Maida Farms

11/13/2024

PREPARATION What do you do to prepare your horse to begin his workout?

08/24/2024

I did not write this, but everyone needs to see it...

When we rush our horses in their training, we aren't expediting their fitness or building muscles faster - we are breaking them down and rushing to a place that will require more veterinary intervention, more alternative therapies, more time off, more risk of injury, more wear and tear on the fragile structures, and a quicker end to the riding career and soundness of our equine partners.

You cannot rush fitness, you cannot rush collection, suppleness, relaxation, it's impossible. Wherever you do rush and cut corners, you will end up with holes and issues in other areas of your riding and the overall health and welfare of your horse.

Don't want to take the time to teach your horse to collect, and instead just force him into a false frame? Well, you're going to be stuck with fixing the slew of problems that come with the tension that was just created.

Don't want to work your way up the scale to create true endurance and stamina? You now risk your horse pulling a muscle or injuring themselves from overexertion and being pushed too hard for too long when the body simply isn't ready for that workload.

Don't want to get a saddle fitted to your horse? Your horse will suffer the consequences of altering his posture and way of going to alleviate the pressure and pain caused by something that isn't suited to his build, even going so far as risking injury to yourself when he can't pick up his feet enough, causing a stumble which can be catastrophic.

Don't want to do boring small jumps to build up to the larger ones? You risk your horse not being able to find a good take-off spot, knocking rails, refusing and even crashing through the jump. You will also make the horse more nervous, anxious and again, tense and sometimes unwilling to jump again.

Don't want to waste time working up the scale of collection to achieve the proper head set without force? Let's just throw a harsher bit in his mouth, maybe tie the nose shut with both noseband and flash to get him into "frame". You've now lost all relaxation, the wrong muscles are activated and depending on how deep you yank the horses face in will determine if he's even able to swallow. Tension throughout the jaw and neck translate all the way to the hind legs, so zero collection is possible, even the slightest bit of engagement and lift of the back cannot be achieved.

Rushing will lead you nowhere except to more problems that could've been avoided had you taken the proper time for development.

📝 Unknown

📸 Sister

07/12/2024

07/01/2024

Flashback to a cartoon that made me nod in agreement years ago, but now I appreciate its nuance even more! Kudos to the knowledgeable artist Elżbieta Jeżewska Art who highlighted the difference between instability and postural stability in horses.

On the left, we see flashy movements driven by abduction, leading to a twisted thorax and dumped sling on one side - a recipe for long-term issues.

On the right, adduction-based postural stability may not be as showy, but it's the key to a healthier, happier horse in the long run!

Let's prioritize substance over flash and focus on building strong foundations for our equine friends!

06/17/2024

Some humans are intensely competitive, and instead of using themselves and various types of inanimate equipment---Skis, golf balls, baseball bats, running shoes---to satisfy that drive to excel, they use horses.

And often that doesn’t end particularly well for the horse. At best, the horse is well cared for and prepared carefully, and ridden or driven in ways that don’t create much stress or discomfort. At the extreme other end of the spectrum, some horses die, Between those polar opposites are many levels of pressure, and each human will decide which level it’s OK to bring to the mix.

What’s interesting to observe is how much human praise gets heaped upon those humans who cause their horses to live under lots of pressure. We don’t see too many magazine covers of horses doing lower level competitive feats, and lots of covers showing hard stuff.

Each person has that decision to make. It is “that simple.”

06/14/2024

https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2022/02/the-roots-of-straightness-what-it-is-and-how-to-achieve-it/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1mnqoCiKHjWCUwJNzGKKCKZIBq8qXiXsxdR3Z9DJMQ-FfQFhRwf2cl5g0_aem_AT7LjbaYyvXN0d23mvvXDAwC4tZdSM6pIuI1frE3uFQwdZNmzzWGG9P3X1tUOEEY2AdlKphNIihILpVK6C-utXaZ

The Roots of Straightness – What it is, and how to achieve it… Posted on February 16, 2022June 14, 2024 by thm admin The roots of straightness – What it is and how to achieve it… by Erik Herbermann The subject of straightness is one which rightfully pre-occupies all serious horsemen. It is o...

