THINK Horsemanship Spring 2019

Issue 04

Tom Curtin Visit Collection

by Tanja Kraus Foal Series part 3

Classical Dressage Feature with the school of Légèreté Horse Health

Horsemanship

Regular Features

Equine Hoof Function Spring Fever!

Why does grass affect my horse?

Does your saddle fit?

Relax and Connect with your Horse

Keeping and Creating Desire in our Horses Hind Front Separation Collection, Engagement and Self Carriage Foal Series: Weaning without Stress Cold Hands, Warm Heart...

A Legacy of Legends Meet the Maker Global Focus Horsemanship Mindset

available from NATURAL EQUIPMENT NOW

Mobile/Text: 0488 038 848 lee@naturalequipment.com.au www.naturalequipment.com.au Facebook: NaturalEquipment

editor’s note Issue 04

Tom Cur tin Visit Collect ion

by Tanja Kraus Foal Seri es part 3

Horse Healt

h

Classical Dresage with the school of Feature Légèreté

Equine Hoof Function Spring Fever!

Why does grass affect my horse?

Does your saddle fit?

Relax and Connect with your Horse

Horsemansh

ip

Keeping and Creating Desire in our Horses Hind Front Separatio n

Collection, Engageme nt and Self Carriage Foal Series: Weaning without Stress Cold Hands, Warm Heart...

Regular

Features

A Legacy of Legends Meet the Maker Global Focus Horsemanship Mindset

On The Cover: Classical Dressage Susie Walker and Elita Abracadabra (WB/TB Gelding) Photo Credit: Andrew Feher

Spring is in the Air; thankfully, I hear you all say! More time in the saddle makes for a happy life.

As the great Winston Churchill famously said: “No hour of Life is wasted that is spent in the saddle”.

With spring comes longer days more sunshine and hopefully some much-awaited grass. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that there is a pleasure on seeing the grass growing particularly after the terrible drought affecting so much of our country.

In this issue, Erika Gough from Inside out Equine Health has some great tips for us regarding managing our horses on the spring grass and some of the problems that arise at this time of year.

We are delighted to have our dressage feature written by Philip Karls School of Légèreté here in Australia.

EDITOR IN CHIEF Tiana Machin

Alongside some excellent Horsemanship and Equine Health articles by our regular and guest Writers, we have Saddle fitting tips and the introduction of our “Young Guns” section inspired by such heartwarming feedback from Emily Larsen’s piece regarding her experience with “Whisper,” her horse that Buck Brannaman started at The 2018 Legacy of Legends gathering in Tamworth.

We would love to also thank you all for your support of THINK Horsemanship in its first Year and Hope that you have been enjoying the progression and ongoing refinement of our publication. We truly appreciate the fantastic feedback we have been receiving and the steady growth in subscriptions.

Together we are all committed to understanding and making a better deal for the horse.

n i h c a M a n Tia

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EDITORIAL

Editor in Chief Tiana Machin tiana@thinkhorsemanship.com.au

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Jodie Webber design@thinkhorsemanship.com.au

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PUBLISHER THINK Horsemanship P.O. Box 235 St Andrews VIC 3761

THINK Horsemanship Magazine 2019.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication, editorial or advertisement, may be replicated without the written consent of the publisher. The content of the advertisements within this publication is the responsibility of the advertiser. All care and attention is taken in the preparation and publication for all advertisers, the publisher cannot be held accountable for any errors or any significant effects. Statements and sentiments made by others may no tbe the same as those held by either the publisher or the editor.

regular contributors ALLAN COLLETT

TAMARA COAKLEY

BRITTANY FLINN

Tamara coaches in the Macedon Ranges Victoria. Fusing timeless principles of Horsemanship and Classical Dressage.

Tamara nearly lost her life and sustained severe injuries in a horrific motor vehicle collision seven years ago. She deeply understands the courage it takes to rebuild your life after trauma and loss, and to successfully ride again dealing with changed physicality and pain. She coach’s with empathy for people and horses. Her focus on Calm - ConnectedCommunication, correct bio-mechanics and balance promotes confidence, fun and lasting results.

Brittany is a Station wife, mother, writer and horsewoman from the Clarence Valley, NSW. Upon getting married, her and James travelled to the US, got a job on a grassfed ranch in Canada, and then travelled back home, worked on a station in the sandhills of central Australia.

Her days could consist of wrangling her toddler son, gathering cattle on the rolling hills of home, or wrangling words for her various clients and projects.

She has a passion for correctly brewed tea, her blog Grassroots Grazier, an unhealthy obsession for serape blankets, succulents, cooking Sticky Date Pudding for her friends, Tim Tams, and pen-pals.

I started out with horses at quite a young age, first with working riding ponies and then later on progressing to racehorses. The way I worked back then was more in a traditional fashion.

Things really changed for me after a mutual friend introduced me to Wayne Anderson, at this point it was really evident that something was missing for me in regards to how I worked with horses. Wayne introduced me to the world of the Dorrance brothers, Ray Hunt and Buck Brannaman.

Their way with horses became a life changing experience for me that opened up a better and fairer way with horses.

I enjoy working with all horses and disciplines and spend my time starting young horses, helping problem horses and conducting clinics and lessons.

ERIKA GOUGH

SALLY PERMEZEL

ANDREW BOWE Andrew Bowe is an accredited farrier based in Victoria. With his wife Nicky he runs the Australian College of Equine Podiotherapy with about 600 horses regularly ‘on the books’ in a broad cross section of the equestrian industry, from low level pony club to high level performance which provides nationally accredited barehoofcare training for aspiring professionals, as well as the Mayfield Barehoofcare Centre for rehabilitating horses with lameness issues.

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Erika has loved horses (and dogs) as long as she can remember and finds nothing more interesting than analysing pasture samples, nothing more satisfying than creating a new diet for a horse with issues and nothing more rewarding than seeing that horse thrive on its new diet.

Besides horses she loves giants cups of tea in the morning, a quiet beer in front of the TV with her husband and dogs in the evening and binging on true crime podcasts while on the road.

Sally Permezel lives in Corryong, Victoria, where she shares life with husband, Tom Lebner, raising Angus cattle. They have one son, Charlie.

Sally also has three children from her previous marriage. Sally turned to horses to heal her heart following years of emotional trauma. She has a Bachelor of Teaching, is an Accredited eDISC Behavioural Profiler and an Accredited Professional Coach.

She believes horses live in a world of conscious awareness beyond humans and they provide us with a mirror that allows us to look deep within and grow from our heart.

this edition’s contributors Susie Walker

Classical Dressage

TANJA KRAUS

MARK LANGLEY

Tanja’s passion is using kind horsemanship philosophies to develop a partnership horse for the rider.

Her philosophy develops the horse and rider as a team – to be in tune, flexible, supple, athletic, and confident.

Her patient, knowledgable and reflective teaching skills have helped riders achieve success in the competition arena, or simply regain their confidence in their horses and themselves.

Each clinic includes written theory, rider biomechanics, ground exercises and ridden exercises.

We are all looking for the same attributes in our horses – Consistency, Reliability, Calmness, Kindness, Respect, Confidence, Trust, and a willing partner. Tanja will help you discover and develop these attributes in your horse, and yourself.

Mark Langley is passionate about helping horses to learn in a way which helps them to feel more positive about the education we give. Marks approaches reduce tension and help horses to have a better a connection. Addressing how horses feel; working with their mind then their body; Mark works closely with individuals and their horses to gain results through focus, guiding, confidence, calmness and clarity.

Mark currently teaches in WA, NSW, QLD, ACT, TAS, VIC, Germany, USA & the UK and has an online horsemanship membership to provide further support.

CHRISTINE CORBIDGE Christine is a licensed 4* Senior Parelli instructor with over 20 yrs experience teaching this world reknowned horsemanship foundation program. Today she specialises in ‘Confidence Coaching’ for both horses and humans, holding clinics around Australia as well as teaching at ‘Wongaburra’, her homebase.

She caters for all ages, all areas of horse activity and sport and at every level from beginners to professionals.

Sharen White

Makers Mark Equine

Paula Curtis

Would you like to join our team of regular contributors?

Diana Balhorn

Lee Davis DB Braiding

Horsemanship

LD

I want to see people in a partnership with their horses.

I share my time with them so they can achieve this because Horsemanshipit’s such a special relationship.

Lee Davis

THINK Horsemanship Magazine LDspring Horsemanship 2019

3

Turning dreams into partnerships ldhorsemanship@gmail.com

0419 829 777

contents Horsemanship 6

Collection, Engagement and Self Carriage

Tanja Kraus Horsemanship 22 Keeping and Creating Desire in Our Horses

Mark Langley Horsemanship 40 Foal Series. Part Three: Weaning without Stress

Chris Corbidge - Wongaburra Horsemanship 50 Hind Front Separation Allan Collett Horsemanship 68 Cold hands, Warm Heart...Tamara Coakley - Affinity Equitation

Health 12 16 46 56

Relax and Connect with your Horse Paula Curtis Equine Hoof Function Andrew Bowe - The Barefoot Blacksmith Does your Saddle Fit? Andrea Gibbs and Letitia Glenn Spring Fever! Why does grass affect my horse?

Erika Gough - Inside Out Equine Health

Horsemanship Mindset 34 Human Training Sally Permezal 37 To be or not to be Lee Davis 62 Horse Tradin’ Brittany Flinn

Fashion and Gear

66 Fashion Focus Sharen White - Makers Mark Equine 66 Meet the Maker Diana Balhorn - DB Braiding

Legacy of Legends 27

MISSION STATEMENT THINK Horsemanship Magazine, Australia’s only equine publication committed to the teachings and appreciation of the Masters of Horsemanship.

Our friendly, knowledgeable and professional team help inspire, educate and problem-solve for the student of the Horse.

Classical Dressage Special Feature page 28

page 60 Hind Front Separation Allan Collett Horsemanship

page 18 Relax and Connect with your Horse Paula Curtis

Program of Events

Global Focus

66 Young Guns Bronte McShane

page 66 Collection, Engagement and Self Carriage Tanja Kraus Horsemanship

Classical Dressage Special Feature 28 Philippe Karl’s Ecole De Légèreté Susie Walker 32 The Légèreté Training Scale Erica Hosking

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page 56 Spring Fever!

Erika Gough Inside Out Equine Health

Reviews

Product Uvex Exxential Riding Helmet

The Uvex Exxential Riding Helmet is extremely lightweight and is a Sporty allround riding helmet for both leisure riding and competition The helmet meets the highest safety standards with the hardshell construction created by using a special injection moulding technique.

The shell is manufactured from high performance thermoplastic, an extremely durable polymer. The climate-regulating CoolMax liner is fast drying, antibacterial, anti-allergenic, removable and washable.

The Exxential helmet has the built-in IAS 3D fit system with the multi-step, anatomically shaped Uvex monomatic comfort closure, it is easy to adjust with one hand. Just press the button. The chin strap always sits perfectly.

The helmet is fully adjustable in both width and height to ensure the perfect fit for virtually any head shape.

All Uvex Riding Helmets comply with VG1 01.040 2014-12 Safety Standard, making them suitable for both training and competition use.

Made in Germany using market leading technology and innovation, the Uvex Exxential sports an impact resistant polycarbonate shell, injected with EPS foam to provide it with a very light and stable construction.

RRP $199.95 Availabe from dancinghorse.com.au

What did we think?

I love this helmet, I get quite a sweaty head in summer and I have found with all the ventilation that I don’t have this problem, which is one of the reasons for purchasing. I also really like the sporty design and the fact that it is so light, adjustable and very comfortable to wear.

Reviewed by Jodie

Performance Plus Mineral Pellet

Inside Out Equine Health Performance Plus Mineral Pellets were initially developed as a way to get fussy horses to eat a premium mineral supplement. They have now become a stable favourite for thousands of horse owners who have been impressed with the improvement in their horse’s feet and coat, body condition, performance and overall health.

All horses, from dressage superstars to weekend trail riders will benefit from this palatable mineral supplement that has proven results and is so easy to feed.

With lysine, balanced levels of copper and zinc, a FULL daily dose of biotin, a large dose of vitamin E, the full suite of B vitamins and no added iron they can be fed to all horses and ponies including those with metabolic issues/ laminitis. They are perfect way to get essential minerals and vitamins into a fat pony who doesn’t need any additional hard feed or a fussy horse that hates powders.

Availabe from insideoutequinehealth.com.au

What did we think?

I have been using this Mineral Mix for my horses for over 2 years now, they have lovely soft and shiny coats, the condition of their feet has improved dramatically, and best of all I know they are getting everything they need to stay healthy and my fussy horse eats it with no more sifting of feed.

Reviewed by Jodie

Customer Reviews “My OTTB mare always had terrible feet that were flakey and cracking. Now that she’s on Performance Plus Pellets her feet look great, really strong with no cracks and I’ve even been able to take her shoes off” - Amanda L, VIC “I’m a Campdrafter and hate making up complicated feeds, especially when we’re away at competitions. My horses are all on Performance Plus Pellets now. They look awesome and they’ll go all day.” - Justin P, QLD

THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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Tanja Kraus Horsemanship

Collection, Engagement

and Self Carriage

“collection isn’t restriction”

What do they all mean?

Unfortunately, as with a lot of things in the horse industry, we can hear a varying degree of definitions for these things.

These are the basic definitions that I abide by.

Collection - when the horse collects (shortens) his body, elevates through the front end, shifts his weight towards the hind, and is physically and mentally in a powerful frame.

Engagement. The horse is engaging his hind legs, stepping them deep underneath the body.

Self Carriage. I define this in two categories - mental selfcarriage, which is the horse controlling his speed, gait, rhythm and tempo, the horse is willing and in unison with the aids of the rider, and physical self-carriage, which is the horse maintaining Collection and power throughout the body.

You can have Engagement without Collection, but you can’t have Collection without Engagement. You can have mental self-carriage without Collection, but you cannot have true self-carriage without both mental and physical Collection.

Collection doesn’t mean restriction.

This is one of those statements, that when you listen to it with intent and really think about it, you can get a mindblowing light bulb moment situation happening. Even if this is not news to you, it’s one of those statements that help you hit the reset awareness button when it comes to how you are working with your horse.

And it came from the mouth of a 12-year-old girl.

I was teaching my Collection, Engagement and Transitions clinic, and one of the riders was a 12-year-old girl, who was riding alongside her mum.

1& 2. Horses have a natural ability to collect, engage and self carry. When we struggle for this to happen under saddle, we must consider that it is our interference in some way that is preventing it - equipment, rider cues, rider balance. photo credit: Lu Townsend Photography

Being a higher level course, we had quite a few theory classes, in which we discussed what Collection is, and what Engagement is, and how we work towards achieving it, how we can interfere with our horse’s natural ability and block it, the biomechanics, the physiology, and the psychology.

We went over how we could guide the horse into Collection, and enhance his natural movement, without forcing it. It was pretty in depth, and at times for a 12-year-old, probably pretty boring.

So as I went around and asked everyone what they had learned, I was not expecting the profound and gamechanging answer of ‘collection isn’t restriction’ from a student who I honestly thought was thinking ‘if I knew I was going to have to do classes, I would have just gone to school’.

If I thoroughly think about it, it is of course what we are teaching and trying to convey; it just seemed shocking that a young 12 year old could put into only three words what I had only used an entire morning to explain.

When you ride your horse and start to play with collective work, remember to ride with ‘collection isn’t restriction’ in your mind; this allows you to ride with a new level of consciousness. It enables you to recognise when you get into the ‘restriction zone’ and get out of there!

We know that horses have such an incredible ability to perform everything on their own, so we must take the responsibility and realise that when they are not able to perform these actions with us, that it must be something within us that is the problem.

Are you taking, or giving? Self Carriage is a giving!

Often while I am teaching I can be heard to say ‘its selfcarriage, not Tanja carriage!’ while I am demonstrating asking a horse to carry himself correctly (‘correctly’ being in an optimum way for ridden work). I often see many people focussed on a simple ‘head position’ to demonstrate selfcarriage when authentic self-carriage begins at the back of the horse with Engagement and Collection from the hind, a lifting of the horses back, an elevation of the front. The horse is in correct alignment for the task at hand and is free of restriction and tension in his body, and free of restraint from the rider. The horse is balanced in his body and has control; he is with the rider and the rider’s aids. The rider is in balance, relaxed yet engaged, breathing and staying out of the horse’s way.

THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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Tanja Kraus HORSEMANSHIP

When this occurs, there is a lightness, power and partnership that is almost surreal.

Over the years we have been conditioned to understand self-carriage as a ‘head position’, and in modern times this has become the focus of many riders - we only need to look at the multitude of ‘gadgets’ on the market that focus on the head position of the horse - chambons, side reins, tie downs, martingales etc.

The trouble with our focus being on the head, or the front of the horse, is that we aren’t looking at the hindquarters, back, abdominals or thoracic sling to be doing their jobs in unison with each other.

We should be focussing on developing self-carriage from the hind end of the horse, with the head mostly being the ‘last piece of the puzzle’. It is vital to understand that when we begin to ask for the horse to engage his hind end, we are not asking for him to go faster. Sometimes I think that we are caught up in wanting ‘more impulsion’ or ‘more activity’ and we are interpreting this as ‘faster’.

What we are asking for is the hind end to lift up and then reach forward underneath the horse, in a controlled and engaged stride. When a horse begins to use a regulated and engaged stride, you will see that it appears that the horse slows down, when in fact he is merely no longer rushing.

Tanja offers Horsemanship support find her on: MONDAY free article sent direct to your inbox TUESDAY Q & A Tuesday video on the Facebook page WEDNESDAY Wednesday Night Live on Facebook THURSDAY thoughts from my walk FRIDAY new training videos uploaded to the YouTube channel Also traveling world wide to present live clinics Individual online courses also available.

Tanja is the Cowboy Dressage World Top Hand Champion of 2018

horsemanshipforperformance.com tanjajkraus@gmail.com

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Once he is able to engage his hind, this then allows the lift of the back, (this lift is when the horse is most able to carry our weight in a positive non detrimental way) and the elevation and activation of the thoracic sling (lifting the rib cage and the base of the neck). All of this in combination cause the horse to align the spine, resulting in a levelling of the poll. With an opening in the throat latch, which causes the horses head to come into a selfcarriage position, often in our modern times referred to as being ‘on the bit’ or vertical head position, which again, is likely where all the focus on the head comes.

The difference in the horse using his body and this resulting in the head carriage VS pulling the head in and down, resulting in a false carriage. Is that correct selfcarriage is a result of how the horse is using his body, and it is strengthening the horse, and false carriage is a result of telling or forcing the head where to be and is damaging to the horse physically, mentally and spiritually.

Self-carriage from the rider’s perspective.

When it comes to our hands in self-carriage it is essential to remember that self-carriage/ soft feel/collection is a give - both a give on the horses part, but most importantly a give on the part of the rider. Once we begin to ask for self-carriage in this way, the result becomes beautiful instead of mechanical.

The idea of asking for self-carriage/ soft feel/collection from a give, instead of a take, causes the brace to fall away from the action. Whenever we are asking for the horse to give to us, by taking the reins, there will be an element of brace, or restriction in the movement, causing the result to be tense (both mentally and physically), and the picture to be one of submission instead of a partnership.

2

photo credit: Lu Townsend Photography

Think of how different the picture is when you are walking down the street holding hands with someone, with both people being willing partners VS walking down the street with someone who has grabbed your hand and is leading/ pulling you along. Even if you go with them, there is tension in your body, an unwillingness in the journey.

at the beach, who think because they are pleasure riding they have no need for Collection or Engagement in their horses.

