What goes on behind closed doors?

There is a worrying trend in fake news and fake claims and the equestrian world is not immune from the same issues. I recently saw photos that were clear exhibits of the dreaded rollkur training posted on social media and no, they were not of Dutch or German riders but of that most heralded school, the Spanish Riding School of Vienna.

To say I was shocked would be a massive understatement. Further research on my part yielded photos taken in 'off public' warm up spaces at Essen taken two years ago. However once I started researching the photos didn't stop. They even included photos of the morning sessions at the hallowed reitschule hall in Vienna. Of 20 or so horses 19 were in some variance of the rollkur position.

While the breeding practices in Europe have in some instances seem to have erred toward producing untrue gaits and unruly chaotic trots and dropped backs, this turn in events in Vienna causes me to wonder just how far does the mighty Euro - which is much needed to fund the ongoing establishment of the SRS need to be diverted and who is at the helm of this unsteady ship?

Even SRS Oberreiters have come out in public to decry the overuse of the horses at the SRS in the daily schedule and the use of this all too familiar awfulness that is rollkur.

In my early years in dressage I was very much schooled in the classics handed down from Alois Podhasky who must be turning in his grave at all the goings-on. Since then, like any competitor/trainer I have taken lessons and clinics with a myriad of trainers. French, German, Swiss, Austrian, Hungarian, Cuban, Spanish and Portuguese, British of course, Finnish and more. That journey of more than thirty years has brought me back to the classical training more than once. I did once work with Dr. Shulten-Baumer and Isabell Werth for example, and they did propose overbending in training. I attended Lendon Gray doing similar actions behind closed doors with a Dutch stallion. It was the 'new way' of the day. But I do believe that many of us did our own math and quickly discarded the new fangled methodology which actually isn't that new if you look to the history books on dressage. I also worked with the renowned Herbert Rehbein, a man of few words but with an uncanny ability to convey the rightness of a given moment in training or the wrongness in no uncertain expression and worked with followers of true classical ethic of both huge name and of more minor fame.

It appears to me that today many students that attend our clinics are being brought along by trainers whose sole purpose is to show off the piaffe steps too early for the horse to know which leg is even on the floor never mind when, the respect for the gymnastic ability of the horse at any given time being overlooked.

Work your horse with kindness and a give him a solid education

I urge all dressage trainers to be vigilant and honest in their training for our students are the next generation and need to properly understand the vagaries of extreme training and the resultant unkind actions this produces on our friend, the horse. A famous trainer and US Olympian once stated he blows through six horses to find the seventh that will make the Grand Prix. Shame on him.

The horse and his well-being must always come first.

Elbow jabbing, body blocking. What we put up with to get the story..

Unbelievable. What are we doing in 2016? Well, not me, but others.

On a recent expedition to cover the HITS $1 million Grand Prix event you would think we were vying for a presidential interview, nod or comment.

An old ( and def. old) lady reporter who I guess now writes as freelance writer actually back pumped me while I was taking a photo. When I stumbled and stepped back to regain my balance she acted as though it was my fault. 'Ouch!' she exclaimed although I had not touched her feet or any part of her. The group of A list showjumpers signing autographs for a group of kids looked up with concern.

What????

At the press conference in a tiny room that was professionally handled by the HITS PR folk we were totally blocked from taking a photo by a long legged praying mantis of a chap. I am not sure why he would worry over us having access as an all volunteer publication but I guess he doesn't ask first. He pushed me out the way nearly landing me on the couch. I stood my ground more by luck than judgement because I may have weighed more than him.

What?

On the plus side and I will name names. Beth Raisin of The Chronicle of the Horse was there too. Professional. Her dog came to my chair row behind to hang out with me while she was asking questions of the panel. I didn't mind. I love dogs. It totally amused Jessica Springsteen, Brandi, Catherine etc. if not Tom Struzzieri who was perhaps oblivious and the German course designer who was an absolute sweetheart, bowing to me when I interviewed him later. Though we know he had a very rough week.

