another year another horse fair ~ 2 of 2

There is one thing that Midwest Horse Fair does every single year, and that is make me/us think deeply about our lives with horses. Many times, it is the clinicians that foster rooted thinking.

heading in on the cold day (Sunday)

Every year fair clinics are offered in many disciplines. Mostly the beginning stages of training or riding. Some years we watch just for fun, or to fill in-between time with whatever catches our attention. With an older herd, most clinics are not applicable to our horses.

Now we have Hope. I looked for something close to where she is at in her training and found it with Ryan Rose. A local WI trainer. I've never paid much attention to him. Throughout the three fair days, he presented a colt starting series and also some reining clinics. We could not attend on Saturday and watched the beginning and the end of his colt training series. It would have been nice to follow the whole series, but they always spread them out.

~~~

The horse Ryan did the colt starting demo with name was Pickles. Not his horse. He talked about the mare being left-brained, and not liking being told what to do. He pointed out many of Pickles signals. Ryan is really good at reading horses!

In uncomfortable situations, I learned when horses rub their faces on their legs they are releasing a stress hormone. There is an area on the side of their nose that gives them an endorphin release.

Laying the Foundation
4.17.26 (11 secs)

4.17.26 (22 secs)

He talked about letting horses commit to their mistakes and rewarding the slightest try. He briefly did a "Find your Herd" game with Pickles. I was busy watching, but found it on YouTube. It is a long one.

not my video (8 mins)

I also found it interesting he works side pass along the outside of the round pen, where horses feel less boxed in.  


~~~

Sunday's Clinic was Accepting a Rider. This was new to us:

Turn Face and Follow
4.19.26 (6 secs)

Hope is three and knows much of what was shared, both days. She is pretty much at "accepting the rider" stage. I get asked a lot, no I will not be getting on her back first ~ or anytime soon. Watching these clinics reinforced Hope's training to date, and gave Brad a couple new ideas. We plan to watch more of what Ryan has to share together. Maybe even try the paid Patreon thing.

Both of us really enjoyed watching Ryan Rose's clinics! He has a mindful approach, puts the horse first and is easy to understand. No showboating and a funny guy! The humor he sprinkles in makes watching and learning entertaining. 

~~~

Right after watching the above clinic, we hustled over to another building to watch Ryan compete in a Working Equitation Cattle Sorting Trial competition. The presenter was Adrienne Dymesich, also from WI. She is new to me/us. We liked her and will be watching for more from her. Adrienne train's, breeds and has an active family ranch with clinics.

Ryan is wearing the black hat

We missed seeing the winning group sort, a Chilean Horse Team. The Rose group took second. 

 4.19.26

This closed out MWHF 2026 for us. We headed home tired, with sore feet and happy hearts.

another year another horse fair ~ 1 of 2

Midwest Horse Fair was last weekend. For some reason my enthusiasm for it has waned. Perhaps from decades of attending, evolving changes or just plain ol' getting older. I used to be super duper excited about, and spent Fr/Sa/Sun at Fair. It was easy going back and forth. We only lived about 15-20 minutes away. Those days are looong gone. Now we are about 40-45 minutes away, and get in and get out.

It has become such a busy weekend. We have another annual friend event that always falls on the same weekend. I questioned if we should even go this year and considered giving away our rodeo tickets and three-day entry. I am very glad we did not!

pac-man cloud, about to eat hedgehog & rabbit!

The weather at Fair can be hot, cold, sunny, rainy and almost always windy. Many times all in the same weekend. This was one of those weather fluctuating weekends. It kept people away. Especially on stormy Friday. The day we spent the most amount of time there. Which included attending the PRCA rodeo that night!

I wondered how the rodeo would feel after recently seeing the best of the best at Finals in Vegas. In one word it felt immersive!! I have never been so close to the action! For the first time, we had front row seats. The seats were you get random mud flung on you. Riders whiz past an arms length. Some hang out inches from you. Bronc riders come right at you hanging on for dear life. Bull riders jump the fence and almost land in your lap. Hoping the madder than a hornet big ol' bull chasing him doesn't also jump the fence, and take you, the bull rider and the cute toddler next to you out.

Never a dull moment in the front row of a rodeo!!

