Joe Redig Horse Training

22/08/2024

Frenchmans Goldenguy, “Kenny”, is in Los Olivos CA with us until the end of August.

He can run, turn, stop hard and he’s going to be big(sires 16.1). If you’re hunting a barrel or rope prospect you will love him.

He’s got about 45 days and is easy to train. Wants to be gentle, goes wherever you point him and just generally has a good nature.

We are only going to be on the central coast for about 10 days, so take the time and check him out while he’s here!

Call/ Text Joe 805-717-7256

17/08/2024

Our friends picked these filly’s up with the intention of getting them fed up , healthy, and handled. She’s a nice filly, good conformation, athletic and has a good look on her eye

12/08/2024

Our trusted pony trainer went to visit grandma so we thought we’d keep her going by starting her in the cart.

Either Grady did a great job, or she’s just a rockstar pony! We “prepped” her by dragging a tire for about 5 minutes, she liked it, so we hooked her up and off she went!

Drove around like an old pro, stood quietly to hook/unhook and never questioned a thing:)

08/08/2024

Get him while you can! Seriously, I’m not sure how much longer we will be offering him.

Frenchmans Goldenbar has only worked the flag about 5 times and he’s already got the footwork pretty dang clean.

He is not normal! They aren’t this easy and capable that often. He’s got plenty of talent to go on and be competitive at a high level (roping or barrels we thought, but there’s some cow
in there too…) and a simple willing attitude to back it up

Call Joe to set up a time to see him or just dig a little deeper.

805-717-7256

Located at WindRiver Arena in Ririe, ID,

06/08/2024

30 days is not enough! Not if you want your trainer to stand behind their work!

Sure there’s some exceptions, but on average after 30 days your c**t might look good, but he’s just barely figuring things out. He’s not confident in his new job, and it’s very easy to cause problems at this point that you will likely be dealing with forever!

We’ve never made it a rule, because we understand sometimes you just can’t do longer. BUT budget for 90, hope for 60, and be grateful if your trainer says 30 is plenty for your goals.

05/08/2024

Kenny, aka Frenchmans goldenbar, FIRST ride outside. If this video doesn’t show you how nice he is, I don’t know what will. This was his FIRST water crossing, FIRST time in the hills. They’re rarely this calm or willing the first time out, usually you have at least a little silly business at some point but there was none from start to finish!

Nothing phases this gelding! He’s just one of those horses that goes along with the program with a smile on his face.

Do you know how rare that is??

Still available, call Joe 805-717-7256 with questions or to come try him.

Located at WindRiver Arena in Ririe,ID

Barn Deals

02/08/2024

2 outside pens available at windriver, which means $100 off per month if you send your horse before they fill!

We don’t have an exclusive right to these pens, so if you want to take advantage of the cheaper board send your horse ASAP!

These are good, covered pipe pens. Cleaned daily and good feed. Unless you are sending a show horse this is usually the spot our clients prefer to have their horses

01/08/2024

Accepting new shoeing clients!

It’s a testament to the year we’ve had that Joe would rather crawl under one than on one.

Not having the pressure of keeping a full barn has been a blessing and we’d like to keep that going!

If you aren’t satisfied with your current shoer, give Joe a call. He’s been shoeing performance and ranch horses for decades and has a solid understanding of what a balanced foot should be.

Call Joe to book, 805-717-7256

Currently limited to 4 horses per day so he can maintain his training business, if you want to get on his schedule call soon!

29/07/2024

The problem we’re having with this one is that he’s supposed to be a flip horse.

His owner got him with the intent to pass him on once started.

But everybody around here really likes him and nobody really wants to see him go.

SO he is definitely available until Aug 15th when his auction ends. But after that I can’t make any promises.

Frenchman’s Goldenbar, lives up to what everybody likes about Frenchman’s guy horses. Come see him, try him at WindRiver in Ririe ID or call Joe if you’re further away. He IS a good one and worth at least checking out.

He’s legitimately got 30 days or maybe a little less on him, he was an August baby so we let him sit and grow. And with that little riding he’s ahead of lots of two year olds started 6 months ago. He is EASY and athletic. Absolutely the kind of prospect most people want.

Available in auction or make an offer thru Aug 15th. Www.barn-deals.com

Barn Deals

27/07/2024

From scared to trying in 5 minutes or less is NORMAL, and a feely horse is a good thing!

It’s only a big deal if you make it a big deal!

