Did any of you watch the free online "Listening to the Horse" docu-series? It's nothing short of a miracle that I watched ALL seven episodes!! I really enjoyed hearing many of the stories, especially from those in area's I am not familiar with. Featured trainers were from the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and the US. Accents fascinate me. I enjoyed the different wording/pronunciations, but at times with thicker accents I had difficulty understanding what was being said. The video footage itself was stunning during key moments. They showed wide views from very high above, in a minimalistic style, of a horse & rider with their dancing shadows. As a visual person, it was captivating! At least one of the riders was Steve Halfpenny, whom I would like to learn more from. He is known for Light Hands Equitation, and has a soft approach & calming way. Below are a few snippets of my take away's from the episodes and trainers that resonated with me: Episode 1 (Horsemanship) • Allow the horse the right to search, to find release. • Many horse problems are rooted in anxiety. • Warrick Schiller (Performance Horse) shared a trail story about horses spooking at rabbits, it spoke volumes. • horses are "lightly started" way too young Episode 2 (Groundwork) • Stop pushing horses away, so they can chose to do the right thing. • Kim Walnes (heart & science of riding) trail story about her young Arabian brought tears to my eyes. I found her very interesting to listen to.
Episode 3 (Riding) • The best video of the series IMO, had substance and was more then nice stories/peoples opinions. I value visual explanations of what is being done, and why. Pat Parelli was the trainer (for those anti-Parelli, I am well-aware of the excessive hype) he did an excellent job explaining & showing the importance of foot fall. • Riders use head-knowledge, instead of heart-felt choice. • "It's about building relationship, it's about a dance with the horse" Episode 4 (Health) • The obvious was covered Episode 5 (Bodywork) • Jim Masterson showed how to find the bladder meridian, and touched on the amount of pressure to apply. However, I was left wondering "then what should I do..." maybe that was the point lol. • The featured animal communicator (aka educated observer) was interesting. I get it now. • Jeff Sanders (Spanish Horsemanship) gave a thorough basic explanation of how bits apply pressure to horses tongues, using a towel. It was an eye opener. Another favorite episode, that I found educational. This guy knows his stuff.
Episode 6 (The Rider) • Ride the horse you have that day vs riding the saddle (every trainer on the planet needs to heed this message) • The impact of incorrectly sitting on your horse Episode 7 (Home & Environment) • The obvious was covered • A reminder that some horses live in horrific situations. I do not recall seeing many of the larger number of trainers listed. Here are a few more that shared and resonated with me: Lester Buckley (multi-disciplinary/gifted teacher), Karen Rohlf (Dressage Naturally) and Katharine Chrisley (Natural Equine Specialist). I loved the overall message of the Listening to the Horse series, everything featured was clearly in the best interest of the horse. There is incredible information being touched on. Key word, touched on. The world would be a much better place for horses if all owners did what was previewed. However, I am not sure how effective the messages are via sooo many snippets of people talking at you. Those featured messages shared in-depth, stuck with me. Sometimes less is more. Those of you that watched it, what did you think about the documentary??
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):
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...
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.
• 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
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.
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.
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!!
What I strive to infuse in my horsemanship is listed below via tips and progressions that I noted as fast as my (very slow) texting fingers could enter in my handy-dandy new horse fair app. Some of these things I already do, but could do much better, other things were completely new. Have you ever tried laying a horse down? There were approaches with different twists to age old problems, that made me think. What you can't see with my notes is the impeccable timing and soft handling. It wasn't doing the obstacles that was so impressive, it was the handling.I've never seen horses so in-tuned with their humans, and I've been fortunate to watch some accomplished horsemen at fair. The clinics below are all Jim Anderson's, his demeanor is described in my first fair post. For all these reasons and more, we chose to focus on his clinics this year. I'm thankful for the experience he shared. I may not be riding through a cowboy curtain anytime soon, but anything and everything encountered with a horse is an obstacle. It's useful to learn ways to approach the otherwise unapproachable. I blocked my clinic note section off, feel free to scroll past for the rest of my review. ...............................................................................................................
