Apply your outrage locally!

This past weekend at Fair Hill International a rider was allowed to finish the XC portion even though blood was clearly visible in the mouth of the horse as early as fence 10( according to pictures and reports from those present). This has caused quite the ruckus, as it should in my opinion. I have read opinions and great blogs questioning the blood rule, and decisions made by the officials, fears that this type of PR will hurt equestrian sport, and just pure outrage regarding all kinds of things connected to this event. Borrowing from political journalists I say we call this whole thing "Bloodgate." And "bloodgate" sure is getting people fired up, and I think that's good! Get fired up! State your opinion! Sign that petition and take a stand.

But you know what? I'm going to ask you to stay with that feeling of outrage and activism for a while, and try to apply it to your local equestrian community. Quite often equestrians at local levels "get away with murder", or more likely, negligent homicide. (Negligent homicide is the killing of another person (horse) through gross negligence or without malice). We all talk about "those people"at the local level: that have malnourished horses. Old school horses who can no longer carry little bouncy kids in lessons and instead of being given the sweet retirement (after earning money for their owner carrying one bouncy ass after another) in a field of clover, are dumped at meat auctions (I for one would rather the vet come out and give them a pain free end).
 How about the ones who have one freakish "accident" after another, when everyone knows it's caused by mis-management (if one is being kind and not just calling a spade a spade). Horses are getting hurt by people who cut corners knowingly every day. Horses are hurt because repairs were not done, and then not given the care and consideration they need to heal.
Old horses that have given their lives to their sport, are drugged and competed way too long, and everyone who sees it shakes their heads and whisper. "Can you believe she is still running that horse? How old is it now? 26?"
Crimes happen and people talk, but no one presses charges because they don't want any more drama, and just want the offender off their property so "they can move on." And they do, they move on to do it again to someone else.

These things go on in every community, and I could go on and on..........

So what do I want you to do? Make a big stink? Raise your voices? grab your pitchforks and run the bastards out of town? (YES!) No! You do not have to go that far.... You know what I'd like? I'd like to see the offenders we know about, (because we saw it, and there is no doubt) not be supported by people in the community. I'd like those that whisper and spread the rumors, shake their heads and "just feel awful" to put their actions where their mouths are.
You don't have to take a big public stand and yell from the mountain top that "so and so" did "this and that!" You can just NOT support them by action or word. Don't help them earn money, and don't give them your money! Stop going to that barn! Stop taking lessons from that trainer! Stop attending clinics/events at that boarding place! Stop recommending that person! Stop "liking and sharing" their events and results on social media! Just stop!
You can do that very quietly and without drama. You don't even have to tell others not to support that person, or even why you are not. If asked, just make a bland excuse and move on. Just distance yourself and leave it at that!  If you see the person, be polite, but don't invite them into your social equestrian circle. The best part is you do not have to spread the rumors, or be involved in the drama in any way. All you have to do is walk away! Retreat! And shut up! Easy peasy!

As equestrians we have a responsibility to stand for the horse, and sometimes the best way to do that is to do just that; just stand! Take that stand personally, and support horse people whose actions you agree with. Make sure those you recommend really are equestrians you recommend without reservations. Give your funds to people who you feel care for and treat horses ethically. Spread the word about trainers and barns that treat horses well. Support their events, and cheer them on.
 And apply the Thumper rule liberally:

"If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all!" But let's amend that a little: If you can't say something nice, don't talk crap about them, and then support that person in other ways.
...................... Just sayin'...................

The Learning Buffet

In my quest to becoming a better horse owner, and trainer, I am always looking around for pearls of wisdom. There are lots of venues to learn, great trainers, and I also find that I learn an incredible amount from "ammie" riders just like me. I read everything I can find, watch videos, read blogs and books, and peruse facebook groups. Basically I am obsessed!

Once in awhile I come across a type of person that I will call "the Cult Disciple." They are so convinced, and may I say "brainwashed," to their leader's way of training and riding that they are defensive right off the bat. And also often arrogant and self righteous. "So and so" uses only "this and that" method, and "no Gadgets," and anything else is "cruel," "abusive" and "unjust" and at best is a total "waste of time"and it will make you horse "fractious." This is a quick way to make me leave your school of thought behind. Nothing turns me off quicker than a hard sale, and the words "this is the only way...."

