Mr. Rottens Neighborhood

What made them think it was a good idea....

2010-09-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

I always ask clients a question and it is usually the same question.And of course that question leads to a myriad of other questions and usually there is no real clear answers.

Who was the first man/woman to ever throw a leg over a horse?

And why?

What made them think that this was a good idea?

Why didn't the ride a elk instead?

Could you imagine hearing the ring announcer say "Lope your Elk please"?

I always picture two stone age cavemen sitting on a hill daring each other...

'Dude. go for it'

'No you go for it, I dare you'

'You go for it, I double dog dare you'

It's funny that there is no real definitive answer as to when horses were first domesticated , thought there are pictures of them appearing in cave art from 30,000 years ago.And they were clearly wild animals, mostly hunted for meat. But the first known use of horses as transportation was for chariots 2000 years BC and there is increasing evidense that horses were domesticated 4000 to 3500 BCE in the Eurasion Steppes. So certainly someone had to be the first to climb on a horses back.

Was he/she liquored up and did they do it on a bet?

I can only imagine theirs spouse out there saying "Go ahead and get on, but if you get hurt don't come crying to me".

What I really wonder about though, is what has become of the horses that we domesticated. Those that used the horses as transportation and as a, for lack of better words 'tool' to get work done really did care for them. They revered the horse in all his/her glory. They treated their horses as my father treats his car.

They knew that if they did not take care of the horse that they would not be able to go anywhere or get their jobs done.

And there are times that I think that the first people that got domesticated the horses truly did them a great injustice. Look what we have done to the horses that we so love.

Did they use things such as Chain Gag bits or Kimberwicks?

Maybe.

But one would think that if they used a harsher bit when the horses were first domesticated that it was out of ignorance and not to get the horses to set his head. As they learned to work with the horse,certainly they figured that you can soften and supple a horse with the use of a lighter bit. However,I tend to think that when man first started to domesticate horses, he used a halter when he started to ride rather than a bit. But I could be wrong, that has happened in the past.

I imagine that as they started to work with the horse that perhaps they looked at the mechanics of the movement of the horses.And as they learned how the horse moved they used that knowledge to make themselves better horsemen. The trainers of today were not the first to discover that of the horse drives from behind, then it makes the work is easier.( On a personal note, I have a profound fascination of the mechanics of horses movement,and it has been a tremendous help throughout my career. Watching the movement of every horse indivually.)

What has changed form the days of old, is the invention of money, the Horse Show and the show mom/ show dad!

Next Friday we discuss who was the lucky bastard that first nailed a shoe to a horse foot and what he was on when he did it........ Poor Bastard!

By the way everyone, there are only 91 shopping days left until Christmas!

Lopin Lazy Eights

2010-09-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

Recently as you all know by reading CNJ's blog The Well Groomed Horse, we took little Kit Kat who thinks he's big Kit Kat to a local show. For what it was an for the fact that he had not been to a show in some time I felt he did well. And I was proud of how CNJ handled him.

That being said, this particular post is not really about the show, though I will be referring to something I saw that really made me realize what is wrong with the horse industry.

As we were waiting for CNJ to go into her class, I was was watching a local Arab trainer who we will call Ralph( as much as I want to out the bastard, I feel that it is best that I do not). While he was schooling his western horse, and I wish I had a video of it, the worthless idiot never stopped jerking on the poor horse. He was riding the horse in a set of Romel reins and could not keep his hand still. Personally, I was ready to call 911 because I thought Ralph was having a seizure.HE would jerk the reins up always bumping that curb bit,then he would jerk his hands to the sides. All the while he was berating a client in the warm up ring because she warm up ring. Perhaps SFTS can come on here or other Arab showman can comeon here and explain to us the constant jerking and bumping as I would love to know what that is all about. I have shown many a horse in romel reins and never did that.

Here is my point.

How many of you have gone to a schooling show to use it as just that?

To school your horse.

How many of you have gone to a show knowing that your horse is not really ready, yet you just want to get him/her exposed to the outside world?

We do it all of the time.

We know that if we are taking a horse to show, and they are not ready and they place, sometimes it is a gift. And we graciously accept that gift.

After reading some of the comments on CNJ's blog, I have something that I want to say about how we handle the shows and have handled them for many years. And this is how we do it with the youngsters and mares and stallions alike.

Now it should be obvious that the shows are different from being at home. Though we want our horses to act as they do at home while they are at the show, we prefer not to get after them too much. Especially the stallions as we know that when we take a stallion to a show on Wednesday,their brains wont arrive until Friday.

We also know that when we take a horse to a show and they are not ready, then they are not ready. All the jerking on them and getting after them will not make them ready, in fact, that will only exacerbate any problems that you ma have.

If you take your horse into the warm up, get on him and he is not picking up the lead and you keep getting after him about it, he will not pick it up. But if you just stop the horse and wait a few minutes, then try again, the horse will more than likely pick up the lead. How do I know this?

I do it all of the time. Slow and easy.

If you want the horse to act the same at the show as he does at home, then you need to give him the chance to make a few adjustments on his own. Allow him to settle as there are a lot of distractions.

My favorite thing to do is to take a horse into the warm up and lunge him before I get on him, so he can work out his inner demons on his own.I do not bit them up,I just want them to relax. Then when I get on him, I like to do the same things that we do at home,some softening exercises at the walk and jog. Then I like to lope lazy eights on a loose rein, slow figure eights, sometimes I do flying changes, sometimes I do simple changes. If the horse starts to cut into the circle or speed up, then I will stop wait a few seconds and start all over. This way I am changing the horses habits, and allowing him to be corrected without a lot of fuss. Letting him work with his head down, and relaxed.

The simple truth is, that I will not be able to effectively take horse that is not trained or ready for the show, and get him fully trained for the show the week of.It just wont happen!

So why did I bring Ralph into this?

Because the horse from what I understand is a seasoned show horse, and yet Ralph is still having to "Yank,crank spur and spank" this poor horse into the ring. A seasoned horse should have been relaxed and ready to do his job,without all of the help from the trainer. It's funny, I felt that the trainer was just trying to show off at the horses expense.

If you want your horse to be relaxed and do his job at a show, then let him enjoy it so you can too!

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love to win, but I want my horse to enjoy his job. We will have bad days at the shows, but if I allow my horses to learn to relax at the shows, then my job is a whole lot easier and their minds are clear as they enter the ring to do their jobs.

Howie 2004-2010

2010-08-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

CNJ here. It is with a heavy heart that I type this. Howie slipped away quietly in the back yard yesterday morning. We have no idea what happened or why, he was just gone. He was a young dog, only about 6 or 7 years old. He too was another rescue, but came to join the pack in an odd way at a time, I wasn't so sure was exactly the right one, but when do rescues ever come at a good time or happen as planned?

Mid December of 2004, JR had just lost his dog Sassie of 15 years. Those two had been everywhere, done everything- together. She went with him on every trip when he was hauling. From here to Washington, several trips to Wisconsin, back to Virginia, she was with us when we went up to Sweetgrass, Montana to pick up a horse from Canada...

Losing her was a tough blow to take. Only a couple days later one of our friends called to ask if we wanted another dog? Yeah, it was kinda sudden. But a couple she knew had found a Husky wandering the streets of their neighborhood and taken him in. They had run ads in the paper, put fliers up all over the place, took him to the vet to have him checked out and scanned for a chip, took him to the pound to see if they had any "Missing Dog" notices, posted on Pet Finder -----> Nothing. Nobody was looking for him. As much as I dislike people like that, I'm glad in this case. Otherwise we never would have gotten to have such a wonderful dog.

This couple would have kept him if they didn't already have 6 dogs of their own and a few of their in-laws dogs as well. So I went to look at him one night after work. Rough guesses- he was around a year old. His paws were HUGE and he was gorgeous! His nails had been done, he had the sweetest temperament and no real manners to speak of. How could I possibly say no? More importantly- How could JR?

Turns out the couple that found him lived on the corner of the next street over and three or four houses down from my sister. We were all supposed to get together at her place for Christmas morning, opening presents and breakfast. So arrangements were made to pick him up Christmas morning around 9am.

JR and I had agreed not to get each other anything. We have this agreement every year, and every year one of us breaks it. Since the giant, goofy puppy was mainly black, I told JR he was getting a lump of coal, about an 80 lb lump, for Christmas. He is Mr. Rotten and he was very likely deserving of such so he didn't really question it much.

Christmas morning we went to my sisters place. Just before 9am I told JR I had to go get his present. I drove around the corner to pick up the puppy who was sporting a giant, sparkly, gold bow around his neck. He jumped in the truck for the short drive back and at one point was in my lap. It's amazing we didn't hit anything on the way! Since the truck is a diesel, we were announced as soon as we pulled in the driveway.

JR came out the front door to get his giant lump of 'coal'... He kept shaking his head at me and hugging the dog. Figures. *grins* About the only question he kept asking me is "What did you do now?"

We tried a few different names before settling on "Howie". Dutch, for Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Dalton- Dalton, Colorado. We already had a Timber and his brother Kodiak. We decided on Howie, because it just seemed to fit. He was just a goofy dog that way and needed a goofy name. He liked to howl too. Howie Wowie fit as well.

Remember the part about him having no manners? Well JR let him in the house one night and he came up to the coffee table. First the front paws were on the table. "Howie Off. Then all four paws were on the table. Howie, OFF. Then his front paws were in my lap on the couch. Howie OFF! Then all four paws were in my lap. HOWIE, OFF! Dammit, you big doof. And there he sat. Pinning me on the couch and licking my face. How can you be mad at a dog like that?

A few strange things happened yesterday morning. JR's watch, the one that needs no winding, has a 48 hour back up if you don't wear it and all that good stuff... It stopped. It was an hour off when he figured it out.

When JR dropped off the girls, my brother & SIL have cd's and bells hanging in their tree over the driveway to keep the birds out and from crapping all over the drive and the cars. No breezes to be felt, yet as he was getting the girls out of the car, the bells directly above him started ringing like crazy. None of the rest of them in the tree made a sound.

Whatcha got there? I wanna see.

Howie will be missed.
He already is.

Happy Mothers Day!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-05-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

This will be a short post.

My mother was a school teacher. She taught elementary education.

She is honest to a fault, and put up with my crap when I was a teenager. ( that wasn't to difficult as I was a perfect angel). No matter what I did she was always behind me whether or not I made the right decisions or not. Mom always worked hard and made the sacrifices so that we always had what we needed. And she taught me more about being a parent than I realized before our twins were born.

In other words, I have a great mom!

I see those same qualities in CNJ when it comes to the twins, and our teenage daughter. She is a great mom, honest and hard working.

So to CNJ and my mom, from me and the three, we all love you both and are blessed to have you in our lives!

And to all you Mothers out there,( and I mean the real mothers and not the other type of mothers)....,.Happy Mothers Day!

Fluid in motion, sound in mind.

2010-04-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about this post for a long time. I know, I know, thinking and doing are two completely different things. But the reason that I have been thinking about this post for so long is that I really did not want it to sound like the same old drivel that I seem to sometimes say.

The reason that I finally decided to write this today, was, there was a woman that was riding by our place on her horse and she was having a few issues with her gelding. I was in the front pasture fixing some fence, and made a comment about her horses lack of cooperation. Not a Rotten comment, more like a factual comment.

You could visibly see how this horse was leaning on the bit and trying to pull the woman out of the saddle. She did ask me what I would do and yes, I did tell her. So I gave her a little lesson on what I would do.

Like I always say, we worked on softening the horses shoulders, getting the rider to lighten her contact on the horses mouth and start using more leg. When the horse did not respond to her leg,I told her to turn her toe towards the center of the ring and use the widest part of her lower leg. After a few gentle tugs on the reins, and learning to use her legs, the results were almost instantaneous.

So why is this called Fluid in motion, sound in mind you may ask?

Many years ago in 1974, I had just turned 11 and I wanted to learn to start horses under saddle. There was a old man, actually at that time he was not that old, that grew up on a ranch and had been starting horses since he was very young. The old guy knew what he was doing on a horse. I had to beg him to teach me and to let me start a few. For the most part I followed him around all day and asked a lot of questions hoping that he would finally give in. And he did that summer. He put me on a young paint horse and let me start him, and as he saw that I had some talent, he started to put me on a few more.

The thing is, I would always watch him work a horse, I was amazed at how fluid the horses were in their movement. When Arnold asked for the lope, the horses just rolled into the transition, they never had to lift their heads up to move into it. His downward transitions were the same,it was as if the horse fell out of the lope and back into the trot.

The horses minds were also sound. It was like they knew that they would never be forced into anything that they did not want to be forced into. When the horses decided it was ready to learn something new, that is when Arnold taught him something new.

I asked Arnold how he did it, and he said he painted a picture in his mind of what he wanted the horse to do and how he wanted the horse to look and worked to, for lack of better words, paint that picture on the canvas.

It was pure art! There simply is no other way to describe it.

I knew then, that I wanted to be a horse trainer.

I when I am working a horse, I always like to close my eyes and picture what I want that horse to look like when I am working them. I like to picture the horse having a fluid motion, on all fronts, be it in transitions, spinning, working a cow or going over jumps. Then as I work the horse I start to make small adjustments until I can feel that we are making progress towards in my mind, what would be the ideal training session for both myself and the horse.

Since I learned that from Arnold, I have always taught my students to close their eyes for a moment and take pause and picture the ideal work session for them and their horse. A sort of meditation when they first get on their horse.

Today, when I gave our neighbor some help, I told her to close her eyes and picture how she wants her horse to work and then work towards that goal. She did and she told me that it allowed her to relax more and let go and focus more on the positive and less on the negative.

She also told me to write a book, so I referred her to the blog!

So, tonight, in a somewhat party atmosphere, I raise a pint to Arnold, wherever you may be, I am forever in your debt for teaching me the one thing that has always been with me throughout my 30+ year professional career in the horse business.

The Natural Horsemanship Debate

2010-03-26T09:47:00.001-07:00

There is a great divide amongst horse people that rivals the Healtcare Debate in the US. And that is the debate of whether or not Natuaral Horsemanship is better than the common sense horsemanship that is taught by Non-Natural Horsemanship trainers. Does the common sense horsemanship work better?

In this trainers opinion yes it does. At least, common sense trainers do not sell you a bunch of products that will supposedly make your horse listen to you. Take for instance the 'Carrot Stick'. Truth be known, the carrot stick is nothing more than a long bat. Not a whip, a bat, there is a difference!

Yet people buy the Carrot Stick by the dozens and the they wave it at their horses like an orange magic wanded Harry Potter and expect the problems to magically go away.

Here is the link to a video of Linda Parelli that you need to watch if you have not seen it already. I want you to watch before you read on and form your opinion of what is happening, then make your comments from there.

Linda Parelli in action

About 10 years ago, I took a horse in training for a woman that was having a hard time with her horse throwing his head up and backing up when she tried to catch him. Then, when she was finally able to catch the horse, and tack him up, he would throw his head when she tried to bridle him. So I went to her place to watch what she was doing.

At that time I was unfamiliar with Parelli and his methods and the woman who owned the horse told me the she has been using the methods that she saw him use at a clinic. I of course, being the forthright honest individual that I am told her that the methods that she had learned were not working obviously.

I watched her catch the horse and sure enough he threw his head and backed up and soon as she approcahed him with the halter. When she finally managed to wrangle her four legged friend and get a halter on him. He started to try to walk all over her,so she started to waggle the lead rope at him to get him to back off of her. When she waggled the lead rope at him, the horse would back up. But me being the astute observationalist, noticed that the snap would rattle every time she would waggle the lead rope at her fine steed.

I told the woman, that the problem is not the horse, but the methods that she employed to train the horse. Every time she approached the horse, the lead rope would rattle and the horse would back up as he was conditioned to do. The head throwing was as a result of the lead rope being waved at the horse. Her bridle, had snaps on the end of the reins and they would rattle,so her horse would throw is head and back when she tried to bridle her horse.

The fix, well that was simple as well, she took the snaps off of her reins, and attached the lead to the halter without using a snap. It took a few sessions, but the horse finally quit his vices. I went out there once and charged her a one hour evaluation fee, figured out the problem, and she was able to fix it on her own. I ended up starting a few horses for her later on and she never went to a Parelli clinic again.

Am I that good? I suppose you would have to ask my clients.

I watched that video, and I have to say, that set the natural horsemanship back to the stone age. Linda Parelli is terrorizing that horse for no reason what so ever. It really is not that difficult to get a horse to respond to you without all of the fanfare. Would I have gotten after that horse?

Absolutely, but I would have only gotten after him once and that would be the end of it. The horse was obviously reacting to Linda Parelli and her jerking him into oblivion more that anything else. So in reality, it was Linda's fault that the horse was reacting the way that he was. The horse is trying to figure out what she wants, and that is quite a feat, as Linda does not know what she wants from this horse. If she had let the horse stand for a minute then start all over she would have had better results.

I have had a lot of horses come into the barn that have been Parellized, and they all act the same way. They have no idea of what you want from them. Once they figure it out, it is pretty easy from there.

I know, but JR, you have not seen the whole video and what was really going on. I saw enough to know who the problem was there. It started when the horses owner was being told to " wiggle, wiggle thump" and continued to go down hill from there.

Linda terrorized this horse and got nowhere with him because it was apparent that she had no clue as to what to do.

Just because a clinician shows up in chaps and is wearing spurs, that does not make them a horseman. I had clients that would wear breeches at a show so people would think they knew what they were doing. There again, it is not your outfit that makes you a horseman.

My personal opinion, is that the majority of these people are frauds. They tell you what you want to hear and promise to fix every bad vice that your horse has permanently. When the truth of the matter is, these old vices will resurface no matter who the trainer is. It is the trainers job to teach the owners how to deal with the problem when it arises in the future and not charge the owner an arm and a leg for cheap products that can sometimes make the problems worse.

