After my first lesson...

Copied from HorseForum.com:
I've ridden my entire life, but never actually took lessons. Recently, I came to the conclusion that my riding left a lot to be desired and found an instructor I love. We had our first lesson last Saturday, and I came away with my own conclusion that I'm doing nearly everything wrong (she was really fantastic about helping without making me feel bad). This is a bit discouraging, especially since I can't seem to make much progress one my own and get back to where we ended our lesson. I know this is just fine and I'm excited for my next lesson because I know I'll improve with each one. Lately, however, riding Snickers has been simply miserable between his attitude with the bit (I'll explain more in a moment), finding a saddle that fits, and just simply my riding being a mess.

In the meantime, I'm interested in what you all have to say about my riding. This is the second ride since my lesson, and I'm really struggling. My horse, Snickers does have a lot of trouble with the bit - I rode him bitless all last year and now have him in a 3-piece snaffle that is about as gentle as it gets. It's my instructor's opinion that he's getting bored and messing with the bit when he just needs to learn to accept it. Of course, my hands are another part of it - but he did seem to get somewhat better toward the end of our lesson.

The voice in the video is NOT my instructor but rather my boarder and a good friend. Please don't critique her comments - this is strictly about my riding.

Finally, I this is only my second time riding in this saddle and I'm still figuring out the best way to do the rigging and how I need to sit in it. It is a 16" whereas I need a 15", but this is what was available and I plan on adding a pad to the seat which should fix that.

Ok, well - have at it. I'm sure there's plenty to tear apart :)




Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-riding-critique/after-my-first-lesson-152536/#ixzz2KS4Ve7DU

Why I tie in the trailer

I used to be more or less indifferent about tying horses in the trailer. That is, until I met my Arabian, Snickers. Snickers is a very *busy* horse and likes to know what's going on around him at all times - particularly regarding what's going on behind him. He never gets nervous, but is very fidgety about things going on around his rump. It took a long time for him to become comfortable with me walking behind him without his help to move his rump over quickly while keeping an eye on me. While other horses may like a butt scratch, he tenses up like you're going to tickle him or something. I once tried to pull a tail hair out of his butt during a ride when his tail was flying like a flag - that tail clamped down tight as soon as he felt my offending hand getting anywhere near his tender parts (after that, he just had to deal with that hair stuck up his you-know-what).

When it comes to other horses, he seems very nervous about their ill-will toward his hind end. On trails, if he senses another horse coming up behind him, he will politely step to one side of the trail and look back at the horses, watch them as they pass, and then continue as if nothing had happened and no amount of prodding can convince him to just ignore the other horses and keep moving.

So what does this have to do with tying in trailers? Once, a friend of mine picked me up with her four-horse straight-load trailer. Her horse was loaded in its usual spot in the back left section. She figured that our horses would be better off staggered with each other and so had me load Snickers into the front right section. Snickers went in willingly, but then immediately realized that this horse was going to be staying right behind him. His response was to twist his long neck over the spare tire and look straight back at this stranger while tucking his tail and smooshing his body as far forward as he possibly could. Seeing that this was clearly not going to work, I backed him up and put him in the section right next to the other horse, and we tied their halters so they could see each other, but not reach each other and nip one another.

However, the ultimate example came during another ride in a friend's trailer. It was a two-horse slant-load, and her horse was in the front stall, so Snickers got lucky and received that nice little triangle section in the back. I might note that it wasn't exactly large, and Snickers' isn't particularly small, either. She didn't tie her horse, and since I was indifferent, I didn't tie Snickers, either. The horses seemed to get along just fine. Off we went to our ride. Within the first five minutes, there was a lot of sudden hoof movement, and then everyone was holding still. It sounded like they were fine, so we went ahead to our ride, which was a 40 minute drive on the freeway and down the busiest highway in Idaho (which is pretty busy, by the way). Little did we know, this was the view everyone behind us was getting:

Now, I tie in the trailer.

Humbled and Exhausted

Yesterday, I finally had my lesson with the trainer I had originally found.  Her name is Erica Webster, and I am completely impressed.  I think this is going to really work out :)  By the end of our lesson, I felt humbled and exhausted.  However, it wasn't because she was hard on me or anything - she was very kind but also very attentive to what I needed to correct.  She added layer upon layer for what I needed to do to improve my riding and work with Snickers.  I made myself type up a list of all the things I remembered late last night so that I wouldn't forget anything (though I'm sure I did miss a few things).

We started off by having her check the saddle I've been using for fit.  She had me run my hand underneath and explained that the fit with this saddle shouldn't be anything to worry about.  For comparison, I went and got the saddle that sored up his back last fall - the difference was clear.  Especially when she put even a little bit of pressure on the saddle, and I couldn't even get my hand in between the saddle and the muscles just below his wither.  I feel so bad for him having to have that saddle all year :(  I wonder if some of that tightness comes from his shoulder developing, but I don't think it ever truly fit.  Just looking at it, she pointed out how it "perched" on his back rather than fit in with it like the other saddle.  In addition, she said the saddle was so tiny it might even be a child's saddle, so it never really fit me either!

