After the shoeing demonstration (which was courtesy of Daisy, Sue's futurity mare, who yanked off a shoe in some deep sand the night before), Sue showed us how to polo wrap a horse's leg.
I hate to admit this, but no matter how many times I am shown how to polo wrap a horse's leg, I still hesitate to do it.
I could probably be persuaded to do it as a standing/hauling bandage, but am not comfortable wrapping the leg properly enough for working. I have heard (and Sue reiterated) that it is easy enough to bow a tendon by improperly wrapping a leg.
So l just don't want to do it.
Now, I'll also tell you this, I do use Professional Choice SM boots on my horses for competition, however I have never felt that they really give a leg any support. Essentially I have used them (and bell boots) as protection against an inadvertent hit.
Sue brought out the boots she uses. Iconoclast Double Sling Support Boots and showed us how she puts them on and I will be ordering me a set of these boots for all 4 legs. The double sling support just makes so much sense. You can put these boots on and really snug them down. The double sling support also equals out the pressure on the fetlock and that is a good thing.
Here's a link to them...Iconoclast Boots
I think Pro Choice makes a double sling boot these days, but I'm ready to try something new.
After a workout or a run-Sue always braces a horse's legs to tighten everything up and help reduce any inflammation/soreness. She said she has had good luck with the Sore No More products-both the liniment and the mud (I've been wanting to try those products anyway...now I have a good reference...You can bet I'll be ordering them). The added benefit of using the mud is that is also requires hydrotherapy to wash the mud off. Cold hosing a horse's legs, knees and stifles has long been known to be beneficial and I sometimes think we forget about how simple things have worked for decade after decade.
After lunch, we got down to the business of working horses. Jumping on our own was not to be..yet! One of the girls had a young horse there and Sue used him as a demonstration horse to show everyone how she 'gyp's' a horse.
Essentially, 'gyping' a horse is using one of Parelli's 7 games, The Circling Game. No matter what you may think of Pat Parelli these days, initially, the man came up with some really interesting ways to work a horse on the ground. I have used parts of his 7-Games techniques for nearly 20 years now and always got a great response with them. As with anything, the key is to get the response you want and move on. I'll do a little video demo for you guys soon (if anyone is interested or does not know how the Circling Game works). It's a fantastic way to get a horse who is stiff and unresponsive to moving his front-end, ribcage and hip.
Once the horse is freed up in the front-end, responsive to the whoa and begins to drive off of the hock, Sue moved on to tying a horse's head around. This is no Clinton Anderson, tying their heads around until their nose touches the cinch crap either. EVER! Again, this is better shown through a bit of a video demo. The whole point is to just apply enough pressure that the horse can easily find release-first with just one rein through the cinch ring, then both reins and then between the legs. The horse is gently asked to move forward (either loose in the round pen or on a long line) until they get the feel of it and then they are asked to work up into the bridle. Again, the point is not to drill a horse to death. The point is to get a horse traveling up underneath himself and let him find a release.
The poll is directly linked to the hock. When a horse breaks a the poll and stretches into his neck his is then able to drive from his hock. EVERY horse needs to learn how to drive from his hock. Honestly, I can't think of a single breed or type of horse that does not improve his gaits when he is driving from the hock. If I am wrong, someone please correct me! Barrel horses absolutely need to drive from the hock. Their front ends need to be free and they need to carry their head in a relaxed position but 'bridled up'. The motto should always be...Drive from behind! You want to push the horse into the bridle, not pull him off of it.
A horse's head should never be tied so tight that he is behind the vertical nor have to get more than a degree or so behind the vertical to find his release. The stiffer a horse is, the more he will have to be driven from behind and the more he will probably have to work on this. That doesn't mean longer sessions...It means more sessions.
I've got a bunch in my crew that need these very things done to them. It's not that I didn't know about these exercises...I had just kind of forgot how beneficial they are.
Then it was time to mount up on our own horses...
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
You Know The Old Saying...
Either shee-ite or get off the pot?
Well, that's kind of where I am at. Bear with me.
Sue Smith's clinic this weekend was awesome. She is a fantastic horsewoman, has a wealth of knowledge and is clear, concise and direct in her instruction. But, she is super nice!
The first morning was spent discussing the ever important care aspects of 'the competitive horse'. While there are similar aspects, 'going down the road' is a whole 'nother beast than loading up and heading to your local events. When you start hauling over a hundred miles to an event and/or plan on being on the road for multiple events, the smallest of details start to make a difference as to how well your horse holds up.
Things like adding double mats in the trailer, doubling the depth of bedding and adding easy boots and wrapping legs can be the difference between pulling in and having a comfortable, reasonably rested horse vs. one who is sore or tired from riding in the trailer.
