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.
**
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Ranked 4th in the World - Horse Training.
31st January, 2008
I hate hypocrisy and one of
the worst examples of it lies with the Tea Tree
Gulley Council. Recently, there was a front page
story and photo showing the Lord Mayor and
Councilors actually protesting at the Electrical
Supply people in this State trimming Trees back too
far when they are growing beneath Power Lines,
because of Bush Fire Danger. There they all were
almost chaining themselves to Trees. Meanwhile, just
down the Road from me, we have these Babies about to
be Bulldozed completely because they don't want to
design houses around them
-------------------------
See the Pink Crosses???
They all have them. That means the death sentence.
Oh yes, one rule for the Rich and Powerful and
another opposite rule for the Battlers. Meanwhile,
we have a Tree in the corner of a block where our
local Servo wanted to expand and put in a car wash.
Two years they were held up by a fist full of an
opposition by the same Council and the Tree stays.
So much for the Environmental Credentials of
Council. So the Land was zoned Water Catchment for
the Little Para Resi. "Not a Problem Boys" we can
zone that Residential :) There would now be no Horse
Trails in this District if it were not for us
fighting every step of the way. ...and they wonder
why there are big fat kids and little ol ladies
being assaulted all over the District??? Go figure
----------------
Still too hot for my liking
but had lovely morning playing with the young Foal
who is here with his Mum, getting him ready to be
weaned and for the new owners to successfully take
him. Got him tying up now, trimming feet all around,
walking in the Float, hobble trained and other
things. They should have a wonderful time with him
as he is a darling and a half. Australian Stock
Horse of course :)
------------------
Started pegging the site
out for my new Stables although that wasn't so much
fun because of the heat. Organizing Post Hole
digging, trench digging and other equipment to come
soon. I'll be glad when it is over. I am about sick
of post holes as I have put in thousands over my
life time and most via crow bar. This was my last
effort.
and 2 k back behind me and east west :( Must be mad.
That Mrs. HP is a slave driver :)
--------------
Remember 'Mr. Buck'? He is a lovely Boy now. Mrs. HP
rode him the other night after a spell. He is in
this Months Horse Deals and if there are any serious
show jumping or eventing people wanting a Champion,
his whole Family was and he will be too.
----------------------------
Looks like things are
getting back under way with Horse Sports in this
State and Mrs. HP is competing again soon. She is
desperate for a Prix St. Georges start so she can
get qualified for Dressage with the Stars but it is
very difficult when you come from a little State, no
comps, few Judges. Makes it very hard and that is a
shame.
LETTERS OF THE DAY
Got in trouble today. This
young Lady wrote this to me yesterday....
Hello,
Stumbled onto your site by accident while trying to
give a
friend overseas some help with horses that are tough
to bridle
and have learned bridling problems. I was completely
blown away
by your page! Excellent work! I don't often feel
compelled to email
random site owners to tell them that i'm impressed
with their work.
Then again...it's not often that i'm too impressed
with most people's
websites. lol
Anyways...just had to drop you a line to tell you
that the site is
fabulous and was a perfect list of what to do and
what not to do to
show my friend. Absolutely wonderful. Your site has
earned a spot on
my "favorites" list. :) Keep up the good work!
- Lesley
British Columbia, Canada
Thanks Leslie. Glad to have
been of some help. Go to my horseproblems utube site
for video of the subject. Kind Regards
I then sent this:
Hi
There,
I have attempted to
respond to your query to the best of my ability,
given the availability of my time as I do spend
28 per week giving free advice. You may find the
answer here:
Wow...an auto reply. Awesome.
You just lost all my respect. Seriously.
By the way...neither of your links worked.
Yeah.......
- LP
Weeell, I guess the cold
must be getting to them in British Columbia :)
Thought you’d like this one
John, goes to show how special horses really are J
Isn't this a beautiful sight!
After the horses moved on, the doe came for her
fawn. So all is well , in case you were wondering.
Just beautiful.
Hi John,
The farrier’s name is Richard Duncan (0438648370).
He was great with Fred, but got a bit rough (ear
twitched) with one of the ponies down there, the
pony was being a down right little shit but still. I
couldn’t fault him with Fred though.
Anyhow, chat to ya later.
Rach
Not bad job Rach.
Hi, John. I see a few people have been asking
about keeping their horses barefoot lately, so I
thought I'd offer my thoughts on the subject. I
first got interested in barefoot horses by accident
- my mare was diagnosed with navicular and I turned
her out barefoot, with regular trims... long story
short, I was surprised to find she came sound again,
and she stayed that way for the rest of her life.
Turned out her trouble had been caused by slightly
contracted heels, being shod tight in the quarters
and a little long in the toe. I was also surprised
to find that while barefoot her hoof quality (which
had always been somewhat shelly) improved
dramatically, her hoof walls and soles became thick
and tough, and her heels became wide and strong.
I've had my gelding barefoot for years now and his
feet are SO much better than when he was shod (and
he was shod well by a very competent farrier, with
nice wide heels, short toes etc). Until a year ago
he had what they call a "pasture trim" but for the
last year I've been doing a "barefoot trim" on him
which is slightly but fundamentally different from
the way you would trim in preparation for a shoe,
and it's this trim that has allowed me to ride
without boots (before, he needed hoof boots for
comfort on the trails). Most of the time now I can
ride him just about anywhere barefoot, but depending
on the terrain etc sometimes I boot him. Usually he
just needs hoof boots on the front feet and very
occasionally on the back as well. The boots last a
long time and are WAY cheaper than metal shoes. Plus
his feet are much tougher and healthier, so it's a
win win. I learned to trim my horses myself (I also
have a coming two year old filly with amazingly
tough, concave hooves) and it's surprisingly easy to
do. Here are some websites that provide good
information:
And here's a group of people who will take the time
to help anyone with doing their own trimming:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/barefoothorsecare/
I highly recommend Pete Ramey's book (and the
articles on his website).
He also has a very comprehensive set of DVDs out
now.
cheers,
Monica
(Canada)
Thanks Monica. Glad to hear
it is going well then and I have to say that I can
certainly understand why. Hope you are not too cold
over there :) I am sure my readers will be most
interested. Thanks
Hi Chris, well I watched
both videos and would like to give my vote to the
poor young fulla who kept getting bucked off as a
test dummy hahaha. He deserves a medal :)
Unfortunately, the young bloke who gave the speech
didn't get on that horse and show the difference as
that would have been the sealer for those who may
have been wondering. I have to be open minded about
this and say that I can understand how and why it
works and that it would work. I do worry however
about the possibility of rearing when they first run
into it. They may or they may not but I have no
doubt that the over all principal would work and
certain horses, meaning the one's that they
recommend it for, may even have their lives saved
via it's use. Often, the difference between life or
death for otherwise good horses is the lack of
ability of the average Riders to be able to stop
them bucking during the early days. First 6 weeks or
so. If this stopped that then all power to it. It is
in fact a 'buck stopper' but just working
differently than the Monty Roberts one which has a
cord going between the gum and top lip. I do believe
that this one is more humane. I note that they do
admit there are 10% of horses that nothing works on
though :) Thanks for the info.
My third question is, my pony will not eat out of
a feed bucket. Know matter what you do she insists
on emptying it and eating her feed of the ground. We
still have no grass in the paddock so she is eating
it off dirt. How often would you recommend I treat
her because of this behaviour?
Thank you for all your help, past and present and I
look forward to your response.
