Tragedy in Arlington

This morning this was in my inbox- an account by a editor of the sport horse journal:

This weekend out off Grandview, near the Arlington Tree Farm I was driving and noticed a large trail of blood on the road, and pieces from some type of animal.  I followed the blood to a couple of women sitting on the side of the road and asked them if they knew what had happened.  One of the ladies replied, my horse fell out of the trailer.

Being a life long horse owner, I know it is impossible for a horse to fall out of a trailer without human irresponsibility or cruelty.  The trail of blood was over two miles long, with scattered pieces of the horse along the way.  I know it is impossible that someone could drive this far and not notice a horse trailer door swinging back and forth, or a 1000 lb plus horse acting as an anchor to slow the truck and trailer down.

I can not wrap my head around the awful death this poor animal has suffered.   The horse community in Arlington, Washington is up in arms about this happening, and this woman should never be allowed to own another horse for her lifetime.  Imagine what that poor helpless horse felt being drug for two miles, tied to the inside of a horse trailer, with a halter and lead roap securing the animal to a steel bar with no escape.

I called 911 and within a sentence or two was cut off by the operator, she had revived numerous calls and had already dispatched a Snohomish County Sheriff’s deputy to the scene.

This happened on Saturday evening (6/12/10).  Sunday, on my way out to see my own horse, I saw many people along the road asking questions and mortified at the blood trail.  I checked to see if the horse had been removed, and to place a few flowers…. however the mutilated carcass remained along side the road covered with a blue tarp.  While there, many people stopped by to ask me what it was and why the blood bath on the road.  On my way home I saw one resident outside his home with a bucket of water and a scrub brush scrubbing the county road to remove the blood.  He was unaware of what happened, but the blood on the road was so much that he did not want his children to see it.

We must get as much publicity as possible so this woman is known, at a minimum, as an irresponsible horse owner.  (At this point her name is unknown, Monday at 8 am we can all get a copy of the Sherriff’s report.) Many of us, horse owners and non horse owners alike,  in the community are going to push for animal cruelty charges to be pressed.  This horse’s death is an absolute outrage, I have notified the Arlington Times, the Everett Herald, and King 5 TV.  Please join in and notify as many news sources as you can.

Rider as a young woman

The joy of witnessing young women and girls ride is amazing! I am woman watch me ride! This is a phenomena that goes back to the gnostic goddesses and without going all new age on you it is a documented primal instinct for girls to be drawn to horses. Yesterday I got to see an even cooler phenom that is girls helping each other. It comes so naturally to lend a hand or a helping  gesture. Sometimes it is a word of encouragement, sometimes a word of advice and this is a pure form of peer teaching. The best part I noticed is that it seems to benefit the helper as much as the girl who needs a hand. It brings to mind the quote ” You can never really help another, without benefitting yourself”

Trust

Today my young rider friend said “You have to trust the horse – for without trust you don’t have a hope.” She is a  confident young woman with a natural talent with horses. Most of all she loves them. She shared with me that the first time she rode a  horse- it was at a birthday party when she was three and they had pony rides there. After a very fun ride she said she smiled so hard her eyes hurt. Then she remembers feeling the urge to to sneak another ride by joining the back of the line up again. She knew she was hooked!

It is her incredible ability to trust that makes me proud to be her coach. I feel the trust she has in me and I am honored

For someone so slight to stand cuddled with two 1300lb beasts and look so completely at ease is truly a joy to behold.Barb trusted Super Nova right away just as this photo shows from their first ride together. He is a four year old Hanovarian gelding with only light training, yet there is something deeply honest about him.

Barb, Zoie and I all are trusting and so therefore – we have a hope!

Our hope has hoofbeats that echo in the farmyard

Our trust is that things are exactly as they should be.

Girl and horse, woman and steed we are a special breed.

And without trust we could never do the deed.

Anthropomorphism

After listening to the podcast about dog training by Fred Haney who discussed “Whats on a dogs mind” I was fascinated. I have asked in this weblog before “Who are we to say how animals think?” It brought me to do a revisit on the term anthropomorhism which I studied in Anthropology in my quest for easy credits in year 2000. Note this was a great course that was not my highest mark due to the fact that Anthropologists have to be able to accept all cultural  practices – and I was completely unable to disern this ability. Regardless, here is the term and the explanation:

Main Entry: an·thro·po·mor·phism

Pronunciation: \-ˌfi-zəm\

Function: noun

Date: 1753

: an interpretation of what is not human or personal in terms of human or personal characteristics : humanization

Trying something new

It is with delight that I share the news I signed up two girl scout groups to come and earn badges at Wildwood Farm this coming month.

Our program includes basic horse behavior observation, leading, grooming, tacking up and a group riding lesson. It is always so much fun to put a girl on a horse for the first time and there is always some newbies involved. The mixture of fear and excitment is palpabile in the air. I am keenly aware of all the peer pressure and group psych factors.

