This page is
devoted to the education of Horse People everywhere, in the hope that
one small thing learnt will improve the life of their horse.
If I 'get up your nose', ignore
it. I say things with a 'glint in the eye' and mean the best for you and
your horses.
** ALL PHOTOS ON THIS SITE ARE FREE TO USE.
Turn up the volume
One Week Average Hits:
January 2008 -
1,573,048
Ranked 4th in the World - Horse
Training.
3rd July, 2008
Mrs. HP is sitting
behind me talking to Holland whilst a Lesson is
going on and having her input. She can here the foot
falls of the Horse :)
STIFLE/PATELLA LOCK
I have updated
this article because of the number of people
enquiring about it of late and as usual, I can never
get to finish any article properly due to running.
Tonight, I want to talk about the fact that a fair
proportion of afflicted Horses, are not unsound in
the true sense of the word but unsound due to the
every day Riding not being perhaps correct enough.
Meaning that from a Dressage point of view, the
Horse may not be:
"Round
Over the back
engaged
loose
Bent in the way of travel
Flexed in the way of travel
straight
supple
correctly flexed
or ridden via the "German Training Scale"
Now, having said that and before I go on, I must say
that there are two styles of Riding.
Pleasure/Western loopy rein style and that can be
carried out all of the time or only for certain
paces. To save time then, go read this:
If a Horse is
prone to such afflictions, you can be almost sure
that incorrect Riding will bring the condition on or
compound it if already evident. That is of course
only if the Horse is
ridden mostly "with a contact"
Now, it matters
not to me how you ride. "On the Bit" or
"Western/pleasure" It is how we do it that is the
point about all of this. I am very thankful then to
have received these two videos today and I believe
that they are good examples of Ladies that have been
taught or elected to ride basically "English/Pony
Club" style but in both videos, the style of the
Riding can only compound so called Veterinary
symptoms or cause problems over time.
REHABILITATION
Veterinary
Surgeons often prescribe sustained lunging in soft
sand of affected Horses in the hope that the
longitudinal muscles of the Horse and in particular
the driving muscles will be built up and support the
Patella area or others, thus fixing the symptoms.
That is true and I can attest to the fact that this
procedure does work but only if:
The Owner
puts in the hard yards and is vigilant about the
efforts.
That the
Horse is worked in preferably 'Running Reins" or
similar.
That EVERY
TIME the Horse is ridden so called "On the Bit"
that it is not "Above the Bit" and that it
passes the tests outlined above.
Then,
rehabilitation will take place in virtually all
cases where no primary cause such as Bone Chips,
incorrect shoeing or trimming angles and so on.
My thanks to the
lovely Ladies here and I do hope they see this as
being educational to the masses, the vast majority
who ride like us middle aged and slightly fitness
challenged Folk out there. Just like me :)
******************
LETTER OF THE DAY
REARING BREAKER
Hi John,
Just wanting to update you on "-----" - the chestnut
rearer.
Ihad her teeth done on Monday and the dentist seemed
to think that they were in pretty good order. I plan
to give her off until monday, do you think that i
should go ahead with a few days of riding in halter
still or just get to and re mouth her so to speak?
Thankyou for your help on Sunday, it made sense and
hekped me out a lot, not only with this horse but
many others aswell, i look forward to seeing more of
your work in the future.
Kind regards
Hi Michael. I am
going to answer you here so that I save time and can
educate or at least make people reflect.
I have spent time
since the Clinic, reflecting on your Horse and here
is what I would be doing.
Mouth the
Horse to the Rope Halter for a session to
improve the lateral lightness in it.
Ride a couple
of days in the rope Halter, loopy reins, just
direct one rein or the other. Forward, trail
riding, have fun. Lot's of stop goes but not
official training one's, just for reasons. Log,
rabbit burrow and so on.
Allow the
Horse to feed in the Bridle and Bit.
Then Re-Mouth
laterally but not front.
Then
introduce running reins, correctly, slowly but
so that the Horse completely accepts them and
will go around "Behind the Bit"
Then
officially train the back up from the ground.
Use the various systems I spoke about.
Then
introduce the Bridle, with the Bit I had there
and with much sophistication, train the back up
with the Bridle as per my comments there the
other day and Fred's system.
Then go trail
riding with the Bridle.
Only to the
arena when sure problems are solvered.
any rear, you
must be ready with that glove.
Regards
***************
LETTERS OF THE DAY
Hi John & Linda,
Wow - I thought I would give you a few days before
writing to express my thanks and awe at the Perth
Clinic - but I should have realised you never stop
for a break !!
I came up from Albany for the two days worth and it
was well worth the trip. I have learned so much and
had a number of lightbulb moments... my horses
better look out - they may not recognise me now!!
Many thanks for taking the trek - you have truly
made a difference I believe, to the way I will do my
horse stuff, and at a guess its the same with many
others that were there.
A note of recognition for Fred and Rachel - lovely
people and that little brumby was such a good
advertisement for their training methods... he stole
my heart and if he ever needs a home, I'm sure I
could fit him into my paddocks.
Thanks to Linda I now realise that the little rocket
ship I ride is "forward", and since forward is
everything.. I have everything !! Just got to tweak
the direction its going !!
Cheers again John... keep up the work - you are
making a difference and we so appreciate it!
Donna
Thanks Donna. Best
of Luck.
***************
hello didnt get to your clinic in
perth would of loved too. sounds like it was a great
time by all. i dont normally ask this but of the
people who went to the perth clinic is their anyone
wanting a very stunning stb 10yr old mare.good to do
things with has raced.details on my email if anyone
keen online@iinet.net.au she deserves nothing but
the best of homes. thank you for your help in this
matter janet
**********
Hello,
I have a 9yo TB gelding and have owned him for about
a year and ride him 4 times a week and compete every
weekend but he is always grumpy. He always puts his
ears back at me and never wants to be caught and
runs away with his ears back. Does he hate me?
I dont spoilt him or annoy him, just treat him like
a normal horse. Feed him twice a day, ride him and
leave him alone in between. I just cant work out why
he would hate me so much, i really look after him
and give him a good home. He has never actually
bitten or kicked me and I'm not sure if he actually
would but i dont really want it to get to that
point.
Is there anything i can do, is there some sort of
Natural horsemanship course i can do to improve our
relationship cause he is an awesome horse to ride i
just wish we had more of a friendship : (
Look forward to hearing from you,
Nicole
I know what you
you are talking about Nicole. Not your fault but his
past life and most probably the Racing life. He has
shut down like a broken spirited Horse and I doubt
if he will change a lot. Only time, lot's of it, can
heal them gradually but don't look forward to big
improvements. If you need interaction (which I
prefer) sell him and buy another. Regards
++++++++++++++
Hi i have a pony that is terrified
of the clippers i tried everything you suggested and
not one worked i have a great area for tying up
tried EVERYTING you suggested it did not work not
the twitch nothing in the end went to vets got a
sedtion paste and it worked wonders just enough to
take the edge of in the end it was well and truely
worn of and she was no longer scared but it took
this to get her to realise that they were not going
to kill her, i know she has not had a bad experience
as i have owned her from a foal and broke her in
myself she has never been anywhere else just with
me, so what i want to know is do you have any ideas
or a horse/pony as terrified as what she was did i
do the right thing? Please bear in mind i did not re
paste her up at all just the first dose and then it
wore of she was fine.
Look forward to any ideas you may have
Thanks
Like with every
principal and system ever invented, there comes a
time where some will or won't work on a particular
Horse on a given day. In general, Drugs are not a
teaching tool but I can fully accept your outcome
and understand it. That is what that Horse needed at
that time. Like I was saying last night to the Lass
comparing me to other Trainers, be prepared to
change and change within change. You will find out
next time how much of the lesson was learnt or not
learnt so stick with it even as an experiment.
