YourHorseInfo

by Faith Meredith
Director, Meredith Manor International Equestrian Centre

The average horse weighs at least five or six times the average human adult. So it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict who’s going to win if they get into a pulling contest. Humans who find themselves in pulling matches with their horses need to learn to use their brains rather than their brawn to solve the problem. Often, they’re so busy arguing with the horse that they don’t take time to analyze the problem.

Constant pulling or lugging against the bit is an evasion of a rider’s poor hands that quickly becomes a bad habit. It’s not obstinacy on the horse’s part. It’s self-defense. Riders without an independent seat bounce with every stride, hitting the horse’s mouth with each bump. Really unsteady riders may hang on the reins to maintain their balance. The horse soon figures out that pulling against this bouncing or hanging stop the pain. A steady, hard pull eventually numbs his mouth so he no longer feels the jerking.

Once pulling has become a habit, it takes time and patience to retrain the horse to trust the bit. Longe the horse in a simple snaffle bit and side reins that have elastic inserts or rubber donuts for a little give. With the reins long enough to allow the horse to stretch its neck, work toward a relaxed, rhythmic trot. Then ask for transitions between the trot and walk, and finally for cantering with transitions back and forth to trot. The horse must move forward from driving aids to correct the pulling. If the horse starts to pull while longeing, send him forward with stronger driving aids.

Once the horse moves relaxed on the longe in all three gaits without pulling, put the rider back up without reins. With the horse still in side reins, work the same sequence of longeing transitions until both horse and rider are completely relaxed and the horse is not pulling. While the horse is learning to trust the bit, the rider must work on an independent seat. That means riding with all muscles and joints relaxed while balancing over the horse’s center of gravity. No gripping. No hanging on the reins.

Next, remove the side reins and give the rider reins but keep the horse on the longe line. The person on the ground can help with forward driving aids if needed and the safe, familiar longeing circle helps the horse stay relaxed. The rider should have steady hands and give the horse enough rein length to allow it to stretch its neck. The horse must understand that driving aids mean forward and weight aids mean to slow or stop.

When the rider can ride all three gaits and transitions on the longeing circle with the horse remaining relaxed and not pulling, they are ready to leave the longe line and move on.

Training takes patience. Training means developing a communication system. Each stage may take several weeks depending on the horse and how ingrained the habit of pulling has become. Be careful not to overwork the horse so that the retraining is a pleasurable experience. Longeing can be strenuous–20 to 30 minutes are maximum, particularly at the start of the retraining program. Remember to reward the horse with a pat whenever it gives the right response.

When the rider has an independent seat and uses the aids effectively to send the horse forward without hitting it in the mouth, pulling will be a thing of the past. Whether trail riding for pleasure or training for competition, every rider’s goal should be a horse that is responsive to leg, rein and weight aids. This takes time and dedication but the end result–a harmonious relationship between horse and rider–is well worth it.

Couple Riding Photographic Print courtesy of  Posterhorse.com

Thrush, an invasion of bacteria and moisture into the
sole of the horses foot. The front and /or back feet may
be affected.

Many horses that are confined to a stall or small area
are more prone to thrush than other horses. Moist and
unclean conditions are breeding places for bacteria.

If your horse must be confined, a daily inspection and
cleaning of the horse’s feet along with good stable

management will protect your horse from contracting thrush.

Visible signs of thrush are a black and tarry substance
oozing from the feet and an unpleasant odor. Thrush causes
the frog (the grooves along side and down the center of the frog)
and surrounding tissue to become soft and crumbly.

As the hoof degrades even further, the heel begins to
split and to bleed. Thrush is extremely painful and
debilitating for the horse.

Mild cases are easily taken care of with a little help
from your farrier. If the condition is left untreated,
the hoof will deteriorate even further and as a result,
the horse can become permanently lame.

In advanced cases you will need the help of your farrier
and your veterinarian. They will need to debride the effected
area and remove as much of the diseased tissue as possible.
There may be a good deal of blood associated with this tissue
removal if the thrush is advanced enough, so be prepared.
If the center cleft of the frog is deeply involved, you will have to
clean it out every day and pack it with medication and cotton, your
farrier and/or veterinarian will show you exactly what you will need
to do. With allot of love and care your horse will be back
on his feet in no time.