These horses may be doing longer rides and have a higher requirement for endurance, and thus need to be collecting and engaging.

When you focus on asking for self-carriage with a guiding hand, not a demanding hand, the results are incredible. A simple shift in the riders intent and the self-carriage becomes light, happy, a dance. We need to ask ourselves “Am I taking?” Or am “I giving ?”

When Not all the time. Your horse needs time to warm up in each session without being pulled into or asked for Collection and Engagement. These skills take different muscles than the ones he is using while standing around in the stable or walking around in the paddock. Give him time to begin warming up his muscles before asking for Collection and Engagement. The time asking for this will vary depending on his fitness level in Collection - these are muscles that need building, so increase the amount of time you are asking him to hold a collection or engage, over a period of training sessions.

When I am communicating with my horse through the rein, I always consider it a guiding hand, not a demanding hand.

Finally, let’s talk about the Who, What, When, Where, Why, How? Of Collection, Engagement and Self Carriage.

Who All horses should be ridden in Collection and Engagement as a regular part of their training sessions. Yes, even ‘just’ trail riding horses. Collection and Engagement allow the horse to develop the muscles to carry their rider in an optimum way, increasing their longevity and fitness. Horses that are ridden out of shape (hollow back, on the forehand, with improper alignment and loading) tend to break down earlier and develop issues such as arthritis in overused areas of their bodies; joints are under strain along with tendons, ligaments, muscles. Think if you walked with your shoulders hunched, or your ankles rolled outwards, how much pressure this would put on different areas of the body.

I often talk to pleasure riders who may ride only on trails or

What I have offered the definitions of Collection, Engagement and self-carriage as I abide by them at the start of this article.

At the beginning of a Horses ridden career, I have heard of people not asking for Collection or Engagement or laterals for over two years of their horse’s basic training. While I would never ask a young horse to hold a collection, I introduce them to the concept of Collection and Engagement during the starting under saddle process, and then as they continue their training, I would increase the amount Collection and engagement drills during a session. We do, however, need to be careful In defining Collection as a ‘pinnacle’ for our THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

9

3 3. Here you can see this little mare is quite tense in the lope.

Her back is hollow and she is strung out and on the forehand.

This could have come from mental tension and resulted in the body tension, or the body tension could create a mental tension.

training to reach. If you only do collective work with your horse, you will do damage mentally, physically and spiritually just the same as not doing any. We must find the balance.

Where Anywhere - Collection, Engagement and Self Carriage do not have to be kept in the arena. In fact you will often find that it is easier to begin Collection and Engagement training on the trail, as the horse has a forward focus and you can start asking the horse to lift in the front and transfer the weight to the hind (Collection) and step through under with the hind legs (Engagement).

4 4. In this picture you can see we are approaching a corner.

I use the opportunity to help her soften with lateral flexion through her body. Her posture has improved in this photo.

We should be focussing on developing self-carriage from the hind end of the horse, with the head mostly being the ‘last piece of the puzzle’.

Why To put it simply, for longevity and long term physical health of our horses. If you need more reason than this - your advance manoeuvres are going to need collection and engagement - spins, pirouettes, fly changes, half pass, shoulder in - the list goes on, all of these manoeuvres become simple when our horses are collected and engaged.

How There are many skills and drills we can use to begin to teach our horses Collection, Engagement and self-carriage. The first step is knowing what you are looking for, and knowing how to feel it when it is correct. Then, we need a confident horse - mental health before all else! Then, as we move towards Collection, Engagement and self-carriage, we need our horse to find his forward. Collection and Engagement require suspension in your horse’s gait, which some may call a slowdown. However you need to find your forward before you can slow it down, and before you can influence the horse’s weight and steps you need freedom of movement - so find your forward!

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5 5. In this final photo of the sequence, you can see she has elevated through the front end, lifted through the back. It is a testament to this horses athleticism that she was able to change her carriage so significantly in the lope. A less educated horse would rush and begin to panic.

Buck BranNaman

Coming to Australia January 2020

presenting at A Legacy of Legends followed by a 3 day clinic 7th, 8th & 9th January 2020 AELEC Arena Tamworth NSW Contact: Deb & Anthony Desreaux of Reata Ranch Horsemanship e: ddesreaux@westnet.com.au Image: India Woods

Clinic Schedule 2019 Located South of Adelaide, South Australia

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Equine Foundation Training Partnership Creation Structured Foundation Training Program Relationship and Skills Building Focus Days - Float loading, Event specific Private Lessons - Groundwork/Ridden Visit our website for class details www.driftingsandshorsemanship.com

Quarter Horse Stud: Young stock for sale

(Almagamated with the colt start)

Dates: Fri 2nd to Sun 4th August 2019

AUGUST 2019

Katherine NT 3 Day Horsemanship clinic Date: Fri 9th to Sun 11th August 2019 Darwin NT – 3 Day Horsemanship Clinic Date: 17th to 19th August 2019 Gympie QLD 3 Day Horsemanship Clinic Dates: Sat 30th, Sun 31st August & Monday 1st September 2019

SEPTEMBER 2019

Quorrobolong NSW 3 day Horsemanship Clinic Dates: 14th, 15th & 16th September 2019 Mansfield VIC 5 day Horsemanship Camp Dates: September 23rd to 27th 2019 Mansfield Vic 5 day Cow Working Clinic Dates: TBC

OCTOBER 2019

Marrabel SA 3 Day Horsemanship Clinic Dates: Saturday 12th, Sunday 13th & Monday 14th October 2019 Bellara Park QLD 3 day Horsemanship Clinic Dates: October 18th, 19th & 20th 2019

faith@driftingsandshorsemanship.com mike@driftingsandshorsemanship.com

Mike: 0427 792 078

Tambo QLD 3 Day Horsemanship clinic

Faith: 0407 712 668

www.reataranch.com.au clinics@reataranch.com.au 0407 731 187 or 0407 731 167 Image: Country Lei Photography

THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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paula curtis

Relax and Connect

with your horse .

1 1. When reaching back to the horse’s hindquarters be sure to work your way gradually back, always opening at the hip, not hollowing the lower back.

Connecting with your horse is the single most powerful thing you can do to transform your riding and training.

And…

Stretching on horseback offers one of the easiest, fastest and most time-effective ways to become a better rider AS you find unity with your horse.

If you are looking for ways to increase the partnership, bond and relationship with your horse, then read on, because in this article you will find one simple way to set the tone for a breakthrough ride.

It is so often that we as riders go to the barn stressed out, uptight, and disconnected… going to the barn distracted, senses overloaded, our mind on too many things yet on nothing at all. The barn is our reprieve, our solace, or sanctuary… Unfortunately, we can bring that stress into our everyday rides, and that can make our horses uptight.

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Stretching helps you get good at going with, and blending with, your horse before you direct him

As horse owners it is our responsibility to keep our horses happy, healthy and comfortable. If we regularly go to the barn stressed out, our horse begins to anticipate this and they may not want to be a part of it. It carries over to our rides.

When you get on your horse tight in mind and body, your horse instantly picks up on it, and this sets the tone for the rest of the ride. Horses make great mirrors, and sometimes the reflection we see isn’t always the most pleasant.

We all have heard that we need to change ourselves if we want to change our horses. Stretching can be a simple key to profound change. Stretching horseback is a great way to set the tone for an amazing ride, even if you are having “one of those days.”

When you stretch horseback you will notice the huge changes you see in your horse as he relaxes and realizes you are making a mental shift. He may yawn, lower his head, lick and chew, move more freely. As we relax, so does our horse.

While experimenting with this exercise, you will notice that the shackles the world puts on you begin to melt away as you connect with the “here and now.” In doing the exercise not only will you loosen and stretch any tight areas, but you will find an internal connection and relaxation that lays the foundation for a great ride.

Here is a great stretch to help you unwind and connect with your horse.

2 2. When reaching across the horses withers be sure to keep your seat over the middle of the saddle with your leg perpendicular to the ground.

Summary of Steps: 1. Beginning at a halt, reach your right hand across the withers and scratch your horse on the left shoulder, reaching further down to increase the stretch.

2. Reach your right hand back and scratch your horse on the hindquarters.

3. Switch hands and repeat on the other side.

4. When you are comfortable you can proceed to do this stretch in forward motion.

A stretch to relax and connect with the horse - the steps in detail STEP 1: Begin at the halt. Once your horse is comfortable, you can continue at the walk. Reach your right hand across the withers, rubbing your way down the horse’s left shoulder.

Begin at the withers and gradually deepen the stretch as you scratch or rub your way down the shoulder. Always watch your horse to see his reaction, stopping at spots he enjoys being rubbed on.

Be aware of the stretch along your back and ribs. Feel and move into the stretch, opening and lengthening your back.

Increase the stretch by breathing into your lung on the side you are stretching. Think of how the space between your ribs is like an accordion stretching and opening. If the horse is walking, let the horse’s movement deepen the stretch.

Breathe in and out in rhythm with the stride, unlocking any tight areas. Breathe out the tension and stress of the day and breathe in the wonderful, relaxed feeling of connecting with your horse, slowing down, and being present.

Horses live in the moment; their lives are slow-paced and they don’t wear wrist watches. When we enter their lives rushed and carrying all of this tension, the horse does not understand how to react to it. Oftentimes the behaviors we see are a result of this.

STEP 2: Reach back and rub the horse’s hindquarters. Be sure not to surprise him when you reach back. Gradually, rub your way further and further back, deepening the stretch and allowing the waves of the walk to pass through your body.

Allow the front of your body to open and lengthen as you breathe deep into your lower back and belly. Tuck your tailbone under as if you were a frightened dog, sitting on the back of your seat-bones. Be sure not to hollow your lower back. Instead, open at the hip.

STEP 3:

Repeat on the other side.

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Paula Curtis wants her students to have fun and be creative in their riding. “I teach because I want riders to feel what is truly possible. If you can learn more about your horse, what motivates him and makes him interested in what you have to offer, then you can train effectively.” “Riding is about; feel, communication and partnership. Riders need to think from the horse's perspective, and work with the horses mind.” says Paula.

3 3. Picture of Paula and Her Daughter Claire

You cannot take from the horse what you do not give him first.

STEP 4: When you and your horse are relaxed and comfortable you can proceed to do it at the various gaits, or transition in to the rest of your ride.

I encourage you to ask yourself questions. Questions expand possibility and nurture curiosity, allowing us to get the most from the exercise.

Ask:

• Are you staying over the middle of the saddle?

• Are you present and in the moment, being sure to remain open and aware of all that is taking place in the here and now?

If you work with the horses mind, the body follows.

Paula’s concepts apply and are tweaked to the specific discipline of her student. Her ability to articulate her thoughts and ideas, and develop specific exercises for each student and horse, are a recipe for success.

Her goal in teaching an understanding of the horse, is to get her students thinking and problem solving on their own. Then they are able to troubleshoot problems as they arise.

She has coached students in multiple disciplines including eventing, dressage, hunters, jumpers, gymkhana, etc… Her students have gone on to compete successfully, locally, regionally and nationally.

If you would like to watch a free video, listen to a free audio lesson, and download a PDF to this exercise, visit this link. www.jackandpaulacurtis.com/pl/76343 For more ridden stretching exercises that will take your connection with your horse to check out Paula’s upcoming book to be released beginning of May on Amazon “Stretch To Connect” by Paula Curtis.

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• What does your horse think of the change in your intentions?

• What do you notice is different in his body language?

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Visualize:

The ribcage is like an accordion. Feel it open and close with the horse’s movement and your own, allowing your ribs to expand and fold.

Let your back be wide, full, open.

Your lungs are like balloons; you suck air in, filling and expanding the ribcage.

“Observe, Remember, Compare” Alexander Graham Bell As riders we must have this skill, therefore be sure you are making observations about what stretching is doing for you and your horse so you can notice what works best for the two of you.

14 www.thinkhorsemanship.com.au

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andrew bowe

the barefoot blacksmith

Equine

hoof function

Horses have survived as a prey animal (bottom of the food chain, top of the menu) for millions of years. They have been living – and dying – by the effectiveness – or otherwise – of their hooves to carry them with speed, agility and stamina away from the omnipresent predators.

The hooves that successfully carried them on this perilous journey of old fulfilled the functions required of them. They did their job.

Fast forward to modern times and life for domestic horses is not one of survival from predation, rather it is survival from premature unsoundness that arises from the mechanical force generated by riders that far exceeds anything nature designed them for.

The best chance to keep domestic horses healthy and sound for life is simply to keep their hooves functioning; no different to the prey horses of old.

Hooves are not just inert blocks of old, dead timber that need pruning with a sharp rasp and painting with hoof black. They need to be managed in order to function as nature planned.

Before we delve into the minutiae of equine hoof function, let’s take a quick detour into the storybook of evolution.

That is where we find the clues for a better understanding of why horses are the way they are, an appreciation of just how highly evolved and specialised their anatomy is, and how they have physiological requirements that we must base our management protocols on if they are to remain healthy and sound.

The horses we keep around us are the latest page of a very long story; the current end result of a journey of continual change. Scientific consensus based on the carbon dating of fossils suggests this journey began about 60 million years ago. When the first creatures that can be considered ancestral horses roamed the planet (even though these original horses were not very much like our modern ones, because they were a lot smaller – about the size of a fox – and they had multiple toes on each leg).

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Hooves are not just inert blocks of old, dead timber that need pruning with a sharp rasp and painting with hoof black.

They need to be managed in order to function as nature planned.

When the nervous little owners of these 60 million-year-old fossils were living, our Earth was mostly covered in dense jungle. Survival for them was dependent on camouflage and stealth to remain undetected, and if ever they were seen, they were able to disappear safely into the dense foliage.

Over time, however, the planet began to cool down, and jungle gave way to grassland. Survival was no longer about hiding; it was about out-running or out-manoeuvring predators, or at the very least, out-running their slower friends. The slow and dopey ones became lunch for predators, while the increasingly fast, agile, anxious ones survived and procreated; effectively selecting for longer legs to stay one step ahead and out of reach from the evolving ranks of predators.

This created a continual increase in size, from the fox-sized critters right up to the present model.

Along the way multiple soft toes gave way to a single hard toe on each leg; again in the quest for ever-increasing speed, agility and stamina.

Evolution was a tough journey, and despite there being many branches on the family tree that appeared at various times, the

branch upon which the modern horse grew was the only one to stay alive. Every other branch on the extended family tree of horses went the way of the dinosaurs.

Only the single-toed, hard-toed horses had the goods to survive evolution. It didn’t just happen. Evolution had produced the perfect foundations for equine survival.

With survival being so reliant upon this architectural ruggedness, the equine hoof is arguably over-engineered. It is tougher than what is required for everyday life, with a built-in safety margin for emergency use.

Food for thought: every time a person adds their weight to the middle of a horse’s back, they are taking full advantage of this over-engineering; the ability of hooves to endure enormous pressure.

Protection from concussion

There is a significant consequence arising from the constant clash of armour plated hoof versus Mother Earth. Every time a hard hoof slams into the firm ground there is a significant transfer of energy which takes the form of vibration (some which escape as noise…..ah, the thundering hooves….), but most of the energy enters the hoof as a high frequency, concussive shock wave.

1 Photo 1 - a central Australian brumby fleeing from a predatorial Landcruiser.

Success was only possible because hooves were able to perform the physiological tasks required of them; functions that remain very much a requirement of modern domestic horses.

Protection from trauma

The primary function of the equine hoof is to provide protection from trauma; it’s simply a hard outer shell that covers and protects delicate internal structures. This is a cornerstone of survival of the species because the armour plating allows a horse to slam its hooves into the ground with enough force to generate great acceleration and escape predators; no matter how rough the terrain.

The hoof needs to be more than just armour plating. It also needs to be able to protect internal structures from the insidious effects of this concussion. Fortunately, the equine hoof is a very effective shock absorber.

A fundamental principle of physics dictates that energy cannot solely be used up or destroyed; it can only be either stored for later use, or it must flow to a different location.

In the equine hoof, energy is only momentarily stored (by the flexing of all the soft structures), but then it quickly moves on.

When energy is moving, it can either resonate through a solid surface or flow with the streaming of a liquid. Resonation of high-frequency vibration into solid, living tissue is undesirable and is actually quite damaging. Fortunately, there is plenty of streaming liquid within the hoof – the red coloured stuff – flowing through the myriad tiny blood vessels predominantly within the digital cushion and this blood is able to pick up the vibration and transfer it around the body as heat energy.

Problem solved.

2 Photo 2 – a cadaver showing how the soft inner structures are protected by a hard outer shell.

The primary function of the equine hoof is to provide protection from trauma

3 Photo 3 – a sagittally cut cadaver with yellow arrows representing vibration entering and passing through the frog and the red arrows representing the moving wall of blood through tiny vessels in the digital cushion.

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To highlight just how much blood is available to absorb vibration, it has been estimated that (by volume) there is around 400 times more blood passing through a hoof at any given moment than is required for local purposes (nutrient delivery and waste removal). There is a vast body of blood just passing through.

In order for the energy to ‘reach’ this moving wall of blood, the frog must be the initial recipient of ground impact. Vibration is able to pass safely through the viscoelastic tissue of the frog.

This is worth repeating: effective concussion absorption is entirely reliant and indeed only possible with a frog first hoof landing.

There is a further boost to the hoof’s effectiveness as a shock absorber, and that is, immediately prior to heel first ground contact, the leg fully extends (clearly seen as a forward flicking of the toe). With this, the fascial sheets that extend into the centre of the hoof and terminate around the digital cushion are pulled rigid, and this has the effect of increasing the volume of the vascular mass within the cushion which in turn creates an immediate pressure vacuum that sucks in blood. All of the tiny elastic blood vessels within the caudal hoof are fully engorged immediately prior to ground contact; like millions of tiny pneumatic tyres. It’s a literal cushion of blood.

The unfettered hoof is then free to spring back into its unloaded shape as it leaves the ground, releasing all of the stored energy.

5

Photo 5 – a cadaver showing boney column alignment, both unloaded (left) and loaded (right).

Agility Horses need to be agile, and their hooves function in order to make this possible.

How good is this grand equine design?!

6 Photo 6 – even young horses at play need agility.

4 Photo 4 – the characteristic toe flick immediately prior to a physiologically correct toe first landing.

But wait, there’s more….….as mentioned already in passing, there is a momentary storage of energy as the hoof flexes with ground contact. Looking closer it can be seen that the entire back part of the hoof (which is all soft tissue) flexes on loading, both vertically and laterally. It is much like a three-dimensional spring.

To maximise this flex, the hoof is not flat. It is arched and non-weight bearing beneath the centre of gravity (through the quarters), so it can flatten and spread under load.

Even the pedal bone inside the hoof capsule does not sit flat to the ground but is slightly rotated, so the back sits higher than the front. In effect this allows the boney column to form the front half of an arch that flattens under loading.

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A horse has proprioception; a spatial awareness of exactly where its hooves are relative to the ground surface.

Far from being an inert block of wood, a hoof is actually a sensory organ containing a multitude of several different types of nerve receptors that continuously relay information around the body.

Some receptors are tasked with perceiving the proximity of the ground surface, and these are located in the caudal hoof, particularly within the fascial sheets that surround the digital cushion and are adjacent to the frog. Surefootedness relies on the constant stimulation of these receptors, which comes from a frog that gets well-grounded every stride.