The Realities of the Arabian Halter Horse Industry

2010-03-01T16:15:00.000-08:00

I do realize that this topic has already been over done, but I do feel the strong need to discuss it.

As I have said in the past, I started in the Quarter Horses as a kid and for me it was showmanship, reining, cutting and western pleasure. As I graduated High School in 1981, I wanted to pursue my dream of becoming a horse trainer. The guy I was starting colts for in Tucson introduced me to the Arabian horse and told me that he could get me a job at Al Marah Arabians in Tucson. I had been to a couple of Arabian Horse shows and was amazed at all of the glitter and glamour and the horses.So I got my job ans worked in the Arabian horse industry for about 10 years, always working with Quarter on the side. Over the years my view of the Arabian horse illusion changed as I saw the ugly side.

Enough about me!

I remember back in the 80's I was schooling a few Halter horses for an Arab trainer that I was working for. When the horse would not 'show' to his satisfaction he told me to take the whip and sting the horses shins. I refused and soon lost my position as halter guru in that barn. I had asked one of the halter trainers why they always put the whip across the horses shins, and she told me that is so there is no welts when the horse goes into the ring. I will always remember seeing the grooms put alcohol on the horses welts to try to get the welts to go down before they go into the ring. That was the last Arab barn I ever worked in.

The cold hard realities of the Arabian Halter horses, is that there is whip abuse that does go on and eventually the horses will let loose. It is hard to feel for the people that perpetuate the abuse, though I hate to see anyone, horse or man, get hurt because of their own stupidity.

A year before that, I was attacked by an Arabian stallion that had been abused as a colt so that he would show better as a halter horse. A few years prior to that same horse attacking me, he bit the owner in the face in the show ring as the owner was standing him up in front of the judge.

So lets move forward about 25 years and nothing has changed. Apparently a trainer was attacked in the show ring and the horse won that one.

When are these idiots going to learn that you can not keep whipping a horse into submission. They will go off and it is only a matter of time before they do.

I have been handling stallions for the better part of my life and with the exception of a few incidents with other peoples stallions, I never had a problem. Our stallions are gentlemen and they are expected to act that way at all times. But we never have to whip them nor do we ever lead them with chains on. Whips and chains are over used and abused as well as the horses that they are used on.

Has the Arabian Horse Industry now taken another negative hit. Yes they have, and that is largely due to the continued methods that they use to train the horses.

The same goes for the way that they train their performance horses. They over use spurs, bats, and continually bump the horses faces to get them to set their heads. I watched an Arab trainer on the RFD channel talking about the horses that he was training and it was all about the horses headset. Never about asking the horses to move laterally and there was never any mention of softening his young horses.

At the Snobsdale show this year, I was watching the reiners warm up, and there again it was all about the horses head. They never left the horses faces alone. Drove me nuts!

It is unfortunate that this is spilling over into all of the breed shows.

I do know that nothing will ever change unless we force change or unless we get these people to use a common sense approach to training, but we have to remember that to them it is all about the glamour, the glitter, a trophy and a ribbon. And it is not just the trainers, the owners share the responsibility as well.

I do know how hard it can be to rehab a horse that has had his mind blown by bad training methods as I had earned a living doing it. I also know that those horses can and will hurt you. And just because we call them domesticated livestock, that does not mean that their survival instinct will not kick in.

The Rotten Scottsdale Arabian Show Edition

2010-02-26T11:41:00.000-08:00

If someone here that was new to the horse world were to ask me how I would describe the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, I would have to say that it is totally fake. Full of some of the most shallow people that have ever walked the face of the earth.

Yes I have to admit that I did show the Arabs for several years because I was drawn to the glamour and the glitter. That is natural I suppose, I like shiny things and I always thought that the Arabs were shiny. Our 16 year old daughter calls the attraction to shinny things, ADDOLS, Attention Deficit Disorder "Oh Look, Shiny". And while the horses are really shiny and wreak of show sheen, the people that show them really do lack the same luster as that of their mounts!

I as usual am really disappointed in the amount of over bridled horses as well as all of the jerking and spurring that goes on. About 90% of the horses that are being ridden at the show are behind the vertical, and if that is not bad enough the trainers are all using bats to drive them forward. I hate to be the one to break it to them, but the horses can only go so far forward when their chins are tucked to their chests.

There is one particular trainer that could not get his western horse to pick up the lope and I pointed out to him that his horse was too far behind the vertical and that made the horse too heavy on the forehand. I even videoed it on my iPhone (love that thing) and showed him what his problem was. Needless to say he did not even thank me for the advice. Perhaps he will pay the bill when I send it to him. But I won't hold my breath.

One other thing that struck me as odd, was how many Scottsdale Top Ten Jackets were being worn by the people that were there. It seems as though everyone had a jacket. Am I to assume that is the prerequisite for showing at Scottsdale, that you have a top ten jacket. I can only imagine the participants at the show greeting & introducing themselves to each other. 'Hi my name is Bob and I have a horse that is a Scottsdale top ten, that sure is a lovely jacket you are wearing'.

I wonder, do they have a secret handshake?

But it was soon pointed out to me that you can buy a Top Ten jacket in the vendor tents.

Perhaps it is true, that I am becoming far too cynical as I grow older. I really have seen the changes to the Arabian horse industry that are not good. But the cold hard reality of the horse industry is that the changes have occurred in all breeds. The trainers are younger and have more have access to more and more gimmicks that come on the market.

I was asked by a reader today if I am going to continue this blog. At first I pointed out to her that I am not sure if I am helping anyone or even reaching anyone. She assured me that I am.

This blog was started with the intention of helping people reach their horse training goals and will continue on in that function. All of your input is a big help and appreciated.

So I will continue, though probably not a post a day. Maybe we can start with one topic a week.

But want to ask you all a question..... what changes have you seen in the horse show and horse industries that turn you off?

And what positive changes have you seen?

JR

What happens then?

2010-01-26T12:05:00.000-08:00

We have all seen the atrocities in the show ring lately. The blocked tails, over bridled horses, four beating, spur stops, reiners scotching in their rundowns, head sets, non-collection, soreness, defeated looks, the single footed walk and the list goes on.

And on, and on, and on.

We all know too well about all the Bad things happening to Good horses, to get them there. (Sounds like a great title to a tell all book, doesn't it?) The injecting, the whipping, starting them too soon, jerking on the reins, constant jabbing with spurs, gimmicky equipment to push the horses into a false frame, dumping the horse onto their leads and this list goes on just as long as the first one. Maybe this list is longer since there are usually three or four crappy ways to get each result listed above.

But what would happen if the judging took a sudden curve and actually pinned the horses who show natural movement? The horses with balance and collection, free flowing strides, self carriage, willingness and get this, a perky "I LOVE MY JOB!" expression.

Chances are, there may be fewer people in the ring showing their horses! This would likely be because of a huge WTH? moment in barns across the country. We know how to beat them down, but how do you bring them back up? And what is all this talk about collection and impulsion? A few more foreign terms to the crowd may be contact, lightness and forward.

I can hear it now. "Forget suppleness we just got them rigid, abrasive and resistant! I just got my horse to give in and he completely gave up. Why and how do we undo all of that? And what does it feel like to ride them then?"

Just like the way things are going now though, what is seen in the upper levels is mimicked all the way down the line. And this will be no different. People will come up with new ways of trying to do things, cheating their way through instead of learning how to train their horse. There will still be those rushing their way through and expecting immediate results. Instant gratification instead of waiting for the correct responses.

It would be nice to see the change though. I may doubt it will happen, but at least one can always hope.

I was just kidding!

2010-01-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

On the last post about softening, it was mentioned that my wife CnJ took my mare Johnie into the ring under hunter tack. They placed 2nd out of 9that day. I told her not to get anymore hairbrained ideas.

Fast forward a few years...

We took a client horse to another local show, just to give him something else to do. He was a reiner who was working towards being a cutter. Nice horse, great owners and we all thought, "Why not?" He placed 3rd of 12 entries and also 4th of 15. He placed behind 'finished' horses whose riders were dressed to the hilt for the schooling show.

So now's your chance to spill it.

What did you do?

Where did you go?

When did you take a horse to an event, enter them in something they weren't bred for, built for, trained to do or whatever- entered as a joke and placed?

Or maybe you didn't place at all but had a great time anyways. We know that happens too. As long as everyone had fun, who does it hurt?

Softness, suppleness and giving

2010-01-11T22:13:00.000-08:00

Starting with the bit, I like to use a simple offset snaffle with copper inlays on a sweet iron mouth. This combination of metals helps promote salivation and wetness in the mouth. I don't use snaps to attach my reins and the bit hobble goes 'under' the reins where it will not interfere with rein pressure.

The bit should be adjusted to where it rests comfortably in the horses mouth. Not too high producing a number of wrinkles, not too low where it bangs into the incisors or the horse spits it out. A wrinkle is just right, just snug enough. Also the buckles should all line up.

The beginning of every ride at our place starts with softening work. From the first few rides to warming up the seasoned horse, after a few minutes on the lunge line we get on and soften the horse at a walk. Changing directions, asking for bending. Gentle tugs on the reins and release to let the horse finish the turn on their own.

Stop, wait, take a step back and walk off, go forward, turn left, bigger circles, smaller circles- changing it up a bit as we go along. Circles to the left with the nose tipped out, tipped in, all at a walk on a semi loose rein. Contact comes in a gentle tug on the rein. If the horse doesn't respond, tug a little bit harder. Tug and release, tug and release. If there's nothing to pull against the horse can't pull on you.

When asking for the bend in the neck and their shoulders to move, bring your hand back to your hip. Light tug and release letting your horse find their 'sweet spot'. If the horses head comes up a bit and they resist, stop and ask again. Give them a chance to figure out what you're asking them to do. They aren't going to learn it all in one day. They learn it faster when they figure it out with less interference from the rider.

Sit up straight, moving their shoulders and hips with your legs. If needed, turn your toe out and use your calf to push them over. Ask them to reach under themselves and stretch a little. Crossing over a little more with each step as they become more flexible. The horses poll should remain for the most part, level with their withers. A little above, a little below, no big deal either way. Relax, keep breathing and enjoy the ride.

If it feels like the horse is beginning to lean on your leg, your using too much. Bump, release, bump, release... get a step or two and be happy with that. Praise them for doing what you asked, then ask for it again. as they figure out just what you want and begin to soften, you will start to feel how you get a bit more each time.

This message has been Johnie tested

and Kimba approved.

Rollbacks for Roses

2010-01-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

As the title implies this thread is going to discuss rollbacks per request of Rosesr4evr. I will actually be discussing it over a few threads so it can be easier to understand. This weekend when my assistant trainer/photographer is home we will do some instructional photos and put a link to the gallery in the sidebar. I do realize that I am a little slow on getting threads out, but I hope to change that.

So here we go.

I am sure there are a lot of you that in your past have seen the reiners at a horse show do a pattern. The patterns may always be different depending on the judge as to which pattern he wants to use, but the elements are the same. The patterns always include rundowns, sliding stops, spins, figure 8s, lead changes, backing and rollbacks. Not necessarily in that order.

How well that horse preforms these individual feats really depends on one fundamental thing, and that is balance. He hind end has to be engaged and the shoulders have to be light and soft.

Knowing that we have to have a horse that is soft and supple, that is where I like to start. One thing that I feel is very important, is that when I am softening a horses face, shoulders both vertically and laterally, I never like to pull on them at all. I never pull them into a stop, rather I use my seat. When I ask the horse to give me his face, I just gently tug on him and ask for little bits at a time. If I ask the horse to turn into a circle I gently tug on him and lightly bump him with my calf just to get him started and then I like to let him finish on his own. The more that I pull on him, the more likely he will become rubber necked. By using little gentle tugs you accomplish a lot more in a very short time.

It is my personal preference not to bit horses up using side reins, nor do I long line my horses very often. Though there are instances in which I have long lined them if I felt the need to.

As to how this all applies to my method for teaching my horses to do roll backs, It is really quite simple.

Once I have my horse stopping on his hind end and standing quietly, and they have become nice and soft in the face and shoulders, I will start to work them on the rail and use the fence to teach them how to rock back onto their hind end and do a rollback. I like my horses to wrap themselves around my leg if they need to.

First I start on the rail at a strong trot, I do a few laps and let my horse start to rate some at the trot. When I feel that he is ready, I will ask for the stop by sitting down and rolling back on my pockets. As I sit down I exhale and say whoa softly. Remember, my horses is comfortable and relaxed and working so I do not want to startle him by yelling whoa at him. I also want to make sure that I do not lean back in the stop because leaning back will cause him to stop on the front end. I always stay perpendicular to the ground so the horse is able to move freely underneath me.

Now that the horse is stopped on the rail, I ask him to stand for a minute as I do not want him to anticipate the turn. While he his standing next to the rail I will ask him to to tip his nose towards the rail, by giving him a little tug, then I apply a little outside leg (the leg closest to the rail) so that when I ask him to turn towards the rail, he can not drop his shoulder. I will now ask him to turn towards the rail by tugging on the outside rein releasing my outside leg, and bumping with the inside leg (the leg that is closest to the center of the ring) until he starts to turn towards the rail and go the other way. Once he starts the turn I let him finish it on his own. I will do this a few times going both directions and then I go on to something else for a while. Before I finish for the day, however, I will ask for a few more turns on and towards the rail. Sometimes, I will ask him to stand after each turn, sometimes I will ask him to move off immediately. Remember, we do not want the horse to anticipate what is going to happen next.

At this point, I do not apply any neck rein, just direct rein. I want the horse to learn to stay upright and not drop his shoulders in the turns. I also want him to learn to rock back on his hind end so he is able to push off and go the other direction.

What is also important to remember, is that I want my shoulders to stay square with my horses shoulders. If I turn my shoulders in the direction that we are turning, that will cause me to inadvertently move my leg back causing to horse to turn on the forehand.

Well.....its New Years The Friday night blog Party

2009-12-31T13:15:00.000-08:00

The Friday night blog party on Thursday night, the year is already messed up!

I always ask myself why do we have to get a New Year every 12 months, what the hell was wrong with the old one?

Then it hits me, this is our chance to start all over and unscrew what we screwed up, unfix what we fixed, you get the idea and create more shit for us to do in the New Year.

I guess that is what you call job security!

We have a lot job security around here, there is fence to fix, a new arena to build and get the lights up in the barn. But most importantly we have the horses that we have to get ready for the show year and start shopping for next Christmas. There are after all, only 359 shopping days left, better hit the malls now.

We have made a lot of new friends from this blog and others and I hope that we will continue that trend.

I would also like thank everyone who has joined us on the website- Crescent Moon Cutting Horses in the Training Chronicles. Please be sure to sign the guest book. (I know, shameless self promotion, but it is my blog )

Anyway, what are your plans for the New Year, horsey and non horsey?

Bah Humbug! or Should I say Bah Horsebug?

2009-12-18T09:25:00.000-08:00

Yes it is that time of year again!

Time for us to deal with all those family issues that seem to come up this time of year. You know the ones......Uncle Bill got tanked on eggnog and french kissed Santa's elf at the mall and then hurled in Santa's work shop and Grandma got run over by a reindeer etc.

By the time it is all over, I think we all need a drink.

Came upon us so fast.

This past year has flown by!

So what are your plans for this year?

We are going to ad a training blog to the Crescent Moon Cutting Horse website and chronicle the training of our youngsters as well as our oldsters and hope that you all will join us there. We are going to start raising Angus cattle and we are working on a few other little ventures as well.

We also plan to start showing more this year.

For the first time since CNJ and I met, we are not giving each other anything that has to do with horses. Actually, for the first time we are giving each other something. Nothing much!

But there is no way that CNJ's gift last year could ever be topped. Yes I am referring to those beautiful little girls. It is amazing how babies not only change your lives, but they change your very soul.

And I want to take a moment to thank you all for reading a little Ol' Rotten blog and sharing your experiences and knowledge with us. And for those of you that read but do not always post, please let us know that you are here and where you are from. We would love to hear from you.

I know that it is still a little early ( actually June would be early), but I want to wish you all Happy Holidays.

The Sunday/Friday night blog party.........

2009-12-13T17:27:00.000-08:00

You all know my story, I have been in the business professionally for over 30 years and have had a pretty good career. By the way, the horse in the picture above is my beloved mare Johnie at cutting practice. Sometimes I am not so sure she takes her job seriously, so because of that I made it look like a cartoon!

I have been showing horses the majority of my life from cutters to jumpers, and almost every discipline in between. And I have finally settled back into the cutters because they are my true passion.

I have shown horses all the way from the Cow Palace in the bay area to Atlanta.

Won some, lost some, made a lot of good friends along the way and have a lot of really good memories.

Though I have a lot of the memories winning classes and doing well at the shows, the best and the most fun memories are of the shows that I did not do so well. Those were the shows where I learned the most and had the most fun.

You always hear people say that they are having the most fun when they are winning, but to be honest with you, I do not know how that can be. It always seemed that when we were having a bad show, we totally cut loose and the pressure was off.

One year at the Astro Dome in Houston, nothing was going right. We forgot to pack a lot of our tack, and it seemed that no one including me nor my clients were into the show at all. We had enough tack to get by on and made it through the show mixing and matching bridles. Somehow I managed to win the junior western pleasure class, but we laughed the whole time. And yes we partied our asses off and none of the other horses placed above 4th. We just took nothing at that show seriously.

So what are your fondest memories of the shows where you may not have done well, but managed to laugh it off, have a great time and keep your sense of humor intact?

They call me 'Plum Puddin'...the story of the wannabe!

2009-12-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

Oh yes, to the wannabe horse trainer that lurks out there, this post is for you!

