LMAO!!

WOW! These types of videos always make me laugh because usually the people say "HEY I was just having fun so don't give me your opinion bla bla bla..." But then why do you post videos like this and then get so damn defensive?? In shorts? No fences, helmet, horse bucking??? If nothing else I guess the videos are funnier than hell! So enjoy some chuckles!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeOU0Iba1Xg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ-8xcwS-9E

This girl is riding with a halter and can't get her horse to stop...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDuwye7NJes

This one is really dumb and mildy irritating, but enjoy it anyway :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY0Sm-Z1HWc

I felt it was time for some laughs!!! My god I could be on youtube all day and find millions of videos just like these!!!

Let It Go

Safety lessons for the day!!!

We've all fallen off our horses, as a trainer I fall off more than I'd like too LOL, BUT one thing I always do when I fall is LET GO OF THE HORSE!! Never try to hang on to your horse, no matter what, it's dangerous and scary! You could get drug, break your arm, or get stomped on!! Just let your horse go, it will probably stop by other horses, run home, or you may have to go and find them, but they never seem to go to far!

Ugh, I'm going to start giving lessons to this girl and the horse her mom wants her to ride is WAY too much horse for her as she is way too inexperienced. So her mom tells me to watch her ride and see what I think of the girl and the horse as a combo and I say NO WAY! That will not be the horse she's going to learn on! The girl tries to halt the horse by not shortening up the reins and she has her hands way up in the air and the horse is still going and then bolts with the girl! My heart DROPPED! Luckily we got the horse stopped and the girl was fine and not scared but still. So if you have a beginner riding one of your horses, then YOU are responsible for teaching the how to safely get the horse to stop!!!! And they should always be riding a dead broke, bomb proof horse! That scared the tar out of me, luckily we have a lesson tomorrow and we will be using a 26 yr old dead broke awesome mare! PHEW!!!

Do NOT ride ANY HORSE that is inexperienced or unbroke, or even greenbroke without someone being around you! If something goes wrong, and you go unconscious you could end up dead or even more seriously hurt by not getting medical attention immediately. I NEVER break a horse or ride a green horse without someone on the property and I tell them, "Hey I'm going to go ride/work so and so." That has saved many a riders butts from being in BIG trouble!!!

All in all use common sense and stay safe! You don't want to get hurt right before summertime!!

She needs to be back handed!

Watch this video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2laZJbLnfeo&feature=player_embedded This girl is an idiot and for her to publicize her beating up her horse at least 3 seconds way too LATE is disgusting!! If the horse bucks you need to find out WHY!!!! And that wasn't even a bad buck, the girl is so dumb... Supposedly she has had a trainer come out and try to "Fix" it. All I know is the only fix that horse needs is a new home. I would come un glued if one of my students pulled this crap!!!

That Little Prick

You know... it's that time of the year. Vaccine time. All of the owner (who owns my barn) her horses were vaccinated with their west nile on Saturday. A week before they were all vaccinated with a 5 way shot. Well one of her horse's, actually her son's gaming horse, was found in serious pain on Sunday morning. He was almost sitting on his butt. He was in a serious stage of founder. The vet and farrier came out and things didn't look good on Sunday, however today he was doing so much better thanks to his owners icing him down every couple hours and the meds he needed ALL night long and day long.

So they called the previous owners of this horse and they mentioned that "Oh yeah I forgot to tell you he's foundered before from vaccines. Sorry." UGH! So the whole thing, maybe, could have been avoided. So here are some springtime vaccine tips!!!

• KNOW your horse! His history, his vet records as much info as you can squeeze out of the previous owners!


• Check on them before you go to bed the day you have given them the shot. Or have someone check on your horse for you... Being a tiny bit lethargic is OK the day of the shot, but that's IT!


• I personally NEVER EVER give 3, 5 or 7 way shots... Because if there is a reaction you can NOT tell what could have caused it... All mine are done separately. Yes a bit more costly, but worth it. I have had a horse react to a 5 way shot and it scared the tar out of me.


• If you are not sure call a VET!!!!!!!!!! Do not guess on dosage amounts or where and how to give shot. That is DANGEROUS.


• Your horse needs to be healthy when you give them any vaccines. Just like us getting a flu shot. We know they make us a little tired, but if we already don't feel well the shot is going to make us feel way worse, not better.

All in all just be careful, do your homework and keep those babies safe and healthy!!!!!!!

WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I usually don't post stuff like this but I'm so F-ing irritated I can't even believe it. I just found this ad on CL and all I can think is WTF is this?? This is disgusting!!! That horse is in terrible shape! And is DESPERATE for a new home! Now needless to say I AM going to be contacting some people about this IE: AC, horse rescues,whatever I can do. Why and how does this happen??? I am beyond grossed out this poor thing. I guess at LEAST they're trying to find it a new home but still! She is sad condition... I know a LOT of people in the hay industry and hay prices are soon going DOWN, so cases like this will soon (hopefully) be a thing of the past... But why would you dare post an ad like this? Do people think this OK or normal? And I don't want to hear the whole "Well she's old bullshit!" Oh man... *Head shake* IS THERE NO FUCKING MERCY ANYMORE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Second Opinions

So I found an ad on Craigslist last night about a girl who has experience working with "problem horses" and what do you know I have access to one of those! Well, she isn't actually a problem horse, it's just that she still wouldn't canter. So I felt it was time for a second opinion.

I contacted the girl and she was VERY knowledgeable. And young. But that was good. They're resilient. LOL! Anyway I really felt like me and S&D had tried almost everything with Sugar to try and get her to canter so again it was time for a second set of eyes. The girl contacted HER trainer to ask for advice and then came and met with us tonight.

The girl was amazing she hit the nail on the head and I had a total DUH DUMBASS moment! Circles. A horse has a rough time bucking or rearing or being stupid when they are in a circle. So sure enough within 15 minutes Sugar was cantering her little out. Now there was some protest! Some bucking and a rear and some sassyness, but the girl did a GREAT job! She was a good rider and got the job done WELL! I was kicking myself for not using the obvious (Hello CIRCLES) but I was thrilled to have the help and the reminder!!

That's one thing I will always stand by, is that no matter how good you are or you think you are, once you stop asking questions, or getting a second pair of eyes, you're done, you'll never excel any further! I believe in staying "green and growing" and you can only do that by learning more and getting a refresher!!! I can be too much of a logical thinker and some times over analyze the situation so I really appreciated that come back down to earth and quit working harder than you have to slap to the face! LOL!! I can only better if I allow myself to learn more! OH and Let me tell you S&D was BEAMING by the end!!!

You Didn't Learn The First Time???

Ugh sorry I've been so busy with Acacia, I barely find time for much else LOL!! Soooooo Remember the girl who I posted about, whose horse ran away with her and she fell off and received a mild concussion?? Well her horse is for sale for a very advanced rider only and anyway she went horse shopping a week ago and has already purchased another horse. Sounds neat doesn't it??? Not so much...

So the horse she buys had 30 days training put on it 3 years ago and has been a broodmare ever since. DUMB!! So the people who sold the horse to her said they would happily put another 30 days on the horse for her, which I know the people and Thank heavens they are actually HONEST horse people, but still. She never rode the horse, tested it out, nothing!! Which is the same thing that happened when she bought her other horse who hurt her! WHY?

Why do inexperienced horse people do this??? Why do they take horses at face value??? There is so much to buying a horse it is not funny! Just because it looks like a Mercedes on the outside doesn't mean the engine isn't that of Dodge Dart.

So it is what it is... She is going to do what she wants and has already bought the horse, BUT, here are a few tips for the rest of us when it comes to buying...

• PRE-Purchase EXAM!!!!! Get a Vet to tell you what how your "Engine" works. And that it functions PROPERLY!!!! No Lameness, health problems, Etc.


• Show up a few minutes EARLIER than your scheduled time. You want to know what they're doing to the horse before you get there. IE: DRUGS!


• Take a trainer or experienced rider with you, for help or a second opinion. A second set of eyes is a HUGE help.


• See the horse be lunged or work at liberty with NO tack on.


• Have the owner ride the horse FIRST. Then you can get on. And ALWAYS ride it!


• Do some in hand work with it to see how it's ground manners are.


• Look at the tack that is being used. Harsh bits, Tie Downs, and other "devices."


• Question EVERYTHING you want to know or don't understand.


• Find out what it eats and how it lives. Easy keeper? Hard Keeper? Stall? Pasture?


• Is it Up to date on everything? And what was given?


• Talk to other people at the same barn as the horse seller. Get their take on the horse.


• MAKE sure the horse will and can perform to your abilities safely and for the appropriate discipline. If you want a trail horse then don't settle for just an "arena" horse.


• Go out and ride the horse TWICE. To make sure the horse is consistent.

