his hocks are than his knees! His front cannon bones are nice and short, but unfortunately, his front legs look like they belong to a completely different horse.
Purple line = hip to withers
Green line = hock to knee
High set hocks are a deal breaker for me.
By contrast, here's an example of a high level reining show horse:
Though she also appears downhill at first glance, her hocks are much lower, almost level with her knees, and her front legs look like they can support her frame without much trouble. She also looks like she'd be balanced and quick in her turnarounds and maneuvers--and she is.
Here's Chev and Sugar:
Even though a lot of their conformation is very dissimilar, especially overall body type, they both have fairly level toplines and are fairly level from hock to knee, even at 2 years old. That tells me Sugar is likely to grow up to be fairly balanced, even if she is a little more post legged behind.
This is a pretty good article on Reining-horse specific conformation by Les Vogt, who has really grown on me over the years: http://lesvogt.wordpress.com/2007/12/21/werent-we-talking-about-prospects/
He mentions something in particular that I was pretty worried about.
I come from the English world, where longish pasterns are coveted. They help give a springy stride, and, I thought, also help with long term soundness.
Turns out you don't want longish pasterns in a reining horse or a horse that has to do a lot of quick, difficult maneuvers. I thought Chev had pretty short pasterns, but as you can see, Sugar's are shorter still.
The last thing I want to talk about is shoulder slope.
It's another area of horse conformation that isn't well understood.
Different sloped shoulders are good for different things. Generally, the more upright the shoulder, the more "torque", and the less "reach".
For example, pulling horses have very upright shoulders: Clydesdales, Percherons, Draft breeds.
Here's a Clydesdale stallion:
Red line = shoulder slope
Yellow line = humerus length
Angle between lines = ~ 90 degrees
Even though his shoulder is steep (about 55 degrees), which is as expected with his breed standard, the length of his humerus (arm bone) is just about ideal at around 60% of his shoulder length. The angle is also good between shoulder and humerus at 90 degrees. This means despite the upright shoulder, he can reach out a bit and get a lot of power out of his strides. The steep angles also lend themselves to a lot of knee action.*
*Side note: This is why, interestingly, a lot of draft crosses (particularly when crossed on sloped shoulder breeds like the Thoroughbred) can, ironically, turn out to be good jumpers, because the combination of steep shoulder angle (which gives good knee action and "push") and long humerus (which allows for reach and length of stride) lends itself well to jumping! Most warmblood breeds that excel in jumping have the straight shoulder/long humerus combination. If you've seen a horse jump in slow motion, you'll be shocked to see almost all of the push to get over the jump comes from the front end, not the rear.
*Side note: This is why, interestingly, a lot of draft crosses (particularly when crossed on sloped shoulder breeds like the Thoroughbred) can, ironically, turn out to be good jumpers, because the combination of steep shoulder angle (which gives good knee action and "push") and long humerus (which allows for reach and length of stride) lends itself well to jumping! Most warmblood breeds that excel in jumping have the straight shoulder/long humerus combination. If you've seen a horse jump in slow motion, you'll be shocked to see almost all of the push to get over the jump comes from the front end, not the rear.
Let's try Chev, since she has an apparently terrible shoulder angle at first glance:
Shoulder slope = ~50-55 degrees
Shoulder angle = ~90 degrees
Humerus length = ~65%
She has a somewhat steep shoulder slope (between 50-55 degrees) but a long humerus that is very good at 65% length of her shoulder. This helps to explain some of her sweeping action at the trot, and is the reason she can push out for English classes. The slightly steeper shoulder is still open enough, with about a 90 degree angle between shoulder slope and humerus. If the humerus is too long or too short, reach can be limited. But her humerus is long enough and sloped enough to give her pretty good reach. She still prefers to jog, though.