06/04/2024

I read a theory about why so many riders lack a deep command of basics, and it was explained like this---

Correct basics are hard to master because there is an enormous amount of repetition involved, and if someone has tried something hundreds, possibly thousands of times, and still can’t do it, it is easy for the person to conclude that he/she is taking on an impossible challenge.

In his book “Mastery,” George Leonard wrote that on the quest to become good, there will be long stretches of “seeming non-improvement.”

Like watching grass grow, change is happening, but so slowly that it can’t be measured daily, weekly, or even monthly. But at some point, for those who stick with it, “suddenly” they can do things that before they couldn’t do.

The issue is giving up in frustration before putting in those many many many many months of practice.

That is ONE theory. I am sure there are many others, but this one does ring true.

05/28/2024

If you really want to learn, you have to accept that there are no “tips and tricks.” There is only principle, and you must learn to connect the dots with principles in your life as they apply.

Stop seeking an easy way out and start settling into the path you’ve chosen- learning is a long road, not a cheap truck stop thrill

04/22/2024

Dressage is not abusive.
It’s a kind and ethical training.
Dressage is not flashy.
It’s about correct posture and spinal alignment.
Dressage is not exhausting.
It's about lightness and motivation.
Dressage is not about getting fast results.
It is quiet and humble.
Dressage is not about external validation.
It’s an art.
Dressage is not for building up your ego.
It’s a journey of self-discovery.
Dressage doesn’t wear out the joints.
It keeps your horse fit until old age.
Dressage doesn’t shut down the horse or cause anxiety.
It is about a human and a horse connecting on a deep level, from heart to heart.
When riding is abusive, flashy, exhausting, promises fast results, used to get external validation, needed to build up your ego, wears out the joints, and causes shut down or anxiety, it’s not dressage!

04/19/2024

Twinning!! .com

03/06/2024

A friend said recently that horses really like a ’Long Hello’. That many horses feel immediately rushed by us, and this can really set us onto a path of misunderstandings and conflicts with the horse. 



Out on a trail ride the other day, my horse carrying me calmly, carefully, steadily, he waded into the river, and splashed his nose in the water, lifted into a Flehman’s Response, then pawed at the water. It made me laugh. The sun was shining. It was perfect weather, cool enough for a jacket, sunny enough to not get cold. I reached down and rubbed his shoulder. My body flooded with all the feel good things I almost always feel around horses.
"Thanks buddy”, I said.

Gratitude. 

I wake up. I go to my horses. I am grateful. Already won. Why?



There are plenty of voices out there telling us, and our horses, that they are not good enough. Not correct enough, fit enough, collected enough, shiny enough, natural enough, healthy enough, calm enough, cooperative enough.



It is enough.



I am grateful before the horse because that is my long goodbye to the horse. We never know when we will have our last moment with our horses. And under normal set of circumstances, we will all outlive our horses, and if we are REALLY lucky, we will be there with them, in gratitude and dignity, at the very end. 



So I stay grateful, so that I do not have to GET grateful. Because that is my long goodbye to my horses. No matter if it was to be today, or in 30 years from now.

There is a training principal that permeates equestrian culture at almost every level and wears many disguises. It is the principal of trying to win. It sets the human against the horse and see's the working relationship with them as something competitive. Who wins, who loses, who gets their way. Who gets what they want.

The reason why I try to steer away from that, and you should to, is that it sets you up on a pathway of diminishing gratitude. That diminishing gratitude will eventually leave you utterly burnt out with horses.

So what to do about it? How to express your gratitude to a horse in a way they understand?



1. When the horse doesn’t give you what you want, try smiling about it. Breathe-in. Wait. You can always repeat the question in a moment. And maybe they didn’t understand you, or can’t do that thing today. Or maybe their lesson for you today is not about you getting what you want, but something else



2. When the horse does give you what you want in two seconds or less, permit yourself to feel joy about that. Smile like a maniac. Don’t be entitled or demanding (Unless in an emergency of safety). Tell that horse, in your language, that it was wonderful what they did. And feel what you say, so that the horse feels you too. 



3. The 1-Minute Ride. Once in a blue moon (For established, hard working saddle horses). Catch, groom, tack, warm up, mount. Sit for one minute quietly. Get off. Finish. Say THANK YOU to the horse and give them some extra hay that day. 



