"Get Real" Horsemanship

It's a Shame About Dressage

2010-06-29T17:05:00.001-05:00

It’s a shame about dressage. Or at least to me it is.

I always thought of it as such a “pure” thing; such a “beautiful thing; harmony in union.”

For me, Dressage was practiced by those who wanted “art with horses.”

It was for horsemen and women who wanted to take a horse to his maximum performance ability, suppleness, flexibility, balance and grace. It was a work of art between a rider and a horse, and that is all that it had to be.

It was, but it is no more.

Dressage: a noun, French, originally meaning “basic dressing.”
The basic dressing was applied to all horses and at all levels and that was the extent of it. It was done with any horse that a nobleman (and only noblemen could afford both the luxury of a horse and the time to develop its gaits, grace, balance, suppleness and flexibility) saw fit to ride.

The idea originally was not to compare horses, but to enjoy the development of a single horse’s unique talents.

One horse and one rider, being all they could be.

And that was the original goal.

Then disaster struck; dressage became a competition.

One of my most admired dressage authorities, Waldemar Seunig (he attended the French Cavalry School at Saumur and the Spanish Riding School at Vienna and from 1922 to 1930 was the Master of the Horse at the Court of King Alexander of Yugoslavia; he was the coach of the successful German Olympic Team.) says this about perfecting the art of dressage: “it is the practical, creative artist, the equestrian genius, who is fused with his horse into one unit, who makes its will his own, and who proves that there are no limits to art.”

Great thinking….and he could do it…and many in the 1600s, 1700s, 1800s could do it……but by the 1900s competition had corrupted that simple idea of dressage for the sake of dressage.

Seunig was not only an equestrian competitor, he was a judge of international competition. He too was corrupted, and winning became more important than dressage.

But in the 1950s and 1960s, dressage was still defined as training, exhibition riding or horsemanship in which the horse is controlled in certain difficult steps and gaits by very light movements of the rider. The horse is to be relaxed and the performance is to appear “effortless.”

Light and gently and subtle were the key words for dressage riders such as Colonel Alois Podhajsky, Jessica Newberry and later Reiner Klimke, a world champion and winner of 6 gold medals in 5 Olympics (1964 to 1988)

When I see pictures of Podhajsky and Newberry riding, or I watch Klimke ride, I see a horse that is relaxed and appears to be performing effortlessly. I see a rider not strained or stesssed or rigid, but in a beautifully balanced position with a willing partner.

It’s a shame about dressage.

When I see upper level riders today, the art is gone.

Don’t misunderstand me. It is not that I am not in awe of the performances they achieve. They are getting more from their horses than the past masters did. (Of course, the horses they are riding have evolved along with training knowledge and techniques.)

What I see in today’s advanced level dressage are horses performing phenomenally; they are giving every ounce of effort they have to give. They are reaching new heights in suppleness and flexibility.

And they are unhappy, tense and showing the exertion needed to respond to their rider’s demands. Nothing about it appears “effortless.” It is not light or gentle or subtle.

I watched a video of a horse score the highest dressage score ever recorded.

The maneuvers were fantastic and the accomplishments of the horse should be applauded again and again.

But the horse hated every minute of that performance; the tail wringing and swishing and twirling and shaking, the ears back, the face knotted with tension.

It wasn’t the art I had hoped it would be…it was man forcing his will onto the horse in the name of competition.

Oh, for the original idea of any horse being helped to reach his potential, with no intention of ever comparing one horse to another.

It’s a shame about dressage.

Sow's Ear Won't Make A Silk Purse

2010-06-22T16:16:00.001-05:00

“You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”

My mother told me that years ago, and while I’ve tried on occasion (intentionally or unintentionally) to prove her wrong, my efforts always proved her right.
Every horse can do every movement of every exercise of every discipline!

That is a fact! While every horse can do everything, no horse does everything well…..proving, that if you want a silk purse, don’t start with a sow’s ear.

I’ve started with a lot of sow’s ears….for various reasons; bought her at an auction, she was cheap, she was pretty, needed another horse, looked athletic, was sure I could fix her problems.

But a sow’s ear is a sow’s ear; it is what it is.

Thank goodness; knowing that makes your horse choices so much easier.

What do you want? Do you want a silk purse, a race horse, a jumper, a dressage horse, a western pleasure horse, a roping horse, a trail horse, a driving horse, a hunter under saddle or a racking horse?

If you want a silk purse….start with silk.

If you want a race horse, start with one bred to be a race horse. If you want a western pleasure horse, start with one bred to be a western pleasure horse. Want a jumper? Start with a horse bred to be a jumper. You getting the idea.?

Today, there is a pedigree to suit every desire. Examine the pedigree. If the pedigree isn’t filled with the “discipline” you want to pursue, skip the horse. Keep looking until you find a horse with a pedigree that screams, “I’m bred to be the kind of silk purse you want.”

Okay, finding the right pedigree is a good start. Now you have to be sure the horse is “built to do the job.” It’s a funny thing about equine genetics (or genetics in general). Sire and dam don’t always reproduce their most desirable traits. And in some cases they don’t reproduce a foal with the conformation traits necessary to perform well at the discipline the sire and dam found so easy.

Start with “body type.” There is the draft horse, the sport horse, the endurance body type, the stock horse type, the hunter type, the dressage horse.

I don’t care what anyone says, or how many exceptions there are to disprove the rule: get the body type best suited to perform at the work and discipline you have in mind. If the pedigree says, “Yes,” and the body type says, “Yes” then you’re in excellent position to take the next step.

And the next step is “balance”. Balance is about the only conformation trait you’d like to see in any horse for any discipline. (The forehand, back and hindquarters are each just about 33 per cent of the total body.) After balance, you’ve got to start looking carefully at various proportions and angles—how long is the neck, how sloping the shoulder, how steep the croup, how short the cannons, how high the stifle, how low the hocks, how straight the hind leg, how are the front legs positioned, etc. etc.?