Hooves are also shaped to provide traction; to be able to grab the ground. They are concave to provide toe purchase for acceleration, have an acute heel corner to provide purchase for deceleration and have bevelled walls to provide lateral purchase for directional change.

Again, the functional equine hoof is not flat.

the digital cushion, keeping the vascular channels open and ‘inflated’, despite the crushing weight of the horse above. In this way, the stay apparatus – when fully engaged – helps to maintain circulation even when a horse is standing still.

7 Photo 7 – a good ‘grippy’ trim.

Supporting the stay apparatus Hoof function is not just about movement.

Hooves are also tasked with providing the foundations for comfortable, respiteful rest. This is because horses are actually designed to get most of their sleep while standing up; a physiological adaptation that helped them to survive predation back in the bad old days of evolution, when laying down to sleep risked inviting predators over for dinner.

9 Photo 9 – a cadaver showing the stay apparatus in action, standing down into a fully engorged digital cushion.

Micro-circulation The third main hoof function is to provide support that assists with circulation, specifically optimising blood volumes in the micro-vasculature within the digital cushion (let’s call this micro-circulation).

8 Photo 8 – standing but sleeping.

In order to achieve standing sleep, each limb has a built-in stay apparatus based on its skeletal structures straightening and locking into place so that no muscular effort is required for stance.

How are hooves linked to the upper body?

To fully straighten its legs, a horse literally stands down into its frogs, so the hooves need to be totally free from any discomfort (i.e., no thrush, bruised heels, sore toes etc.).

The frogs also need to be well grounded so they can provide vertical support to the boney column above with solid but flexible foundations. With the legs in full extension and supported by the frogs, the fascial sheets pull and expand

10 Photo 10 – a thin cadaver cross-section of digital cushion with micro-vasculature stained with Indian ink (photo courtesy of Professor Robert Bowker).

While closely related to both concussion absorption and the stay apparatus, circulation assistance warrants mention as an essential hoof function in its own right. How hooves are managed has a significant effect on micro-circulation.

The last of the wild horses from which all domestic horses directly descended were endemic to the high altitude semi-arid country of central Asia, a harsh environment as climatically THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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variable as any other place on the planet, fluctuating between the hottest summers and coldest winters. In this native environment, horses were required to stand on very hot ground and equally very cold ground. To survive these temperature extremes, they evolved with the ability to thermoregulate via having control over the volume of blood flowing into the extremities of their circulatory system.

This blood flow regulation is facilitated by the existence of bypass valves (known formally as shunts) that judiciously open and allow blood to take a u-turn and return to the venous blood flow around the body instead of pushing into the microvasculature.

Photo 11 – the big four: chronic laminitis, navicular, ringbone and sidebone.

11 laminitis radiograph

ringbone

The downside to this arrangement is that the bypass valves are also injudiciously triggered by blood pressure and they inadvertently open and disrupt blood flow into the micro vasculature if ever the ‘upstream’ pressure gets too high.

This results in blood not getting into the digital cushion in sufficient volumes for effective concussion absorption and stay apparatus support.

There is no rigid attachment between the pedal bone and the outer hoof capsule. To the contrary, the internal and external structures are separated by a thin layer of fleshy dermal tissue (the corium), and in effect, the pedal bone is literally ‘floating’ within a little waterbed of blood and is quite independent of the hoof capsule.

sidebone

sidebone

If a hoof is asked to support the horse’s body weight just on its walls, there is an immediate vertical displacement of the pedal bone relative to the hoof capsule which squeezes many of the blood vessels within the corium. When this happens, upstream blood pressure builds from this obstruction, the bypass valves open, and the higher volume of blood is lost to the digital cushion.

Conversely, the larger the surface area of weight bearing beneath a hoof, the lower the blood pressure within and the more blood that is reaching into the digital cushion.

A hoof best supports micro-circulation when every part of its ground surface except the outer wall is weight bearing.

There is evidence to suggest that micro-circulation is actually optimised when all spaces on the bottom of the hoof capsule are filled with a flexible plug of dirt or manure. It’s simple physics really: the greater the surface area of weight bearing, the lower the internal pressures.

Why is hoof function so important?

Why is hoof function so important to our domestic horses when they don’t have to flee predators?

Enormous repetitive pressures are generated when horses are moving beneath the weight of a saddle and rider. The inability of their hooves to function and deal with these pressures is the root cause of most chronic lameness.

But aren’t domestic horses way different to their prehistoric ancestors?

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navicular disease

Let’s revisit the timeline of equine evolution to answer that one.

When comparing the time period of domestication to the whole time period of evolution, it is infinitesimally small.

We are comparing 5000 years of domestication (breeding first for docility and more recently breeding for fast and pretty) compared to 60,000,000 years of breeding for the survival of the fittest in the evolutionary school of hard knocks.

The human brain has a hard time logically contrasting these two figures. A good analogy to overcome this is getting in your car and driving for 60 kilometres, which represents the 60 million years of equine evolution. The whole period of domestication is covered by the last 5 metres of the journey.

Blink and miss it!

12

Photo 12 – flash and trash; only different on the outside!

That flash horse of yours, all sleek and shiny and hiding under this season’s fashionable rugs has the same basic physiological requirements as the wild and woolly Mongolian ponies of old.

What their hooves required back then, their hooves require now.

Maintaining hoof function is not a matter of life and death…… it’s way more important than that!

Next time – what a functional hoof looks like and how to maintain function.

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THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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By offering our horses the chance to search, we can help steer their Desire into our Desire – doing this in the right way can help them become lighter, more balanced, happier and more connected with us.

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Mark Langley

calm connected horsemanship

Keeping and Creating

desire in our horses

I have come across some very crazy horses that can change their behaviour quickly, what one person sees as “crazy”, I see as Desire and searching.

Out of a group of people I have at a clinic, there is often one horse that walks in which everyone is glad they don’t have: the crazy horse. There will be another horse standing quietly, with their owner, watching while I work other horses. At the end of the clinic, many people will comment on the change in the crazy horse and how amazing it was. The seemingly worst horse made the most significant change.

As a horseman, the thing which I cherish is awareness and Desire. The crazy horse at the clinic to me is just a desperate horse waiting to be helped. It is frantically searching for a better feeling and a place to release its anxiety.

Through how we use our teaching techniques, and how we are around them, can very quickly show them that a better place is through our ideas. If we offer a searching horse help and listen to them, they will become connected quite easily. As these horses are continually searching and moving. It is actually quite easy to place boundaries to funnel their thoughts to share a connection with us.

Whereas the seemingly very quiet horse may be a horse that has already started to shut down. Its stresses may be internalised; it may have stopped trying to search.

Emotionally, it has made a decision that people can’t help, because sadly, we are commonly the reason that they have shut down. I have seen 25yr old shut down horses that have no try, no search left in them, start to crawl out of their hole and show glimpses of Desire – the same Desire that they would have once had when they first started their training. It is this Desire that is the key to making them feel once again connected, listened to and happy.

Desire is something that all horses are born with. It could be a Desire to seek refuge from something undesirable; it could be a Desire just to play or scratch. Desire is really only active thinking. We can use their Desire to help our horses learn and move better.

When we are working with a young horse for the first time, it is in a confined space with us. Generally, they will have a strong sense of awareness of where you are and

what you are doing. How you react and what you choose to do could create a negative desire or a positive desire in your horse. Negative would be to flee away; positive would be to become curious and interested.

Horses are active: constantly seeking; searching, and usually highly aware. Foals need to have their curiosity drawn upon. It is imperative that we keep that curiosity by not smothering them too much. Instead, go in and out; don’t stay too long. Keep them interested. Adult horses also need to be able to be curious.

You may have heard the phrase “allow a horse to search”.

Whether we are training in groundwork or riding, it is essential to see mistakes as positive because it is only a mistake to us. To the horse, it was a choice. Instead of thinking about what we want and don’t want straightway, we should be thinking about the horse searching for the answer. That searching is a good thing. Shutting down their ability to search, can lead to a reduction in their confidence, which can lead to a lack of Desire, and an anxious robotic style of working (or shutting down).

If horses are allowed room to search, they will put effort into their movements and think into their turns.

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Straightness becomes less of an issue; they choose to do what we are asking because we are not holding them there.

One of the first things that we need to be able to do is to show horses that we are here to help. Once they understand that, they become more confident in themselves, and it is confidence in themselves and us that improves the way they venture along the challenging pathways that training and external human environments impose.

Desire. Especially if the connective feel didn’t cause Desire to search initially.)

Allow your horse the room to step back a little before it moves forward. If it chooses to search in the wrong direction (back), as it leans back, it will feel that the door is closed. To your horse it will feel like it found a closed a door – you didn’t slam the door shut on it. Nothing changes. It will discover forward to find the release.

Keeping your horse centred beneath you

Here are a few simple exercises that will help you to help your horse search.

If you want your horse to stay underneath you and not always leak out, then you might have to donate a certain number of rides to them and their Desire to meander.

You have 2 choices – you can pull and hope that your horse moves forward, or you can pick up a light connected feel and watch your horse closely. If it starts to look about and wriggle and you can see that it is beginning to feel something, allow it to search. You can add a neutral stimulant – slap your leg, move a flag – something that is enough for your horse to explore and have a desire to move. If it thinks towards you, stop the stimulant (if you used it); take the feel away and reward it for connecting its thoughts to the feel. (It is essential to stop the stimulant as soon as your horse starts to shift and move, not to keep adding stimulant. The stimulant was just there to create

If however, you allow your horse to wander off; and wait until it makes a clear decision to leave with its thoughts and its feet; then you can offer it a new direction with the rein. The new path will feel to the horse like it has found a boundary and deflected in a new direction. Once in the new direction offer centre and see if your horse wants to stay there. No Reins. No legs. Just sit even with your reins loose and weighted evenly.

Teaching your horse to follow the feel of a lead rope

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You could keep your horse between your legs and your reins and not allow it to wobble. You can take its choices away and micromanage the direction where you want it to go. The negative in this is that your horse will feel that your way is the path of most resistance.

After a while, your horse will figure out that finding the centre is the path of least resistance, and it will make a choice to start staying more centred.

(Further along in their training, once your horse likes being in centre, they are happy to take on more instruction and accurate direction. It is essential though that at the start, they find centre – we don’t just put them there.)

Creating a learning environment where you set boundaries; where you don’t always bring boundaries upon your horse allows your horse to feel like it is making decisions for itself. They can create and release pressure depending on their choices. Both factors can improve your horse’s general enjoyment of education and their softness.

Getting a horse to think backwards

When horses are backing up, a lot of them are still thinking forwards and are just backing up away from pressure. Getting a horse to choose a back up is very important – through this commitment, it will improve their softness and collection. When a horse is thinking about something else, it will be holding more brace than when it is thinking into that direction.

When you offer a backup, an idea might be to pick up a light feel on the reins; your horse might start to wriggle and search. If you feel it push into the reins, firm on the reins to show it that that door is closed. This allows your horse to have a natural forward thought firstly. For sensitive horses, this is enough to set the reins so that they search backwards for the answer. For more dull horses, you may need to then create some desire through your legs. Once the Desire turns into an action, your horse will probably choose to step forward. As soon as it moves its feet stop the leg stimulant; and smoothly close on the reins. This will give your horse the feeling that it has walked into the reins. It may do this a few times, but soon when you pick up a light feel and add some stimulant/ desire/ energy, your horse will choose to go backwards.

Because you allowed your horse to go forward as many times as it needed to, it eventually made a decision to go backwards. Be careful how quickly you close up on the reins because you need to allow it to feel that it has gone forward.

Don’t overdo desensitising

Instead of applying stimulant of a scary object, until your horse stops moving its feet; approach your horse with the scary object, until they change their expression – they might show “that thing is a bit scary” or “what is that? I’m interested”. As soon as you see this change of thought/ expression, stop and even step back. Allow your horse to think about what just happened and relax.

Usually, stepping back will draw more curiosity to the object and eventually, your horse will make a connection to the object if you keep doing this same approach and

One of the first things that we need to be able to do is to show horses that we are here to help.

Once they understand that, they become more confident in themselves..

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retreat. This is much the same process as catching a wild or nervous horse, and once your horse is more trusting, you can add more stimulant to different parts of their body. There will be a stage where you can keep adding stimulant while they are a little concerned, but I would add a pathway through the feel of the rope of the halter that makes them feel better about understanding the object. This will help relate to using a rein to guide a horse when they are frightened when we are out riding.

The rein becomes a pathway to a better feeling.

If your horse is just given the stimulant until they stop moving, they use up their flight option. They don’t get a chance to think about the scary thing. So they go into freeze mode. Which is the way to blocking out and shutting down.

There are so many ways that we can keep our horses searching.

These are just a few. I guarantee that keeping Desire will lead to a much happier and more enjoyable horse.

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legacy of

legends The Legacy Foundation was started by Buck Brannaman & Carolyn Hunt A Legacy of Legends is a continuation of what Ray Hunt and Tom Dorrance taught and understood about horses.

While Ray is widely considered the greatest and most influential horseman of all time, he was always quick to give the credit to Tom. Together Tom and Ray changed the horse world, but with the loss of Ray in 2009 there were concerns about how to preserve their legacy and assure that the extraordinary gift they had given us was passed on.

The Legacy of Legends gathering brings together some of today’s best examples of what Tom and Ray started, and through our scholarship program we are certain that the learning will continue and the lessons these two legends taught will never be forgotten.

Like Tom and Ray, who were always thinking about how they might make it easier or better for the horse, A Legacy of Legends offers others the encouragement and understanding to keep searching too.

4th, 5th & 6th January 2020 AELEC Arena Tamworth NSW See Website for more information: www.alegacyoflegendsaustralia.com.au

Doors open at 7am 8am to 12pm Colt start

Program

of events 4 Professional clinicians who all learnt from Ray Hunt will take on 3 students for an hour each day to start 12 colts (unstarted horses)

12pm to 2pm

Sarah Clifford 0

Ranch Horse Versatilty class with 15 students.

2pm to 2.45pm

Jaton Lord

will take 5 students for a Special STOPPING class.

2.45pm to 5.45pm

Buck Brannaman Horsemanship

class that will also include the last hour each day with a roping component.

5.45pm to 6.30pm

Jaton Lord & Brook Hazlett

Reined Cow Horse demonstration

6.30pm to 7.30pm

Buck Brannaman

Special TURNS & OFFSETS class with 5 students.

There will be a silent auction as well and traders.

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Classical Dressage • Special Feature

Philippe Karl’s Ecole de Légèreté Extract by Susie Walker Source: https://www.philippe-karl.com

Philippe Karl, former Ecuyer of the Cadre Noir de Saumur in France, is today one of the leading figures in the Art of Classical Riding.

Philippe Karl founded the Ecole de Légèreté (School of Lightness) in 2004 to pass on his philosophy and methods to committed and qualified riding teachers. The School runs training courses around the world through which already experienced riding teachers may gain the highly respected licence authorising them to teach the way of Légèreté in the name of Philippe Karl.

The founding principle of the Ecole de Légèreté is the absolute respect of the horse. Here, Légèreté is a philosophy bringing together clear, effective and measurable equestrian concepts.

A Philosophy of ease The philosophy of Légèreté excludes any use of force or coercive artificial aids (including side reins, draw reins, tightly closed nosebands etc.), but includes all types of horses and all equestrian disciplines. It provides understandable and reliable principles and precise methods that sincerely respect and support the individual nature of each horse. It allows any seriously motivated rider access to high school equitation, even with a perfectly ordinary horse.

The Ecole de Légèreté takes its inspiration from the masters who contributed to this equestrian philosophy: Xenophon, Pluvinel, La Guérinière, Dupaty de Clam, Hünersdorf, Baucher, L’Hotte, Faverot de Kerbrech, Beudant, Oliveira etc. It is based on a deep knowledge of the horse and takes anatomy, physiology, locomotion, balance, psychology, and ethology into account. Lastly, it has the aim of getting the best from any horse and fulfilling the rider through the constant search for efficiency via the minimum use of means.

Photo credit Meika Wix

Philippe Karl & High Noon in Half Pass

Classical Dressage • Special Feature Guided by the horse In our School of Lightness we take the path that the horse guides us to, that is, the priority for each horse in each moment. The horse’s needs come first. Every movement we could ask of the horse can be made easy when we understand and work with nature – that is, the natural physiological, anatomical, behavioural situation, position and balance that could best help the horse perform the movement. After all, this is what an ‘aid’ should be – to ‘help’ the horse.

If we can help the horse to feel emotionally willing to try something different, or if we can set up their physical balance to the extent that change happens more easily and ‘automatically’ then we have succeeded because we prepared the horse to move in the way nature intended – we influenced the horse thoughtfully, intelligently without corercion or contradiction. Respecting the horse as a feeling being, with a brain, we can find solutions as a team of two working together, helping each other - and there we find joy in schooling to fulfil harmony and potential.

This brings dignity to horses, and riders, and this is what I love about this way of riding. Lightness with energy and balance is fun, and ends in dancing together.

Clinics and Courses

Teacher courses currently run in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and USA. Courses and clinics are held either by Philippe Karl or by his most experienced Master teachers. There are sometimes vacancies in the ongoing courses, and application can be made through the Master teachers.

Students attend the clinics with their own horses, the aim being to take one horse through the whole programme.

The clinics are extensive. Participants are trained in dressage, work in-hand, lunging, jumping and in giving lessons both to their own students and to unknown guest riders. The practical lessons are complemented by comprehensive theory lectures that allow for questions from riders and spectators alike.

On the website https://www.philippe-karl.com you will find a list of all teacher training courses including dates, locations and contact details.

Philippe Karl offers no other clinics outside of these teacher training courses. You can arrange for lessons in his riding philosophy, however, by making contact with one of the Licensed Teachers. Below is a list of Australian teachers, and their current level.

To become a Licensed Teacher

To become a licensed teacher of the Ecole de Légèreté, you must complete the basic training courses and pass the

final exams. The basic course consists of three four-day clinics per year for a minimum of three years.

Levels

To be awarded their licence students must pass a rigorous exam, and depending on their skills, may reach various levels. Continuing development is then available for licensed teachers in the advanced courses.

At each level, students are judged on: • Their theoretical knowledge

• The training level reached by their own horse • Their competence as a teacher Details of the exam requirements and levels can be found on Philippe Karl’s website.

Spectators

Spectators are welcome at all courses and clinics throughout the world. It is strongly recommended to attend a full clinic in order to see the day-to-day progress of each horse and rider and to get an understanding of the training concept, which is quite different from conventional training. Spectators (Dedicated Listeners) who attend an entire three year program will receive a certificate confirming their participation and dedication.

For a list of all clinic dates, locations, organiser details, or to purchase spectator tickets, please contact the relevant organiser for that course. If you’re curious about this riding philosophy, come and see for yourself. What awaits you are horses of any type and breed, ridden in lightness without use of strong aids or coercive means, be it tightly closed nosebands or abasing training methods such as hyper-flexion. As you will see, with the right methods, even “perfectly ordinary” horses can reach the level of high school.

Guest Riders

You can also profit from the Master teacher’s wealth of experience by participating with your horse as a guest rider in one of the clinics.

In all training courses, both regular spectators and guest riders can take up available clinic places or participate as “unknown riders” in one of the practice lessons given by the student teachers. At the end of the practice lesson, the Master teacher will comment on the lesson and make any necessary corrections.

If you are interested in being a guest rider, contact the clinic organiser early to request a place. External guest riders are not charged a fee for participating or spectating on that day, and are welcome to join the evening theory session.

THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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Classical Dressage • Special Feature Find a Licensed Teacher On the website, you will find the names and contact details of teachers who have successfully completed the basic training course and passed the corresponding exams.

Australian Licensed Teachers

Leanne Williams

Licensed Level 1 (VIC)

Susie Walker

Licensed Level 1 (VIC)

Kelly Whitfield

Licensed Level 1 (WA)

Caren Robinson

Licensed Level 1 (WA)

Nadine O’Sullivan

Licensed Foundation (VIC)

Mandy Maiden

Licensed Foundation (SA)

Australian Trainee Teachers

Photo credit Sylvia Stossel

Sylvia Stössell EdL Master Teacher with Susie walker in Switzerland on the beautiful Bajo, teaching Susie Spanish Walk

Paul Cairns Trainee Teacher (NSW) Jason McInnes Trainee Teacher (VIC) Christine Mogensen Trainee Teacher (VIC) Erica Hosking Trainee Teacher (VIC) Libby Plunkett Trainee Teacher (WA) Jackie Wilson Trainee Teacher (WA) Rachel Van Nierop Trainee Teacher (WA) Mia Joy Trainee Teacher (WA)

Photo credit Sylvia Stossel

Susie Walker on Sylvia Stossel’s Lusitano Stallion Bajo in Piaffe

Australian Teacher Clinics 2019 Basic & Advanced The word is spreading! The School expands every year with its highly instructional and compelling teaching methods. Clinics are held three times a year, over four days, usually in April, August and November and spectators are always welcome upon registration with the clinic organisers.

Melbourne Courses 23rd to 26th Aug 2019 (with Sylvia Stössel) Avoca Park, Macclesfield Contact: Leanne Williams 03 5968 9058 21st to 24th Nov 2019 (Melanie Bulmahn) Rimini Park, Ovens Valley Contact: Nadine O’Sullivan 03 5751 1571

Photo credit Meike Wix

Sylvia Stossel & Cayoosh in Half Pass

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Perth Courses: Brookleigh Equestrian Estate, Upper Swan WA Contact: Libby Plunkett 0408 941 187 29th Aug to 1st Sep (with Sylvia Stössel) 16th to 19th Nov (with Melanie Bulmahn)

AVOCA PARK EQUESTRIAN

SUSIE WALKER

At Avoca Park we have built a logical training system for both horse and rider.

Our belief in the well being of the horse is paramount in all aspects of their training and development.

Educated school horses and accommodation available.

Licensed Level 1 Teacher in the School of Légèreté Equestrian Australia Level 3 Dressage Coach Equestrian Australia Coach Educator Macclesfield, Victoria 0422 561 126 www.dressageinlightnessonline.com.au www.firststepstopiaffe.com.au www.avocapark.com.au

School of Légèreté Licensed L1 Teacher EA Coach & ANWE Judge.

Photo by Andrew Feher

Photo by Click Capture Photography

LEANNE WILLIAMS

ENLIGHTENED EQUITATION

ECLECTIC HORSEMAN

Enlightened Equitation gives you the skills to get the very best from every horse and not have to rely on buying the best horse to achieve your results.

Available for Coaching, Clinics and Equi-simulator lessons Equestrian Australia Level 1 Instructor Enlightened Equitation Level 2 Instructor Pony Club NSW NCAS Coaching Mentor School of Légèreté teacher trainee Sydney, NSW 0405 068 876 email: paulcairns@aapt.net.au www.enlightenedequitation.com.au

Eclectic Horseman, Jason McInnes is unique in the horse world as he has the ability to combine a humane horse-first horsemanship approach with classical French training principles from Philippe Karl’s School of Lightness.

Photo by Edit Kappel

JASON MCINNES

Photo by Click Capture Photography

PAUL CAIRNS

0400 505 561 email: jasonmcinnes@yahoo.com.au www.firststepstopiaffe.com.au

MANDY MAIDEN

BLINKBONNIE EQUESTRIAN CENTRE (BEC)

A centre for excellence in Horsemanship and Classical Dressage, with love and respect for the horse at it’s heart, according to the principals of Ecole de Légèreté.

Private/group lessons, Clinics, Theory classes, Horse training, Visiting instructors.

Ecole de Légèreté Licensed Foundation Level Teacher EA Level 2 Dressage Coach, CE Willunga, SA 0412 841 795 email: sjmaiden@tpg.com.au

Blinkbonnie Equestrian Centre (BEC) is a horse riding school offering Private Lessons, On-Property Horse Leases and the Young Horse Program.

At Blinkbonnie we aim to provide a holistic and horse-centric approach to riding and training using the principals of the Ecole de Légèreté.

Bangholme, Vic 0414 868 984 email: info@blinkbonnie.com.au www.blinkbonnie.com.au

RIMINI PARK

ERICA HOSKING

CHRISTINE MOGENSEN

I am a Licensed Level 1 Instructor Ecole de Lègéretè at “Rimini Park” located in NE Victoria. Offering private and shared lessons & teaching in capital cities on a regular basis. Also an accredited teacher, judge and competitor in Working Equitation and combine the Classical elements in this dynamic sport.

0427 511 571 email: nadine.osullivan@bigpond.com

Photo by Click Capture Photography

NADINE O’SULLIVAN

Photo by Alicia Tripodi

Logical sound training with effective solutions for relaxation and gymnastic flexibility. Create a willing partnership through a philosophy of ease, working with the natural balance and biomechanics of your horse.

Panton Hill, Victoria 0411 098 462 email: walker.susieg@gmail.com www.facebook.com/classical.riding https://walkersusieg.wixsite.com/equine-encounters

I am a trainee teacher of the Ecole de Lègéretè. I am an experienced dressage competitor and NCAS coach, regularly coaching at pony clubs.

I am committed to teaching children and beginner riders the basics of classical dressage, and enjoy being challenged by unconventional dressage horses.

5968 6204 0457 112 193 email: hoskingerica@gmail.com

Classical Dressage • Special Feature

The Légèreté

Training Scale

by Erica Hosking, Trainee teacher

The Légerèté Training Scale

of the Ecole De Légerèté

What is a Training Scale and why do we use it?

A training scale is a group of qualities that are essential to the training of the horse, that have been put in the order they should be achieved. This gives us an idea of how to approach a horse’s education in a logical manner. The Légerèté scale has been created as an alternative to the German, or official scale, and being cyclic it has a completely different structure.

Légerèté rejects the approach of unconditional submission through constraints or auxiliary aids, and is heavily based on biomechanics and research done on how our riding affects our horses. This means that the scale is not based on opinion, or “How we’ve always done it.” It is more logical, and overall much kinder for the horse.

Most importantly, the scale is based on uncompromising respect for the horse: Biomechanically speaking, how the horse learns as a prey animal, and with his welfare and mental wellbeing at the forefront of the rider’s mind at all times.

The Légerèté scale is represented as a cycle with four key elements: Image sourced from Philippe Karl.

Photo credit Andrew Feher

Susie Walker with her Hanoverian gelding Elite Abracadabra.

Here in a working canter - warming up in a natural outline - first priority to establish lightness (Légèreté) via the three important basics of the training scale: relaxation, balance, and impulsion.

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1. INITIAL LÉGERÈTÉ:

This is our first element, and is a prerequisite to all other steps in our training. It is based on the aids of the rider: the hands and legs. Initial Légerèté is defined by the three following subelements and are intertwined and inseparable.

RELAXATION: This is of the utmost priority: without relaxation, nothing constructive can happen. This refers to both mental and physical relaxation. Relaxation is achieved by mobilisation of the lower jaw. It is an action on the bit that acts on the upper lips of the horse rather than the sensitive lower jaw, to encourage a licking and chewing motion. Therefore

Classical Dressage • Special Feature relaxation is exclusively created with the hand. Here’s where a new principle is introduced: NO backward acting hand.

This puts pressure on the horse’s tongue and lower jaw and creates tension in response to pain or discomfort.

A tense jaw equals a tense horse biomechanically, as the muscles in the jaw are connected through the neck and back, right down to the hind legs. Releasing this tension creates a more freely forward moving horse.

BALANCE: All horses have the majority of their weight balanced over their forelegs. We aim on shifting that weight more over the hind legs, both to develop collection, and to reduce wear on the body and promote longevity in a working horse. Simply raising the neck with an open poll (keeping the horse in front of the vertical) reduces the weight on the forelegs and moves the centre of gravity backwards. This is done using the hand again, in an upward motion. This aid is the ‘Demi Arrêt,’ or half lift – NOT to be confused with ‘half halt,’ which has no place in Légerèté. A more balanced horse means increased relaxation, as the horse is not leaning on the hand, giving him the ability to keep his jaw relaxed but mobile.

Therefore balance and relaxation are intertwined and are both achieved by using the hand.

IMPULSION: Impulsion is the immediate and willing response to a light leg aid. If we want a horse to be light, we need to use light aids, and develop a horse that will respond well to light aids. No impulsion means no equitation – we need to GO somewhere! Impulsion is created by the legs (and considerate use of the whip.) Impulsion needs to come from relaxation; when forward movement is created or is a result of tension, it creates imbalance and discomfort, which starts to break the horse down.

So initial Légerèté is based on the hand and leg, or ‘The Language of Aids.’ When starting a new horse on this path, we need to be careful to separate the hand and leg aids as much as possible - similar to teaching a child to speak – the dialogue is simple and gives the horse a chance to respond. This is where a major principle of Légèreté is introduced: Leg without hand, hand without leg. The rider never uses two aids together. This gives the horse clarity of what is being asked and promotes mental and physical relaxation.

2. FLEXIBILITY (Lateral bend)

As the ‘Language of Aids’ is developed, the rider can now start asking for lateral bend, making sure to keep relaxation of the lower jaw. So how does a rider ask for bend without pulling back? The rider asks for bend using an upward-acting hand.

This results in a bent horse that can still move freely forward in a relaxed manner.

Flexibility is developed on curves – circles, figure eights, serpentines etc, both in true bend and counter bend. Rhythm also develops here as the rider starts to biomechanically straighten a naturally crooked horse – that is, a horse naturally bent to the left or right.

3. MOBILITY (Lateral & longitudinal balance)

This can only be considered once flexibility is well developed, as all lateral movements should be done in bend

– a straight horse performing lateral movement is not only biomechanically almost impossible, but not gymnastically beneficial.

Through lateral work and transitions, the horse improves in mobility. The correct use of lateral work gives the horse complete mobility in every direction: around the shoulders, around the haunches, on oblique lines and in every type of position. (shoulder-in, counter shoulder-in, travers, renvers, half-pass). The rider can then start to transfer the horse’s balance to any shoulder or hind leg as required for ease of a particular movement.

Transitions in various positions, both within the pace and changing gait, then improve both longitudinal balance (front to back) and lateral balance (side to side.) If the horse shows resistance in lateral movements (by slowing down, tensing the jaw, or straightening the neck) the rider needs to lessen the degree of difficulty of the exercise, or abandon the exercise to address the tension, before continuing the movement.

The more mobility a horse has, the lighter and more ‘on the aids’ he becomes. Therefore ‘Lightness’ occurs only within the horse’s limit – the better the balance is in the flexibility and mobility stages, the more easily he can respond to the aids creating a better quality Lightness.

4. COLLECTION

The lateral work begins to flex the hindquarters, which begins to prepare the horse for collection. Collection is where the rider pushes longitudinal balance to the limit – where Flexibility and Mobility improve lateral balance, collection develops longitudinal balance. It is the act of shifting the centre of gravity towards the hind legs. This results in more flexion of the hind legs, raising the wither and lifting the sternum. It cannot be achieved by pulling back with the hands and driving with the legs, a common mistake in the German system, which often confuses collection with compression and results in a horse on the forehand and out of balance.

OVERALL STRAIGHTNESS

This is the development of the horse being both biomechanically straight, and the same on both sides (even in bend.) It is developed in every stage of training, and every stage improves the horse’s natural asymmetry.

The structure of the scale is a circle, a notable difference to the ladder-like structure of the German system. It gives more freedom to move around the scale and re-address and develop skills without striving on a one-track mind for one goal. It better shows how every element is connected, and aids a rider in correctly diagnosing a problem using information from research, rather than opinion.

This is an alternative scale, created in response to problems created as riders to the working horse. It is a system that has absolute respect for the horse, and applies to ANY horse, in ANY discipline, regardless of breeding, age, confirmation, or any limiting factor.

Sources: KARL, P (2014) Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage, Brunsbek: Cadmos

THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

33

Sally Permezel

Human

training

As a child, I was trained to be a Good Girl. I was rewarded for smiling, cheerfulness, getting along nicely with others and doing as I was told. Anything other than that was not allowed, ‘If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. Crying was not encouraged ‘Buck up, that doesn’t hurt’.

Anger was experienced in a dysfunctional way, the example being regular fighting between my parents, perceived as emotionally painful, therefore, to be avoided at all cost. I was rewarded for doing as I was told ‘don’t answer back’ and obeying the rules, regardless of my thoughts and feelings.

The words of my father ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ were heard often.

As a child that made this thing called ‘life’ confusing. The outcome being a life almost the equivalent to that of a pony tied up all day at the local riding school !!

My child mind learnt that ‘big people in my tribe (family) could do whatever they want, even if it hurts me and feels bad. I’m not allowed to have a say, a voice or opinion and my thoughts and feelings are wrong’ AKA ‘I don’t matter, I’m not loved unless I do what I’m told and my only worth comes from being a ‘Good Girl’.

34 www.thinkhorsemanship.com.au

Image Credit: Alexas Fotos , Pixabay

Interestingly, I didn’t know there was anything wrong with this. I thought I’d had a good childhood. I wasn’t hit, I had toys, I had clothes, food and a safe roof over my head, I had what would be considered a normal childhood.

It wasn’t until I went searching for the answer to why I felt so bad inside even though I was such a Good Girl that the puzzle fell into place. Turns out being trained in the role of a good girl in this ‘normal’ childhood creates really dysfunctional unconscious beliefs about the world and the self.

The result being, I was unconsciously conditioned or trained, by my well-meaning parents who are both ‘good’ people, to become a victim of my external circumstances, whatever they may be, at any time.

I was trained to believe that I wasn’t entitled to have a say.

I was trained to believe that I must go along with others because they knew better.

I was trained to believe that I was unworthy, that I must please others to get approval, to be accepted and belong.

I was trained to believe that to receive love; I must do as I was

told because the other person knew better than me.

Consequently, I was the perfect match for a narcissistic partner and that was precisely what I got. Exactly, what I was unconsciously seeking due to my prior training.

Well, let’s be honest; the riding school pony is not going to attract Regardez Moi. Perhaps you can relate?

Alternatively, maybe, it was different for you?

Maybe you weren’t able to meet the expectations of your big people in your tribe.

Perhaps your attempts to please, in order to receive love, were ignored, rejected or punished.

Possibly, you rebelled against your training and became the black sheep or the problem child of the family and went on to create all kinds of chaos and drama. Perfectly understandable because when we are children, any type of attention is better than none.

As humans, we are driven by our need for significance, love and belonging.

When we are young, we generally tolerate and do whatever we learn is necessary to receive significance, love and belonging.

As part of our training, saying NO, is not always received well or appreciated. Rather than being given the freedom to own how we feel, express it, have it validated and being allowed to explore the consequences of saying NO, we are leg roped, twitched and tied down. The opportunity for us to learn how to think beyond our feelings is lost.

We move into adulthood tolerating and complaining, confined to the victim stable.

Alternatively, we may believe it’s necessary to fight and defend ourselves constantly and require a red ribbon tied to our tail.

We are trained to blame – often ourselves, justify and make excuses in a myriad of ways. Our experience of life becomes one of unconsciously believing we must prove ourselves or defend ourselves, it’s exhausting and leaves little room for joy, peace and happiness.

It becomes the only way we know how to ride.

As children, we are not in a position to say ‘Hey big people, the way you are training me is emotionally dysfunctional, how about you invest in an Emotional Adult-ship Clinic?’.

In my eyes, there is not a lot of difference between our learning as children and how horses learn to be in our human world. It’s all comes down to the training we have had.

We are conditioned according to the environment that we exist in and must learn how to survive and get along, without

too much trouble, hopefully. Or if we are very unlucky, we may become so screwed up that our life is the equivalent of Bareul Jeong’s (Winx’s ½ brother – Google it if you’re into tragic stories).

I acknowledge that the anatomy of a horse’s brain and its thinking are, perhaps, far less complex than that of a human.

I wonder, though, what if we used our superior thinking abilities to retrain ourselves. Perhaps then we could create the life we want rather than keep repeating the unconscious pattern that we were trained to perform.

Imagine if we were to become conscious enough to realise that we are so much more than our trained patterns. We are deserving of a life so much more than our early training destined us to create. We have the power within us to create the life of our dreams and be the person who is dependant on no-one and has an experience of life that includes pride, success, abundance, love, confidence, peace and joy.

That would require taking responsibility for ourselves as adults.

We would have to stop complaining and blaming.

We would have to be prepared to let go of excuses and stop justifying ourselves.

We would need to begin some meaningful and deliberate rituals to take the place of our old habits.

We would need to commit to re-educating ourselves and seeking out people who have the life we want so that we could learn from them.

It might require us to be more deliberate about whom we hang out with, who we take advice from, and how much time we spend engaging in un-resourceful behaviours with others.

The most significant change of all, which is so scary and foreign for most people is –

We would have to begin nurturing ourselves in the way we were entitled to be nurtured when we were in training as a child.

Professor of Psychology, Jordan Peterson, suggests that you ‘Treat yourself like you are the most adorable creation in the world like you are someone who really matters’. Dr Peterson is like Ray Hunt in a suit, and I recommend his book, 12 Rules for Life – An Antidote to Chaos. You could also watch his video presentation on YouTube of the same name.

So, this all sounds wonderful, but where to begin?

Firstly, awareness and acknowledgement that the training we received in our childhood (as well-intentioned as it may have been) was probably not the best it could be. In fact, for many people, it may have been downright atrocious.

We can then set about taking responsibility for our own retraining and make it our priority because let’s face it, we THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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We are the same, we are born perfect humans, and then the training begins.

I encourage you to take the reins on retraining yourself using the seven freedoms above. Bringing consciousness to your life rather than repeating the learnt pattern over and over without thinking.

As adults, we get to make our own choices, yet many of us are still making our decisions based on our early training rather than choices that get us what we truly want.

Have some fun, scramble the pattern and see what happens, you might get a result that you prefer. The cool thing is, you are the judge this time and so long as you have love and compassion for yourself, you cannot lose.

Image Credit: rihaij, Pixabay

probably only get one chance and time is not waiting for anybody.

In her book, Ultimate You, author Sharon Pearson developed the Seven Freedoms model based on the work of family therapist, Virginia Satir. The model allows us to rediscover parts of our inner world, that was shut down in childhood training. It encourages humans to reconnect with their body via the senses, which create our experience of the world. We become aware of our inner resources and the choices that have always been there but were blocked. We reclaim our ability to access them; we retrain ourselves to look inward for answers rather than seeking approval externally. We reclaim our ability to live in the moment and think for ourselves.

In my eyes, there is not a lot of difference between our learning as children and how horses learn to be in our human world. It’s all comes down to the training we have had.

The Seven Freedoms -

The freedom to see, hear and sense what I see, hear and sense, instead of what I was told I should, see, hear and sense.

The freedom to feel, and own what I feel, as I feel it, instead of what I was told I should feel.

The freedom to say what I feel and think, instead of waiting for permission or being denied my voice.

