One: Since you already know your horse knows how to bend when it wants to, what are you, as the rider going to do to teach those ques while enjoying the ride without making it seem like a boring lesson?  (Personally, I like boring lessons, it gives me a chance to let go and think about nothing except what I am doing and not feel pushed to do a million things at once.)  On the trail, ask for your horse to move his nose slightly to the inside of the circle as you are going around a tree.  At the same time, use your outside rein to rate his speed and keep him from bending his nose too far to the inside.  Also, use your inside leg on the girth and your outside leg behind the girth.  Your inside leg gives him a point of reference to bend around and keeps him bent.  Your outside legs keeps him from moving his haunches to far to the outside.  It is that simple. That is all you really have to do.  However, don’t force and if he does not do it the first time, fine.  Keep giving him the same aids and cues every time you go around an obstacle and you will be surprised at how fast he picks this up.  Be aware that most mares will pick this up quicker than geldings.  Especially if the geldings have been cut early in life.  So take your time.

Secondly, set up a line of barrels or posts any obstacle that you can wind your horse in and out of in the ring or pasture.  You can also use a series of trees to wind through.  It is the same as making serpentines in the ring, but it gives your horse a visible obstacle to bend around.  Use the same cues but be sure to switch your leg and body position with each turn.  Take your time and do this at a slow walk so you can be sure to train yourself to pick up the cues also.  We can teach our horse the wrong thing by using the wrong cues, of course.  So be sure you have your aids and body language down pat.  Don’t expect your horse know what you want.  He is totally dependent on you to tell him what, when, how and how fast.

I recently taught a 5 year old green broke mare how to do this just by walking around barrels in the ring every day.  Now, every time I ride her all I have to do is ask and she bends perfectly.  I use these aids on every turn regardless of how short, small, or long is the circle.  Once your horse gets used to this and does it on cue it will be much easier to teach him/her to move off your legs.

Happy Trails

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!

I had a wonderful client who brought his TWH to me to be trained as a trail horse.  This horse was a little spooky to ride, but boy did we have fun together.  She taught me a thing or two, like how to get over my fear of losing my seat when horse gets excited on the trail and wants to take off running and bucking.  She went back home at the end of her session at Baymount Farm and has become a favorite of my client.  Jazzy Plays Soccer  This same client has asked me to come to his farm and hold a two day clinic for his family.   I am happy to comply and very excited about this opportunity.  I plan to hold many more clinics in the future. 

This particular clinic will be customized to my client’s needs.  I will be teaching harnessing and driving TWH’s, giving riding lessons to his family, giving trail lessons and teaching how to handle horses properly.  The wonderful thing about clinics is that they can be tailor made to fit the needs of the individual.  Not all clinics need to be so organized that they become boring or a show of trick training skills.  I won’t be starting out by round penning, then moving onto sacking out, tacking up, etc.  I will be using their horses that they are already familiar with to teach them how to become better riders and drivers.  How fun is that! 

When I finish I am hoping the whole family will be confident enough that individually they can go out saddle up, or harness up and take off for a wonderful time with their horse.   Watch for the video of this clinic.  I think you will find it interesting. 

Happy Riding!

I have decided that ex-race horses really don’t like staying in the stall, which is quite alright with me.   My other one, Sera, a thoroughbred stresses and walks the stall if I try to keep her in.  Sir Alex just chooses to try to crib.  There isn’t a place in the stall he can sink his teeth into except the buckets, so out he goes.  I don’t need my buckets torn up.  Also, one less mess to clean up, you know.  As long as he is happy outside, so be it.  His coat is thick enough and he is heavy enough that I doubt he will even notice the cold.  He is also barefoot, which I like during winter.  Ice, snow and mud doesn’t get so clogged up on his soles and I don’t have to worry so much about him getting hurt cavorting out in the pasture. 

