Ebony Park Friesian Magazine - October 2013

OCTOBER 2013

Tash’s Training Tip - Ego ~ Kate’s Knowledge - The First Steps to Breeding a Mare News From Holland ~ Danielle and Kate’s Kickass Tips!

Ebony Park Friesian Magazine www.ebonyparkstud.com.au

Your Riding Success

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- Riding Program Do you know Natasha has a riding program dedicated to helping you get from Preliminary Dressage to Elementary Dressage in an easy to use, proven, step-by-step system!?!? It is a 12 month program that covers what you need to do as a rider, and what you need to do to train your horse, to progress easily and effortlessly through the grades!

Ok hands up if you think you understand, and more importantly find you are actually doing dressage well, and it is easy? If that’s you – don’t read on. You are not right for this program.

I’m talking to you if you get frustrated by all the different ‘ways’ to do dressage. If you get confused by training different movements. If you want to progress in your riding but you get stuck.

The Your Riding Success Riding Program is an online program designed to give you a step by step, easy-to-use formula to get from basics to elementary. This program is one part of the Dream Team Program, but due to overwhelming demand, we have decided to make this program available online as a separate program to the Dream Team. Each section has a workbook to work through and fill out, as well as a video split into manageable chunks.

The Riding Program has been sold to members in over 6 countries including USA, Germany, Hong Kong, UK, Australia, Netherlands, Canada and even Namibia!!

So if you are 'stuck' in a riding level and looking for answers, perhaps the Your Riding Success Riding Program is right for you! Click here for more information now! :)

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IN THIS ISSUE • PAGE 4: NEWS FROM HOLLAND • PAGE 5: NOTE FROM TASH AND 2012 DATES • PAGE 6-8: KIND KATE’S KNOWLEDGE THE FIRST STEPS TO BREEDING YOUR MARE • PAGE 9: YOUR GIFTS ARE WAITING FOR YOU! • PAGE 10-11: ABE’S PERSPECTIVE • PAGE 12-13: TASH’S TRAINING TIP - EGO • PAGE 14: EBONY PARK ROCKSTAR OF THE MONTH • PAGE 15: HAVE YOU EVER WANTED A LESSON ON A FRIESIAN? • PAGE 16: FRIESIAN EXPERIENCES NOW AVAILABLE! • PAGE 17: EBONY PARK TV - FOALING AND FOAL HANDLING AND TRAINING • PAGE 18: PHOTO GALLERY - FOALS! • PAGE 19: BEST FRIEND PICTURE BOARD • PAGE 20-21: DANIELLE & KATE’S KICKASS TIPS • PAGE 22: 5 MINUTES WITH MARLIES VAN BAALEN

From the Editor Hi Fabulous Friesian Fanatics!! :) We have had a fabulous month! At the start of September we moved all of the stallions (and EP HQ) over to our property in Garfield, so that we can have all of the horses together! Which means that I have been able to get out there and spend some time with the mares and foals - including seeing two of the mares foal during the day (I never get tired of it!)

I am absolutely in love with Venus’ foal Vince (check out the picture above) - he is such a dude, and one of the friendliest foals we have ever had... I also just love the way he is put together... a bit finer than a purebred, but he already has that Friesian presence!! Looking forward to see him grow! :) This month we are flat out! With more foals due and the breeding season continuing... it will be chaos here for a while!

If you are interested in breeding your mare to one of our 5 stallions, click here to send in your enquiry and to receive our Ebony Park 2013 Breeding Guidebook!

Have a fabulous month!! :) To Your Dreams Becoming Reality,

• PAGE 23-28: BREEDING SEASON 2013 • PAGE 29: CONTACT INFORMATION

Kate Langdon

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News From Holland - Weaning with Care It’s a lovely sight to see a mare with foal in the field, but one day the two will have to be separated.

This process will certainly bring anxious moments for both and hence it is common sense to carefully plan ahead. The foal will usually be weaned when it is around four to five months old.

Often, this separation brings about a reduction in

food intake and consequently loss of condition and resistance.

It is therefore a good thing to timely introduce the foal to hard feeds and forage and allow for some time to phase out the mare’s lactation.

The mare’s production of milk will decrease when her daily ration of (hard) feed is reduced one week prior to weaning.

The foal will then have to get a higher intake of energy from forage and hard feed.

However, don’t overfeed, for a foal that grows too fast runs an increased risk of damage to the joints. A wellb a l a n c e d f e e d i n g programme with the right minerals and micronutrients will stimulate a steady and even growth rate.