Otherwise, you won't ever find out :) Regards
***************
I am new to your site,and have
found if fantastic its so helpful.I have just
watched your clip first ride of the trotting
horse,with a lot of interest.I am hoping you can
answer a few points im not shore about,I have a
pacer here that I am caring for she had a leg injury
and belongs to a owner that races and breeds
them.There is something about this mare that I
love,she wont race again.I would like to brake her
to saddle she's 5yo not as quite as some of the SB
ive cared for,I am a sensible responsible person but
I only ride for pleasure have done so for 30years.I
have saddled up this mare with no problems checked
the searing and brakes I see no problem,except when
I stand in the strip she gets a fright puts head up
,tryst to move off I have tried standing in the
strip up then down like on your clip but she is
still a bit wary.Is this normal with some.Do you
have any suggestions about this or do people just
get on.I am only asking for your opinion I will only
do what I feel is safe.It is not a option to send
her out to a braker I would like to do this myself
or sadly she will go possibly to the market. Please
Replay Jill
If you look
closely Jill, that one in the Pod Cast was just as
frightened. The difference may be just my vibes
versus your vibes as I have non :) If you need,
throw a set of hobbles on her and that will give you
the mental edge over yourself lol and that will help
the Horse. Then get on/off/on/off and mount up the
next day and ride off but be in a small yard of
course. Regards
*******
agghhr! disregard that last
message cos u did indeed reply. Sorry about that.
No, I was not trying to pidgeon-hole you at all,
just an insight was all I was after. I, again, wish
you weren't so far away cos, yes, I seem to be
attracted to problem horses and your responses are
often very similar to what heath harris is now
teaching me so I am dreadfully keen to learn more. I
disagree that you (ryan, mclean, etc) all come from
the same cloth, you often contradict each other,
wherein lies the amateur's problem: how to
disseminate the information! still, we try, and we
thank you for your time and effort. PLEASE come to
NSW. Surely Linda wants to do the CDI? Time it with
a clinic and you can write it off to tax. I am a
pr/photo team and can help you in that regard if
you're seriously interested, cos I'm sure there are
people here who are. CDI is in May. nationals are
october, which you must know. Has Linda qualified
for nationals? Write the trip off by adding a clinic
and add in a photo shoot and PR. easy peasy. Contact
details are Kirsten Stoop at Peter Stoop Photography
0401 196 544. Obviously I don't need to tell you
this isn't a general post-it??
We may but we may
not :) That depends. I don't go about glossing
things to package them in Public Respectability of
the New Age where as a lot of the others are
Diplomats. Behind closed Doors, I bet we would not
be far apart. Andrew McLean however, is light years
apart. He is from the Tom Roberts system which none
of the others followed. Don't worry, we all know it
but we have no need for it. Regards
*************
hi there
i just wanted to say thanks...you know i havent met
you or even spoke to you but i know you have changed
my life - i read every article on your website the
last few days - i was so pumped after having so many
problems on my horse i couldnt wait to give it a go
- cause it is so wet i only have a round yard during
week but boy he was so different tonight it was
unbelievable!!! he was more responsive and more
foward and i had fun riding (which i havent in quite
some time)
so thanks...only up from here
thanks kel
xx
************
2nd
July, 2008
What a shamozzle my inbox has been after getting
home and trying to transfer it all from the laptop.
Never mind, the flight went well and Horse Deals
magazine lasted precisely from take off to landing
:)
I won't go into my many reflections tonight as I
won't get my letters done if I do so until tomorrow
night....
***************
PERTH
CLINIC
LETTERS
Hi
John
Loved the Perth clinic. You and Linda are great and
I sure hope you were joking that it was your last
visit here before you stop riding. To even think
such a thing!! :)
I went home at the end of each day completely
exhausted and that was just from watching so I can
only imagine what you guys felt like. But I
thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and look
forward to seeing you again.
Thanks also for your positive feedback on my saddle
:)
Sue
Thanks Sue. I didn't realize who you were by name
until I saw your email just now :) Sorry. Hope the
Saddle goes well. Was comfy.
**************
Hi
John,
Lisa from Geraldton here. I've been flat out lately
and haven't had a lot of time to read your pages,
but will sometimes skim through. I did read about
your Perth Clinic.....so jealous coz I couldn't get
there this time....., and after reading your opening
on 30th June, I thought perhaps it didn't go so
well. But then reading further on and seeing the
letters you have received from people who were
there, it sounds like it was a complete success. So
typical of you and Linda to get people to tune into
you in absolute awe....You certainly have a knack!
Anyway well done to all of you and Fred and Rachel
as well. Now to my question, I read somewhere, and
please tell me if I'm wrong, that someone said "all
the best in your retirement". Is it true? What are
you retiring from....please tell me you will still
be here for all us inexperienced and avid
readers!!!!! Thats my dribble, just wanted to touch
base with you guys. By the way, my youngest welshie
has founder. Such a sad illness, but she is slowly
on the mend, thankfully. I'm just not having alot of
luck with horses, since my return to them 3 years
ago....but I will keep on persisting! Its a sickness
I have.....the love of horsies!
See ya.
No Lisa, just retiring from WA because all of the
other States have taken advantage of my weakness :)
and I need to get back to DVD production on some
very important subjects. The weekend was terrific.
I'll write more about it tomorrow night. x
***************
Hi
John and Linda,
I just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to
come to WA for the clinic! I LOVED it, had a great
day and learnt heaps.
I know it must have been tough for you both to get
out and assess horses with such a limited amount of
time but I think everyone benefited from your advice
and even the smallest bit of knowledge that you can
impart on an individual can make a big difference. I
know I definitely had a light bulb moment. Linda’s
instruction was fantastic for me and she picked all
the areas perfectly that I had been struggling with
and explained them in an honest no nonsense manner,
there are far too many people in the industry
blowing their own trumpets and not worrying about
just getting on with the job and hand. I can’t wait
to start working and hopefully improving on some of
the problems that I have been having.
Fred, Rachel,
You guys are the best! Thanks again for the work you
have done with Speedy and I promise I’ll be coming
up for a visit soon and you can see how much better
Speedy has gotten with his float loading and
hopefully me with my riding J
Kind Regards
Thanks so much. I loved the Blonde :)
******************
LETTERS OF THE DAY
G'day
John,
This is a link to a video doing the rounds at the
moment. What could they have done to a horse to make
it want to do this to itself?
Regards,
Chris
The mind boggles Chris. I have met 3 of those in my
career and I haven't forgotten any of them.
Especially one. We had a Grand Father walk in our
front gate many years ago and wanted a nice quiet
Horse for his Grand Daughter at Cape Jervis. We
offered him one for $700 back then. A week later, we
were at what used to be the Monthly dispersal sales
at the Abattoirs in Adelaide. We saw him in the
Crowd and he bid and purchased a Horse for $180. The
Float Park was made of Flag Stones 100 year old. The
Horse reared over, smashing it's head like that 3
times. The blood was everywhere. In the end, it
staggered in and away he went to Cape Jervis .
Regards
Hi John,
Hubby and I have been despairing over the current
price of diesel and using our 4wd for all the around
town jobs as well as towing. We've starting thinking
seriously of going down the path of small car (for
the shopping and town jobs) and a truck instead. Any
thoughts on this?
I am very happy with the float I have currently (has
anti scramble sides, tail gate wider than back, no
back leg strut to the floor and well above height -
manufacturers were very accommodating with my many
requests). Any advice would be appreciated on the
plusses and minuses of each.
Have fun in Perth. Any chance of having a summer
break down in Tassie and doing a clinic here? It'd
give you a chance to escape the SA summer heat!
Thanks
Merry
Yes Merry. Tassie is on the list. Horses like Trucks
better than Floats. What more can I say? :) Regards
************
Hi John
I have a suggestion that may help Leesa and her
phone issues. Perhaps she could put the phone on
vibrate (no ring) so that she knows it is ringing
but it doesn't scare the horse?
K
Lol K. I still haven't forgotten that email :)
Hahaha. Bolted past what markers were they again ?
LOl Now we have the vibratory experience. The mind
boggles :)
***************
From what
I can gather, some time ago a stallion called
Cambridge was put down at Werribee (VIC) after going
through a painful bout of laminitis. Apparently
media and RSPCA were involved. There were 2 sisters
who owned these stallions.
It now seems these sisters are back in business and
have a new website. I don't know anything about
them, nor was involved in the original issue, but
after watching their videos I can see absolutely no
benefit from their training methods. If it was my
horse they were doing that to, he would have booted
them within 5mins. The constant whacking with the
stick must drive them mad, also looks like she gives
them one over the nose, but can't quite see?
Most people are quite upset these sisters are still
around and still in the horse business. A lot of
others are trying to open everyones eyes to who they
are and what they are like so people don't get
caught up with them.
I certainly won't be recommending their training
methods.
Thanks
Carissa
I don't know if it is them or not Carissa but I do
remember the case well. It was an appalling case of
cruelty and of pathetic lack of action of the RSPCA.
