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27th July, 2008

TEA TREE GULLEY COUNCIL

I was reporting to you the other night about the Council conspiring to eject the 5 year old Pegasus Pony Club from it's grounds which used to be a big hole in the ground, having been clay mined in days gone by.

It is very heartening to find that one of our Government Ministers here, has similar feelings as I am told she recently wrote to the Lord Mayor Miriam Smith, indicating her concerns and complete support for the Club. She added that in her opinion, the Pegasus Pony Club has been "neglected in past years"

In fact, the entire Horse Industry has been more than neglected. The mind boggles actually. When I think back, it is astounding at the disgusting treatment we have received from this Council. It has been nothing short of plain nasty. To treat Community Volunteers the way it has is unbelievable. During the past 25 years, this Council has given the late Junette Fletcher, Jim Thompson and I, the complete run around, sent us off on many 'wild goose chases', pulled every trick in the book straight out of "yes Minister" and in that period of time, after thousands of emails, hundreds of meetings and thousands of hours of our work, do you know what they have done for us? Trimmed the "Tahoma Bush' on the corner of GG Road and Crouch Road, where so much importance was put on the event that it was turned into a Field Day. The last promise I got out of them, to trim a Tree that was forcing Rider's dangerously close to Tandem Trucks, risking death or injury, was 4 years ago by the youngest and latest 'Spin Doctor'. It never happened. The trimming of a lousy Tree Branch never happened.

You will remember that we voted for Councilor Barry Winter and Councilor Bernie Keane, an ex Jockey. They both got in. Bernie Keane was our ex Lord Mayor and is vying for the position again. I am sure we are in good hands with both Councilors but the Jury is out.

ATTENTION RESIDENTS OF THE SUBURB OF GREENWITH

Officers of the Tea Tree Gulley Council are attempting to move the Pegasus Pony Club to the "Billy Goat Hill' which over looks you all. You should pass on to all of your neighbors in the area that they can look forward to two Sundays a Month where a powerful P.A. System will crank up at 8am when the Pony Club Hack Shows and other activities are run. Say goodbye to your sleep ins :) For the record, the Horse Industry does not want to go there. They want to remain in the Industrial area where there are no neighbors. Sound like common sense?????

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I got sent this video by a Youtube Member, complaining about the whipping. In my opinion this Horse is suffering from the symptoms of upward fixation of the patella. If that is true, would it be fair that the Horse refused to jump and would the Horse have been attempting to communicate to the Rider about it's plight? You be the Judge.

 

After you watch it, go down and check all of the comments. It never ceases to amaze me how the Horse Industry in general cannot see through the occasion. I'll never forget the whooping and hollowing at the Equitana Horsemanship Challenge as the Crowd were enthralled at the performance of 'young Guy' The following day, on the Forums, the list of plaudits was endless. Even the Australian representative of Ray Hunt thought it was wonderful. I'll never understand that :(

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We had a Veterinary type of a day here this week. Before Lunch, we had two Horses requiring Veterinary attention. A bit of a rarity but we all get them I guess. The first one was the lovely Trotter that appeared in my last Youtube vid. He was doing a Mick Jagger impersonation hahahaha

Poor Boy :) The Vet thought Bee sting. I thing reaction from Anti Mould Agent sprayed on Lucerne Hay. Anyhow, he came good after a couple of anti-histamine injections. Just put the Lucerne one in the back of your mind for future reference.

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Then there was this horrific cut. This one I dealt with as the Lass struggles a little. Here are the pics. This Horse will heal up quite nicely.

 

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PRIX ST. GEORGES CUP

 

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On Saturday, Mrs. HP did 'back to back' judging at the Mount Crawford Dressage Club where the Rider rides a Test and then has 10 minutes with the Judge who instructs them in the arena and then they ride the test again. What a great idea. For interest, Mrs. HP found that the vast majority of Horses were not 'forward'

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LETTERS OF THE DAY

Hello John,
I just discovered your web-site and can't get enough valuable information. I have a 14 yr. old Irish Thoroughbred Mare who is recovering from a stifle injury - no tear. We gave her 4 months off and then started turn-out and hand walking and slowly working our way up to trot. It has been over a year now. We just started cantering one lap around the arena about two weeks ago. I am beginning to notice now that she is not as supple and very stiff in her front end. I really fear that this injury is going to re-appear. Just wondering how to avoid this and what we should be doing. We continue to ice a few times a week and do electric current therapy. We still are not walking her downhill only uphill a few times a week. Hope you can answer without full assessment.
Best,
Laura

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Hello!
I was wondering if you could give me some info on getting horses to slow down. When I go to gymkhanas and shows, she goes fast, and doesn't want to slow down and make that transition from canter to trot. She might be getting excited but everything else I do, she is so calm about. I stop the hands and release- I don't pull back- and she ignores me. She was spoilt bad when I got her and has improved so much, but we - me and my horse - need to fix these little things. Any suggestions would be fabulous!
Monica

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Hi there John and Linda. I am just wondering if you could tell me if you think this problem is pain or mental. My horse gets nervous and speeds up when anything is uneven. such as the any of the tack including if the saddle is not exactly straight. If he is walking and I stand up he will stop but he gets very unsettled if any of his gear in uneven or if your weight is not even on both sides. it is hard to get the saddle perfect straight off cos he bloats out and then the saddle slips when he relaxes. He is doing really well and has been doing well with all his ground work. He side passes both directions backs up and pirouette both directions on comand now. that is only in hand though still working on in the saddle. He always trys to please in hand and is getting better in the saddle. using his mind a little less independently now. I find that he doesn't try to park as much when he thinks it is time to stop. I can back him up square and he is starting to bring his head down and in on request now.I have some sort of stop from him now and it is imroving. I sit tall collect the rains and lean back and release then he usually stops if not I push him on and ask again. he has a basic attempt for leg yielding but he will get there. I can't wait to trail ride him for the first time. Can you get insurance for riding out on public property incase of any accidents? I am finding that releasing the rains as soon as he does the right response is working to train him to be obedient. He learns fastest this way
I have had to take 2 weeks of for now as I have a ear infection in both ears and athsma. I am totally deaf from the infection and allways puffed out. I can barely make it down the driveway to see him let alone ride him.
I had another girl come ride him for me . she rode bear back and he got grumpy cos she didn't sit central. he went from a walk to a trott and then started to cut corners and progress into canter. basically out of control though he does calm a bit when told to.
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Oh ps I have joined the fund raising committee here as it gives me a say in what happens there and who the instructors are here. I hope that I will be able to influence enough to make sure that the students are being taught to respect their horses. At the same time bring the pony club back to the community spirit. I find that is seems to be a bit exclusive feeling and not many new people want to join. My first mission is to raise enough fundy to put in a toilet cos the girls are having to walk 1 km to the toilet. I also would like to raise the funds for the pergola and rainwater tank to flush the toilets with. The other will be to keep guest instructors coming into the pony club so that the kids will have better tuition. If there is any chance that Linda would like to come instruct one time please let me know. I have asked b4 but and I am sure you are both way too booked out but it would be cool if you changed your mind.
Any way I will e mail again soon. from Cindy-----


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24th July, 2008

TEA TREE GULLEY COUNCIL

Well, looks like it is finally happening. Our City Fathers, you know, the one's who are supposed to be in charge of making our lives better within the area, appear to be actively conspiring to finally kick the Horse Industry to the absolute most distant point of the boundary, if not out altogether.

Remember me saying to you over the years? In this State, 1836 it was, the local Pony Club was actually in King William Street, City and progressively, decade by decade, Suburb by Suburb, they have been kicked out, normally in devious ways but who would ever think it could happen in Tea Tree Gulley or Golden Grove, "the Worlds best address" You see Golden Grove, which actually did win that accolade, was founded and promoted by the City of Tea Tree Gulley, as a Horse Centre and almost every marketing Brochure printed, featured Horses and in fact, for years I supplied the Horses and Riders', free of charge, for all of the Television adverts depicting the wonderful Rural and idyllic atmosphere that awaited potential Residents.....but hang on a moment.....aren't the City Fathers supposed to be looking after us? Aren't we Rate Payers? Don't we pay their wages?

The oldest (55 years) and largest Pony Club in the State is the Pegasus Pony Club, in this District and within a 10k radius of the Club, there are around 800 Horses and Owners. There are 20 million dollars worth of Equestrian Centres, all who have invested their lives savings on the Word of the Council Now every suburb these days has a Crime Problem, Graffiti problem, a Drug Problem and an ever increasing Obesity problem. Right? So surely, no Council would ever try and rid the District of a wonderful Sporting Club, would it? Doesn't seem possible, does it?

