Delta Mimosa LLC

02/19/2023

02/07/2023

We love this perspective. ♥️

If I view the behavior of my horse as manipulative, being defiant or just “being a jerk to make me mad” then my response will likely be more of defensiveness, frustration and punitive. This will lead to greater dysregulation & damage to the relationship. Both of us lose.

However, If I can begin to view their behaviors as seeking to clarify my requests, understand their surroundings, or seeking to restore felt safety, than my response will be to provide clarification, compassion & co-regulation. We both win.

I wonder what will happen if we all seek clarification instead of correction? Connection over compliance?

01/29/2023

Show season is here!
So saddle up your horse, come see some old friends, make some new ones, and join this amazing community in the challenge and the fun that is the Alabama Obstacle Challenge Series!
Go to www.AlabamaObstacleChallenge.com for more information.

11/09/2022

Megan is now accepting limited openings for riding or driving students. Please contact her by cell at 256-343-9717 for prices and available slots.

Coming soon, we will have intern instructors with limited openings as well.

07/30/2022

There is much to learn about biomechanics and riding horses. At Delta Mimosa, it’s important to us to ride horses who are comfortable and moving in ways to promote long, healthy careers.

𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗲: 𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝟳 𝗷𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘅 𝗦𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀

Op onderstaande foto zie je een momentopname uit de dressuurproef van een paard dat op hoog niveau gereden en uitgebracht wordt. Dit paard scoorde gedurende deze proef een behoorlijk hoge score, reacties op de proef waren erg positief (prachtig beengebruik) en dit paard zou in de toekomst zomaar wel eens naar het hoogste wedstrijdniveau kunnen stijgen.

Correctie: het is mij inmiddels duidelijk dat deze foto niet van een wedstrijd moment is, verder sta ik nog achter de inhoud van deze post 👍🏻

Want als ik dat woord toekomst dan lees bij zo een beeld, dan vraagt de dierenfysiotherapeute in mij zich af hoe lang deze toekomst dan voor dit paard zal duren. Deze foto is natuurlijk een momentopname, maar het maakt eigenlijk niet uit op welk moment van deze proef je een momentopname zou hebben gemaakt, dit was het constante beeld qua lichaamshouding en gebruik van het paard.

Een paard dat op deze manier getraind en gereden wordt, met zo'n slecht lichaamsgebruik dat ik er biomechanisch gezien echt heel verdrietig van word.. Die heeft namelijk geen mooie toekomst, die kan een paar jaar op deze manier door mensen 'gebruikt' worden en die gaat vervolgens kapot aan peesblessures, artrose, ontstoken gewrichten en een geheel overbelast lichaam (en geest).

Dus ik blijf ze posten, bij deze een opnieuw een biomechanische analyse.

𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗱 - de neus van het paard is behoorlijk achter de loodlijn, je ziet dus ook een korte afstand van kin tot borst. Met als gevolg veel druk vlak achter de kaken, druk op de luchtpijp en de slokdarm. Het paard kan niet goed ademen, slikken en ook niet goed voor zich uit kijken.

𝗚𝗿𝗼𝗲𝗻 - de tweede en derde halswervel zijn het hoogste punt, dit wordt ook wel een valse knik genoemd en is geen daadwerkelijke oprichting, hiervoor zou het achterhoofd het hoogste punt moeten zijn. Bij deze houding ontstaat er veel druk rondom het achterhoofd en de eerste halswervel, de halsspieren worden niet correct gebruikt en ook de laatste twee halswervels staan enorm onder druk.

𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗷𝘀 - je ziet duidelijk aan de hand van de ruiter dat deze geen correct contact maakt met de mond van het paard. Dat kan in deze positie van het hoofd en de hals ook niet anders. De hand van de ruiter is te hoog en geeft als het ware een hefboomwerking in de mond van het paard. Je ziet dan ook duidelijk een painface bij dit paard. Ik zie een gespannen onderlip, groot neusgat, opgetrokken ooghoek en veel spanning rondom de kaak.

𝗣𝗮𝗮𝗿𝘀 - er is veel meer actie in het voorbeen dan in het achterbeen, dit paard loopt dus niet van achteren naar voren, maar dat kan hij in deze gedwongen houding ook niet. (Deze lijnen horen niet gelijk te zijn, maar ik heb ze hier geplaatst om het verschil in activiteit te kunnen aanwijzen).