In fact, there was such an uproar that the new Govt
Guidelines in the pipeline now are as a result of
it. So I don't know who the people featuring on this
website are but after looking at the video's, it is
not a method I would adopt. Regards
Just in regards to the above comment. It may have
seemed a poor lack of action from the RSPCA, but in
actual fact the RSPCA are unable to do a thing if
they are not there to witness it. If (or probably
when) they answered a call to cruelty and arrived on
the scene, these people could of said that the horse
hurt its self in the stables or in the paddock. And
if the horses are in good condition we need to give
them the benefit of doubt. We are (like many other
people) trapped by policies and procedures that need
to be followed. Calling the RSPCA pathetic, while
they do so much good out in the community that is
pathetic. It amazes me that people always see the
bad (re: lack of action), and not the good...
Lisa
Yes Lisa, I remember the case well and watched it
with interest. I am sorry but in that case, they
failed the Horse. Regards
********************
STIFLE
LOCK
Dear John
We have been watching your videos and reading your
web pages in particularly on the subject of lameness
and the hind leg / stifle with great interest.
We would like to get some advise from you as to what
are the best investigative approaches to perform
ourselves and with our vet. Vets in the UK tend to
have a habit of steaming down expensive routes first
as we all tend to have our horses insured for
veterinary treatments, whilst we have cover for
£5000 of fees we want to ensure it is used
effectively.
A little bit about my boyfriend - he is a qualified
trainer with 30 years experience in competing and
horsemanship so rides and teaches his client with
straightness, flexion and getting the horse to work
from behind.
We have a horse - Dutch Warmblood who is turning
eight years old. A show jumper by trade.
Progressively his hind legs are locking more and
more from standstill to shuffling around his stable
or if being asked from the ground to move gently out
of the way backwards or to the side.
Under saddle he is always resisting a contact by
leaning on the bit and falling on the forehand.
In walk on a contact he frequently shortens with his
off hind showing a large step, small step pattern -
a bit like the third video on your webpage.
In trot he is relatively straight and the shortness
becomes less apparent. If allowed he will go back
into the large, short, large pattern however when
you do get straightness is subsides.
In canter he has a rocking horse action generally
only on the left leading rein.
When out of the saddle in the field (he gets daily
turnout - stabled at night) he will shows signs of
locking up which he clicks out of when he moves
forward when grazing.
Conformation wise he his neck could be viewed either
as slightly short (has to spread his front legs to
nibble grass) or a little tight.
He easily gets stressed and to evade when being
asked to soften and work he occassionally throws his
head and does a mini rear - taking his front legs of
the ground all of six inches or so.
He is a great person and naturally not a nasty horse
so we see this as him telling us it is hard /
painful for him to yield.
When we go to groom him he begins small snorts
(clearing nose type of thing) again we see this as
mild stress signs.
When out trail riding a couple of times a week we
ride on the buckle - no signs of shortness
Could we have some thoughts of yours on the
approaches to take?
We will film some of the above and send to you so
you can see it for yourself.
Kindest regards and we look forward to your
help/advice.
I forget if those pages talk about treatments or not
(my website is too big for me ) :) Read this
letter below of tonight though. Put the Horse on
Youtube for us. I have updated that page for you.
Regards
Hi HP,
Just reading your article and thought I might be
able to bring some new light onto the subject. And
considering that it is such a big problem.
Our vet in Qld, Nathan Anthony, offers a procedure
which has a great success in treating locking
patella ligaments without cutting the ligaments. And
it would seem that it’s not yet well known of yet.
The horse goes under and has 10 or 12 small cuts
made to the ligament fibres. This creates
inflammation to the ligament, which is very
desirable, and during the healing process causes the
ligament to tighten.
This procedure has been practised for about 5 years
overseas with standard bred horses, and with our vet
in Australia for about 2. In the 2 years Nathan has
had a 98% success rate. There has been absolutely no
adverse affect as with cutting the whole ligament
which can cause scarring when it reattaches, which
it can over time.
Our horse has only recently been treated, cost was $
1000 and we’re very hopeful of another good result.
I thought this info might interest you. If not, no
harm done.
Kathleen
Thanks Kathleen. Right on time :) Read this:
Dear Mr.
O'Leary,
I rang & spoke to you about 3 weeks ago about my
mare & what appears to be a badly locking off-side
hind stifle problem. My name is Jean & I live at
------, I don't know if you remember my call but I
took your advice & had both stifles x-rayed by Dr.
Harry Fraufelder at Hahndorf. Both legs x-rayed ok &
there are no bone chips etc. Harry injected the
off-side hind stifle & said to give this a go & put
her on bute for 3 weeks & I was told to work her to
try to build the hind up.
All of this has been to no avail & the problem is
still very much there. I will be speaking to Dr.
Harry soon to let him know the outcome & we had
discussed possible surgery if there was no
improvement. He said that he would operate on the
offside & it was possible the near side may
eventually have to be done as well.
My question for you is in your experience is there a
reasonable success rate with this operation? What
work do you have to give the horse after the
operation in terms of recovery to full motion?
I attach a few short clips of video, (sorry but not
very good camera work & I had to get a girlfriend to
ride her who is not very experienced), is it
possible you could look at these short clips & just
email back that a locking stifle is what i am
looking at, as I have no experience with this
condition whatsoever.
Many many thanks for your advice over the phone & I
hope you will not be offended by my asking your
advice, I have been at my wits end until I came
across your website.
Kind Regards,
Jean
Hi Jean,
The video is poor and the camera person needs to
stand outside the arena to take away the background
spinning. We can see the issue though and meet many
of these.
I will give you three pieces of information that, if
you do these, you may find the problem gone.
1. Get the Horse Fitter.
2. Trim the Horse down a bit which of course point 1
will do.
3 The Horse must be ridden round, not 'above the
bit" The rider needs that knowledge for at the
moment, the Horse's muscle tone required to fix the
problem is being undone rather than improved.
4. Lunging the Horse with running reins on when
lunging so that the Horse is ROUND and building the
muscles required to support the problem.
5. The Rider needs to gain an independent seat, have
the legs stay still and become more balanced to
assist the Horse.
6. Harry would have said lunging in thick sand and
that is fine.
I think the Mare is straight behind so the muscle
tone HAS TO BE well prepared and the Horse has to be
ridden correctly from a Dressage perspective. Often,
when you ride them correctly all of a sudden, they
become worse but in your case, the Horse is already
exhibiting the symptoms. If a Horse is to be fixed
by CORRECT WORK, the long term will do it and does
do it in many cases, as the Vet said. There is no
substitute for CORRECTNESS though!!!!!!!
regards
******************
Hi John
I can highly recommend the book "Traditional
Australian Horsemanship" by J F (Bruce) Simpson who
was a ringer, horse tailer and drover in the outback
from the 1940's until the 1960's. At just over 100
pages with terrific old black and white photos, it
is an easy read and well worth the effort.
Bruce's knowledge and experience is just as relevant
to today's horsepeople as it was in the days
when horses where relied upon as valued
workmates. He even shares his thoughts on "new
theories on training" and his dry wit and down to
earth manner had me in stitches. I borrowed the book
from my local library and it is still available to
buy - just search under the title on the internet.
Regards
Madam Vet
Thanks
Madam. When I retire, I will read that :) Others
will no doubt though. At work most likely lol
**************
hello
there
my horse is a 8 yeard old warmblood stock horse
cross 16.1 hh - i am a 30yr old rider who has mainly
hacked about - can ride but only prelim type stuff -
nothing speccy - bought a more experienced horse so
i can concentrate on working out how to push buttons
- i have only had him 3-4 months and purchased him
from east
he is very sweet but of course usually storey -
sweet as pie when i flew east to ride him for a week
and fantastic and forward for the experienced people
over there but when i got him home i now have a
problem with him shying a little - perhaps not
trusting me (or a little overfeeding to start with
as he dropped so much weight coming over) or a
combination and a huge problem of him not respecting
my leg at all
i know he is trying to tell me something...i have
had him looked over by vet, bowen person and saddle
fitter along with 2 different vets for teeth and
every seems to be ok - he walks lovely and in a
lovely frame but when i ask for trott he shakes his
head at me and lacks desire to go forward even when
made - clearly doing something wrong or a
combination of inexperienced rider and experienced
horse trying me out
i realise they are major issues but other then that
i think he is so sweet and really want to persist
and make it happen - usual saga here - i am in
boyanup (sw of WA - near margaret river area) and
cant get a coach - or perhaps one that will teach me
not to yank on horses mouth...
i had a hell of a time lunging him when i first got him - which wasnt a
problem also when he was over east - he would shy
and buck like anything - but feel that we have
nailed that now and he is very responsive and good
on lunge and i have persisted and he has been foot
perfect for a few weeks now
sorry i have baffled so much and i know you are so
busy but would love you to point me please in my dvd
purchase
regards and thanks
kellie
Hi Kellie, sorry you didn't find out about the
Clinic until the day after we finished :) There were
other Horses there that fitted your exact
description and plenty of video was taken by people.
