2013 USDF Annual Convention - December 4th through December 8th.

The Annual Convention was located in Lexingto KY this year, right in the middle of horse country. December can be a little tricky and this early December was no exception. We left Wisconsin a day early to drive out of a storm and left Lexington Saturday evening instead of Sunday to avoid an ice storm. The convention was great - driving conditions were fair to poor. The Board of Governers was really not overwhelmed with decision making. The only contested office that needed to be voted upon was Secretary of the Board for USDF. Margaret Freeman was elected to this position. She has a masters degree in journalism, an excellent choice. Lisa Gorretta, from region 2, ran unopposed for the position of Vice President. The USDF is very proud of the National championship show that was held in Lexington this year. Next year the championships are scheduled to be at Gladstone. There was a fair amount of talk about Intermediare being changed from 1 and 2 to A and B. This was done to make the steps towards grand Prix more gradual. Some of the educational classes that I had time to attend were Degenerative Joint Diseas, Equine Rehabilitation and Preventative care, Schleese Saddle fit for life, colic and equine emergencies, and gastro intestinal health in the equine athlete. There were some ey opening facts in each session. Degenerative Joint Disease and Equine Rehabilitation to me seemed fairly linked. It seems that giving Adequan every four days for 7 injections, was a helpful thing to do for your equine athlete. It really was one of those preventative options that can help your horse's joints long term. Adequan and Legend are the only FDA approved drugs that we have available for prevention and repair. Feeding joint supplements can help, but their absorbtion rate is quite a bit lower. Shoeing and soundness were talked about as well. Someone asked about shoeing versus natural farrier trimming. The response was that it really depended on the ground you were working on. Some areas of the country were so rocky, that it would be hard to make the natural trimming work well even if it was done very well. The other statement was that the natural trimmer would have to trim the hoof once every 3 weeks and the owner could not rely on the natural wear pattern of the horse. That being said, may folks who show dressage ride their horses often enough and long enough that added support is frequently needed. The training recommendation that was talked about was giving breaks during the training sessions. Allowing the joints to recover before moving on, is beneficial to your horse's joint health. The Schleese saddle fitting classes were also interesting. Jochen Schleese talked about the different saddles needed for men and women. He showed a the difference in how the femur was tied into the pelvis and why the difference was needed. He stated that girls or women needed a narrower twist and a wider seat to be comfortable and secure in the saddle. The placement of the stirrup bars also needed to be adjusted. Jochen stated that lower back pain and pelvis pain are associated with women riding in saddles made for men. Equine nutrition was also discussed and we talked about what kind of oil was best to use on feeds. Soybean Oil was the best option for oil that the horse would like the taste. Apparently, fish oil was even better but the horses are not liking the taste. The University of KY was playing with flavoring the fish oil with Cherry to make it easier for the horses to get used to. Oil decisions were made on which oils had more omega 3 verses omega 6 fats in them. The higher the ratio of Omega 3 the better. When talking about horse feeds, the issue of insulin resistant horses came up. Those horses are fed a low carb diet to keep the sugar to a minimum to avoid founder issues. The other specialty group seemed to be the horses that tie up. Those horses also did better on high fat feeds. Also horses with ulcer symptoms seemed to do better on higher fats feeds as well. There is a lot of research going on right now about which feeds should be fed to which horses. Feeding your horses for peak performance is going to be an interesting field to watch. The awards banquet on Saturday night was really nice. It is fun to see people doing well at all levels. This year I was there to pick up a bronze Freestyle Bar for the freestyles that I have ridden on Hazel and Bacara. The amount of equine knowledge in the room was very inspiring. One of the people that sat at our table was a trainer from California that trained at two farms, one for Hilda Gurney (trakehners), and then for a morgan breeding farm. I took the opportunity to talk with him about flying changes for horses with rounder more baroque bodies (like the Morgans). He shared with me some excersises that he likes for their body types. You never know where you will pick up more ideas! If you would like to talk about any of these things in detail, let me know. I took many photos of the slides! Thank you WWDA for sedning me to this conference as your GMO Rep!

