New Heights Horsemanship

04/25/2024

Lately I've had several folks reach out about hauling their horses longer distances...

Here's just kinda a reference for me. Not everyone has to agree but idk much about the subject. :)

Cameras. Get them. We install them pm me if you want one. Worth every single penny. Your entire perspective will change. Wire them into your running lights, it'll act as an on/off switch and won't run batteries down. https://a.co/d/582ihv4

Horses appreciate box stalls IMHO. If you can haul as such, do it. In the same breath, some horses cant tolerate the room and get anxious. Load accordingly.

Nervous horse?
I have a loud yet small portable speaker too. Let's listen to Mozart or Beethoven! You have no idea how much it'll drown out road/trailer noise and give them something else to focus on. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLu1tYRd/

Never ever hard tie. Ever. I have tie blockers attached with hay string at all tie points in my trailer. There has been exactly 3 times that has really saved my ass (and spared the horses injury). I really prefer not to tie at all if I can get away with it. They need to be able to get their heads down or at least lower it some to clear their lungs or you risk shipping fever.

Stop every couple hours and rest legs. They get fatigued more than other body parts. I stop every 3 hours ish for about 20/30 minutes. I also take this time to use the bathroom, grab a snack, walk my trailer and top off fuel. I absolutely do not make unnecessary stops. I have a 100 gallon drag tank too which I really appreciate.

I bed deep, 8 inches or more long distance and 6 inches or so local hauls. Helps keep them comfy but also absorbs waste more efficiently and deeper (also a insulation to keep the road heat at bay). Take note of how much they're p**ping and if they p*e. I scoop p**p when I stop if I can safely. I've had horses that absolutely will not p*e on the trailer and that needs to be kept in mind for travel time as well. Double mats are good too! I invested in the spray floor from Texas Floor Skinz and I can tell it's also made a huge difference in the cushioning. I also don't have to pull the stupid mats out anymore and it's super easy to disinfect.

I also invested in a air hitch from https://shockerhitch.com It takes so much of the jerk and rough ride out! It's like night and day on any trailer but y'all with those heavy LQ? Order ya one, you'll thank me later. They're also commonly listed on FB Marketplace as well. I average around $550 used. I swear by this and that cushioned spray floor for legs.

I never park my trailer in the direct sun either, once it starts to warm up. If you feel like it's really heating up, buy 60/80 pounds of ice and throw on the floor. Imagine the heat coming from the road, the ice melts but it does help. Ventilation is key. Keep that trailer open.
I ordered a custom screen from this place for the window above my side ramp. Its made a huge difference while still being safe!
https://www.horsetraileraccessorystore.com/Trailer-Safety-Screens-with-Straps-CUSTOM-SEWN-New-or-Replacements_p_575.html

Don't ever unload at a truck/rest stop/questionable area. Find an arena or barn or even a quiet back road if nothing else. I try hard to not have to unload at all but I have the luxury of the nicest barns to let my passengers walk it out at (thanks you guys).

How long can I travel? That's such a loaded question. How's your horse/s traveling? Again, cameras are just such an invaluable tool. If they're drinking, comfortable, p**ping and happy I'm good going 12 hours or even more if client wants straight through, keep your breaks consistent. I feel 6/8 hours or so is a good days haul. If there's any question just stop and layover somewhere. https://www.horsemotel.com/ is a great resource and many public arenas are available as well. Give your horses 8/10 good hours of rest off trailer if you're going to layover. Make sure they drink.

I keep water in front of them long distance or if it's hot. You have to. If it's a 3 hour trip and 70° they aren't thirsty and they're just going to make a mess. Make sure you hang the bucket high enough to keep feet out but low enough to be accessible. Pay attention to what direction your clips are too. You don't want a halter getting hung up on a clip holding a water bucket in a tight area. I appreciate actual bucket straps, they'll break if they needed to.
I also use these to keep splashing to a minimum. Some horses just really don't appreciate it. They learn fast how to use them.
https://teskeys.com/products/rockin-road-lid?variant=40161967865919&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw26KxBhBDEiwAu6KXt2mu3QWkzH-BVxMn_aVC2gsSY4g79uyrPBWTXWeeGh2m8xriU0D7oxoCzlAQAvD_BwE
Keeping hay bags full is important too. Smaller the hole in slow feed hay nets the better. You don't want them to just pig out bored, you want to keep tummy acid at bay and horses content while traveling. I don't like feeding horses during travel either. Grain really weighs the gut down. Soak it really good if you do. This will help reduce colic. See my ulcergard comment below.