Looking at each part of the horse, you must determine how the conformation you see is going to affect the horse’s movement. Knowing how he’ll move, you can decide just how good his chances are of becoming the silk purse you seek.

Know this: start with the horse that has the best chance physically to be the kind of horse you want, and you’ve got about a 40 per cent chance of getting what you want.

Know this: the horse’s mind is going to control about 50 per cent of your success at getting a horse to perform at the level you want. A horse can have great conformation, great talent, great pedigree, but if he doesn’t have a great mind you’re going nowhere!

Know this: about 10 per cent of getting the silk purse you want so much is going to be in the training. Training is not rocket science, but it does take some knowledge and talent. The more of both, the better.

Just as you sought the silk for the purse, seek out a “purse maker”…not a “carpenter”. And if you are going to do it yourself, you better become an expert on silk purses.

Finally, hope for a freak. All champions are freaks; but that’s another story.

Wadds reveals secrets of winning in Competitive Longe Line Course

2010-06-22T16:00:00.002-05:00

World Champion “longe line” trainer Gord Wadds, reveals his winning system step-by-step in the newest www.HorseCoursesOnline.com course: Competitive Longe Line Training.

One of the fastest growing competitions in the horse show world, Competitive Longe Line combines the elements of a conformation class with the disciplined movement of rail performance. Wadds’ expertise at “picking them, training them, and presenting them” has earned him the title “King of the Longe Lines” around show pens all over the nation and in Canada.

Competitive Longe Line covers: Choosing the Prospect; Pre-school; The First Training Session; Following the Game Plan; Moving Out of the Round Pen; At the Show. Students work with Wadds one-on-one by e-mail and will get his expert opinion as to how they are progressing when they submit videos for review.

Wadds reveals some of his “special” techniques in the new course. “It’s all about showing off the horse’s grace and athleticism at the walk, jog and lope,” he says with a knowing grin. “There are some tips and tricks to making it happen.”

The course can be taken for full college credit as an elective in the Breyer State University Bachelor of Science in Equine Studies degree program, or it can be used for credit in earning a Professional Certification as a horse trainer or riding instructor in the Equine Studies Institute program. For complete details on both programs, visit www.horsecoursesonline.com

Wadds says some of the most important concepts for students to master are the “perfect circle”, “the inside track”, “the how and when of the reverse” and show time “grooming.” To see a course description and outline visit: www.horsecoursesonline.com/index/index_longe_line_description.html

Students may start the course at any time and work at their own pace, and while a “yearling” is preferred, they may use any horse while mastering the techniques being taught. The course provides an excellent foundation for any horse which will go on to rail performance.

New online course can rev-up dressage scores

2010-06-01T21:15:00.000-05:00

No matter how good you are now, you can always add ways to Rev-up Your Dressage Scores.

Tammy Fifer, www.horsecoursesonline.com dressage instructor, gets down to the nitty gritty with you about what judges are looking for, how they score, problems that cost you points and how you can correct them. Then she gives you tips from some of the “tops” in the field on how to “rev-up” those scores.

Students work one-on-one with Fifer by e-mail, getting answers to questions and help on how to tackle individual problems that crop up from seemingly nowhere. Five lessons in the course each have quizzes and assignments to help the students master the techniques for improvement.

Students can take the course and be awarded a “Certificate of Achievement” or participate in the www.horsecoursesonline.com Professional Certificate program or the Bachelor of Science in Equine Studies degree program.

Rev-up Your Dressage Scores lessons include: What Judges Want to See; Placement in the Ring; “How-to” of Straightness; Movement of the Horse; Common Faults and Fixes, Plus Top Rider Tips.

Students can start the course at anytime, work at their own pace, and there are no completion deadlines. Fifer will critique videos sent in by students (http://www.horsecoursesonline.com/videos/forehand_turn.html) and explain how to improve the exercise. www.horsecoursesonline.com offers 28 equine study courses and is the world’s leading provider of online equine curriculum for colleges and universities.

Emergency Equine Rescue Course Available

2010-05-16T10:31:00.002-05:00

Horses fall into wells, pools and canyons, get legs stuck in low tree branches and can be trapped in barn fires and trailer accidents. If there is a way for a horse to become entrapped or injured, he’ll find it.

So, knowing what to do and how to do it may just save your horse’s life!

The best chance a horse has for survival is when someone who understands large animal rescue is there to help. And that someone may just be you.

Equine Safety and Rescue is www.HorseCoursesOnline.com’s newest equine study course. Michelle S. Staples, a horse safety specialist and author of Save Your Horse!—A Horse Owner’s Guide to Large Animal Rescue is the instructor for the seven-lesson course designed for any horse lover interested in being prepared for equine emergencies and learning to remove a horse from a life-threatening accident.

Equine Safety and Rescue teaches basic skills needed to ensure a horse gets the best and safest help possible, and examines in detail the two most dangerous areas – transporting horses in trailers and barn fires. In addition, the student will learn the correct protocol for dealing with emergency responders, most of whom will not have experience handling horses.

“It’s amazing how few fire fighters and police officers actually know how to handle a horse,” says Staples, “let along how to handle one that is entrapped and in need of emergency rescue.”

In addition to understanding what large animal rescue is and is not, the student will be prepared to interact with local emergency responders in an emergency and help them establish safe horse handling protocol.

Other lessons include safety at the scene of an accident, getting the horse out of trouble, barn fire safety, trailering safety and how to tie emergency harness and halters.

“It is unfortunate for horses that too few horse lovers actually know rescue procedures,” says Staples. “Students of Equine Safety and Rescue not only may save their horse’s life, but they can be instrumental in helping emergency responders gain the training they need to become effective and safe horse “life savers.”

For complete information on the course, visit www.horsecoursesonline.com and click on the course title: Equine Safety and Rescue.

Education Needs to Get Modern

2010-05-02T17:56:00.004-05:00

The number one problem with our education system is that it is mandatory.