Well I see and hear everything in this District because I am out there doing it. Riding the Trails and actually saying G'Day to people. I know, bit unusual saying G'Day these days but I do. I can hear my Dad, "Never hurts to say G'Day." I therefore find out a lot of things and they all come true. Recently, I was riding down to the Southern centre of the Horse Industry, Yatala Vale Road and I came across some Contractors installing Pipes. G'Day, I said with a smile. Bugga me, they spoke back to me, another unusual thing for these days. What are the pipes for I asked? They are going to the Land on the corner down there for the Water Reclamation Plant, they said. "You mean the Pony Club grounds I said. "Yes, they answered"

Aha, I said to myself in the back of my mind. I remember hearing about the President of the Pegasus Pony Club being called to Council and offered re-location. Remember, to that Billy Goat Hill alongside the Motor Bike Track in Greenwith? I mentioned it. I am told by my spies that when the President became uneasy at the suggestion, a Council Officer (never seen before) passed on the news that Council was ever so concerned about the safety of the Pony Club House and that they had surveyed it and the bad news was that it needed $70,000 spent on it to make it Legal :) No, this is not an installment of The Godfather, this is the Officers' of the Council dealing with a local Sporting Club of 55 years of age. The Club that keeps Kids off the Street, controls Obesity and teaches Kids responsibility of looking after Horses and the love of Animals. ...

but of course, Council can't admit to a thing. They operate in the dark where they keep those who pay for them, in the dark. They play with peoples lives and they play their little tactical games based upon the new World of 'Spin Doctors' and Political moves, to the detriment of those they are supposed to be serving. They act in a ruthless, cold hearted manner and send well meaning Volunteer on wild goose chases while they head off in the exact opposite direction. How do we know, because I have been dealing with them now for 17 years here and every 3-5 years, I find out that they were actually following the opposite agenda than what the Horse Industry was pursuing and you know what drives them? DEVELOPMENT at any cost.

So my Friends, watch this space. Once I get to the bottom of it I will give you all the Players. I will let you in on all of their dirty little grubby tactics and no matter which way this goes, they will have to take responsibility for their actions, for once.

HORSE TRAILS

The integrity of the entire Horse Trails system in this area, depends upon a final small piece of Land nearby. I have had guarantees over the years, from the Developers, their Planners and Council that they will be sure to not lock the Horse Industry out of their own Trails. Well as I ride around, on a "Buffer Zone" that protects that small strip of Land due to their not being allowed building within 300 metres of a Mine, walla! Surveyor Pegs everywhere. Little street shapes, little block shapes and so on. Then I ran into some Workers and I said "G'Day" Bugga me, they said G'Day back. You could have knocked me down with a feather. You know what they said? That the buffer zone is being built on, right up to the fence..bbbbbut what about our 3 metre lousy little strip of Land so that all of the Horse Traffic of the District  can actually get to all of those wonderful Trails we have fought so hard for????? They shrug. Of course they have to be wrong. The big, fully mature Gum Trees along the Road surely aren't being cut down to form a road into and through the buffer zone??? NO way!!! Then they pull out the Plans. Well bugga me!! Housing blocks all over it.....bbbbbut the Council assured me that would never be . I'll keep the faith as I have for 17 years. Let's see.

 

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So you reckon my 'dummy spit' was bad :) Get a load of Mathew Ryan :) Olympic Gold Medalist.

Changes ahead ?

I’m seriously thinking of changing nationality. I’m not even in the first three reserves for Beijing. Through my ancestry there are links to a number of nationalities but looking into it the only one that is close enough is British. That’s a tough one because making the team wouldn’t be easy but it’s something I’m prepared to do because at least I would feel that the selections were based on who they felt would get results rather than for political reasons. I’m very disillusioned with the Australian selection process. I have been ever since 2002, and although I’ve threatened in the past that I would change nationalities and it’s still something I really don’t want to do, it’s now come to the point where these decisions are really affecting my career. I’m set on changing nationality and the only thing that may stop me is the fact that I know my parents are very upset at this prospect. They understand the reasons but they cannot believe that how I perceive the situation is accurate. They are obviously disappointed I’m not selected but because they live in Australia they are really unable to compare European and Australian performances. I’m very Australian and have in the past boasted about being proud of being Australian. It would really hurt me to change nationalities but at the end of the day if I’m being screwed by Australian management, which I believe I am, I seriously need to think about my profession as a professional horse person. If I’m not being selected on a ’fair’ basis which is my basic argument; I don’t think I’m being treated fairly, and that non-selection then harms my profile as a rider it in turns harms my supporters and sponsors. When my Australian management screw me and lie to me and as a result this effects my international performance because of non-selection then I have to think, well this is really bad business me staying an Australian. It would be much better for my career, and this is my career, it’s not just a hobby this is my profession. like Philip Dunn who felt he was screwed over a number of times and changed his profession to American I have to think of doing the same thing but to British.

People have said to me to hang on till after the Olympics and hope that the team’s results are so bad the management are replaced but when this management came in four years ago I thought, great a new generation, and that was the reason I didn’t change nationalities after Athens when I was screwed over then. But things haven’t changed and I have no faith that they will change in the future while the current influences on the Equestrian Federation of Australia remain in place.

I’ve been screaming for years that we need a British based selector because the best competitors are over here but they’ve completely refused to do that so I don’t have much faith that whoever comes in is actually going to be able to make a difference. There’s still going to be bias in their opinions when it comes to comparing performances in Australia to those in Europe or in particular Britain.

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Tail Blocking Gone Wrong

No one likes a rebellious horse, particularly in the show ring, and excessive tail swishing or wringing is often penalized by judges as a sign of resistance. To avoid this penalty, or simply to ensure low tail carriage, trainers and exhibitors sometimes have a show horse's tail area injected with a substance designed to temporarily paralyze the tail to some degree ("tail blocking" or "nerving") so it lies flat and quiet during the show. Unfortunately, this procedure is not without risk of permanent damage.


Most of the time, these injections wear off after a few weeks or months and the horse is no worse for the wear (although some horses exhibit altered tail carriage permanently). But any injection carries a risk of infection, and tail nerving injections pose the additional risk of paralyzing more nerves than intended--one occasional complication is a temporary inability to defecate and/or urinate due to paralysis of the muscles that control rectum and bladder emptying.


Gator, a Paint gelding living near Winston Salem, N.C., was being prepared for the World Championship Paint Horse Show in 2007. His owner Julee Brown (mother of Gator's rider, Tori) recalls that Gator and several other horses in their trainer's barn had tails injected (not by their regular veterinarian) on a Friday night before an early season show in January 2007.

"We got a call that night about his left hind leg being all swollen, he could barely stand or walk, he had a high temperature, and his bowels weren't moving," she says.

On Saturday, Gator's regular veterinarian (who prefers to remain anonymous; we'll call her Dr. Smith) made three visits to manually remove manure; give him fluids, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory medication; and perform ultrasound to look for pockets of infection/pus to be drained. Shortly thereafter, he went to her clinic for intensive care because he was "life-threatening sick."




Today Gator,no longer a show horse, has just a long scar to remind everyone of his ordeal.

"I knew exactly what it was; there was never any question," recalls Smith. "I've seen this happen before, and I've seen other horses with severe scarring from this procedure. I saw a stallion about 10 years ago with scars from his tail to his withers because the infection traveled up the spine instead of down the leg; it was very hard for them to get that infection under control. He had to be retired from showing.

"They usually inject something very caustic such as grain alcohol, which degrades the myelin sheaths of the nerves so they don't conduct impulses and the horse can't move his tail," she explains. "But in some cases, the alcohol can migrate (to other areas and affect more nerves), the injection site can become infected, and/or the inflammation from the alcohol can affect more nerves than intended. Usually the nerve sheaths do regenerate, although they might come back to different degrees (with corresponding variability in tail mobility)."

Gator was one of the worst cases Smith had seen; he couldn't defecate for several days and the infection destroyed muscle tissue down the back of his hind leg, abscessing out an area about 8 inches wide by 2.5 feet long that ran from the base of his tail to his hock.

"At one point I literally reached into his wound and pulled out a double handful of rotten muscle and pus," she recalls. "I was debriding the wound (cutting away infected/dead tissue) from January when it happened into February and March. He was with me (at the clinic) for a full year; he could have gone home sooner, but we were still treating his wound three times a day to minimize scar tissue and doing physical therapy to maintain flexibility. "

Gator Today

A year and a half after the ill-fated injection, 8-year-old Gator is sound and comfortably pastured, with only a scar about two inches wide down the back of his left hind leg to remind everyone of his ordeal. He's not a show horse anymore; as Smith says, "This horse can never show again. No judge will pin him with that scar."

"If I had known this could happen, I would never, ever have done it," says Brown. "We found out afterward that these injections are illegal too (in the governing performance horse organizations)! We didn't know that; we thought from what the trainer said that this was just what you need to do before a show.

