Gemma's Assessment - Everything is brand new!

Gemma is a gorgeous girl and she is very eager to work with me. She always greets me at the fence and waits for me to come and get her. She is so excited when it is her turn to come out and play and she follows me eagerly out of the paddock.

It is fun to work with a horse that has such a positive attitude and is very willing. However, when working with Gemma in her ground training assessment, I realize she has a lot to learn - so it is a great thing that she is so eager to learn it all!

Similar to Bree, who is also in for training this month, Gemma takes a lot of time to think about things. I find myself giving her lots of pauses so she can fully digest what she has just learnt - but this is expected because she doesn't know a whole lot.

For wiggle to back up, it took several times before she started to move backward off of a softer cue. For circles she stared at me a bit, or would try going the wrong way before figuring out what she was supposed to do.

The nice thing about Gemma is that she doesn't get too worried or upset. She might not understand something right away, but she doesn't panic and try to run away.

We have been working on establishing solid basics on the ground. One thing she is learning is to become sensitive to the cues I want, and desensitized to things I don't want her to react to. Her confidence level is medium to low right now - and this is just because she hasn't been exposed to a whole lot.

To help her confidence, I introduce her to new things, like doing circles with the end of my string hanging over her back - this was quite scary for her at first, but she realized with a bit of time that my body language was relaxed and the string meant nothing.

Desensitizing Gemma to lots of things on the ground will help make her to be a much quieter horse for riding.

Gemma's dominance level is medium - she is in the middle out in the herd, but she also does little things to test my leadership like slowly trying to inch her way into my space so that she is close to me. However, she has not done anything aggressive at all and has never pinned her ears or shown any aggression in that sense. Her medium dominance level just means I have to be sure to correct her attempts to invade my space so that she learns good manners, but more importantly to be safe and respectful.

Her sensitivity level is actually fairly low. She doesn't pick up on very subtle cues, and I can get to a pretty intense phase of cue and she doesn't get bothered. I think over the course of her training I will get her to be more sensitive - she just needs to learn to be more sensitive, and once she understands the cues better this should happen.

Her confidence level is low to medium right now, only because she has so much to experience. She handles everything really well and will try what is asked of her, but sometimes she takes a bit of patience to allow her time to think. When I tossed the string over her back and asked her to trot while doing so, at first she was worried and ran forward a bit, but it didn't take her long to realize that nothing bad was going to happen and everything was ok.

With some more training on her, I expect over the next few sessions her confidence will grow quickly. She is a very curious horse which is a sign of bravery - she just needs to try more things to become tuly confident.

Bree's Assessment - Needing time to relax

Bree is a lovely big girl with a lovely personality, but she also reminds me about the importance of allowing horses to just take time to think.

When working with Bree she is willing and tries to complete the tasks, but when I disengage her to tell her she has done the right thing, it takes her a few minutes before I will see her lick her lips and show that she has thought about it.

It is important when you are training horses that you allow them enough time to thing about things. If you move too fast then you could spoil their confidence, trust, or understanding.

By allowing Bree enough time to think about the tasks, she was able to learn faster. She now easily understands traveling circles, and my cues for walk, trot, and canter on the line.

Bree has low dominance and hasn't tried to challenge any of my cues - occasionally she will push into my space, but she is easily corrected.

Bree has medium sensitivity, she moves away from pressure easily enough, but isn't over responsive and doesn't move off of the ideal cue either.

Bree's confidence seems fairly high. She was very calm in the new rings and very relaxed even with the barking dog around her.

All in all I think Bree is going to make a wonderful pleasure horse, she just needs to learn some new things and practice some other cues to make sure she has great understanding.

Stay tuned for more Bree updates!

Chica's Assessment - Smart and Sensitive

When I was working with Chica, one of the horses that has arrived for training this month, I learned that she is a very quick learner and sensitive to cues.

She was very quick to back up from a wiggle to the rope, but when I asked her to do circles she didn't understand the cues. She would stare at me, back up, and pull lightly on the rope - I kept my cue consistent and as soon as she made a step to leave on the circle I rewarded her by completely relaxing my body and taking all pressure off.

