Theupstatehorseholiday14 by The Upstate Horse

the upstate

HorsE Issue #2 â&#x20AC;˘ Winter, 2014-15

Uniting the Horse Community of Upstate New York

the upstate

Editor’s Note

My journey with horses began the same as many—a childhood love. I was given riding lessons for every birthday and often Christmas, but not as regularly as many of my friends, nor as often as I would have chosen. After graduating college, where I was able to take riding for my phys ed requirement, I moved out to Vail, Colorado. While there, other activities took precedence over my love of horses.

HorsE Publishers Donna Vild & Katrina Clay

Advertising Donna Vild Donna@TheUpstateHorse.com (302) 598-2495

Design & Production BeanTree Designs / Katrina Clay Katrina@TheUpstateHorse.com (518) 332-6581

Website www.TheUpstateHorse.com

Mailing Address P.O. Box 644 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Katrina Clay

By the time I turned 30, I was back living in New York state, working a meaningless-to-me 9-5 job and rather dull about life. I had already fulfilled ‘adulthood’ with marriage and a mortgage and needed more excitement. Riding became the logical and most heart felt choice. It was a small and innocent choice at the time, but it turns out to have been a turning point in my life. The simple decision to follow my love for horses, reminded me that life is best spent doing what inspires us. It wasn’t long after my first time back in the saddle that I quit my meaningless job and began the search for employment to enjoy and find fulfillment in. Without a steady paycheck I worked at the barn in exchange for lessons. After a variety of jobs, in 2002 I started my own graphic design business as the umbrella to a regional wellness publication “The Healing Springs Journal” of which I am founder and publisher. On paper my current horse, Tom, may not have been the ideal partner for me. Regardless, I listened to my heart and he has showed me so much about freedom, soul, kindness and love. I hope for many more years of friendship. While we started the traditional hunter/jumper route, we are now on a path of our own making. This includes a lot of open space, free-choice and love. Most days it works for us both. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to combine my business experience with my love of horses. Donna and I look forward to our continued growth as a community. Enjoy, Katrina

The Upstate Horse is an independent free publication that is supported by its advertisers. These advertisers must be judged on their individual merits. The Upstate Horse is not responsible for their claims, conditions, products, or services. Our articles reflect the opinions of their authors and not necessarily those of our publisher. We reserve the right to refuse advertising and are not liable for any errors within the ads themselves.

Editor’s Note Donna Vild

Katrina and I are so excited to have this second issue out and in your hands! This is definitely a work in progress and will continue to grow and change as we work to find our place in the horse industry here in the greater Capital District. I have met so many enthusiastic and encouraging horse people through this endeavor. I appreciate all your ideas and good wishes. If you would like to chime in with ideas for content or changes we could make to better serve, please do not hesitate to email me at donna@theupstatehorse.com. We want this publication to be the resource you reach for when you want to plan your show schedule, need a new truck, farm, horse, boarders, or stable employee, or just want to know what is happening with the horse scene in our area. I would like to encourage you to drop us a line to let us know good news: births, marriages, new ventures within the horse community, and also not-so-good news so we can send well wishes if needed. If you are having a horse show, hunter pace, clinic, etc. please let us know. We really want our calendar to be comprehensive. Please don’t be left out. If one or two more people come to your event, that revenue will pay for an ad that covers who-what-when-where-how much. A good ad will save you from answering the phone a hundred times about what kind of classes, what time does it start, and how much are the entry fees? Or worse, wondering why no one showed up. A lot of you have heard by now that, as a newcomer to Saratoga Springs last summer, I managed to find a place for my horse by stopping the car and walking up the drive. Then I found out I was not the first person there to find a stall that way. That’s crazy!! Twenty-three years ago (way before the internet) I put an ad in the ‘Horse of the Delaware Valley’, lined up apartments and barns to look at on Spring Break, found an apartment on a horse farm, and moved with my new husband + one horse to West Grove, PA two days after graduation. That was easy. This area has loads of people moving in that are connected to Global Foundries, plus other tech and non-tech jobs. Some of them have horses and/or kids that ride or want lessons. How are you going to reach them when they are unfamiliar with the area horse scene? Happy Holidays and here’s hoping this winter is a little gentler than last! See you in March, Donna

The Upstate Horse Mission: to create community among the many disciplines of horse people in Upstate New York by providing articles and advertisements that inform the reader of all that this community has to offer for horses and the humans that love them.