Well I used to play hockey, netball and soccer and can elbow and push with the best of them. I suppose I could commandeer a level of bitchiness if I needed to do though that kind of activity was only ever vaguely on my skill set, I am sure I can muster some sort of protective nonsense out of my motherhood experiences. I'd just like to say, maybe don't 'poke the bear.,' as my kids might say today. There truly is room for manners, etiquette. We are not covering O.J.Simpsom on courtroom steps after all. Get a grip folks and a perspective. Seriously. Looking back it was all quite amusing. But it was totally unexpected.

Clinic Versus Lessons

There is a deal of difference between participating in a clinic as opposed to taking a lesson. As a Grand Prix dressage trainer offering both I am often asked by regular students whether they should bother participating in one of our clinics if they already take regular lessons. The answer is yes.

While we (myself and my fellow Brit husband) offer coaching at showgrounds to both regular students and clinic students, the latter we may see only a few times per year so our influence over their progress will be minimal. In a clinic we meet many new faces as well as returning ones, so we have very little time to address all the training issues we may see and have to focus on the key ingredients for improvement taking the most major faults first. Once these have been successfully addressed we can make sincere progress with the horse and rider. At a regular lesson, we can clearly see the result of what homework has or hasn't been done by the student. Our influence is obviously significantly increased as we are able to work together on a regular basis.

However at a clinic, our regular students will have a chance to work in front of an audience and at a different location. The number of auditors at a clinic varies considerably as some hosting barns highly encourage and solicit auditors and others do little to bring in new faces. This is an opportunity as a hosting barn to showcase your facility and bring in new boarders and students, so it is a shame if you don't take it up. At a clinic the regular lesson students will have a chance to showcase their work and improvement and while they may receive a similar lesson to one we would give them at home, they will be duly challenged just as the other clinic participants will be. They will have the opportunity to share their learning with the auditors, and will see how they handle riding in a higher pressure environment. This is a great outing for both horse and rider. Whether or not you intend to show, trailering your horse off the farm to a new environment is refreshing and a great test of your partnership. If the clinic is at your regular barn where you board, you have the chance to meet new horse people that come in to ride and to audit.

Paul Alvin-Smith training Kate & Patch at Northfield Farm, Otego, NY

As a clinic participant you also have the opportunity to audit lessons of eight or ten others on the same day. This will give you a chance to see how the clinician progresses riders and their horses past your own level as well as reminds you of how far you have come and helps you retain the knowledge you have already obtained and consolidate your understanding of the gifts in your riding toolbox.

A clinic is not a symposium and many riders get this mixed up. At a symposium the clinician will address the auditors and explain in detail what they see and showcase how they resolve issues and improve the rider and horse. There may be a question and answer session between rides. The riders have often already been taught by the clinician the previous day and the clinician is not training riders they have not seen go before. The text and content of the symposium has often been discussed beforehand between clinician and riders and the ride road-mapped.

At a clinic the rider will receive a lesson based around their individual needs. The auditors will benefit from listening to a wide variety of training issues and advice. As an added bonus you might also receive sponsor prizes or gifts as a thank-you for participating in the event.

Clinicians at a clinic will usually make themselves available over lunch to chat with all attendees. However, at a symposium they may disappear with the host of the event to eat and relax.

As a regular lesson student attending a clinic you will have the chance to meet other riders and network in others in the horse world over lunch. You may receive feedback and lots of support from other auditors attending who have enjoyed seeing you ride. It is a wonderful opportunity and one you should not miss.

A Dying Breed: The Small Square Hay Bale ~ Horse Hay

It is pretty amazing when you think about it. Take two people, a hundred tons of horse hay in small squares and pull it off hay wagons and stack it ready for winter. That's what we do at Willowview Hill Farm. Two people, pushing 60 - well O.K. now one is 60 and the other 57 - but still. Kids are grown and flown the coop eons ago. Spread across the Northeast USA with an occasional weekend day to come home and empty a couple of wagon loads, the hay season requires some guts for very little glory.

A conversation with a local farm mechanic who services many many farmers in the Catskill region was revealing. He knew almost no-one that still does small squares.