Sorry, I do not have any of my usual rodeo action photos to share. I made the decision to leave my real camera at home, because of predicted strong storms. I would have been way too close for most of them anyways. I was so immersed in the action, I did not even take any phone photos of the competitors.

The couple sitting next to me were friendly and knew the well-known award winning rodeo clown, John Harrison. The seat between us remained empty, until the clown jumped the rail and sat between us. When the action got too close, the dad held their 10 month-ish old son close.  

John Harrison & his amazing horse Peanut

4.21.26

They always include entertainment snippets at our PRCA Rodeo. IMO this year a lot of the acts were lame-o. Walking horses and waving at the crowd. Many acts were more about their outfits and riding in the dark wearing lights.

there was a gal singing beautifully in the balcony

Impressive outfit, horse, and waving...but surprisingly not moving to the music. Meh.

I felt bad for the excessive amount of controlled movement the beautiful Friesen's were asked to do, alllllll the way around the arena.

I had high hopes when I saw them come back out with chariots. Nope.

even the drill team wore lights

Thank goodness this drill team did a lot more than wave! 

My favorite entertainment act was the Garrocha pole!! It has always fascinated me. Apparently Garrocha is part of Working Equitation competition.

Cavin Graham & Showgirl
(1 min 10 secs)

We also attended a couple clinics, and briefly watched a cattle sorting competition. It sure looked like fun! As far as shopping we ordered a couple things, but otherwise came home empty handed. The second half of my MWHF post will follow :)

Midwest Horse Fair 2022 ~ in review

Midwest Horse Fair (MWHF) had not been held since 2019. For two years, all events were cancelled at the large unique venue. It became our areas largest COVID testing site.

Three years later, MWHF is back!

We attended Friday in endless driving side-ways rain. Saturday was much better weather, still very windy - but - it was the first day you could get in the fields. We stayed home and Brad got all our Spring field work done.

We should have been more excited about the return of horse fair, but we were not. A lot changes in three years. In a nutshell, it lacked luster and the excitement of years past. At least for us. In detail, it was like this: 

CLINICIANS: None of the clinic topics/clinicians peaked our interest enough to sit on hard uncomfortable seats and watch. Not that the clinicians were bad. Chris Cox had a big following.

Over the years we've learned it is really hard to take away quality info in such a large in-personal setting, and even harder to put into practice. 

RODEO: We usually enjoy the PRCA rodeo on Friday/Saturday evenings. There was a lot of unknown when rodeo tickets went on presale in January, related to masking/testing etc. If you don't get tickets early, you end up in the nose bleed section. We decided to skip the rodeo this year. I heard Saturday was a sold out crowd, and the rodeo was "okay" but there were not many riders. 

We decided to attend fair for the shopping, although our favorite vendors are no longer there.

SHOPPING: We missed catching up with familiar faces we've become acquainted with over the years. There are hundreds of other less personable vendors. Many sell junk made in China. Larger vendors that offered great horse care deals, have gone out of business. A vendor friend that does custom leather work told us it doesn't pay for them to attend fair.

Custom water bottles must be all the rage, because they were for sale in abundance. As were soft shell jackets. Along with all the none horse related stuff, like kitchen food saving snap ware and miracle creams. Yes, horse people use these things but I for one don't go to fair to buy kitchen stuff.

I was looking around for things related to arthritis (for Koda) and got sucked into a vendor booth.

The couple had a top secret miracle gadget! SO secret they couldn't have a website, a Facebook page or even a business card. Because "cancer organizations are after them". They kept asking for my phone number to send me a video that shows me how their gadget works. "You turn it on, and wave it over your ache-y place." I kept politely declining. OHhhh but their gizmo heals, cures cancer and ~ gasp ~ it even takes away wrinkles!! Said the woman with a face full of wrinkles.

This miracle healing gadget is ALL over Europe, but hasn't been approved in the US. Hmmm, perhaps there is a reason the cancer organizations are "after you". I couldn't help myself and nicely asked "isn't that just a ramped up hair dryer?" YES!! they both replied in unison "that is EXACTLY what it is"!! Say whaaat.....??! We saw another vendor selling a different version of a ramped up hair dryer. Buyer beware.
 

We did pick up something useful, a couple more orange slow feed nets. One for Padame to use at shows, and one as a backup. Inventory was low and like everything, when they make the next batch prices will go up. We really like our orange nets. They do last longer, but not forever. 

