Happy Success with Prophet - Finally!! Read the blog at http://lfequestrian.blogspot.ca/

Happy Success with Prophet - Finally!!
By Lindsey Forkun, www.LFEquestrian.com

Yesterday was a special day for both me and Prophet - it was a day where we achieved a big milestone together. Prophet is an amazing horse - extremely smart and very talented, but he is also very claustrophobic and panicky (like most horses are, except Prophet had a habit of 'exploding').

Prophet would get very tense with anything around his belly - even a rope around his mid section, or me just hopping up and down beside him near his belly could send him exploding (leaping forward with some bucks).

My goal was to teach emotional control - to keep going to Prophet's 'threshold' and showing him that he could stand, think, and relax. I interrupted the bucking pattern and after a couple months I could saddle up Prophet, send him over jumps, sideways over a barrel, do tons of different ground work patterns and exercises, hop beside him, and sit on him. We even did some walking while riding, but he still felt very tense.

Every day Prophet comes into his stall for his daily grain feeding. Most of the time he gets saddled too - just to eat dinner. Then sometimes he gets unsaddled and turned out, sometimes he gets put in the round pen to eat grass with the saddle on, and sometimes does a training session. Prophet has learned that the saddle is nothing to be feared - he can do 'normal' things with a saddle on.

Recently I started ponying Prophet on trail rides - the goal was to help get him out of the arena and show him what riding can be about. It got him used to seeing me up high on top of a horse. It got him used to getting close to me and having his belly occasionally brush up against my leg as I was riding right beside him. He also started to really move into the saddle as we went up and down hills, through water, over logs, and let him see a purpose to what we were teaching him.

We discovered that Prophet did great on trails - he loves them. He became so relaxed and moved so nicely into the saddle. When we got back from rides I could swing my leg over, bump Prophets sides, sit on him, and he felt the most relaxed he has ever been.

Last night was an exciting night because I decided to try riding Prophet - but not the normal way I would start a horse. Instead I had the help of Cait - Prophet's owner's daughter who is an accomplished rider and has experience exercising polo horses... so she has experience ponying 5 horses at a time!

Cait rode Vinnie and practiced ponying Prophet in the arena. Once she felt ready we hit the trail - me walking on the ground to start, and Elana on Shawna taking up the rear. After about 15 min and Prophet was super relaxed, I decided to hop on him.

I got on Prophet, made sure he was relaxed, and asked Cait to continue ponying him. Prophet took a few steps at the walk, and stopped. We allowed him to stop and think - this is a great response compared to exploding. We want to encourage Prophet to stop and think if he feels nervous.

After he had a minute to look at me on his back and then relax and lower his head, Cait cued him to walk again. I just sat there like a passenger, not doing anything. We rode the rest of the trail walking and even some trotting! A couple times I tried doing simple little things like dropping my stirrups and picking them up, picking up the reins to ask for halt when Cait was too, etc and he was fantastic! I did get off and on a couple more times throughout the ride and Prophet was relaxed for all of it.

When we got back to the arena I could cue Prophet to trot and he was listening really well and stopping!

It was a really exciting night for me - we finally made some huge progress with Prophet - but it took some creativity and willingness to do things a bit differently.

Next steps for me are to try riding him on the trail again, with Cait leading me again, and then for me to start picking up the reins and initiating more of the cues until its me doing all the cues. Once I am doing all the cues (not Cait) then I can try un-clipping the lead rope and riding Prophet on my own.

Very exciting!!

Some tips when starting new horses:
- If the horse feels tense, don't bother trying to go to the next task. A horse needs to be relaxed at walk if you want trot or canter to go well too.
- It is important we teach our horses to stop & think when they are nervous or scared. If your horses gets nervous or scared, don't just try and tell them to 'go', or you could end up teaching your horse to explode or take off.
- It's okay to ask for help! Sometimes it is safest and best if you have someone else help you. Every horse is different.
- Keep it positive. It is important that Prophet felt like he could do the things I wanted - so I always keep my exercises realistic for what he is both physically and mentally able to do.

Key learning this week: There is hope for even the most difficult horses - time, patience, and natural horsemanship can help!

New Trail Riding Club with LFEquestrian - Come Trail with Us!

LFEquestrian has launched a new Trail Riding Club!!!