Regards
Sue
There is no way that I
would allow this behavior. It is fatal. Fix the feed
bin to a wall, put a 50kg rock in it, drive a one
metre long rio rod with a big washer welded to it
through the centre bottom of the feed bin with a
sledge hammer and then finishing with the blunt end
of a crow bar. No way would I allow that. It would
be making myself impotent of my intellect :)
30th January, 2008
The Rearer
If ever you meet one of
these, call the 'Dogger' They are rear but highly
dangerous to all, including any Horseman who is
silly enough to get on it. Most rearing horses are
not dangerous providing they are not pulled over by
an unskilled Rider but this type are death traps.
Out of interest then, why would this horse do this?
Highly out of character for Horses to not have self
preservation? I would hazard a guess and say that
it's mind was finally blown by the Racing Industry
and it couldn't take any more. It just went into
break down. I wonder what the future held for it.
And this one encapsulates
the very essence of of what if often speak about,
'contact for contacts sake' as taught by Pony Club
Coaches. This would have to be one of the greatest
examples of a number of things that we talk about on
this page. The upside down neck of course is
monstrous and tell you everything you need to know,
the horse is a classic example of having 'an
upwardly mobile brain' but not in the normal sense
of the word. On this occasion, the horse has given
all of his best tries in terms of putting his head
down and traveling 'in a frame'. Why?....because the
Rider never learnt how to release and when to
release. There is a good example of this at 1 minute
and 37 seconds, just after the Horse offers his head
down and the locked and braced hands of the Rider
not releasing, causes her Body to be jolted forward.
It is all said right there. This is not the fault of
the young lass of course and I figure that the utube
vid may even be a cry for help by her. She needs
help, for the sake of the horse'. The Horse is
thinking up, it is thinking rear but is too nice. He
is thinking up finally because down, no matter how
many times he offered it, was never rewarded. If the
young lass notices the hits that will show up
against her vid now, please go get a good Coach
because one lesson with Mrs. HP would fix you. For
the sake of the Horse if not for you.
With your experience with horses over the years,
could you please give me some advice! The first ride
on my newly broken in arab mare was absolutely
beautiful seven weeks ago, I thought the trainer had
done a splendid job with her. However 5 weeks ago,
as I mounted her she was very nervous and erratic,
she was prancing all over the place and I tried to
settle her down by just riding around the arena, she
was just not listening to me at all, she was all
over the place, I did a one rein stop on her a few
times to slow her down, but she just kept spinning
around, anyway I am worried about the mouthing of
this horse, I have all your DVD's on mouthing, so do
you suggest I start over from the beginning with
her, or should I do the long rein with her?
Anyway on this particular day, she reared up and
lost her balance, (I think it was more of a violent
shy) and she toppled straight over on top of me,
luckily my injuries were not life threatening, but
bad enough, but I will be able to ride again in a
few months, what I would like to know, when she
toppled over, do you think that would have
frightened her enough to deter her from trying that
trick again, as it would have hurt her as well, or
do you think she would do it again?
Warm Regards,
Gesina
That is a worry Gesina.
Hope you are alright. This is indeed a worry. I
would have to have been on the horse to have read
the reason why of course. You too should go out
tomorrow and run that test on this horse, to know
exactly what rating you have and that will give you
further indication of the rest of the job for
instance. The link is in the letter below. It is also worrying that the young horse
would be acting the way it was but I sense that it
may not have been exposed enough by the Trainer and
was therefore overawed by the new surroundings that
you were exposing it to? What ever the reason
however, my young horses don't do those things so
something is wrong there. Yes, go re-mouth the Horse
both ways, 'the main game' completely. Let's know.
LETTERS OF THE DAY
Hi Mr HP,
I was watching your video of a problem with feed
time and thought I'd ask for your opinion about a
horse I recently purchased. I bought it untried but
with a video.
It was meant to have been a soft Parelli trained
horse. However,it bit, struck,leg climbed and
totally hated us. The more I handled him the worse
he got. He charged through a wooden fence and I had
to put him in the deer fence paddock. We couldn't
get in the paddock with him because he would rush us
with his ears down head snaked out and try and bite
and kick us. I tried a whip and it made him worse.
We left him in the end and Climbed the fence to feed
him for a couple of months. Even then he'd try and
get me thru the fence and even rear up to bounce the
bucket out of my hands. One day out of the blue I
could sense a different attitude. He waited at the
gate for me for three days before I openned it and
went it a talked to him. Since then everything is
pretty much ok. I still haven't backed him because
the farrier said he needs his wolf teeth out and I
don't think he was trained properly. Can you please
let me know if you know why he behaved like that?
The nasty behaviour and the sudden change? The only
thing I did was turn him out, give him little
attention(but kind) and a very good multivitamin
rich diet(only 250gms of hard feed every 3rd day).
When he came he was so fat his belly rolled as he
walked.
I would love your opinion. He has been a challenge
and I am wondering where to now?
That is quite a story there
Girl :) He had obviously been given a very hard time
by Humans somewhere along the line and had given up
trying. You must have restored his faith in us so
well done indeed. The thing now is that you have to
know if the Horse is broken in (doesn't sound as if
you do which is a bit weird) and to do that, go read
this:
TESTING THE LATERAL MOUTH OF YOUR HORSE
At least that will give you
some indication if he is or not and if in doubt then
call in the Professionals and have him assessed and
finished off before you ever think of riding him./
Best of Luck
To John and Linda,
I have a question from my partner in regards to my
float.
He has dug his heels in lately and told me I'm not
allowed to use my float until he fixes the brakes
(which were 50% working so he thought),
long story short....
He informed me today that the brakes are fine, it's
that because I don't really put them on hard I don't
activate them as they should...
Would electric brakes make any difference or can you
think of any other thing that may help.
Thanks For your fantastic site,
only found it 3 days ago and can't get enough
Kirsty,
Hi Kirsty,
The hydraulic brakes found
on Horse Floats are a substandard mechanism and
always have been. They rarely work, are rarely
adjusted properly and often the brakes have to be
stood on too abruptly to engage them which is not
good the Horses and upsets them. Electric Brakes
only require the soft touch of course but like
everything mechanical, need maintenance to be at
peak operation. There are no alternatives as far as
I know, other than throwing a brick out the window
:)
Hello,
Stumbled onto your site by accident while trying to
give a
friend overseas some help with horses that are tough
to bridle
and have learned bridling problems. I was completely
blown away
by your page! Excellent work! I don't often feel
compelled to email
random site owners to tell them that i'm impressed
with their work.
Then again...it's not often that i'm too impressed
with most people's
websites. lol
Anyways...just had to drop you a line to tell you
that the site is
fabulous and was a perfect list of what to do and
what not to do to
show my friend. Absolutely wonderful. Your site has
earned a spot on
my "favorites" list. :) Keep up the good work!
- Lesley
British Columbia, Canada
Thanks Leslie. Glad to have
been of some help. Go to my horseproblems utube site
for video of the subject. Kind Regards
Dear John,
My TB mare has a hoof abscess, She's getting around
like she's broken it! (poor thing) :( I was told to
give her bute and soak har hoof in Epsom salt i have
done so,BUT I have been reserching on the net and
found out that both bute and Epsom salts actually
make it worse.
Im reluctant to call the farrier as IMHO he did a
poor job last week when she and my pony were
trimmed, he tends to do a good job on the TB and a
bad job on the pony, the next time he will do a good
job on the pony and a bad job on the TB.I'm getting
to the point where I will learn to trim my horses
hoffs myself! any books or dvds you can suggest?
Anyhow, what is the best way to treat a hoof
abscess?