So in my preparation I salute the new girl, the fresh heart, that is about to crack wide open in the act of witnessing the equine spirit in action. I do not have any recollection of my first horse experience but it must have been fun to keep me addicted for life!

Update:

The first troop came last night and I was every bit as inspired as I expected! The take away quote was from a first time rider aged 9 “I have never touched a real horse until tonight but I ride everynite in my dreams.” Iwas delighted and told her that was about the most amazing things I have ever been told. The delight arose from the young girls certainty and the awareness of her dream life.

The adrenaline rush of trying something for the first time was evident with a few of the girls which inspired me. I love to try new things just today a friend suggested I should attend a roller derby event. Well, sometimes just because you havent done something doesnt mean you should! The second new experience opportunity of the day was a trip up the mast of our boat to the 42″ top halyard where we needed it unclipped before we could go sailing again. It was the most hilarious moment as we crossed the finish line on Wednesday night in the wind and rain…the gun signalled the SOn of Raven across the finish line one second before our main sail blew a halyard and came falling into the lazy jacks lthat cradle her 450ft of white mylar. I laughed the hardest until the driver suggested I would be the one to get hoisted 42ft above the marina to fix it. Being the lightest crew has its benefits and hazards – I pray Allison joins us racing before she is taller than me!

In the meantime I was winched up the mast in a sling today. The afternoon sun played on the water and illuminated the forest of sailboat masts I could see.

The red speck on the right is Chris’s ballcap. The heaps of sails on the nets are not for a landing pad!

Dressage Friends

 

Yesterday I had the joy of witnessing my girl Kate rock at a dressage show in Naniamo BC. The horse she rode had never been off the farm before. Bogus is an Appaloosa which is not a breed known for dressage finesse, but he did great thanks to Kates’ cool mind and expereince. Her coach Renate from Germany who owns Top Notch Sport Horses in Cedar B.C.  and is well known in the local dressage scene thanks to her knack for bringing fabulous horses here from Germany.

Congrats Kate for your 58.2% marks on both your tests! You make your mother so proud!

Dressage friends are really the best friends of all! Too busy with horses to have complex drama, and happy and healthy enough to inspire me! When I arrived at the the show I was greeted by my former coach Jan Longaire and the memories of my youth came flooding back. Those after lesson moments when she shared her cookie recipes, and the day she gave me her famous eventing horse “Brown Pony” to use for a season when my horse went lame. Today she just was so happy for me that my daughter was sharing my joy of riding. I hope it gave her pause for thought that when we teach one person we are really sending that teaching into the world – good coaching has a life of its own!

At the end of Kate’s division I entered the judges stand to say hello to Penny Kemshaw the honorable judge of the morning. It was such a joy to see Penny who gave me Fargo so many years ago. The warmth of her delightful hug made me so grateful for the dressage mentors and friends along the way. As Kate and I chatted and caught up with Penny I realized that I am so blessed to have not only a beautiful daughter but a dressage friend for life!

Dressage Freestyle

June 24^th  5pm Fun Freestyle at Wildwood Farm

Dressage is a sport where the horse and rider are marked on their ability to ride a specific pattern of movements within an arena. Marks are given to the way the horse performs the movements and its adherence to the principles of dressage for:

Rhythm, Contact, Suppleness, Impulsion, Straightness and Collection

The reigning world champion of the Kur or Freestyle is my idol Anky:

 

I met Anky in 2007 at Spruce Meadows and was so impressed by her friendly and professional manner. Her riding talent is undisputable but to be a warm nice person also was a brilliant surprise!

Freestyle Dressage to music is an extension on pure dressage in that how well the horse performs its movements in harmony to the music. Usually freestyle is saved for after a rider arrives at first level where they are able to complete the following technical requirements:

1)   Walk 20m minimum continuous free walk x2

2)   10 m circle in trot

3)   Leg yield at trot

4)   Lengthen stride in trot

5)   15 meter circle in canter

6)   Change of lead through trot

7)   Lengthen stride in canter

The laws read that every movement must also be shown moving in each direction

For the purpose of our freestyle fun I would suggest that 1-4 be mandatory but the next three may be substituted with

–         Serpentine at walk

–         Figure eight at walk

–         Free walk on two diagonals

In competition the Freestyle Test are judged using Artistic Impression Marks also being:

1)   Rhythm, energy, and elasticity

2)   Harmony between horse and rider

3)   Choreography, use of the arena, inventiveness, design cohesiveness, balance, ingenuity and creativity

4)   Degree of difficulty

5)   Choice of music and interpretation of music, suitability, cohesiveness, editing, phrasing and dynamics

The tests are always carried out in an arena measuring either 20 m x 40 m or 20 m x 60 m

Here is an example of a simple walk trot test where the music was added in later:

ok it is plain foolish to put yourself on the same page as Anky but I have a sense of humor!