Partridge Farm, home of LFEquestrian, is surrounded by thousands of acres of trail riding through Pontypool Forest, Fleetwood Conservation area, Durham East Cross Forest, and more!

We even have access to the ponds of Pontypool where you can go swim with your horse!

We have launched the new Trail Riding Club to make it easier for you to join us on trail rides!

You can come join us on a single trail ride, buy a monthly, or season pass so you can take advantage of our quiet, safe, and well trained horses on the beautiful trails.

Learn more at http://lfequestrian.com/trailriding.html

Some pictures of our recent adventures around the farm: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lfequestrian/sets/72157628432662965/

New Helpers Program! Earn Riding Time and Lessons for FREE!

LFEquestrian launched a new Helpers Program!

This is a program where you can help out at Partridge Farm (in Pontypool, Kawartha Lakes area) and earn hours for free riding time and lessons with LFEquestrian!

The program is perfect for summer time students looking for something to do - and great for anyone who has a love for horses and wants to make horses a part of their life.

Learn more about the program here: http://lfequestrian.com/helpersprogram.html

Pictured here is one of our new helpers, Anjelica, who participated in the Trail Riding Clinic with Riddler after earning helper hours to pay for the clinic!

Getting Started with Natural Horsemanship

Getting Started with Natural Horsemanship
By Lindsey Forkun, lfequestrian.com

Over the June 23/24 weekend we had a get started with Natural Horsemanship clinic and learning to advance your skills clinic. The Saturday focused on learning to get really good basics with your horse.

It is really important to have really crisp, clear, and easy to understand body language between you and your horse. This is because if your horse can understand very precisely to back up, move just the shoulder, move just the haunches, move sideways, or go forward then you can combine cues to make things more advanced and fun.

Some tips to having really good basics:
- only perfect practice makes perfect: so make sure to always end on a positive note that is better than how you left it, and double check you are using proper technique
- give a long ideal cue: give your horse a long chance to notice and respond to your ideal, then add pressure quickly so your horse is motivated to respond to the ideal cue
- don't give up: have the patient persistence to keep asking and trying until the horse starts to respond the way you want
- put it to a purpose: once you have some basic understanding, start to play with your horse so that you don't become a drill sergeant

Sunday was a day when we learned how to advance our skills and really have fun with horse. This means we used all of our basic cues and then learned how to have fun with it while building better trust, communication, and respect.

Some ideas for putting basic cues to purpose:
- backwards figure 8
- backwards weave pattern
- halt halfway over poles
- go sideways over poles
- back up over poles
- do traveling circles
- go over a tarp
- push a giant ball
- follow me (on the ground have the horse stay beside you as you walk, trot, etc)

The key message after the clinic was to be aware of your body language and how to use it to communicate with your horse.

Key tip this week: Establish really good basics with your horse. Make sure you can move them in all different direction. Once you have understanding, then have some fun and put the cues into patterns like a backwards weave pattern. This helps to make it fun, fresh, different, and more like a conversation.

View pictures of clinics here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lfequestrian/sets/72157628433224817/

Trail Riding Natural Horsemanship Style

Trail Riding Natural Horsemanship Style
By Lindsey Forkun, lfequestrian.com

On July 7th we had a trail riding clinic at the farm. The purpose of the clinic was to help riders and horses become safer and more confident out on the trails using natural horsemanship.

Some things we learnt to help set a horse up for a safe trail ride:
1) Desensitize the horse to various objects like umbrellas, dogs, bikes, tarps, plastic bags, etc so that the horse understands to stop, think, and wait for your cue instead of taking off in fear.
2) Sensitize your horse to the cues and movements you want your horse to react to like teaching good steering, brakes, and being able to move your horse around or over obstacles.
3) Think about Herd Dynamics so that you don't take two hot and anxious horses out on a trail, or try to make a dominant fast walking horse ride at the back of 10 person ride.

We practiced some different exercises to help horses and riders gain skills in the above three areas. Some things you can do to get better in these areas:
1) Send your horse over a tarp, log, water, and in between tight spaces like between two barrels. Practice opening and closing an umbrella as you walk away from your horse. Have someone ride their bike in the arena while you ride around.
2) Practice exercises to help your horse be sensitive to your cues like transitions, steering exercises like a weave through pylons, or riding patterns like circles and serpentines.
3) Practice riding with calm and quiet horses, and practice asking your horse to follow horses, then move into a lead position, and then fall back to a following position again. This will help your horse become more comfortable at riding in different positions on a trail, and help the horse be more calm.