Hooroo. Nat
Well Nat, if you are set on
not having the Farrier involved, time and soaking
the hoof in water that is as hot as the horse and
you can stand it, for 15 minutes, three times per
day. Train the horse to stand tied up with hoof in
bucket. Put a handful of carb soda in it. Cheers
Hey John,
From my experience, I wanted to share this brief
story with your readers regarding webbing or rope
halters in the float. Quite a while back, I was
teaching my girl to confidently float load with her
rope halter on. Once she was in the float I would
remove it and replace it with the webbing halter.
Unfortunately, one day when I was practising the
loading, I forgot the webbing halter and when she
was backing off the float, her rope halter got
caught on the bum gate (the wind had blown it closed
a little). The piece that you hook your lead rope
onto under the chin got caught on the latch of the
bum gate. Lucy struggled quite a bit until I could
get her to settle, but she was still attached to the
float. The rope halter had tightened so much over
her nose and around her jaw that I couldn't get it
undone. Out came the pocket knife and I had to cut
it off. Had she have not settled and stood still
enough, I reckon she could have almost pulled the
float over onto her self. So for all your readers,
even the most simple precautions need to be taken,
to keep your horse safe and happy. Lucy was fine,
but needed a bit more training after that to get on
the float. Obviously it frightened her enough to
think, "oh oh, not this again".....
regards
Lisa.- Geraldton
This is also the classic
example of the danger in Horse Floats and the lack
of thought for safety management of the horse. Of
course one should never attempt to load a horse with
a webbing Halter on, beneath the rope Halter maybe
and removing the Rope one as soon as the Horse
arrives at it's destination. I would be replacing
the Rope Halter after the horse unloads but of
course, attention to detail in removing risks and
the ability of the Horse to tie up is considered
when it comes to my Horses. You did well with your
knife Lisa :) Regards
29th January, 2008
Day Off and went to lunch
with my lovely wife. How lucky was that? :)
"Kendalee Rose" has been
sold to a lovely Lady with a lovely property, in
Queensland.
I have snuk around the
lovely Stock Horse Foal that is here and he and Mum
go home in a few days. She is a Doll too. I have him
tying up now and last night started handling his
feet which turned out pretty successful as well.
I'll have a go at rasping them tomorrow.
I often read where people
don't handle Foals when Born, preferring to leave it
until weaning. You all know my feelings on that but
I did want to discuss with you tonight, one of the
most important reasons why they should be, amongst
the many. It goes to the fact when the Foal is born,
it has crooked hooves. It's hooves are not balanced,
it's legs are often growing incorrectly and they hit
the ground mostly incorrect. When they are young,
crooked legs are a snip to straighten with a rasp.
Oh so easy and oh so successful. As they grow
crooked legs during the first 6 months of their
lives, caused by the owner, guess who gets the
blame....you guessed it, THAT DAM STALLION. "He
throws crooked legs" I hear them say. Yea right, the
vast majority of crooked legs that I see are caused
by the owner's belief that they are best left not
Halter Broken until weaning or later and in the case
of the Racing Industry, even later than that so they
can be brought in to Kill the Farrier at the
yearling Sales who has to fight with 400kg of power
and perform miracles with the rasp whilst being
kicked but operating like a brain surgeon, fixing
the slackness of the past. lol People have very high
expectation when buying horses but they rarely do
before they are ready to buy. Go figure that??????
LETTERS OF THE DAY
Dear Mr Horseproblems :-),
I had to send you this email to thank you for your
video on You Tube, "The power of the one rein stop".
I have returned to riding after a 5 year break. I
was riding a horse I had trained for dressage along
with my fantastic trainer and had a very nice well
behaved (well mostly) horse to ride. However, I am
now in the UAE and it is 5 years since I last rode
and at the moment just trying out different horses
at a stable I have just joined.
Today I was given an ex Arab racehorse who I was
told is very green. He was quiet and very forward
and moving nicely in the arena when he was
frightened by something happening in a nearby
horsewalker machine. He shot forward and I
immediately felt a loss of control, he shot forwad
again and by this time was in a full bolt and I
could only think to myself I cannot allow myself to
fall off at this speed and not knowing the horse or
its capability and heading for the fence I
completely threw away the right rein and hauled with
all my might on the left rein until his head was
towards my toes and he eventually stopped! I was
shocked and surprised that it worked on a horse with
no lateral mouth and as I am only 5 foot 2" and 50kg
and 51 years old now!!! It worked. I had an audience
who went wow! where did you learn that etc but was
disappointed that the instructor said to me that she
felt the one rein stop freaked him out more! He was
already in full bolt when I used it and I felt that
it was my only chance at stopping him. I had watched
your video the day before but never thought that I
would have to use it.
THANKS AND I AM SENDING OFF FOR YOUR ONE REIN STOP
AND MOUTHING SYSTEM AS I THINK IT WILL HELP WITH
SOME OF THESE HORSES. Also I need Ruth (the
instructor) to see it in action from you not just
from me (as I am not a trainer). She admitted after
that I had done what I had needed in that situation
and stopped the horse which is the most important
thing.
I am very reluctant to ride him again though as that
is only the second time in all my previous years of
riding that I have had a bolter and the power in
that horse was incredible!
Thanks again
Lee (USA)
Well done Lee and glad to
hear your bacon was saved :) You may have ended in a
wheel chair??? Never know in life. Never jump off
one. They all stop somewhere :) It is a fame of mind
that you have to gain. If your Coach is from the
English Disciplines, that would answer her reticence
regarding the ORS. The same here in Australia
although I was informed the other day that it is now
about to be included in the curriculum of one of the
States Equestrian Federation Branches. Anyhow, well
done again. ......did you "pluck your Rosemary
Beads" hahahaha
Hello John
Thanks for your very informative website. I have
resumed riding regularly again after several years
in some nice country north of Brisbane, and I
thought that other visitors to your site might be
interested in this snippet. Put it into the “all is
not as it seems” category.
When taking out a new horse for the first time the
other day, we noticed that it had a big lump on one
side of its face (upper jaw). This lump was hard and
immovable, and was the size of a large egg. It
seemed not to be tender, or painful, but looked
pretty serious.
My first thought was that it might be some sort of
abscess stemming from a tooth problem (or worse),
but it turned out to be a large mass of partially
chewed grass that had balled up into a hard wad and
was resting in the animal’s cheek – much like a quid
of chewing tobacco.
We could reach into his mouth with a finger and just
hook it out. No more egg sized lump, and relief all
round. His teeth need doing to correct this problem
with his molars, but it’s a much simpler solution
than the initial symptons suggested.
Regards, Peter.
Well done Peter. Yes, I have
seen that a time or two. Down here the is a grass
called "Barley Grass" the in late Spring, that area
of the mouth can become full of those. Poor Horses.
They bury themselves into the gum and can even go
right through. Glad it was only that. Regards
Hey HP,
I test rode a horse today who I'm thinking of
getting. He's a very quiet, plod along all day
quarter horse, 14yrs old and has been used as a
turnback horse, apparently trained for riding for
the disabled, done western pleasure and trail riding
for the past few years. I rode him first in an arena
where he's happy to walk, jog or canter on the
traditional click or kiss commands and stops with
whoa. Took him for a walk around the roads and bush
and he was an angel.
My question? Why would someone use a double twisted
wire snaffle on a horse like that? I'd never seen
one before and it just seems soooooooo harsh. I
asked the young owner and she didn't seem too
knowledgeable about it. Only telling me she rides
with loopy reins but that's the bit her trainer told
her to use. Any ideas??