So then we got all saddled up and ready to go.  I made a new convertible headstall to use instead of the halter/sidepull/bridle converter.  I might just use this one for endurance, too.  I really like it and I used some black and a different green in it :)  I couldn't find my under-bridle halter, though, so I ended up having to use my Zilco halter instead.  The combination worked really well though and looked great.  I'm very happy with it :)  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a very good picture, but I'll try again today or tomorrow.

We started out working on me.  Most of the lesson was at a walk, which was great because I really needed that stability to figure out how I was moving.  She observed a lot of things that I'm doing that aren't doing me or Snickers many favors.  Here's the list just on my posture:

• don't lean forward
• roll shoulders back, straighten back, relax
• my tension translates to Snickers (and I'm riding pretty tense)
• lengthen leg and lower heel - I need to do some exercises on the stairs to help with this
• fighting my saddle - it isn't doing me any favors, either.  I'm really excited to get my new saddle for our next lesson
• eyes up - I tend to watch his head
• tuck my belly in and don't hallow my back
• plumb line from ear, shoulder, him, heel
• sit balanced so I can't get pushed over
• I need a relaxed knee and thigh with my calf on his side like I'm reaching around his body - that's where my stability should come from.
• Stop twisting right side forward and dropping left side down - we ride how we drive. When se said that, I realized I was in big trouble haha.  Speaking of which, I'm sitting like that now.  Quit it!!
• putting more weight on the left
• Don't post forward

As for Snickers, she really helped with the bit issues and giving a fresh perspective:

• Snickers messing with bit and acting up from boredom.  He's a very "busy" horse in her words (which I already knew), but he's doing various things like messing with the bit and "spooking" just because he's bored.  For example, he spooked at a lot of cars going past, which he's done occasionally but usually settles down.  She pointed out that during all of this, even chomping and grinding on the bit with his lips pulled back and when he "spooked", he still had a soft eye and didn't really give the expression of actually being in pain or scared.  Interesting.... Smart horse.  And busy horse.  I told her I really don't know why I liked him so much and why I bought him, and he can frustrate the crap out of me sometime, but I keep coming back to him.  Maybe it's because we really do have so much in common haha.  This observation added to that even more.
• I need to give him something to do
• stretchy circles (asking him for a smaller and larger circle, which helps both of us focus on something to do, improving our communication, and keeps him busy).
• shoulder in (I struggled with this, but was improving and it'll come with time)
• any head tossing/acting up = leg.  Enough is enough and he just needs to accept it
• When he starts wandering into the fence: plant inside leg and drop inside hip, then give leg with the outside.  I really need to anchor myself with that inside foot.
• his head can meet me halfway
• She suggested using a flash noseband to teach him to accept the bit and keep his mouth closed.  Since he's not in pain, it could be useful (and I wouldn't tighten it very much).  I think I'll go ahead and make my own.

Snickers did start settling in and behaving much better, but I needed to adjust how I was using my hands:

• firm outside hand - I decided on a rein length and put my hand at the front of my pad, which both anchored me and him since he had consistency to work with and understand.
• half halt inside hand - he was really starting to soften up after a bit and get it, especially when I started getting the inside hand combined with the outside leg correctly
• don't cross hand over neck - when I want to cross over, pull my hand out instead of in.
• don't let reins slip through - my arms are elastic and I need to have a firm grip on the reins.

I was very satisfied with the lesson and she was an excellent instructor.  I think this is going to be an excellent relationship - and I am going to do my best to tip her when possible.  She definitely deserves it.

Oh, and did I mention she and I are almost the same age?  I think I'm just a few weeks older than her, in fact.  However, her age is definitely no limit on her knowledge and ability as an instructor.  It is quite a plus, though, to finally have someone I enjoy working with that is a little closer to my own age.  Anyway, I really like her, and thus far would highly recommend her to anyone interested in lessons of any style!  Her resume is quite impressive...  Here's what she had to say from the initial ad I found her on:

From her ad on NewHorse.com:

I am a 3-day Eventer with a soild Pony Club background, I have been through both the USPC and the CPC system. I believe that Dressage (flat work) is the foundation to all riding and training. And gives you a solid foundation to build on. I have ridden with trainers such as: George Morris, Nick Holm-Smith, Adrienne Lyle, Barb Soley and Brain Morton. I have spent more of my time training or re-training young horses, then I have competing. I hope to change that some day. I have trained and schooled horses to the CC* level. I have also spent time in Holland at Brinkman Sport Horses, working with KWPN stallions and talented sport horses alike. I ride both English and western. Even though my background is English I still enjoy cutting, reining and driving. Along with Pony Club, I was also in 4H for over ten years. Where I showed livestock and competed in western gaming. Cross training is a great way to exercise you and your horses mind. It gets you both doing something new and exciting. I am willing to work with both English and western riders alike . And help them achieve their goals. I believe that I can help give you and your horse good and solid fundamentals to build on. And also challenges the more experienced horse and rider. I know from years of trainers and lessons how important it is to find a instructor that fits you and your horse. You have to click with your instructor, like you do with your horse. Finding someone that works well with you and your horse is one of the most important things.. I believe that you can never stop learning. If you have any questions I would love to talk to you. Erica Cowgirloftheusa@yahoo.com

Fence Repairs and Clicker Training

Last Sunday, the horses got out. Marri watched Flash go straight through the hot fence (which has not been hot) in his impatience at feeding time.  Poor Marri spent the next hour and a half catching them.  She called me, then caught Flash right afterward, but Snickers proved to be a pain.  He finally came when she calmly walked in a way that kept him from getting away (he was in a little alleyway between fences), and then he touched her hand with his nose.  After that, it was over.