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T h e U p s t at e

HORSE

Community 25th Annual Christmas Caroling Ride and Drive

Pamela Reppert, DVM is organizing the 25th Annual Christmas Caroling Ride and Drive on Saturday, December 6th at 10:30am at Saratoga Hospital, 211 Church St., Saratoga Springs, NY. The caroling will be taking place at the Main Entrance. Everyone is welcome to sing, including riders, drivers, and helpers. Those without horses can sing along, also, either outside the hospital with the horses and riders/drivers or inside the lobby of the hospital with the patients and staff. Holiday attire is suggested and last year most horses arrived sporting glittering hooves, sleigh bells, tinsel, Santa hats and more. Interested parties should definitely call Dr. Reppert for information on parking, unloading horses and line-up time! Reach her at 518.584.3611.

Saratoga Back Country Horsemen Meeting The Saratoga Back Country Horsemen will be meeting on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 6:30pm at the Cornell Cooperative Extension – Saratoga County office at 50 West High St., Ballston Spa, NY. All are welcome. For questions or to be added to the mailing list: debballiet1@gmail.com. Saratoga Back Country Horsemen is forming as an affiliate of Back Country Horsemen of America, a national non-profit organization that is dedicated to keeping America's trails open for all. BCHA is a 501(c)(3) serving 174 local and state chapters across the country. Its grassroots members—responsible leaders who help to carry forward our organization’s mission and values—lead BCHA organizations throughout the United States. BCHA Chapters and aAffiliates are active in 27 states consisting of roughly 13,000 members who are dedicated to keeping trails open for all on our public lands. Chapters and Affiliates work closely with trail partners and local land management agenciesand not for profit land managers to clear and maintain those trails. The Upstate Horse I Issue #2 Winter, 2014-15 6

Locals Compete at Dressage at Devon Two area dressage competitors experienced the highs and lows of competing at one of the nations most hallowed (and highly charged) showgrounds in Devon, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. Kristin Grosso of Greenfield Center, NY took her mare, Limelight AF, and came away with the blue ribbon in the Conklin Photographic Suitable to Become a Dressage Horse, Six Years Old! They also showed in the Four Year Old & Older Mares Under Saddle class and placed 4th out of 15 entries. Susan Castiglione-Baranski of Cambridge, NY ventured down to Devon with her already accomplished 4yo homebred Hanoverian mare, DeCastiglione MTF to take part in the Four Year Old & Older Maiden Mares class. The infamous Devon atmosphere got to the mare, and even though she was being handled by Klaus Schengber, who went on to be leading handler, it wasn’t going to be DeCastiglione’s day. According to Susan, the “heavens opened up” before their class the next day and she made the decision to scratch from the class of Hanoverian Mares 3 yo & Older. The mare is also in foal, so this owner-breeder had more to consider than just winning a ribbon! According to a press release, “Dressage at Devon, the highestrated international dressage competition held outside of Europe, combines world-class international dressage competition and one of the world’s few complete sport horse breed shows with the family fun of an International Fall Festival, featuring food and shopping for all tastes.” Thanks to Conklin Photographic for the photo

New Hunter/Jumper Boarding and Training Farm Congratulations to Paige Faubel, who opened Dayspring Farm last month. Dayspring is located at 1151 Goode Rd., Ballston Spa, NY. Paige specializes in hunter/jumper boarding and training. Visit her website: dayspringfarmny.com.

ACTT Naturally Expands Offerings to Include Equine Coaching ACTT Naturally’s original mission is to gently transition Thoroughbreds from racing careers to new productive lives. Now the program will also partner horses with women who are challenged by life’s struggles, providing emotional support and learning through equine coaching. Experiential learn-

ing with horses provides healthy emotional development, lending life skills adaptable to every day life. The ultimate goal is to yield retrained horses with the mental and physical balance necessary to continue purposeful lives and place them through thoughtful adoption. Learn more about ACTT Naturally at www.acttnaturally.org.