4. When correcting a horse whom has problematic posture, movement issues, or behavioural issues. Remember that it is their body not yours. Maladaptive responses exist for a really good reason and taking those away from a horse too quickly and absolutely could deprive the horse from an important coping strategy that is holding them together. Go slower in your reformation of what you deem incorrect, so that the horse has a chance to contribute to it too. They may not adhere to the rules of the system you are using, so give them a chance to SHOW you, what they need. 



5. Give your horse the absolute best quality of life you can. Try to relocate if your barn doesn’t have good living conditions for your horse. Stop giving money to people who know better, but can’t/won’t do better. It doesn’t have to be perfect. But never give up trying to give your horse a life that they enjoy living, outside of their time with you. Even in the most compromised of conditions, you would be amazed what some creative thinking can do to totally change the environment, improving your horses life outside of training.

https://www.emotionalhorsemanship.com

02/29/2024

❤️❤️❤️

02/26/2024

02/25/2024

Proud to share this!!! I stand with JJ and her program. Getting the results,working together with the horse. Our needs or wants cannot and should never be more important then the horses welfare.

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 – Choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.” –Brené Brown

THIS is why I love Classical Dressage.

To train horses in a systematic gradual way through compassion, integrity, and knowledge of craft.

To have the gift and opportunity to bring out the best in that horse; each horse - physically, emotionally, and mentally is such a great gift as well as huge responsibility. They also provide huge personal character growth as they truly are mirrors into our own true selves.

But what moves me the most is how forgiving such a creature is. Horses are truly not of this world, and I am so blessed to be able to do this every day of my life. That’s why I serve the horse. ❤️

𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒂 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚!
🩵 𝑱𝑱 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒆

🐴: Romeo
📸: EVP Photography/Suzanne Caroll

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02/25/2024

The late Dr Klimke told us:
“The horse should be happy and going softly with invisible aids. To achieve this the trainer must be very patient and disciplined. The aim is to keep your horse proud so that he accepts you as master. Don’t sit on him but influence him. The horse must carry us easily and only then will you achieve self-balance.”Share more of his wisdom, and enjoy a photo gallery illustrating his philosophy:
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2021/07/wisdom-from-reiner-klimke/

11/19/2023

📸 Look at this post on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/p/9XbCXB2w9Lm7S3cQ/?mibextid=WC7FNe

" 'Am I a good rider?’
She asked, pensively, sat upon her 14.2 cob, covered in poo stains
that she couldn’t quite get out before her lesson, that she
had persuaded her mum to buy a year ago for just £400.
(It wasn’t wanted anymore)

‘Why do you ask that?’
Her instructor replied,
for she knew how this young girl felt,
her eyes often lingered somewhere inbetween
her horses ears or the other side of the school when teaching.

‘Because I want to be one’
Her instructor pondered on this for a good few minutes,
whilst reassuring the nervous cob in front, and then said,

‘A good rider is not someone who buys flashy horses and
competes every Saturday and makes it to the top within a year.
A good rider is not who jumps the highest jumps or owns the fastest horse.
A good rider isn’t made just because they’ve been riding since they were 3.
A good rider is not someone who can move their forward horse forward...

no

A good rider is that pony clubber you see fall off every time
she gets on something new, yet still gets back on
with a smile on her face, A good rider is that girl who
cries in the tack room because of how her horse
behaved and how hard it’s been to cope watching everyone
else be successful, but to her it seems like she is the only
one failing, yet still rewards her horse with a treat and a smile
because at least he was better than last time, A good rider
is the boy with the angel horse, yet doesn’t claim
any of its successes for himself

“‘It was all him’,”
he would say,
“I just sat to it’”

A good rider listens
A good rider is soft
A good rider makes sure the horse is always happy,

As a matter of fact, a good rider often has nothing
to do with the riding, If you love it, and you try, and
you try again, even when you fall off and it was your
fault, even when people point because your seat
isn’t quite as deep as they’d prefer, if you never give up,

That’s what makes a good rider.' "

Author Unknown

11/19/2023

📸 Look at this post on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/q1Nfb71G4cSiVihN/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Legitimate aka Jenneigh by Louisville HTF out of Ravi Sutra by Rousseau May 2nd 2023 Elite German Oldenburg
Photo by Richard Malmgren