"We're talking a $30,000 horse that's now only worth pasture value, and the $100 I paid for that injection was certainly not worth the $12,000-plus we spent on his treatment," she reports. "If there is a message I could get across to innocent parents and riders, this can happen. But Gator's living the good life now; he's turned out and just being a horse instead of a show horse stalled 24 hours a day.

"Tori had worked really, really hard to get to this level," she goes on. "I think that was her anger; she'd worked so hard and felt like it was all just taken away. She's not riding so much anymore, so we're thinking about donating Gator to a local therapeutic riding camp where we know he'll be taken care of and we can still go visit him anytime."

Watch for Problems

If you see a horse with a recent tail injection exhibiting a stiff gait behind, colicky behavior, and/or heat, swelling, and pain at the injection site, call the veterinarian right away, recommends Smith (who does not condone the practice). "You should be watching these injection sites very carefully," she advises.

"People will continue to inject tails if the judges continue to reward it; the only way it will stop is if the judges change their standards and don't count off for a tail swishing or wringing," she comments. "Know your risks; know that you're accepting this risk for someone who has no say in it."

Some equine organizations have rules against tail blocking, but the practice clearly still continues.

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LETTERS OF THE DAY

Hi John

I find it quite amazing that a topic is discussed by you just when I need some information!

Kim was asking about her mare stamping her feet. I have a pony mare that when she is tied up with a rope halter (and obviously impatient) will paw the ground or the fence or whatever she can. I know this is 'attitude' but how do I take control of this without making her head shy? She does not pull back on the rope, but I really want to stop the behaviour immediately as it is dangerous.

Regards
Ingrid

I haven't see a dangerous one Ingrid and don't quite understand what pawing has to do with head shyness but anyhow. The main thing is to ignore them, leave them tied up until they stop it and then reward them instantly by letting them off. You can use Hobbles with sophistication and remove them or replace them in a training way when the Horse settles truly. You can tie a lump of heavy chain or a large nut to a piece of string around the top of the offending fetlock so they learn that they are making themselves uncomfortable. See how you go.

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Hi John,
We have recently purchased a 16.1hh thoroughbred mare, who suffers separation anxiety. We have so far managed to over come most of her behaviours in regards to this, but she has recently started breaking free every time we tie her, even if we are with her.
She has broken numerous lead ropes, pulled tie rails over and usually snaps the clips off the ropes.
I would like to try a collar on her, but have never used one.
Could you advise me of a method to teach her to tie up, and if you agree with the collar, how to go about safely using one.
She has also started pulling and moving around violently in the float, when we start to drive off, and as soon as we hit the front gate at home. She is attached to one horse in particular, and even though she is with another horse from her paddock she still frets and tries to get back to her favourite.
Regards Shannon.

Those Horses normally will go off like a fire cracker Shannon and can be very dangerous to themselves. You can therefore not afford to make mistakes. The Body of information is therefore too large to relate here which is why I have an e-book on the subject but yes, the neck strap is essential for that profile Horse. To protect their neck. Correct facilities and equipment is essential. Regards

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Hey!
Have a look at this one.. Interesting..
http://www.hoofnail.com/headstalls.htm

Penny

A Friend of the Boys sent me a video of that 2 years ago when it was in testing Penny. Obviously an effective piece of equipment but not one that I would promote to Amatuers so I knocked it back. One has to be so careful as to what you recommend, no matter how good it may be. Otherwise, the Horses are the one's that pay the price. Lovely leather head stalls, aren't they? Regards

 

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Hi John and Linda

Thank you so much for your time at the clinic in Perth recently (and also at dinner). I don't think you guys realise how much your coming here is appreciated by those "devotees" to your training methods is.

Linda, thanks for reaffirming my belief in my own ability and the German training scale, I listened to you over the weekend and at dinner and realised that I needed to get back to that scale. Have been working diligently with my 17.2hh Percheron X and he is coming, as he is a bit of a heavy horse, getting him light and responsive in front is a work in progress, but now know the way to travel and I really do look forward to you coming back to do a dressage clinic in Perth, heaven knows we need it!!!

Amy (my 16 yo daughter) is also back on her little horse and looking forward to you coming back. She is also looking forward to John coming back so she can show him how her little TB is going that she is working all on her own with leg restraint training etc etc. Your DVD's have been our lifesaver time and time again. Tracy is on the hunt for a horse again with Benny going off the other week, we are going to have a look at one this weekend, so will see what he is like and what his education level is like. Hopefully we can find her a nice horse for her to enjoy and have some fun with.

Don't forget to let us know when you might be available for a dressage clinic, Tracy and I would love to organise it for you and set it all up so you can have a stress free time.

All our love and best wishes

Nice to hear the young'n is doing well and good to hear that Benny has found a nice Home. How lucky is that Horse? Might see you back in Perth. I'll carry the Bags this time and do some video work. Regards

 

22nd July, 2008

Day Off.

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Spotted this advert on Aushorse.

URGENT SALE**** due to young family Merlin is a beautiful Bay TB gelding hes 16.1hh, trained to elementary dressage currently not competing due to family commitments. this is a very regretful sale merlin is a beautiful quiet TB my 9yr old daughter even enjoys plodding along on. hes brilliant to float, shoe and worm. does not get fizzy with lack of work and would perfect for either the competative rider or for more of a pleasure rider. hes has just been brought in from being spelled for 2 months and is ready to get back into work.

Darling, you have no Kids! You don't have a 9 year old daughter. Mum and Dad would not be pleased!!! They brought you up with morals...remember?

PLEASURE REIN Pt. 2

How much can one Man rave on about a pleasure rein they ask :) I need to finish it for now, ok?

I wanted to make it absolutely clear that even though you are riding on a pleasure ride and you are on a pleasure rein, you may take up those reins for a myriad of reasons, whenever you like, PROVIDING you get submission, regardless of initial ignorance or resistance even and end on the high note of 'softness' before THROWING THE REINS AWAY AGAIN.  In so doing, you may take hold of the Mouth of the Horse to whatever pressure is required to meet the elected resistance of the Horse.

When I do this, I insists upon perfection and no matter what may have met my hand when first taking the rein, (depending upon the spookiness of the Horse at the time or whatever else), meaning anywhere between the zero and the ten or an ounce to 50kg's, I will always end with correct Dressage and lightness.

It matters not to the Horse therefore whether you take it's face, take up a contact or not, PROVIDING you do it with correct Dressage Aids and instantly throw the reins away again, to NOT REIN, in between all of these events. Which may number 200 on a ride.

My Dressage Aids consist of balancing hand with my 'leg on' precisely up and down the scale with the rein contact, which is dictated practically by the resistance of the Horse. These three things are changing at the milli second and altering commensurate to each other with such timing that the bystander cannot see it. This is why it is so hard to teach. ....

and so it is that the retention of the integrity of the Mouth of the Horse is a daily task that if not taken seriously and with a total attention to detail with a set of rules that are stringently applied. With the aim and end result of softness, lightness and complete harmony.

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LETTERS OF THE DAY

Hi John & Linda, have just been on your website as haven't had time for ages and was reading re stifle probs, was going to call but thought this would be quicker. I wanted to let you know that my new horse Klay is going fantastic and I think he had a slight stifle prob due to weak muscles in the rear via lack of work and standing in a stable with previous owner. I did what you said deep sand lunging and started him low and deep as he had a head like a duck and a resistent mouth of a truck...in the 4 weeks I have had him he is a differnet horse. When I first got him he couldn't go into a canter unless he ran faster and faster and then he would disunite and lose balance. I am now getting canter trans in 1 stride , soft, balanced and in an even tempo and no disuniting at all. He now has a mouth like my lovely Indy and my shoulder sure appreciates it. Thanks again guys for all your help over the last 10 years seems all those lessons and frustrations with young horses has finally paid off as I have done it by myself... still a long way to go though but each ride I am even more and more stoked with the progress I am making. Sorry for the ramble see you Thurs Linda
Kind Regards Denise

Our pleasure Denise and I thank you for your kind words. We do appreciate them more than you know. x

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Hi John
Thank you so much for answering my email. I feel quite confident about going ahead and having the ligament procedure done. We have a new vet arriving in a few weeks and the vet practice has changed hands. Hopefully they may have the equipment to do the procedure themselves rather than me having to send him down to Perth.