Circumstances: The moment of weaning depends partly on the breeder’s circumstances. If the owner has plenty of land then the moment of weaning may be postponed for a while.

If extra feeding is required it may be more profitable to wean at an earlier stage.

It is always wise to wean several foals at once or to make sure the foal has another friend to play with.

This serves as a diversion so that the foal will continue to eat and will get enough exercise. Opinions differ about the ongoing contact between the mare and foal.

They can no longer have time together in the field because the foal will resume suckling.

Whether they are allowed to have visual contact depends on the character of the individual animals as well as stabling and field situations.

Source: KFPS Website

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DIARY DATES The horses are

currently having a break from

Note from Tash Hello wonderful Friesian lovers!!!!

I trust you are as pumped as we are for Outstanding October!!!!! :):):)

competitions while we train up our

We have 5 foals on the ground already, which makes 10 mares to breed as well as the 8 more mares to foal.

new rider, Kate,

until Natasha has

We also have 6 horses to start breaking in so that they are ready to start their dressage careers, as well as horses here for training... so you could say we are a teeny tiny bit busy!

had her baby due

I'm not much help as I am only riding Abe, but Kate R is doing well with all her young stallions as well as the break-ins, and Danielle is enjoying practicing her flying changes with Jorrit, as well as getting our 'pony' started and also starting the young horses.

in December!

Stay tuned for comp dates in 2014

It's an exciting time as we are all getting the work done we need to do to get back out to the competition arena in Feb 2014 with a full team of 5 horses ready to rock!

I hope everything is well with you and your horses and horse dreams. Remember if you need anything please let us know!

That’s what we are here for! :) To Your Success,

Natasha

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Abe was pretty pleased with himself after the Grand Prix test :)

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Kind Kate’s Knowledge - The First Steps to Breeding a Mare We are well and truly into spring and my favourite time of the year - foaling season!!

We have lots of first-timers asking us what is involved in breeding mares – what are the steps involved from getting mares pregnant all the way through to having beautiful babies running around - and there certainly is a lot involved! This month I wanted to talk to you about the first steps to getting your mare in foal.

When you have decided to breed your mare, the first thing that needs to be done is to make sure your mare is cycling (showing signs of oestrus)! To do this she will need to be teased with a stallion or gelding (or other mares also work sometimes!). The signs you want to look for are any combination of the following: - Squatting and urinating when being teased – the tail will be held up high - Allowing the teaser stallion to approach and smell her (especially her back end!)

- Winking of the vulva - Squealing when approached by the teaser Once the mare has ovulated she will no longer show signs of being ‘in heat’ (oestrus) and will often become quite aggressive towards the teaser (so be careful!). If the mare is cycling normally, she will come back into heat within

around 10-16 days after the end of the previous cycle. A mare’s reproductive cycle is seasonal she should only be cycling in the spring and summer months, and her cycles go for around 21 days in total - 4-5 days in heat, then 16 days where she is not in heat... but not all mares will obey the rules!!

Don’t worry if you have nothing to tease her to, or if she doesn’t show any of the signs of being in oestrus! Just get your vet out to ultrasound scan her, and they will be able to tell you where she is at in her cycle...

So once your mare is showing one of more of the above signs that she is in heat, what do you do next? Ultimately, at some stage during the next few days, you will want to breed her, but

when? Many of us are using shipped semen, whether local and imported, and want the timing to be just right so that we maximize the potential of our mare falling pregnant. The most effective way of ensuring this is to get the vet out once our mare is in heat, so that he can perform an ultrasound scan on the uterus and ovaries and determine whether she is close to ovulation.

If she is not close to ovulation he may want to come back in a day or two to scan her again, or use one or more of a variety of reproductive hormones to manipulate her cycle so that she becomes ready to breed.

If she is close to ovulation the following can be observed on ultrasound:

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Kind Kate’s Knowledge - The First Steps to Breeding a Mare - A dominant, large follicle on one of the ovaries (there are sometimes more than one large follicle) – it depends on the size of your mare as to what a ‘large’ follicle is, but generally speaking, this will be >30mm in diameter.

- Folding of the uterus, coupled with uterine oedema – the uterus should not have any fluid in it, but the folds of the lining become fluid-filled.

- The cervix of the mare will become very soft, and will be what is described as ‘open’ – this means that we can actually get the semen in there without too much trouble!