If they're struggling to drink, keep in mind you're filling their gut with dry hay in an already stressful situation. Then add to that you're restricting the digestive process by them standing still. There's a lot of things to help with this. I like https://www.whinnywater.com/ but you can also use Gatorade, a handful of alfalfa pellets and full bucket of water or whatever your horse likes but they really need to drink, esp in the heat. If you can start ulcergard a few days prior to, during and a few days post travel that really seems to help too.

I hate shipping boots for a lot of reasons, mostly because they trap heat in the legs and thats no bueno.

Walk. Your. Rig.
Every single time you stop. Walk. Your. Rig. Things I look for.. cracked/busted welds, door/window hinges, lug nuts, secured latches, kick the tires, quick visual of my hitch, head gates/drops (those aluminum bars can break) and whatever else is in-between. Don't forget to look under it occasionally as well! There's so much under there that can break too!
Make this second nature and you can potentially save yourself a lot of headache later.
My trailer is professionally inspected every 3 months and repairs made immediately when found needed. Stuff breaks, it happens.

There are companies that are like Triple A for horse people. I really like www.trailguard.org They have a lot of features they offer and help get horses and equipment safe. Do this ahead of time, don't want until you have an issue.

Know your maintenance schedule. Can't recall the last time you had your bearings/brakes/tires inspected? Then it's time. Over a year? Then it's time. Have a blow out? Then it's time. Tires over 4 years old but still have lots of tread? It's time for new ones. This heat kills tires. I buy mine at Trout Tire and they've always done me right. Same goes for your truck.

Carry two spares, that trailer aid ramp is worth every penny and so is a good impact. I can change a tire in under 8 minutes. It's invaluable in the stupid Texas heat. I recently added a tire temperature/pressure system. I'm certain those is going to amazing. https://a.co/d/euhYmgF
I also have enough spare s**t to build a space ship in my tool box. Tools, hay string, electrical tape, extra lights, fuses, zip ties, straps, bailing wire, coolant, you get the point. I also carry wraps, vet wrap, extra halters/ropes, spray and tie blockers blah blah blah. I could be a hauler or a serial killer turns out it looks the same. I have a fridge in my center console so I can safely carry drugs as well. Bought that here! It's an amazing human comfort too. Cold drinks/snacks and I don't have to make another stop! https://www.dometic.com

FIRE EXTINGUISHER and a knife. You just never know. I put out a car fire one night, it was like 11pm. Peeps were super grateful. I replaced it the next day. Have a good sharp knife close and handy too. **tyouseeasahauler

This is just me and my observations over the last 8 years of hauling. I strive to evolve into the absolute best hauler I can be and it comes from experience for sure. I really do love the horses I haul and want nothing but safe travels every time I load a horse.

Haulers and individuals all do things different and that doesn't make (most of) it wrong.

I'll add to this as I think of more :)

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New Caney Equine Center

04/17/2024

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01/04/2024

The *more leg* debate

Recently I’ve been seeing a lot of posts talking about instructors telling their students to “use more leg” and that this is wrong or it’s not being done properly, etc. However, not one post then says how to do it properly. They just criticize.

Also it seems that they forget that a lot of people that ride don’t use their legs hardly at all to steer and ride their horse and use just primarily rein aids.

Shouldn’t we be trying to instruct our students to ride more with their seat and leg aids than their reins?

Also most students do not use enough of their lower leg to support or communicate to their horse properly. The use of the leg must be taught through repetition and feel.

Now I get that overuse of the leg will result in a dull horse but sometimes a student truly is not using enough of their lower leg to effectively communicate because they just don’t know how to effectively and correctly use their leg in relationship to what they are requesting their horse to do.

And the message of using too much leg is confusing to new horse riders. It sends the message of telling them to not use their leg at all which causes a whole slew of issues in itself.

I tell my students that their neutral leg on their horse’s sides should be about the same pressure as their arms resting relaxed at their sides. The leg should not engage more unless they want more energy from the horse or for direction and steering purposes. The leg should be like a gentle hug. Reassuring, giving and feeling for feedback at the same time.

The leg should be held with relaxation with only enough pressure in the stirrup to barely hold a dollar bill in between the ball of your foot and the stirrup.

There should be flexibility in the hip, knee and ankle. This allows for movement and feel for cueing purposes. Soft legs allow for flexibility in the seat and lower back which travels up into the shoulders and the arms and hands. In essence, the status of the leg influences the entire body.