Written By,

Michele Anderson

by Faith Meredith
Director, Meredith Manor International Equestrian Centre

Longeing without stirrups can be a wonderfully useful tool to help riders learn to relax, ride in balance, and follow the motion of the horse as they work toward developing an independent seat.

Longeing allows the rider to concentrate on her seat without worrying about controlling the horse’s pace, direction or speed. With someone else handling the horse, longeing removes the fear factor. When the rider feels safe, it is easier to relax her muscles so that she can feel and follow the horse’s motion in balance.

The horse handler also provides the rider with an observer whose feedback can be enormously useful. The rider may feel she is balanced but the handler may note that she is leaning backward or forward rather than being positioned correctly over the horse’s center of gravity. The handler can remind the rider to breathe or provide other verbal cues to help the rider match the horse’s rhythm. The handler can help describe the movements of the horse’s feet so that the rider can begin to feel them for herself through her seatbones.

Longeing is a skill that must be mastered by both horse and handler before they can work safely as a team to help riders develop good seats. A longeing schoolmaster is a special horse. This horse must be in good condition and able to carry himself in balance on circles in either direction. He should have an excellent sense of rhythm and if the rider loses her balance, he should not get flustered or change his rhythm. The longeing schoolmaster is able to stay focused and relaxed regardless of anything else that might be going on in the vicinity. He is very aware of the handler’s body language and responds predictably and smoothly to her requests for up or down transitions.

The handler should be familiar with the horse and sure of her ability to communicate clearly with it before putting a rider up. She should know how to keep the horse moving forward in a steady rhythm and how to ask for smooth up or down transitions.

While some instructors like to use longeing cavessons, many people do not have them. A simple snaffle bridle is sufficient. Slip a halter over the bridle and fasten the longe line to the halter ring. We like to use side reins whenever we longe riders but if the horse is comfortable working on a circle they are not always necessary. It is better not to use side reins than to use them incorrectly. Boots or bandages protect the horse’s legs from accidental dings and provide tendon support when working on a circle. A riding helmet and gloves are standard safety equipment for both rider and handler.

To help the beginning rider, we fasten a “grab strap” to the dees on the front of the saddle. The rider can hold onto the strap until they develop good balance. A rider can also use these straps to pull her seat deeper into the saddle. This opens her hips and tips her pelvis up. Crossing the stirrups of an English saddle over the pommel also creates a grab strap of sorts. Pull the buckle down 5 or 6 inches away from the safety bar before crossing the leathers to eliminate awkward lumps under the rider’s thighs.

The longeing area should never be less than 20 meters in diameter. Anything less is too hard on the horse’s legs. Longe lessons should end before either horse or rider become too tired. A half of an hour is long enough. Change direction once, spending half the time in each direction. When changing direction, the horse should stop on the circle and the handler should approach it and reposition the longe before working in the second direction. A beginning or muscularly weak rider may need frequent walk breaks during a half hour lesson. With more advanced students, one way to get more out of a longe lesson is to let two students take turns as rider or handler while the instructor watches and teaches.

Beginning riders working on a longe should concentrate on relaxation, balance and finding the proper position in the saddle. They can first practice relaxing different groups of muscles, then relaxing all of their muscles. We do not ask beginning riders to hold their heels and toes in a riding position at first. A loose, relaxed ankle helps them move around and experiment with their position. The initial goal is to help them find a correct position with their body aligned from shoulders to hips to heels, shoulders back and open, head and neck straight, and thighs relaxed and flat against the saddle. They should not be gripping with their thighs and their lower leg should rest softly against the horse.

As riders progress, there are many balance exercises that can be added at the walk, then trot. Riders can dangle their legs or ride with legs held out away from the saddle. They can change their arm positions to challenge their balance—arms crossed in front, held on top of their head, stretched over their head, or held out to the sides as they twist in either direction. They can count the horse’s strides out load to help them develop a sense of rhythm.

Transitions from gait to gait are excellent exercises to use on the longe. As riders continue to progress, they can try to ask for up or down transitions before the handler intervenes. As their balance and muscle strength increase, they can graduate from a sitting trot to a posting trot without stirrups. The instructor/handler needs to be a good observer and choose exercises that will help individual riders work on their particular issues.