RESEARCH

This e-book passes on a small snapshot of our Research conducted over the past few Years and promoted by us meeting more and more Horses in Turmoil but Horses being blamed for their behavior

Historically and still today around the World, Horses are first blamed for any negative behavior, disciplined, fitted with 'Bigger Bits' or even flogged as being 'naughty horses' Let me tell you that there are basically NO naughty Horses. Only Confused Horses and Horses crying out for help. 99% of the Cases I have met across my 25,000 sample, have been the fault of Humans.

COMMUNICATION

I want you to understand that Horses are communicating with you 100% of the time. They are reading your Mind and your Vibes and they are TRYING TO PLEASE!!! Not "Listening to Horses" has been handed down through the Ages and still is today. This E-Book and the up coming DVD's which show dozens of Horses in turmoil and communicating to us, hopes to handle this massively important subject, for what may be the first time in the World. I intend to send them to every Veterinary University on the Planet.

Any studies by Vet's in the past have been restricted to ridiculous things such as "Rein Gauges',

23/9/11

'LISTEN TO YOUR HORSES'

7 HOURS AND FEATURING 27 HORSES CRYING OUT FOR HELP. An in depth look at what not to buy and why, what Horses are pre-disposed to unsoundness and why.

VETERINARY STUDY

31st March, 2011

During the last two Years, we have been conducting a systematic study involving 50 Horses, all of which came to us with varying degrees of Training or Behavioral problems and all of which were found to be unsound in various ways. Predominantly issues of the Hind end and these fitted three categories:

1. Horses that had a genuine Veterinary affliction

2. Horses that were made to appear unsound due to incorrect Riding, ill fitting Saddles and the Like, and...

3. A combination of both.

Now this is a highly technical area and of course demands that the Trainers have the ability to "Listen to the Horses" and to in fact be able to read precisely what they are talking about, complaining about or shouting about. I believe the Holy Grail of Horsemanship.

You see, "Horses never Lie" and they are never wrong. If you can decipher what they are saying, they will tell you everything about their problems, where their problems lie and even everything about the previous Riders, even though we do not know them.

Throughout, we have been more and more blown away at what we were discovering and how we were forever being taught and developed as Trainers, by the Horses. The most satisfying feeling. We are putting together a major DVD Production of this, to educate, to jolt, to frighten, worry and enlighten Horse Owners everywhere and to hopefully add to the education knowledge base of the Veterinary Community for they are clearly falling down in this area. (not their fault) Here are just some of the findings:

• That in the majority of Pre Purchase Vet checks, Vet's have failed to diagnose rear end Veterinary unsoundness. There are many reasons for this but essentially, the Vet University Courses Curriculum does not equip Vets' with enough information and options for diagnosis of these problems. Stifle, mis-aligned pelvises, Sacroiliac problems and other stuff. They do not advise and promote Vets' to demand to see Horses lunged, ridden and even view Video Tape of them. Rather, they historically just walk up and examine the Horse, trot it up 15 metres for a stress test and 'Bob's your Uncle'. Owners should also be educated to take a more pro-active role in the selection or investigation of their prospective or current Horses and to arm the Vet with as much information as possible, rather than relying on them. Vet's do need our help.
   

• The vast majority of Horses that we have found to be in fact unsound and proven such, have been prior Vet checked, Physio checked, Chiro checked and by others. 3 in the Last two Weeks in fact. One that was purchased by a Mrs. HP Pupil, with a Vet check and unable to do the Dressage. Mrs. HP advised the Girl to get rid of the Horse. She did last Week, with another Vet check. Passed sound :) Not so say we and not so say the Horse!!!
   

• That majority Vets' are not exposed to Horsemanship or even more important, the knowledge that such skills as letting the Horse tell you things even exists. You have all seen the Vets walk up and go "Wham, Bam , Thank you Maam", without any appreciation of Horse Communication and the like. This is because of an ingrained snobbery that somehow gets instilled into Professional People who have Letters after their Names. They have not got a Mortgage on knowledge however :)

SUITABLE FOR THE USE (English Disciplines)

It is a fact that the vast majority of Horses within Australia are not built suitable for the use that they are ridden and this is the main cause of so much pain in Horses. Australians have always and still do, look at Temperament Movement and how pretty the Head is when they buy a Horse. THEY DO NOT LOOK AT CONFORMATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...and therein lies 50% of the problem.