It didn't take her long until she was consistently understanding what I wanted, and she moved off of fairly subtle cues. To disengage and move the haunches she was also very easy to move off of pressure.

It is very important for a horse to learn to move away from pressure - this is the entire basis of our communication. We pull back when we want to stop, squeeze to go, push to move them aside, etc. It is also very important for a horse to understand wiggle to back up, because this is how we can move a horse out of our personal space, without having to move ourselves.

Chica is very good at both of these things which means she has an excellent foundation to get started with. Her owner has the goal for her to become a quiet trail and pleasure horse - and I think this is very possible in a reasonable amount of time given her assessment.

Chica's dominance is very low - she didn't challenge me on any cues, and did not try to come into my personal space. I also know from the field that she is the lowest on the pecking order.

Chica's confidence is medium right now - I will have to explore this more in the sessions to come. She looked around a bit in the new ring, but didn't spook or startle around. She also tolerated my barking Corgi.

Chica's sensitivity is medium to high. She moves swiftly and eagerly off of cues, especially air pressure. She is medium when it comes to direct pressure, so we can anticipate she will be medium pressure in the saddle too.

I look forward to getting aboard Chica during our next session. Our first sessions have been to establish trust and basic cues - which she is progressing really well for.

Stay tuned for future Chica updates!

Cookie goes from Racing to Relaxing - Tips for calming down the 'hot' horse

Cookie goes from Racing to Relaxing
By Lindsey Forkun, www.LFEquestrian.com

Cookie is about 10 hours into her retraining program with natural horsemanship. She has spent a lot of this time doing ground work – and has had about 3hrs of training with me in the saddle. We work on being slow and relaxed at the walk and trot, with lots of standing still to show her that being still and quiet is a good thing.

Some tips for helping the 'hot' horse to relax for riding:
- Only get on when the horse is standing still for you (no one holding the horse)
- Keep your reins relaxed and never brace on the horse's mouth; instead you can to 'take, take, give' or turn the horse on small circles to slow them. If you pull with both reins with no release in pressure, it is like you are trapping the horse and the horse is more likely to get more anxious, or even rear
- Always allow the horse to slow down or stop (to show the horse that slow/stopping is a good thing), after they slow/stop you can politely correct them to continue.
- If the horse speeds up at all without your cue (even if its just slow walk to fast walk), correct it immediately (to show the horse that going faster without permission is never what you want)
- Only ride with other quiet and relaxed horses
- Get out of your horse's mouth - the mouth is a sensitive place for most horses and bits can make them more anxious and high strung. If you have a rope hackamore, or side pull with no bit, it can help to relax your horse and actually give you more control.

After practicing with Cookie it was time to take her on her first walk around our track. I had another rider lead the trail on a really quiet reliable horse of mine, Spice. Having a quiet and relaxed horse with us helped Cookie to be quiet and relaxed too.

To my delight, Cookie rode around our track (walk only) very relaxed and completely spook free. It was her first time back on a track since racing, and she didn't look like a race horse at all.

I use the track at my facility to provide a more open space to train horses, and also to have a place to ride that is like a mini trail ride. It was very rewarding to see that after such a short amount of retraining that Cookie could walk relaxed on a loose rein around the track.

In the coming weeks we will slowly start to practice more trot work – I have to be careful to make sure she stays relaxed. Right now we are avoiding canter because I am still showing Cookie that I am very different from a jockey at the race track - one of the easier ways to do that is to not canter and have many slow and quiet rides at walk and trot. That way when I do ask Cookie for canter, she should understand that I'll want it to be slow and relaxed, and it’s not about just go, go, go.

Take home message this week: if you want your horse to be more relaxed and quiet, then you need to let your horse know that slow and quiet is always good, but fast will always be corrected right away. Put the long term goal of a quiet and relaxed horse first - which means you might avoid the canter for a while to make sure you have the really solid basics of a quiet walk and trot first.