Here's Sugar, who's still young and will likely change a bit:
Shoulder slope = 45 degrees
Shoulder angle = 85 degrees
Humerus length = 65%
Shoulder angle = 85 degrees
Humerus length = 65%
Because of her mane, it was hard for me to really see the slope of her shoulder, but I know she has a much more sloped shoulder than Chev does. Her shoulder slope is about 45 degrees, or "laid back". The angle between her shoulder slope and her humerus is about 85 degrees (adequate), and her humerus length (at 20 months) is about 65% the length of her shoulder. I think it's likely that her shoulder slope will become a little steeper as she grows, which should give her angles similar to Chev's.
Finally, the professional reining horse:
Shoulder slope = 50 degrees
Shoulder angle = 85 degrees
Humerus length = 80%
Her angles are similar to Sugar's (which isn't surprising, since they're both reining bred): Shoulder slope is about 50 degrees, shoulder angle between shoulder and humerus is about 85 degrees, and the humerus is long at 80% the shoulder's total length. Historically a long humerus causes the horse to stand more under itself, which is exactly what this horse is doing--but it's also important to consider that photo angles can drastically change the appearance of lengths and angles, and this photo would be much more ideal if the horse was standing more square up front.
Anyway, I'm too tired to know if any of this makes sense anymore--G'nite!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Bits and bit pressure--with video
ETA: (concurrent with previous post) Here's a video from those same guys detailing the force of pressure a bit can exert on the tissues of the mouth. And while I cringe at the phrase "scientifically proven" (since that's not the goal of science at all, it doesn't exist to prove things--it's a misnomer phrase), it is still interesting educational to watch. And it's complete with yet more of the worst riding hands I've seen in recent memory.
WARNING: If you are terribly squeamish and can't stand the sight of equine facial dissection, I'd recommend you sit this one out. For those of you teetering on the edge, I will say that all the hair had been removed and the focus is on tissues of the mouth. It's really not that bad.
WARNING: If you are terribly squeamish and can't stand the sight of equine facial dissection, I'd recommend you sit this one out. For those of you teetering on the edge, I will say that all the hair had been removed and the focus is on tissues of the mouth. It's really not that bad.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
This is bound to be a mistake--it's only natural!
Quite a few years ago I came across this crazy person named Alexander Nevzorov of the Nevzorov Haute Ecole. Chances are if you're a horse person you've heard of him. If not, allow me to post this incredibly over dramatic video for you.
I'm warning you though, you've got to take all this stuff with a grain of salt--both sides of it.
I mostly wanted to post this not to say (by ANY means) "Look at this guy! Bits are unnecessary! Riding horses is cruel!" (which, of course, if you've been reading the blog you'll know I don't agree with), but it does a pretty good job of showing clips of horseback riding at it's absolute worst.
I mean, there are a lot of people out there riding who just don't know better. They're riding in Tom Thumb "snaffles" or whathaveyou, in tack that doesn't remotely fit the horse or them, not releasing, cuing wrong, and a whole myriad of other issues. These are not the people I'm talking about today. There is still hope for those people. Many of us even started out that way.
I know I just said the other day that I don't see too much stuff that really shocks me anymore. But there is still something that shocks me, and that's seeing professional riders, at the top of the sport, behaving this way.
It sickens me.
And it really pours fuel on the fire of this whole "natural horsemanship" freakout debate.
As y'all have probably gathered, I am not a follower of "Natural Horsemanship" (with capital letters, no less!). I can't, won't and don't agree that ANYTHING about riding horses is "natural".
But just because it isn't natural doesn't mean it is cruel or wrong. It's also unnatural to wear shoes with comfy support in them. It's unnatural to live to a ripe old age. And it's unnatural to drive a car. Or fly in a plane. Or even walk on cement. Or have a dog. Having a root canal done to save you from terrible pain is unnatural.
But I'm willing to bet most of us have done a few of these things.
It's unnatural to breed kitties down to the adorably cute and manageable size of the ones I have living with me.
You tell this cat that he isn't wanted because he isn't natural. Go on. Say it to this face. I dare you.
And sometimes, natural things can be really bad.
