ZG.Horsemanship

03/02/2022

For me personally it’s all about understanding what horses represent.
Understanding their softness, willingness, balance, …
If we are able to understand their presence, their way of being then we are also able to avoid every problem in our interaction with them.
These days many people try to connect and understand horses in different ways.
Trough groundwork, walks in nature, sitting on a pasture, …
But what I have experienced is that to understand them you have to look at the bigger picture which is life. It’s impossible to understand them profoundly when you turn off a switch when you go back home and take up your daily routine and habits.
If horses thought you that day to stay calm in every situation then try to keep that emotion when you go back home. Don’t think this is only necessary when you are around horses.
I know it asks a lot of discipline, understanding and practice to hold on to this emotion especially sitting in a traffic jam, being around difficult people, … But imagine the strength and calmness you will integrate being able to.
For me this is one of the many thing’s horses can teach us.
They live in a world most us even have no idea it exists.
The older I become the more beautiful they become and the more I understand there way of seeing things.
I still remember my connection with them before it became my work.
When I had no worries, responsibilities, …
I understood them, there was no problem jumping on their back even if I didn’t know them and they were not been ridden before.
I was able to do so because there was no reason for them to be afraid or have trust issues towards me. My energy was in connection with theirs.
Let us say, you put a small baby on a horse. I saw it couple of times happening, people doing this while holding them so they can take a nice picture.
What is the reason horses don’t go crazy that moment even if they are also not been ridden before? They don’t stress or panic that moment because they have love and softness on their back.
Horses don’t think like humans, they feel their surroundings. If everything feels safe then there is no reason to be stressed.
The situation is so that when we grow up we go through a lot of chapters in life which can change or lose our inner connection. We start having fear, lack of confidence, anger, …
If we are now getting around horses it becomes different for both of us. We represent a feeling they don’t trust anymore, therefore difficulties start happening. Our response will be to want even more control over them as a lack of trust so they lose even more confidence towards us. It’s a negative spiral.
So, for me it’s not about finding a nice trick to calm horses down or desensitizing them before riding or doing exercises. But about understanding them, becoming that child again who just enjoys being arround horses. Feeling their warmth and security they have to offer us.

27/10/2021

Made a website!
Even more to come :)
https://spark.adobe.com/page/4aQVKt4ylXuQf/

26/10/2021

Think clearly, ask the horse questions, do not demand.

Quote of the week
(...well maybe its been a month or so 😄 )

20/10/2021

After seeing multiple videos posted by various breeders bragging about their 2 ½ year olds/recently turned 3 year olds and sharing videos of them cantering around in the arena, I have decided to once again circulate the below article.

First of all, breeders *should* have the knowledge to understand a horse’s fragile and slow maturing musculoskeletal system. Breeders should not condone their own horses let along anyone’s horses being cantered around under saddle at an incredibly young age. Period. This sets a terrible example and is quite honestly animal abuse. Just because a horse does not object does not mean it is right. And quite frankly, most of the videos posted show animals that are already in pain or developing pain…

As breeders, we should strive to produce healthy and sound animals. We should promote horsemanship that produces long term soundness. No, starting a horse later does not guarantee soundness. But it certainly helps.

I am a firm believer in scientifically backed approaches to horsemanship. You can’t argue with science that has been proven time and time again. Let’s dispel some stupid rumors:

1. There is no such thing as a (skeletally) slow maturing horse or one that is fast maturing. No horse is skeletally mature before the age of 6. And that is on the low estimate for age.

2. Growth plates are not just in the knee. Every bone behind the skull has a growth plate. Not every single one needs to be converted to bone before starting. There is a schedule of when bone fuses…this is the information needed to know when to start a horse. Not their outward appearance. It is a known fact that during growth, proprioceptive awareness can regress, greatly increasing the risk of injury.

3. Starting a horse is not the same thing as riding a horse. Starting a horse does not mean cantering it 3-4 days a week in an arena.

4. Injecting a horse that is in pain does not mean you fixed a problem. You masked it.

5. You can build correct muscle and teach a horse how to move their body from the ground. This creates a solid foundation to work from once your horse is ready to actually be backed. Teach a horse to use its body correctly before backing and you’ll save yourself a lot of vet bills down the line.

Hocks are “late” for maturity. The growth plates on the tibial and fibular tarsals do not fuse until a horse is 3-3 ½. Ever wonder why so many horses seem to have hocks issues?? Horses need to learn to carry themselves and their own weight well before adding a rider.

The growth plates that are LAST to close are at the base of the neck. This area is where we ask a horse to raise the base of their neck and come round. If under too much stress, the growth plates can fracture or be permanently damaged.