Unfortunately, it is not always this easy to get your mare even to the cycling stage!! The normal

breeding season in the southern hemisphere for horses is between September-January (spring and most of summer), although some horses will continue to cycle before and after these times. If your mare is not coming into heat, often a hormone called prostaglandin will be used in an injectable form to try and make her cycle.

Prostaglandins (PG) act to regress the corpus luteum (CL) on the ovary (this is producing progesterone, which in general terms promotes gestation or pregnancy – something that is not necessary before she is actually pregnant!) – this allows the mare to enter into oestrus.

Note that PG does not cause the ‘heat’ of the mare, it just removes

the system (corpus luteum) that is preventing oestrus. PG is only effective when administered at the right stage during the cycle.

Therefore, generally the vet will ultrasound the mare before PG – the mare needs to have a CL in order for the PG to cause it to regress!!

Generally, in terms of nutrition when breeding a mare, as with all of our horses, we don’t want her to be too fat or too skinny.

However, there have been a number of studies conducted that suggest that mares on a rising plane of nutrition (i.e. they are putting on weight) fall pregnant more easily. So if your mare is looking a bit underweight when you breed her, this may not be a bad thing! That said, we don’t want to starve our mares just to get them to put weight on when we breed them, or to make them too fat by raising the feeding rates! As long as the mare is healthy and happy, fingers crossed she will get pregnant!!

Once your mare is teasing to the stallion and/or she has been ultrasound scanned with a large enough follicle to breed from (generally 30mm and growing, depending on the size of your mare –

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Kind Kate’s Knowledge - The First Steps to Breeding a Mare Friesian mares may not ovulate until a 50mm follicle!), she will need to be bred to the stallion of your choice!

collect the stallion and ship the semen to you in time, or have the stallion ready for live cover (and not be booked out!).

G e n e r a l l y, w h e n y o u a r e breeding to an outside stallion, you will need to book the stallion in either for live cover (where you bring the mare to the stallion) or for shipping semen. This is done at the start of the breeding season, when you decide that you want your mare to have a foal, and contracts etc. are generally signed and deposits handed over before you breed the mare.

If you are using shipped semen, you will generally need to get the vet out when it arrives to inseminate the mare. This needs to be done before the mare ovulates – if you inseminate after she has ovulated, generally you will not have inseminated in time.

Chilled semen lasts for up to 72 hours after collection, so even if you inseminate a bit early (say 24 hours before your mare ovulates) there should still be enough living semen to fertilise the egg! After ovulation, the mare’s reproductive tract undergoes some changes very quickly (I wont go into much detail here), which greatly decreases the likelihood of sperm being able to move through the mare uterus and up the fallopian tubes, and therefore if you inseminate the mare after ovulation she is much less likely to get pregnant than if you inseminate before ovulation.

You will need to be on the ball as to when your mare needs to be bred, as the stud where the stallion is standing will need to be contacted a day or two before you expect the mare to ovulate – this is to ensure that the stud can

Ovary on ultrasound - you can see a couple of dominant follicles on this one as well as some smaller ones.

After insemination, you have to play a waiting game. It is a good idea to have your mare pregnancy tested via ultrasound 14 days after insemination – this is to check that the mare is actually pregnant, and if she has twins it is much easier at this time to get rid of one or both of them (twins rarely survive in horses, and trying to keep them can also be dangerous for your mare). If she is not pregnant at this time, you can wait for the next cycle (in

6-7 days, as mares have 21 day cycles, with 16 days off heat, and 4-5 days on heat) – you can also short cycle the mare using prostaglandin (PG), making her ovulate around 4-5 days later.

If your 14 day pregnancy check went well, the next check is generally at 45 day after insemination – this is to ensure that she is still pregnant and that the foal is developing normally. If she is no longer pregnant, then you need to make a decision – do you try and get your mare pregnant again, or leave her until next season? Generally if it is later in the season, you will leave her until the next year – but it is all up to personal choice!

All things going according to plan, your mare will be pregnant and now you need to wait for 11 months until your baby is born!!

To Your Dreams Becoming Reality,

Kate Langdon For a full list of sources, please contact Ebony Park at info@ebonyparkstud.com.au

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Your Gifts Are Waiting For You Now! Are you enjoying this months issue of the Ebony Park Magazine?

Did you know we also send out weekly blogs and we have even more Friesian resources for you?

Click on the picture below to go to our website and fill out your name and email to subscribe now and receive your FREE Friesian resource pack!