Tight and tense legs cause tension in the thighs, hips and lower back which cause the rider to actually move against their horse. If you are bouncing a lot in the saddle, you might be riding with a tight and tense leg. Tight legs cause riders to put too much pressure in their stirrups which causes them to ride stiff up through their hips and lowers back. It also causes the rider to keep their legs off the horse. This causes lack of communication between the horse and rider and also causes the rider to be more unstable.

We must have balance in our legs and seat. We must learn to wait and feel our horse underneath us and then respond accordingly to them after giving them time to respond to the request. A solid and quiet leg takes time to build but keeping your leg completely off your horse only causes more harm than good.

The use of leg in communicating to a horse and for the importance of balance and position in the saddle is one of the most important things to teach. So rather than p**poo-ing the use of leg, encourage correct leg position and contact.

10/15/2023

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MxAfU5g-GRk

To view this entire video series tune to our channel, where Richard Winters will take you on a journey from the ground up. Start with the basics of saddling,...

09/21/2023

💁‍♀️ Let's Talk... Who's at Fault When the Horse You Bought Stops Working?

This is a topic I cover a lot when I'm teaching training courses but I tend to avoid posting about on Facebook.... Because let's face it, there's going to be A LOT of opinions on this topic.

So let's set the scene here: You've just purchased your dream horse. He worked great when you tried him. Your tack fit perfectly. He walked in the gate. Passed a vet check. All is good. Then you get the horse home and a month or so goes by... Your new horse stops working or is suddenly sore or has EPM.... You start to wonder if you bought a problem horse. How could the seller not disclose these problems? What do you do now?

I get calls from frantic owners in this exact situation all the time. I will be the first to admit that I've bought my fair share of horses that had soundness issues and I've spent a lot of nights wondering if the seller took a vacation on my money whole I got left with a mountain of vet bills.... But this post isn't going to be about bashing sellers (there are plenty of fb groups for that). This post is going to be about the other side of the situation, because I believe that good sellers do exist and sometimes they get the blame for things that are out of their control.

Did you know? That stomach ulcers can form as quickly as 5 days? And just because it takes 5 days to actually form an ulcer, it doesn't mean the horse's stomach wasn't in distress the 4 days before. Bringing a horse into a new environment can immediately begin to stress the body, especially for young horses. Transitioning to different hay or feed can add to these issues. So the horse that you've had for 3 weeks that is now cinchy and fussing at the alley, could have scoped completely clean at the time of purchase. We see this happen a lot where the new owner thinks they have bought a horse that was "drugged," when actually it was an onset of ulcers creating the poor behavior after purchase.
I also see this happen when the new owner decides to put the horse on 47 supplements, because they always think they know how to feed better than the other person.... The horse's system gets shocked from too many changes at once.

I've personally had a horse that seemed fine at home and after a 6 hour trailer ride to a race in south Texas, went off feed and had a complete EPM relapse to the point of having to scratch the barrel race. That was a good lesson that taught me how important prevention techniques are especially for how hot our summers get. Yes.... It can hit that fast. Ask anyone who has dealt with it a lot.

So what about joint pain? Surely the seller would know about that, right?

So much of how the body reacts to anything is a result of fitness and consistency. Another common thing we see in a rehab is the open rider that buys a solid horse from a trainer, only to find the horse is blown up within a few months of purchase.
(Now, I know there are good trainers and bad trainers. I'm not here to debate that. Do your homework before purchase.)

The scenario I run into most often is that when that horse is with the trainer, they are in work every day. That trainer is going to have the horse in peak condition. Just walk through the stalls at a futurity... Those horses shine like a penny and have muscles like the Magic Mike movie. Every reputable trainer wants their horse to be a reflection of their program. This is how they make their living.
So when average horse owner makes that purchase and takes that horse home, most do not keep the same conditioning routine. They work a 9 to 5, so sometimes riding is tough... The kids have sports and activities... The weather doesn't cooperate... Soon that super chiseled horse from the sale ad is starting to look heavy, flabby, and undefined. Inconsistent workouts lead to the loss of stabilizing muscle and fast twitch fibers. So now when you only ride one day a week and then enter a 3 day show.... You are setting that horse up for fatigue to cause muscle soreness, compensation patterns, strain on joints, gastric upset, and risk of bleeding.

Trainers can ride multiple horses in a day because it's their job. The average owner typically owns several horses, but very few actually have the time (and discipline) to realistically work a job and keep 5 to 7 horses in competition fitness without taking shortcuts that can lead to costly vet bills. That jumping on twice a week a long trotting 3 miles will create way more problems than it will fix.