COWBOY CHALLENGE Going over Obstacles: • send horse over obstacle vs leading • have forward over tarp, horses can scare if tarp pulls back • look for horse to find obstacle • it's key to spend more time resting on obstacles • rest should equal working time • if horse shows resistance, allow them to leave • put them to work so the obstacle is the release Working Progression: 1st using a lead rope, 2nd loose loop around neck, 3rd at liberty
A question was asked about how to handle a horse that rushes out of a trailer. Jim suggested trying bridge work before trailer loading, and allow them to leave the trailer. All of the above tips apply to trailer loading.
COWBOY CHALLENGE ESSENTIALS The beginning of this clinic reinforced the above, but was done under saddle. • get horse to do lateral release & neck to drop • horse should be leading with nose not ears, before working obstacles • when the horse looks away/turns right, put them back to work left (opposite direction)
Desensitizing horses Jim likes to use tarps, and added in another horse. • Bunch tarp to make thin • Start behind shoulder and progressively increase tarp width • Gradually move up and past shoulder, paying attending to horses comfort • Progress backwards if they show signs of concern
Going through a Cowboy Curtain • remove middle strands and gradually add them back in • he loped as an exercise (not a punishment) and then used the curtain as the release • always give the horse the option to leave if getting bored • doing the obstacles should be the horses idea • try backing up & ask again before going back to exercise
Another question from the audience was asked if he was "directing" the horse to the obstacles for release. Yes, when he lopes he uses 2oz pressure on outside 1/2oz pressure on inside, from his knee down.
DEVELOPING A SAFE ROPE HORSE • get them to want to hold their feet • if the horse is worried and wants to move their feet, stop and distract them by moving exercises and then restart where you left off
Working Progression: desensitize standing still, dragging rope in a circle, dragging straight, dallying, tossing
• rope out to side while standing still (side is from cinch out) progress to front of horse • start dragging with nothing on rope in a circle • straighten rope so it's following behind • make sure rope touches butt, both directions • if horse gets worried about rope while dragging, try going straight or stop and turn facing rope with slack to let them relax • for dragging things, likes to start with a bunched tarp working closer with more increased active tarp • if rope goes under tail, move hip to undo rope • dallying is next, used a gator & tracked it at back angle/corner. If the horse wants to leave, put it to work/exercise so he finds the gator is the reward • to start swinging (roped a muck bucket in back of gator) stop gator after toss as reward
Ponying: look for release spot, give pressure when ponied horse is in wrong spot
Laying Horse Down: • start with head & neck lateral • sets neck down with pressure cue on top of head • rope around foot then belly • tap & lift foot, bend head lateral to ask for crouch and release • let it be their idea to lay down • upon rising, he asks for a sit and the horse to wait on us and trust, before getting up
Jim shared that he believes a handler should be able to lay a horse down. Because laying down is the most vulnerable position in the wild. Once achieved, confidence in handler goes through the roof.
MASTERING THE SIDE PASS • face the fence, side pass, side pass, release & reward • get impulsion, both sides before loping • make sure horse is with you, can't be behind you, drive horse up first • use a fence at 90 degrees, because you can really tell if hinds & front match • good for lope off, moves hips in a little at 45 degree • horse should wait for cluck or kiss
• shoulders: look for the reach
Working Progression: walk, trot and lope
Spinning: • starts head & neck to the inside first, watches for crossover • head & hip pushed towards direction going (small circle) • breakdown: hip, then head & neck, walk out and increase
• inside leg off once you have forward • they should spin on there own
Stop: • need to have the back up solid • pick hands up & add soft legs until they try a little harder/faster (fixes the stop) • if they stop to one side, fixes by side passing to opposite side
Rollback: • head up, do lateral neck work • spin fixes the rollback • build speed gradually so they stay with you, after consistent at slower speeds
Jim stressed that putting the horse to work is not punishment, they are exercises. There is an exercise to fix everything.