Cookie Learns to Have a Conversation

Cookie Learns to Have a Conversation
By Lindsey Forkun, www.LFEquestrian.com

Cookie is a lovely Thoroughbred mare that recently retired from racing. She is learning to become a safe and relaxed trail and pleasure horse for her new owner. This horse has a lot of potential - is kind, willing, and has a good mind so her new owner bought her to give her a second career as a relaxing pleasure horse.

Horse racing is extremely different from pleasure riding. The horses at the race track pick up some benefits - like being used to crowds, handled a lot, and usually they end up well accustomed to the farrier and vet. Race horses also pick up other behaviours and learn things that aren't very helpful when you want a pleasure horse - but horses can be retrained.

On day one with Cookie, the goal was to get Cookie to learn that partnership with humans isn't just about whoa and go, but instead that there is a whole language to figure out with humans through body language. Teaching horses how we can use body language (very similarly to how horses use body language) starts on the ground.

We are safest when we teach horses new things on the ground. Horses are prey animals and don’t like being trapped. When we ride, the horse can have more anxiety because they are trapped with us on top of them. The horse is more relaxed when we are on the ground, which makes the ground a safer place to be.

One of the first things I taught Cookie was all of the basic cues with me on the ground. She learnt back up, go forward, sideways, move just your bum (forehand turn), and move just your shoulders (haunch turn). After she learnt these basic cues, I could start doing patterns and games with her. This teaches Cookie that we can communicate with each through body language and understand each other.

Cookie has learned how to do figure 8 patterns around barrels, backwards weaving, sideways at the trot, and more all with me on the ground. This has helped to teach Cookie that I want to have a conversation with her not - not just make her go. She has learned to relax, try new things, and to become a willing partner that follows my lead.

Some ideas of what you can do after your horse knows the basic cues:
- Learn a figure 8 around barrels
- Get your horse to weave a set of pylons or barrels going both forwards and backwards
- Learn to trot sideways
- Go from one end of the ring to the other, without going forward, and without taking more than 10 steps of a time in one movement (for example you can do sideways, back up, and a series of forehand and haunch turns to move yourself to the other end of the ring)
- Back up over poles
- Sideways over a pole
- Go in between poles

The idea is to keep the horse out of a routine and in a conversation – you want the horse to be paying attention to you, curious of what you will ask for next. Being able to do a lot of a different things on the ground will show the horse that you are a knowledgeable and capable partner, that you can understand each other, and that you can be trusted.

As I play with Cookie on the ground, I build her confidence and she learns to relax. Cookie is learning to have a conversation with me – and we having fun doing it!

Take home message for this week: Make sure your horse understands the basic cues, and once your horse understands them, start having a conversation! Challenge your skills to try new things and new patterns. Take it slow, and keep it positive.

Keeping Horses Warm During Winter Months – Part I, Shelters

Keeping Horses Warm During Winter Months – Part I, Shelters

In the chilly time of year it can be difficult to know if your horse is warm enough. Sometimes we like to bring them inside, blanket them up, and even put them in a heated barn.

Horses are actually pretty hardy and adaptable animals. Generally if a horse has good shelter they will be able to keep warm. Horses enjoy being outside – they only sleep about 4hrs a day! That means they want to spend most of their day walking around or playing outside.

Some tips for shelters:
 Make them spacious: each horse needs about 10ft by 10ft of space. Sometimes horses can share shelters with less than ideal space, but only if they really get a long and aren’t bullied to the outside.
 Make multiple shelters: usually there is a herd boss that will hog the shelter and leave at least a couple horses out in the cold. If you have a couple shelters in the field than the herd boss can’t hog them all. Even if you have one shelter, you can put a divider wall in the middle to force the herd boss to one side or the other.
 Block north winds: the coldest winds come from the north, shelters should always have a solid wall that will block the north winds.
 Inviting: the shelter needs to looking inviting for a horse to use it – spacious, bright, and with a wide opening.
 Watch the herd: after you have a shelter built, watch the herd during bad weather. Can they all fit in the shelter? Do you need more space, or do you need to move a horse out of the field that is blocking the others?
 Safe: make sure the shelter is safe with no nails or screws poking out. It is a good idea to have kick boards inside shelters too.