Key tip this week: Trail riding can be fun and relaxing for both you and your horse, but it takes some preparation to help make sure both your and you can stay safe. Take the time to do some exercises with your horse before you go out to make sure your horse is ready for the challenges that come up on a trail.

You can view pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lfequestrian/sets/72157628433224817/

Gemma Finished her Training - Some Things to Remember with Green Horses (or any horse)

Gemma Finished her Training - Some Things to Remember with Green Horses (or any horse)
By Lindsey Forkun, www.LFEquestrian.com

This week Gemma completed her 3 months of training and was returned home. It was sad to see her go because she is such a beautiful and smart mare, but it is always rewarding to think about what they have learned over the last couple months.

When Gemma came 3 months ago, she hadn't had much handling other than leading into her stall for dinner time, or basic handling for the vet and farrier.

Within the first month Gemma had learned all the basic cues both on the ground and in the saddle. She knew walk, trot, canter, halt, back up, forehand, and haunch turns. She knew sideways on the ground - but not yet in the saddle. All in all she had learned quite a bit and was quite relaxed, calm, and willing too. By the end of her 3 months she has become a trail riding star - going through town, forest, field, subdivision, roads, and even leading trail rides too.

When horses are in for training, owners are allowed to watch all training for free, take free lessons with their horse, and/or participate in clinics for free too - this helps owners get to know their horse, the cues, and understand the process.

When it came time for Gemma to leave, I wanted to share some key tips for her owner to remember... and you can use them with all horses, but they are especially important for young and learning horses:

- hold with loosely on the rope: I usually hold about 2-3ft of slack... because the horse is trained to stop/back up with a wiggle in the rope. If you hold right under the chin there is no room for a wiggle in the rope. Also if you hold under the chin it is like you are trapping the horse - which shows the horse you are not a partner. Holding under the chin will also provoke a pushy natured horse to be pushy.
- use patient persistence: never give up once you ask for something, and never second guess yourself. Have the patient persistence to wait for the horse to respond correctly. If you keep your energy calm and your message clear, the horse will eventually get it and then you can reward them (or at least a step in the right direction). For example if you are riding and trying to go left, you should NEVER give up and decide "ah well it would be easier if I just switched hands and pull right" - it is important you keep on the left rein until the horse understands to go left.
- reward means praise or silence: reward doesn't mean treats, or a pat on the neck. Often my reward is just the release in pressure (i.e. I stop bugging them with the cue). If it takes the horse a minute or two to understand something, then allow a minute or two for them to think about it before asking for more or something new. You can give the horse a friendly rub... but it is really good for the horse to just be allowed time to think.
- nothing says you have to stay mounted: there is no rule that says once you start something mounted that you can't finish it on the ground. If you get on and something doesn't go right, get off, and walk the horse with you on the ground to complete whatever the goal was. Once you are both relaxed again, you can always get back on.
- start with some ground games: always start with a few ground games to see how spunky, respectful, and full of play your horse is before you go to get on. Once you have played with your horse enough to know they are calm, respectful, and ready to listen, go ahead and ride. Otherwise stay on the ground and play - it is safer than being in the saddle.

With these few key things in mind, it should be really helpful to set your learning horse up for success.

Key tip this week: Working with a young or learning horse takes a lot of knowledge, patience, and confidence in yourself. If you are working with a learning horse, learn as much as you can to help set both your horse and you up for success.

2 New horses at the farm - Fiona and Kylee

Fiona and Kylee Arrive - Bringing New Horses Home

Monday was a very exciting day for me - I got to bring my two new horses home, Fiona and Kylee. Fiona and Kylee are two lovely mares that I am hoping to introduce to the LFEquestrian lesson program. They are very sweet and well tempered horses that are athletic, so I hope they are a good fit.