You may be lucky if you contact Kelly my Secretary
in Perth. She could tell you who owned them.
I warn you however, to take your Horse on sooner
rather than later as you are being assessed right at
this moment and every day is crucial, or you may get
bucked off. For that is what they end up doing if
allowed to go on with their probing process on you
for long. He has to be taken on, now, and put right
back to where he was b4 you purchased him. Mrs. HP
rode much pig rooting and rear end kicking to the
sky in Perth and they all responded and were back on
the track of lightness. Regards
******************
Hey there
John,
If you could put yourself on a par or in relation
to, any other Australian trainer of your similarity,
who would u say?
Keep in mind what you have said previously re:
Equitana challenge etc. I believe the internet-savvy
equestrian world of today is in touch with all who
is out there in this wide brown land across many
disciplines ... Guy McLean is a legend of the
bitless, bridleless (our Aussie Stacey Westfall
perhaps), Steve Jefferies (if you want theatrics)
carries a different mantle than Heath Ryan (pity
those with the "housewife trot").
I don't know much about campdrafters cos I can't
mention a name but there's Andrew McLean when it
comes to psychology, Richard Weiss when it's about
seat and position and lots of experts whose names
appear in THM when it comes to jumping. (hehe)
I am thinking you're on a par with Heath Harris,
cept you're not in the movie business. The time he
devotes to moves, you spend on the internet! What
are your thoughts? Harris and u are soooo similar on
traditional horsemanship. (This is not advice, cos I
know u give that free, 28 hours a week!!)
cheers kirsten
Heath, Steve Brady, Steve Jeffreys and I all came
from the same roots. None of us are the same however
and nor should we be if any were much good. I will
adapt to any Horse and any system on the Planet, in
a flash and invent many others that no-one else even
knows about, depending upon the Horse. Problem
Horses insist upon that. You will have great
difficulty pigeon holing me if you see me :) Regards
*******************
Hi John
I stumbled across your web site while
trying to find a photo of a horsefloat
like the one I'm going to look at this sunday!
That was at about 8pm its now 11 pm!
Ive been watching your videos and reading all about
your comments on floats !!!
Now I;m not sure if i even want this float LOL
It certainly has a lot of things wrong with it that
I really
didnt think of. I'll attach a couple of pics.
It is a triple straight load and the reason I'm
interested
in it is because I prefer to travel 2 horses with
more room
than a normal double. You mention about the center
divider
shouldnt really have a leg at the back...if it didnt
have a leg
how would it stay up in the air? lol
Also my daughter is breaking in her filly (rising2)
herself.
This will be the first time for her. So I would be
very interested
in purchasing your dvd about mouthing.
Could you please let me know about that and if
possible could
you PLEASE check out the pics of the float I'm
looking at and
advise me on the things I may not have noticed?
I have noticed we will need to fill in the drawer
bar, and make the tie
up points higher and maybe change the back latches,
but what else am
I missing?
Cheers Fiona
There you go Fiona. Regards
Needs
running boards fill in forward and aft of mudguardThe
bum bars are too narrow and would slice the back of
a horse when it run underneath it.
*********************
1st
July, 2008
PERTH
CLINIC
There were many more Horses there of course, and one
of them was brought along as an example of the
Breaking in job of my Apprentice, Fred Watkins. The
information about this horse appears below but 12
months ago, completely feral, he was broken in
briefly (12 days) and tipped out in the paddock as
he was found to be fairly young when they eventually
got near him to find out his age.
He was not ridden since. He was tested in the Round
Pen and then Mrs. HP was thrown aboard him for a
test ride where she finished cantering him for the
first time. He was a darling and I was surprised on
how the "Wild Horse Syndrome" had gone. He should
throw Kids Horses and give them a break from
slippery little suckers called Riding Pony and put a
few brains and bone back into the system where they
have evolved to be mini scatty Thoroughbreds in too
many cases for Kids.
Hi John
and Linda,
Here is some info about little Tom Thumb. I thought
you could pull out what you think is most relevant
to put on your website.
Fred and I had a ball over the weekend. Once again,
thanks so much for giving Fred the opportunity to
work with you both. He loved it, learnt heaps
We were straight back into work yesterday
Talk soon, Rach and Fred Watkins. Here is the Tom Tom info.
The Gunnadorrah Station Rescue
Station History & Rescue Overview
Started by the Day family, Gunnadorrah Station, east
of Kalgoorlie, is owned by people who breed the
mixture of old and new bloodline horses for petmeat
and for the Japanese meat market.
The OHHAWA accepts absolutely that this is a
legitimate business. Horses, like cattle, are bred
in many countries for human consumption and as
petmeat.
The heritage horses on the property were/are thought
to be from the Kidman line and appear to be a
mixture of British pony and pintos (pintos being
coloured horses without Quarter Horse breed
influence - paints are coloured horses containing
Quarter Horse bloodlines), as well as Arabian and
old bloodline Thoroughbreds. These horses were/are
unusual colours – including solid coloured and grey
tobianos – and dilute colours including bay silvers,
silver dapples (steel grey body, snow white mane and
tail), liver chestnuts (filly born liver chestnut
with blue grey eyes, later greyed out), chestnuts
with black manes and tails, unusual grey variants,
etc...in addition to a number of prettily marked
bays and possibly blacks.
Anecdotal evidence gathered by Dr Sheila Greenwell
indicates that the pintos on the station are
descendants of horses related to the Queen’s old
part draught pinto drum horse “Cicero”.
Modern Thoroughbreds and associated influence was
also seen in a few of the horses – these horses
were/are mainly blacks and chestnuts.
The majority of horses were/are light boned and
between 13.1hh – 15hh.
Due to several years of drought and the resultant
poor condition of some stock, the station owners
decided on a mass cull of horses in 2006.
Dr Sheila Greenwell and associates heard about the
impending cull and offered to go to the station and
purchase as many horses as they could manage for
petmeat prices.
We are sincerely grateful to the station owners for
agreeing to and allowing the two resultant trips and
rescue of horses.
SIDNEY KIDMAN
By the time he died, Sir Sidney Kidman was a Knight
who owned or part-owned 90 stations with an area
around the size of England, Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland put together, about 3.5% of the
Australian continent.
Today, S. Kidman & Co. is Australia's second largest
private landowner with more than 12 million hectares
of pastoral leases and agricultural holdings in
Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria,
Northern Territory and Queensland.
"Taking care of the little things" had paid off.
Unspoiled by success, Sid Kidman never forgot his
humble background. He gave a lot of money away to
support up-and-coming young people, outback
communities, the Inland Mission, and in World War I
he donated wool, meat, horses, ambulances and even
fighter planes to the government.
The descendants of the Kidman horses are today
believed to be some of the best old bloodline horses
in Australia.
Photos at right taken on station, also photos of
rescued horses...many of the rescued Gunnadorrah
horses are today under saddle and are healthy,
contented animals providing much pleasure to their
owners...
Dr Sheila Greenwell with "Gunndaorrah Tom Thumb",
the 3yo silver dapple stallion she retained
following the rescue. Tom Thumb will stand at stud
in 2007 - his first season.
**************
THE REARER
There were other
Horses there of course, lost track by now so appols.
One was a very interesting case for me and one that
I enjoyed getting my brain around.
It involved a
Warmblood Filly that is currently being broken in by
another Breaker and my congratulations to him r
being "Big Hearted" and seeking advice under such
Public circumstances. She started well but after a
few rides and when a little collection was asked
for, she began rearing and badly. Planting the feet
and going up and even gaining a new technique of
flexing to the direction that she knew the Trainer
ha been attempting to dis-engage her hindquarters
and rearing whilst flexed.
WARNING
The One Rein Stop
should NEVER be used on Rearers!!
Anyhow, lovely
Filly, obviously pretty quiet so I asked if her
teeth had been done. In fact she was booked n for
the following day and the Trainer had checked her
teeth by hand and found them not too bad. Very handy
to have our friendly Horse Dentist on Board and he
checked her to find she had lost at least three caps
during the Breaking in and, something of course that
the Breaker wouldn't have expected.