Shortly after arriving at fair, I came across a new (to me) handmade earrings vendor. She was REALLY good at what she does! Sell her earrings. This non-shopper spent way more muhlaa than I should have. After we walked away with no less than 4 pair of earrings in hand, Brad said we were there for 40 minutes. Whoops!

Below is the earring style they are know for. You twist-n-twirl them onto your ear, so they can't fall out. 

The other earrings I purchased go in a first or second ear hole. They go up your ear lobe, and look like a buncha ear piercings. I can mix & match them. They had hundreds of color combinations and styles. What can I say, buy three get one free only makes sense when you are buying two anyways.

I used to be really into wearing jewelry and am a sucker for quality handmade unique jewelry. I found out, this vendor has been making the backless style earrings for 9 years. Oh, and the couple lives about 20 minutes away from us. I found out two of my friends have earrings made by Decorate your Lobes, and they said the same thing. She is really good at what she does, and every time they see her...cha-ching!

MISSING FROM FAIR: There was something, or better said someone missing from fair. I mentioned to Brad, I it was odd the Booms were not in Stallion alley. For the past 15 years a well-known super friendly older couple, who always had time to chat horse with you was not at fair. They were always together. They trail rode their stallions ALL over the US and had a big presence in the horse community. The follow day, we found out why they were not in Stallion alley at fair....cue waterworks. The elderly husband and two daughters walked her beloved riding stud, saddled with her boots in stirrups backwards, at the MWHF stallion review. It was her studs last appearance at fair. I cannot imagine the strength that took, after losing Charlene just a few weeks prior. We do not know the Booms personally. 

Among other accolades, the couple received a lifetime achievement award for the many things they have done for the horse industry. Including organizing their local club and an annual trail ride for years. It was very well attended. We almost went once with Cierra's breeder. That year over a hundred showed up. If interested, here is a link to their breeding program. They also raised Dalmations. They have a large equine business property and a lot of horses. 

OTHER EVENTS: I am glad we decided to go back Sunday afternoon and watch the MWHF Top Hand Showdown finals. The top five women and the top five men prequalified, out of 50 original competitors. They competed on the SAME horse in five events: Breakaway Roping, Pole Bending, Steer Stopping, Team Roping Heeling and Barrel Racing. The event was really interesting to watch.

We watched the Red Rock Riders drill team, right before the Top Hand finals. Always fun.

3.92 seconds Breakaway

The young gal above had one HOT horse. She handled it like a pro and scored well in most events. I was sure she would take first place. Unfortunately, she got a no score with penalty on the heeling portion and ended up in second place.

The women competed against other women, and men against men.
  

3.81 score (not the fastest)  Breakaway

This riders total points won him the mens MWHF Top Hand title & award.  

The MWHF website said there were: 61,000 attendees, 350 volunteers, 500 vendors, 700 horses, 300 clinics, lectures and performances. An $11 million economic impact.

breaking the silence

Somehow the entire month of April came and went without posting a thing. No words, no photos. I've got plenty of both to share, but my computer time has been limited. Primarily because living with a puppy is a life changer. His naps get used for processing photos and things like paying bills, phone calls and running errands. Things I can't do or do very long, when the busy body is awake. Tank will be 5 1/2 months tomorrow and is a great addition to our family. We love him! He is very sweet, keeps us laughing and on our toes. His favorite things to do is steal socks out of the dirty laundry, play with Jameson and retrieve anything. Thank goodness he has slept through the night since we got him, but when day time rolls around it's game on.

Tank at 5 month vet visit (53 lbs)

Our horses are all doing well. It's been a whole year since I have sat on a horses back. I'll just edit further commentary. You are welcome :)

Cierra & Brad rode in a ranch clinic last week. I took photos. WI weather continues to be wacky, so the clinic had to be held inside. Sigh. I managed to get a few pics, but shooting anything indoor is less then ideal for me.

Brad & Cierra
(extended ranch trot)

Our bobcat went back to the workplace, so I am wheeling it again. Daily. Thankfully it makes appearances for the bigger jobs like filling the feeder, hauling dirt etc. 

Brad recently put in a permanent manure pit, same location. Down the road, around the bend, through the sand pit, up the slope and into the next county...