Whenever you bring a new horse home, it is very helpful to do a few things to help make it a safe and easier transition:
- Help make the trailering experience positive by allowing enough time to load with a natural horsemanship approach
- Introduce the horse to their new home in an environment that won't be too overwhelming for the horse (start with a smaller paddock and fewer horses, or even a stall or private turnout to allow the horse to take in the new environment)
- Show the horse where the water and hay is in the paddock
- Make sure the new paddock is safe and free of debris (or that the stall is clean and free of clutter)

After the horses have a day or two to settle in, then you can introduce them into larger herds or paddocks if that is your plan. Sometimes horses can be very dominant. It can help to introduce a new horse with the dominant herd leader in a small paddock first. That way the dominant horse can learn to accept the new horse without the stress of having to protect their herd. This can really help to minimize fighting and chasing.

I was happy that bringing Fiona and Kylee home went really smoothly. They were introduced into a paddock with 3 other horses that are very submissive and quiet, so I wasn't worried about any horse getting bullied.

All the horses were eating side by side at the hay hut within a day, so it was nice to see they are making friends so quickly.

You can view pictures of Fiona at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lfequestrian/sets/72157630332257558/

You can view pictures of Kylee at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lfequestrian/sets/72157630332247820/

I will have updates about their first training sessions at the farm soon!

Key learning this week:
Introducing a new horse is an exciting experience, but make sure it is a safe experience by doing a few simple things to help make it an easier transition for your horse.

Chica goes for her first trail!

Chica's first trail ride - learning to lead

A couple weeks back I took Chica for her first trail ride. It is always a fun and exciting experience to take a horse for their first trail ride - but I always want to make sure it is a safe and positive experience too.

To help get Chica ready for her first ride I:
- did some ground work for desensitzing like going over logs, tarps, and in between tight spaces like between too barrels or jump standards
- did some communication exercises to make sure we understood each other really well like transitions, halting over poles, steering exercises through pylons and obstacles

When it was time to head out for the ride, I helped make it a good experience by going with calm horses from her paddock - so she had comfort from the horses that we went with.

I also started the trail by leading her from the ground. It didn't take very long for me to realize that she would be relaxed with me, so I was able to get on very early into the ride. We went through forest, around water, open field, and even through the town of Pontypool!

Chica even led a large part of the trail and showed that she can be quite a brave leader - this was interesting because she is not a leader in the paddock. What is important to understand with horses, is that your energy and focus is really important.

Because I stay really focused on the trail and my energy is very calm and relaxed, it helps my horse to stay calm and relaxed. It is important that if a horse is being distracted that you help focus your horse by keeping their attention on the trail. You keep the horse focused on the trail by steering your horse's nose to always be pointed where you want them.

Chica hadn't been under training for very long, and it was her first trail ride that completed her 2 month training package. We had done a lot of work developing trust and understanding before then, so it was really rewarding to have such a positive experience out on the trails.

Since then, Chica has been ridden by her owner and some friend's of her owner and she has been really great on the trails!

Key learning for this week: Having a first positive experience is so important - it sets your horse up to be even better the next time. Take the time it takes to make sure your horse is calm, respectful, and trusting before you hit the trails.... and then when you get on the trail, take the time it takes to do what your horse needs to feel safe and relaxed. That way trails can be fun, relaxed, and safe.

If you are looking for help with getting out onto the trails, come participate in our Natural Horsemanship Trail Riding Clinic Saturday July 7th from 9am - 4pm. The cost is $100 for the day to participate (bring your own horse or borrow one of ours), or it is free to watch. Lunch is optional and is $5. RSVP by emailing lindseyforkun@gmail.com or visit www.LFEquestrian.com for more information. Located at 531 Hwy 35 in Pontypool.

Getting a Good Saddle Fit

Getting a Good Saddle Fit
www.LFEquestrian.com

As most of you may already know, getting a saddle that fits your horse is extremely important. Without a properly fitting saddle your horse can develop physical problems like a sore back, tight muscles, etc, but they can also be in pain so they do negative things like swishing their tail, reluctance to go forward or jump, or even buck.

Yesterday I had Jim Ward (705-786-2226), a saddle fitter that I met at the Everything Equine Trade Show in Uxbridge, come out to the farm to fit my horses. Finding an unbiased saddle fitter is difficult, and I decided to try Jim because he said he would look at any saddle and he wouldn't be bringing any saddles to try to sell me.

The horse that I know needed the saddle fitting the most is my demo/show horse, Thetis. She is a Thoroughbred mare, and was fitted by Allan from Foxhunter Tack Shop last year with a brand new adjustable Collegiate. However, horses change over time, and in the last couple months I noticed she was no longer comfortable in the saddle because of the tail swishing and pinning of the ears - she even did some bucks. When I ride her in the Western saddle, she is just fine.

