Milestones at Royal Winter Fair 2012 By Marcie

Milestones at Royal Winter Fair 2012

This years Royal Agricultural Winter Fair marked a mile stone for me. It has
been just over a year since I began riding. In that time I have gone from
having almost no experience riding and possessing next to no knowledge
about horses to working 3 days a week on a horse farm helping to train
horses, competing in endurance races, and coaching lessons and a summer
camp.

The breadth of how much I have advanced in the horse world became
apparent while I was watching this years International Jumpers competition
at the fair. Last year, which was also my first year attending the fair, I
could hardly tell the difference between a trot and a canter. This year,
however, I found myself counting down the canter strides for each horse as
they approached the jumps. I was also able to point out canter leads and
visualize the turns involved in the course before it was ridden.

As I watched this competition my friend, who is an experienced rider
and horse trainer, made the comment that what I have learned and
accomplished in such a short time period is truly amazing. Her words to me
were very uplifting as I am still quite nervous in certain situation and Know
that there is still a lot for me to learn.

My most recent adventure into the horse world has involved me owning
my very first horse. She is a lovely little mustang that is very smart and
willing. By working with her I am able to see in myself just how much I have
learned. I hope to make my connection with my new friend stronger by
working on learning the finer movements in horseback riding, which I was
able to watch in the dressage competition at the Royal this year. Hopefully I
will be able to continue digging deeper into the horse world and I am excited
to see how much I will accomplish and learn in this upcoming year.

Marcie
www.PartridgeHorseHill.com

A Royal Success - Our two cents from the Royal this past week

A Royal Success
By Lindsey Partridge (formerly Forkun), www.PartridgeHorseHill.com

This past week was another successful year at the Royal Winter Fair. We went to the fair both Tuesday and Wednesday (November 6th and 7th, 2012). We enjoyed some of our traditional favourties, and watched the Royal Horse Show with a natural horsemanship perspective.

If you are wondering what day to go to the Royal next year, I would opt for Tuesday - the crowds were much smaller, the lines fewer, and still plenty of action with Super Dogs and International Horse Jumping. Of course every day at the fair there is sure to be fun and excitement, but if you are looking for a less crowded day, Tuesday seems to be a great pick.

Every year I get excited for the food. My favourites are the Rosti (hash brown type potato with sour cream and cheese), the Roast Bison on a bun, perogies, and the very popular apple dumpling with ice cream and caramel, yumm! I always forget about the Foods of the World section though because it is tucked away at the opposite end of the main hall so I haven't tried anything from there.

The Super Dogs were fun and fantastic as usual. I really love the dancing with the dogs because it shows off their tricks and looks really fun. I was happy to see they had moved on from the destructive bull dog routine... that same routine has been happening for a few years so it was nice to see something new. One thing to keep in mind for the Super Dogs show is the last show is at 6pm and you can't enter late, so it can be hard to get to if you are coming after work. Usually they do a similar but different show for their performances, but this year we only went to one so I couldn't compare.

We enjoy trying all the different samples at the Royal and this year was no different and the Royal didn't disappoint - there were many choices including jams, chutneys, smoked fish, smoked meats, goat cheese, cookies, apple slices, different types of milk, juice, cream cheese bars, and even a cooked potato with butter!

The displays are really fun and there is so much to see just from walking around and so much to learn. The butter sculpting is always impressive, we enjoy browsing all the booths, and taking a sneak peak at the Horse Palace.

We spent a lot of time browsing the shops - we came home with jams, chutneys, smoked fish, horse blankets, bridles, shipping boots, bits, lead ropes, leather belts, belt buckles, moo bars, and my personal favourite pumpkin pie fudge! Despite so many purchases, we were a bit disappointed with the shopping deals.

The sales at the Royal used to be legendary - I remember the days of leather gloves for $7 at Greenhawk (retail approx $30), and rain sheets and winter blankets for $50 at Pleasant Ridge. This year there were still some deals (a $20 gift card from Picovs with the purchase of a Bucas was one of the deals we took advantage of), but nothing so spectacular to brag about - let us know if you found a great deal!

The major excitement is always about the Royal Horse Show - and we always watch with an eye for natural horsemanship and if the riders seem like they are a partner or an intimidater. We were pleasantly surprised with the international jumpers - many of them showed really calm leadership with their horses including Shane Sweetnam of Ireland that was one of the riders to calmly show his horse some of the scary fences before crossing the start line.

It was Christine McCrea that really impressed me though. Her Dutch Warmblood mare, Zerly, a young 8 year old, entered the ring really nervous and upset. Zerly was bucking and trying to go back out of the in gate. To my delight, Christine helped her horse so calmly and was patiently persistent in coaxing her horse forward politely.

Christine didn't use a crop and didn't get aggressive with her horse - and it paid off with a clear round! Some riders would have smacked the horse for misbehaving and probably would have provoked the horse to become even more upset which means even more dangerous, but Christine kept a level and patient head and helped her horse.