Flying Changes - Tempi Changes - Straightness

In 2013, I showed my mare Bacara 4th level and am looking forward to showing Prix St. Georges in 2014. I really like to play with the movements before I actually need them for a test. Tempi changes are no exception. As I work alone much of the time, I have to figure out how to make quality improvements each week. In 4th level tempi changes were required in sets of three. In Prix St. Georges tempi changes are required in sets of five. You would not think this is a big deal but as it turns out, it sure can be. Bacara likes to carry her haunches a little to the right and if that happens, then I am unable to get a nice line of tempi chages and the whole line looks crooked. In fourth level, when only 3 changes were needed, it seemed like I had a little more time to get things straight and to get the series of changes started. Now looking towards Prix St. Georges, I either had a nice line or not and I was a bit frustrated on my lack of consistancy. I kept trying to slightly adjust the shoulders for straightness and sometimes it went well and other times it was just not enough. Finally, I decided that the solution to my issue was a full body solution. Now as I approach a flying change line from the left lead, I ask for a little bit of haunches in to obtain the straightness before I begin. And as you may guess, if I am approaching a flying change series from the right I do a little shoulder fore in the canter to align my horse. This reminds me once again to focus on the concept at hand and solve the straightness through the whole horse. This may sound like a simple solution, I wish I would have thought of it earlier! Live and learn! I thought I would share this in case anyone else has this issue.

Keeping the Dressage Horse's Energy Centered

We all know what a nicely moving dressage horse looks like moving nicely forward with a light contact on the reins. The light contact is the key. If there is no contact with the horse, it is really hard to have the horse hear any of your rein aids that tell him what is coming next. If there is too much contact and it feels like the horse is dragging you out of the saddle, you are not going to be able to communicate well either. There are also horses that alternate between no contact and heavy contact. The first order of business in this situation is to have a steady outside rein for your horse to use as a guide. If the horse is able to pull your rein out of position or you as a rider accidently move it too much then the horse has no outside rein to guide him on the best place to be. I frequently place a leather strap or even twine string from one D ring to the other on the front of a dressage saddle so the rider can hold the outside rein and the strap at the same time. This teaches the rider who accidently moves their outside rein to keep it steady. This also helps the rider not be pulled forward if the horse is pulling on them. One of the worst things you can do is see saw your reins. Becuase if your horse is heavy in the rein, he will either brace into the see saw or he will go completely light and have no contact with the bit. Neither of these options makes your horse easier to ride or more correct. The energy of the horse should feel like it is centered under the saddle and the horse has his balance. To make this happen, there must be a light feel in the rein. For the horse that is emptying the rein contact steadying the outside rein (even if you need to hold onto a strap with your outside hand) gives them a steady rein they can trust. Then gently push the horse forward into the contact. Some horses will go from no contact to heavy contact. That is o.k. if the contact gets heavy, flex the horse with your inside rein to encourage the horse to drop their head and neck and relax into the reins. The steady contact is really important as it will show the horse where to go. No contact means you need to push your horse forward to the bridle. Then there are the horses which pull and are really hard to ride as they try to out muscle the rider. Oddly the same steady outside rein helps. The steady outside rein that holds the strap makes the outside rein secure. Then flex the horse's head and neck to the inside while you push him forward. Repeatedly reward forward and soft. This kind of horse uses bracing and blocking to make his job easier hoping his rider will give up. Instead the rider is going to push him actively into the bridle with a until he takes a softer contact and give this horse frequent breaks. If it is hard to get a softer contact, think mini lengthenings whenever you do not feel like you have enough effort. This horse gets physical breaks following a short period of nice forward work with a soft following neck and topline. In this way you can teach your bracing horse to go forward and soft.