My daughter rode him two days after he arrived and he was wonderful.  Sir Alex raced his second year and won a fair amount, but started to get sore so his conscientious owners decided to retire him rather then risk his getting hurt.    After that he went on to being a lesson horse.  He trots and paces which makes him perfect since he is so versatile.  I finally rode him a few days ago and decided that I needed to work with him on the snaffle bit to see what he would do.  In the video he was wearing an eggbut snaffle.  I put a full cheek snaffle on him which is my choice in bits when I get a new horse to try out.   I have been suppling him and asking him to walk straight without all the chewing.   Alex does like to chew, so I think I will try a snaffle with a french link and see how that works for him.  Today we had a great day!   Obviously  he has been very well trained by his previous owners and is a pleasure to ride. 

Sir Alex has quite a smooth trot, doesn’t canter, but that is ok, he does pace and is very smooth.  That’s all I need anyway.  He was a nut today when I was riding him in the ring.  My dachshund, Izzy, came out to say hello to me and Sir Alex thought he was going to get attacked.  I never dreamed he would be frightened by such a small, unassuming dog, but by golly if he didn’t spin around and try to run.   Thankfully, he is very, very well behaved and trusting of humans.  He settled down easily and we just kept going.  That is a good training technique with a spooky horse.  If you can stay on, just ride it out all the time trying to gain control and give the horse something to do that he does well to get his mind back on work and off whatever scared him.  They have a one track mind, so stay calm, regain control and keep going.

Anyway, to me Sir Alex is special and I really look forward to giving lessons on him.  I think my students will love him too.

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.

Why use the round pen to teach these things?  Have you ever watched a herd of horses communicate with each other?  They use their ears, eyes, nostrils, facial expressions, tail switching, legs for kicking or threatening a kick, nose out for pushing, etc.  Obviously, we as humans can’t mimic some of these things, so what does this tell us?   Horses use lots and lots of body language to communicate and are very specific with some of their commands towards each other.  The ones we can mimic are our legs (arms for pointing), eyes ( for pushing), chest (moving towards a specific body part for pushing), voice and of course, the dreaded crop (as an extension of our arm only).  A word here about the crop.  Please, please don’t use it for punishment or in anger towards your horse.  Use it as an extension of your arm to reach specific body parts of your horse while your body is out of the way, or to tap specific body parts to teach a cue.  The only time I would ever crop a horse to hurt it is if I were being attacked and needed to protect myself.  Horses in a herd have the freedom to move away from each other to show submission and acceptance.  However, since we want our horses to stay with the lesson and not have to chase them around, the round pen allows your horse that freedom of movement to move away from us without going too far.   When they submit and accept, they will lick, chew, drop their head, move their ears forward to listen to us, start to look at us with both eyes and want to come into us and follow us around.  Some call this joining up.   That is what we are after when I talk about getting our horses to look at us for direction.    And we don’t have to kick them, bite them, beat them or chase them around until they are about to drop to get this attention.

The first thing I want to do to establish myself as the lead mare in my two “horse” herd in the round pen is to push the horse away.  Watch how horses push a new horse away from the herd when first introduced for days until they gradually let that horse into the herd.  I am doing a shortened version of that.  I push the horse away asking it to move whatever direction it wants to say, I am in control here.  Then I start telling the horse to change directions, inside turn or outside turn, it doesn’t matter, just as long as it turns when I say.  They choose the speed in which they go around the pen.  That is their freedom.  After telling the horse to turn then I get more specific about which way to turn.  Again, just stand in the middle of the ring quietly to let the horse know that it is doing it’s job and you are in control.  When asking it to move or turn, walk towards it’s rear or shoulder pointing the direction you want it to turn.  It will quickly pick up on your hand signals, because you are also pushing with your chest to move it away from you in a certain direction.  Horses don’t like to be pushed and are more than willing to do what you ask rather than be forced to perform.  Play with this, take your time and practice, practice, practice.  The more you repeat the lesson, the more firm it becomes in the horses mind and the better you get at training.

Watch for more on round penning in the future when I will go into more detail about specific requests such as; standing still (round tieing), walk, trot, canter on voice command, going over poles, etc.

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

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

does your saddle fit?