26/07/2024

FRENCHMANS GOLDENBAR

Available now through Barn Deals www.barn-deals.com

He’s going in the auction software so we can make him available to more people. NOT because he’s got to go. Bidding will close Aug 15

His opening bid will be set at his bottom and we’ll be happy to keep him around or sell him privately later (most likely for a lot more, he’s genuinely a cool horse)

If you like him and have to have him, you can MAKE AN OFFER at anytime and if it’s enough, he’ll be yours.

CALL JOE to ask about him or set up to try him.
805-717-7256

Better video to come, this video is just a few training updates stuck together. Everything shown here was all the first or second time he did these things. He’s got about 30 days on him spread out over several months and has been easy everywhere. We let him sit so he could grow and he did not disappoint!

25/07/2024

These two… this was Grady’s first ride out and “alone” on her. This was ride 4 or 5, I’m just behind on sharing.

Learning together is definitely a challenge! But we are so proud of Grady, and grateful to have a good minded pony to start him out on.

If you’ve got a kid wanting a project pony but isn’t ready for a bad one, get in touch with Melissa Bade. She raises some nice ones and she’s got a couple coming up.

24/07/2024

A good start carries over into every discipline

It’s a balance of psychology AND mechanics

BOTH of those things are critical if you want your horse to go on to be competitive anywhere

Our program is simple. We teach them balance and respect. We get around them in a way that
makes sense to horses and sets them up for a job.

They leave willing and capable to go on with a good attitude and a foundation that sticks. Many have gone on to be highly competitive.

Space available in August. Call Joe to book 805-717-7256

20/07/2024

Day 1 on a barrel for this c**t

It’s not rocket science guys

Show them how to use themselves, give it a purpose, and then let them practice!

They need the opportunity to sort through the maneuvers without constant nagging. Be there for them, but leave them alone!

It’s them doing the hard work after all, trust that they’d like to do it well! Your horse will thank you for it!

Joe’s started countless barrel horses. We’d be happy to help you start yours.

Or if you’ve got one you’re struggling with, come by for a lesson. There’s probably a pretty simple solution for what you’re dealing with.

Call Joe for training or lessons 805-717-7256

Wind River Arena in Ririe, ID

17/07/2024

Got us another loper in the family 😊

17/07/2024

Boots and bandages - are we harming our horses as we try to protect them?

Bandaging and booting our horses is becoming more and more popular, especially with the popularity of matchy matchy sets. But are we doing more harm than good? Most people will have come across the articles in magazines and comments from vets saying they are, and yet still they become more and more popular. Why is that? Why do riders still cover their horses in thick fleece bandages or fluffy boots despite the dangers? Tradition I suppose. Wanting to fit in. Or just habit, some will feel like they haven’t finished tacking up if they haven’t put the boots on.

I know this isn’t about dentistry (for which I apologise) but I am a vet first and foremost, and as a dressage rider I am asked why I don’t use bandages all the time. I’ve written about this several times now and no one pays attention, so rather than stating facts and quoting research, I’d like to take you through my journey of discovery, please bear with me. Facts and papers are at the end.

Rewind 12 years and I was in my final year at vet school. Prior to and during vet school I had a horse and we did dressage. I had planned to ODE but this horse pulled every tendon and ligament known to vet kind. He spent more time out of work than in. Each time I would up my game with the latest boots/bandages on the market. From fluffy boots to wraps to sports fetlock boots, fleece bandages to gamgee and cotton to the half fleece/half elastic bandages. I learnt new techniques for better support, figure of 8 bandaging to cradle the fetlock etc etc. I’d been there and done it. My collection was extensive.

Right at the end of vet school I had my rotations. I chose Equine lameness as one of my options. During in this I very vividly remember a wet lab with Dr Renate Weller where she had a skinned horses leg (showing all of the tendons and ligaments) in a machine that mimicked the pressures a horse applies to their limbs. She took us through walk, trot, canter and gallop, loading this leg so we could see the inside workings of the horses leg without the skin. It was fascinating I can tell you, and I very clearly remember thinking about my horse and wondering how on earth we are suppose to support this limb when it undergoes these incredible forces! Half a ton of animal pushing down a tiny spindle of a leg held by tendons barely thicker than my thumb. Craziness!

