Was I in for a huge lesson.  I was so green and so dumb that I told the farmer who owned the land that his mare pony had an infection and needed to call a vet because she had all this discharge under her tail!!  Imagine the laugh he had after I left!  Well I kept my horse for a few years, but sold him after I had my daughter.  I had owned him a few months when I found out I was pregnant for the third time and decided he was too much to care for with an infant and two  boys that needed me more.   I wish I had someone who took the time to tell me how much there was to caring for a horse when I bought him and had outlined it for me.  I wouldn’t have changed my mind, but I would have had something in which to refer.  And I probably would have picked out a better horse.  There were so many books out there I could have thumbed through hundreds before I found the right one to go by. 

Here’s what I wish I had known.

1.  How to judge the temperament of a horse.  I loved all horses and if I could catch them I thought they would be fine. I didn’t know to look for signs of sourness, distress, submissiveness or what-have-you.  I didn’t know that ears flat back meant, beware, or that flared nostrils could mean the horse is ready to bolt, a swishing tail could mean, anger, not just swatting flys.  There is a lot of body language I know now, that I had no idea even existed then. 

2.  I would have given anything to have known a horse has a one track mind and if you keep it busy doing something it knows well your chances are greater at having a safe ride.  Especially if you horse hates to leave its buddy or the barn. 

3.  Knowing what type of grain, hay and wormer to give and when would have helped.  My poor horse had to survive on what grass he could find.  There was plenty of it, but he would probably have been healthier if he had been limited to his intake of rich pasture grass and wormed more often. 

4.  Realizing (not just knowing) horses are herd animals and feel safer in groups would have helped me understand my horses reluctance to be separated from his pasture buddy.  Looking back I am thankful he had a pasture buddy.

5.  Knowing the signs of colic and how to take a pulse, respiration and what is a normal temp would have been helpful.  All these things should be kept on record for future reference.

6.  Signs of lameness and what the common causes are, like laminitis and abscesses. 

7.  My most recent challenge was to have a horse choke.  Never had that happen before and didn’t know what had happened at first.  It’s nice to know that they can choke and still breath, but do need to see a vet immediately when this happens. 

I could go on and on, but I would end up writing a book and there are already enough books on the market about horses.  My best advice is, that if you love horses, but aren’t that familiar with them, then don’t be afraid to ask for help.  There is no need to go out and hire a trainer, but you can learn a lot through riding lessons, videos and there is always RFD TV.  There is lots and lots of practical advice on that program. 

But if you have a question and need a fairly quick answer just email me.  I’ll do what Ican to answer your questions and give my best advice.  You can find me on Facebook under Baymount Farm or Twitter.

Recently I purchased a Haggis Saddle made in Canada by Jack Haggis.  Awesome saddles, but I wasn’t sure how it was supposed to fit my horses.  Each horse should have it’s own custom fitted saddle, but like me most of us have more than one horse and less than a few dollars,  so several horses have to share a saddle.  That’s one of the things I like about the Haggis Saddle.  With a little padding it can fit more than one horse comfortably.

Notice that the saddle is sitting  just behind the large muscle over the scapula.  This saddle could be moved back slightly to give a more comfortable and secure fit.  The bars at the withers are tapered out upwards to the withers to allow more freedom of movement of this large muscle.  Gaited horses have a longer stride and therefore, that particular muscle has a longer length of movement and needs more room to avoid pinching.  That is why the bars are tapered on gaited saddles, unlike english or western saddles.  The withers on gaited horses, particularly TWH are usually higher and narrower.   Some gaited horses like Kentucky Mountain horses have withers more like the quarter horse, but still need a gaited saddle.    The gullet at the withers is higher allowing for the height of the withers.

The back of the saddle should still fit at the 18th rib and not past it.  The bars  angles upward on these saddle to take pressure off the kidneys.  The bars do not sit on the horses back at this point.

The saddles come in standard tree with pretty much fits the TWH or mountain horse tree for the wider or flatter withers like quarter horses.

