http://cadencecenter.webs.com/
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I don't teach about horses, the horses do the teaching...if only we would listen to them.
Donna DeNoble
Friday, December 19, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Equine Education Balances Econimic Woes
I need to step away from the issue of rescue horses for a moment. I believe with all my heart that they way to reduce equine "abuse" is to educate novice horse owners about what it really takes to keep a horse well and safe. If education can be achieved, and issues of the economy aside, perhaps horses will not suffer at the hands of ignorant people. I do not mean that in a rude manner. Ignorance, then embarassment for hurting the horses, and then anger becuase people do not like to be told , or arrested...
For every horse owner you meet there are 100 opinions about how to care for horses.
The problem is only exacerbated because the internet provides so much information that sounds plausible and sensible for people who want to do the right thing.
Professional horsemen are always learning and comparing and trying things to make their operation the most efficient and keep the horses the most healthy. I do not understand why some people resent horse trainers or individuals trained/expereinced in horse husbandry. I have been told on more than one occasion, "You trainers are all alike, you hoard the information and Lord it over us, dole it out for a fee. I can just get the information on the Web, and it contradicts what you tell me."
However, the irony is lost on those 5 or 6 people out of the 300 some people I have had as clients, when they are telling me about their anger as they have the horse on the trailer to come back to me because what they were told by two more internet trainers did not fix a problem....
I cast this out to the blogosphere..
How about a novice horseman series of classes this winter at a nice covered barn area or an indoor pet/feed store...Or a list of reputable horsemen that novices can turn to for information before, and during the first years of horse ownership. Boarding horses is a great option, but I ran across several Pony Clubbers who did not even know what their horses ate every day and what sort of feeding schedule. This type of horse ownership does not create lifelong horsemen.
I seem to be controversial in these last few posts, and it troubles me. I guess it is because I see so clearly that proper education and practice would help children and their parents keep horses smarter, cheaper, and more efficiently, and reduce the number of horses dumped on the market in harder times....or turned loose in the woods...
Your opinions are welcomed.
cadencecenter@hotmail.com or comment here. You need a blogger account to comment.
For every horse owner you meet there are 100 opinions about how to care for horses.
The problem is only exacerbated because the internet provides so much information that sounds plausible and sensible for people who want to do the right thing.
Professional horsemen are always learning and comparing and trying things to make their operation the most efficient and keep the horses the most healthy. I do not understand why some people resent horse trainers or individuals trained/expereinced in horse husbandry. I have been told on more than one occasion, "You trainers are all alike, you hoard the information and Lord it over us, dole it out for a fee. I can just get the information on the Web, and it contradicts what you tell me."
However, the irony is lost on those 5 or 6 people out of the 300 some people I have had as clients, when they are telling me about their anger as they have the horse on the trailer to come back to me because what they were told by two more internet trainers did not fix a problem....
I cast this out to the blogosphere..
How about a novice horseman series of classes this winter at a nice covered barn area or an indoor pet/feed store...Or a list of reputable horsemen that novices can turn to for information before, and during the first years of horse ownership. Boarding horses is a great option, but I ran across several Pony Clubbers who did not even know what their horses ate every day and what sort of feeding schedule. This type of horse ownership does not create lifelong horsemen.
I seem to be controversial in these last few posts, and it troubles me. I guess it is because I see so clearly that proper education and practice would help children and their parents keep horses smarter, cheaper, and more efficiently, and reduce the number of horses dumped on the market in harder times....or turned loose in the woods...
Your opinions are welcomed.
cadencecenter@hotmail.com or comment here. You need a blogger account to comment.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Slaughterhouse closures fuel horse abandonments
By WILLOW WILLIAMSON,
AP
Posted: 2008-06-21 13:17:56
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) - Royal Gigolo, or Gig, wandered slowly around the yard, sniffing for a bit of grain, his skin hanging lankily over his ribs. Chunks of his hair have fallen out, and his hooves, though recently trimmed, show the cracks of neglect.
Gig's new owners, Garen and Don Albert, have wrapped his legs and used a salve to help heal the scabs on his ankles.
The Alberts, who own 11 horses that are mostly adopted, recently took in Gig. Garen Albert believes Gig's previous owners could no longer afford to take care of him.
Buhler Police Chief Bill Tracy said the department had received several calls about this horse. However, he was told by officials from the Reno County Sheriff's Office, which has jurisdiction in area, that Gig was just a case of an old horse who could not eat very well.
"I haven't put a thing under his nose he hasn't eaten," Garen Albert said.
Though officials from the Reno County Sheriff's office were unavailable to comment specifically on Gig, Wayne Baughman, patrol captain at the sheriff's office, said officers often receive neglected animal reports and when they check on it, the animal is just old and looks unhealthy.
He said if the reports turn out to be a true neglect or abuse case, they take action.
"Around here, for the most part, people take pretty good care of (their horses) even in the winter," Baughman said.
Gig's previous owners allegedly told police he was 30 years old, which could account for his poor condition, but Garen Albert believes the horse is about 15 years old - still relatively young for a horse.
"It is a very tough call between is this horse neglected or is this basically a rundown old horse," said Dr. Ron Keeler, with Ninnescah Veterinary Service.
Keeler, who often checks on possible neglect cases, said he does a series of tests, which will hopefully show whether a horse is unhealthy because of its age or because of neglect.
Don Albert said it can be difficult for anyone to afford a horse with the rising prices of feed and fuel.
"There's more pressure on the average income," he said.
The Alberts said it costs nearly twice as much to care for their horses than it did five years ago. Grain alone costs them about $60 per month per horse.
Along with the feeding prices, Keeler said, his clinic, like most other businesses, has raised prices. He said it costs about $300 per year for typical medical care that every horse should receive, such as vaccinations.
Jane Harder, director of Reins of Hope, a therapeutic riding school in Hutchinson, said she has felt the pinch of the rising prices.
"It's tough because feed prices are going up," she said. "We depend a lot on donations."
Harder said she has had enough money to continue running Reins of Hope without program cuts, but some students have been unable to continue the program because of high fuel prices. She also has seen other horse owners struggle with higher prices.
"Feed prices are going up," she said. "People can't feed their horses, and the horses are starving."
Though the prices for certain food items are high, such as corn and grain products, there are some alternatives.
Greg Farney, manager at the Farmers Coop in Hutchinson, said he works with livestock nutritionists to create feed mixes that are healthy and less expensive. Farney also raises, breeds and trains horses, but he has cut back because of high prices and because the horse market is down.
"We've got a decent market built, but the horse market's been in a definite lull for several years now," he said.
The economy is hurting the market, but Farney said the recent closure of all U.S. horse slaughterhouses in the past two years is another reason for the market's lag. The American Quarter Horse Association reported there were roughly 90,000 horses sent to the slaughterhouses each year.
"There is a population of horses out there right now that normally would have been sold in the slaughter market that are now just waiting in a pasture to die," Keeler said.
Keeler said he has also seen an increase in the number of horses being euthanized in his clinic, which he said could be linked to the number of horses and the financial difficulties of horse owners.
The Alberts said they were aware of more people having trouble caring for their horses, and they pointed out there are many people who will adopt horses, as long as owners take the time to look and advertise.
"If you can't feed them, give them away," Garen Albert said.
"These animals didn't ask to be born. They didn't ask to be on this earth."
Information from: The Hutchinson News, http://www.hutchnews.com
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
06/21/08 13:15 EDT
AP
Posted: 2008-06-21 13:17:56
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) - Royal Gigolo, or Gig, wandered slowly around the yard, sniffing for a bit of grain, his skin hanging lankily over his ribs. Chunks of his hair have fallen out, and his hooves, though recently trimmed, show the cracks of neglect.
Gig's new owners, Garen and Don Albert, have wrapped his legs and used a salve to help heal the scabs on his ankles.
The Alberts, who own 11 horses that are mostly adopted, recently took in Gig. Garen Albert believes Gig's previous owners could no longer afford to take care of him.
Buhler Police Chief Bill Tracy said the department had received several calls about this horse. However, he was told by officials from the Reno County Sheriff's Office, which has jurisdiction in area, that Gig was just a case of an old horse who could not eat very well.
"I haven't put a thing under his nose he hasn't eaten," Garen Albert said.
Though officials from the Reno County Sheriff's office were unavailable to comment specifically on Gig, Wayne Baughman, patrol captain at the sheriff's office, said officers often receive neglected animal reports and when they check on it, the animal is just old and looks unhealthy.
He said if the reports turn out to be a true neglect or abuse case, they take action.
"Around here, for the most part, people take pretty good care of (their horses) even in the winter," Baughman said.
Gig's previous owners allegedly told police he was 30 years old, which could account for his poor condition, but Garen Albert believes the horse is about 15 years old - still relatively young for a horse.
"It is a very tough call between is this horse neglected or is this basically a rundown old horse," said Dr. Ron Keeler, with Ninnescah Veterinary Service.
Keeler, who often checks on possible neglect cases, said he does a series of tests, which will hopefully show whether a horse is unhealthy because of its age or because of neglect.
Don Albert said it can be difficult for anyone to afford a horse with the rising prices of feed and fuel.
"There's more pressure on the average income," he said.
The Alberts said it costs nearly twice as much to care for their horses than it did five years ago. Grain alone costs them about $60 per month per horse.
Along with the feeding prices, Keeler said, his clinic, like most other businesses, has raised prices. He said it costs about $300 per year for typical medical care that every horse should receive, such as vaccinations.
Jane Harder, director of Reins of Hope, a therapeutic riding school in Hutchinson, said she has felt the pinch of the rising prices.
"It's tough because feed prices are going up," she said. "We depend a lot on donations."
Harder said she has had enough money to continue running Reins of Hope without program cuts, but some students have been unable to continue the program because of high fuel prices. She also has seen other horse owners struggle with higher prices.
"Feed prices are going up," she said. "People can't feed their horses, and the horses are starving."
Though the prices for certain food items are high, such as corn and grain products, there are some alternatives.
Greg Farney, manager at the Farmers Coop in Hutchinson, said he works with livestock nutritionists to create feed mixes that are healthy and less expensive. Farney also raises, breeds and trains horses, but he has cut back because of high prices and because the horse market is down.
"We've got a decent market built, but the horse market's been in a definite lull for several years now," he said.
The economy is hurting the market, but Farney said the recent closure of all U.S. horse slaughterhouses in the past two years is another reason for the market's lag. The American Quarter Horse Association reported there were roughly 90,000 horses sent to the slaughterhouses each year.
"There is a population of horses out there right now that normally would have been sold in the slaughter market that are now just waiting in a pasture to die," Keeler said.
Keeler said he has also seen an increase in the number of horses being euthanized in his clinic, which he said could be linked to the number of horses and the financial difficulties of horse owners.
The Alberts said they were aware of more people having trouble caring for their horses, and they pointed out there are many people who will adopt horses, as long as owners take the time to look and advertise.
"If you can't feed them, give them away," Garen Albert said.
"These animals didn't ask to be born. They didn't ask to be on this earth."
Information from: The Hutchinson News, http://www.hutchnews.com
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
06/21/08 13:15 EDT
Horses and the Economy Continued
The shock value of the last few posts were, I admit, perhaps, over-the-top. The point I was trying to make was that the problem of too many horses and what to do with horses that are no longer useful is many-faceted. There are no easy solutions. I was wondering if it would be worth starting a group in the Central PA area to assist pleasure horse owners down on their luck. I saw a segment in the news today about a young girl who started a movement, freekibble, to feed dogs who are victims of natural disasters.
Why couldn't we start something like that for horse owners who have lost jobs or homes...You know, be part of the solution? That might protect good family horses from ending up in the auctions.
As far as the broken racehorses, lame horses, old horses and horses abandoned I am still horrified with enormity of the problem.
Feel free to comment below each blog post. I would like a discussion to develop.
Also, think about an equine "food bank" idea. Anyone have extra hay to donate, stockpile for winter months?
I guess one of the lessons herein is: do not have a horse if you can not afford to keep it up. Average horse maintenance costs run upwards of $3000 per year if done right with foot care every 7 weeks, proper nutrition, dental care once a year, blankets, worming, shots...Perhaps it is up to those of us who sell horses to new people coming into the industry to educate new families BEFORE selling the horse to them about how much each horse requires.
So, fellow horse lovers, ponder these postings and let me know how you feel.
Why couldn't we start something like that for horse owners who have lost jobs or homes...You know, be part of the solution? That might protect good family horses from ending up in the auctions.
As far as the broken racehorses, lame horses, old horses and horses abandoned I am still horrified with enormity of the problem.
Feel free to comment below each blog post. I would like a discussion to develop.
Also, think about an equine "food bank" idea. Anyone have extra hay to donate, stockpile for winter months?
I guess one of the lessons herein is: do not have a horse if you can not afford to keep it up. Average horse maintenance costs run upwards of $3000 per year if done right with foot care every 7 weeks, proper nutrition, dental care once a year, blankets, worming, shots...Perhaps it is up to those of us who sell horses to new people coming into the industry to educate new families BEFORE selling the horse to them about how much each horse requires.
So, fellow horse lovers, ponder these postings and let me know how you feel.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Ok So here is the other side-Caution, Graphic
Found this on Craigslist. Humane slaughter? So what is the answer? Stop breeding, stop owning, Wow I am overwhelmed. Again, be cautious if you have a weak constitution. I am not sure that is what really happens but I have a tendency to believe it is so.
horse facts get them straight before you post !! (california)
Reply to: sale-732743564@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-06-25, 5:22PM PDT
Please get your facts straight before you post
First of all The women is pleaing for money or the horse goes- The husband is planning to buy another race horse, or will trade for a truck . How is that going to feed the baby?? \
There is no increase of neglect or abuse related to the slaughter ban, in fact the horse theft and neglect cases went down (look it up) . The increase in horses being dumped is due to a poor economy , those trends have also been proven . There is also an increase in other pets being dumped , surely you have heard that on the news as well.
Learn about horse slaughter before you guess about horses being used to feed zoo animals, or dogs or poor people. Horses are not able to be put down at the slaughterhouses the same way cattle were ,its not the right equiptment. Those foreign slaughterhouse owners refused to obey the US laws to make it humane and left . Horses are very different than a cow , pig or chicken. They are built different react different and fight and have been raised (most) to trust humans , if horse owners can't be responsible and find a new home or spend the money to put it down humanely then they should have never owned any horse. Its all about squeezing that last 50 bucks out of a horse they probably ruined themselves or didn't have the intelligence to plan ahead for . They live a long time , eat a lot if you can't get a second job to support it- no matter what_ don't get one in the first place , but don't just dump it .
