RNS Equine Services

25/08/2024

19/08/2024

The art of riding is being an easy weight to carry!

When the rider is in complete harmony with the movement of the horse, the inconvenience of the weight of the rider will be minimal for the horse. However if the rider is against the movement of the horse, ie. if he loses his balance often or if he falls backwards or forwards, then he asks a great deal of adjustment from the horse.

16/08/2024

When someone leaves a comments or a like here, I often click on their name to see their riding images on their page. I do this to keep track of what today's typical riding looks like. I see all kinds of riding. Some images and videos show very good balanced riding. What seems to be a common riding flaw that I see recently is with head position. So many riders post pictures of their riding with their eyes looking down. This might seem a minor issue, but it is not.

When your eyes are down, your horse can feel that your balance is forward, more over the forehand. This will put your horse onto their forehand. When your eyes go down, your head that weighs 15 pounds (7 kg) goes down and forward, and usually your shoulders fall forward as well. The fact that your head is up high at the end of an effective lever that is your upper body, multiplies the forward weight that you place over your horse's shoulders.

The negative effects this has on your horse show up in several ways. It makes both upward and downward transitions more difficult for your horse. This is because Horses need to push off or reach under with their hind, and you have shifted their balance off their hind. Lead changes become more difficult for the same reason.

Worst of all for riders, looking down makes it more difficult to develop "feel". I briefly had an argumentative student who insisted on looking down. She would argue with me when I said "eyes up", saying "I like to see what my horse is doing". I'd explain that with eyes up you can feel what your horse is doing and that makes all the difference.

If you look down when riding, just stop doing that. If you have to look down, move your eyeballs, not your head. If you do this, many improvements will follow. You will sit the canter better because your head and neck position will no longer interfere with your hips swinging to the 1-2-3 beat of the canter. "Eyes up". It's simple and fixes a lot of things.

15/08/2024

10/08/2024

08/08/2024

08/08/2024

Sawyer Bauch, age 9, is a student at Alf Cuthbert School in Moosehorn. In her health class, the students were tasked with setting a goal. For Sawyer, it was an easy choice — she decided to train her miniature donkey named Fireball to be a service animal that could visit residents at Ashern Personal Care Home.

“He loves to give hugs and cuddle people. He is fluffy,” Sawyer wrote in a letter to explain her initiative. “He is very kind and he likes to get petted.”

On Monday, June 24, Sawyer’s goal became a reality when she brought Fireball for an outdoor visit at the care home!

The residents loved meeting Fireball, and one woman even noted that it was the first time she’d ever seen a donkey in real life. Until then, she’d only ever seen a donkey in pictures.

“Staff and residents very much enjoyed the visit. Some residents had a chance to pet Fireball and gave Fireball some treats. We were outside for nearly an hour,” said Recreation Coordinator Darlene Hargot, adding that the weather was warm and sunny for the visit on the back deck.

“We will have Fireball and Sawyer back in the fall for another visit. It has been a long time since Ashern Personal Care Home has had animals at the facility.”

06/08/2024

*****WOAH! Purchase incentives! Once we reach 50 spots sold, those that have purchased will be put into a draw for a $50 Greenhawk gift card, and once we 100 spots are sold, everyone gets put into a draw for 2 tickets to the Burt Block Party on Sunday August 25th featuring Tom Cochrane, Streetheart, and Sass Jordan***** GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

**MORE BLING FOR YOUR BUCK!!**

HELP US HELP MORE HORSES BY DONATING A $20 SPOT, IN OUR ENTER TO WIN SADDLE DRAW!!! ITS A WIN-WIN FOR EVERYONE!
💖💖

BILLY ROYAL SHOW SADDLE RAFFLE (donated by Lori Hopkins!) Prize includes: Beautifully kept 15" Billy Royal Show Saddle (7" gullet), silver overlay, suede seat, 2 bridles (almost matches the silver), 1 breast collar, 1 bit and 1 set of reins.
- DRAW DATE: August 31, 2024 (Lotter raffle # 8005-RF-44524
- $20 a spot, 125 spaces.
- Random number drawer will be used
ETRANSFER TO: [email protected]
- Please include full name on etransfer in banking comment
- Money must be recieved prior to adding your name to the list.
- Please comment below with your number(s) requested
- PLEASE note, we will do our best to update available numbers as quickly as we can, but please remember, we both also work full time jobs 🙂

PICKUP of prize is in Winnipeg or Anola (unless alternate arrangements are made)