I did have Dr. Elena Silverman (647-829-8929) come out to adjust Thetis - she is a really good chiropractor that does an excellent job and will massage the tight muscle knots too. She did a couple adjustments on Thetis, as I continued to only ride her Western, avoiding the English saddles all together.

I did go to the Pleasant Ridge Tent Sale and bought Thetis a new saddle, based on her medium-wide measurement and a few other things I knew to keep in mind... but when I tried it at home she still didn't seem 100% comfortable.

This actually interfered with my demo at the Everything Equine trade show last weekend. I wanted to do some big jumps and do something more for the crowd, but I knew the saddle wasn't quite right - so instead I fitted the saddle the best I could by changing the gullet, and using a memory foam/thinline pad to help her be more comfortable, and I kept the jumps low for the demo. Even still she wasn't super comfortable and she did have her ears pinned, so for the other demos I stayed Western because I didn't want to damage my horse.

I was excited to find a new saddle fitter, Jim, and booked him right away to come out to my farm - luckily he lives only up the road in Lindsay so it was much more convenient than previous saddle fitters I have used. He started with Thetis and did a full assessment and noted her right shoulder is more developed from her left (likely because she pulled a bum muscle during our endurance race and was lame in her right hind for a few weeks.... so she likely was working her right shoulder extra hard). He then took a bunch of my saddles and tried them on.

Because I have so many school horses - I also have a lot of saddles. He looked at my brand new Collegiate and pointed out that it's actually slightly too long for Thetis's back. He said it goes beyond the weight bearing ribs in her back - or what Jim calls the 'bucking line'. It was also too tight around the withers.

I always knew to check for wither clearance in the saddle (making sure the saddle doesn't touch the wither bone), but I didn't know that you also need 2 fingers of clearance on the sides of the withers. Jim explained that the saddle shouldn't touch the horse until where the panels start.

Thetis proved to be a bit of a challenging horse to fit... we tried my Collegiate, Wintec's, Avante, Degrada, Santa Cruz, Griffith, and finally landed on my Bates. The Bates is a CAIR system (has air in the panels instead of wool or foam), and it is an all purpose model, so its not ideal for jumping, but workable.

I was asking Jim about my different saddle brands and asked what he recommended. He said that unless you get something fully adjustable like a Schlesse, which are about $4000, or something like the Santa Cruz with the new Genesis system that can fine tune the gullet within a millimeter, its probably best that I have a variety of different saddles.

Jim said its not that a Wintec, Collegiate, etc are a bad saddle and thats why it didn't fit Thetis - its just that they didn't fit Thetis and couldn't be adjusted enough to be comfortable for her. This doesn't make them 'bad', but not useable on her. He did say that certain saddles tend to fit more horses because of their balance, etc. My Collegiate actually proved challenging to find a school horse that it would fit.... and luckily we found a match with Riddler after changing it to extra wide (thank goodness it has an exchangeable gullet!).

The Bates has good balance on Thetis's back, and sits nicely on her. I rode her with no saddle pad so Jim could see the dust pattern after a ride. She didn't buck at all. We didn't need to change the saddle at all, but Jim recommended I ride with a half pad to help bring the saddle off her back a bit more to let the saddle sit higher and give her wither clearance. He said ideally you wouldn't need a half pad, but since I wasn't looking to purchase a new saddle, that this one would be comfortable for my horse with a half pad.

We then went through all of my school horses and fitted them all to their own English Saddle. Luckily I was able to find my brand new Collegiate could fit my school horse Riddler, and my other brand new Degrada saddle fit my school horse Dream, or that would have been a waste!

In the end I have a saddle from my original stock of saddles that fits all of my horses comfortably. A couple need a riser pad or half pad to help with wither clearance, but most of them don't.

Jim also explained that some of my horses would need to use the front two billet straps for the girth to help make sure the saddle stays in the right position and doesn't slip forward - this is different than what we are used to, so we'll give it a try.