It is natural for a horse to starve to death if he has bad teeth. It is natural for him to get a belly full of parasites and die a painful, colicy death. It's perfectly natural for him to injure himself out on the vast frontier and perish because he couldn't get to water. Heck, all modern medicine is opposing the natural--veterinary and human. Cancer is "natural", and so is blindness, cataracts, arthritis, infection, dysentery and a whole bunch of other nasty things. Dying from all sorts of things we can cure easily these days was, at one time, perfectly natural.
As you can probably tell, "natural" has become a bit of a buzzword for me. My favorite is when a product says it's "natural", and therefore (implied), "awesome" or "better". As in, "all natural drugs."
You know what else is natural?
Foxglove. Digitalis purpurea, if you're a plant nerd like me.
But that doesn't mean you should go around eating it for fun.
Anyway--life is complicated. Nothing is really all that clear cut, is it?
So back to the video.
I don't know a ton about this guy aside from the fact that he isn't riding anymore (I guess he decided it was inhumane). But I wanted you to watch it as an example of what you can do without a bit, spurs, various gadgetry. Supposedly. I can't vouch for how he trained these things. But in the video, at least, the closest he gets to a gadget is a neck rope and a cuing whip, which he doesn't appear to touch the horses with.
His horses actually remind me a lot of Arabian halter horses. They seem to switch on and off much like those horses do. As a side note, I certainly wouldn't tolerate that level of fooling around and frankly his horses kind of terrify me--but I guess it works for him.
Although watching his videos reminds me of The Crocodile Hunter for some reason.
And we all know how that ended.
Anyway.
Personally I felt guilty for even riding a horse with a bit after watching this video, which I suspect was some of the point. Then after a few minutes my rationality starts seeping back in. I understand the bit as a communication tool. I also understand I fear too much for my life to just throw it ALL away.
But part of me understands that the bit is sort of a psychological safety net.
I really freaked out the first time Chev and I had a canter in the hackamore.
I had all these terrifying thoughts like, "What if I can't get her to stop? What if we can't steer? WHAT IF WE BOTH DIE??"
In retrospect, and basking in the glow that always accompanies doing something that was scary and NOT dying--not even having anything WRONG happen--I realized that I was being pretty dumb about it. I know rationally that the training I've done with Chev so far has not relied heavily on the bit. She knows seat, weight and voice cues. So of course she turned, moved and stopped when I asked. Why can't I just put some faith in her? Why do I freak out a little (or a lot) when I don't have a bit in her mouth?
I think it all comes down to this idea of control that I struggle with constantly.
I know that rationally I can't "control" her, and I don't want to--but I still have a hard time relinquishing all mouth control.
The people riding in this video are riding with the kind of contact that produces bone spurs in the mouth.
I suffer from TMJ and various other jaw disorders, and I can only imagine the kind of pain something like that would produce.
This is a pretty interesting conversation on the topic of mandibular bone spurs in horses: http://www.ultimatedressage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=57741
Of course it's specifically about Dressage, because it's authored by the lovely people over at the Ultimate Dressage forums--but my usual caveat applies--this could be ANY horse discipline. I think we see it less over on the western side of things because strong contact is so discouraged (in the open air, at least). Still, that's not to say horses don't suffer in other ways.
I'm tempted to once again quote that excellent article from Sustainable Dressage on bits, bitting and the action of the bit, but seeing as I've already posted it--two times I think?--it's time to give it a rest. No sense in beating ya'll over the head with it.
I keep meaning to do an entry on various gadgets, what they're supposed to, what they actually do, and how there's nothing new under the sun. Dressage borrows from western, and vice versa, and all over the board. But I guess that's a topic for another day.
She has been schooled in the snaffle for 3, almost 4 years now though. So she does know it very well. We both feel comfortable there. So maybe some of this has to do with me just not being all that willing to toss the comfort zone aside and start over with something new.
I'll tell you though, loping around in a hackamore does feel pretty cool.