The idea of "no child left behind" is a major reason we don't get modern and improve our educational system, but continue to "dumb it down" to meet "traditional, old school" thinking.

Spending more money has never made our educational programs better, yet every year the government spends more and more, and the level of education goes down. We keep doing the same thing and expecting to get a different result.

We need to change traditional thought from "mandatory" education to "opportunity" education.

We need to spend less "forcing" education on those who will not accept it, and use the money to provide education to those who want it.

We need a system which says: every person, young and old, shall be given the opportunity to learn, to earn a high school diploma, to earn a college degree, or to take advanced studies.

We have thousands and thousands of very very smart young people. They need opportunity.

Any one who wants to go to school should have the opportunity...and we should spend money to see to it that that student gets the education he or she is willing to work to achieve. And let them choose what to study: There are at least 10 intelligences that we know of...communication skills and math are not the "only" measures of a person's abilities. Music is an intelligence, athletic ability is an intelligence, consider entrepenural and salesmanship skills. Give anyone who wants to follow his or her passion the opportunity...they don't need to know the multiplcation tables..they need to know where to find a calculator.

We have thousands and thousands of persons who don't want "schooling" and we should not be "forcing them into an educational system they don't want to be in".

If a kid doesn't want to go to school, get him or her out of the school. Eliminate the discipline problems, stop the learning disruptions caused by persons who don't want to be there. Allow teachers to work with the students who want to learn instead of spending a great portion of their time keeping students in the seats so the district can college average daily attendance funds.

And don't tell me we have to keep these students in school or they will be a burden on society...horse feathers...in most cases they'll end up being less of a burden because they'll find something they like to do and they'll do it...and very possible be extremely successful. If not, they won't be any more of a burden than they already are.

Do You Really Believe It"

2010-04-29T21:59:00.004-05:00

If you believe some trainers’ claims they can sell you the secret to “tame and train” your horse in just six hours…..
If you believe the claim some trainers can cure 19 of your horse’s worst behavior problems in just 7 days….
If you think you can do with your horse what the horse expo clinicians are doing in their “show”…
If you think you can buy a secret “horse powder” which “cures” more diseases than any other known medicine…..then George Strait and I have some ocean front property in Arizona we’d love to sell you.
In fact if you believe one self-proclaimed trainer’s claim that he can teach you to train your horse not to “crib”, then we’ll throw in the Golden Gate Bridge free.
I can’t believe anyone would buy anything from these “magic bullet” sales pitches offered by people who haven’t proven they can train a horse to eat hay.
If they can teach you to train your horse to stop uncontrolled bucking, cribbing, biting and kicking in just six hours, or cure 19 of your horse’s worst problems in 7 days, why aren’t they so busy training horses that they don’t have time to waste your time?
Because they can’t!
They sell their “magic” to people who haven’t got a clue about horse behavior, health or training. Any horse lover with a horse that bites, kicks, engages in uncontrolled bucking and has 19 other behavior problems has more of a problem with herself than she has with her horse.
If you buy into any “instant” or miraculous” training of a horse, you need Bill Engvall to present you with one of his “signs.”
Horses’ responses are “instinct” or “habits made or in the making.”
You don’t train “instinct”, and it takes years to make the correct responses into habit. If you don’t believe that, why do you think “world champion horses” continue to be in training year after year?
All of the magic claims don’t surprise me now that I’ve had a chance to look over some survey results.
In an industry where “knowledge” is THE key factor, 75 per cent of those who consider themselves “professionals” have had no formal education relating to their “profession”.
This statistic doesn’t just apply to horse trainers…it applies, unfortunately, to riding instructors, stable managers, breeders and tack store sales personnel. Considering the survey report, it isn’t surprising that horse owners consistently report having “trouble finding a good trainer.” According to respondents, a “good trainer” is one who knows more about a horse than just training. A good trainer should know about nutrition, equipment, behavior modification, health and disease and stable management.
And respondents think a trainer that also gives lessons should have had some formal education in “how to teach.” The techniques of effective teaching don’t include standing in the center of the arena yelling, “Heels down, shoulder’s back.”
There is nothing wrong with the skills and talents of those who are winning at the highest levels of competition. Such horsemen and women are certainly professionals and they have the records to prove it. The problem is, there are so few of them.
Of the survey respondents, 75 per cent, including the professionals, want to have a horse business in one way or another, so they are trying to sell you something. Yet combined, 78 per cent of them have not participated in any kind of horse education program.
Eighty-two per cent of those who consider their horses a hobby have never participated in any kind of educational program involving horse health care, hoof care, equine nutrition, horse conformation or the legal aspects of owning a horse.
Before you buy, ask to see some education credentials…and if not education credentials then a proven record of success doing what he or she says he or she can do.
Don’t be embarrassed to ask; if you don’t stand up to the claims, you’ll fall for anything!

Do You Really Believe It"

2010-04-29T21:59:00.001-05:00

Any Fly Control is Good!

2010-04-16T22:57:00.000-05:00

Here’s a great tip for keeping flies out of your barn and out of stalls.
Drop four pennies in clear plastic bags half-filled with water. Seal the bags and hang them at barn entry ways and just outside stalls.
Flies may start to come into your barn, but they’ll turn around and leave.
I don’t know why, but some say the water and pennies create a “prism” effect which splashes light in hundreds of directions all at once. The light reflections are supposed to cause flies difficulty in seeing, which is a “danger” signal to them.

Faculty member to AQHA Board of Directors

2010-03-07T16:37:00.003-06:00

HorseCoursesOnline.com faculty member, Cathy Hanson was elected to the American Quarter Horses Association’s Board of Directors at the breed association’s 2010 annual convention. AQHA is the world’s largest breed association, registering more than 100,000 new foals each year.

Hanson instructs Preparation for Competition and Showmanship in Hand for the online equine studies programs leading to a Bachelor of Science in Equine Studies or Professional Certification as a horse trainer or riding instructor. The trainer of world champion show pen trail horses, she is currently preparing a new course, Train a Trail Horse which will be available to students this fall.