At any rate, the fitting is the same as for other saddles, you just need to understand that the bars on the Haggis Saddles will not make contact at the 18th rib.   The rigging come in english or western and is adjustable.  Wonderful!  This allows a proper fit and less chance for rub behind the elbow.  On these saddles you don’t have to worry about the width of the gullet on the spine or if it is sitting to close to the spine.   Gaited horse saddles come in the western style or endurance style also.   But that doesn’t mean that any english, endurance or western saddle will fit the gaited horse.  You must remember that the gaited horse needs a saddle with a gaited tree or flex tree.  Also, there are Tarpin Hill Saddles which are field trial saddles that are made similar to these.   Other than that, Tucker makes a good gaited horse saddle.   Hope this helps clear up any questions you have about fitting the gaited horse.  Happy riding!

This is the only reason I was lucky enough to have the honor of working with Boot Scootin Boogie.  Boogie will go well with a snaffle or a hackamore.  However he tends to trot with these types of headgear and mouthpieces.  So, back to the shank bit which worked wonders on him.  All he needed was a little reminder of what it is to do that perfect and smooth 4 beat gait that gaited people like so well.  So, Boogie and I went trail riding every day for two weeks in the woods, open fields and the nearby neighborhood at his perfectly smooth gait which greatly improved his stamina and muscle development.  I used half-halts each time he decided to break over into a trot and he immediately went right back to that comfortable four-beat gait these horses as so well known for doing.  Boogie needs very little bit contact and actually stays in his gait better with no contact.  By the way, the pics are just one of the training techniques I use to get horses exposed to different “scary” stimuli.  This beautiful chocolate roan had no problem leading from pasture to pasture on the ATV or with bikes being ridden around him.   FYI, I don’t tie the lead to the ATV, I just run it under the rack and hold it with my hand.  NEVER tie a horse to an ATV, they can flip it and get hurt should they spook.  AND, don’t go any faster than they can walk, always checking for their safety first.

We had wonderful rides and were exposed to lots of interesting things on the trail like bicycles, boys playing football, barking dogs, lawnmowers, and even an inflatable bouncy thingy that kids jump in and play.  Boogie loved it!  What a great horse.  But alas, Boogie has to go home.  That is one horse I will truly miss riding.

So, just what type of gait does a Kentucky Mountain horse have anyway?  Would you call this a rack?  It certainly isn’t a running walk like the Tennessee Walkers perform.    Or is it called an amble?  It all depends on your horse and how he moves.  Most people use the same definition for the rack and the amble.  I tend to think of the rack as more animated and faster than the running walk or the amble.  Amble to me means a little slower motion with less animation in picking up the forelegs.  Whatever you call it, it sure is comfortable to ride.

Go here to read the article on Boot Scootin Boogie:   http://www.examiner.com/x-2984-Charlotte-Equine-Examiner~y2009m4d21-Take-your-trail-riding-to-the-next-level-with-NATRC

Actually, I went to the field trail in Danville, Virginia and had a pretty good time.  The property was quite level with lots of open fields and completely fenced off.   The dogs were mostly taken well care of and only barked occassionally, the horses were either in pens, or staked out, the people were nice and very down to earth and they had a cabin where they served a noon day meal.  I was actually impressed.  I can’t really tell you how a field trial is setup since I was only there for one day, and to be honest when my husband tells me, I usually tune out.  But I do know they are held in braces with two dogs running at the same time.  Then the dogs have their owners on horse back, each owner has a scout that is supposed to help with the dog and there are judges, then the gallery, who are people that ride behind just for the ride.  I, of course, was in the gallery.