Rgds
Jen
Yes :) Brain dead Trainer
Just
throw it in the bin Jen and get yourself a nice
snaffle or some description. No doubt about, I can
see why people read this page :) It sure is
entertaining lol
Hi John -Thanks for the reply but could you
please just clarify a bit.
"I tell Pup to sit, get out of it, come behind,
please yourself and then give it an unexpected nice
strong flick with a dressage whip say, just as it
nears the Horse. Train it English'...."Get
out"...Warn the Pup, act and equip it with warnings
and knowledge. "
Do I tell the pup to sit and then wait until it
disobeys (moves towards the horse) and then flick
him or do I encourage him to move towards the horse
and then flick him. And should my horse be tied up?
The pup will only be 8 weeks when we get him. Should
I wait until he is older? We haven't had a puppy
around for several years so I want to get it right.
Thanks for your help. And I agree about those spam
emails. We get them too (especially since Telecom
changed their email program). Regards, Marsha (NZ)
Yes, tied up as per normal
Marsha, then you don't have to worry about Horse.
Just be saddling up or grooming. Don't ask Pup to
come near Horse, just wait til it ventures into
danger, right near horse so it thinks Horse may have
inflicted the flick. That is the best outcome. Just
say Pup was on near side and you on off side, Give
him one beneath the Horse and he will think it is
the Horse and that will gain the best respect. He
has to feel discomfort!!!! Most City people will not
do that and straight away, there goes the training
opportunity. You may walk out of the imaginary
circle of 5 metres say and give pup a cuddle but
when you walk back to horse, tell it to 'stay'. If
he follows, threaten him. They get the message fast.
Best wishes.
John,
To your reader who enquired about safety stirrup
irons.
I believe that the most important peice of safety
equipment I have are the toestopppers i have on my
stirrup irons.
I use them on a western saddle with oxbows. i use a
few nylon cable ties to secure them to the oxbow.
They don't cost much and are a great aussie
invention.
Toestoppers should be compulsory at pony club.
If you fall off a horse you usually do not get very
hurt. Hung up can end in a very bad wreck.
My grandfather would not let children learn to ride
in a saddle for the reason that the stirrups are so
dangerous. Children had to learn bareback first.
when thay could manage to stay on bareback they were
allowed a saddle.
( If the look offends western purists they can
always be covered by a taperdero)
Cheers
tim
NZ
Here, here Tim. Do you
remember the Jockey who got hung up at the Oakband
Races and was dragged a couple of hundred metres and
then over the next jump? I was standing at that jump
would you believe. The most frightening though in
the horse riding for me is being hung up. Thanks
Hello! I think this may be the email you deleted?
Or more likely you're now getting too many emails
asking for advice to answer them all ;-)
Hi Mr HP,
Happy New Year to you, and to Mrs HP. I would like
to ask your advice about my just-turned-four clydie/stationbred
cross that came back from the breaker last month. He
has been under saddle for four weeks now and is a
delight. He is proud to have a job and tries hard to
do the right thing. I mainly hack him out on the
beach and in the forest, alone and in company. Once
a week he gets about 25mins flatwork in a large
paddock, really just to get him going forward
strongly on request when there is no obvious (to
him) reason to do so. He is very heavy built and
can't see any earthly point in hooning about, so in
the herd it's rare to see him canter for more than a
few seconds, and then only if it's someone else's
idea. He will happily canter under saddle when you
ask him to, but if you ask for a strong canter he
has a tendency to skip his bum up in the air instead
of going faster. I hesitate to glorify it by calling
it a buck, but it's resistance to going forward.
It's like he's saying 'but ... we're already going
really fast!?'. If a riding companion is
disappearing into the distance you can ask him to
accelerate and he will respond, but he has to be
able to see the reason for it. How would you handle
this?
Your thoughts much appreciated,
Caroline
Auckland, New Zealand
P.S.
I see you mention a severe spam problem. One of our
clients makes an anti spam product that is supplied
as a managed service via the internet. It is more
than 99% effective, which means you would expect to
see your 1000 spam emails drop to less than 10 a
day. I will ask them next week if they can supply to
an individual - they really only do whole companies.
I will do my best - I owe you one for all the
learning I have received from you. Fingers crossed
and will let you know. - Caroline.
Well of course Caroline,
the moment you start feeling such things you have to
go for the microscope and eliminate the Veterinary.
That means the video camera and a full ridden test,
replicating the events that worry you and then
viewing it the comfort of your lounge. There is
therefore no purpose in me even commenting on
training mechanisms. First we must know and totally
know. Let me know. Thanks for the Spam idea.
Mongrels!!!
Hi Hp,
I’m currently searching for sand for my new round
yard, just wondering if you could tell me what the
ideal depth is? Also what kind of sand is best – the
fine stuff or the larger grained which I assume
would make for a heavier surface? What are your
thoughts on mixing saw dust with the sand? Someone
suggested that it makes for a better surface and is
supposed to help with drainage...
Thanks for your time.
Regards
Nicole
Sawdust is a bad idea
Nicole. It holds water. 300mm and a fine sand known
as Play Pit Sand. 300mm base. Regards
Hi John,
all going well with Oli, I even hopped on him
bareback today for a cool-down stroll around the
paddock after lunging, he is such a lad. I just have
a couple of questions in regard to his feet.
Firstly, the farrier is away at the moment, and
usually Oli gets new front shoes every 4-5 weeks, so
thought I'd use the opportunity to take his shoes
off for a while, let his feet harden, and just ride
him in the paddocks for the time being. So how long
is best to let him go barefoot to gain the benefits
for him of this? I know preferably no shoes but his
little white feet wear too quickly and he gets sore
out on the road/trails without shoes.
Also, not sure if you remember his feet, but he has
upright pasterns, small hooves, and somewhat
contracted heels on his fronts. Is there anyway his
hooves could be trimmed/shod to better his
situation? The farrier trimmed him about 2 weeks
ago, but most likely I will trim them once before
the farrier returns to work. I have done this
before, studied farriery as a subject at uni, and
I'm quite happy doing the other horses, but just
unsure if I need to do anything different with Oli...
Or just apply same principles??
Oh, and also was wanting to do the leg restraints
stuff with Oli too, is that something that could be
done as a lesson... Not sure when, but will be
getting my car back on the road soon, so maybe could
make a trip up again....
Thanks for all your help, hope that makes sense...
Can send photos of his feet if that helps..
Kind regards, Lisa
Looking lovely Lisa. Forever
if you can get away with it but 6 weeks at least. He
has good hooves and in nice condition. Angles are
pretty good. Glad to see you are doing well on your
self broken in horse :)
Hi John,
Just out of curiosity, why do you recommend using a
webbing halter and pony club lead for use on a
float? Is it because they are more likely to break?
Cheers,
Tamara
So that they are strong enough
to keep a horse from spinning around and
accidentally breaking the twine and jumping out the
back as you go along but weak enough to break if the
horse goes down and cheap enough to cut in half if
you have to. Always carry a sharp knife in a car
when floating!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Regards
Hi John and Lynda,
Thank you for answering my previous e-mail so
quickly.
Thanks to your DVD on leg restrains I hope the
second farrier that I found lately WILL answer my
phone calls, when the time comes for my filly to be
trimmed again... First time was a bit of a
disaster... The farrier was here for more than 1
hour just for a trim, and I wanted the earth to open
and swallow me... totally embarrassed...