The freedom to ask for what I want and need, instead of waiting for permission or being told what I should want and need.

Would you like to be more assertive?

Do you avoid speaking up for fear of conflict in your relationships?

Would you like to learn skills that give you the confidence to speak your truth?

Join my group “Assertively You’ on Facebook for mentoring, support, connection, tips, tools and strategies.

The freedom to question, to doubt and to challenge tribal assumptions, instead of having to fall into line.

The freedom to take risks on my own behalf instead of guarding and protecting the tribe’s fears.

When a young horse begins its journey in the human world, it only knows how to be a horse - and it is a perfect horse.

From that point on, it only knows how to react or respond based on what it learns from the people who interact with it.

www.sallypermezel.com.au sally@sallypermezel.com.au

To be or not to be?

To Be or Not to Be, are we doing it “Too” the horse or “For” the horse, this “IS” the question. I touched on this in my last column; it is something I am reminding myself of constantly. Especially when deciding on a lesson plan for the horse, I am working with.

We can train our horses to do and accept a lot of things, but are we just installing a lot of learned behaviour’s without even stopping to think does my horse truly understand and importantly accept the task. Is he just going through the motions through anticipation of consequence, does the rider/trainer genuinely understand the psychology behind what they are doing, or do they only have a, “get it” done” type attitude.

Do they grab another gadget to fix this or that behaviour?. Get direct line in their thinking about training for a discipline and doing it well, but have to put the horse back in the trailer after the dressage comp, because the horse can’t be tied up. That is if they can get the horse on the trailer in the first place. These essential little things (which are quite significant) pale into insignificance with compliments like “Oh those half passes were stunning.”

This is a concept, which I am aware of, and place a great emphasis on when interacting with not only horses but in my job as a supervisor with the people I work with. I like to think that most of us, most of the time, are doing it for the horse. However things get tight sometimes, we get on a pattern and just think of the pattern/technique, and getting IT right, in a lot of cases we can tend to over focus on the IT and ignore what’s actually there in front/underneath of us. This mindset has us believing we are helping the horse, but in essence, we are just doing a task, training a movement rather than thinking and acting “FOR” the horse, and looking after their mind, making sure we are doing the pattern/technique for the right reasons. Upholding our principles, because an attitude of justice is effective if applied with good judgement and empathy, and if ignored, the horse will soon give us the feedback.

by Lee Davis

Lee Davis Horsemanship

I want to see people in a partnership with their horses.

I share my time with them so they can achieve this because it’s such a special relationship.

LD Horsemanship Turning dreams into partnerships ldhorsemanship@gmail.com

0419 829 777 find on facebook

GO WELL, GO STEADY

Foundation horsemanship based club of Extreme Cowboy Racing in Australia, affiliated with EXCA USA. Put some purpose to your horsemanship.

All levels welcome!

www.australianextremecowgirls.com THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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Meet

the maker

Diana Balhorn: DB Braiding

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Aussie cattle stations so basically I fitted right into ranch life.

Bill was nearly 84 years old when I first arrived and he had heaps to teach me. This remarkable man was so generous in sharing his life experiences and we got on famously.

While living on the ranch, Bill had me drive him around in his awesome old Chevy Impala, from errands into town or long journeys. When we trailered the horses across the valley to ranch ropings or visits to Fox Creek I drove the pickup. But it was Bill who drove the Scout on early morning cross country trips to Rana Creek for brandings. We’d lead the horses going over and at the end of day would turn them loose to follow us home in the dark. Highlights were many, but roping at brandings with other great horsemen and women were memorable.

Hand braided horse gear is something I took up when I was young. We lived by the coast and my gear was always getting wet and salty and rusty so I plaited hay band to make reins and bridles which coped well with the salty water and air. I spent every spare moment in the saddle and put my hand up for every adventure such as tailing cattle across the mud flats and channels to a place called Snake Island near Wilson’s Promontory.

Mustering cattle and sheep and living my dream on horseback, helping others with their horses was also a sideline and buying and training horses to sell was a way to make a few extra dollars.

However, I yearned for the wide open spaces of the outback and, as soon as I turned 18, drove myself to Queensland, Northern Territory and the Kimberley in Western Australia to work on cattle stations. The properties didn’t have television so repairing bridles, making leather work gear such as ring belts, mickey straps, knife pouches and the like was a necessity.

From there, I ended up being a partner in Ward Equestrian Services and Ward Saddle Company, which organised and ran colt starting and horsemanship clinics around Queensland and the Top End of Australia. Our philosophy was based on the knowledge of the ‘Horse’s friend’ Tom Dorrance.

Fast forward to the early ‘90s when I was fortunate to spend time living on a historic cattle ranch in California, USA. The events that led me to this ranch and me learning to prepare and braid rawhide horse gear also came about by following my love and passion for horses.

To cut a long story short, I followed my heart and travelled to the States to meet the man who had influenced our horsemanship service in Australia. Here my life took another turn and I found myself staying with Tom’s brother, Bill Dorrance, and his wonderful family. The ranch was not unlike

During the months I lived at the ranch, I was encouraged to make and sell my gear. I had the opportunity to sell and trade my rawhide pieces but it was the parachute cord and leather that was most popular at the time. I was contacted by a retailer to braid mecates and lead ropes to sell in the Brighton Feed & Seed Barn in Colorado. The owner sent me the spools of paracord and I sent him the finished products in a variety of colours.

When I returned to Australia, I continued my art and made good working gear mostly using the paracord. The natural feel and texture of this material resulted in an attractive hand-braided product that would last for many years. My love of rawhide took a back seat due to lack of knowledge for this way of horsemanship and gear.

Unfortunately, few people wanted to buy bosals or use a hackamore setup, which was heartbreaking at the time and I wished I had never left California. But perseverance for me is innate so I kept going and continued making gear for my own use. This, in turn, worked out well as I began to get orders for split reins, leads and the occasional mecate from riders I was coaching in horsemanship, and others who saw the gear being used at competitions, clinics, and at events I had sponsored.

Another plus, in the early days and more recent times, has been teaching others to braid. This has been very rewarding for me as I have thoroughly enjoyed getting people started in this craft and so proud to know that they have branched out and made gear to call their own.

I would like to acknowledge my dear friend, the late Bill Dorrance, for his kindness and patience and for taking the time to share with me his knowledge and passion for rawhide braiding and roping. Also big thanks to Steve and Leslie Dorrance and family for their friendship and sharing with me various skills to improve my art both then and now.

I am proud and very privileged to have braided horse gear for some of the finest horsemen and women of our time and it is my pleasure to continue sharing my experience, knowledge and products with you all. My passion for learning and improving will never cease.

I hope I have inspired some of you to visit my social media sites: dbbraiding on facebook _dbbraiding on Instagram or my web page dbbraiding.com

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FoalSeries Chris Corbidge

Part Three:

Weaning without stress

Weaning can be a stress free, seamless progression for a youngster

Weaning is a major milestone in your horse’s life and an extremely important process for the horse owner to be involved in, emphasis on the word PROCESS! Weaning can be a stress free, seamless progression for a youngster, or it can be a highly damaging event - mentally, emotionally and physically. I’ve heard many horror stories of serious injury and even deaths of weanling foals trying to escape from stables, yards, paddocks and even over the tailgates of floats - even in transit! I’ve seen mares highly distressed or deeply depressed from the weaning process on breeding farms.

Separation is for a prey animal, potentially life threatening. They usually react strongly as soon as they feel separated from their bond mates, including people they are attached to and this reaction can result in harm to them as well as their handlers. It’s extremely distressing for a loving owner to see their foal and/or mare in this state during weaning. Along with possible injury or death from attempts to escape containment, there is often internal damage from stress such as ulcers, and for the mare the sudden cessation of suckling from her foal the likelihood of mastitis occurring.

Weight loss, lethargy, ‘stable vices’ like weaving/cribbing/tongue sucking often begin during the weaning process. Sudden and shocking separation of a mare and foal is completely unnecessary and can be replaced with a bit of planning, using psychology and patience. If you have a good relationship with both mare and foal such as I’ve been talking about in my previous articles, it can be a seamless, non-eventful process that results in both mare and foal being happy and stress free, with none of the problems for the foal that can also trigger ‘separation anxiety’ when they are an adult.

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I often get asked ‘what happens with weaning in nature?’

In a natural herd situation, a mare would be foaling every year potentially, and even if she missed a year, it wouldn’t bother her if her yearling foal was still suckling after this age.

The yearling foal would most certainly not be shut out of the herd and separated or denied contact with his/her mother.

The arrival of a newborn means the yearling has already most likely been weaned off by it’s mum, or been suckling only if the mare invites or allows it. They are no longer ‘demand feeding’ and the yearling will be an interested onlooker when it’s sibling arrives and unlikely to be included for feeding off the mare. It’s not unknown though for a mare to accept both last year’s foal and the newborn, some mares are extremely ‘maternal’! They are even known to suckle other mare’s foals!

In the human controlled horse world, we wean our foals for many reasons, but mostly around the convenience for our own use of a horse, ie. to continue riding/showing the mare without the added presence of the foal, to sell either mare or foal, to begin ‘training’ of the foal or for paddock and/or herd management. To live in the human world, it is usually necessary to wean your young horse at some point so they can learn to adjust to different situations and different herd groupings including pairing with their human, and for the purpose you have planned for that horse. Again, the relationship/partnership with you is going to be paramount if a young horse is to accept and live happily with these arrangements that go against it’s first nature.

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Luna spends a lot of time away from her mum as has done since she was quite young. She doesn’t panic when her mum goes out of sight, unless it is for prolonged periods

Another question I get asked is ‘what is the best age to wean a foal?’ Luna is now 6 months old. She is at the age when most breeders wean their foals, but since she was born late in December, her 6 month milestone has landed in the middle of winter. I am going to wait until spring to wean her, meaning she will be 9 months old or more. I have no pressing need to wean her sooner, so I have the luxury of being able to leave her with her mum. I am happy to increase the mare’s feed to meet the added nutrient requirements she will have from suckling her. Already though, on observation, her mother is weaning her naturally and she is more than ready to continue the process. This is an important part of the decision making when it comes to ‘when is the best age?’ For the individual foal, the timing may be best if it is delayed. Luna’s big brother Easy Peasy for example, was not the confident self-reliant individual his little sister is, he stuck much closer to his mother at the age she is now and didn’t bond with anyone else in the herd at a young age so I held off weaning him until at least 10 months to support his emotional wellbeing. Like his little sister, he was a ‘late’ foal, born in December, so the season had a part in my decision too.

Luna spends a lot of time away from her mum as has done since she was quite young. She doesn’t panic when her mum goes out of sight, unless it is for prolonged periods, like when her mum decides to ‘go bush’ without the herd, as she often tends to do. Soleil doesn’t worry about her foal, and even when Luna begins to notice she is missing, and starts calling and running from ‘safe place’ to ‘safe place’ looking for her, Soleil responds very belatedly, and usually by wandering in

At first, the separation is only by placing buckets far apart, so the separation is not reinforced by fencing. slowly…at which point Luna spots her and goes racing up for a drink. Soleil is NOT a helicopter mum! Her confidence and independence are pretty strong characteristics, and so I don’t anticipate much problem when she is finally separated from Luna.

‘How’ is the next question that comes up with regard to weaning. At present, Soleil and Luna are fed from separate buckets each morning, with Soleil dallied up in her shelter, and Luna free to eat in peace a little away from her. Soleil does NOT share bucket food with her foal, so Luna wanders off to graze as her mum finishes her breakfast in peace.

This is the first stage of weaning in my mind, when the foal starts to be separated during feeds. At first, the separation is only by placing buckets far apart, so the separation is not reinforced by fencing. The mare is tied (dallied) high so she can reach her bucket on the ground, but not get her feet over the rope or the foal tangled in it if she comes over and walks under her neck. The ‘dally’ means that if there is a problem, the mare can pull free if she gets in a bind and pulls back.

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The next stage will involve yarding. Our yards are built so that foals can suckle easily between the rails. The mare goes in the yard and has food to eat, the foal has food and company outside, and this separation at feed times can be extended for longer and longer periods, during which the mare can ‘present’ at the rails to be suckled if she becomes engorged with milk and wants relief. This is the ideal way to wean a foal physically, and prevents mastitis. Because the foal is no longer demand feeding, the mare drops her milk production. As you yard the mare for longer and longer periods, and eventually overnight as well as during the day, she will begin to drop her milk supply to the point where the foal grazes more and nurses less, until eventually the mare no longer allows or offers to be suckled. This will depend also on how hormonal the mare is. Over time, I observe her udder, and notice if she is getting full or if her udder is shrinking. Meanwhile, the foal is out and free to join the herd or stay near her mother. I also yard another horse the mare is bonded to so she is supported when the herd moves away and she is left behind.

Luna has several ‘buddies’ but her strongest bonds are with Buddy the mini pony and Harmony, the most maternal mare in the herd. I’ve also observed that she is interacting safely with all the members of the herd, geldings as well as mares.

On the occasions when another horse gets too dominant with her, her sisters and brothers step in to defend her, even when her mother does nothing. She is now ready for this yarding stage.

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another fenced area, therefore not opening or adjacent to the main paddock but close and in sight. There will now be 2 fences between Luna and Soleil. We will observe how this is accepted (or not) and respond accordingly. If either one becomes distressed, we will retreat one step and repeat for longer, then test again.

Once both horses are comfortable with this arrangement, and the foal is following the herd, and not worried if we take her mother out of sight, or if the herd takes her out of sight, we will arrange for somewhere for her mum to go offsite, and that will be the day Luna will come in with the herd to discover the usual nightly hay pile, but no mum. Soleil will be moved offsite, somewhere she has been before, with a friend she knows and she will stay there for a month or more.

If you don’t have safe fencing, yarding that allows for safe nursing and a herd to support your foal including a buddy who the foal has shown a preference for spending time with, you are at a big disadvantage. You may need to get creative with your set up for safe and supported weaning, but it’s worth it in the long run.

Once the weaning process is over, Luna’s education will continue with the routine of daily interaction but I will begin to introduce her to more tasks that will rely on her trust in my decisions. Her halter training sessions will include preparation for float loading, obstacles like jumps and tarps, strange objects and lots of practical tasks like hoof handling, prep for saddling, vet prep, dental prep, water crossing, ponying off another horse etc. I will be replacing her mum in a way, becoming her ‘leader’ and asking her to go through a series of preparatory tasks that will build a foundation for her second and third years of life which is when we will introduce riding. In the time period between weaning and

‘backing’ there is much to do, but she will also have lots of time to grow, to run with her herd and to develop as an individual. Like the milestone of weaning, my plan is to make the next one a ‘no big deal’ event as we progress seamlessly and with no fear of the human involved. She has much to learn to become a confident, safe and handy horse for myself and for any humans in her future. It is exciting to put the knowledge I have gathered over the years into another young horse, and see if I can do a better job each time. The responsibility is on me. The proof will be in my young horse as she reaches adulthood.

Once the weaning process is over, Luna’s education will continue with the routine of daily interaction

WONGABURRA HORSEMANSHIP CENTRE RETREAT-RELAX-RECONNECT WITH NATURE

Horsemanship Weekend & Week Long Camps Private Camping/Airbnb’ Guest Accomodation + HMS Packages Lease Horse Program For Lessons/Camps Guided Trail Rides 618 Acres of Redgum Paddocks & Bushland with Obstacle Course.

50’/75’/100’ Roundyards + Honeycomb Arena Overnight Horse Accomodation for up to 20 Horses Camping Facilities including Showers/Toilets Wash up sink/BBQs Backing Onto Grampians National Park - Access to Trails from Property www.wongaburrahorsemanship.com.au chris@wongaburrahorsemanship.com.au

Your Hosts Justin & Christine Corbidge THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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andrea Gibbs & Letitia Glenn Natural Horseman Saddles

Does your Saddle fit?

It will be clear at all gaits… even the walk.

A horse adjusting themselves to a too convex or too narrow saddle will show you signs of discomfort. You first have to notice, and then take steps to rectify the issues.

CHALLENGES WITH BAD SADDLE FIT…

When a horse is wearing an ill-fitting saddle they experience, pushing/pinching/prodding. The rider’s weight, bearing down on uneven areas of the horse causes pressure and disharmony. They 'trap' the shoulders and back. The result? Discomfort and pain for your horse. Even anxiety!

As creatures that seek out comfort, this will affect many areas of our training. How can you ‘release pressure’ after the execution of an aid if the saddle is creating it? How can a horse’s mental state be calm and ‘trainable’ in a state of hyper-alertness and self-protection? How can a horse be supple when bracing against discomfort? A prey animal that is not comfortable does not believe he/she is safe. “Spookiness” can result. So now the rider isn’t safe either!

Saddle fitting is a HUGE topic! With so many areas to cover.

But, your horse may be happier if you at least knew some fundamentals...

There’s no mistaking that saddles influence a horse's way of travelling, their health and their happiness. They are more impactful than most people realise and no one wants to cause pain, physical and emotional damage to a horse we love!

With so many ‘saddle fitting experts’ out there, it’s hard to know who to trust. Common sense, education, and evaluation become the cornerstones for getting this Saddle Fitting ‘thing’ right...

TRADITION WON’T TELL YOU:

Saddles, yes even custom made ones, have traditionally been fitted to ‘stationary’ horses. That’s great if you're planning to saddle a wooden rocking horse. But from the moment they take that first step, he/she becomes a new set of shapes. The entire trunk is broader, their top line flatter, and it is ever changing with every stride. The saddle is now too small [left to right] and curved too ‘downward’ [front to back].

This curve is often referred to as the ROCK of the saddle tree.

YOUR HORSE WILL TELL YOU:

Your horse will give you the most reliable information you need to assess their saddle fit.

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Compare running a marathon in a pair of JIMMY CHOO stilettos instead of your comfy pair of Nikes. Can you imagine? Wouldn’t you be in ‘quite the mood’ during that run! If you could do it at all…

And the pain you'd endure. Ouch.

Making sense? Get this saddle-fitting caper wrong, and you could start behind the eight ball every time you ride.

Ok… Let us dive into some mechanics before we head to the how-to.

UNHAPPY

HAPPY

Often, we see horses unable to build topline and become imbalanced to the eye. Lameness among a host of other symptoms begins to show.

This is the result when biomechanics aren’t efficient. Sounds serious, right? It is… What is just as serious is how their attitude to being ridden can also change.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A HORSE MOVES UNDER AN ILL-FITTING SADDLE…

WHAT IS HAPPENING UNDERNEATH A SADDLE WHEN THE HORSE IS MOVING? As discussed already, we need to think about how a horse changes when moving as opposed to a standstill. Only then can we see why traditional saddle fitting may not be working for most horses. The process of movement goes something like this…

First, the shoulders will move backwards and forwards. They bulge and become wider under the front of the saddle with leg function.

Their scapula (shoulder blade) must be free to do this without restriction. Next, the abdomen contracts and lifts. This causes the back to broaden and elevate up under the saddle. The back rocks and rolls with every step. The ribcage expands and flexes. With that, the spine has a constant snaking action. All this happens in sync with the hind legs. They swing underneath the trunk and help propel the whole package across the ground. If one aspect of that motion can’t function, as it should, the horse ‘compensates’ for this.

Some people report not even being able to notice their horse is uncomfortable. Important fact: A horse's DNA tells it to forge ahead and not appear weak or wounded. That horse is usually the loser in Mother Nature’s 'Hunger Games'. So yes, they can try and hide their weaknesses. It means we have to look harder.