1. Brittany Gibson
2. Marla Galatiuk
3. Leitta Gillis
4. Tracy Reynolds
5. Michelle Finlay
6. Kendall Weslak
7. Prairie Dream Ranch
8. Candace Cronin
9. Janice Lumsden
10. Tania Schaerer
11. Jacob Courtney
12. Tanya Elrick
13. Christine Steendam
14. Wolfsong
15. Candace Cronin
16. Susanne Dankwart
17. Heather Brown
18.
19. Michelle Finley
20.
21. Heather Brown
22. Sherry Mullie
23. Bea Surer
24. Sonja Himmelstoss
25. Catharine Kruiz
26.
27. Andy Dunlop
28.
29.
30. Tamara Johnston
31.
32.
33. Christine Steendam
34.
35. Cheryl Fryer-Hildebrandt
36.
37. Amanda Remillard
38.
39. Cheryl Pope
40. Michelle Finley
41.
42. Laura Haslen
43.
44. Sherry Neydley
45.
46. Tamara Johnston
47.
48. Andrea Pochinco
49.
50.
51.
52. Andrea Pochinco
53.
54.
55.
56. Laura Haslen
57. Susanne Dankwart
58. Susanne Dankwart
59. Kathleen Schmachtel
60.
61.
62. Cheryl Pope
63.
64.
65.
66. Susanne Dankwart
67. Susan Hacko
68. Zachary Linnick
69. Wolfsong
70.
71. Irene Wallace
72.
73. Myriam Dyck
74.
75. Evelyn Johnston
76.
77. Cindy Crockett
78.
79.
80. Evelyn Johnston
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87. Vickie Dumesnil
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94. Michelle Finley
95.
96.
97.
98.
99. Janice Lumsden
100. Tania Schaerer
101.
102.
103.
104.
105.
106. Kendall Weslak
107.
108. Tania Schaerer
109.
110.
111. Lori Lemay
112. Vicki Dumesnil
113.
114.
115.
116. Michelle Finley
117. Sandra Akerstream
118.
119.
120. Bea Surer
121.
122.
123. Sherry Mullie
124. Marla Galatiuk
125.

05/08/2024

Make Them Carry Their Saddle

A father of a darling girl and I were talking last week and he said that he wanted his daughter to ride more and not have to do the work part of the catching, grooming, and saddling. I smiled as I explained.

Riding horses is a combination of strength, timing, and balance. Kids in this country are physically weak (unless they are actively involved with weight training and physical conditioning 4+ times a week.)

When you walk out to the field, you are clearing your stress from being under fluorescent lights all day; feeling the sun soak into your bones. As your body moves on uneven surfaces, it strengthens your legs and core.

When you groom your horse (especially currying), you are toning your arms and stabilizing your core.

When you carry your saddle, your arms, chest, and back are doing isolated strengthening work.

Being near horses, calms and makes you tune into the splendor of these empathetic animals.

When you ride at a posting trot, it’s equivalent to a slow jog calorie burn wise.

After a lesson, the riders are physically tired and mentally quiet and balanced.

Horses feel your heart beat and mirror your emotions back.

Riding large and somewhat unpredictable animals makes you resilient and pushes your expectations.

Working with horses is so much more than learning how to ride.

So parents, make your children carry their saddles. Don’t do the hard parts for them, as long term it actually hurts them. To advance with their riding, they must get stronger. You can help by doing the high parts.

I love having you all at the farm, and am so grateful to get to share these fascinating animals with you.

Hannah Campbell Zapletal

03/08/2024

You're never too old... Equestrians just get better with age 😉

26/07/2024

20/07/2024

We learn by questioning. This post questions one of the most foundational ideas in modern dressage, the training scale, in order to learn more about it. On the left we see the German Training scale. At the risk of committing equestrian sacrilege, I want to question its universal validity because I train in a different way. The official scale starts with the idea that we should mount up and develop a rhythm, and after that we should achieve relaxation. I mount up and go for relaxation first.

Ray Hunt told us to start training, not at square one, but as square zero before square one. This is because we need to be aware of the situation first. We need to start with situational awareness, then train. I found that awareness is easier for me if I begin with relaxation instead of rhythm. With a very green prospect, I will mount up and sit a horse without moving. I will feel the horse's body, their breath and heartbeat and they can feel mine. Ba****ck is best for this.

Next, we will wander around in a round pen, a stall or an arena. I will not be very directive, instead I will let the horse make some decisions. What the horse does informs me, and it starts a conversation about what we will do and how we will do it together. This is us forming a Connection that leads to establishing a shared Rhythm in our movement. It's a good time to remember Henry Wynmalen's advice, "Let the horse move you".

My training scale has a sequence of Relaxation, Connection and Rhythm and the work of training movement and balance begins at step three, not at one. Before step three the training is about relationship. I like my sequence better because in the end, I want a horse that contributes, that optimizes the ride on their own in collaboration with me. I feel that if I hop on a horse and set the rhythm from the beginning, I might squash some of the horse's initiative. This is why I begin with Relaxation and Connection.

At step three we start to move rhythmically while more or less wandering around, I keep in mind the top goal of Collection, something I think of as natural self carriage. There are two steps, Impulsion and Straightness, in between where we are at, Rhythm, and where I want us to get to. The German sequence has Impulsion and then Straightness. I have never understood why they prefer this order. I believe that asking a horse to engage to develop Impulsion when a horse may not be tracking in Straightness would only lead to a more powerful flawed track. In other words, it could lead to a bad habit.

