Z: Week Two “baby is growing up”

I haven’t written too much about it, but there have been moments of real despair when I’ve thought that Z would never make a riding horse. That may sound bizarre but I, like Hempfling, think there are some horses – whether due to physical build, emotional trauma or mental ability, which simply don’t make riding horses. Their lot in life is to be companions and pets, not servants or partners to humans.

I briefly owned a horse named Red, who, due to her genetic tendency inherited from her mother, and some sort of emotional trauma, decided that whenever she was mounted it was time to rear and fling herself over backwards. Other then trying to kill her rider she was the most sweet and tractable of all horses.

Z had some ground manners similar to Red and when I discovered that, I thought UHOH. I really should have paid more attention to her breeder who told me that Z’s dam (who she looks like a mirror copy of in coloring and conformation) was extremely difficult to put under saddle and the breeder hadn’t ridden her in years.

Her level of aggression and intractability, quite evident when we had her at 3H (she was about 2 years old), were such that my husband thought she would never settle down to riding. His prejudice might be due to the fact that Z kicked him in the face and he ended up in the ER.  The barn owners both avoided any contact with her, and other boarders felt I was getting in a lions cage so would watch in entertainment. I was the only person there that felt relatively safe entering her pasture, and even then I carried a whip (but not a chair).

While at FR, her aggression seemed to be keyed to “hunting.” If anyone small (person, dog etc…) entered her paddock she started to stalk it. I cautioned the BO strongly not to allow any of her children in the paddock. Z refused to back down from any fight, and at 14 hands creamed the heck out of my 16.2 gelding, Big Guy and tamed the 16.3 mare Dee. Now at WCS she mostly takes second place to the 17 h gelding (nicknamed Gigantor by Rugby Guy), the bites and marks I find daily on her show that she has not taken second quietly.

While I can admire all this fight and gumption, it makes it difficult to turn her into a riding horse that needs to take #2 place in the human-horse plan. When she came back from the trainers last spring, there was good stuff done but she was still very much “green” and ready to continue her own battle against the idea of riding (i.e. standing still no matter how much you asked for forward).

Last fall, during Rugby Guy’s rides, we would have a good day or two, but would quickly backslide into bunnyhopping, striking out with her rear legs (that’s how husband got clipped), or just not moving. I started to pull my hair out again thinking maybe I should just give up and let her be a pet…?

When we went back to work 4 weeks later (through the holidays and Z being swollen all over her chest and shoulders from a fight with Gigantor – who got stitches in his head just like husband!), I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was guessing that we would have some fits and starts, bucking, striking, and standing still, but I am very happy to report that the success seen in Week One continues!

Baby is starting to grow up and take some pride in her work!

Most of our riding work has taken place in the roundpen. My plans were to get her out of there as soon as she stopped bucking. It’s my belief that a horse that is bored will find mischief (idle hands or hooves as the case may be); if they misbehave then find something harder for them to do!

This last week, Rugby Guy has been taking Z (after an initial RP warm up with some walking and trotting) out to a big pasture vacant of horses (these two went back to the east coast I believe). They even started some cantering! Z’s ears are perked up and she seems far more interested and moving forward. We had a bit of rain, so Rugby Guy took her through rain puddles and rode her a bit around the property.

The only hitch was when the BO dropped a piece of sheet metal – Z levitated into the air with all four feet and moved sideways by about two feet. Other than that (and who could have blamed her?) she really is becoming a riding horse!

Equipment I use (and why and when)

I’m a bit late posting this but life has gotten a hold of me this week.

Halter: I prefer a traditional halter. I use a halter in my leading exercises and obviously to do work around the horse such as grooming and trimming. When leading the halter lead rope should have plenty of float (slackness) and the weight in your hand be about that of an egg.

I don’t like rope halters because they put far too much pressure on the poll and nose when used. People think they are gentler but let’s consider this: if you had a rope – a thick one and thin one wrapped around your neck – and someone pulled which one would hurt more?