Unfortunately I was coming down with a bad sinus-infection type thing that day.  Marri had to leave, but explained how to fix the fence.  I did so (it ended up being pretty easy), but just couldn't seem to get it hot, so the horses stayed in their pens the rest of the day until I came back out that evening.  Just before I got there, Marri was able to verify the fence was, indeed, hot.  As it turns out, I just wasn't testing it correctly!  I did feel pretty proud of my fence repairing skills :)

So then the horses got put back in and all was well.  However, this brought up the issue of Snickers not allowing people to catch him.  Since our episode last Spring with the lasso, I really haven't had too much trouble catching him (then again, he's also been in a smaller pen and only with Flash).  After some time off, I did have to work him and get him to come in once or twice, but that usually ended pretty quickly.  However, he's still quite stand-off ish.  Oftentimes, he'll walk away from me when I go toward him.  Kristen suggested (from her experience with her horse). to just continue walking toward him.  Funny enough, he stopped less than a minute later when I tried this!  I guess that not giving up or making a big deal out of it made him loose interest in moving away.  Unfortunately, this didn't seem to transfer to letting Marri catch him. Honestly, if we were ever at a ride, I don't know if I'd see that horse again because he would leave me in the dust and not let anyone catch him!  Though, I'm sure he'd stick around camp, but just avoid everyone.  Thus, I've decided I need to address this specifically.

The weather has been getting nicer - both warmer and sunnier and not as hazy with an inversion - so I've been able to work with him a few times.  I decided a "negative" approach probably wouldn't suit him, and that I needed to convince him that I was interesting and rewarding to work with.  In other words, he didn't necessarily need to be trying to avoid work by coming to me, but rather seek reward.  How about clicker training?  I thought it might be worth a shot.  The first day (Monday), I took him into the arena and turned him loose.  He started strutting around and prancing, not paying any attention to me at all.  However, when he finally looked at me, I stepped back.  He was thinking about coming, but I had to coax him a little the first time.  After that, he seemed to figure out what I wanted, and, over time, started coming to me and staying with me more and more. It was kind of funny, though, because he still wanted to prance around some with his tail in the air and snorting his nose.  Silly horse.

Yesterday, I didn't feel like going to the arena and just did the same thing quickly in the pasture.  Of course, Flash was constantly with us, so I managed to time my click for when Snickers came to me but Flash wasn't grabbing for treats.  It was great to keep Snickers' interest, and funny to see poor little Flash trying so hard to do the right thing!  I'm excited for this year with Flash - I'm going to really start training him :)  Anyway, after a bit we stopped.  However, not before Snickers started getting snarky with Flash for getting in on the goods - this was his face every time I moved and they were coming to me!  Snickers was making this face clearly at Flash, flipping his ears forward as soon as he got close to me (and Flash was still a safe distance away haha).  Oh, Snickers, there's enough of me to go around!

It's poison, of course.

I've been thinking a lot about what I'm throwing into my boys' beet pulp mash and why...  The formula has gotten a LOT simpler than it used to be (thank goodness!), and I think it's a lot better.  I switched to doing beet pulp with Triple Crown Complete mixed in.  After consulting those on the endurance.net google group, I switched from TCC to TC Senior because it was lower in starches and higher in fat, which is what I need. That seemed to be a pretty balanced meal.  Then, I scaled it down to 2 1/2 lbs of each in their big, yellow flexible bucket, and filled it about halfway with water.  Originally, I was letting the beet pulp soak all the way and then draining off the excess, but decided to leave it nice and soupy for them when I discovered they would still eat it (Snickers actually drinks down to it!).  That way, I'm getting lots of water in them but not blowing through feed.

The other day, I texted Shelley to see if I was getting them everything they needed.  However, the Triple Crown senior is meant to be fed 5 lbs per day per horse, 4x what I'm already going through for my boys!  That's not going to happen.  Instead, we added a mineral powder to the mix.  That way, I didn't add a lot more feed since they were getting plenty and if already fills their buckets up.

At Marri's we found a little scooper for it and determined that it would be about 3 scoops of the minerals to total what both horses needed, then I'd mix it in and divide it into their buckets.  So, after working with them briefly in the pasture, I added the powder and mixed it up!  BIG mistake.  I finally earned myself the "Are you poisioning me?!" face from the horses.  Snickers made it pretty clear how he felt about me messing with their beet pulp:

"What did you DO to our mash??"

You gonna eat it??

Then Snickers tasted it, and showed me his clear disapproval, while Flash sniffed his cautiously and somewhat disappointed that he didn't get his same yummy mash.

I added some Senior on top to get them to start eating again.  It kind of worked - they ate it down a ways, but then Snickers opted for the hay.  Flash kept at the mash, though not as eager as usual.