Midwest Horse Fair came & went mid-April. We were not into it this year, and didn't watch a single clinician. No clue why. We did however enjoy an excellent Friday night PRCA rodeo, and saved a lot of money shopping for our usual horse supplies. Much to our horses dismay, we also bought a large square orange slow feed net for our feeder.

breakfast with the new net

My 10 year blogaversary passed by during my hiatus. I had a reflecting blog post started, but those take time. They are my favorite type of posts to read & write. Hoping to get back to blogging more regularly. It could happen?!! 

I'll close with my favorite photo from the rodeo. Looking forward to catching up on each of your blogs! 

Dan James

Midwest Horse Fair 2018

Every April, for as many years as I can remember, I've look forward to attending Midwest Horse Fair. For some odd reason, this year I could have skipped the whole thing. Neither one of us were into it, at all. All the things we have loved about Fair in the past, are still part of it. Good clinicians, shopping, visiting with other horse people, seeing friends, the rodeo etc. We pre-bought our usual three day pass, and only ended up going one day. I think our mind is elsewhere.  

Clint Anderson was presenting this year, as was Al Dunning and a few other big names. We've seen these two in the past, and don't particularly care for either. We did briefly attend two of Butch Campbells Ranch Riding clinics. It was very noticeable that he didn't have his AQHA judge wife with him. She was the one who did the explaining why (aka teaching) last year. His clinics were not remotely informational to watch this year. You can only learn so much from seeing people ride around in circles. It wasn't just us, we heard others felt similar. We didn't bother going back to see his clinic series, the remaining two days.

I am in a bit of disbelief that we didn't even walk through the horse barns. I heard there were only a few Quarter Horse stallions & no QH breed demo. 

We did get some good deals at Fair on needed horse/barn supplies: Nemo's annual supply of Horseshoers Secret, a large gallon of bug spray, some red flat back buckets (our double stall will not have auto-waterers) and a couple more forks. We found an unexpected deal on poly-wire fencing ($40 off a roll!!!) and lined up our Ritchie Waterer purchase with a show discount. We had a hard time deciding between one or two water openings. I picked our waterer up last weekend from a local vendor. 

Check out this new hay bag on the market, called Orange Slow Feeder. We've looked at Hay Chix products for years, and just weren't convinced. Last show season Cierra used one of our trainers new small Chix bags, and it didn't hold up worth a damn. We think these folks came up with a better bag & system. Brad will be trying out their small bag this show season. We may end up getting larger bale versions for our place. Time will tell. 

Friday night Rodeo was pretty good, altho the cowboys/girls didn't do so hot this year. I got a few decent bucking shots, but haven't processed them. Thankfully they featured a couple new acts. Click to enlarge for best viewing.

Jesse Peters

Rodeo Pickup Man

Madison McDonald

It seems every weekend there is some major thing going on that was planned/purchased before we knew we would be moving in Spring. It's a busy time of year for everyone, especially horse/land owners. Will try to check in and get a barn update posted one of these days. Still tons (and tons) of work needs to be done, especially for the horses. The next few weeks we will be knee deep into moving...I will be SO happy when it's over. Moving will be over someday, right?!!

wheely nice table

I was trying to do one collective catch-up post with photos, but can't seem to pull it off. So I'll just have to post separately, or they'll never get posted! Below are a few long overdue phone pics of the wheel table we picked up at fair. 

Our wheel table was purchased from a vendor called Cowboys Friend Remade Treasures out of Iowa. They reupholster furniture & repurpose antique things. The vendor owns a similar 8 foot wheel dining room table. She added an old lariat to hers, between the wheel and the glass. She showed us a photo to give us ideas of what we could do with ours, and mentioned barb wire as another possibility. The wood is so old I love it the way it is, altho barb wire would be cool.The fun part is the table spins.

We were hoping to learn the back story of the wheel, but apparently the guy who made our table has passed on.The only thing I know about it, is her husband stumbled across a smaller 4 foot table made by the same guy who made their table. He bought it right before our fair. She didn't have time to do anything to it, which worked out for us since I like it the way it is. The only thing I plan to do is re-felt the bottom of the loose hub.

The wheel hub on top comes off. It just sits on the glass.
The vendor puts her horse theme salt & pepper shakers inside hers.
