Scothaus Stables

05/28/2022

Just have to share a Before and After. Luke came to us chunky but not very muscled. Unfortunately, he lost a ton of weight in the first 6 months I owned him. He has EOTRH and we thought that once we had his 10 affected teeth pulled, he'd feel better. Well, he did, but he didn't gain any weight and we couldn't figure out why. He kept having hoof issues and finally, our amazing vet suggested we test him for PPID. We started him on a daily medication but he had already foundered. He had to have 3 months completely off and while he did gain weight, he lost all of his topline. He was cleared for light work on December, 2021.

These pictures are taken about a year apart (I think like 14 months) but here you can see what his medication, good nutrition, and a structured physical rehab program can do. He's gone from barely being able to walk to jumping over 2' and has developed much better muscle tone and even some fat deposits. He looks great for a cushinoid senior Thoroughbred (22 years young) with EOTRH.

Big thanks to our farriers, Angela Loehner and Taylor Bluntach , our amazing vets Dr. Emily Hood with Hood Equine Veterinary Services, PLLC , Dr. Jamie Ashbrook with BVEH Salado, and Dr. Nick Moore (who did his oral surgery). Also big thanks to Katie Biebs for his continued help with his rehab and our sweet kiddos for always loving him.

04/18/2022

Haven't posted in awhile but today we went up from 18" to about 2' on Nora with a single fence. Here's a glimpse into her progress and how I work with a green horse. Clips are in order. Once she did it without touching it, she was all done 🥰

02/09/2022

Lately, I've been able to start working with a client off property with their own horse and I realized how much I enjoy it. They've come a long way in a short time. He's only 6 and very much a playful, fun personality. He's had a handful of rides since October. I love his movement and he has alot of potential in Hunters and Dressage. His owner hopes to show him over fences in a few months.

01/26/2022

The green OTTBs have been spicy to ride because of the cold and the wind. Nora did a great job the other day but was a little spooky so after our ride, we played with the flag 🇺🇲 Overall, she did great. Here's some snippets:

12/31/2021

The baby is growing up. She'll be 3 in May and her brain is just so well developed, I asked Katie is she wanted to sit on her, while I was on the ground, to see what she would do. What did Stormy do? Nothing. She was more interested in the cat. I'm not sure she even noticed Katie 😂😂 She's also been getting brave (not like she wasn't already) but yesterday Rockit showed her how to play in the pond. Low level eventing in her future?

11/27/2021

I rescued these girls about 10 months ago. They were OTTB mares who had been racebroke and then sat - Lina raced until 2018 and then sat. Nora was broke and then sat for 10 years! They were crazy when they got here - nonstop pacing, eating disorders, underweight and undermuscled, and so incredibly anxious. Afraid of everything, from mini horses to their own leadropes. Tell me these two faces look anxious now 🥰

For those of you who don't know alot about body language, their ears are relaxed, eyes are soft/closed, and lower lips are dropped. These are relaxed ponies 💜

Photography Credit: Kara Mae Photography & Graphics TX

11/01/2021

Okay Lina. We see those changes 😍 Can't wait to see Katie and her on the baby greens next year 💚

10/19/2021

Let's talk about frustration. Anyone who's ever trained a horse knows it well, and if they tell you they don't, they're either lying or they've never really trained a horse. Patience only goes so far.

Poor Lina had a loading accident at the end of August. We gave her some time off but pretty much immediately started feeding her some grain our of the trailer. Fast forward about 5 weeks and we successfully get her on the trailer! Several times in fact. Feeling good! Fast forward again 2 weeks. Still getting on! And then....

Then there's a day that I get frustrated. It was a long week. It's windy. I'm already more short tempered than usual. She gets on the trailer! Win! And then the wind blows the trailer door shut. Lina panics, rushes off the trailer, and refuses to get back on. I get frustrated. We end on a sour note.

And now, Katie and I have accidentally taught her to be a circus elephant. She gets her front feet on and won't hop with her back legs. Today, we get her almost on. And then one of the barn cats jumps on a log, knocks it down, and scares the freaking horse again. Sigh.