So what is the result of this change in movement?

They begin to use their body in a way that creates postural changes.

Those changes can even present as poor conformation.

Note: “Conformation” is what your horse is born with and cannot change. “Posture” is something we can influence.

By the time your horse is showing problems, body workers now need to become your new best friend.

Horses suffer in several ways when forced to carry a rider in a restrictive saddle. Even more likely when a rider isn't balanced and skilled enough to be non-influential. Oh look… Now the horses attitude comes under fire. The thing is, people rarely think to explore saddle fit as the cause.

They assume horses ‘misbehaviour’ is due to other things.

They forget their equipment could be getting in the way!

We are not saying saddles cause ALL riding issues - that isn’t true.

Environment, training styles, age, injury, rider OR horse experience indeed come into play. BUT… in a process of elimination or to highlight a root cause of a problem, you need to know if your saddle is playing a part. By heightening your awareness of what to look for, you can work out how your horse perceives the fit of your saddle.

Ill-fitting saddles cause short and choppy strides, hollowed backs, stiff necks and elevated heads. But there are other signs. If you notice some or all of these following behaviours from your horse, you could have a problem. The good news? It’s ‘fixable.

AT THE WALK… Short and tense stride Bearing the weight on the forehand Ears–If they’re pinned, they’re not checking in with you!

Head nodding UP instead of down Stiff, straight neck Length of head/neck shorter than the length of the body Hindfoot can’t reach where front foot left off Halts on the front end or stab up puffs of dirt in front Dropped back and abdomen Reluctant to move or rush AT THE TROT… Doesn’t like this gait Stops, breaks gait or gets faster Short and choppy stride THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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• Angled too high and creating pressure into your horse’s loins when bearing weight? Your horse’s head will be held too high while carrying you. His/her rear legs will be strung out too far behind and lumbar pain will result.

• Is the wither clearance generous enough? Check this again once you have mounted. You should be able to put two fingers under the gullet even while bearing weight. You don't want pressure against your horse’s withers - Ever!

• Do you find excess sweat at the front and rear of your saddle only, with dry spots in the centre?

• Do you have sweat through the centre and rear but ‘dry’ spots near the shoulders?

Seems rough to the rider.

Head comes up.

Doesn’t ‘step through’ with the hind feet Stumbles Is Tense Neck appears tense and skinny The under neck muscles bulge while the top of neck muscles look flat Length of the head/neck looks shorter than their body Facial expression strained

• When cinched/girthed, are you able to reach back to the stirrup bar/rigging area with your hand under your saddle and pad?

(Reach along up high near the bars of the saddle). If you can’t get your hand under there without it feeling pinched, your horse’s shoulders cannot function optimally. This will jeopardise their entire biomechanics. Your hand should slide in with ease.

If you can’t do this, perhaps explore a different pad or shim/insert set up (your interface) or get a professional in to help (in person or via a tool like our ‘Free Digital Saddle Fit Evaluation’). A professional 'guiding hand' can be a godsend…

AT THE CANTER… Difficult to transition into the canter/lope Head shoots up in transition Bucks into the canter/lope Head high, neck short, hollows back, drops abdomen Can’t “collect” and roundup Stumbles Won’t maintain gait Lead changes difficult Becomes impulsive Hind legs can’t reach deep underneath Footfall in front sounds and looks heavy If you see some or all of these, it likely means your horse is experiencing discomfort. Pay attention.

Does your horse move during the saddling process?

Stepping away as you approach with the saddle?

THE LOW DOWN ON SWEAT PATTERNS

Do they show signs of anxiety?

Horses sweat first from their front, then down their sides toward the back, in that order. Remember, with sweat patterns, you are looking for even distribution, except along the spinal channel.

Watch their face and ear expressions for clues.

Are they dropping their backs and lifting their heads?

Biting at the girth while tightening?

Unable to stand still?

All things to note.

7 QUICK WAYS TO ASSESS SADDLE FIT. Look at your saddle. Is it?

• Perched up on your horse like a birdhouse on a beach ball… or does it hug his/her body?

• Is it angled down towards the front? This would mean that the rider’s pubic bone would angle downward when they are seated in the saddle. Unable to position it under, upward, and forward, which is preferred. It would ‘dump’ their weight on their horse’s forehand and create a less secure seat, along with less comfort for their horse.

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The amount of work your horse has endured in that session can yield confusing results so be mindful of that when using them as a gauge.

Example: NO sweat CAN mean excess pressure or no contact with the saddle/pad system. (The channel should have no pressure from the saddle’s gullet, but sweat could still seep from the left and right sides of the pad). OR, it could mean you didn’t work your horse long enough to yield sweat everywhere under the saddle.

Don’t crack a sweat over sweat. Observe, compare, and stay educated.

They may not tell the full story. It could be more important to read your horse. A better tool might be to have a friend video you riding so you can see your horse’s posture while carrying you?

It’s a wonderful way to start working out the truth or create comparisons.

Here is a great exercise to gauge the differences between your saddle and your horse and tell the true story.

When choosing a saddle for your horse, do your research.

As horse people, we often enrol in the school of ‘tradition’ in how we set about doing things. Influenced by family, friends, trainers and industry leaders. Exploring new perspectives and better solutions takes courage and effort. It’s the harder road to ride, but the alternative could be even harder.

Choose your saddle as you would your children's educators or your healthcare professionals. Be sure they (and you) have done the research to yield results that back up claims and promises. Demand they offer plenty of support through your riding journey for their products and methodologies. Be sure your horse agrees with your choice!

A BIT ABOUT NATURAL HORSEMAN SADDLES.

Your horse’s back lifts in motion. The green line shows how this may look, the red shows a horse while at rest.

A horse’s scapula and range of motion. The shoulder/scapula needs room to swing under the front of the saddle.

*taken from naturalhorsemansaddles.com Natural Horseman Saddles is a Colorado based company (with a global team in the USA, Australia and Europe) presenting an exceptional selection of western AND English saddles for all sorts of disciplines.

Incorporating SMARTFLX™ tree technology and offering the best that American, English and German engineering can produce, our focus centres on master crafting tools to facilitate healthy biomechanics for your horse as well as your self. It’s important to us to provide carefully-shaped space to welcome the optimal natural flexion of the horse’s body so the shoulders and back can function without restriction. Comfort for the horse and balanced, secure comfort for the rider has been our mission throughout 20+ years of principled research and development.

Our scientific pursuits are ongoing for your benefit whether you enjoy casual riding or performing collected vertical and lateral manoeuvres. All of our saddles are custom handcrafted of the finest American and English leather available. They are built to last a lifetime while facilitating longer, healthier, happier hours of riding. Along with all of that, our customer service team aim to empower and support you through the life of your saddle journey with us.

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1

Hind Front

allan Collett horsemanship

Separation

When working with a horse on the ground and in the saddle I’m looking to be able to separate out all four quarters of the horse.

In the first edition of Think Horsemanship, I spoke about the hindquarters. In this issue I’d like to talk about the importance of the front quarters and the separation between hind and front.

As I spoke about previously, control of the hindquarters not only keeps you safe, but leads onto more advanced manoeuvres.

When working with a horse on the ground and in the saddle I’m looking to be able to separate out all four quarters of the horse. By this I mean left and right front and left and right hind, I want to be able to know where any foot is at any given time.

So, the first thing I look for is the hindquarter control, once I have that I’m starting to think about getting the front end to move separately. The hindquarter not only gives me deep lateral flexion, it also gets the hind feet closer to the front; in turn making it easier for the horse to rock his weight back and move the front quarters with ease. When a horse is set up with the hind feet he can be light in front, once a horse learns to use his hindquarters properly he can help elevate the withers and take the weight of the rider, he can be engaged behind and be light in front, therefore easier to manoeuvre.

1. Here I’m stepping in and moving my feet and leading hand towards Spike’s hind quarter. You can see the inside hind stepping forward and through.

2 2 .I’m letting Spike straighten out to a stop

Remember the use and setup of the hind quarters in relation to the front quarters is completely natural to the horse, you can see so many examples of this just watching one move around the paddock, a great example of this is when one horse pulls up hard into a corner and rocks back swinging the front almost 180 degrees to take off again.

Once we put a saddle and rider on their back and start pulling on a set of reins natural things suddenly become very unnatural to the horse.

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Early on in the training of any horse whether it be a green colt, problem horse or one that’s more advanced, it’s quite easy to get the control of the hindquarters with one rein, but it takes quite a bit more commitment to not only feel and time up with the front feet but influence them .

To me the best place to start is with groundwork, if you can get control of your horse on the ground then you can start to gain an understanding of what’s going on with the horse’s feet and how to influence them. This gives you a much better understanding once you get on the horses back.

3 3. Now the inside hind is reaching back making room for the front to move across and back. The horse’s weight has also moved back as well, this is the preparation needed for the front to come on across. I have changed leading hands and opened my leading hand, asking my horse to walk off in the new direction. You can see that now the inside front is reaching, if he didn’t follow the feel I’m presenting with my leading hand I could use my driving hand to motivate movement of the feet.

The first thing is working on the basics of having a horse lead past me and un-track the hindquarters [pic 1] then, once facing me, rock back onto his hindquarters -in turn bringing the front across into the new direction (pic 3]. When I’m doing ground work it’s important to also understand that there are different angles in the lead rope that are connected down to the feet, so for example when I’m leading a horse around me on a circle, my leading hand is open out beside my hip, when I go for the hindquarters I take the lead rope from my hip towards the horses hip this closes the angle of the rope in relation to the horses body, then when the horse rolls the hindquarters away the angle of the lead rope opens up [Pic 2], then I can direct the horse across in front.

Riding

Once on horseback I go through my checklist starting with my flection of the head and neck, then I work on movement of the hindquarters once I have these established, I start to think about movement of the front quarters and the angles involved with the rein.

In edition 1 of Think Horsemanship I was explaining how I bring my hand around towards my hip for the hindquarter manoeuvre, then I use my leg to influence the movement of the hindquarters, once the horse moves the hindquarters I release the leg and the rein at the same time, If and I emphasize “IF” the horse is soft to the rein.

When I want to start working on the front, I go through the same sequence, but instead of releasing the rein I release the leg and keep the lateral flexion of the head and neck. Now at this point the horse is looking to straighten his head and neck and return to his straight alignment, because that’s the most comfortable and natural thing for him to do.

4 4. The sequence horseback is the same as on the ground, first I’m moving the hindquarter. Note my inside rein hand is in front of my hip and my inside leg is the motivator. My weight and the horse’s weight are slightly forward.

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When you hold the flexion of the head and neck without releasing, the horse may have no idea what you’re wanting from him. He may try many different things in order to work out how to get the release. As we use release in all aspects of teaching the horse, embrace the fact your horse is searching for an answer, this creates a learning frame of mind.

There are a few different things the horse may try in order to straighten out, for example one step of the hindquarter

5

I don’t necessarily have one specific way for any horse; it all comes down to experience.

Nothing’s carved in stone, it takes quite a bit of experience and experimentation

5. Spike rounds out to a momentary stop; I have come to a stop with my body by sitting back on my pockets. The inside hind has reached back shifting the weight back.

- if so, I just sit and wait for the horse to stop with softness and wait for the front. Some horses will automatically think about bringing the front quarters across in order to straighten out, if this happens I will join in with the horse.

What I mean by this is that I will open my leading rein from the position right in front of my hip to out off my hip as in pic 6.

Some horses will just stay alive in the hindquarters and continue going around and around with their hindquarters active. If this is the case I just wait for the horse to either stop, or in the case of a very energetic horse I will wait until the horse tries something different, which is rocking his weight back and trying to move the front to the inside of the circle, again I release to any attempt to even rock back onto the hindquarters to move the front .

The other thing I may do with some horses that are a little shut down is open the leading hand and just keep a hold of the rein keeping the horse in a little bind, eventually that horse will give you a slight try, again I release immediately.

Now sometimes the horse will pick up on this straight away and that’s great. I just release the rein and allow the horse to stop or walk on forward, but if that horse tries to move the hindquarters again I bring my inside rein back in front of my hip bone saying to the horse that this is hindquarters and again wait for the horse to stop before suggesting a reach of the front.

I don’t necessarily have one specific way for any horse; it all comes down to experience. Nothing’s carved in stone, it takes quite a bit of experience and experimentation to get to where you can do this on a green colt on his first ride in just a halter and lead. But I will say that if you get your groundwork really good and your horse is really light on the end of a lead rope, you should find the riding part easy.

One of the things that really stands out to me when a horse is going to bring the front across, is the positioning of his poll. The poll, which is the area where the horses skull joins the vertebrae, when this drops below the withers the horse has more weight on the forehand. When I have succeeded in moving the hind and I’m sitting up there waiting for the front, I know that if that head is down the front’s not coming across. But as soon as that horse lifts its head up that’s preparation to shift weight back [and you will feel it], the inside front leg is about to reach across.

Many times, when I’m demonstrating this manoeuvre in a lesson or a clinic people will ask if its ok to use a little outside rein and leg to help that horse across, and my reply is always no. Because I’m really trying to get this horse hooked on to the inside rein and separate out the angles between hind and front.

When the horse moves off the feel of the inside rein I will then join in and support with my outside rein and leg.

Eventually with a more advanced horse, I will just draw the flexion with my inside toe and lay the outside rein and THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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There is no harm in looking down at the shoulders to pick up the timing of the feet, just remember to try and stay upright, don’t lean in as you will put your horse off balance. If your timing is out, you are effectively putting a brace in your horse. Take it slowly at first, that way if your timing is out your horse has time to move his other 3 feet before moving the foot you chose. As your feel and timing improve you can start messing around with, say, one step right, 2 steps left, 3 to the right, one left etc. It’s a great way to get a horse thinking down to its feet. This also improves the human’s timing and feel so that you can advance onto higher level manoeuvres, for example a pirouette or a nice rollback.

6 6. The time is right to move my elbow back and open the inside hand to lead the front across. A common mistake is to move your hand forward as you open the rein allowing the horse to walk forward. I want the horse to stay locked down behind, pivoting on the outside hind; but remember you may release to your horse just rocking back in preparation to move the front at the start. Build on the slightest try.

leg on my horse to move the front across with no use of the inside rein.

When you have things working at a standstill you can play with foot placement at the walk. Once you start timing up with the front feet you can skip the hindquarters and go straight into a right flexion moving the right front, then you will change to a left flexion moving the left front.

When you do this you’re always trying to time up with the inside foot as it is about to leave the ground.

Moving the front this way is quite a handy exercise if you have a horse that blows out through the shoulder or if you have a horse that’s quite energetic and you feel like you could bend the horse and get to the hindquarters all day long but the horse won’t settle. It’s not that you feel unsafe it’s just tiring mentally because that horse just won’t seem to settle. Your timing with the front feet helps engage your horse mentally, it also helps the human be proactive as opposed to being reactive.

On a safety front you will find placement of the front feet might be the difference between stepping in a hole and causing potential injury.

Last of all remember that having your horse light in front will also help with soundness and longevity.

There is no harm in looking down at the shoulders to pick up the timing of the feet, just remember to try and stay upright

Good horsemanship is the key to success in any discipline from dressage to barrel racing, the key is to build a solid foundation with your horse.

Offering Young Horse Starting, Problem Solving Clinics & Private Lessons Contact me about lessons and clinics and how you can achieve the results you want with your horse.

Refer to website for clinic dates www.allancolletthorsemanship.com.au 54 www.thinkhorsemanship.com.au

Photo Credit: Nicky Bowe

allan collett horsemanship

Tom Curtin A True Horseman

Shortly before the sad passing of Mr Ray Hunt, a lady worked up the courage to ask Ray- “who will we see for help when you’re gone?”. Ray replied - “Mother nature will show you, & you will have me on one shoulder & Tom (Dorrance) on the other to help you, & if you’re still having trouble go see Tom Curtin”.

Tom Curtin grew up in the Big Sky state of Montana where his dad had an outfitting & packing business. Tom was extremely fortunate to be around & work for some of the most famous ranches of the west; among them being The King Ranch, The Four 6’s, Johnson Ranch & the 7D Ranch.

Along with beneficial settings for horse training, Tom also had the chance to learn from many inspirational men in the horse world. Tom & his wife Trina worked on The King Ranch for several years for Buster Welch, probably the most famous man in the cutting horse industry. Buster had a significant influence on how Tom now views & trains the horse.

Ray Hunt & his wife, Carolyn, also played an active role in the formation of Tom’s horsemanship. Ray showed Tom how to look at things from the horse’s point of view, an invaluable aspect of horse training that Tom still honours today.

A few years ago, a friend had just got back from attending the Ray Hunt Memorial clinic in Fort Worth, Texas. She said she had admired watching Tom Curtin & had organised for him to come to Australia to run a Colt Start & Horsemanship clinic. I got on the phone & asked Tom if he would do a Ranch Roping clinic while out here which he agreed to. After organising this, not knowing a real lot about Tom I mentioned to someone “I hope Tom can rope alright?”. I had no idea who I was about to meet & the impact it would have on my life & my horses.

Tom Curtin is one of those people you meet that you just want to be around because you know he has something special to offer that is hard to find. I’m sure horses feel the same way about him. When I first met Tom, he said: “A guy won’t tell you something for one of two reasons- either he doesn’t know, or he doesn’t want you to know”. After riding with Tom & Trina in countless clinics, spending a lot of time between clinics working horse’s, roping at brandings etc., riding their horses in the states- I’m yet to find something to do with horses or cattle that Tom hasn’t not only being able to tell me, but show me. Looking back the last few years, I’ve spent a great deal of time around Tom, but feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface with what he has to offer.

Tom is a no-nonsense, straight down the line kind of guy, yet very approachable & will help anyone no matter what level they are at if they are prepared to work at it. He says when at home in the States, people will often ask him what does he really like about Australia? Tom tells them- “The people, I really like to see the people over there, & how they have worked at things throughout the year & improved”.

I’ve had help & seen Tom help others with things from tying knots, braiding, to shoeing horses. At one of his first clinics in Geelong Vic, a lady was asking Tom for advice on her horse’s feet & correct shoeing. Tom spent his lunch break between the Colt Starting & Horsemanship classes re-shoeing her horse. Most people could tell you, but Tom can sure show you. At another clinic at Howlong NSW, Tom got on a participant’s horse who was having trouble getting onto a particular canter lead. Tom began to lope the mare in a large circle, then do several flying changes while going in the one direction on the circle. You will not see many people be able to get on a horse, and that horse change. When Tom gets on a horse, that horse changes.

The way Tom & Trina work with their horses & cattle is the way they live their lives & who they are. Tom has said- “What I find interesting about what I’m trying to show you, the poorest man can have it for nothing, yet the richest man can’t buy it” This September will be the 9th consecutive year that Tom will be in Australia running clinics. There will be classes in Colt Starting, Horsemanship, Ranch Roping, Ranch Horse Versatility & Stockmanship.

If you have the chance to ride with this exceptional Horseman, don’t pass it up!

Tom Curtin Horsemanship

Tom Curtin Quality Horsemanship USA. Creating balance between horse and rider through quality horsemanship.

AUSTRALIAN CLINICS Colt starting and Horsemanship clinics 6/7/8th September Ranch horse versatility and ranch roping clinics 13/14/15th September Hosted by Steve Crowe Horsemanship Auldstone 298 Booth road Taminick Victoria 3675 Steve 0418 122 490 • Heidi 0408 973 910

Starting and Producing Quality Versatile Ranch and Cow Horses

Don’t settle for ordinary We specialise in giving horses the best possible start under saddle and pride ourselves on setting up your horse with a good foundation for success.