"Sure, I know cows not horses. I know the big bales are bad for horses. But cheap horse people buy them," he says, the early morning sun beats down on his dark locks and his accent is foreign.

No-one wants to handle the small bales anymore. Sure, the baler is approximately S35,000 instead of $90,000 to get a farmer started. Yet still, the small square farmer is a dying breed. And let's face it, the workload is humongous. The capital for the equipment needed even without insurance is over $100,000. for a reasonable size baler/cutter and turner plus wagons.

So the round hay baled for cows, with high moisture ( equals dust), a higher level of dead critters ( = botulism), is becoming more and more common around horse farms.

Horses become trapped in the huge metal hay racks, designed for low energy short legged cows not horses. Foals in particular are susceptible to damage this way. The hay is mostly wasted, because the horse is a picky eater. For good reason. Pay the vet or pay for hay we used to say.

In today's market the small square bale may fetch $4.50-$5.50 in the Catskill region. Take off the diesel cost, the machine wear and tear, the man hours operating and servicing equipment, the small windows of great weather for horse hay curing ( without the 20 chemical/preservatives that can affect horses and are completely untested on horses), the labor to stack, the building to stack the hay up properly and then the time to re-load the tractor trailer or end user with a horse trailer, and you have yourself a very expensive and labor intensive program.

If you are buying hay or making hay please do yourself a favor and read the 7 Deadly Sins of Haymaking. If you don't have this information you may be the first on the call line for the Fire Department.

The farm equipment mechanic told us that we are one of the last farmers he knows of in the area that puts up small squares.  And farm work as we know is very dangerous.  Last September when my husband was servicing the baler, the chain caught the oil rag he was holding and sucked his hand into the multi-chain mechanism resulting in a severed thumb. We have had many close calls over the years. One time another mechanic had switched up the parking brake to make a repair and had not properly reset it. When my husband hopped out the tractor with the brake on, to remove a bale that had escaped the wagon, the whole rig proceeded to move slowly forward. It inched and gained speed. He was between the baler and the wagon. Thankfully some guardian angel must have been present because I saw it start to go and shouted to him. He ran after it and managed to scale the steps and stop it. Not something I'd recommend as that in itself is dangerous. But these things or versions thereof happen every year. You must always be diligent. When you think everything is OK then you are headed for trouble. 'Familiarity breeds contempt,' as the saying goes. Even though we are avid horse breeders/horse people and know the benefit of the small squares, even we have looked at round baling our crop.

So when you head out in search of some high quality hay for your horses this season please take time to think about what effort for very little financial return has gone into the production. Small squares will not be around for ever. The workload is just too hard and the costs too high.

Size Matters ~ When Designing Your Horse Stalls

The trend in horses to larger sizes in general, especially for competition horses in English disciplines has tasked show organizers, barn builders and equestrian property developers with building bigger and bigger stalls to accommodate the larger breeds such as Friesians and Warmbloods of all varieties. Even the once breed specific sizes for Andalusians/Lusitanos and Lipizzaners have been magically melded in the DNA system and deemed acceptable by the registries and the breeders are now producing 16.3 h.h. competition sized Spanish line horses. But this bigger is better trend has been going on a long time. Well relatively. So why are show organizers adding new knock up or temporary stalls that are 10 x 10 and calling that good? Many competitors won't entertain bringing their expensive horses to temporary stabling that is that small for fear of damage via the horse either becoming cast in the stall, or neighbors too close for escape or both or just the lack of comfort for the horse to lay down and get back up. Especially those with the larger breeds of horses which make up the majority of the showing community.

The issue with temporary stalls being larger in lay out brings with it the increased issue of strength of the walls. A tenacious horse who dislikes his neighbor or any upset horse can bang almost any temporary stall into his neighbor or to the ground. A 12 ft. spread rather than a 10 ft. would seemingly increase the risk. But the stall systems do exist to address this issue.