It's a process and I know that Lina will get over her fear. She trusts Katie, she trusts me (sort of), and she trusts treats. But dang if I'm not frustrated 🤷🏼‍♀️

10/07/2021

GRIT has a new horse on trial and this was his second ride while here. It was the first time Katie rode him and I was able to watch. When bringing horses in, we need to evaluate what they know. This kiddo, Rockit, was coming from an eventing background. We knew he doesn't like his face being touched much but had to work to figure out how to get him to trot to fences. Enjoy this progression! It's fun being able to see where we started and where we ended 🧡

09/19/2021

with the horses! I took some leftover balloons from a birthday party at one of the barns I teach/taught at and put them to good use 😂 The thoroughbreds weren't thrilled. The paints (even the baby) and the halflinger were ✨rockstars ✨

09/07/2021

Lina has had some time off since her loading accident but that doesn't mean she's out of training. She got 6 days completely off but now she's back into work on the ground. Katie has been playing games with her and she seems to be feeling much better. Enjoy some brief videos of desensitization and nap time 💜

08/31/2021

This weekend, we planned to take three horses to horseshow. Catalina (7 year old green OTTB) was going to be ridden by Katie in Dressage Suitability and Dressage Equitation. I was planning to show SHS Quixotically Stormborne In-Hand Fillies and Mares and In-Hand Trail. I was also going debut Hendricks at Basic Level (Tests 1 & 2) in Western Dressage.

Unfortunately, Lina had a loading accident. I knew better but I tied her before I shut the divider and she set back. I also use breakaway or leather halters when I haul but this time the halter didn't break like it was supposed to. Lina got her back legs out of the trailer, broke the clasp on the lead rope, and flipped over backwards. She's doing quite well, considering. Sore withers and some scrapes. Today, we started making the trailer a happy place again by feeding her in it. Step 1.

Stormy did quite well and only refused one obstacle (the bridge) after going 2/3 of the way over it. Hendricks scored the lowest he's scored but he accomplished pretty much everything I wanted him to for his first canter classes.

07/25/2021

Katie has taken on most of the training for Catalina and today they did their first canter approach crossrails. She's been building up to these for the last several weeks and attempted them last ride. Lina wasn't totally sure yet and Katie did a great job with praise for every small improvement. Today, she barely hesitated and listened to Katie when she tried to help her with distances. She's such a good baby!

Sorry about the video: Nora didn't want to stand still 🙄

07/17/2021

Sonora's first ba****ck W/T/C and she was great. There was a chainsaw going and my neighbors were cutting down a large tree on our fence line. Did she care? No, not really. Her confidence has come a long way in 5 months.

Did we canter right on out of the arena? Yep. Was she confused about her right lead? Yep. Did my leg slip back twice and cause her to have a tantrum? Double yep. But did she also do everything I ask? Yes. She was surprisingly calm and listened quite well. My position was a bit of a hindrance but these were taken after our tantrums and I was forward on my seat bones in case we had another. But her tantrums literally consisted of her tossing her head and hopping a bit and were in no way dramatic or dangerous, just a green horse doing something new. 💚

I recently found out there was some discussion in my horse community about the appropriateness of my having and retraining two OTTB mares and I think their continued progress in training speaks for itself. Want to know what I want from my green OTTB? A solid ba****ck ride followed by a walk on the buckle while chainsaws are going. Couldn't be more pleased.

07/11/2021

Oh Kizzy. So Kiz belongs to a friend of mine and didn't have a job. I opted to take her on as a project for my therapeutic riding program. She's a cute large paint pony with minimal training. When she got here, she was difficult to catch and would run from you in the pasture. She wouldn't let anyone touch her ears and was almost impossible to bridle - she would shoot backwards. Poor Kizzy couldn't figure out how to canter on a lunge line or under saddle. It was clear these were all fear based responses and not sass, like a certain halflinger we have.

Both Katie and I started working with her on the ground and Katie did all of her under saddle work. It took 9 months of slow, relatively consistent work but now: she's easy for anyone to catch in the pasture (unless she's *just* been turned out), she lets kids and adults pet and rub her forelock, right ear, base of the ears, and poll but she's still a little hesitant about her left, she's consistently easily bridled, and this week, she did her first canter under saddle!

Sometimes training is a slow, methodical process. Due to Kizzy's fearfulness, sometimes we had to start over at the most basic building blocks of confidence. What's fun is also seeing her self esteem grow - she seeks out attention from humans now, has a horsey best friend, she works in lessons with little kids comfortably, and when she makes a mistake, she can keep going instead of completely shutting down.

06/20/2021

Big day for the TB mares. Catalina did her first canter out and Sonora did her first canter approach. Very proud of the girls!

Is it perfect? Of course not. Catalina landed on the wrong lead on her first attempt (though she did swap on her own) and I'm sharing Sonora's first trot approach from the left, where she dodged the jump.