Your horse can be warm and happy outside – so take comfort in knowing that although you might be frozen and dreading the winter blues, your horse will cope just great with the right shelter.

Safety Vests- a danger you should know about

Safety Vest - A danger you should know

How many people do you know that wear a safety vest? what about yourself?

Well here is an interesting story you should know - before you pick up that vest and put it on.

I've had the same safety vest for about 10 years now. My parents bought me one when I started eventing in Pony Club. Since then I wear it when I am training green or unpredictable horses, or when trail riding. It's always given me a sense of safety. I've worn it over top and underneath clothing, in western and in English. I find it comfortable.

Little did I know that this safety vest could actually be a safety hazard. One of my clients has the same type of safety vest as I have - the Tipperary Eventer Vest (http://www.greenhawk.net/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/scstore/p-DRC0391.html?L+scstore+msdb7587ffea35ea+1327964345 ). It is designed for event riders, riders in English saddles. You would think it is safe for western riders too - but this past week I learned it is not.

My client had been riding and decided to wear her vest. After her ride, she decided to dismount and call it a day. As she dismounted she lost her balance and tipped forward a little extra - which caught her vest on the horn. The zipper didn't budge so she was left hanging on the side of her horse.

Luckily her horse was being really quiet and stood patiently while the rider scrambled free after a few minutes of fighting with the zipper.

This safety vest wasn't designed with the Western saddle and horn in mind - there is no safety release, or double zipper to easily undo yourself if you get caught on the horn.

What makes matter worse, is that the momentum of dismounting and then being caught by the safety vest, my client actually broke her 9th rib. The very thing that was meant to protect her ribs and body, is the very thing that caused her to break a rib.

I have experienced myself splitting the zipper a few times when barrel racing - just from leaning forward and getting my vest caught on the horn.

Are safety vests still safe? I still choose to wear a safety vest, but usually when I am riding English, otherwise I am very careful about staying away from the horn.

If you know of a safety vest that is better for western riding - please share!!

Trimming a Mustang - not easy as pie

Trimming a Mustang - Not quite as easy as pie

Cimmaron is a rescued wild mustang that I have been working with over the last couple months. I have been working to tame her so that I can help her.

Cimmaron has lived a comfortable life for many years, until the last year or two when her hooves began to grow and grow without chipping off. Wild horses don't have farrier treatments - instead their hooves chip away and wear naturally because they travel over rocks and hard ground during their travels from grazing space to water and beyond.

It is when horses don't travel on hard ground to wear away their hooves that they need us to step in with a rasp and nippers to clip and file their hooves. Horses hooves are just like our nails - each is different and some of have soft, others have really hard, but if we don't keep them short, they can grow, and grow until they get super long, twisted, and even deformed at extreme lengths.

That's what happened to Cimmaron. Her hooves weren't wearing down naturally, so they just kept growing and growing until her hooves started to twist and become deformed. She had an 'emergency' trimming done in the fall. The veterinarian used a tranquilizer gun to sedate Cimmaron enough that she went to sleep for a few minutes so the farrier could quickly trim at her hooves. Her owner described it as traumatizing for Cimmrron because she was shot with the tranquilizer a couple times before it was a enough to get her quiet, and then she was flipped on her side and tied up so she couldn't injure the vet or farrier. Her hooves were so awful, that the owner considered it an 'emergency' trim to help Cimmaron because she had become lame from her hooves being so overgrown. There wasn't time to get her tamed - she needed her hooves done asap.

Getting her feet done in the fall gave me some time to get Cimmaron's trust before she needed a trim again.
On Monday January 16th, I cam prepared to trim. I had been working on poking Cimmaron's neck, touching her legs and body, and building some basic trust. I have put a halter on Cimmaron before and done some basic leading, but she tends to get more panicky with a halter on because she feels trapped - so to help keep Cimmaron relaxed I wanted to trim her hooves without needing to put a halter on and trying to hold her still.