There are DOZENS of activities you can do with a young horse to build healthy muscular development. None of them involve a saddle or your weight on their back. Teaching a horse to carry themselves correctly BEFORE adding a rider is essential and cannot be done in a week. A 2 ½ year old horse is a baby. Mentally and physically. We see far too many injured performance horses at VERY young ages - broken down and/or sour from work. It’s wrong. Period. They need slow and steady work and need time to recover from even the slightest of injuries.

PLEASE, if you are considering when you should start your horse and what that work load should look like, please read the below. There are some wonderful things you can do with your young developing horse. Please don’t rush a year out of greed.

http://www.equinestudies.org/ranger_2008/ranger_piece_2008_pdf1.pdf

07/09/2021

The horse should always be encouraged to think, which means it is allowed to find the right answer through trial and error in a dialogue with the rider.

- Thomas Ritter
artisticdressage.com

06/11/2020

!!

Heeft jouw paard (jarenlang) peesblessures?
Kijk of de stand van de hoeven niet te ver naar achter is gezet (zie foto’s!).
Het lijkt wel of bijna alle hoefsmeden dat doen! Ik kom zoveel paarden tegen die door juiste bekapping weer pijnloos kunnen lopen. Wat is dat toch dat bijna alle hoefsmeden achter teveel weghalen?? Iets met 45 graden.. de hoef kan niet afwikkelen, het katrolgebied wordt overbelast met alle blessures van dien. Joy heeft een half jaar moeten bekomen van één verkeerde bekapping! Nu bij Zhivago hetzelfde!
Minstens 3 paarden dit jaar die jarenlang kreupelen, worden steiler gezet (door Hoefsmederij Robert Burgmans) en ze lopen weer als een zonnetje.

Graag jullie ervaringen!

18/09/2020

05/09/2020

Before backing your youngster please read -

A horse ages roughly 3 times faster than a human.

So a 90 year old human is a 30 year old horse. Both very old, usually arthritic, don’t have many of their original teeth left, and very likely retired and enjoying the finer things in life.

A 25 year old horse is a 75 year old human. Still works so far.

A 20 year old horse is a 60 year old human. At that point where the body doesn’t work like it use to but the brain is all there and wants to be active.

A 13 year old horse is a 39 year old human. Middle aged, prime of their life where their knowledge and physical ability are about equal.

So let’s get down to the babies and work our way up.

A 3 year old horse is a 9 year old child. A child. Not ready for work by a long stretch. We have moved past sending children down the mines.

A 4 year old horse is a 12 year old child. Often will do odd jobs for pocket money, maybe a paper round, mowing lawns etc. Basically a 4 yo horse can start a bit of light work to earn their keep.

A 5 year old horse is a 15 year old teenager. Think they know it all, cocky, and ready to up their work and responsibilities. Still quite weak and not fully developed so shouldn’t be at their physical limit but can start building strength.

A 6 year old horse is an 18 year old human. An adult. Ready to work hard.

Pushing your youngster too hard too young will result in failure of many body parts. Joints, tendons, ligaments as well as their brains. Waiting one year at the beginning can give a horse another 10 years of useful working life. Be patient with your pride and joy!

Written by Vikki Fowler

29/08/2020

Denk nicht ständig über den Trick oder die Übung nach.

Darum geht es nicht.

Es geht darum, voneinander zu lernen, um besser zu werden.

Es gibt viele Pferdetrainer da draußen.

Aber wirklich eine echte Beziehung zu einem Pferd aufzubauen, sieht nicht nur schön aus.

Es verändert dein Leben.

Arien Aguilar

12/08/2020

𝐻𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑎 𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑚𝑦 ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒, 𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝑇𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑤𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙, 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ, 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦, 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑒; 𝑝ℎ𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦.

What is Horsemanship?

-

'Horsemanship' is a word banded around in many circles, meeting our ears with in various forms, with a different association to each; good horsemanship, bad horsemanship, natural horsemanship and positive horsemanship to name a few.

'Natural Horsemanship' itself is an umbrella term an is widely open to interpretation as to what the definition actually is, so it is unsurprising that the word 'Horsemanship' itself is sometimes met without clarity. A quick search on Google and the top definitions include the art or skill of riding horses, the training of horses and the handling of horses.

So, what, if any are correct?!

Well, in truth, they all are!

Sure, horsemanship can be good, and horsemanship can be bad, but that doesn't mean to say the horsemanship itself is any or either, that is just the adjective used to describe it. It is down to the person behind it.

Horsemanship is not WHAT you do, but HOW you do it!