Honored as AQHA’s 2007 Most Valuable Professional, she is a past president of the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Association and currently serves as its Youth Advisor. An author and clinician, her training facility, Hanson Quarter Horses, is headquartered in San Juan Capistrano, California.

Hanson has been a member of the HorseCoursesOnline.com faculty since 2005. HorseCoursesOnline.com is the leading provider of online equine study curriculum for colleges and universities worldwide, serving more than 4,000 students. The online courses are self-paced and students are afforded the opportunity to work one-on-one with award winning instructors with proven records of success in the fields they teach.

Speed Kills, Slow Down Your Training/Care

2010-03-03T13:32:00.001-06:00

Speed kills.

It’s a common phrase among race horse trainers.

It can mean “rushing a horse’s training” causes injuries. It can mean a horse that runs too fast early in a race will have nothing left for the finish. It can mean too much speed by any horse is going to end in physical breakdown. And physical breakdown for a horse can mean the end of a career, a lifetime of lameness, euthanasia.

Speed kills.

Yet we exalt speed constantly.

We glorify the capture and “competition-training” of a horse in three days, praising the clinicians’ horsemanship skills, when in actuality they’ve done nothing but “flooded” the horse into submission. A horse can be subdued in three hours, yet all horses require a “lifetime” of training.

Farrier competitions are not about the balancing or understanding of the horse’s hoof, but about the speed with which a shoe can be shaped and tacked into place. Farrier competitions are about the speed of using tools, not about time and consideration for a healthy hoof.

When a horse is suffering joint problems or other aches and pains, there’s a rush to get the horse back into competition and we “hail the supplements” that allow us to continue a “speedy” destruction.

We know speed kills, so why don’t we slow down?

For most of mankind, life and the world are about faster, higher, stronger, longer.

When we’re young, everything is about speed. We can’t wait to get there, have this, enjoy that. We don’t want to do one thing at a time; we want to do 10 things at once.

We want to jump on our horses (bareback because we can’t take time to groom and saddle) and race to the far end of the property. We don’t have time to “stop and smell the roses” because we are too busy rushing to accomplish nothing.

When we start to get a little more serious about our horsemanship we start looking for all the short cuts to success.

Videos are going to show us how a horse can go from green to a championship, and it’s only going to take one hour and 20 minutes. (We seldom read about horsemanship, training and health care because reading is too slow, and everyone knows you can’t learn horsemanship from a book.)

We’re going to go to the weekend “expo” and see seven different clinicians each of which as the magic bullet, carrot stick, down-under wand, resistance free bridle, be good halter and clicker tricker.

Or we’re going to take private lessons and speed up our arrival at “expert” in riding and training. And if this instructor should fail in getting us to the top, then we can quickly change to someone else; there is never a shortage of speed merchants.

But there will come a time when you will know that speed kills.

And then you will no longer be impressed by speed.

Instead, you’ll be impressed by the art of horsemanship practiced over a lifetime.

You’ll be pleased by the fact no horse’s training is ever finished; there is no need to rush. You’re never going to complete the journey, so you can enjoy the ride.

Whatever you want to teach your horse, whatever you want to accomplish, it isn’t going to get done in a day, or a week or even a month. What you can teach, what you can accomplish today is a tiny bit more understanding by your horse. And that’s enough.

Slow down! Speed kills!

Who's to Blame? We are, when we vote

2010-03-01T20:13:00.000-06:00

545 PEOPLE
By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them...Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits. WHY do we have deficits? Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes? You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equate to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank. I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits...The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party.. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist. If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want them in IRAQ. If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way. There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do. Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses. Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese

The first rule of training--no pain

2010-02-11T17:43:00.001-06:00

The first rule of training: the horse has no pain.

Unschooled horses, for the most part, want to please. As a member of your herd, they want to be a part of the activity, they want to be accepted and they want your praise.

So anytime a young horse is showing any signs of aggravation, hesitation, or lack of desire to learn, start checking for signs of pain.

The first place to look is the mouth…with the young horse lots of changes are taking place. The edges of teeth may be getting sharp, new teeth are coming in, or “caps” may be retained. The bit you’ve chosen may not fit the horse’s mouth configuration…have you taken the measurements? (Learn about Bits, Saddle Fitting and Hoof Balance in the online course at www.horsecoursesonline.com)

Double check your saddle’s fit. Anything less than perfect and your young horse could be developing back pain. Saddles that don’t fit correctly are the number one cause of back pain, followed closely by poor riding habits. Lots of young horses haven’t reached their potential weight, so it’s common for tack and rider to weigh more than 20% of horse’s total weight. For example, a horse weighing 800 pounds should never carry more than a total weight of 160 pounds.

A horse doesn’t have to be lame to have sore feet, and sore feet will cause problems everywhere.

Feel the feet before you take your horse out of his stall. If the feet aren’t cold, you may have a problem. Take a good look at the shape of the foot, and examine the coronet band for any deviations.

Use hoof testers to determine if the horse’s soles are tender, or there is any heel discomfort. Trot the horse in a circle on pavement to determine if the outside or inside of a hoof is tender.

Using some basic techniques of equine massage, you can go over your horse’s body to find any areas of muscle soreness. (Equine Massage is another course you’ll find a www.horsecoursesonline.com )

If your horse has passed the “no pain” test, you’re on your way to a great training relationship.

Hear a Horse's Heart Beat, Gut Sounds

2010-01-26T12:03:00.001-06:00

Do you know the sound of your horse’s heart beat and gut? And if you do, do you know what they mean in terms of his general health?

Most horse owners think they know a horse’s normal vital signs and how to identify them…but most don’t have a base line for their horse. Do you? For a free report on vital signs and to hear a horse’s heart beat and gut sounds, go to www.horsecoursesonline.com and click on “free report” in the left hand menu.