A fair review wouldn't be complete without mentioning shopping! There are a ton of vendors, and many are repeat. It's a shopaholics dream. Vendors come from all over the US. We get what we need on Friday, try to avoid "cattle herding" on Saturdays, and revisit on Sunday's. Pricing is not created equally, and neither is quality. But there are sooo many, many gems and rare finds. You just gotta look before you buy, but don't wait to long or - poof - it will be gone!!
Our take home goods:Horseshoers Secret (year supply) for Nemo, fly spray, show sheen, new straw hat (for me!), new stirrups ordered (for Brad), bell boots for Koda, show fan hangers, stitched show halter for Cierra, and much to my hubby's demise and by far the most fun, I got to pick out Cierra's handmade show slinky (& matching tail bag)!!
I'm a sucker for anything metal, and struck a two-fer deal on Sunday - heehee! Doesn't hurt to ask, right?! think I've been watching a little too much American Pickers!?! I'm not a TV person, but that show draws me in. I scored a hanging hummingbird for our yard, and a horse bell for our new future place...because we will find a new place to bring our horses home, eventually... Our not so goods:The person that was supposedly buying my saddle at fair didn't call, turns out my custom saddle wasn't ready early as hoped (I knew before fair) and the boot wraps we really needed to replace were overpriced everywhere, so we are ordering them online.
Midwest Horse Fair set an attendance record this year of 61,000 (23,000 Friday, 25,000 Saturday, 13,000 Sunday). The local economic impact is estimated at 8.5 million. I'm thrilled the horse industry is being fostered and get's to shine!! In our many travels to/from the truck I saw out of state attendee license plates from New York, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota. No doubt there were many other states represented. It's a good time to visit Wisconsin, altho be forewarned our spring weather is a crap shoot! Basking in the afterglow of all things fair finds us reminiscing about the friends we caught up with, the vendors we look forward to visiting with every year, the woulda shoulda coulda but didn't, the purchases we have/will be putting to good use, and the clinicians who left a lasting impression.
One of the most obvious things to appreciate about Midwest Horse Fair this year was the impressive building improvements made to the fair grounds. The two new pavilions are gorgeous! You can count them with one hand, building one or building two. Gone are the ten plus random buildings scattered throughout the grounds. It was always a guessing game to know which one you were in and/or hoping to find. The new pavilions go on forever, for this event they housed all the stalls and two (of four) arenas.
outside a huge new pavilion (L)
The round coliseum building stayed intact, hosting the main shows and an enclosed side arena. The Alliant Energy Center remains as well, it holds a sea of vendors. This year fair attendee's were also blessed with gorgeous weather, all three days!! My clinic reviews are going to sound a bit similar, as we really only watched one clinician intently. I can't even believe it myself, but Jim Anderson was that good. He was clear, consistent, and happened to be sharing much of where we are in our horsemanship journey. There was no show boating, cute phrases or distracting stories. His clinics were not about entertaining the audience, they were about teaching the way he handles horses. Jim was accompanied by his wife Andrea, who clearly is an accomplished horsewoman in her own right. Their handling timing was impeccable, throughout all four clinics we watched. Of course we caught bits and pieces of other clinics, but I've learned it's not fair to review unless you watch the whole thing. We never saw Pat Parelli, and only watched a small portion of Julie Goodnight, Aaron Ralston and Al Dunning clinics. Our daughters friend rode in Jonathan Field's clinics, from what I saw I liked how he worked with the three gals/their horses. Much to our surprise, a dressage presenter drew us in. It was so refreshing to watch Matt McLaughlin take the seriousness out of the discipline, and share sheer joy while he talked