HM Farms Riding School

06/26/2024

Should be a great Olympics!

The U.S. Equestrian Federation announced the four athlete-and-horse combinations selected to represent the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The dressage competition will begin on July 30 and continue through Aug. 4 at the equestrian grounds of Versailles.

06/22/2024

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fruralveterinaryoutreach.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F02%2Ffaq-aging-horse-by-teeth-aaep.pdf%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0s1xxYHuIfoJniw9noJ1ovs5sEYZpHhdb9ctHdixp-tfDIlMgkomHzvx4_aem_yVqCJcPwu1mP3pxMGdJLig&h=AT2_H0pTTnFUM_slc4qWAzMNqb_7MgLrYkle1khBENJXnkXErENidenWex1mioERLgij1dgPDRgqg06IW3CbGrQaueOHKpAupEzI6x1dMiBOal_4tJPqtmsyFESo&s=1

05/28/2024

Our summer Horse Camp is filling up! Small group to ensure lots of individual attention. Dm/text me for more info.

05/10/2024

HM Farms Riding School is once again offering our popular summer horse camp! Small group size each session ensure each camper gets lots of personal attention.

Text/DM for more details and to sign up. Spaces full very quickly.

12/21/2023

I absolutely love OTTB’s! I do not love the industry. Good article and hopefully, track trainers and the industry with continue to improve their training and treatment of the horse as an animal-not a commodity.

Leading trainers with no horse fatalities in the 2020-2022 seasons share their methods, emphasizing early diagnostics and time off when needed.

11/15/2023

I am so proud of Addison, who is just 13 and attended her first “real” horseshow with her young (self-trained) OTTB Frisco. They had an OUTSTANDING show!!! Placed in all of her classes-4 reds and 1 yellow! I’m so proud!

09/05/2023

“Manners”

You can tell much about the level of someone’s basic horsemanship by the way their horses lead.

A horse should stay next to you, not pull you or be dragged by you. A horse should respect your space, and not crowd against you, maybe step on your feet.

This is known as “having manners.” A horse that won’t lead is like a dog that jumps up onto furniture, it hasn’t been taught right from wrong.

I recently read something by a well respected western clinician. He said, “People want their horses to love them so much that they think they are being mean if they create boundaries.”

Horses weigh half a ton. They can easily hurt a puny human if they lack manners and boundaries, Heck, they can easily hurt us if they DO have manners.

People who treat horses as though they were some sort of fuzzy pets can create animals that can do a lot of damage. Creating boundaries doesn’t mean whipping and beating, but it does require that when you say “no” you mean “no.”

Standing at the mounting block, standing for the farrier, picking up its hooves, letting itself get bridled, so many basics that make the difference between a mannerly horse and one that shoves you around.

As the clinician said, “letting a horse walk all over you won’t make him love you more.”

05/18/2023

Summer is just a few weeks away!

Horse Camp is here!

03/27/2023

This is a great read for soft tissue damage/rehab.

Howdy again to all my fellow, crazed horse fanatics. (It takes one to know one, don't it?) A client asked me a question about soft tissue injury and rehab/convalescence. This guy had been in a stall for seven months...seven. And about to leave his ever-loving mind due to the confinement. SO...here's my never humble approach to this fairly common dilemma:

Soft tissue injuries, like collateral ligament tears, or deep flexor tendon “bowed”, can take a long, long time to heal. In almost forty years of practice, I've seen a bunch of these things, and I have come full circle in my thoughts on rehab. The 'standard of practice' often dictates stall rest. Thirty years ago, I was a true believer-- nine months of stall rest, sweat wraps, corticosteroids...all the "best stuff". The idea here is to keep the horse calm and relatively immobile to reduce the potential for re-injury and give the body time to heal itself. But the questions staring us in the face now are: 1) does stall rest really facilitate our rehab goals?

1. will long term tranquilizers help with this?

2. Anti inflammatory, pain relief drugs? Use 'em, Don't?

I can only answer these questions with other questions: If he's running over the top of you when you get him out, is he climbing the walls when he's inside? (This does not sound like 'relatively calm and immobile' to me). Will adding more drugs to his system adversely affect the healing process? There are no studies I know of that indicate long term sedation OR pain relief will aid or impair the healing process. But...and here is where my opinion contaminates my clinical experience, having made every mistake possible... I think that allowing free exercise will help the body direct more blood flow to the damaged areas, reduce the chances of fibrous adhesions (AKA internal scars) during healing, and keep them more sane during the process. I generally turn 'em out in a paddock or small pasture with other horses that won't shove 'em around at feed time, or force them to move in unwarranted, or self-preserving ways. In most cases, I don't use long term pain or inflammation relievers, as I want my patients to respect the "don't do this cuz it hurts" doctrine nature installed in the first place!