Fast forward just a few short months and I was a fully qualified vet in the big wide world. I attended my first BEVA Congress and during the break I wandered around the stalls looking at the latest inventions and technologies companies bring to these gatherings. Here I came across a company with the Equestride Boot which caught my eye. Now if you haven’t seen this boot, it’s wonderful and I’ve since used it a few times in rehabbing very severe tendon and ligament injuries with great success. The boot is a carbon fibre boot that stops the fetlock dropping, which stops the tendons and ligaments being fully loaded while they heal. This boot is super strong. You couldn’t ride a horse in it as it is limiting the range of motion so much, but they can move about easily enough at the lower settings to rehab etc. The guy on the stand (I’m afraid I can’t remember his name) showed me their research and in the straight talking Irish way explained the stupidity of expecting a thin piece of material to support a horse. And of course it can’t! Literally no bandage or boot (short of this very expensive carbon fibre rehab boot) is capable of reducing the amount the fetlock drops. Thinking back to Dr Weller’s demonstration, I could very clearly see how ridiculous I had been to ever believe a scrap of material could do anything to reduce or support that pressure.

But the boots/bandages don’t actually cause any harm do they? Surely it’s ok to use them on the off chance they might help and if we look good in the meantime, great! Well, not long after this, research started appearing that got me very worried about my bandage collection. Heat. Anyone that uses bandages and boots will not be surprised to see sweat marks under their bandages/boots after they’ve been removed. They trap a lot of heat. The horses body and legs generate a lot of heat when working. The tendons/ligaments in the leg, along with an increased blood flow generate ALOT of heat. Fleece bandages/boots in particular, hold this heat in the horses leg. Very few boots and virtually no bandages (especially if you use a pad under) allow the legs to breath adequately. This heat is easily enough to kill tendon/ligament cells. Each tendon/ligament is made of thousands and thousands of cells all lined up end on end and side by side in long thin spindles. They stretch and return to their original shape and size like an elastic band, absorbing and redistributing the pressures applied from further up the leg and from the ground impact below. All of these cells must work together as one to do this effectively.

Just a little side step here to explain how tendons/ligaments heal. A tendon/ligament cell can not be replaced like for like. They always heal with scar tissue. This is why reinjury is so much more likely if a tendon/ligament is blown. The fibrous scar tissue doesn’t stretch, it isn’t capable of stretching or absorbing the impact of a horses movement. It will always be a weak spot. In a full blown sprain/strain the whole (or most) of the tendon has been damaged. But this heat injury might just kill a few cells at a time. Those few cells are replaced by fibrous scar tissue, then next time a few more etc etc. Like a rubber band degrading over time the tendon/ligament loses its elasticity and eventually goes snap. Then you’ve fully blown a tendon/ligament. The injury didn’t start to happen at that moment, but that was the final straw. The damage adds up over time, each time thermal necrosis (vet word for cell death) occurs.

So if using boots/bandages can not offer any sort of support, and using them generates heat that slowly damages the tendons/ligaments until they give way. Why use them? Protection. This is the only reason to use boots. To stop the horse brushing, injuring themselves catching a pole or over cross country. But for goodness sake make sure your boots are breathable! If the horse is sweaty under the boot but not above or below, the boot is not breathable enough. And don’t use fleece bandages just because you like the colour. These fleece bandages are the worst at holding heat in the leg, way above the threshold for thermal necrosis to the cells of the tendons and ligaments. If your horse doesn’t need protection, don’t use boots. I haven’t for the last 12 years and *touch wood* I haven’t had a single tendon/ligament injury in any of my horses. I will never go back to boots or especially bandages now. I don’t use them for schooling, lunging, jumping, travelling, turnout, stable, in fact I don’t use them at all. Ever. But I don’t hunt or XC.

I hope you have found my story useful and can make informed decisions on boots and bandaging going forward.

For more information on the Equestride boot and their research into support offered by boots and bandages, visit http://www.equestride.com/ and https://www.equinetendon.com/services/equestride/

The horses leg under the compression machine at the Irish Equine rehabilitation and fitness centre https://fb.watch/cmVMt6-iOJ/ (I highly recommend you watch this incredible video. It clearly shows the amount of force the leg goes through and demonstrates the real purpose of boots)

Other relevant papers-
https://equimanagement.com/.amp/articles/horse-skin-temperature-under-boots-after-exercise
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/8f15/0ea480edca142260d01f419f80d2e7e7fb29.pdf
http://www.asbweb.org/conferences/1990s/1998/59/index.html

Edit 1 - I am getting asked about stable wraps very frequently. This post is about riding, the tendons and blood flow create heat which is trapped by bandages/boots during exercise. This doesn’t occur in the stable stood still. If the horse has a strain/sprain resulting in inflammation, then there is an increase in blood flow and there is heat being created. In this situation you should not be bandaging. But if it’s cold and an old horse needs stable wraps to keep the joints warm and improve sluggish blood flow (filled legs) you can use the heat trapping to your advantage. But you need to be careful in summer.