• Colt starting • Further education • Ranch horse training • Clinics • Young horse handling and foundation work

Auldstone 298 Booth Road Taminick Vic 3675 stevecrowe@live.com.au

0418 122 490 THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

55

Erika Gough

Fever!

Inside out equine health

Spring

WHY DOES SPRING GRASS AFFECT MY HORSE?

There are a couple of reasons spring grasses can cause problems.

The first is that they usually contain a lot of additional sugar and starch.

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While some horse owners herald the start of spring with a giant ‘hurrah!’ and then proceed to sail through the season without one moment of scouring or hint of a pigroot, others will spend it on the edge of their saddles wondering if their horse will succumb to laminitis, get incredibly fat or possibly even become fire-breathing dragons with unpredictable, spooky and sometimes downright dangerous behaviour. There are a couple of reasons spring grasses can cause these problems.

The first is that they usually contain a lot of additional sugar and starch. Of course not all grasses are created equal and the sugar and starch content varies a lot depending on factors such as the weather, plant species and what stage of growth the grass is at.

Cool season grasses such as ryes and fescues, that tend to grow in non-tropical parts Australia are more of an issue in spring as they’re growing rapidly and the weather favours the production of sugar and starch at this time.

There are several reasons why the sugars and starch in spring grass are an issue…

•

It’s delicious so horses will gorge (more sugary grass means more fat, which can then lead to increased inflammation).

•

It’s higher in calories which means extra energy.

•

Spring grass tends to be higher in potassium and lower in magnesium which can in some circumstances cause a magnesium deficiency.

•

It’s lower in fibre.

•

Pasture that is overgrazed has an even higher sugar content and overgrazed pastures are common at the moment given Australia is in a drought.

•

It wreaks havoc on the digestive system. The horse can’t digest all the sugar and starch in its foregut therefore it travels to the hindgut and disrupts the microbiome.

•

It wreaks havoc on the metabolism and hormones.The sugar, starch and fructans cause blood glucose to rise meaning elevated insulin concentration (see issue two of Think Horsemanship for full details about metabolic issues).

The above issues all boil down to three huge problems; laminitis; obesity; and behavioural issues.

Laminitis and obesity always just spring, but spring tends to be the most common time for laminitis. When a horse consumes sugars and starches, enzymes in the digestive tract convert them to simple sugars, such as glucose, which the body then absorbs. When blood glucose levels rise, the body releases insulin; insulin facilitates the movement of glucose from the bloodstream into other areas, such as muscle and fatty tissue. If your horse is insulin resistant (IR) then it is likely to have increased insulin levels and/or decreased insulin efficacy and research has shown this can directly cause laminitis.

While the relationship between fatty tissue and insulin function is not completely understood (it is unknown if obesity causes insulin resistance or if insulin resistance contributes to the development of obesity) it is crucial to keeping horses at a body condition score lower than 7 on the Henneke scale). Obesity can also increase the incidence of injuries, arthritis, heart and lung disease, inflammation and of course, significantly reducing performance.

Behavioural issues

The first thing that may cause behavioural issues in spring is the increased energy intake caused by the extra sugar and starch content in the grass. I think we can all appreciate that

Another commonly cited cause of behavioural changes is magnesium deficiency. extra calories means more energy. Calories are energy after all!

If this energy isn’t being directed into regular work then on the days your horse does get worked, this extra energy has to go somewhere and sometimes this may be up or out! Making sure you keep your horse in work, or even increasing their workload, may help keep their behaviour more consistent.

Additionally, and possibly more importantly, the spring grass can affect your horse’s gastrointestinal health, which may also cause behavioural issues. If the sugar and starch gets to the hind gut they can affect the microbial fermentation process, the pH and the health of the microbiome. Think of how well you might recite a dance routine (let alone one with someone on your back) if you had terrible pain/nausea/bloating in your stomach.

Another commonly cited cause of behavioural changes is magnesium deficiency. There is a lot still to be learned about magnesium deficiency and horses, however research on other species shows that magnesium deficiency can cause issues such as over-alertness, issues with coordination and possibly also aggression. Humans can respond to magnesium deficiency in similar ways and in extreme cases even suffer from hallucinations.

Without going into too much detail, magnesium is involved in hormone production and the breakdown of an important neurotransmitter. When there isn’t enough magnesium then these things don’t work properly and behavioural issues such as excitement, incoordination and spookiness can result. A magnesium deficiency can also cause a vitamin B1 deficiency which can further exacerbate these symptoms.

Unfortunately the solution probably isn’t as simple as just providing our horse some extra magnesium each day it its feed.

When is owning horses ever as easy as that?!

THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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So let’s talk about magnesium deficiency….

While many horse owners talk about their horse needing a lot of extra magnesium it its diet, the condition of magnesium deficiency is actually quite rare and most equine diets contain adequate magnesium. In fact, providing magnesium in excess to a horse’s requirements can unbalance the diet and interfere with the absorption of calcium and therefore, in the long term, affect skeletal integrity.

That said, young and rapidly growing pastures are known for being high in potassium and low in magnesium. In other animals and humans, excess potassium is linked to the reduced absorption of magnesium. While not enough is known in horses, one could assume that this may also cause a magnesium deficiency in some horses.

Other dietary factors that may play a part in magnesium deficiency are excess calcium, excess phosphorus, lack of vitamin D, vitamin B1 and B6.

So what’s the solution to the “spring grass” problem?

A lot of the solutions to these issues are management related. In the first instance, it’s a good idea to take horses off pasture or at the very least, limit their intake. If you know your horse had issues last spring then plan ahead to limit pasture intake this spring, but without limiting roughage intake.

Ways to limit pasture intake include:

Put your horse in a yard/paddock with little to no pasture and provide ad-lib hay or ad-lib hay in slow-feeder nets (depending on the condition of your horse).

Use a grazing muzzle either throughout spring or at times that the pasture is highest in sugars.

Only allow your horse to graze on pasture during ‘safer’ times. The safest time to let your horse onto pasture (if the issue is related to sugar/starch/extra energy) is just before the sun rises as the grass

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has used up its sugars to grow overnight. Sugars are highest in the late afternoon just before the sun goes down. This makes the safest times to graze are between about 4am and 9 /10am. Obviously you’re unlikely to wake up in the middle of the night to put the horse out, but letting your horse out for a few hours between waking up and going to work/lunch is a good start. Note that if the temperature at night drops to below 5C this will cause the grass to ‘shut down’ and store/accumulate sugars. So if this is the case your horse shouldn’t be allowed onto spring grass for that day, and be aware that several days of cold nights and sunny days are extremely hazardous for grazing.

Use a track system to restrict grazing, but encourage movement and supplement additional hay if necessary.

Ways to treat a possible magnesium deficiency include:

Plan ahead! Start restricting grazing and/or supplementation early!

Remove a horse from pasture and feed it hay. Ideally a hay you know to be low in potassium. Mature grass hays are often lower in potassium

It may also be a good idea to soak your hay for 30 minutes in warm water or 60 minutes in cold water to remove extra potassium. This of course has the added benefit of removing sugars too. Keep in mind it will also leach minerals so if you’re doing this you really must use a vitamin and mineral supplement.

Dr Nerida Richards suggests supplementing with magnesium and possibly sodium, calcium and B1 as well. Keep in mind that how much you need to supplement depends on what else the horse is eating. Keep in mind that feeds like lucerne are high in calcium and that you may be feeding a fortified feed with magnesium and calcium already added. Dr Richards suggests that a very loose guideline would be to supplement magnesium, sodium and vitamin B1 at around an additional 100% of the daily requirement. Calcium should be supplemented if the ratio of calcium to magnesium is less than two parts calcium to one part magnesium to bring the ratio to

deficient it may need magnesium and calcium administered by injection by a vet.

Get a pasture analysis to know what’s in your pasture at this time of year.

If you are confused about what to supplement call a qualified nutritionist, guessing and adding things willy-nilly can also cause issues.

It’s also important to highlight that there are a lot of reasons for unwanted behaviour that aren’t related to magnesium. Adding excess magnesium to a diet that has enough magnesium in it WILL NOT calm your horse. In fact, a significant magnesium excess can also cause serious issues to your horse so it’s important not to overdo it.

2:1 calcium:magnesium.

Ensure your horse is getting adequate vitamin B6 and selenium noting that you should absolutely not over supplement selenium as it can be dangerous to your horse if excess is provided.

Dr Richards also suggests that reducing or restricting intake of lucerne, clover and any product containing soy during high risk times. These feeds contain oestrogens which can cause magnesium to be excreted from the body and also as they tend to be high in potassium.

Don’t ride your horse at these times, if you need to provide exercise and your horse is okay to lunge this would be a better option.

If your horse is showing serious and dangerous symptoms, then it might be time to call in a professional. You may need to have magnesium levels checked by a vet and if your horse is really

There are myriad causes of ‘behavioural issues’ that relate to pain, training, ‘bucket feed’, ulcers an unhealthy gastrointestinal system and so on. These underlying issues are exacerbated in spring due to the extra sugar and starch or the horse simply having more energy to express how it’s feeling.

I urge everyone not to jump immediately to ‘magnesium deficiency’ as the cause of all issues during spring. Not only it is relatively uncommon, but not much is known about it in horses. Owners must do due diligence in investigating all aspects of their horse’s health before playing around and adding additional and likely unnecessary supplementation willy-nilly.

I would like to acknowledge Dr Shannon Pratt-Phillips for her excellent points on spring grass safety and also Dr Nerida Richards for her fabulous recommendations about how to manage a potential magnesium deficiency.

INSIDE OUT

Equine Health

WHY ARE INSIDE OUT EQUINE HEALTH MINERAL PELLETS BETTER THAN OTHER MINERAL AND VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS?

Individual diet plans for horses and ponies based on their specific requirements created independently, face-to-face or via online diet analysis.

Faecal egg counting and pasture testing also available (done offsite).

Contain high levels of copper, zinc, selenium and iodine, all of which are missing from Australian pastures and soils. These minerals are imperative for: • immunity and growth • • bone strength • insulin stability • thyroid gland function • energy and perormance • optimal metabolism function • hoof integrity • muscle and nerve function tolerance • glucose tolerance • coat and skin health Contain a high level of vitamin E perfect for horses on limited pasture of those with laminits/cushings/ IR or recovering from illness.

Contain a full daily dose of biotin so no need for any other hoof supplements (Performance Plus and Lucerne Lovers Pellets).

Made with organic Bioplex® minerals when appropriate.

Some of the results from happy clients and their horses.

“My farrier can’t believe the difference in his feet.

He’s now buying the minerals and recommending them to all his clients.”

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It’s amazing really.”

“Equiflax has all but healed my horse’s skin issues.”

Small range of premium, palatable and grain free supplements created by a nutritionist for every horse and pony. www.insideoutequinehealth.com insideoutequinehealth@gmail.com

THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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Fashion focus - Sharen White

Makers Mark

Equine

with innovative designs and functionality - powerful yet feminine, elegant. New and exciting sport materials.

I can stand up for MME products, and I am proud to wear them.

Breeches that have stepped up - 4x4 way stretch; breathable; quick dry; pockets, high quality that is designed to be ridden in tough environments but looks at home on a runway. Distinctive detailing that ensures a Rider feels great - a fun and a unique fresh change for Riders.

The Next Best Part - Personal Communication: Innovative Thinking

MME Parties throughout Tasmania allow the prioritisation of face to face interaction - MME puts the Customer first. Unbeatable Customer Service is the essence of MME, the grass root development of relationships and wonderful experiences.

Nestled in the valleys of Australia’s smallest State, Tasmania dwells MAKERS MARK EQUINE. The Inspiration Behind Makers Mark Equine (MME)

Riding since childhood - enthusiastic or obsessed? I am energised and like things to happen. I like to create. MME was my thought bubble, my next direction. I sat down and started thinking, notetaking, planning. Sports outside equine were developing new technological materials designed to maximise and optimise. I wanted to be unique, designs were in my head - I love colour and movement and have always loved eclectic fashion with classic tones.

Makers Mark Equine is named after my best Friend and Confidant Makers Mark a majestic Chestnut Thoroughbred that excelled for me on the Track, Show Ring and Dressage arena, he became my inspiration.

The MME Logo - partly designed by my son Grayson (when he was in Primary School) and showing my Racing Colours.

It takes a Village, and I had that Village - I am eternally grateful.

The Best Part - Choosing Garment Focus

MME is a fashion-conscious destination with beautiful, functional clothing that flatters the body. Breeches, Tops and Jackets that seamlessly flow between horse life and social life. Well made

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MME’s unique ability to handle the entire process - WebShop; MME Parties; Customer Service; Warehouse; Selection; Ordering; Sales.

Having full control of the entire process ensures an efficient business model with less waste and enables the MME 100% Guarantee to offer hassle-free returns confidently - we want you to be delighted with your purchase.

Business v Family

It takes a Village, and I have that Village.

Equestrian sports inspire courage, responsibility and passion challenging the equestrian fashion industry with innovative thinking requires the same, and my Village wraps around and inspires me with courage, responsibility and passion.

Tips for Stylish Riders

Be authentic to yourself; Know your Stretch, Technical Fabrics star.

Classic designs can Sparkle. Embrace Your Shape. Be Brave to try new fabrics and innovative styles. Dress to Shop; To check inside - a garment’s lining is a ‘calling card’; Open Your Mind - always try on a least one ‘it’s lovely but its not me’ (you never know); Wearing White - seek out the light (often see thru); Don’t buy boring; try a thicker waistband (accentuates the waist & shows off curves). Customise Your Buttons; Don’t skimp on a T-shirt or Sports Bra.

Aspirations - What Next

The response to Makers Mark Equine has been above all expectations, never in my wildest dreams did I believe I could establish so quickly in such a competitive market.

What Next ….. My Craziness continues, My Motivation develops; New Products are sourced; New Grounds to Break and Challenges to be Faced.

High quality, custom made products including bridges, water boxes, rope gates, trot poles, cavaletti and more...

MAKERS MARK EQUINE welcomes you to the MME FAMILY. www.makersmarkequine.com Join Makers Mark Equine on FACEBOOK MME Parties available in Tasmania Personal Assistance always available only a message or phone call away MAKERS MARK EQUINE : 10% Discount Exclusive to Think Horsemanship Readers: #MMEmyCHOICE

Breeches, Tops, Jackets that seemlessly flow between Horse life and Street life.

Powerful yet feminine and elegant

info@horseplayobstacles.com.au 0411 151 208 Horseplay Obstacles We currently only service Victoria due to shipping constraints.

We understand the passion people have for their horses and ranch events that simulate the true life of a working ranch horse.

Horses that are great to ride and can compete in a range of classes from riding simple to complex patterns to cattle events. Horses that are versatile and exemplify a great riding horse.

Your horse does not need to be registered with a breed association; ranch horse is open to all horses over 13.2hh excluding gaited horses and mules.

As a member of Australian Ranch Horse you receive: • Official membership so you can compete in all Australian Ranch Horse events • Official membership card • Selection of classes designed to provide levels of competition for everyone • Clinician discounts for nominated clinics • Regular updates of whats happening in our newsletter • Members are eligible to participate in: • End of Year Awards • Points and Achievement Awards for your horse Membership is for a 12 month period from 1st July to 30th June each year.

www.makersmarkequine.com 0447 680 997

Membership is : Family: $60.00 per year | Single: $35.00 per year Youth: No Charge

THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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Brittany Flinn

Horse

Tradin’

“Where the leather is scarred there is a great story to tell”

Anyone that knows my husband and I knows we have a touch of the vagabond in our blood. The yearning to see new horizons and not ride the same trails day in day out. This is both a blessing and a curse – thinking the grass is always greener on the next station, on the next horse or around the next bend. We have slowed down the circus in our more mature years, but still find ourselves catching a sweet scent on the breeze and wondering where it came from or where it leads to.

We had, at times, found ourselves time-rich and money-poor, due to feeling like new bits, spurs, ropes and saddleblankets definitely took precedence over saving, eating and other such boring adulty-type preoccupations. This is where our journey into the murky waters of horse-trading began.

We spend ample hours riding the range and never realised that these hours and miles were an opportunity that not everyone had the luxury of experiencing. One of our first trades came through a friend of a friend – an endurancebound arabian mare whose club foot had abruptly ended 62 www.thinkhorsemanship.com.au

her career before it began and she found herself at a loose end until we came along.

We learned so much from this sassy and strong mare – she was not your typical station horse, yet once we figured out how to ASK her to chase the cows, nothing could stop her.

She was so intelligent that she logically knew what needed to be done to cut a beast out, and because she knew what her job was, riding her was an absolute breeze – what she lacked in “cow”, she made up for in brains, and turned my opinion of arabians around on its head.

We didn’t initially intend on trading her, but it became pretty clear that the monotonous job of pen-riding was beginning to get on her nerves. Another horse would have enjoyed the simple task but for her the lack of stimulation was clear and she was becoming sour and bored. I took some fancy photos of her and with trepidation I listed her on the scary world of facebook. After a few conversations, the most lovely lady came to visit – and it was clear from the minute she stepped in the saddle that this was a match made in heaven.

My heart was in my mouth watching a stranger climb up on my sensitive, temperamental chesnut mare, but I shouldn’t have worried. Horses have an amazing ability to look after themselves if you give them the tools to do so, and she made me prouder than a pen full of peacocks.

The lady paid me my money and loaded her up straight away and I watched her drive off down the dusty driveway to a life of pampering, fun and success – so what was that pang of trepidation that suddenly came over me?

I was so pleased with her new owner and I was pretty damn chuffed with our efforts of turning this green, tetchy and gangly filly into a fine workhorse and something that someone else actually wanted to pay their hard earned money for – BUT, there was a huge BUT in my thought process. I didn’t want to tell anyone that I had sold her. I was afraid that someone would tar me a dealer, a trader, a greasy, greedy rider just out to make a buck.

It was so far from that. I felt this warm feeling that I was this glorious matchmaker – an honourable job that gave this lady a lifelong friend and happiness, and in turn gave this mare more than I ever could.

We quietly carried on, and another mare came across our path – a little quarter horse that was genuinely little – about 13 hands and rejected due to her short stature. A friend thought she shouldn’t be cast off just because of her size, so that’s where we came in. With time in abundance, we started her and took her to work. She was roman nosed and not the prettiest horse-pony out there, so she garnered the name “Ugly Betty” or just “Betty” for short. She was a bit suspicious and reserved and took a lot of thinking of how to get her out of her tough little shell. She turned out to be a bit of a cow-eater and was our tough pony of choice whenever we were moving mean cows and calves – she wouldn’t take any rubbish from those old girls and we admired her for it. She was never going to be with us in the long term due to her size, but now we had turned her from a cast-off into something that someone could love. So again I advertised her, and after fielding many calls from unsuitable owners, I spoke to the most perfect girl on the phone who would drive up from interstate to take a look at her. On the way they ended up with a flat tyre and a wrong turn, so they arrived at 11:30pm – and we had no choice but to show her under lights – which she took in her stride, just like a stranger riding her and all that that entails. I was damn proud of this little gritty mare, I was proud of how she handled herself and I was proud of the job we had done. She loaded up like a champ and again I watched her leave – with no hesitation for her future but with that dirty feeling like I had just dealt some drugs or something.

