Spanish Sage Ranch

07/07/2024

There is NO Justification for Beating Horses in the Name of "Training"

We, as humans, can get angry when things don't go as we expect.

When this happens with our horses, there is a HUGE culture out there that believes horses do things deliberately to "disobey" us!!

How horses learn is well researched and evidence provided but, sadly, the horse world in general is resistant to taking it on board.

Why?

Because it challenges the long held beliefs of the theory of domination training methods of "showing the horse who's boss" and not allowing the horse to have a voice in any conversation around training or management.

How sad is this?

These horses, who are completely at our mercy for how their lives turn out, are treated more like machines for human gratification, rather than being seen for the individual beings that they are.

It is our hope that by raising awareness, providing quality education and advocating for better global welfare protocols for horses, that we can encourage people to rise above and question the beliefs they hold about how we manage and train these horses in traditional methods.

What do you know about how your horse works physically, mentally and emotionally?

Who do you blame when your horse spooks, bucks, bites, kicks, doesn't go forward, steps on your foot, doesn't want to go in the trailer - or any other of the thousands of situations that we put horses in where these behaviors are offered?

Understanding our own emotional triggers is a big part of how we can react better for an outcome that is based on how horses actually learn, and how we can do better at preparing them for we ask of them.

Learn more about this, and other essential topics, with our membership program and online courses that are created to shape the future of better horsemanship - from the horse's perspective1

Featured course: https://www.equitopiacenter.com/shop/emotional-intelligence-skills-for-horse-people/

28/04/2024

28/04/2024

Beautiful perspective and sophisticated experiences from the uncomparable Bettina Drummond. We must never forget that horses are their own separate sentient beings and always question what is really driving our goals for them. We are blessed to have Bettina to teach us.

22/11/2023

This is one of SSR's rescues. Please help if you can.

This is Bonnie. She's an otherwise very healthy, happy 33 year old regis… Diane Pinney needs your support for Help 33 yr old killpen rescue RH Special Bonnet

31/07/2023

22/07/2023

Bullet and Sal, matching strides!

19/07/2023

With our focus on the Iberian type, all SSR horses can be considered "Baroque."

Kristina Harrison explains how to assess rideability, temperament, gaits and conformation when buying a Baroque horse.

13/07/2023

Spanish Sage Ranch applauds this efforts and we added our name to this. Please support caring for our equine brothers and sisters and allow them to live out their lives in dignity, not in a terrifying slaughter house.

At a time when many of us are divided by the way we view the world, we can feel reassured and empowered in knowing that we share common ground in our love of horses and their need for protection.

Whether you are a competing equestrian, a pleasure rider, or someone who loves horses - you can help ensure that America's horses live in comfort and with purpose and dignity throughout their lives.

Please lend your name in support of America’s horses by taking the Pledge here: https://equusfoundation.org/pledge

*Sponsored post by EQUUS Foundation

21/04/2023

A well written point of view from my friend and colleague Armand Leone.

Equitation classes in the United States are often used as stepping stones to the upper levels of hunter and jumper competition. Yet, as a spectator at some of the 2022 year-end equitation championships, I was struck by how far the sport has deviated from its origins and how our horses are paying the...

19/02/2023

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A HORSE WHISPERER. There never has been and never will be. The idea is an affront to the horse. You can talk and listen to horses all you want, and what you will learn, if you pay close attention, is that they live on open ground way beyond language and that language, no matter how you characterize it, is a poor trope for what horses understand about themselves and about humans. You need to practice only three things, patience, observation and humility, all of which were summed up in the life of an old man who died Tuesday (July 20, 1999) in California, a man named Bill Dorrance.

Dorrance was 93, and until only a few months before his death he still rode and he still roped. He was one of a handful of men, including his brother Tom, who in separate ways have helped redefine relations between the horse and the human. Bill Dorrance saw that subtlety was nearly always a more effective tool than force, but he realized that subtlety was a hard tool to exercise if you believe, as most people do, that you are superior to the horse. There was no dominance in the way Dorrance rode, or in what he taught, only partnership. To the exalted horsemanship of the vaquero -- the Spanish cowboy of 18th-century California -- he brought an exalted humanity, whose highest expression is faith in the willingness of the horse.

There is no codifying what Bill Dorrance knew. Some of it, like how to braid a rawhide lariat, is relatively easy to teach, and some of it, thanks to the individuality of horses and humans, cannot be taught at all, only learned. His legacy is exceedingly complex and, in a sense, self-annulling. It is an internal legacy. The more a horseman says he has learned from Dorrance the less likely he is to have learned anything at all.

That sounds oblique, but it reflects the fact that what you could learn from Dorrance was a manner of learning whose subject was nominally the horse but that extended itself in surprising directions to include dogs, cattle and people. If you learned it, you would know it was nothing to boast about.