They come and they go, those wannabe horse trainers. They live under the rocks and old dead logs, and wait for their next victim. They talk a good game, but there is something there that you know is not right. Many of them have embedded themselves well into the Natural Horsemanship industry, selling their training appliances to people that seem to fall for the crap!

You have to ask yourself, how much would you pay for common sense?

Do you need an orange whip to train your horse, or do you sometimes need to apply a little tough love?

I have recently had the pleasure of meeting one of these wonderful people. His claim to fame? "I can turn you and your horse into one. I can help your horse with your problems............But first, I need to talk to your horse and find out what he is thinking."

Oh for #%&@%@*!^*@($ Sake!

Get a grip!

In a career that has spanned 3 decades, I have seen so many of this type out there. They have strange mystical names that make you think that they know something about you and your horse, that no other trainer will ever be able to tell. They wear hats the size of their egos and 99% of them wear chaps and spurs. They market products of their own design and tell you that you have to buy them if you want to become a trainer like them. (In case you are wondering, a carrot stick is a vegetable, not an orange whip with a bat on the end of it.)

So am I going to just tear into the naturals?

Hell no!

For those people that call themselves trainers out there, just so you know, you really need to have some knowledge of the horses that you are training. One trainer that I have heard of, actually weighs his horses. Most of us can look at a horse and we are able to give a solid estimate of the weight of the animal. This guy has to be a mental midget, or actually he may be brilliant if he has convinced the owner that he should be allowed to stay at the facility where he currently works out of.

Horse shows are a great place to get a glimpse of some of these Wannabe Wonders!

Yes, I call it like a I see it, even at the horse shows. I have made lots of friends that way!

I am amazed that there are so many trainers out there. Hell, everyone is a trainer and they all know everything. These horse show trainers are easy to spot because they all wear spurs and carry crops in their back pockets.

There again, like I have stated many times, there is such an overuse of training aids out there, that I am surprised that the horses do not tip over from the shear weight of the devices that they are forced to wear.

When I was a kid and I worked with the trainer that taught me how to start colts the right way, there was no whispering done, he just simply took his time and read the horse. He told me that the best trainers have the ability to 'read' their horses so they can predict how to best proceed. He uses nothing more than a snaffle bit in the horses mouth. I learned that the best way to start a horse is to let them do the work and you need to learn to just be the passenger and have a little faith in the horse that you are starting. I was never allowed to wear spurs and chaps just got in the way, especially in the heat of the desert. We asked the horse to soften for us and allowed them to make decisions and mistakes before we corrected them.

We have a saying here in Rotten Land, that goes like this........

When you go to a trainers barn, be it a natural trainer or an old school trainer, what happens in the barn may impress you, but what happens behind the barn may depress you!

This is not to imply that all trainers are out there beating their horses, we certainly do not, but keep in mind, when fixing some of the horses problems, it's not always pretty.

Why do horses react the way that they do when they spook?

2009-12-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

Recently, I had an old client tell me that her horse has what she calls a violent reaction when he spooks. When I asked her what she meant, she said that her horse likes to take the bit and run and then he starts to buck. She then asked me what my advice would be to fix the problem.

While I hardly consider that to be a violent reaction, I do consider it a problem.

So I will address the spooking problem first.

To address the problem of spooking horses, we must first address the cause of what is making the horse spook. Most of the time, the answer to that question is rather a simple one, the horse was startled by something. For the most part, horses are very similar to us in the fact that when they are surprised they tend to be startled and jump. Not a big deal!

I am sure that a lot of you have heard of teaching a horse to spook in place. Well to be honest with you, there really is not a lot to teaching a horse to do that. The best example that I can come up with, being a relatively new dad, is that when one of my daughters falls down or bumps their heads, they always look at me to see what my reaction is going to be. If I make a big deal out of it, then they are going to let loose and start crying, if I look at them and smile and laugh, they look at me and smile, get up and move on.

The same goes for horses. How many times have you been sitting on your horse and something startled him, so he jumped? All you did was just sit there like nothing happened and all that happened was the horse only had that small little jump. It happens to me all of the time especially on the young horses. I just simply do not react to the situation so the horses reaction was minor. In in effect, I have just taught my horse to spook in place.

So what happened to my old client and her new horse?

I went to go watch her ride the horse. She would start out fine with him, but she was already afraid of him, and she would not let go of the horses face. The entire time that she was on him, she was hanging on his face, so the horse was already uncomfortable. (When a horse is uncomfortable,be it from a poorly fitting saddle or a rider hanging on them, the will look for any excuse to spook.) When the tractor went by the arena, the horse was startled and took off, because the rider clenched up. As soon as the rider clenched up, she became off balance, thus, causing the horse to buck.

Truth was, the horse was not reacting to whatever startled him, he was reacting to the rider!

At that point it became apparent, it was not the horses confidence that was the problem ,it was the riders confidence that was the problem for the horse.

Now, it is true that some horses will react in a big way to something, and there really is nothing you can do about it but ride it out. At that point you need to be a confident rider, but most of those reactions do not last long.

Just an FYI for you.........

I have lived in the desert my entire life and I have never had a horse spook from a rattle snake. Quite the opposite, horses are curious animals, most of the time they want to investigate where the sound on the rattle is coming from and are bitten on the nose.

Rolkur, it's not just for dressage anymore!

2009-11-30T09:48:00.000-08:00

Today, I am going to address Rolkur. I had never heard of it until a few years ago, and I am not sure what the moron who developed the idea was thinking or if they even were. I do know that trainers and breeders alike want to make their mark on the equine world, but this is the wrong way to go about it. I also know that the practice of Rolkur has trickled over into other disciplines like western pleasure, hunter etc, and that is where I want to take this topic.

Lets start with the practice of Rolkur in Dressage horses.

When I look at the above picture, the one thing that stands out immediately to me, is the fact that the horses hind end is in a totally different county that the front end. The horse exhibits absolutely no freedom of movement in the front end thus there is no extension because all of the horses weight it is on the front end. It also looks to me like the horse has no where when they are looking for the release. These are the obvious things that affect the not so obvious things like mechanics of movement and the horses attitude. What you see above, is not Dressage, but rather it is an abomination!

I always want my horses to have some where to go when they work, in other words, there has to be a release, be it in a dressage horse or a cow horse. I never want to hang on a horse in any way shape or form. To me, that shows that the rider in uncomfortable with what they are doing with the horse.

I have seen this practice in the western industry as well, primarily in the Arabian horse industry. At the Scottsdale Arabian show a few years ago, I saw several trainers riding with their horses trussed up like a Christmas turkey. The horses chins were being pulled to the horses chests and they were being forced forward, and when the trainers stopped their horses, they continued to bump their horses faces to keep their horses heads in that Gawd awful position. If the horse moved a step after he was bumped, they were bumped harder. And this was being done by the BNT's that were there. A lot of it was being caused by the over use and abuse of martingales, side reins and draw reins.

But, it was not just the western horses where I saw this, it was also in the hunter arenas as well.

The difference between a soft horse vs. Rolkur, is that with a soft horse, I can bring his chin to his chest when I need to, not because I have to or I am forcing the issue.

Now, lets talk about the horses attitude. This practice does have a lot of adverse effects on the horses attitude. Remember, you can only hang on a horse for so long before that horse decides that he has had enough. And when the horse has had enough and decides to react to what is going on, there may be no warning what so ever. The horse will do whatever it takes to make himself comfortable in what he is doing and there will be nothing you can do to stop it, and there is no telling what the horse reaction will be.

For those of you that believe in the practice of Rolkur, I recommend that you put a bit in your own mouth, have someone pull your chin to your chest while you try to move forward on your hands and knees. Not only will it be tough for you to move, but it will also be harder for you to breathe and your mouth will be incredibly sore.

You all know that I like my horses quiet and soft as I have mentioned that on many occasions, if a horses chin is being forced to his chest, you will get neither!

And just a note, I am not an Arabian horse trainer, and I do not want any Arab owners thinking that I am picking on them. But other than in the Dressage discipline, I have only seen this practice in the Arabian industry, so that is the example I am using.

What to expect from your trainer...... Part 2

2009-11-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

So we have covered some of the basics of what you should expect from a trainer, now it is time to discuss what your trainer has to offer you and what you have to offer the trainer. And also what your trainer can expect from you.

1) Make sure that you have a contract with your trainer that outlines what your goals are and what you see yourself being able to do with your horse. That should always be in writing. I have in the past trained a few horses without the benefit of a contract, and the owners were and I were not totally on the same page. You can always amend a contract as the horse progresses.

2) All fees should be explained at the time that the contract is signed. The owner has the right to understand what all the fees are for and the trainer has the right to expect to be paid on time. Remember, when you are late the horse still gets fed and worked. I can not tell you how many times I have gone more than 2 months with out getting paid by an owner. Do not bargain with your trainer to try to get a better rate, we do not make enough money as it is!

3)If your horse has a bad habit that he has picked up at home tell your trainer, it is nothing to be embarrassed about. Hell, our horses have bad habits, after all they are horses and it is to be expected. I hate when a client sends me a horse that has a habit such as bucking or rearing and when it happens here, they always say the same thing....."He never did that at home".

4) Trainers are not miracle workers, that is to say, do not expect too much to soon. If you are shopping around for a trainer, do not let him/her give you time lines. In this business there are no guarantees. We simply can not guarantee how long your horse will be with us and we simply can not guarantee that your horse will win in the horse show ring. Never tell your trainer that he/she better win because his job depends on it. I had that happen at a show one time and I told the client that they better find a way to get the horse home from the show because I would not tolerate that kind of attitude. Needless to say the horse won all 2 of his classes and places 2nd in the third class and won the championship

5) Let your trainer chose the shows that he/she feels would be best for you and your horse should you chose that you want to show.

6) If your trainer offers lessons as part of your contract, then take them, personally I prefer that a client take a pro-active part in the training of their horses. I want them to be involved, that way when we are at a show or the horse goes home, then the owner can continue to work the horse with some success.

7) Communicate with your trainer if there is something that you do not like, we are not mind readers just like we are not miracle workers.

8) Have realistic ideas of what your horse is capable of......let him show you what his talents are and take it from there. There is nothing that is worse than a horse that develops bad habits because he is miserable in his job.

9) If you are looking to purchase a horse with the help of your trainer, then listen to what they have to say. Do not waste the trainers time by telling your him/her that you want one type of horse and then you go off in a completely different direction and purchase something else. We prefer that you let us help you so we can find a horse that fits you!

Trainers are here to help you, so let them.

What can and should you really expect from your trainer?

2009-11-05T14:20:00.000-08:00

I get a lot of inquiries regarding training, and many of the potential clients want to know how long it will take me to train a horse for them, be it for trail or the horse show ring. This will be a series that will be done in a few parts.

When told that I am not sure how long it will take, then some of these clients look else where for a trainer that will tell them what they want to hear. While I realize that some of them want to budget for training, there are others that want me to be train a horse that is going to win for them in a designated amount of time that they seem to think is realistic.

There are several factors that I take into consideration before I take a horse into the barn.

1) The general conditioning of the horse when they arrive. I always tell a client that I can start to train the horse if he is conditioned properly before he shows up. I do understand that some owners do not have a facility that they can work out of so I always offer them a lower conditioning rate for the first month. Also I have to mention here that what I may consider proper conditioning, may not be what the owner considers to be proper. So before the horse is brought into the barn, I will provide the owner with a conditioning schedule, that is providing they have the facilities to work the horse.

2) What kind of behavior does the horse exhibit when he arrives. I personally like to give them a week of light work so that they can start to settle into a general routine. There have been many horses that have come my way that took longer to settle in and exhibited some bad habits that had to be dealt with before we consider putting that horse to serious work.

3) Is the horse a mare, stallion or gelding. We have a saying here, when a stallion comes into the barn on Thursday, his brain will arrive on Monday.(Sometimes his mind just gets lost in the mail!)

4) Am I starting this horse under saddle, if so there again conditioning is important. If the horse is here to be started and is in good condition, then I will be on that horse at the end of the first week after he settles in. If the horse is not conditioned, them there will be a 30 day conditioning period.

5) If the horse is here to be trained to go into the show ring, then a lot depends on the horses mentality when they get here. If they are not mature enough to handle the training required to go into the show ring, then we will take it a lot slower.

I have always been a firm believer in moving at the horses pace and not the owners, and I make this very clear from the beginning. If the horse is not happy then no one is going to be happy.

I have had owners in the past offer to pay me more to achieve their goals, but it is not really up to me how fast we proceed.

On the question of balance...

2009-10-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

I was giving a lesson to a student the other day and we happened upon the topic of balance as it pertains to the horse rather than the rider. I must mention at this time that my student is a very balanced rider, yet her horse is lacking the balance that she needs to do well in the performance aspect of her training.

The question that she asked was simple enough, how do we get the horse to be more balanced?

The student that I am referring to does show hunters and jumpers,( I know, JR, you are a cow horse trainer), but the basics are the same.

The answer is really a two part answer.........

1) Balance is achieved fairly early in training, and that training starts as soon as we start to ask the horse to turn on his hind end and turn on the forehand. Remember when we ask the horse to turn on the hind end, or pivot, or ask the horse to turn on the fore hand, the horse is not balanced. We are only asking the horse to move one end of his body. Balance comes when we ask the horse to move laterally, such as side passing or two tracking. At that point in the horses training, both ends are moving in sync. That is when we end up with a balanced horse that can use his hind end and front end equally.

It is important that we do not allow the horse to be heavy on the fore hand, which will occur if we spend to much time turning the horse on the fore hand. The same goes for the hind end, we do not want the horse to become too light in the front end, because we are turning the horse on the hind end too much. Remember.....balance!

2) Balance is also visual as well as physical. While we do not want the horse to side pass or move laterally down the rail, we do want there to be some roundness in his movement. If we allow the horse to just move straight down the rail with out the use of our legs, especially our inside leg, then the horse will just start to become heavy on his front end and 'strung out' behind. However, when we apply light leg pressure with the inside leg and light contact with the inside rein the horse will become rounded giving us a more balanced appearance.

Another visual clue as to whether the horse is truly balanced is, if one end of the horse is more developed than the other. If the front end of the horse is more developed that the hind end, then the horse is heavy on the fore hand etc.

Like I always say, a head does not necessarily mean that the horse is balanced, and if you have a horse that is more balanced physically then you will not have a horse that jigs every where you go.

On a separate note.......Phillies 1...Yankees none! The final score in yesterdays World Series game Phillies 6 Yankees 1. Yeah Phillies!

In keeping with tradition...

2009-10-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

Since it is Friday and keeping with the old Friday blog, block party theme, and trying to keep things light and fun, how about we go with a topic that brings us each a bit of pride.

Let's talk about those moments where it all comes together and the light goes on. You and your horse NAIL it. You have been working on something, lead changes, canter departs, transitions, picking up the correct diagonal as you start into a trot, stops, spins, jumps... whatever. You try again and again to get it right. Then one day it happens. It all just clicks. Everything falls into place and taadaa! It is perfect. You and your horse are one and nothing seems to take any effort for it to just happen.

Or you are looking for a horse. A horse you can show, breed, give lessons on or just provide a happy home for. The horse may be for a client, friend, spouse or relative. You search high and low for a specific breed, color, height, build, performance record, level of training... and then you spot one. A picture you may have normally otherwise passed up, but there it is. Sometimes a horse that matches NONE of your criteria, but it just jumps out at you and you just KNOW they are going to be in your barn.

We have all been there. We have all had at least one moment like that.

So it's true....

2009-10-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

Yep it's me....

I am back if you dare to care! ;)

And yes the forum will continue as usual, though I have had to take some much needed time off from blogging, clogging and logging as well as every other ogging that there is.

Tonight however, I just have to ask only one question.......are there any Yankees fans out there?

Sunday we can post a training blog....

Mr Rottens Neighborhood is moving....

2009-08-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

We are moving the Hood to: http://jrs-neighborhood-horse-training-forum.socialgo.com/home.html

Please join us for training tips and other horse related topics.

Thank You

Johnie Rotten

Does this happen to everyone?

2009-08-27T08:30:00.001-07:00

JR

Great blog!

I have been training my own horse for over 3 years now. I show him as a reined cow horse and I have had some success at this in the AQHA breed shows. But there are days that we are working on something be it spinning, stopping or whatever, and we will end up fixing one problem that may come up only to have another problem pop up that is totally different from the problem that we just fixed.

I am not a trainer and have no desire to become a pro trainer. I learned how to train my horse my own by watching other trainers and asking them a lot of questions. And I did take some riding lessons when I was younger.

My question to you and your readers is....... when you are working a horse and you fix one problem, is it normal for another problem to arise from fixing the other problem?

Thanks for your time

Penny

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Penny

Learning to train a horse on your own is a good thing. It is always nice to hear that people take that much of an interest in their own horses. Not to mention that you have accomplished a lot training a reined cow horse.

To answer your question, yes it is normal to have one problem arise out of fixing another problem. Whether it is with the rider or the horse, so do not worry when this happens. We see it all of the time!

When I used to work with behavior problems, this was one of the biggest things that happened because no one realized that a this type of thing could happen. So learning to recognize when it happens is very important and you are lucky that you can.

That is why we always tell our clients that even when we send your horse home, you are going to still have to train him there. Horses get bored very easily, the average attention span for a horse is about 10 minutes. So we get done working on one thing after about 15 minutes, and them find something else to work on or take them on the trail.

You have to remember, horses are creatures of habit, when a problem arises, it means that there is a change in that normal behavior/habit and then when we go fix the problem we are asking the horse/rider to change there behavior/habit yet again. That being said, sometimes you are better off just riding through the problem, depending on what it is, and the problem will work itself out as the horse exercises his own inner demons.

If the problem is sever enough, and you have to deal with it,then do so and move on to your normal training session.