No wonder he wouldn't return my calls and sms
messages that I sent, when it was time for the next
trim...lololol. Can't blame
the poor 'bugga'
Took her just 2 minutes on each front leg with the
leg strap(aka stirrup leather) and the second
farrier visit took exactly 10 minutes to trim all
four legs!!! There ya go :)
On the point now... I have been reading about the
cotton summer rugs on the net (everythingpets) that
if the horse sweats underneath the rug, then there
is no need for that rug.
I have been putting a cotton summer rug on my
15month old TB filly, which is bay in color, and she
has been sweating underneath it during the hot hours
of the day. I read that it is good to put a cotton
rug so the sun doesn't burn their skin and also for
the flies, which are not too bad at home( Northern
Vic), so I no longer put a summer cotton rug on
her...
I was wondering what your opinion was
thank you
Normally, the horse
wouldn't need one and we wouldn't bother. Especially
if you had Trees where the horse could elect to go
stand. We also now would be using the air flow rugs
rather than the cotton and that removes the sweating
problem. $40
Hi HP,
I just thought that Emma (sheep property owner)
might like to have a look at this site. I cannot
vouch for the product as I have never used them but
they look pretty impressive to me. I would like to
see more kids with this type of breakaway stirrup
system out on the circuit.
www.smartrider.net
Hope this is useful
Lindy
Thanks Lindy
In reply to your answer on how to feed the old
Arab mum to be. Thanks for your advice. I agree she
should be left alone to enjoy her days but she is
not my horse she is just coming to grace my paddocks
till her time comes. Cant convince the owner to do
what I think is right. He just wants her to eat the
grass, I am paying out of my own pocket to get her
back to the right condition. She is a lovely gentle
mare and done enough but all the owner thinks of is
the $$$.
Cheers, Ashley.
So there you go Ashley.
Just as the story indicates, so the suspicions are
vindicated. You can only do your best of course but
why can't the horse go back to the owner? You can
imagine the Foal. Another failed Breeding Story and
a substandard horse of the future that will no doubt
break down on some unsuspecting owner and the chain
is complete. They Breed it and on we go. That is the
Horse Industry in this Country present day. It needs
a huge shake up. Regards
We were lucky enough to be
invited to a lovely Wedding the other day and indeed
privilaged to be in the presence of this wonderful
young Horse, 4 year old, by High Country Indiana and
behaved identically to his Dad. This is a
frightening place and this young horse not only rose
to the occasion and did what ever was asked without
any objection but watched Mrs. HP and I during all
photo opportunities, looking for a lead and
re-assurance. The coming together of two lovely
Families.
BARCLAYS ANTI CRIBBING
COLLAR
Hello John,
Contacting you, in regards to our product, Barclays
Anti Cribbing Collar. I have viewed your comments,
and appreciate the time you have taken, to observe
the workings, and the result, from a horse wearing
our Collar. I have attached, which I hope, will fix
the problem, of the Collar being fitted incorrectly,
new
information, for customers, when fitting the Collar,
for you to view. These instructions, and procedures,
will take away, any unnecessary actions, due to
human error. Also, I have found, (especially younger
horses), with this simple action, that once the
horse has worn the Collar, and has learnt not to
Windsuck
anymore, the tape can be re-applied, thus
deactivating the Collar, then, left on, it becomes a
training device. I would really appreciate your
thoughts, and
opinion on my actions, to improve the workings of my
Collar.
Also, I would like the opportunity, to send you our
updated, new Collar, and would welcome your opinion,
if you are interested, please reply, and I will be
sure
to send one on.
regards, Rick Barclay.
Thanks Rick. My readers can
go on your website no doubt and read about that.
Regards
Rachael. Here is your old Horse :) Being 'Puppy
Trained' hahahaa. By the way, these Pups are from
top working bloodlines and are all for sale. email:
marybeenjes@eldersnet.com.au. (Mrs. HP's Sister)
:)
HORSE FOR SALE
³Tootsie² is looking for her next child to teach to
ride!! Located in SA
Cherytree Lilac Time is a 11hh Grey mare. Welsh Sec
A ,Reg #35873 VOL20 11yo. Sire: Weston Paladin Dam:
Cherytree Lilac
This is a very sad sale, 2 riders have outgrown.
Tootsie is a one in a million pony. She does pony
club, trail riding, some jumping all while keeping
her young riders safe. She is currently in paddock
condition, and looking for her new best friend to
give her attention. If your looking for a safe pony
for your children to learn on, go out trail riding
with you, take to shows and bring home a ribbon,
ŒTootsie¹ is your pony. Perfect for a child moving
off leading rein. She has a soft snaffle mouth, and
easy to c/s/f. Currently totally handled by 11yo who
has owned her for 3 years.
She is also handled and ridden by beginner 8yo.
Tootsie is as calm out and
about as she is at home. More photos available upon
request
$4000 ONO, gear negotiable.
Contact Tracy on 08 83805350 or 0417890525, email
tracy.towns @ bigpond.com.au
Tracy
I can vouch for this one
LETTERS OF THE DAY
Hi John
hope you are having a great Australia Day :)
I have a question about my ride today. It was
fantastic :) I am curious as to why and think it may
be a combination of a few things. My horse is the
nervy arabian (he sounds like the one you had
recently that you said would shy within himself -
whatever you wrote about him, sounded very similar).
Anyway, we did some fitness work today, trotting
around a track for a few laps. Normally I am
horrible and keep asking horse to slow down as he
feels like he is going really fast.
Today I tried a different approach and thought I
would let him find his own rhythm / stride -
whatever felt good to him. Of course on the down
hill bits, I had to steady a little or even some of
the flat when he got a bit too long, so he wouldn't
pop into canter. Don't get me wrong, he felt FAST.
However, I saw his shadow as we were going along and
he had a lovely softly rocking tail, nice smooth
rhythm, didn't look like an out of control freight
train that's for sure. So I just let him motor along
like that, with his head at a higher level than what
I have for dressage (he is worked in a pretty low
prelim frame, I'd say he was up more to a working
frame).
The difference in the ride was really interesting.
Normally he is looking and trying to shy. Today he
would look but a tiny bit of leg and he didn't care.
In addition to not interfering, I have been working
really hard to sit up, open the chest (have a bad
habit of collapsing) and instructor this week has me
working on opening my hips which has really helped
me to sit straight!!
So I am thinking that the non fiddling had a
positive impact, but was no doubt helped by the
improvement in position as well. What do you think?
I can't say he was calm today as he was rather
flightly to start with, so for once I can say it was
my riding that made the difference HA HA
I went back and counted out his stride length, seems
like he was definitely stepping out - trot stride of
about 2ms or a bit more...... lovely overtrack
though :) He has a very big trot stride (always has
done), which no doubt explains why you feel like you
are going so fast. Riding out with other horses, he
can be trotting when they are cantering, so I really
should have clicked before today. Not happy about
the delay with me, but at least I can change.
have a great long weekend
K
Our Body position can dramatically affect our
purpose and that affects our mind. I would suspect
that you were more focused, more purposeful and
therefore that transferred an improved mental vibe
to the horse who benefited from it and was therefore
more relaxed. You know that Body Language plays a
huge part in our lives and the Masters of
deciphering it and reading our minds, is the horse.
The other thing would be your more open stance,
which in itself exudes better vibes. Well done.
-----------------
Dear Mr
O’Leary
Thanks for your highly informative and useful
website and also for being generous enough to offer
to answer people’s questions and offer your years of
skill and experience for free – very much
appreciated.