The below is prior to the foreign owned slaughterhouses leaving because they could not comply with our laws on transport or humane slaughter. They paid a whopping $5 in taxes to the US and ruined sewer systems as well as operating poorly managed places where many workers were injured . Its crappier in Mexico and Canada and some argue a longer trip even though the only ones in the US were Illinois and Texas so longer trip depends on where the horses started. The pro slaughter people will say its all about the horses they will starve. People in favor of slavery said the same thing. That seemed to have turned out ok . You know what, there have always been neglect and starving animals its worse in crappy economies such as the one we are in. Always will be no matter what. There is also rapists, child abusers, murders etc. Should we go back to allowing the foreign owned companies to kill our horses ignore our laws or should we use our heads to think of a better way, oh wait we already are so why on earth do people want to bring slaughter back, so they can have an easier place to dump their mistakes . There are humane euth programs, shelters, rescues. Or here is a novel thought make owners responsible , stop breeding crap horses, stop ruining them at young ages. Stop saying I can't afford to put them down but go out and get another one once you got your $50 bucks from the auction
The Trip To A Slaughterhouse
Video www.kaufmanzoning.net/horsemeat/reclaimingtheamericanhorse.wmv (This video takes 1 1/2 minutes to load, it's worth the wait.) Its early in the morning when you arrive, the corrugated metal building of the plant is already operating in full swing. Sounds and smells roll from the structure and crash against your senses like a wave. The sound of horses can be heard across the parking lot -- not the pleasant nickering or occasional whinny that greets you when you enter your barn at home, but a rapid, frantic neighing. You can almost feel the panic, fear and discomfort in the sound of the horses. Soon enough you will see the cause of the terror that is almost palatable in the air around the plant.
Each horse awaiting slaughter in the chute leading to the "kill stall" is suffering symptoms of terror that few ever witness, but are the routine at these facilities. Another sound mingles with the cry's of the horses and pierces into your soul, the strange muffled whine that can only come from a saw cutting bone still encased in flesh.
You had tried to prepare yourself for this, but now realize that you are not prepared for what you are about to experience. Nausea, your companion for the duration of your stay at this facility, engulfs you as you catch the first whiff of the oddly sickening odor of newly slaughtered flesh. Carcass after carcass, row upon row, steaming as it hangs in the freezer storage area. You had thought you were prepared a little bit for the visual experience, but you are caught blindsided by the almost unbearable smell that permeates the entire plant. Choking back the bile, as it rises in your throat, you enter the structure.
You enter the same room the horses do, the "kill shed". The kill shed consists of one room in which various operations are performed by one of six butchers at four stations within the room. An inspector from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is also present to examine parts of every horse who goes through the kill shed.
The first station is the killing station. One man works the kill chute, his job is to herd the animal into the killing stall, slaughter him or her, and begin the butchering process. This stage of the process takes about ten minutes for each animal, and begins with the opening of a heavy steel door that separates the killing stall from the waiting chute. The man working this station goes into a corridor adjacent to the waiting chute where the panicked horses are trembling violently and urinating on themselves, prodding his next victim into the killing stall with a high voltage electric cattle prod.
The building rings with the cry's of the horses, the sounds echoing off the surrounding walls. This is the most time-consuming part of the operation because the horses are fully aware of what lies ahead, and are determined not to enter the killing stall. They thrash around, trying to reverse their direction, trampling over any smaller pony, foal or weaker animal in their desperate effort to escape. The physical symptoms of terror are painfully evident on the faces of each and every animal you see either in the actual killing stall or in the waiting chute. During the 40 seconds to a minute that each horse or pony has to wait in the killing stall before losing consciousness, the terror becomes visibly more intense.
The animal can smell the blood, and see his or her former companions in various stages of dismemberment. During the last few seconds of life, the horses thrash about the stall as much as its confines allow. The first horse whose deaths you witness is a sorrel mare. A mare, maybe seven or eight, mane freshly pulled, new shoes, and a coat that gleams from a curry comb, she is prodded into the killing stall, slipping and sliding on the blood, urine and feces from the previous victims. She strains frantically, futilely, and pathetically rearing towards the ceiling -- the only direction that is not blocked by a steel door. Death comes in the form of a pneumatic nail gun that is placed against her head and fired. The horse's bone fragments are driven into the animal's brain along with the nail.
The gun is designed so that the nail never completely leaves the gun, but simply is blown into the animal's head and then pulled out by the butcher as the animal collapses. Sometimes , it does the job on the first try but this mare struggles a good deal and collapse only after the third blow. After she has collapsed, the side of the killing stall is raised, and a chain secured to the right hind leg. The mare is then hoisted by that one leg, still alive, to a hanging position. At this point, the butcher drains the body of blood by slitting the mare's throat.
When the blood vessels are severed, an amazing torrent of blood so profuse that the butcher is unable to step aside fast enough to avoid being covered with it. This steaming torrent of blood lasts only about 15 seconds, the crimson flood mingling in the copper hairs of the mare's coat and spilling to the floor. The only task left to the man at the first station is to skin her and remove the mare's head. This he accomplishes rapidly. The air is thick with the acrid, salty odor of fresh blood, you can almost taste it in your mouth as you inhale the fetid air.
At the second station in the kill shed, the headless animal is dropped to the floor. The body is propped up on the back and relieved of hooves and milk sack and udder. At this time, any urine and feces that didn't drain from the body during the first few seconds of death now pour freely onto the floor. The body is then slit down the middle, and the hide is peeled partially away. A yoke is then hooked to the stumps of the hind legs, the body is lifted upwards, and the rest of the hide is pulled past a roller secured to the floor and peeled off, the once gleaming hide crumpled in a barrel with others to be "processed". The animal's body is now at the third station of the kill shed where it is gutted and then sawed in half, becoming two "sides of beef" or rather "sides of horse".
The sides of horse are sprayed down, to rinse the congealed blood from them and weighed at the fourth and final station. The sides are placed in the cooling locker where the residual warmth of life steams away slowly in preparation for the deep freeze storage locker. From the cooling locker, the meat goes into a main storage area where it is kept for as long as a week. This locker exits to a butchering area where the sides of horse are reduced to parts for the supermarket which end up on dining room tables.
The Slaughterhouse
In the last 10 years more than three million American Horses have been butchered in the U.S. for human consumption abroad.
Sadly, horsemeat is considered a delicacy in some countries. France and Belgium buy most of America's horsemeat, but Canada, Mexico, and Japan are also consumers, and all of America's Equine slaughterhouses are foreign owned.
Here's what they do
After being lead into the killing stall, a pneumatic bolt gun is placed against the head and fired. The horse's bone fragments are driven into the animal's brain along with the bolt, which then retracts back into the gun. Unfortunately, even after several applications, this torturous procedure often leaves them totally conscious.
Horses that are supposed to be unconscious at slaughter can be seen writhing - fully conscious - in terror as a conveyor belt carries them towards their gruesome death.
These still aware horses are then hung by their heels, their throats are cut, and they are bled to death. This live torture is executed in order to meet our United States Department of Agriculture's guidelines
All this is even more shocking when you consider that most American's consider the horse as a pet and companion animal. They have a status in our society comparable to dogs and cats. We believe they are not an agricultural commodity!
The pipeline that supplies the slaughterhouses is very clandestine. Typically, when owners give up a horse, they assume it will end up in good hands. But when that animal enters "the market" it goes into a different world, a world of price for pound and auctions, horse traders, and slaughter houses.
The women is pleaing for money or the horse goes- The husband is planning to buy another race horse, or will trade for a truck . How is that going to feed the baby??
horse facts get them straight before you post !! (california)
Reply to: sale-732743564@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-06-25, 5:22PM PDT
Please get your facts straight before you post
First of all The women is pleaing for money or the horse goes- The husband is planning to buy another race horse, or will trade for a truck . How is that going to feed the baby?? \
There is no increase of neglect or abuse related to the slaughter ban, in fact the horse theft and neglect cases went down (look it up) . The increase in horses being dumped is due to a poor economy , those trends have also been proven . There is also an increase in other pets being dumped , surely you have heard that on the news as well.
Learn about horse slaughter before you guess about horses being used to feed zoo animals, or dogs or poor people. Horses are not able to be put down at the slaughterhouses the same way cattle were ,its not the right equiptment. Those foreign slaughterhouse owners refused to obey the US laws to make it humane and left . Horses are very different than a cow , pig or chicken. They are built different react different and fight and have been raised (most) to trust humans , if horse owners can't be responsible and find a new home or spend the money to put it down humanely then they should have never owned any horse. Its all about squeezing that last 50 bucks out of a horse they probably ruined themselves or didn't have the intelligence to plan ahead for . They live a long time , eat a lot if you can't get a second job to support it- no matter what_ don't get one in the first place , but don't just dump it .
The below is prior to the foreign owned slaughterhouses leaving because they could not comply with our laws on transport or humane slaughter. They paid a whopping $5 in taxes to the US and ruined sewer systems as well as operating poorly managed places where many workers were injured . Its crappier in Mexico and Canada and some argue a longer trip even though the only ones in the US were Illinois and Texas so longer trip depends on where the horses started. The pro slaughter people will say its all about the horses they will starve. People in favor of slavery said the same thing. That seemed to have turned out ok . You know what, there have always been neglect and starving animals its worse in crappy economies such as the one we are in. Always will be no matter what. There is also rapists, child abusers, murders etc. Should we go back to allowing the foreign owned companies to kill our horses ignore our laws or should we use our heads to think of a better way, oh wait we already are so why on earth do people want to bring slaughter back, so they can have an easier place to dump their mistakes . There are humane euth programs, shelters, rescues. Or here is a novel thought make owners responsible , stop breeding crap horses, stop ruining them at young ages. Stop saying I can't afford to put them down but go out and get another one once you got your $50 bucks from the auction
The Trip To A Slaughterhouse
Video www.kaufmanzoning.net/horsemeat/reclaimingtheamericanhorse.wmv (This video takes 1 1/2 minutes to load, it's worth the wait.) Its early in the morning when you arrive, the corrugated metal building of the plant is already operating in full swing. Sounds and smells roll from the structure and crash against your senses like a wave. The sound of horses can be heard across the parking lot -- not the pleasant nickering or occasional whinny that greets you when you enter your barn at home, but a rapid, frantic neighing. You can almost feel the panic, fear and discomfort in the sound of the horses. Soon enough you will see the cause of the terror that is almost palatable in the air around the plant.
Each horse awaiting slaughter in the chute leading to the "kill stall" is suffering symptoms of terror that few ever witness, but are the routine at these facilities. Another sound mingles with the cry's of the horses and pierces into your soul, the strange muffled whine that can only come from a saw cutting bone still encased in flesh.
You had tried to prepare yourself for this, but now realize that you are not prepared for what you are about to experience. Nausea, your companion for the duration of your stay at this facility, engulfs you as you catch the first whiff of the oddly sickening odor of newly slaughtered flesh. Carcass after carcass, row upon row, steaming as it hangs in the freezer storage area. You had thought you were prepared a little bit for the visual experience, but you are caught blindsided by the almost unbearable smell that permeates the entire plant. Choking back the bile, as it rises in your throat, you enter the structure.
You enter the same room the horses do, the "kill shed". The kill shed consists of one room in which various operations are performed by one of six butchers at four stations within the room. An inspector from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is also present to examine parts of every horse who goes through the kill shed.
The first station is the killing station. One man works the kill chute, his job is to herd the animal into the killing stall, slaughter him or her, and begin the butchering process. This stage of the process takes about ten minutes for each animal, and begins with the opening of a heavy steel door that separates the killing stall from the waiting chute. The man working this station goes into a corridor adjacent to the waiting chute where the panicked horses are trembling violently and urinating on themselves, prodding his next victim into the killing stall with a high voltage electric cattle prod.
The building rings with the cry's of the horses, the sounds echoing off the surrounding walls. This is the most time-consuming part of the operation because the horses are fully aware of what lies ahead, and are determined not to enter the killing stall. They thrash around, trying to reverse their direction, trampling over any smaller pony, foal or weaker animal in their desperate effort to escape. The physical symptoms of terror are painfully evident on the faces of each and every animal you see either in the actual killing stall or in the waiting chute. During the 40 seconds to a minute that each horse or pony has to wait in the killing stall before losing consciousness, the terror becomes visibly more intense.
The animal can smell the blood, and see his or her former companions in various stages of dismemberment. During the last few seconds of life, the horses thrash about the stall as much as its confines allow. The first horse whose deaths you witness is a sorrel mare. A mare, maybe seven or eight, mane freshly pulled, new shoes, and a coat that gleams from a curry comb, she is prodded into the killing stall, slipping and sliding on the blood, urine and feces from the previous victims. She strains frantically, futilely, and pathetically rearing towards the ceiling -- the only direction that is not blocked by a steel door. Death comes in the form of a pneumatic nail gun that is placed against her head and fired. The horse's bone fragments are driven into the animal's brain along with the nail.
The gun is designed so that the nail never completely leaves the gun, but simply is blown into the animal's head and then pulled out by the butcher as the animal collapses. Sometimes , it does the job on the first try but this mare struggles a good deal and collapse only after the third blow. After she has collapsed, the side of the killing stall is raised, and a chain secured to the right hind leg. The mare is then hoisted by that one leg, still alive, to a hanging position. At this point, the butcher drains the body of blood by slitting the mare's throat.
When the blood vessels are severed, an amazing torrent of blood so profuse that the butcher is unable to step aside fast enough to avoid being covered with it. This steaming torrent of blood lasts only about 15 seconds, the crimson flood mingling in the copper hairs of the mare's coat and spilling to the floor. The only task left to the man at the first station is to skin her and remove the mare's head. This he accomplishes rapidly. The air is thick with the acrid, salty odor of fresh blood, you can almost taste it in your mouth as you inhale the fetid air.
At the second station in the kill shed, the headless animal is dropped to the floor. The body is propped up on the back and relieved of hooves and milk sack and udder. At this time, any urine and feces that didn't drain from the body during the first few seconds of death now pour freely onto the floor. The body is then slit down the middle, and the hide is peeled partially away. A yoke is then hooked to the stumps of the hind legs, the body is lifted upwards, and the rest of the hide is pulled past a roller secured to the floor and peeled off, the once gleaming hide crumpled in a barrel with others to be "processed". The animal's body is now at the third station of the kill shed where it is gutted and then sawed in half, becoming two "sides of beef" or rather "sides of horse".
The sides of horse are sprayed down, to rinse the congealed blood from them and weighed at the fourth and final station. The sides are placed in the cooling locker where the residual warmth of life steams away slowly in preparation for the deep freeze storage locker. From the cooling locker, the meat goes into a main storage area where it is kept for as long as a week. This locker exits to a butchering area where the sides of horse are reduced to parts for the supermarket which end up on dining room tables.
The Slaughterhouse
In the last 10 years more than three million American Horses have been butchered in the U.S. for human consumption abroad.
Sadly, horsemeat is considered a delicacy in some countries. France and Belgium buy most of America's horsemeat, but Canada, Mexico, and Japan are also consumers, and all of America's Equine slaughterhouses are foreign owned.
Here's what they do
After being lead into the killing stall, a pneumatic bolt gun is placed against the head and fired. The horse's bone fragments are driven into the animal's brain along with the bolt, which then retracts back into the gun. Unfortunately, even after several applications, this torturous procedure often leaves them totally conscious.
Horses that are supposed to be unconscious at slaughter can be seen writhing - fully conscious - in terror as a conveyor belt carries them towards their gruesome death.