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For more training tips please join our training forum at: http://jrs-neighborhood-horse-training-forum.socialgo.com/home.html

A Crossfire correction

2009-08-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

Hi JR,

I love your blog!

The reason for this email is to ask you a question about my gelding who crossfires badly. When I ask for the lope he starts off cross firing, but after I bring him down to a trot and ask for the lope again from the trot then he picks it up fine. But after a while he will drop the lead behind while he is loping and it just aggravates me. It is only when we ask for the lope from the stop. We have had the vet out to check him out to see if he is having any problems with his back since this is a new problem that we have been having with him. His saddle does fit him properly and that is not an issue either and the vet has found nothing wrong with him.

We have tried everything, bitting up, long lining, asking him to start in small circles and none of that works. He is my western riding horse and my western pleasure horse and this has cost me a few ribbons. All this does is frustrate my trainer and I both.

Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks

Julie

___________________________________

Yes Julie, there are a few things that you can do.

First of all for those of you that do not know what cross firing means, it is when a horse picks up the correct lead in the front and the wrong lead in the rear. It can be the most Gawd awful thing to ride. But it is fixable!

I want to talk about the mechanics of picking up the lead first.

First of all stay out of your horses face when you work on this.

When I am going to ask a horse to lope, I usually like to ask them to lope from the stop, until they learn how to position themselves for the lead. So normally I do a lot of walking and stopping and asking the horse to keep his shoulders straight and I like to leave his head alone. Then when I feel the horse is ready, I will ask him to lope, normally they pick up the correct lead without any help from me. (I know we have gone over this before, but there are a few differences in fixing this problem.) It is important that we remember that the leads start on the outside hind leg. If the outside hind is underneath the horse the next step for the horse to take is to lift his inside shoulder and drive off of his inside hind allowing him to lope.

Horses that crossfire from the departure, usually are just out of position and need to learn to reposition the hind legs. Horse that crossfire while they are loping have usually fallen out behind.

When I have a horse that crossfires, instead of asking him to pick up the lope from the stop, what I will ask him to do, is stop, push his shoulders to the outside of the circle, that will make his outside hind take step back. After, he takes a step back with the outside hind, I will ask him to take one step forward before asking him to lope. By taking that first step forward at the walk, that teaches the horse to put his outside underneath himself before the departure. I could actually just ask the horse to rock back on his hind end, however, I am more interested in having the horse fix the basic mechanics so it becomes a habit. Besides, you are better off taking the few extra steps and a little extra time to fix this.

When he is loping and you feel him start to slow down, when you feel that he is going to drop the lead, just put your inside leg on him and speed him up. A little bit of speed can be corrected later on. What the focus is on at the moment is getting the hind end under them and getting the horse to use it correctly.

I'll take mine to go, thanks.

2009-08-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

With the turn that has been taken on a few of the blogs recently, I figured Why not talk about coffee for tonights block party post?

So do you like the dark roast, medium roast or light roast?

Premium blend, breakfast blend or french roast? Hazelnut, french vanilla, mocha, or just plain old coffee?

Creamer or black? Flavored, low fat, no fat or plain?

Sugar or none?

Decaff? Does anyone actually drink that?

What is the best coffee you have ever had?

The worst?

And what do you do with all those empty cans?

Todays discussion, those pesky round thingies!

2009-08-18T20:16:00.001-07:00

“Daddy, what are circles?”

“Circles are round”.

“Why are circles round?”

“Because they are not squares”

“Why aren’t squares round?”

“Because they are not circles”

“Daddy….what are squares?”

I was asked via email recently to talk about circles. I would have posted the email, however the great computer genius that I am, I deleted it.

But I will continue on with today’s topic on circles anyway.

The big question that was asked in the email was….when I am loping circles at home, my horse usually will either drift to the outside or cut to the inside. And to top it off he will not stay at a consistent speed. What can I do to fix the problem?

To answer that, I am going to break down how I like to approach a circle, and what I expect from my students as well as from my horses.

The reason that doing a nice clean circle is important is that it shows that that the horse and rider are balanced. And by working horses in circles we are able soften and supple our horses.

1) Starting to work horses in the circle.

When I start to work a horse in a circle there are a two factors that are important, and those factors are quite simply, the horse and the rider. Let’s start with the rider, the rider should be balanced and centered on the horse. If the horses shoulders are facing forward, then so should the riders.

The horse should be in line with the rider, and the horse’s shoulders should be upright and s/he should be perpendicular to the ground. (Obviously a horizontal horse would not be able to do a nice circle or any circle for that matter). The horse also, like the rider needs to be balanced. That means that all four feet need to be on the ground.

2) When we start the circle, it is important to remember that there are two ends to the horse. I find that too many people seem to focus on the horse’s front end and forget that though the hind end follows the front end it also works opposite. What I mean by that is, when we do circles the horses outside front leg crosses over the inside front leg. And the horse’s inside hind crosses over and in front of the horses outside hind leg. The more the horses outside front crosses over the inside, the more the hind end will slow down and the horse will start to drop his shoulder and cut the turns. The more the horse’s inside hind crosses over, the slower the front end will work. In other words the horse becomes heavy on the forehand.

3) The fix.

What is important to remember, is that we want the horse to be able to give laterally. The softer the horse becomes the easier it is to create that balance that we are looking for when we start to do our circles or teach the horse new things. Of course, teaching a horse to give laterally means that our horse is learning to do circles.

Once I feel that the horse is soft and supple enough then I will start to work on the circles. I am not going to worry about the horses head position, but I am going to ask the horse to tip his nose ever so slightly to the inside of the circle so that he follows his nose.

I am going to start at the trot and with my inside leg. I will turn my toe towards the inside of the circle to apply light leg pressure with my calf so the horse has to stay upright and engage his hind end.

My outside leg will stay at the cinch so I can get the horse to move his shoulders away from my leg pressure. I apply equal pressure on the outside leg as I do on the inside leg when I start out.

*Remember I want both ends to be crossing over equally.

If the horse starts to speed up, then I apply a little more pressure with my inside leg so that the horse has to cross over on the inside with the hind end thus slowing him down.

If the horse slows down, then I apply a little more pressure with my outside leg so that the horse has to cross over a little more in the front end.

When the horse starts to drift to the center, or cut his corners, then I lift my inside rein slightly and apply light pressure with my inside leg. If the horse drifts to the outside, I lift my outside rein slightly and apply light leg pressure with the outside leg.

When the horse is comfortable doing the circles at the trot, then I move onto the lope and repeat the process.

As far as taking hold of the horses and doing half halts to try to slow a horse down, that can have the opposite effect of what I am trying to accomplish. If I let the horse lope on a looser rein, and apply light pressure as needed there is less confusion and the horse will be easier for me to work with. I want the horse to always stay relaxed and comfortable. If I am always pulling in his face that will never happen and it will take a lot longer for the horse to catch on.

If your horse were a car!

2009-08-14T17:54:00.001-07:00

If your horse were a car what would find of car would they be?

My red mare Johnie would be a Camaro. But not just any Camaro, a Bitchin' Camaro. Of course there are days when she is more like a train wreck.

My palomino mare Chica would be a Dodge Charger.

Solis, our bay Colonel Freckles mare would be a Bradley Fighting vehicle

Yes I do like the muscle cars. If I could I would have a few of those to drive around town instead of the truck. I would keep the truck only for horse stuff.

What is the best way to supple a horse?

2009-08-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

Hi JR

I have been reading your blog since you started it and I do love your blog.

I have a question for you.

I sent my 5 year old mare out for training last year, she is my reining horse, and even though I have had her for a few years, I am relatively new to this.

The problem that I am having, is that when she stops, she dives on the bit and damn near yanks the reins out of my hands. She is being shown in a shanked snaffle this year and my trainer says she will probably stay in that bit for a while..

We have had the vet out and have checked the mare's teeth and everything else that the vet could think of that may cause this problem.

My trainer has bitted my mare up in the shanked snaffle to try to get her to give a little more but that has not helped. And since my trainer has been bitting my horse up in the shanked bit, she has also started to brace on the bit when we go through our transitions.

I have read your blog where you say that you like your horse to be supple and soft when you get on them. Do you do that on the ground or do you do that on their backs?

Is id a good idea to bit a horse up in a shanked bit?

And one other question, I have heard some of these cow horse people use the terms cow leg and herd leg, what does that mean?

Kelly

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Let me start with your last question about cow leg versus herd leg.

When we ride pleasure horses we refer to the outside leg which is the leg that is the closest to the rail, and the inside leg which is the leg that is on the inside of the circle. The same goes for the cow leg, when we cut a cow out of the herd, the leg that is the closest to the cow is the cow leg and the herd leg is the leg that is closest to the herd.

Diving on the bit can be indicative of other problems such as lameness, soreness in the mouth or back etc. So it was a good thing that you had the vet check your mare for any health problems that may have caused this problem.

But as a training problem, we usually see this when the horse is continuously pulled into the stop instead of the rider letting the horses face go when he stops. The reason that the horses dive on the bit when we pull them into the stop, is that they are simply looking for a release so they are more comfortable in the stop. Another thing that will cause this, is if the horse is stopping on the front end first.

There are a few things that you can do to fix the problem.......

1) Work on softening the horse laterally. I know that I repeat myself a lot when I say this, but it definitely helps. Get the horse to relax and lift the shoulders by lateral flexion, do plenty of that as well as counter flexing. In other words get the horse to bend to the inside of the circle and to the outside of the circle. Lots of circles doing this. Once again, do not pull on the horse, but rather, gentle tugs, just enough to get the horse to bend.

2) After you have softened your horse. then start working on the stops, asking the horse to shut his hind end down first. If he stops on the front end, then back him a step or two and ask for the stop again. Do this at the trot first and then, ask for the lope and work on the stop.

3) When you stop, sit down and ask for the stop without pulling on him, if he does not want to stop, then you can pull on him a little until he does stop. If you have to pull him into the stop, then keep the pressure on him until he backs a step or two rocking him back onto his hind end.

All of these exercises can be done in a regular snaffle so there really is no need to work your mare in a shanked bit at this time until the problem is fixed.

As far as suppling my horses, I do none of it in the ground. Though we may say a horse looks soft and supple, that really refers more to a feel than a look. So keeping that in mind, I would rather feel whether or not the horse is soft and supple while I am on his back rather than see it while I am watching him run around me in circles.

One other thing that I need to mention because I am asked this all of the time, and that is,"Do you back your horses to soften them"

The rule out here is that you back a soft horse but do not back a horse to make him soft.

Bitting a horse up in a shanked bit is a no no! I do not care how loose the reins are, this can lead to the horse tossing his head and then on to other problems. Especially if you have snaps on you reins. The horses hear those snaps and start to try to figure out what is going on, next thing you know, the horse is trying to flip over. We never use snaps!

I have seen several bad accidents when the horses are bitted up in shanked bits, primarily because the person working the horse did not know what they were doing. Unlike when you are on the horse, you are unable to feel what the horse is doing or how he is reacting to the bit so you are unable to help him through any problems he may be having. And if the horses is having issues, then you can let him go rather than there being no release.

Music and Horses

2009-08-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Many of us have a favorite song, that when it comes on the radio we can't help but crank it up and maybe sing along to it. Sometimes we play it over and over to the point where anyone else within range, is quickly sick of hearing it, let alone at full volume.

Then there comes a song which carries with it an image in our mind of our horse.

What? How did they know about my horse? How did they know what was going on that day? Who told the songwriters about my horse? I want to know NOW!

We all know they don't usually write songs about horses. Those probably wouldn't sell and money drives the market. Songs are usually about people. Jilted ex-lovers plotting revenge, the one perfect love, cars, personal heroes, gunfighters, bar brawls, drinking and all sorts of stuff. Just not horses, let alone any particular horse, and not likely mine.

For the red mare Johnie, that song is K.D. Lang's "Big Boned Gal" off the cd/album Ultimate Torch & Twang. It just fits her. The tune and melody would be perfectly suitable for cutting too.

So what song do you associate with your horse and why?

Have a great weekend!

Please help me........

2009-08-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, Here is the thing.. I received this email a few weeks ago and some how deleted it, then I was able to retrieve it, and then, well lets just say I am not a computer genius. The reader that had sent me the email is looking for any help that we may all be able to give her.

Okay, here is a question for you and your readers: what can I do about a totally buddy sour jerk? I did not realize just how bad the situation was until the other day we had to put the four horses in the ring because a boundary fence was being redone.
We took the two mares out first and came back for the two geldings. the fjord was just standing in his stall waiting his turn. The QH was going absolutely bonzo! My daughter put him in the freestanding heavy-duty stall where he could not go over the gate, etc. It was rodeo time at the ok corral, I can tell you!! Since we mess with the horses in the ring or outside the barn; this has never been an issue before. Quite frankly, his idiocy scared me--more that he would hurt himself and we would have to bury him(not an easy job since he is 15.1 and about 1,000 lbs). I am so open to any ideas to deal with him. On the down side, financially sending him out to a trainer is not an option or believe me, he would so be there!!!! We simply left him there in the stall with hay and water and walked away. Not too much else we could do. We kept an eye on him(which was not hard as he spent so much time screaming--Funny, none of the others even bothered to answer him. All day, like they knew he was being an idiiiiot. Have not had this go on with any of the others at all. HELP!!!! Thank you in advance. . A
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Well reader A

Usually we try to wean them away from the herd, and sometimes we are successful and sometimes we are not so successful in doing so. I have had horses in the past that we were never able to get them over the problem, they would just attach themselves to any horse that they were next to in the barn and they remained herd bound.

When I say that we wean them away from the herd we usually turn them out alone, in the biggest pen we have and feed them out there. When we want to work them and they act like a herd sour beast, then we make them work a little harder. I have always found that work is the best thing for a horse.

To prevent them from becoming herd bound, we try to rotate the horses throughout the barn so they are next to different horses and are not able to become attached to any one horse. I do at times like to turn my horses out with others horses as long as there is sufficient room in the pasture for them. But I also like to turn them out alone for the most part so we do not have these problems.

As far as sending him out to a trainer to have the trainer fix the problem, that may not be the answer either. Remember what he does at the trainers is different than what he will do at home, so it would be my concern that you would be wasting money sending him out. You really need to address the problem at home.

But I have found over the years that this does not always work. Sometimes they get over it and sometimes they do not. Hopefully the readers of this blog will also be able to help offer you suggestions that may help as well.

Oh What a Wonderful Feeling!

2009-07-31T16:03:00.000-07:00

In 1999 I bought a 2 year old red mare named Johnie, she was the first horse I had owned since 1976 because I had never needed to own a horse because I had other peoples horses to ride for so long. But I felt that it was time that I owned a horse.

Like many people say, never own a red mare.

I started Johnie under saddle in March of 2000 as a 3 year old and have never looked back. After I had her under saddle for 60 days and I had a good stop and turn on her, it was time to start her on cattle.

Now I bought Johnie so I could train her to be a cutter and so I could have the pleasure of showing my own horse. She is a very well bred mare that is bred to be a cattle horse, so I figured starting her on cattle would be a breeze. Quite the opposite, you see I forgot one very important factor about horses, just because they are bred to do something, that does not mean they will do it well or even do the job that they were bred for. That being said, the first time that I put Johnie on cattle that damn red headed mare tried to run the other way at the first sight of a cow.

Needless to say, I was a little disappointed at Johnie's first performance as a cow horse.

I was bound and determined to get this mare trained so I could show her. The next night I took Johnie to a local arena for a cutting practice, I started to turn back for a friend of mine and let Johnie have a good look at the cattle all night. She threw in an occasional crow hop, but she never tried to run away.

The next night I took Johnie to the same arena to work with my friends, we put a cow in the round pen and I rode Johnie in the pen alone with the cow. Johnie and I worked the cow on the fence, a little tug here a little leg there, a few small corrections and the next thin I knew, Johnie cut that cow on her own. She gave me 3 of the best turns I have ever had in my life.

All that I remember from that night, was feeling Johnie take over and work that cow, and my face hurting from that permanent grin that was on my face.

I did show Johnie a few months later, on my first cut, the moment that I dropped my hand that mare went to work. She won her first class!

Have a good weekend!

Teaching the Young Horse to Back

2009-07-26T10:59:00.001-07:00

Teaching a young horse to back is something that I feel has to be done absolutely right from the very beginning. If done wrong, the problems that can arise when done wrong can affect the way that a horse responds to the bit for the rest of his career.

One thing that I need to mention here is that I never use backing to soften a horse. The horse has to be soft and supple in the snaffle before I even ask the horse to back. He has to be supple in his shoulders and move away form my leg laterally in both directions. I also prefer at the time that I am teaching the horse to back, that he is nice and quite and he has to know how to whoa. I will not teach a horse to side pass before I teach him to back because it can be very easy for the horse to become confused.

When I start teaching a horse to back, I never want him to gap at the mouth, he has to be comfortable with giving to both sides of his mouth in a snaffle.

Lets start with the importance of 'Whoa'. When I teach a horse to stop, like I have said in many of my posts, when I teach a horse to stop, I like to 'quit riding' and teach the horse to shut his hind end down first before he shuts down his front end. By doing this, the horse already has his hind end underneath him making it easier for him to go forward or back, and it will allow the horse to push off with his front end when I ask him to back. If they stop on the front end then they have to gather themselves up to move forward and they will hollow out their backs if I ask them to back. I want the horse to stay as rounded as possible.

Now that I have the horse stopping the way that I want him to and I have him nice and soft laterally, I will start to set my hands when I ask for the stop and allow there to be a little bit of contact on the horses mouth when he stops. Just enough contact, a little more on the inside rein to get the horse to back a step and then I release him and sit for a few seconds.

The next time I stop the horse , I will ask for two steps and increasingly asking for a little more as we continue.

