Centered Riding Certified, Parelli Learning, Adult Camp, and Wining $500 in the jumper jackpot!

I’ve been a bit busy and haven’t updated you all in a while (I’m sorry!) – I’ve been up to a few things these last couple weeks. Let me catch you up to speed with my latest learnings and happenings.

June 17^th I flew out to Maine for part two of the Centered Riding Instructor’s course. It was 4 very intense days. Every day we did some body work (exercises with no horses to practice our riding position), riding, and teaching. I met Margreet from the Netherlands, she was assisting teaching the course. She is a Level IV centered riding instructor and does Sacral Cranial work on horses – which is pretty amazing to watch. I’m planning to have her up to our farm on the August 22-23 weekend so let me know if you are interested ($200 for the weekend).

One of my biggest epiphany’s during the course was learning to sit trot. Instead of thinking rise and fall with my hips, I learnt to think and feel a diagonal motion in my hips. Try taking your right hip to your left shoulder and vice versa. When you do this in rhythm with the horse you can sit a lot better in the saddle. It makes sense… the horse moves right & left so why wouldn’t I?

At the end of the course it was really rewarding to earn my Centered Riding Level I coaching certificate along with another 4 out of the 5 other women. Now I can keep growing and learning and hope to move up through the levels over the years.

The weekend of the 27^th of June I took Cupid and Kahleesi to the Finesse clinic with Todd Owens – Parelli Professional. I had a really nice ride on Kahleesi in the morning and learnt some exercises to help supple her. In the afternoon I rode Cupid and he showed me what a calm and collected guy he naturally is.

I was lucky to have a private lesson with Kahleesi on day 2 to help our impulsiveness. To do this we really slowed it down and went back to basics of a good mount. Then I had a private lesson with Cupid and we did some neat porcupine game with the rope around his belly to ask him to yield from pressure in different ways.

I was reminded about a lot of excellent theory on natural horsemanship. One of the biggest messages I took away was

‘Never release on a brace.’ I love this because it reminds us that as natural horsemen we aren’t just trying to accomplish a movement or a task, but we are trying to get our horses emotionally and mentally connected and calm. Never releasing on a brace means always release when the horse’s mind is completing the task, not just his feet. If you release when the horse is bracing and tense, then you will teach your horse to be tense and bracing.

The July 4^th weekend we had adult camp at PHH. What a fantastic weekend with so many people! We did some centered riding body work exercises, centred riding exercises in the saddle, ground games, riding obstacles, and jumping. We had a few new people and experienced people, so it was nice to have everyone together as well as splitting into groups.

Some tips from the weekend –

• ·         Forget about your waist… it’s not a joint, instead ride from your hips and allow your hips to move, and let them fold into two point position.
• ·         Get particular in your ground work – if you want your horse to be snappy with transitions and other cues, then you need to be particular from the start… otherwise how is your horse supposed to know when to be responsive and when you don’t care?
• ·         Ride with a purpose – when you ask your horse for trot, canter, or anything, have in mind what your horse needs to do for you to reward them and move on. It’s important to have a plan and a goal, otherwise if you are simply trotting around aimlessly your horse can lose motivation and you may find it hard to progress. For example when you ask for trot, maybe you want to achieve stretchy trot, a fast trot, or get 3 laps in the ring before you move on – whatever your goal is, have it in mind so you know when to move on and can reward your horse in the right moment.

On Wednesday July 8 I went to the Hamilton Hunt’s Jumper Jackpot and placed 3^rd out of a tough 27 riders, missing first by only 3 seconds… it was a super fun and exciting experience… I’ll write more later about that one after I have the video ready to show you (but I've given you a snapshot from show day up top!)– stay tuned J 

Tonight we have Todd Owens coming to PHH for a Rein Positions clinic for Power, Control and Performance, tomorrow I’m headed to the NHA Obstacle Challenge show, and then Sunday I’m headed to Kevin Alcock’s for play day on the obstacles, followed by a jumper show at 2pm in Bethany at Sky Haven…. Crikey it’s going to be busy and a lot of fun!

Monday Lesson Night with Veann Leps & Police Escort!