There were also displays of riding that I wasn't happy to see, including Angela Covert-Lawrence aboard a 15 year old Belgian Warmblood mare. Her horse had its tongue out the side of its mouth bracing against the bit, was jerking the reins from the rider, and carrying her head really upright and tense - the horse was very clearly telling the rider to soften up but instead of listening the horse was equipped with contraptions to leverage the horse's head down and tie the mouth shut.

The horse fought with the rider so much on the way to a jump that is caused a knock down. This is an older mare, and an experienced horse - the horse should be softer and more accepting of the bit, but instead the horse has really learned to fight the rider.

I completely understand having a horse that hates the bit and is strong - my own horse Thetis is an ex race horse and used to hate the bit and would stick her tongue out if I was pulling too much. I switched to riding her with no nose band so if she needed to open her mouth she could, but I also do a lot of freestyle work where I ride with no bit all. I've softened Thetis up so she doesn't pull and is very easy to ride with no bit all, and even with a bit she doesn't stick her tongue out anymore.

I know my horse is different from Angela's, but it's just an example that horses can change and become softer - the answer isn't to 'shut them up' with contraptions but instead to fix the root cause... with such an older and experienced horse I would have hoped to see a horse and rider really meshing together and traveling as one - not fighting at every turn.

Overall I think the Royal Horse Show was a fun and spectacular event with a lot of really great riders.

When we watch the Royal we always play a fun game - if its a non jumping class, everyone in your group picks an entry and see if someone can guess the winner before the placings are announced. If it is a jumper class then everyone in your group picks two jumps. Every time your jump gets refused or knocked down you get 1 point, and the most points win (it makes you think about what jumps are the most difficult in the course).

Another game we will play is counting down the strides - people in the group take turns counting down the strides to the fences, and for every time you get it right you get a point. Most points wins.

The Royal is always a fun event to attend every year - and it seems to me that more and more riders are becoming better leaders for their horse.

I think it's important for all riders (including myself) to remember we need to keep learning and trying to understand our horse. After all, a horse that understands you and is willing will be much more successful than a horse that is fighting every stride.

Picking up Your Horse's Feet - Some Easy TIps and Steps

Pick Up Your Feet - Please!
By Lindsey Partridge (formerly Forkun), www.PartridgeHorseHill.com

This week I had someone asking me about how to get their horse to pick up their hooves more easily. The answer is one of good timing and patience.

When working with horses it is important to remember that it's usually best if you work in baby steps. Don't expect your horse to pick up their feet and hold them up politely for 5 minutes right away, instead work on picking up feet for a few seconds at a time.

Horses need to know that they are doing the 'right' thing - so you need to reward often. Depending on what you are doing the reward will be different, but the reward is always in the release of pressure. When picking up hooves, the release would be letting the foot be put back on the ground.

Here are simple and easy steps to making picking up hooves easy:
1) Make sure you can rub your horse's leg all the way from the shoulder to the hoof without any anxiety. If the horse starts to dance around or get tense, continue practicing desensitizing the horse until they stand still. When the horse stands still you should reward them by stopping rubbing their leg.
2) Desensitize your horse to a rope being put around one of their legs at a time. Rub the rope up and down their leg.
3) Teach your horse to lift their hoof. It can be easier to do this by putting a rope around your horse's pastern (below their fetlock/ankle) and pull on the rope to lift their hoof rather than bending over all the way and using your hand. Just be careful the rope doesn't get wrapped around the horse's leg. Ask the horse to lift the hoof and then immediately put slack in the rope or gently let go of the hoof. Don't ask the horse to keep their hoof up, just ask them to lift.
4) Then teach your horse to lift their hoof longer. After the horse understands 'lift' on all 4 hooves, then you can start asking the horse to keep their hoof up for longer. Start with a short amount of time like 5 seconds. If the horse struggles or tries to toss their hoof around, try your very best to hold onto the hoof (or keep pressure with the rope on the leg if you are using the rope). If you pull the hoof up really high it is harder for the horse to scramble free. It is important that the horse's hoof stay up and only released when the horse is standing quietly and relaxed with their hoof. If the horse scrambles and gets their hoof free then they will learn that it is a good thing to scramble and kick their hoof free because it gave them a release in pressure (i.e you dropped the hoof). Try to release the horse's hoof in the exact right moment of the horse being quiet and still - if you have a very anxious or impatient horse don't expect them to be still for very long, accept just 1 second of being still and quiet and then reward them by releasing their hoof. This is why using a rope can make it easier (it can be difficult to try and hold onto a kicking hoof with your hand, but a rope is much easier to hang onto and release in the right moement).
5) Gradually build up the horse's tolerance. Depending on the horse will depend on how long it takes before you can hold a hoof up for several minutes. Over several tries ask your horse to hold their hoof up for longer periods of time and only put the hoof down when the horse is still and quiet. Even if the horse can pick their hoof up for a long time, sometimes it is good to pick up the hoof and only hold it for a short time (a couple seconds) so that the horse keeps paying attention but also so the horse doesn't think that every time he picks up his hoof it will have to be up for a long time.