If the horse decides that he wants to stop on his front end, then, after the horse stops,I will push his shoulders to the outside of the circle so he can not. That way he has to rock back on his hind end to get his shoulders to move over.

I never want to get into a pulling match with a horse, I do not want him to learn to resist in any way shape or form. If the horse starts to pull on me, then I will go do something else with him for a little while and then I will finish the day by asking for the back one last time.

Always remember to keep the horse soft so that this is a pleasant experience for both horse and rider. By doing so, I have never had a horse try to rear or pull back on me.

Moving Forward

2009-07-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

After putting the two ponies down that have been a big part of our lives for so long, I thought a post about moving forward would be good. We all encounter things in our lives that require we find a way to move forward and push past. How do you get past the unpleasant things in life?

How this relates to horse training is not really much different. There will be things that come up that also require us to push past and keep moving forward.

The first ride or two, you may need to gently tug the reins one direction or the other to get them to move. One or two steps, whatever you get, be sure to praise them for their efforts. Let them know that’s what you want. Ask again for a few steps or whatever the horse is comfortable with giving you. You may get a few steps or a few circles, but you are moving forward. Sit still, ask for a stop and praise them some more.

This time when you ask them to go forward gently squeeze with your legs. When they respond and move off, relax your leg, but don’t take it completely off their side. You don’t want the horse to only associate any touch from your leg with flying off in a different direction. As long as they are moving forward, any contact from the reins and bit should be soft and following.

When you ask them to stop sit down, quit riding and say whoa. Don’t shout it at them; don’t whisper it in their ear, just a firm gentle ‘whoa’. If they don’t stop right away, ask again a little more firmly. If you have to pull on the reins a little to reinforce the command of ‘whoa’ then do so, but release when the horse stops.

A young horse needs to learn to go forward comfortably and relaxed. It might be a bit awkward for them at first, but your job is to help them find balance. That may come from just sitting still and not interfering with their momentum. The horse might go a little fast, but they will slow down, just give them a minute or two. Don’t pull on the reins, just let them go forward. If you have asked for the increase in speed or the upward transition, you got what you asked for. Take it and move on. You can work on the speed later.

An older horse may have become an opportunist. Stopping to look at something is a chance to spook, dump the rider and get out of work. When you find them focusing on something else, a circle or asking for a slight bend are ways of shifting their focus back to you. When you have regained their attention, then you can confidently push them forward and likely right on past the big scary object with little to no fuss.

So although we are moving forward, we will remember the past and think to the future.

We will make plans and carry on.

Personally, I am going to now concentrate on my youngsters and get them ready for the futurities, and I am going to get CNJ's jumpers ready for her. Maybe I will do a clinic as many have asked me to do...

One step at a time!

What are your plans?

On a separate note, we still need story comments so that I can get this thing finished and hopefully help a good cause!

A Final Farewell

2009-07-22T19:15:00.002-07:00

Tonight we said our final farewells to Pi and Dooley.

They will always be remembered.

I was asked a few years ago if I thought that animals have a soul and does their spirit remain with us always. Well, I do believe that animals have a soul, anything that is capable of giving us so much unconditional love has to have a soul.

In 2001 I put down my dog and good friend Rounder ( so named because when he was a puppy he was rounder than he was tall). I had him cremated and I could not afford to get his ashes form the pet mortuary. That was also the year that I met CNJ and for Christmas she brought the Rounders ashes to me. All I knew was that he was home with me and that was the best Christmas present that I have ever had.

A few months later as I lay awake in bed in the early morning, I felt a dog jump on the bed and lay across my legs. Sassie Jean my other dog, was laying on the floor beside the bed. It was at the moment that I knew that Rounder was there with me.

So yes, they do have a soul and remain with us as long as we need them.

Tonight, in your comments please only leave the name or names of the animals that you want to remember.

Thank You all for your support.

Pi 1991-2009

Dooley 1984-2009

When is the right time?

2009-07-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

When I was young, I knew that I wanted to be a horse trainer. Of course, being a young lad, there were other things that I thought I wanted to do, but there, always in the back of my mind was the real desire to have a career in the horse industry. I am known to be anal about the way that the horses are trained because, like us, I want them to enjoy what they are doing.

The real reason that I wanted to be a horse trainer was so that I could have a career with animals that I truly love. And I always focused on learning as much as I can so I can be the best trainer possible.

But, there is a side to this job that I truly hate. And that is losing our beloved animals that have given us so much more than we can ever return to them.

Tomorrow is going to be a very difficult day in the Rotten Household, as we have to say good bye to two very dear friends that have been a part of our family. Pi and Dooley, our two ponies are going to be put down.

Pi is losing the a battle with age related soundness issues and Dooley is starting to have serious age related issues as well. The hot AZ summer is also taking its toll on those two.

This brings up the question that has been asked over and over.....When is the right time to let go?

I feel that the reality is, there is never a good time or a right time to let go!

I always tell my clients that have had to put a horse of pet down, that what is right for the animal is not always right for us. It is always hard to say goodbye.

I would have written this tomorrow but there will be no way to get through it.

As the Mayor of the Rotten Neighborhood, I declare this day July 21st 2009 and this date for all of the years following a day of International Animal Remembrance Day!

So tonight we will take pause and raise our glass to remember those beloved animals that have passed through our doors and pay tribute to those that are still with us. We have are graced by your friendship and are forever in your debt!

Waggie- the 1st Mix 1966-1967

Lil Dan- Blk/Tan Coon hound 1974-unknown

Waggie- the 2ND Terrier Mix 1968-1979

Tuborg Gold- Retriever Mix 1978-1992

Cinder- Buckskin Mare 1968-1995

Suzie- German Short hair 1989-2002

Rounder- Border Collie/Sheltie 1986-2001

Sassie Jean- Siberian Husky 1992-2006

Punkin- Boxer 1987-1997

Kodiak Siberian Husky 2000-2006

Mo Arabian Mare 1977-2006

Pi Palomino Pony 1991-

Dooley Palomino Mini 1984-

Those still with us....

LP Johnie- QH Mare

Paladinn MA- Arab Stallion

Mad About Me- TB Mare

Tess- TB Mare

Lightly Frosted- Pony Stallion

Docs Chica King- QH Palomino Mare

Chicas Little Pepper- QH Mare

Mondo- QH Stallion

Solis Doc Bar- QH Mare

BB Tucker- QH Mare

Abby- Collie Shepard/ Am Bull dog mix

Timber- Siberian Husky

Howie- Siberian Husky

Kimba- Siberian Husky

And to all of those yet to come...

What???? Pictures of me on the net? You don't say.

2009-07-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

With all of the shit that is circulating on FHOTD.

Tonight is an all you can muster rant night. Whatever that rant may be.

So tonight it is your night to share anything that may be out there on the net that may embarass you.

So have a few drinks and spill the beans!

You tell us yours, we'll tell you ours. If you acknowledge and admit to it, it's tough for anyone to bring it up as ammo.

First he's to fast, then he's to slow.......

2009-07-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

I received an email today from Janette that I want to address.

Her question was this....

JR my horse always wants to speed up when we jog and lope. I have tried half-halts, stops and roll backs to try to get my horse to slow down. When we do the half-halts, that only works for a little while, when we do the roll backs that never works and I have tried doing smaller circles and he only speeds up. I have shown him in western pleasure and we are fine for few strides, and then he is back to going to fast, and the same goes for hunter under saddle. Is this a hopeless case for me and my horse or is there something else I can try to do that will help?

Should I stick to just one discipline with him?

On my trainers advice, I have had the vet out to thoroughly check him over, and there are no pain issues. I also had the tack fitted to make sure that is not the problem. And I have been showing him successfully for several years now. This is all seems to be a new bad habit.

----------------------------------------------

Well Janette, I really doubt that your horse is a hopeless case, maybe a little confused, but not hopeless.

When I say that your horse is a little confused, I do not mean that showing him hunter and western is confusing him. What I mean, is that you may be the issue and not the horse or the tack. I commend you for looking at pain and tack issues first, as many riders can easily overlook these things.

I do not use roll backs as a method to try to slow the horse down, rather, I use roll backs to get the horse to give me a little more impulsion as that is really what they are good for when not working a cow. Half-halts I try to avoid because I want the horse to maintain forward impulsion and not anticipate stopping every time he speeds up. If it is indeed the horse is speeding up on his own, which it rarely is, then I like to stop, wait a few moments and start again until he learns that he has to slow down. Kind of like re-booting the computer.

It is always important that we teach a horse to rate, be it off of us or cattle or when we are leading them. I personally prefer my horse to slow down when I slow down or stop when I stop.

The reason that horses speed up the majority of the time, is because the rider is out of balance and out of sync with the horse. If you are riding a western horse, then you need to slow yourself down and stay in one steady rhythm when you jog your horse, if you are riding English and your horse speeds up while trotting then, there again you need to post in one steady rhythm and not get ahead of your horse. Stay centered on your horse.

I always tell my students that our horses are always compensating for something. They have to balance themselves when we are riding them, if we are off balance then generally the horse will speed up to compensate.

While this may seem an easy feat because they have 4 feet, I bet if you ask the horse, they will tell you it is not so easy. Just watch a horse that is being ridden by a rider that is out of balance and you will see how obvious this all is. The horse may still be able to carry on and perform what is being asked, but it won't be as easy for the horse or as pleasing to the eye of the spectator or judge.

As far as sticking to just one discipline with him, I have shown many horses in multiple disciplines and have never had a problem with that. I think they are happier overall because they do not get bored as easily. Unless there are obvious signs that he his unhappy, then keep on showing him in both.

The Rotten Neighborhood Blog Party.. Here is your story!!!!

2009-07-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here is the story that you helped write. My original intention was to set it up as a PDF file and do a link. But with my Pea sized computer brain it is not going to happen that way.

I did change a few things for flow, but this is what we have so far.

Remember this is for a good cause and we will hopefully be able to do something with this.

We do have a little way to go until it is completed, but you all have done a great job so far.

____________________________________

Katie and Firefly!

The Story…..

The Bay mare grazed quietly in the pasture. She was heavy with foal and was staying in one place occasionally grunting as her foal kicked. It would soon be time and her foal would be here. Though she was surrounded by a band of mares she stood alone, the rest of the mares keeping a watchful eye on her…

Including her young owner, a girl of 16 who was a contesting rider. The sire of the foal was an all around champion. From barrels to calf roping, an all around performance horse. He was a Palomino, with 4 socks and a bald face.

The mare resumed her grazing, taking in a mouthful of sweet grass and she tried to nip at a fly on her left flank. Unable to reach it, she then lifted her hind hoof and removed it with a light scrape of her toe. Her shoes had been removed recently, and she felt the soft earth under her as she walked towards one of her pasture mates, a gentle eight year old gray mare. As friends do, they sniffed one another in greeting, the bay mare sighed, and they soon settled into mutual grooming. The mare closed her eyes and she nearly dozed, only to be awakened by her unborn foal as he stretched his legs within her. The young rider smiled as she watched her mare and in her heart hoped for a healthy foal.

The bay mare's owner smiled as her mare looked up and gave a welcoming whicker and left her horse friends to come visit.

The mare knew her young owner well and her favorite person knew just what the mare's favorite treats were. A sliced sweet apple and fingers that knew just exactly where to scratch the itchy spots. They were friends who respected each other and knew each other's ways.
"Hiya Firefly," murmured the young girl in a voice that is reserved for conversation between children and horses...

Firefly knew she was alucky horse indeed to have an owner as caring and committed to her wellbeing as Katie. Firefly had already experienced what can happen when an owner loses interest.

Five years ago, Katie had spotted Firefly from a distance at a local competition. Her owner, a large abrasive woman with a gruff voice had tied her to the trailer after a particularly hard run. Katie had seen them a few times before and often noticed this woman’s disregard for horses in her care.Katie rode by for a closer look and noticed the mare was still breathing hard from having just completed a run. "She should be walking." Katie told the woman. With a scowl the woman spun around and said "Then you do it" tossing the mares reins her direction.
Katie caught the mare’s reins and gently encouraged her to lead off and the mare reluctantly followed.Katie was stunned that the woman did not seem to care who had her horse and after a half hour or so it became clear that she really didn't.As long as, she did not have to be bothered Katie thought to herself. She had not loosened the cinch, or even taken the bridle off let alone, bothered to bring a bucket for water as Katie found out when she had asked.

The mare's owner was off in the clubhouse talking to her society friends and Katie could hear the laughter float down to where she stood with Firefly as she slurped noisily at the cool, clean water that Katie had lugged over. When the mare finished drinking, she rested her fine head on Katie's shoulder and Katie laughed softly as the water dripped off the mare's lips, running down her sweat dampened skin like cool relief. The mare let out a soft sigh and wuffled Katie's hair. "Knock that off silly mare or I'll have to rebraid this mess before my next class" Katie said, laughing as she did. Katie wondered what she should do with the mare.

It wasn't long before the mare’s owner reappeared, startling Katie. She was so entranced with the small star on the horse’s forehead only slightly visible under her knotted forelock. Katie had been untangling it with her fingers when the woman abruptly said, "Don’t bother with that. It doesn't make her run any faster."Katie’s face grew hot as her fist clenched in anger. Her hands gripped the mare’s reins. Her mind raced as she thought of so many things she wanted to say to the woman. Before she could stop herself she blurted out, "You don't deserve a horse like this."
Katie quickly clasped her hands to her mouth as she couldn't believe she'd just said that out loud. The owner couldn't either, she turned to the mare and ripped off all of Firefly's tack, bridle included and said. "Here then! Take her she's as useless to me as you are!!!" So there Katie stood with Firefly, thankfully one of the other competitors had seen what just transpired and quickly lent Katie a lead rope and halter. Firefly gently dropped her head into the halter and waited patiently for what was to come.

She stood there holding the lead rope, totally stunned by what had just occurred. Then a slow smile spread across her face. This lovely, sweet mare was hers. She had only dreamed of having a horse of this caliber.She made her way back to her parent's trailer, Firefly in tow. Now, she just had to convince her parents how wonderful this twist of fate was.
As Katie approached the trailer, she saw her dad. He was busy offering water to his gelding and her mom's mare.Her dad looked from Katie to Firefly and then back to Katie. Katie swallowed hard and said "Dad, you will never guess what just happened in a million years."
"No, I don't think I could ever guess!" he said.

Katie told her father the story, and after hearing what happened, Katie's dad told her "Go get your mom and tell her about this, then we can decided together what we are going to do" Katie walked off to find her mother, smiling hugely because her dad hadn't said she couldn't keep the mare.

Katie's father looked at his daughter and then at Firefly and smiled, he knew where the outcome would be, and he was glad he had brought the four horse trailer.

Katie quickly found her mother at the concession stand where she was trying to pick from the variety of nasty horse show food.Katie grabbed her by the hand and pulled her all of the way back to the trailer. All that she would say to her mother was "You aren't going to believe this!"
Katie's mom stood with her hands on her hips, looking from the mare, to Katie, to Katie's dad, then back again as she listened to the story. She looked to her husband, who grinned sheepishly and shrugged ever so slightly.Katie's mom sighed and said, "Well, we will need to find out if she has papers and get them or at least a bill of sale. Let's go find this 'lovely' woman."Katie and her mom started off in the direction of the woman's trailer. Katie had replaced the borrowed halter with one of her parents', and intended to return it to its owner after she had the mare's papers.
On the way over, Katie spotted the girl who had witnessed the whole thing. The girl came over and introduced herself, "Hi, my name is Brittney."She told Katie and her mother how horrible she always felt for "that woman's horses, the only thing she cares about is winning."Brittney then volunteered to accompany them over to the trailer and stand as a witness.

Katie's mother told them she'd catch up in a minute, and headed back to the truck to grab her purse. When Brittany and Katie arrived at the parking spot, the woman and her trailer were nowhere to be seen. The only evidence she'd ever been there was a crumpled up wad of paper covered in the dust from what must have been a speedy exit, judging by the deep tire tracks in the dirt."Oh, bother," Katie said. "I don't care if she's registered or not. She's mine, and that's that." Kicking the wadded up paper and tugging at Firefly's lead, Katie turned back towards her parents, even more secure in her knowledge that this horse was now hers. What were her parents going to do? Leave the mare standing in the empty parking lot at the end of the day? Lost in her thoughts, Katie didn't realize she'd left Brittany behind, until..."Wait!" Brittany called. Katie stopped. When Brittany caught up, she breathlessly said, "Check...this...out!" and handed Katie the now un-crumpled sheet of paper.

Katie read the paper and realized it was the registration papers for Firefly and the woman had signed the back allowing the mare to be transferred into her nameShe and Brittney proceeded to do the ‘Happy Dance ‘ with some high fives and whoops added in.Meanwhile, Firefly stood gazing at Katie with a soft eye and then she made a gentle wuffle of happiness.Her new life was just beginning.

She presented no problems; it was like she knew she was going home. The ride home was uneventful and when she stepped off of the trailer, Firefly knew this was it. The mental and physical abuse she had suffered at the hands of her previous owner seemed far away, even though it had only been a few hours.

Fortunately, Firefly had not been privy to the conversation, aka "war," going on in the truck's cab, during the drive home. Katie's parents were not thrilled with the addition of a new horse, but they admired their daughter's gumption and desire to do right by this mare. "Honey, what exactly did you say to the woman?" her mom asked, once they'd merged onto the freeway towards home.

"Um, I told her that she didn't deserve the horse." Katie sank into the back seat of the king-cab, hoping her parents would focus on each other instead of her.

Her father had stifled a laugh; Katie was becoming just like her parents, never afraid to say what was on her mind. But still she needed to learn there was time not to say anything.

"Katie! You really need to think before you speak," her dad admonished. Then he turned to his wife. "Do you think there could be any legal issues with this?"