about/did impressive dressage test moves with a big smile on his face. We also enjoyed a Double Dan "Mastering Flying Lead Changes" clinic, but understandably it was different this year. Dan James was wheelchair bound, after a horse fell backwards on him and severely broke his leg. I commend their valiant efforts, and yes the funny was still infused. It was so sad to see Dan out of his norm. A vivid reminder, accidents can happen to even the best horseman. Unfortunately, to add to an already confusing subject, my notes disappeared! I was taking them on the new Midwest Horse Fair app. I used the app a lot, and for the most part it worked very well. I'll share the progression if I can make sense out of what I remember. Every year fair is different, and yet some things are not. We watched the same One Arm Bandit buffalo routine from previous years, not once but twice (by default). Here it is, again:
where the buffalo role
One Arm Bandit (standing on a mule, turning & firing a gun, with two buffalo on top of a trailer)
One of the reasons we don't enjoy the Saturday night shows anymore, is we have already seen many of the acts earlier during fair. However, the main reason is they've made the show so darn hokey! We thanked our lucky stars we didn't buy tickets when we saw the Fairy God Mother act previewed at the rodeo. But after I saw video and photos of my favorite trick riders doing their different Saturday night acts, I realized I missed out on some amazing riding and spot light photo opportunities. Guess you gotta take the good with the bad. Watching both evening shows makes for long days, and we opt to see the rodeo. With that said below are a few shots from the Friday night PRCA Rodeo, which is always good!!
To see other select rodeo shots, click here.I'll post details on what Jim Anderson shared, some fun shopping finds and my overall reflection in my second review post. Until then, stay in the saddle!
I purchased an app called Equitrack right before we took our trip to the glorious northwoods. I'm always curious how far we trail ride and for how long. I'm not very good at guestimating and forget to check the time. I thought a tracking app would come in handy on the unmarked Nicolet Forrest trails, if the app worked. Because I purchase Equitrack right before we left, I didn't spend any time playing with it or looking for online tutorials on how to use it. It didn't matter. Upon return, I found out there aren't any. I searched for instructions to resolve one nagging thing I couldn't figure out on my own, and found nothing that addressed it. Their website is easy to navigate and does have some info, including FAQ's, but I found the site pretty basic and lacking information. It didn't tell me anything I hadn't already figured out on my own. The one nagging thing I couldn't figure out while using the app in the saddle, was how in the H-E-double toothpick does a person go back/find the original tracking screen?? If I missed something, please do tell. For some lucky reason, I took screenshots with my phone - before I knew the tracking screen wouldn't save - and I also figured out what I call a "work around" to get back to the screen. Press "new ride" to go back - while active - otherwise, the tracking screen disappears...it's a bummer, because it's a great graphic! Know that riding information is saved into another plain text format.
Tracking screen at the end of our first ride.
Map screen at the end of our first ride.
I forgot to start the app when we started (start/stop was the same place) and added the light blue line for the untracked part of our ride.
Tracking screen at the end of our second ride.
Map screen at the end of our second ride.
The light blue line is the untracked part of the ride. I was fumbling with trying to locate the app's tracking screen and hit the wrong button. The white location words were added for those who read my previous related riding post.
Map screen of our outdoor arena and pasture ride.
I love how the round pen looks like an upside-down bottle cap! The yellow circled areas were added, they are places where I absolutely did not ride. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a screenshot of the original tracking screen...poof, it's gone!