The other 50% is caused by the rampant and out of control Feral Breeding of Horses in this Country. They Breed from anything, by anything and if a Mare acts up, it is "Put her in Foal" when clearly they should be just retired, never to be able to Breed. There are no breeding rules or Laws in Australia and so unlike Europe, the majority of Horses Bred in this Country DO NOT SUIT THE ENGLISH DISCIPLINES!!!

It is no accident therefore, that the Dutch and Germans win the Medals in Dressage at the Olympics. Very smart People.. They must have known and went and bred purpose built Horses for Dressage, one's that could actually do the movements without pain.

WHAT CAUSES SO MUCH DISCOMFORT

I can tell you that if a proper Scientifically based Study was conducted into the ability or not of Horses to be able to even do the 'English Disciplines", it would be shown that most can't....or....

That they only could if the amount of collection equaled the ability of the Horse to produce.

It could be worked out Mathematically and with pure Engineering principles. Conformation v Collection equals comfort to be able to do it. We see it every Day now and we saw it yesterday with another terrorized Horse.

Thankfully, that is why the Quarter Horses go around with Low Necks for they CANNOT COLLECT!!!! Thankfully, but accidentally, the Hacks go around "Hollow" for if they were asked "Over the Back", most would break down due to the Fence Post back Legs that are Bred in Riding Ponies.

SYMPTOMS

During this time and via these Horses, we have been able to considerably add to the list of communicatory indicators that Horses always exhibit and it would be wonderful if the Australian Horse Public could remember some of these and to dispel the myth that Horses are 'naughty or being a problem"

There are no Problem Horses, only Problem People and of 1,000 Buck Jumpers that I have met, 999 did not want to Buck. (Two this Week) So here are some classic indicators for you. They all do all of these or some.

• They attempt to Tell Riders that they don't want to go to the Arena

• They Jig Jog upon arrival at the arena.

• Their Respiration Rate increases

• Rushing or running in one or more Paces, depending upon the injury type.

• The Vast majority of Horses with rear end Veterinary Problems NEVER SHOW LAMENESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Coming behind the Leg and especially just prior to the Canter aid

• They absolutely hate having a Head Set and will go down to please and come back up for relief

• They are almost always 'Crooked' and that crookedness tells us which side the Problem is.

• Straighten them and they can become frantic.

• Being put "Over the Back" and "truly round" makes them more unsound fast.

• They almost always do not have a rhythm.

• They often have irregular muscle development.

• They are often degenerated in the hind end and have way large front ends.

• They pull themselves along by the front legs at the Canter

• They want to go 'hollow' and 'above the Bit'

• They often have shorter front Legs than the back

• They are often 'Rump High'

• They are often 'straight behind'

• Their Neck is often set on their Body incorrectly.

• There Rump often falls away downhill

• They do not like sitting trot

• They all go through a check list of evasions and add new one's when Mrs. HP rides and negates each.

• They threaten to rear when most other evasions fail

• They want to run away if the pressure keeps coming

• They sweat more than they should. PAIN CAUSES SWEAT!!!!!!!!!!

• and much more..............................

• AND THEY GET ULCERS. Pain causes Ulcers.

So, in essence:

" The ability to collect, engage, be round and engage, is completely dependent upon the conformation of the Horse and directly as well as mathematically able to be graphed dependently upon some of the indicators that I have listed above"

Here is another for you to chew on.....

The majority of Horses are NOT suitable for the "English Disciplines"

I could go on but I won't bore you. Just remember, that you must "listen to your Horses", you must lead your Vet by the Hand, you must be ever mindful that there are no "Naughty Horses" but just Human afflicted Horses and that whenever there is trouble, we should get off the Horse, go inside and look in the Mirror.

I wonder if the many Dressage Judges who continually write "Not over the back or no engagement shown" have ever wondered about these things????. I can bet that it has never been mentioned in Judges Clinics because this subject has never been spoken about before and is definitely not in any Curriculum.

THE RUMP

It has become obvious to us that the conformation dictates soundness for the 'English Disciplines' Many things go towards a negative outcome  but the RUMP is a major one. Horses with Rumps like this

versus this

and that the driving muscles that are connected to the Legs have difficulty in traveling over the Rump via the Sacroiliac. This causes pain (hence the reticence to give a 'head set' ) and forms the Bump they obviously call the 'Hunters Bump'. I wonder if they thought about this? The Black Horse here was freighted 2,000k to us last Week and Mrs,. HP had to sack the Horse after 5 Minutes of Riding. The pain in his Face said enough, together with the visible and progressive deterioration in his attitude over that 5 Minutes. "Listen to your Horses" Folks. ...and unfortunately, we have NEVER been proven wrong. We wish we were.

REHABILITATION and PREPARATION