How ironic is this I today watched a lady that i new over 10 yrs ago who was a so called top dressage rider do some natural horsemanship with a horse she is interested in buying. Myself and a friend were watching and she proceeded to inform the owner of the horse what she was trying to do with the mare. The owner is also a friend but not that experienced in assessing any soundness problems with horses.(by the way this was a recent OTTB 2 weeks i think. She was too slow they said). Anyway over the next 20 minutes this lady did the round pen chasing game with the bag on the end of the whip and the horse was quite clever and you could see her thinking and processing what was happening but i dont think anyone but myself and friend had noticed she was getting sore in her off hind leg and she started to leave it behind she also wanted to go left all the time and not right she also became disunited and cantering with both back legs together on the side that was uncomfortable. So i thought LOL is it a stifle probem or sacro illiac problem now we know why the horse couldnt run. Interesting to see if the lady ends up buying her as she is actually quite a stunning hacky type.

That's what I like to hear Maxine. That is what my hard work has been about. Making people aware. So thanks.

My next horse will hopefully be an appy or QH type as i owned something similar when i was younger and never had any physical or emotional problems with them i just sold them as i started a family at that stage of my life but kids are all grown up now and i am enjoying my mid forties and freedom.Just thought i would let you know i also teach the first 7 games with all my horses and have had lessons and clinics with the following trainers - Steve Brady, Steve Moir,,Brian Cramp and several dressage coaches. But the most enjoyable were the western and stock horse people as they were the first to get the NH practices started up here. I have competed in quite a lot of Australian Stock Horse events in the Hedland and Karratha area and have also judged and given informal lessons when we adults and the small number of children we have left here get together and have fun days. I get a real buzz from helping and teaching others. Lateral work and one rein stops are some of the first things we teach and watching a child that could not stop its horse suddenly be in control is wonderful. Well i had better go now and may speak to you again later on.
Thanks Maxine .

Best of luck with your new Horse Maxine. Try not to buy one that is standing on it's nose :) x

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Thanks John -
your advice is always valued. One thing I forgot to mention is - I did not realize that when you get older you loose your sense of balance - which surprised me because I was into gymnastics and a gym junkie for years !!! Anyway - I think this is one reason why so many older women (dont know about older men!!) get scared of falling off - and do - I did - 5 times so far - not recently though :-) the thing that helped me ALLOT was a $9.00 gym ball (looks like a giant balloon) - I would sit on it at night while I watched tv - it really helped - maybe it would help some of your other HP people - oldies anyway!!!
As for my fattie horse - she is like that on grass hay - I am sure she would get fat on fresh air if thats all there was. Between Nugget (my 8hh mini Shetland) and Chandon they get about a third to half a bale a day - less if she has been out for a grass lunch - everyone comments on "how well she does" and its like mountain goat territory around here so she gets exercised - thats why I thought maybe she does not need a rug - I'm sure she has got fatter with wearing one. But as I started off this winter with one I thought I should not stop now.

Once again thank you - Kim

Thanks for the advice Kim. Luckily, I can still get on them without the old mounting block. I reckon the day I can't I might stop starting them :) Regards

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Hello HP,

After all my ground work and such I decided Sparky was ready for me to get on him. I have walked on him just on the property for the most part and did a very small trott on him just over a week ago. He has also gone for his first ride off the property Saturday just gone, it was only very short, only about 3 Kms, mind you that was spent going OMG THE CANE IS GOING TO EAT ME along with anything else that was suspect.
He fidgeted a little as I mounted him which is unusual, when I came back from our walk I checked him over, flexed and stretched him to see if I could spot anything unusual. Sunday I visited and he was a bit tended in the saddle area, I gave him a good brush down and rub and such and left it at that for the day. Today when i was out there his back seems fine, didnt find any of the tender spots that were there on sunday but here is my question. When I lifted his front feet and stretched his leg forward he stretched out his neck opened his mouth and shifted his bottom jaw towards me, he did this on both sides. I have never seen him do this before, if he is trying to tell me something what could it be?? I'm guessing something to do with his back area, but I just don't know where to start.

Thankyou again for your time.

Jennifer

PS have been working more on the 7 games as well and he is leading like a dream

Time to check that Saddle perhaps Jennifer. I don't stretch legs on Horses. I figure it does more harm than good and causes skin to be pulled and pinched into areas where it wouldn't normally be. What type of girth do you use???? String girths a a complete No, No for me. It may be that. One must never ride a Green Horse if there is any doubt whatsoever as to the soundness. You only get one shot at it remember. Regards

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Hi John,

I have a feeling that this got lost courtesy of Bigpond  so I’m sending again….


Hi John,

Hope you and Mrs HP are well?

I haven’t written in a while but I visit daily!

A while ago I wrote to you about Western Pleasure trained horses and what success I could expect for a transition to English riding.. You mentioned that it happened all the time and I shouldn’t have problems, however you did point out that if anything was to pop up it would be that they don’t accept contact….guess what???? She is behind the bit and doesn’t accept contact lol!

What do you suggest? I was thinking of your running reins on the lunge and the market Harborough under saddle to get her used to the feel of contact what are your thoughts?

I’ve attached a pic of Diaz… taken when she lived in the lush Blue Mountains of NSW, paradise compared to the dust bowl here in Vic…. Buts it’s raining now so its mud instead 
(We ended up with just under 20ml – and my pasture is looking better for it!)

Many thanks in advance
Joyce

Hi Joyce. No, neither of those pieces of equipment for this one. Simply your hands and legs. You take the contact more when the Horse is behind the Bit, making it the uncomfortable place to be and as soon as the Horse finds somewhere else and that somewhere is a more acceptable head set, you soften at the speed of light. With timing, consistency and feel, the Horse will soon identify where to be and you will reward it with the softness we look for. You know of course that that this and any training system depends upon the person in charge of the reins :) Best of Luck.

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Hi John

I was reading today re the loose pleasure rein. Has prompted a question from me :) I totally agree re loose rein and am happy to do it. However, my horse on one trail in particular is pretty much looking for something to be scared of. When he carries on like that in lessons, my instructor has said to ride him low and deep - put him down where he has to focus and stop looking around. Once we get that, ride a forward correction to stop the nervous energy building. Works well, so I did it on that trail last weekend. Amazingly it worked and he was much better. Unfortunately, to do that, one needs contact. When he starts to behave, he is allowed to come up a bit as the reward, but is still expected to be fairly low. So, if he needs to be ridden like that, obviously it isn't a loose rein walk. Is that a bad thing? When we go out with friends on different trails he can have a loose rein, the same as when we are riding around the 20 acre agistment property. Once he starts to focus, I'll let up on him a bit. That has happened in our flat work at home. He had loose rein priveleges removed for a while (for the same reason as above) and was allowed to stretch with medium/free walk transitions, so more controlled than loose rein. That has worked well and he has had his loose rein priveleges reinstated as he is staying focussed. I suppose the added benefit is that we do a nice medium / free walk transition now - 8's on tests :)

So is it bad that he needs to go dressage for that particular trail? I normally "go dressage" (LOL) when he does get too looky, but this correction (to low and deep) is quite firm to my mind. I do reward by allowing him to come up and not as deep. You will no doubt appreciate that we get low and deep really well at walk, but forward to trot and it isn't so low and deep but it isn't head in the air either ha ha :)

have a great week

K

Your Coach is correct K and particularly regarding the arena. On the Trail, as I have said, I will ride the trot and canter as you do, most of the time and sometimes on the pleasure rein but it matters not. The WALK on the Trail is what I have been talking about and the fact is that if the vast majority of Horses are ridden as such, on the trail, they will 'jig jog', not relax, be tense and see the Riders' being "Pioofed" not to mention the severe damage done to the Training of the Horse. Your Coach would also tell you that too much collected walk will ruin the pace but hey, depends on the Horse and the Rider of course and can be done...as you have proven. I write to the majority though K. Regards

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HOBBLES

John -
Thanks very much for your advice - we do mix the copra with water and chaff, but probably did not add enough water on this occasion. After reading more feeding advice on your site, we'll now cut back on the copra/chaff mix and feed the horse more hay.
(Believe it or not, my baby son had to have an emergency intussuseption operation some years back - I put it down to him having had rice cereal the night before which did not have enough liquid added! Should have learned my lesson!)
Regards
Cathie

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Hi John, I paid and received your recipe some time ago and had it stored in the computer,and the damn thing crashed and I lost everything.Is there any chance of being sent another copy? I can remember the password and the ingredients but not the amounts of each.Aslo are you going to be doing a Vic clinic? I have a shetland that I would love you to assess (might be a nice change from them big buggers). He is a very complicated,unpredictable little chap.You did suggest to hobble him to get the flight response out of his mind but I don't have the confidence to try after people told me he could break his leg.