Training Process For Independent Riders

In Western WI there are two kinds of students I routinely help. The first kind is the independent kind that wants to do the training themselves and the second kind is the kind who would like more interactive help but cannot afford it. It really makes no difference to me if the owner wants to or needs to do it themselves. The result is the same. I have to create a normal feel to show them how to train their horses. I learned that BJ Ragatz was one of the best equine dentists through the school of hard knocks. I have had probably 10 different float people over the last 30 years and no one can even come close to his skill level. When he floats a horse, the rider gets a normal mouth feel and that will help them in their training. Saddle fitting I have learned over the last 30 years by the school of hard knocks as well. Saddle fitters are a useful tool but you have to be very aware of your horses preferences. For Pete's sake, I now have several different makes and models of saddles at the barn and it really does help. Making a horse comfortable with its saddle creates a normal feel for the rider as well. Lameness or gait irregularity was learned along the way but pounded into my head in the L program or the learner judges training program. This was a year long program that focused on how to numerically score the horse. If I scored a horse in my test with a numerical score higher than a 5 which had any gait irregularity, I was going to fail the course. My instrucors were mainly Janet Foy (Olympic judge) and Thomas Poulin, (Grand Prix judge). It was not good enough to say irregular or unlevel steps, you had to say if the irregularity originated in the front or the back. You were asked publicly to state your ideas and defend them. The pressure to be sure was immense - so I studied like a crazy fool. I could not afford to flush the money I paid for the program down the drain - I wanted to make the most of the education and to pass. Heck I even went and sat with Marilyn Heath, another Grand Prix judge/instructor who was sometimes a bit abrupt but very bright, because her strength was one of my weaknesses. Riding and training a horse is a personal journey. I get that as there are some horses that I have had for extended personal journeys. But there is a system that governs the personal journey and makes it work. The L Program helped me understand dressage as a system which needed to be personaized to each horse and rider but was still a system non the less. My system for helping independent riders is as follows: 1. Make the horse completely comfortable and that means teeth, saddle, feet and Chiropractic (no exceptions!) At that point the rider who is learning to train will be able to feel that horse's normal. (Otherwise all the rider feels are the blocks that have not been solved) This step may have to be revisited from time to time especially in the saddle fitting area or in the soundness area if the rider increases the intensity of the work for the horse. For example, shoes may be needed as the work load of the horse increases. 2. Teach the basics step by step and help the rider develop the proper feel. At this stage the rider gets to do a lot of fun things and has a variety of things to work on and think about. 3. Help the rider develop a deeper understanding of how movements are connected to each other and what they do for the horse. This is when the rider is able to move up the levels successfully. Oddly, if there is a disagreement between the trainer and the student it usually is in reference to step one. I am not sure how step one - making the horse comfortable can be a stressy thing. The only thing I can think is that people are offended if it is pointed out that they inadvertantly made their horse uncomfortable. We all have had to learn the subtle signs of discomfort over the years and it is not a perfect science. Give yourself a break, solve the comfort piece and move on and enjoy your horses!

Can You Say Engagement?

Bacara and I rode in a Lientje Schueler dressage clinic over Labor Day weekend. This was a great follow-up to the Carole Grant clinic. From Carole I had some practical solutions to solving training issues. From Lientje, I learned much about gait improvement. We worked on half steps and engagement more than I have ever worked on them before. I have played with half steps myself but never had a ground person help me with them before. Bacara responded really well to the help and increased her engagement quite a bit. The over all message was that Bacara needed to accept more engagement and not block in her neck when asked for more. After doing the half steps - more engagement in the regular work seemed quite a bit easier. I widened my reins and pushed for more throughness in her lower neck. It seems like if there is a problem with the engagement and collection in my mare it is at the base of her neck. This work helped her engagement and balance so much that I felt like I had much more time for all of the movements. I had better placement of the steps and a slower but more engaged horse. I have always known that the half steps would help the horse's overall work - but this was very loud and very effective. I have not done any work in the past with a ground person because I really have no one here at the farm that is educated enough to do that for me. Lientje is by far one of the best clinicians for quality of gait improvement. I hope she knows how much us Wisconsinites appreciate her input!

Compassion is always the right answer!

Everyone seems to understand empathy (the ability to see things from anothers point of view).  But few people understand compassion.  Compassion is someone who has empathy and acts with kindness as a result of that knowledge.