Decorations or flowers would look nice too.

Looking down at the table.
 See the photo bomber? My silly cat Sydney, he follows me just like a dog.

Table top with the top hub removed.
Click the photos to see how old & weathered the wood is!!

Sorry the phone pics aren't that great. The table is sitting in our unfinished dark basement. It was our first purchase for the new house, or maybe the human room in the barn. Four chairs fit nicely around it. The chairs were included, but we will likely look for others that match better. I think it would make a fun card table, as long as it isn't a game of spoons!! 

interesting timing

Sunday morning I called the furniture gals we met at fair and asked if the old wagon wheel table we were drooling over was still available. It was. They offered to put a hold on it until we could get there. We had no intentions of buying furniture, but after giving it more thought it was too unique to pass up. We decided to go back to fair for another spin (ha, ha) and the table came home with us. If only that old wheel could talk!! Sorry, again no photo. I've been slacking in the photo taking department! 

Since we made another trip into fair, we decided to revisit a stallion we came across over the weekend. We weren't looking for a stud either, but when you find something you like you look into it. Brad bought Cierra with the intention of eventually breeding her. For now he is enjoying showing her, and wants to put more points on. It will be a few years before she is bred, and it will be just for us. We have more bloodline research to do, and plenty of time for things to change. I couldn't resist generating color possibilities. It's the last thing we care about, but it's fun & easy with this generator. Here is the potential breakdown:

Hollywood Glo Cody has a sweet disposition and as a bonus is a handsome guy. His previous owner of 10 years spent a significant amount of time telling us his story. She came all the way up from Texas because the horse had never been in a show environment, let alone a crazy fair. That alone tells you something about how special the horse is. The above name link is pedigree. He's got some nice reining lines. This is his page on the current owners website. If you've got thoughts, especially about bloodlines - please feel free to share or message me. 

Nothing has been decided, as this came out of no where. All we know for sure is when Brad decides to breed Cierra, it will be primarily based on disposition. Everything else is TBD (to be determined). Who knows what the future holds.

We arrived to find the studs stall empty. The person who was watching over their other stallions, told us he was about to do his first ever stallion review. We made a bee line over to the show building and got there just in time to watch:

We left fair afterwards, stopped at home to load tack and made the 40 minute drive up to the barn. It's a good thing we went when we did, instead of skipping fair and going in the morning. We arrived to an empty barn, and found our trainers brand new baby foal! Surprise!! The mare had started expelling afterbirth & the baby was just trying out her legs. We quickly realized nobody knew. 

The barn staff was at fair (in between chores) and our trainer was gone due to a family emergency. We called them both, and assured them we would take care of this surprise situation. Both her staff left fair anyways and came back as quickly as they could. They were a good hour away. Everything was done by the time they arrived, but they were very thankful.

babies first picture

Brad went to the farm store to get bedding & iodine to dip babies belly button. I stayed back to keep watch. With the help of a boarder who was out back with her horse, the three of us got mom & baby moved, bedded and taken care of. We figure the foal was born within the hour for sure (based on the other border's arrival & seeing the mare still pregnant) but more like 30 minutes or less.

We eventually enjoyed a nice ride outside in the sunshine. I completely forgot to take a photo of Brads new saddle. It was a day filled with interesting timing. The table, the stud, the foal - all of it. I know the phrase "things happen for a reason" is over used. Maybe it's all coincidence, but I believe.

fair findings

We survived another Midwest Horse Fair weekend! It never ceases to amaze me how different our experience is from year to year. I hate to say it, but for us this year it lacked pizzaz. We drove right into fair, all three days. No lines no waiting. Very odd. Some years it's taken 1.5 hours just to get through the gate and parking. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome to get in fast and get great parking.

For the most part, we did have a fun three days and enjoyed memorable experiences. However, fair was definitely lacking something (besides attendance). Just can't quite figure out what. Perhaps it's just us. We are in a different place in our lives and really just want to be with our horses and/or working on our land. Almost didn't even go on Sunday. The weather was sooo gorgeous. It's a good thing we did go!! You'll find out why later.

Here are my fair findings:

We shortened our shopping list this year, and didn't do any impulse buying. Altho I tried! First vendor we stopped at had a copper metal relief wall hanging that we both liked. While deciding on purchase, the vendor reached over my shoulder and slapped a sold sticker on it! I was stunned. Someone bought it minutes earlier. Funny part is, they said it's hung for 5 years in their shop and no one even asked about it. Oh well. Win some, lose some.

