Thursday, January 28, 2010

My favorite horse training tool... the fence.


You might be thinking how can a fence be used to train a horse; simple the fence or arena wall acts as a barrier and helps direct or change the direction of a horses feet when worked in combination with your riding cues. Let me explain how it can work.


Say you are working on your horses stop but he seems to be walking out of it, ride him straight towards the fence as you approach the fence or wall apply your cues for the whoa, the closer you get to the fence the more likely your horse will want to stop on his own in order to avoid hitting the fence. Not only do you have your voice seat and hands working for you and the added assistance of the wall to help you bring your horse to a stop. Like everything else start off slow and build up, be prepared for your horse to try to duck out to the side so keep him between your legs.

The fence is also great for teaching rollbacks and sidepassing. For the sidepass ride your horse towards the fence at a 45 degree angle keep your leg on him. Once he has ridden all the way up to the fence he will have nowhere else to go but to move sideways away from your leg, remember to keep that leg on and give him somewhere to go by taking the other leg off.

The rollback works the same way, come in at a 45 degree angle ask for a whoa. As the horse slows down and starts to come up under himself use your leg and rein aids to turn the horse into the fence back towards the same direction you rode in from. Once you feel him make the turn on his back end release the pressure and ride out. This really teaches a horse to get under himself and explode out of the turn. Make sure to work both directions and not to over do it. Once they get the hang of it at a 45 degree angle try doing it parallel to the fence then eventually without any assistance from the fence.

Fences can also be used to help teach a horse to load in trailers and to move out straight.

Hope this helps

Thanks

Steve Wawryk

www.horselife.ca

Friday, January 22, 2010

Teaching a horse to ground tie

I'm of the opinion one of the best things you can do for you and your horse is to teach them to ground tie. Two reasons I like to teach horses to ground tie is for convenience and safety. We have all been there, we are up on our horses and realize we dropped something or we forgot something in the barn or trailer. It may be you need to tend to another rider or adjust someone’s tack, whatever the situation it may require two hands and be in a location where there isn't enough room or be safe to have a horse around.


I should clarify what I mean by ground tying. For me ground tying is having your horse stand in one spot when a lead rope, or rein is on the ground or they have been told to stand. They should respond by not moving whether you are in the saddle, 10 feet away or out of sight. I include being in the saddle because sometimes you may drop a rein or lead and believe me stepping on a rein can be hard on your tack, your horses mouth and your body. Ground tying can also save you from a long walk back to the barn. If you accidentally come off your horse hopefully they will stop when he sees the reins on the ground.



Teaching them to ground tie is easy but requires persistence and commitment on your part.

Here's how I do it; I take a horse into a safe relatively confined area where they cannot run away, (a paddock or sand ring will work) with a lead and halter on. I drop the lead on the ground and say "stand" I then let go of the lead and take a step back. Your horse will usually follow you at this point this is when you grab the lead and back them up to where you asked them to stand and say "stand". Keep repeating if they take a step. When they do stand for a few seconds walk over and tell them what a good horse they are. Gradually increase the distance and time but make sure to correct them the second they take a step. Eventually you should be able to walk around them, pick up their feet and even walk out of their site.



Another easy way to teach them to ground tie in combination with the method I mentioned earlier is to have a lead rope attached to the halter while they are in the cross ties. They associate standing still in the cross ties with having a lead on the ground.

This is a very simple thing to teach but the convenience of not having to constantly hold or tie a horse is well worth it.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Cold weather care for the arthritic senior horse.


If you are anything like me getting out of bed is always a little tougher in the morning. Those old sport and riding injuries seem to flare up a little more with the cold damp weather. Your horse is no different; horse’s especially senior horses usually have some form of arthritis.


When I refer to senior horses I am referring to horses 15 years and older. At 15 horses enter a catabolic state, this is a fancy term for aging where muscles bones and cartilage break down faster then they can repair.

You cannot cure arthritis but you can do things to help slow down the process and even provide relief from the pain associated with sore joints.

The biggest piece of advice I can give in treating a horse’s arthritis is to turn him out. Standing around in a stall or small paddock doesn't allow a horse to move as nature intended him to do. Moving keeps cartilage lubricated and relieves the constant pressure of standing in one place. My 18 year old gelding (who has arthritis) does much better on 24 hour turn out then he ever did in a stall even in these cold damp Ontario winters.

If I see that the horse is moving pretty good I put him to work. A little bit of exercise is good, maybe half an hour to an hour 2-3 times a week. I like to pick up their feet and stretch their joints and flex them before I ever get on. Once you’re up and in the saddle start out with some walking 15 minutes should do the trick. Once your horse seems to be moving more freely you can ask for some more speed. If you are riding outside try to keep the work a little slower then you would in the summer. I do this for two reasons, one the footing may be icy and he may slip and pull something or worst yet he falls on you. The other reason for not working too hard is you won’t have as wet a horse to cool out when you get back to the barn. When you do get back to the barn cool him out with blankets and rub the legs and joints down with some liniment.