You know why? Cause there are 100s of ways to Rome. I will never become convinced that it is a good idea to swallow one training method, line hook and sinker, to get the best result with yourself and your horse. And the good news is that I don't have to do that; I can approach learning and training the same way I approach The Golden Corral Buffet. I can walk in, grab a plate, and fill it whatever I want. Maybe a little clicker training, with a bowl of BioMechanics and side of cowboy sauce. I don't enjoy the real crunchy Parelli stuff, and the Modern Dressage can be a little undercooked and tough, but boy I do love me some Classical Dressage. I eat that a lot, and have tried recipes from a variety of old chefs. But as I grow and mature, so does my taste buds, so I try new things, and if I still don't like it, I will just put it aside, and perhaps come back to it later on. 

The most important thing for me is to stay open minded, and ready to listen and learn. The only thing I try to judge is how the training method affects my horse, and if I am getting the desired results without causing pain or undue stress to my horse or myself. When something works I could care less if I heard it from Monty, Jane, Buck, Karen, George, Charlotte, Will, or Carl, read it in a blog, or heard it from a friend. Good Dessert is just good, no matter who first came up with the recipe. 

Selling my Lorenzini Evo Action Stirrups

"The Royal Rider Evo-Action Stirrups include a spring and coil system at the stirrup leather placement that is designed to adjust to the weight of the rider. The shock and tension of impact are absorbed and smoothly distributed through the body of the stirrup, through the natural flexibility and strength of the stirrup’s techno-polymer components. These durable, lightweight stirrups are made to ensure maximum shock absorption, providing cushioning relief from stress of impact and jostling movements upon the your joints."

I only tried these for a few rides, and they still look brand new. Great for bad knees. I really liked them but my ankle prefers the stirrups that drops to a 70% angle.
FREE shipping inside continental USA

Not knowing shit might be a good thing!

Have you seen the pictures of the Grand Prix riders in the Falsterbo warm up ring wrestling their horses? These are Grand Prix riders, the top of our sport, the riders that know how to passage and piaffe and who should be some the best our sport has to offer. They should be the elite, the ones "in the know." The Masters, the Professionals.....

I, on the other hand, am a student, not a teacher, or trainer or master. And I know that I don't know shit about horses or dressage. But knowing that I don't know, and truly recognizing that might just be the most important thing that I DO know. Because I am open, a sponge soaking in horse and dressage knowledge from any source I can find. I study the true teachers; Podhajsky, Lundqvist, Klimke, Savoie, Morris and the like. I watch western trainers like Brannaman, and learn how to listen and hear my partner. I watch videos from the Olympics in the 60s and 70s looking for softer and more relaxed movements.
I peruse Dressage Facebook pages, and read the advice to issues Pippi and I don't have (right now), and file it away for "some day." For what I reject today, I may use tomorrow. And I reject a lot! A LOT! And then a new issue comes up, and I flip through my mental rolodex and come upon some tidbit or advice, or recall someone I saw and either try it or reject it again. Often I try, and then reject only to perhaps revisit it again. And I ask everyone I know for anything they can tell me. And when they speak I listen, quietly, and sort through what I just heard and decide if this knowledge is for now or later.
I study the USEF rulebook by reading the The Snaffle Squads "one rule per day" at noon every day. Those rules are the perimeters and there is a lot to learn in them. I want to know what the rules actually say, and I want to know the goal of each step.

So when thinking about those riders in the warm up ring I have to wonder if they forgot a lot, or just think that they know. Did they get to such a high level technically that they no longer hear their horses? Did their knowledge drown out their hearts? Do they hear the concerns of the masses, that may not be able to piaffe, or do they just "know" that they know better. They are the best after all, so why should they still have to learn? Just because they know how to make a horse pirouette, do they know how to ask a horse to pirouette? A gaggle of riders, at the highest level, warming up together, do they show off to one another and feed off each other, and let their ambitions get the better of them? Are they honest with themselves, or do they know better than the rest of us "what it takes" for the horse to work at that level?
I am just happy that I don't know shit. It makes me question everything, search for answers and it makes me curious. The greatest barrier to learning and growing as a rider is thinking that I already know. I mean.... even I know that!