𝗢𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗷𝗲 - het achterbeen kan niet voldoende activiteit geven en niet voldoende ondertreden omdat er geen correct ruggebruik is. Het be**en is voorover gekanteld en de sc**ft wordt niet voldoende gelift. Hierdoor kan het achterbeen dus niet onder het zwaartepunt van het paard komen.

𝗚𝗲𝗲𝗹 - een direct gevolg van bovenstaande punten is dat het paard op de voorhand loopt en dus totaal niet in balans. Het paard kan de rug niet goed gebruiken en dus niet correct verzamelen.

𝗕𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘄 - je ziet de grote dysbalans van het paard ook goed terug in de benen. Er is veel meer druk op het voorbeen (deze staat zelfs bijna hol) dan op het achterbeen. Er zit een groot verschil tussen de afstand van de kogels tot de grond. Die van het voorbeen komt veel verder naar beneden dan de kogel van het achterbeen.

Met zo'n beeld is het dus niet de vraag of dit paard stuk zal gaan, maar wanneer dit paard stuk zal gaan..
Het is echt geen leuk plaatje om te zien, maar het belang van bewustwording is wat mij betreft groter dan het ongemak dat ik voel wanneer ik zo een afbeelding analyseer.

Hopelijk vinden jullie deze analyse duidelijk en leerzaam. Word bewust en wees lief 🐴 💜

05/21/2022

Yes. Excellent analogy.

There are some horses, especially stallions, which can become intensely dangerous in a nanosecond. I have known so many people who have been kicked or struck or bitten while on the ground. The horse pulls back far enough to get you in kicking distance, or does the same thing by rearing, and you are toast.

There are some horses that should never be handled by anyone but an expert. These horses are not necessarily "bad" in the sense of being vicious, but they are just as dangerous.

In skiing, they have (I think) trails they call "double black diamond" or something like that, to tell you that only certain experts should go down them. In the same way, most of us just need to avoid "double black diamond" horses. Let the experts deal. Stay safe. Stay away.

05/13/2022

We are so proud of you Ayesha!! ♥️

Congratulations to Donoho Senior Ayesha Siddiqua. Ayesha will be attending Rhodes College with plans to pursue a degree in Political Science. She is a recipient of the Rhodes College Dean’s Scholarship. Her favorite Donoho memory is the senior sunrise because it was a fun way to start senior year! One piece of advice she has for underclassmen: “Don’t underestimate the importance of a good night's sleep. Even if you have to study or cram for a test the next morning, you will be so much better off getting a few hours of sleep than none at all.“ Congratulations, Ayesha! We wish you all the best!

05/01/2022

Hmmm, I’m getting some fun ideas…

04/07/2022

Applies to both boys and girls - just change the pronouns and a few other words.

“The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and freedom.” Shannon Rauls Lemon.

04/05/2022

Read , let it sink in, then read again :

“No. 1. Get your tack and equipment just right, and then forget about it and concentrate on the horse.

No. 2. The horse is bigger than you are, and it should carry you. The quieter you sit, the easier this will be for the horse.

No. 3. The horse's engine is in the rear. Thus, you must ride your horse from behind, and not focus on the forehand simply because you can see it.

No. 4. It takes two to pull. Don't pull. Push.

No. 5. For your horse to be keen but submissive, it must be calm, straight and forward.

No. 6. When the horse isn`t straight, the hollow side is the difficult side.

No. 7. The inside rein controls the bending, the outside rein controls the speed.

No. 8. Never rest your hands on the horse's mouth. You make a contract with it: "You carry your head and I'll carry my hands."

No. 10. Once you've used an aid, put it back.

No. 11. You can exaggerate every virtue into a defect.

No. 12. Always carry a stick, then you will seldom need it.

No. 13. If you`ve given something a fair trial, and it still doesn't work, try something else—even the opposite.

No. 14. Know when to start and when to stop. Know when to resist and when to reward.

No. 15. If you're going to have a fight, you pick the time and place.

No. 16. What you can't accomplish in an hour should usually be put off until tomorrow.

No. 17. You can think your way out of many problems faster than you can ride your way out of them.

No. 18. When the horse jumps, you go with it, not the other way around.

No. 19. Don`t let over-jumping or dull routine erode the horse's desire to jump cleanly. It's hard to jump clear rounds if the horse isn't trying.