These still aware horses are then hung by their heels, their throats are cut, and they are bled to death. This live torture is executed in order to meet our United States Department of Agriculture's guidelines
All this is even more shocking when you consider that most American's consider the horse as a pet and companion animal. They have a status in our society comparable to dogs and cats. We believe they are not an agricultural commodity!
The pipeline that supplies the slaughterhouses is very clandestine. Typically, when owners give up a horse, they assume it will end up in good hands. But when that animal enters "the market" it goes into a different world, a world of price for pound and auctions, horse traders, and slaughter houses.
The women is pleaing for money or the horse goes- The husband is planning to buy another race horse, or will trade for a truck . How is that going to feed the baby??
Back in the Saddle, so to speak
Well, it has been a long while. Most of you subscribers have given up, I am sure. But is am back for good. There is so much to talk about. I have learned so much in the last few months.
One thing that really worries me is the economy and the shape of things to come in
the horse industry. You know what I am talking about. Some of us are marginal horse owners, at best. What I mean is, we used to be in the socio-economic middle class, but the downturn is making our dollars stretch less far. But we have horses that we may have had for years, and they are family. We struggle to keep them as we always have, but the cost of feed is rising at an alarming rate.
My friends in Washington State met last week to try to determine how to solve the problem of unwanted horses, or those that can no longer be kept by families falling on unfortunate times. I spent some time lurking on WA blogs about how horses are being purchased as "dealer" horses and being sent to Mexico to be killed. The issue of slaughter in the USA is a difficult one. If the horse is in pain or cannot be used, perhaps it should be destroyed. If you just Google bad equine rescue
you will discover a whole plethora of so called rescuers who are nothing but hoarders or dealers...of poor horses that are in pain or otherwise unsuitable for the beginners who are "saving" them from death.
Tough subject.
Let me hear your thoughts.
One thing that really worries me is the economy and the shape of things to come in
the horse industry. You know what I am talking about. Some of us are marginal horse owners, at best. What I mean is, we used to be in the socio-economic middle class, but the downturn is making our dollars stretch less far. But we have horses that we may have had for years, and they are family. We struggle to keep them as we always have, but the cost of feed is rising at an alarming rate.
My friends in Washington State met last week to try to determine how to solve the problem of unwanted horses, or those that can no longer be kept by families falling on unfortunate times. I spent some time lurking on WA blogs about how horses are being purchased as "dealer" horses and being sent to Mexico to be killed. The issue of slaughter in the USA is a difficult one. If the horse is in pain or cannot be used, perhaps it should be destroyed. If you just Google bad equine rescue
you will discover a whole plethora of so called rescuers who are nothing but hoarders or dealers...of poor horses that are in pain or otherwise unsuitable for the beginners who are "saving" them from death.
Tough subject.
Let me hear your thoughts.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Welcome
Interacting with the horse becomes a lifelong journey. Many years are spent developing a relationship with your horse. More years are necessary to develop the skills it takes to progress through a riding program. Some have spent decades, and some have spent a lifetime. As one level is mastered, there is ALWAYS more to learn--about the horse, about yourself, and about life lessons in general. That is why horses become more than just a means of travel, or a sport. They become a confidant, and partner, a friend. At Cadence Horsemanship we emphasize the journey. We encourage relationships with horses, whether it be for a reason or a season....Come live the dream every little girl has...to know and be known by horses. Feel free to share the dream and tell us how horses have changed your life.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Reclaiming Lost Lives
My story about Chloe's first ride of the spring (Horse Whispers blog) was written in a humorous vein, but the fact is, reclaiming horses that have been given up on as riding horses is no laughing matter. You see, I have never just gone out a bought a horse that I found suitable for myself. I gravitate to the horses that everyone says cannot be ridden. I find that most horses have had trauma in their lives. If we are quiet and listen to what the horse tells us, we can discover where the trauma happened and begin to take steps to erase the memory. The key is to supplant the bad memories with good ones. This is not a task, as many adopters of rescue horses have discovered, for the unskilled horseman. Most horses of the type that I am describing here are, in fact, rather dangerous. It takes much time and concentration to stay in the moment with these animals to avoid getting hurt. Staying in the moment is also important because you become aware of the smallest try, "the give" that the horse offers in the relationship. I will talk more about the concept of "the give" in later posts. For now, lets just say, we need to listen to be safe.
In this time of cowboy clinicians and TV trainers, the secrets of the horse whisperer are available to anyone with high speed internet or enough cash to purchase DVDs. As a professional, I find myself called out often to help people who have fallen in love with a horse with dangerous issues. I do not lump myself with the so called horse whisperers, and there are some horses that I cannot help. I prefer to tell people that it is the listening part that is important. A horse listener would be more appropriate. If we observe closely and move slowly, we can rebuild the story around a horse. In doing so, we can take that horse to the places that scare it and many times we can bring the horse back into use.
In Chloe's case, I was called out to see this beautiful mare that was difficult to mount, who refused to stop, reared, and threatened to go over backwards. The "neighbor fellow" weighiing over 250 pounds (mare is 15.1 and 950) put a Tom Thumb in her mouth, tied her head to her chest , and "worked her down" for two hours before he could ride her down the road. When I showed up to ride her, she was terrified of being ridden. It took me an hour to get on her, and an hour to get her to stop running headlong in terror toward barns, fences, cars, etc.. She was in a blind panic. I suspect it was the nutcracker bit that had made her mouth sore, the sense of feeling her nose attached to her chest making it hard to breathe at that angle, and the ill fitting saddle that made her back sore with that heavy man aboard that set off the panic. Any one of those situations alone could trigger a fight for her life. And fight she did. I am sure she thought that we were going to kill her that day. I cried for her. And I took her home.
With this mare, less is certainly more. I ride her in a fat, three piece wonderbit with a bean in the middle. This sort of bit is lifted by the horse and carried where it is most comfortable. It is not a busy bit, nor does it pinch or clank in any manner. My first rides on her were bareback, so that she could feel me, and so the saddle did not evoke panic. No saddle also meant that I could swing off and on without fear of being hung up. It seems to be working. Now I also use a neck strap for steering and my seat and legs for stopping. Less is more.
Over the last few months, I discovered that Chloe is still making milk. Still spinning her story, I believe that broodmares earn their keep, so someone might have bred her a few times before she ended up at auction and then with a dealer who dumped her on the first family he could find. On the ground she is the sweetest thing. Broodmares who are 10 are not really the best riding horses. Broodmares live in herds of horses. That fact would explain her lack of response to humans and her extra sensitivity to her environment as the bell mare.
Another thing that I learned early before I decided to keep her was that she did not understand how to communicate with a human. In fact, she was unaware that a human represented any sort of security. Chloe is a loner in the field, choosing to be at the highest point in the pasture. I believe she is an alpha mare and ran in a herd of horses most of her life. She is not happy alone in the barn and has not yet transferred her herd instinct to me. She did not whicker at me even though I lived with her in the barn and saw her over ten times in a day. I bribed her with treats, fed her, groomed her. But it wasn't until I began teaching her to target things that the breakthrough occurred. After 6 months and a looong winter of "playing" with this mare something changed.
I didn't realize this until today.
I stopped by the barn this evening and Chloe was at her usual spot, high up on the knoll in the pasture. I have moved out of the barn and have been gone for a week now, only seeing the mare once a day. Tonight, I repeatedly called to her as I was dressed to go out for dinner and would not step in the muddy field to get her. Finally I just said, as I do every time we work, "Do you want to play?" She watched me for a long time with her ears up, and as I turned to give up on her, she whinnied at me from across the pasture. I looked back , and could not believe my eyes. My little mare was raising her front leg in a salute from atop the hill! She wanted to play and was telling me so.
I ran into the barn to get cookies and a lead rope as she started down the hill, not really believing what I had just seen. When I got to the gate she had chased all the other horses off and came right to me. What I feel tonight is something amazing. I have taught my little unwanted mare that people are ok and that she can trust me. We can now communicate, even if it is just by lifting our legs!
I guess what I want to say by this rambling post is that sometimes if we listen and stay in the moment with our animals, our friends, and our family, perhaps we can see deeper into where they have been and why they behave as they do. Horses have taught me that if we are not judgemental, and we wait long enough, good things happen.
Relationships are important, and if you are not building one with your horse at liberty and you still have to control them with ropes and whips, you are missing out on the true communication that these animals are capable of. I was a non-believer, horses were just horses...animals. But I am discovering that by listening to the horses, they talk loudly and clearly about what they need and how they want their lives to be.
My buddy Chloe accepted me today. She is no longer lost. I have found a good friend.
In this time of cowboy clinicians and TV trainers, the secrets of the horse whisperer are available to anyone with high speed internet or enough cash to purchase DVDs. As a professional, I find myself called out often to help people who have fallen in love with a horse with dangerous issues. I do not lump myself with the so called horse whisperers, and there are some horses that I cannot help. I prefer to tell people that it is the listening part that is important. A horse listener would be more appropriate. If we observe closely and move slowly, we can rebuild the story around a horse. In doing so, we can take that horse to the places that scare it and many times we can bring the horse back into use.
In Chloe's case, I was called out to see this beautiful mare that was difficult to mount, who refused to stop, reared, and threatened to go over backwards. The "neighbor fellow" weighiing over 250 pounds (mare is 15.1 and 950) put a Tom Thumb in her mouth, tied her head to her chest , and "worked her down" for two hours before he could ride her down the road. When I showed up to ride her, she was terrified of being ridden. It took me an hour to get on her, and an hour to get her to stop running headlong in terror toward barns, fences, cars, etc.. She was in a blind panic. I suspect it was the nutcracker bit that had made her mouth sore, the sense of feeling her nose attached to her chest making it hard to breathe at that angle, and the ill fitting saddle that made her back sore with that heavy man aboard that set off the panic. Any one of those situations alone could trigger a fight for her life. And fight she did. I am sure she thought that we were going to kill her that day. I cried for her. And I took her home.
With this mare, less is certainly more. I ride her in a fat, three piece wonderbit with a bean in the middle. This sort of bit is lifted by the horse and carried where it is most comfortable. It is not a busy bit, nor does it pinch or clank in any manner. My first rides on her were bareback, so that she could feel me, and so the saddle did not evoke panic. No saddle also meant that I could swing off and on without fear of being hung up. It seems to be working. Now I also use a neck strap for steering and my seat and legs for stopping. Less is more.
Over the last few months, I discovered that Chloe is still making milk. Still spinning her story, I believe that broodmares earn their keep, so someone might have bred her a few times before she ended up at auction and then with a dealer who dumped her on the first family he could find. On the ground she is the sweetest thing. Broodmares who are 10 are not really the best riding horses. Broodmares live in herds of horses. That fact would explain her lack of response to humans and her extra sensitivity to her environment as the bell mare.
Another thing that I learned early before I decided to keep her was that she did not understand how to communicate with a human. In fact, she was unaware that a human represented any sort of security. Chloe is a loner in the field, choosing to be at the highest point in the pasture. I believe she is an alpha mare and ran in a herd of horses most of her life. She is not happy alone in the barn and has not yet transferred her herd instinct to me. She did not whicker at me even though I lived with her in the barn and saw her over ten times in a day. I bribed her with treats, fed her, groomed her. But it wasn't until I began teaching her to target things that the breakthrough occurred. After 6 months and a looong winter of "playing" with this mare something changed.
I didn't realize this until today.
I stopped by the barn this evening and Chloe was at her usual spot, high up on the knoll in the pasture. I have moved out of the barn and have been gone for a week now, only seeing the mare once a day. Tonight, I repeatedly called to her as I was dressed to go out for dinner and would not step in the muddy field to get her. Finally I just said, as I do every time we work, "Do you want to play?" She watched me for a long time with her ears up, and as I turned to give up on her, she whinnied at me from across the pasture. I looked back , and could not believe my eyes. My little mare was raising her front leg in a salute from atop the hill! She wanted to play and was telling me so.
I ran into the barn to get cookies and a lead rope as she started down the hill, not really believing what I had just seen. When I got to the gate she had chased all the other horses off and came right to me. What I feel tonight is something amazing. I have taught my little unwanted mare that people are ok and that she can trust me. We can now communicate, even if it is just by lifting our legs!
I guess what I want to say by this rambling post is that sometimes if we listen and stay in the moment with our animals, our friends, and our family, perhaps we can see deeper into where they have been and why they behave as they do. Horses have taught me that if we are not judgemental, and we wait long enough, good things happen.
Relationships are important, and if you are not building one with your horse at liberty and you still have to control them with ropes and whips, you are missing out on the true communication that these animals are capable of. I was a non-believer, horses were just horses...animals. But I am discovering that by listening to the horses, they talk loudly and clearly about what they need and how they want their lives to be.
My buddy Chloe accepted me today. She is no longer lost. I have found a good friend.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Cita Normark on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Cita Normark on Flickr - Photo Sharing!: "Cita Normark
View Rock and Racehorses' map
Taken in a place with no name (See more photos here)
CITA Normark is a lovely Knabstrupper mare. She is a Danish import and was Danish Vilhelmsborg grading champion in 2005.
'Believed to have originated from the prehistoric spotted horses of Spain, the Knabstrupper is one of the oldest breed registries in Europe. Established in 1812, the Knabstrupper started with a single chestnut blanketed mare purchased by a Danish butcher named Flaeb from a Spanish cavalry officer. The mare, who became known as FLAEBEHOPPEN (which literally means 'Flaeb’s mare'), was purchased by Major Villars Lunn who owned an estate called “Knabstrupgaard” in Holbaek, Nordsealand, Denmark. Flaeb’s mare was bred to a Fredricksborg stallion and produced a wildly colored stallion son who was named Flaebehingsten. Between the two of them, Flaebehoppen and Flaebehingsten were bred to a large variety of good quality horses, producing loudly colored offspring and grand offspring and establishing the Knabstrupper horses as some of the most sought after in Europe at that time.
By the 1870’s the breed’s continuation was severely threatened as the limited numbe"
View Rock and Racehorses' map
Taken in a place with no name (See more photos here)
CITA Normark is a lovely Knabstrupper mare. She is a Danish import and was Danish Vilhelmsborg grading champion in 2005.
'Believed to have originated from the prehistoric spotted horses of Spain, the Knabstrupper is one of the oldest breed registries in Europe. Established in 1812, the Knabstrupper started with a single chestnut blanketed mare purchased by a Danish butcher named Flaeb from a Spanish cavalry officer. The mare, who became known as FLAEBEHOPPEN (which literally means 'Flaeb’s mare'), was purchased by Major Villars Lunn who owned an estate called “Knabstrupgaard” in Holbaek, Nordsealand, Denmark. Flaeb’s mare was bred to a Fredricksborg stallion and produced a wildly colored stallion son who was named Flaebehingsten. Between the two of them, Flaebehoppen and Flaebehingsten were bred to a large variety of good quality horses, producing loudly colored offspring and grand offspring and establishing the Knabstrupper horses as some of the most sought after in Europe at that time.
