OK, OK, It's Been Awhile. Q & A TIME!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I'm busy as ever with clients and training and love it to death! I also added a new addition to my family, a 110lb Akita. LOVE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!! My dream dog! Nothing like a 110 lb kid to keep you on your toes lol. He's been with me for a little over a month now, got him from a fantastic shelter from down in Portland, OR. OK, I'm rambling like a giddy, new mother, So let's kick start this!!!

Let's do some Q & A... Post your questions and I'll get 'em answered!!!!!!!!

Pride and Prejudice

So I was at a show this last weekend with a student and her horse, both of which I've trained. Her horse, let me mention, is a purebred Arabian. This was the last of a series competitions and this horse and her owner were on POINT. No complaints everything is looking sharp. So far she and her horse are ranked 3rd overall in the series. So she begins her classes and the first few look good and she's placed decent, but then. THEN suddenly she starts to dip in the rankings.

Nothings changed, nothing is different, except that suddenly a couple of Paints and QH's and Appy's come in to the classes. No biggie right? WRONG-O. Now a couple of these horses were well deserving of their high places, but others were not. So why wasn't the Arab placing anymore? My student, obviously confused keeps asking what's going on and once I learn who the judge was it hits me. I've shown under this judge quite a few times with my Arabian and let me tell you. He will NOT hardly even LOOK toward an Arab... It was like we suddenly didn't exist. He'd glance over for a split second and that was it.

So my student asked me to take her horse in couple of classes so that she could sit back and watch. And sure enough the judge wouldn't look at us. I went into a bareback class and when the announcer called for 5 steps back, I was literally right behind the judge and he didn't even turn around. This was in a class of only like 5 or 6 horses! So for my next class I did many, many circles around the judge and put my self slightly to the inside of the rail staying near this one very nice Appy. Forcing the judge to have to look at me. To no avail... We did not place well. Even the spectators were commenting on why this mare wasn't placing when she had cleaned up so nicely at the other shows??? EVERYONE was baffled, so at the end of my last class, I dismounted and asked the judge for some advice on this mare. And his response was the biggest cop out response I've ever heard. He said "Keep her more steady..." Steady??? This mare is Steady Eddy!!!!! *Sigh* I'd rather he just told me that Stock horses rule and Arabs drool, because we all know that's what he was thinking...

In the end it was still another good experience for the mare and her owner. Although her owner was miffed, they still came out as 2nd overall in the show series, even with this slight little hitch... It was a great learning experience for them being greenies of how the system sometimes works. Plus they got to keep their Pride, despite the Prejudice...

Backies

OK, I know it's been awhile and I apologize, But I'm back! I had surgery on my jaw and was slightly out of it lol. New post coming out tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You Should Know Better

So another Blog FHOTD, did a posting about a trainer whose student showed in the green horse class with an obviously NOT green horse and of course... Won the class, pissing off a lot of people!! Which brings me to another little point... And that is people, not just trainers, but a lot of people in general who show at local shooling shows, little piddly ones, where pasture pony's can be brought in to have fun and completely clean up and feel good about themselves...

You know EXACTLY who I'm talking about too, not the people who are getting their green horse albeit a very nicely trained, one used to showing, or the people who just like to be decked out and look nice and have a nice horse, but the people who have OBVIOUSLY perfectly trained, been to world's, so on and so forth, god's gifts to the horse word horses. They come and clean up and act oh so proud of themselves. I've seen countless BNT's do this ALL the time!! And yes, they do show in the green horse classes and yes they do cheat the system like a son of a bitch... And yes it does look really really tacky.

Bringing an experienced show horse to a schooling is fine, please don't get me wrong, if the horse is A. Getting ready for the show circuit or B. is owned by someone who is just getting into horses.
But, having a huge sense of accomplishment when your "A" system or circuit horse beats little kids on their old bomb proof horses. No I don't think so....

I used to compete against this one girl who had an very nice paint and she would clean up all of the schooling shows, but never show beyond that, because she knew then there would be REAL competition... She knew she could kick the crap out of us who were on green, nervous, just learning horses and was afraid to go beyond that because she would lose. It never did and never has stopped any of us who were there for experience from having a good time and being proud of our young ins, but it does get REALLY frustrating and all fr the sake of a ribbon...

Being proud of yourself for placing high in a class is great, but not when you know you are a million strides above everyone else, that's just a MAJOR Fatty Fail... Any showing pet peeves from you guys??? Let's hear them!!!!

Scram with your Scams

So a poster (Barb) pointed out I should do a little piece on scammers and boarding. Phew there is a LAUNDRY list of scams out there people try to pull. OK, let's start here...

Boarding. Craigslist is FULL of scammers, be wary of ANYONE who sends you a request to board from out of state and weird things, like, "I'll put the money in your account and if you could transfer it to so and so's account to pay for shipping, bla bla bla...so on so forth." NO Do not do this EVER!!! Meet the people or have them send a responsible Representative! Also if possible get cash only. Make boarders sign CONTRACTS that state that you as the barn owner/manager have the right to sell the animal if the owner defaults on board for X amount of time. With the economy the way it is, I wouldn't be surprised if people would pay a months board and then never come back for their horse. Get reference too and call THEM, so if the owner does ditch out you have someone to call. If the horse is registered, get a copy of the papers, that way again if the owner bails you can contact prev. owners/breeder and see if they want the horse back...