Now, I have to admit that the Tennessee Walking Horse is not my favorite choice in a mount.  They are fun to ride, and if you get one that is very smooth at any gait then I have a good time riding.  However, I just happen to like the three gaited horse because I like to post to the trot and use my body more when I ride.  With that being said, my first ride out was on my husbands TWH mare.  She is smooth at a slower gait, but when she speeds up she gets very bouncy.  By the time we got done with the first brace I had such a headache I wanted to go home!   Alright, he said I wasn’t riding her right and maybe he is right.    She has to be set up in the bridle more to keep her smooth and I was a little nervous.  Regardless, I still has a good ride.   The second brace was a lot better as I rode Bossman.  What a smooth ride.  It was actually really cool.   We rode behind the rest of the riders and he did exactly what I asked of him.  Regardless of what speed we were going, he was perfect.  The dogs ran well, except for my husbands puppy, (who is actually almost year old),  and she ran so large that he had to hunt her down.   But she loved it.

A little about training a field trial horse.   They need to stand perfectly still when tacking and mounting.  They need to ground tie, so you can drop the reins while the rider is handling the dog.  They need to be used to gun fire.  They don’t have to neck rein, but it is a real plus if they do.  They need to be trained to stake out(see our stake out video on www.baymountfarm.com).  It’s nice for them to know leg yields and be consistent.  They need to be able to stay any where in line you put them, up front, behind, in the middle and be happy about it.  Responsiveness to the bit is probably the #1 requirement in my opinion.  All our horses are trained to this, but it isn’t something that happens overnight.  It takes time for them to be consistent and a horse that has these qualities is well worth their weight in gold.

Finally learned to drive.

Midnight has finally graduated.  I am so proud of her.  In my recent posts about her I was training her to drive,  but she was having  a difficult time because of a dental issue she had.  Once that was cleared up, learning to drive was a piece of cake.   I have been able to drive her around our neighborhood several times now and she has become quite a pro.  I was able to safely give my barn help a ride home, which to me is the mark of a good horse.  Let me explain, anytime I feel I can trust the horse to not spook, to stop upon request and stand until asked to go again, then I can safely let others ride with me.  Midnight was excellent at this.

I love teaching a horse to pull a cart.  It is so simple!  All it takes is patience and time.  Most  horses are very willing to please, they just need to time to adjust to what you are asking them to do.    In case you are interested in how I do it, here it is in a nutshell.

1.  Start out by round penning your horse to assure they learn to look to you for direction.

2.  Equip your horse with a surcingle and long rein it both ways asking it to stop on command and stand.

3.  Once the horse is 100% listening to you on the long reins and surcingle, attach poles to either side of the horse and ask it to perform the same tasks dragging poles.  (a bit of advise here, don’t teach your horse to back on the poles or long reins until after it has learned to pull the cart, if it backs on the cart while still in training it may not stop and could tear up your cart).

4.  With poles attached teach your horse to make lots and lots of turns making them sharper.  This teaches the horse to step over and use her body to move the cart.

5.  Add weight to the poles, I suggest using a hay bale(s).  By the way, do all this in an enclosed arena or small pasture.

6.  Once your horse is 100% with poles and weight it is time to hook it up to the cart.  I use a heavy metal cart, weight helps keep the horses mind on not running away and wooden carts are easily broken.  Take your time here, as the horse has to be comfortably standing still for this.  Also, it is ok to lead the horse thru all these steps until it is ready to be driven.

7.  If you are unsure or don’t have the time, hire a trainer.  That is the easiest way to teach your horse to pull a cart and ensures neither you or your horse gets hurt.  By the way, I know a good trainer…wink, wink…

Sweet face!

What a sweet face and what a beautiful head.  We got this 3 year old TWH in about three weeks ago.  He is one of our finest.  A beautiful red roan that has a personality to match his looks.  What a fine ride he is too.   Took him out on the trail today and he was just as calm as could be, even with our friendly deer who always jump up and run we they see us coming.  Right now at his age he is more calm than most of the horses we have come to us.  Wonderful gait, nice relaxed walk and easily gaits up to a comfortable pace.  I haven’t cantered him yet.  I want him to learn his slow gait  and get the muscle development first.  I will probably teach him to pull a cart also.   Bet he picks this up quickly.