I have two questions (actually I have thousands of
questions but two will have to do)
1) Stirrups and getting hung up in western saddles –
which fenders and stirrups have you found safer and
which more dangerous? (Also for English)
Imho, most English stirrups
are dangerous, especially those with rubber inserts.
My wife rides in a safety stirrup where the outside
of them are just thick rubber bands.
2) How to tell the difference between a stifle
problem, a bad saddle fit/sore back issue, and a
lack of training or behavioural problems.
By a process of elimination and thinking as a
Detective, just the same as in NCIS. Methodical,
open mindedness, investigatory, lateral thinking and
empathetic.
The questions now in long hand.
STIRRUPS AND GETTING HUNG UP
We recently purchased 2700 acres of sheep country in
the NSW Southern Tablelands. We are at 1100 m in
very rocky granite country. My friends say I have a
very successful rock breeding program! We have 1700
sheep and 100 cows. My husband works in town over an
hour away (we might be new at this game but not
totally stupid) and usually does not get home until
7pm. This leaves me working the property alone every
day.
As you can guess safety on horseback is an important
issue for me. If I got dumped and hurt no-one would
know until after 7pm and then it could take a search
team hours to find me the next day.
I have never been hung by the stirrup in any saddle
and I really don’t want to be and I was wondering if
I could tap in to your experience and opinion on
what might be most appropriate GIVEN MY
CIRCUMSTANCES.
I ride in a fender saddle with nice big thigh pads
and typical wide
leather covered western stirrups.
When with my husband I ride in my other saddle which
is a cutting saddle with oxbow stirrups (the thin
round ones). I have done 2 years similar stock work
in hill country with the cutting saddle and got to
really like riding in
oxbows
(which mean one has to
shove the feet all the way to the arch, which took
some time to get used to). But where I was before
was the Northern Tablelands near Nundle and
I wore
western riding boots and it was a warmer climate.
Now I ride in
bushwalking boots – not ideal for
riding I know but I cant work all day on my feet in
riding boots. (ie muster sheep, tie up horse at
yards, drench and work sheep on foot for 4 or 5
hours – take sheep back – ride home ). Also in
winter here it is too cold to comfortably use
standard riding boots. The groud is solid ice until
lunchtime in winter and the wind chill factor makes
it below minus ten often, so warmth when outside is
really important (we can see the snow on the
“Snowys” from our place).
I feel (rightly or wrongly) that I am fairly OK in
my boots with the standard western stirrups (oxbows
Im not OK about in walking boots). I have small feet
so the stirrups don’t feel too narrow even though I
have boots on.
My husband Im not sure about. He has larger feet
than me (obviously). I was thinking of getting some
really wide, heavy, tall “Visala” roping type
stirrups so we have less chance of getting boots
caught. But I have read that stirrups which are too
big are unsafe, rather than ones which are too
small. I suppose the theory is that ones whole foot
can go through a stirrup, rather than just a toe
stuck, which might come out.
I also have a traditional aussie stock saddle but
apart from being a bit too narrow for my Quarter
horses I also don’t like the English type stirrups
and leathers any more after riding in fenders for
years.
I would really like to know from your wide
experience what circumstances people have become
hung in saddles and what might be less likely to get
hung-up in and what more likely.
The new Half Breeds fit horses much better than the
traditional stock saddle where most didn't fit imho.
I too like the full fender and the western stirrup
however, I WOULD NEVER RIDE IN YOUR BOOTS. Dangerous
and there is no other word to describe it. MORESO in
your situation. I would be changing my boots by hook
or by crook and I wouldn't care how many times.
Cuban Heels are important, stirrup size is as you
said where your foot can't go right through and yet
not too snug either. I have only been in danger of
being 'hung up' and that was because I had stirrups
too large. I ended up with a broken arm out of it.
Mrs. HP's Mare had bucked with just prior, smashing
one of my stirrups but I rode her. I went to the
shed, got a spare set, too big, got shifted a bit on
the next go round and felt foot becoming stuck and
kicked out and baled for if I had have been dragged
by her it would have been death. I broke my arm. I
would be riding in elastic sides short boots, not
even the high boots. (because you are on your own)
You should also hobble train your horses so they
save your life if you do get dragged. My horses have
done so for people. The Bush was built on the
principal of "necessity being the Mother of
invention" and it would take me about 5 minutes to
make adjustments to my western stirrups if I were
you.
STIFLE vs TRAINING PROBLEMS
I recently purchased a Quarter Horse mare to use on
the property. My alarm bells went off a little when
he was showing her to me and he said “this is my
wife’s saddle and I cant use the stirrups” and then
he did not canter her. I then rode her and she felt
“humpy” to me when asked to canter, and she was hard
to get to stay cantering at first. I (being a bit
too trusting) thought that he wouldn’t put me on a
horse that bucked because, well, he seemed decent
and most people are scared of getting sued these
days. Once I got her cantering she was fine. I
purchased her and she has been very useful and the
horse tells me that the previous owner/breeder was a
really good hand with horses. Her price, $3000, was
good for the sort of horse she is and her training
for the price is excellent.
Since I have had her I always get the “vibes” from
her that she might pigroot if I canter her early in
a ride. No “vibes” at all about walking and
trotting. Since I ride her to get a job done I just
don’t canter her first up and just stick to walk and
trot. She walks like a demon, sticks her head right
down and throws herself into the walk, great for
stock work. A good trot gets me there as quick as I
want. Later in a ride, or after cattle, we gallop
around (on a lose rein ) just fine and she is soft
in the bridle and checks easily. While she has never
pigrooted with me, my husband has jumped on her
twice and asked her to canter straight away and she
has been pigrooty and humpy for him both times so I
was reading her “vibes” correctly.
She is reluctant to go steep downhill, which might
be my saddle as she is a bit sway backed and is fat
around the withers and it might dig in. (Photo
attached, standing badly with back legs downhill)
She was broken at 2yo, done stock work and
supposedly one draft and he is likely to have tried
her as a cutting horse. She is supposed to have been
turned out at 3 ½ and purchased by me at 4 ½ . He
said she had never done much circle or flatwork. I
have only half heartedly done circle work with her
about 4 times as I’ve been too busy with the new
farm. She just gives signals that she really does
not want to canter circles and is very hard to get
into the canter on circles on either side. She is
easy to get to canter across country but tends to
canter very fast.
She does not seem reluctant to back up and tucks her
nose in and backs if I just pick up on her reins and
tap her with my feet forward.
I have not asked her to round up and have ridden her
on a lose rein.
So her symptoms are:
* Threatening to pigroot when first asked to canter,
but walk/trot is fine.
* Reluctance to canter in circles, but canters
easily and fast in straight lines
* Reluctance to go down steep hills
* Long/slightly sway back
* Broken in and ridden as 2yo
Is there some way I can work out which of the
following it might be as opposed to the other:
a) my saddle (I don’t have another that I feel safe
enough to ride her in much – I don’t want to go
mustering on a horse which shys in a Barnsby
Dressage), or
b) lack of flatwork, or perhaps a
c) back or
d) stifle problem?
Thank you very much for your attention.
Yours sincerely
Emma
Video the Horse under all
ridden circumstances Emma. Especially circle work,
insist upon roundness, both ways. Lots of upward and
downward transitions. Then go to the TV and
watch carefully. Use the slow mo. You should then
see what you need to or send me the tape. Regards
--------------------
Hi John
Thanks for posting the roller ands DVD so quick I
received them on Wednesday but then went to Victoria
to pick up the colt I bought.