MOUTHING 2 AND
3 YEAR OLDS
This is a game
that takes much observation and checking of their
Mouth during the process as things can change
en-route, which had obviously happened here. Anyhow,
I can't begine to write all that we discovered here
but I rode her in a rope Halter to have her tell me
things.
Anyhow, to cut a long
story short, she is having her teeth done yesterday,
one week off, then ridden in a rope Halter for a few
days, then wear a bridle to eat for a couple of
days, then re-mouth her, then see if the trust is
back, plus much more. Note the "upwardly mobile
mind" Yes she did have one shot with me.
LETTERS from perth
Hi John,
Thank you so much for all you help with the kids.
Amazing to see the cowboy ride dressage........you
should do it more often. I can send you Maddy or
Ella if you feel you want to continue! I think you
make a nice combination :-) Maddy was playing Polo
cross when I got her! So she can lend her hoof to
anything.......
Maddy was trained by me and my instructors Vern Reed
and Charlie Lambert. She supposedly had some
education by an FEI Dressage rider before I
purchased her which was not evident when I started
riding and educating her. If you would have ridden
her when I got her you would have said she was
rather VERY green. She has sat in the paddock for
almost three years if not more, not two as I first
thought before the clinic. As you saw her it is why
I have persevered with her for all these years and
through all her rubbish as she is an amazing horse
to ride when she behaves.
Maddy knew
she was licked with you and didn't dare put a foot
wrong! I was very happy with the outcome and
as much as she is awesome to ride, the
unpredictability of her she will remain with me as
my brood mare producing me wonderful foals like
Maddock.
Maddock, Doc was not mouthed prior to you! I had sat
on him and did what Fred was doing with him but he
had never been mouthed. I found the clinic was one
of the most stressful situations I have ever put Doc
in and he had never spent a night away from home and
the training you did was fantastic, and to see him
out of his comfort zone and focused with you was
awesome.
He had never bitten like he did with you so I would
like to apologise for his behaviour and I will have
his teeth securely put away for your next Perth
Trip.........hint hint hint :-}
It was his sister Ella that I had done a small
amount of mouthing work with....and am soooo happy
that I had you finish the job as I hoped on her
today and she is awesome!
She was the one that was ridden twice and has not
been touch in 12 months. ( Got the kids a bit
muddled up but you had so many to think about) We
have left Ella to grow up and she keeps growing up
but just not quite filling out at the moment.
I don't mouth my horses on the ground, I mouth them
on their backs and I know that the way I have been
taught is not infallible and I was so pleased with
the work you did with Ella and Doc. I left Doc to
the expert....you were the first to mouth him,
thanks again!
Ella / Doc will need further education and training
and I with them. I speak for me and I'm sure the
other participants and onlookers and hope that you
return to Perth for more clinics. You are both too
good to loose, hope to see you again sooner rather
than later.
xoxox Cybele, Maddy, Ella and Doc.
Ella
Doc
Thanks Cybele, sorry about that. Yes, too many
Horses and too much happening. You have bred lovely
Horses by the way and they have above average
temperaments for the Breed. If I may just point you
to a way of thinking quickly though. You said what
was highlighted above. I thought differently. I
think she just accepted me, saw me a no threat,
began to like me and then tried for me. I never try
to "lick' horses, I always try to 'win them' So to
the interesting subject of Mouthing then.
MOUTHING SYSTEMS
I spoke last night and showed on your Chestnut
Filly, one of the systems of Mouthing, that of
leaning over their neck as you walk along. Mickey
Mouse stuff. Another system then is to mount a Horse
if quiet enough and then, using a Bridle, rope
Halter or side pull, gradually and softly bend and
flex them, accompanied with the softening and relief
etc that fills the manuals and books.
We tested that Chestnut Filly as you know and I
forget where her Mouth was but was it a 3 out of 10?
I think. The system of Mounting and gently flexing
etc does not rank amongst the effective Mouthing
systems of the World.
We then re-mouthed her and I rode her, taking her
mouth to at least a 6 in the 15 minutes. For the
Readers' who were not there, we did not go near her
conventional Mouthing so she had NO front Mouth at
all. We don't need one :)
The Colt then had not been touched and Fred Mouthed
him for max 15 minutes and then Rode him quiet
successfully. I knew then that if we had have had
the time, we could have ridden both Horses out the
front gate right there and then. Anyhow, thanks for
the support and glad to have helped. That Filly is a
darling and a half
Hi John,
Just wanted to say a huge thank you to you and your
wife for the huge effort you put into the Perth
clinic. It would have to be the most professional,
action packed clinic that I've attended - even
though I was only fence sitting. I honestly got so
much out of it & just wanted more, more, more!
Linda was amazing to watch, she made a huge
difference to every horse I saw her on & she blew me
away with her riding skills!! And lets not forget
you...............your gentle touch, with some
pretty troubled horses, was inspiring & I "got it".
Thanks also for having Fred involved. It was nice to
see him in action & to know that there's someone in
this state (& thankfully right next door to me) who
is following in your footsteps, & such a gentle man
too.
I'll stop gushing now but just wanted to
congratulate you & thank you both.
Regards
Loyla
Thanks Loyla. Nice to meet you. Most kind and most
appreciated!!
*********
BUCKING AT MOUNTING HORSE
Thank you
both so much for making the trip to WA. The 1200k
round trip for us was totally worth it, even all the
dramas we had on the way!! The trip home went
beautifully and I have a new understanding and
respect for my boy (even though he is a chestnut!).
Dont worry I have been taking "urgent measures" to
make myself more athletic and in the process have
lost over 20ks with obviously a load more to go!
(yep read your website). Be as politically incorrect
as you like as you are only stating the obvious
anyway!
I felt like a beverly hillbilly when I first arrived
as Sunninghill but the wonderful warm welcome from
Kelly, Brian and Rae made a huge difference and I
met some wonderful people whilst I was there. I feel
like a sponge that has soaked up as much information
as humanly possible and I am chaffing at the bit to
get started. The trip has also bought about a change
in the dynamics of my relationship with my horse
which I find hard to explain. I just know that he is
calmer, gentler with me and more responsive in a
positive way and perhaps even beginning to trust me.
I can only hope. I know Ive a long road ahead of me
but I believe he is worth it and with the aid of
your various dvd's and perhaps another visit to WA
hint hint......we can build a good working
relationship.
Thanks for all your guidence and efforts.
Regards
Naomi and Diesel
Hi Naomi. I looked for you after as I wanted to talk
to you more but you disappeared :) I used your Horse
to show the assessment processes a Horseman can go
through to get to the bottom of a Horse and inside
it's mind. I realize I made a lot of educational
comments about not buying such a Horse however, the
Jury is still out of course on your Horse and you
will have to find out about that going forward. I
merely gave you some controls and knowledge as to
perhaps keep him successfully mounted as we showed
you. His Mouth was a shocker as well. I too could
see him mellowing and later, I went to his stable
and had a conversation with him. He told me that he
was beginning to trust and that he had had a hard
time in his past life. I felt quite sad. Give him
love but don't give him any leeway. Watch him. Be
confident, have control but be understanding. I know
your trip was long. I hope he didn't rub himself on
the way home!! I hope your Lady in Geraldton will
continue to help you with his failure to load onto a
Float. Give the Sellers my regards....not
*************
THE
BUCK OFF
Hey John,
It’s the lady who got bucked off here. Firstly I
would like to thank both you and your lovely wife
for making the trip to Perth. It was fantastic to
meet you both and it was a lesson that I will
treasure for many years.
I went to the day wanting to have a dressage lesson
more than a ‘horse problems’ lesson but within
10mins it turned very quickly into a ‘horse
problems’ lesson. I watched the video back of my
lesson last night (whilst stuck on the couch with a
VERY sore neck… you were spot on about the whip lash
effect!). It was my own fault that he behaved to the
extent that he did, I didn’t deal with the small
problems that cropped up that were a warning for the
bigger dummy spit that came later, if I had of done
so I wonder if the events would have been the same.
I’ve also been kicking myself that my instinct for
the ORS didn’t kick in like it used to 12 months
ago, I have become complacent which is not a good
thing and resulted in me ending up with my jods full
of sawdust.
