Patience is Key

It is often hard to be patient when training a horse from scratch. In your earnest desire to get busy in the saddle, it seems easiest to just go at it and do it all in one day. While clinicians abound in 'horsemanship' that showcase a horse going from green to broke in a matter of hours in front of an audience of enthusiastic onlookers, the reality is horses deserve our patience when starting them out. Every horse goes at its own individual pace and no one method or routine of training is going to work on every horse.

My husband was fortunate to be trained by James Belman ( who also trained UK team rider Dane Rawlins), and Belman was mentored by the iconic Director of the Spanish Riding School at Vienna, Austria, Alois Podhajsky. One of Podhajsky's many writings included this:

"A ruthlessly condensed training only leads to a general superficiality, to travesties of the movements, and to a premature unsoundness of the horse. Nature cannot be violated."

After 25+ years of breeding and starting horses, hubbie and I both know this to be true. All our horses are started slowly, allowing them time to digest each new task and fully understand their part in the process. We also sincerely believe that a horse should be strong in its topline, and ready to take the additional weight that a rider presents to the equation. Longe work elevates a horse's front end (when done correctly), strengthens the horse through work on cadence within gaits and transitions and helps the horse develop pushing power and balance. Not too mention confidence in doing their job. 

Focus is an important part of the equation and relaxation is key to the learning process. A tense horse will neither learn well or be able to maintain focus on the task at hand. Difficulties are usually caused by lack of understanding or physical or mental inability to complete the training job presented to the horse. Patience is indeed key to successful training.

Charrington WVH was not always an easy horse to train. His apparent stoic nature hid a lack of confidence and it was easy to push him quickly to the next level without giving him the time to properly develop gymnastically to carry himself in self-carriage.

Unfortunately, this can mean that much time is needed to develop a young horse from start to finish. A 'dressed' horse such as our two statesman Tiberio Lafite and Charrington, have taken many years for us to develop from babies to Grand Prix. There have been bumps and plateaus along the road, and those moments have been the ones we have learned the most from and taken forward to other horses in training. 

Making the horse of a lifetime requires a lifetime of commitment ~

When I actively competed in Europe, working with my 'compadre' in all things dressage, FEI coach Greta Kemmer in Switzerland, the horses I rode were also started by her in the same principles. Transitioning between our horses and hers was thus easy, as the proper groundwork had been laid. 

A super mare I competed to St. Georg called Epernay, that my coach leased to me, was a case in point of where patience mattered. When competing at Luxemburg Dressage she arrived flustered from an arduous and frankly too fastly driven transport via a commercial carrier. The day was clearly not marked for success so we scratched. Two weeks later I returned to school her. After a few days Greta and I decided to head out to a quieter show in Lugano, for a go around the ring that was simply aimed at building confidence for the horse and develop better trust between the mare and myself. It was a great go and our scores were mid '70's. The horse was up for sale shortly thereafter and a buyer who had seen her at the Lugano show quickly snapped her up. The educated buyer was fully aware that the horse had overcome her difficulties and was ready to move up to the next stage of her career.

So as hubbie and I try to find time to get our two mares started under saddle, (for sale as part of our mareband dispersal due to our retirement), I am reminded that the patience we take now to develop the horses truly from back to front, with strong backs and carrying power and happiness in their job, will pay dividends later for new 'dancing partner' that steps up to purchase them.

Dutch Warmblood Midi has been sat on just a few times - now building her back to work on the longe in readiness for saddling.

It doesn't matter how old the horse or how far along the training program they are, all horses will learn eagerly with the right instruction and patience.

Why Are Young Racehorses Breaking Down At Tracks All Over The Country?

That is the multi-million dollar question. Why? Is it the track surface that has resulted in 22 horses being euthanized at Santa Anita, CA? Is it the use of a whip or medications such as Lasix? Was the summer of 2017 in Saratoga that much different in equine death toll numbers? How many is enough to say halt the racing season?

So many questions and it appears very few answers. I was doing some research for an article I was writing for one of my clients several months ago, and found some very concerning issues for horse health concerning the use of a certain drug called Osphos, a bisphosphonate

To say I found the comments from the scientific community on the risks and reports of long term damage from its use mind-blowing, would be an understatement.