We can take a lesson from our human counterparts; orthopedic procedures are NEVER followed by months of bed rest. In fact, most, if not all, of my friends...and I have a lot of friends in the 'geezer' category, cuz I AM ONE... are up and walking within a few days of total hip or knee replacements! I'm not saying you should ignore your vet's directives here. But, maybe we should all rethink the reasons and functions of rehab, in general. ( The photos here are of a "bowed" tendon due to a superficial digital flexor injury, and the ultrasound image identifies the extent of the lesion.)

Strive for perfection, accept only excellence, ride with purpose.

03/15/2023

HORSEMAN
There are horse trainers, horse traders and horse whisperers. There are show men, show boaters and show offs. There are fast talkers and would be magicians.

But then there are true Horsemen and Horsewomen, and these are harder to find and sometimes even harder to recognize because they are often tucked away in quiet hidden places, working slowly and silently without national recognition or appreciation.

Often times, the true horseman or woman does not have the most horses in training or those horses that are exceptionally bred or high priced. Often times, the true Horsemen and Women do not have access to big money owners or run through dozens and dozens of prospects in order to find the few that can take the pressure of aged event prize money or high profile exhibition. Many times, the true horsemen and women are slow and steady, methodical and patient, training on an individual horse's timeline and not to a rigid show schedule set by the seasons or show management.

These people recognize a horse's physical and mental capabilities and showcase their assets without sacrificing their bodies or minds. Horsemen and women take their time developing their horses' skills and confidence through a traditional steps, one before the next, placing just as much credence in their teaching relationship and equine partnership as they do in show pen results. Horsemen and women are humble because their reward comes from within; from knowing that they have taught through kindness, patience, fortitude, and logic. Their rewards coming from creating a confident horse that works with them and not for them, horses that are not scared or intimidated, horses with solid foundations that last season after season and that carry a gamut of riders from the experienced non pro to the Amateur to the Green Reiner. Always Dedicated. Always Patient. Always Consistent. Whether it be riding young horses, resurrecting older horses, or maintaining the Steady Eddy, a True Horseman is one of the first ones to throw a leg over in the morning and one of the last ones to pull their boots off in the evening.
Horsemen and women are a pleasure to watch in the arena or on the ranch as they diligently and patiently impart their knowledge and logic to both horses and students.

In an era where the horse industry is so economically driven and success is measured primarily in prize money and accolades, the tradition of the true horseman and the process of training horses seems to be changing; giving way to an assembly line mentality where immediate success and financial compensation take precedence over handcrafted quality and longevity. Dedicated to their craft, loyal to their students, ambitious, hardworking and a role model for anyone interested in making their way in an industry dominated by pressure to build great animals in less and less time, old fashioned horsemen are women are now Artisans, assets to our heritage and traditions and harder and harder to find.

A thoughtful teacher, a thorough instructor, a gentle hand, a firm guide, a rational yet fearless showman, the greatest compliment that I think could ever be given to someone who works with horses, is to be thought of as a Horseman.

📝Becky Hanson

03/02/2023

“The horse market will never be the same. Welcome to the new normal. It has become a luxury again to be a horse owner. The great ones are going above $40k. One in MT brought $100k. A Gypsy Vanner brought $500k last week. The average cost of a decent and safe family horse that is well broke, nice looking, not lame and not old is over $10k now. If you want a cheap horse you have to be ok with green or old or some lameness. If you are waiting for the market to come down I personally do not think it will. We are in new territory. The audience that can be reached now for horse sales has no limit due to the world wide web. Horse auctions that use to only have buyers sitting in the seats in front of them now go live online and have bidders from all over the US and beyond. When you view one of these sales you will hear the auctioneer say "sold online!" Over and over and over. You may think that an auction in Montana or Texas has nothing to do with local private sale prices but it absolutely does. The internet has also made it possible for Private sellers to have a wider audience. We went from hanging up a "horse for sale" sign on telephone poles to online horse groups with thousands of members in such a short time. Now shoppers are willing to travel and some willing to buy and have the horse shipped just from viewing videos. Buying the horse is only the start. Everything else about horse ownership has gone up. Gas prices effect every bale of hay, bag of grain, dewormer and suppliment. Now we cannot even get our own penicillin. Equine Vet prices are triple what is charged for dogs or cats. I don't sell very many horses anymore because people are still expecting to get a great one for $3500. I cannot even get one for that price right now but IF I DID then I would need to tune up, vet up, feed up, haul around and experience up, farrier up, dental up, pay teen riders to test and test and test up to make sure it's safe for anyone AND then be able to price it so that I am covering all those expenses and still have good profit. Most people who enjoy improving a horse even if it's just to resale have invested their heart too. How can you not love them after all that time spent but you still have to come out ahead financially. The horse is only part of it. Sellers have to deal with hundreds of people. The just curious, just looking, just want a thousand questions answered on text and then ghost you without even a thank you, the not in my price range even though I knew the price before coming, the rode your horse for two hours then say I don't have all the money, the bring my trainer and my 3 friends and all of them ride your horse for 3 hours and then say we have 10 more to look at before deciding, the people who say they can ride then do not know how to get on, the know it all with attitude, the rude, the lonely who just like to test ride all over the state and talk for hours,, the loose kids running all around your property, the ones you coach and give free lessons to for hours and then say they do not plan to buy until next month, the can I make payments?, and the ones who just do not show up after you have bathed, groomed and braided the horse. And in my case I do it ALL with a smile and kind words because I like people. If you encounter a less patient seller keep all this in mind. They go through a lot 😅😅 The moral of this story is save up and increase your budget before shopping but still ...you only live once! Buy the horse!”