I goes without saying make sure your horse has plenty of good food water a soft place to lie down and an adequate shelter to get out of the wind, rain and snow.

Light riding throughout the winter will help keep your horse limber through the winter months and cut down on the reconditioning time when the warm weather and competition season arrives

Thanks

Steve Wawryk

Monday, January 11, 2010

Slowing down a chargey horse.

One of the biggest complaints I hear about peoples horses is that they won't slow down. The second you give them a loose rein they speed up. I know first hand what this is like, for years I had trouble slowing down my horse. I partly blame myself for causing the chargey horse problem because every time I got on my horse I raced around. When I first started to ride it was all about going fast.


Once I learned that being a good rider wasn't always about going fast I set about to correct the problem. The problem can be corrected but will require a lot of work and discipline on your part; it may take a week or even three but believe me it can be done if you follow this simple rule:

Lots of one rein stops. The second your horse begins to go faster then you want him to go do a one rein stop. I also like to flex them in between each stop to stretch them and teach them to give to the bit, halter bosal whatever you are riding in.

Timing is the key here, the second they move the slightest bit quicker then you asked one rein them and circle them around, when they stop moving and give to the pressure release your hold. I then like to flex them to each side just to reinforce the giving and release of the pressure. Try to get your horse’s nose to touch your foot and release when they give. Work through all gaits but be careful not to pull your horse around too quickly and throw them off balance.

I find this exercise very effective for the horse who likes to rush back to the barn. Doing this exercise on your way back will really slow them down. Just be sure to ride off in the opposite direction from the barn after each correction. Ask for a walk back home and don't quit until you get it. I know this seems like a lot of work and it can be but in the end you will have a more patient, supple horse.

thanks

Steve Wawryk

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

The thrift store rider, money saving tips for horse and rider

In my last blog I mentioned ways to save money on horse supplies by looking for products outside tack stores for horse related items.  I mentioned I made a wool cooler from a blanket I bought from a thrift store.  Today I'd like to share with you some other cost saving tips. 
I am always amazed at what you can find at the dollar store, It has a lot of items you can use around the barn and for your horse. One of my favorites are leather wipes.  Although they are geared towards cleaning car seats you can use these to quickly clean your tack at a show without having to haul out the bucket, cloth water and cleaner.  One quick wipe and you are ready to go.
Another good find is tape, duct tape and electrical tape are readily available at all dollar stores.  Duct tape can be used for hoof packs and emergency tack repairs and electrical tape is great for doing up show or wrapping polo pony tails.  You can get three rolls for a $1.00 in multiple colours.
If you are lucky you can also find decent combs and brushes for combing out manes for a $1.00.  Make sure they are tough enough to stand up to the job.
If you like to feed treats to your horse check out the candy section, you can buy a big bag of mints for cheap.  I have yet to find a horse that doesn't like mints but make sure they brush after.
Clear plastic containers can also be found at the store, they are great for organizing your tack and make things easy to find.
My brush bag came from the dollar store. It is a garden tool bag.  It has lots of pockets to store brushes and takes up little space.
First aid kits can be replenished, on the cheap, things like band aids,wraps, scissors, ointments, creams, rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide can all be purchased there.
These are just a few ideas I will come up with some more in later blogs
Thanks
Steve Wawryk

Sunday, January 3, 2010

The Thrift store rider. How to save big money on equestrian supplies.

Now you are probably wondering why is a guy who sells tack for a living telling us to save money on equestrian products by shopping at a thrift store.  I am wondering that myself but long before I ever owned a tack business I was a horse owner.  I would go into tack stores and wonder why are those scissors 5x more expensive then at a regular store or why is this leather cleaner so much more then the one I bought at the department store.  There are a bunch of reasons for the inflated price: overhead, purchasing power, brand names etc. but the bottom line is you can get the same or similar items at other stores for a fraction of the cost. Using a little imagination and creative thinking can also save you money.  Remember never compromise the safety of you and your horse to save a few cents, but don't be fooled into thinking your horse will like you any less because you bought a comb at the dollar store rather then at the specialty tack shop.

 I will not skimp on are items directly related to me and my horse's safety.   Try to buy the best tack you can afford.  Buying a saddle, halter, bridle, bit or pad that doesn't fit or in bad repair just isn't worth the savings or risk of injury.

Over the next couple of blogs I will show you some ways I have saved a few bucks by buying horse supplies at the thrift or dollar store.

Here is my $6.00 wool cooler. I bought a 100% Scottish wool blanket at the thrift store and a few plastic vise clamps from the dollar store.  This wool is thick and warm and very safe. If the blanket slips and the horse steps on it the clamps will simply let go and be free of any strap.  I figure if this blanket is good enough to put on someones bed it is good enough to cool out a sweaty horse.
Thanks
Steve Wawryk