Today, I added the powder with the dry ingredients so it could soak along with everything else.  I added one not-quite-full scoop to the mix.  I worked with Snickers in the arena, then put him back and hauled out the mash.  Luckily, someone (probably Flash) had cleaned up the buckets as usual, so yesterday's mash didn't go to waste.  With today's mash, I couldn't see the powder in it, so I wonder if it actually dissolved or was just really spread out.  Either way, they didn't seem to have any issue with it today!  Success!

Of course, Flash was so interested in what I was doing when I bent down to scoop out more mash that he swing his head right over mine and drooled lots of nice mashy soup right on my head.  By the time I went home, it dripped all the way down to my neck and went down the back of my shirt!  Yuck!  Thanks buddy.

Anyway, I'm really glad they liked it this time.  They're getting a little less than half of the full amount they should be getting, so I'm going to add a half-scoop tomorrow and see how they do.  If all goes well, I'll just keep adding until I'm about at 3 scoops again.  Two scoops would be fine, though, if they don't like any more than that.  I just feel good that they're getting the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals they need!

Fences, Dizziness, and Beet Pulp

I was so excited when I woke up and felt better today!  I've been trying to ride for the last 3-4 days...  Monday, there wasn't any school, but I started to get sick and before I had a chance to even think about riding, Marri called to tell me Flash had barreled through the fence as she was coming to feed, letting both him and Snickers out, and she couldn't catch either of them.  After she got off the phone with me, she caught Flash but Snickers kept running for a long time afterward.  She said he's very stand-off ish. Yup, that's my horse!  We did talk about getting some training to help him with that.  I'll have to look into it, because I know he can be a pain to catch.  We don't even need to revisit our roping incident from last Spring...

Anyway, Marri showed me how to fix the fence.  It wasn't difficult at all, but I just couldn't get it hot! It was on, but I just couldn't seem to get confirmation that it was working even when I grabbed it. I went back out that evening when Marri was there, but by that time I was starting to feel pretty sick.  She did confirm the fence was working - so I was pretty proud of myself for fixing the fence, but I just need to figure out how to test it lol.  My problem was that I wasn't putting the second end on the ground haha.  Oh well - lesson learned!  I moved the ponies from the small pens they'd been in all day back to their big pen, and got some satisfaction when Flash got a good shock - I knew he wouldn't be testing it again soon!

I couldn't sleep at all Monday night because my headache got so bad and I was so stuffy, and then I ended up calling in sick.  My butt was confined to the couch the rest of the day :(  I wanted to see my ponies so bad!  But Trevor said no :(

So today, I was so excited when I woke up feeling almost normal!  I went to work and was great for the first half of the day, but then started feeling dizzy and it hasn't really let up since.  Since I was having trouble just getting through P.E., I figured riding probably wasn't a good idea.  Instead, I ran a few errands (bought more beet pulp), then rested for an hour at home, and finally went and fed all the horses just before dark.  Thinking about how I wanted to put more pictures and posts on here, I took a few pictures by the light of my headlights and that were much better with the help of iPhoto ;)

Flash making a mess eating his beet pulp

Snickers

Snickers drinking down to his beet pulp - he loves it!

Flash making more messes

Flash's mess.  He spills so much because he shoves his face into the mash and splashes it around!

To the hay...

More of Flash's mess frozen on the gate

Mmmm alfalfa!

Snickers stealing from Flash's bucket

Snickers's bloodlines

I'm curious about what Snickers has in his parentage, so I posted it online to see what people said.  I guess the basic idea is that there's a LOT going on in there!  Here were the most helpful responses:

I'm not the best, but I'm seeing some egyptian, if I am not mistaken. I really like Ferzon too (had a double Ferzon G-daugter that I love to bits). Gold N Ali is Fire An Ice's sire. Fire An Ice...there was a big hoop-la over him at one point as he is one of the really light (pali colored) chestnuts and there was question about his purity due to his color, I believe. Nice stud though. LOL. That's all the help I can be. I see some names that are recognisable, though I couldn't tell you specifics about individuals. 

Your guy has Mr Mc Coy in there. My gelding does too, but that's not really uncommon to have ancesters like that. There were widely used and popular studs being bred to everyone.

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-breeds/what-can-you-tell-me-about-148905/#ixzz2J3GQMOt9

Well, daddy is mainly russian-crabbet, mommy also crabbet/domestic with lots of Egyptian and even Spanish thrown in.
If I ever get my computer up and running I could post tons of pictures.....if.....in this lifetime.....:-/

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-breeds/what-can-you-tell-me-about-148905/#ixzz2J3GUY8mj

Oh WOW! Your horse is a Gold N Ali grandson, a friend of mine used to own Gold N Ali!! He was such an awesome stallion.

Your horse has a lot of very well-known horses all over in his pedigree on both sides... sire's side I see a blend of Polish, Russian and Crabbet. Dam's side you have Egyptian, Spanish and Crabbet.

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-breeds/what-can-you-tell-me-about-148905/#ixzz2J3GY3QpE

Nearly had a horse-induced heart attack!