Some tips I learnt from Jim:
- Always check that you have 2 fingers of space between your wither and saddle at the top and sides of wither
- Check to make sure your saddle sits behind the shoulder, but in front of the last weight bearing rib (Alan showed me this too)
- Check to make sure your saddle has good balance (that it doesn't tip or rock from back to front of side to side... that it sits level on the horse)
- It is best not use half pads or gel pads because they can make the space smaller and tighter around the wither, however, a half pad might help with wither clearance or balance depending on the shape of the horse, but you still need to make sure there is room for the shoulder to move easily. It's best to ask for the saddle fitter's advice first... don't just use a half pad or gel pad because you think it might be more comfortable.

All in all it was a great learning experience and I am so happy that all my horses now have something fitted to them.

Key tip this week:
Make sure your horse is comfortable with your saddle - it can help save you time, money, and aggravation in the long run. Having a saddle fitter can help you make sure you have something that will work for your horse.

After all of the saddle swapping, I have decided to sell 2 of my English saddles that weren't assigned to any of my horses.... and then perhaps I can get Thetis a jumping saddle instead of an all purpose!

1) 17.5" Medium close contact, Santa Cruz, pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lfequestrian/sets/72157629588942136/
This saddle actually fits Spice, and has good balance for a lot of horses - but in the end we decided to go with other options. New this saddle goes for around $800-1000. It is approx 6-10yrs old (I don't remember - but originally I bought it from Foxhunter Tack shop)... Reduced price to $300 for a quick sale so I can get a new one for Thetis.
2) 17" Medium Avante close contact saddle with exchangeable gullet. Pictures at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lfequestrian/sets/72157629588937706/
This saddle I bought last year from Pleasant Ridge to use in my summer camp... thats all I've used it for. It is a cheaper saddle (new it was about $300 with tax), so the leather is a little stiffer than a higher quality saddle. The panels are nice and wide, and you can buy new gullets for it. I don't have any extra gullets for it - so I decided to stick with my Collegiate, Bates, and Wintec which can all use the same gullets that I already have.... Avante is a different brand and doesn't use the same ones. It also sits a little downhill, so to have good balance it is best for a horse that is built 'uphill', or used with a riser pad/half pad. $100 for a quick sale so I can get a new one for Thetis.
3) I also have some child saddles... I haven't measured them, one is a small child English saddle - good gullet size, medium/wide, fits a lot of my horses but is very small (I'm guessing around 12" but I can measure)... it is meant for a small or medium pony... or little kids under 10 yrs. I also have a little Western saddle... super cute, light brown leather/suede seat, also meant for little kids... these saddles would work great for small ponies and pony rides - I don't have a use for them. Priced $75 each, or $100 for both for a quick sale. I don't have pictures up yet, but let me know if interested and I can get some.

Everything Equine Trade Show - A lot to learn

Everything Equine Trade Show - A lot to learn

This past weekend, LFEquestrian went to the Everything Equine Trade Show in Uxbridge. We did 2 different demonstrations, and then a 3rd demonstration in part with the Natural Horsemanship Association. Each demo had its own message... so here are some highlights and tips:

1) Long Distance Riding - we showed how you can use natural horsemanship to make a safe and trusting horse to do trail riding with, and even to compete in some long distance rides. A big thanks to Marcie, Erin, and Micheala who helped take part in a demonstration race! We did a demo ride and tie race - Micheala and Marcie with our mustang pony Shawna won the race.

Some tips for getting a horse ready for a long distance ride:
- desensitize your horse to various obstacles like poles, tarps, and jumps, so that anything out on the trail won't seem too scary for your horse
- build your communication through ground work so your horse will trust and understand you out on the trail

2) Jumping with Natural Horsemanship - we showed how you can use natural horsemanship to create brave and calm jumping horses. Micheala and Shawna did a nice demo of an exercise you can do to build control and calmness with your horse (start with a pole at the walk. Ride a straight line over the pole, then halt, and do a pivot turn and repeat. Slowly raise the height and change your gait). Then Erin did a demo piece with Shawna showing how you can do traveling circles and make the jump part of a circle so your horse doesn't get anxious or 'worked up' about jumping.

During this demo I showed the crowd how you can help your horse jump by doing ground work - allowing the horse to jump without you interfering on their back. Instead letting the horse figure out jumping on their own. Then I challenged the crowd to create the scariest jump they could - everyone was invited to add anything to jump - hats, blankets, even a sign was added to the mix.

Thetis went over the jump on the first try - so I didn't get to show the crowd how to work through a refusal... but I did get to show the crowd what a brave horse and trusting partnership you can create with natural horsemanship.