Sonora also took off with me today - I came off balance and lost a stirrup and she flew but I managed to stay on and slow her down after about 8 strides. Wish there was a video of that 😂

06/09/2021

Lord have mercy, was it hot today or what?! Like 90⁰ and 80% humidity. But we had some fun with the ponies! Sonora had her first ponying experience and Misty was such a rockstar. They're both boss mares so they argue in the pasture at times.

Sonora also continued to work on her trot cross rails! She dodged the crossrails 4x overall but also had 4 nice ones. When they're this green, there's obviously no punishment for being unsure so we just come around and try again, patient and calm. Sometimes I get a little more assertive but if you get aggressive, horses may shut down or freak out, neither is a good option.

06/03/2021

Sonora popped her first fence under saddle today! Just a tiny crossrail at the trot but it's the first step in her jumping career. She was a little wiggly but kept herself together. I'm very proud of her!

Today is also exactly 90 days since I first swung a leg over her 💚

05/30/2021

Catalina had her first canter ride today with Katie and did lovely! OTTBs tend to have more trouble with their right leads due to the way they race and Catalina was on the track 2017-2018. She only raced 6 times and actually won/place/show 3x. Huge thank you to Katie for riding her and for helping me today. We managed to get all 7 horses worked on one of the few sunny days we've had lately (Stormy and Bisquit managed to get by without any actual work 🤣)

05/27/2021

Catalina went lame for a few weeks after her last trim due to the thin soles. We took radiographs to confirm that's all it was. Unfortunately, we can't pop shoes on her until her hoof wall gets stronger. Her diet consists of Nutrena ProForce Fuel grain with Biotin, Flax, ProBios, and occasionally, Mare Magic. She is on pasture all day and has a grass paddock and stall in the evening. Occasionally, they get tossed some coastal or Alfalfa but they haven't needed much lately.

Katie has had a couple of good rides on her. She's being ridden in an anatomical sidepull and they worked alot on trotting today. She's still a baby giraffe and so Katie integrated some more challenging transitions into their work today. Almost ready for canter work! Maybe Sunday?

05/15/2021

Today, I did some work with Hendricks on relaxation. He's been pretty tense since his hock injections so we mostly did long and low or working gaits, with some work on extension and collection.

I've been using my new Pivo and I love it because I can get shots like this. Here, you can see the difference between our Working Trot and Extended Trot. There are some subtle differences in my own body, as well as his. Pay special attention to his shoulder, head placement, stifles, and lower leg. You can see I tend to ride with a more forward seat at the extended trot (I'm trying to get more of a neutral seat but practice makes perfect) and give away my hands as he puts more pressure on the bit and moves from his hindquarters.

04/16/2021

Rehabbing. It means alot of things and is situation dependent. Luke is considered a rehab at the moment - he was diagnosed with EORTH and was supposed to have surgery to remove all 12 incisors in November, 2020. Unfortunately, the surgeon was ill and the soonest we could get it rescheduled was January, 2021. He lost about 75-100 pounds of muscle and fat due to dental pain. He ate but very slowly. He didn't play in the pasture and we took it very easy on him. After the surgery, where we only had to remove 10 incisors, I had him completely off work for 4 weeks.

When we started bringing him back, we started on the ground with W/T/C lunging. Then I did some happy hacking at a walk in a Sidepull. Once his topline improved a smidge, we started him under saddle W/T/C in a Sidepull. And finally, he's back in his regular bit and bridle. He's gained about 30 pounds but needs another 30-40 in fat and muscle. That being said, he plays in the pasture, runs like a TB should, and does not seem 21 years old.

04/11/2021

Sonora did excellent on her... 6th ride? Something like that. She had a ton of energy so we did quite a bit of trotting and introduced trot poles. We also worked on circles - she's very stiff in her shoulders and neck.

Catalina did quite well today too. We introduced purposeful trotting for the first time under saddle and then worked on the lunge line. As you can see, she still struggles with maintaining a consistent, balanced gait but with practice, she'll get there.

Very proud of both young ladies. Reminder that Catalina just turned 7 - still very much a baby thoroughbred. She raced 6 times and then sat in a pasture since 2018. Sonora is about to turn 13 and went unraced. So she was racebroke about 11 years ago and then did nothing, to my knowledge. I've had the girls for about 9 weeks and completly restarted them.

04/05/2021

Recently, Sonora bit me twice. Hard. Once, ripping a shirt, and bruising me both times. Someone might see this behavior as a reason to "get rid of her." But no, this behavior exists because she's had to compete for food her entire life. Now, she doesn't. None of my horses do. They all eat separately in their stalls for breakfast and dinner. They get hay when they need it and they graze in our big pasture all day. They have access to a grass paddock at night. It wasn't because she is hateful or mean. It's because she's worried she's not going to get enough food. One day, she'll realize they're doesn't need to be any more fighting and she'll never go hungry.

