Beware the Scottish Highland Cattle at the Dressage Clinic

My horse friend, Echo, and her rider Emily went to Port Orchard for a dressage clinic. They had a blast, but on the first of the two days they had a little walk to get to the outdoor arena for a short longe session. On the walk they saw some handsome horses, some fencing, some trees, a house and.... what are those???!!! The red Scottish Highland cow raced across his corral and charged the fence. Echo took a few gigantic strides to leap away, stopped, turned and snorted. She grew to seem like she was 19 hands tall, and was simply alarmed by the strange look and sudden appearance of this creature! She settled down and walked to the arena, was very good on the longe line, then walked back past the cattle with no excitement but some more snorting (just in case?).

The riding sessions during the clinic were terrific. After 2-1/2 years off from work (yikes!), she is coming back better than ever. Echo is just 8 years old, and while Emily has been wishing the two of them worked together more consistently, it looks like they're on their way! The clnician was Dora Dean, a very positive trainer based in Redmond. Dora urges her riders to pat and praise the horses often, which makes for happy horses and riders. All riders should praise their mounts! Dora is very precise and careful to ask the riders for correct work, always improving their way of going.

Echo traveled to the clinic with her old friend Sir. They were well behaved, which is a good thing, as they traveled down the road and onto the Rhododendron ferry to Tacoma, then about 25 miles to Port Orchard. Both horses enjoyed excellent hospitality in the barn and the big turn outs while staying at Big Steel Ranch. It was cool both days and rainy on Tuesday, but with a covered arena to ride in, the horses and people had nothing to complain about! Echo told the horses all about it when she got home on Tuesday night. We do enjoy hearing stories from off the farm. Good job in the arena, Echo, and especially good job keeping Emily safe from those long horned steers!

Patrick will be Greatly Missed

From Emily...
It is with sadness that I let you know of Prince Patrick pony's death on November 21st. He suffered little and was helped to comfort and peace by Dr. Thorn, surrounded by three who loved him so much: Alex, Asia, and me. Patrick was 26, foaled March 17, 1982. He was 13.3 hands, a registered Pony of the Americas. Patrick loved many people, horses and things in life, among them his time teaching riders of all levels, eating grass, rolling with vigor and second guessing his handlers. He jumped his last jumps in June, walked his last trail and had his last arena ride on Saturday, November 8th. His life spanned many riding disciplines including dressage, jumping, eventing, trail riding, cow work, English and Western showing. He was the Shaggiest Pony at the 2006 Olympus Pony Club Shaggy Horse Show. Owned and dearly loved by Judi of Goldendale, and then Emma and her family until we were fortunate enough to be his people in May of 2006, Patrick has been surrounded by loving, happy humans his entire life.

Alex buried him in our big field, where he will overlook Fish Bowl Farm and his horse and human friends. I am so glad he passed quickly. Please give your kids a hug for me and help them to understand. This is the hardest part of loving these wonderful animals, but we can be so proud to have known one of the best. He will be greatly missed.

Horse Management Lessons - Saturdays for Everyone

Fish Bowl is offering weekly horse management lessons for students, families and friends. One recent Saturday the people talked about assessing overall health and body condition scoring. Looking at a horse when you first meet them, or first see them on any given day is important. How you feel each day is important to how well you do in school and at work, right? Same for the horses. If you find a swollen spot, a cut, or a lazy attitude, you'll have to deal with them, as the horses can't take care of things on their own. Body condition scoring is about proper, healthy weight: too fat, too thin, no muscle, good muscle, etc., are what are involved. Email me or leave me a comment if you want more info on body condition scoring. Other weeks the discussion has been about tack (care, cleaning, fitting, types of bits, bridles, saddles, etc.), vital signs (temperature, pulse, respiration) and first aid, colors and markings (there was a discussion that went on and on - it was such fun!). Dressage, the mechanics of the gaits (walk, trot, canter, gallop) and jumping, so many topics!! Join us Saturday for a post-Halloween time! Treats but not tricks! And a door prize!

This coming Saturday we'll do more horse management from 3:30-5:00. For more info about HM, please visit the News! page on our website. Thank you!

Emily can take it!!! Make a comment here to tell her what's wrong with her riding position in this photo. The best answer gets a prize. (Her feelings won't be hurt - she knows the camera caught her in a very awkward moment at this show a few years ago!)

Horse Management Takes on a New Meaning

This is really interesting, and if you're like me, Biscuit, you'll want to listen to the NPR story, not just read it! (Emily can bring me her iPod more easily than she can bring me the entire computer to read the article!)