No. 20. Never give up until the rail hits the ground.

No. 21. Young horses are like children—give them a lot of love, but don't let them get away with anything.

No. 22. In practice, do things as perfectly as you can; in competition, do what you have to do.

No. 23. Never fight the oats.

No. 24. The harder you work, the luckier you get."

~Bill Steinkraus

03/09/2022

Who is ready to ride?? We will be starting lessons back right after this weekend’s predicted cold snap. Let Megan know when you want to ride and what your goals are for this year!

02/16/2022

We love the horse at Delta Mimosa. ♥️

I wanted to share my friend Bob's quote which was from an article in the AQHA Journal.

“There are two kinds of people that ride horses. There are the people who really love a horse, and then there are the people who love what a horse can do for them.
You fit into one category or the other.”

–Bob Loomis, AQHA Journal, Jan 2021

Thank you Bob!

02/06/2022

Let Megan know if you guys are interested in any of these events….

Alright! After a couple tough years...Here we go!

Stay tuned for announcements on some of the changes we're making. Time to get back to our roots.

01/09/2022

True.

When we think of the issues in the Equine world, though there are many, I find myself coming back over and over again to the fact we are at a Rider Deficit in America.

Maybe we always have been, and in the “Information” age, it is now just entirely too evident, but either way, it is a massive problem. This is an area that is all too connected to the Unwanted Horse issue we face, and it is the area most often overlooked. When folks do address it, the approach seems to be to make the horses we consider intermediate or advanced in type beginner friendly, but I suspect that is entirely the WRONG approach.

While making sure the essentials are imparted to all horses adopted out through rescue, bred or sold is vital and shouldn’t be overlooked, all equine professionals know that much of what is instilled in horses through training only lasts as long as the “new owner” allows it to, so in some ways, we are working backward by trying to create horses with more knowledge instead of creating “riders.”

I cannot number how many times in the decade where I’ve read postings, blogs and heard rescue directors, trainers and those who sell horses as a business comment on how easy it would be to adopt out, place or sell a “Dead Broke Horses.” Enumerable inquiries come in from beginners on the quest for “the horse anyone can be safe on.” While we do not believe the term “dead broke” is particular accurate in regards to any horse, we get what this implies. Dead Broke = A Horse any person lacking the most basic skills could safely sit, and yes, that horse has the very highest chance of finding a home in this market. They also have the best chance of staying in their home if they are able to remain “DEAD BROKE” through mishandling, but even the safest horse usually will not do this (See our blog Making a Beginner Horse Dangerous).

I guess one could suggest that the goal of trainers, rescues and others who work to find homes for horses should be to make more “DEAD BROKE” horses, but it isn’t. This is not a realistic or decent goal, either.

What we need are better riders. We need people who become riders and are able to take horses with a good foundation further; thereby, creating real partnerships, more evenly matched pairs with progress in mind, with a future in mind. We need horseman and horsewomen, not “dead” passengers on the backs of broken, numb horses.


The equine world must have trainers, rescues and other equine professionals or organizations pushing “HUMAN” instruction and partnership learning, so that the horses we have are actually candidates for more homes.

Buyers, Owners and adopters need to let go of the EGOS that say we know enough, know everything or do not need more knowledge.

Buyers, homes, riders and parents need to open their eyes to see these huge, emotional, volatile and sensitive beings DESERVE Riders. Being a passenger does the horse a disservice and it creates an ocean full of smart, willing horses NO ONE is ever good enough for, and that is a huge part of the “Unwanted Horse” problem we face. Horses are passed around from unskilled barn to unskilled barn, learning more bad habits and becoming less and less apt to ever be a willing partner. They become numb, painful and angry, and we blame them for it.

We have to realize that most horses will never accept unskilled passengers who make a plethora of painful and harmful mistakes each time they lead their horse or sit on the back of their horse and stay safe. Knowing this, the only answer must be to facilitate more people becoming qualified Riders.

The answer to finding a home for every horse is making more homes a possibility to the average horse.

At Heart of Phoenix, while laying down the foundation for each horse, exploring their potential and giving them reasons to wish to be a partner for a person are all huge goals, we see the direction must be to create more RIDERS, and then we will see more horses able to become the for more homes.

https://heartofphoenix.org/2017/07/24/become-the-right-rider-so-more-horses-can-be-the-righthorse-for-you/

01/04/2022