There is no mysticism, no magic, in this, only the recognition of kinship with horses. Plenty of people have come across Bill Dorrance and borrowed an insight or two, and some have made a lot of money by popularizing what they seemed to think he knew. But what he knew will never be popular, nor did he ever make much money from it. You cannot sell modesty or undying curiosity. It is hard to put a price on accepting that everything you think you know about horses may change with the very next horse.

From an article by Verlyn Klinkenborg 'Death of a Legendary Horseman' - NY Times July 24, 1999 - http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/24/opinion/editorial-notebook-death-of-a-legendary-horseman.html

Image is of Bill on 'Alkali' at 'Rancho Tularcitos' back in 1968 and is care of Steven and Leslie Dorrance - http://www.billdorrance.com/about.htm

09/12/2022

The mare herd having a little bit of romping on that cold and snow covered morning as they await us finding their new home, in a warmer climate. Sorry for the wavering, I was NOT on a boat, but could not see what I was filming with the reflection on the screen and being harrassed by Helena to stop filming and pay attention to her!

19/09/2022

The equine thoracic sling is a hot topic at the moment, but what exactly is it and what is all the fuss really about?

Unlike us humans; horses (and many other quadrupeds) lack any bony attachment (collar bone) between the forelegs and the thorax (body). Instead, the thorax is suspended between the forelimbs by a ‘sling’ of muscles, known as the ‘thoracic sling’. Exactly which muscles should be included under this term is an area of some debate. In future articles I will take a more detailed look at the most commonly discussed structures; how they should function to aid efficient and healthy locomotion, and how disfunction may be impacting our horses.

The thoracic sling is made up of various muscle groups, these include:
• Muscles of the chest including deep and superficial pectoral muscles
• Muscles of the shoulder including omotransversarius, subscapularis and subclavian
• Muscles of the ribs including ventral Serratus and latissimus dorsi
• Muscles of the wither and upper neck including rhomboid and trapezius
• Muscles of the lower neck including the brachiocephalic and sternomandibular

When conditioned effectively these muscles enable the horse to elevate the thorax (body) independently within the shoulder girdle. This much coveted phenomenon can make the difference between a horse who appears croup high / ‘on the forehand’, and one who floats effortlessly with their withers and back raised, and freedom through the shoulders.

While for some horses this may seem to come naturally, conditioning of the thoracic sling requires regular activation of the correct muscles. Many horses develop poor or weak posture from a young age, this may be due to conformational weaknesses or injury; but I believe that lack of active engagement of the thoracic sling muscles in daily movement is also a significant factor.

Modern management practices often leave horses stood for prolonged periods in stables or small paddocks, with limited variation of terrane and forage. This can result in horses who no longer use their bodies as nature intended; to balance up and down hills, stretch to reach browse nor walk for vast distances in search of food.

Over time muscles which are not regularly used will weaken and atrophy, resulting in overall postural changes and reduced performance. It is therefore essential that we assess the impact modern husbandry may be having on the development of our horses, and consider the implementation of environmental enrichment where ever possible; as these can have a greatly beneficial impact on long term movement patterns and postural development.

The muscles of the thoracic sling enable the forelimbs to move inwards or outwards from the body, shifting the centre of mass or balance from one forelimb to the other. This allows the horse to turn and manoeuvre efficiently at speed and when effectively conditioned, enables the horse to perform lateral movements from a basic leg yield, to the canter half-pass and pirouette.

In addition, these muscles control the movement of the scapula; both forwards and back, up and down (as well as towards and away from the body), while maintaining the integrity of its connection at the wither, absorbing concussive forces from limb impact and (in the case of the thoracic serratus ventralis) storing and returning elastic energy to aid efficient movement. It is therefore of vital importance that the thoracic sling is able to work effectively; without restriction or discomfort.

Regular assessments from a qualified body worker can help pick up any tension or restrictions which may be occurring through the muscles of the thoracic sling. Addressing issues early on will reduce the risk of injury occurring, and enable the horse to build healthy posture and maintain long term soundness.

03/09/2022

https://fb.watch/fj6KYEgTh-/

The majority of horses at SSR, in particular those in the Sorraia Mustang Project, are Kigers. This is a fantastic video of early 1990s Oregon Field Guide episode going out to see the herd in the first decade of its establishment. Ron Harding, who spearheaded the creation of the Kiger herds to preserve the old world Iberian type, appears as the guide here. A large loss to the Kiger community, Ron Harding died many years ago.

29/08/2022

“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.” - Andrew Carnegie

The mare herd years ago in Oregon... I think running from a truckload of cows being unloaded into the pasture behind them.