A full investigation of the meaning of gut sounds and heart rates is included in both the HorseCoursesOnline.com Stable Management and Equine Health and Disease Management courses.

HorseCoursesOnline.com serves more than 4,000 students in 27 countries, providing a Bachelor of Science degree in Equine Studies from Breyer State University or Professional Horse Trainer or Riding Instructor certifications from the Equine Studies Institute.

Another useless horse protection law?

2009-12-30T11:21:00.003-06:00

How would you like another usless, unenforceable, high cost to horse owners law?

Jane Flaspholer is seeking signatures to have the Horse Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1821-1831) amended to make it illegal to transport "sick horses" across state lines. She, of course, has no plan for "enforcement".

Get Real, Jane! We already have a law banning the transport of a horse across state lines without a Coggins test. Who's enforcing that law? You can cross virtually any state line and never get asked for a Coggins certificate...and if you do, no one looks at the horse to make sure the horse being transported is the horse it is supposed to be. No one at horse shows checks on your horse...they just ask for current Coggins...which is about as useless as anything I can think of...a Coggins taken today means the horse didn't have EIA within 15 minutes of the time blood was drawn...but the Coggins is good for six months to a year; the horse could be infected (not likely) for a year and be getting a free pass on the Coggins cert. Get Real!...the Coggins test and the whole "fight to stop EIA" is just a money maker for veterinarians and governmental agencies.

Jane and anyone who wants to stop sick horses from coming into "public" places or crossing state lines... need to ask to have the horse's temperature taken. If the horse has no temp, he isn't sick at that moment and he isn't going to spread EIA. The Coggins test means nothing, the health certificate means nothing.

You want some meaningful change?...ask public facilities to request the horse's temp be taken...you want to protect yourself...don't accept a horse until after you take its temperature.

The last thing we need is another silly regulation which will do no good whatsoever!

Let Go Of Your Expectations!!!

2009-12-28T12:11:00.002-06:00

There are two sides to “expectations”. You need to know both if you want your horse business to be successful.

The first side is your expectations.

When you planned your business, hopefully, you determined there was a need for your product or service. And once you were convinced there was a market, you determined the market was large enough in potential to make your business a success. Finally, you were convinced you could reach your market in an economical way.

Armed with your “market” information, you set some goals for your business…your first of many expectations.

Once you’ve set goals (expectations) you need to track your progress toward reaching them.

The key now to your success is “not to be attached to your expectations.” Attachment always causes disappointment.

Whether you are on track to reach your goals within a specified period of time or not should be nothing more than information…not failure or success…just information.

If you are attached to your goals, and you are on track to reach them, you’ll begin to coast. Self confident and smug, your success will soon become your failure.

If you are not on track to reach your goals, you’ll be depressed and stubbornly try to make what you are currently doing work better.

By being attached to your expectations, reached or not, you are not opening your mind to “change” which is constant, and must be ridden to success. If you are not changing and improving constantly, you will be left behind and failure is the only possible outcome.

Having expectations is fine, if they are guides and goals to success.

Being attached to expectations makes you and your business rigid and blind to new information and new desires by your market.

The other side of “expectations” is what is expected by your market.

Your customers believe that what you are offering—a horse, horse equipment, feed, or a service to them and their horse, such as training---will satisfy one or more of their desires. They actually purchase the “potential” to achieve their dreams.

As much as you don’t want to be attached to your expectations, you can be certain your clients will be attached to theirs.

In making an offer to satisfy the market’s desire, you must say what you mean and mean what you say. Anything less today and you’ll be out of business tomorrow.

We have become somewhat used to the idea that the car we buy is going to break down, the cell phone is going to have “dead zones”, and our computer is going to crash. We’ve become used to the idea that what is promised is not exactly what we are going to get. But as used to those ideas as we’ve become, we still “expect” to get what we were promised, and those that don’t deliver soon become extinct. Want an example? ..…US car makers, big department stores, magazines and newspapers.

Today those that deliver what we want survive…foreign car makers that build to last and provide good mileage…niche stores that have the exact style we want, internet sites that provide “instant” news and “in-depth” features, plus social networking and chat contact with friends.

Whatever your business, you can’t do more to make it successful than to meet your market’s expectations. If you say you can train the horse to be a champion, it better become a champion…if you say your boarding stable feeds horses correctly, they better have plenty of hay all the time…if you say your equipment will last a lifetime, it better be around next year.

If you can’t deliver, don’t say it

Say what you can deliver…a well-trained horse you’ll enjoy riding, a boarding stable in which you’ll feel confident leaving your horse, equipment that will help you get the job done.

While you don’t want to be attached to your expectations, you can be certain your customers are attached to theirs.