The 2014 Saratoga Horse Expo Despite dire weather predictions, the 2014 Saratoga Horse Expo continued to gain momentum. Attendance at the Expo, held September 13-14th at the Saratoga Racecourse, was 30% higher than the previous year’s figures, according to Karen Johns, one of the organizers of the Saratoga Horse Expo. The Expo had a full slate of activities going on all day Saturday and Sunday, including demonstrations, horse-related vendors and an evergrowing pre-owned tack sale. Karen cited the “adorable vaulters” of the Root Farm Vaulters as one of the noteworthy demonstrations, especially since their demanding routine also “involved handicapped children.” She thought the highlight of the demonstrations was the patriotic pas de deux consisting of the Western Dressage rider, Jeff Wilson, and the Roman rider, J.D. Winslow. American music and flags set the stage for this memorable ride! Theirs was a very fitting tribute as proceeds from the Horse Expo directly benefit Saratoga War Horse, in addition to other local charities! The organizing committee very much appreciated all the local veterinarians who generously gave of their time and knowledge: The Equine Clinic at Oakencroft, Axel Sondhof, DVM, Granville Veterinary Service, and the Upstate Equine Medical Center. Goose on the Loose. It might have been called the Saratoga Horse Expo, but in the end, all the gossip centered on a goose! Rumors of a goose gone missing during the Expo were all about the town. According to Karen Johns, one of the organizers of the Saratoga Horse Expo, The Saratoga County Sheriff was able to locate, through a tip involving a license plate number, several local “girls” who had stolen multiple geese recently. The “Expo goose” was recovered and returned to the infield of the venerable Saratoga Racecourse. It turns out this particular goose was being taken care of regularly by some kind-hearted back stretch workers, who were the ones to report the goose missing.

Old Chatham Hunt Club Opening Day Members, guests, and spectators braved a rainy Saturday morning for Opening Day festivities on the traditional first Saturday in October. Black and scarlet hunt coats, and raincoats were seen in roughly equal numbers as the hunt staff, hounds, and field took over the center of Old Chatham, NY in preparation for the 8am start. The sizeable crowd of on-lookers appreciated the sight of smartly turned out horses and riders patiently waiting to

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get going. The Old Chatham Country Store was doing a brisk business with all the happenings literally on their doorstep! After a few welcoming remarks by Norm Tuttle, Master of Fox Hounds, Roger Leithead, ex MFH of Shakerag Hounds (GA) and Litchfield County Hounds (CT) doffed his cap and said a blessing that encompassed the Old Chatham hounds, the about to be chased fox, hunt horses, hunt staff, and members of the field and their horses. A rather noisy garbage truck was idling just at the side of the intersection so some onlookers had to use their imagination to get the gist of his all-enveloping blessing! With that, the riders separated into three decent sized fields. The first flight jogged up the road after the hounds and staff. In high school sports parlance, the first flight would be Varsity, the second flight, Junior Varsity, and the third flight would be the freshman team. Ability and experience of both horse and rider help determine which flight they will hunt with on a given day. The second flight waited a little then headed in the same direction followed by the third flight. Car followers were given different directions that took us right to a beautiful spot where we saw most of the foxhunters trot by. We drove to another amazingly beautiful location two minutes away and watched from a distance. Unfortunately, the hounds headed to a wooded area at about the same time as the heavens opened up and so, with not much to see, and no peeps from the hounds, the car followers largely dissipated. A much enjoyed luncheon (hunt breakfast) awaited the foxhunters at the end of their day. Issue #2 Winter, 2014-15 I The Upstate Horse

Gift Guide

for horse people

Tis the season to go shopping, fa la la la la—la la la la! Things for horses and their riders, fa la la la la –la la la la! Bags and jewelry, warm apparel, fa la la la la la la la la la! Frames and scarves and boots of leather, fa la la la la—la la la la!

he elves at ‘The Upstate Horse’ have been busy finding out what area stores are stocking for Horse-related Holiday Shopping. We did a hugely informal poll and came up with a lot of great ideas for all the horsepeople on your list! Our informants were not allowed to suggest warm socks and winter barn gloves. Anybody who can read a map knows we are north enough to pay serious attention to keeping extremities warm. Our elves wanted the gifts that shouted “Open me first!” In Guilderland, the elves stopped at Bewley’s. Marge Bewley, the owner, was in traveling mode. Her top gift ideas were bags. She has an all-in-one bag that will carry the helmet, coat, and boots of the equestrian in your life. If you wanted to get fancy, Marge suggested a matched set of rider’s luggage. She has luggage in stock in various colors and prices. Or, if you hustle and talk nice (something the elves feel is always a good idea), some luggage can be done in your rider’s custom colors in time for Christmas. Heading north from there, Mandak’s Tack is fully stocked for all your western and rodeo needs. According to Alyssa, a sales associate, the Adikted jeans and the Cowgirl Tough jeans and clothing line is heating up their store. Their Twisted X cowboy boots manage to be trendy, fashionable and reasonably priced. The elves managed to fully bling themselves out at this stop. The elves made their way to Saratoga next and started up Broadway. First, they opened the door to Impressions. Mare, the storeowner (and real life horse girl), suggested decking the stalls! She immediately held up a cute sign that said as much. The elves loved the idea of decking more places so they snooped around the store and came up with Sprigs…locally decorated authentic horseshoes. Each stall could sport one! After the arduous effort of decking each stall, the elves found exactly what