By the 1870’s the breed’s continuation was severely threatened as the limited numbe"
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Clinic with Wendy Murdoch
Wendy Murdoch clinic Westmoreland Fairgrounds, PA
We're sorry, but this discussion has just been closed to further replies.
2 spots left
Pennsylvania Natural Horsemanship Association in conjunction with Westmoreland Horsemen’s Association is proud to present:
Wendy Murdoch!!
May 15 – 18, 2008
Westmoreland Fairgrounds
This will be an intensive 4-day clinic given by Wendy. If you have not seen or ridden under her, you are really in for a treat! Wendy has so much to offer. She is world-renowned, having trained under some of the finest names in the world. I have had the opportunity to ride under her briefly twice and cannot even put into words what I have learned from her. Please take the time to look at her website as her qualifications and what she offers as it is too extensive to print here! http://murdochmethod.com
If you are interested in attending, we only are able to take 16 horses/riders, so, please respond quickly.
Auditing is also an option if youc so choose. Please download the registration form and send along with your check quickly if you are interested.Share Feature on Main
We're sorry, but this discussion has just been closed to further replies.
2 spots left
Pennsylvania Natural Horsemanship Association in conjunction with Westmoreland Horsemen’s Association is proud to present:
Wendy Murdoch!!
May 15 – 18, 2008
Westmoreland Fairgrounds
This will be an intensive 4-day clinic given by Wendy. If you have not seen or ridden under her, you are really in for a treat! Wendy has so much to offer. She is world-renowned, having trained under some of the finest names in the world. I have had the opportunity to ride under her briefly twice and cannot even put into words what I have learned from her. Please take the time to look at her website as her qualifications and what she offers as it is too extensive to print here! http://murdochmethod.com
If you are interested in attending, we only are able to take 16 horses/riders, so, please respond quickly.
Auditing is also an option if youc so choose. Please download the registration form and send along with your check quickly if you are interested.Share Feature on Main
Discovering Wendy Murdoch
If you like to watch educational video and do not have a lot of time, check out this link
Video Minutes
minutesthumb.jpg
The video format of Wendy's popular Murdoch Minutes. Simple solutions to common riding challenges.
Video Minutes - Better Hand Position Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes - Your Ankle Alignment Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes - Finding Good Thigh Contact Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes - Stop Pulling on Your Horse Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes - Help For Unsteady Hands Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes- Your Wrist Connection Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes - Level Your Seat Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes - Elbows Sticking Out Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes - Elbows By Side Wendy Murdoch
* Articles ( 21 items )
Read articles from Wendy Murdoch and from other respected authors such as Dr. Joyce Harman and Dr. Hilary Clayton.
* Murdoch Minutes ( 18 items )
Improve your riding in a Murdoch Minute. Simple solutions to common riding challenges.
* Recommended Reading ( 1 items )
Wendy know's you're busy and don't have time to read or watch every new release. Save time and money and benefit from Wendy's experience by selecting from her book and DVD recommendations.
[ Back ]
shop2.jpg
Sign up for Murdoch Method Updates
2008 Site Designed by Eclectic Horseman Communications, Inc
Video Minutes
minutesthumb.jpg
The video format of Wendy's popular Murdoch Minutes. Simple solutions to common riding challenges.
Video Minutes - Better Hand Position Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes - Your Ankle Alignment Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes - Finding Good Thigh Contact Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes - Stop Pulling on Your Horse Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes - Help For Unsteady Hands Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes- Your Wrist Connection Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes - Level Your Seat Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes - Elbows Sticking Out Wendy Murdoch
Video Minutes - Elbows By Side Wendy Murdoch
* Articles ( 21 items )
Read articles from Wendy Murdoch and from other respected authors such as Dr. Joyce Harman and Dr. Hilary Clayton.
* Murdoch Minutes ( 18 items )
Improve your riding in a Murdoch Minute. Simple solutions to common riding challenges.
* Recommended Reading ( 1 items )
Wendy know's you're busy and don't have time to read or watch every new release. Save time and money and benefit from Wendy's experience by selecting from her book and DVD recommendations.
[ Back ]
shop2.jpg
Sign up for Murdoch Method Updates
2008 Site Designed by Eclectic Horseman Communications, Inc
Monday, February 18, 2008
Horse Whispers Network
Sorry I have been away for awhile! I have been putting my energies into a new social networking site called Horse Whispers. It is a by-invitation only site like Facebook or My Space. So far there are 34 members from Washington State, Pennsylvania and Florida. The way it works is that friends invite friends. The site has blogs, a forum, questions and answers, videos, how-to information and the social aspect. It has been on-line for two weeks. The traffic was heavy until a few days ago when it slacked off. I am not sure what happened. I suppose without so many people on it, it only takes two weeks to see everything, and unless something changes daily, the novelty wears off. I am willing to give administrative privileges to another who wants to take the reins and make the site hop--if sites can hop.
Any suggestions from experienced social network users? e-mail to cadencecenter@hotmail.com or comment here. If you want to join the network, send an e-mail as well. Since I am new at this tech stuff, I can use all the advice I can get.
Any suggestions from experienced social network users? e-mail to cadencecenter@hotmail.com or comment here. If you want to join the network, send an e-mail as well. Since I am new at this tech stuff, I can use all the advice I can get.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
RFD-TV Announces New Show with Mary Midkiff Equestrian World Announced Equine Tips with Mary Midkiff
Equine Tips on RFD-TV - Hosted by Mary Midkiff
read complete news release
Watch it on:
Direct TV - Channel 379
Dish Network - 9409
Mediacom Cable
NCTC Cable
Upcoming Equine Tips by Mary Midkiff will include:
Connect with your horse on both sides when leading: Establish leading a horse from both sides for balance and safety. We often learn to lean and mount and saddle horses from one side because of convenience. This is not helpful to the horse and can cause lameness issues over time. Learn to lead your and work around your horse from both sides in everything you do.
Massage the withers to bring down blood pressure: Massage and rub the horses withers whether you are on the ground or mounted as a calming influence. When your horse gets nervous while you are mounted or on the ground with him use wither massage to lower the blood pressure.
Keeping the horse's back and neck relaxed when tied: Make sure your horse's head and neck are relaxed and lowered when tied. I see many horses in cross-ties and hooked up to trailers with their heads and necks held tight and high. This only causes a hollow back, unnecessary tension, poor neck and back muscle development and is counter to relaxation. I prefer not to use cross-ties, I've seen too many horrific accidents with them, however, if you must make sure the lines are long enough to allow the horse to hang his head at least on a level plane with his back. I do prefer to tie with a short but loose rope in a safety knot with the horse's head level or low.
Keep chestnuts or night eye's tidy: Keep chestnuts neat and trimmed for looks and health reasons. What horse chestnuts are, where they are on all four legs and the variety in them per breed. Each horse has chestnut characteristics which will make them easy or difficult to peel. Use baby oil, lanolin or a moisturizer to soften the chestnut and peel off.
Mouth Massage Techniques: Use mouth massage on your horse before you bridle them. Horses typically hold a great deal of tension and stress in their mouths and jaws which can lead to headaches, biting, head tilting, anger and frustration in training. First have a master dentist give your horse a complete dental exam. Ideally after the dental exam you would have your horse chiropractor come in and give the horse a good going over to make sure his body is in alignment. I have seen so many mouth and jaw issues cause neck and back problems. Once the horse is comfortable begin working in and around the mouth. Start with the nostrils, corners of the mouth, gums, soft palette and tongue. Place your hand in the bars of the horse's mouth where there are no teeth. Be careful with geldings that still have their wolf teeth as these can be very sharp.
Bubble Gum Shoulder Exercise: Use the Bubble Gum shoulder exercise to bring your shoulders into alignment. Demonstration.
Notice Placement of stirrup bars: Placement of stirrup bars can be helpful to women's position and balance.
When saddling, always make a space for the horse's spine: Always lift padding up to the saddle to allow air and space for the horse's spine.
Blanket fitting: Tip for the day is to allow plenty of room for movement under your sheets and blankets.
Types of blankets and sheets: Tip for the day is to select and change sheets and blankets with conditions.
Stretching Exercises on the Ball: Use the ball to stretch at home everyday and you will notice a significant change in your riding. Your horse will appreciate your commitment to the stretches.
When there's a problem always look to the inside of the horse first: Always look to the internal systems of the horse first when there is a problem. Some typical problems and issues and how to approach it differently than with training techniques and gimmicks. Whether it's a young horse and everything is new, a trained horse that develops problems, a made horse that begins misbehaving or a horse that stops performing, always look to the nervous system for answers.
How should a healthy horse look? My tip for the day is learning to recognize a healthy horse. Take a few steps back and observe a horse standing either held or tied. Answer these questions: Does the horse have a peaceful expression in his/her eye? Is the horse breathing slowly and without nostril extension? Is there any visible tension in the body or appearance of this horse? Does the horse look like one whole package or is he/she broken up into many parts? From the side, does the horse have muscle definition without bulges? Is the horse's back lifted to its full potential? Does his coat shine and is it soft and supple? Are his feet round and trimmed in proportion with his body? Is his manure soft but formed? Are his ribs visible? Does he have hollow spots?
Safety stirrups: Consider riding with safety stirrups.
Check for body alignment in the saddle: Use a checklist on your own back for alignment in the saddle.
Women need to maintain an open knee position for best results: Keep your knees off the saddle and open for best flexibility and movement in the saddle.
About "Horses on RFD-TV" - A daily two-hour program block offering a wide-variety of training and event coverage to serve the entire equine industry. The nation's premiere trainers are featured weekly including Pat & Linda Parelli, Clinton Anderson, Linda Tellington-Jones, John Lyons, Dennis Reis, and Lynn Palm, among others. Dressage, Western, Rodeo and features from all major breed associations and shows satisfy the demands of the horse owner, and horse lover. Baxter Black contributes cowboy poetry & humor. Campfire Cafe cooks on the trail, under an open fire. Horses on RFD-TV broadcasts weeknights at 4pm (eastern) and again at 10pm, with weekend repeats.
Watch it on:
Direct TV - Channel 379
Dish Network - 9409
Mediacom Cable
NCTC Cable
HORSE ENTHUSIAST
FEEDBACK REQUEST
About RFD Communications, Inc. Based in Dallas, Texas, RFD-TV is the nation's first 24-hour television network dedicated to serving rural America and agriculture. Programming is produced and uplinked via Ku-Band satellite G-11 from studios and facilities leased from Primedia Productions, in Carrollton, Texas. Distribution includes DISH Network, DIRECTV, Mediacom, and NCTC cable systems.
Previous Tips:
Saddle Padding
Neutral Pelvic Position in the Saddle
Neutral Pelvic Position While in Motion
Stretching Hip Flexors
Stretching before Mounting
Stretching before Mounting 2
How to Mount Safely
Using Protective Headgear
Fitting Protective Headgear
Calming the Anxious Horse
Mouth-Related and Dental Issues
Take a Holistic Approach
Protecting the Legs in Work
Cleaning the Horse's Head
English Saddle Fitting
Western Saddle Fitting
How to Promote a Horse's Healthy Back
Rider Shoulder Alignment Exercise
Loosening Hips using a Chair
Loosening Hips Lying on the Floor
Finding Neutral Pelvis
Maintaining Pelvis Position Mounted
HOME | TOP
female equestrian fitness training and riding tips
read complete news release
Watch it on:
Direct TV - Channel 379
Dish Network - 9409
Mediacom Cable
NCTC Cable
Upcoming Equine Tips by Mary Midkiff will include:
Connect with your horse on both sides when leading: Establish leading a horse from both sides for balance and safety. We often learn to lean and mount and saddle horses from one side because of convenience. This is not helpful to the horse and can cause lameness issues over time. Learn to lead your and work around your horse from both sides in everything you do.
Massage the withers to bring down blood pressure: Massage and rub the horses withers whether you are on the ground or mounted as a calming influence. When your horse gets nervous while you are mounted or on the ground with him use wither massage to lower the blood pressure.
Keeping the horse's back and neck relaxed when tied: Make sure your horse's head and neck are relaxed and lowered when tied. I see many horses in cross-ties and hooked up to trailers with their heads and necks held tight and high. This only causes a hollow back, unnecessary tension, poor neck and back muscle development and is counter to relaxation. I prefer not to use cross-ties, I've seen too many horrific accidents with them, however, if you must make sure the lines are long enough to allow the horse to hang his head at least on a level plane with his back. I do prefer to tie with a short but loose rope in a safety knot with the horse's head level or low.
Keep chestnuts or night eye's tidy: Keep chestnuts neat and trimmed for looks and health reasons. What horse chestnuts are, where they are on all four legs and the variety in them per breed. Each horse has chestnut characteristics which will make them easy or difficult to peel. Use baby oil, lanolin or a moisturizer to soften the chestnut and peel off.
Mouth Massage Techniques: Use mouth massage on your horse before you bridle them. Horses typically hold a great deal of tension and stress in their mouths and jaws which can lead to headaches, biting, head tilting, anger and frustration in training. First have a master dentist give your horse a complete dental exam. Ideally after the dental exam you would have your horse chiropractor come in and give the horse a good going over to make sure his body is in alignment. I have seen so many mouth and jaw issues cause neck and back problems. Once the horse is comfortable begin working in and around the mouth. Start with the nostrils, corners of the mouth, gums, soft palette and tongue. Place your hand in the bars of the horse's mouth where there are no teeth. Be careful with geldings that still have their wolf teeth as these can be very sharp.
Bubble Gum Shoulder Exercise: Use the Bubble Gum shoulder exercise to bring your shoulders into alignment. Demonstration.
Notice Placement of stirrup bars: Placement of stirrup bars can be helpful to women's position and balance.
When saddling, always make a space for the horse's spine: Always lift padding up to the saddle to allow air and space for the horse's spine.
Blanket fitting: Tip for the day is to allow plenty of room for movement under your sheets and blankets.
Types of blankets and sheets: Tip for the day is to select and change sheets and blankets with conditions.
Stretching Exercises on the Ball: Use the ball to stretch at home everyday and you will notice a significant change in your riding. Your horse will appreciate your commitment to the stretches.
When there's a problem always look to the inside of the horse first: Always look to the internal systems of the horse first when there is a problem. Some typical problems and issues and how to approach it differently than with training techniques and gimmicks. Whether it's a young horse and everything is new, a trained horse that develops problems, a made horse that begins misbehaving or a horse that stops performing, always look to the nervous system for answers.
How should a healthy horse look? My tip for the day is learning to recognize a healthy horse. Take a few steps back and observe a horse standing either held or tied. Answer these questions: Does the horse have a peaceful expression in his/her eye? Is the horse breathing slowly and without nostril extension? Is there any visible tension in the body or appearance of this horse? Does the horse look like one whole package or is he/she broken up into many parts? From the side, does the horse have muscle definition without bulges? Is the horse's back lifted to its full potential? Does his coat shine and is it soft and supple? Are his feet round and trimmed in proportion with his body? Is his manure soft but formed? Are his ribs visible? Does he have hollow spots?
Safety stirrups: Consider riding with safety stirrups.