The "half-halt" is on steroids

2009-12-23T10:56:00.001-06:00

Get Real! Today's "half-halt" is on steroids.
And the “beefed-up” half halts get great results for any training discipline.
I’ve always employed the half halt. For a horse trainer, it’s a staple. You’ve got to use the half halt if you want horses that respond lightly and consistently, that round up and slow down, and that are prepared for advanced maneuvers such as the flying change of leads.
But I was taught, and I did teach, that the rider asked for a half halt, and then released the cue instantly upon any response by the horse. Any attempt to comply by the horse was thought to be good enough. The horse was trying so the horse would be rewarded; progress would be made.
I’m learning (from some very accomplished horse trainers) a new way of using something old.
The half halt is just what it sounds as if it should be…a halt that isn’t complete. You ask for a half halt by shortening the reins and establishing a bit barrier that would indicate to the horse a stop might be expected. You do not, however, continue the stopping cues. Instead you apply leg pressure to push the horse into the new shortened frame. You want the horse to continue forward movement at the existing gait.
In order for the horse to fit into the shorter frame, the horse must round up his back and compress his stride so that the foot flight is more elevated.
The horse’s response should be to slow the cadence of his footfall.
Done correctly the horse should be in a state of perfect collection and the cadence should be slower and softer.
Previously, I’d have removed the bit barrier the instant the horse made any attempt to comply with my half halt request. (With a lot of practice and time, the horse will eventually learn to collect and slow his cadence.)
Now I don’t remove the bit barrier, but instead I drive continuously with leg pressure until the horse takes the “perfect” position for the movement that I want. This driving action can last quite some time, and can take quite a bit of effort. Don’t discontinue the driving action just because the horse is trying—the horse has to take the “perfect” position.
Once the horse is in the desired frame, moving at the desired speed, with his body in the desired position, the barrier is released.
For the western rider that means the reins are pitched and draped.
For the English rider it means the hand is relaxed and the horse is on the bit, but without rein restraint.
Now the rider must attempt to ride the horse for as long as possible without the reestablishment of any barrier which dictates body position, speed or collection.
Of course the horse is going to return to the longer frame with less collection because it is less work; horses can’t justify working harder if it is not necessary. (Unfortunately horses can’t project the reasoning that if they carry weight in “collection” they’ll remain sounder longer. They don’t grasp the idea that being in better condition now, means they’ll be in better condition later. Of course, lots of rider can’t project that reasoning either.)
When the horse elongates, increases speed or loses collection, the half halt is again employed.
With the half halt on steroids, you do not make any small corrections to help the horse. If you are going to correct, you use the very strong half halt, put the horse back in the perfect position, then remove the barrier completely.
There is no “half way” in the steroid half halt. It is helping the horse to take the perfect position, and then it is leaving the horse on his own to continue in that position.
If you practice the beefed-up half halt, don’t get frustrated, don’t make tiny adjustments, and don’t abandon the method until you’ve tried it for at least 10 training sessions.
Try it; you might like it!

Those "complain' are most often the cause

2009-12-14T17:31:00.003-06:00

It’s time to quit complain’ and start doin’.

AQHA just released the results of a survey the association did on what is termed a “downturn” in the economy. Summary of the survey: all negatives; one complaint after another about the increasing cost of everything related to horses except the “never increasing” selling price.

Well, complainers, thank you very much….you’ve gotten exactly what you’ve asked for.

If the cost of hay has soared, don’t blame the drought. There are always droughts somewhere…just as there is always plenty of rain somewhere else. The cost of hay is up because the cost of transport is up, the cost of land is up, the cost of labor is up, the cost of store rental, taxes and insurance are up.

You can’t ship hay without paying for fuel, and the cost of fuel is up because we are extravagant wasters. The complainers are driving over-powered, over-hyped, over-rated trucks and SUVs. But they aren’t complaining about that; they’re bragging on it. They can’t afford to feed the horse, but they can feed their ego.

Land and home prices are plummeting as the credit crunch catches up to those who thought there was a way to get something for nothing. You have to pay for what you get, so if you can’t pay the price of horse ownership, don’t get a horse. (Unfortunately those who didn’t “over-buy” are going to have to pay for those who did in the form of government bailouts.)

Local tack and feed stores are struggling to make a profit, while the big lot purchasers (who never have in stock what you need) are getting property tax breaks from city, county and federal government….the biggest money wasters of all. But no one is complaining; they’re just asking for more government services.

AQHA, an association established to preserve the breed, is now so focused on sponsorships, big events, merchandise and image, that it forces horse owners to “join” in order to “transfer ownership records.” A service fee for the administrative costs is one thing…forced membership is another.

Has the cost of horse ownership gone up more than the costs of other things?
Has the cost of horse ownership soared with housing prices, truck and car prices, gasoline and diesel prices, cell phones and flat screen HD television?

Face the facts…if you’re complaining about the cost of horse ownership, you can do something about it. Don’t own a horse…that’s an option.

Now according to some who responded to AQHA’s survey, horses are being sold for as little as $5 per head, or being turned loose on government owned land, which is supposed to prove there are a lot of unwanted horses.

Well, there are unwanted horses, but it’s the complainers who caused it, breeding low quality stock, approving AI and shipped semen, registering and encouraging the breeding of anything and everything, closing slaughter plants and having no plan for the care and future of the horse.

Horse rescue operations are even a contributor to the unwanted horse problem. Once a charity is started, it will be overrun by “welfare” cases. Horse rescues are going to have to change their thinking--remove the emotion, and add responsibility--if they are going to help horses.

And the price of horses isn’t down…it’s the same as it always is.

I just attended two major horse auctions. Good horses sold for good prices and the purchasers were not complaining about the cost of horse ownership.
The horses that sold cheap, were cheap, and will probably suffer at the hands of the complainers who are creating just what they are complaining about.

If you really want to help horses, it’s time to stop complain’ and start doin’.

The Right "Stretch"

2009-12-07T15:08:00.001-06:00

HorseCoursesOnline.com instructor Betty Lindquist will have a special feature article on "horse stretching exercises" in the Certified Horseman's Association magazine, The Instructor, winter issue which comes out in January.

Lindquist, who teaches Equine Massage, says that many of the exercises being taught are "really conter-productive." You simply do not want to use an exercise which actually "tightens" the muscles. Lindquist explains the correct way to "stretch your horses" for maximum benefit to the horse.