Edit 2 - the other thing I’m being asked about is compression. Compression DOES NOT control inflammation. The inflammation still occurs, but the swelling can not escape the bandages and the increase in internal pressure reduces blood flow, causing ischemic damage. Like laminitis within the hoof. The hoof capsule prevents swelling so the inflammation expands inwards and cuts off the blood supply. This is why laminitis is so painful and difficult to treat. Compression is only useful in the case of leaky vessels, for example reduced blood pressure, reduced movement so the blood isn’t being pumped backup the legs, or osmotic imbalances eg low protein with diarrhoea. In these situations, compression of the legs can encourage blood to return to the vessels and continue circulating.

14/07/2024

Just show up.

If you want help with your horse, just show up and ask.

We don’t pay attention to clocks or what day it is. So planning ahead really is for you, not us.

If you want to call ahead and make sure we’re around that day before you make the trip, that’s totally fine.

Or just wing it, come out for open riding and see if it works out that day. We’re good with that too.

If we are around, we’re almost always happy to help. Horses don’t care about schedules and neither do we.

If you NEED to plan ahead, that’s fine too, we will write it down and make sure we’re there. But mostly, just show up.

13/07/2024

Don’t forget, discounted lessons with Joe are TODAY at Wind River Arena.

First come first serve, we will be there 8-noon or 6-9. Possibly longer but with this heat we try to vacate in the worst of it!

Just show up, pay your open riding fees for windriver online (we can help you set that up if you haven’t, it’s easy), ask for a lesson and we’ll fit you in as soon as possible.

$50 TOTAL ($40 to Joe, $10 to windriver), per horse you get help with.

12/07/2024

10/07/2024

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPREnpjAm/

Check out HB Farm Cooperative’s video.

10/07/2024

This step, driving them before the first ride is almost more important than the actual first ride.

We are “riding” them from the ground, tracking them all the things we want them to know in with a rider:

How to take a pull
How to stand up, not drop their shoulder
How to stay “between” the lines and balance whoa and go

Really this is everything they need for the rest of their life. It gets fancier down the line, but when you start them right the rest is easy.

Grady’s going to be an observer on this part for a bit, he’s got good feel in the saddle but this parts a little more critical and we want these ponies to succeed without getting that bad pony rep!

09/07/2024

No cattle doesn’t mean no work for us this Saturday. We’ll be at the barn as usual and since we’d been planning on lessons that day, we’ve decided to make it a discounted lesson day.

Instead of $75/lesson, this Saturday July 13th lessons will be $50 and we will cover your open riding fee for the horse you take your lesson on. (You sign up for open riding online and we will deduct it from your lesson fee)

Lessons will be held at Wind River Arena in Ririe, ID

Because of the heat we’ve adjusted our regular schedule and will be available 8am-12, then back again 6pm-9.

Lessons will be first come first serve and can focus on whatever topic you are needing help with.

We will have our flag set up for anyone that still has cows on the brain…. It really is a great tool for getting horses(and riders) better in a way that is challenging and fun.

Come when you can, stay all day if you’d like, or let us know if you’re in a rush and we will do our best to get you taken care of quickly. We like the more casual timeline as it suites horses, but we also understand people might have other things to get to.

When you ride with Joe, you get the lesson you need that day, we don’t watch clocks.

Depending what you’ve got going on that day, your lesson might be a very focused private lesson, or you might end up working in a group setting with on and off attention.

No need to schedule ahead, just come within the timeframe stated above. We will be there working either way and look forward to fitting you into our day.

09/07/2024

There won’t be a cow lesson day this coming sat, July 13th.

The interest was there but we just couldn’t find cattle. We are still hunting and hopeful we can find enough to do the class in August. We will keep you posted!

Until then, we do have our mechanical flag available for lessons and don’t need to reserve the arena for that. So if you’d like some help refining your horses footwork, or yourself, while we track down some cows, give Joe a call and come on out for a flag lesson.

$75 and we will pay the arena fee for haul ins.

Call Joe to book 805-717-7256