Check for body alignment in the saddle: Use a checklist on your own back for alignment in the saddle.
Women need to maintain an open knee position for best results: Keep your knees off the saddle and open for best flexibility and movement in the saddle.
About "Horses on RFD-TV" - A daily two-hour program block offering a wide-variety of training and event coverage to serve the entire equine industry. The nation's premiere trainers are featured weekly including Pat & Linda Parelli, Clinton Anderson, Linda Tellington-Jones, John Lyons, Dennis Reis, and Lynn Palm, among others. Dressage, Western, Rodeo and features from all major breed associations and shows satisfy the demands of the horse owner, and horse lover. Baxter Black contributes cowboy poetry & humor. Campfire Cafe cooks on the trail, under an open fire. Horses on RFD-TV broadcasts weeknights at 4pm (eastern) and again at 10pm, with weekend repeats.
Watch it on:
Direct TV - Channel 379
Dish Network - 9409
Mediacom Cable
NCTC Cable
HORSE ENTHUSIAST
FEEDBACK REQUEST
About RFD Communications, Inc. Based in Dallas, Texas, RFD-TV is the nation's first 24-hour television network dedicated to serving rural America and agriculture. Programming is produced and uplinked via Ku-Band satellite G-11 from studios and facilities leased from Primedia Productions, in Carrollton, Texas. Distribution includes DISH Network, DIRECTV, Mediacom, and NCTC cable systems.
Previous Tips:
Saddle Padding
Neutral Pelvic Position in the Saddle
Neutral Pelvic Position While in Motion
Stretching Hip Flexors
Stretching before Mounting
Stretching before Mounting 2
How to Mount Safely
Using Protective Headgear
Fitting Protective Headgear
Calming the Anxious Horse
Mouth-Related and Dental Issues
Take a Holistic Approach
Protecting the Legs in Work
Cleaning the Horse's Head
English Saddle Fitting
Western Saddle Fitting
How to Promote a Horse's Healthy Back
Rider Shoulder Alignment Exercise
Loosening Hips using a Chair
Loosening Hips Lying on the Floor
Finding Neutral Pelvis
Maintaining Pelvis Position Mounted
HOME | TOP
female equestrian fitness training and riding tips
Women and Horses--New Fitness Paradigms
Mary D. Midkiff, a rider and horse business professional, believes this female perspective is bringing with it a revolution in the way horses are understood, equipped and ridden. In FITNESS, PERFORMANCE AND THE FEMALE EQUESTRIAN (Howell Book House/Macmillan USA/Oct 1996), Midkiff takes us through the changing dynamics of women on horseback to arrive at a new approach to riding effectiveness. Combining insight into the relationship between women and their horses with practical advice on exercise, equipment and nutrition, she provides a blueprint for better performance with less stress, greater comfort and maximum enjoyment.
Midkiff, who is president of Equestrian Resources (EQR), a Boulder Colorado-based marketing firm, says female equestrians now represent over 80% of today's horse enthusiasts and participants. But, she adds, since the techniques, equipment and teaching methods used with horses have not moved in step with the growing involvement and influence of adult and young women, "it's time to catch up."
* Biomechanical and anatomical considerations for women;
* Stretching and strengthening exercises to enhance performance;
* Steps to balanced riding;
* Saddle balancing, fitting tips, and equipment designed for the female rider;
* Riding and its relationship to aging, pregnancy and lifestyles;
* Nutrition and dietary considerations in daily and competitive riding.
A Rider's Success Starts with the Hip Joint
by Mary D. Midkiff
Maverick Press Article - December 2000
The Barbie doll era must have started many of us thinking that our bodies bend from the waist and that our lower section and upper section are separated by the waist area. After all the belt is cinched at the waist and provides a natural visual division. We can seemingly "bend" from the waist area when we slump our torso or we can falsely achieve an erect position from the waist upward. In the military, ballet and gymnastics, to name the most obvious, people are taught to lift the rib cage, pull the shoulders back and chin up to stand at attention or salute the judge. Sound familiar from one of your riding lessons?
Since all of my research over the past 10 years is based on the needs of the female athlete; since I am a female rider and since 80% of the riders and participants in horse sports today are female; I will be speaking mainly to the female issues. However, biomechanics of the body should be familiar to all riders.
In my clinics and presentations, I ask participants what they do when they hear the command of "sit up" or "bring your shoulders back" in their lessons. The instructor may be asking for improved posture and alignment but without body awareness and biomechanical understanding, the rider will usually go into a statuesque or military position by lifting the ribs, pushing out the chest, and rolling the shoulders backward. This automatically puts women at a disadvantage in her balance, effectiveness and comfort. Men, too, will experience imbalance and tension throughout the body with this stiff position. Compression of the spine is the result of this misunderstanding.
To "sit tall and straight" without compression in the spine and tension in the neck requires bending from the hip joint first which then leads to effective movement above and below and ultimately an even flow of oxygen throughout the many systems of the body.
All movement in the saddle begins and ends with a flexible hip joint, which is the joint just under the femoral artery connecting the femur (thigh bone) to the pelvic structure. We have flexibility and movement in the waist but it moves because of the chain of vertebrae and not because it is a joint. If the spine is straight and aligned over a neutral positioned pelvis, the hip joint can remain in full range of motion to access the leg below. Subsequently, all of the hinges toes, ankle, knee, hip to spine, neck and shoulders, wrists and fingers can align and flow together with the horse's motion.
To check your spine alignment, place your hand just under your belt and press on the lower back. Bend forward and you will feel the bones of the spine protrude, now bend backwards and feel the spine disappear. Somewhere between those two extremes of flexibility there is a middle where you feel the tips of the vertebrae and the muscles in the back soften. Check your spine in and out of the saddle and become familiar with your own alignment.
To learn to sit tall without compression and stiffness try this exercise. Sit in a chair or in the saddle and collapse from your waist by rolling your chin down to your chest and continue rolling forward until your head is almost in your lap. Now slowly bring your self back up, with your chin still against your chest, without lifting your rib cage. Go slowly and focus on raising up and becoming tall, as if you had a string connected from the ceiling to the top of your head like a puppet, without bringing the ribs up and rolling the shoulders back. Do this exercise in front of a mirror looking sideways to check your upper body alignment. This may take some practice and you may need to take a deep breath in and blow it out to make sure you are not holding your breath in your mid-section.
Once you are all the way up, slowly bring your chin up to a level position and check your alignment in the mirror. Do this exercise and check your lower back every time you get in the saddle and you will begin to adopt this "straightness" without having to review yourself in the mirror.
Understanding that your power and balance begin with movement in the hip joint is crucial to an effective and long, safe and comfortable life in the saddle. The horse will feel you as light and in balance leading to heightened performance and freedom of movement.
Return to Articles Index
Mary D. Midkiff's new book, She Flies Without Wings: How Horses Touch A Woman's Soul (Random House, Delacorte Press) is now on sale at Amazon.com
female equestrian fitness training and riding tips
Midkiff, who is president of Equestrian Resources (EQR), a Boulder Colorado-based marketing firm, says female equestrians now represent over 80% of today's horse enthusiasts and participants. But, she adds, since the techniques, equipment and teaching methods used with horses have not moved in step with the growing involvement and influence of adult and young women, "it's time to catch up."
* Biomechanical and anatomical considerations for women;
* Stretching and strengthening exercises to enhance performance;
* Steps to balanced riding;
* Saddle balancing, fitting tips, and equipment designed for the female rider;
* Riding and its relationship to aging, pregnancy and lifestyles;
* Nutrition and dietary considerations in daily and competitive riding.
A Rider's Success Starts with the Hip Joint
by Mary D. Midkiff
Maverick Press Article - December 2000
The Barbie doll era must have started many of us thinking that our bodies bend from the waist and that our lower section and upper section are separated by the waist area. After all the belt is cinched at the waist and provides a natural visual division. We can seemingly "bend" from the waist area when we slump our torso or we can falsely achieve an erect position from the waist upward. In the military, ballet and gymnastics, to name the most obvious, people are taught to lift the rib cage, pull the shoulders back and chin up to stand at attention or salute the judge. Sound familiar from one of your riding lessons?
Since all of my research over the past 10 years is based on the needs of the female athlete; since I am a female rider and since 80% of the riders and participants in horse sports today are female; I will be speaking mainly to the female issues. However, biomechanics of the body should be familiar to all riders.
In my clinics and presentations, I ask participants what they do when they hear the command of "sit up" or "bring your shoulders back" in their lessons. The instructor may be asking for improved posture and alignment but without body awareness and biomechanical understanding, the rider will usually go into a statuesque or military position by lifting the ribs, pushing out the chest, and rolling the shoulders backward. This automatically puts women at a disadvantage in her balance, effectiveness and comfort. Men, too, will experience imbalance and tension throughout the body with this stiff position. Compression of the spine is the result of this misunderstanding.
To "sit tall and straight" without compression in the spine and tension in the neck requires bending from the hip joint first which then leads to effective movement above and below and ultimately an even flow of oxygen throughout the many systems of the body.
All movement in the saddle begins and ends with a flexible hip joint, which is the joint just under the femoral artery connecting the femur (thigh bone) to the pelvic structure. We have flexibility and movement in the waist but it moves because of the chain of vertebrae and not because it is a joint. If the spine is straight and aligned over a neutral positioned pelvis, the hip joint can remain in full range of motion to access the leg below. Subsequently, all of the hinges toes, ankle, knee, hip to spine, neck and shoulders, wrists and fingers can align and flow together with the horse's motion.
To check your spine alignment, place your hand just under your belt and press on the lower back. Bend forward and you will feel the bones of the spine protrude, now bend backwards and feel the spine disappear. Somewhere between those two extremes of flexibility there is a middle where you feel the tips of the vertebrae and the muscles in the back soften. Check your spine in and out of the saddle and become familiar with your own alignment.
To learn to sit tall without compression and stiffness try this exercise. Sit in a chair or in the saddle and collapse from your waist by rolling your chin down to your chest and continue rolling forward until your head is almost in your lap. Now slowly bring your self back up, with your chin still against your chest, without lifting your rib cage. Go slowly and focus on raising up and becoming tall, as if you had a string connected from the ceiling to the top of your head like a puppet, without bringing the ribs up and rolling the shoulders back. Do this exercise in front of a mirror looking sideways to check your upper body alignment. This may take some practice and you may need to take a deep breath in and blow it out to make sure you are not holding your breath in your mid-section.
Once you are all the way up, slowly bring your chin up to a level position and check your alignment in the mirror. Do this exercise and check your lower back every time you get in the saddle and you will begin to adopt this "straightness" without having to review yourself in the mirror.
Understanding that your power and balance begin with movement in the hip joint is crucial to an effective and long, safe and comfortable life in the saddle. The horse will feel you as light and in balance leading to heightened performance and freedom of movement.
Return to Articles Index
Mary D. Midkiff's new book, She Flies Without Wings: How Horses Touch A Woman's Soul (Random House, Delacorte Press) is now on sale at Amazon.com
female equestrian fitness training and riding tips
Monday, February 11, 2008
Heel-first Landings are important
This video is created by the Mission Farrier School. My shoer in WA, Mike Rumpza is an instructor there. This video is worth getting a copy. Note heel-first landings....
Is Barefoot Better?-from Equisearch.com
A growing contingent of hoof-care experts says yes. Here's what the natural-foot movement could mean for your horse.
By Jennifer Forsberg Meyer
The barefoot option. You've heard of it, but you know it's not for your horse, because (pick one or more):
it's a fad.
he has bad feet.
you ride on rugged ground.
you show.
You agree that going barefoot is healthy for a hoof, and that pulling a horse's shoes at least once a year to reestablish natural hoof growth is a good thing. But eventually those shoes must go back on, right? Permanent barefootedness is appropriate only for certain horses who already have tough, resilient hooves.
Right?
Four months ago, I'd have agreed with you on all of the above. But now I'm not so sure. By researching this article, I've learned amazing things about how a horse's hoof is designed to function. As a result, I'm beginning to understand why a growing number of natural hoof-care experts say barefoot is not just for horses with already-excellent hooves.
In fact, judging by the evidence, the opposite may be true. Going barefoot (as the result of a correct trim and combined with compatible living conditions) may be the way to make bad hooves better, and even excellent. It may also create hooves capable of supporting a horse--with rider--over most types of terrain. And (this is the most intriguing part) it may enhance a horse's overall health, comfort, and longevity.
What I learned, in fact, prompted me to consider the barefoot lifestyle for my own horses, who live and are sometimes ridden on hard, rocky ground.
In this article, I'll explain what I found so compelling. I'll tell how the barefoot movement began, share the thinking of some of its most prominent advocates, and detail what's necessary to make the barefoot option work. I'll also discuss an alternative approach that applies natural-foot principles to a nontraditional shoe.
In short, I'll give you the tools you need to decide if new-age foot care is something you want to pursue for your own horse.
As Nature Intended
The foundation for a natural approach to hoof care was laid 20 years ago primarily by the work of two farriers. Jaime Jackson and Gene Ovnicek independently conducted field research among feral mustangs in the mid-1980s. Each hoped to see what the hooves and habits of horses in the wild might tell us about foot care for the domestic horse.
Both were astonished at the hardiness and resilience of the feet they saw. Without metal shoes to restrict elasticity and contact with the ground, the mustangs' feet remained tough and healthy even traveling at speed over the roughest ground. Lameness was rare, and usually accident-related rather than caused by disease of the hoof itself.
The mustangs' feet were heavily callused across the toe. Ovnicek's research showed that, contrary to popular belief, the hoof wall is not the primary weight-bearing surface. Rather, the load is shared among the sole, bars, frog, and wall.
"Intuitively, it always seemed to make sense that the hoof wall is the weight-bearer,"says Ovnicek today."And that belief kept us stuck in old modes of shoeing."
In the 20 years since the first feral-horse research, interest in natural methods of increasing the hoof health of domestic horses has blossomed around the world. Jackson has gone on to write several books related to the topic. He also helped create the American Association of Natural Hoof Care Practitioners, which promotes research and trains/certifies professionals.
Ovnicek, who still supports the ideal of "barefoot where possible,"has gone on to develop an innovative shoe that takes the natural functioning of the equine foot into account. He also lectures and provides clinics around the world on what he calls the "natural balance" of the equine foot.
Veterinarians, research centers, and universities are increasingly taking notice of the natural hoof 's powers to prevent and in many cases cure diseases like laminitis and navicular. Moreover, word of mouth among horse owners is building demand for more information on natural hoof care and access to practitioners.
Just before I began work on this article, I heard an enthusiastic endorsement of the barefoot trim from my neighbor, who's pleased with the results she's getting with her laminitic gelding. That caused me to wonder: Just how does it all work?
The Underlying Science
Robert Bowker, VMD, PhD is a leading researcher in the natural function of the equine foot. A neurobiologist who teaches anatomy at Michigan State University, he became interested in foot function about 10 or 12 years ago, when students asked him about the correct placement of nerve blocks. The anatomy texts he check were incorrect, so he began examining the equine foor himself.