Chevy gets her feet done tomorrow and I'll be taking out the HDR to see how it sits on her, and maybe doing some walking around. We'll see how that goes!
I'm warning you though, you've got to take all this stuff with a grain of salt--both sides of it.
I mostly wanted to post this not to say (by ANY means) "Look at this guy! Bits are unnecessary! Riding horses is cruel!" (which, of course, if you've been reading the blog you'll know I don't agree with), but it does a pretty good job of showing clips of horseback riding at it's absolute worst.
I mean, there are a lot of people out there riding who just don't know better. They're riding in Tom Thumb "snaffles" or whathaveyou, in tack that doesn't remotely fit the horse or them, not releasing, cuing wrong, and a whole myriad of other issues. These are not the people I'm talking about today. There is still hope for those people. Many of us even started out that way.
I know I just said the other day that I don't see too much stuff that really shocks me anymore. But there is still something that shocks me, and that's seeing professional riders, at the top of the sport, behaving this way.
It sickens me.
And it really pours fuel on the fire of this whole "natural horsemanship" freakout debate.
As y'all have probably gathered, I am not a follower of "Natural Horsemanship" (with capital letters, no less!). I can't, won't and don't agree that ANYTHING about riding horses is "natural".
But just because it isn't natural doesn't mean it is cruel or wrong. It's also unnatural to wear shoes with comfy support in them. It's unnatural to live to a ripe old age. And it's unnatural to drive a car. Or fly in a plane. Or even walk on cement. Or have a dog. Having a root canal done to save you from terrible pain is unnatural.
But I'm willing to bet most of us have done a few of these things.
It's unnatural to breed kitties down to the adorably cute and manageable size of the ones I have living with me.
You tell this cat that he isn't wanted because he isn't natural. Go on. Say it to this face. I dare you.
And sometimes, natural things can be really bad.
It is natural for a horse to starve to death if he has bad teeth. It is natural for him to get a belly full of parasites and die a painful, colicy death. It's perfectly natural for him to injure himself out on the vast frontier and perish because he couldn't get to water. Heck, all modern medicine is opposing the natural--veterinary and human. Cancer is "natural", and so is blindness, cataracts, arthritis, infection, dysentery and a whole bunch of other nasty things. Dying from all sorts of things we can cure easily these days was, at one time, perfectly natural.
As you can probably tell, "natural" has become a bit of a buzzword for me. My favorite is when a product says it's "natural", and therefore (implied), "awesome" or "better". As in, "all natural drugs."
You know what else is natural?
Foxglove. Digitalis purpurea, if you're a plant nerd like me.
But that doesn't mean you should go around eating it for fun.
Anyway--life is complicated. Nothing is really all that clear cut, is it?
So back to the video.
I don't know a ton about this guy aside from the fact that he isn't riding anymore (I guess he decided it was inhumane). But I wanted you to watch it as an example of what you can do without a bit, spurs, various gadgetry. Supposedly. I can't vouch for how he trained these things. But in the video, at least, the closest he gets to a gadget is a neck rope and a cuing whip, which he doesn't appear to touch the horses with.
His horses actually remind me a lot of Arabian halter horses. They seem to switch on and off much like those horses do. As a side note, I certainly wouldn't tolerate that level of fooling around and frankly his horses kind of terrify me--but I guess it works for him.
Although watching his videos reminds me of The Crocodile Hunter for some reason.
And we all know how that ended.
Anyway.
Personally I felt guilty for even riding a horse with a bit after watching this video, which I suspect was some of the point. Then after a few minutes my rationality starts seeping back in. I understand the bit as a communication tool. I also understand I fear too much for my life to just throw it ALL away.
But part of me understands that the bit is sort of a psychological safety net.
I really freaked out the first time Chev and I had a canter in the hackamore.
I had all these terrifying thoughts like, "What if I can't get her to stop? What if we can't steer? WHAT IF WE BOTH DIE??"