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Abe’s Perspective

Hey super riders! My name is Abe and I am Natasha’s superstar Friesian stallion and her one and only horse she likes to ride.

I told her I thought it was very unfair that she was the only one to share how to ride - as lets’ face it... I’m the one that really makes it all happen - so this is my chance to teach you how to really ride a horse... with advice straight from the horses mouth! *Taken from October 2013 Your Riding Success Monthly.

If you would like to view Your Riding Success Monthly click here

Hey Friesian Lovers!!

How are you all doing this month? I am ok! Tash is getting bigger and bigger and that means she walks a lot more than we used too, so that’s fun. You could say I'm getting a bit of a holiday which is good, as I heard Tash's plans for 2014!!!!

OMG I'm tired already just thinking about it!

I h e a r d Ta s h w e n t t o Horseland Narre Warren last week and did a talk on Riding Success, and I thought if anyone is an expert on Riding Success it’s me! Considering I got her to where she is today! So I wanted to give you my 4 steps for riding success.

1. Get a really steady, calm, balanced seat.

You can't expect us to do all the work and learn all the GP movements if you are bumping around up there jerking us in the mouth every stride, and wanting us to keep a steady head if you can't keep a steady hand.

We understand you need to do the hours and get good at your seat, so that’s ok, you will bounce and you will have unsteady hands. Just keep working on it every day so it gets a little bit better every time.

2. Get completely clear on the aids.

If you aren't clear how can we be?

So many riders want their horses to do shoulder in or leg yield - but you don't know

where you want us to go and how and when... so how can we know!?!?

Ta s h s a y s " i f y o u c a n language it you can have it" So get complete clarity on what you want, how you want it, how you will know when you have it, so we can follow your lead.

A confused rider is a confused horse so get clear first.

3. Don't push us.

Tash is good at knowing why I'm not doing something sometimes it’s because I can - I just can't be bothered.

Other times she gets I'm not doing it because it’s hard and I'm not strong enough and in the early days I just didn't get

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Abe’s Perspective It’s not that hard. Feed us well, groom us, care for us, get lessons, work on you and on relaying your aids to us, build our strength slowly and progressively and we will do anything we are physically able for you.

And remember the true success is our relationship and partnership.

While I think I am perfect and I could easy win this thing you call the Olympics, apparently Tash thinks there may be other horses better than me!!! Either way, Tash and I still experience success, every time we get a little bit better a little bit smoother and a little bit easier in our GP work and both Tash and I are very satisfied and feel successful. what she was asking - totally her fault!

Take the time to get us strong progressively. And know when to push us - ie we are being lazy, and when to allow us to build up strength.

If we are not doing it because we are confused, get clarity before you ask again and try to break the movement down into smaller, easier steps.

4. Reward and appreciate our efforts - going around a 60 x 20m sandpit in circles is not our idea of heaven.

Grass, breeding, oats, molasses, carrots... that’s what we love! So if you want us to go in circles for you make sure you reward and pat us often for trying for you!

To Your Success,

Abe

Even if it’s just a short walk give us a break to let us know if we are good, we will not have to work so hard.

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Tash’s Training Tip - Ego "If you are all wrapped up in yourself you are overdressed." ~ Kate Halverson Mmmmm, Ego. We don't really talk about it do we? :) Now when I talk about ego, I'm talking about the lower self, the jealous one, the selfish one, the righteous one etc. It's not you. You get that don't you?!?! It's not you! It's just a part of you, but it's not who you are.

Who you are is so much bigger than that, so much more than that.

The thing is, if you are living in your ego, life is %^&*!

Sorry, but it is! But hey that's just my opinion - let's look at how you know ego is the driving force in your life: 1. You always compare yourself to others.

The ego loves doing this! The ego thinks you are in

competition with everyone else on the planet. It thinks as long as you are doing 'better' than someone else, then you must be doing ok. You might want to be prettier, thinner, smarter, richer, or more successful... you might want a better car, float, horse, house. But you get that no matter what... someone else will have something you don't, and you will never be satisfied, no matter how much you have, or how good you look.

2. You frequently judge or criticize others Ok - so we all know we shouldn't... and we all know we do. It is human nature to judge and criticize, but you don't need to voice it, or give it power. The ego likes to criticize so it can demonstrate that it knows more. It also likes to put others down, so it can be elevated - but in reality all it is trying to do, is

cover up for a lack of selfesteem.

