Mystic Canyon Stable, Tiffany's Red Barn

18/08/2024

18/08/2024

Cross-tie steps

18/08/2024

“First you go with them, then they go with you, then you go together “.
~Ray Hunt

The first step of that is about giving up control, which I think is one of hardest things for people do, with horses and with life.

17/08/2024

Self-management instead of desensitizing or despooking:)

17/08/2024

17/08/2024

One thing I haven’t talked much about lately is the benefit, I think, in having our horses learn to be comfortable in hands other than our own.

The idea of sharing a horse—of allowing someone else to ride our own personal horse—can be a challenging one.

While I love the idea of a horse who has never carried anyone but myself, common sense tells me that if I want to give my horses the best chance at having happy, secure lives, I need to be open to the possibility of inviting other knowledgeable hands to hold their reins.

This does not mean that every Tom, Dick or Harriet is given a go!

No, I set my horses up for success. They have been taught that working life presents a set of ‘problems’ to which they know all the answers. They begin to see their under-saddle work as a set of challenges that they are confident they can solve. This means they have an understanding of logical, universal aids and what to do when they receive this information.

They can still have some little problems adjusting slightly to different riders—as seen in the second photo down, on the right hand side—for no two of us uses our bodies and our breath in quite the same way. Some people and horses should never be paired together but as their caring and knowledgeable owners, we know better than to set them up for failure. We know when our horse is ready to make good choices.

If you have friends with whom you ride regularly and you trust their horsemanship, it can be telling which areas of your training might need tweaking, or where you horse might need some help, when a knowledgeable friend first steps up.

Does your horse stand for mounting? Does he still know how to walk, trot and canter calmly, even with slightly different aids? Does he understand how to steer, how to come down quietly and obediently to a halt, even when it is not his regular rider in the saddle?

Sometimes we can ask our teacher to spend a few minutes on our horses, or else, if we ourselves teach, we can ask a student who is ready for the honour of riding one’s horse. For it is an honour to be asked to ride another’s horse! It means that I trust you will not do anything untoward that will either endanger you, or put my horses’ training or wellbeing at risk. It means that I trust you to follow suggestion, or direction, to better help my horse to cope.

I believe this often-missed step in training is key to a horse’s security. If something should happen to any one of us—either with our health or finances, God forbid—we want our horses to be able to go on as seamlessly as possible, that is, as happily and confidently as possible, in other hands.

A good horse(wo)man is never out to create the next ‘one-man horse’. That she, or he, can often get along with and bring out the best in complicated horses is one thing… but most of us are not interested in creating another troubled soul.

Here, my young Welsh Cob is put to the test.

Bobby is carrying my sister—and sometimes student—Kerry, in a lesson with exercises in walk, trot and lope. Bobby is only 13:2 and Kerry is quite tall, so we hoicked up the stirrups a bit, before sending them off. It was important to me that Bobby had her leg on his barrel, that the immediate adjusting would be hers, more so than his.

It is also an excellent thing for a rider to take the opportunity to ride different horses, sitting and adjusting to unfamiliar saddles and movement, as well.

Today, however, I am watching Bobby, seeing how he is reacting to these slightly different asks. Unused to carrying anyone other than myself, it takes a few tries for him to rise upwardly into a lovely canter but he soon figures it out.

It’s just one more step in what I feel I need to do, before I consider my horses and ponies ready to go out and take on the world.

Do you feel strongly, one way or another, about whether or not you prepare your horses to be ridden by anyone else? If so, why? I know from past conversations that a lot of you do not like the idea of risking your training and your shared ‘feel’ with other people, never mind the looming issue of liability.

It’s a regular part of any trainer’s life, however, this getting horses ready to thrive in a man-made world. No matter our methods, we must also admit that some horses are able to better absorb rider differences and life’s unknowns, than are others.

They are not motorcycles, after all.

15/08/2024

13/08/2024

Helpful!

08/08/2024

Truth!

Dear horse industry,

there is a lot we can be learning from Simone Biles.