Feeds and feeding were discussed-While Sue was not trying to 'sell' anything, she uses what she uses because it works and she noticed differences in her horses whether they were on certain products or not. According to her, it's not so much the brand of feed you use as the type and quantity. Competitive barrel horses need a lower sugar/carbohydrate mix (as do most horses, except race horses) and a much higher fat content. And about twice as much feed as even I realized. While I am not going to be totally changing my feeding regime, I definitely found out that I need to get Moon on a lot more of the 'right' kind of grain than what he has been on.
Apparently ulcers are a huge concern. The aspects of hauling can bring those on as much as the nervousness repeated competition causes. Sue treats her horses with UlcerGuard just before leaving and while on the road, as well as feeds a supplement (Pink somethingorother-I'll have to look that up) that helps to coat the entire stomach. Also, keeping hay in front of a horse, so they can constantly nibble and keep something in their stomachs is important. I was pleased to find out that she is perfectly okay with horses being provided a hay bag right up to competition. Unless of course your horse is a hog. You don't want your horse to gorge himself before competition, but having a hungry horse usually means you have a crabby or less focused horse. I have always kept hay in front of my horses, particularly Moon, as he is always hungry.
Appropriate warm-ups depending on your horse. Again, pleased to find out that tons of warming up is not necessary, because I don't. If your horse is working properly and has had a chance to get some blood going to his muscles...it's just fine to take them back to the trailer (or go stand in a corner) until just before your run. About all they need right before a run is a nice stretching walk and maybe a bit of long-trotting to get the blood flowing again. Watching people lope and lope and lope...and lope their barrel horses before a run has always driven me crazy. If your horse is having a bad day and needs it...fine. But if they are working properly, tuned in and warmed up...Why would you work them to death before making a competition run? Besides...all of that sloshing in their guts, combined with probably little feed and a lot of nerves is a good way to get ulcers started!
Shoeing-Sue does the majority of her own shoeing. She is adamant that the hoof needs to be under the horse's leg, have the proper break-over and heel length. A barrel horse's front shoes need to have the heels a little tight (as minimal hang-over as possible), without causing contracted heels. This minimizes the possibility of a horse stepping on his shoe and ripping it off in competition. She likes to see some hang-over in the rear leg heels because she feels that it protects a horse's heel bulbs from burning and bruising. She uses these amazingly light (can't even feel them in your hand) aluminum Queen's Plate No-Vibe shoes. You can also get the No-Vibe in a metal shoe, which is more practical for people who don't run a lot and ride outside a lot. Now here's the kicker people...Competitive horses need to be re-shod at the most...every FOUR weeks. Re-setting the shoe every 2-3 weeks is more appropriate. That's how much difference even a little bit of growth can affect a run. When you are talking hundreths or even thousands of a second that determine earning a check or not....It's all about the details!
Speaking of details...Sue passed around several different types of shoeing nails that she uses depending on the ground she has to run in. Yea...The woman rides the ground and determines if she needs to add different nails! Then she proceeded to show us all how to re-set a shoe that has been pulled off or come loose and how to add different nails if necessary.
More to come...
Well, that's kind of where I am at. Bear with me.
Sue Smith's clinic this weekend was awesome. She is a fantastic horsewoman, has a wealth of knowledge and is clear, concise and direct in her instruction. But, she is super nice!
The first morning was spent discussing the ever important care aspects of 'the competitive horse'. While there are similar aspects, 'going down the road' is a whole 'nother beast than loading up and heading to your local events. When you start hauling over a hundred miles to an event and/or plan on being on the road for multiple events, the smallest of details start to make a difference as to how well your horse holds up.
Things like adding double mats in the trailer, doubling the depth of bedding and adding easy boots and wrapping legs can be the difference between pulling in and having a comfortable, reasonably rested horse vs. one who is sore or tired from riding in the trailer.
Feeds and feeding were discussed-While Sue was not trying to 'sell' anything, she uses what she uses because it works and she noticed differences in her horses whether they were on certain products or not. According to her, it's not so much the brand of feed you use as the type and quantity. Competitive barrel horses need a lower sugar/carbohydrate mix (as do most horses, except race horses) and a much higher fat content. And about twice as much feed as even I realized. While I am not going to be totally changing my feeding regime, I definitely found out that I need to get Moon on a lot more of the 'right' kind of grain than what he has been on.
Apparently ulcers are a huge concern. The aspects of hauling can bring those on as much as the nervousness repeated competition causes. Sue treats her horses with UlcerGuard just before leaving and while on the road, as well as feeds a supplement (Pink somethingorother-I'll have to look that up) that helps to coat the entire stomach. Also, keeping hay in front of a horse, so they can constantly nibble and keep something in their stomachs is important. I was pleased to find out that she is perfectly okay with horses being provided a hay bag right up to competition. Unless of course your horse is a hog. You don't want your horse to gorge himself before competition, but having a hungry horse usually means you have a crabby or less focused horse. I have always kept hay in front of my horses, particularly Moon, as he is always hungry.
