Winter Horse Training Tips

The winter is coming and if you are lucky enough to live in a warm climate or are headed to Florida for the season then you have a different set of 'winter training' issues than those riders battling snow, ice and damp weather.

For riders in the North East we can count on a few blizzards, some down time from the saddle when it is just too cold to exercise our horses in a proper training workout, and some packed snow and ice.

Here are a few thoughts on how to help protect your horse:-

1. Allow time for longer, slower warm ups and cool downs.

Keep your horse's back warm before and after tacking up. It is important that you and your horse do a few stretches before you ride. Pull out the front legs, gently, once your horse is saddled. Preferably not with his head attached to cross ties as this can result in a panic. Once in the saddle take your time to engage the horse. He must be in front of the leg and stepping smartly forward, but he does need time to walk out and then trot gently with lots of transitions on a light rein to ensure his joints are lubricated well before you start your training workout. Afterward, be sure you do not put your horse away wet. If he has sweated and is hot and puffing, do what you would do at anytime and walk him out to cool him until his respiratory rate is back to normal. Add a cooler if he is steaming. Be careful NOT to have it draping around his hind legs. It is better to buy a specialty cooler that is designed to be added to the saddle for this. A proper cool out additionally prevents lactic acid build up in the muscles, which can prevent soreness the next day. Once your horse is back in his stable, be sure to watch for a 2nd sweat breakout and keep a cooler on until he is thoroughly dry.

2. To clip or not to clip ~ that is the question.

If you are working your horse daily then clipping is a good plan.  It does not need to be a full clip and in any event you should always leave coat under the saddle. By removing the coat from the underside of the horse's neck and chest you allow him to cool out more quickly. Obviously any clipped horse should be blanketed when stabled and when turned out, with a sufficient weight blanket to prevent chills.

3. Hoof Care & Snow Angels.

If you are riding in the snow it is important that you address the packed snow in the hoof. If you have your horse barefoot then be sure he has regular trims as otherwise the snow will pack in the hoof. If you have your horse shod then bubble pads and borium may be necessary. Talk to your farrier about what is the best plan for your horse and riding needs. Always remember to boot a horse that has borium to protect his legs and back of hooves from accidental knocks or missteps.

If you have to ride from your barn to the indoor across snow, it is important to check/pick his feet before you mount in the indoor to be sure snow has not accumulated and packed in his hooves en route.

4. Cold temperatures.

In my humble opinion riding horses at more than a walk when temperatures plummet to less than 20 degrees fahrenheit is foolish for both horse and rider. The lung capillaries may warm up as you work, but the stress placed on both horse and rider is increased by the colder temperatures.  Some folks say the horse has such a long neck that by the time the cold air reaches his lungs it is thoroughly warmed. Perhaps so and there is a fantastic array of options for dressing warm during the winter as a rider.

5. Visability is poorer and stopping distances greater in bad weather.

Be certain to wear a highly visible jacket if working on the roads. While road riding is not as common in the USA as Europe, this is an important part of your wardrobe. There are reflective boots, saddle pads and lots of safety gear available for the horse and rider so take advantage of them and stay safe.

Hay! Hay! Hay! Frustrated Yet?

Everyone's level of frustration with Mother Nature's present weather pattern in the North East is rising along with the level of the water table. The fields of green toss their mane of grasses tantalizing the farmer to come knock them down. Farmers phones ring off the hook with calls from hay dealers far and wide all searching anxiously for some first cut.

The growing season in the mountains of the Catskill region is incredibly short. You barely have a chance to take a second cut before the leaves start to turn and fall. Normally 1st cut begins late May and runs on our farm through June. We're now past the middle of June and no three day sunny forecast is in sight. As we grow organic hay and do not use dry down agents or preservatives, we need a straight three days and temperatures over 75 degrees to bale clean and green hay. The tall timothy and dense undergrowth of mixed grasses seem to mock me, they toss their seedy heads and beckon me to take a look at how wonderfully they are growing.

Other farmers have taken the plunge and knocked hay down. I see it laying there still, brown and waterlogged, hit by a sudden cloudburst. Many farmers have chopped the hay, giving up on dry baling.

Well it is not entirely unusual for us to have to wait until the beginning of July to cut hay when I reflect back on our fifteen years of experience haying in Upstate New York. But unless we get massive rain in August which is highly unlikely, the 2nd cut will be a miserable small quantity so that will be in short supply and prices at a premium.

