Posted on June 23, 2006
Last week, a class of 32 children came to the farm to learn about horses. Mosts of the children were 4-10 years old, a few had ridden at camp or on vacation. They learned about the history of horses through time. There is evidence that man began domesticating horses as far back as the Neolithic times some 10,000 years ago. Although the time reference was difficult for the children to grasp, they understood that horses and man have coexisted forever.
We discussed how important horses have been for transportation, growing crops, communication, carrying man into war, and most recently as companionship and sport. For some reason, man has always been fascinated by horses, watching them move, listening to them, trying to understand them.
My Mini Hop, a miniature horse served as the demo horse to show how to groom a horse, how to work around him, and to discuss his nature. Horses need to drink up to 10 gallons of water a day and are naturally forage animals. That is they have a small stomach the size of a football, and over 100 feet of intestine so that they must eat small amounts of food all day long in order to stay healthy. We walked around the paddocks to look at the various horses of differnt sizes, color and breed. The children were thrilled to feed them carrots and watch them run around the fields.
Each child had the opportunity to ride a horse and feel his movement under the saddle. One young boy asked eagerly, was this pony in a war? I was amazed they were paying attention to the lecture. These were astute children who all loved horses. It was a fun day for them to experience the country and learn about one of their favorite animals.
Posted on June 21, 2006
The half halt is simply a re-balancing technique to engage your horse. It is simple if you feel your way and do not force the movement. A half halt when correctly ridden, does not block the forward motion, rather it simply transfers weight to the hind legs. First you must use your driving aids to maintain a forward feeling, then sit deeper for a second. Hold the energy by keeping the contact with both reins, a bit more with the outside rein so that you can maintain flexion. Keep your legs on the horse to shorten the stride, yet maintain the same rhythm. Now soften your arm muscles, allowing your horses back to come up and his neck will “grow” out of the withers. You should be able to do many half halts in the time it takes to say “half-halt”.
Remember, you are simply shifting the energy to the hindquarters, lightening the front end. Your horse will feel lighter and more engaged, movements will be easier to perform. Practice the feel and have fun!
Posted on June 14, 2006
Theories and controversies about how a horse percieves its world have existed forever. The main questions are:
Does a horse bring a visual image into focus using the eye’s lens, as we do, or by moving his head?
Does a horse see color?
Do horses suffer from visual defects such as nearsightedness or farsightedness that may affect performance?
Whatever the real answers, it is clear that normal vision is very important to a horse’s daily life. As a mere matter of beauty, a sound, full, clear, intelligent eye is something to be highly valued in our equine friend and is often the sign of a champion.
At a glance
–the equine eye is the largest globe of all land mammals
–it is possible that horses see objects 50% larger than humans do, but no one knows for sure…
–the horse has an amazing 350 degrees of total visual field
–it is thought that horses may raise or lower their heads to focus on objects
Notice the horses ears and you will see which direction he is focusing on. An aware rider will always be alert to the horses ears and the direction the horse is focused.
Horses are thought to be color blind, however, in some tests it appears as if they respond best to yellow, followed by green and blue. Red is difficult to see. Interestingly, the color of the most frequently knocked down rails is yellow.
It is important to be aware of your horses eyes, and treat them as soon as you see any abnormality such as squinting, tearing, greater sensitivity to light, or cloudiness. Most important, never treat your horses eye with an old eye cream in your medicine chest unless you are absolutely certain of the condition. The wrong cream can create ulcers and lead to blindness.
Posted on June 8, 2006
At the bottom of each dressage test are collective scores called Gaits, Submission, Impulsion and Rider. All of these scores are doubled and are very important to the outcome of the riders overall score. Each of these aspects is evaluated in every movement of the test.
Submission is defined in the USDF Glossary as “Copliance and throughness. The yielding of the horse’s will to that of the rider, as revealed by a constant attention, williness and confidence in the attitude of the horse, as well as by the harmony and ease displayed in the correct exeution of the movements, including the correct bend, acceptance of and obedience to the rider’s influences, and a balance appropriate to the level and task at hand.”
In other words, everything from the shoulder up shows if a horse is being submissive. Thus, if there is tension in the bridle with the horse grinding his teeth, or resisting the connection, the scores will be very low. You want to have a soft neck and elastic connection to the bridle for the horse to be submissive and to achieve high scores. Obviously a submissive horse will receive higher scores across the board as it is considered in each individual score.
Posted on May 17, 2006
The horse show world of hunters and jumpers has moved to Saugerties, just across the Hudson River for the summer. Beginning this week, there will be hundreds of horses and people moving into the area to compete in one of 8 arenas for ribbons and prize money. Although many people move in permanant stalls, it is possible to ship in and enter for the day. This is a wonderful opportunity to see world class riders and horses warming up and competing against each other at a top class facility. Every Sunday of the summer features a huge $75,000 Grand Prix, so take a drive across the Hudson to witness some of the most beautiful horses compete.
Posted on May 15, 2006
The parking lot was full of trucks at the Goshen County Fairgrounds where the crowds came out in droves to witness cowboys ride bucking broncs and bulls at the first rodeo in the area for 15 years. We pulled in just as the first bull riders were being tossed into the thick soupy mud. Only a handful stayed on for the requisite 8 seconds to earn a spot in the finals. Our friend drew a mean bull making his debut. He had an unlucky ride, being tossed off in the first breath, falling into the thick mud. Most of the cowboys wear traditional cowboy hats while the smart few wear a hockey helmut complete with face guard to prevent a kicking bull or bronc from injuring their head and face. The sport is dangerous, with some cowboys slow to stand after a hard fall. Most of the cowboys walk with a stilted stride due to numerous injuries to various parts of their bodies. One unusually short cowboy in his 50’s had very few teeth and could not stand upright. He was a pro who did make it to the final round. Another seasoned pro walked away with the cash prize and an invitiation to ride in the finals next Spring.