A few months later a top surgeon came out in a report published in the Paulick report with this comment,

“I wish we'd never seen these drugs,” said renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage at the conclusion of a recent presentation about bisphosphonates. 

It is not a huge leap of faith to see that lasix, whips and poor riding surfaces are not likely the root cause of the recent rise in racehorse injuries. At let's keep it real, the new medications such as Osphos are not just used on racehorses. They are used across all riding disciplines. Yes, the FDA has approved their use. But is that enough? 

As a horse owner you most likely rely on the advice of your vet for treatment of injuries and lameness in your horse. And your vet, just like your doctor, is consistently courted by big pharma to purchase and promote their offerings.

In my humble opinion you should be an advocate for your horse by completing your own research as thoroughly as possible before following the sole advice of anyone as to treatment and long term effects of medications. It is not just about what is show legal or FDA approved, it is about the well-being of your horse long term not just when its under saddle competing for your financial and emotional edification. 

Check your own conscience. Are you doing enough due diligence?

Bring On The Dancing Horses - Finding Time

Happy 2019 everyone. Hope that your holiday season was spectacular and that your plans for the New Year include more quality time with your horse.

It's not easy finding time to ride when there is so much else to do. Aside from the other 'life stuff' that gets in the way, many of us spend much more time taking care of our horses than actually riding them. I confess this has been true for me over 2018. So as we step into the New Year, I figure I'd better change things up to avoid a repeat.

A good starting point to finding time to ride is to look at how you spend your time at the barn or on the farm. Chores are a necessary part of horse-keeping and while you may enjoy all the times you spend around horses, certainly time spent riding should be more than time spent taking care of their needs.

My husband Paul and I, have been in the horse breeding business for 25+ years. Last year we spent so much time away giving dressage clinics and for myself, much time writing about everything horse as a freelance writer/PRMarketing Specialist, that we determined we needed to disband or breeding herd and retire from horse breeding. Hence at the moment we have just 2 mares left for sale, and we are keen to have them sold to the right competition home so they can go off and enjoy stellar careers. Meantime of course, they need training. They haven't sold due mainly to the fact they don't have saddle time as they have been in the breeding shed. 

More time we don't have! 

Gambol's Middernacht ~ For Sale!

In the late Fall we tried to send one of the mares out for training with one of our past students that lives 4 hours drive away from our farm. Unfortunately while we had a contract with her for training, she did not have her own barn. While we had the trucker set up and the horse ready to go, when the barn owner finally sent me the boarding contract it was so onerous and so convoluted we couldn't entertain sending our mare there. So here the horse still sits,
quite contentedly munching down on hay and hanging out with her half-sister, who also hasn't received further training.

So the dilemna continues. How to find more time?

If you figure it out let me know! 

What We Can Learn From The 2018 World Equestrian Games

It's always a challenge to orchestrate a massive multi-discipline equestrian event but certainly with a limited time window and new facilities to establish, the Tryon Equestrian Center management tried hard to make things work.

While grooms wondered where they would stay and hurricane Florence loomed in the Atlantic, the horses were safely bunked down in their quarters and demo riders and their equines arrived by the trailer loads. The blackout for press conditioned by the FEI had many reporters frustrated. None of the travel for horses and those charged with their transport were allowed to be recorded by anyone but those designated by the FEI and the resulting lack of personal media relay by grooms was missed by many horse lovers.

As someone that developed an equine international transport division for an international freight forwarder the world of equine air travel holds few mysteries for me, so it was not a great 'miss' from my viewpoint, but the lead up to an event is what brings the excitement and spectators out and as a member of the press I was not happy at the principle of a blackout. Tim Dutta clearly made up for this later with his innumerable posts of the team horses being loaded out for export. But still, I believe this was an FEI overstep.

As for those grooms, some at first tented for accommodation with a hurricane en route, the mood was still upbeat on the face. Behind the scenes some grumbled about their military style temporary housing and it was soon scrapped and beds found in local houses and hotels instead. Good move Mr. B.

The star players such as the U.K. team enjoyed royal treatment all the way. To be expected. It was the teams lower on the totem pole that suffered the disarray of organization in the early days of the competition.