Some tips for getting a horse ready for jumping:
- start with the walk and poles. Let your horse understand the idea of what you are doing before you add speed and height.
- start your horse over some jumps without you on it's back
- do other desensitizing and trust building exercises so your horse gets more experience

3) The final demo was with the Natural Horsemanship Association (www.nhassociation.ca). Laura rode Shawna dressage style, and Cindy joined us western pleasure style with Fergie. I was using Thetis. Cindy showed how she uses natural horsemanship to create a safe and trusting partnership that she uses for trail riding. Cindy showed us how Fergie can play with the giant ball, and how they use hula hoops. Laura demonstrated some ground work including going over a tarp and some riding exercises. I demonstrated some sideways over a jump and other movements.

The demo was showing that you can do lots of different things with your horse to help make your partnership better - no matter what your goals are. We showed how ground work can get your riding better, and we gave some ideas for how to get started.

Here are some tips to getting started with a natural horsemanship approach:
- Always start with your ideal cue
- Always release pressure when your horse gets the cue right (or starts to get it right)
- Stay out of a routine and stay in a conversation. This means don't just go ride your horse walk, trot, canter, change direction, walk, trot, canter - instead keep your horse thinking and communicating with you. Try different patterns like figure 8's, and traveling circles. Try tasks that cause your horse to think like halt halfway over a pole, back up over poles, sideways over a pylon, etc.

Key message this week:
Getting forceful with your horse only hurts the partnership - you can't force a horse to trust you and want to be with you. Instead you need to use leadership and communication. Once the horse wants to please you, you can do everything better together!

A big thank you goes to everyone involved to make the trade show a great day. Peter, Brenda, Karen, Marcie, Laura, Micheala, Erin, and of course my wonderful parents Richard and Annette!

See more pictures at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lfequestrian/sets/72157628433031337/

Champion - Success in the Jumper Ring

Champion - Success in the Jumper Ring

This past Sunday I went with a student to the Bronze level Blue Star Hunter Jumper show. My student was competing in the jumper division with her pony. Horse shows are always a pretty long day, but it can be really rewarding to challenge your partnership with your horse.

Being at competitions really tests yourself and tests your horse. There are some things you can do to help make it less stressful and more fun:
- Make a list, check it twice: Make a list of all the things you need for the show day. Make a list for your horse and yourself. Remember both you and your horse will need water and food, as well as your tack and riding equipment.
- Get a good nights sleep: our bodies function much better when well rested, so make sure you leave time for yourself to get some good snooze time.
- Arrive early: it's no fun rushing around to find things or get ready, it only adds to tension. Your horse might need time to settle too, so arrive 30 - 60 minutes early before you think you need to be there. That way if something goes a miss you've got extra time.
- Be calm and relaxed around your horse: it's quite normal to be nervous at a show, but try to be calm and relaxed around your horse. Horses can feel our energy and mood - if you are nervous and anxious it could make your horse nervous and anxious.
- Practice only what you need to: horses often need a warm up before they go in a competition ring, but its important not to over due it. If you practice too many warm up jumps for example, you could make sure horse tired or muscle sore. You can also make your horse sour to the idea of competitions if it means being over exerted.
- Remember your a natural horsemen: you will be surrounded by a variety of people at horse shows. Some will hit their horses with crops or kick them with spurs. Others might use really harsh bits. It is important to remember what training methods you believe in and stick to them. Give yourself time in the practice ring to work through any challenges with your horse the way you want to.
- Be organized: It is important to know what is happening at the horse show - where to warm up, what the course is, when to enter, the rules, etc. Giving yourself enough time to learn everything you need will help, or bring someone that knows what they are doing.

My student, Alexandra, arrived early with her pony, Cody. We had enough time allow Cody to relax before doing a warm up in the practice ring. We did the warm up very relaxed and did just enough jumps to make sure both rider and horse were ready. It was a muddy day with rain threatening overhead, but we memorized and walked the courses, and they rode their courses with no refusals or knock downs! It all worked out nicely because Alexandra and Cody were champion!

Key Learning this Week: Horse shows can be a fun challenge for you and your horse, but remember to think it through and be prepared so you can both have fun.

