We are pleased to announce two new opportunities for horse lovers who have limited time and funds, but would love the opportunity to become involved in riding and various equestrian activities.  Baymount Farm has created and is offering a new Intro to Horsemanship class at Mitchell Community College this fall.   This class starts September 9, 2010 on Thursdays from 6:30 – 8:30 pm for six weeks.  The class will cover briefly many aspects of the equestrian industry, including various disciplines; hunt seat, dressage, equitation, western and gaited riding.  Also covered will be the different equestrian businesses, equine contracts and laws, grooming and demonstrations at local barns.  More information can be found at http://www.mitchellcc.edu/cec/forms/MCC_CE_Schedule_Fall10.pdf    on page 14 of the Continuing Education Booklet online. 

Also beginning in September will be special classes just for Mom’s.  These will cover learning to care for, tack and ride horses with trail riding for groups of 4.  Classes will be scheduled Monday, Wednesday and Fridays in the mornings.   This gives Mom’s an opportunity to treat themselves special while their children are in school and take a break from the humdrum of cleaning, shopping, planning and all the daily activities of managing a family.  Visit the LESSON page on www.baymountacres.com for pricing and more information.

All in all, I am expecting this to be an exciting fall for 2010.  Hope to see you soon.

So here goes my way of teaching your horse to bend.  Some of this I learned from John Lyons, some of this from my trainer, and some by just watching my horses and using my head.   Let’s get to the ‘how’ of things first.  In all honesty, this isn’t something we have to ‘teach’ the horse at all.  They already know how to do this.  It is our job as trainers to teach them how to do this on que or when we ask for it.   Notice first that I said ask.  Teaching is all about asking for a specific response from your horse and rewarding it for the correct answer and NOT punishing for the incorrect answer.  (Think of it as trying to communicate with a person from another country and culture that we just met.  They don’t know our language and ways, nor we theirs.)     Stand back a minute and watch horses in a pasture.  They can bend at the poll every time they bite at a fly on their chest.  They can flex their neck each time they scratch their shoulder or back.  They can bend at the girth area each time they move quickly away from a kick, bite or maneuver around an obstacle.  Have you watched your horse raise it’s hind hoof to scratch its ear?  It’s back end (haunches) are stationary, it’s bent at the girth, it’s front legs are stationary, it’s outside shoulder it out, it’s neck is bent, etc., etc., etc.    My point it that they know how to do what we want, we just need to learn how to teach them this on que.  So follow their lead and start putting a word and que to what they do naturally. 

I like to work in a round pen so the horse has freedom to move around without me always pulling on the lead rope or reins to bring him around and I can ask the horse to move away without him getting so far away that I have to chase him down.   The prerequisite to all this is to make sure your horse can stand without moving before you start.   

First  I make sure that my horse does flex certain specific parts of his body on que.  I use treats as a reward.  And I only reward for a correct answer.  To ask him to bend at the poll, put a treat in your hand, let him smell it then put it behind his chin, when he tips his head and bends at the poll, let him have the treat.  Then do this with the bit in his mouth by holding the rein on one side first then the other.  When he bends at the poll, which is also giving to the bit, reward him by  releasing the rein immediately and patting or stroking him.  WHY?  He needs to be able to flex to bend and flex on que without pulling on him.  Nobody wants to ride a horse you have to force to move.

Secondly ask him to flex his nose towards his shoulder by taking a treat, let him smell it, hold it at his shoulder and let him take it from you there.  If at first the horse can’t flex this far then practice with the treat closer until he can reach around to his shoulder.  Some horses are stiffer than others and need practice at this.  Also, it may be harder for older horses.  This is completely different for them than biting at a fly.  It is a different motivation and takes practice to build a response to the correct motivation from us.  Do this with the bit, don’t pull the nose around, but ask by holding the rein and increasing the pressure a little at at time until the horse starts bringing his nose around then quickly release the rein.  Again, practice in little increments until the horse can reach all the way to the shoulder without forcing.  WHY?  Same as before, plus you are building on concepts, just like in a mathematical concept.   It’s the little steps that complete an equation correctly.

Thirdly I ask (whoops, there is that dreaded word again!) the horse to move away from me at the girth.  This isn’t as hard as it sounds.  He has to keep is feet stationary and move his waist.  He can do it, I promise.  Standing at his side, push on the girth area, if he pushes back, moves toward you or just stands there, push harder or start tapping.  When he moves away, even just a little, stop and pat him.  Remember, you don’t want him to move his feet, just his side.  Later you will be teaching him to do this at a walk and can apply the same technique to teaching side passing and half passing, etc.  But right now just work on moving away from pressure at the touch of your hand and small movements are great.  You are getting the response you need. 

Fourth ask your horse to stand still, front feet stationary, and push or tap behind the girth to get him to move his butt over just one step.  This will carry over to getting him to understand that leg at the girth means move away and leg behind the girth (on the opposite side) will be to keep his butt in place.  It may not make sense right now, but once you put it all together under saddle and practice one movement at a time, you can start putting it together two aids at a time until he is bending like you want. 

Fifth saddle up, mount up and put it all together.  Start with bending at the poll, the neck, the girth, then placing your leg behind the girth on the opposite side while you ask for the bend at the girth on the inside.  Take this last part  slowing as it may take your horse a minute to understand what you are actually asking for.  Be sure you understand what you are asking.  This may seem simple, but once you are in the saddle putting it in practice it can get confusing when your horse is starting to dance around trying to figure out how to transfer information you taught on the ground to performing under saddle.  Be patient, take your time and be specific in your ques.  Soon this will be easy and you will be doing this at a walk around a large circle.  Practice a lot.  Don’t forget that small movements at first is all you need.

Happy Riding!

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.

I go out everyday and get on a horse unless it is pouring down rain. If it just sprinkles, I put on a rain coat and ride anyway. The horses don’t mind and actually they would rather have something to do than stand in the stall or the moisture all day.   How many people do you think let their horses stand all winter with very little exercise then expect them to be ready for riding in the summer months when we always want to take advantage of the long days of sunshine and warm weather?  About 80% of us I would guess.  Unless you have your horse in training it is doubtful they will be ready for those long trail rides in the summer.  And who wants to get on an out-of-shape horse that is lax in their training and struggle with getting them to do what they have been trained to do, but clearly balks at the aids because they have had it ‘good’ all winter just standing around?  Most of us want to get on and go, so…

Winter is absolutely the best time of year to pick up an extra month or two of training to keep your horse fit.  Reinforce those cues he has learned or teach him something new.  The more a horse learns in communication with a human the better the ride you will have.  Even high strung horses can be ridden confidently if they know what is expected of them.  The better trained a horse is, they more they learn to depend on the rider for cues and security, therefore, less likely to spook or run away.

Consider putting your horse in training over the winter months and be ready for the riding season that will be upon us quick enough.  Contact me for monthly and partial month fees on keeping your horse fit, training for trail riding and cues from the rider.  After training I always make sure the owner knows what the horse has been taught so they can continue the process and have a safer ride.

Ride safe,

Sherry Mills