3. You are concerned with status.

The ego wants to know your place in this world. It cares if someone gets promoted over you, if you should be called Dr, or CEO... it also likes the material possessions to prove you deserve your social status of middle or upper class. Again, titles and status mean nothing to your true self, and to others living in their true selves.

4. You like to argue that you are right and others are wrong Why? :) ... I like to do this with my husband! :) I especially like it if he doesn’t agree... I just keep going and going, with more arguments to support my case... Funny thing is, by the end do you even know what you are arguing about?

A wonderful story about this is there is a couple in a restaurant. The man says what do you think is in this steak sauce, is it pepper?

The wife says she thinks it is mustard seeds. They argue over the taste, appearance, shape of the black things in the sauce... finally the man asks the waiter over and asks him. The waiter asks the chef, and it is indeed pepper.

The man is triumphant! I TOLD you it was pepper. So

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Tash’s Training Tip - Ego he ‘wins’ ... or does he? The woman doesn’t talk to him for the rest of the evening and let’s just say he doesn’t get ‘lucky’ that night either! So remember - next time you are arguing over something. The fact is do you want to be loved, or do you want to be right? Because you can rarely be both.

5. You are obsessed with your appearance Are you who you look like?

Should you be loved or hated, based on how many wrinkles you have, what size clothes you are, or what fashions you are wearing? It is fine to take pride in your appearance. You should make an effort to be clean and well groomed. But to obsess over being a size 8 not a 10, or thinking about botox ... and you are sill in your 20‘s! Well, that’s your

ego saying no one will love me for me, so maybe they can love me for how I look.

The problem is - when your looks fade you will worry so will the love. Who wants to be loved for only what they look like? I love hanging out in my faded trackies with my husband or best friend! They love me unconditionally for exactly who I am - my true self - not what I look like.

6. You live only in the future or in the past The ego loves this! It’s the thing that makes you relive the past again and again and again! All your mistakes, all your missed chances, all the negative stuff - it just replays and replays. Even though there is nothing you can do about it now. Then it puts you out into the future, and tells you all the bad stuff that ‘could’ happen, that might

happen, so you can worry about it, and stress about it even though none of it has even happened yet, and most likely won’t.

So if we are not going to live in our ego, where are we going to live? The higher self is felt most when you are in the present moment. There is nothing better than focusing on the present, no past, no future - just what is happening, and what you are experiencing RIGHT NOW. We talk about the ego in my Dream Team program but we have another name for it! But you learn it’s not about denying that you have an ego! We all have an ego, and it is constantly talking its crap to us. The important thing is not to indulge it. Think of it as a small child, it is un-evolved, it doesn’t know any better, but you do, and you don’t need to listen to it. It never speaks the truth anyway.

I would love to hear how you have gone ‘taming’ your ego, and gone on to living a more fulfilled and enjoyable life as well as getting better results in your riding!

To your success,

Natasha Althoff

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Ebony Park Rockstar of the Month Sian Gillespie and Bastian This month I wanted to give you an update on one of our Superstar crossbred Friesians... and one of Abe’s first crossbred babies!!

Bastian and Sian are such a great partnership, and we alway look forward to hearing how they are going!

Here’s the latest update...

“Hi Ebony Park!

Bas is doing super, we're going out competing this Saturday at Ayr Hill Equestrian Centre. Our first grade two pony club dressage comp, which I think is roughly equivalent to Novice EA? Actually I uploaded a video of our second dressage competition last night, I thought it was nice to see how far we've come in the past five months! Hoping mum will get out the video camera on Saturday :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WxanTNJvk0 Bit disappointing that he shied at the end! But someone jumped out of the bushes, so it couldn't really be helped haha.”

And then this after the competition... “Bastian was an absolute dream today, our first test he was a little tense but we still scored 70% but unfortunately didn't place. He was much more relaxed in the second test and he didn't miss a beat! We scored 69% and placed third!!!!!! (Despite my error of course - woops!!) Proud as punch with him!

Hope everything is well at Ebony Park!

Have an awesome week!”

-- Sian Ebony Park Friesian Magazine October 2013

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Have ever wanted lesson afindF#esian?

Well now is your chance…

Ebony Park is now offering lessons on our Medium Level purebred Friesian stallion, Ebony Park Jorrit. This is your chance to experience what riding a Friesian stallion is like, as well as learn some pretty cool dressage skills.

Jorrit is available for seat lessons – this is your opportunity to experience what the Friesian paces are like, and a great chance to learn how you can improve your seat to sit their gaits deeper and more effectively.