Prophet's First Session - Learning to Want to Be with Me

Prophet's First Session - Learning to Want to Be with Me

Yesterday I worked with Prophet - a very sensitive and anxious quarter horse gelding. Deep down he is a sweet and loveable horse, but he is very timid and lacks a lot of confidence. He arrived 2 days ago to be started walk, trot, canter. In his past his owner did a lot of work with him and was progressing fairly well to riding him at the walk, but after getting thrown a couple times they decided to consult me for training. Prophet only ever reacted in fear - he is not a mean horse, just very timid. He is actually incredibly kind to people and animals, and not dominant at all in the paddock with other horses. His reaction is purely out of anxiety and tenseness from being scared and claustrophobic.

When I began to start Prophet last year, I realized he had a lot of confidence and anxiety issues related to the saddle and riding. Without the saddle he was a complete dream and responded to cues relaxed and confidently. With the saddle he was a lot more anxious and tense - like a bomb ready to explode. I did a lot of work desensitizing him to the saddle so that he would stand quietly while I tacked him without him being tied. I also did a lot of work to help him with his claustrophobia - this including sending him in between tight spaces like between barrels, and bumping his sides. We also spent a lot of time developing our communication and trust with a lot of ground games. By the end of summer he was doing amazing things on the ground with a saddle on like sideways over a barrel and responding to cues so softly that it was like magic.

I then progressed to mounting and dismounting from both sides, and eventually to riding him at the walk. The process was extremely slow because I know that Prophet has previous experience of tossing his rider to get rid of the tension - so my approach was to advance his training to the point where he was starting to feel anxiety, but not so far that he would have a melt down and try to get rid of me. The idea is to teach him emotional control - to push him out of his comfort zone slightly, to show him he can handle it, and then go back to things he finds comfortable. This process is time consuming, but it teaches the horse to be a thinker, and not turn into a crazy, explosive, ready to take off type of horse.

I was successful in that the times that I did ride him, he never tried to buck, rear, or run away - he stayed my thinking and willing partner. This is very important because once a horse learns they can toss you off, it is very hard to stop them from doing that unless they become a willing partner.

Over the fall and winter Prophet spent his time at his owner's place not doing a whole lot. Then at the start of June he is back with me to finish his training. I did his first session of the year yesterday. I had the plan to saddle him up and do some ground work to refresh his memory.

Instead Prophet decided to be very anxious and wary of me - and didn't want to be caught. I had to change my plans and instead use my understanding of horse psychology to try and get Prophet to want to be with me.

I followed him around the ring and if he looked like he wanted to come visit, I would invite him in. If he turned away from me I would send him away causing him to canter. I was trying to tell him the message of 'being with me is easy and inviting, turning from me is hard work because you have to canter'.

After about 20 min or so he got the message and finally came over to me. I spent some time just rubbing him all over - I didn't clip him to a lead rope. I didn't want Prophet to think that if he visits me he will get trapped. Instead I rubbed him all over and then allowed Prophet to follow me at liberty (no rope attached). He followed me at walk, halt, back up, and through sharp turns around the ring. I then clipped him up, rubbed him all over, and unclipped him again.

I wanted Prophet to think that being caught isn't a bad thing - I wanted Prophet to want to be with me. This is because if he is already trying to get away from me with just the idea of being caught, then it will be much worse if I try to add a saddle. I had to adjust my plan to suit the horse.

For those of you wondering why I don't just saddle him up and ride the buck out of him... well, first off, that is dangerous, second even if I can ride the buck and push him through it he's likely to try bucking again with a different rider eventually to see if he can ditch them so I'd be putting future riders at risk, and thirdly it'll definitely make the horse harder to catch!

I am going to play with Prophet more this week. My plan will be to 'hang out' with Prophet this week and do only simple tasks. I want to get him to catch me (want to be with me), and then just spend time with me while I teach some lessons or read a book (right now I'm reading the Hunger Games series and I love it!) - this way Prophet can start to change his mind about being with me... something that is apprehensive right now into something positive.

I do have some tricks up my sleeve for new strategies to try with Prophet this summer for training (largely in part to lessons from Don Halladay at the Young Horse Start Clinic run by the Owens last year), but first I need his trust and willingness to be with me. Stay tuned for updates!

Key Learning this Week: Have a goal, but being willing to change it if the horse that shows up in the moment isn't ready for what you want. A good horseman won't let his own personal agenda or goals ruin the partnership.