A very beautiful multi-million dollar farm located here in the Catskill Mountains and currently on the market has a wealth of horse barns. Something for the stallions, mares in foal and working horses. Buildings everywhere. But all the stalls are 8/8 or at best a whopping 8 x 10 ft. Why? The owner had a Paso Fino breeding business. Now of course it is hard for him to sell because who can use those tiny stalls? Not many horse owners are solely pony owners/breeders or Paso Fino breeders.

Many converted dairy barns came with low ceilings and even if the concrete floors were drilled out the stalls were made to 10 x 10ft. How useful is that when you come to resell?

There are the other extremes of course. Stalls that are built to 12 x 16ft or 18 ft with modern low bowed double front doors. Perfect for the amiable mellow horse but what about when you introduce a new horse that is nervous, or a mare and foal. We all know foals will rear and jump and will many anxious horses of any age.  How safe are those doors plus with all that space to get up to speed even horses not adept at jumping from a standstill will have a good go at it, hanging stifles and shortening their careers as a result. So yes, stalls can be too big and of course, doors too low.

In days of yore barns came with hay above, high beamed lower levels for draft horses that came in from a day of toil and were rested on thick straw beds with headroom. No poll evil to worry about there.

Draft Breeds of Yore

When buying a trailer we worry over size. Well I hope we do.  Unless ponies is all you do then why buy a diddy ( little) sized trailer with a low ceiling height and narrow width. A full size trailer does not cost that much more. When designing stalls, or adding temporary ones there seems to be a flawed mentality i.e. 'the horse(s) I have to-day is  a 15.3hh horse so I will build a small stable and that will suffice'.

Stalls of a good size i.e. 12 x 12 help your horse in so many ways. He can lay flat out. He enjoys better air circulation. If dividing walls are grilled he can avoid his neighbor if he wishes. If you are in the stall working on him you have safety room whether to skip out the stall, groom or blanket him. He can turn around without bumping into something. He is less likely to get cast and if he does get cast he is much more likely to be able to right himself.

So if you are entertaining a barn conversion, a renovation, a new build or are addressing temporary stabling for an event please consider the size of the stall. Your daily life using the facility, your horse's well-being and comfort and your show/event entries will be much improved by making a prudent choice.

Ready. Set. Show.

Jeff Lindberg at Stockade in 2015

Catskill Horse magazine staff are lining up the shows they will be attending to write up this season.
Please don't be shy to come and say Hi if you see us out and about, we love to engage with our readership and to give you a shout out if we can.

The Catskill Horse Events page has become 'the place' to look for events in all disciplines. There's a good chance we'll be at many of those events listed.

Definite plans to attend Centerline HITS on May 21st, and ENDYCTA Dressage Days on Memorial Day weekend are in the works. Wonder what happened to Dressage at Saratoga? Check out the scoop in our article Changes Afoot.

Some of our advertisers such as The Horse Studio are also involved in the show and clinic scene. They are a Bronze Medal Advertiser at the ENCYCTA Dressage Days four day event as well as sponsoring clinics such as Northfield Farm & Finger Lakes Equestrian Center events. So please show your support for their support of both this community magazine with their advertising dollars and for the equestrian sport by visiting them online and shopping their wonderful tack and riding apparel.

Click here to shop now..

The collaborative effort of all regional businesses and riders makes the competitive equestrian world go around. It is easy to overlook the sponsors for the events in which you participate. And if you are a lucky winner of a Gift Certificate don't forget to use it. It is as good as cash!

See you out there and good luck!

Do You Remember When

A boulder the size of a Fiat crashed down the hillside on Route 42 in Lexington, New York. The time of this rather spectacular asteroid landing was approximately midnight. Following a wonderful meal out at Peekamoose Restaurant with a client, hubbie and I were driving home and thankfully we saw it in time to skirt around it through the debris and rock litter that it had left as a trail on the left side of the road. It was quite a shock.

As we headed slowly forward we came across a newer SUV with hazard lights flashing, parked on the partial shoulder. We slowed down to chat with the two S.U.N.Y. Oneonta college students through the window and asked if they were O.K.. They had not been as lucky as us, their car had suffered a flat back tire and they were baffled as to what to do.