Katie's mom, keeping her eyes on the road, replied, "My guess is the woman was pretty ticked about being called out by a kid. She won't be making any more waves that might bring attention to herself. "

"Okay. Well, I wonder if we should try to contact the owner, see what we need to do." Katie's dad replied, watching the rearview mirror as they turned into their driveway.
Katie piped up, "So, does that mean I can keep her?"

“We will see” replied Katie’s father.

Firefly backed out of the trailer without incident, and it was clear that she was used to hopping down without a ramp. She immediately raised her head and her nostrils filled with scents new and exciting. She let out a loud whinny as if to say, "I'm home", and then lowered her head to Katie to nudge her pocket. Katie smiled in relief when she found a wrapped peppermint that she had intended to give to Pumpkin, but was secretly glad that she'd forgotten. The kind-hearted sorrel Pumpkin would have understood. Firefly crunched the treat and nuzzled Katie for more. The family's cattle dog ran to greet them, suddenly stopping in front of Firefly. There was a hesitant stance, and then he carefully walked over to sniff her heels. Satisfied, he wagged his tail and stretched his body downward and yawned. Katie burst out laughing.

Katie decided to ride her new treasure, Firefly, the next morning. She had seen the mare's papers. Firefly was born to run and had the conformation to prove it.

Katie saddled Firefly, decided to try a sweet iron snaffle bit, and climbed on with no idea of what to expect. Firefly shuffled slowly around the arena with her head low. When Katie asked for a canter Firefly delicately loped at the speed of a sleepy snail. Katie growled at Firefly "What are you doing?!" Katie wanted to impress the new reining people so badly, but Firefly was a joke! She had no speed!Firefly was crushed. She wanted to impress Katie. She thought to herself as she ground her teeth "you idiot child, I have ribbons for doing this. How dare you not love me."
Just then, Katie's dad showed up. "Hey hon’, how's Firefly?"

Katie closed her seat and stopped riding. Firefly "stopped on a dime and gave change." "Dad! Did you see that?" Katie squealed.

"I sure did. Looks like she has some training. My guess is her old owner was riding her too hard. This mare's sensitive. Less is more." He turned back up to the house, chuckling under his breath. This mare was going to teach his daughter how to ride.

"Okay, Firefly, let's try that again." Katie thought "walk" and stretched tall in the saddle
Everything went along quite well for a time Katie rode Firefly all over the property that summer often with Pumpkin in tow. The threesome would disappear into the woods and surrounding pasture lands for hours on end, Katie often taking lunch along in the saddlebags. Their favorite place to stop was under the old sycamore tree down by the stream at the bottom of the hill. Firefly and Katie went together like peas and carrots.

The two mares got along great, even though Firefly towered over Pumpkin. Katie had guessed her height came from the Thoroughbred in her breeding. She was an appendix Quarter Horse as Katie had discovered by her papers the woman had left behind on the ground in the parking lot that fateful day. That was 5 years ago and yet, it seemed like yesterday thought Katie as she stared at the mare’s side and thought about the foal she carried.And then the new folks moved into the neighboring ranch, bringing with them, a lot of big money and high powered reining horses with them.

It was an unfortunate design flaw in an otherwise perfect farm that put Katie's arena directly next to the neighboring ranch's arena. And so the day that Katie took out Firefly for an idle jog around was the same day that Maxie arrived home from boarding school, complete with the latest "former World Champion" schoolmaster that her parents had delightedly paid Maxie's riding coach six figures for.

Katie decided to trust Firefly and her skill level. She knew it was there and she knew she had to ride it in order to get it.

As Katie watched Maxie and her newly paid for already made gelding Simba do their thing, she mounted Firefly and began to practice.

Maxie was a connoisseur of tack. She had rhinestone studded brow bands, gilded saddles; argyle ribbon pads, sheepskin wither relievers, brass-studded nosebands, and jeweled spurs. Today, on the first day home, she whipped out all the bling for the inaugural ride. She had already spotted that dowdy little bay with the kid in jeans next door. It was important to make good first impressions, after all. She fingered her latest purchase, a sparkly, leather-feathered racing whip. She hadn't the slightest idea what to do with it. But it would look fabulous.

Maxie decided to make a maximum impression on the dowdy neighbors, and as she mounted Simba she gleefully decided to do a fast thunder run down the rail between the two arenas.Her bright new whip tapped Simba in a particularly sensitive spot as she put her foot in the stirrup. Maxie was distracted by the picture she had in her mind and wasn't paying enough attention. Simba flinched, jumped up in the air and promptly ran away with Maxie clinging for dear life, half on and half off her horse.

"Here, now!" called a gravelly voice.

Katie looked toward the end of the neighboring arena, where Maxie (who was actually holding on quite well) and Simba were heading at mach speed. A wiry old man with a cigarette somehow adhering to his drooping lower lip stepped forward - he'd been weeding the day lilies planted around the outside of the ring.

Simba slid to a surprised stop, and Maxie fell to the ground with an unceremonious thud. Her new whip had caught on something and broken in two.The old fellow quietly caught up a snorting Simba while Maxie, cheeks burning, brushed shredded tire arena footing from her pants. As he calmly led the horse to his young owner, Katie overheard him snort, spit and deliver a few pithy remarks to her fashionable neighbor.

Maxie looked over at Katie with an embarrassed grin. "Hi, I'm Maxie" she said, leading Simba over to the fence. Firefly stood quietly as Katie introduced herself. Katie couldn't help but smile at Maxie's humbler attitude and sense of fun.

Maxie took another look at Firefly and said "that looks like a horse I've seen before!"
"Really? Are you sure? There are lot of plain bay mares on the circuit," Katie was skeptical, but hopeful."I'm almost positive I've seen her before," Maxie replied, "I recognize the white spot on her left haunch, the one that looks like a little firefly bug." Katie was truly surprised at this; no one else had noticed the small collection of Bird catcher spots. Maybe she did know her!"Do you remember where you saw her before? Any information you have would be great," she smiled.
"Was her owner a very snooty woman?""Well, she wasn't exactly NICE," she replied, pulling a face.Maxie giggled, and stopped, blushing, when the old man walked by with a handful of weeds. The girls watched him stalk toward the manure pile."Who is he?" whispered Katie."Some cowboy type guy, Dad just hired him for cleaning stalls, grooming, feeding, and maintenance... that kind of thing.""Huh. Well, anyway, I call her Firefly. She's registered Appendix, very fast from what I can tell... Hey, where'd you get that headstall? It's.... sparkly. And I think that our horses could use a drink!"Maxie looked back at her sweaty gelding. "OK, I get the point.... I was just really excited to get him, and ride him, you know? But I think your mare might be almost as good, if she's the one I'm thinking of..." "What do you mean, ALMOST?"Just then, the two horses touched noses, squealed and farted. The girls dissolved into giggles while the old cowboy, unnoticed, squinted intently at Firefly.The "Old Man" as some referred to him, had forgotten more about horses than, a lot of so called experts ever knew. The work he had hired on to do was his own choice. Not caused by any type of hard luck story.He knew that people have short memories and most often see what they want to see and this served him very well in what he had chosen to do with his golden years.

The girls led their horses off for a drink, giggling. They disappeared behind the barn and the cowboy tilted his hat back and chewed intently on a sweet stem of alfalfa. That little bay mare seemed awful familiar. Looked just like the filly out of his old favorite mare, Lady. A thoroughbred mare he had picked up for a song at the local track and turned out to be one of his best roping mares. She was smart, competitive with huge burst of speed and well-known by the local rodeo crowd for her habit of biting him in the boot if he happened to miss the calf.
A wry smile lit his face.

He had bred her to his old red quarter horse stallion. He had called his stud simply "King," out of Wimpy, one of the famous King Ranch studs. The old guy had pretty bad arthritis toward the end, but he was a well-behaved fellow, and on the warm summer afternoons when he would nicker at the gate and toss his head in anticipation, the cowboy would saddle him up and take a leisurely ride to the local diner for a cup of coffee. King seemed to enjoy the outing and the cowboy, well he always enjoyed showing him off.It did him good to see the mare. The last time he had seen her had been at the auction, along with the other 30 head of horses he bred, raised and trained himself and lost to the gavel in one painful afternoon. A few years of depressed meat prices combined with the death of his ranch partner brother, and the bank had come calling. He lost them all, his horses, his land and his pride.

That night, Katie remembered, was the first night she dreamt about Firefly. In her dream, the mare was prancing into an arena, and then she burst brilliantly through the start gate, and turned a blistering time in on the barrels.

The old man had a restless night as well. They years after he lost the ranch had been tough and he spent more time than he cared to remember - and thankfully he didn't remember much - getting tossed out of bars and thrown into jail. The worst part was thinking of his horses and how he let them down. Especially the young ones like the little mare the girl was calling "Firefly." She would have had her whole life ahead of her when he sent her to auction and he had figured she would have made him a fine working cow horse, not to mention a hell of a competitor just like her dam.

In the morning, dream still tucked safely in her pocket, Katie walked out to the barn to feed. As she turned into the hay room, she nearly ran into the old man from next door.
"Excuse me," he said.

"What are you doing here? Are the horses okay?"

He had gone out to the barn early that morning just to see to make sure the mare was real. He stood in the rising morning light and saw again the familiar muscled lines of his old stud, and the deep girth and kind eye of her dam. It kind of felt like finding a lost-long child, seeing one of the last of his line of horses.

Katie had startled him from his reverie with her abrupt appearance.

"They're up," he grumbled, as Katie rushed by him into the barn. He never was much for chit-chat.

The old man took one last glance around the barn. Nice place, he thought. Not fancy like his workplace next door, but everything was orderly and the horses had the unmistakable bloom of good health and grooming. He turned to leave... and ran into Katie's father."Do I know you?" he asked, calmly, with a very firm edge, but a little quizzically, as if he did indeed recognize the dried up cowboy.

Sam looked at The Old Man, and realized he did recognize him from that auction years ago. He had himself sold a horse that same day and watched from a distance with a great deal of sympathy as the Old Man sold horse after horse to the crowd.

After chatting about the weather for a few minutes, Sam asked, "Well, I could be needing a bit of help around here, keeping things maintained and the horses fed and such. You interested?" as he thought the Old Man looked more than capable. The Old Man replied simply "Sure. When do I start, and what’s the pay?"They agreed on $400 a week, and shook hands. The Old Man was outwardly non-emotional, but inwardly he was happy to be around his Lady's daughter again. He thought that the mare had found a fellow kindred soul in Sam's daughter, but Katie didn't really have any idea what she had in that mare. He'd have to show her what the mare was bred to do without offending her dad or her. He thought then of the foal in Firefly's belly. He thought he knew a bit of the stud, the palomino located some miles up the road. He'd seen the stud in some of the rodeos, and while not exactly impressed with the horse, knew the horse was decent enough. He'd have to make sure he was with the mare when she foaled. As he was walking down the barn out to the pasture, he happened to look up at Firefly, who was standing at the fence watching him as if she knew he was thinking about her. He gently rubbed her between her eyes, and really started to look at her then. He noticed the subtle signs that her time was closer than he'd realized. Much closer. Well, she's ready to foal tonight, he realized with the same familiar joy and anticipation that was always mixed with a healthy dose of worry. No matter how many mares' he'd watched have their foals, there was always that chance of something going wrong. As he stood there musing and rubbing the mare's forehead, the sun was dropping down below the horizon, casting shades of gold, red, orange, and a multitude of colors never named over the ranch. Night was coming quickly with the promises of what was to come.

As the Old Man wandered off towards the neighboring ranch he called home, the sun shone warm upon his face. He had just secured himself a steady supplement to his income for his honest work. Things were starting to look up in his world again. As he neared the fence and property line, his old dog ran up to greet him. He smiled broadly as he said to his dog, "Well, maybe now things will finally start to come back around."

As he stood there musing and rubbing the mare's forehead, Katie walked up and softly said, "Isn't she beautiful?" The Old man looked at Katie with tears in his eyes and told her how lucky Firefly was to have her. Katie told The Old Man how Firefly came into her life and how Katie was the lucky one.

They stood there in thoughtful silence watching her graze and swishing at flies.
Sam's mind wandered back to when Firefly was born. Lady had an uneventful pregnancy but her delivery was anything but uneventful, it became a very touch and go situation. There had been a very real possibility that both Lady and her foal wouldn’t make it.Lady had started her labor out normally, and progressed very quickly. As her contractions got closer and closer together, she started to push the foal out of her body... but something was very wrong. The foals legs were bent backwards at the knees, and no matter how hard she pushed, she would never be able to get the baby out on her own.The Old Man had been forced to manually move both forelegs into the correct position for the filly to be born, a very tricky and difficult maneuver. He had almost lost both the mare and the foal, but his quick actions had allowed the foal to be put into the correct birthing position. It wasn't very soon after that Lady had a brand new filly lying by her side. He had named the little filly Duchess, but the little girl's name of Firefly fit the bay mare as well.

Working on the Lope/Canter Departure

2009-07-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

Today I got an email asking me how I get a horse to depart into the lope from a walk or stop and how I get him to pick up the correct lead.

I think that before we get started there are some things that need to be understood about the mechanics of the departure and the lead, that will help in teaching a horse how to move into those transitions and how to pick up the correct lead. And we need to go over the positioning of the riders legs as well.

1) The departure and the lead start on the outside hind leg. When the horse pushes off of his outside hind, that allows him to pick up the inside hind and the inside shoulder. At this point in the horses training, he should know how to use his hind end.

2) It will work better if the horse is straight and parallel to the rail, that way he will not be able to drop his inside shoulder. If the horse drops his inside shoulder, then he will not be able to pick up the correct lead.

3) The position of the rider is very important. If the rider drops his inside shoulder, then the horse will do the same. The rider needs to be centered on the horse.

4) The riders inside leg should be back behind the cinch/girth and the outside leg should be at the same place as the inside leg. When a rider moves his outside leg further back than the inside leg, the horses hip will move to the inside and that horses shoulder will move towards the rail. Remember, the departure should be as straight as possible.

5) The horse must be moving off both of my legs laterally before we move into teaching departures.

Now that we have established mechanics and position, then we are ready to ask for the departure.

What I like to do is teach the horse to relax before we do anything new, so I like to walk to horse down the rail on a loose rein dong small circle to make sure that they are going to follow their face and that they will bend around my leg.

When I feel that they are ready, I will ask them to stop and stand, then I like to squeeze with my legs and ask them to take a few steps forward before stopping again. After doing that a few times, I will stop again and ask for then ask for the lope by clucking and then kissing and cuing with my outside leg. If the horse does not pick up the lope, then I will stop and ask again. I do not want the horse top pick up the trot first because I do not want to teach him that habit and I do not want them to speed up.

If the horse does not pick up the correct lead, I do not like to do smaller circles as that makes the horse drop his shoulder an speed up. I want the departure to be slow and correct so the horse will stay quiet and slow while he lopes. I also like to leave the horses face alone so he is comfortable while leaning his departures, so I like to work on a loose rein.

I have found that this is the best way to teach horse his departures, it is simple and it makes it easy for the horse without any confusion, and by eliminating the confusion this does not take long teach your horse his departures at all.

When I am asked to fix a lead problem, I do the same thing, in other words, I go back to basics with the horse.

Rotten Neighborhood Blog Party

2009-07-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

I am working on a link to the story in it's entirety. Any help setting up A pdf file would be greatly appreciated. I am a horse trainer not a computer genius, you are lucky I have figured out how to post.

I have finished with what we have already. Please help me continue the rest of the story.

Here's where we left off last week with our story:

Sam's mind wandered back to when Firefly was born. Lady had an uneventful pregnancy but her delivery was anything but uneventful, it became a very touch and go situation. There had been a very real possibility that both Lady and her foal wouldn’t make it.
Lady had started her labor out normally, and progressed very quickly. As her contractions got closer and closer together, she started to push the foal out of her body... but something was very wrong. The foals legs were bent backwards at the knees, and no matter how hard she pushed, she would never be able to get the baby out on her own.

The Old Man had been forced to manually move both forelegs into the correct position for the filly to be born, a very tricky and difficult maneuver. He had almost lost both the mare and the foal, but his quick actions had allowed the foal to be put into the correct birthing position. It wasn't very soon after that Lady had a brand new filly lying by her side. He had named the little filly Duchess, but the little girl's name of Firefly fit the bay mare as well.
__________________________________________

As far as tonight's post goes......What are your favorite memories with your horses?

Have a Happy 4th of July and a Safe Weekend!

We will be back to training on Monday!

The ad says the horse is bomb proof....now how the hell can we test that?

2009-06-30T11:24:00.001-07:00

This will be the first in a series of evaluating the horse, including evaluating conformation.

Over the course of 30 years of training horses, I have been asked on numerous occasions to evaluate horses for potential clients as well as current clients. Most of the time they have found the horse on through an ad online or in the paper. I find that when the seller places those ads they very often use terms that will help sell the horse.

Today, I am going to talk about one term that is used that I absolutely hate, and that term is 'bomb proof'!

So what does that mean?

Well, that means that the horse will not spook at anything or blow up.....EVER!

Let me be the first to break it to you, there is no such thing. Every horse has a point at which they will 'blow up' at something. It may be something as insignificant as a gopher running underneath them (I have had that happen) or something like a truck horn. There is no way to tell what is going to set a horse off. I have had times where I can feel the horse tense up underneath me before they are going to explode and there have been times that there was no warning.

Remember, what the horse is like at his current home before you buy them may be somewhat different than what they are like when you take them home. Just like they may be quiet at home, they can be a different horse at a show or competition.

When I am asked to evaluate the horse for a buyer, the first thing I want to do is call the seller and ask them a lot of questions. Sometimes, I have to ask questions that I know they may not like, but they have to be asked before we go look at the horse. If the ad says the horse is ' bomb proof', then I will ask them flat out what it is they feel is 'bomb proof'.

Once I have established what the seller is trying to say, I will then either tell the buyer that we will go look at the horse or we will look elsewhere.

If we decide that we are going to look at the horse, I am going to want to see the horse ridden and I am going to want to ride him.

When I ask to see the seller ride him, I am going to want to see them walk, trot and lope/canter and back. The reason I am going to want to see the horse back, is so I can see if the horse is willing to give to the bit without going up. I am also going to want to see if that horse knows any lateral aids.

Then when I get on the horse, I am also going to ask for the walk, trot, lope/canter. I am also going to push the horses buttons by pulling on him and bumping them with my legs a little to see how he will react. I am also going to see what kind of 'whoa' the horse has. That is just something that is going to have to be done. If there are cattle, I will ask if I can take the horse on cattle, if the horse is a reiner, I will ask for the elements of a pattern, etc.

After all that is done, I will go stand in the center of the ring to see how and if the horse relaxes after he works or if he acts like he is stressed out.

If at that point, I feel that the horse may have some potential, we will then work on taking the horse on trial, though I realize that is not always an option that the seller will be willing to discuss, the majority of the time most sellers are willing to do so if the buyer is willing to leave a deposit. We will only do so, if we are serious about purchasing the horse. We will also have our vet out to evaluate the horse at the buyers expense.

If the seller is willing to do so, then that will allow me to try the horse in a new and different environment to see how he handles that situation.

It is so important that when buying a new horse, that you know where the horse came from and who trained the horse. Call the person that originally trained the horse and ask them about him, if at all possible, go see that trainer work. Doing the research before you purchase your new horse can prevent headaches later on!

The Rotten Neighborhood blog party!..Once upon a time....

2009-06-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

As you most of you know, CNJ and I are the oh so very proud parents of twin daughters, Viv and Lil. Along with our teen aged daughter, they are all the absolute joy in our lives.

What I would like to do tonight is somewhat different that we have done in the past. Though there will be the normal comments of course, I would like to write a story for our kids and yours, and have you all contribute.

I will start with the first paragraph and you all can add to the story with your own paragraphs. We will see where it goes over the weekend. In a way it will be like the game telephone only we are allowed to make up the ending. Next weekend I will put it all together and post the finished story along with next Friday nights post.

Now here is the kicker, should some how, by some miracle it gets published, it will be under the name as written by All the Rotten Apples. Should it actually be sold, all proceeds will go to children's charities that will be nominated and voted on by all of you.

Since this is a horse training blog, we will write about something we know best......Chickens!

Actually it will be a horse story.

So here it goes.

The Bay mare grazed quietly in the pasture. She was heavy with foal and was staying in one place occasionally grunting as her foal kicked. It would soon be time and her foal would be here.

Though she was surrounded by a band of mares she stood alone, the rest of the mares keeping a watchful eye on her.........

"When I sez Whoa, I means Whoa ya !&^#$@%* mangey fleabit varmit!"

2009-06-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

So often I hear about the same problems that owners have with their horses. And it is usually the problems that are caused because of the owners not being consistent in their training with their horses and they are not setting up the boundaries that tell the horse that he is not a pocket pony.

The horses are not listening on the ground nor are they listening while they are on the horses back.

One of the most important things we can ever teach a horse is that 'Whoa' is not just another 4 letter word, and that has to be taught form a early age. And no, we do not go shouting 'Whoa' that the mares belly when she is in foal. Though there have been times that I have wished we did!

I like to say 'Whoa' as quietly as possible to get he horse to stop, I never want to shout it at them because I want them to stay soft and relaxed. When I say 'Whoa', I say it the same way every time.

I like to start teaching that foal 'Whoa' as soon as we put a halter on them. I have found that he best way to do that, is to teach the foal that when we stop moving, he is to stop moving. I always lead the foal on a loose lead line so that he has room and when I stop he will not have a reason to fidget and he will relax.

When I stop that foal, and he relaxes, I will brush him and work on picking up his feet. If he moves when I start to brush him and work on him I will stop, say 'Whoa' and continue on as soon as he relaxes again.

After the foal has been brushed and he has picked up his feet and stood quietly for a few minutes, then we will move on.

By working the foal on a loose lead line and asking him to stop when we stop, it will make it easier to teach him to ground tie, lunge and later, when he is 3, it will make it easier to start him under saddle. It will also help in teaching the horse boundaries so we do not have problems with things like biting.

Teaching a horse to stop on a lunge line is much the same, when we stop he stops.

One thing that drives me insane is seeing people put their horses on a lunge line and stand in the same place while the horse runs around in a circle. As the horse goes behind them, they just raise their arms over their heads.

I like to be a little more proactive when I lunge my horse. I will walk a small circle in the center diving the horse forward so he keeps moving. That way, when I stop walking and say 'Whoa' the horse will stop because I stopped.

After the horse stops, I will walk out to him and approach his shoulder, not his head, and pat him on the shoulder.

Teaching the horse to 'Whoa' when I am on their backs is also done by teaching the horse when I quit he quits. I am sure that many of you have heard the phrase 'just quit riding to get the horse to stop'.

What that means, is that, when we want the horse to stop, we cease with our light but steady leg contact and roll back onto our seat and say 'Whoa'. We do not lean back in the saddle to get the horse to stop as that will make the horse stop on his front end. I never want to pull them into a stop, as I prefer that they learn to stop when I sit and quit. When they do stop, I drop my hands on their necks and let them relax and stand.

That way it is all nice and quiet the way I like it!

There really is no great secret to teaching a horse to stop and stand when we say 'Whoa'. It is all in how you approach it. I like my horses to stay as quiet as possible when I handle them, that way, I am not always having to yell at them to get them to do what I want them to do.

It's Not a Good Horse Show, Unless you have been put on probation/suspension!

2009-06-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

I received an email last night, that to me shows a disturbing trend in the horse industry today!

Normally, this is not a topic that I would discuss on this blog, but I was asked for my view on the matter and thus I am going to ask for your views on the matter being presented here in this posting. However, as much as I hate to admit this, it has to do with trainers and training.

In our beloved horse show industry, things have changed quite a bit over the past several years. We have younger trainers that have introduced their own creative training techniques, some who have taken the time to learn and perfect their craft and some that have learned that short cuts seem to work the best. Everything in this industry is about the win, not about the horse anymore.

Where am I going with this?

Well, I was always taught that with anything in life and not just in the show ring, people that take the shortcuts are the people that are most likely to bend/break the rules. Those are the people that I want to discuss today.

About 10 years ago, I was at a show. Not a big huge show at which I was not showing but watching an open western pleasure class. There was only one big name in the class, he was a younger guy. The judge, who was also a BNT whom I know, was very competent.

The class of 17 entered the ring traveling down the rail at the jog. When the gate closed, and the class was being judged they made a few laps before they were asked to walk. When asked to walk they made a lap. No big deal so far.

Then they were asked to lope. This is where the shit started to hit the fan for the young trainer. The horse would not pick up the lead to the left, nor the right for that matter, as we would find out. The trainer tried in vain, but there was no way that horse would pick up the lead, so the trainer started to bump the horses face in an attempt to correct the problem, but that was not working. When asked for the stop, the trainer took half a lap before stopping. And the trainer had to yank the horse into a stop!

On the reverse, the same thing happened. There was no way that horse was going to pick up the lead. The horse never in the entire class picked up the lead, much less even made 1 lap at the lope.

The judge watched the whole thing and this trainer pulled a 2nd place on this horse in the open. I am sure that the judge felt the he could not place the horse 1st as that would be obvious.

Turns out the horse was a 4 year old that had only 60 days training on him and was not ready for the class.

The Steward, whom I also know very well told me later that the judge lost his card over this. The trainer was suspended, not for his performance it that class, but for having his youth riders bump into and cut off other riders in their classes. One of his youth riders parents complained!

The way that I see it is that if you are not ready for the show ring, do not go to the show and if you must, be prepared to not place where you want to place.

If you are a professional, be a professional!

Your horses and riders are representative of you work. If you teach them to cheat, then it says nothing good about you.

If you have to use politics to win, then you need to find a new career or learn to do your job!

I have never had a suspension or been put on probation and I will continue to follow the rules. I will never cheat. If I do not win because of it, then at least my integrity is intact.

Back to training tomorrow!

The Rotten Neighborhood Friday Night Free for All!!!!!

2009-06-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

The other day I received the following email.

JR

I have been following your posts on FHOTD for a while now and now I am also following your blog on a daily basis. I love the way you go about things in a very down to earth common sense approach. Like you, I am a very Old School trainer, and will remain that way.

I have been training horses for a few years longer than you in California. We have always had a full barn and when a stall did come open, we never had a problem filling it.

But lately, we have been our clients have been taking their horses home saying that they can no longer afford to keep their horses in training. Some of them have been long term clients. I know they will come back when the economy gets better and they have more money to spend.

The question I have for you is, are you experiencing the same problems and what are you doing to stay afloat?

Do you think things will get better?

Deb

______________________________________-

Well Deb

Times are tough of that there is no doubt. Work for me is slow but steady. I know of several trainers in our area that have been sending horses home because the owners are unable to pay the bills. And some of the owners are being forced to sell their horses at give away prices so they can just pay their regular utility bills.

As far as what we are doing, well we are plugging away keeping busy with a few client horses and a few of our own. I am getting our 3 year old's ready for the show ring so I have horses to keep me in the ring. I am starting to get CNJ's horses ready for her to show. And we are still giving lessons as well.

Meanwhile, we have the girls that are keeping us busy!

We do not go out like we used to and are definitely being creative in ways to have fun.

Going to movies are a thing of the past, at least for now, and our weekly jaunt to the Sushi bar is out, at least for now.

And as much as we come across as party animals, we really do not drink like we used to.

Deb, things will get better!

As professional and amateur horsemen we have all had to ride out tough times and have always managed to make it through.

So, I guess my questions are.... What is everyone else doing for fun?

What are you doing with your horses for fun?

If there is one thing that you would like to do with or without your horses, what is it?

After the first ride, we have the first week!

2009-06-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

The first week on a young horse is really the most important in that horses career. I like to make sure that they are comfortable with me and what I am doing on their backs, so that the progression to the next step is easier for both of us.

By the time I am done with the second ride, the horse will already have a Whoa on him and have basic steering skills and will start to learn to move away from my leg. I like to teach the horse to steer by moving his hind end away from my inside leg (turning on the forehand) and letting him point his nose in the direction that I want him to go. I only guide him with my direct rein by tugging lightly on the corners of his mouth. As the horse starts to turn, I will quit bumping with my calf and tugging on him and I will let him finish the turn on his own. By letting the horse finish the turn on his own, he will start to soften for me a lot quicker.

During the rest of the first week under saddle, I will continue to encourage the horse to go forward, asking him to turn both directions and asking for frequent stops. While the horse is stopped we will only move forward again when I feel that horse give me a sigh and he starts to chew and lick, that way he is relaxed as we move off. When I do ask him to move off, I will bump lightly with my calves until he moves. I never smack the horse on the butt to get him to go forward as I have seen other trainers do. There again, I am moving at the horses pace, not mine. While the horse is moving forward, I like to keep light contact with my calves on the horses sides.

When I stop, I never pull the horse into a stop. When I want the horse to stop I say Whoa and gently tug on both reins until the horse stops. I also use my seat to get the horse to stop and take my legs off of the horse.

I like to make the first week under saddle for the horse as simple as possible, we have the time so why not? The rides are short and will steadily get longer as we progress in training. When I am done with that horse for the day, I will check the his back to make sure he is not sore.

After the first 5 or 6 rides, I will give the horse 2 days off so he can be turned out to play and of course, plot against me for the next week!

"AWWWWW, but I don't wanna go back to work!"

2009-06-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

I had a client 3 years ago that decided to have their mare sent out to for breeding. They figured that the mare had been shown enough and they wanted her to take some time out of the show ring and have a foal.

Her days as a career western pleasure mare were over, and she was to be a stay at home mom.

That did not last for long. She had 2 years off and they wanted to show her again!

When they called me and asked me if I could take the mare and get her ready for the ring, I was happy to do so, but I told them that she was going to need at least 30 days just to bring her back into condition before being ridden.

So the mare came back.

I spent the next 45 days getting the mare back into condition. Lots of lunging at the strong trot. Her workouts started out short and as her condition and muscle tone improved their length was increased little by little. The mare had obviously become quite lazy over the past 2 years, so I really had to make her work.

When I decided to get that back on the mare, I really did not have a particular plan in mind. It was time to assess the mare- see what she remembered, what she would give, where I needed to start and what we needed to work on first. So I just got on her and started to ride. I pushed the buttons to see what the mare remembered at the walk, trot and lope. There were a few things that had changed, the mare had become a little 'dead sided' and would not move off of my leg. She was really stiff to the right, and refused to give, so that was going to have to be addressed. Her transitions were horrible as she refused to use her hind end.

I decided that I would start with the walk, I felt that it was important at that point to get the mare as flexible as possible and that is always best done at the walk. I was mostly concerned with lateral flexion and was not at all concerned with getting her head set. That would come when the I started to get the rest of the issues dealt with.

Over the next few days I would work the mare at walk working primarily on lateral aids, asking her to bend around my leg, move away from my leg. When I would stop and then ask her to go, I would rock her back on her hind end and then squeeze with my legs and ask her to go forward. This would create impulsion from behind and help us redevelop those smooth upward transitions.

When I finally did ask the mare for the transition into the lope, I just asked her to lope. With all of the lateral work, she had become lighter on her front end and her transitions had change from rough to smooth and easy. Things were coming back for this mare.

As far as her jog was concerned, once this mare had softened laterally, the jog was really easy!

The thing about re-schooling the show horse that has been off for a while, is that you have to remember that the horse, depending on how far they were in their training, for the most part remembers what they have been taught in the past.

The things that do change, for the most part are physical, such as conditioning. But there is one thing that may have changed that I have not mentioned, and that is, what am I doing differently from what I have done in the past.

What have I learned and implemented into my training program while that horse is off?

For those things I am going to have to make adjustments for the horse that I am training.

As far a re-schooling a stallion that has been off for breeding, I like to remind the owner that, even though we have decided to put him back to work in June, his brain will not arrive until July!

It's Party Time!!!!!!!

2009-06-12T15:59:00.000-07:00

OK everyone, I am starting early!

I have a question for you, and that is what is the craziest thing you have ever done on horse back?

Was there alcohol involved?

Were you an adult and knew better at the time or are you going to claim the ignorance is bliss defense?

Was it during the day or was it during the night?

If you were under age, did your parents ever find out?

Were your friends with you?

Was it legal?

OK, I know that is more than one question, but enquiring minds want to know!

Who is smarter, the horse or the rider? The inevitable question!

2009-06-11T11:04:00.001-07:00

I was going to do a post on re-schooling the old show horse. But this came up last night and I had to post about it.

CNJ and I were at a equine function or rather and equine disfunction last night, and while there, we heard a hell of a lot of commotion and a whole lot of WHOAS coming from the barn. We went to see what it was and there in the barn was a horse that was tied up. That horse started to pull back. As soon as the horse would pull back, the owner would whoop the hell out of the horse with a rope while screaming "Whoa" at the top of her lungs. When the horse would not stop, she would beat the horse some more and yell "Whoa", there again, at the top of her lungs. The mare never did "Whoa", and the idiot owner damn near got her asshat kicked off!

Sad thing is, now when you get near the mare with a rope, she may start kicking. I'm not sure about everyone else, but at this point, I would rather have a horse that pulls back instead of kicking.

I am not an NH trainer, I just use common sense. I can tell you for a fact, there are better ways to handle a horse that pulls back. And beating them with a rope is not one of them.

When the owner finally gave up on the pulling back situation, she decided that it was time to get on the mare. After having her ass kicked, I didn't think the mare was really in the mood to be ridden much less stand still for her rider to get on.

So as soon as the owner realized that the mare was not going to stand still, she shortened her grip on the lead rope and started to beat the horses side with the stirrup. There again, the mare was in no mood to stand still and in reality, could not stand still because the asshat had her head pulled around.

There are ways to sack out/desensitize as horse without all of the drama. I personally use a saddle pad or blanket, start at the horses chest and work my way to the back. As I am sacking the horse out, I start them out softly, progressively sacking them harder and harder and then when end, I finish up light. I never tie the horse up, I just hold them on a loose lead, that way when they stop moving they can relax. It has always worked for me.

I wanted to go say something to this idiot, but I did not want my Trainers Turrets to come out!

Beside, at that point, what do you say?

Starting a Horse Under Saddle: Ride #1

2009-06-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

Now that we have tacked the horse, and he has accepted the saddle, I will think about getting on.

First I bridle the horse, leaving the halter on under the bridle, making sure that it is adjusted to fit the horse properly. Like everything else, I make sure that the fit is correct so that the horse is comfortable. Prior to this day, I have let the horse wear the bridle when I have been lunging him for the past week. I let him learn to carry the bit comfortably his mouth.

Next, I will lift the stirrups and let them drop on the horses side and I will pat the saddles' seat, jiggle the flank cinch, grab the horn and wiggle the saddle. I will continue to do this until the horse stands still and lets me do this on both sides.

Now, I will get on.

A lot of people like to have someone on the ground as a header, to hold onto the lead just in case something happens. I personally do not use someone on the ground as I feel that they can get in the way and I will be more worried about them than what I am doing. However, if you haven't started a young horse before, I would recommend having someone help you for the first few rides. A knowledgeable header can be a great help.

Standing by the horses side, I reach forward and grab the cheek piece of the halter with my left hand. That will give me sufficient control over the horses head and keep him quiet. This also prevents me from pulling on the headstall and the bit. (I do not pull the horses head around, I just hold the cheek piece.)

I then grab the saddle horn with my right hand and place my foot in the stirrup, once it is in the stirrup I will 'hop' on my other foot a few times before standing up in the stirrup. When the horse remains quiet, I will stand up placing my full weight in the stirrup. Then I will lay over their back a few times and rub the off side before I throw my leg over. I do not lay there for very long, just long enough to let the horse feel the full weight of a rider and to be comfortable with it. I am still in a position where I can dismount quickly if needed. Once I throw my leg over and I'm seated, I will let go of the horses head and just sit there holding the reins, talking to the horse, telling them how well they are doing. Then I begin gently bumping their sides with my calves, asking them to walk forward. When they are ready, they will walk a few steps and I will praise them with my voice. When I want them to stop, I say "Whoa" without pulling on them, I do not want to interfere with them at all. This is a big enough change for them as it is.

The first day that I am on their backs, I will let the ride last as long as the horse will carry me around the round pen. With some horses, they may carry me 2 or 3 times around, and others may be willing to go longer. As long as they are happy, then I am happy.

When we are done with that first ride I will dismount on the left side and then go to the off side and get on the same way I did on the left. After I dismount on the off side we are done for the day.

I will be posting next about working with retired show horses as I have gotten a few requests about that.

Starting a Young Horse Under Saddle: Day 1

2009-06-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

I was asked to talk about my methods for starting a young horse under saddle and what I expect to get from that horse for the first 30 to 60 days. Well that varies from horse to horse as every horse has a different idea of how things will go.

There are a some things that I feel have to be mentioned before we start.

1) I have been starting young horses for 35 years. I am very comfortable doing so and I am a professional trainer. I still get a little bit of a 'rush' every time on every horse. That rush keeps me on my toes and keeps me from becoming complacent. When you start becoming complacent, you start to make mistakes. Those mistakes can get you hurt.

2) The way I have been starting horses has been working for me for 35 years and may not be the best way for you. Always trust your instincts and only do what you are comfortable with. If you aren't comfortable getting on for the first ride or the 10th, don't do it.

3) If you are not comfortable starting young horses, have a professional do it for you.

4) In all my years in the horse industry as a professional, I have learned to read horses. I am able to tell when they are ready for the first ride. If they are not ready, I do not get on.

5) WEAR A HELMET! Personal safety and safety for the horse are to be considered foremost. If you get hurt, you may not be able to ride another day, if the horse gets hurt- their career could be finished before it even starts. Remember, when it goes wrong, it goes wrong quick and big. No time to second guess or try to undo anything.

The most important thing to remember when starting a young horse, everything you do with that horse the first day will set the tone for the rest of that horses career. If you allow that horse to buck, then he has learned to buck with you on him and he will continue to do so. If he bolts, there again he has learned to bolt with you. Now these problems are not hard to deal with, and the horse wont buck or bolt every time, but when the wrong buttons are pushed, the horse will go back to what he knows best and what is easiest.

So lets get down to the nitty gritty and tack this young horse for the first time shall we.........

First of all, the prep work. Before I even get the horse out of his stall, I really like to check my tack. And I mean everything, because when it goes wrong, it can really go wrong. I check the cinch, billet, latigo, fenders, and then I thoroughly check the bridle as well, bit, reins, headstall and everything holding it together.

Now that I am done with my inspection, I will take my saddle, bridle and pad and put them in the round pen so I can tack that horse up the first time where I have a little more room.

Then I go get the horse!

To prep the horse, I take them to the grooming area and groom them like I do every time I am going to work them. I check their backs to make sure they are not sore before the first ride. Now it is time to go to work.

I like to lunge my horses before I tack them for the first time and I prefer to use a lunge line, because when I tack the horse, he is going to be on a lunge line. I will only lunge that horse until he relaxes, not until he is tired. Very important to remember!

Once the horse relaxes, he has his ear on me and stops when I say whoa, I am ready to tack him.

I do not like to take a lot of time tacking the horse, if I am going to tack him, then I am going to tack him. I am not going to make a big deal out of it and sack him out with the pad for two hours. I am not going to take ten minutes and let him sniff the saddle and the pad either. I will not tie the horse the first time I tack either.

When I approach the horse with the pad, I approach from the front where he can see it and then I place it on his back. If he starts to back up, I will stop and say 'whoa' and continue to place the pad on the horse.

Now for the saddle, I will put stirrup over the horn but not the cinch, I will approach the horse from the front and then go to the horses side. I will slowly swing the saddle over the horse back, and let it land gently. Once the saddle is on the horses back, I will wiggle it a few times and then go to the other side to drop the cinch and the stirrup.

When cinching this horse for the first time, there again, I do not make a big deal out of it. I reach under the horses heart girth where the cinch will go and grab the D-Ring of the cinch and pull it up, then like I am going to do every time I cinch the horse up, not too tight at first, just gradually. Once it is snug, I buckle the flank cinch.

Once I have tightened the cinch and checked to make sure it is snug, I will let the horse out on the lunge rope. I will not force him to go forward but rather let him go when he is ready. If the horse wants to buck and run for a little bit, I will let him, that way he gets all of the buck out before I step on. Letting them get it out of their system, really only takes a few minutes, and soon they start to relax and start to work. Better they buck with the saddle and not me!

After they have accepted the saddle, and are relaxed and "whoa" when I ask, only then will I put the bridle (snaffle bit)on and only then will I consider getting on. If I feel the horse needs another day, then I will wait until he is ready. They are young and have their whole life ahead of them. There is no reason to rush anything.

The Rotten Neighborhood Blog Party!!!!! IT'S PARTY TIME!

2009-06-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

In 2005 my wonderful CNJ and I went to the Scottsdale Arabian show as exhibitors. We were taking 3 client horses and one of our own. I had not shown at the Scottsdale show since 1995 and I soon remembered why I wanted escape the Arabian industry in the first place. There is something about that show that turns somewhat normal people and owners into the biggest pains in the ass.

Please don't get me wrong, I love my job as a trainer and I love to teach people how to ride and the fine art of showing. But just not those particular clients at that particular show!

Lucky for everyone we were stalled across from a good friend of ours who is also a trainer, because she could see that I was getting really frustrated and I looked like I was going to kill somebody. She figured I needed an intervention before one of my clients ended up wearing their horse for a hat!

So we sat down and my dear dear friend offered me some Brandy (it was cold and rainy, and it was for medicinal purposes. At least that is what we tell ourselves). My dear dear friend told me if those were her clients, she would fire every one of them.

So I trotted off to my trainers lair.... and thought long and hard about this! Three or four minutes is long enough isn't it?

We ended up only firing one of them which was for the best since she refused to listen to me and would not let CNJ groom her horse for me before I took him in the ring. All we had left was the Sport Horse Under Saddle classes and 2 crazy old ladies to deal with. That made it a lot better as it freed up more time for us.

So we partied. And when we were done showing sport horse, we partied more. We had coffee with Black Velvet in the morning, and throughout the day. Then we switched to beer, wine and whatever other libations we managed to get our hands on. Since the showgrounds have several 'mobile bars' set up ringside, there were plenty of things to choose from.

No we are not alcoholics, we were just having a really bad show and needed to vent. We were placing well enough, but as soon as the horses went home, we partied. This is not something we always do!

So I guess this brings up the question for all of you competitors that have gone to the show and ended up having more fun at the exhibitors party than you did showing?

How many times have you ever said 'Fuck It!" at the horse show and decided to party?

What did you drink?

And what is your favorite drink when having a bad show or a really shitty day?

Bad Horsie, Won't GO GO GO!

2009-06-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

I received an email today from someone that was having a problem with a horse that stopped randomly and refused to go forward.

This is really not a big problem that could at some point become a big problem should the horse continue to refuse the rider.

The last thing you want to do in this situation, is put on a set of spurs and go to town.

I tell every student one thing that they should always remember and Sir Isaac Newton said it best....." For every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction".

This applies to everyday life including training horses. If your horse stops and refuses to go forward and you whack him in the ass, be may buck, bolt or just become a bit of an asshole for a few minutes. If you are uncomfortable with this, it may be a bit of a problem. There are other ways to get a horse to go forward without getting overly aggressive.

What I like to do with my young horses when I start them under saddle or I have a horse that stops and refuses to go forward is gently tug on the reins from side to side progressively tugging harder and harder until the horses front end moves and they take that first step. Then I will quit tugging and let the horse take the second step with me just clucking to them. I also, especially with the young horses, will encourage with adding some excitement in my voice as I praise them. Once they start taking the first few steps, I will then start bumping gently with my inside leg to get them to move around my leg. Before you know that horse will be nice and soft in the front and moving off of your leg and working off of the hind end. It does not take much!

If I have an older horse that stops on the rail, I will ride that horse on the rail as close to rail as possible, when I feel that horse is going to stop, I will turn him towards the rail and make them rock back on their hind end and go the other way. That way we are keeping the shoulders soft and supple.

If the horse refuses to turn towards the rail or stops in the center, I will turn them on the forehand until they are uncomfortable enough in the front end and are willing to go forward. Then I will go back to getting the horse to work off of the hind end.

I am sure by now, you have noticed I like my horses to be very soft in the front end. Well that is absolutely true. The softer in the front end they are, the easier and more willing they become, they do not have to just be soft in the mouth, but they have to be soft in their whole body as well.

Rotten Neighborhood Blog party at 5:45pm!

It's Not All Sunshine and Lollipops!

2009-06-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

First of All............. Happy Birthday CNJ!

When I first decided to get out of the show ring and take on problem horses only, I did not realize what I was getting myself into. On my business card, I put not only the normal performance horse training information, but I added a phrase that will continue to haunt me. Right underneath my specialty information, I put........"Problem Horses not a Problem"

The range of problems that I encountered were extreme, but the problems that bothered me the most were the problems that became so bad because the owner did not understand that something had to be done. And just changing the type of bit to a more severe bit would not fix the problem.

My favorite was a rope horse that had one day decided that enough was enough and he flipped over, breaking the tie down and putting a horn imprint in the riders chest. They tried a different saddle and changing the bit, to keep the horses head down and the horse just kept flipping over. By the time I got him in the barn, as soon as you put your foot in the stirrup, the horse ran backwards and flipped over. He was just programmed that way.

We were able to fix the problem, though we had to use more extreme methods to do so. No, the horse was not hurt, and the only other alternative was putting the horse down. But we did have to let him flip over and then we had to pin him on the ground for a while. We did take the precautions to prevent injury to the horse and it did take a few times, but he finally quit flipping over!

The owner still rides him, but does not rope on him anymore.

The fix is not always pretty, we sometimes have to use extreme methods for extreme cases. It is not that we like to use these methods or that we always do.

I always tell owners, do not wait, if you are having a problem, and you are unable to manage it. Help is but a phone call away.

I just ask, that, before someone gets hurt, be it yourself, your children, or a trainer, make sure you get help. Tell the trainer everything, and be honest, remember, we have a very physical job and if we get hurt, we can not work to support our families.

AND DO NOT, AND I MEAN ABSOLUTELY DO NOT. TRY TO FIX THE PROBLEM YOURSELF IF YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE IN DOING SO!

It is like CNJ always says, we tell people that we train horses and they immediately think all we do all day is ride. Boy are they wrong!

So why did I post this?

Because , the first call right out the gate this morning, was someone that has a horse that is flipping over and has been doing so for a while!

Yesterdays Dream, Todays Tragedy

2009-06-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

When I was younger and showing Quarter horses, we never really thought about the horse’s headset, it was not until I got into the industry as a professional that it was even an issue. And then everything was about the headset.

When I graduated High School, I was thrust into the Arabian horse world. Though that was not my first professional training job, it seemed like a logical place to start. After all I was an apprentice trainer for a large Arabian Horse Breeder in Tucson, AZ. That is to say, I was basically very cheap stall cleaning labor at this facility. I had at the time already been starting young horses under saddle since the age of 11 and started getting paid for starting colts at the age of 15. So, I thought I was hot shit, and that I knew everything.

I was wrong!

Apparently, a horse had to have a nice headset to be able to do well in the performance ring, and that I guess was the most important thing that there was, according to the head apprentice, who, by the way, has a small head with a very large nose and no neck. His head set was not that great.

I soon learned how to get a nice headset and was declared a graduate apprentice after 2 years of learning the craft of setting the head properly on a horse. I learned about English headsets, western headsets etc, etc, etc.

I soon forgot that the horse had any form of forward movement even though when I was young, I was taught that forward movement was the most important thing for a horse.

Everything was about the head set!

I stayed with the Arabian horses for years afterwards because I was drawn to the glamour and the glitter that the show ring offered. Then I really began to take notice of what was going on, the horses, were trussed up like Christmas Turkeys, they had martingales, draw reins, and gimmicks that I never thought could be used on the horses. This was also happening in the other breeds as well. The horses were dumped over, heavy on the forehand and unable to move forward. The spurs that the trainers wore were getting bigger and they all had bats in their back pockets. The horses were four beating and looked defeated and crippled. The bits were getting more and more severe and the trainers as well as the amateurs were all becoming heavy handed. In order for these horses to pick up the lead they have to be turned out towards the rail, because they are so heavy on the front end.

It was then that I decided to stick with cutting only!

I have mentioned many times that I am a very old school trainer, and we do not use martingales or draw reins. I feel that the horses have to be able to go forward uninhibited, and that the aforementioned devices inhibit a horses movement. I use only a smooth snaffle and I train my horses to be soft in the face and the shoulders. This allows the horse to use his hind like he should. And don’t worry about the head set, it will come in time, there is no way to force it to happen. I feel strongly that the younger generation needs to learn, that the best way to train a horse is low and slow. The horse will be happy and so will the rider!

By the way, Friday night cocktails begin at precisely 5:45PM. And no Toadstoolbob, we are not having a black tie party in you bomb shelter!

This is strictly casual.

To Lead or Not to Lead

2009-06-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, I had a new client that was having trouble with leads on his reiner. When he would do the figure eights the horse would drop the lead whichever direction he was going. The horse had just started having these troubles and since a show was coming up, it has to be fixed.

I watched him do his figure eights and every time the horse would come to the center on the small slow circle he would drop his shoulder and then drop the lead. I watched him do this a few times and told him to stop.

Now I feel it should be mentioned here, that most of the time when we watch the horse work, we can tell what is going wrong with the rider by watching the horse. And, I will be generous here, 98.9% of the time the problem is the rider, not the horse.

I brought my client into the center of the arena and told him I just wanted him to sit there and we started talking. I told him, I wanted him to walk the horse on the rail and forget about the figure eights. Periodically I would have him stop and stand and then walk off, we did this several times. Every time the horse stopped, my client would drop his left shoulder when he went to the left, and he would drop his right shoulder when he stopped going to the right.

Finally, before I had him lope his horse, I told him to stop and stand, when he was going to ask for the lope, I wanted him to take a few really deep breaths and then ask for the lope. He did as I told him to, and the horse picked up the correct lead both directions with no problems.

I had him go back to doing flying lead changes, and every time he before he hit the center of the eight, he took a deep breath and had a beautiful flying lead change.

He finally asked me how we fixed the problem, and I told him. Every time you stopped you dropped your inside shoulder, every time you dropped your inside shoulder, the horse dropped his shoulder. That made it difficult for him to pick up the lead. All I had you do, was take a deep breath, when you did, you straightened up and became more centered and balanced and that made it easy for your horse to pickup the lead.

Of course, I then added 'It's not Rocket Science'.

Turned out, he was a Rocket Scientist that worked in the space program!

A Trainers Nightmare

2009-05-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

I was working my for a trainer in small Texas town in the early 80s. I was hired as the assistant trainer, and my job at the time was mostly to start colts and get 60 days on them. There were a lot of 3 year olds to start. Not only did they the trainer have a lot of 3 year olds, but he had a lot of young horses that belonged to his clients.

One of his clients was a really fat guy who owned a large trucking company, but the guy was a real tight wad and he owned a really old pick up and a really old straight load 2 horse trailer.

One day he brought in a 3 year old mare that had never been handled and they had to run through a chute to get her loaded into this shitty trailer.

I hate to be judgemental here, but this guy was an idiot! But he paid on time and that was what was important.

When the horse arrived at the facility, I was told to go help unload the mare, get her in the barn. So I walked my happy ass out to the drive way and fat trucker told me that he did not have a but chain on the horse and that the mare was not tied in the trailer. He told me to that he would go get the lead rope and hook it to the halter and let me know when I could unlatch and open the door.

Fat trucker fucker opened the feed door, hooked the lead rope and told me to unlatch the door. As soon as he heard me unlatch the door, he waved his arms at the mare and yelled HA!

The door was not open yet, and as soon as the mare heard HA she came running backwards and the corner of the trailer door whacked me in the nose breaking it. There was blood everywhere!

I was stunned but somehow managed to hang onto the lead rope and get the mare into the barn.

I was told to go to the doctor so I did. All they could do was tape my nose and give me some Tylenol.

I went back to work the 2 days later and was told that the mare that broke my nose was waiting to be started by me. Shit! But since I had a nose job, I could wait a few weeks.

Two weeks I was feeling well enough to get this mare started. I got her going and was well into a 14Th day on this mare when Fat trucker came by to see her progress. I got on the mare in the arena and walked her around, loped her some and stopped her and did a few turns on her. Fat Trucker was impressed and came out to pet the mare while I was on her. When her reached for her face, she through her head in the air and whacked me in the nose re breaking it.......

I have become somewhat cynical over the years about horse people, not just owners, but trainers as well. I have seen some of the dumbest mistakes get made and have made a few of my own. I have learned that the horse business is no place for egos, though there are plenty out there. It only takes one idiot to get someone hurt.

I have also come to realize that the last thing I want to hear from any prospective client is "He never did that at home".