His research extended from the nerves of the foot to the blood vessels, cartilage, and bones, and more recently to the hooves and their laminae in health and disease.He supplemented his lab work with observations of free-roaming feral horses.
click to read the rest of the article with pictures.....
About EquiSearch.com | Advertise | Privacy Policy | Customer Service | Site Map
© 2008, EquiSearch.com, SOURCE INTERLINK MEDIA, INC. All rights reserved.
By Jennifer Forsberg Meyer
The barefoot option. You've heard of it, but you know it's not for your horse, because (pick one or more):
it's a fad.
he has bad feet.
you ride on rugged ground.
you show.
You agree that going barefoot is healthy for a hoof, and that pulling a horse's shoes at least once a year to reestablish natural hoof growth is a good thing. But eventually those shoes must go back on, right? Permanent barefootedness is appropriate only for certain horses who already have tough, resilient hooves.
Right?
Four months ago, I'd have agreed with you on all of the above. But now I'm not so sure. By researching this article, I've learned amazing things about how a horse's hoof is designed to function. As a result, I'm beginning to understand why a growing number of natural hoof-care experts say barefoot is not just for horses with already-excellent hooves.
In fact, judging by the evidence, the opposite may be true. Going barefoot (as the result of a correct trim and combined with compatible living conditions) may be the way to make bad hooves better, and even excellent. It may also create hooves capable of supporting a horse--with rider--over most types of terrain. And (this is the most intriguing part) it may enhance a horse's overall health, comfort, and longevity.
What I learned, in fact, prompted me to consider the barefoot lifestyle for my own horses, who live and are sometimes ridden on hard, rocky ground.
In this article, I'll explain what I found so compelling. I'll tell how the barefoot movement began, share the thinking of some of its most prominent advocates, and detail what's necessary to make the barefoot option work. I'll also discuss an alternative approach that applies natural-foot principles to a nontraditional shoe.
In short, I'll give you the tools you need to decide if new-age foot care is something you want to pursue for your own horse.
As Nature Intended
The foundation for a natural approach to hoof care was laid 20 years ago primarily by the work of two farriers. Jaime Jackson and Gene Ovnicek independently conducted field research among feral mustangs in the mid-1980s. Each hoped to see what the hooves and habits of horses in the wild might tell us about foot care for the domestic horse.
Both were astonished at the hardiness and resilience of the feet they saw. Without metal shoes to restrict elasticity and contact with the ground, the mustangs' feet remained tough and healthy even traveling at speed over the roughest ground. Lameness was rare, and usually accident-related rather than caused by disease of the hoof itself.
The mustangs' feet were heavily callused across the toe. Ovnicek's research showed that, contrary to popular belief, the hoof wall is not the primary weight-bearing surface. Rather, the load is shared among the sole, bars, frog, and wall.
"Intuitively, it always seemed to make sense that the hoof wall is the weight-bearer,"says Ovnicek today."And that belief kept us stuck in old modes of shoeing."
In the 20 years since the first feral-horse research, interest in natural methods of increasing the hoof health of domestic horses has blossomed around the world. Jackson has gone on to write several books related to the topic. He also helped create the American Association of Natural Hoof Care Practitioners, which promotes research and trains/certifies professionals.
Ovnicek, who still supports the ideal of "barefoot where possible,"has gone on to develop an innovative shoe that takes the natural functioning of the equine foot into account. He also lectures and provides clinics around the world on what he calls the "natural balance" of the equine foot.
Veterinarians, research centers, and universities are increasingly taking notice of the natural hoof 's powers to prevent and in many cases cure diseases like laminitis and navicular. Moreover, word of mouth among horse owners is building demand for more information on natural hoof care and access to practitioners.
Just before I began work on this article, I heard an enthusiastic endorsement of the barefoot trim from my neighbor, who's pleased with the results she's getting with her laminitic gelding. That caused me to wonder: Just how does it all work?
The Underlying Science
Robert Bowker, VMD, PhD is a leading researcher in the natural function of the equine foot. A neurobiologist who teaches anatomy at Michigan State University, he became interested in foot function about 10 or 12 years ago, when students asked him about the correct placement of nerve blocks. The anatomy texts he check were incorrect, so he began examining the equine foor himself.
His research extended from the nerves of the foot to the blood vessels, cartilage, and bones, and more recently to the hooves and their laminae in health and disease.He supplemented his lab work with observations of free-roaming feral horses.
click to read the rest of the article with pictures.....
About EquiSearch.com | Advertise | Privacy Policy | Customer Service | Site Map
© 2008, EquiSearch.com, SOURCE INTERLINK MEDIA, INC. All rights reserved.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Cadence
- is the legs interchange in particular/certain time intervals.
Well-balanced horse will have relatively slow cadence and his gaits will be crisp and springy. For the slow cadence is important the longest possible time carrying period of the hind leg. A strong pushing-off, long advancement and prolonged carrying time of the hind leg causes free/relaxed/light, roomy and cadenced transition of the diagonal front leg. A horse that interchanges/alternates his legs quickly travels in a fast cadence and tires quicker.
Well-balanced horse will have relatively slow cadence and his gaits will be crisp and springy. For the slow cadence is important the longest possible time carrying period of the hind leg. A strong pushing-off, long advancement and prolonged carrying time of the hind leg causes free/relaxed/light, roomy and cadenced transition of the diagonal front leg. A horse that interchanges/alternates his legs quickly travels in a fast cadence and tires quicker.
Mounted Games Mounts
The local Pony Club is going to begin training to participate in Mounted Games. This sport is not for the faint-of-heart. It is also not for horses. Much of the sport is spent climbing on and off, bending down to scoop objects off the arena floor, and running heck-bent for leather.
The video in the previous posting give s small taste of the sport.
I am writing this posting to appeal to everyone out there who may have a pony or shorter horse that has not really taken to the safe and sane world of round and round the ring, or will not dressage...These are the ponies we are seeking for the mounted games.
If your pony thinks too much or has a mind of its own, if it can go from zero to ninety in an eyeblink, and if they steer well, the Pony Club needs your animal.
If you have such a wonderful mount, send a video or pics to me at cadencecenter@hotmail.com, or respond here in a comment and embed the video.
Watch the video above and below this posting. This is fun stuff. Too bad adults can't compete, eh?
The video in the previous posting give s small taste of the sport.
I am writing this posting to appeal to everyone out there who may have a pony or shorter horse that has not really taken to the safe and sane world of round and round the ring, or will not dressage...These are the ponies we are seeking for the mounted games.
If your pony thinks too much or has a mind of its own, if it can go from zero to ninety in an eyeblink, and if they steer well, the Pony Club needs your animal.
If you have such a wonderful mount, send a video or pics to me at cadencecenter@hotmail.com, or respond here in a comment and embed the video.
Watch the video above and below this posting. This is fun stuff. Too bad adults can't compete, eh?
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
What good are horses?
How many times have you heard that line? These days we have the automobile and the tractor, so the horse has been relegated to the position of "hobby" (or "obsession").
I have been thinking lately about all the families I have worked with over the years and I have heard that question from the husbands, mostly. I had lots of answers for them. The usual answers were:
*your daughter is so much more responsible
*horses are good exercise
*your wife gets so relaxed before she comes home
*the teens could be out doing all kinds of other things, at least you know where they are all the time
and so on...
Some of the benefits I did not tell to the spouses, because there is an unspoken covenant between riding teacher and women riders, 'horse Moms', and the like...what happens at the barn, stays at the barn...
What I mean is, I would not answer to certain spouses that the barn is the ultimate escape from being a wife, mother, cook, teacher. All those roles are great. I actually loved being a spouse, and a Mom. But the time I spent, pitchfork in hand, smelling the grassy breath of the horses in my charge, I believe, was just for ME.
I am preaching to the proverbial choir to you readers, I am sure. What is it about the brushing, the interaction, or the picking of manure that calms us, gives us new purpose, or, conversely, exhilarates and requires nothing of us?
Maybe that is the point. We take care of our horses because they ask nothing. Everything we give we give because we want to. There are no demands from our steeds beyond an impatient stamping of a foot and an indignant whicker at feeding time or a warm set of lips exploring a coat pocket for carrots or peppermint--they are demands we can handle, demands that are uncomplicated. And, there is the feeling of accomplishment as we ride a good figure or fluff out a tail without pulling any hairs, or look down the barn aisle and see all the horses munching in clean stalls.
And, maybe there is yet more to it for some. Have you ever looked into the eye of the horse and communicated something and felt something in return, but you just cannot describe it nor even want to? Maybe it is that primal, nonverbal connection that existed before language, when creatures took the time to "read" the mind of another. Perhaps it is the agreement as predators that we make with our prey that we will not hunt them or hurt them. It is a feeling of peace.
This entry cannot even touch the surface of the many things that horses are good for..on the inside. I guess it is better to let the rest remain a mystery to most, as each one of us who has had the experience with our four-footed partner has had a different interpretation. To try to capture in language why we ride or brush or just BE around horses has been attempted many times. There are plenty of good books if you like to read.
I will just end by asking you to call to memory the best wordless moment you have had
with the horse and feel again the strength, the peace, the joy, or the sorrow. The horse is good for a lot of things, things we can carry into our other roles in daily life. And when we are asked the question, "What good are they?", we can chuckle inside and say, "Well mucking is good exercise..."
I have been thinking lately about all the families I have worked with over the years and I have heard that question from the husbands, mostly. I had lots of answers for them. The usual answers were:
*your daughter is so much more responsible
*horses are good exercise
*your wife gets so relaxed before she comes home
*the teens could be out doing all kinds of other things, at least you know where they are all the time
and so on...
Some of the benefits I did not tell to the spouses, because there is an unspoken covenant between riding teacher and women riders, 'horse Moms', and the like...what happens at the barn, stays at the barn...
What I mean is, I would not answer to certain spouses that the barn is the ultimate escape from being a wife, mother, cook, teacher. All those roles are great. I actually loved being a spouse, and a Mom. But the time I spent, pitchfork in hand, smelling the grassy breath of the horses in my charge, I believe, was just for ME.
I am preaching to the proverbial choir to you readers, I am sure. What is it about the brushing, the interaction, or the picking of manure that calms us, gives us new purpose, or, conversely, exhilarates and requires nothing of us?
Maybe that is the point. We take care of our horses because they ask nothing. Everything we give we give because we want to. There are no demands from our steeds beyond an impatient stamping of a foot and an indignant whicker at feeding time or a warm set of lips exploring a coat pocket for carrots or peppermint--they are demands we can handle, demands that are uncomplicated. And, there is the feeling of accomplishment as we ride a good figure or fluff out a tail without pulling any hairs, or look down the barn aisle and see all the horses munching in clean stalls.
And, maybe there is yet more to it for some. Have you ever looked into the eye of the horse and communicated something and felt something in return, but you just cannot describe it nor even want to? Maybe it is that primal, nonverbal connection that existed before language, when creatures took the time to "read" the mind of another. Perhaps it is the agreement as predators that we make with our prey that we will not hunt them or hurt them. It is a feeling of peace.
This entry cannot even touch the surface of the many things that horses are good for..on the inside. I guess it is better to let the rest remain a mystery to most, as each one of us who has had the experience with our four-footed partner has had a different interpretation. To try to capture in language why we ride or brush or just BE around horses has been attempted many times. There are plenty of good books if you like to read.
I will just end by asking you to call to memory the best wordless moment you have had
with the horse and feel again the strength, the peace, the joy, or the sorrow. The horse is good for a lot of things, things we can carry into our other roles in daily life. And when we are asked the question, "What good are they?", we can chuckle inside and say, "Well mucking is good exercise..."
Sunday, February 3, 2008
WALKING HORSES, BIOMECHANICS, THE STEPPING PACE
THE SPIRIT OF DRESSAGE by Lee Ziegler, copyright Jan. 1997
Excerpt: WHAT IS THE TRUE SPIRIT OF DRESSAGE?
Contrary to popular belief, dressage is not about riding tests and doing abstruse movements on huge horses in fancy clothes. Dressage started as a very practical, scientific, methodical training regimen to produce sound, supple, responsive horses for use in war, then later in spectacles called carrousels. Eventually, it evolved into an art, which our modern society was unable to grasp and replaced with sport, so we now pursue test-oriented training and have largely forgotten the origins of the discipline, or the art that it can be. (The art still survives in small enclaves in Portugal, France and Vienna, but the artists are not out riding tests.) Fortunately, we aren't training horses for war anymore, but the same methods that produced practical, useful horses for the battlefield can produce useful horses for everyday trail and show riding, whether the horses involved trot like the sport horses or not.
So, while we are not going to be riding dressage tests designed for trotters on our gaited horses, that does not mean that we don't want supple, sound, responsive horses. Most of the exercises developed for basic dressage work nicely for us, as long as we do them only in the ordinary and flat walk, not the running walk. (The running walk presents balance and flexibility problems in tight circles and lateral movements.) Circles work for us because they develop balance and strength in the back. Serpentines work for us because they develop flexibility. Spirals work for us, because of the balance and strength they develop. Shoulders-in work for us, again developing balance, strength in the hind quarters, and looseness in the shoulders, a very desirable trait in a Walker. Haunches-in work for us, developing flexibility through the body. Only after we have built up our horses through these basics, working on strengthening the back, haunches and shoulders do we really get the kind of stride lengthening we want, flowing out of a strong back. Dressage really works for Walkers, but apply the spirit, not the letter of modern "sport" Dressage. Use the exercises it includes to help your horse carry his body and your weight better, without sagging his back or making his vertebrae impinge, and he will stay sound. Use school figures and progressive training to condition your horse and he will be more supple, able to negotiate rough ground on a trail, or make the corners in an arena at speed without "hopping". Apply the aids and do the progressively more difficult figures of basic dressage and your horse will be more responsive, listening to you and doing what you ask. Dressage isn't about tests, it's about intelligent, biomechanically sound training for use. And it definitely is for Walking Horses.
http://www.walkinonranch.com/media/6_2007_MNFS_Rev_7-07.wmv
Excerpt: WHAT IS THE TRUE SPIRIT OF DRESSAGE?
Contrary to popular belief, dressage is not about riding tests and doing abstruse movements on huge horses in fancy clothes. Dressage started as a very practical, scientific, methodical training regimen to produce sound, supple, responsive horses for use in war, then later in spectacles called carrousels. Eventually, it evolved into an art, which our modern society was unable to grasp and replaced with sport, so we now pursue test-oriented training and have largely forgotten the origins of the discipline, or the art that it can be. (The art still survives in small enclaves in Portugal, France and Vienna, but the artists are not out riding tests.) Fortunately, we aren't training horses for war anymore, but the same methods that produced practical, useful horses for the battlefield can produce useful horses for everyday trail and show riding, whether the horses involved trot like the sport horses or not.