The Upstate Horse I Issue #2 Winter, 2014-15

you will need next—and Impressions has you covered here too, so to speak. Minnetonka footwear, Jane and Bleeker jammies with clever repeating horse motifs, a cozy fleece with Impressions’ own attractive Dark Horse logo and a hot beverage in a Dark Horse mug would thaw out your (or your favorite horsegirl’s) every inch! The elves also found all sorts of little horsey stocking stuffers at Impressions, also. Then they stopped at Spa Fine Art because they are cultured elves who know and appreciate fine art when they see it. The art director there, Alison Stryker, had little trouble directing them towards Anne Wolff’s mesmerizing print of Zenyatta. The elves also noticed Beth Evan’s foxhunting scenes, and Janet Crawford’s works featuring show hunters, foxhounds, and other sport horses. The elves felt every horse person would appreciate the way Anne Wolff sees and portrays the equine eye, tack and expression. The next stop (shopping stop, that is) was at Saratoga Saddlery where Jill showed the elves some very stylish breeches that could go from stable to town. They were navy with cargo pockets and named the Bronx breeches. Perfect for the horse girl/Yankee fan on your list. The elves also spied a complete bedding set (comforter included) in a very tasteful show jumping theme! The elves ran out of horse-related retail opportunities on Broadway, so took a spin around off Broadway. They came to Silverwood on Caroline Street. Reeves, the sales associate on duty, showed the elves some men’s ties and bow ties in several horse-related themes: polo, foxhunting, and non committal bits and saddles for the horse men among us. Silverwood also carries Arthur Court aluminum picture frames and silver serving pieces that were adorned with bits. The elves thought if you have to be domestic why not include some bits? Yoicks! Was the next stop. It was difficult getting the elves to stop shouting Yoicks! Yoicks!. When we explained to the police that it is a foxhunting term, I think Saratoga’s finest thought we’d been over at the Local too long. Yoicks! (the store) is a new

slice of old hunt country on artsy Beekman Street. Michael Finney stocks the most gorgeous country clothes by Barbour…an easy way to make sure your horse husband wins Best Turned Out at his next horse outing. The elves were very happy to find a few nuggets for all kinds of horsepeople in Saratoga Silks, the gift shop inside the National Museum of Racing on Union Avenue. Kitty, the sales associate there, pointed us to their handbags, scarves and beautiful vintage looking jewelry. Some items had racing themes, others did not. This shop always has an incredible selection of books, not just about racing, but covering sporting art, OTTBs and others. Just as the daylight was fading, the elves ran into the Cheshire Horse of Saratoga. Kristin, the manager, called their attention to the new American West bags. The elves were impressed with the range of sizes, from wallets to totes, all made of leather, all with a lifetime guarantee. The elves were extremely confident that these would make very, very good gifts. The elves then tried on the waterproof “Harrowed” boot by Dublin. They were ready to take it for a dip in the Spa State Park but were (luckily for me) stopped by the darkness. That was good, since we spent another ten minutes extricating an elf from one of the beautiful horse print infinity scarves. Who knew it would go around an elf neck that many times? The good news for you, dear reader, is that you won’t use much horse-time to complete your horse-related holiday gift shopping. You might consider leaving this issue of ‘The Upstate Horse’ in strategic locations around the house for your elves!