You wife is an incredible rider and instructor and I
hope that she comes to Perth again, I will
DEFINITELY be having another lesson. It was
fantastic to see exactly what I should be asking of
him and making sure that I get it as well. It is
definitely a video that I will be watching many
times!
I didn’t ride yesterday (couldn’t even lift my head
off the pillow with out the assistance of my hands!)
but I did head down and ride this afternoon. He gave
me a bit of attitude, wasn’t too keen on being taken
from his paddock just as dinner was arriving and
then being ridden in an arena with a rather large
puddle. But I remembered what Linda said and really
pushing him forward and didn’t take any of his crap.
He got 2 chances with my leg aids and if he didn’t
respond it was a tap with the whip to ensure he
listened. I got some lovely work out of him,
including the canter transitions and we practiced
the exercises that Linda suggested.
I also really appreciated the idea’s that she has
given me for where we can go next. I’m really going
to start on the lateral work now, whilst still
concentrating on forward as well. I’m also going to
work on the mouthing stuff you were telling me
about.
Now I’m hanging out for my next ride to practice it
all again.
Cheers
Beth
PS… thanks for the ‘magnificent creature’ comment
but I totally agree… we’ve both been on pretty good
pasture lately but we’re getting there. His feed was
cut back a month or so ago and I’m on the way to a
svelter self as well. Main problem with him is that
he just hasn’t been getting enough work lately. But
now, thanks to Linda, I have a much better
understanding of what I should be asking of both of
us for each ride so we’re both on the way to our
new, slimmer selves… at least as soon as the huge
bruise on my right butt cheek has disappeared!
Good Sport Beth :) Most refreshing attitude as you
wouldn't believe how many Clients these days get
their noses out of joint when the truth is told. The
truth they paid for :) The funny thing about your
Horse was that he was the only one where an owner
had said there won't be any problems hahahaha. Just
goes to show us, doesn't it. You will go well.
Thanks for your kind words.
************
MR. PINK
PANTS
Hi John & Linda
Thank you so much for a great clinic. I had the
little chestnut eventer that was not forward enough.
After the hour lesson with Linda, I went home
repeating in my head "OMG, I had no friggin idea how
much more I needed to push Amber on". The stupid
thing is I have regular lessons with dressage
instructors here and we work on our leg yielding and
flexing and rounding, but no-one has ever really
told me how much more I need to make her forward. On
my dressage tests I always get comments on not being
forward enough, and I always think geez, do they
want me to be flying through the test. But after the
weekend with Linda I think I have a better
understanding of the type of forwarness I actually
need. And I also have new warmups I can use to help
me and Amber. You sure you guys dont want to move
over here, it's a nice place :-D
Also it was great to watch Linda ride some of the
other horses, and also to watch you John in the
round yard. Once again, thanks heaps for a great
clinic that was well worth it.
Cheers
Nic
Hi Nic. Linda has been asked
by some of the Dressage Community, to come here for
Clinics and she has not ruled that out which
surprised me. It was a most interesting visit for
her because she noticed a theme of training that was
not Classical Dressage and knew and proved that the
teaching had left Horses and Riders' struggling. We
have since been told that an EFA heavy hitter from
the big smoke was here recently and asked what the
Hell is being taught over here!!. Best of Luck.
To John &
Linda
Firstly can I thankyou for taking time to come over
to WA. I came up from Albany and thought I would be
exhausted from the trip, but I feel great and
energised and ready to correct my mistakes
immediately for the sake of my horse. Your clinic
was most informative and to see you all turn all the
horses around in some form or another, was a
pleasure to watch and learn. To see completely
confident and experienced horse handlers & riders in
action was exciting and encouraging. Linda is the
most patient rider, instructor and listener. I
learnt so much in two days that I hope I don't try
it all to fast. I have really only followed John on
the website as I am not a competition rider. I
prefer the horse handling/breaking and training, but
now I have realised that the way I ride needs
improving to get the best results. A bit like Fred I
to need to improve my riding so the horse comes out
looking a bit better. I hope that in a couple of
weeks I will be enjoying trail riding and dressage
more because of the confidence I gained from seeing
you all in the flesh riding and training. Forward,
Forward, keep the horse going forward, not stopping
with hesitation. I think you were an inspiration to
all there watching. AWESOME!!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO
JOHN, LINDA, FRED and RACH (LOVELY LADY) and of
course Kelly who unfortunately I didn't get to meet.
John all the best in retirement, but please don't
stop passing on your knowledge (The horse industry
certainly needs it). Sincerely hope you will return
to WA again (Albany would be great), you still have
Linda and Fred to do the riding.
Kelly the Perth Dressage Diva :) Thanks and we are
glad to have assisted in some small way. I did try
to conduct day one in Albany but it didn't work out.
Regards
*************
LETTERS OF THE DAY
Hi John,
I have a question: does the DVD "...green horse"
cover leg yielding as well? I am advanced rider, but
u still might have some tricks that i dont know.
by the way: I have ur "mouthing" DVD.set and used it
in braking- in of my 3yo mare. I can tell "inspired"
by ur DVD this breaking in was much easier this
time.
Thanks Dusan
Czech Republic
Glad you liked
using the system Dusan. No, it doesn’t. The Green
Horse DVD covers from the first ever mount up on a
new Horse through to hand over to the client 10 days
later.
The leg yielding dvd is also a double dvd and it is
dedicated only to training the leg yield and other
lateral work to a Horse that has never done it.
Regards
***************
Hello,
I have put some of your texts on my Dutch website in
Belgium/Holland (Europ). I hope you don't mind?
Ofcourse i put your name above it and a link to your
website.
When i find the time, i will translate them in
Dutch.
The sites subject is Natural Horsemanship and the
way some people use it wrongly. I needed some good
examples and found them on your website. I used your
artikels about trailerloading and Natural
Horsemanship.
http://www.paralelli.eu/natural.htm
My pleasure Lotje. Be careful when you translate it
as my wife is Dutch lol. Regards
That's
great!
Thanx you very mutch.
If your wife want to write something in Dutch for
us, she is welcome to!
Greetz and call me when you're coming +3 I live at
the border of Belgium and Holland.
Greetz, Lotje Moerdijk
**************
Dear John
and Linda,
(I feel like I know you personally.)
I want to thank you both for the advice and lessons
you have given over the years. I do not say this
lightly... it has changed my life!
A couple of years ago I had an Arab gelding (Kikheem
- means 'first') 1st horse I had bred,
professionally broken in at 3 and left in a paddock
for years. Life happened. Soon my daughter is horse
mad and wanting to ride the pony. To my horror this
13.3 fat, hairy thing bailed me up in the paddock,
hooves flying and sent me out! That incident lead me
to your web site and I haven't looked back!
Over the years I have got a number of your DVDs,
training equipment and used your advise to purchase
horses and help sick ones. I remouthed Kikheem and
taught him respect on the ground and got lessons on
experienced horses to improve my riding.
When my daughter started riding we chose a riding
school so she could improve her skills without
stressing the green horse with a green rider. In 12
months that 'hairy thing' has turned into the mount
I entrust my two children to. My daughter now rides
him out on trails, past motorbikes on a narrow
concrete bike track and they were my 'experienced'
horse and rider for my 'breaker' to follow, all at
the age of 11.
Girly childhood dreams come true and I recently
purchased a beautiful 4yr old black Arab filly from
the breeder. She 'picked' me in the paddock. Bold,
not in your pocket but close to it. Had been handled
well as a yearling but probably not much since. Ella
is such a girl and can not possibly stand on 3 legs
to get her feet trimmed! :) We will sort that out
soon with the right equipment, preparation and
facilities. It wont take her long to get the message
she usually gets it in the first lesson. I was
prepared to take the time it takes to train her but
it is all happening so smoothly.
I have mouthed and ridden Ella following your
methods. I love how light she is and what an
adrenaline rush to do it all myself. We have just
finished her 12th ride and she is fantastic. I love
how you guys explain something, what you should see
and why you do it. What I see on the Dvd I then get
in the training, if I'm doing it right! One of my
favourite training tools is the video camera. I can
film a session, watch it back and usually if
something didn't work or she didn't quite get it, it
is something I did and need to fix, 'I didn't look
like HP doing that'! Great when you don't have a
trainer near by.
I wanted to share a photo of my daughter 'leading'
me around on Kikheem, just like Mrs HP, on my ride 6
on Ella. She studied the video and was great, she is
becoming a bold, sensitive rider. We now ride out
together on trails and share arena time. My son
(8yrs old) is now learning to ride on this wonderful
gelding and shows everyone his ORS and stop to seat.