I made huge progress with Cimmaron - now her owner can even brush her with a curry comb - but her hooves needed a trim. I knew Cimmaron wouldn't be 100% relaxed with the idea. We also didn't want to call in the vet because we didn't want Cimmaron to go through the same experience of getting shot with the tranquilizer gun.

Instead I had the owner pick up a tranquilizer needle. I didn't need Cimmarron to be sleeping, but I wanted to give her something to help her relax, to keep us both safe, so I could help her before her hooves got worse.

I arrived at the farm, with my farrier equipment with me (I am not a farrier, but I have learnt to trim my own horse's, and because Cimmaron likely wouldn't trust a different farrier I planned on trimming her hooves). I met up with owner, and took the tranquilizer.

Cimmaron was waiting for me in the large indoor shelter. I approached Cimmaron and started rubbing and pinching her neck to prepare her for getting a needle. Once I felt she was ready, I poked her with the needle - before I could inject the needle she moved away. She didn't run away or get frantic, but she twisted her neck away from the poke and took a couple steps away before I could inject. This wasn't great because now she was a bit nervous about me approaching her neck, because she was worried I would poke her again.

I decided to call the vet and ask if I could inject in any muscle. Luckily the vet was available and told me I can inject in any muscle - usually they do the neck because if it abscess's later it won't make the horse go lame, and usually it is an easy place to give. It is always good to check with a vet for any medical advice if you are unsure.

Knowing that I can give the needle in any muscle, I decided to inject Cimmaron in the rump (bum) - this is because she can twist away as easily, but mainly because she was nervous about me poking her neck, so the last thing I wanted to do is gain her trust and then poke her there again.

I prepared Cimmaron by rubbing and poking her rump, and when I was ready I quickly injected the tranquilizer. She did step away, but it was easier to keep the needle in and inject the fluid. Cimmaron wasn't horribly upset by it - she moved away, but she didn't run, and she still allowed me to rub her afterward.

I spent the next 20 minutes waiting for the tranquilizer to take effect. In the meantime I rubbed her rump and neck to make sure she still trusted me, and then I started rubbing her legs to get her comfortable with that.

Once she seemed really relaxed I brought my farrier equipment in and began with one of her front hooves. I slowly asked her to lift her hoof, and then rewarded her by putting it back down. Each time I would hold her hoof a little bit longer, until I was able to hold it up long enough to trim some of the hoof. I would put the hoof down to reward her, pick it up, trim some more and put it down.

Amazingly she was completely trusting and relaxed - she wasn't tied up at all, didn't have a halter on, and had only gotten enough tranquilzer to relax her, not completely 'knock her out'. There were a couple times when her balance would shift or she would get worried because I dropped a tool so she would walk away, and then allow me to approach her again. I know that if she really didn't trust me she was definitely able to move and get away - but she didn't.

I was able to trim all four hooves - the back hooves were the easiest because they are in the best shape. The front hooves are quite misshapen and were very difficult to trim. I did the best I could, and 2 hours later from when we began, Cimmaron had hooves that looked more like hooves.

It was a very exciting night for both me and Cimmaron's owner - Cimmaron wasn't traumatized and I was able to trim all four hooves. It just goes to show that if you give natural horsemanship a chance, you can make life better for your horse.

Cimmaron is going to need regular trims, so I will continue to work on taming her and then training her so that any farrier can do her feet and so she can get any other care she needs. I visit Cimmaron once a week, and last week I was able to pick up all four feet - no tranquilizer to help relax her. She is continuing to make huge progress in the little time we've had together (about 10 hours over the last few months).

New Farm Going Well - New Pictures posted :)

We have really been enjoying our new farm - thank you to everyone that have helped to get us to this point. We are thrilled to have this dream come true.

Now we have 9 out or 13 of our horses at home. We still have a few boarded at Chestnut Hill Stables so we have use of their indoor arena to continue lessons this winter. We look forward to bringing everyone home and starting lessons at the new facility in Pontypool.

We just posted new pictures from this past weekend - check them out at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lfequestrian/sets/72157628432662965/

We just posted a bunch of new exciting events - take a look at:
http://www.lfequestrian.com/events.html

If you are wanting to register for a clinic or summer camp, contact us to reserve your spot!