We pulled in and took a look.

" Well the good news is it is only flat on the bottom, " said hubbie, trying to diffuse their obvious distress with a bit of humor.

The anxious young man explained that he had no cell service and could not call 911. Not having cell service was something completely alien to the young man and I suppose being stranded on top of a mountain in a car you don't own, in the middle of the night with no way to reach anyone would be a bit daunting. Two or three of his friends had been picked up by a passer-by in a BMW and taken down the other side of the mountain toward Lexington to try and find some cell service.

Another car pulled up and paused to ask if he could help.

" Do you have a spare?" he asked.
" Yes, the young man answered. It's not my car, but I'm sure there is a spare."
" I gotcha," said the young bearded man in the older sedan.

He promptly pulled in and set to work. Hubbie and I said we'd double back down to the Shandaken Police Dept. and see if we could raise anyone. The boulder was certainly dangerous, and I suggested to the student that he should get a case report from the police so the tire or any other damage could be claimed on insurance.

We turned our car and headed back down the mountain. I was nervous crossing the debris and we passed a tractor trailer with a flatbed zooming up from the other direction. We flashed our lights but he zoomed by. We crossed our fingers and prayed that he wouldn't hit the boulder.

The police station was brightly lit inside, but there was no sign of anyone around but we did now have cell service. So after pushing the emergency button to no result, we phoned 911 and explained the situation to the calm sounding voice that answered. Despatch said someone was on their way.

We clambered back into the car. Cold from the chilly night and drove back to scene. I was nervous to cross all the debris and did not want a puncture too - but we were safely past and thankfully there was no sign of the tractor trailer.

The young bearded man had already changed the tire when we arrived back. Record time for sure, he knew what he was doing.

The young college student hugged the young man, hugged me and was very relieved to have his vehicle back in working order. I explained the police were on their way.  We congratulated the young bearded man on his kindness in helping out and he asked where we were headed.

" Home to Stamford, just 20 miles North," I said.
" Stamford? My girlfriend and I just moved to Harpersfield, so I guess we're neighbors," he said.
" Yes, we have a horse farm there," I explained.
" Horses?" his eyes brightened. " We love horses. We've never owned one but would like to ~ do you give riding lessons."
Horse chat naturally followed even though we were all cold and tired.

I tried to remember back to not knowing anything about horses but wanting one all the same. I think I was about three, riding on a cardboard box in which the large kitchen radio had arrived. I tied a piece of string to the flap and rode it around the garden. One day I left it out in a rain shower and when I went to ride it again it flopped to the floor, the cardboard sodden. The loss of my first horse. I cried and cried.

I explained we did not offer lessons and racked my brain for where to send him and his girlfriend for a good start with horses. I started fishing about in my handbag for a business card for the Catskill Horse Magazine.

For a moment he thought I was searching for my wallet to pay him.
" Oh no payment, please. I am just happy to help."
" No, I wasn't going to pay you, I am searching for a business card," and I explained about the magazine and how it was a great resource for everything equine in the area and beyond.
" Drop me an email," I said and let's keep in touch. " What is your name?"
" Mohammed," he said, almost shyly.
" Well Mohammed, I'll help you find a place to start riding. Good job tonight!" I smiled.
Just then the BMW returned with a bunch more anxious students shouting they couldn't find any cell service so had come back.
The college kids by the SUV looked relieved to see them.

The college kid hugged hubbie, I and Mohammed again and thanked us. Hugs all around ensued.
Mohammed disappeared to his car and off down the mountain toward Lexington and we were not far behind. Just as we pulled back onto the road we saw a small SUV flying up from the North side. We flashed our lights at him. And he flashed his lights back. His lights were a bit brighter than ours. It was a police car and his light bar was a welcoming sight.

All was well and I hoped that this serendipitous meeting with Mohammed would lead to he and his girlfriend fulfilling their passion for horses. Two days later I received an email.