A couple additional things to note on the Original (black) Tracking Screen: • I never saw the top "Speed" circle change numbers, even while moving. I assume it's tracking the current speed. If it's not going to visibly change, why bother showing it on the screen? • The bottom "Energy" circle always showed me at "0". I sure hope I'm expending more energy then that! I entered my weight, which is the only requirement their website mentions. This feature didn't work for me. The app does offer some different levels of riding programs, including three pre-programmed. I did not try them, and therefore cannot comment on how they function. I did try entering my own riding program, and what I saw looked limited at best. However this app is marketed as an Equine Training Assistant, so there must be more to the training portion then meets the eye. For example, you can add sounds. I guess sounds might come in handy? You can read how this feature might work here. Do people really ride with earbuds on? I'm lucky if I can keep my hat on! Additional sound comments have been edited, because I can't stop laughing from being plain ol' silly. Seriously, if I play with the riding program features, I'll do a follow-up review. Don't hold your breathe, or make a sound!! Quirks found with the Equitrack version 2.2 (yes, the version matters): • there is no navigation to get to the original tracking screen • the app doesn't save the original tracking screen • the riders "me" energy expenditure doesn't work • my freestyle program rides did not list (they saved, but didn't list 1-10) • map tracking isn't exact • the phone GPS doesn't work in our indoor arena (no fault of the app) • you can't add landmark points to the map • my husband is pretty sure the only time Koda goes 13+ mph is in the trailer! Favorable things about Equitrack version 2.2: • it tracks distance • separation of ride time vs elapsed time, as well as total time • the original tracking screen is very eye appealing • the original tracking screen is easy to read • you can keep track of rides on more then one horse • the cost is reasonable. I purchased the app for $3.99 (iphone only) • hybrid maps rock, glad the app pulls the different choice • the app stayed ON and tracked our entire rides (this is huge, so many cut out) • weather, location, date etc is auto included in saved riding data • you can add notes about your ride Rated *** (3 out of 5 stars, because of the quirks). With all that said, I had fun using Equitrack!! I was hoping to track all my riding time on Koda, and use our arena riding data as a conditioning gauge, but instead plan to continue using this app where I think it functions best - tracking trail riding adventures.
Spring is sprinkling along. We've had a lot of wind, some rain, more wind, and our fair share of less then desirable weather. Sunnier days are a-coming, it's just so hard to wait. Several things in our horse world have progressed. If you are a regular blog reader this update will make sense, as details leading up were played out in previous posts. Here is the rewind: • Riding in my husbands saddle feels sooo much better. Needless to say, I am no longer riding in mine. I will be selling it, and putting the $ towards the cost of the custom saddle I ordered. • After consulting three vets (including a Chiro and an Acupuncturist), reading various resources, countless interrupted sleep, discussions, soul searching, over a month of very limited riding, two lameness exams and x-rays. I had Koda's hocks injected. The decision wasn't made lightly. Altho I don't like them, in the end I do feel it was in his best interest. • I still haven't gotten back to loping. Different saddle, different horse (cuz he feels a whole lot better) and too much junk in my head. Right now I am trying to re-connect with Koda in other ways. It just feels right. • I audited a Mark Rashid clinic. To put it mildly, I was extremely disappointed. I know (and still think) he is an amazing horseman and writer. However I was the only auditor among 6 of us, and the only one not from the less then accommodating host facility. It was all very awkward. With the exception of one, the lessons were all linked to previous days. Not at all what I expected. Very little instruction was given "that looks much better" only goes so far for the viewer/rider. I was stunned. I hope my experience would have been different, given other circumstances.After a very long drive to/from, and watching almost 5 hours of lessons, I learned to not audit one of his clinics on the last day. Yep, that's it. • Nemo had another bladder ultrasound. Our vet recommended not re-flushing at this time. "The sand" aka calcium build-up was floating (vs settled). We put him on a round of antibiotics. The thought was perhaps he had a bit of residual infection that was causing the kicking discomfort & sprinkling so soon. It appears to have worked! • The photo's I took at the PRCA Rodeo (Midwest Horse Fair) have been well received. One of the trick riders asked to purchase her photos, and use them for promotion. It's a huge compliment! I chose to abide by the Fair's photo policy, and did not sell any of my photo's - but I did share them with her. I am pretty excited to have another (non-horse related) photo opportunity coming up this weekend! With all that said, I am moving on.