A friend called us up one night to say their son had acquired a free horse and it was way too much horse for him – would we like him to see if we could turn our hand to helping this creamy gelding out? We agreed and the next day “Casino” arrived. Scared, spooky and squirrely as hell we were lumped with him so did our best. The first time we saddled him he flipped over backwards then bucked so hard he fell down – three times. James and I looked at each other and gulped – sure we had bitten off more than we could chew. He was so spooky you couldn’t turn your head to talk to someone whilst on him – he would shoot out from under you like an

arrow and leave you in the dust. Sure enough station life is such that it requires horses to rise to the occasion – the trick is throwing them in the deep, but not too deep that they drown, just deep enough to make them come out the other side a winner. We learned this lesson the hard way when we went mustering in a forage sorghum crop. Think really massive green oversized stalks about shoulder height, lots of them, and cattle running about in it, and then trying to muster them even though they can’t see you and you can’t see them until you are on top of one another. James took Casino as he felt he had graduated to some serious work.

Some of the cattle got to running and Casino knew he had to keep up. What nobody bargained on was how those sorghum stalks would feel to a horse when the horse gets going quick and the stalks start to slap up under his belly, poke him in the flanks and prod him in the willy. THEN you find out what you are made of – or not! Casino took to jumping/bucking/twisting and leaping away from those slappy sticks, which made it worse, and eventually James hit the deck and Casino followed suit – rolling right over the top of James. Spitting out dust we realised what happens when

THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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you focus a little too hard on “getting the job done”. Casino took a long time but eventually made a handy little horse and we were happy for him to find his next adventure. He definitely taught us a whole lot.

Next along our path came “Yella” – a pretty palomino gelding that had bucked his owner off too many times and the next time he would be facing the rifle if we didn’t take him. A friend had ridden him some and knew he was too good to be six-feet-under so he rang us. Needless to say, Yella was difficult to get to know, but predictable in his bucking bursts and easy to read. Turns out he could move really well and stop like a legend. I loved riding him and he made us look like hands – if we managed to stay on! Every morning for about two years he bucked until we nutted him out. Somewhere in his past he had had some really good miles put on him so when we finally figured out how to peel back his onion layers he was actually a damn fine horse. Turns out he had more woah than go and now that he felt safe, he did as little as needed and not a step more – He was as reliable as the clock and there was no more broncing – and he actually turned out to be kinda boring! He was the pick of the bunch for a while there, but then we moved to mountain country and this horse’s heart just wasn’t in it. You had to pedal him up every damn hill and he just wanted to laze under the shade – we had plenty of youngsters coming through so why make a fish climb a tree if he damn well didn’t want to?

So, up went the ad. He garnered a lot of interest because of his pretty looks but I had to try and field all of the interest to really get down to the right person. A guy that was after a quiet horse to learn to team pen on came first. I was super nervous as I really wasn’t sure how Yella would cope with a big 100kg+ guy, and as soon as the guy got out of the car his bravado hit me in the face like a hammer. I got on and rode him but the guy wasn’t interested in watching and cut me short pretty quick. He was itching to get on and show me 64 www.thinkhorsemanship.com.au

all he could do. Against my better judgement I let this guy on and he wanted to test out Yella’s spins and stops as fast as he could. Yella was a bit slow off the mark for this guy so out came the hooks! He spurred Yella as hard as he could and Yella wasted absolutely no time in telling this guy in no uncertain terms where he could shove his spurs.

I was secretly chuffed when the guy quickly dismounted and handed me the reins, berated me for “false advertising” and got in his car and drove away. Old Yella had his knickers in a knot but was otherwise unharmed. The next lady in line was from the city, with a pushy manner and who wouldn’t take no for an answer. She was looking for a school horse for her riding stables and I did not think that Yella would suit her at all. But, after telling me that she had already booked her plane ticket, I got off the phone having agreed to a horse inspection and having no idea how it happened.

I waited around for a couple of hours after the agreed viewing time and she hadn’t showed, so I assumed I had been stood up. I turned to take Yella back inside and a little buzz box careened up the driveway. A lady dripping in jewellery got out and she said “I drove right past your gate! You said you were 8 km past the town – I was looking for an actual town – not two houses and a fuel station!” She then pointed toward a magnificently skinny blonde girl dressed in white breeches and black tall boots – “This is Megan, she will be riding your horse today”. Megan looked like she was ready for a photo shoot, and she took one look at my big clunky Wade and rope – and said with a curling Irish accent and a smile– “Would you mind showing me his paces?”. After I rode around somehow feeling intimidated in my own paddock, I park up next to her and adjust my leathers for her beautifully long legs. I am thinking of all of the hundred ways this is going to go bad and swallow my fear and hope for the best.

She nimbly springs up, looks momentarily confused by all of the leather and ropes and mecate, but organises herself and

It has taken me a long time to admit that I have traded in horses. walks off. I’m on the edge of my seat, and she gathers up her reins… and Yella transforms into this magnificent dressage horse, with half pass, collection and haunches in, beautiful ten metre circles and the most floating canter I have ever seen. She jumps a couple of logs and I pick my jaw up off the floor. I have no idea where he had been stowing all of that talent but it was clear that she knew exactly where it was and he was all too happy to give it to her. I was speechless. She rides up to me and I can tell she is just as surprised as I am.

Jewellery-lady looks at me and says calmly, trying to stifle her glee – “I’ll book the truck for Friday?”. They hop in their little car and buzz off to the airport. I turn to Yella and look at him as he stands slack jawed and one leg cocked – “Where has THAT been for the last two years old mate?!”.

It has taken me a long time to admit that I have traded in horses. For some reason we all think that a person needs to have a “forever home” for their horse. I disagree. We weren’t the humans for these horses forever, but rather our paths crossed at a time when we both needed each other – we needed knowledge and pocket money, and these horses needed us to be a bridge between their current situations and their future. We are proud to be in contact with almost all the people that we have sold horses to – not one has a bad word to say about the horses or their experience with us, and they all brighten our day with telling us about their latest adventures. I am not ashamed anymore to have been the matchmaker that made these people and horses’ happy.

We in turned received a bucket load of lessons that no clinic, video or book could ever give us.

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Bronte McShane

Young

Ever since my first ride on a horse at the young age of one and a half, I have loved it. I have had numerous horses during these 15 years, all who have been a big part of me becoming the horsewoman I am today. I was first introduced to this sort of horsemanship at the age of 7 by my Mum and her friends when I was starting a little Welsh Pony that my Mum had bought as a project. We fell in love with him and he fell in love with us. Monti stayed with us for 5 years, the two of us making an amazing partnership and learning so much together.

When I was 12 Mum started participating in horsemanship clinics with Anthony Desreaux. She would then come home and teach me. My first clinic with Ant was in December 2016 where I started my homebred, Quarter Pony, BJ’s Craka Jack. This was an awesome experience that led to further opportunities like A Legacy of Legends in 2018. At A Legacy of Legends, I was lucky enough to participate in the Kip and Missy Fladland clinic which helped me develop more of an understanding of the connection between what I had learnt with Ant and English riding. Afterwards I was also very fortunate to ride in Buck Brannaman’s clinic which was an awesome experience and another stepping stone towards the development of my horse knowledge. I learnt so much from this clinic that I was able to practice on my horses back home in Tassie.

I have developed an understanding of the importance of having a true bond with your horses and allowing them to trust you

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Guns

rather than be intimidated by you. Horsemanship has taught me that there is a soft way to achieving any result. I have been able to use the knowledge I have established on all the horses I have owned to ensure they are soft and balanced. Timing is also a large part of horsemanship to ensure you are working with the horses so they can learn and accept what is asked of them. Patience is a key part which I have struggled with throughout the years and have had to learn to be better at.

Suppleness, balance, timing and patience are all key aspects to the progression of my two horses that event. They are required to compete in three phases that all require different skills.

During the dressage stage my work with them is to be supple and look effortless. During Cross-Country my horses have to be engaged and listening to my seat to ensure a safe ride for the both of us. One wrong move or miscommunication with my horse and it could end badly. Another huge part of this phase is the trust between horse and rider which is developed through horsemanship. I ask my horses to face obstacles at speed, jump down banks, into water, often not knowing what’s on the other side. The trust between us is so important to get around a course safely. Show Jumping requires accuracy and speed which can only be acquired if my horse is balanced. When working with my eventers I ensure they are good allrounders, allowing me to spend time trail riding, going to the beach and moving sheep.

At times it’s been a rocky road to get to where I am now but with the strong support of the people around me, I have been able to

achieve my goals. In September I will be heading over to NSW to participate in Pony Club Nationals and Australian Interschools Championships on both horses which will be a rewarding and eye-opening experience.

Mum and I occasionally work with horses that need to be started or just need a few more miles on them. Some of the horses that I have had since being introduced to this type of horsemanship have had trust issues. The many horsemen and women that I have been fortunate enough to work with and observe have helped me develop techniques to be able to earn and keep my horses trust. This is a very important element in the many aspects of equestrian especially eventing. Before I achieve my goals, it is important that I develop a relationship with my horse.

I am able to do this through horsemanship.

Even though I’ve been riding for 15 years, my journey has really only just begun and with some amazing horses and people teaching, guiding and supporting me, I’m excited to see what the future brings.

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Tamara Coakley Affinity Equitation

Cold Days,

Warm Hearts..

Photo Credit: Zoe Phillips Photography

Uggh the winter weather continues! Well, maybe it’s just us poor Victorians that are feeling the freeze! ;) Here I sit under my doona with the heater pumping as the rain pours down outside trying to write an article about riding when it’s kind of the last thing I want to be doing when it’s 3 degrees!! So…that got me thinking about what we can do to handle our horse obsessions through the winter as we look ahead to the lovely days of Spring?!

First. How about giving yourself permission to have an actual training break? Could you perhaps set things up so your horse can have some time off? A bit of an extended rain check, enjoying eating lots of hay, and keeping warm by playing with their friends out in the turnout paddock? Just let them be a horse for a bit, while you nurse your coffee and chilblains! I’m not sure about you but when my feet and hands are numb, and I have trudged through the mud to get my (muddy and unrugged) horse and just as I finish brushing and saddling up with my lovely nubuck leather saddle it starts RAINING I feel only ever so slightly annoyed!

This is never a good headspace to be in when you work with your horse anyway, so maybe just choose to let it go and surrender to the situation!

Stay inside with a hot cup of tea and watch Classical Dressage DVDs instead! Get into some online courses with your chosen Trainer or someone you have heard about and not had a chance to check out. Or take the opportunity to stretch your knowledge and investigate somebody biomechanics or hoof function videos! What about focusing on your own body, some Pilates, or Feldenkrais or Mindfulness to address crookedness or issues in your own posture or mindset? Educate, Educate, Educate! You are the master of your own learning possibilities! Be your own Coach and dig in, particularly to areas that may require you to really THINK! Of course, we all love to see our horses, or else we get withdrawals, so if there are some nicer days, why not use these as togetherness times? Instead of ‘working’ your horse, why not hang out together, go for some long walks, let your horse feel that you are happy to be with them just enjoying the time. It’s lovely to stroll through the bush or down a dirt track without the pressure of being on board,

Photo Credit: Zoe Phillips Photography

Photo Credit: Zoe Phillips Photography

for you and the horse! This is an excellent opportunity to get present to your feel, your ability to direct your horse’s thoughts and feet. Practice more ‘Direction’ and less ‘Correction’ and see how your horse feels about it. ;) Check out the dynamics of your partnership, is your horse willing and confident to go with you? Are they dragging you to eat grass or stepping/leaning on you as they walk, distracted and tense? Why not dig deeper into these areas that are the real reflection of your relationship with your horse?

If I had a dollar for every time I have to address the essential foundations of calm, boundaries, communication with people that come to clinics/lessons wanting to train their horses for Obstacles or Dressage etc., I would have the money to build that indoor arena I want! ;) This is where it’s coming undone for many horse owners. Horses value the small stuff… That’s the world they live in, at the risk of harping on this point, spend the time learning and getting this right!! And I don’t mean just enough to stay in control and not get squished, how about enough that it feels really good to BOTH you and your horse.

What does that look like?

Relaxed and confident.

Breathing, releasing tension and physical restrictions.

Walking calmly on your track.

Horse walking calmly on his track.

Soft eyes/expression.

Good balance and carriage.

Fun and enjoyable for both.

Getting back to that Indoor arena…If you are blessed to have one or know of one close by, take advantage of this!

Book yourself in for one or two visits per week if you can afford too and enjoy the calm dry environment. You could ride of course, but you could also apply all of the above and add your in-hand work to this too. Sink your teeth into understanding and learning lateral movements such as shoulder in and Travers. And what about laying out some poles or cones and having some fun maintaining fitness THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

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with walking and trotting in-hand and online over and through grids and patterns. Get a couple of your friends to join you and challenge yourselves to learn something new together. I have groups of students in various areas of Victoria and around Australia that have organized a regular Lesson Day with me, usually every 4-6 weeks and in the interim time they support each other in their horsemanship journey. There is so much value in a training buddy! Eyes on the ground can help us accelerate our progress. Don’t underestimate what other students can offer you. It could be something as simple as “Don’t forget to Breathe”! ;)

I see the most rapid progress with my students who take on this approach of commitment to regular Lessons and Coaching Days, who create a Support crew, and who actively engage in self-development through reading and educating themselves. I also offer support, articles, videos etc. through my Affinity Equitation Students Community Group on Facebook. This Group is open to those that have attended Clinics, Workshops or Lessons with me.

If you are a snow-bunny that loves the cold then, by all means, keep at it with your riding too! Just be safety conscious as it may be better to ride out on solid surfaces like dirt roads or gravel tracks, then to ride on slippery grass or a water-logged arena! Be conscious that if your horse is reluctant to move forward or is not as ‘responsive’, they could be trying to let you know that they don’t feel stable underfoot. Case in point, one of my young geldings looked quite anxious when his back feet started to slide down the incline near my arena yesterday involuntarily!

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A clear day after rain can sometimes be the riskiest time due to slippery surfaces so just take care. Some voluntary time off during the winter is better than forced time off due to injury from a fall or accident!

If you are riding out, practice some ‘training on the trail’.

Ideas-Can you gently yield your horse from the left side of the track to the right side using your seat and leg aids and keeping a correct flexion? Can you play with the speed within the gait and transitions as you go down the track, for example, slow walk, longer walk, up to a trot, back to a walk? Can you work your transitions from your breathing?

Use the horse’s natural forwardness to your advantage and work on your rising trot! Can you rise and sit without ‘falling’ onto your bottom or ‘pulling’ yourself up by tipping forward with your upper body? Are you staying balanced above your horse or do you lean to one side or the other?

Are your sit bones even on your horses back? This is what I call “Thinking Horsemanship”. Don’t just switch off and use your horse as a mobile armchair. They are the ones doing most of the work, so it’s our job to make them as comfortable as possible and to share the load! This doesn’t mean we aren’t relaxed or that we have to be doing something all the time, just keep these concepts and ideas in mind and play with them and you might be surprised at the flow on results!

So above all, stay safe, stay warm and keep it fun for you and your horse! And if you just end up drinking tea and eating bikkies in the tack room that’s ok too! ;) xx

EDUCATION BOX!

If you need a place to start with your in-hand work how about revisiting my first Article in Edition 1. of THINK magazine. “Begin at the Beginning”.

Here is some information on gear to use and why!

The purpose and benefits of using a classical style cavesson are…” To be able to work from the middle of the nose of the horse in order to create proper spinal alignment when asking for flexion and bend.

“It is comfortable and provides uniform contact on the horse’s nose but no pressure if used properly which is never as a discipline tool but as a tool for good alignment and helping develop a straight and supple horse.” The solid style may stay more centred without having to over tighten the chin strap to keep it in place, so if you are looking to buy a solid Serrata style, make sure it is NON SERRATED. The Serreta designed by Master Horseman Manolo Mendez is what I would recommend. (above info from Manolo’s website) The other style which is probably easier to handle for those less experienced in schooling in-hand, would be a Classical Baroque Cavesson with Flexible noseband and Three Rings as pictured.

“This cavesson is a professional tool, not only for the work from the ground in-hand work and lunging, but can even be used for riding. Instead of a bulky nose shackle, it has a special linked chain, which is covered by high-quality leather, making it highly flexible. Due to this, the cavesson is able to adjust to every profile without losing any of its effectiveness.”

“It allows and creates spinal alignment and also encourages an open throat and gullet so the horse is not inhibited in its breathing and can engage correctly.” This cavesson style is what I personally

BNT Stud

use, choose as good a quality one as your budget allows. One higher quality, correctly design cavesson is better than the potential damage or easy breakage caused by cheap inferior products in my opinion. Several online stores sell quality gear.

Below are a few links. https://horsemans.shop/ https://classical-equestrian.com/

Photo Credits: Zoe Phillips Photography

Breed. Nurture. Train.

Owned and run by Tamara Coakley of Affinity Equitation

Breeders of designer coloured PHAA, AQHA and the amazing Australasian Azteca horses!

BNT Stud is producing some of the rarest coloured and top quality Azteca Horses in Australia. Combining all the things we love about the Spanish horse and the Quarter Horse and Paint Horse breeds creates a truly versatile equine friend!

When you buy a foal or horse from us, be assured it has been handled gently but firmly, not spoilt or overly desensitized. Our horses are raised in a natural herd environment, with correct nutrition. Taught to THINK, yield to pressure and follow a feel. Their bodies and minds are sound which allows them to reach their full potential as performance horses without any bad habits established.

Standing the magnificent imported Blue Roan Tobiano PHAA stallion 'Heza Blue Tom Cat' (Imp).

It is our commitment to present all our horses as respectful, sound minded equine friends. The rest is up to you....

All inquiries welcome. www.affinityequitation.com.au FB www.facebook.com/BNTStud/ • FB www.facebook.com/ausazteca/ THINK Horsemanship Magazine spring 2019

71

Next Issue SUMMER Out November 1st 2019

Interview with: Jeff Sanders and Steve Halfpenny

Special Feature: Working Equitation

$30.00 Plus Post

available soon in a variety of colours

www.thinkhorsemanship.com.au

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Hoya Heritage ASH Stud

About Our Horses

We breed for temperament, intelligence and natural cow sense using old working blood lines and because of this our horses are HSH (Heritage Stock Horse) recognised.

They descend from the same horses used in WW1 (Walers) and those bred for early stock and station work. Heritage Australian Stock Horses come in a range of colours which includes cream and silver dilutions and Paints.

About us

We train using natural horsemanship methods largely derived from techniques from Buck Brannaman, Ray Hunt and Anthony Desreaux. Our aim is to create a union between rider and horse so that both can feel safe and accepted.

We sell handled 1 and 2 year old’s and started horses.

Our Management

Our horses are handled from birth and are raised with the herd until 2 years of age. We believe that this teaches them to be respectful of other horses and humans. They are vaccinated for Strangles, Tetanus, Herpes and Hendra, microchipped and wormed. Our horses have strong groundwork and can be led, shod, wormed and have their teeth filed without complaint, have no biting or kicking vices and are respectful on the ground.

Our agreement with you

We will arrange and pay for the transfer of registration for the ASH Society and for your horses’ microchip, vaccination and management information to be transferred to your name.

We trust in our product and are happy to refund the purchase price on return of the horse if unsatisfied.

Our horses’ relationships with their owners are our advertisement so we are happy to work with you to achieve a shared partnership with your chosen life companion on an ongoing basis.

www.hoyapastoral.com.au

Email hoya@internode.on.net

THINK Horsemanship Magazine Summer 2018

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