There is so much more you can do as well. And there is WAY too many good horses out there to settle for CRAP. Sorry, but it's true. Everyone should be able to have fun and be safe! Buying a new horse is exciting and should be nothing but a positive experience!

Good Tool

When breaking and training a horse, especially one that is a little more than nervous (Acacia), ponying is an amazing tool! Now this is not something I use all the time, however here are the benefits of ponying a horse.

I, personally, believe that a horse can learn by seeing things. So if an unbroke sees other horses being ridden maybe, just maybe it won't seem so scary. Maybe not. Maybe horses don't associate things that way, but to me it makes sense. To me I've seen some proof to the theory.

OK the benefits of ponying. First off you need a solid horse to pony off of, once that is handled get on your horse and walk around holding on to the lead rope of the horse you are ponying. I would never recommend tying an unbroke horse to your horn or anything. WAY too dangerous.

Next you can walk and trot with them. Get them used to moving when you and the horse say it's time to move. Also get right next to the unbroke horse and brush against them with your legs, almost mimicking as if you were on the unbroke horse. Plus being next to the unbroke horse will get them used to you being over their head, which is very weird for them. Pet them and reach your arm around their neck, pet their forehead and just touch them where you can. MAKE sure you really spend a lot of time brushing up against them with your legs and body, this will make it so that the first time you do actually get on, the horse won't react if you accidentally bump them with your legs.

Ponying on the trails is good too, to get a horse used to the sights and sounds of the "wild" outdoors without a rider to get in the way or get hurt.

Trained horses are an amazing resource to use for the untrained ones. And if you have the luxury of having a horse you can use as a pony horse than it's worth it's weight in GOLD!!!!

Fun Times!!!!

So this weekend was beautiful in Seattle and I thought it would be a great opportunity to teach one of my horses to cross a creek... So me and S&D got all tacked up and headed for the trails, crossing streets, railroad tracks and passing scary dogs. My horse was amazing!!!

Now for some stupid reason he has always had a fear of water, running water, I should say. He bathes just fine... So we get to the creek and it's pretty deep, maybe 2 and half to three feet and about 12 feet wide. So I get on the very trained mare and we begin to pony my horse across with S&D standing behind him encouraging him to go into the water. Well he finally has no choice but to leap in the water and we cross and I am thrilled!! So we cross and cross again and he's doing great. So I decide to get on him and see if he'll now walk across with me on him.

Well he turns into a complete jerk! Like we had not just done it! So I finally get him to the edge of the water and he puts his head down and is sniffing it and I'm patting him Good boy good boy!!! Well he decides to LEAP into the water!!! Naturally I was thrown off balance and hanging on for dear sweet life when finally it was just to late. His sudden leap to the left threw me to the right and I landed smack in the middle of the creek!!! LMFAO!!!!!!!! I was soaked, but damn it if he didn't do what I'd asked....

Good Times... S&D got a good laugh out of that one...

Absorb

When we learn anything new or when I'm giving lessons I will give the lesson, explaining it thoroughly and then I will step back and let my student absorb the lesson. Then ask questions and we'll carry on.

This same theory has got to be applied to horses. Example time!!!!! Yesterday while S&D was working with her mare Sugar, she was trying to get her to go over a bridge. Sugar was terrified! She would try and jump the bridge, rear, back up and do everything to avoid stepping on it. Now, Sugar was getting trouble for the bad behavior, but not for not stepping on the bridge. Rearing is NO NO!

Well finally Sugar decides that OK, getting trouble for rearing was getting kind of old and she would at least walk up to the bridge and stand quiet. And that was her reward. She got to stand and absorb the bridge. Sugar had to stand there though and pay attention to the task, she couldn't look around or get distracted. So when Sugar was asked to step up again she did, then she stopped and was allowed to absorb that it was OK and the bridge wasn't scary.

All in all Sugar was crossing the bridge both ways, would stop on it, stand on it and was perfectly mellow all under 10 minutes. And there was no forcing, fear, beatings or anything otherwise. It was letting her LEARN that she would be safe wherever S&D led her. sugar is smart and beautiful as most of our little darlings are and it is very easy for us to get mad and say "It's just a Damn bridge!" But they don't know that... So in any lesson where you are trying to teach your horse something new and unfamiliar you have to stop and let them absorb what they're doing for a good 30 seconds to a minute. Then proceed. Always end on a good note and always make sure your horse is more relaxed and comfortable at the end!! Oh BTW it's snowing in Seattle again LMAO!!!!