Leadrope: I like a long leadrope that allows me to move to the hindquarters of the horse without pulling the horse’s head. This allows me to switch leading positions from front, side, to back easily. With pony, I made my own leadrope from climbing rope. Here you can see the amount of float (slackness) I routinely use:

I also like the Zephyr Lead offered by Linda Tellington-Jones or Peggy Cummings’ websites. A very nice soft lead that can give more pressure over the nose if need be. I prefer it over a chain.

Connected Halter: This is a speciality halter sold by Peggy Cummings to do her Connected Groundwork. It has a fleece liner for the nose and the two lines could be climbing rope if you prefer – the ones she sells is very soft.

It’s rather pricey but has the ability to be adjusted on the nose and throatlatch to a more finite degree then a regular halter. If you plan on doing a lot of leading work, or even lunging, this would be a good halter to have on hand as it does not slip around on the nose like a traditional halter (a Cavesson is the traditional lunging halter for this reason).

Whips: I like a lunging whip and a long dressage whip – or even a driving whip. The longer dressage whip allows me to reach down and touch the hocks or even fetlocks from the saddle, and I especially like it when working in hand.

Neckrope: This is a cotton rope bought from Valley Vet that I use to play around with some different leading ideas aka Hempflling. I need to work with this more! Highly Recommended if you find yourself using your hands too much or messing with the horses’ head while riding. Also good for horses too dependent upon the bridle such as leaning, going behind the bit, or who root against the bit.

Surcingle and Driving Lines: These are nice for any horseperson to have on hand. If your horse gets injured, and needs only walking, this is a nice change of pace in training. I also use them on young horses before putting them under saddle.

Driving lines should be narrower at the clasp end so they run easily through rings and give a nice “glide” when pressure is applied. This surcingle has a sheepskin lining; if yours doesn’t, just use a small mini pad or English saddle pad under it to give it some padding and extra comfort to the horse.

I’ve seen a very experienced trainer, lunge a horse in double lines and then switch directions at canter on a circle without stopping! Impressive but my skill set isn’t that complex!

Sidepull: A riding headstall without a bit that uses side pull pressure to give turning signals. I’ve used the Linda Tellington-Jones one in clinics and just started using one regularly on Z this last year. When choosing a sidepull, I would select one that has chin attachment that allows you to tighten the noseband. Sidepulls without this feature are too easily pulled off the nose when you ask for a turn with the rein.

Tellington-Jones Lindell

For a horse like Z who stops easily, the sidepull has worked fine up to this point. Sidepulls allow the horse to easily drink while being tacked up. Last week, Z was able to go get several drinks from the pasture’s waterer during her “trail” riding workout.

If I went back to teaching lessons, I would put all my experienced school horses that are being paired with beginners into sidepulls. This would give their mouths relief from the beginners yanking about with their hands. BTW youngsters, who have no long legs or saddle weight to give aids, are notorious about overusing the hands; you see this problem continue with teenagers who have only learned how to use their hands when younger.

Sidepulls are also great to use on horses behind the bit. If transitioning a horse used to a traditional bridle, ride with both for a few rides, and once they respond to the sidepull remove the bridle. A nice option to switch/rotate between the two -ride with a sidepull a few days, then back to the bridle, etc… especially for the horse who leans on the bit or goes behind.

Bridle with bit: On dressage bridles I take off the crank noseband. I like those with really great leather and prefer those with solid brass fittings as opposed to nickel. I try to choose the most gentlest bit I can find that the horse will tolerate. If you start with something harsher because the horse is out of control, teach obedience, and then start downgrading the bit until the horse is responding to something simpler.

Saddle with Girth/Cinch: I don’t have a particular dressage favorite. I like one that fits the horse and I use a Master Saddler to fit it. People rely far too much on heresy, personal preferences, barn gossip, and salespeople selling a specific brand of saddle etc… to fit their saddle. Find a professional who is not selling a specific brand and seek their advice. If your horse develops saddle sores don’t keep adding more pads to “correct” the problem!