Did you know: It's been proven that muscle atrophy is detectable on ultrasound within 72 hours of a horse being on stall rest? So in just 3 days of your horse standing around in a paddock or stall, you are losing fitness. This is why riding twice a week doesn't work. When those muscles compensate for weak areas, it puts strain on the joints and changing the pull and wear will cause inflammation... Which leads you to the vet. 3D/4D horses seem to be able to compete without as much fitness and stay relatively sound, but your hard running, hard turning horses can't. Kind of like how you can not exercise and play on a casual pickup game of basketball, but a college player has to be in the gym daily.
... This is also why people think injections don't work. The injection just breaks the pain cycle and inflammation. It doesn't correct the core root of the problem, which is almost always muscle compensation........ For the record, most of my kissing spine rehabs (both surgery and not) are owned by open riders, not trainers. And if you look at the x-rays against the horse the kissing spine will always present at the weakest part of the core, nearly every time. I'm not saying 100% of the surgeries can be prevented, but in human medicine they will not do back surgery unless you are below the correct weight for your body to be able to successfully heal from the procedure. Just food for thought....

So when we get these horses in that are running up the fence, refusing the alley, have had 5 things injected, and the owner is bashing the trainer they bought the horse from... I always ask what their fitness program is. Especially if it's a young horse that is still growing and their conditioning has become inconsistent.

The last chapter of this novel is personal story of defeat... The "back burner" horse that hasn't been hauled, but has all of the potential.

So I bought one of these. Straight out of the pasture. Overgrown feet, fat... but the most patterned thing I'd ever sat on. I even vet checked him. So I take him home and start to work on his feet and get him in shape. He was so great on the pattern that I thought... "He's not in shape, but I'll just enter and coast him through." He worked like a dream. So I kept riding at home, but I entered again and asked him for a bit more sp*ed. He worked so nice, I got excited and entered a whole stack of races. Within 6 months, I'd crippled him because I wasn't patient enough to get my correct foundation of fitness first while I was changing angles to correct his feet. He was winning races, but I was injecting everything on him, my tack didn't fit, and I ended up with soft tissue damage that would take him out for another year. It wasn't my lack of dedication, but my impatience for competition that caused it. I struggled with wanting to blame the seller and was convinced they knew he had issues. It took selling him extremely cheap and watching someone else rehab him correctly and start winning on him for me to realize my fault and lack of education.
... That's also some of the heartbreak that fueled my education that would lead later on to the desire to open Superior Therapy LLC and my current project Learn Equine Therapy....

We can't prevent every accident and there are times when shady sellers need to be held accountable for their actions, but a lot can happen in 30 days of a horse being in a new home that isn't a seller's fault....

08/22/2023

08/03/2023

😵Unpopular opinion: we need to be doing way more unridden work with our horses
. hand grazing doesn’t count

Horses who have anxiety entering the ring
Horses who can’t stand still at the mounting block
Horses with underdeveloped musculature- specifically through the back
Horses who have trouble stopping, slowing down and backing up (under saddle & on ground)

There is SO much of this that can be addressed from working with your horse on the ground.

In situations where anxiety or confusion is a contributing factor (which is often the case) it can be extremely helpful to teach concepts to the horse on the ground first, before adding a rider. If the horse misunderstands or is anxious on the ground- adding a rider to this situation is not going to give them clarity.

In cases where anatomy is the main factor (underdeveloped musculature, tensional patterns or rehabbing from an injury) working from the ground is imperative.

Allowing the horse to move freely- uninhibited by a rider and a saddle (most of which are restricting movement and musculature to begin with 🤯) - this allows the horse to use its body unencumbered, which results in building the necessary muscle and breaking the cycle of compensational movement patterns.

I often encounter riders who are eager to ride, eager to show and to compete .. when the reality of the situation is, that their horse just isn’t ready yet.. whether that’s physically or mentally.

I’ve seen horses gradually break down after being overridden and overstimulated resulting in an even worse physical or mental state than the initial issue presented.

Doing things from the ground first may seem like you’re going backwards, but you are actually saving yourself from having to undo all the negatives that rushing creates: anxiety issues, injuries, muscular and tensional issues, compensational movement etc.

So here’s to taking a little more time out of the saddle and spending a little more time tuning in to what our horses really need 🐴💙

07/05/2023

A recent study, conducted in Japan, compared various methods for cooling horses after exercise in hot and humid conditions. Thoroughbreds were exercised until their pulmonary artery temperature reached 108°F. The time until the pulmonary artery temperature returned to

06/17/2023

Bill Steinkraus told THM in 1983: “I cannot stress too much the vital importance of restoring all aids to their normal state as soon as the horse has complied with them. Once the horse has gone forward, ease up on your driving aids; once it has shortened, open your fingers again enough to reward. It is very common to see exactly the opposite: the rider gets the horse to come back once, but never releases his closed fingers again, and spends the rest of the hour hanging in the horse’s mouth, or, having gotten the horse to go forward, spends the rest of the day with his legs stuck halfway through the horse. The reason you want your aids to be effective is so that you can teach the horse to respond to them more and more sensitively – and so that you can use them less and less."
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2021/08/four-showjumping-masters-part-2-william-steinkraus/

05/21/2023

Sometimes a small adjustment can change everything.