Fortunately we still have hay from 2014 left which is fortunate for us, and even a little available to sell if anyone is stuck for a supply.

When the hay does finally come in, I'd be sure to stock up early and check the quality carefully.

What's in a name? Catskill Horse Magazine reaches beyond......

When Catskill Horse started out three years ago in 2012,  the mission was to provide a neighborhood community resource for everything equestrian in the Catskill Mountain region and beyond.

It appears the beyond has bloomed and now we find ourselves in a dilemma. Should we change the name to encompass our much wider than expected audience or should we maintain our birthright?

I have lived in the Catskills since 1998 on a full time basis. Yes, originally the plan was to have a 2nd farm in addition to our Dutchess County home, but it became almost immediately apparent that we wanted to be a part of the full time Catskillian community. Clean mountain air and water, wide open spaces, miles and miles of trails and room to grow our own organic hay for our horses and breeding program ~ what was not to like? O.K. well finding a good vet continues to be a source of frustration or a commercial horse transportation company but apart from that.

When we arrived the equestrian community was 'splintered' at best. There was no common source to locate shows or events. No place to find the services we needed, whether that was farriers, vets, tack shops or snow tires. There seemed quite a divide between English and Western riders. Hence the notion to start a community magazine.

Catskill Horse advertisers are reaching over 50,000 unique visitors by being a support part of our magazine and these visitors come from across the nation and even from abroad.And all this has been achieved by a small but " Merry Band at the Catskill Horse " comprised of horse folks from various walks of life who seek to help other horse owners.

So we toy with the notions - new trademark for " Catskill Horse and Beyond ", new T's and products and logo? Rename it altogether and lose the brand we have created?

For Catskill Horse regardless of what it is called, we will continue to keenly service our readership in the counties of Upstate New York, Eastern New England  and Northern PA as a primary goal.

Have an idea to address the issue? A new name idea or an add on to the existing one? All ideas welcome!!!

Inherent Risk Law in New York State is Badly Needed

It is stunning to me that New York is one of only five US States that does not have an inherent risk law to protect horse business owners and horse owners in general.

Each year a bill is presented to the State government and each year it is buried by politicians who are heavily lobbied by organizations and individual lobbyists paid for by affluent lawyer dollars. The huge division between NYC attorneys and the rural Upstate New York horse farmers interests is keenly felt. Why does rural NY always draw the short stick? Perhaps because we don't come together and organize our voice? While it is easy to procrastinate and say the almighty dollar rules the government, it is also true that many bills have been signed into law just through the determination and hard work of a few who unify our voices and send echoes down the halls of New York State government offices that resonate with a majority.

So I guess about now many of you are saying," Well, that's OK. let's leave it to someone else. I don't have any direct interest in this bill. I don't have the time. " Please think again.

The lack of such a law significantly affects the New York economy in a highly negative manner. Many horse related businesses seek refuge in neighboring states and that is where the millions of dollars of income stays put. This means jobs, folks. Serious numbers of jobs.

This affects everyone that is in the horse industry and many in the poorer Upstate region that provide related services such as truck tires and repair services, marketing and website development, lumber suppliers and quarries, construction firms. restaurants and hotels to name but a few. Whether you are a direct or indirect participant with a horse related business this affects you.

As a direct participant, such as an amateur rider taking a few lessons this affects your pocket. Every lesson you take, every time you are around anything remotely horsey you will be paying more for the experience or service because horse business owners, the majority of which are small business folks, have to pass along at least some part of their most major expense, insurance. If the insurance bill was smaller, these businesses would have more available income to spend on ancillary services and development.

Tourism is also negatively impacted as trail rides and horse events and exhibitions are stymied by the ever increasing insurance costs. New York is a beautiful state and one of the best ways to explore it for adults and kids alike is on horseback. Horse farms keep our environment rural and green. Who can't get on board with helping to preserve that.

So please folks go give some support to a tough few that have the foresight to get a lobby going, with petitions and social media and everything they can to see, that this Bill gets a fair shake this time around. The opportunity is indubitably made more possible with the 'resignation' of Mr. Silver.

It is incredibly important to write a snail mail letter and if you don't have time/energy to draft it yourself you can easily download them from our article right here in Catskill Horse or visit facebook and download the files from the group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1608078429408526/
 ( you'll find them in the top menu bar next to the search feature).

Please do your bit. You can seriously help get the message to our representatives that this matters and it will help every horse owner in the State.

You can also visit New York State Horse Council and the Farm Bureau website who both support this legislation to learn more.

