Question for the Readers: fallacies and guest post

A friend of mine in the UK was talking on her facebook wall about how she had put up a video of her riding her horse over his first jump after doing lots of practice up to 2.5-3 ft free-jumping. This first jump she rode him over (after practicing over a few ground poles) was a very low crossrail (6" perhaps?). He refused, and she realized she wasn't riding him right, and then fixed her problem and he jumped it confidently the second time. The horse is a greenie, give him a break right?

Anyway, her problem was a person commented on the video saying "You should always freejump a horse first if you want to jump something new so they know they can do it, no wonder it didn't do it properly."

To which my first thought was: good luck doing that on a cross country course or hunt field that you're trucking across! "Oh, hold on, he's scared of this stone wall with bushes at the base! Let me jump off quickly and try to freejump him over it!"

(My second thought was, "Did you just call her horse 'it'?!")

What would have been better advice, had said rider in the video not realized her mistake, would have been "Check how you're riding him up the fence. Were not riding confidently? Did you stop riding before the fence? Were you riding too defensively? Not enough leg? etc."

That's what my trainer would have told me. And that's what I have heard multiple times from multiple different people. Or even better, don't come across as "I know everything" but make it sound more suggestive, like you might have SOME humility and are open to other thoughts :)

So now I get to my point: I've heard some strange, and sometimes dangerous, advice as far as horse training and horse care goes. Some of them come with good intentions, others misinformation, other just plain cruelty or just plain stupid.

The most infamous one in my book?

"Put you heels down and shoulders back."

I see so many hunter riders (and many others, but it's more prevalent in that style to me) with their heels jammed down so much in the stirrups that their riding is seriously compromised. From what I understand, "heels down" often creates a stiff leg and braced feet against the stirrup, so their leg is swinging and DEFINITELY not tight and solid on the horse, and often causes a leg that slips too far back instead of being a strong support, thus throwing the rider forward and both horse and rider off balance, yada yada yada. "Shoulders back" often creates a braced back and tilted pelvis, causing discomfort for both horse and rider and almost always NO flow between the two. I watch and think, "hmmm, I wonder if I took their stirrups and saddle away, if they would be able to be in that same frame?"

And then I answer myself, "No, they'd fall flat on their arse because they're so stiff and in such an artificial frame that their legs and seat aren't used to actually BEING on the horse."

They're noble and accurate points, really, and are the result of proper equitation. Not a means to the end. A more correct verbiage would be "Toes up and/or sink your weight into your heels. Push your ribcage out and up and keep your back erect." There's a lot more that could be added there, like "soften your back and slightly tilt the pelvis up and grip with your legs like a wet rag," but that can STILL lead to even MORE confusion haha!

So now I ask you, what are some iffy things you've heard from "fellow horsepersons" and trainers? No names please, just the advice. Also, feel free to give some GOOD advice you've heard before!

And a second question, I have the opportunity to have a guest post from Equine Clearance out of the UK on any variety of horse-related topics. I'm not entirely sure myself of what I would like to have put up, so what blanket, tack, clothing, industry, etc. topic would you like to hear about?

Photography 9-8-2011 Video

Snowman: from New Holland to The Ntl. Horse Show

Burghley 2011: My Picks

So obviously William Fox-Pitt was considered the best because he kind of won. And I will say, he did smashing, per usual... even if he does look a tad big on his horses. There were a few rides in each of the phases that really stood out to me, and I think if a rider had all three of these performances (and I was judging the dressage phase ha!) then you would've found a fabulous formula for a winner. I was rooting for Mary King, because I adore her, but on both of her horses in showjumping things went less-than-perfect. Darn shame about Kitty King's showjumping round. And one of my least favorite dressage tests was Boyd Martin's (that extended trot certainly could've been better...)

Anyway, my favorite dressage test was Sinead Halpin's on Manoir de Carneville. I think she could've gotten an even better score, BUT I am no judge. The horse looked content and moved with impulsion, and had great gaits and great training even for a "non-dressage" horse. Selle Francais are STILL nice horses haha! Sinead looked like she had done her job well, and they were just pleasurable to watch.



Boyd Martin and Neville Bardos (who had an amazing recovery after significant smoke inhalation from the Martins' horrible barn fire) had an explosive cross-country round. The Burghley cross-country course is by far the most challenging of the Grand Slam of eventing. It makes me tired just watching it, and you can tell most horses and riders are worn out by the end of course: throwing themselves over jumps, legs dragging across jumps, jumps being barely cleared, galloping slows, and I've even seen a select few riders throw two-point out the window, it's just too dang hard! But these two looked as fresh at the beginning as they did at the end. Neville was still neat and clean at the last fence, and Boyd was still doing just as well to the very end. That REALLY made me tired to watch, because you can only imagine the exertion and fitness-building that must have taken.



Mark Todd and Major Milestone had a pretty stellar cross-country round (had a wonky moment during one of the water combinations) but an icky dressage score (the canterwork was less than spectacular, I thought), so that brought him down to 21st place in the end. But this show jumping round was wonderful, and if he had done better in dressage, he probably would not be as low in the placings as he was.



What do y'all think? Who were your favorites?

This is Stylish: Cozy Ponies

It's hard to see the design, so you might have to enlarge it to see them. But that's what I love about it! It's so subtly horsey! I just got one today, and even though I probably won't have to wear it outside but for another month or two (it still gets frigid in the dorm and classrooms!) it's incredibly cozy.

Why live on the edge.....

Jumping video AND update

This is the day before her vet appointment to figure out some stiffness in her back and hips. Jumping and poles always seem to help her loosen WAY up, but after the vet appointment I felt like an A$$ for doing that, as much fun as we both had! I need to remember that she tries so hard that she'll chug through anything!

Firstly, the vet remarked about how great she looked for her age, no arthritis or joint problems, and both the vet and the tech loved her adorable attitude and good manners (that's my girl!) BUT she had some ever-so-slight lameness, and was clean on the flex test UNTIL her LH fetlock was flexed, and then she was really ouchy. Thankfully it wasn't on the other fetlock. She also noticed her fetlock sunk down a bit at the walk, and was worried about her suspensories being strained. Her ever-so-slight back and hip stiffness was very likely from compensating for that sore LH.

We talked a bit and she asked how much she had been ridden, and I realized and told her "Oh my goodness, I've been riding her almost every day with only a break once a week since a month before summer started!" Nothing hard, but still, yikes! I felt pretty bad!

So the prognosis right now is to give Miss Greta two weeks off to giver her a break, a ten minute walk around the arena twice a week or so, but just let her chill for the most part. She'll be checked again in exactly two weeks, and if that LH is not better then there will be an examination of her suspensory. Worrisome, but I will just be happy to see Greta happy and comfy.

Overall, the vet said she's not BAD or REALLY lame, just probably strained something from all that hard work this summer!

So now I get to another point: give your horses a break! Give them a week off, do some work on the longe line to save their back, etc. Especially the super-pleasers like Greta!

I feel SO bad! I know better than that! Bless Greta's big ole heart!

For Andrea and Gogo

I'm not very good at sympathy speeches. I always feel like I can never say things without sounding sycophantic or something. So, to express my sympathy for and pride for Andrea and Gogo, who have been through so much and done so much and tried so much and deserve so much more than what they've been through, I draw. End of the line or not, Gogo girl will always be rocking it.

GO-GO GOGO! Even if the scanner didn't get the colors very well......... next time you're in ATX, Andrea, this will be a-waitin'.