Talking of air transport, the tight schedule for charters meant the Freestyle dressage competition never happened. The ring was too wet and very wisely the German team among others refused to utilize the deeply footed indoor arena that was in any case already pressed for use in the Western sports. With no time to refoot and the hurricane headed in, there was simply no time to redress that arena for the competition. 

Flight delays and cancellations due to the weather were inevitable, and many spectators that had brought the very expensive tickets, ( over $500 at least), found themselves posting social media ads trying to garner some funds back through ticket resale. The demo riders and their horses were ushered off the property without performing due to the temporary horse housing and dangers for them all being present on the property should the hurricane cause major flooding. The disappointment that these folks exuded when they were sent home was palpable.

Still better safe than sorry. There were other issues, some were resolved to some degree and some remained throughout the term of the competition. Notably the disarray of shuttle bus schedules, posting and signage explaining to people where what was happening and the local Health Department shutting down the diner, leaving some rather unprofessional and untrained staff in the other restaurants to cope with the visitors. Long wait times were common, and the rule about no liquids or food being allowed into the event upset many. You were either baking hot with no shade, (no umbrellas allowed either), or drenched and cold. 

The endurance fiasco was totally preventable and should never have happened. Riders were sent off on an errant course causing a complete stop and start of the event and then due to heat concerns the event was cancelled while riders were still on course and out of the 'loop.' As this cancellation came late in the day it was not uniformly accepted as the right cause of action. The metrics of heat and humidity had surpassed the FEI standards however, and their protection of the horses must be admired. Sadly, one horse did die after this endurance race.

Let's talk about what else went wrong. The USA event team had two unexpected bad rounds in the cross country with Boyd Martin and Philip Dutton not realizing their potential. The fact that they both had similar issues and train together, Dutton being Martin's long time mentor, I am sure was on their minds afterward. Martin was deeply disappointed. I felt particularly bad for him, as he and his wife Silva had just returned home with their newest family addition who was delivered early due to complications and had spent several weeks in the NICU. Martin had foregone Burghley, UK at the end of August, and put on a brave face covering his obvious concern for the welfare of his wife and son. Talk about a lot on his plate. Kudos to him for doing such a good job prepping and staying focused in what I can only imagine was the toughest of circumstances.

In other disciplines the USA did brilliantly, golds, silvers and generally a great go. 

There's no question that Bromont pulling out late and Tryon stepping up to host greatly affected the ability of the management of this mega facility to finish all the building needed. The wet Summer set timelines back, and hurricane Florence caused great concern though aside from much water and puddles, overall the facility held up well. 

There is no question that the Tryon facility will be more on point next time and that many more competitions are yet to be enjoyed there. The management did well to step up and host, and I look forward to their brighter future and their calendar of major events. With the heat, humidity and hurricanes the Carolinas notoriously enjoy, perhaps at a kinder time of year.

Anyone Else Worried About 2nd Cut Horse Hay Availability?

In the last several days we've received daily calls from hay dealers anxiously trying to track down any 2018 2nd cut horse hay. I guess usually by this point folks have started that 2nd hay cut rolling and bales are ready for sale. Not this year! In fact on our farm we are busy riding our dressage horses around the hayfields when normally we'd be in the tractor knocking down hay.

The incredible amount of rain that much of the East Coast and certainly Upstate New York has received, has made the grass grow rapidly, which is wonderful for folks like us who produce our own organically grown horse hay and market thousands of small square bales to horse owners. 

However, as we hit the middle of August, with no clear 3 day minimum dry weather pattern and above 80 degree temperatures in the forecast, you do begin to wonder if you'll ever be able to harvest all that beautiful grass that is presently being enjoyed by a healthy sized deer population.

My husband, being the mathematician he is, figured out that the deer population on our South facing tillable land gobbles up the equivalent of approximately 10 bales of hay a day, while the grass is standing. While sharing our crop with herds of deer is fine, it would be neat to know that we will have an opportunity before the end of August to work the fields ourselves and get that 2nd crop in the barn! 

When you see all the devastation that flooding has caused in the area and the fires and scorching weather that the Western USA and Europe is experiencing, I do reflect on how lucky we are to live where we live, and am grateful that we have had plenty of rain. Fortunately, our '100 year' rain swales that the Catskill Watershed folks put in over 20 years ago, keep our property free of flooding and send that water to the NYC watershed pipeline for use by our neighbors to the South.