Extra Tips:
- If your horse really doesn't like to stand still, why fight with him? Try making it your horse's idea to stand still either by doing some ground work and free lunging first to let your horse get his play and friskiness out, or by giving him his dinner while you do his feet - this way you can make it so your horse wants to stand still.
- Remember horse's gain confidence when they can go back to their 'safe place' - this means that a horse that likes to have all 4 feet on the ground will be more relaxed if you only ask for him to hold his feet up a short time and then let him put his foot down. It would be easier for the horse to pick up his foot, let you clean a little out, put the foot down, then pick it up again, let you finish cleaning, and put it down again, etc, rather than just keeping the foot up for the entire cleaning.
- Horses usually stand on 4 feet, so make it easier on your horse to stand on 3 legs by keeping him on level ground, and making sure his other legs are positioned in a way that is comfortable to stand on 3 feet. This is another reason why picking up the hoof for short amounts of time works well (it allows the horse to re-balance their feet if needed).
- The higher you pick up a horse's foot the harder it is for them to kick it free, but also the higher you lift a horse's foot usually the harder it is for them to balance. When you first start lifting a horse's feet, try not to lift them too high.

I hope this helps you with your horse's hooves!

Dream of a Forever Home - Horses with Sore Feet (new blog post at lfequestrian.blogspot.com)

Dream of a Forever Home - Horses with Sore Feet
By Lindsey Partridge (formerly Forkun) www.LFEquestrian.com

This past summer has been long and busy and we have had a lot fun and successful events. However, we had some struggles and challenges too. One of our challenges was with our horse Dream - she was struggling with sore feet.

Dream is an 8yr old ex race Thoroughbred. She came to us in April and we started training her for long distance riding. She was absolutely amazing because she was so level headed and very quiet on the trails. She was very reliable and didn't get excited - she was a dream!

We were really enjoying Dream until she started to get very sore feet. In mid June she had both front feet that were really sore. She walked very cautiously, and she only trotted if she absolutely needed too - like to get away from another horse. After another week or so she developed her first abscess. We treated the abscess with a bran mash and epsom salt poultice.

An abscess is an infection in the hoof. The inflammation and white blood cells rushing to the area in the foot create a lot of pressure inside the hoof because the hoof doesn't swell very well (unlike when you get a sore throat for example your tonsils can swell quite easily). Because the hoof can't swell, there is a lot of pressure and the horse gets very sore - it can look like the horse has a broken leg because they don't put weight on their hoof at all.

We used a very traditional and old remedy of an epsom salt poultice. This is 2 parts bran to 1 part epsom salt, with water to make it mushy. At first we wrapped this with a diaper, plastic bag, and duct tape to keep it in place - but after a few times of fighting with the duct tape we bought a hoof soaking boot which is so much easier (you just put your remedy inside and place the boot on the horse).

Dream's abscess healed, but then her other hoof had an abscess. This kept occurring where one foot would heal and then the other would become sore. We even tried leaving a 'barrier boot' on her to make sure the hoof was keeping clean and protected the sole.

This was really unusual because Dream is barefoot and trimmed by an excellent natural barefoot trimmer - so there are no nail marks from shoes for an abscess to get in, and she didn't have an hoof abnormalities. Other than sore feet, she was actually getting even healthier and gaining weight and getting a nice shine to her coat.

In September the abscesses seemed to have stopped, but we decided to xray her hooves to see what was going on inside. From the xrays we could see she has pedal osteitis and her coffin bone appears damaged - probably from her many years racing causing a lot of concussion on her feet. If we had known she had damaged hooves (inside) then we could have kept her to light riding, but we didn't known because outside the hooves look normal, and she didn't move like she was sore.

The vet's prognosis was not good - Dream could likely never be a long distance riding horse, with no riding on roads, and she should be kept to light work in the future only after having many more months rest. The vet did say it was possible for Dream to go back to being as comfortable as she was when we first got her in April but no guarantees as to how much riding or work she can do.

This was bad news for us because our trails require riding on some road or gravel which wouldn't be good for Dream even if/when her feet get better, and she wouldn't be able to have a job in our natural horsemanship program. Horses enjoy having a purpose and a job - it keeps them healthy both mentally and physically, so I decided to look for someone special to give Dream a new home and purpose.

To my delight I found the perfect purpose and person. Someone with their own farm and a couple other horses that were older and with sore feet, so they have experience caring for horses with sore feet. Dream's new job is as a family companion with potential future riding at the walk only on their soft sandy trails just for pleasure.

Dream moved to her new home at the end of October and she now has her own paddock where she doesn't get bothered by other horses so her sore feet are getting more of a break - but when she is ready she will get to have pasture buddies.

I couldn't be happier for Dream, and I am so thankful that with a little patience I was able to find the perfect forever home for Dream. (posted is a picture of Dream at her new home)

Learning this week: A simple treatment for an abscess is a bran and epsom salt mash. If the horse is struggling with sore feet then xrays can help you see what is happening inside the hoof, and if your horse can no longer do their regular job - have faith and patience because their next loving home could be waiting for them!