He is a great little pony that my daughter rides but if he feels worried or scared you can just see the head come up and he wants to run.Im sure he has been belted before, and we have had to put in so much work into him to trust us, but for instance my daughter fell off over a low jump at pony club and he stood there(very worried) until someone tried to approach him(his head went up) and off he went into the big blue yonder, I have a real fear of him dragging my daughter. I would love to help him get over this fear and lose this "hyper sensitive flight response" LOL.Hope you can help

cheers Maree

Have a read of this next letter Maree. Yes, we are going to do one in Vic/Canberra/NSW/Quld but only one. We were going to do a tour but our Natives here would go feral if we were away too long :) Regards
 

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Hi Hp,

I just had to write and tell you about my first experience with Leg Restraints today, I apologise in advance for all my gushing.

I bought the DVD, the hobbles and finished the round yard.
Watched the DVD more than a few times, got completely organized, then mustered the courage to start.

Well, I believed everything you said in theory, but just didn’t get the significance until I did.

The two horses, one unbroken, haven’t been handled very much lately as I’ve been quite busy, but the change after I used firstly the leg strap and then hobbles on each was amazing. They both became so placid and submissive and switched onto me, not everything else like usual. One was quite funny, after taking a step or two with the front leg strapped I could see her thinking, “I don’t like this, maybe if I lie down I can pretend it’s not happening or will go away”. I also managed to get a rug my young one for the first time, a little later after a break, using the front leg strap.

Anyway, I just wanted to write and let and let your readers know that when used properly this system has a significant effect on horses and should be trained as a matter of fact. I know it’s not new, but it seems no one else is promoting and certainly haven’t put it all together as a training system. Hobbles seem to be a dirty world in some parts of the horse world and I don’t get why. Maybe it’s because it’s so easy and has such an effect that I would lower their income if everyone did it, heee heee.

So, thank you so much for your DVD’s and hobbles and all the other Saddlery I have bought from you. It is all the best quality and will last more than a lifetime, money well spent and shows you can learn horsemanship through correspondence, lol.

Best Regards Jane

My thanks Jane. Yes, if was a dirty word until I came along. All the other Australian Horseman had run and hid inside their closets when the firestorm of PPPPP over run this Country :) Skirts :) The positive effects are so many that I would have trouble listing them Jane. One day I will :) Thanks and congratulations.

 

21st July, 2008

Day Off.

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LETTER OF THE DAY

THE PLEASURE REIN

I have a fairly serious problem in that I don't know how I can really solve the issues I have with my horse. I only really ride in the bush because my horse isn't even at a stage where I would need an arena and I teach her basics in the bush but in a relaxed environment but it's like she just doesn't want to listen to me and she just wants her own way. She started by shaking her head around suddenly and throwing her legs around as a way of having a sort of temper tantrum with me and when she realised it wasn't going to get her her way she started bucking instead. She doesn't seem to want to get me off because she gets quite upset once I fall off and isn't really happy with her result but she just is so dominant that she doesn't want to have to do what I say. I'm open to the fact that their may be contributing factors and I would like to know what other problems I might consider and how to determine if they have a role in her problems without having to fork out hundreds on bills when I'm fairly sure it is just her being dominant. Everyone who has seen me ride her says that she doesn't at all look nasty or in pain and I have seen other people ride her and having seen her in pain a fair amount of times I can surely say she looked very relaxed when we go out riding. When I have people take a look at her they spend five minutes with her and conclude that she is very dominant but nobody can really offer a sure way to stop her bucking. I'm not particularly scared to ride her but if I take her to a trainer to ride out the bucks until she stops then I will get back on and she will just buck with me again and I have a fairly good seat but she really bucks when you least expect it. I have asked and asked what I should do and everyone tells me the same thing. Because shes 16 and has limited experience they say that shes too old to retrain and so on and nobody will offer some suggestions on how to fix the problem. Sixteen is mature but shes certainly not about to retire since shes obviously still got some spark left and I personally love her aside from riding but in return for looking after her I expect to be able to do some work with her, I never push her too hard and I would really like some suggestions on how to fix the problem without calling out every bowen therapist, veterinarian, dentist, farrier, chiropractor, saddle fitter etc. as people keep suggesting I do! I do not have enough money to be able to see an expert on every single aspect that could possibly contribute but I have read some of your articles and its sounds like you could give some advice. Also if you have any suggestions, I give my mare a loose contact in trot and canter and little if any at all in walk and she still, if I pick up the reins a bit, throws her head up and I'm not hard on her mouth so I don't know how to stop her doing it I try to be gentle but I feel like I have no contact when she throws her head up and I'd like to know that the contact is there if I need it. Kate

Part of any Horse Professional's job should be to carefully examine what an Owner says and what the Horse is saying and this is especially necessary when you work in the 'Problem Horse' Field as I do Kate. In my case, I attempt to read via the written word and so I have highlighted certain of your sentences. The Horse, by throwing his head, backs up my thinking.

The most confused subject in the entire Horse Industry is this one of CONTACT. Even with the many writings of mine on site, people even take my words either too literally or in a confused fashion.  I'll say it again then:

" When pleasure riding and especially on the untrained Horse, there should be zero contact on the rein at the walk and the Rider should be operating on a "pick up the rein and cheeeeck baaaack and release, to control speed at the trot and canter. Having the half hearted contact because the Rider is still suffering withdrawal symptoms from the English influence of times gone by, PISSES HORSES OFF!! I see them daily. You can take up the Half Halt as many times as you like, as long as it means something but this contact for contacts sake, PISSES HORSES OFF!!!

Virtually every Breaker I hand over to a Client and take that Client out for a ride, and I tell them and show them how they should ride the Horse at the walk and I do it for them first, I am yet to meet one that can "let the rein go" The Human Mind cannot handle it, their Body cannot do it and it is a source of great entertainment for me to watch the psychological struggle going on that reduces the Human  to a Vegetable over a simple thing like that. :) 100% of people who come up through the Pony Club or English systems, that I have met, cannot truly let the rein go. Only with much encouragement by me, for an hour, will achieve it. Not their fault.

Having said that then, there is nothing wrong at all with taking the Mouth of such Horses, on a scale of 0-10 and even up to re-arranging the Teeth if you need, providing that the release comes and the Rider goes back to loopy rein and NOT having their WORRY BEADS soft contact. Soft Contacts for reasons of the HUMAN COMFORT ZONE, pisses Horses Off!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I would bet that your Horse is "Telling you Off" and you need to make adjustments. Believe it or not, if you went entirely the other direction, had lessons and learnt how to take a full on contact of the English/Dressage type, your Horse would be completely Happy. I am not recommending that of course but it is about doing it right. Riding the Pleasure Horse right or the English Horse right.

The next thing to fix your problem is to go back to the training board and improve the training sophistication of the Horse so that, when you do take up a contact, the Horse puts it's head downwards in submission and softness rather than ever upwards in resistance. Those subjects are on this site.  Regards

 

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LETTERS OF THE DAY

Hi Hp,
I have just purchased a couple of your chin straps and market harborough and think they are fantastic, anyway we had our first day at PC yesterday, weren't sure if chin straps were allowed so I just left them on the bridles to see what they would say, gear check was fine, nothing said. Then we had the same instructor that did gear check for flat work, with about 10 mins to go she decided she would take the chin straps off, first of all she asked the girls what they were for ( the girls are 15 and are beginers), and then asked if she could take them off, as the horses might go better with out them ,the girls said yes, after the lesson she said she thought they had gone better, I must of missed the change in them. lol
She then approached me and said she didn't see any purpose for them what were they for, I told her what they were for, oh she said then told me she thought they were to loose as they were flapping around a bit, I said they are meant to be like that, she then just walked off. Also the DC told the girls if they wanted to wear them they needed to have sheep skin on them.
Just wondering if we are doing the right thing by wearing them all the time, as we use loose ring snaffle bits?
Thank you for your time
Karen

The mind boggles. You know as well as I do that she is not qualified to comment :) When in Rome, do as the Romans do but she removed one of the safety factors from your Kids Horses and hypothetically, if a Horse had bolted etc, she could have been found to have contributed, by a Court. Not her fault of course, the President needs a better curriculum. :( Circa 2008 not 1888.

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Hi MR HP

I have a 12yo TB mare that I ride at Pony Club events and just for pleasure. When I’m riding her just ‘out and about’ I usually ride in my western saddle and hackamore but PC does not allow the use of these items of tack so I use a snaffle bit when riding in PC – she is a good little jumper and we do some games as well. We have done dressage at Prelim and Novice level but we both don’t really like it that much. The problem I’m having is that she has started getting gher tongue over the bit and you can see it sticking right out the side of her mouth and she then shakes her head like mad until it gets back under the bit. I used to ride with a Hanoverian noseband on but I thought that it would hinder her being able to get her tongue back under the bit so I took it off and now have just a plain bridle with no Cavesson or Hanoverian nosebands. She does tend to open her mouth a bit especially in jumping but I’ve had times when she’s gone a bit nuts because her tongue has gotten over the bit in the middle of a jumping comp and so I thought the mouth open (we are still learning together and she tends to rush the jumps sometimes) would be the better of the two situations. Someone else in the PC that does dressage said that I should put the nosebands back on and tighten them right up so she can’t get her tongue over the bit but it doesn’t sound like a great idea to me – what do you think? I’ve noticed that when we ride with the hackamore she pokes her tongue in and out a lot and mouths and carries on – does not disturb our riding – she does it ‘happily’ and quietly while walking along on a long rein with her ears pricked just enjoying the ride!