Last night was a fun night for me - I got to do something I rarely get to do - have a riding lesson for myself. Over the last couple years my lessons for myself have usually come in the form of clinics with Don Halladay focusing on natural horsemanship techniques. These have been excellent learning opportunities for me, but last night was a chance for me to really have a critical and knowledgeable eye enhance my riding.

Veann made it to our lesson with police escort - the flashing lights of the cop car let me know she had arrived. She'd been lost for about half an hour trying to navigate her way around the construction blocking Durham Rd 1 just north of Harrison Drive. She luckily found a nearby cop who kindly drove her right to the farm!

I rode back to back lessons to make the most use of Veann's time. First up was Thetis. I rode in my close contact saddle and we started with dressage fundamentals. Veann reinforced learning the inside leg to outside hand connection - I have a tendency to always want to use an inside indirect rein, and Veann helped me to focus on using my inside leg more.

We then worked on building impulsion and adding more 'swing' to our gaits by moving forward and then collecting back. The next part was what I was most looking forward to - Veann taught me a detailed lesson on shoulder in and haunches in. I had the basic idea of what and how to do it, but I was never really sure when I had it exactly. To my surprise, the correct movement isn't as much of a bend in the horse as I thought - I had been asking Thetis to bring her shoulders in too much - this was really helpful to have someone watching to tell me when Thetis was traveling on the three tracks. Getting a mirror in the ring would help too because then I could watch myself as I come down the wall.

This was really nice for me to get a chance to be precise in my riding with something relatively new. We then finished with some jumping which Thetis really enjoys - and so do I! We did some bounces and a tight roll back. We practiced making our turns using the outside rein, and for my position I practiced sitting deep with straighter wrists and keeping my elbows at my sides.

Thetis was excellent - next up was Phin. I rode Phin in my dressage saddle - I hadn't used it for nearly a year! It really makes a huge difference and I can sit the trot much better in it. Phin was amazing and we practiced the same exercises as with Thetis, but this time I had a different horse and could work on getting the feel for the movements. Phin was easier to push with my inside leg to my outside hand - both horses were easier to the right, so I know I need to work on my left.

Phin really gave me some beautiful trots when I transition down from canter, and at first he wasn't very 'pliable' in the canter - he moved forward well, but then was harder to collect again... after a few laps of practice he was doing much better and we made a few excellent transitions.

Riding two horses back to back with the same lesson was really helpful - horses can feel and act so differently, so practicing on two different horses gave me an even better understanding of what and how to do the movements.

We finished up with jumping some bounces (still in my dressage saddle!) which rounded out a fun and education filled night.

It was really nice to get some feedback and focus on my learning needs. I am a strong believer that we never stop learning, and there is always something to learn when it comes to horses. I plan to continue with Vean in lessons monthly to make sure I keep up with my skills and practicing so I can keep progressing. I am also going to be setting up some lessons with 2 star Parelli instructor Todd Owens to help me move forward with my natural horsemanship techniques and progress to getting my Parelli level 3 in all four savvys.

We can always learn more to be even better for our horses - Cheers to lifelong learning :)

An amazing cake to round out the day - have you ever seen anything like it ??!!

To round out the Oct 22 free wellness education & potluck day at Chestnut Hill Stables we had a very special cake designed by Sarah's Cutie's cakes, http://www.sarahscutiecakes.com/Site/Welcome.html

The cake is a 3D horse lying down, 100% edible except one toothpick in one of the horse's ears. The tail and mane are made of fondant icing, and the body of the horse is vanilla cake. The horse used up 4 batches of vanilla cake.

There was plenty to go around! We only used up 'the hind quarters' of the horse, and still have the belly, head and front legs still left - good thing it is my birthday this week so there is a reason to celebrate & many people to eat cake with!

Sarah truly is an artist when decorating her cakes. She has made many more cakes for me including birthdays, baby showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties. Every time I am amazed at what she creates - this time she really blew me away... I just wonder what will she create next??