EIA "threat" is a myth for money

2009-12-06T18:48:00.001-06:00

If your veterinarian tells you EIA is a serious threat to your horse’s health, either he/she doesn’t know the facts, or wants to continue to rake in a steady stream of income based on inaccurate “scare” information. (About $36 million is spent annually for Coggins tests.)
The EIA threat to your horse’s health is nothing compared to the “mandatory slaughter of your Coggins positive horse by many state laws.”
If you want to take your horse to a public facility, cross state lines, or even board at some stables, you’ll need a current Coggins test and that test is going to cost you while putting money in the pockets of veterinarians, testing laboratories and state agencies. If the horse tests negatively, it just costs money. But if the horse tests positive, the most common result is that your horse will be euthanized and there is virtually nothing you can do about it.
I’m not against the Coggins test…it is just a test. What I’m against is the state laws, supported by veterinarians, which slaughter happy, healthy, useful horses which are of no danger to other horses, but which happen to be “in-apparent” carriers. (If you want to protect horses in public places make it mandatory the horse’s temperature is taken daily.)
To support laws that needlessly slaughter useful horses is inexcusable.
Both Bayer Animal Health and the American Association of Equine Practitioners have claimed “Equine Infectious Anemia is a fatal disease that threatens the world’s horse population.”
There are no facts, figures or even light data to support their claim.
There is no national record of how many horses die of EIA in the US each year. Ask your vet how many EIA fatal cases he or she has seen and the most common answer will be “none”. Check with your state veterinary office and ask how many deaths in the state due to EIA each year and the answer will be “none” or “we don’t know.”
I asked Bayer to support its claim and Dr. Kenton Morgan said it gets its information from AAEP. Asked if he or anyone at Bayer questions such statements and he replied, “We don’t edit the stuff, we just post it.”
Posting such stuff keeps the myth alive and my cost your horse his or her life.
I have tried and tried to get a response from the AAEP education committee, but no response is ever made. I’ve challenge several AAEP members to debate the EIA issues on a radio program, and the challenge has always been ignored.
If EIA was such a threat to horses wouldn’t you think horses would be dying from the disease, and don’t you think there would be an effort to eradicate it?
Dr. Don O’Connor, Wisconsin epidemiologist (a person who investigates epidemics and causes) says Wisconsin’s policy is to “control, not eradicate.”
Asked if EIA is an epidemic in Wisconsin, Dr. O’Connor says, “No.” Asked how many EIA deaths were recorded in Wisconsin for a three year period, Dr. O’Connor said, “None.”
While EIA did not kill a single horse during that three year period, Marjorie Pommerening had to have her two horses euthanized (slaughtered) because they tested positive even though they showed no symptoms and where happy, hearty, useful horses. So, statistically, while EIA has not killed a horse in recent memory in Wisconsin, the state’s control policy has officially killed at least two.
The number of new Coggins positive cases (not deaths or even sickness) found each year amounts to .0002857% of the 7 million horses in the US.
If that’s a threat to the world’s horse population, I’m at a loss to know how.
Keep the Coggins test; brand a “positive” horse if you wish, and simply require the horse’s temperature to be taken daily if it is to travel or be housed in a public horse facility. Get your veterinarian and state legislator to support that and save the life of a lot of wonderful horses.
Unless you and horse organizations demand new laws nothing is going to change.

6 "musts" for horse business success

2009-12-05T12:05:00.002-06:00

There are six things you absolutely, positively must do if you want your horse business to be a financial success!
First you must focus…that means you must be able to explain exactly what you do or sell within 10 words or less. Can you do it?
For your FREE report on the six steps to business success, visit www.horsecoursesonline.com and click on “FREE REPORT” in the menu on the left side of the page.

Playing games with horses is playing dangerous

2009-12-03T11:00:00.002-06:00

"Horse" comments on "natural horsemanship" by saying that playing games provides a systematic approach for "newbies." One of the major problems with playing games with horses (also one of the major problems with early foal "imprinting").....is the horse begins to think you are equals, and therefore entering your space is perfectly acceptable.

If you want to get along with horses you are not equals and never will be...either you are the leader and dominate the horse (and that's a natural situation) of the horse dominates you, which is the most common result for those who "play games with horses."

5 Equine Nutrition "Don'ts"

2009-12-02T15:51:00.000-06:00

Most horse owners know one of the five things you do not do when it comes to equine nutrition is make sudden changes in forage or diet.
But do you know the other four “do not dos”?
For your FREE report on the five do not dos of equine nutrition, visit www.horsecoursesonline.com and click on “FREE REPORT” in the menu on the left side of the page.

Suit stops wild horse roundup

2009-11-28T11:07:00.002-06:00

The scheduled roundup (set for December 1) of wild horses by the BLM has been stopped by a law suit filed by In Defense of Animals and Craig Downer. It’s a legal maneuver which isn’t going to help the wild horses, but will get the “ecologist’s” name in front of the public once again. Could there be a spike in book sales?
It would be much more in the best interests of the wild horses if the ecologist and In Defense of Animals had a plan to let the wild horses be wild, which, of course, they do not…… rather than filing lawsuits which allow the continued growth of herds which the land (and government programs) can’t support.
The suit is based on the 1971 law which declared the wild horses as “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the west," which, of course, they are not. The law also specified they “shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment or death.” That’s impossible if at the same time you are going to mandate someone see to it they have adequate food, water and health care.
According to the Bureau of Land Management 37,000 wild horses and burros remain on public lands. At the same time 32,000 wild horses have been removed from the range are being held in government holding facilities---now isn’t that nice place for a wild horse?
Ecologists are supposed to study relationships between organisms and their environment. What most discover is the world is changing, the dedicated range of the west can’t support huge bands of wild horses, and we need to find a way to have a representative herd which could be housed, cared-for and protected. They wouldn’t be wild horses…but neither are the wild horses!

Show virtually and learn in reality with IPHDA

2009-11-25T19:54:00.003-06:00

“How Broke Is Your Horse?” asks Rod Miller.

It’s a question we’re always asking ourselves. (Isn’t that why we show horses?)
Miller has taken the question and turned it into the International Performance Horse Development Association, a fun way to improve your horsemanship, get help from training experts, advance your own training techniques and enjoy big prizes while competing in virtual shows at specific levels of ability.

New and just getting started, I’m betting IPHDA takes off…it’s competition and education in one package, plus the advantages of membership discounts, prizes, and interaction with other horsemen from around the world.

Check it out at www.IPHDA.com

Still "no natural" to "horsemanship" and other ideas

2009-11-25T09:56:00.002-06:00

Must thank Laurey Hoyt for her comments on "natural horsemanship." (see comments) While I think she has some good points about horsemanship, I don't see how she defends calling it "natural" when there is still nothing natural to it.