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Happy Holidays! Issue #2 Winter, 2014-15 I The Upstate Horse

Over the Fence

A place to meet our neighbor horse people

ber of other awkward moments that occur. They all seem to know that they are part of the team-- the team that can include a horse leader, and up to two side walkers. Cathy is a few steps away with encouraging words and instructions of what to do next as the team weaves through barrels, stops and starts, or goes from colored cone to colored cone. Cathy's husband David, also a horseman, helps out by filling in and doing the heavy jobs. Cathy, an Orange County, NY native, is experienced with a wide variety of horse sports: local English and Western shows, trail riding, hunter paces, even working cows, all with the above mentioned horse, Cruze. She sees a variety of patients in the form of riders with autism, spectrum disorder, anxiety and development delay, among others. She adapts riding lessons to “meet each rider’s needs on the rider’s own time line.” Two riders at a time are the most she will do. More than two riders spreads Cathy’s attention and focus too thin for her comfort. Hippotherapy riders are always one on one. Cathy trained through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International organization, mentored under Lorna Young at Southern Vermont Therapeutic Riding Center. Her schooling involved on-line courses plus a mandatory 25 hours of teaching under Lorna’s direct supervision.

Name: Cathy Lamando, MSPT, PATH Instructor, HPCS Location: 1419 St. Rt. 50, Gansvoort, NY Services: Therapeutic (Adaptive) Riding, Hippotherapy Contact: 518.642.2252 or nipperknolls@yahoo.com

nything involving little rubber duckies, cool water, a kid, and a cute pony all at the same time certainly has fun involved. Also involved is improving focus, coordination, balance, listening skills, teamwork and a lot of smiles and laughs as each yellow duckie flies through the air from the rider’s hand into (or close to) the bucket of water. Directing all the hilarity is Cathy Lamando, now in her third year operating Nipper Knolls Therapeutic Riding Program. A lifelong horsewoman with a Masters degree in Physical Therapy, Cathy melds her love of and experience with horses with extensive training in therapeutic riding and hippotherapy.

Cathy works with riders of all ages, sizes, and abilities. Her “teaching team” range in size from the saintly pony, Luke, to Sonny, Max and Cruze, her ever patient school horses. “Bombproof” takes on a whole new meaning when these equines are involved. They stand quietly for brushing, tacking, rubber duck throwing, balls being held over their heads, and any num10 The Upstate Horse I Issue #2 Winter, 2014-15

Hippotherapy is “a treatment strategy utilizing the uniqueness of the multidimensional movement of the horse.” One has to be a licensed Therapist before using Hippo. Cathy had about five years of Hippotherapy training through the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA). She has just become a certified HPCS, a Hippotherapy Clinical Specialist, one of only 108 such certified instructors in the US. Therapeutic Riding has been in existence since 1969. Hippotherapy is less recognized and none of these equine assisted therapies are recognized by insurance companies. “Insurance companies think Therapeutic Riding is just pony rides,” Cathy states. Anyone who has been involved with equine assisted therapies sees the amazing results! The amazing (drug free) results include positive doses of confidence, self-esteem, core strength, flexibility, and problem solving skills! Cathy would like more people to know about adaptive riding lessons and the wonderful benefits they bring, such as improved focus and listening skills for the riders and their families. “Word needs to get out to agencies, schools, and parents” about the many and varied benefits of Therapeutic Riding. Volunteers are used as horse leaders and side walkers. No horse experience is necessary but it can be helpful. Cathy trains her volunteers ahead of their first meeting with riding students, so they know what to expect and feel comfortable being on the team. Nipper Knolls is located at 1419 Rt. 50, Gansvoort, NY. Due to the nature of the lessons, please contact Cathy ahead of time if you would like to visit.

Each issue we showcase a horse business, be it a trainer, boarding facility, horsey non-profit; whatever is happening around the area and over the fence. To be featured, please send in a request to; donna@theupstatehorse.com