Another Horse Fair has come and gone. We typically spend three days trying to soak it all in, and this year was no exception. It was enjoyable, and productive! We get odd looks when we tell people we attend the fair all three days. On the other hand, I think it's odd how many horse people don't attend at all. Where else can you choose between eight different learning opportunities all at the same time, almost every single hour, from 8-5:30, shop until you drop, see barns full of different horse breeds with their people, visit with familiar faces, and then be entertained at an evening rodeo/show? The Fair was not crowded compared to years past, with Saturday being the busiest day. It changes every year. Friday was sunny, warm and beautiful spring weather! Saturday was not as warm but still pleasant, altho it rained for a short time while we were inside buildings. Sunny one minute, cloudy the next. Mother Nature gave us cooler weather on Sunday, but nothing bad. Forecasted storms didn't hit our area until Sunday night. We never did get wet!
Saturday was the only day parking spread into the back 40. The Colisium is the big round building that hosts the main events. You can see some support building & barns between it and the sea of vehicles. These support structures are getting torn down and rebuilt in time for the September World Dairy Expo.
Equine Affair (in Ohio) was held the same weekend due to Easter being so late, and likely affected attendance. The EHV-1 outbreak didn't help either. Entire breeds chose not to attend, and I don't blame them. It was sad to see so many empty stalls, and most that did bring horses had plastic covering any open bars to stop people from petting and horses interacting.
Pet Me Please
Below are the presentations that we attended in their entirety, and a brief review. We did see parts of several other presentations. Plans of action always change, and you learn to take in what you can.We never did end up seeing any Chris Cox clinics. Friday • Dan James (Double Dan) "Fundamentals to Riding Bridle-less & Bareback" No worries mate, I don't plan on riding bridle-less any time soon! At the last minute we found out Koda's half brother (and Nemo's once removed) was participating in this clinic. He looks & acts nothing like Koda, and resembles Nemo in many ways.
Hollywood (out of Koda's Dam & Nemo's Grand Dam)
Altho the information presented was good, and Dan James is always fun to learn from, he had three local riders participating and only enough time to work one-on-one with a more advanced rider. The other two participants warmed up (and warmed up and warmed up) and got as far as bareback in the general arena area (vs round pen with Dan). Much of the instruction done in the round pen revolved around getting the horse to stop, and progressed to turning into the fence, with increased gaits. First with a bridle, then no bridle contact, bridle-less using a neck rope, and eventually with body cues only using hands as an aid.
• Ken McNabb "Overcoming Spooky Obstacles" Ken landed on the bottom side of a horse several days before Fair, and therefore did very limited riding. His apprentices rode in the presentations, while he coached. He doesn't script polished clinics, instead works the subject with whatever issues surface. They are full of practical horsemanship, and infused with ranch stories that bring the point home. I tried to tweet some key points that resonated with me, but it was impossible to keep up. It was also distracting, so I only noted and sent a few (found in blue quotations). The local horse that was used, was a whooole lot of horse! The apprentice that rode him did a fantastic job. They started with ground work, close to the handler - his message "the horse you lead is the horse you ride". Ken began spooking (aka desensitizing) from the ground while talking the rider through it, and then added the dreaded white plastic bag(s). He had the rider face the horse up to scary objects, and give release & reward the smallest of positive efforts. They progressed to crossing a wooden bridge, where Ken had the crowd in stitches. His coaching continued "if you do not commit to your horse, don't be surprised if they don't commit to you". This was my favorite presentation of his from the weekend.