Horsemanship is the ability to elicit a specific response to a specific request. Knowing and using the horse's instincts to accomplish that isn't natural, it's just knowledge applied to purpose.

Several things to consider...humans (predators) aren't horses (prey). There's nothing natual about a predator using prey for enjoyment, work, or companionship. It's an unnatural relationship that humans find enjoyable and horses are trapped in. (Good horsemanship tries to make the situation as pleasant as possible for the horse, but it's never the horse's idea of nirvana.)

It's also interesting how "natural horsemanship" practitioners don't seem to take part in competition's which require the horse and rider to respond to a requirement in a specific way. If "natural horsemanship" was truly different and better, you'd think "natural horsemanship trainers" would be proving their claims by simply winning any and all types of horsemanship competitions.

One reader comments in Bowl of Mush that there are a lot of bad trainers out there that have been licensed (in Canada). Of course the comment is correct...there are bad veterinarians, teachers, bad engineers, bad anything and everything that has to be licensed...but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to raise our horsemanship levels by requiring some educational standard.

One thing is for sure...if great trainers are out there that are not "licensed" they'd still be great trainers and better off businesswise if they were "licensed."

Finally, Shawn wanted to know about the damage to the horse's knee (torn cartilage) The point being that there are great risks of infection when injecting horse's joints to keep them showing, and that maybe it's abusive to try to keep them going. There is no question Shawn is correct about the risks. The question of using drugs to keep horses going may be a moral issue not just for horsemen, but for veterinarians as well.

When is medicine right and when is it wrong? As long as it is acceptable in competition is will be used.

Thanks for the good suggestions

2009-11-24T14:15:00.002-06:00

Thanks for the good suggestions on the knee problem and question of how best to handle the lameness...use of drugs or no drugs.....I'm checking out many of the therapies mentioned...and complete turn out for 6 months or more.

All comments greatly appreciated...as are your opinions...

Caught in the drug enigma

2009-11-23T11:14:00.002-06:00

I'm stuck in the middle...what to do about drugs? I'm against their use to keep a horse performing...but now I have a horse that needs to have his knee injected.

When I bought him I was told he needed the knee injected once every 5 or 6 months...as it turns out, he's going to need to be injected every 5 to 6 weeks...BIG DIFFERENCE! (I thought I could get him sound enough to show without drugs.)

I'm trying to get him sound enough to show by rubbing the knee with arnica (a pure substance that has healing properties), using "sweats" and physical therapy exercises......he's getting better, but it is also getting pretty obvious if I intend to show him, I'm going to have to inject his knee.

I can't inject him to show him and stand by my call for a ban on drugs to keep a horse showing when he shouldn't be....so now, I'm stuck in the middle. What to do?

Cahill's newest online course

2009-11-22T12:09:00.001-06:00

Teach your horse to do flying lead changes with the help of world champion trainer Nancy Cahill.
Train for Western Riding is the newest www.horsecoursesonline.com equine study course.
Cahill is the trainer of multiple world-champion horses, AQHA Horse Woman of the Year recipient and 5-times coach of the AQHA Youth World Cup team. In her online course, she takes the student through the basic maneuvers required to establish the foundation needed for a smooth, fluid change of leads. Cahill breaks the lead change down into its simplest parts, so the student can master each step, and then feel complete confidence when asking the horse to perform the advanced maneuver.
The 10-lesson course includes Cahill’s DVD Precision Western Riding.
“We want the student to take all the time needed to get a perfect lead change,” Cahill said. “Rushing a horse or trying to force the lead change are among the worst things you can do,” Cahill cautions. “We never want a horse to become confused or afraid of the maneuver, and that’s why it is so important the horse learn the maneuver the correct way.”

Another bowl of mush

2009-11-20T13:20:00.000-06:00

The two most important aspects of equine welfare—education and licensing of trainers and handlers and the use of drugs to keep horses participating in events have been ignored (once again) in the new National Equine Welfare Code of Practice.
“Get Real” American Horse Council and all the breed associations which have quickly endorsed the “vanilla spin” code which is completely useless in any way to protect the welfare of horses.
Every horseman says he or she is “committed to the dignity, humane care, health, safety and welfare of horses in all activities.” Everyone is going to claim to be “committed to responsible training techniques” and that “all training should be done with the maturation and ability of the horse considered”.
Who would endorse “excessive discipline” methods? No one!!!!
So “get real” and address the real problems…lack of education, no educational standards, no licensing and the use of drugs to keep horses going when they should no longer be participating in competition (or for recreation for that matter).

No "Natural", Just Horsemanship

2009-11-19T21:54:00.003-06:00

If “natural horsemanship” is the philosophy of working with horses by appealing to instincts and herd mentality, then every trainer I’ve ever known is a “natural horseman.”
“Natural horsemanship” certainly isn’t new, and it definitely isn’t what today’s “self-labelers” would like you to believe; today’s spin is that natural horsemanship is all love, tenderness and bonding. Get real!!! It is absolutely not that!
A horse’s instincts are based in fear, not love, tenderness and bonding; so horsemanship is not “appealing” to instincts and herd mentality, but the manipulation of those instincts to produce the responses the horseman wants.
You can drop the word “natural” since nothing we do with horses is “natural” for the horse.
The most vocal would have you believe “natural horsemanship” started just a few years ago with Buck and Tom. Get Real! Horsemanship using the horse’s instincts was recorded by the Hittites (an ancient people of Asia Minor) in hieroglyphic inscriptions between 1700 and 700 BC.
If you are going to work with horses, then “get real”, quit “romanticizing" and let’s do the things that benefit horses instead of pandering to your ego by calling yourself a “natural horsemanship trainer.” I’d like to see some credentials instead of some “made up” title.

2008-10-12T23:06:00.000-05:00

A HorseCoursesOnline.com survey of horse owners revealed 87 per cent felt "all drugs" which enhance performance should be banned from horse events, including racing, shows, rodeo, games....what do you think?