EDGELEA Equestrian Center

12/19/2022

01/17/2022

I wish that people would have more compassion for these poor TB’s that come off the track. They ALL need at least 30 days of rest, being turned out and to fix their poor GI tracks, which commonly have ulcers! Then one should slowly start them on their new journeys. I CANNOT stand seeing people posting videos of them jumping courses with them only having a few rides. Folks give these wonderful horses a chance to succeed and stop setting them up to fail. I for one want to have some tools in the shed and not just winging it and praying that you survive! Think about the poor horse and not your ego! Rant over!!!!
Liz Millikin

09/07/2021

08/11/2021

https://fb.watch/7jT8TDSHtU/

08/09/2021

The Swedish Olympic Show Jumping Team farrier, Peter Glimberg, shares how the Gold Medal Team's hooves are managed for elite competition--barefoot.

07/30/2021

USA's Olympic dressage team won a silver medal with Curtis Burns' plastic therapeutic "Easy Shoe Flex" horseshoes on two of the horses. ...

07/26/2021

07/24/2021

07/06/2021

"...we must never forget, every time we sit on a horse, what an extraordinary privilege it is: to be able to unite one's body with that of another sentient being, one that is stronger, faster and more agile by far than we are, and at the same time, brave, generous, and uncommonly forgiving." ~ William Steinkraus, Olympic equestrian.

06/29/2021

https://horsenetwork.com/2020/06/eric-navet-on-the-hardest-horsemanship-calls-of-his-career/?fbclid=IwAR2bd7Mal6cgO_W7YFx89C2NKJY5_b45-TJwM5jecn4uQGYJeJJ6AzaI5co

Whether it’s record setting sanctions in endurance for horse abuse, or allegations of electrified spurs being used in competition, welfare has been a hot-button issue this season in show jumping sport. Outside of the stringent rules and regulations set by governing bodies such as the FEI, it often...

06/27/2021

We see a lot of information on trailer loading but judging by how the parents were pulling in to the parking lot for a 4H clinic I was teaching, I got to wondering if there shouldn’t be a discussion on how to haul? The dust was flying, trailers were rattling and you could hear horses scrambling as they pulled up. Clearly, this called for drastic measures!

Despite reading and being told, there’s nothing like “learning to do by doing” – and pulling a trailer is no exception.

Before getting underway, I suggested they all tie their horses someplace safe before climbing in my trailer for a free ride. The arena was on a quiet country road and the locale made it possible for us to have a short, albeit illegal, journey. I asked the parents to stand in the slant haul without hanging on, just bracing themselves to take whatever came their way. Easy, right?

When we pulled back into the yard, they were horrified! First, the trailer, while a good make and recent model, was dusty on the gravel when the windows were open; it was also surprisingly noisy. They could hardly talk amongst each other, let alone think. When I accelerated, they were thrown backwards. Braking had them hitting the front dividers. Then, I purposefully braked while negotiating a curve. Chaos – and all the while, I’d not exceeded 50 kilometres (or 30 miles) per hour!

Back at the arena, I had the parents climb into one of their own stock trailers. This was worse, because it was windy, rattly and a bit rank, as it hadn’t been cleaned out in eons. The fumes of the built up manure gave them watery eyes. In the roomy stock trailer, whenever they lost their balance, they staggered in a pile on top of themselves. Clearly, there was more to this hauling than they’d bargained on.

We agreed the miracle is that so many horses load willingly when their owners have so little regard for what hauling entails.

So, where to begin? First, make sure the tail isn’t wagging the dog. Being able to accelerate with a full load doesn’t mean that your truck will be able to stop! Reckoning the weight of the trailer must also include the maximum number of horses, along with all that you’ve got in your tack room.

Do you know where to put your horses for the safest hauling? When asked, few drivers seem aware that the load goes at the front of the trailer, not balanced over the axles or behind them. By putting the weight on the towing vehicle, it greatly reduces a trailer's tendency to fish-tail, even in high winds. The lighter horses will be loaded after the heavier ones to stabilize the load.

With so many highways allowing speeds in excess of 110 kilometres (about 70 miles) per hour, you'll need to keep a lot of room in front to stay out of trouble. Are your mirrors adequate to see around your vehicle with a minimum of blind spots? Do you even know where your blind spots are? Have you adjusted your trailer brakes to help stop your load?

Do you perform a visual inspection of running lights, brake lights, turning signals and emergency flashers before you hit the highway? Have you made sure your trailer is towing level from front to back? When was your trailer last booked in for maintenance of the wiring, floorboards, tire wear and bearings?

Do you clean out your trailer after every single haul?

Now, practice pulling the unit with a handful of change thrown on the truck dash. You should be able to accelerate, turn and slow down to a stop without the coins sliding around. Deceleration is made smoother with the truck engine helping to brake the load, either with the transmission set to tow/haul, or by manually shifting (yes, even an automatic) down to reduce the forward momentum. This takes practice and knowing your vehicle.

Slow down before and not during turns; wait until your trailer has made the turn before smoothly speeding up. If your horses are scrambling, if you feel them moving around back there, you’re being too abrupt. Letting the greater pressure off the brake pedal a snick after you’ve stopped will absorb much of the force of stopping.

Learn how to back your trailer!

When I was a teenager, so keen to haul myself to shows, my father forbade me to go on my own until I could prove that I could handle it. This meant being able to back into any place that I could pull into (and yes, you can back into a lot of places you can’t make a forward turn). It always surprises me, the number of people hauling to weekend shows who need help parking their trailers.

Looking back, I’ve never had a horse that was hard to load. I’ve bought a few that came that way but with love and rules, along with good riding, they very quickly got better. I like to think that keeping my trailer clean and my driving mindful have had a lot to do with this.

Here’s to a long, safe summer for all of us... with only nice, smooth trips!

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06/24/2021

"If the art were not so difficult we would have plenty of good riders and excellently ridden horses, but as it is the art requires, in addition to everything else, character traits that are not combined in everyone: inexhaustible patience, firm perseverance under stress, courage combined with quiet alertness. If the seed is present only a true, deep love for the horse can develop these character traits to the height that alone will lead to the goal."

Gustav Steinbrecht

06/02/2021

The 2008 Games were the fourth consecutive Olympics in which Kentucky Equine Research played a major role in the supply of feed, forage, and bedding, either as nutrition adviser (Sydney 2000) or as official supplier (Atlanta 1996, Athens 2004, Hong Kong 2008). These experiences have led to some inte...

05/24/2021

Solidify your foundation and improve your riding skills with personalized longe lessons.

05/23/2021

Horse Show Photo of the Day from the Tievoli "B" Show!!! How about a standing ovation for this little guy and his first blue ribbon!!! (See what I did there?)

05/23/2021

KID FUN🤗🤗🤗‼️

https://fb.watch/5GbVWm6qtt/

05/23/2021

05/21/2021

Andrew McLean tells us:
“The horse must travel in-hand and under saddle free of any constant rein or leg pressure, otherwise he will switch off to them. At first, the concept of self-carriage seems simple enough. It means that the horse self-maintains his own rhythm, tempo, stride length, straightness, outline and rein and leg contact and engagement. It therefore implies that he mustn’t occasionally or constantly quicken, slow, drift raise or lower his head, lengthen or shorten his neck, lean or drop the bit, squirm away from the rider’s leg contact or fall onto the forehand. For the horse to truly carry himself, it is nor just about his outline as most riders imagine. And neither is it about the rider constantly maintaining the horse in all the qualities required – it’s about the horse being trained to maintain them himself.” Read more: https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2014/12/principles-of-horsemanship-part-7-self-carriage/