This came up as I was attempting to solve a bit issue that I already had a thread going in the tack section, so I typed this up there as an update in that issue. If you already read that, save yourself some time and don't read it twice. However, I did want to share this as its own thread just because it was so strange... but so simple.

Snickers was very slobbery today and has been for the last day or two. Not like "foam when you put the bit in" but rather huge strings of thick drool hanging from his mouth all the time. I wasn't sure what was going on....

I've been trying to find a bit that was comfortable for him, and my latest bit came in the mail this morning. I brought him up and saddled him, and he was doing really well. Then, I wanted a picture of him with what he was doing before, so I put the curb bit in his mouth and rotated it, but no matter what I did, he didn't react at all (he was gaping and pulling his lips back before). Instead, he just drooled. Interesting....

I put him in the new bit, and it was awesome and crappy at the same time. He rode like he's never done before - that head was automatically in the perfect position the entire time, no throwing his head, no fighting, nothing. And he was doing things for me that he's never done - perfectly responsive to all my cues. In fact, I was riding with a lighter hand than I usually ever have with him. It was great! Except.... He was girding his teeth the ENTIRE time, like 30 minutes straight. It was the strangest thing - how could he be SO good (I was shocked!), but be so pissed the entire time??

But the story doesn't end there... During this time, he continued drooling the entire time, and I even saw a hint of what looked like blood after he'd been grinding his teeth for so long. I took a look inside his mouth and couldn't see anything, and there wasn't any more blood, so I just wasn't sure....

I put him back and my BO called me on my way home. We've been talking about his eating habits - he drops a lot of food and seems to have trouble chewing. She'd been watching him eat that morning and agreed with me it wasn't normal and she was worried about him. Between the food issues and the bit issues, we decided it might be good to have his teeth checked again. I called vet #1 who's known him since before I bought him and did his teeth last February. He said he really didn't think he could have a problem with his teeth since he did them, but suggested thoroughly checking my feed for cheat grass. Funny enough, we just switched feed last week, and that's when the drooling started and I think the teeth grinding (in addition to the gaping with a bit) started around then, too. I called my BO and she went and threw them some of her hay (I'm her only boarder and we take care of our own hay). I then called vet #2, who checked his teeth a couple months ago and who I'm much more comfortable with. She took the time to talk to me and thoroughly explain different aspects and hear me out about all my concerns from the hay to the bit to the girding, and she said she'd bet money it's cheat grass in the hay.

Then, things got scary. My BO called - she'd given them new hay in a different bin and he wasn't eating. He kept putting his head down to the food, but never ate anything. This is NOT like him, at all. Especially with straight alfalfa that he'd been eating before I got my own hay last week. So, I prepared a mash with about 2 lbs of beet pulp, 2 lbs of Triple Crown, and a bunch of alfalfa cubes soaked in hot water (he NEVER turns down his beet pulp mash, even if he's stuffed himself) and called vet #2 back. As I was driving with my mash back to my boy, she explained that he was probably in too much pain with the cheat grass in his mouth and it made him not want to eat. I needed to take a syringe and rinse his mouth.

My BO got a 60cc syringe and a bucket of warm water, and I caught my horse. He was standing at the barrel with the hay that likely had cheat grass and looked like he'd been digging through it, but not eating. There aren't any outdoor lights, so we brought him right up to the front porch on the yard. She held him while I inserted the full syringe and emptied it in his mouth... Nothing. It was so strange - where did the water go? We did this a few more times, and concluded he must be swallowing it lol. He just kept letting us stick that syringe in there and give him a drink over and over! What a strange horse... But that's nothing I didn't already know, it just added to his list of strange things he does. Anyway, nothing was coming out, except the same slobber like crazy. After a few more times, I got out the mash, but he sniffed it and turned away. Now I was worried - that is extremely unusual, even if he was somehow full (but we really doubted that was the case). He was acting normal, except just not eating. I'd seen him eat his regular daily mash and drink water just 2 hours earlier. This didn't feel like a colic, but he still wasn't eating at all and rinsing his mouth wasn't working. I stuck him in the round pen with the mash while I called the vet - we decided it probably wasn't an emergency and could probably wait until morning to see if he ate then, so I decided to go with that. Wanting to give it one last go, I went and got him and rinsed his mouth with the same result. I even pried open his mouth before I rinsed it and it really didn't help any. Now, he was getting a little annoyed though. Finally, I did what any mom would have done for their child - off came my nice, warm, waterproof gloves, and my hand went in his mouth. Turns out, if he feels your hand in there, he won't bite hard enough to make it hurt. He was obviously not to thrilled with it, but allowed me to explore his entire mouth (all the way up to my elbow) and get out the crud. There were two main wads of food under his tongue, but I could guarantee after that that there was nothing left in that mouth. And my arm smelled TERRIBLE!! I did feel two rough spots about the size of dimes on the side of his tongue that were different than the rest, but there wasn't any more food in there for sure.

