Moneypenny is a seven year old American Paint Horse standing at only 14.1 thus qualifying her as a large pony. She is a very special horse who has taught many children and adults how to ride. Although I have known instinctively for years that horses reflect the pulse of the people around them and riding them, I recently read an article supporting this theory from actual scientific tests.
I am constantly amazed to watch this extraordinary mare take care of her young riders.
Although most people flock to the south with their horses in the winter, some people actually continue hacking and enjoying the warm days of winter. One must no doubt be flexible and creative to keep their horses fit in the winter months of the Northeast without an indoor, seeking out decent footing wherever possible. Sometimes that may mean country dirt roads or driveways. Horses are much more comfortable in cool weather than hot. Their bodies are designed to deal with it efficiently with little stress
. This January has seen some record high temperatures with several t-shirt days in the early days of the month. So make yourself leave the safe confines of the arena and enjoy the countryside this winter.
People often ask me why I have a miniature horse, Mini Hop aka the Rock Star on my farm. Actually he is one of the most important horses here among the Internationally famous event super star, Mashantum who was long listed for the Atlantic Olympic Games in 1996, his stablemate Indiana Jones an up and coming Event super star and Explorer 007 aka Bond who is an emerging Grand Prix Dressage horse. Mini, as he is affectionally called, is the horse who introduces the youngest generation to the world of the horse. He is a wonderful teacher giving confidence and great pleasure to his young riders.
He is shown here taking Alex, a four year old equestian for a hack around the paddocks. Some days they climb the steps to the house entering through the front door to take a tour to the kitchen where many treats await him.
For years Judges have been frustrated about how to score bad riding in the dressage tests. Arguably, each movement could lose one point for bad riding, however, there is now an important rule change which will be a clear message to the rider to evaluate their seat and its effectiveness. Over the years we have seen a tremendous improvement in horses movement and ability but not the same advancement in the quality of riding.
The collective scores at the bottom of the score sheet are often the deciding factor in similar rides. Normally they are all doubled, however, under the new rule the rider score will be tripled. This will greatly benefit the talented correct riders and will send a clear directive to seek better instruction for the less effective riders.
One of the most common faults is the rider balancing off the reins which causes the horse to resist almost every movement and transition. In training, the rider must always test his horses self carriage and balance by softening the muscles in the arms to see what the reaction of the horse is. If the horse falls on the forehand, you know you are holding him up, if he remains the same, you are on the correct path to good training. It takes tremendous feel and time to develop an independent seat.
Judges prefer to see riders competing at levels one step below what they are training at home so that their ride is confident, flowing and elegant. Remember the goal of dressage is a harmonious rider and horse (hopefully) dancing around the arena.
These small equines are wonderful companions for any horse and they also serve as wonderful partners for the mini rider set. Here is Mini Hop, aka the Rock Star of the Windrock Farm Band. Mini is multi talented, he has even appeared on a talk show as a guest of honor. For more information about Mini, come visit him at the farm and remember to bring carrots!
Riders are always looking for the best new equipment to ride with and I have discovered a wonderful new addition to our wardrobe. The Bionic Equestrian Gloves are designed by a leading orthopedic hand surgeon with amazing features to improve grip and dexterity.
I stumbled upon these gloves while touring the Louisville Slugger Baseball Factory where they design and manufacture the famous Louisville Slugger baseball bats. In the gift store on the way out I found these special gloves designed for baseball, golf, gardening, driving and equestrian.
These gloves are designed with stategically placed anatomical relief pads which even ot the surface of your hand. There are ergonomically-designed motion zones (knuckles) and web zones (between the fingers) to ease movement. The Bionic glove has a pre-rotated finger to promote natural hand closure.
These gloves are also endorsed by the Arthritis Foundation who conducted many tests to determine that they not only reduce pain during activites, they also provide superior comfort while enhancing both grip and pinch strength thus allowing the rider to have more feel of the horse. I highly recommend these gloves to any rider.
You can find these gloves at www.bionicgloves.com or call 1.877.5BIONIC and I am certain that they will soon be available in tack shops across the country.
Last week I had the honor of riding RJ Masterbugs, the star of the recent movie Hidalgo. RJ is a 7 year old paint stallion standing at 15 hands tall. He is one of the most alert horses I have ever ridden. His trainer and owner, Rex Peterson claims it was his uncanny ability to follow him with his eyes all the time that convinced him that he had star potential. RJ was only 2 years old, unbroke and quite a handful when Rex found him for the film.
Sitting on RJ is an experience. He is patient and waits for a command, always alert to his trainer outside the arena. RJ was trained to perform many tricks, such as shaking his head yes or no, dragging a human across the arena, rearing, striking, laying down, bowing and counting, among a few. Each trick can be cued by Rex off camera from quite a distance. RJ analyzes each new rider and only performs when you respect him and ask correctly. I was impressed with how balanced and calm he was to ride.
Horses are very sensitive animals and respond extremely well to a well deserved “thank you”. That could be in the form of relaxing the contact with the bit, or taking the leg off or simply patting your horse on the neck.
Last week I gave a clinic to 14 kids ranging from 6-15 years old. They all practiced several excercises testing their skills at geometry. After several unsuccessful attempts at riding a correct circle, they tried to ride the circle while patting the inside of the horses neck. This solved many problems–first it relaxed the rider, then it relaxed the horse, and finally it improved the gaits of each horse.
Remember that the foundation of the training scale is rhythm and relaxation. A tense rider creates a tense horse and that is a formula for disaster.
Come meet Explorer 007 aka Bond, at the Equine Affair in one month. Bond will be a demonstration horse in the “Ride with the Best” clinic featuring Cindy Sydnor, one of the top dressage trainers in the country. She will discuss and define balance: when, why and how to handle it. Cindy will also discuss comparing confirmation and its effect on an upper level horse’s performance
Bond was chosen because he exemplifies excellent confirmation and balance with a super natural rhythm and cadance.
The Equine Affair is a National Exposition and equestrian gathering held once a year in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the Eastern States Exposition Center and will have something to offer to horse enthusiasts of all ages, all breeds, all levels of expertise in all equine disciplines.
Equine Affair will host the largest trade show of any horse expo in the East featuring hundreds of the nations equine related retailers and manufacturers.
As the seasons change, you need to start thinking about preparing your horse for the colder days ahead. The temperature is dropping into the 50’s and lower at night, so those horses that are remaining in steady work will need to be blanketed to prevent them from growing furry coats. It is very important to find all of your winter blankets so that they can be cleaned and repaired, ready for use.
The shoes will also need to be changed as we move into the colder, icy, snowy days of winter. Snow pads are a great idea to prevent the “high heel” effect of snow balls accumulating in the bottom of the hoof. Also, some sort of traction should be added to the bottom of the shoes to prevent slipping on the ice.
Finally, check your feed schedule as the grass diminishes and your horse shifts to eating primarily hay. Stay current with your horses worming schedule and moniter his water consumption. It is very important to be aware of the change of seasons and how it affects your horse. Remember, horses are much happier in cold weather than hot, and they adjust easier to the cold days.