Disclaimer:  Sometimes I reiterate a point in my posts.  That is because it’s a very important point that I don’t want people to miss.  The circumstances in part of this post may not be entirely true, but the point I’m bringing out is.

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So do you want what’s behind Door Number 1, Door Number 2, or Door Number 3.  It’s just so easy on TV.

When we make a decision, we take the information we have at the time, and try to choose the best way to handle the situation.  Sometimes we’re right, and sometimes we are not.  The not times can be dangerous when it comes to our horses.

Most of the time we think “Oh it won’t happen to me,” but it can.

I was putting blankets on last night and I stood behind the horse to pull it straight.  The little voice in my head said “this isn’t a good idea”, so I moved off to the side.  I know better.  I know the dangers.  But you think, oh just this once and it will be okay.  When that little voice speaks to you – LISTEN!  I don’t care if you think it’s God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, your Guardian Angel or whomever, or maybe it could even be your common sense.  Imagine that.  If the bells, whistles, red flags, or whatever goes off in your head, LISTEN!

With horses it’s not just a situation that can be dangerous, it can be fatal.

Every once in a while something happens that challenges by beliefs about teaching.  I don’t mind people questioning me on why I believe in what I do.  It makes me take a second look to make sure I still believe what I’m doing is the right thing.  This past week I had that happen.  I reexamined the situation and came to the conclusion that I had no doubts in what I believed.  I believe keeping the child safe, and giving them the right foundation is most important.  I’m not there to buy into what makes them happy, I’m there to keep them alive.

We all fall off.  We pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and get back on and try again.  Rarely, but occasionally, it doesn’t work out that way.

I’ve seen two people killed on the Hunt Field.  When the first one was killed we had to go to the Police Station and answer questions about the incident.  There were 50 mile an hour gusts and a tree snapped and caught her across the back.  The Police asked “What could have been done to prevent this.”  My answer was, stay at home.  There was nothing we could have done except not be out there.

The second time could have been prevented.  I had told this woman for years, when she was getting dumped, to let herself go and push away from the horse.  She always insisted on hanging on his neck and pulling herself back into the saddle.  The last time she slipped under him, and was killed.  She was an excellent rider, but made the wrong decision.

This week a beautiful Professional Barrel Racer, only 28 years old with a small child, was killed.  I don’t know all the specifics, I wasn’t there, so I won’t make any comments as though I was.  My prayers and love go out to her family and many friends who are mourning her loss.  I will make comments on the information that is circulating in hopes of it being a wake-up call to others.

Supposedly as she came around the third barrel her horse tripped and her reins went flying over the horse’s head.  As she was running for the finish line she was reaching forward to either grab the bit or his bridle.  Now I did that once when I was on a horse that was out of control and running for a road.  I put my fingers in the rings of his Pelham bit to turn his head in hopes of stopping him.  (The reins were doing nothing to turn this drafts head.)  The problem is that when you are reaching forward it is throwing you off balance and encouraging the horse to run faster.  Since sitting back and pulling wasn’t working, I did the next thing I could think of, the turn.  Jockeys get off their horses back every day to get more speed.  It takes your weight off their backs and they move freely and faster.

I remember fifty years ago when we hosted the Eastern Barrel Racers Association at the barn where I worked, the riders didn’t want the in gate closed (that’s how they were exiting).  They wanted to run their horses right out of the ring before stopping them.  If the gate was closed the horse would set up to stop before breaking the beam on the timer.  I thought at the time it was dangerous, but the horse was going to stop when they hit the eight foot high chain link fence that was 100 feet in front of them.

From what I was told, the gate was open at this event and the horse kept running until it hit the asphalt.  Whether he stopped or slipped I don’t know but from what I heard, she hit face first into the pavement.  They rushed her to the hospital, operated, they thought she was going to make it, but didn’t.  I don’t know why.

I don’t want her death or any other riders death to be in vain.  If it makes one person stop and think before making the wrong choice, and saves that person’s life, the person who gave their life will be an angel on a mission.

I know the gate person will question themselves for the rest of their life if they should have shut the gate.  Yes the horse would have either stopped and thrown her over the gate, or turned and dumped her into the fence.  It might have injured her severely or even killed her, but it could have saved her life.  But like everything else, you make a decision and live with the consequences, good or bad.  You’ll just never know and there’s no point in beating yourself up about it either.  You took the information and made a decision.

We only have a blink of an eye sometimes to make the right decision, make everyone count.  Sometimes there are no do overs.

First let me say Thank You to all of you that encourage me to continue to do this.  I have fun, try to hit on topics that will help you, and get you to smile.