And guess what? After a few minutes, he started stuffing his face with the mash! He truly was just in so much discomfort from those bits of food that it made him not want to eat at all. After a bit, I returned him to the pasture and filled his (and my other horse's) buckets with the rest of the mash. I went back inside and called my husband to tell him I was almost done and that Snickers was doing fine, talked to my BO. And then drove my car out to the gate so I could see what was going on and finish my last job. Snickers was still stuffing his face :) No, there was no way he was sick haha. With my headlights helping me see, I emptied their entire tractor tire that I use for free-feeding of the bale of hay or so that I'd fed yesterday and threw it over the fence. I got it out all the way down to the dirt and felt I did a pretty thorough job, especially for being in the dark. Then, I went and got some of that alfalfa hay that I know he likes and offered him a bite before throwing it in the barrel. He eagerly took it! In fact, more like Snickers than anything, he left his mash for the hay as soon as I threw it in the tire. (Of course, Flash, my colt, was very pleased since he'd finished his bucket and was waiting for a bit of Snickers' lol).

I called my vet back and left a message telling her what I'd done and that he was fine, and she called me back (What a fantastic vet on a Saturday night!). She said those rough patches were probably ulcers, like a bad canker sore, and that that was likely why he'd been grinding his feet the entire time we were riding. Sticking a bit in there just put more pressure on his tongue and caused him discomfort. His ulcers should heal up on their own in 4-5 days, so then we should be good to go. In that time, I'm definitely going to be getting them new hay!!

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/nearly-had-horse-induced-heart-attack-148964/#ixzz2J3BY5HGl

Can he jump?

I posted this on HF and got some interesting responses:

This is strictly a conformational question at this point - I'm not at a point where I'm ready to start jumping and, when I do get to that point, i'll be working with a trainer. However, my horse is slightly buck-kneed and I've been told by some people that I shouldn't jump him because it wouldn't be good for him with those knees. Other people have told me it isn't an issue. What do you think?

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/jumping/can-he-jump-148771/#ixzz2J3H5khkR

Snickers's conformation

I posted this with a picture of Snickers on HF to see what people could tell me about his conformation.  I was pleasantly surprised by their responses!

I know it's not the best picture, but I'm only looking for a fairly general critique. He's my baby and I love this horse to death - I mainly want to know if there's anything that I need to pay attention to. For instance, I've been told I shouldn't jump him because of his front knees.

I see.... slightly over at the knees, an angular rump, and a parrot mouth with a pretty decent overbite.

What do you see and is there anything that would limit what he can do?

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-conformation-critique/tell-me-what-you-think-148149/#ixzz2J3J1kASE

Bit irritation

For the short version - My horse is extremely irritated by the bits I've tried on him, and I think it's because they're hitting the roof of his mouth. I got a pretty close look at what was going on in there today with a single-jointed snaffle and a curb with a small/medium port, and I even stuck my fingers in there and got the same reaction when I touched the roof of his mouth as I do with the bit. So now I'm trying to figure out what I should do...

So, now what? I only have single-jointed snaffles and the curb bit, none of which work for him. I wonder if a double-jointed snaffle, like a French Link, would work, or if I'd be better off going with a mullen-mouth. I may be able to borrow a Myler bit sooner or later to see how it works (it's on loan to someone else at the moment), but I'd like to find a cheaper bit if I can.

Any ideas or suggestions here?

***

Now for the long-version with background information, just because I took so long to write it before I realized I could summarize it all in two nice little paragraphs:

My horse has had bit problems since shortly after I got him. I'm not sure if he had them before February, since that's before I bought him, and since he wasn't ridden regularly, I think it took a little bit of regular riding before I realized he was having issues. In other words, he might have always had these issues, but I just didn't recognize them.

What I did recognize was that about a month after I got him and he was getting ridden regularly, he started foaming up each time I put the bit in his mouth. Not the good "oh I like this bit" foaming up, but rather stressed-out-need-to-protect-my-mouth foaming up. It would literally cover his muzzle and drip off his face. It immediately went away, however, as soon as I switched him into a hackamore. Since then, I've moved him in a sidepull, my preferred type of bridle for various reasons, especially since I do endurance and it allows the horse to eat and drink more freely. However, I need to be able to use a bit for training and in other situations in order to communicate clearly.

During the winter, we've been doing some training, but as soon as I put the bit in his mouth, the problems begin. In a single-link snaffle bit, he immediately opens his mouth and pulls his lips back away from the bit. This is before I put any pressure on it at all. When I do put pressure on it, it becomes a battle and he throws his head, sticks it out, pulls down, etc.

At someone's suggestion, I tried a short shanked curb bit with a medium port to prevent any tongue-pinching to occur. When I put the bit in his mouth and let it sit, he did pull back his lips, but not nearly as badly as he did with the snaffle bit. However, when I put any pressure on the bit, he would try to get away from the pressure, open his mouth, and pull back his lips, as well as grind his teeth, but at least it didn't become a head-throwing battle. He just looked and felt very uncomfortable. Today, he didn't pull back his lips at all unless pressure was applied, but it was still just as bad each time I had to put any pressure on the bit.