On an English girth I like the Wintec ones. They are easy to clean, come in a lot of different sizes and have a rolling buckle on the latch part. On English leathers, I prefer those that are a bit heavy and wide, which lay nicely FLAT.

For Western Saddles, the trainer I worked for in college liked the Monte Foreman Balanced Ride. I’d like to find one of those but so far have not found the right size for Z (semi-QH bars) or the size seat I need (16″). I don’t ride Western enough to have a preference on a cinch, but I do like a wide cinch which I cinch up more loosely then standard Western riders like to do.

Saddle pad: On my English saddles I prefer a shaped dressage pad in white. It’s easier to wash and bleach, and the shape allows me to touch the horses’ body behind the saddle. On a Western saddle, I like a thick wool pad. Remember, though a pad will not save a horses’ back if the saddle fit is wrong.

Hmm well I can’t think of anything off the top of my head but there is probably more. I think where Rugby Guy had the idea that I had something “new” is that my equipment differs from what he is used to in slight degrees. Such as the way the Western saddle I was borrowing cinched up. Or that because I do a lot of groundwork, I do have more tools for that.

Of course tools are only as good as the person who wields them…

Equipment Explanations

Rugby Player, the young man I’ve convinced to be the cannon fodder (i.e. ride Z) comes from a Cowboy background. That is okay because he is willing to do it my way even though he would, personally and left to his own devices, train her differently.

The other day when he showed up, I had the Connected Halter on Z and had just wrapped up some Connected Groundwork. He made the comment that I had stuff that he had never seen before. Yet on another day he started talking about tie downs and how he would use that to get Z’s headset.

I guess it might be confusing as to why and when to use equipment. And what my philosophy is about it.

First, any sort of equipment that fixes a head set by applying pressure i.e. tie downs, tying the horses head with rope in any form, or draw reins I am against. These types of equipment apply an unforgiving force to the horses’ head. Imagine if I put you in a neck brace that kept your chin forced to your chest all day long. It amounts to the same thing in terms of pain. This is what is described as a “false head set.”

For the record, I am not keen on side reins either. I have used them but gave them up when I realized I could get more from my horse using body movement mimicry, reinforced with clicker training.

Quarter horses put up with this type of treatment because of all the horse world they have been bred to be the most placid. It’s not a fluke that Hempfling labels Quarter Horse breeds as generally, The Used One. OTOH, a Quarter Horse is also the type that years into this sort of treatment will either breakdown physically or explode emotionally. 

Just because a horse submits to a human doesn’t mean that the submission is a good thing, productive, or even “training.” They used to bind girl’s feet in China too to achieve a certain look and remove women’s lower ribs so they could have a slimmer waist. Was that a good thing?

But how is that different then teaching a Head Down Cue or riding a horse Long and Low? When I teach a Head Down Cue I do it without equipment. I reinforce the head coming down and then the nose point forward with a clicker and treat. However, the horse is always able to move the head and leave the position.

To further that training, the head must come back up. For example, Z was taught in liberty to bring her head down to stretch her topline – this was reinforced using a clicker (or tongue cluck) and then rewarded with a bit of carrot. Now SHE seeks that position on her own.

But, as with many things in training, she has taken it too far. Instead of being relaxed and moving her hips freely with her hind legs under her, she has allowed the front long and low position to slow her and bring her onto the forehand. Now, I need to re-shape that position and ask for the head to come up slightly, maintaining the relaxation, but animating the hindquarter motion so she steps up under herself.

With this training, she is allowed to keep ownership of her own body. This is one reason why I follow so much of Klaus Hempfling’s work: he shapes the horses’ body movement with his own, not with gadgets.

I’ll go into what equipment I do use and why in another post.