Are You Furthering Your Education or Trotting in a Rut

When you get to be a certain age and have accomplished many of your riding goals it is easy to sit back and say, " O.K. Now I know enough." Sure you have worked with lots of big name trainers, attended clinics all over and read every last book and watched every last horse DVD. You have attended all levels of competition, some as a rider, some as a coach. You have sat on a myriad of horses over the years, trained a few, ruined a few along the way and rescued a few too. But is your education anywhere near complete?

This complacence, as with many things in the horse world, is temporary. The focus of your energies may swap about, sometimes training your own horses, sometimes training others but you realize swiftly that the riding discipline you love is ever changing and it is up to you to change with it. For me, this discipline is dressage.

Scoring systems change. Who would have thought twenty years ago we'd be seeing scores of over 90% in dressage? Look at the technological sharing abilities that allow folks to record the test and broadcast in real time showcasing the elite of the sport, and You Tube and social media run amok with self posting promotions and training advice from both the knowledgeable and the not so knowledgeable. Horse breeding changes, the ever collecting array of new breeds, hybrid breeds that are being 'bred out' to better suit their particular discipline for example; who knew that Iberian horses would be moving more like warmbloods and be hitting 16.3hh. Even the methods of training seems to change.

So for me it was time to quit competing abroad for a bit and instead go and take an intensive course of lessons from those that currently grace the top echelons of my favorite sport. So off to Britain I went, ( it is so nice to be able to say Britain and not Germany or Holland), taking up a long time invitation to return to one of my favorite people and to have a lovely introduction to two others whom I never expected to meet never mind ride in front of.

I was surprised at what I saw and what I learned. My mind was open and I was excited to take some time for myself, to work with folks way up the ladder competition wise and was truly grateful for their precious time.  There were very bright, almost garish colors and bling that adorned every rider and horse, breaking tradition at every turn.  Indoors, barns and paddocks had stunning high tech features. But what I learned most about was the training. It had really developed a whole lot differently from the traditional methods I had learned in Germany in the '90's and early 2000's, and I challenged my regular F.E.I. trainer and coach, Greta Kemmer of Switzerland to hop on a plane and join me.  As my kindred spirit in all things dressage and trainer for many years, she dropped everything and did just that, realizing this was a great opportunity.

While I understand the pyramid training system in dressage, the classical ying and yang of French versus German methods, the traditional sporthorse training versus the classical, it was an eye-opener to see just how much training was achieved through work in the canter. There was no rollkur at these yards ( or I would not have been attending), but there was so much suppling work in all gaits and long extended necks taking a butter soft connection with the clever rider's hands, there was not a moment under saddle where the horse was not connected over his back and to the bridle, even in the relaxed walk and cool down.  This was not just dropping the inside rein and checking a connection or eking the rein out to show the stretch as in the tests but a more complex version. The gynmastic pattern designs used in the arena were smooth but technical and the transitions in the advanced work particularly between piaffe and passage, passage half pass and all the fancier stuff were enacted in a seamless battery of half halts, unilateral mostly. The vagaries of true collection, the quickness off the electric leg and all sorts of methods to school the horse to be accurate were just a small part of the most impressive series. And then the riders, smiling. What? When did that happen. Dressage riders are not known for their lack of intensity when riding but these trainers were very relaxed.

When it was my turn to 'have a go' as they suggested, I was more than a bit nervous. But within seconds of sitting on these floaty soft horses my fears were allayed. Discussions of how I could better use my leg position as a rider with the less than perfect longer leg were enlightening, and also more than a few tips on how to improve a score on a movement by quick changes in the set up depending on the position in the ring. By the end of day one I was tired, but happily so. By the end of 3 days I was very glad that I did not have to ride anymore, (frankly my brain and body were becoming overwhelmed), as the next location was an audit only for me.

Greta and I sat down before my trip home and discussed ardently what we had felt, what we had seen, what we had learned and how we could apply it to both our own horses in training and to the training and coaching of our students.  I arrived home refreshed and keen to start work with our young brood of Dutch warmblood fillies that are just coming of age for under saddle training and to test out the newly learned techniques on our older Grand Prix geldings. I have begun adding some of these new insights to our clinic programs having defined them working with them first hand.

So don't be hesitant to get some help from the trainer's trainers. We all need a re-boot from time to time and this was a great experience. I am sure it is the same across all sports. Watch the best, learn from the best, and remember whoever you train with you will end up looking like on a horse and your horse will look like theirs too, so choose carefully.