Therefore, I establish Straightness in a clear two track before I ask for Impulsion. And there we are, relaxed, connected, rhythmic, tracking straight with impulsion. If a rider cannot flow into collection or self carriage from this sequence, I feel they have no business training horses.

Questioning the training scale will, no doubt, draw some comments of blasphemy from "serious" dressage riders. In anticipation of those comments, I want to add that translations from German to English are not simple. In addition to this, many German words common to dressage have loaded meanings from centuries of specific use that are lost on Americans. But regardless, let's discuss it.

*Note - I did not write this to start arguments, but rather to look at the traditional sequence of the training scale and understand it better. Please, let's discuss it, not argue about it. ;)

17/07/2024

14/07/2024

Did you know??

It’s National Farrier Week; July 4-10, 2024!

We like to send out a special thank you to our main farrier, Robyn Sul, for being a part of our team and being there for our horses and animals when we arrange trimming days.

Her expert advice has helped a lot of our animals and volunteers throughout the years. Horses who were not handled well soon became brave enough to have their feet handled, and volunteers who learned the art of trimming goats' feet.

Robyn isn’t only an experienced farrier but also in horse training. She is one talented woman, and we thank her every day for being a part of the Barefoot Ranch!

29/06/2024

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a farrier? Or maybe just how many times your farrier was p**ped on that morning before shaking your hand? Maybe you have thought to yourself “what’s that smell?” or “what is that green thing stuck to his ear?” or even “The dogs sure love them, I wonder what hoof trimmings taste like?” If 12 years of standing at the anvil have taught me anything it’s that the answer to such mysteries (at least the ones that can be answered in a few words) are: a lot of p**p; also p**p; and salted p**p…

As for what it’s like to be a farrier, let me try to explain. This job is not for the faint of heart or the mentally stable. You can’t be sane (or hope to stay that way long) if you wish to work with equestrians. You have to be insane to participate or work in a full-contact sport that lays under the line where rugby meets motor-cross and your only bit of protection is a hat made of the same material as a disposable coffee cup. Seriously, aside from crash test dummy, what other sport or job exists where someone can suffer massive blunt force trauma and is expected to get right back up and repeat whatever activity just about killed them a moment ago? “Horse or hospital!” is an expression I have heard more than once both as a horse rider and as a farrier (moving target) apprentice.

The ability to withstand impact aside, this is a job that requires the same attention to detail as an artist, the skill and steady hand of a surgeon, the patience of a saint, and the endurance/pain tolerance of a Navy Seal. For those who have never seen a farrier practice their trade and wants to walk in their shoes, try to imagine you are working in a stiflingly hot building, bent over and holding a 2×4 between your knees. On one end of the 2×4 is a small platform you are attempting to perform incredibly detailed work on. This table is incredibly valuable and the slightest mistake could cause it to explode; most of the tools you are given to work with are crude, bulky, and (like the table) also incredibly expensive considering they were invented sometime in the 14th century. While you are standing in this pizza oven from hell you will have to light a fire, which you will use to heat up your art work. Sometimes this art work will set you on fire.

Meanwhile the Hulk is tugging on the other end of that 2×4, occasionally ripping it away from you and dragging small knife blades that are sticking out of this table through your hands and legs. Side note: Friction tape will become your new best friend as it makes holding on to the rusty and poo crusted tools (which are now covered in your own blood) much easier! From time to time the Hulk might let you have the 2×4, but he is going to sit on you while you toil away on your art project. Now, as you fuss over details and panic every few moments that the speck of blood you just saw might not be yours (and are incredibly relieved when it is,) imagine there is a bucket of excrement sitting above your head, which at any moment may tip over on you without warning. Depending on the time of year, that bucket of poo may be switched for a bucket of spit. (Ah, clover…) And I mean more spit than you might think any earthly critter would have the capacity to produce. You will also sweat so much you will drink two gallons of water by the end of the day and not need to p*e once. For this reason you will never leave the house with no less than nine extra shirts and just as many towels.

To make your task even more impossible imagine that there is this invisible crazy man wildly running around your work area swinging Gallagher’s hammer. At any moment he might run up and smash you like one of Gallagher’s ill-fated watermelons. If you are unlucky enough to find yourself on his pedestal of doom that day, you are going to be faced with one of those moments when where most rational people might question your sanity. Since you can’t give up and call it a day with only three of the four 2x4s now complete (there is this very terrifying 5’4” 120lbs women who just body slammed a 1,300 pound Hanoverian into submission who would be very displeased if you did) you must trudge on despite the pain of what you are pretty sure is a broken leg and maybe a few pulverized ribs. It takes a special kind of stupid to keep working after the might of Thor’s hammer (a draft horse) knocks you through a barn wall. Fortunately you’re a farrier and you are just the kind of stupid needed to get back up and finish the job!

Now that you’re done with the first horse there are 12 more waiting…