22/08/2022

12/08/2022

Anton (Encantado), a beautiful stallion out of Kiger Castanette and sired by Silver Bullet, has been put up for sale by his current owner. He carries genetics from the very old style Iberian, and original Kiger herd horses. If you are interested in him please contact me.
https://internethorseauctions.com/auction-lot-detail.php?aucid=471&Id=25354&Start=0&closeinc=50&AnName=&Cate=&Sexx=&Discip=&Sttate=&fbclid=IwAR2xayJC9AYvtg455cvUfTK-upOlERwOABCmbb80ebFDLgGTCez7pilgipE

Encantado is a wonderful sire that has given us many nice foals. He is good with the mares living in a herd or in paddocks. He is a wonderful breeding stallion with many more years left. We have gotten plenty of his genetics including two stallion prospects from him and therefore it is time for him....

09/08/2022

A top judge reminds us to stick to the classical principles in our training

04/08/2022

The science behind horses’ impact on soil and vineyard health—and why some growers around the world are bringing back this traditional, yet difficult…

29/07/2022

Translation leaves a bit to be re-translated, but the information is what is valuable. These are the horses that most SSR horses of wild ancestry are established to conserve. The broader spectrum of Sorraia genetics is carried in the horses in the Sorraia Mustang Project, so that the Sorraia will not die out from lack of genetic diversity.

O Cavalo Sorraia

Tido como uma reminiscência do ancestral selvagem do cavalo ibérico, o Cavalo Sorraia tem este nome por ter sido uma espécie recuperada a partir de um núcleo de animais que foi encontrado no vale do Rio Sorraia, em Coruche. São cavalos de pequena estatura (1.44 a 1.48m em média), com uma pelagem de baio pardo ou rato, com lista de mulo e maior ou menor evidência de zebruras na cabeça e nos membros.

Os Sorraias são cavalos selvagens extremamente resistentes às condições ambientais, algo que herdaram dos seus primitivos ancestrais. Enquanto herbívoros, têm um papel fundamental nos ecossistemas, porque ajudam a modelar a floresta, mantendo pastagens e áreas abertas. São ainda ótimos aliados para diminuir o risco de incêndios florestais, uma das maiores ameaças em Portugal que se tem agravado nos últimos anos.

São já duas as manadas semisselvagens de Sorraias a habitar as áreas rewilding da Rewilding Portugal no Grande Vale do Côa.
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The Sorraia Horse

Considered to be reminiscent of the wild ancestor of the Iberian horse, the Sorraia horse has this name because it was a species recovered from an animal nucleus that was found in the valley of the River Sorraia, in Coruche. They are horses of small stature (1.44 to 1.48 m on average), with a coat of brown bay or rat, a list of mules and more or less evidence of "zebruras" in the head and in the limbs.

Sorraias are wild horses extremely resistant to environmental conditions, something they inherited from their primitive ancestors. As herbivores, they play a fundamental role in ecosystems, because they help to shape the forest, maintaining pastures and open areas. They are also great allies to reduce the risk of forest fires, one of the greatest threats in Portugal that has worsened in recent years.

There are already two Sorraia herds inhabiting the Greater Côa Valley, in two of our rewilding areas.

Fotografias de / Photos of: Juan Carlos Muñoz Artenatural

21/07/2022

Today we mourn the passing of the sweet Zottara, foundation BLM mare at Spanish Sage Ranch. She was 26 and suffered from neurologic impacts of Equine Protozoal Myoencephalitis, EPM. She was a fighter and tried her hardest to heal but it was too much for her. She was the herd leader, and a very sweet mare, even as the boss. Never a mean act, always willing to try to please. She will be missed greatly, especially her always nickering and whinnying when it was hay time.

And we hope that this winter allows this type of water in the creek by next spring, here enjoyed by my Beatty Butte HMA mare, Zottara. She is 19.

03/07/2022

29/06/2022

While he was not an SSR stallion, and we do not (yet) have any of his bloodline, we were at the infamous auction where he was obtained by Brent and Gail, and Jaz Ranch. While we did consider offering competing bids, we declined to bid on him so that they could take him on to great things with their Lusitano breeding program. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him, including we at SSR. RIP the great Hawk.

27/06/2022

Equitopia. Always a source of good and progressive minded information on what is best for the horse, and horse and rider/owner connection.

04/06/2022

While we don't talk much about the several rescue horses that we have and house here at the ranch, this is one that we just managed to stabilize today, and I am sooo relieved. After 4 months of extra care, kindness, hoof treatments, and the generousity and patience of like minded people whose availability I stretched to the max and beyond to save these horses, here are two beautiful Kigers. Their prior owner was unable to afford care for them, and no other local rescues were willing to assist to give these sweet mares a soft landing and another chance. Despite that it stretched SSR resources, I just had to do something, since they were horses I had known of for probably 15+ years. Look at them now! In a long term foster home, maybe permanent. That depends upon SSR future after losing our keystone stallion Silver Bullet.