I have done a lot of searching on saddles and saddle fitting.  I have been trying to purchase the right saddle for my new horse, mainly because I decided to take up hunt seat to improve my riding abilities.   There is a lot of information to go thru and can be confusing.  But I am one to keep going, taking things a step at a time.    I will try to make this easier for those of you who are interested in learning saddle fitting.  Look at the saddle above.  See how the deepest part the seat (the area where your seat bones will sit squarely on the saddle) is at its lowest point.  Start there in evaluating whether or not your saddle fits your horse. This will show you that the saddle is sitting level on your horse.   Next, drop your stirrup leathers and measure the distance from the stirrup bar and the center of the seat.  There should be 6 to 7 inches in distance.   Make sure your horse is standing square when you do this.  An improper fitting saddle can bridge causing soreness in your horses back or causing you to tilt throwing you off balance.   Bridging is when the panel is not contoured to fit the shape of the horses back.

Make sure your saddle is level

Now, run your hand along the gusset of the saddle feeling for gaps or pressure points.  You want your saddle to be level and sitting smoothly on your horses back.    This is one way to also check for bridging in case you can’t see it right away.   You can always have flocking added to your saddle.  Wool flocking is best to use and lasts longer, whereas foam flocking has a tendency to wear out quicker.

Saddle is far enough back.

It may be difficult to see here, but look for and feel for the large muscle at the withers over the scapula.    Your saddle bars need to be directly behind this muscle to allow for freedom of movement.    Putting the saddle on this muscle can cause your horse to be sore and restrict his performance.   Check for the movement range in this muscle by marking where the muscle ends when your horse is standing square and where it ends when you stretch your horse’s leg out in front of him.  This will give you the best indication of how far back to put the saddle.

Next look at how the gullet fits at the withers.  You should be able to get three fingers in between the gullet and your horses withers.  If you can’t chances are the saddle is too wide for the horse.  However, if the gullet is too high, as in four or more fingers the saddle could be too narrow.  Most english saddles for women should have a narrow twist, for men a wide twist.  However, if, like my horse who has very high withers,  I will need a half pad or theraputic pad to raise the gullet off the withers.  The saddle is a good fit everywhere  else, she just has exceptionally high withers.   As you can see with an added pad I get the correct distance in the gullet for this particular horse.  By the way,  we can’t all buy a saddle for each horse we own and many times have to use the same saddle on different horses.  So adding a half pad can help tremendously in this situation.   Another detail to look for when checking out saddles is to make sure that the tree has not been twisted.  Put the saddle on your knee looking at it from the front and see if you can detect a twist.  If the nails on the outside are parallel then it probably isn’t twisted.

Although it may be difficult to see from this pic, you want to look at your saddle from the back and be able to see light all the way through.  This is a good way to check for the gullet width and thickness.  You want the gullet to be wide enough to NOT sit on the horses spine or to be touching it at all.  You should be able to get at least three fingers between the narrowest part of the gullet.  Turn your saddle over and look at it from beneath.   Some saddle gullets will be wider at the pommel and narrow slightly through the middle then get wider again at the cantle.  Some won’t, depending on the brand.   Pressure on your horses spine and ligament that runs down his back next to the spine can cause soreness.

One you are sure your saddle fits your horse, go out and take a ride to see how the saddle fits you.  You should be able to stand up in the saddle and balance without  feeling you are tilting forward or back.  This means your saddle is balanced.    There is a little more to it than this and you can always hire a saddle fitter to be sure you have the right saddle for you and your horse.  But these are the basics and I think will help you a great deal if you are unsure.

Why is it so important to have a properly fitting saddle?  Comfort, soundness and performance.  You want to get the best out of your horse and not be riding wondering why your horses ears are back, why he/she doesn’t move forward, etc.  Sore back horses are never much fun to ride.  Remember, just because a saddle fits one horse doesn’t mean it fits all horses.  Be sure to check the saddle bars also so they aren’t pinching his back.  Have a pleasant ride and watch for more blogs on fitting western and gaited horses.

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…