In retrospect, and basking in the glow that always accompanies doing something that was scary and NOT dying--not even having anything WRONG happen--I realized that I was being pretty dumb about it. I know rationally that the training I've done with Chev so far has not relied heavily on the bit. She knows seat, weight and voice cues. So of course she turned, moved and stopped when I asked. Why can't I just put some faith in her? Why do I freak out a little (or a lot) when I don't have a bit in her mouth?
I think it all comes down to this idea of control that I struggle with constantly.
I know that rationally I can't "control" her, and I don't want to--but I still have a hard time relinquishing all mouth control.
The people riding in this video are riding with the kind of contact that produces bone spurs in the mouth.
I suffer from TMJ and various other jaw disorders, and I can only imagine the kind of pain something like that would produce.
This is a pretty interesting conversation on the topic of mandibular bone spurs in horses: http://www.ultimatedressage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=57741
Of course it's specifically about Dressage, because it's authored by the lovely people over at the Ultimate Dressage forums--but my usual caveat applies--this could be ANY horse discipline. I think we see it less over on the western side of things because strong contact is so discouraged (in the open air, at least). Still, that's not to say horses don't suffer in other ways.
I'm tempted to once again quote that excellent article from Sustainable Dressage on bits, bitting and the action of the bit, but seeing as I've already posted it--two times I think?--it's time to give it a rest. No sense in beating ya'll over the head with it.
I keep meaning to do an entry on various gadgets, what they're supposed to, what they actually do, and how there's nothing new under the sun. Dressage borrows from western, and vice versa, and all over the board. But I guess that's a topic for another day.
She has been schooled in the snaffle for 3, almost 4 years now though. So she does know it very well. We both feel comfortable there. So maybe some of this has to do with me just not being all that willing to toss the comfort zone aside and start over with something new.
I'll tell you though, loping around in a hackamore does feel pretty cool.
Chevy gets her feet done tomorrow and I'll be taking out the HDR to see how it sits on her, and maybe doing some walking around. We'll see how that goes!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Contact
Contact is something I think about a lot.
It's something I should probably attempt to define for those of you who read but aren't horse-crazed individuals.
The dictionary-type definition of contact helps us understand what it means for the horse person. Generally, contact is defined (relevantly) as "the state of physical touching" and "as a means by which to give and receive information" and "to communicate with".
In horseman's terms, the word contact is frequently used to describe the connection between the rider's hands, the reins, and the horse's mouth.
There are a lot of different types on contact, and their use and application varies widely based on the style of riding.
For example, hunter/jumpers tend to keep what's called "strong contact". This loosely translates (sometimes incorrectly) as a "tight grip on tight reins". Jumpers are notoriously very strong horses, and showjumping courses are timed and can be very technical--the speed and bravery needed to compete successfully can make for a very strong horse. Here's an example of probably the most famous female rider showjumping team in recent memory:
Western pleasure classes abhor contact of almost any kind. They are said to be "riding on a loose rein", often a "draped rein", which means the bit is in a neutral position most of the time and signals are often passively imbued or given with mostly all seat/leg. Here's an example of what's successful in high level Western Pleasure:
But they would both be pretty bad.
Ahem...does this seem a bit crazy to any of you?
Biotop is in perfect elevation and is not being held up be the reins at all. He has his nose just slightly ahead of the vertical, and he looks free up front and engaged behind. He also looks happy. And so does his rider.
By all accounts, Biotop was a challenging horse to ride, even for a master like Dr. Klimke. Yet he warmed the great stallion up not in the double bridle, but a simple snaffle. That was his philosophy. And I think it's evident from the photo of Biotop that for him, contact was certainly not a means of force-controlling the horse. It was there for precise communication only.
So when did "contact" go from light pressure to something that causes bone spurs in the horse's neck and mouth? I don't know. But it surely isn't the correct way of doing things.
What do you consider to be appropriate riding contact? Do you ride that way because people have told you to, because you have found it on your own, or because you fear what your horse will do to you if you don't?