Jasper resting

He is always very happy to just wait for us to come up to him, no fuss at all.  When I go out to the pasture he comes right up to me.  He gets along well with all other horses and really doesn’t eat all that much.  What an easy keeper.  He has had some very good training and just needs a little experience and a few lessons on leg yields then he will be ready to go.

Beautiful Red Roan

resting after a ride

Talk about beautiful.  And what a nice ride!  Jazzy, now called Jazz, (because Jazz music is relaxing to me) came to me to become a super duper trail horse and she is it, baby!  I have ridden almost every day since she came to me.  The owners have not been able to afford the time, due to demands of work, to ride her daily and get her in shape for trail riding.  So they brought her to me.   She had a few quirks they wanted worked out, like not spooking and throwing a temper tantrum.  Piece o’ cake!  After all she is only four.  They werent quite sure they wanted to keep her as they haven’t the time to ride through the week and they have children that will eventually be riding her.   Her previous trainers had done a very good job with her in de-spooking her, teaching her the basics of riding, etc.  She just needed experience.   The first time I took her out she was a bit of a handful, but she did well.

You see, we have this wooded trail that has a creek and we have a small lake, large pond depending on how you look at it that borders our property.   There is also plenty of fields to ride around and a neighborhood where we can ride.  Lots and lots of pleasant distractions for any horse.  We have deer, dogs, kids playing, cars whizzing by, lawn mowers and most anything you can think of is there.  Did Jazz mind any of this?  Of course she did.  Are you kidding?  She nearly jumped right out of her skin!  But what a ride!  OMG!  This horse has the best little rack I have been on.  After jumping at everything in sight she racked as fast as she could all the way home.    Oh wait!  Before we went on the trail, I had to coax her down the drive way.  Anyhow,  after several rides on the trail and down the driveway she did fine.

Since then, she has been on short trips.  But due to weather, rain, wind, ect. we rode in the riding arena several days instead of on the trail.  Today we went back to the trail.  First thing we saw were six deer running through the pasture jumping over the fence and scooting away.  Did Jazzy spook at this?  Actually not.  She stopped and looked, smelled and just stood there.  Good for her!  So we walked on into the wooded trail and did fine until we rounded the corner and she smelled where the deer went through.  Oh boy, I thought, here we go!  But she just “jazzed” up a bit and walked on.  We continued on into the deeper part of the woods in the direction of the deer and the neighbors farm and then she decided to act like her world was coming to an end.  But MAN what a ride!  I loved it.  She racked and tried to canter, hopped over logs, bucked out a litte and zoomed up the hill, but stayed on the trail and conceded to having a rider on her back.  The only time I felt I had to get off was when we were going through a narrow opening in the trail and Jazzy got a whiff of the seventh deer that shot out behind us.  I thought she was going to loose her dinner!!!  I decided I needed a break and hopped off.  Then we just stood there.

After that the trail was fine, until……  Those dreaded rocks and flowerbeds my neighbor has.  They must have looked like monsters to Jazz.  She did not want to go forward.  Afterall,  her buddies were behind us, why did she have to be the brave one?   So, I guess I lied.  I got off again.  (Better safe than sorry)  And I hand walked her, back and forth, (how boring) until she felt safer.  At this point, my neighbor had brought out her trash can and my husband drove by with his truck and stock trailer on his way to run dogs in training for a field trial.   Jazz went to meet each ’spooky’ obstacle with anxiety, but I am very proud of her.  She did quite well and learned that nothing was going to eat her.  I remounted and we went up and down the road looking at everything with renewed assurance that it wasn’t going to gobble us up.    We also went back to the wooded trail two more times where the deer were and decided there was nothing there to worry about either.  By the time we got back to the barn we were all relaxed and chilled out.

Personally,  I can’t wait til tomorrow to ride again.  Why?  Because this mare has one heck of a nice gait and is a pleasure to ride, especially when she canters.  And OH BOY, can she flat out run.  But that is another story.