Behind the loading shoots are temporary pens filled with a mixture of bulls and horses. Each cowboy draws a number to find out which beast they must ride. Some of the buckers are famous, while others are wild cards. The bull riders want a good buck for top scores. They wear 4 inch long spurs to encourage the bull to leap higher and faster. The rules state that one arm must remain in the air and cannot slap the bull. The riding style is different for each section; The bull riders want to stay upright, a small upper torso is an advantage to staying in balance, while the bareback bronc riders lay back on their backs and flop around like a rag doll. It is a sight to be seen and one wonders what motivates these cowboys to travel around the country to have the opportunity to be bucked wildly for 8 seconds. The cowboys seem to be friendly toward one another, encouraging each other to ride their best. One young man was seen praying to the bulls for a good ride. Whispers among the fans reminded each contestant about the fatality that happened last summer. This is definitely an adrenaline sport for thrill seeking cowboys.
Posted on May 14, 2006
Contact is one of the most difficult concepts for new riders to grasp. Taking the reins and feeling the horses mouth with a relaxed,elastic connection is not easy. The rider must think of the horse taking the contact, not the rider pulling back. Think of riding the horse into the connection from the back to the front, sit tall, relaxed and use your back on the horse to drive the energy forward into the bridle. You never want the horse pulling down, snatching the reins out of your hands and dropping the contact all together. Correct contact is elastic and alive, never static. You should feel the energy moving through the reins, with the horse balanced underneath you. Never wag the head back and forth or see-saw the bit. These are common faults which should be avoided. Remember, less is more. Relax and feel your way toward the contact.
Posted on May 11, 2006
Some students wonder why the judges comments seem so negative on the test sheets. The rider should understand that the U.S. Federation and the USDF now require judges to make comments on every score of 6 or below, and they are encouraged to comment on every score. After all there is a reason an 8 was not a 9 or a 10!
This is meant to be constructive critisism to help the competitor understand the requirements for the movement and how to improve the score. Remember, each box states exactly what the judge is looking for and should be known by each competitor. In addition, always read the criteria at the top of the test to focus on what is required at the level in which you are competing. The biggest difference always occurs when the rider starts to work at second level. This is the biggest jump in the levels, a horse can score very well at first level and suddenly seem to have poor scores when he moves up to second level. The shift in training is that at second level, the judge must see true carrying power shown in travers, renvers, and half pass. In other words, your horse must show the beginning of collection.
Riders should always show at a level below the one training at home in order to ride a confident successful test. Preperation is key!
Posted on May 10, 2006
“Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps him from betting on people”. WC Fields
Last Saturday was a very exciting day in horse racing at Churchill Downs in Lexington, Kentucky, when a big handsome bay colt won the Kentucky Derby by 7 lengths. A brief stumble out of the starting gate did not deter this undeniable super athlete from pulling away from the field of 20 horses to win . Barbaro’s trainer is a former team silver medalist from the 1996 Olympic Games when he rode a talented show jumper called Rhum IV. It is like lightening striking twice to win two highly prestigious equine related awards in one lifetime. It is a strong testament to a true horseman that Michael is able to bring out the best in his equine partner, no matter what the discipline. This is the fourth year in a row that a “rookie” trainer won the Derby. Now, does Barbaro stand a chance at the Triple Crown? The second jewel of the crown is to be run on May 20, and everyone wonders if Barbaro will have enough gas left in the tank to take on some former contenders from the Derby along with several fresh horses. So far, a field of 9 is scheduled to break out of the gates of Pimlico a week from Saturday and Barbaro remains undefeated as he attempts to win the Preakness. We are all routing for Michael to pull it off and continue toward the goal of winning the highly sought after Triple Crown.
For those fans of the wild west, you can visit the Goshen County fairgrounds this weekend to witness a taste of the past. The Spirit of the American Cowboy (a non-profit organization dedicated to the support of equine, rodeo and agricultural activities in the Northeast),is sponsoring The Bareback and Saddle Bronc competition. This is the first qualifying event for the Iron Man Invitational which is the ultimate competition for bareback and saddle bronc riders. This weekend offers up to $4500 in cash prizes, not to mention the opportunity to win belt buckles, saddles and other gear. It takes a determined athlete to ride these bulls and bucking broncs, and in my opinion they must be a bit mad. After hours of practice on dummy bulls, bareback riding over jumps and working out to maintain top fitness, these cowboys hope to sit the bucking bulls and broncs for 8 seconds and then dismount as gracefully as possible, hopefully without being gorged. Try to make time to attend the Rodeo at the Goshen County Fairgrounds in Connecticut.
Posted on May 5, 2006
News Alert:
NBC has moved up the telecast of last weeks Rolex Three Day event to 2p.m. from the original 5p.m slot, be sure to tune in to view the thrills and spills of one of the most exciting horse competions in the US.
Also, do not forget to tune into the Kentucky Derby on Saturday at 5 p.m. It is an open field with many talented horses starting this years Run for the Roses.