It's something I should probably attempt to define for those of you who read but aren't horse-crazed individuals.
The dictionary-type definition of contact helps us understand what it means for the horse person. Generally, contact is defined (relevantly) as "the state of physical touching" and "as a means by which to give and receive information" and "to communicate with".
In horseman's terms, the word contact is frequently used to describe the connection between the rider's hands, the reins, and the horse's mouth.
There are a lot of different types on contact, and their use and application varies widely based on the style of riding.
For example, hunter/jumpers tend to keep what's called "strong contact". This loosely translates (sometimes incorrectly) as a "tight grip on tight reins". Jumpers are notoriously very strong horses, and showjumping courses are timed and can be very technical--the speed and bravery needed to compete successfully can make for a very strong horse. Here's an example of probably the most famous female rider showjumping team in recent memory:
Beezie Madden and Authentic make it look easy. (Image ©
Randi Muster)
Western pleasure classes abhor contact of almost any kind. They are said to be "riding on a loose rein", often a "draped rein", which means the bit is in a neutral position most of the time and signals are often passively imbued or given with mostly all seat/leg. Here's an example of what's successful in high level Western Pleasure:
Katherine Fuller on One Jazzy Sheik, top 5 in Amateur Western
Pleasure at the 2009 AQHA World Show
Personally, I respect both of these kinds of contact. I understand that they have a totally different purpose, and that the training, equipment and end goals are completely different. The amount of contact is appropriate for the discipline. You wouldn't want those reins flopping around and getting caught as you try to clear a 6' jump, just as you wouldn't want to be putting a lot of contact pressure on the horse's mouth when he's wearing a large curb like the one in the Western Pleasure photo above. Either would be equally disasterous.
Well, the jumping one might be worse.
But they would both be pretty bad.
One area that I think is constantly in a state of debate is Dressage.
My foundation is in basic Dressage, like a lot of riders. I have heard many people tell me over the years that Dressage horses must be ridden in tight contact. I have even heard, in books by masters, no less, that as the horse progresses into a larger bit, like the traditional Weymouth/Bridoon combination bridle (aka, the double bridle), that plenty of spur and leg must be used to compensate for the lack of forward produced by contact on a "sharp" bit.
Ahem...does this seem a bit crazy to any of you?
Just humor me here for a few minutes.
As you may have gathered from my post the other day, I love Dr. Reiner Klimke. He won 6 Olympic gold metals over the course of his life. Tragically the world lost him in 1999, when he succumbed to a heart attack at age 63.
Here's an image of Klimke and his "great love", the Trakehner Biotop.
Look at that (lack of?) contact! This is what I picture in
my mind when I think of "perfect contact".
Dr. Klimke is considered by many to be one of the great masters of Dressage (I certainly feel that way!). Look at Biotop: he is forward, free, happy, and not behind the vertical. They both look absolutely wonderful. He is riding off the snaffle rein much more than the curb rein, just as he should be. There is a straight line from the snaffle rein to his hand, while the curb rein remains mostly inactive.
Biotop is in perfect elevation and is not being held up be the reins at all. He has his nose just slightly ahead of the vertical, and he looks free up front and engaged behind. He also looks happy. And so does his rider.
By all accounts, Biotop was a challenging horse to ride, even for a master like Dr. Klimke. Yet he warmed the great stallion up not in the double bridle, but a simple snaffle. That was his philosophy. And I think it's evident from the photo of Biotop that for him, contact was certainly not a means of force-controlling the horse. It was there for precise communication only.
Unfortunately, I think this picture is becoming pretty rare in the Dressage world.