Saturday • Ken McNabb "Demystifying the Flying Lead Change" Different apprentice, different horse. A newer apprentice rode one of their ranch horses who had never been cued to do a flying lead change. Much of this presentation was spent getting the horse & rider working together, and the horse to slooow down and not race around the arena. "the faster a horse moves their feet the slower you move your hands" To cue a flying lead change, Ken suggests a slight shift sideways from the waist up only. He used someone from the audience to drive his point home. He had them shift their weight over to one leg and then asked him to lift that leg. Obviously he couldn't lift his leg with weight shifted on it, the point was riders can get in their horses way - and a slight shift is plenty. Once Ken got the rider going on the rail at a counter canter, he asked him to shift, lift his outside rein "everything that's pretty happens with the outside rein"and cue with the outside leg - on the straight side of the rail. I've watched flying lead change presentations before, and they are not only tough to follow but apparently tough to coach "your horses attention span is 1/10th of a second longer then yours".The apprentice did eventually get the horse to change leads, altho not always from cue. He was a good sport, and clearly Ken has great rapport with his apprentices. Ken rode the last few minutes of the clinic, and got a couple more changes cued on the fly "lead change happens in the hind end you see it in the front end". • Ken McNabb "Developing Lateral Movement Using Hands, Seat & Legs" Ken chose to ride this clinic, my guess is because he used the "whole lotta" local horse from the spooky obstacle clinic. That horse was ready to come unglued in the new big white tent arena, over any and every thing. Much of the time was spent getting the horse to be present. Ken doesn't do much groundwork. I noticed what he does, is all done very close about an arm with reins distance away. He got the horse to pay attention to him and moving off his leg pretty good. Near the end of the presentation, the horse lost his mind (apparently some kids jumped off the end bleachers) and caught Ken by surprise. It almost bucked him off! We got an unplanned lesson on what to do when the bit slips out of your horses mouth in a heated moment...he used the rein, calling it "the cowboy way". He got the horse to stop bucking and crow hopping, and his mind back, before getting off to try and fix the bit. Eventually he was able to, and yes - got back on. Altho the audience was sitting on pins & needles, Ken kept calm and worked through a tough situation. This was surely not what he thought about covering in this presentation. Sunday • Dan James "Long Reining & Lungie Bungie Fundamentals" I am really interested in learning more about long reining, and have only done it once many years ago while warming up for a special driving lesson on a seasoned horse. This time Dan coached one local clinic participant, who recruited her daughter to help demo so she could learn the feel before long reining Dan's horse Swampy. Meanwhile Dan's apprentice worked with the clinic participants horse, who had never been on a long line. I learned you start by using the rings higher up on the surcingle on new horses, and was reminded the stop is on the outside rein. They used a one "rein" bungie (so it has give) before moving onto two lines. They were working the local horse on the far end of the arena, and I was watching the participant work Swampy in front of us. I didn't catch as much as I would have liked on teaching a new horse to long rein.
Learning how a horse feels long line cues, blind folded.
• Ken McNabb "It's all about the Fun" This was an interesting clinic, and not what I would have expected from the title. Ken had two apprentices working horses, the "Flying Lead Change duo" and another doing ground work. The horse being ridden had been rounding and dropping it's front end at every stop during the Lead Change clinic. Ken worked on helping the rider fix that by coaching him to hold the horse, driving him more into the bit instead of just letting him drop down. The third and last vet I consulted on Koda's sore hocks returned my call, so I missed a good chunk of this part of the clinc. The gal doing the ground work, started with a halter & lead and eventually worked up to liberty. All the groundwork was again done very close to the handler, I would call them quick short asks. While at liberty the horse would get distracted, and run off to be by the other horse. It was their first time in front of a crowd. Ken took over (because the apprentice had a knee injury) and worked the horse using the entire arena, talking through what he was doing by giving the horse a chance to find the right answer. It found it, by walking back to it's handler. First with Ken, and then when sent back to the apprentice. They briefly re-started the horse using the halter, and went back to liberty when the horse was tuned into them. The handler would snap her fingers, and the horse would turn on the forehands and side step closer to her - impressive! We were enjoying ourselves at Fair, but tired after three days and opted to skip out watching the last late afternoon presentation we had planned. Stay tuned for Horse Fair post #2 to include a special purchase, and rodeo pictures!! Thanks for reading along!