As most of the world knows, at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Simone Biles decided to pull herself from the competition and received backlash of all sorts from all kinds of kinds for being a "quitter," "letting her country down," and so much hate from people who really didn't give a rats a** about women's gymnastics before she stepped down.

Simone Biles has come back 4 years later and has absolutely dominated. Simone (and her team) secured an Olympic gold medal this week in Paris, France.

What can we as equestrians learn from a small woman who flips in the air with such tremendous power?

1. Put yourself first

Simone pulled herself from competition because of a condition called "the twisties" which causes a gymnast to lose track of where they are in the air while performing maneuvers. It was a huge safety risk to compete with this. She had to prioritize her health before any other goals for herself or her team.

As horsemen, we need to acknowledge when we are not at our best and know when to step away from the barn, the ride, or even a competition.

2. People talk

Simone is one of the most decorated gymnasts of all time. She has a laundry list of world championships, skills named after her, national titles, and now two Olympic all-around titles.

You can be the kindest, most talented, most beautiful, most helpful individual and you will still have folks talking about all of your shortcomings. People will create reasons to not like you, and as an athlete you need to acknowledge that and not dwell on it.

There are so many strangers on the internet that will spit on Simone's name at any given opportunity and their only achievements in life are an average office job and professional couch jockeying.

The horse community is known for this kind of behavior and it can wear a person down fast.

3. Perfect hair doesn't equal a perfect score

So many trainers/coaches/parents get so wrapped up in having the perfect hair/bun/shirt etc. Simone had several flyaways while competing this week and still came out with stellar scores. The judges are not judging your hairstyle folks, just make sure it's not in the way of your back number and we really will not be looking twice.

4. Slowing down doesn't mean quitting

I am certain there was a lot of work put in to get Simone past "the twisties" and back to performing her stunning skills. When I have a horse struggling with a maneuver we go back to the basics to fix the issue before we ask the horse to perform at their full potential again.

This can be frustrating when your trainer tells you "I had to back off of your horse some" or "Hey, we're going to work on boring beginner exercise #3 today." All of this is part of the process and it doesn't mean you or your horse will be stuck their forever. Set backs are a normal part of an athlete's journey.

5. Build others up

Simone has encouraged many women gymnasts such as Jordan Chiles who competed alongside her at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Jordan was invited by Simone to join her at her gym.

The equine industry is terrible about putting others down and being downright rude. Every single youth, amateur, and trainer is human. No one knows everything, everyone can teach you something.

The more we collectively work to create a community of competition AND encouragement, the better the horse industry will be for everyone.

08/08/2024

Warwick on Scratches for connection with shutdown horses

https://www.facebook.com/100044354889772/posts/1096415581846928/?mibextid=Nif5oz

08/08/2024

Helpful leg tips!

05/08/2024

Ascher and Tiffany got included in our local Dispatch newsletter:) PLAY ON!





https://pvpha.org/newsletter/ or

https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpvpha.us19.list-manage.com%2Ftrack%2Fclick%3Fu%3D9a0bf6cd6c62b1a83d5534762%26id%3D924bf6c673%26e%3Dbbc088072d&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cdff3dfe7aa2841198bee08dcb227a9ab%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638581130643425002%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=JQkC7HDp65AWmKD9B091bd2jwoK85X0opaAVKr3Ubho%3D&reserved=0

04/08/2024

From afraid to brave and confident enough to p*e in it, oh my!:)

04/08/2024

The more we ask and learn, the better we can do for and with our horses:)

02/08/2024

As a practitioner of equine veterinary medicine for over 20 years, I believe that it is very important for horse owners to understand the difference between a symptom, an observation, diagnostics, a clinical sign or finding, differential (possible)...

31/07/2024

Great visuals and explanations:)

30/07/2024

Summer surprise = ice cream at Kelly's Korner with trail ride there and back:) Life is GOOD! It's nice to put in to practice our quick release knots at this local watering hole's hitching post:)

30/07/2024

Such fun and playful parody to remind us how silly we can be:)

29/07/2024

Musical heros on horseback!:)

24/07/2024

22/07/2024

Practical patterns:)