Today I started mouthing the mare I’m breaking and I
am very impressed...by the 3 turn each way she was
already giving to just the weight of the rope J
After watching the DVD’s I am a JOL (John O’Leary
;-) ) convert and can see it will give me confidence
when getting on for the 1st few ride as I KNOW I
will have control.
I have a quick question if you don’t mind and I
don’t think it will have a quick answer so if you
can just point me in the general direction it will
be better than flailing around on my own.I have a
Colt (young) I have bought has major attitude. He
is really good when he is on his own but when
another horse enters his view his brains end up with
his testicles!! (. I am
going to start breaking him Monday and wonder how I
deal with him when he loses his focus on me (which
is the entire time another horse is around.) He
tends to paw the ground and run...up and down if he
is in a yard and around me if he is on a rope. Am I
expecting too much for him to behave like my other
horses?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Thank you
Pam
(Wondering if I have bitten off more than I can
chew!!)
Ah yes! Welcome to the
wonderful World of feral Colts. They are enough to
drive you to drink. Firstly, the previous owners did
not do their job on him and you have inherited the
problem. They all have that potential but it just
depends upon who owns them. Clearly, this one needs
a come down and there would be no NH about it with
this one. He needs to learn straight up to keep his
eye on the bouncing ball which is you and to get
excited when you say he can. Set the Rules., At the
present time he is like that little A Hole who
trashed his Mum and Dad's House in Melbourne. They
both need the same. Difference is, your Horse will
be shown the error of his ways, in the case of the 'snurd',
he is being shown as with every other Teenager in
Australia, that disrespect is fashionable and to be
rewarded. Whilst you have the job of -re-educating
him, remember that whilst you may have to rise to
the 10, keep 'Justice' in place. Chin up.
---------------------------
Hi John.
After reading 'Broodmares - feeding to conditions' I
was just wondering what you feed your older mares. I
have a 20 year old Arab mare who has just been
tested in foal that I have coming to foal down at
the very end of the year, the owner is going to try
for one last foal then she will retire here to live
out her days, but I don't think the mare is in the
best condition, she has a tiny bit of rain scald, is
a little ribby and has a slight sway back, I was
wondering what you feed or would suggest so I can
get an idea how to get her in a more bit happier and
healthier looking.
Regards,
Ashley.
Firstly ASHLEY, I would feed her precisely what ever
she needed and as much as she needed with the first
chore to make her condition right. Here we go with
an example of how the older one's struggle with
Foaling. What is she in Human Terms????? 100 years
perhaps???? Sorry, I do not agree and think that
greed is involved. :( Get onto the Ridley Company
and ask their Nutritionists. They will help./
Regards and the best to the old biddy.
-------------
Hey you!
John, you should publish a 'Tea Book' with all the
amazing photoes of Linda and yourself in them.
Serious note, don't you worry about Mrs HP without a
Helmet on a horse like that?
cheers
chelle
No I don't Chelle. Nor does she. Most Professionals
do not use Helmets. They all should however. She
does wear one on any horse that may be suspect and
as you would realize, we know what is suspect and
what is not. That horse is in fact 'bombproof' so
things are not always what they seem with Horses.
Any Chubbly Cuddly in Australia could ride that
horse :) The Heat, the Ozone Layer here in SA is
worse than all other States. It is vicious and
dangerous. I was sitting next to a bloke at that
Wedding reception. He installs Tanks in the NT all
week long. Doesn't get burnt. He looked like a Cray
Fish. I asked how come? Because he had done a day
here the day before. We are under the hole in the
Ozone Layer badly. Kids should always wear Helmets./
--------------------------------
Hi,
I enjoy your website and videos. I noticed on your
website on the photo posted on jan 24 2008 of the
horse being led by the Gator ( or whatever its
called in Australia) that he was toe first landing
at the walk. Are you familiar with Pete Ramey's
website www.hoofrehab.com ?
He explains the detrimental effects of chronic toe
first landing on longterm soundness in horses and
explains how the trimming can be corrected to
encourage heel first landing. I'm not preaching,
just wanted to draw your attention to it. I have no
tie to Pete Ramey, but I have been to his clinic and
viewed his DVD set, and am really ipmpressed with
the results I've had in encouraging heel first
landing. Elly
The owner will read this Elly
so thanks. The photo can show things that may not be
of course but she will check it out. No doubt she
will video him and check the website. Thanks for
your help.
-----------------------
Dear mr. John
I bought a most wonderfull red 16.2 hh tb mare a
little over half a year ago.She turned seven a few
months back and i am loving her to death however due
to illnesses,beeing underfed,having mudfever,moving
agistments problems,and teeth hassles i have only
been able to ride her about five to ten times so
far.The man we got her from said she was an ex-racer
(wich is the only thing we are sure of as her papers
state so) and the owners before him trained her up
in basic to middle dressage (wich is what i was
planning on doing with her as well as basic sj) he
continued saying he did western and trail rides with
her (a high whitherd tb mare with a western saddle
din't sound right or safe to me but anyways) but he
said she was a real "lady" wich is also what he
changed her name to because of her personality.We
took his word for it but shortly after we found out
he wasn't beeing to honest with us.I found out she
did not go onto the bit she couldn't back up and
seems to be clueless as to what i'm asking when i
try a trot to canter transition i also had to train
her how to lead properly and how to lunge.Shortly
after that we got a call from a friend of ours that
had another friend whom knew this previose owner she
stated on the phone this friend told her something
"she thought we should know" turns out this man had
ended up a few times in the hospital due to my
mare's huge bucking problem yet another thing he
din't tell us.I'm slowely getting her to calm down
and so far it's been a slow process but she's trying
(though she did kick me a few weeks ago on my
birthday) and i realy want to keep her however i
need alot of help.Sorry for the long rant i just
wanted to show it hasn't been an easy run for us yet
so far.I want to teach her how to canter with a
rider as she seems to not understand my signals what
so ever.We were told the previose owner was a bit of
a "cowboy"
so we're asuming he just "ran" her into a canter or
whipted her into it as she doesn't understand my
legsignals at all.A friend of mine told me how she
would train her saddlebreds to canter by making them
trot upwards onto a hill.Since this was to hard to
do they automatically went into a canter to easy the
climb.I was thought when i was still a little girl
to make them jump a low ground level jump to teach
them to canter however both ways don't work to well
for me as i'm not a very talented jumper just yet
and the hill idea sounds a bit...well let's say it
sounds a bit...unsafe in my opinion i thought about
clicker training or codewords but she hasn't reacted
much to that so far on the ground so i doubt that
would help in the saddle so i was wondering if there
was any other way in teaching her how to jump into a
canter properly at her age or am i going to have to
go with any of the other plans stated above.
Kindest regards
A desperate rider and very proud owner
Hoste
Quite a story Hoste and one would never know how
much of what you have been told is the truth or not.
Hence, take the horse step by step. I also detect
that you are not that experienced and therefore need
support if you are going to be successful with this
Mare. The bucking issues were most probably because
of a very sore back due to the Western Saddle which
was no doubt rubbing her badly. These horses are not
meant for them and I personally had to send one to
the Doggers as a result of the same kind of idiot.
The World is full of them. However, you can't trust
those assumptions either, without proper assessment
of the Horse and that takes a Professional. So given
the fact that you really don't know the truth, you
do need help, you should get one in for an
assessment. As for the Canter, go read this:
RE-TRAINING THE STANDARD BRED HORSE.
.. Yes the Hill idea can help and so can the poles
but in the end, the Rider must also know what they
are doing. They must lead with knowledge and if you
haven't got it then it is unfair on "the Lady" :)
Look after her. Regards
---------------------------
Training
Puppies to be around horses.