Cheers

Chantel

In my experience Chantel, such straps do not stop the determined tongue manipulator. :) I think the difference between your pleasure riding situation and the show jumping one is that in the latter, at times when the tongue is over, you have to take a complete contact and the Horse therefore can't put it back where it belongs whereas it can on the looser rein. There is a new Bit doing the rounds where they claim that it stops this problem. I have not tested it so cannot vouch. Maybe others here can. Pee Wee Bit. Google it. There is a dedicated stainless steel tongue over the Bit one that I use occasionally and that works. It has a swivel plate that sits on the tongue, backwards from the bit and when the tongue attempts to go over, the plate lifts up and stops it. They then lose the habit of trying and the mind does the rest. I had a Breaker recently where I used it successfully. You should also go to Myler.com and read their extensive written words on the subjects (which I do not have time) there may be something there. The Rubber attachment is a total waste of money. Regards

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Hi John

was just reading the letter from Stacey and her issue with clipping. Not knowing the horse, it is hard to comment on "prior treatment" whilst clipping. However, using my horse as an example, it may be the current handlers that are creating the problem, not the fact that the horse was mishandled or drugged previously. My horse was pretty badly injured and needed daily injections. The agistment people could not handle him and had limited success twitching. I thought, why, I've needled him before by myself, he should be fine. Sure enough, if I held him, not an issue to be seen, he was as quiet as a lamb. Apparently he has issues being clipped (I can actually imagine what some would be), however, the agistment owner where we are now can clip him no worries and unsedated.

So, without seeing all parties and stating the obvious, it may be the handler causing the issue. The prior agistment people could turn my horse into a wreck (so much so the vet wanted to sedate at one visit, but that didn't turn out to be necessary). They would have said he had had whatever bad handling previously to cause it. Which isn't the case at all. They were apparently very experienced horse people. Given he is my first horse and I have no problems, you have to wonder......

hope you had a great weekend

K

Yes K. True. For years now, Mrs. HP has clipped every Horse that could not be clipped and without the use of Drugs. Just Savvy and attitude. Thanks

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Hi John,

It's Beth here, the lady who was bucked off at your clinic in Perth.

I've just purchased your mouthing DVD with plans to re-mouth the redhead as you suggested.


I would really appreciate it.

And thanks again for making the trip over to WA, I couldn't have asked for a more appropriate moment for the sod to play up! I have been working on the ORS's as well... had to... we had a few minor arguments not long after my lesson with Linda but everything stayed under control because of the ORS. Nipped the behaviour in the bud and on we went. Have had some brilliant rides since then and no sign of that behaviour again, but if it does crop up I'll be using the ORS straight away.

cheers
Beth

Thanks Beth. Yes, I recommended you tune up his Mouth because I was standing there when he tried to buck with Mrs. HP and his lateral Mouth was not good enough. Glad he is going well. Regards

**********


Hi Mr HP,

Just wanted to say thank you for writing the article regarding floats.
While I wasn't able to buy the safest float I wanted, I selected a float that met with most of your criteria.

This paid off yesterday, as a horse went down in my float. She lost her footing even though we had actually been stopped for 30 seconds or so when she went down. I had to take out the bars and divider to allow her to get up again. Fortunately, even with the horse's weight on the chest bar, we were able to easily remove it.

I do have a question however, do you recommend putting hay/straw/sawdust on the float floor in wet weather?


El

HI EI. No I don't. Just good rubber mats that are specifically designed for suspect footed Horses. Most that go down have not slipped due to the surface but because of their suspect nature and an attempt to climb the wall. I travel in the Float with those to make sure but always have the personnel door open and only at low speed, just enough to test them around some bends. You could video of course and that would be a better option for the Amatuer. Well done.

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Hi John and Linda,
Thanks for the lesson on Friday Linda. It helped heaps! Especially your constant advice on “don’t stop him going forward” and “trust him”. Wow, he is a gem. Teddy went for a trial ride on Saturday for 2 hours with Jess and Maestro and yes we even went through the main street of two wells. He seemed to really enjoy it. So then we took him to Pony Club at Two Wells on Sunday in the freezing cold and raining and for his first ever time out being ridden he was such a good boy. Yes he whinnied and looked around but apart from that he was so good. He even gave a canter when the rest of the group did WITHOUT a buck. He went over some trot poles too! So for his good behaviour he has a couple of days off now. Don’t want to over do it!
Just wanted to let you know that (so far) we are doing very well. There were a few people at PC that could not believe it was his first time out as he was so well behaved.
THANKS.

Fiona

Ah, my darling 'Teddy' He was the nicest Riding Pony I have met. Well done.

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Hi John

Nice wet weather down your way wouldnt mind some up here in Port Hedland.North west of WA.
I havent seen any letters from anyone up here so i thought i would be the first. A friend of mine Kristi who had the weanling at your clinic in Perth Abby finally gave me the decision to write. I never realised until she sent an email that she was a follower of your site its a small world.

Anyway i must agree with you tenfold about OTTB and the problems that come with them. Up here where we are it is hard to get a good quality horse unless you buy them down south. You are still not guaranteed what you will get and we are along way away when things go wrong or you want your money back. Many a person has paid big dollars for a horse and found that they are unsound or are total fruitloops. So the majority of horses we get are off the track.
In the last 10 yrs i have only managed to fine 3 sound and well
tempered ex racehorses unfortunately they passed away due to colic . toxic poisoning from a weed we had growing called poison morning glory and urinary colic.
So silly old me committed myself to the last one i will ever get due to him being put together fairly nicely and having the most wonderful dispostition. Unfortunately 5 weeks ago one of his stifles went quite badly after we had a bush fire go through. The horses were in a bit of a panic and we did not notice until later in the after noon that he was resting his right leg. We put him on antiflammitories and proceeded with gentle exercise in the first week. He was also on joint food and getting a mineral and vitamin supplement. With the correct exercise regime that you advocate he has being coming along well but everynow and then we will go backwards for a few days and then he improves again.I make sure when lunged he is in running reins and his lateral mouth is fairly good. His one rein stops are great unless his leg is sore and he then finds it difficult to disengage his hindquarters as they obviously become stuck. This horse has not had a significant break when he came off at the age of 8 last October and the young girl that had him was inexperienced with OTTB and he was also underfed. I have recently offered him kelp adlib and have found a big change in him( not sure how long it will last) My farrier is fantastic and has trimmed his toes back and his heels are growing more upward now. I have spoken to my vet and she has suggested if he hasnt stablised in the next 4 weeks that he may be a candidate for the ligament cutting procedure. This is a horse that i would definately spend the money on as he came into our lives(My daughter as well) and filled the big hole in our hearts that our lovely big boy Bundy left when he died from toxic plant poisoning last year on Melbourne cup day. So we may send him down South for the Summer and have the op done there as our Vet clinic doesnt cater for big ops and we can also have both stifles xrayed and see what damage is there.

Anyway i just would like to let you know i do a lot of unofficial judging for our small shows up here and at one i had to ask three competitors to leave as their horses were all lame and i know for a fact that 2 of them had stifle problems and the other one was bridle lame. I have become so good at picking sore backs and rear ends people come and ask me what they thing may be wrong ( that i dont always know but at least they can ask our vet who rides and is very good at assessing horses with back andstifle problems as she has horses of her own that have suffered similar problems)

Over the last 5 years OTTB that are hacked may look pretty but when you watch them work out you can tell the are sore and are basically held down at the front with DOUBLE BRIDLES. Ask their riders to go on a loose rein or have a good controlled hand gallop and problems will rear there ugly heads. Out of 20 horses that are shown up here only about 5 are truly sound supple straight and on the bit and not to forget FORWARD.
PHEW! This is the longest email i have written. I have just being dying to write to you now i cant stop. Your site and you and your wife ROCK!

All the best hope to hear from you soon.
By the way i also own a 28 yrld part Brumby originally from the Kimberley Heritage horses Alfie is his name he has alzheimers but he cracks us up. That horse hasnt got a creaky bone in his body and is sounder then the other 2 OTTBS.