We picked up the custom saddle we ordered for Brad over a year ago. It turned out really nice! Workmanship is outstanding. Now we each have our forever saddle from Reed Tack. We got our yearly supply of Nemo's hoof supplement, bug spray & Show Sheen. Koda also needed a new cinch. I am trying a new one that allows for more airflow (photo credit to Weaver):

We attended a couple Ranch riding clinics given by Butch Campbell & his AQHA Judge wife (from Texas) they really know their stuff. They were rider lesson based clinics. You can only watch so much of that, we opted to skip the remaining four. The part we enjoyed the most was watching Nemo's half brother & his girl riding in the clinics. Funny how certain characteristics carry through genetics.

The only other clinic we watched was by default. It was on working cattle, led by Sandy Collier. It was also lesson based. Looked fun, and challenging. Maybe someday I'll even give it a whirl? Nemo & especially Koda is bred for it.

The PRCA rodeo was blasé. Our seats were tucked in the corner, by the chutes. Good for behind the scene and chute release, but everything else was far far away. Brad talked to a couple other guys who said similar, along with "Animals Won, Cowboys None". Next year should be better, they'll have two nights of rodeo. 

My favorite photo from the rodeo:

The best part of fair this year were the new vendors we met. We had a ball chatting with the stall rep, sign maker and a couple furniture repurpose gals. It's fun talking future things for our new place!!

We left fair early Sunday afternoon to head up to the barn for a ride. Our horse filled weekend was topped off with an unexpected visitor...to be continued...

Midwest Horse Fair 2016 ~ 2 of 2

Friday is our favorite day at the fair. We start early and end late. It's all about visiting with vendor friends we've made over the years, shopping, more shopping, visiting with local horse friends, and the rodeo. Highlights and photos were shared in my Midwest Horse Fair ~ 1 of 2 blog post.

We had a little extra time before the rodeo, and altho we don't aspire to do either, we watched a clinic called "Liberty & Brideless Bareback riding skills". Presented by my favorite trick riders, Jessica Blair & Madison McDonald. These down to earth gals are fun to watch & listen to and kept us entertained while they worked with their horses of various training levels. The early evening light shining through the entrance made me wish I had my camera...even more so when I found out they were not performing in the Friday night rodeo. We did however enjoy a sneak peak of what they performed on Saturday. Maddie did most of the bareback riding during the clinic, and - wow - can that girl ride!! 

On Saturday, we try to watch clinics that present information we can apply to where we are at in our horsemanship. To be honest, our expectations were low this year. There wasn't much that fit. Not sure why, when there are a gazillion clinics. You learn something new (or in a new way) from anyone you watch, on any subject, but if you can't apply it - it just gets lost. 

There were a few new clinicians that sounded interesting to me. Specifically Patrick King (not sure how to classify him?) Lisa Wysocky (therapeutic horsemanship) and Jec Ballou (dressage). However we never did get around to watching any them, not even Guy McLean's horse starting clinics (we've seen some in the past). Too bad, I wanted to hear more from him. It required talking an unmentioned person into watching them, and timing. Fair is alllll about timing!! There are eight learning opportunities offered most every hour, barns full of different breeds, mega vendors, musical entertainment and various competitions...timing can be a challenge, but ohhh, it's fun!!

So which clinics did we watch?? We were pleasantly surprised to find John & Josh Lyons presentations, fit where we are at. As you know, John Lyons has been around forever. Back in the day, I used to subscribe to his magazine. We did find John to be a bit long in the tooth, and he is still too preachy for me - but eventually concepts were explained well. We both really learned the most from Josh Lyons, his son. Primarily because he stuck to what everyone was there for, to learn about the training topic. He knows his strengths, as well as his weaknesses, and isn't afraid to share either of them. They both used a lot of understandable analogies to drive points home, and played off each other to sprinkle in some humor. 

We were drooling over Josh Lyon's horse...wow he was gorgeous! John let it slip out that he recently sold for a mere $185,000 dollars (gulp!).

I attempted to type key notes into my phone, and listen at the same time. I also snapped a few clinic photos with my phone. The things that resonated the most with me are in bold italics at the end of the clinic notes. Hopefully some of these make you think, as well.