I accidentally deleted an
email that had a brief glimpse of, from a nice Lady
in New Zealand. Sorry. I get about 1,000 spam emails
daily and it gets a bit rigorous trying to sift the
wheat from the chaff so to speak. If I could only
get my hands on that Penis enlargement Mongrel. I
would enlarge him by choking the living daylights
out of him. :)
This is an area where the Country Folk excel and the
City Folk largely take the wrong approach. They
think from the heart where the Country people think
common sense and in the best interests of the Pup.
ie. to teach it before it is killed. The City Folk
will pick Puppy up and cuddle him, walk him away 5
metres and say, "Don't go near horsie" and then put
the pup back down on the ground. The responsible
thing is to let the Pup in on the big secret right
up front, before it dies, that Horses are big,
strong and dangerous and can hurt like Hell. Equip
them to make the right decisions. So, I tell Pup to
sit, get out of it, come behind, please yourself and
then give it an unexpected nice strong flick with a
dressage whip say, just as it nears the Horse.
Train it English'...."Get out"...Warn the Pup, act
and equip it with warnings and knowledge. Many will
"kick them in the guts" as they say, pick up a stick
and pelt them with it, hand full of gravel,
whatever. Tough Justice is what saves Animals that
are thrust into a World that they are not trained
for. Same with Kittens. Hope all is well. I can hear
the 'Tree Huggers' thinking, "The Brute" :) Guess
what, I see the Kittens get killed here with the
other approach.
These ones are worth $500 each
:)
----------------------------------
Hi, my name is Tina, I live in north-east Victoria
and own a lovely chestnut mare that is by a pinto
stallion that was a 1/4 quarter horse and the rest
TB. Her mother was mostly TB with a touch of welsh.
She has just turned 6, is 16.1hh and like most
redheads has a temper to match. I school mostly in
dressage with a highly respected grand prix
instructor who has informed me that she does have
some trainability issues. My background is in
trackriding and racing and I have been working very
hard at developing a seat that is in the saddle and
not out of it. My mare will barge to get out of
bending/flexing, not listen to half-halts, holds her
breath, particularly at the canter, snort and grunt
with temper, shy violently when the pressure is on -
although this has improved with time. It also took
some time for her to accept any leg at all.
Basically her submission levels are not good. I
currently school in a double bridle but need to
switch often to the sweet iron and copper roller as
she gets used to one bit and can get very hard in
the mouth. She would like to go around with her head
up looking at everything, ignoring her rider. She
does not buck or rear and can be butter soft one
minute and hard as a plank the next. I was reading
on your one rein stops and have done plenty of them
in the last two years. At no stage does she frighten
me but she does frustrate me. We are currently
starting elementary movements to improve her
suppleness as she can get very tight in the shoulder
muscles and I generally try to warm up and cool down
properly and massage as well. The only reason that I
have persevered with her is when you get it right,
which is happening more regularly now, it is the
most magical experience I have ever had on
horseback. Unfortunately she will then at times
revert back to her old ways and we go back to the
basics. What are your ideas on this type of horse?
Due to the quarter horse breeding she can be a
little downhill in her gaits and leans quite badly
causing her to get a tad cross when she is
staightened up. Any advice would be welcome, thanks
for your time, Tina
I often ride this type of
Horse and no doubt the mouth responsiveness is
directly affected by the build or the horse.
Dressage Horses need to be built uphill and if they
are not, you have bought off an on going resistance
factor for the entirety of the horse's career. Apart
from re-mouthing that horse, I would be demanding it
come off the forehand sooner rather than later and
work on that with regularity. The good news is that
you can do it and they can do it. This is where the
'German Training Scale" is so valuable and the Horse
in that DVD started out a little bit the same but
has improved to a surprising extent and is still
doing so. We now know that the Horse will do F.E.I..
No doubt at all. So your training is everything and
your Coach will have that job :)
---------------------
Hi HP,
I am considering putting in a dressage arena, but
having difficulty with the costs involved. It is
also very windy, so a sand surface would not be
suitable without walls of some sort to stop the
drift...another additional cost. I was wondering
what you thought about a grass arena. The site is on
the flattest point on the side of a hill and has
excellent natural drainage. The subsoil is ironstone
or coffee rock with a covering of a few inches of
topsoil. We have an abundance of kike and access to
a laser leveller and a front-end loader. Once
levelled correctly, the kike would be encouraged. My
horse is generally shod (fronts only) for 8 months
of the year and totally shoe-less for the remainder
and I would be the only rider using the arena.
Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Julie
It is not as good as sand, it
can be slippery, if you ride on the track it will
not be there after 3 months and you will have a dirt
track anyhow. It can be trippy too. Perhaps do that
and then sand the track every now and again. Then
you will at least have sand where you mainly ride on
your outside track. A wall will not stop blowing.
Doesn't happen. The wind goes over and drops.
Regards
hi John
I am about to travel my horse in a float for the
first time. I have used the natural horsemanship way
to teach him to load which he now does very
willingly.
But as this is my first time travelling with him (
he arrived at my place in a truck and has only been
trucked since I got him) or any horse, I need help
with a couple of questions. I wont be towing the
vehicle a friend will and it is her float and the
brand is easy traveller it looks safe and sound
follows some of your guidelines however not all.
How do I tie him in the float and when. What halter
do I use? I only use a rope halter for everything
and 12 feet lead rope.. I have had him tied up and
he never moved or pulled back but I know things can
change for the worst in a float. He is normally a
calm horse but travelling could be different. should
I also have a haynet in the float while travelling I
have told it calms the horse to have something to
chew on?
Hope these questions don't sound silly but I do not
wont to risk my boys safety in any way.
Cheers Deb
HI Deb. Webbing Halter and
Pony Club rope tied solid. Not a rope halter. If you
want total security, take a friend with your horse.
There is always a real risk that the horse will go
over the chest bar, alone, if it has not been
floated before. The first half dozen rides in a
float for any horse should be with friends. I use
Haynets but what you really need is my invention of
the whither rope. That has saved more horses than
you can poke a stick at. Regards.
Hi John
Am chatting to friends and all have there own
opinion-thats fine- but wondered about yours on this
subject.
How old is to old for a mare to breed? I think it
depends on the type of mare and whats its history
and health etc.Alot of different thing really.
I have had a mare thats 17yrs and is like a filly
LOL Always owned by us and health kept upto date but
then you can see a 17yr old mare thats never had a
foal and been passed on and on since track at 4yrs
when it was retired and there is no way I would
place her under that stress being an old maiden.
That has aged badly no doubt, because horsemanship
training hadnt come to it through all the poor
horses life and because of that has been sent on on
as each owner bullshitted about the problems the
horse had.
Just wondered what you thought as I have a woman
here that is looking at a broodmare thats 23yrs and
seems like a 12yr old but I feel she is still 23yrs
and should be retired from the breeding
paddock.Theres so many young ones out there too.
Cheers
Amber
That depends if one is a 'True
Lover' of horses or not Amber. The decision is Oh so
easy. If you care about horses, the subject doesn't
even enter the mind or the conversation. What a
waste of breath really? I don't understand why
people debate such ridiculous bloody things when
only God would know. No Human would. Howz that? :)
If I want a Foal I will go buy a 5 year old.
Just
throw it in the bin Jen and get yourself a nice
snaffle or some description. No doubt about, I can
see why people read this page :) It sure is
entertaining lol