Humbly it started, " I don't know if you remember me..."
Yes, I remembered him, and was very happy to be able to set him along on his journey with horses.

Catskill Horse Surpasses Goals for Readership

Catskill Horse is off to the races this year. Our January target to reach 60,000 unique visitors was met, and 'The Merry Band at the Catskill Horse' has been extremely busy adding lots of new columns and features to this bi-monthly digital magazine to feed the ever-growing audience.

As our readership has reached so far beyond the Catskill Mountain region, we actually had to change our letterhead to reflect that. Not bad for an all volunteer publication. We may have been foaled in New York but we have galloped clear across the region. Check it out.

As a result of our readership base, our promo advertising rates will be significantly increased, so if you want to get into the gate for the best rates be sure to sign up by the end of February ( leap in before the 29th!). You can email info@CatskillHorse.org for the promos, there is still time. Many new advertisers have already signed up. As a result, the home page premier leaderboard position is now rotating with ads, so these advertisers will receive impressions. The new rates for this service are available on our advertising page. And to make things more convenient for our noble advertisers ( many of which renew), we've also added a drop down menu and Paypal, and the contract and advertising agreement are downloadable, so you can simply fill in and fax or email.

Our advertisers also appreciate that our magazine being a .org provides a valuable SEO boost to their businesses. It's all about helping them grow.

Here are a few of the features we've added. They are by no means complete yet, but are developing nicely as folks pass news of them via social media and word of mouth. Listings in all these directories is free. Here's a few of the new columns:-

Come and claim your free listing!

Plus there's foodie advice too!

Catskill Horse has also just added a Stallion Directory.

Each of these columns will feature articles providing education, tips and funny shares of video and photos with interesting interviews with folks including celebrities of not just the horse world, but the world in general. If you've been down in Wellington at the 'fish bowl' that is the winter circuit, you'll know just what I mean. From Mit and Ann Romney to Bruce Springsteen you can hardly move without bumping into a celebrity.

On our facebook page you can follow along with all the new stuff, including our Catskill Horse Weekly Giveaways. Usually something horse related such as books or DVDs, sometimes equestrian lifestyle products. These are FREE to enter of course!

Look out for our newsletters and e-blasts in your mailbox if you've subscribed to the magazine. Which of course is also FREE!

Our events page is brimming with all sorts of horsey events so be sure to check that out! And we'll be out and about at various events during the forthcoming show season in the North East, so come say Hi if you see us there!

Kudos to all for their hard work. Whether volunteer writing, doing the IT or writing and researching content.

Onward and upward. 

I Resolve to.....

So 2016 has ticked in and here in the New York we are blessed with little snow to date, and some exceptionally kind December temperatures that had us all working horses outside in shirt sleeves.
Incredulous as that sounds today with temperatures due to be as high as 7 degrees F tomorrow.

Naturally the New Year beckons as a clean slate to be filled with new goals, promises and optimism invades us as we recover from the champagne toasts and holiday fare.

Balmy December ~ Clipped & No Blanket

As athletes, probably everyone of us pledges some sort of fitness goal. For myself I've been impressed with Riding with Chi and Success in the Saddle DVDs. These are attainable given my age and my desire to not over-stress the aging body! Perhaps we'll eat less junk food, take healthy snacks to shows instead of eating showground fodder. Yeah, like we'll have time to prep that.

For our horses we also begin to make plans. Show dates, training goals all bounce around in our heads in a dizzying array. Which clinics should we attend? Which shows should we do? The schedule is so open at this time of year but it sure fills up fast.

But perhaps the most important thing we should do is look to our horse. Hitting different clinicians can be very good for us or very bad for us but the horse has no choice in the matter. Should you find a clinician you like and stick to their program? Will you confuse your horse by cramming him around different instructors or will you both learn faster or better?

Think about why you show. Is it to show off? Is it to gain a medal score? Is it something you enjoy? Does your horse enjoy the competition lifestyle? Are you over-stressing him physically or mentally to achieve your own goals?

It is a good time to take stock. To pause a moment and to be honest with yourself. Your horse will thank-you for it.