Must go i wont write again for a month thats if you answer this one HA HA!
Maxine, Jubes and Alfie.
Port Hedland WA

Lol Maxine :) Incidentally, the operation is not major. It is a 10 minute max thing and done with the Horse just standing there. Local injection and not even needing tranqu if the Vet is half good :) I have watched many of them.  So what will your next Breed of Horse be :) I did read it all, I promise :) Regards

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Dear HP,

I am aware that you dont get as much peritonitis in S.A. but just
wondering if you had any knowledge towards its prevention. We have
just had our second case in 12 months, healthy, wormed, in work, on
grass and hard feed. Both horses had been seen by a chiropracter 3
or 4 days prior.

Nobody knows why we get it here. We are told it has something to do
with parasite migration and ? some sort of microorganism that we have here in Vic. Have heard of a case nearby that was possibly precipitated by worming causing a shift of the parastites through the gut.

Sheep and cattle have been on the pasture but not in the past 18 mths.

Every morning I just hope to find all horses standing. Got any ideas??

Regards, Jen

You have stumped me Jen. No idea. Others will though. Stay tuned. Sounds a real worry though. My Dad had that once. :(

**********

Hey John - Still love your site ! And your thunder mix - I am about to give it to her again - this time I wont wear most of it.

Well it has been a year now that I have had my pride and joy Chandon, 14hh Welsh Cob, dapple buckskin, mare. A year of pure joy, challenges, frustrations, learning and some scary stuff. I have loved every minute of it.

Things got much better when I gave up on riding school stuff and took your advice re loose reins, also found a good Aussie stock saddle to fit her table top back and keeps me onboard and we have a bit less bridle.
We only walk the trails and have two paces walk and walk slower which seems to suit us both. In the beginning to stop me tugging on the reins I put a leather strap through the D rings on the front of the saddle and got used to tugging on that rather than Chandon!! I also spent time walking her on the lead rope on the roads to get her used to traffic (we live on a VERY narrow dirt road) some of the nit wits dont think to slow down. I ride her usually twice a week and take her for a walk to eat grass three times a week which I enjoy just as much as riding (we dont have grass here which is fine because she has foundered in the past). Either way we go out most weekdays.

Get to the point you are thinking !! Most of the time she is miss perfect BUT every now and then - yes usually about once a month (or maybe 5 weeks) it seems her evil twin has taken over!!
If I am walking her on the lead rope (long one with rope bridle) when I decide its time to go - lunch is over she throws a hissy fit - tosses her head and stomps her front feet - like the naughty kid at the birthday party saying "I dont want to go"! After one of these moments I pull her head round to the side and make her yield then make her back up a few times. Is this the right way to sort this out ??? She will do the same when I am riding her sometimes - toss her head and stomp the front feet - I make her go forward and tell her off - is this enough ??? 99% of the time she is fine and I know compared to most my problem is small but I dont want it to turn into something big. I keep in mind that I am (or would like to be) in control of 550 kilos of horse not a dog or toy. Am I allowed to be a bit forgiving if she is in season.
Also - I have a coat for her - it goes below zero quite often here (Mt Dandenong, Vic) - do you think she really needs it ?? I have never rugged my little Shetland Nugget - he has the most wonderful winter shaggy coat of his own!!! I'm just not sure if she needs it or if it just makes me feel better if she has it on!!
I look forward to your advice.
Keep up the good work - please - Kim

Hi Kim. Well, you own a Vacuem Cleaner or "Garbage Guts" by the look of her hahaha. I'll bet she has foundered :) Now, you know that what you get on the ground you nearly always get under saddle? I mean with attitude. You are therefore at slight risk imho and you need to therefore up the demand when you get the chance, at that time of her "No' when you want her to come Home :) That is your perfect opportunity to protect yourself under saddle and so you should go for her there. Have the proper lead rope of course, 3.6 metres and the moment she stamps the feet, spin it like the propeller of a Plane and run at her ass end, flicking her rump as hard as your spinning rope can do it. Aiming to get her at least 6 times as she yields and you encroach. Then walk on home as if nothing had happened. Right there, lifting the demand and quite rightly so for stamping feet, you will have upped the respect enough under saddle that you have 'Brownie Points" built up for when she says "No" under saddle and she will remember the ground incident and just may not ever buck you off therefore. Lovely looking Horse :) Regards

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20th July, 2008

I don't know about you but I am all Poped out :)

Paris has gone home and what a pleasure she was. I am not a fan of a lot of Riding Ponies as they are mini Thoroughbreds and many are buck jumpers. The San Lira Line being the worst of them on the average that have come through my hands over the years but this Filly was a little ripper.

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I had a good laugh today. The Owner's, who are very successful Showies, were telling me that at a recent Clinic where they had taken their 10 year old Daughter with two Horses, they had at least 5 people come up to them and ask where they got their saddle from because the Horses were going so well. ROFLAO Mrs. HP rides them half of each riding lesson of the Daughter. It is called correct Training hahaha. Only the Hackies could think that :)

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Lovely Rain again and all the tanks are full. We have caught 280.000 litres. What a shame the Govt can't equip every House and Factory in this Country. Problem solved. :(

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Telstra are still lying through their teeth re supplying info for the Broadband Tender and the Govt will now have to rush more Legislation to force them. Mongrels!

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Did you watch Jamie Oliver the other night? Magnificent Show. No longer "an apple a day will keep the Doctor away." Now 3 Apples because they have trashed the Product so much it ain't work much. :(

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Vote One. Barack Obama.

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Holden and Ford are in big Trouble. How could they not see that coming? Too arrogant? Now they are going to be cut to pieces by the Japs and Koreans. Good. This Planet may yet survive. . Go check this out for a production

http://www.truthaboutsmart.co.uk/?csref=mbuk_en_smart_truthaboutsmart_hp_teaser_020508 Don't forget to interact with it!!

If I were Prime Minister for a Day (duck for cover) I would license 4 Wheel Drive Ownership to only those who are Tradesman or needed to tow Horse Floats, Boats, Workmen etc. I would immediately kick off the road, every Tail Gating School pick up Parent in their Gas guzzlers.

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High hay costs pose problems for horse rescue


IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) — An organization in eastern Idaho that takes in horses from people who can’t afford to feed them has had to turn some horses away for the same reason.

Phoenix Equine Rescue and Rehabilitation in Bonneville County cares for 27 horses but is struggling to feed them.

“Even one horse is hard to take care of,” Brandy Crosby, who runs the organization with two volunteers, told the Post Register.

She said the $100 a month it gets in donations isn’t enough to cover the cost of the 100 tons of hay it needs annually. Hay cost $90 a ton last year but now costs $225 a ton.

Crosby said she has even been selling her blood to raise money to buy hay.

“You know, we just try to take it day by day and do the best that we can — plasma donations, whatever we can do to get some extra money, recycling cans and things like that — to help us get by,” Crosby said.


People who can’t afford to feed their horses have few options. Low-quality horses that are typically sold for meat aren’t worth much because there are so many on the market.

“The top end of the horses are still bringing good money, but the lower end of the horses, there’s so many of them they’re not worth anything,” said Gale Hardin, a University of Idaho Extension Educator. “People can’t afford to feed them.”

Crosby said some people are simply letting their horses go.

“Horses are being turned out, just let lose up in the mountains and in the desert,” she said. “And that’s starting to become a problem.”

She said some horse owners simply let their horses starve. Crosby said when she gets that kind of report she will contact the owner and try to get them to voluntarily give her the horses. If they refuse, she will contact authorities.

“I think a lot of people don’t mean for it to happen,” said Crosby about the starving horses. “It’s getting worse. It’s getting a lot worse. A lot of people are too proud to ask for help. If people would say something and make phone calls, to let people know they’re hurting, that they can’t afford to feed their animals and try to get help, I think we would have less of a problem.”

Bonneville County sheriff’s Sgt. Doug Metcalf said animal control officers are noticing an increase in the number of malnourished horses.

Of the horses Phoenix Equine Rescue and Rehabilitation does take in, they are returned to health and put up for adoption. Crosby said about 12 horses have been adopted out since the group formed about five years ago.

She said six horse currently being cared for are either blind or crippled and will live out their days with the group. But she said there are more horses in the region that need help.

“If we could get consistent donations, I would take them all,” Crosby said.

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Meet California's new horse-racing supremo



Published Date: 17 July 2008
By Emily Pykett
SHE was the blonde bombshell who famously portrayed the perfect woman in the 1979 hit film 10.
Bo Derek, who shot to fame as the on-screen love interest of Dudley Moore in the movie, has now been appointed by Californian governor and fellow Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger to the board of a state commission to licence and supervise horseADVERTISEMENT

-racing.

The former Playboy model and Golden Globe-nominated actress, now 51, is a renowned animal rights activist and horse lover who has lobbied the US Congress for five years to ban the slaughter of horses.