Hunt Report Hunt reports follow a fairly typical pattern that offers an insight into different terrains, climates, and quarries that are experienced by mounted foxhunters. Foxhunting is conducted all over the US and world, i.e. the rocky, cold New England, the desert Southwest, the hot, humid Deep South, or the plain, old Midwest! And of course, Merry Old England. They become a record of what happened, how the hounds did, and what the fox or coyote did that amazed even the old hound guys. The following hunt reports were kindly submitted by Gail Day, a member with Old Chatham Hunt, Old Chatham, NY. October 8th: Good day today, Wednesday 10/8. Hounds picked up in Ooms’ swamp north of Sutherland Road and were working out the line, circling in the thick growth of the swamp, I saw a very large coyote--first thought deer, it was that big, but no white tail and running unlike a deer--come out along edge of field heading south. I went up to mark its crossing, huntsman, Tommy, and field intersected on Sutherland when a second and the hunted coyote popped out a few yards from where the first had left the swamp. Across the road, south to edge of corn, circling east to west there, headed finally west above Williams' barn complex through the scruff into woods, circling again, south toward Gochman's, eventually breaking into fields to west where Dr. Stef and Lisa held them up. Terrific performance by all, puppy up front with the big guys. Nice to have coyotes that stick around and play some with the hounds. We’re all thrilled by the hound work, the views, great weather, too. October 1: Our last cub hunting meet before the start of formal season was from the Old Chatham kennels. Most have noticed the fox scat as we unloaded our horses at the kennels park area. To that end, Tommy cast the hounds at the kennels and in very little time hounds were running a nice red fox. It was a terrific starting run for the pack as a few young hounds were out. The stumbling block being that Reynard led them eventually into a paddock at which point they were trapped. After that and a couple of false starts hounds were recast in a former heifer pasture, a single voice, then full cry as the hounds headed north into a sizable swamp where they ran for almost an hour, up and down, around and around, I thought, it must be a gray (fox), but eventually out popped a coyote for the second field to view. As it was 3 hours of steady hound work and members and staff were expected to show up at their respective jobs that day and a steady rain, hounds were pulled up on a town road and hacked home. Wonderful to have New Zealander, Anna with us who brought us some much needed rain! ‘The Upstate Horse’ welcomes first-hand reports from our active reader/riders. Please email to donna@theupstatehorse.com.

Attention TRAINERS

Our March Issue will focus on area Trainers. We would like to include as many trainers as possible from the Capital Region who are involved in training Dressage, Eventing, Foxhunting and Hunter/Jumper horses and/or riders. We want to publish your concise answers to the following questions:

What discipline(s) are you involved with? How many years have you been teaching or training? Who did you study under? Specialty? (upper level only, beginner only, no kids, etc.)

2 3

Where are you located? What facilities do you have access to?

Do you have school horses, take horses on training, or do ship in lessons? (Do I need my own horse to take lessons with you? Can I send you my horse for you to train? Can I trailer my horse in for a lesson with you?)

4 5

Care to list your (or your students) biggest win?

Are you currently taking new students? How do potential clients reach you? (barn phone, cell, email, etc.)

If you have a photo to submit of yourself in action (with credit if it is professionally taken) (from any decade) please feel free to do so. Photos of riders over jumps from back in the day (I know, no hunt cap, right?) may or may not be published. We may consult our legal department about that issue if it arises. Please send your answers to donna@theupstatehorse.com by JANUARY 20, 2015. This will be free to whoever answers. We may call you to verify information. If you have further information you would like to get out, or if you would like people to see your spacious indoor, please consider taking out an ad. Two or three lessons will pay for your ad. A new serious student would reimburse you many times! Issue #2 Winter, 2014-15 I The Upstate Horse

www.theupstatehorse.com Bringing together the Horse Community of Upstate NY

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HorsE Ways to be involved: Advertising

The Upstate Horse will be fully supported by advertising so

the reader may pick it up for free. See the back couple pages for rates and sizes. Email Donna Vild at Donna@TheUpstateHorse.com for more information.

Distribution Locations

Let us know if you want to be a

distribution point for people to pick up. Email donna@TheUpstateHorse.com

Writers

We would like to fill our pages with articles that apply to horses and their

people. Articles such as health, training (written with an open mind of suggestions rather than the only way to do things) and equipment.

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The Upstate Horse I Issue #2 Winter, 2014-15

The

Release

Have you ever wondered how horses learn what we want them to do? by Lara DeLorenzo very moment that a rider spends with a horse, the horse is learning what the rider wants and expects. The rider may not even be aware of it, but he is teaching the horse. From the moment a person walks into the paddock or the stall, the horse is aware of the human’s every move. One of my goals, as an instructor/trainer, is to get the human to be aware of the horse’s every move.

Horses learn by the release of pressure. For example, if I ask my horse to go faster by squeezing with my legs, then I need to stop using my legs when he gets ready to speed up. Then the horse learns that he gets a release by doing what I ask. On the other hand, if I squeeze with my legs, and my horse does nothing, and I release, then the horse learns to do nothing when I use my legs. Be careful what you release for! There are all kinds of different styles of riding, and various cues that riders use. While not all riders use or even agree on the same cues, most people seem to get by alright with their horses. That is because the horse doesn’t care so much about what the rider does, but about when he STOPS DOING IT. Of course, if the person applies pressure in a way that makes sense, it will be easier for the horse to find the desired response, and thereby get the release.