Dressage Stock-tie for $3.73!

Who here has no financial concerns whatsoever? You are excused, please go back to your charmed life, while the rest of us try to squeeze the last drop out of every last penny. It is Vet season, as in shots/coggins season, membership renewal season and show season, so my pennies are on fire.

As I am going to my first rated show, cue the applause, I need to look the part, which requires a Dressage Stock tie. You can find those quite inexpensively online, even Amazon has a few decent ones, but that is still too rich for my blood. Plus I didn't want to be all white and boring, and I have an imagination and a sewing machine with passable skills. So I puzzled and puzzled 'till my puzzler was sore, and went to find cheap material. The best place to find scrap material may not be your local fabric store, but instead your local Goodwill, where found exactly what I had in mind; white with a little color and a little sparkle with some great details already done for me:

White with blue and silver stripes.

I know the silver is not really showing in the pic, it is quite subtle, so perfect for Dressage. And since the front had all that detailed pleating, I decided to use that in some way. 

Just to be clear; I don't have a pattern for a stock tie, I just went for it. First I decided to make the collar part, and I looked at the collars of shirts and thought, whoa that's not easy to trace..... Come on Google, and lo and behold the interwebs had just what I needed; a Shirt Collar Pattern. So I printed that off and I was off and running. This shirt was made with wide interfacing at the front, the part that is sewed back from the buttons. The picture doesn't show it, but right below where the pic ends so does the pleating. I used that doubled up, folded back part with the interfacing for the collar, cutting one side for the collar on each side if the shirt. After finishing that, I played around a bit, and came of with this:

Upside down front portion of shirt

After cutting off the bottom of that, and sewing all the sides neatly, I ended up with a nice rectangle for bottom of my Stock tie. I then went and found one of my husbands old wider ties, and used that as a guide for cutting the tie part. I made two sides and then sewed them together. Then I attached the tie part to the collar and the rectangle on top and:

Finished!

I think it turned out just fine. I added a few crystals for some bling on the buttons, and plan on adding a Stock pin of some sort to hold it together and keep it from flying up as I ride; a dressage NO!

And the final price was just right for this cash strapped Dressage rider:

Hope that gave you some ideas........

Name that Disorder!

It is almost that time of year again in my neck of the woods; FLY time. Oh, you know it well, it is the time of year when you spend untold amounts of cash on fly spray and other fly related products, you ask others for advice about what they do, complain about just how many flies/ticks there are this year, and swear that it is worse than ever. You know you said that last year too, right? You Google and read all about adding garlic to your horses diet, and ponder whether any of the supplements on offer that claims to help actually do.

Meanwhile in the barn, your equine is suffering. Not from the bites, or the stings, or even the heat, oh no, something totally over looked by human companions (as far as this rider has ever heard or seen).

 Here is a Hint:

Now, what could it be?

What ailment and discomfort are you totally overlooking? You, who put your equines needs before your own? Who sends half your paycheck to SmartPak, and the other half to a top notch boarding facility?

Well, let me tell you:      SEASONAL TAIL FATIGUE!!! (I coined the term.)

If your horse has a tail, and I bet it does, even if it is not the heavy, thick variety, I bet that horse gets some rear end soreness this time a year. I know Pippi does. But then again, did you take a look at that tail? It weighs a ton!!

Even from a distance like this, you can see that we have a lot of junk in that trunk. 

So imagine......all winter she stands around, tail hanging like a useless appendage, unless a super cute, short and fat pony gelding comes around that is. (Pippi is a Chubby Chaser!) 

Then Spring comes, and then in early summer the flies start to swarm. And the tail goes to work, relentlessly swinging and swooshing attempting to ward off the attacks. It is completely ruled by instinct, but with each swoosh the muscles that make it happen groan. Especially for those who are endowed with a thick, flowy tail, but even for those with a scragglier rear. Its got to get sore. 