Appropriate warm-ups depending on your horse. Again, pleased to find out that tons of warming up is not necessary, because I don't. If your horse is working properly and has had a chance to get some blood going to his muscles...it's just fine to take them back to the trailer (or go stand in a corner) until just before your run. About all they need right before a run is a nice stretching walk and maybe a bit of long-trotting to get the blood flowing again. Watching people lope and lope and lope...and lope their barrel horses before a run has always driven me crazy. If your horse is having a bad day and needs it...fine. But if they are working properly, tuned in and warmed up...Why would you work them to death before making a competition run? Besides...all of that sloshing in their guts, combined with probably little feed and a lot of nerves is a good way to get ulcers started!
Shoeing-Sue does the majority of her own shoeing. She is adamant that the hoof needs to be under the horse's leg, have the proper break-over and heel length. A barrel horse's front shoes need to have the heels a little tight (as minimal hang-over as possible), without causing contracted heels. This minimizes the possibility of a horse stepping on his shoe and ripping it off in competition. She likes to see some hang-over in the rear leg heels because she feels that it protects a horse's heel bulbs from burning and bruising. She uses these amazingly light (can't even feel them in your hand) aluminum Queen's Plate No-Vibe shoes. You can also get the No-Vibe in a metal shoe, which is more practical for people who don't run a lot and ride outside a lot. Now here's the kicker people...Competitive horses need to be re-shod at the most...every FOUR weeks. Re-setting the shoe every 2-3 weeks is more appropriate. That's how much difference even a little bit of growth can affect a run. When you are talking hundreths or even thousands of a second that determine earning a check or not....It's all about the details!
Speaking of details...Sue passed around several different types of shoeing nails that she uses depending on the ground she has to run in. Yea...The woman rides the ground and determines if she needs to add different nails! Then she proceeded to show us all how to re-set a shoe that has been pulled off or come loose and how to add different nails if necessary.
More to come...
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
A Busy Weekend...Starting N.O.W...
A day of rest (Yep...I wasted a perfectly beautiful day by taking a nap)...and starting tomorrow, I'm off and running...
I'm tired of messing with square bales, not to mention the cost. Oiy Vey!!! Sooo....A friend hooked me up with a rancher who puts up big round bales and I'm off tomorrow to check them out. He even delivers, so I'd have an entire winter's supply of hay right here. If the winter stays nice, I'll pitch it. If the weather gets crappy...just watch me drag bales into the pasture and let those ponies self feed. LOL...Some people call it being lazy...I call it being efficient!
Friday and Saturday...I'm loading up Moon and Spooks and going to a barrel racing clinic.
A couple of weeks ago, I was much surprised to have my neighbor (the veterinarian) knocking on my door. His wife is a PRCA barrel racer and she told him to stop over and invite me to a special barrel clinic she and Sue Smith are putting on.
I kind of held off deciding if I wanted to go or not. The Honey and I did have other plans for this weekend, but they fell through, so I decided, Why Not?
Interestingly enough, my brother knows Sue Smith and he told me she is a good hand. He thought she would be worth going to.
We are also having company for the weekend. They arrive on Friday. Saturday evening is the VNV/LV MC Christmas party and...
On Sunday, I told Meg, we are getting the round pen set up, a cross fence put up in the pasture and I have a couple of horses that need their feet trimmed.
Sooo...Just in case, you all don't hear from me for a few days....
I'm tired of messing with square bales, not to mention the cost. Oiy Vey!!! Sooo....A friend hooked me up with a rancher who puts up big round bales and I'm off tomorrow to check them out. He even delivers, so I'd have an entire winter's supply of hay right here. If the winter stays nice, I'll pitch it. If the weather gets crappy...just watch me drag bales into the pasture and let those ponies self feed. LOL...Some people call it being lazy...I call it being efficient!
Friday and Saturday...I'm loading up Moon and Spooks and going to a barrel racing clinic.
A couple of weeks ago, I was much surprised to have my neighbor (the veterinarian) knocking on my door. His wife is a PRCA barrel racer and she told him to stop over and invite me to a special barrel clinic she and Sue Smith are putting on.
I kind of held off deciding if I wanted to go or not. The Honey and I did have other plans for this weekend, but they fell through, so I decided, Why Not?
Interestingly enough, my brother knows Sue Smith and he told me she is a good hand. He thought she would be worth going to.
We are also having company for the weekend. They arrive on Friday. Saturday evening is the VNV/LV MC Christmas party and...
On Sunday, I told Meg, we are getting the round pen set up, a cross fence put up in the pasture and I have a couple of horses that need their feet trimmed.
Sooo...Just in case, you all don't hear from me for a few days....
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