We also offer dressage lessons on Grand Prix schoolmaster and 1/2 Friesian gelding, The Carrock Tambo.

Lessons are conducted by new young horse rider and trainer, Kate Richmond, and are starting this month!

If you would like to book a lesson, click here to fill out the form on our website, or call Kate on 0422 227 364 for more information!

“I cannot wait to come back to Ebony Park and to continue my riding journey at home as well” “It has always been my dream to ride a Friesian stallion and having a foal by Jorrit I wanted to take the experience – I never thought I would have the chance!

I just want to say thankyou to the whole team at Ebony Park (but especially Loes and Jorrit!) for the amazing experience I had during my lesson at Ebony Park. I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would get to sit on a Friesian stallion, let alone be able to trot and canter, and learn so much that I can translate to my own horses and riding in the Ebony Park Friesian Magazine October 2013 15 process.”

Kellie Mitchell, 2013

Ebony Park Gift Vouchers!

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Stuck for a gift idea?

Ebony Park has the answer... why not gift an Ebony Park Friesian Experience!?!

Have you or someone you know ever: Dreamed of sitting on a Friesian stallion?

Wanted beautiful photos of you with your dream black horse?

Been curious to go behind the scenes of Ebony Park, meet all the horses and really see what we do every day with our Friesians?

The Ebony Park Friesian Experience will give you all this and more!

If this is the perfect present for you or someone you know, click here now to reserve your experience, and to find out more.

We will personalise the voucher (example above) and send it to you (express post if needed).

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Ebony Park TV Foaling and Foal Training/Handling

Click on the video above to play the movie - you will be taken to the YouTube link so you must have an internet connection.

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The First Babies of the Season!! :)

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BEST FRIEND PICTURE BOARD! We want to celebrate with you, any photos of you and your horse - they don’t have to be dressage photos, and they don’t have to be Friesian photos - just a photo of you with your best friend! Just email your photo to info@ebonyparkstud.com.au and we will share it on this wall next month!

I have a Friesian colt (almost 17 months old) and he is a budding Escape Artist. The barn owner witnessed him lift the vertical bar on his stall door (same stall as the Escape Artist at the one minute mark in the video you posted). Since it's a matter of time that he learns to shove the door open, I've added a chain and a utility clip as a Safety Chain (like a trailer's safety chain). I needed a solution that was simple to manage in case of emergency (such as fire, knock on wood). But I don't want him to even KNOW that he can escape. This is NOT a trick I want him to master!! I just know that he'd pig out on hay and grain so a chain is inexpensive insurance against colic. I love my boy too much to think that this is something I could prevent. I'll let him learn other tricks! He really is too smart for his own good - but that's why we love Friesians, right?!?

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Danielle &Kate’s Kickass Tips!

Hey guys, This month we thought we would explain clicker training to you and the advantages of using a clicker rather than your voice or just food as a reward.

Clicker training is a science-based training method and is a great tool to use when training and modifying your horse’s behaviour or even teaching new tricks.

C lic k e rs a re mo re effective than a voice praise/reward as the sound is always the s ame , w h e re a s t h e sound of our voice can d i f f e r e a c h t i me . . . which c an f urthe r confuse the horse, so think of the clicker as another method of saying “Good boy/girl”.

Fi rs t yo u ne e d t o te ach yo u r h o rs e what the clicker me ans, you can do this by doing a task c a l l e d “ Ta r g e t Training”.

Grab an object such as a f luore sce n t cone and hold it in front of your horse’s nose and allow them to sniff, touch and investigate the cone, as soon as they move for ward t o wa rd s t h e c o n e press your clicker and

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Danielle &Kate’s Kickass Tips! follow it up with a food reward.

Start small, any movement from the horse is a win, reward the little things. Soon your horse will learn that the sound of the clicker brings a food reward. Make sure you feed your horse his reward in front or away from your body. Never let him turn to you for the reward, this teaches bad habits and can make a pushy, food-aggressive horse.

Once your horse is tuned to the clicker then you can start having some fun and begin teaching tricks and games such as bowing, playing soccer (see the photos of Jorrit with the big green ball on this page and the previous page) or coming on command - there are plenty of things to teach, get creative!

the neck and hollow in the back when being ridden. When you reach relaxation use your clicker to reward him, the food can come at the end of your riding session, as long as the click was there at the right time for the relaxed behaviour!

I hope you have enjoyed this month’s article, if you have any questions please email them through!

Until next time, Kate and Danielle.