I know it is so fashionable to pick on the Dressage super star Anky Van Grunsven, but I just can't help myself. She is a perfect example of how Rollkur, or "hyperflexion of the neck" is still winning at the highest levels of Dressage. Here's an image of "Iron Hand Anky" riding a horse in full Rollkur:
Anky riding in contact so strong horse is forced to break over at the 3rd vertebrae,
which can cause permanent musculo-skeletal damage
Here's another image of a horse being ridden in Rollkur. Note the rolling eyes and whipped-eggwhite foam coming from a very unhappy mouth. His crank noseband is on so tight it's even starting to asphyxiate him:
Lord save me from this bloody "contact"!
If you had that kind of "contact" on another human being, I think you'd be asking for some serious trouble! In all honestly, I don't think ANYONE outside of the horse would would describe what is happening there with the reins as "contact". I think it would more accurately be described as "brute force".
So when did "contact" go from light pressure to something that causes bone spurs in the horse's neck and mouth? I don't know. But it surely isn't the correct way of doing things.
Anyway, these are some pretty extreme examples. If you want to read something truly scary, I encourage you to click on over to Sustainable Dressage's pages on Rollkur, where she describes in awesome detail about what it is and how it affects the horse: http://sustainabledressage.net/rollkur/index.php
What do you consider to be appropriate riding contact? Do you ride that way because people have told you to, because you have found it on your own, or because you fear what your horse will do to you if you don't?
What happens when you "throw the contact away"? Does your horse not know what to do, fall on his face or take off with you?
If contact is for subtle communication, a light touch, and to give your horse an aid--can he feel it through all of your contact?
If you ride with almost no contact, how do you get your horse to come back to you?
Have people told you that the only way to control your horse is by moving up to a sharper bit?
I guess the point here isn't the point fingers and blame everyone, but rather to understand that contact doesn't have to mean pain. It doesn't have to mean tight reins. It only has to mean that you can feel your horse's mouth, and he can feel the signal that you're transmitting to him. That can be done on all kinds of reins, and I think is independent of rein length, or rein tightness, to some degree at least.
What do you think? I do read all comments and I love a discussion!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
The rearing horse, part 2: when it's not the horse's fault
Oh lord.
You know how I said the other day that there's nothing that terrifies me more than a rearing horse? Especially if the rearing is sudden and unpredictable, and has little to do with the rider?
This video is an example of the OPPOSITE of unpredictable rearing (thanks to Fugly Horse of the Day for leading me to a distinct rise in blood pressure and these few minutes of my life I can never get back). Watch on...
There is so much wrong with this video it's hard for me to even know where to start. In no particular order:
1. Unbroke horse in huge shank bit on a tight rein
2. Stupid idiot on horse in shorts and tennis shoes
3. No arena (not a requirement for breaking horses, but a darn good idea)
4. No helmet (this one's debatable, but it's a still good idea given the circumstances)
5. Hightly distracting and stressful environment
6. Uncapped T-poles for the pasture near enough to get impaled on (uncapped t-posts anywhere are a big no-no...I have a personal story about that one for later)
7.Stupid idiot is wearing spurs too (OH HE ISN'T?? That's a miracle! We have to give him credit for one thing, I guess)
Remember how I said before (I did, didn't I?) that horses will rear as a result of too much information that a horse can't make sense of? This video is a perfect example of that. He's hauling back on the reins which are attached to a truly horrific looking bit (on an unbroke horse!), which the other guy pulls her head, and he attempts to kick her forward. It doesn't look to me like she could be much more braced and tense. She's getting so many mixed messages that she doesn't know what to do...so she rears. And I think it was completely justified.
He also just leaps up there with no finesse or concern for her well-being, lands hard, and screws with his stirrups FOREVER. And what does she do? Nothing. She stands patiently, even though she's nervous. She thinks that is what she is supposed to do. She is a good horse.
So who didn't see that coming? Was she just going to stand there being pulled all sorts of directions, in pain forever? Nope...
This is also a perfect example of: Brute Force Ain't No Way to Train a Horse.
This is so far away from "feel" that it's not even in the same universe.
And what has this horse learned from this...ahem, "training session"?
Looks to me like she's learned that someone will get on her, hurt her mouth, yank her head, and kick her sides until she rears and dumps them.
I also love how the other spectator runs away from the horse after the guy falls off, like she's some sort of "crazed, dang'rus an'mal, y'all!!"
What a terrific start.
Lord, that poor animal.
I think we all need a little "brain bleach" after that one, don't we? So here's one of my favorite rides of all time: Dr. Klimke and his marvelous horse, Ahlerich, performing in New York in 1987--and still brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it. I wish I could have found a clip that was better quality. Enjoy!
You know how I said the other day that there's nothing that terrifies me more than a rearing horse? Especially if the rearing is sudden and unpredictable, and has little to do with the rider?
This video is an example of the OPPOSITE of unpredictable rearing (thanks to Fugly Horse of the Day for leading me to a distinct rise in blood pressure and these few minutes of my life I can never get back). Watch on...
There is so much wrong with this video it's hard for me to even know where to start. In no particular order:
1. Unbroke horse in huge shank bit on a tight rein
2. Stupid idiot on horse in shorts and tennis shoes
3. No arena (not a requirement for breaking horses, but a darn good idea)
4. No helmet (this one's debatable, but it's a still good idea given the circumstances)
5. Hightly distracting and stressful environment
6. Uncapped T-poles for the pasture near enough to get impaled on (uncapped t-posts anywhere are a big no-no...I have a personal story about that one for later)
7.
Remember how I said before (I did, didn't I?) that horses will rear as a result of too much information that a horse can't make sense of? This video is a perfect example of that. He's hauling back on the reins which are attached to a truly horrific looking bit (on an unbroke horse!), which the other guy pulls her head, and he attempts to kick her forward. It doesn't look to me like she could be much more braced and tense. She's getting so many mixed messages that she doesn't know what to do...so she rears. And I think it was completely justified.
He also just leaps up there with no finesse or concern for her well-being, lands hard, and screws with his stirrups FOREVER. And what does she do? Nothing. She stands patiently, even though she's nervous. She thinks that is what she is supposed to do. She is a good horse.
So who didn't see that coming? Was she just going to stand there being pulled all sorts of directions, in pain forever? Nope...
This is also a perfect example of: Brute Force Ain't No Way to Train a Horse.
This is so far away from "feel" that it's not even in the same universe.
And what has this horse learned from this...ahem, "training session"?
Looks to me like she's learned that someone will get on her, hurt her mouth, yank her head, and kick her sides until she rears and dumps them.
I also love how the other spectator runs away from the horse after the guy falls off, like she's some sort of "crazed, dang'rus an'mal, y'all!!"
What a terrific start.
Lord, that poor animal.
I think we all need a little "brain bleach" after that one, don't we? So here's one of my favorite rides of all time: Dr. Klimke and his marvelous horse, Ahlerich, performing in New York in 1987--and still brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it. I wish I could have found a clip that was better quality. Enjoy!
Friday, January 27, 2012
I don't want this to be a blog that slams other training methods...
But...What the hell were they thinking?
I actually titled this file "Parelli WTF.jpg".
I really don't want this blog to at all be about "I'm right" and "they're wrong". If there's any one thing I can freely admit, without a "but" in there, it's that I am not a trainer, and I don't know everything there is to know.
In fact, I've said before that I know just enough to know I don't know enough.
And I really, truly believe that!
That's part of what makes horses fun. There is always something more to learn, something to realize you're not doing right, and a way to fix it. It's a learning process, and it can last you through your whole life.
That being said...is the Parelli camp actually advocating that I have to eat grass with my horse to "collect my horse's heart" and bond with him? I seriously thought this was a cruel photoshop joke on Mr. Parelli when I first saw this cover.
If that's "Mastery", then I'll happily stay a dumb horse gal bumbling along in ignorance for all eternity...
If that's "Mastery", then I'll happily stay a dumb horse gal bumbling along in ignorance for all eternity...
Because that, folks, is just plain crazy.
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