Hubby is our next target! :)
The confidence and control I have developed around
the horses is now part of my life. I don't want to
sound gushy and I know it's a bit of a long email
but want to thank you sincerely for the effort you
put in and hope to meet you both in person one day.
Johanne (NSW)
Well done to all and thanks so much :)
******************
Hi
Have just read the article on rearing horses by John
O'Leary. The loan pony we tried to long rein
yesterday started rearing several times and I am
worried about letting my daughter ride her now, as
she is not very experienced. I have my suspicions as
to why it may have happened now that I have read
your article. The instructor was expecting the pony
to walk on with some impulsion straight away and
when the pony was sluggish she flicked the lunging
whip a bit. I think the pony was not sure what she
was expected to do, it has been about 3 months since
we last long-reined her. Also, her pony friend and
stable mate was tied-up by the gate having also just
been long-reined.
We have also been using the school quite a lot
recently and perhaps she had had enough. I hope so.
I would welcome any comments you may have. UK
I don't long rein Horses at all Madam and I
completely disagree with the type of long reining
that you are talking about. It is a complete waste
of time as well imho. It can and does cause many
problems with Horses, confusion and sourness. Not to
mention that the person doing the long reining is
often not equipped or licensed to be doing such an
activity. Once broken in as we call it, (yes I know,
bad term but part of the heritage here) they should
be ridden and having fun on the trail and in the
School, flat work, jumping, ground work, and so on.
Have the teeth been checked and treated on that
Horse??? Read the story above. If I have it wrong
and the Horses are only being prepared for starting
and this is the Mouthing process, then my mind
boggle. Here is a 14 day job here from wild. Regards
********************* ANOTHER WARNING
Hi John,
I am helping a friend out while she is pregnant by
riding her QH gelding (unsure of his age – not a
youngster). I rode him for the first time on the
weekend. My friend got given the horse in fairly
poor condition earlier this year, she has since fed
him up and he looks 100% better. She rode him for a
couple of months before finding out she was up the
duff but he hasn’t been ridden for 3 months. Initial
ride was going OK – just walking around, changing
direction, bit of a trot – nothing too strenuous.
After about 10 minutes he stopped dead in front of
where everyone on the ground was standing. After a
fair amount of leg work I got him going again but
then he spun around and started going backwards at a
fair pace. Knowing he was just trying me out I
growled at him and pulled his head around to try and
disengage him (not knowing if he was going to go up,
as well as backwards!). This worked but not as well
as I had anticipated. He tried it again and again,
each time I put my legs on and turned his head.
Eventually, I think the thing that worked was
growling at him a bit louder! I didn’t have a crop
but if I did I think I would have given him a whack
on the butt in hope this would have stopped the
backwards motion. After about 5 minutes of pulling
this he walked forwards and we continued to ride
(just at a walk) for another 10 minutes or so. I
have never had a horse go backwards before (without
asking for it) so wasn’t entirely sure of what would
work best to get him to go forward. From the past
history, we think he has a basic education - hasn’t
been western trained or anything like that. I think
this was purely an attempt of getting out of work –
his previous owner had warned he does it on
occasion. What method should I be using to get him
out of this the next time he tries it?
Thanks in advance for any tips,
Rachel
Hi Rachael, yes, once again, as with the rearer
above, the one rein stop is not for these Horses,
because they can plait the legs and go backwards an
over on top of you. The whip around the Butt is. He
was testing you and you were just lucky the voice
did it but hit him hard next time, not soft as they
often buck when half hearted. Shock his socks off.
Regards
***************
Hello
from Ian ,
I'm an arena newbie but would like to build one.
I was planning to use road base as my base layer and
then seal with a road building primer.
50%kero 50%bitumen to hold the layer together and
stop particle movement.
Do you think this is a good solution?
I'm in Brisbane and the problem here is that there
is so much infrastructure work going on, its hard to
get anything for free or on the cheap.
Regards
Hi Ian. No, I wouldn't be doing that as you could
get that sealer surface coming up through your sand
as it will break up with the steel shoes if a Horse
gets through the sand. You don't need to. The Road
base, wet and rolled well does not come up. Regards
*****************
Hi John,
I've owned my horse for four years - up until now
we've been a pretty good match, he's a laid back
type which works for me as I'm not the world's most
gung-ho rider.
After some illness resulting from travel - and
following that some work committments on my behalf -
my horse has ended up on spell for about 10 months.
Our first couple of rides back were great. I wanted
to start off riding him in a good frame so I used a
market harbourer. Unfortunately during my third
ride, my horse decided trotting was too hard and
started to throw his head up to avoid the contact,
at the same time pretending to launch into canter
but not really engaging the engine. It is sort of
like a hopping motion.
After the first occurence of this, I got off
straight away as he has never done anything like
this before and I suspected pain. So, I got his
saddle fitted (it wasn't fitting well after his
spell) and his teeth done (they were sharp). I
thought our next ride would be back to normal, but
the moment I got on, he tried his new move straight
away.
I'm at a bit of a loss. I would like to get someone
else on to rode him - both so I can see what's going
on, and so they can fix it up.
Unfortunately my regular trainer isn't giving
lessons at the moment and everyone else that I've
called doesn't know the horse and seems reluctant to
get on.
Any advice?
One of the signs of rear end
problems in Horses is that one so I would take him
to the round pen and install running reins on him,
gradually and go up slowly until he has a head set.
Observe his demeanor, body language and get in his
mind. Video it and watch carefully. Look for panic,
early sweating and so on. Don't ask for any
collection until solve\d. You could pleasure ride on
a loopy rein as a test of his attitude and to
eliminate things too. Regards
30th
June, 2008
PERTH
CLINIC
I'll let others be the judge as to how we went. I
can only say that we gave it our best shot and say
that 8 hours of supreme concentration on a string of
Horses that you very little about but most of which
came with issues ranging from Man Eating to Bucking
owners off, does drain one by the end of the day.
On reflection between us both, last night and today,
it comes home to you the enormity of the task as you
have one hour with a Horse which is an environment
where it can't concentrate anyway, surround by
funning sights, sounds and a lot of people and thee
you are needing to get into it's mind, make
decisions and assessments about it, then make a
decision that will either compound the problems that
the Horse already has or that will get you injured
or killed in the process. To undoubtedly have people
expecting to see improvement in Horses as well,
knowing the entire time you are being judged, and
one's mind has to be on the top of the game.
I go through stages, depending on the day. Sometimes
I am below par with my bio rhythms and other days I
am on a roll so to speak. Such was the case here in
Perth although hoped people didn't notice. The
second day I feel I rose to the occasion so that I
could support the Horses that relied upon me.
On day one, at 8.10am, the first Rider got bucked
off in Mrs. HP's lesson and hit her head extremely
hard on the ground with the way she fell where whip
lash took over. Luckily, she had purchased a new
Helmet the day before and it was a real good one.
She suffered no real damage. The Horse was a
magnificent creature and looking an absolute picture
of Health shall we say :) Mrs. HP then mounted the
Horse only to see him take her basically immediately
and attempt to buck her off for which he was met
with a disciplinary stint of aggressive Riding which
completely shocked his socks off, getting hit with
the whip whilst in mid buck. :) He then was a very
well behaved Boy whilst Mrs. HP dealt with his
Dressage issues for most of the hour and then put
the Owner back on for the last 10 minutes. As I
said, individual Owners, should they have been at
all satisfied, may report in if they so desire.
During most of the hours of the two days, I had
horses at the same time, in the under cover Round
Pen of the lovely Sunning Hill Equestrian Centre
which is a picture of excellence and run most
Professionally by a Husband and wife Brian and Ray
who are Western Trainers and National Competitors. A
credit to them.