Written by Donna Gardner-Hale

01/19/2023

01/14/2023

HM Farms is growing! DM us for details about English riding lessons for kids and adults. We are located in Temecula.

04/24/2022

Summer Horse Camp in Temecula! First week is full! June 13-20 has 4 spots June 23-27 has 6 open spots. Sign up NOW!

03/27/2022

Come join us for this awesome clinic in Temecula!

12/25/2021

Good explanation on Dressage Terminology.

We’ve put together a collection of the most common dressage terms, and had it all checked over by one of the top dressage judges in the world. So you know you can trust it!
Riding dressage

DRESSAGE TERMINOLOGY

Contact Refers to the consistent connection the rider has on the horse’s mouth through the reins and which the horse should accept at all times. There should be no resistance, no open mouth and no grinding of the teeth. It’s the rider’s job to make sure that the contact remains consistent and ‘elastic’, which is achieved through the rider having an independent seat and the horse accepting the rider’s leg aids to go forward. As the horse becomes ‘submissive’ in his mouth to provide that soft, elastic contact, the rider should then feel a ‘yielding’ to pressure of the bit. And this is achieved by a squeeze-and-release action of the rider’s fingers on the reins. By achieving the correct contact, the horse should be able to find his balance under the rider, together with a steady rhythm in walk, trot and canter.

Engagement Is the connection between the horse’s hind legs and the rein. It is achieved by the forward movement coming from an active hind leg into a consistent, elastic rein contact. The horse should be encouraged to move forward freely, energetically and rhythmically to the rein and must not be held in an outline. To help your horse achieve engagment, he must be supple and flexible through his back, and lateral exercises should help this. And transitions are good for developing balance and self-carriage and, therefore, engagement of the hindquarters.

Flying change This is performed to change direction. For example, as the rider asks the horse to canter on the right lead, she moves her left leg back behind the girth to ask the horse to change leg while in the suspension phase.

Half-pass The horse moves forward and sideways at the same time, flexed in the direction of travel. It is simply quarters in (travers) ridden across a diagonal.
To ride half-pass, flex the inside rein and bend the horse in the direction of travel, using the outside rein to control the amount of bend. Keep your outside leg slightly behind the girth to push the quarters sideways and remember, the forehand (shoulder) should lead slightly. Your inside leg should stay in the ‘normal’ position, guarding the forehand and pushing the horse forward – it also encourages the hind leg to step under the horse, to produce engagement of the back end. Move your weight slightly in the direction of travel.

Leg-yield This is where the horse moves forward and sideways – ie, usually from the centre of the threequarter line towards the outside track – slightly bent and flexed away from the direction in which he is travelling. The horse’s body should be straight, but with a slight flexion (bend) at the poll, so that the rider can just see the horse’s nostril. The horse’s inside front and hindlegs should pass and cross in front of the outside legs. Leg-yield is a great way of teaching the horse to move sideways off the leg and should be practised on both reins to achieve equal balance.
To ride leg-yield, take the inside leg slightly back and apply pressure to encourage the horse to step sideways. The outside leg is used to push the horse forward and stop the hind legs from leading the movement. The inside rein flexes the horse, while the outside rein controls the flexion. And the rider’s weight should stay in the middle of the horse, but should move into the direction of travel.

On and back (shortening and lengthening for a few strides) is good for improving elasticity and ground cover in the paces. You simply ride a few medium strides, then bring your horse back to a more collected pace to establish engagement. However, the difference between the collected pace and the medium pace must be dramatic with your horse surging forward out of the transition.