The horse world is very funny.  Many horse owners, farriers, trainers and veterinarians will argue a point and literally stop talking to friends and associates over defending their particular theory.  The problem is that there is no one theory for every situation that works all of the time.  If compassion is the map for the decision making, then these issues would be fewer and farther between.

I had a student this spring who entered a horse show and was having a problem with her mare.  The problem was pain in her front feet.  This spring was a bit on the wet side and the mare had developed thrush.  The student was a big supporter of natural trimming and would not hear of putting shoes on to make her mare comfortable to show the mare. 

If you are working your horse with the idea of compassion and want to do the right thing by your horse these are the choices you have.  If your horse is sore and thrushy, give her time off as you treat her feet and let her heal.  It is less than kind to ride a horse with pain.  The second choice you would have is to purchase hoof boots and if this takes care of the problem, then you can ride your horse in these while you eradicate the thrush.  The third choice would be to use shoes on a very short term basis while you treat the thrush.

The basic problem with this particular horse was the show that they had entered was pricey.  Hoof boots were not allowed - so the only alternative would have been shoes temporarily or scratch the show.  Even glue on shoes that were feet friendly would have been enough to ride and show the mare with compassion.

It is o.k. to promote natural trimming and live with that theory.  It is not o.k. to ride a horse in pain.  If you have not taken very careful care of your horse's feet and the horse has developed thrush - you have an obligation to treat the thrush and to either give the horse time off to heal or make the horse comfortable with either boots or shoes. (What ever is allowed based on the activity you are choosing to engage in.)

Hoof pain does not always express itself as limping.  When there is pain in both front feet it can and often does present and an unwillingness to go forward.  An unwillingness to go forward is a red flag that your horse has something wrong.  That is something that should not be ignored.

We all can live together in harmony with our different theories as long as compassion is the guiding principle.

Carole Grant Clinic July 29 - July 30, 2013

I decided to ride in a Carole Grant clinic even though I had never met her before as she has a great reputation.  But of course I was a little nervous as my advanced horse is very sensitive and can get overwhelmed at times. Thank you Michelle Markquart and River Bluff for hosting this clinic!

On the first day it became apparent to me that I had compromised the relative straightness of my horse in the base of her neck.  I had done this in favor of having a good frame.  While this works somewhat - it does cause problems with upper level collection.  The other piece that became very clear on the first day was that pushing the horse on beat 2 of the canter really helps the horse put their croup lower. 

On the second day of the clinic we reviewed relative straightness but also looked at the individual movements a little more.  We worked on the rein back and how to eliminate any bracing in the horse.  Carole had me ask for the rein back and if bracing occurred, I was supposed to ask for a turn on the forhand.  This really did work to relax her and helped the rein back. 

We also worked on a pattern for individual flying changes to make them straighter.  (Straight flying changes are not always easy on a really flexible horse.)  The pattern was shoulder-for to Half Pass to shoulder for to flying change.  It became obvious very quickly that the changes were straight and easy for her this way.

We also took a look at the four tempis and the problem I have with them.  The problem is that Bacara likes doing changes so much that she gets excited in between the changes.  So oddly we would do a change and then a 10 meter circle and then back on the diagonal and then another change and then another circle and then another change etc. . .  It seems that the tempi changes are not the issue it is the canter in between them that needs to be really rideable.   The message was ride the possibilities.  In other words anything should be possible for your horse the next stride, when that happens, the canter is really easy to ride.

The other significant change I saw in my horse was the quality of her medium trot.  The pattern chosen to improve the medium trot was half pass to medium trot.  The half helps with better engagement and then the medium trot benefited from it.  The reach in the front end of the horse was significantly improved.

The other piece that really helped was an adjustment to the curb bit on the double bridle.  I was very concerned about having the snaffle bit and the curb cross and I guess I over compensated.  With the curb two holes higher, Bacara was very steady in the bridle and less bracey.

Wow, I would do this again!  There was so much information packed into two days, I had to write it down so I did not forget anything!