I’ve touched on this topic before, but want to come at it from a different angle this time.

As you think back to your childhood I’m sure you remember the Fairy Tale where the princess kisses the frog and he turns into this handsome prince.  Well in life, not only with trying to find that handsome prince, but also in trying to find that perfect horse, you have to kiss a lot of frogs.  Don’t settle on the first frog you kiss, he just might stay a frog.

Okay men, I’m not just picking on you.  You all know, very well, that frogs come in pretty packages too.

So today, instead of trying to help you in finding the right prince/princess or horse, I’ve got a different mission for you all – speaking up and don’t allow someone else to get warts.  If you see a train wreck about to happen, and you know facts from experience, speak up and save someone from a lot of heartache, or actual pain.

What do I mean by that?  Well I’m glad you asked.  You’re all so sharp it’s hard to keep up with you people.

One of the girls told me about a woman she was speaking with, who wanted to get a young Arabian from a rescue for her young daughters.  Bells, whistles, fireworks went off in this college students head.  Years ago she had gotten a very young Arab from a rescue.  She had worked with this foal and knew him well.  She wasn’t in the market, but when the rescue became over crowded, they called her and asked her if she would take him.  She said yes, and five years later he still pushes her buttons sometime.  She is a very good rider, he is a typical Arabian.  High spirited and full of himself.  She rides him well and they do very good together, but he doesn’t belong in the hands of the inexperienced.  Not then, not now.  She wasn’t going to say anything to discourage this woman from rescuing this poor creature, but common sense won out, and she told her it was not a good idea.  She explained why a green horse and green rider don’t mix.  (I say green on green makes black and blue.)  Then she explained about the spirit side of the Arabian horse, and the lack of experience and knowledge of her children.

When speaking to people, like in this situation, you really must speak intelligently, with concern for the others safety.  Don’t come off like you know everything there is about horses, trust me, no matter how long you live or deal with horses, you will never know everything, but show concern and give facts.

As the old Diana Ross and the Supremes song goes:  Stop! In The Name Of Love, (before you break some bones)  Think It O-Over.  That’s my twist on that old song.  It could be a hit, yeah, really.

With all the responsibilities and things on our “To Do List”, we must remember that it’s all about having fun.  Everything, even work.

As horse owners we have all our barn stuff, horse stuff, house stuff, kid stuff, laundry stuff, shopping stuff, and I could go on, but I won’t.

Why is it that we don’t pencil in “Fun Stuff”?  We have a habit of not remembering to do Fun Stuff as we mature.  (Notice I didn’t say as we get older.)

Today when I was giving a lesson to an eight year old, who has now ridden five time, she was asking me questions about falling off.  Why do you fall off, how do you fall off, and do you have to fall off?  I told her that you become a better rider after you’ve fallen a few times.  (Like 100)  I could see the concern in her eyes.  So I started goofing on her, and made her laugh.  I told her to get down and then I climbed on the rails of the fence and was going to get on the horse she was riding.  The horse decided I was at the right height to rub his head on me as I was suspended hanging onto the upper rail trying to mount.  Now we’re not talking just a regular fence, we’re talking round pen about six foot high.  The girl started laughing, her mom started laughing, the horse was thinking this was the funniest thing he had ever done.  Everyone was having a good laugh except me.  I was plastered against the wall of the round pen, doing something stupid.  I just figured I could climb up two boards and get on this 17 hand horse so I wouldn’t have to change her stirrups.  So much for that idea.  Got down dropped the stirrup and got on.  Then I showed her an emergency dismount.  That wouldn’t hurt a bit.  So then it was her turn to try it.  Well she had so much fun jumping down and landing on her butt that she just wanted to keep doing it until she could land on her feet.  But I had to keep giving her a leg-up.  Okay, I’m 68 years old trying to give a short kid a leg-up, who really doesn’t push off, up onto a 17 hand horse.  She was having a great time, I was exhausted.

But the bottom line is that she was relaxed, having a great time, was no longer concerned about hitting the ground, and that made me have a great time teaching her.  We strive so hard to teach them how to ride and be safe, we have to remember to teach them how to have fun.

Having fun, no matter what we are doing, makes it easier to do, and makes the time just fly by.  It doesn’t matter what it is.  Even the bad things, like falling off, don’t seem to be as scary when you’re laughing.

Bottoms Up!

I was just reading about a woman who picked up a flyer that read “Keys to Forming a New Habit,” and it got me thinking about the similarities with horses.

Her flyer read –

•  Set up attainable goals
•  Measure small steps of progress
•  Avoid negative self-talk
•  Reward yourself for success.