Steel Magnolia, ridden by Emily Biernacki. Winners of the Limit Adult flat and o/f class, and the Low Modified Hunter u/s class at the TCRA finals held at Skidmore College Stables, Oct. 19, 2014.

For example, if I want my horse to leg yield towards the left, I would move my left leg away from his body, which gives him somewhere to go. I would then begin to apply my right leg at his side. When I feel him get ready to yield to the left, I release my right leg. Very basically speaking, he then learns to move left when pressure is applied on the right. If I release for the thought, instead of waiting for the movement, my horse will learn to be even lighter and more responsive to my cues. When I get ready to ask my horse to do something, I want him to get ready to do it. Horses have several different directions they can go, when motivated to move. They can go forwards, backwards, up, down, left, right, or any combination of those directions. I communicate to my horse, the direction and speed I want him to go, by using my thoughts, shifts of my weight/seat, legs and hands. I’ll do as little as possible to inspire a response from my horse, but as much as it takes. If I release when the horse tries what I want, he will try it again. When teaching a horse something new, my request and my release will be very obvious. As the horse progresses, our communication becomes more subtle. It is important that the rider be aware of what the horse is offering. That way, the rider can either encourage, or discourage, what the horse is already doing. If the rider isn’t even aware what the horse already wants to do, it will be difficult for him to influence the horse. For example, if I want my horse to move his right front foot to the right, then I will suggest as his right front foot is leaving the ground. That makes it easy for my horse to do what I am asking, and he will get a quicker release. So, in a nutshell, be aware of what your horse is offering, apply pressure in a way that makes sense, and release when your horse starts to do what you want. You will be on your way to clear communication and a good relationship with your horse. In the business of helping horses and their people for over 25 years, Lara DeLorenzo has a diverse background which includes starting colts, dressage, roping, barrel racing, driving, jumping, cattle work, showing and trail riding.

Living the Life, ridden by Randi Stark. Winners of the Mini Medal class at the TCRA finals held at Skidmore College Stables, Oct. 19, 2014 Issue #2 Winter, 2014-15 I The Upstate Horse 13

Calendar November 2 Skidmore College Hunter/Eq., Skidmore Coll. Stables, Saratoga Springs, NY cdhjc.org November 3-6 Saratoga Horseworks Annual Fall Sale. American-made Clothing for Horses, Dogs, & their People. Online only this year, www.horseworks.com November 8 ENYDCTA Annual Mtg., Stockade Inn, Schenectady, NY 6PM enydcta.org November 11-12 Eric Horgan Clinic, Larkin Hill Farm, North Chatham, NY www.larkinhill.com November 15 Sarah Geikie Dressage Clinic, Larkin Hill Farm, North Chatham, NY www.enydcta.org/events.html November 28-December 1 The Cheshire Horse Holiday Sale

Spectacular, The Cheshire Horse of Saratoga, 402 Geyser Road., Saratoga Springs, NY

High Street Ballston Spa. All are welcome. For questions or to be added to the mailing list: debballiet1@gmail.com January 31 TCRA Awards Banquet, www.tricountyridingassociation.com February 7 Sarah Geikie Dressage Clinic, Larkin Hill Farm, North Chatham, NY www.enydcta.org/events.html

Dec. 6 25th Annual Christmas Caroling on Horseback, Saratoga Hospital, Saratoga Springs, NY. For more info: Pam Reppert, DVM 518.584.3611

February 22 TCRA H/J Horse Show, Skidmore College Stables, Saratoga Springs, NY www.tricountyridingassociation.com

December 13 Sarah Geikie Dressage Clinic, Larkin Hill Farm, North Chatham, NY www.enydcta.org/events.html

March 8 CDHJC H/J Horse Show, Skidmore College Stables, Saratoga Springs, NY www.cdhjc.org

2015 January 10 Sarah Geikie Dressage Clinic, Larkin Hill Farm, North Chatham, NY www.enydcta.org/events.html January 21 Saratoga Back Country Horsemen Meeting, 6:30 pm. Cornell Cooperative Extension- Saratoga County, 50 West