Clickers are also great when you are De sensit ising (di s c us s e d i n l a s t month’s article) as you can re ward relaxed behav iour quickly remember the timing of the clicker is most important.

Wh e n y o u h a v e a finely tuned horse to a clicker then you are able to use it whilst riding. Some horse s can become stiff in

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5 Minutes with Marlies van Baalen

Both Marlies and her mother, Coby, competed in the Olympics in Sydney and Athens and obtained various titles in national and international dressage competitions. During her career as junior rider, Marlies won the European Championship title as member of the Dutch team as well as the individual European title.

Coby and Marlies are ambassadors of two associations for disabled people who are involved and active in equestrian sports.

They support these riders in various ways.

Interview with Marlies:

Photo: http:// www.dressuurstal.be

When did you start competing? In The Netherlands at age 7 Why riding? Being born at the farm of my parents who specialized in dairy cattle (my father) and horses (my mother) and living outside in the midst of our animals has always been very natural to me. I feel being raised side by side with our animals makes you understand them and makes you feel happy with animals around. When I was four years old I was already riding my pony - it would have been unnatural without it.

What is your most memorable riding story? My trainer Johann Hinnemann encouraged me to do the Warendorf course, which is the most professional course for riding and reaching in the world.

For my final examinations show jumping rider Holger Hetzel borrowed me a super mare. When practising it was too difficult to control the horse and prevent her from overjumping. But at the final examinations it all went like a miracle and I received the high score 9 for jumping! I still remember every single jump I took!

Most influential person? My mother and Johann Hinnemann Why? Because he has taken a lot of effort to teach me and to help me feel and understand what I know now. One of his great pieces of advice of course was to do the Warendorf education. Through Johann Hinnemann I learned not only all horse things but also to speak the German language fluently, and I have made acquaintance with a lot of people that are of great influence in the dressage world!

Most looked up to person? All those who are capable to get from life what is in it and nevertheless stay who they are :) Ambitions during career? I would like to combine a career as an athlete in sport with a flowering company of my own and a happy and healthy family life

FACTS DOB: 30/08/1980 Country: Holland Website:

www.dressuurstalvanbaalen.nl Languages: Dutch, German, English Sponsors: BMC Subsponsors Kentucky, Blom Trainers: Johann Hinnemann Coby Van Baalen

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Ebony Park Jor!t

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Jorrit is an exceptional dressage stallion that made it through to the very prestigious 70 day performance test for approved stallions. In the performance test in Holland, Jorrit was within days of being approved as a stallion but a muscle strain hindered his movement and was unfortunately eliminated late in the test.

He was also awarded a breeding permit from the KFPS when they came out for the 2013 Keuring. This is only awarded to very select Friesian stallions who possess the desired characteristics of the breed. There are only a few Friesian stallions in Australia that hold a current KFPS permit, and Ebony Park is very proud to offer Ebony Park Jorrit to the discerning Friesian breeder. This permit is limited to only 20 mares so please book quickly and as Born 12/05/2003, 16.2hh, Jet Black early as possible to avoid disappointment! imported Friesian ster stallion By the Grand Prix Dutch Approved Dressage Friesian Jasper 366 Scored 82% for the IBOP (2009 Keuring) Foalbook ster stallion with a Current KFPS Breeding Permit for 2013-2014 Registration Number: 5280 0420 0305 315

for ere rit! h k r Clic of Jo o vide

Photo by Nadeen Davis

ClickEbony here to visit our Park Friesian MagazineJorrit’s October 2013 page on 24 website

Ebony Park Elko

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Unfortunately, due to a paddock injury to his knee, Elko is no longer able to be ridden, and has been retired from the competition arena.

Ebony Park is extremely disappointed and upset by this incident, however we are very happy that he is still able to be bred, and has still retained his breeding permit (not something to be taken lightly, as the KFPS are very strict about awarding breeding permits!). When Elko was able to be ridden he was destined to be Natasha’s Olympic Grand Prix horse.

He had everything! Three amazing paces, the desire and trainable temperament, and was quick to learn and improve. In his short career he scored up to 72% in preliminary and gained 44 grading points qualifying him for the 2006 Australian Dressage Championships in Novice in only 2 months of competition.

Born 21/04/2001, 17.1hh, jet black imported Friesian ster stallion By the Champion Approved licensed Dutch Friesian Stallion Teunis 332 Foalbook ster stallion with a Current KFPS Breeding Permit for 2013-2014 Registration Number: 5280 0420 0120 011

Click here for video of Elko!