Z: Week One

My plan last fall was to put a solid 90 days on Z. That didn’t seem to happen. Weather, holidays and Z being kicked to soreness threw a Monkey Wrench into my Grand Plan. With the new year, it’s time to get back to my Grand Plan.

Last time Rugby Guy worked Z she was back to her same old ways of bucking, kicking out, and balking. It was extremely frustrating to me as I had hoped we would be further along at that point in her education. I began to think, once again, that she may just become a big pet instead of a riding horse.

Molly, who has moved to Missouri, and hasn’t seen Z for months told me over the phone that Z should be moving quite along because of her foundation given by RH, the trainer who took her for 4 months last spring. I had to disillusion her that I wasn’t as enamored of the work RH had done with Z.

The fact of the matter is he got her to accept a saddle and a rider and that was about it. I have worked for a professional trainer (who showed in the Quarter Horse and Appaloosa World shows with horses she qualified herself) and I know that 90 days would bring a horse far more along then that. When Z came back from his place she was obedient (that was good) but there was also a frenetic, excitable horse too.

When we got back to putting Z under saddle on Tuesday, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Part of me figured we would be working through more bucking and resistance and I accepted that as just what would be. However, I am HAPPY to report that is not what happened! We had a surprising start to the new year, because, except for some very mild kick outs in the very beginning, she setteled down to riding like a seasoned horse!

WTH!? Okay, it just goes to show you not to put expectations on the horse and the ride.

Wednesday was even better with a bit of trail riding in the pasture, and Thursday was even way better with a lot of trail riding in the pasture. I am starting to see the horse I felt Z could become: a Steady Eddie.

For example, in the round pen when she is worked, other horses can come up along the fence line (not a design I favor). This particular young colt is a pest and though Z will pin her ears, as she goes by him, she doesn’t feed off his energy and start running away, bucking or being disobedient. For example, this colt likes to pick fights with his pasture mate and they were less then 15 feet away when they exploded into play – Z did nothing but continue her work.

Yesterday in the pasture we were using, there is a lonely neighbor horse, who, realizing he had a beautiful Appy girl close by, decided to flag his tail and show off a bit. Though Z increased her trot with a small burst of energy she did not go bananas or take off, acting crazy.

THIS is where I expected us to be last fall so hopefully these next 12 weeks (90 days) will cement the core of her education and we will be able to move on, during the summer, to more exciting work.

2012 Goal: Simplify

I crave to simplify my life. But it won’t happen for a while. I’m making note of it here to cheer me up and keep me going this next year, which is going to seem long and dreary as we plug away like an old horse plowing one row, only to go on to the next.

What does simplify mean to me:

Reduce our bills, not incur new ones, and eventually not owe money except for the bare essentials such as a house over our head. This is going to take a good 18 months. We are seeing progress but it is slow. By November, several of the bills will drop off if I just pay what we are paying now so I’ve got to keep heart and not get discouraged (like I am today).

Bring our animals home. I want them all at the same property. I waste a lot of time running off to take care of horses that are half an hour away (making it an hour round trip). The goal is to find a farm rental in MO come late fall.

Have son graduate from high school so I no longer have to deal with T&C. The college is one mile from our house! In terms of my running about, this will be really lightened when this comes about.

Knock out many of these house-do chores. We have so much updating, painting, repairs to do it is daunting me. It wouldn’t be an issue if we had the money to plomp down to some contractor but we don’t. I’ve got to keep plugging away with a very small budget for big projects. There are spots of progress through the house but I’d like to see one big project get done… maybe the downstairs flooring?

Move about half the stuff in our house to MO. That can’t happen til the end of the year as it would only be wasteful to put stuff in storage when I have a huge house here. But waiting is killing me as I want to pack now!!

Get Z to the point where I can ride her. That’s a post in itself, but we are quickly running through all that Rugby Guy can do with his level of knowledge. We are going to put a solid 90 days on her with him, and then I’m taking over or sending her to a trainer who knows more. Not sure as that all depends upon her.