Does your horse have an eating disorder?⁣
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If you’ve tried out positive reinforcement and quickly considered quitting because your horse turned into a complete Cookie Monster...⁣
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Or your herd fights // tries to kick down the barn during feeding time...⁣
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This one’s for you 🙌⁣
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We’re going to take a look at *why* so many horses are absolutely food crazy, and how to solve this issue before even stepping into a training scenario.⁣
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I’m going to share a quote from the book Equine Behavior in Mind by Suzanne Rogers, who very clearly lays out the main cause of our horses’ food anxiety:⁣
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“Horses are ‘pre-programmed’ to eat when food is plentiful, to put on weight to survive winter or the next drought. However, if you restrict a horse’s diet, his body tells him that there must be a food shortage and therefore he must eat as much as is available. Not letting this “starvation mode” behaviour become the norm vastly improves the health of your horse. Jane and Stuart (founders of the Equicentral System) are convinced that most domestic horses have developed man-made “eating disorders.’”⁣
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Unfortunately, a restricted diet is far more common than we imagine. In fact, most boarding, breeding and mustang roundup facilities do it in some way 😬⁣
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Here are some of the most common causes of man-made eating disorders in horses:⁣
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❌ Lack of 24/7 grass forage⁣
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Horses are meant to GRAZE. Eat small amounts all throughout the day. Gobbling down loose hay 2-3 times a day can wreak havoc on their digestive systems, and in turn, their feelings about food.⁣
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❌ Imbalanced mouth⁣
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Feeling pain & discomfort while eating is sure to cause anxiousness and hunger.⁣
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❌ Early weaning, bucket or bottle feeding⁣
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A foal that’s deprived of his natural developmental process with early weaning is rampant in the horse world.⁣
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❌ History of hunger⁣
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Mustangs that have experienced droughts or a lack of food in round-ups, and any other situation where a horse has not gotten proper care & feed short or long term.⁣
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So, to set your horse up for success and non-disordered eating... feed him! 🌱 In small amounts all day (thank goodness for slow feed hay nets), and provide proper oral care 🙏

04/04/2021

Katie spent hours and hours at GRIT yesterday, including some time with the new girls. Sonora did some trot steps with her 😍 She's progressing quite nicely, even if she's being difficult for feeding.

03/29/2021

Wow! I can't believe Stormy is going to be 2 in just 6 weeks! I remember the night she was born quite well. Today is the 4th time she wore a saddle and 1st time she's worn a girth. Per usual, she does not care. She was a little worried at the trot but continued on fine.

I won't start Stormy under saddle until she's at least 3 years old, possibly older. There's several reasons for this but primarily, she's just not ready physically. Cognitively? Yep. Emotionally? Yes, shes wanted to do big horse things since she was a tiny nugget. This is a great exercise for her to learn now. She is just starting to lunge and only for 15 min at a time but this is significant improvement from 8 weeks ago :-)

03/22/2021

Nora did good today. It was the first time we've added steering instead of simple impulsion. She is a head tosser and kept trying to drag me to the pasture but she listened well to directional leg pressure. How did we practice directional leg pressure prior to mounting? The equivalent of leg yields on the ground with a lunge whip and myself providing the pressure. Turning on the fore and on the hind.

03/19/2021

Today was the first time I've swung a leg over Catalina. She's a bit more wiggly then Sonora and thus, I'm taking it more slowly. I was very proud of her!

Sorry about the quality of the video - my mom got me a Pivo for Christmas but I haven't played with it yet.

03/17/2021

What kinds of cross training do we do for our horses? Well, the short answer is that it depends. But I'm a big proponent of groundwork and conditioning! Dash was rescued about 2.5 years ago from a killpen. He is a one eyed Halflinger with a sweet but sassy attitude. After he was rescued, he was well taken care of but sat in a pasture for about 1.5 years until he moved here with me.

I had mentioned to one of my volunteers, Abby, that he supposedly knew how to ground drive and she said "Let's try it!" so we did. He was pretty confused at first but did get the hang of it. I plan to continue his training with ground driving/long lining because 1) good for his brain to do something different 2) good for his body to exercise in a different way and 3) this is now a type of service I can offer to my therapeutic riding students at GRIT Therapeutic Horsemanship

03/15/2021

Sonora had her first ride with leg pressure without having someone lead her on the ground. As you can see, she did amazing. Please ignore my riding attire of spandex shorts and muck boots. At least I'm wearing a helmet 🤷🏼‍♀️😅