The 1st cut hay season was exceptionally good for most hay farmers like ourselves, so if 2nd cut does become a problem, at least we won't be stuck like the Australian farmers paying $10,000 for a 20 ft ocean container of hay. Even if you don't usually feed 1st cut horse hay, it might be prudent at this point to stock up on some 1st cut, just in case the 2nd cut does show a shortage this year.

Counting our blessings for sure. But Mother Nature if you are listening, could we please see 6-7 days of dry, warm weather before September so we can get to work!

Why Does Horse Hay Cost So Much?

Hay season is in full swing and the hot and dry weather has many farmers happy with their well stocked hay barns full of delicious cured 1st cut.

While some farmers use preservatives and chemicals to cure their hay, many horse owners prefer hay that is cured the old-fashioned way, Mother Nature. The problem with preservatives and chemicals that are sprayed by either the cutter or the baler onto the hay is that many of these products, if indeed not all, have never been tested for safety in horses. Many have never been tested for safety in cows or other livestock either. However, the quicker baling turnaround time means less time spent turning/raking hay and less machine hours that use expensive diesel and add to the labor costs.

For those of us who make hay the old-fashioned way, we need to wait for at least three good days of clear, sunny weather with temperatures at a minimum in the high 70's. Cloudy days may slow down the curing process, although a strong breeze can dry hay nicely if the hay is already in windrows.

The haymaking process involves maintaining all the equipment and the capital costs of that equipment are high. When things need repairing parts are also expensive. A new gear box for a discbine for example can cost upwards of $2000, a new tire for a 100 horse power tractor over $2000! You get the idea. 

For the hay season much diesel will be required to run all the equipment, and the baler must be kept stocked with twine, which sells for about $30 for two spools. When you are baling hay, that cost adds up quickly.

The operator of the equipment must be well versed in handling large equipment often in tight spaces, know the complex process of levers and how to set up windrows, keep the baler feeding correctly with the proper groundspeed and know all the methods of setting up the equipment safely. Plus be prepared to jump out and handle any mechanical difficulties that might arise. Equipment only breaks when you are using it after all. Hours and hours of driving time are involved, and so labor costs also add up quickly.It is not uncommon to be driving from morning until dew time in the summer, in order to get the crop in when Mother Nature provides the opportunity with her sunny rays.

So the hay will be 'knocked down' or cut, then after the surface of the cut hay  has dried off it will be tedded or turned with a tedder/rake, usually within 24 hours. This procedure will be repeated on the 3rd day and if the hay is cured enough ( to less than 14% moisture content) it will be raked into windrows and baled. Of course those bales don't stack themselves, so if small squares are involved, which are the favorite type of hay for horse owners as they minimize risk of bacteria, (botulism especially), are easy to handle and to stack, someone has to unload those wagons and safely stack the hay. A conveyor is usually used, and the labor of throwing all that hay is hard work, even for the strongest of workers. So again, more labor cost is added to the cost of the hay.

Now to selling the hay. While word of mouth can be very productive, the farmer still has to advertise his hay for sale. Advertising costs money and time to keep the advertisements up to date. When the buyer arrives, the farmer now has to provide labor to load the hay onto the truck. If the farmer delivers, then naturally the hay will have to be stacked and transported and in many cases even stacked at the recipient's barn. The return leg of that delivery running empty will still cost the farmer fuel and of course this whole exercise takes time.

Throughout this process hay may be lost to errant bad weather. The hay will still need to be picked up and then thrown out or mulched back in which requires another machine and more machine time to go over the entire crop and break it down. Drought may impede the hay crop growth and leave the farmer short on quantity, and as a result you may see hay prices increase.

As you can see making hay requires a lot of hard work, is time consuming and as it is always hot weather when it takes place very often the producers are working in very high temperatures which may easily exceed 100 degrees in the barns when stacking high up.

The job is not without risk either. Insurance costs are expensive and the risk of injury or death is high, despite the best safety practices. Equipment malfunctions, a fall or bad step, tumbling hay can easily knock you off your feet and cause knee injuries, hands or clothing caught in equipment, rolling or falling equipment. The list goes on...