There are times that something as simple as hand placement on a rein or adjusting your weight in a stirrup will change the way a horse works.

We don’t always need to have a new drill or a new bit or some crazy new fad.

Sometimes it is just simple horsemanship and looking at cause and effect.

www.betweenthereins.us



📸: Bee Silva

05/11/2023

We cannot make a horse more supple…

A huge majority of new clients want me to assist them in improving the suppleness of their horses. Conversely, most of them actually need help with stability and alignment, but the perception is that their horse lacks suppleness.

The thing is though, I can’t make your horse more supple. Neither can you.

What we can do is foster trust.

The horse must trust that the rider’s hand will not surprise him; that the leg is stable and consistent in how it communicates with the horse and that the rider’s mind is clear and focussed.

Most importantly, the horse must trust that the rider is listening every stride, so that the horse can communicate, “This is a little too difficult, can you make it easier?”, if needed.

You see, no matter what discipline you ride, your horse will always be a horse. A prey animal.

Dressage horse = flashy prey animal
ShowJumper = prey animal that jumps
Reining horse = compact and agile prey animal
All-rounder horse = prey animal with many jobs!

The first question that a prey animal asks itself in any given situation is, “Am I safe?”

If he feels the answer is no, then we have already got a roadblock on our path to ‘suppleness’.

Suppleness starts in the mind. When we stretch our bodies, the first sensation is of mild discomfort which quickly melts into relief, so long as we breathe and relax into it. We do not start to affect change on the soft tissue structures until a short while after.

I believe the same is true of horses. The first barrier we meet will be the horse’s nervous system. Only once we have passed through this ‘barrier’ do we start to affect the body of the horse.
Be aware that the ‘barrier’ can come back down and block you at any given moment. For example, following a change to the environment in the stable or arena.

An exercise cannot make a horse more supple.

A training method cannot make a horse more supple.

Only the horse, flowing through subtle transitions between postures, tempo’s and gaits with a relaxed mind, can make himself more supple.

My advice: start by only doing what you can do well. Gently. With relaxation. Next, build on it. Make subtle changes to it. When you make changes, try not to lose too many of the things you liked about the work. It’s OK to lose a little for a short time, but if you lose too much, go back to doing something that you could do well. Gather all of the components which you liked about your work and start from there.

Work within the comfort zone of the horse, with only moments of working at the edge of the comfort zone.

The nervous system is the first gateway to suppleness. Relaxation and quiet dialogue are the keys.

04/28/2023

The last time I was brave enough—or stupid enough—to post something about hobbling my horses, the outrage was such that I vowed never to do so, again.

I’ve stood by my word, until this morning.

I’ve got a road trip planned and as I walked out into the white winter wonderland—for it snowed again last night—to feed in the early dawn, I knew something wasn’t right. Tee was missing. I chucked out some hay for the others who are travelling with me and went in search of my old friend.

There he was, in a tight spot, where it seems he had discovered a coil of old wire in a hedgerow that is next to the yard. It’s a reality when one lives in an once-abandoned farmstead with decades and generations of old stuff. We clean up continually, but still. Like rocks in the fields, some forgotten treasure is always working its way up. The wire had slipped and bound his front pastern with two wraps, so tightly that I couldn’t at first see where he was caught.

Tee was standing, worried and shaking but sure that I would come and help. I eased in, said the W-word quietly and got to work. The manure pile behind my horse told the tale of a long and uncomfortable night, spent in stillness in the teeth of the storm. Thank goodness I was moved to go out unusually early and begin to get ready for my journey. Thank goodness none of the other horses had chased my submissive friend while he was caught by the front leg.

Thank goodness Tee knows how to hobble.

This is one of the skills he rocks, despite loud voices braying about learned helplessness and the cruelty of outdated methodology. Despite their knowing best, today, I am still going on a fun road trip with my horse and not, in a panic, hauling him to the vet.

In this time of all or nothing thinking—of absolutely knowing what's right and what's wrong—more than ever, I am seeking that beautiful thing called balance.

04/21/2023

>>BRIDLE APPROPRIATELY