Check out her website http://www.sarahscutiecakes.com/Site/Welcome.html

Laura Lorentson teaches us different stretches for our horses

Our last wellness expert to teach us on Oct 22 at our free wellness education & potluck day at Chestnut Hill Stables was Laura Lorentson, a Registered Equine Massage Therapist. http://www.lfequestrian.com/LaurTech.php

Laura taught us some stretches for our horses and explained that these were important for the horse's muscles. She showed us stretches for all four legs of the horse, and some stretches for the neck and back of the horse.

She used Thetis for the demonstration and Thetis really loved the stretches that used a carrot! There were 2 different stretches that Laura used a carrot to help encourage Thetis to really reach with her neck and get a better stretch. Thetis loves carrots so it worked really well.

Laura then gave us a chance to practice the stretches ourselves with Thetis - it was really fun and informative... and I think Thetis enjoyed it too!

Thank you Laura! http://www.lfequestrian.com/LaurTech.php

Lauren Gallant - barefoot hoofcare specialist teaching us about hoof health

After Dr. Elena Silverman, we learned from Laruen Gallant, a barefoot hoofcare specialist. This was during our Oct 22 Free wellness education day & potluck.

We learned many helpful tips from Lauren - http://gobarenhc.webs.com/aboutus.htm

She taught us about how the horse's diet and environment really play a big role in the horse's hooves. She gave us some suggestions to help our horses achieve a healthy weight by using a slower feeder - or even a hockey net to help make the horses eat the hay more slowly & continuously throughout the day which is healthier for them.

When horses eat continuously throughout the day it is easier for the bacteria in the horses gut to digest the food. This is better for both the 'hard keepers' (skinny horses) and the easy keepers (fat horses).

She also taught us about choosing foods for our horses that are low in sugar/starch, and she recommended we walk our horses on hard ground regularly to help develop strong hooves.

She taught us about the importance of the horse being trimmed so they land heel first, and she assessed Phin. Using Phin she showed us some important bits of information about the hoof, and then gave him a trim.

It was all very interesting & informative!

Thank you Lauren! Learn more about her: http://gobarenhc.webs.com/aboutus.htm

Dr. Elena Silverman teaching Equine Chiro Care

On Oct 22nd we started the Free education & potluck day at Chestnut Hill Stables with Dr. Elena Silverman. http://vntpetcare.com/Chiropractic_Services.html

She taught us about Equine Chiropractic care, and about the anatomy of our horse. We learned how to feel for 'subluxations' - places in our horses spine that are not quite right. We learned about why and how chiropractic care and help.

From personal experience I know chiropractic care really helps me. I tend to need adjustments in my neck, and I really find that chiro adjustments take my headaches away.

Dr. Elena Silverman started with Riddler and did a full assessment on him, and allowed us to feel the subluxations she found. Then she did some adjustments and we could feel the improvement. It was really impressive to see results so quickly.

She then did another partial assessment on Phin and pointed out some other findings.

Dr. Elena Silverman will be coming back next Thursday to do another set of adjustments with Riddler and a first set of adjustments with Phin.

Thank you Dr. Elena Silverman for teaching us about this very interesting and important area of equine health!

Learn more about her services at http://vntpetcare.com/Chiropractic_Services.html

Learning with Don Halladay - the Young Horse Clinic

Right now I am doing a Young Horse Clinic with Don Hallarday (Parelli Professional). It is just amazing!

I brought Prince, a Gypsy Vanner gelding that I have been working with. Prince and I have come a long way since we started, but I wanted to come to this clinic to get more ideas for building confidence and progressing with him under saddle.

Prince and I ride walk/trot, but the canter always seemed to be a bit of an issue - and by that I mean some serious rodeo bucks if I'm not careful. Don Halladay has started many horses, is natural horsemanship, and he was bucking bronco rider in his former days which means he has a ton of experience to make him perfect for the job to help.

Prince has done 2 days of the 3 day clinic so far, and I am very happy with what we are learning and progressing. Both Don and I have been riding Prince and Prince had some bucks in the beginning at the canter, but with patience, understanding, and persistence Don is helping both Prince and I to progress.