Schwarzenegger hopes Derek will be able to use her Hollywood profile to raise the profile of responsible racing in California.

Her experience as author of the book Riding Lessons: Everything That Matters in Life I Learned from Horses and ownership of pet care company Bless the Beasts – which sells such items as dog shampoos, conditioner and fur polish – should stand her in good stead when it comes to governing California's £2 billion racing industry and controlling a budget of roughly £5 million.

Bruce Friedrich, vice-president of People's Ethical Treatment of Animals, said he hoped Derek's celebrity status would raise public awareness of horse-racing, which he claimed caused the deaths of two animals every day.

Derek, a registered Republican, was previously the special envoy of the US secretary of state on wildlife trafficking and has served on the board of WildAid and the Galapagos Conservancy in Ecuador.

The California horse-racing board also licenses trainers, jockeys and horse owners, as well as supervising horse-racing and betting. Derek's first board meeting will be held today at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in southern California, although the post still needs to be ratified by the state Senate.

A spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger said: "Bo Derek applied online and went through the same application process as other candidates.

"I believe she is an acquaintance of the governor but I would not characterise that as a close personal friendship."

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Horse riding death deemed an accident
JULY 16, 2008
Read Comments(13) Recommend Print this page E-mail this article
Police in Milford are saying the death of a 41-year-old equestrian whose body was found Tuesday after a ride was likely an accident.

Lt. Michael Lauridsen said today that Sarah Rice was an experienced horsewoman and often went for daily rides. A passerby noticed her riderless horse at about 10 a.m. near Childs Lake and Buno roads in Milford Township and called police. The horse returned to Rice’s home a short time later.

Rice’s body was found in a wooded area near some railroad tracks off Old Plank Road, Lauridsen said. What caused Rice’s death is still unknown, he said. Investigators are awaiting the results of an autopsy.

Lauridsen said it appears Rice was thrown or fell from the horse.


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NH horse competing for most hands

 

WEBSTER, N.H. (AP) A 6-year-old Belgian draft horse from Webster, New Hampshire, is competing for the title of world's tallest horse.

Tex weighs more than two tons. His head is about 40 inches from his nose to between the ears.

But to win the title, Tex must measure tallest in a straight line from the back of the knee to his withers on his neck. The standard measurement is hands the length of the pinky finger to the pointer finger when the hand is held sideways or about 4 inches.

Tex's veterinarian will measure him next week and the measurement will be submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records. Tex measures about 19 hands 3 inches.

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LETTER OF THE DAY

CRANKY FARRIERS

I have watched your Leg restraints DVD quiet a few times now and I feel I am ready to train my Arab to hobbles and leg strap.. After that and if I feel confident enough I want to train my pony (12.2hh) to the hobbles and leg strap as well as the neck strap restraint (pony has been hobbled but not any other restraints) ..he is very much like Chip in the DVD but not a problem like Chip was..Sammy is very clingy and hes a little funny with the back legs.. What I want to do is to get him perfect with the back legs for trimming and so my daughter can clean his feet with realative saftey..He has had the back legs done and he wasnt a great problem but he wasnt as good as I would like..His front was more of a problem..I also felt it was about him not knowing the farrier..So next time I will stand him next to us when I get the other horse done and that way he can get to know the farrier a bit better..My farrier has a little bit of a short fuse..He hasnt done anything to hurt my boys but my boys are quite good..the farrier started to get a little annoyed with Sammy with his front legs and wanted to put a clamp on his nose..I just asked him to pat him all over and talk to him a little first after that he was OK just not perfect..My aim is to have him perfect so that he may never have to deal with a cranky farrier..
After this long winded introduction my question is this .. Is there any rules for the chain inbetween the hobbles..IE.. should it be shorter for smaller ponies? Also would your hobbles fit the smaller pony? If not do you sell smaller ones ?
thanks for your precious time..
Helen

Dear John

I forgot to add in my last email a pic for you with my daughter on my gelding and getting him on the bit for the first time ever. She was all smiles after this ride..I havnet even shown her the "On the bit" DVD yet..Just wait till she has Linda explain it to her via the DVD.. LOL
Helen

Hi Helen. Daughter looks mighty good. I showed it to Mrs. HP and she told me to pass onto your Daughter to drop her stirrups a couple of holes but it does make it more difficult with the GP Saddles. She should ride without stirrups for a while. Lookin good though :)

Yes, the extra rings on the Hobble Chains are for use on small Horses and Foals. For the 12 hand Pony, go in one ring on each side. I have hobbles that fit large Horses and Ponies Helen.

Vibes given off b y cranky Farriers, in themselves, create fractious Horses. Even if they are not "Going the Biffo" (smack) the vibes themselves worry Horses as the Human doesn't have to exhibit actual violence to worry Horses because they are smarter. They can smell the vibes and they can sure identify good vibes from bad vibes. We had such a Farrier here for a while, "Up the guts with smoke" and I would see Horses do more than the odd manure and it become looser. There is now a mild mannered Farrier who does a few here and he can get around even suspect Horses, just because of his attitude. Try a different Farrier and see how your Horses goes. At least then you can see if the Pony is just plain naughty or perhaps not.
 

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LETTERS OF THE DAY

COACHING

G'Day John,
I told my coach my TB mare was stiff in hind leg/not wanting to work/unusually lazy/unhappy. He said she looked stiff and needs a workout, Every time I asked her to trot she pigrooted, so then it was the saddle not fitting. so change saddle....still unhappy horse with pinned ears, pigrooting instead of trotting...'just ride her foreward' coach said. ask for trot again and horse reared.
My first rear and I stayed on :) dont want to do it again but.
I have decided that the mares hip is out, as one side of her bum is sitting higher and she is not standing normally. Have chiro comming.
Just wanting your opinion,should the coach have picked the problem? am I expecting too much?
Thankyou
Nat

Of course the Coach should have picked the problem and if they did not, they should have erred on the side of caution or they are not worth their accreditation.

However, the the EFA are at fault here because never in the History of the Planet, has their Coaching system thought about such things and therefore Coaches do not get taught it. I have watched Coaching Exams and it is all the old basic BHS stuff. Pony Club dressed up. Their Curriculum needs a major overhaul as does Pony Club. Until it does, Horses will be the one's to suffer and how bad is that? They are supposed to be the protectors of Horses. Well they are not. My Video Pages are sprinkled with all Coached out unsound Horses, some being flogged by Coaches when after my visit, they were operated on. .
 

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Hi , Firstly I would like to thank you for this article ( although could the changes be altered, as I found it hard to read?)...

I have the most beautiful, most willing t.b I probably will ever be blessed to associate with again in my lifetime. I got him the day after he raced. I took things slow, and he never failed to try and please. I felt something was wrong. Umpteem vets, accupuncture, bowen, chiro etc... they all said it was in my mind. I turned him out for 2 years. Got on with my life ( yes,, stifle lock horse, fence injured horse, headshaking syndrome horse SIGH )... and I bring him back into work. I do it slow. I take things day at a time and slowly get him back to ridden fit. He is as beautiful as he was 2 years ago. BUT this left hind leg gets left behind ( dont be silly, he is just unbalanced...)... He kind of loses his back under me ( ohhh you are imagine it, he looks fine.. he is cold backed )... I have a lot of trouble with transitions ( he is just being rude... you must make him keep his head down bah blah )... At home, or at my riding club, he is a darling. Never puts a foot wrong ( except me feeling these things I felt uneasy about ). Everyone told me, that yet again I was being stupid... I took him to a show to a ground he is never good at. He bucked me off. He has never EVER even lifted a back foot in a pigroot before. ( it proceeded after a big shy ). I got an Osteopath to look him over. His sacro was completely mushed. He had atrophy ( ohhh yeah dont worry about that Donna.. he just needs to build topline.... ). He said that he couldnt beleive the horse would even let me ride him ( although i admit, he moved awesome, and NEVER ever resisted other than those above mentioned things). I have now retired him ( he is 11) after that visit. I am still coping flack on how they dont think anything is wrong with my horse. How silly I am. But I know this horse, and I KNEW what he was telling me..... and I can not thank you enough for basically backing me up, even though you dont know me :).... but this now brings me to my next kind of question/problem......

Bugga!

I have purchased another ottb. ( I have a warmblood baby so this is horse to ride until he is ready). I have purchased your track to dressage video and mouthing videos and running reins............

Okay history on horse. He is rising 7. raced 20 times. I am very familiar with the trainer , who bred the horse also. I also know the guy who broke him in. I know the track riders who have both said very quiet horse. No soundness problems. Another close friend also rang a friend who turned out to be a jockey in his races. same Very quiet horse. The vets gave him all clear ( I admit, I have lost faith in vets around here - longer story ). He is in good condition for horse. He last raced 3 months ago,