I can tell that it does for Pippi. She carries her tail bone a bit lifted, and her rump is just stiff and movements are just not as smooth. So what do I do? Massage!! I rub that rump! (There is a rapsong in that line.) I gently gather the hair in my hand, and pull on the tail, bending slightly to each side. I lift the hind legs and stretch them forward, and a massage that entire rump. Pippi seems to enjoy a deep tissue massage using the heel of my hand. Really get in there, rub the entire area surrounding the tail.

Make sure you keep an eye on your horse, and make sure they actually like what you are doing. Pippi will sidestep when I get to a particularly sore spot, and that tells me to soften a bit. I also use my thumbs and press them into two spots of the muscles. This forces the muscle to contract, which breaks up the Lactic Acid, and flushes it out of the muscle. You should feel the muscle contract, release pressure when it stops shaking under our thumb. With Pippi this often accompanies a deep sigh. 

WARNING: be careful with muscle ointments this time of year, as the sun might cause them to burn. Only use when you are sure the horse will be inside, and rinse off before horse enters the open sun. 

I hope this post helps a few sore tails out there, and that we may help our equines suffering from Seasonal Tail Fatigue. (Clever name huh? Just remember, I coined that phrase!! )  

My most valuable asset - Time!

Do you know what is equal for all things on earth? We all get 24 hours per day! Rich or poor, short or tall, punctual or late; 24 hours per day. I have no idea just how many of those 24 hour days I will get in my lifetime, and a large percentage of that time will be spent in pursuits I may not very much enjoy. 40 Hours per week I will be behind a desk, earning my living for the hours I can spend at my leasure. Let's call that portion "my life."

Here is my work week breakdown of "my life" when I am not working, driving to and from work or sleeping:

                          Monday-        6.5 hours of my life

Tuesday -       6.5

Wednesday -  6.5

 Thursday-     6.5

Friday-           6.5

Total:           32.5

I will defend "my life" from any encroachment on any level. As I age I find myself more and more annoyed at anything that wastes my time or energy. My kids are grown, and I relish in having this time to spend not beholden to anyone. That being said I very much enjoy spending my time with friends and loved ones, and I value and cherish the time they spend with me. Making sure I am available and punctual is very important to me, out of respect for them, and I ask the same back. 

Since I have had some early losses in my life, I am extra sensitive to the passage of time and the value of it. We have no idea how much sand is left in our hour glasses and so it is imperative to use it wisely. Don't waste your sand on pursuits you don't enjoy, or on things that waste your hours. And most importantly don't allow anyone else to steal your time. They have their own 24 hours, let them throw their own portion away. 

The Horse for the horse's sake

I think as we ride and train, and make plans for the show season, and day dream about perfect canter departs and smiles all around, it is important to remember that the horse doesn't give a hoot about ribbons or any of that crap!

A few years ago I came across a great documentary, and just this morning as I was watching the video of that rider punishing her horse for stumbling ,I remembered it. And I thought I would watch the documentary again to remind myself of the magic, of the horse and of my responsibility to my horse. I don't agree with everything mentioned, but after watching it I can't help but feel humbled.

Pippi doesn't care about ribbons, or first place, or Regionals, or where her head is placed, or how long her stride is. She does it all for me. Because she is kind, and caring, she does all these things that she doesn't understand, doesn't see the value in, and/or finds annoying. She does it not because I force her, but because I ask. Isn't that just amazing? How long would your best friend (the human ones) do something they saw no value in, for you? How long would you do it for them? A few minutes? A day or two? 3-4 days a week? and then sacrifice weekends when all you really wanted was to hang out and chill? When all you really want is green grass, sunshine and a friend or two dozing in a warm breeze? Would you give up a trip to the beach to exercise for hours in the heat after a long and cramped journey, for your friend?

Clearly I am over simplifying here, but I just think we need to be reminded often of the magic gift our horses give to us. Go hug your horse and say thank you, today and every day!

Here is the Video: