Blood, Sweat, and Tears

99% of the time it is RIDER error.

It amazes me to no end to just how FEW riders have ever even heard that old axiom, much less how few subscribe to it.

A horse is not a machine. Not exactly anyway. You can't just put your quarter in, and get the ride you're looking for out of it. If that's what you want, maybe you should stick to Wal-Mart lobbies and leave the barn alone. However, sometimes, when a horse is broke, AND they have the right sort of temperment, then they can seem to be "push-button". You give the right cue, and they seem to just "do it", seemingly on their own. Not all horses have that sort of mentality to be that way though. Regardless, any horse, no matter how broke, is no better than their rider. In that way they are like calculators, or simple computer programs- if the operator puts "garbage in" they get "garbage out".

Riding is a continual learning process. Not only should you be learning something from your horse about feel and timing every time you ride, your horse is also learning from you every single time you handle it. Now, whether what your horse learns is good, bad, or indifferant, is entirely up to you. No matter whom is giving the instructions from the ground, it is the rider that is having a direct dialog with that horse every moment of the ride.

It is simply unfair to the horse, and/or the trainer to blame either one when the rider does not get the results he/she desires. True, 1% of the time, it is the horse, but think about all the hours in the saddle and all the possible mistakes- Just how much does 1% really add up to? So instead of playing the blame game, it would be much more constructive to take a deep breathe and analyze your riding. Are you being clear and concise in your requests? Do you let your horse know when he's done right- or are you a nagger? Is what you're asking for within your horses realm of understanding? Consider the level of training that your horse is at. Are you setting your horse up for success, or are you expecting him to shoulder the burden of the performance? Remember, riding is a 50/50 partnership.

From a trainer's standpoint, there is nothing worse than pouring time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears into a horse, and then have the owner blame the horse (or the trainer), when the owner can not get the horse to perform, and refuses to even consider it may be Rider error. Contrary to popular belief, trainers DO want to see the owner succeed with the horse if at all possible. (Caveat: some few horses just will never be suitable for more than the most advanced rider.) The problem is that, although we can give you all the tools to succeed, we can't ride for you. When you step up onto that saddle, it's really out of our hands.

So the next time you are frustrated with your horse's performance, before you play the blame game, ask yourself the above questions.

Boring Update.

Just a quick update- We're through the ApHC World Show, and onto the "boring" (and VERY cold) winter months. The Worlds went well with Skip'N garnering two top 10s again this year, although we actually went down in the placings in Sr. Hunter Hack. Hey, at least the ribbon wasn't YELLOW. It was a nice pretty pink, and while a very refreshing change, pink is now swiftly getting old. Linda was also 5th in Masters HUS, to go with the 5th in Master's Eq. from last year. I'm thinking that I'd like to try a nice royal blue on for size. In all defense it was an EXCELLENT hunter hack class. Not that there wasn't a horse without a flaw, but altogether they were all very, very minor ones. And I DID have a rub. Don't know if the judges heard it or not, but *I* know I had one, and I know that it was probably from overschooling one or two trips too many the night before. Lesson learned.

"Cruiser", the blonde bomber, was solid as always, getting a 7th and 8th in Jr. Barrels and Jr. Poles respectively. A very fine performance from him in a very new (to him) event.

So here we are, at home. World Show horses have gone. I'm painting the barn and Kenn is doing something to occupy his time. We're hoping not to see snow any time soon, and waiting on a fresh bunch of horses coming in within the next couple of days. Lots of youngsters to get broke out. So, while it may be cold, and we won't be seeing much of the road (thank goodness!), I don't think it's going to be too terribly boring around here.

I Wanna Be Rich

I wanna be rich. Actually, I believe I would settle for just not poor. At the rate I'm going however, that just ain't gonna happen. Perhaps that is because 99.9% of the time I understand that there are otherways in which to be "rich". I also have come to understand that there are lots of things equivalent to, or surpassing, monetary reward. Helping a friend- that's one thing. Creation- that's another. Helping those less fortunate- that's always nice. Taking the cast-off, the downtrodden, the under-dog, and making them king- that's my personal favorite. Knowing you could be doing a little jig, sticking out your tongue, and chanting, "how do you like me now?"- that's priceless.

Still a Work In Progress

BTW- Belle is coming along wonderfully. Still a little concerned that her own shadow might eat her, but she hasn't attempted to hike her skirt up and hitch a ride "piggy-back" in a while. Maybe she's discovered that her shadow only nibbles? Expect an update, with updated photos soon. At least I hope it'll be soon. Pictures are kinda on that "Things to do list". Have you ever noticed a certain special property that those lists possess? Each item you manage to scratch off spawns no less than two more? Almost like a computer virus.... hmmm.......

A Frivolous Waste of Oxygen

Perhaps experience doesn't mean a darn thing. Perhaps, I have been, and always will be an iggner'nt blow hard. Ahhh... alright, maybe that was a bit harsh, but I swear!, if I have to bite my tongue from saying "I told you so", one more time, I might just bite it off! When we invest our time and energy in a horse, we do so completely. We learn all there is to know about what makes that horse tick, and what is going to make that horse perform at their very very best. We can tell you when, where, and how much your horse eats, drinks, sleeps, and goes to the bathroom. We can tell you if they snore. We can tell you what just about every muscle twitch your horse makes means. We can tell you what treats, and what bit they prefer- sweet iron, stainless, or copper? Latex wrapped or no? Correction, smooth, or something with bite? Butterscotch, licorice, or apple?

Now, it isn't our horse. So, if you don't want to follow our advice you don't have to. BUT, you just spent a lot of hard earned money on our training, which includes our advice. So, if you want to just waste that money.. well, it is your money. Just do us a favor (okay, especially, me, Dawn) and let us know ahead of time, so we don't go wasting precious oxygen. Our atmosphere is polluted enough. Or, better yet, you could just hand us a check and leave your horse at home- save us all a bunch of work.

And no, before anyone goes blasting us, or taking this right to heart- it was NOT directed at anyone in particular. Just being "peevish" again. It's no more than a very long standing pet peeve that has an aggravating ability to flare up. Sorta like hemorroids.

A Work in Progress

I thought it might interest some to watch as one of our training horses progresses through our program. Some background: This is a 3YO Paint mare. She's in for a little more training. She'd been ridden, and even shown some in walk/trot. She's come off of board at farm north of us. You can see from the picture her condition. She's a bit underweight, and QUITE dirty- just generally poor looking. The first order of business is just to put weight on her, get her settled in, and clean enough to start working. After that, we'll run her through a quick refesher course- just to see what she knows and what she's forgotten. She's a little A D D, but a regular work program should help that. We shall see, and keep you posted.

1 Down, How many to go?

Really, I meant to post about how the first show of the season went, but then I got reading Horse & Rider, and that got me up on my soapbox, and then, well.... you can read for yourself below.

The SBRAA Spring Show in Lexington, VA went well. It stormed almost everday, but we saw some sun everday too. (That is, if you went outside) I miss the green-ness (is that a word?) of that area already, but frankly, I can do without the red clay.

Skip'N did very well in Hunter In Hand, and Hunter Hack. 1st, 4th, and 1st, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, respectively. Linda was high point 35 and Over NP. She and Skip'N also really "cowboy'd up" for the trail class and put in their best performances to date. Cruiser, the handsome boy that he is, already is generating a fan club. (ooooohhh.... how CUTE!!) and is proving us right, pulling an 8th in Open Keyhole, his first time out.

Oscar was his usual, charming, steady self. (you would never guess how laid back he is if you watched him in the pasture- barrel horse in the making?) Schooled him bridleless even a little bit. His idea of that pen down there- "Whoa. That is a Looooooonnnngg way down to the other end. Better conserve my energy". He got some nice ribbons in the Trail, with 3 blues and a red.

Emmy was the mini miracle of the weekend. Talk about a quick study and a horse that really stepped up to the plate. Not only was her behavior impeccable (a miracle in and of itself) she performed at a level well above where her training time would dictate her to be. (making the qualifies and placing in Poles) Way to go Mary and Emmy!!

All in all, a good way to start the season. Now, to keep it on a roll.......

Peevish

I have to laugh. Really, it's almost cosmic. That's cosmic, not comic, I promise, it wasn't a typo. I have a number of pet peeves, most of which I can't generally recall, but every so often one or two surface at a time, and set me to grinding my teeth in frustration. Around about then I get my monthly issue of Horse & Rider magazine.
Now mind you, I don't always read it. About half the time, I'm too busy with the bookwork end of the business, not to mention the physical work end, and then there's the regular, everybody has it,.. housework (ugh!). In those instances I let my other half read it (somehow he has more down time than I do. I can't figure) and bring any interesting articles to my attention. The other half of the time however, I do make the time to sit down and browse. Here's where the cosmic connection comes in- without fail (and I've been getting this magazine since my age was in the single digits) there is an article or a blurb regarding EXACTLY whatever issue has been plaguing me of late. It's almost eerie.
This month there was two sections that really got me. The first was by Editor-At-Large, Jenny Meyer, titled "Upping Those Odds". The gist was about doing everything in your power to ensure that your horse performs, and behaves, as well as possible every time you ride. If that includes a few minutes of longing, so be it. If there is one thing that I CAN NOT STAND, it is a rider that refuses to take the time to insure that their horse is physically and mentally ready to perform. Be this either because they are too lazy to longe, or too lazy to do their homework. Invariably, that sort always blames their horse. Usually, too, it's the ones with the greenest horses. These, by nature, require the greatest time commitment. They may take their horse to their first show (or any show) and then blame either horse or trainer, because the horse acts up. Everytime I hear the phrase, "Oh, he'll be fine", I nearly choke. My first response is usually- "Does this person have a death wish?" Maybe I'm over cautious- a couple of trips to the hospital has been known to do that to a person- usually they are right. Perhaps God takes care of those too stupid to take care of themselves?
The second article, and the one that makes me want to jump up and down and say, "SEE, SEE, I'm not an obsessive, overbearing, ogre!", is "To Your (Horse's) Health" by Bob Avila w/ Sue Copeland. One line in particular, stands out. "...My client will probably pay close to $2,000 for us to get the horse back to decent condition when it costs less that that to take good care of a horse for an entire year. Where's the sense in that?" (discussing a filly that came in in such poor condition as to be unrideable for the first few months)
Often times, Kenn and I recieve positive comments on how busy we are, or how the barn is always full and we have a waiting list. People are telling us how we're getting rave reviews. Recently I let a few people in on a little secret- Yes. We work hard. Yes. We're full and busier than heck. However, the majority of horses we get in are "problem horses"- "re-dos" as we call them. They're head flingers, run aways, buckers, rearers, the list goes on. 99.9% of the time we immediately start addressing health issues, things that are tantamount to neglect in my book, such as dental, chiropractic, lameness, poor or improper nutrition, etc... 99.9% of the time that and a little bit of riding, resolves the issues, and suddenly we're miracle workers. They've just paid me a couple months of training, and I worked magic, just by doing what they should have done in the first place, and could have done much cheaper. I personally think they're a little um... a few fries short as the saying goes, but then again, who am I to complain, since it's paying my bills. The truly aggravating part is knowing that you've poured time, and in some instances, blood, sweat and tears, into this animal to get it into top condition, and when they go home, it'll all go straight to rot, for want of a couple dollars, a little more attention to detail, or just a little more time & effort.

Testing...Testing...1,2,3...

So, basically this is just a test blog, or somesuch thing...

Anyone tells me they want to be a trainer, and they're going to do it all themselves, "build it from the ground up"- I won't just recommend they have their head examined, I'll do it for them myself, with a hoof pick and a hammer. No worries- we can always put them back good as new with a little super glue and duct tape.