After riding, I tried to get a good look at what was going on in his mouth. It seems that even the medium port is hitting the roof of his mouth, so he's opening his mouth to get away from it. I stuck my fingers in where the bit and couldn't avoid contact with the roof of his mouth, so I think the roof of his mouth is very low (but I don't have any comparison at the moment, so I'm not sure if all mouths are this low). Then, I put the snaffle back in his mouth. As soon as I put any pressure on it, the joint hit the roof of his mouth (I was pretty sure, but it's quite slobbery in there) and he opened it and pulled back his lips. Finally, I stuck my fingers in there again and bent my knuckles slightly. As soon as they hit the roof of his mouth, I got the same result. In fact, if I just stuck one finger in there and barely touched the roof of his mouth, I got the same reaction. I think I've found the source of my bit woes.

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-tack-equipment/bit-irritation-148001/#ixzz2J3BuhGaf

Gaping and chewing on the bit

My boy is NOT happy right now in his single-jointed snaffle. As soon as it's in his mouth, he starts gaping wide open and pulling his lips back, and he's frequently chomping on it and pulling on it when we ride. I'm also ending up using harder hands than I'd like just to get his attention as he's running out on me. Part of the running out is because he's had a few months off due to injury, but I'd really like to get him in a bit that he likes and I feel like I can get some response without starting a battle. When he's paying attention, he can be very responsive and I usually like to ride him in a sidepull, but I need a bit for more control especially since we're doing a little re-training at the moment.

I'm assuming the bit is the issue, as he's never been too happy in a bit. Last spring, shortly after I got him, he started foaming up every time I put a bit in his mouth - and we're talking EXCESSIVE foam from stress here. He hasn't had a bit in his mout for about half a year now, but I need to find something that works to get him back to where he used to be and to teach a little more respect and attention.

I'm thinking of getting a French link, but a friend of mine is trying to talk me into a Myler level 2 bit, which I must sounds appealing all up until the price tag. But if that's what it takes, then I guess I'll pay up. I do like the idea of the tongue relief and 3 pieces - anyone have experiences with these? Might it solve my problem?

If there's anything other than the bit that I should check, please let me know :)

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-training/gaping-chewing-bit-147566/#ixzz2J3LqCeJx

Correct Movement - Engaging his back

After a 50-miler in July, Snickers came up with a sore back. After time off and trying new saddles, he seemed fine but came up with a sore back at the next ride. The vet and other experienced riders advised me this was probably due to the previous injury not entirely healing up. Some other contributing factors may also be my riding and my boy's movement. 

Now, he's had over 2 months off and we are riding in a different saddle. We are moving soon, and I plan on taking equitation lessons to be improve my riding and his movement. In the meantime, I'm doing my best to pick up nuggets here and there and teach myself. Forgive me if I don't have correct terminology or skills - I was raised riding Western under my dad's instruction and attending 4-H shows, and while I do feel like I'm a pretty good and successful rider, I know there are a lot of things I don't know.

Right now, I mainly want to make sure he's engaging his hind end and raising his back so that he's using his body correctly. After doing some research, I thought it was best to start working "long and low" to get him to collect and round himself up. I recorded myself to get some feedback (click the link for the video) from everyone - this is the first time I've ever approached "collection" from this point of view and with these goals - I was always taught collection was a low head and western-pleasure jog.

Let me know what I can do better, and please let me know if I'm actually doing something right lol. I'm mostly concerned about getting him moving correctly, but anything that might help with my English riding abilities might help, too. Hopefully, it won't be long before I have a trainer to help me in person!

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-training/correct-movement-engaging-his-back-143910/#ixzz2J3Nh00EB

Sore Back :(

My horse has never come up sore - until July when we did our first 50-miler and had to walk the last 13 miles due to rain. He was very sore and we determined this was poor saddle fit (though he didn't even come up sore on the 25-miler I'd done two days earlier...). I gave him about 6 weeks off, then did a little conditioning and tried a few new saddles. We finally found one right before the next ride that seemed to fit him really well but he still came up sore on the 25-miler. In fact, he was extremely sore. We decided that this had more to do with the previous injury not healing up all the way, so his back got re-injured and they said that any saddle I put on him would probably sore up his back.

I was told to stay off him completely for 2 months and I personally decided his endurance season was over until next Spring. I've done so, and now it's time to start working on riding again. Though we're pretty sure this was due to a poorly-fitting saddle, I want to be sure I cover all my bases, so here's my plan and was wondering if anyone else had suggestions or tips:

Get a new saddle that fits him - I'm planning on getting a Specialized saddle once I get the money. In the meantime, I'm only riding short, easy rides and working on fundamentals like collection until I can get a saddle that fits.

Take equitation classes - Though I ride in an English saddle and post, I've never taken actual English lessons. To be sure I'm riding balanced and not doing something in the saddle to cause a sore back, plus just improve my riding and expand my skills, I want to take a few classes.

Strengthen his back - Here's where I'm kind of feeling around in the dark. Someone mentioned he tends to move with a high head, which may be causing him to hallow out his back and contribute to the problem. I'm already working on keeping his head low, but I've seen posts on here about strengthening the top line (by keeping his head low??) and going over cavaletti. I really need help on this one if you have any suggestions 

I'm doing most of my training at a trot, with a little cantering and walking, because that's what we ride at in a race and I seem to understand that's best for strengthening and developing horses anyway. Physically, he looks really good now. He doesn't (and never had) any muscle wasting and finally put the weight on I've been trying to get all year. 2 months off does wonders! However, I'm ready to make sure he's good and ready for next year. Thanks!