So, while we are not going to be riding dressage tests designed for trotters on our gaited horses, that does not mean that we don't want supple, sound, responsive horses. Most of the exercises developed for basic dressage work nicely for us, as long as we do them only in the ordinary and flat walk, not the running walk. (The running walk presents balance and flexibility problems in tight circles and lateral movements.) Circles work for us because they develop balance and strength in the back. Serpentines work for us because they develop flexibility. Spirals work for us, because of the balance and strength they develop. Shoulders-in work for us, again developing balance, strength in the hind quarters, and looseness in the shoulders, a very desirable trait in a Walker. Haunches-in work for us, developing flexibility through the body. Only after we have built up our horses through these basics, working on strengthening the back, haunches and shoulders do we really get the kind of stride lengthening we want, flowing out of a strong back. Dressage really works for Walkers, but apply the spirit, not the letter of modern "sport" Dressage. Use the exercises it includes to help your horse carry his body and your weight better, without sagging his back or making his vertebrae impinge, and he will stay sound. Use school figures and progressive training to condition your horse and he will be more supple, able to negotiate rough ground on a trail, or make the corners in an arena at speed without "hopping". Apply the aids and do the progressively more difficult figures of basic dressage and your horse will be more responsive, listening to you and doing what you ask. Dressage isn't about tests, it's about intelligent, biomechanically sound training for use. And it definitely is for Walking Horses.
http://www.walkinonranch.com/media/6_2007_MNFS_Rev_7-07.wmv
Paso Finos make Gaited Dressage history
Copyright (C) 2006 - AmericanPasoFinos.com
It is no wonder the Paso Fino horse excels at this event. Dressage (French for “training”) refers to training a horse to be thoroughly supple, balanced, and responsive. This discipline consists of the rider using both natural and artificial aids to guide the horse through different movements ranging from simple school figures (circles and serpentines) to difficult lateral movements (half pass, canter pirouettes, etc.). When competing in this discipline, progress at different levels is based on both the rider's and horse's experience. Preliminary is the lowest level of competition, where the horse must know how to do simple figures at walk, trot and canter. The highest level in the competition scene is Grand Prix Special, where the horse must do very difficult movements with what may appear little or no effort by the rider. It can take over 8 years for a professional to train a horse to Grand Prix level.
Depending on the level of competition, the horse and rider are judged by one judge or a panel of judges on three simple criteria: suppleness, balance and responsiveness. Without mastering these skills, it is almost impossible to obtain a score of 8-10 on your movement. The essence of dressage is harmony between horse and rider. The horse and rider must form ‘one'. Without harmony, dressage is simply another equestrian discipline, however when there is harmony, dressage is in and of itself an art form.
There are two sizes of arenas used: small and standard. The small arena is 20 m by 40 m, and is used for the lower levels of dressage and three-day eventing dressage. The standard arena is 20 m by 60 m, and is used for upper-level tests in both dressage and eventing. Dressage arenas have a lettering system around the outside in the following order (clockwise) A-K-E-H-C-M-B-F (small arena) and A-K-V-E-S-H-C-M-R-B-P-F (standard arena). It is currently unknown who began the lettering system or why the arrangement was chosen. At the start of the test, the horse enters at A. There is always a judge sitting at C (although for upper-level competition, there are up to five judges at different places around the arena). There are also invisible letters along the centerline, D-X-G (small arena) and D-L-X-I-G (standard arena), X always being in the center of the dressage arena. The dressage arena also has a centerline (from A to C, going through X in the middle), as well as two quarter-lines (halfway between the centerline and long sides of each arena).
In the traditional dressage tests for non-gaited horses, levels are progressive, building on the training of the horse. The training scale and the qualities needed by the horse are emphasized as it works its way up the different levels. A horse at the lowest level of dressage would not be judged on its collection (a more advanced concept), but more emphasis would be placed in judging that the basics are solid: the horse has impulsion, is moving forward, starting to come up through its back, and is accepting the rider's aids. More advanced tests will ask that the horse be supple, asking for maneuvers such as shoulder-in, haunches-in, and half-pass. The horse will also be asked to lengthen the walk, trot, and canter, preparing it for the move advanced movements of extended trot (which requires more impulsion than lengthened trot). The tests are designed to build upon each other. If shortcuts are take at the lower levels (for example, the horse is being forced into a frame with its head pulled into the vertical position, rather than correctly ridden up through its back into the bridle), the errors in training will become readily apparent in the upper levels.
Until recently, Paso Finos who competed in dressage were required to trot and canter. The main differences in traditional dressage and gaited dressage for the Paso Finos are that they are asked to execute a corto and largo in place of trot and canter. Recently, South Carolina hosted its first gaited Dressage classes with Paso Finos judged in Paso Fino gaits at Jasmine Farms Easter Show held on April 1, 2006. There were only two gaited classes, but the Paso Finos dominated both of them. There were a total of 11 entries in the 2 classes, Preliminary A and B. Ten of the entries were Paso Finos and one was a Kentucky Mountain Horse. Stella Manberg-Wise was the first to enter the arena that drizzly morning. She rode Angelica Del Reino, who is the VERY last Favorito Que Tal foal to be born and carries 7/8 Colombian-1/8 Cuban in breeding. She and Angelica rode to victory in this class and Michele Klawitter placed second on a Colombian Paso Fino mare also owned by Stella, Rita de Trebol. The B preliminary test was won by Mike Prevatt on a pure Puerto Rican gelding.
Stella Manberg-Wise is a respected breeder and trainer. She has judged not only PFHA shows, but also non-PFHA pointed shows including some in Puerto Rico. She felt the best part about showing dressage for her, was that competitors got their class sheet back with not only the score, but the judges' comments on each different section of the test. The cards held positive comments as well as what could have been improved upon. At the bottom of each card, overall comments by the judge were made. Each entrant received the score card. The judge at this particular event was very willing to talk to those who asked how to improve for next time.
Gaited dressage for Paso Fino enthusiasts is no longer on the horizon, but is becoming more of a reality every day. Strides are made with each dressage event that is held which includes classes for gaited horses and their riders. Jasmine Farms plans to hold 3 more events which feature gaited classes this show season. This year there will be both a high point award and year-end circuit award presented. The South Carolina Dressage and Combined Training Association will also be presenting a state-wide high point gaited award. The show held by Jasmine Farms was the first time South Carolina has recognized gaited dressage. Not only are the extra classes very popular with the exhibitors, but the Paso Finos themselves have been very popular among the spectators.
It is no wonder the Paso Fino horse excels at this event. Dressage (French for “training”) refers to training a horse to be thoroughly supple, balanced, and responsive. This discipline consists of the rider using both natural and artificial aids to guide the horse through different movements ranging from simple school figures (circles and serpentines) to difficult lateral movements (half pass, canter pirouettes, etc.). When competing in this discipline, progress at different levels is based on both the rider's and horse's experience. Preliminary is the lowest level of competition, where the horse must know how to do simple figures at walk, trot and canter. The highest level in the competition scene is Grand Prix Special, where the horse must do very difficult movements with what may appear little or no effort by the rider. It can take over 8 years for a professional to train a horse to Grand Prix level.
Depending on the level of competition, the horse and rider are judged by one judge or a panel of judges on three simple criteria: suppleness, balance and responsiveness. Without mastering these skills, it is almost impossible to obtain a score of 8-10 on your movement. The essence of dressage is harmony between horse and rider. The horse and rider must form ‘one'. Without harmony, dressage is simply another equestrian discipline, however when there is harmony, dressage is in and of itself an art form.
There are two sizes of arenas used: small and standard. The small arena is 20 m by 40 m, and is used for the lower levels of dressage and three-day eventing dressage. The standard arena is 20 m by 60 m, and is used for upper-level tests in both dressage and eventing. Dressage arenas have a lettering system around the outside in the following order (clockwise) A-K-E-H-C-M-B-F (small arena) and A-K-V-E-S-H-C-M-R-B-P-F (standard arena). It is currently unknown who began the lettering system or why the arrangement was chosen. At the start of the test, the horse enters at A. There is always a judge sitting at C (although for upper-level competition, there are up to five judges at different places around the arena). There are also invisible letters along the centerline, D-X-G (small arena) and D-L-X-I-G (standard arena), X always being in the center of the dressage arena. The dressage arena also has a centerline (from A to C, going through X in the middle), as well as two quarter-lines (halfway between the centerline and long sides of each arena).
In the traditional dressage tests for non-gaited horses, levels are progressive, building on the training of the horse. The training scale and the qualities needed by the horse are emphasized as it works its way up the different levels. A horse at the lowest level of dressage would not be judged on its collection (a more advanced concept), but more emphasis would be placed in judging that the basics are solid: the horse has impulsion, is moving forward, starting to come up through its back, and is accepting the rider's aids. More advanced tests will ask that the horse be supple, asking for maneuvers such as shoulder-in, haunches-in, and half-pass. The horse will also be asked to lengthen the walk, trot, and canter, preparing it for the move advanced movements of extended trot (which requires more impulsion than lengthened trot). The tests are designed to build upon each other. If shortcuts are take at the lower levels (for example, the horse is being forced into a frame with its head pulled into the vertical position, rather than correctly ridden up through its back into the bridle), the errors in training will become readily apparent in the upper levels.
Until recently, Paso Finos who competed in dressage were required to trot and canter. The main differences in traditional dressage and gaited dressage for the Paso Finos are that they are asked to execute a corto and largo in place of trot and canter. Recently, South Carolina hosted its first gaited Dressage classes with Paso Finos judged in Paso Fino gaits at Jasmine Farms Easter Show held on April 1, 2006. There were only two gaited classes, but the Paso Finos dominated both of them. There were a total of 11 entries in the 2 classes, Preliminary A and B. Ten of the entries were Paso Finos and one was a Kentucky Mountain Horse. Stella Manberg-Wise was the first to enter the arena that drizzly morning. She rode Angelica Del Reino, who is the VERY last Favorito Que Tal foal to be born and carries 7/8 Colombian-1/8 Cuban in breeding. She and Angelica rode to victory in this class and Michele Klawitter placed second on a Colombian Paso Fino mare also owned by Stella, Rita de Trebol. The B preliminary test was won by Mike Prevatt on a pure Puerto Rican gelding.
Stella Manberg-Wise is a respected breeder and trainer. She has judged not only PFHA shows, but also non-PFHA pointed shows including some in Puerto Rico. She felt the best part about showing dressage for her, was that competitors got their class sheet back with not only the score, but the judges' comments on each different section of the test. The cards held positive comments as well as what could have been improved upon. At the bottom of each card, overall comments by the judge were made. Each entrant received the score card. The judge at this particular event was very willing to talk to those who asked how to improve for next time.
Gaited dressage for Paso Fino enthusiasts is no longer on the horizon, but is becoming more of a reality every day. Strides are made with each dressage event that is held which includes classes for gaited horses and their riders. Jasmine Farms plans to hold 3 more events which feature gaited classes this show season. This year there will be both a high point award and year-end circuit award presented. The South Carolina Dressage and Combined Training Association will also be presenting a state-wide high point gaited award. The show held by Jasmine Farms was the first time South Carolina has recognized gaited dressage. Not only are the extra classes very popular with the exhibitors, but the Paso Finos themselves have been very popular among the spectators.
7th Annual Evergreen Gaited Horse Classic - July 19-20, 2008
http://www.nwgaitedhorse.com/eghc.htm
The Northwest Gaited Horse Club puts on an annual all breed gaited horse show in July called the Evergreen Gaited Horse Classic (EGHC). This is a fun, easy going, educational weekend whether you choose to participate or just watch!
Puyallup Fair & Event Center, Puyallup WA
Classes for: Icelandics, Mountain Horses, Peruvians, Paso Finos, Gaited Morgans, and Tennessee Walkers along with a variety of open classes that all gaited breeds can participate in. If you are new to showing we also have schooling classes for novice riders and/or horses to learn first hand from the judge on how to improve with your horse. There is something fun here for everyone! Only flat shod or barefoot horses accepted.
Gaited Horse Breed Demonstrations!
Don't miss our popular Saturday evening breed demonstrations to watch each gaited breed perform a 5 minute demo showcasing their talent and versatility. Please email us if you are interested in riding your gaited horse in a breed demo!
Show Forms
* Show premium
* Class list
* Entry form
* Sponsorship form
* Vendor application
* Show flyer
* Show results (2007)
* Show results (2006)
* Spectator admission is free!
* Visit our sponsors!
Problems opening these files? Click to install free Adobe Acrobat Reader
Install free acrobat reader
A Unique Horse Show
Come join the fun! Our show gives riders and spectators the opportunity to learn about gaited horses by integrating schooling classes right into the show schedule. Novices take part in the show alongside the more experienced entries, but they are given lots of help and encouragement along the way. At the end of each schooling class the riders get immediate feedback from the judge. Riders and spectators learn what the judge was looking for and why the class was placed as it was. As the show progresses, spectators can clearly see improvements as riders applied the suggestions they receive from the judge.
Great Awards/Prizes! Photographer and Videographer Services!
Exhibitors receive awards for first place, championships, and Best of Show. Volunteers also receive free t-shirts and gift cards! We have an exciting addition to our show this year. Along with our show photographer, Jay Goss, we have “Fossil Productions” taking video’s of each class! Just think, you can have a DVD of you and your horse to watch again and again for years to come. Be sure to visit Fossil Productions vendor booth to make arrangements for individual recordings in a class as it is first come first serve.
Cookie Lee Jewelry displayGreat Vendors!
The Northwest Gaited Horse Club puts on an annual all breed gaited horse show in July called the Evergreen Gaited Horse Classic (EGHC). This is a fun, easy going, educational weekend whether you choose to participate or just watch!
Puyallup Fair & Event Center, Puyallup WA
Classes for: Icelandics, Mountain Horses, Peruvians, Paso Finos, Gaited Morgans, and Tennessee Walkers along with a variety of open classes that all gaited breeds can participate in. If you are new to showing we also have schooling classes for novice riders and/or horses to learn first hand from the judge on how to improve with your horse. There is something fun here for everyone! Only flat shod or barefoot horses accepted.
Gaited Horse Breed Demonstrations!
Don't miss our popular Saturday evening breed demonstrations to watch each gaited breed perform a 5 minute demo showcasing their talent and versatility. Please email us if you are interested in riding your gaited horse in a breed demo!
Show Forms
* Show premium
* Class list
* Entry form
* Sponsorship form
* Vendor application
* Show flyer
* Show results (2007)
* Show results (2006)
* Spectator admission is free!
* Visit our sponsors!
Problems opening these files? Click to install free Adobe Acrobat Reader
Install free acrobat reader
A Unique Horse Show
Come join the fun! Our show gives riders and spectators the opportunity to learn about gaited horses by integrating schooling classes right into the show schedule. Novices take part in the show alongside the more experienced entries, but they are given lots of help and encouragement along the way. At the end of each schooling class the riders get immediate feedback from the judge. Riders and spectators learn what the judge was looking for and why the class was placed as it was. As the show progresses, spectators can clearly see improvements as riders applied the suggestions they receive from the judge.
Great Awards/Prizes! Photographer and Videographer Services!