Passage This is very collected trot.
Piaffe Very collected trot on the spot.
Pirouette The horse is turned through 360 degrees – in walk, canter or piaffe – by pivoting around the inside hindleg.
Put the horse up together Work through from behind from an engaged hind leg into a steady rein contact.

Shoulder-fore This is an exercise often used to straighten the horse in canter. The shoulders are very slightly positioned onto an inside track, with the horse being very slightly bent away from the direction he is travelling.

Shoulder-in As shoulder-fore, but the forehand is brought in from the track to an angle of about 30 degrees with the footfalls forming three distinct tracks (outside hind on the outside track, inside hind and outside fore on the middle, inside fore on a third inside track), with the horse adopting a clean and uniformed bend from nose to tail away from the direction he is travelling.

Shoulder-in is the foundation of all lateral work. Not only is it good for encouraging straightness, but it’s also a good suppling exercise and a great collecting movement.
To ride shoulder-in, make a 10-metre circle in the corner of the long side of the arena, to encourage the correct bend. On the long side, bring the horse’s forehand (shoulder) off the track, as if you were going to ride another circle. When the shoulders and forelegs leave the track, control the degree of bend to othe inside by keeping a contact on the outside rein. Your inside leg should remain at the girth, maintaining impulsion and encouraging the forward and sideways movement. Keep your outside leg behind the girth, to prevent the hindquartrs from swinging out. Sit centrally and look between the horse’s ears, keeping your shoulder in line with your horse’s shoulder.

Straight A horse is said to be ‘straight’ when his forehand (shoulder) is in line with his hindquarters and he is using both hind legs equally. This then helps ensure that the horse’s weight is balanced over the front and back end of his body. It is developed by consistently working both sides of the body equally – ie, on both reins. This is important as most horses are crooked, in that they have a strong and a weak side, much the same as we are right or left-handed.

Suppleness This term is applied when a horse is able to work through his back without any signs of tension in the muscles. In fact, he should be physically and mentally free of all tension, so that he can apply himself fully to the task in hand. When you school your horse, you can tell if he is loose and relaxed by the contented, happy (hopefully!) expression on his face, the tell-tale signs being the eyes and ears. And do his back and tail – which should be slightly lifted – swing rhythmically in time with the movement of his back? Is his mouth closed (he can, however, ‘mouth’ the bit gently)? And can he stretch his neck forward and down in walk, trot and canter? If he can – and he’s showing all of these signs – then you’ve cracked it! And don’t worry about any soft ‘snorting’, as that’s also a sign that your horse is mentally relaxed.

Throughness Means encouraging your horse to accept the aids willingly and without any tension. It is the term used to describe the energy coming from the hindquarters working ‘through’ a supple and swinging back into an accepting and elastic contact with the bit, which allows the horse to develop elasticity and cadence within the paces.

Travers The horse is flexed in the direction of travel. The forehand (shoulder) stays on the outside track, the hindquarters on the inside. Travers is a good suppling and straightening exercise. It is best performed along the wall or fence line of the school, or on the centre line at an angle of 30 degrees to the direction in which the horse is travelling. The wall (or fence line) helps the rider control and maintain the angle of the bend.
Also known as ‘quarters in’, ride the movement by flexing the inside rein and bending the horse in the direction of travel, using the outside rein to control the amount of flexion and bend. Keep your outside leg slightly behind the girth to bring the quarters onto an inner track. Your inside leg should stay in the ‘normal’ position, guarding the horse’s forehand (shoulder) and pushing the horse forward. Your inside leg also encourages the hind leg to step under the horse, to encourage engagement of the back end. Move your weight very slightly in the direction of travel.
True way of going In balance and with self-carriage, with no leaning on the rein.

Turn-on-the-forehand This helps a horse’s obedience to the sideways pushing aids. In this, the horse’s hindquarters move around the inside foreleg. You must have a good walk rhythm to start with, with the horse bent in the direction away from the movement of the hindquarters. Therefore, he bends to the right if the quarters are pushed to the left. He must also cross his hind legs while stepping with his front legs almost on the same spot.

12/25/2021

Here’s a tip for developing quiet hands.
🌟
Run the reins through a grab strap to help students maintain steady, low, and quiet hands. This is especially beneficial for those who have trouble separating hands from seat, or have very stiff elbows.
Practice this for 10 minutes at the beginning of each ride and it will quickly become muscle memory! Once the hands are quiet, riders usually start using their legs and seat much more efficiently as well.
Please note that this trick should only be used on the flat.

12/22/2021

HM Farms in currently operating at Breezeway Farms in Temecula. This week, we had “Holiday Hangout” for my riders. It was a FUN time! Thanks to Susie Latiff and Kathy Spano for the fabulous jumping demonstration😀.