Lets’ talk two years from now – what do I invision for myself and family?

Son will be over his first year in college. He wants to study overseas for a year so there is a possibility he will be in England or South Korea depending on what he decides and what he qualifies for.

Daughter will be at her private school (there are personal reasons which I won’t share why this needs to happen for her). I think we’ll be seeing some real blooming there with her. I expect a few bumps in the road with the move but overall I think she will be much happier.

Husband will continue be happy at his work and gain more accolades and commendations. I expect he’ll be in their bonus program by then and most likely have a raise of some sort. On a personal front, I’d like him to be able to do more with his many crafting hobbies and get back to his pottery or jewelry making. That means finding a property that has a workshop with electricity and enough storage.

Together I’m hoping we can get away a bit more and take some vacations, even if they are popup camper ones.

On the animal front – our elder dog is slowing down. I hope she continues in health. Our kitties will be happier with an outdoor play room (a catio) that I want to build for them when we get moved.

Big Guy may be kept down here in OK as his retirement home is great. Only til I can offer him something better will I move him. Pandora is also happy but I would like to buy her mini-companions and move her to our own place. Z should be well on her way to being a riding horse – I’d like to see us work with Molly but also be trail riding by this time. Z should also be at our own place (rental I’m expecting).

The only other animals I might add – depending on our rental property – are some chickens. Animals really complicate your life, so while I do want to buy another riding horse, and find a companion for Big Guy that daughter could safely ride, that won’t happen until we get our own place.

Hopefully, our house will be close to selling, if not sold by that time. If sold, we’ll stash the money back and start looking either for a property to buy and develop by building our own house, or one that we will renovate. There’s advantages to both so it’s really a matter of what we can find pricewise for what we can get. I personally would like to wait a year after the sale of the house before buying to give us time to breathe.

So what about me? Well, I figure my life will have the largest changes in it then any of the others. Financially, we should be much better off even if the house doesn’t sell right away. Just the chipping away will take care of a lot of stuff. And it’s the finances that contribute the greatest to my depression. I’d like to see that cloud of worry roll right away.

Career wise, my biggest plan is that when son graduates from high school that I start working for my equine vet. I’ve been posting that but the schedule has been too crazy for me to consider it. Right now for example, son goes to college for a half a day then over to school, I go work Z, then I come back and bring him home, fix dinner, then take daughter to Tae Kwon Do. All that will ease off when he is driving himself and going to a college one mile from home.

With that vet experience, I hope to get a PART-TIME job (20-30 hours per week) in a vet’s office, either as a receptionist or worker in the back after the move to MO. I’d like to do the On-The-Job training and earn a bit more then minimum wage but mostly have something to do with my day while earning a bit of money and experience. In terms of this being a “career” – hm not so much. Just something to do, meet some people, and increase my knowledge base about animal care.

I’d also like to get a home decorating business off the ground. This would be another part -time, entreprenurial gig which I would re-do furniture and sell. I’ve been doing a lot of research on that right now and my goal would be $1,000 a month part time as income. I’m not into all this blogging for money, making an empire, needing to be on television or in magazines. I could care less. I would like to have an established local clientele and sell some really nice stuff that I’ve created or re-imagined. It would also give me a creative outlet and provide a reason to go do all that junk shopping that hubby and I like to do.

Having my horses at home will really change my level of contact with them and how much more training I can do. I’m very excited by that. When that comes along, I am thinking HI (this blog) may become a full fledge website. I’m not sure though – it’s a lot of work too but I do like sharing myself in this way with others who are into horses and find something useful in what I do.

My future horse plans is getting an older, trail experienced horse that daughter or I could ride. There are a lot of trails in south Missouri with streams, rivers, and small mountains. And I would like to get a horse that is more dressage-oriented that would be younger.