I was really happy with Prince going walk, trot, and canter today under saddle on 3 different rides! He also stood on the pedestal, walked over the bridge, and jumped down the stairs! There is so much to do at the Horseman's Word Ranch.

Tomorrow I am taking Vinnie to play with in between some of Prince's rest breaks - I know it will be a fun & educational day!

Opening a new facility May 1, 2011!!! http://www.lfequestrian.com/Facility.php

We are very proud and excited to be opening a new facility, but we need your help! Take a look http://www.lfequestrian.com/Facility.php

New trailer - did you know..... ??

I Got a New Trailer - Did you know.... ??

Friday was a very exciting day for me - I drove to Smith Falls to pick up my new Portax trailer from Maple Lane Equestrian. I left in the early morning and arrived around noon to hitch up the new trailer. One thing that surprised me though was how much I would learn.

When going over the trailer care and use I learned some new things... did you know....?
- you should NOT use WD40 on the hinges/etc of the trailer because the WD40 turns sticky and the dust will stick to it. Instead use a Silicone spray.
- There is a type of grease that you can put on your electrical plug on your car that you plug your trailer into. This will help protect against the salt and other harmful elements that may affect the electrical plug.
- You can put grease on your hitch ball which will help for a quieter and easier ride.
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Also I thought I new all of the speacial features about my trailer, but I was happy to learn there were more special features.... did you know...?
- Bockmann trailers have a built in lock for the hitch so you can either lock your hitch to your car, or you can lock the hitch so no one else can hitch to your trailer... not also the trailer door and the saddle chest both lock too
- The trailer wheels function independantly which means the ride is much smoother for the horse and you can even drive on 3 wheels to safety if the 4th wheel happens to go flat
- You can remove the centre dividers in the trailer to create a stock trailer
- The saddle racks swivel and extend for easier use
- The hitch rotates which helps to give a smoother ride to the horse
- There is a hand brake for the trailer
- There is a special cord you attach from the trailer to the car's hitch, so if the car/trailer detach from each other the cord will get pulled and activate the trailer's brakes so the trailer can stop on its own

I was thoroughly impressed.... all of these features along with the ones I already knew about. I am most excited that this trailer is perfect my little Ford Escape which just holds a V6 engine. I didn't want to buy a big gas gozzling monster just to tow because I do a ton of driving... so I am super happy to have something my Escape can tow.

The drive home wasn't quite so smooth. I headed out around 1pm only to realize I had no signals or emergency flashers. Then my cars electical system seemed to be on the fritz. I pulled over at a Canadian Tire in Kingston - thank goodness they had time to look at my car!

It turns out that the place that installed my wiring didn't do it properly, so the fuse shorted in my car and hence no signals or emergency flashers. Three hours later and I am on my way again from Kingston to get home. The trailer drove quite nicely - well enough that I forgot it was there some of the time!

I arrived home not until about 8pmish - my trailer got to spend the night in our visitors parking lot at our condo. A long day of driving to go get the trailer, but well worth it.

I am super excited to have my new trailer and all of the experiences I will be able to do this summer with it like clinics, trail rides, shows, and play days!

If you are curious about Maple Lane Trailers, you can check them out here: http://www.maplelaneequestriantrailers.com/ They are definitely my favourite 2 horse trailer.

www.LFEquestrian.com

New training video on solving girthy behaviour with a natural horsemanship approach http://www.lfequestrian.com/Girthy.php

Have you seen this? Two race horses die on the field! Watch the news story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QilYB9lBvG4

Shockingly two race horses died at the race track - the situation is being investigated. It is suspected that the horses were electrocuted due to a bad combination of the horses wearing metal shoes, having wet ground, and an electric current running through the ground.

A terrible tragedy. I have heard of something similar happening in an arena that had a wet spot - horses with shoes were killed from the electric current.

I suppose to take this as a cautionary tale- ensure all electrical wiring is safe, and maybe consider if your horse really needs shoes.

From LFEquestrian - www.LFEquestrian.com

Have you seen this? http://www.point-two.co.uk/

New inflattable vest that claim to be the best in safety - Take a look and let me know what you think!
http://www.point-two.co.uk/