Clinic 1: Lift, Pull, Trap: Three Rein Positions Everyone Needs to Know

The three rein positions that relate to three parts of the head/neck.

• 1st part makes them look pretty (LIFT position, nose back to poll). If the head is even/down with withers, it's soft. Varies on discipline. A horse's head that is above withers, is excited.

• 2nd part controls height (PULL position, poll back to crest). Pull up, lightens the front end Pull to side is moving hind quarters. Reins lighten the leg cue. Could think D Ring on saddle to move hip (or conches, for front of horse). John used spots on his saddle a lot, in all three clinics we watched. I've since tried, it works.

• 3rd part evens pressure (TRAP position, crest back to withers). To soften & give, without resistance. Ride forward, and release gradually (developing the poll). Horse's head doesn't change position. Josh did an excellent job of explaining & showing the release. This is far from new for me. I try to do gradual releases, but the way he taught it really hit home. 

Misc:
• Legs are the gas pedal, reins are the steering wheel
• Release means keep doing it, not stop (ex. dog sit & stay)
• Don't throw the reins away. To the horse, this means your done
• 50-50% legs & reins
• Change gait not speed
• Train for more then what you want

For confidence, ride where you can. Otherwise you are teaching the horse things you don't want them to do.

..................................................................

Clinic 2: Softness vs Responsiveness:

Speed Control:

• Move hips over on the ground, at a walk
• Moving head & neck doesn't work, they have to move hips
• Nose to base of neck. Relaxes neck & softens shoulder. Changes how they use their neck
• Bottom of the horse follows the top of the horse

Lope & Lead changes:

• Hurry up & then slow down speed
• For a slow, lazy horse = speed up (no slowing down)

• Softness slows them down
• To become less responsive, use more cue (aka legs) until you feel them soften/relax
• They should give us no pull and come back to you
• Cold is reins wide vs hot is reins touching = responsiveness

Exercise:

• Hips R > nose R (pick up right rein) > walk R (3 tracking)
• Teaches horses to always use their hips

• Start at a walk, you will be riding the whole horse

Misc:• Legs are typically inconsistent (ex. truck stopping)
• Build back pressure = where softened comes in
• If they come off circle, make small turn inside & try again until he stays on circle by himself
• Work on softness. Then work on speed. Work on horse placement last 
• If horse is too reactive, to make less reactive use cue often more
• If you want more reaction, use cue less often
• If you have trouble going straight, work on turning
• If they spook to the left, work on turning to the right

As you think differently, you are different.

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By Sunday, we were tired. We typically go late and leave early. Everyone else must have been tired too, because fair was a ghost town. Midwest Horse Fair claims they set an event record attendance again this year, but if you ask anyone who was actually there...

We wrapped things up, said good-bye to our vendor friends, and try to catch a few more clinics. Below is the last clinic we saw on Sunday worth noting.

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Clinic 3: Exercises for the Green Horse:

Replacement concept:
• Add on. Can you do this, and also do this? Eventually they stop doing the bad thing.
• To get rid of bad behavior, don't mention the bad behavior 

Misc:
• Motivation, creates change
• Pressure without contact is valuable
• Spot, find one to work on
• Back a lot, because that is the stop
• Go forward, stop, soften nose, every 3 steps

Rollback:
• Walk forward, stop, look back at the line by rotating torso all the way
• No leg lift & take it their, as soon as they do - release at the line
• Add letting them do it (at release spot) without taking them their


Focus on what you want them to do, not on what you don't want them to do.

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Have you ever learned from John/Josh? They've been to Midwest Fair before, but we've never watched them. We got the most out of the first clinic, and stopped at the Lyon's booth shortly after to talk with Josh. I wanted to ask him for input about the horse that anticipates moves, like Koda. Changing things up help, but it's always been a struggle with him. Josh gave me 100% of his attention, which is hard to do in midst of chaos. We talked about early body/mind signals & re-thinking differently.

Something about the way Josh Lyons explains things, has made me more aware of my interactions with Koda. It's been fun trying (and I mean, trying) to implement some of what I learned. So far, it's been well received.

Thanks for reading along! If you made it this far you deserve a medal, these are loong posts!!