Now as far as you looking for a boarding facility, ALWAYS check it out in person at least a couple times! Make an appt the first time you come, but the second time you visit, just show up, that way you can really see the facility for what it is. Never compromise your horses safety and health for cheap board... Never except excuses on why there is no hay on the property or why water buckets are empty, or FILTHY!!!! You can even ask to speak with current boarders and maybe previous boarders about the place to see what they think. Local feed stores and tack shops may also have insight on specific barns and their reputations. Also if you contact a boarding facility and they want you to send money via the Internet, do not do it. Go to the farm and put the deposit down and what not.

Just remember, if it seems to good to be true, or you just get an ill feeling, GO WITH IT!!!!! CL is CRAWLING with people who think their oh so uber smart and will try to scam the pants off of you. There are plenty of people who own horses, LOCALLY, that need boarding that the last thing you need to do is deal with a scammer who is out of state or even worse out of the country.

For Paigeley

Here was a question she left me on the last post...

trainer x i have a question about lunging
we have a roundpen at my barn so i usually lunge in there without a lunge line. my horse continually cuts the circle and stops. when she stops if i get close she tries to kick my head. I've had a couple of close calls with that one. when she does stop i go to her side then use the lunge whip to get her moving again. When she cuts the circle nothing I've tried can get her back on the circle until she gets to the other side of the roundpen, she always cuts at the same spot in the roundpen. I've tried running towards her, whipping her over, getting really close to her on that side, none of it has worked. help please???

OK, some of you may not like the answer I'm about to give. If you don't that's fine get your damn head kicked off. Anywho moving on.

So, Paigeley, this is what you need. A halter preferably a rope halter but anything can work, a lead rope, a crop (short whip) and your lunge whip. She needs and MUST learn to respect your space.

So lesson 1. Get her the HELL out of your space!!!! Inside the round pen with her in her halter and lead rope and you holding your crop take a step towards her. If she does not move out of your space poke her with the butt end of your crop. Still no move??? Poke harder. Still no move??? Give her a nice smack. When she moves, praise and do it again. Do this from all areas. Step into her by her shoulders, from her front facing head on and the hind quarters. She MUST yield to you when you move at her.

Lesson 2. This is the one that can be tougher. Still in her halter and lead rope begin to lunge her, while your holding the lead rope and your lunge whip. When and if she stops attempt to use the lunge whip to encourage her to move on. If she won't and she begins to charge or kick at you, You have every right to kick her ASS. OK, here is an example. Your lunging to the right and she stops and turns into you, you are holding the lead rope with your right hand and the lunge whip in your left. Start hitting the ground on the left side (your left cause she's facing you, her right) if she doesn't move hit the ground harder, if that doesn't get her moving then start hitting her in the rump and side to get her to move away from it and moving on in her circle again. IF and this is a huge if, she dares to charge or kick out at you, smack her in the sides and rump with your lunge whip until she moves on again in her circle. If she charges you swing that whip in front of you at her chest as hard as you can. If it hits her OH WELL. Charging, rearing, kicking, biting, etc. Is grounds for you to kick some serious ass!!!! Once she backs off of you, begin again calmly. Get her moving into the lunging circle, if she stops, encourage her to move with the whip and repeat the process. The reason, by the way, that you are keeping her in a halter, is because it is easier for you to control her head and hopefully teach her to round pen properly.

OK, now because there is not really only one way to things let's say this doesn't work. So she's lunging and she stops and turns into you, yank on your halter and back her up fast and hard and at least a quarter to half the round pen in length. If she doesn't want to move forward then we'll make her move backwards, either way she's going to learn to that she is going to move come hell or highwater. After you've backed her up ask her to move on again if she stops, repeat. The idea is to make the wrong thing 100 times more difficult than the right thing. Horses hate backing up, going forward is much easier, but sometimes your horse needs to make that connection in it's own head.

OK, always start at the walk and when she lunges correctly at the walk then ask for the trot and etc. both ways. Once she is doing well on the lead rope, use a lunge line and then nothing, just the normal round pen. IF she goes back to her old ways, use the lead rope again. She HAS to know you mean business and kicking is a huge NO NO!! I hope some of this helps. Let me know how it goes and if you need anything else. If this doesn't work, I've got more tricks up my sleeve. LOL

Chase Me

So I started giving lessons to this young girl and typically what I like to do first is watch my student work their horse as they do every day. So I can see where they're at and where their horse is at. A mini evaluation so to speak.

So she begins to lunge her horse and I notice that she is chasing him around the lunge line, to the point where she is RUNNING literally all over the arena. I ask her what she's doing and she says that she went to a Big name Trainer Clinic and he said that when lunging you need to move as fast as your horse. Ummmmm no.

That's a big, huge, fatty no no. You should NOT have to work harder than your horse when lunging it. The horse should be respectful and NOT tug on your hands when lunging and should be just fine lunging in a set circle. Lunging is one of those things that should still be work for the horse, but not as much for you. Lunging is not to let your horse run bat shit crazy in circles. It should be controlled and productive. If your horse gives out a buck or two, no biggie, but then bring them back down to earth and back to work. Running after your horse is not doing a darn thing, except wearing you out and your horse isn't learning anything either, ESPECIALLY to respect you.

She was surprised when I took out one of the younger training horses I'm working with and had him lunging on a nice quiet circle, listening to all my commands appropriately. She couldn't believe you could lunge a horse that way. *Headdesk* which brings me to another little side point.

Use common sense. Would you chase your darn horse around while lunging, completely exhausting yourself and leaving your horse, ignoring you and probably laughing at you? No. So use your gut instincts or feel free to explore other successful trainer's techniques. Or if you like running around a deep sandy arena, well then have fun....