Click here to visit Elko’s page on our Ebony Park Friesian Magazine October 2013 25 website

Ebony Park Abe

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Abe has had consistent results of over 62% at the Inter I level, and currently competing and winning at the Grand Prix level in 2012 with scores over 60%, improving with each competition! Early in his career Abe was the horse to beat in Novice bringing home 3 Novice Championships with scores up to 71%. He also took home an Advanced Championship in 2008 and competed and qualified for the prestigious Dressage with the stars in the PSG and Inter I Kur in March 2010.

Abe is now establishing himself in Grand Prix and he hasn’t disappointed. His piaffe/passage is amazing and we are now waiting for him to develop the strength to catch up. This horse is destined for a legendary Grand Prix career. Ebony Park Abe is an exceptional stallion to ride. He is powerful and responsive and carries you through any situation with pride and attitude.

Born 29/03/2000, 16.2hh, jet black imported Friesian ster stallion.

To ride him is pure joy! He is solid, strong and powerful! First Friesian stallion in Australasia to Abe takes you into a test almost like a war horse taking compete and win at Grand Prix level in you into battle. He is proud, noble and loves to show off dressage. and be the centre of attention.

Abe has been awarded the sports predicate from the KFPS. He is the first stallion in Australia to achieve the award due to his outstanding results in the dressage arena.

By the Champion Approved licensed Dutch Friesian Stallion Anne 340 Registration Number: 5280 0420 0010

Click here for video of Abe!

Click here to visit Abe’s Ebony Park Friesian Magazine October 2013 26 page on our website

Zeus of Ebony Park

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Zeus is Elko’s first son that we have bred, and we have eagerly been waiting the years until he was old enough to work. At 5 1/2 he is already competing in Elementary level dressage, with scores over 68% and a Medium start expected late 2013!

Zeus is a delight to work with, having an exceptional canter just like his father, and a swinging, easy trot. He is still taking time to mature with some growing to do, but in another year we are so excited to see where this boy is at! He has inherited the beautiful, willing Friesian temperament from both sire and dam.

This will be Zeus’s third season standing at stud, with his first lot of gorgeous babies born last year, and a wonderful opportunity for people to get access to Elko’s bloodlines!

Born 22/11/2007, 16hh, jet black Friesian BBook1 stallion.

By our imported Friesian stallion (who has a breeding permit) Elko van der Woalderhoeve Registration Number: AU0360 0420 0706 076

Click here to visit Zeus’ page on our Ebony Park Friesian Magazine October 2013 website

Click here for video of Zeus!

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Ebony Park Dante

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Dante is by Champion dutch stallion Norbert 444, who has won the prestigious Friesian Stallion Show in Holland for the last 2 years in a row – 2012 and 2013. We imported his gorgeous mother, Ebony Park Jantje from Holland, and within 2 months of his birth, Jantje was competed by Natasha, with three floating paces and one of the easiest horses to ride! Dante looks to be a superb mixture of sire and dam – he is solid, strong and powerful, at the same time being easy and willing to train.

Natasha says this stallion is the definition of ‘easy’ – you get on and do nothing, and the horse performs exactly how you want underneath you. To handle he is quiet and obliging. He has great bloodlines and breed potential, and we can’t wait to breed him for the first time this year for some gorgeous foals in 2014!

Dante was competed for the first time in February 2013 in Preliminary dressage – and what a superstar! It was his first time out ever, and he took it all in his stride, coming home with over 62%! We can’t wait to see what he does in the future on the dressage arena!

Born 21/04/2008, 16.2hh, Jet Black imported Friesian stallion (in utero)

By the Champion Approved licensed Dutch Dressage Friesian Stallion Norbert 444 Foalbook stallion Registration Number: 0360 0420 0905 604

r e fo ! r e kh nte Clic of Da o vide

ClickEbony here to visit Dante’s page on 28 our Park Friesian Magazine October 2013 website

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Ebony Park does not assume any responsibility or liability for any loss or damage which may result from any inaccuracy or omissions in this magazine, or from the use of information contained herein, and we make no warranties, express or applied with respect to any of the material contained herein.

CONTACT US

Address: 611 Belgrave-Hallam Road, Narre Warren East VIC 3804 Website: www.ebonyparkstud.com.au Email: info@ebonyparkstud.com.au Phone: 0422 227 364 or 03 9796 8690 Ebony Park Friesian Magazine October 2013

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