Exhibitors receive awards for first place, championships, and Best of Show. Volunteers also receive free t-shirts and gift cards! We have an exciting addition to our show this year. Along with our show photographer, Jay Goss, we have “Fossil Productions” taking video’s of each class! Just think, you can have a DVD of you and your horse to watch again and again for years to come. Be sure to visit Fossil Productions vendor booth to make arrangements for individual recordings in a class as it is first come first serve.
Cookie Lee Jewelry displayGreat Vendors!
Friday, February 1, 2008
Second Life
So you want to be a riding teacher?
Thirty-five years ago a mother told a horse-crazy 17 year old that she had a choice--Attend "horse college" or go on to get an education for a "REAL JOB". She humored me...we visited Meredith Manor, and a few other schools that featured riding teacher certification.
Long story short, I chose Penn State for pre-veterinary and tried out for the Equestrian team as a compromise. I wanted a real job.
I have not regretted the choice for one moment, because I have a great career as a teacher, I have a sizable retirement account, health insurance, raised a child, owned a home and have a great trailer-pullin truck.
Teaching riding has been my second life. Starting in 1979 I hung out a shingle after receiving training from NARHA through the Centre County 4-H. I was a leader back then, and every 4-H in PA created a "Riding for the Handicaped" program. I was part of developing the Bellefonte program that I believe is still going today at Nancy Meier's farm.
We were sent to Hershey Medical Center several times to receive training about anatomy, physical disabilities, and how to teach every type of rider. I learned so much about how the human body is moved by the horse, and that served me well in my second life career as a horsemanship teacher.
Could I make a living at it? I tried it for 5 years...sorta
I leased a 40 acre facility with an indoor arena in the Pacific Northwest. My revenue stream was pretty good. With boarding, training, lessons and clinics, I ran about 5 thousand through the barn each month. The tradeoff was leaving my REAL JOB at 2:30, heading to the barn, (I did not live there) teaching lessons until 8 PM,feeding, riding training horses until 11 PM, rushing home to greet my child, eating (sometimes), grading papers, and falling into bed. At 4 AM I jumped back into the truck, drove 10 miles to the barn, fed the horses, did chores, headed home, showered, and made it to work on time(most days unless the elk knocked down the fence or the water was frozen or I had a sick horse) to teach school and do it all over again.
I never really shook the notion that my Mother planted in my head that horses were a hobby, or at most, an avocation. I had been afraid to quit my day job.
Now I am in grad school, and seriously contemplating doing horses full time. As soon as I work how how to put money away for another 20 years for retirement and carry my own health insurance...I have the time to plan and think...
After 9 months teaching riding locally again, the client load is increasing by the day. And it is WINTER!!! If I only had an indoor arena.
I am relating all this because many young people want to become riding teachers....
An earlier posting, "Old Wine in New Bottles" discussed life as a riding teacher without certification, yet possessing a lifetime of horse experience and 3o years riding/training and teaching riding. Would you rather take lessons from a newly certified 25 year old or from a career teacher with so much experience in many areas or horsemanship?
I guess it is the same thing as having the PhD and people taking you seriously as a teacher educator, vs. presenting a 30 year career teaching many subjects, teaching youth and teachers, and having no one value that experience. Book lernin' vs. field experience? Big dilemma.
So, what I am saying is, if you have any aspirations to become an equine business operator, there are so many things to consider...
Maybe this article by Faith Meredith will help you to evaluate your qualifications and aspirations. She discusses what to look for in a riding teacher. This article presents very valid points. The "Certificate" does not reveal the answers to all the questions you should ask yourself before choosing a riding teacher. But that is a whole other discussion.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Why is 'Rollkur' Wrong? [2007] Robert Cook
Exerpt
Observations on the Report of the
FEI Veterinary and Dressage Committees' Workshop on 'The use of over-bending ("Rollkur") in FEI Competition,' January 2006. The practice of bit-induced over-bending is reviewed and evidence of its harm provided. Cruelty is defined as the infliction of avoidable pain and suffering. The anatomical, physiological, clinical and pathological evidence from many body systems indicates that over-bending is undoubtedly painful and undeniably avoidable. Even the standard use of a bit causes over 100 behavioral signs of pain and fear, and 40 different diseases. Over-bending is simply an extreme form of bit abuse. Such a painful training method transgresses the FEI guidelines on welfare and is incompatible with the physiology of exercise.The range of motion in flexion is equally great. A dressage horse with its nasal profile vertical to the ground obviously has a 90¼ nasal angle (45¼ of flexion based on jowl angle). Such a horse during a dressage performance is already experiencing a severe degree of airway obstruction at the level of the throat. An over-bent horse with its chin on its chest may have a nasal angle of 128¼ (75¼ of flexion - see Fig 14). Such a position is natural enough in a stationary horse, if only held fleetingly and entirely voluntarily. When artificially maintained for either short or long periods at the walk, trot and canter, such a horse is - as I shall show - being asphyxiated.
For more information about the way the headset affects the anatomy of the airway and its openness at the level of the throat, see Cook and Strasser (2003).
http://www.horsemanpro.com/correspondence/dressage-videos.htm
Let's Talk a Bit About Bits
There has been much attention of late to riding bridleless. I must say at the outset, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. Communicating with your horse without headgear is a technique that riders can use only when they learn to sit still at all gaits, learn to give the cue for any movement EXACTLY the same each time, and practice the maneuver hundreds, no, thousands of times.
I do want to have you think about the idea that less is more. Take for instance, the snaffle bit. What a mild, safe bit in the hands of novices and experienced riders alike. This is what we are led to believe. I would like to take this opportunity to say that this is NOT SO. Radiographic images of the horse's mouth show the following. click here
Let us examine the snaffle bit action on the horse's mouth. Click on the following excerpt from MC Diamond Ranch, tack sellers: http://www.mcdiamond.com/bitinformation.htm
There is a common myth that all bits with broken mouthpieces are snaffles and vice versa. Snaffles can be of "straight bar" design, such as with this old heavy horse driving bit. Additionally some leverage bits have broken mouthpieces and therefore are not snaffles.
Horses have a variety of differently shaped mouths. The mouthpiece needs to be long enough to fit in the horse's mouth without pinching the lips, but not overly long where it will shift back and forth excessively. Additionally, some horses have rather flat pallets and they may need a flatter profile, 3-piece mouthpiece (one where the bar is "broken" in two places).
The headstall should be adjusted so that the snaffle hangs comfortably in the horse's mouth, not so sloppy that it bumps the horse's teeth and not so tight that it applies uncomfortable pressure against the corners of the mouth. Generally if the snaffle pulls one to two mild wrinkles back against the corner of the mouth, the snaffle will maintain a comfortable position.
The part about the palate of the horse is an important detail most people overlook. It is necessary before choosing a bit to examine you horse's mouth and tongue and teeth. Often a horse that is having a hard time giving to the bit is actually in pain or discomfort. Take you snaffle bit and hold the mouthpiece in one hand, then putt on the bit rings with your other hand. As you will see, the mouthpiece turns into a V. the point of the V actually pokes into the palate or top of the horse's mouth. Although popular belief is that the snaffle actually works on the lips and tongue of the horse, the palate action is what makes the horse flex his head to get the pointy V off the palate.
How many of you have seen people pull hard on one rein and then the other (see saw) through the horse's mouth to get him to stop or give? Imagine running the snaffle joint rapidly across your lips and tongue with those jointed rings in the middle pinching your tongue. The bridleless people contend that without the bit, the horse is more relaxed and has less want to fight pressure. This much we know is true. Although I do not advocate everyone going bridleless, I do wish people would train a horse for the least stimulus needed and not run to grab a more severe bit when the horse is not responding. There is no substitute for using the release and learning timing to teach any horse to stop without the bit pressure. Watch Stacy Westfall in my previous post ride a reining pattern with no tack at all. Note that the horse is licking its lips, carrying its own head and stops with no pressure at all on the mouth. Now we know that a bit was used in the beginning, but now the reins do not need to be touched.
I was only able to muster up the courage to go bridleless with one horse I had in training. It is an awesome feeling to communicate with sign language, the seat and legs and weight cues. I have not had a horse long enough since then to try again until now. I bought a Kentucky Mountain horse who had probably been ill trained, then turned out as a brood mare. She is extremely afraid of any touch on the reins and will set her head in the bridle and run away. She has no turn or stop when she gets adrenalized like that, so I have my work cut out for me. The mare rides best with no saddle and with a side-pull or S-hackamore.
We work in the barn aisle or small enclosure and practice walking free headed, stopping and turning and stopping and turning. I am careful to only give pressure when I want to move the feet, or if it relates to what I want the feet to do.
I will talk more about that in my upcoming weekly series, "The Making of Molly", a video blog or vlog about how to start an older horse (17) under saddle for the first time. I hope to begin that series in March, as soon as I learn to make podcasts and use my new digital video camera.
But I digress. Back to a bit about bits. I will probably do a weekly "bit" on bitting choices and alternatives, so tune in every Monday. Next week: The Truth about TOM THUMB bits!!!
Freestle reining, no saddle no reins
This video is the ultimate illustration of what is possible when you believe in yourself and you develop the ultimate relationship with the horse. You won't believe what you see. It is inspiring!!
http://www.westfallhorsemanship.com/media/128do.wmv
Saturday, January 26, 2008
AHP Member Named Host of Equine Radio Show
Ft. Lauderdale, FL -- AHP member Audrey Pavia, a former editor of Horse Illustrated and author of "Horses for Dummies," has been named host of a 30-minute radio show called Horsing Around on PetLifeRadio.com. The show is available as a free download in iTunes, Odeo, Podcast Alley and on the PetLifeRadio.com website. Horsing Around is part of the PetLifeRadio.com network of fun and informative pet podcast network featuring the
country's top pet experts.
Horsing Around will cover just about everything on the subject of horses, including veterinary, training and breed topics. Each episode will feature a guest expert.
For more information about Horsing Around, contact audrey@petliferadio.com. To listen to the show, go to http://www.petliferadio.com and click on "Horsing Around."
country's top pet experts.
Horsing Around will cover just about everything on the subject of horses, including veterinary, training and breed topics. Each episode will feature a guest expert.
For more information about Horsing Around, contact audrey@petliferadio.com. To listen to the show, go to http://www.petliferadio.com and click on "Horsing Around."
Friday, January 25, 2008
South Seattle Saddle Club |Announces...
SOUTH SEATTLE SADDLE CLUB NEWS LETTER
January 2008
Happy New Year club members. I’d like to introduce myself for those of you who don’t know me already, I’m Lisa Michaud and I’m your new scribe for 2008. We have several things to discuss and some important changes coming for the club this year. The yearly dues are due now, however, it is no long necessary to include Washington State Horseman dues in your payment. Although WSH still exists a new division has been formed called the Patterned Speed Horse Association and club members can join that if they wish. Dues are $20 for a single member and $30 for a family.
Our first meeting of the year is this Monday, January 21. We will be discussing raising the dues. Our present plan is to raise dues for people who choose not to or cannot physically participate in working at the club. Over the years member participation in work parties and general maintenance for the grounds has been steadily declining and there are presently only a handful of people who regularly join in helping at keeping the grounds and clubhouse spruced up. The facility is in dire need of some “renovations.”
The grounds are being taken over by blackberries and weeds, the cook shack, clubhouse, and announcing building all need some serious construction repairs. The bathrooms are experiencing some ongoing plumbing problems. So we’ve decided since the problems are growing faster than the few of us can keep up, we need to hire some help to get the jobs done. That means we need to pay for it. We would strongly appreciate any input and ideas at the meeting this Monday. As we all know this club and its grounds are a sanctuary in the midst of development all around us and it deserves to be cared for.
We have our work parties every Saturday after the monthly meetings. Everyone of course is encouraged to attend, but we would like to invite anyone who has special skills or equipment to contact us about volunteering your time. We always have a good time! Our first work party this year will be the first Saturday after the February club meeting. That will be Saturday, February 23. We will have discussion at the February meeting about what needs to be done at that work party.
Another way to help the club and beef up the bank account is tell your friends to join! We welcome newcomers and look forward to new applications. Bring them to a meeting and introduce them.
NEWS LETTER CHANGES
As the new scribe I’d like to invite some participation. Feel free to email me with any news in your family, new babies, weddings, new foals, special awards, funny stories, successful hunting trips. I would also gladly welcome anyone who would like to contribute articles about a club association they’re involved in or maybe somebody has some interesting training tips. I thought we might also have a section for editorials about subjects appropriate to a horse club. Give me your ideas about making the news letter fun to read and informative.
Also tell us about any services you may have available or need such as bulldozing, horse training, boarding, babysitting, animal sitting, if you have anything for sale or are looking. Let’s communicate as horse and animal lovers and help each other out. This letter and the meetings are the best way to get to know each other and find out what’s going on in our lives. We also have several social events throughout the year, come and join us!
We’d also like to save some money and convenience by beginning to send the news letter out by email. Please email me your email addresses with the subject line saying SADDLE CLUB. I plan on attempting to update the website and posting some of your comments and possibly a classified section and special news, new pictures and general fun and entertainment. Those of you who don’t have email will still receive the letter by U.S. mail.
SHOW DATES
Some of the show dates are set for 2008 and will be discussed and announced at this Monday’s meeting. They will appear on the club’s website as well as the next news letter.
THANK YOUS
We’d like to thank Karina Sogge for the awesome Christmas party she made happen. We had great food and lots of fun. We appreciate all that she does especially with three young kids to run after! She even managed to persuade Mr. and Mrs. Claus to show up and hand out presents. We also thank them for coming so far, North Pole and all, but of course our club is sure to be one of the highlights for their holiday season.
A big thank you out to Jay Carterman and Local E of District 751 IAM & AW Boeing Machinists’ Union . They held a charitable event this past summer at SSSC to raise money for Guide Dogs of America and donated a much appreciated $500 to the club. The horse shoe tournament was lots of fun and we appreciate the care and respect they showed for our beautiful club grounds.
NEW BOARD MEMBERS
We have elected our new board members for 2008 and look forward to their contributions this year.
El Presidente: DOUG DESKINS BOARD MEMBERS:
Vice President: KATHY YOUNG NEIL MICHAUD
Treasurer: HELEN DAY TOM & TINA BROWN
Secretary: KARINA SOGGE DAVID BROWN
Scribe: LISA MICHAUD MARCI BROWN
Sergeant of Arms: ROBIN BROWN
HAPPY TRAILS
The club lost one of our most beloved members this past holiday season. Korvin Brown passed away at 71-years young. Korvin was a lifetime member of the club and by far one of the most active and helpful. He was always the first to suggest improvements for the club and the first to roll up his sleeves and get-er-done. SSSC and its members will truly suffer without his energetic contributions. Warm thoughts and prayers are in our hearts for his lovely wife Nilah and their six children and many grandchildren. Nilah, we look forward to seeing you soon at club functions.
Please let me hear from you and participate in enhancing the news letter.
Thank you, Lisa R. Michaud, Scribe
www.southseattlesaddleclub.org
SSSC P.O. Box 7
Maple Valley, Washington 98038
Board meeting begins at 6:45 p.m. General meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. the third Monday of every month.
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