Seven Hills Training

01/16/2025

01/11/2025

Take a field full of young horses—doesn’t matter the breed or sport—and you’ll quickly see the harsh reality. Some will get hurt or die before they even have a chance to prove themselves. Some will be bought and rushed by people who don’t know what they’re doing, or worse, who “do”know but can’t resist cutting corners. Some will be started by hot-headed, short-fused riders who can’t handle the pressure. And only a small handful will ever get the chance to become well-trained by calm, patient, and skilled hands.

In short: there are far more potentially great young horses out there than there are people who actually know how to bring them along with the skill, the patience, and—let’s be real—“the temperament”to make it happen.

And the worst part? It’s usually the horse that gets blamed for the mistakes humans make.

And let’s not forget: the people who don’t know what they don’t know are the hardest to reach. And that? That’s a real problem.

01/01/2025

Now that you have listened to the episode, are you ready to body condition score your horse? Here is a link with the instructions and the Henneke chart to help you make your assessment. Let us know if you have any questions.

https://clarityequine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Condition-Scoring-Instructions.pdf

12/20/2024

Develop Your Eye for Correct Connection in Stretchy Trot - Dressage Fundamentals

12/13/2024

12/04/2024

Warning it’s graphic but super educational.

11/26/2024

Ingrid Klimke talks about development of the back and hind legs:
“The hindlegs must be energetic under the centre of gravity, that means the hindquarters get much more muscle, the back gets so much stronger, and the horse really shows himself. The horse has to have energy from behind, the motor is the hindlegs.”
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2023/02/ingrid-klimke-talks-about-hind-leg-development/

11/22/2024

Quite often I hear horses who are not freely forward described as “lazy.” There are a few problems with this :

1- lazy is an anthropomorphic description. Horses don’t care about our ideas of work ethic, or even know what those are. Their priorities are eat, be secure in a herd, look out for danger, and eat. Their priorities are not inside leg to outside rein, they don’t care about doing straight flying changes, and they certainly don’t care that you have a show coming up. The only way they can become invested in your work is if it makes them feel good, as in brings them mental and physical well-being. Otherwise, you can threaten with your leg all you want and inspire fear response, but they aren’t lazy - they just don’t share your priorities.

2- most sluggish horses are extremely tight. Moving forward with a rider on their back is actually double or triple the amount of work that it should or could be. They are moving with a tight back, tight shoulders and weak abs and haunches. Likely the rider is tight as well, and quite likely the rider is not balanced as well as they could be and using reprimanding or nagging aids. This horse is working FAR harder then they need to be.

If a horse’s shoulders are supple, back is free to lift, core is engaged and working without interference, hind legs swinging at optimum range of motion, movement is easy and enjoyable. So your “lazy” horse is far out working a horse with looseness and alignment, because they have to work much harder just to go forward.

Imagine being pulled off your couch, given a 70 lb pack to carry that slips around and isn’t stable, and being asked to move forward through a series of obstacles without being fit or knowing how to position yourself. You aren’t going to be moving very fast either, and someone nagging you to speed up incessantly will probably make you quite resentful.

Something to think about next time you whip out the “L” word; which in my barn is a very very dirty word, along with stubborn ;)

10/30/2024

Little tid-bits I found:

What Do The Dressage Arena Letters Mean?

German Cavalry is also known to have had the arena letters spaced around a 60 meters x 20 meters space. This was between the stable blocks in many Germany Cavalry barracks. Although the definitive origin of the letters is unknown, it seems that there are two main theories, both of which originate in Germany.
The markings found on the walls of the Manstall were:
A Ausgang (Exit).
K Kaiser (Emperor).
F Fürst (Prince).
P Pferknecht (Ostler or Groom).
V Vassal (Servant/Squire/Equerry).
E Edeling/ Ehrengast (Chieftain or Honoured Guest).
B Bannertrager (Standard Bearer).
S Schzkanzler (Chancellor of the Exchequer).
R Ritter (Knight).
M Meier (Steward).
H Hofsmarshall (Lord Chancellor).
When competitive dressage began, arenas were measured at 60 meters x 20 meters, and these dimensions were first adopted for the 1932 Olympic Games in which cavalry officers completed their dressage test. They competed in predetermined sequences and movements to demonstrate the progressive training methods of the dressage horses, much as they are today in dressage competitions.
The earlier tests were specifically designed to test riders’ skills and mounts. Collected and extended paces were required, and pirouettes, rein back and flying changes were included. They also had the task of negotiating five small obstacles, including a barrel that was rolled toward the approaching horse and rider! Until late 1952, Olympic dressage was restricted to male-only riders

10/29/2024

10/14/2024

We love Alexa! She works wonders on our crew!!!! If you can’t tell by Cyders lip 😂

10/12/2024

The long-awaited new release is now in stock and shipping all orders immediately. Link to order in comments.

09/13/2024

🌾It's laminitis season....

Who is at risk?
Overweight horses with fat pads on shoulders, rump, withers
Horses with high insulin
Horses who have had laminitis in the past
Horses with past/present signs of subclinical laminitis
Horses who are overdue for vet check/new bloodwork to check their status whether on meds or not

Prevention first:
OFF the grass completely if you already have warning signs
Muzzle ON if your horse is overweight or suspicious for IR
Turn out overnight or morning only, OFF the grass by mid-morning
Keep a regular trim/shoeing cycle, now is not the time to skip or push appts back
Ask your farrier if they see anything concerning
Get bloodwork done with your vet to check insulin

Warning signs:
Sore after a routine maintenance trim
Bruising or stretching in the white line
Unusual bruising in the wall
Event lines, especially if wider at the heels
Sore over gravel/hard surfaces when sound before
Shorter strides
Flat or toe first landings
Reluctance to turn in a circle
Lethargic, dull, moving less in turnout
Increased digital pulse in one or more feet
Increased rate of hoof growth

If you see multiple warning signs:
Call your vet - it may be time for bloodwork and hoof radiographs
Call your farrier - it may be time to shorten your trim cycle temporarily and/or have your farrier consult with your vet

There are always signs before a full blown laminitis episode -- if you are concerned about your horse, continue reading up on insulin resistance, laminitis, founder, seasonal changes, and check in with your professionals.

08/28/2024