These flyers were placed at a gym in January.  At the beginning of each year we all think about getting healthy and fit; at least for the first couple of weeks.

Now we all know how hard it is to stick to our New Years Resolutions, we try it every year.  To form a new habit we have to do it for 21 days.  Good or bad, it’s up to you.  We usually fail and give up until next New Years Day.

Let’s take this train of thought and apply it to our horses and riding.  I know I’ve quickly touched on this idea in several posts, but now lets elaborate a little more.

• Set up attainable goals. – Not only for yourself, but also for your horse.  Just take one step at a time when trying to learn or accomplish something new or different.
• Measure small steps of progress. – Acknowledge that you have succeeded in what you are trying to do (no matter how small the accomplishment) not only to yourself, but also reward your horse.  We always tell them when they have done wrong, but praise them when they do right.  They are more willing to do the right thing again if they know it was good.
• Avoid negative self-talk – Both to yourself and your horse.  If you keep a positive energy, your horse will feel it, and respond.
• Reward yourself for your success –  And don’t forget to reward your horse.

I’m not saying throw a big party.  Just positive thinking about both of your accomplishments can reinforce the idea in your head, and your horses.

When I was a kid we were always told “quit on your best fence” in our jumping class.  Always end on a positive note or feeling (they taught that in golf lessons too).  This is what your mind and body will remember.  If you are doing something with your horse and he’s not being successful at it (and neither are you) don’t end there.  Go back and do something you will both feel good about, and end with that.  Then next time, after warming up, go back and try the difficult task again.  You both will be refreshed, mind cleared, and ready to give it another try.  Remember, energy and attitude is our biggest step to success or failure.

Don’t forget – “A winner is a loser who gave it one more try.”  You can, and will be a winner if you take all this to heart, and apply it.

Happy Valentines Day!

Couldn’t think of a good title for an Artificial Aids Post so I thought this was cute.  It got your attention didn’t it?

Okay let’s start with the obvious.  What is an Artificial Aid.  Well if our hands, feet, legs, and weight are real aids, than anything we use that is materialistic is artificial.  For example crops, spurs, draw reins, martingales (tie downs), brain chains (don’t get me started on that), and variations there of.

Everything can be used for good or evil.  A Ha!!! bet you never looked at it that way.  A simple snaffle bit, in the wrong hands, can be severe. (I’ve said that before}

Why do we use Artificial Aids.  Well they are supposed to enhance or reinforce our natural aids.  Natural aids are supposed to be used first at all times.  If the horse is not responding then you add an artificial aid to correct or encourage them.

Now Artificial Aids, in and of themselves, are not evil; its how you use them, and if you grow dependent on them, that’s where the trouble comes in.

Carrying a crop is not wrong.  It is there to reinforce your request if need be.  By a gentle tap, not an all out beating.  Most of the time it is a magic wand,  you just need to carry it and all of a sudden they remember what your heels mean.  Once again, it is not there to beat your horse into submission.  As with any aid, overuse can cause dead sides or a horse that just ignores you.  It’s really kind of like dealing with a teenager.  If you keep repeating yourself they just tune you out.  If you say it once or twice and really mean it, they will learn to do it or face the consequences.  Beating a horse will get you one of two things – a sour, or a violent horse.  I’ve known horses in the past that will either plant their feet and won’t move or they blow-up and become totally dangerous.  Not only dangerous to you but to themselves and everyone around them.  Sometimes you have to go in through the back door and make them believe it was their idea in the first place.  Same with kids.

If you are using artificial training aids for more than a couple of weeks (other than carrying a crop), you have to find out why the horse isn’t learning what’s right or what you are doing wrong.  I’ve seen all kinds of contraptions to get the horse into a frame.  And the worse part of it is that people continue to use them forever.  If you are not educated enough to train the horse properly, get help from someone who really knows what they are doing.  I know someone who has been putting this torture thing over her horse’s head for twenty years so the horse will drop her head and use her back.  Really???  People never look into their horses conformation, or possible back problems.  If there is no physical reason why the horse can’t perform this way, then it’s the riders lack of education, not the horses.  This horse just goes along with the idea of, that’s just the way life is when this person rides me.  Some will just blow-up and go over backwards when they’ve had enough.  I’ve ridden this horse.  Just get her balanced, get her hind end engaged, and she’s good to go.