Between cuts the fields also need some care and attention. At our farm at Willowview Hill in Stamford, New York, we farm organically so we add manure to our fields to build back nutrients into the soil. From time to time we may add other natural products such as lime, to keep the soil in good health.

Other farmers use chemical fertilizers. Whatever is used it adds more expense. 

At our farm we also edge our fields by mowing them out twice a year, to ensure there is no encroachment on the professionally seeded hayfields of neighboring plants, weeds or tree saplings. If we have a tree come down, it is blocked and used for firewood and the remnants picked up and then the area is hand raked. No-one wants twigs in their hay or weeds either.

So next time your hay provider tells you they need an extra 25 cents a bale, think about it in a positive light. Farmers struggle to make ends meet as it is, and hay is not going to become any cheaper as land is swallowed up for development and farm space is lost. The day will surely come when small squares  of hay are simply too labor intensive to make and you'll need to buy special equipment yourself to handle the oversize round bales, invest in special feeders that will hopefully not injure your horses, get used to the wastage large round bales incur and push and lug the big rounds into your specially built barn. There won't be any opportunity to put them in a hay mall! Though you may end up storing them in plastic outside, which can cause a myriad of other problems with the preservatives and chemicals required.

Horse Training Journal Protects the Horse Trainer

It is surprisingly common for horse owners to move their horses from one trainer to another in search of a quicker 'fix' to their horse's dilemma. Whether it is a young horse in training or an older horse that needs some remedial work, the process is one of individual attention and a proper program for a logical progression in the horse's understanding, trust and physical development.

Unfortunately for the horse trainer, the satisfied client is usually best obtained by providing fancy or quick results. Whether or not the work is truly correct, whether or not the work completely resolves a previous issue seems irrelevant to some owners. It may be their ignorance or it may be their need to sell off the horse for a handy profit that drives their impatience. Whatever it is, as a horse trainer it is smart to keep a journal of the workouts and schooling sessions you have completed, and narrate the progress of your program through a journal. Preferably, a video journal.

Paul Alvin-Smith, GP trainer at Willowview Hill Farm schooling ANCCE/PRE stallion Celesto IV in half-pass in 2015

Over 25+ years training horses I have learned to do just this. It is not only a great way to look at the progress of the horse under your care for yourself, but it also serves as protection from false claims made down the road by the next trainer in line.

Regardless of whether the horse has a show record or not, I always take a video of first sessions and then once a program has been decided upon with a list of short and long term goals, I video once a week to record how things are coming along. Before the horse leaves, whether the move was planned or a last minute decision by the owner, a final recording is done to show the work that has been put on the horse. Of course, if you have shown the horse for the owner meantime you will also have the show results as a permanent indicator or the work you have completed.

Rushed and incorrect training will show up in the show ring later.

The best owners to work with are usually those that ride themselves and have some experience in the realm or discipline in which you train. 

Some issues that come with horses such as broken crests, broken connection to the bit at the 3rd vertebrae for example, take a long time to work patiently and correctly to resolve. Other issues, such as lack of balance, nervousness at mounting are quicker and easier to improve. Every horse has his own questions and as a horse trainer it is up to you to prioritize the ones you need to fix first, working toward a goal and not doing a quick fix just to garner a quick score in the ring, that will not be sustained in the horse's career because the basics have been overlooked.
 

Working on a broken 3rd vertebrae takes riding talent and time

In my experience as long as you are always true to the horse and his well-being and understanding, and build the horse up properly to not only understand his job but be able to complete the tasks with the proper physical and mental development, then you will always be happy. Good trainers attract good clients. Don't worry about the 'chop and change' clients. They will find what they need elsewhere.

Down the road if false claims are made about who trained what on the horse and you want to address those claims, you have the evidence in your horse journal. Keep good records of all your dealings with clients and make sure you have them in writing. A good contract will protect now and in the future, if the need arises. 

Remember you train horses because presumably you are good at it and enjoy it. Many horse trainers enjoy their time spent with horses more than they enjoy their time spent with humans. Be true to yourself and be true to the horse you are working, you will never regret it.