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/sore-back-143746/#ixzz2J3OdNgzM

Snickers' weight

Since moving to the stall, Snickers has lost a lot of weight.  I don't like how his hip bones stick out and, comparing his pictures from before I got him and even when I got him, he hardly looks the same.  I've been trying various things and talking to people about how to get it back up.  Janet at DA suggested using DAC in my buckets of food as well, but I couldn't find it at the Horse Expo.  Plus, there's so much in his buckets already, I wouldn't want to overload him with nutrients and whatnot.

I was thinking it might be stress.  The weight loss was really obvious after our incident with having to rope him.  Since then, he's calmed down quite a bit in the stall as well as out with me, so hopefully he'll start to bring his weight back up.

He's been getting extra food from the feeders (I think it's 3 flakes, and they feed 2x a day, so 6 flakes total), as well as my buckets of food.  I'm being somewhat more generous with the beet pulp now and have always been with the alfalfa, so hopefully that'll get a little more in him.  He's an excellent eater, with all his food gone within an hour or two, including his buckets.  I never see any hay left on the ground.

I wormed him (and Flash) with Ivermectin shortly after I got him, but I went ahead and wormed him again just in case.  I think it was Zimectrin - either way, it's strong stuff and should take care of just about anything in there.

With all the rain, he's also gotten a bit more of a break instead of putting miles on, even though he's been in the round pen and arena.

He's looking like he's put a little more weight on, but I'm really waiting for that rump to fill in.  His belly is looking good though.  It's just that bony butt of his that bugs me and makes him look very awkward.  He's still doing good on his workouts and is very alert, but we'll see where he goes from here.  Maybe it will just take time.....

Snickers has come a long way!

Ok, so it's been a while since I've posted, and there's so much to write about!  I'm going to separate this into a few posts, since they're different subjects and whatnot over what has happened.

Snickers has come a really long way in the last month and is almost like a whole new horse.  He's excited to see me when I come to get him and willing to go to work, though, of course, he still whinnies but only on occasion.  I don't think that will ever go away haha.  We've been going out on the trails quite a bit (check the miles log!), but that doesn't even come close to reflecting the miles we're ALSO covering in the arena and round pen.  His entire attitude and obedience has changed, and he seems to enjoy our down time together when we're brushing rather than being preoccupied about getting back to the pasture.

On the trails, we've been really watching our speed and I started taking his pulse, then waiting for him to come down.  I've gotten decent with the stethoscope, at least on his body (sometimes other horses take a bit to figure out).  The only trouble is that he has a hard time standing still, though we've been working on that a lot and he's doing much better.  I've gotten a little aggressive with him :( but not bad, and it seems to have gotten my point across.  Plus, when he does stand still long enough for me to get a good read on his pulse, he gets a treat.  I've started carrying apples and carrots on me, which never fail to make him happy (as Trevor recently helped me discover, he actually drops for carrots lol).

It's been raining a lot, which is why we have a lot of miles we've covered in the arena and round pen, but it's helped us get a some good discipline work done.  I've been working on his head, neck, and topline (with many questions to and suggestions from the English riders at the barn! Horse people are - generally - so nice), and the other day I set up the poles, a cavaletti, and a low jump to go over.  He had to take a look at them first, but after that he worked over all of them quite willingly.  I did raise the jump up little by little and was working on jumping a tad at the end (Trevor wasn't too happy about that when I told him....) and Lou took a look and said we were looking good - I just need to sit a little more forward in the seat.  Overall, I was really proud of him and have been in general.

Last night the paths had dried up, so we finally got to go out for a trail ride.  The trails were good, but there were still a few muddy spots and puddles so we put those to good use.  We worked on just powering right on through them without having to stop and sniff every one.  He caught on pretty quick and is trusting me more and more, so by the end we were doing pretty good, though he still wanted to dodge around the ones he could of course.  On the bigger puddles, we're pretty successful as long as we slow down to a walk just before it, which is safer anyway so he doesn't slip.  On the biggest one, he did stop and sniff it, then took a few steps and sniffed it again, then proceeded to get a good drink!  I guess he's fine with the water then haha.  It'll be interesting to see how he does with actual running water now...

I finally got all of Snicker's papers back and my registration card for AHA.  They have the Frequent Rider Program (FRP) and Distance Riders programs, and so I signed us up for both!  I need to log my hours and I'm excited to get credit for our competition miles, though I'm tempted to also sign up for the other distance program that requires a competition membership.  For the first two, you get certain prizes when you reach the milestones, but this other one sends you a plaque and then little plates for every 500 miles you complete to add to your plaque.  That's pretty cool!  But it seems pretty expensive - I'll have to check it out later.

Snickers' stall hasn't had any covering on it, and it went from 90 degrees last week to lows in the 30's this week with rain and even some snow and hail, so it's been a tough week.  Yesterday, I noticed they've got the first tarp up over the stalls where he is at, so hopefully they'll finish that up soon.  It'll be nice for him to have some shade :)

I think that's about it!  I'll have to post more often, but we'll see.  Life is just so busy!

Poor Flash waiting patiently...

Still waiting....

All decked out in our endurance gear :)