Do I use martingales (tie downs)?  Yes.  Not to tie their heads in a position, just to assist.  Depending on the situation, I will used either a running or standing martingale.  I will use the running with Zoey, just to help keep the bit where it belongs.  She likes to put flip her head up to avoid the bit.  She grabs the bit, just puts the pedal to the metal and runs her heart out.  Not always a good idea.  When I’m too lazy to put one on she knows it and pushes my buttons.  Desert was short necked and short coupled.  When he was learning to jump he would toss his head back and break my nose.  That ended when he learned more about jumping.  I don’t like to work on a horses mouth, so we get along much better with a martingale on.  You know, power of suggestion.

I pretty much use breast collars on all the horses.  Hate saddles that slip and shift.  Not good for the horses back.  Most people put them on but never really learn how to adjust them where they are doing any good.  Same thing with standing martingales (tie downs).  They are either too tight or to lose.  If you are going to use something, learn the right way to adjust it.

Spurs.  Do I use them.  No.  Have I used them in the past?  Yes.  I’ve trained and sometimes reinforced my leg aids to where I don’t need them.  My horses know what my heels mean, and they certainly know when I want a gallop from any gait.  And for that, I don’t need my heals.  A simple word of go, along with, shifting my weight and the release of the reins is all they need.  My horses have plenty of go, and actually have plenty of whoa too (sometimes too much whoa which leaves you kissing their ears.)  If you get a horse that has been trained or abused by someone elses heels and legs, you might need to use them to reach your horses response system.

Draw reins, like everything else in the wrong hands, can create more problems than success.  Have I used them?  Yes.  Do I use them now?  No.  Don’t need them.  Just sometimes you need them to help babies learn to balance themselves better.  It’s just kinder than having hard hands.  People don’t always realize they have hard or heavy hands.

The bottom line is –  If you and your horse are trained properly, you don’t need any of this stuff.  Some horses, however will push your buttons.  Some may need an occasional refresher course.  Or sometimes you need that extra edge, just a short reminder of how things are supposed to be, and how simple everything is if they just do it right to begin with.  But never depend on anything permanently.  If you do, get help.

So I’ve buttered the bread with real butter.  Just chew on these things.  They are for your consideration.

Leave it all behind.  I know that comes from a song, but I can’t remember which one.  Once again, I hate being stupid (I’m not old).

I was having a discussion with one of my friends (student) the other day.  The first time she called we scheduled a lesson,  the second time she called me, I could hear the stress in her voice, she was calling to cancel our lesson, she was too stressed to ride.  Bells, whistles, and sirens went off in my head.  This woman really needed to be here.  Not to ride, just to be here.

I love my property and horses.  They are healers.  As it says on the first page of my web site. ” When you come down the hill, leave all your cares behind you.”  She was thanking me for insisting that she come that day.  Now whether she rides or not, she comes to have some horsey healing time.  I told her that it wasn’t a come-on to get her to take lessons, I felt her pain and knew we could help.  If she wanted a lesson, that’s fine.  If she just wanted to brush a horse, that is also fine.  I guess this is a new ministry road that God has me on.

Well I got my new copy of Riding Instructors magazine today, and guess what?  Others agree with me.  Instructors I don’t even know feel the same way.  The article was about leaving all your cares on the other side of the gate.  I have advocated that for years with adults that come to ride after work.  You can’t drag the baggage from the day down that hill and place it on a horse.  It’s actually dangerous.

This article was written by Kim Carter.  It’s about what she wants to inscribe on her farm gates.   “Let everything go as you enter.  Relax your pace.  Forget the frenzy of scheduling that you live in every day.  Let yourself be.  Don’t think everything has to be perfect.  Give yourself permission to get dirty.”  I’d like to add – just stay in the moment and enjoy this time.  We are so intent on doing things, both for us and others, that we aren’t kind to ourselves.  We are not at peace.

There is a Christian book named “Being a Mary in a Martha world.”  If you are familiar with Mary and Martha from the Bible you know what I am talking about.  Martha was literally a “Martha Stewart” person.  That would be me.  Always preparing and taking care of business.  Where as Mary sat at Jesus feet and listened.  Sometimes we just have to sit quietly and listen instead of doing.  The doing will always be there, it just doesn’t go away.  I’ve been waiting for good fairies to come and help with house chores since the grandchildren were little.  One did show up Christmas Eve and help with the dishes, and I just got to sit and be.  It was the best Christmas present ever.

I know I’ve said this before.  When you go to the barn to be with your horse, do just that – be with your horse.  Leave all your cares and projects, you know, that “To Do List”, behind.  Be nice to yourself, be at peace.

Okay here’s a song “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”  After all, this is the time of year for “Peace on Earth.”  According to the news lately, there isn’t a lot of that out there.  So it’s up to you to start it where you are.  Maybe it will spread.  You just never know, but your horse sure will.