Learning to pull

my previous blogs about him, you will know that he started out a little nervous about people in general.  Since he has come to us, he has calmed down and gladly says hello, eats his grain out of our hand (I know, I know, this isn’t desirable to some people), loves to be petted and gets along well with most of the other horses.  We do have one mare (Midnight)  that puts him in his place quickly.  When she is in the pasture with him, he will just freeze until she lets him move.  She used to be a mom and is a boss mare and Woodrow has certainly learned his place in the pecking order with her.

I trail rode Woodrow recently.  We were riding through the woods blazing a new trail.  He stepped on something and bruised his hind sole.  So, he gets to stay in a small enclosure and get his foot soaked twice a day until he feels better.  At first he did not like this at all!  But he has adapted and I think looks forward to it now because he gets his withers scratched, his coat brushed and a few treats for being a good boy.  This has set him back a little in learning to pull a cart.  However he is so smart that he will pick right up where he left off and be fine.  At first when he turned with the training cart hooked up to him he couldn’t figure it out.  He thought he had to run or at least gait up some.  But with my husband walking next to him and reassuring him while I drove him, he quickly decided it wasn’t something that was going to jump on his back and eat him.  In just a few short weeks he went from being confused and skittish about having blinders on him to driving down the road quietly with a training cart.  Can’t wait to get him in the driving cart!

learning to drive

Midnight came to me to learn to pull a carriage.  What a treat to teach this horse, she is compliant and very smart.   She has never been under harness with an actual cart before as far as I can tell.   She was a little wary of the poles the first time I attached them.  But after a few rounds of me walking beside her and quietly encouraging her with soft talking and stroking her neck she quickly accepted her new task and moved forward like the lady she is.

Midnight will be going home in three weeks to happily pull a cart for her owners.  It is simply amazing how easy and fun it is to be able to teach an older horse a new task to make her life and her owners lives more enjoyable.  Everyone needs a job to perform to keep them feeling useful.  Good going Midnight!

A little about her personality.  She was a brood mare at one time and still has a strong mothering instinct.  She has attached to a four year old that came here for training at the same time from the same farm.  However, these mares had never met each other but attached immediately.  When turned out together, Midnight will herd the other mare and ‘protect’ her from the other horses.  What a good mom she must have been with her foals.  Midnight is very aware of everything around her, but does not balk at a task.  She is voice commanded which makes it even easier to teach her how to pull.  By next week I will be able to hook her up to the actual training cart and take her for a spin around the larger arena.  I always keep them in arenas when teaching them new task to be sure they are safe and minimize the chance of getting hurt.   All it takes is a few minutes a day.  Happy trails Midnight.

groundtieing

This is my second blog about Woodrow.   Woodrow has been undergoing the schooling to be a carriage horse.  He has been driven in long reins but never in harness and carriage.  Woodrow is a bit afraid of things coming up behind him suddenly or of being touched on the behind.  He jumps whenever this happens.   So I have started him out wearing blinders a few minutes a day to get him used to having obscured vision.  Next I used a carrot stick (a parelli device for training) to get him over being afraid of being touched on the behind, legs, belly and under his tail.  After about 30 minutes of gentle persuasion he was standing there letting me touch him with the cord on the carrot stick all over, no problem.

Today I put him in a surcingle and long reins with blinders and drove him around the round pen at a walk with the long reins touching the backs of his legs under his tail where the harness would naturally fit.  Piece of cake.  He is coming along quite well.  I figured he was ready for some poles at this point, but I didn’t want to rush him.  So I took some pool noodles I had and fastened them onto his side where the poles of the carriage would fit.  I drove him again, no problem.

Tomorrow Woodrow and I will add to the noodles to lengthen them and have them drag the ground.  This will be to get him used to the sound and feel of the poles as they scrape the ground and they are soft and flexible enough that he won’t hurt himself should he spook.  Adding a little weight may be a challenge but I am sure I can figure it out.  He will be driving a carriage by the end of the week.  After that it is all down hill.  Watch for updates on Woodrow’s progress.