Horse Sense: New Breed of Executive Training

Dressage Camel, Duck Herding Dogs, Icelandics, and More!

Steering with Reins: Right, Left, Inside, Outside

My blog used to be at another address on the web, but that is no longer accessible to you (and sometimes not to me!), so I'm digging into the old blog posts to put some of the oldies and goodies here where you can read it.  Our first old-new one is about steering a horse with reins.

Steering a horse with reins sounds so easy... but it is not just a matter of tugging on my right rein to turn right, or the left to go left!  In this photo of Spaten and Alex galloping, you can see his good contact with Spaten's bit and mouth through the reins - he is keeping equal tension on the left and right reins since he is galloping in a straight line.  They have such fun together, and after some practice with me, Nils, Blossom, Patrick or Britta, you'll be steering and riding well too!

The first thing we have to understand is that the rein in the direction we are turning is the inside rein, and the rein on the outside of the turn (not the direction we are turning) is the outside rein.  Understanding the inside and outside rein and how they help horses and ponies know which way you want to go will make your riding easier and more fun!

Riders use two basic rein aids in turning:  the direct rein and the indirect rein.  The direct rein works directly from the front to the back, pulling gently towards the rider's body.  The indirect rein is used to move the pony's weight, or block the outside shoulder from going the wrong way.

When you want to turn me, or any horse or pony, to the left, your left rein is the direct rein.  Pull the left rein towards your body, straight back, never up or down, by just squeezing the rein with your fingers.  This left direct rein invites me to turn to the left (the inside).  Your right (outside) rein is used as an indirect rein when turning left:  put pressure on the outside rein and hold it to let me know you do not want me to go to the right at all.  I like to think of the outside rein as blocking my direction on that side, or as Emily says "make a wall on the outside so Biscuit won't go to the right while you are trying to turn left."

One thing I feel when riders are learning to turn is floppy reins!  If our reins get too long I can't tell what you want me to do or where we should go.  Keep a contact, or a feel, of my bit and my mouth and I can better feel (or "hear") what you are asking me to do.  Also, when the reins are too long your hands will go all over the place in order to make me feel your rein aids - behind your hip with your elbow up in the air to take up the extra rein, or even on the other side of my neck when your outside rein is too long in a turn.  If it helps to stop and shorten your reins when they get too long, that is ok!

Remember that the bit, while a very gentle snaffle, is still a piece of stainless steel in my mouth.  The old term "hard mouthed" refers to a horse who has become callous to the bit, and that happens with too much pulling on the reins.  Please keep in mind my soft, willing mouth, and we'll turn left and right with no trouble, and it will be fun!  

Important thing to keep in mind:  ask me to move forward at a walk or trot before you turn us, keep your reins a good snug length, and we'll go places - left and right - at the walk, trot, canter and gallop!  Here are the steps for turns:

• Legs on to go forward

• Ask with direct rein (left to go left, right to go right)

• Stay steady with the indirect rein (right when going left, left when going right)

• Keep your legs on my sides to tell me to keep moving forward. 

Emily sometimes says it's like steering a bicycle:  if you don't keep the bike moving the bike can't turn.... same with me - if you just pull on my reins I won't turn unless I'm moving!  :-)

Popeye and Britta

It just occurred to me that there has been a change at Fish Bowl in the last two weeks that I forgot to mention! Oh dear! It was a big change too. Our nice friend Popeye, the handsome appaloosa gelding, has gone to a new home. We'll miss Popeye a lot (Inigo and Braeburn miss him the most - they were great friends), but he has a wonderful new home with Jenifer in Wilkeson. Popeye started at Fish Bowl as the first school horse! He was good at his job until the rider was ready to do more on her own, and then he didn't want to listen to his rider, he wanted to listen to the instructor! This doesn't make for very independent riders, so Popeye was given to Annie last summer. She rode him English and Western (doesn't he look great?), in the arena, the field and the woods. Take care, Pop!

Britta is a very sweet Norwegian Fjord horse who lives at Fish Bowl Farm. She's been here since June and also gives lessons. She is owned by a good friend of Fish Bowl's people. She is a cheerful, forward moving horse who loves to do dressage and jump! She likes to go out on the trails too, and lives next door to Braeburn and Annie (the horse, not the person). During the day each of the horses goes out into the pastures for wandering, running around, playing and grazing (my favorite part!!) in the fields. Britta goes out with me (Biscuit) and Annie, and mostly we are all very happy together. Yesterday Britta got in my way and wanted to play; I didn't want to play (why play when there is grass to eat?), so I kicked her. She's fine, but she did have a little hoof print on her hindquarters! Emily put some arnica linament on it, and I bet that felt great.