We look forward to seeing everyone a the new farm - you can look out our services at:
http://www.lfequestrian.com/boarding.html

Winter Riding - Tips for you & Your Horse - and a neat video!!

Winter Riding

This past weekend was the coldest so far for this winter. As much as I wanted to bundle up indoors and avoid the super chilly conditions, I ventured outside for some winter riding and teaching.

Being active all year is important for ourselves and our horses. Being active is really good for our health – this really neat video on youtube makes a good case for being active:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo&sns=fb

So I bundled up and went to visit the horses – because what is better than spending time with horses for your ‘active time’?

We saddled up and explored around our property. We had some friends visiting so we all rode together – and even took some pictures, check them out at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lfequestrian/sets/72157628432662965/

In the chilly weather you do need to keep some precautions in mind, so remember these helpful tips:
- Take Care of your Horse: when we ride in the winter we need to remember to do some extra little things to take care of our horses.
o Quarter Sheets: If you horse is used to being blanketed, it is a chilly change to have just a saddle. Using a fleece quarter sheet over their hind quarters will help them stay warm during your warm up and cool down. Even if your horse isn’t blanketed, you may want to consider a quarter sheet to help your horse’s muscles stay warm, and to help your horse dry from any sweat.
o Coolers: using a fleece cooler over your horse while tacking up and untacking can help your horse stay warm if they are used to wearing blankets. Using a cooler to help a horse dry is important too.
o Easier Breathing: in the winter the colder air makes hard work less comfortable for the horses. Take it easier on your horse and allow more warm up and cool down time so you can make breathing easier. If your horse starts coughing, allow them to walk and catch their breath before you start going again.
- Dress warm! This may seem like a no brainer, but it can be really surprising how under prepared – and under dressed – people can be when they show up to ride in the winter. Here are my tips on dressing warm for riding – without being expensive:
o Boots: You should really get some very insulated winter boots, that are roomy enough for some wool socks. If your boots are too tight with the extra socks, you will actually make your feet colder! My winter boots are rated to -40 degrees Celcius – they have a heel, but are just winter rubber boots from Walmart. I bought them 1 size too big, so when I wear my thick socks they are perfect. I do have a pair of Mountain Horse tall winter riding boots which I will use for jumping or when I ride and need a better leg position, but for basic pleasure/winter riding I use my Walmart boots that only cost $40.
o Long Underwear: Getting some winter long underwear and long sleeve shirts is important too. This past weekend I wore 2 pairs of long underwear under my winter fleece riding pants. I wore 2 long sleeve shirts under my fleece sweater. Find clothes that are comfortable for you. I like the warm stuff from Mark’s Work Warehouse. They wick away sweat but keep you warm. Getting the basic cotton pants/shirts will work too and you can pick them up at Walmart, Superstores, and even some dollar stores. Remember to get something thin so it fits under your other pants.
o Pants: Winter riding pants can be really helpful – or fleece lined jeans. Just make sure you buy them large enough that you can fit extra layers underneath if you want to. If I am riding outside, I wear snow pants because half the battle to keeping warm is to block the wind, and snow pants do a great job of that.
o Winter jacket: You can’t skimp on a winter jacket. Make sure you get something with a zipper that can open from both ends (so you don’t accidentally split your zipper when riding) – and something short enough so it doesn’t make riding awkward.
o Winter Gloves: I don’t bother with the winter riding gloves – I don’t find any of them warm enough, so I use the Wind River ski gloves – they work perfectly because they are super warm and they have grips (since they are still a glove for sports). The winter riding gloves at most tack shops are pretty expensive, and if they are leather they aren’t machine washable. The Wind River Ski Glove (from Mark’s Work Warehouse) cost about $35-45 and are machine washable, super warm, and very gripy. I feel really comfortable riding with them.
o The Extras: Remember to also wear a hat. I also use the fleece cover for my helmet with the fleece chin strap – I find this really helpful. I also wear a scarf.

So don’t be intimidated by the cold weather – being active is a good thing… just stay smart for you and your horse… keep warm!