For me personally, Horsemanship is an application, a philosophy and a way of being with the horse, a way of thinking and a way of feeling. To develop your own horsemanship is to develop your skill, your communication and the relationship with each horse you come in to contact with, compassionately and ethically, to the best of your ability, without compromising their welfare; physically or mentally.

The approach to Horsemanship works with you and your horse in a way that gets the best out of both of you, yet can challenge some long-running and deeply ingrained traditions about how horses should be trained, and treated.

The thing to remember is that Horsemanship is universal, it includes the whole spectrum. The horse doesn't care if you wear jodhpurs or jeans, it doesn't matter what saddle you ride in, the discipline you do or the clothing you wear, because it goes further than just skin-deep. It is in your presentation, your communication and that little piece of yourself you put in to every interaction.

Horsemanship is not just a word, it is a way.

http://www.rosscooperofficial.co.uk

06/08/2020

They think we're crazy. They think we're soft.
But science isn't crazy and kindness isn't soft.
It takes great courage to change your opinions, beliefs and practices as science evolves.
It takes strength of conviction to offer trust and choice to a being who could harm us when we could use force and intimidation to deprive them of their choices.
We're not crazy or soft, at least not in the way they imply. We are crazy courageous, crazy strong, thick of skin, adaptive of mind and soft of heart.
Stay crazy, my friends.

- an ode to all of you out there sharing and spreading kindness and science-based, holistic methods for horses and humans, even in the face of turmoil, division and judgement. Thank you for what you're doing. 💚

25/06/2020

Bad quality, but good pony! 🤩

25/06/2020

22/06/2020

More and more we see emerging evidence, all showing *pressure on the tongue and the nose*, that is prolonged and/or excessive has the *potential to create harm* and is a serious *welfare issue*.
🏇
Please also watch the video link (28.00minutes) for the latest visual on the effect of the 'BIT' and especially so when a noseband is tightened.
🏇 So, Why not bitless?
Webinar with Professor Paul McGreevy & Equestrian Canada

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FTQ-smPQ_UA4%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1aP5Brsu3FXdZsLdcr52NYb9cGrv6lDVCJwVWpjVHHRe76j7PToG8kCSE&h=AT3XNur5229SGA9EyhqEOQcDLd4YqkuyIkdr1fPExFpbnCqzJ_mD9uNY8buVrE5EznZ8zgMVQHPbzIor7-zUWeDgcq9YDaPm9cRafK8hFD5QSpdE9KOg2VomlqZtynaTEGADmN-QgKqbdVr1555q2MfIK4VuSSfMI-ttJfi4r8Ev38BCa8AWOy1GfblaYfPvXbBS6XRYmYs2Oy1Zu32EIE-RVf9744GMkVgggospD_v63PgGzJ5fmeh-oy5LuqdNpQgfmacvyTKbiDb1tUG6jaBu1MONeKI0lRNbCuVo1edvg9e0Quf1R9KkI4K-_ETFVOu38bpQhKy1f25el33c0Q35k6fG-zPSukCV28gWKEeGCkGnUgGudhF4lRpcCXM6GHbLpGkwJoZj4AprE1L3InDpJ4L-CcpT1repJanMhw2lciyylEaV8AqDvk-bCvYQDTj5krQkxJ0fk24tgTu0pT5f1ABqchH-6df2_3Yjl9ZHgHPILXBHIhpNK103GFs2oAC9Olfv-XjhcI2MU-X0U_zzMEj7YFPbdblP-6l89hIy7bbmi4F-88IhoEvnWEUywSmN8lWpczOsTGJf0n4-1jrTl_QuSbj3v8RFaBAnXQ

11/06/2020

Gelieve rekening met ons te houden ;)
Hieronder een duidelijk filmpje met de nodige uitleg:

Waar moeten ruiter en paard op de openbare weg rijden en hoe moeten de andere weggebruikers zich gedragen? Kijk Uit ging te paard, https://youtu.be/Gqi2Ug1PsaE.
Sport Vlaanderen Paardensport Vlaanderen vzw Meerdaalhof Manège Meerdaalhof

07/06/2020

♥️

“You need to control the horse in a good way, not with force. The horse needs to accept you, especially horses with a lot of strength and energy, that are sensitive – horses like Ahoto. Those are horses that you cannot fight with. You see, in countries of war they do not build anything – they destroy – and this is what happens with horses too. Don’t fight, focus on finding solutions, a dialogue. Speak with friends, speak with trainers, ask for ideas, and keep your mind on the good. You need to find a friendship. When you find this, you will have a great horse that shines when working. I want my horses to show off their personality.”

- Pedro Torres

http://lusitanoportal.com/articles/pedro-torres-gave-got-champion/