WARMBLOOD
WEANLING
Anyhow, I started with a wonderful Weanling
Warmblood Filly who was a treasure and became so
responsive that she basically stole the show from me
:), ending with Float training which I couldn't do
because she knew more than I did lol.
and yes, she is
getting rid of the lovely lavender Halter :)
THE MAN
EATER
I forget the sequence of all the Horses now but at
1pm I had "Maddie" the Man Eating Warmblood Mare who
answered my prayers and decided that she didn't
think I was too bad and we ended up doing some
flatwork where I found that in a past life, she had
been taught a lot by an WA FEI Rider and basically
knew more than all of the Horses that attended the
Clinic Here she is:
Yes, I know, Cowboys aren't supposed to tempt
Dressage :)
THE
KICKER
As I said, I can't
remember them all as there were extra Horses coming
in and replacements for a couple that had got hurt
prior to the Clinic. One of them was a dangerous
kicking Horse and he would kick the "eye out of a
needle" if you went back further than the girth. He
had been basically untouchable and had finished 12
months of desensitizing by the Owner and friends but
one still could not go near the back legs without a
death wish. Here he is and you only have to look at
his stance and his eye to see the fear and suspicion
in him. I wonder what 'people problems' he had
encountered during his earlier times?
and how,
such was the danger that me and my 'apprentice' in
WA, Fred Watkins of Watkins Horse Handlers, had to
blindfold him in order to get a back leg strap
installed so that we could handle his end
despite his protestations and regular attempts at
kicking us but for him to confront his fears during
the most difficult circumstances, so that he could
begin to gain belief that we weren't going to hurt
him, even though he had the indignity of having a
back leg 'collar roped', thus starting the process
of healing his mind because he didn't get hurt in
the process and that it can't be all that bad that
touching of his back legs.
Fred Watkins blind Folding the near side eye to
disable the Horse from kicking us due to the brain
being divided in two.
but before that, we
wanted his teeth doing because they had never been
done and he wouldn't allow such a process.
Thankfully, of the many Professionals including Vets
and Chiro's etc that attended, was a very good WA
Horse Dentist and simply by the installation of one
of my 'front leg straps, the probably strike went
out of the Horse, allowing me to commence the too
rasping and then handing over to the Dentist who
completed the job without any drama. The front leg
strap becoming the comfort zone for the Horse, just
like a babies dummy and giving the Horse something
else to think about.
THE BITER
Then I had a lovely big 2 year old Warmblood Colt
who was right out of his Box and attempting to take
pieces out of our arms and legs during the
proceedings. He had been Mouthed 12 months prior and
just sat on by the Owner but not really properly
ridden.
The Mouthing system was the failed Mouthing system
where the Trainer walks along side of the Horse and
gets flexing and bending, stops and back ups and go
so that the Horse knows what is required when you
mount. This system is Kindergarten stuff and puts
basically a zero mouth on a Horse but one Hell of a
warm inner Glow in the Heart of the Trainer that
they have brakes and controls when they mount up.
Which of course they clearly do not have and they
sure as Hell must "pluck their Rosemary Beads" when
they do or fit the category of "Thrill Seekers" or
"Bungee Jumpers"
We tested the Mouth of the Colt and it was basically
non existent so we re-mouthed him and took him up to
about a 6.5 out of 10 which enabled Fred to jump on
him and ride him around with relative safety.
The following day, I worked on his ground manners,
got m out of our space and such that he could be
lead way down the rope, thus removing the Target
Zone for the Biting, which was any handler that
liked to try leading him :) Lovely Boy though with a
wonderful temperament.
TURMOIL
Now, he was in turmoil and a Horse that lacked
direction on the ground which made him helpless in
his behavior and manners as if being an A.D.D. Child
that they put on Drugs to assist. This was caused
and is caused by allowing such Horses to be in your
space to an extent that they can manipulate you and
have ongoing fights, just the same as the Kid in the
Shopping Centre that throws itself on the floor,
screaming and then attacks the Mother. Identical.
Now having said that, the Owner was not a 'Beard
Leader" and was down the rope a bit but not far
enough. Hopefully she learnt from the experience
because the Colt settled down to such an extent that
we had a long period where he was standing down the
rope with me, surrounded by people in the Crowd and
was completely relaxed, even though he could hear
his Mother and other relatives in the nearby
stables. He was the Son of Maddie, the Mare I would
be changing the name of immediately.
THE BUCK JUMPER
Then there was the recent Horse Deals Purchase from
Victoria of the big rank Cleveland Bay Cross who had
the wild look in his eye and snort with major trust
issues, a Horse that should never been sold to the
poor Lady. She had him 3 weeks, couldn't get him on
a Float, he bucked her off on mounting and
dismounting and all in all a sad affair. The poor
Lady had traveled 600k to bring him. I did feel
sorry for her.
You can then imagine the brain spinning over at
maximum speed as to what to do and how to go about
such a Horse whilst assessing him, trying to
allocate him a pigeon hole and attempting to improve
him and set out a plan of action going forward. We
started by assessing his Mouth of course and it too
was in no state for anyone to be Riding him with any
safety and knowing that he had the bucking issue at
mount and dismount, then of course he had to have a
top mouth in order to be able to control him and
possibly stop him and therefore starting him down
the path to repair and healing.
In order to fix such Horses and I have met many, one
has to be able to simply stop them bucking and
therefore prove to them that they can't do it any
more and therefore that the experience of mount and
dismount starts to pass event free and the major
distrust of the procedure is then gradually
repaired. So we re-mouthed him also and got him to
the point of being able to be mounted and dismounted
at will and this one 'young Fred got on" with no
problems at all in the end. During my assessment of
him prior, the Horse told us that he had experienced
many problems in his past life, that he had been to
a Natural Horse Trainer at some stage of the piece
because he both lunging in the half line of the
round pen and was totally unafraid of plastic bags
on sticks even though the whites of his eyes were
showing because of his memories. The good news for
the Lady is that he had only pig rooted now and
again during general riding so it may work out in
the end. My only worry is that I do hope she takes
urgent measures to tune up her Body to a more
athletic state so that she may be better able to
cope with the mounting and dis-mounting stages.
************
The things that happened at this Clinic are too many
to write about so I will add others over the next
few days as I get time but I do want to comment on
this:
OVER ALL
VIEW
It is both of our considered opinions that the main
problems with all Dressage type Horses were:
A major lack of forwardness. No Horse was
'forward'
The 'Leg Yielding' of all Horses not being up to
scratch which affected the Dressage, suppleness,
straightness, balance, submission and therefore
softness, engagement and so on.
The fitness of all Horses was below what we
would expect and desire with our Horses.
Some Horses were obviously over weight, looked
after wonderfully but not in performance
condition as a result and that inhibits athletic
ability which makes the job harder which makes
Horses sweat more than they should have and thy
did and that causes more resistance and
unhappiness in the work.
and a fair sprinkling of Riders fitted the same
category of the Horses in point 4
Oh
how Politically incorrect off me :) I too was on
a diet for the Clinic as I stack it on my mid
rift with the middle aged spread.
A Coaching habit by some in WA of teaching
Riders' to jag on the mouths of Horses.
Two great minds meet hahahaha.
Mrs. HP had this lovely combination
and the little Horse, an eventer, was also not
forward enough, kicking up and pig rooting as a
result of that and not quiet enough assertiveness in
the Riding to over come the slight naughtiness. Nice
photo that one.
More
tomorrow
LETTERS
Hello,
Thank you so VERY much, I know this clinic was a
love job for you and Linda this visit and I'm sure
you know everyone who came to the clinic over the
past 2 days really appreciated your efforts. It's
bloody hard work having to concentrate for one hour
let alone 8 so from the bottom of my heart (and the
horses, ponies, fence-sitters & owners) THANK you so
very much. You must be exhausted and ready for a
well-earned rest.
Just a few pics for you if you want to use them in
any way feel free. I have over 200 photos, not of
all the horses that attended but a lot of good ones
(got carried away a bit with you on the so-called
man eating mare) I will burn them to disc for you
and post them over.
XOXOXOXO to you both,
Kel your Perth Princess,
Dressage Diva, and absolutely, totally & completely
knackered girl.
You were wonderful
Kelly. xx
**************
Hi John and
Linda
Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the Perth
clinic...unfortunately I had to miss the second day
due to work and travel, but the first day was a bit
of an eye opener.
Loved watching you teach, Linda...and ride of
course... so much of what you said to the riders
made a huge amount of sense to me, whereas up till
now, I've sometimes heard and used the exact
opposite advice.
I'm most envious of your skill, knowledge and
empathy with horses John, and your sense of humour...is
great to know that at least we have you on the other
end of an email if we get stuck...and of course we
have Fred and Rachel over here (who have recently re
educated an OTTB for me with amazing results)...who
are so very generous with their time and advice.
Anyway...would love to think that we'll see you in
Perth again... but till then will keep watching and
ordering your DVDs and gear...
Well done to all and thanks so much :)
Oh
how Politically incorrect off me :) I too was on
a diet for the Clinic as I stack it on my mid
rift with the middle aged spread.