Training Scale Part 1

The Training Scale is utilized by a dressage rider in two ways:

1)      Understanding and using the concepts enables long term systematic development of the horse to the highest level of training possible.

2)      Used by an instructor or judge to evaluate horse rider combinations in terms of strengths and challenges to the unity of the pair.

COLLECTION

DEVELOPMENT OF CARRYING POWER

STRAIGHTNESS

DEVELOPMENT OF PUSHING POWER

IMPULSION

CONTACT

RELAXATION

RHYTHM AND REGULARITY                                       

 

THE TRAINING SCALE DEFINED

The following definitions are from the USDF Glossary of Dressage Judging Terms.

 

RHYTHM AND REGULARITY

Rhythm is the characteristic sequence of footfalls and phases of a gait. The only correct rhythm are those of the pure walk- four beats, pure trot two beats, pure canter three beats.

Regularity is the correctness of the gait to include purity, evenness, and levelness.

Critiques of these traits would be quickening tempo or the beats per minute. Irregular which means impure (not the correct order and timing of the footfalls) , unlevel(some hooves raising higher)  or uneven length of steps.

RELAXATION

This is apparent when the hose moves with even swinging (through the back) steps. Is loose through the poll and chews quietly on the bit. The horse can be positioned to both sides and makes smooth transitions from one position to the next. Chews the reins out of the riders hands, yet can be driven forward on long or given reins.

Well my translation of this information is really not as exciting as riding so I am off to practice what I preach and will return to finish this important topic later!

 

 

Lateral Promotion

 

 I had a joke about a job I once had that the only promotions that people got were lateral, now here I am making my living teaching lateral movements!

The reason that we teach a horse to move from side to side is to help them become more athletic and supple. It promotes good back health and is the basis for many upper level Dressage movements.

The most primary lateral movement is called the leg yield. To practice this in the arena ride the horse on the left rein  at walk down the ¼ line and straighten him, them with his head slightly bent to the inside use your inside leg to bump him to the wall. In theory he should move his body forward and to the left.

The weight in the saddle makes a huge difference here so always leant he direction that you want the horse to go. Think of your balance as a human pyramid from the circus. The three big brother on the bottom, two smaller on top and the littlest sister on top of them and in her hand is the pole and on the end of the pole is a plate which is spinning – of all these factors what aspect controls the balance of the six person team? The plate! So you are on the horse and the two of you are maintaining a balance and if you want the horse to move to the left put weight in your left seat bone.

Practice this both sides equally and make sure to give a soft half halt before the aid for leg yield is applied. The half halt is just like it sounds it is a check or cue to halt followed by a release before the horse has stopped. It is like a wakeup call, or a moment when we remind the horse that something is coming. The cue is applied by hugging the horse with your legs, deepening the seat and rebalancing the horse with your small squeeze on the outside rein. This move is done whenever the horse needs to be rebalanced, before any transition and whenever the horse loses concentration. The half halt is a series of aids in a new rider and a barely distinguishable shift of weight on a an educated rider, and a thought on a supremely trained horse.

As the saying goes: “An average rider can have a good ride on a good horse, and a good rider can have a good ride on an average horse.”

Perfect Practice

Perfect practice makes perfect:

Fibonacci numbers are a formula that discusses how each succeeding number is derived from the sum of the previous two numbers. The sequence looks like this: 0,1,1,2,3,5,8… and is found in music, poetry, geometry  and computer modeling. These are also used to describe the beauty of flowers and seashells but, how do they relate to horse training?

Well it speaks to the interdependent web of all of our actions for one but the reason I bring this up today is to meditate a bit on how our relationship with the horse is always building off our last ride and creating our future ride.

Let’s use my ride yesterday to illustrate this hypothesis. When my 230 lesson was cancelled I took the opportunity to ride Fargo in the small indoor arena. We had a lovely warm up with him happily stretching out long and low. I used this opportunity to practice the eyes up exercise from my last post and found it was very helpful to do a few laps at posting trot with my harm pointed out in front of me. I also recognized the fact it may make those muscles burn! Fargo soon was moving freely forward, relaxed and on contact as we did some serpentines which are as mathematical as a Fionacci when done correctly! After a long walk where we worked on his lateral flexion by doing shoulder in from the ¼ line which is my favorite refocus tool. I was overjoyed to put him into canter and while in two point position with just my two legs on him and my seat out of the saddle we did many laps of the ring and allowed him to leap over poles on the ground. He was really warmed up now so we began some cavelletti = he got happier and happier. At one point, he hit the pole and knock his hoof when he began to cowhop and pull down to buck in frustration. I responded by riding him into the wall and stopping the fun.

This strong riding is an accumulation of jumping this horse for years – he builds and when he makes an error or I do – he bucks. I desperately want to change this vice because I want him to learn to teach young riders to jump, and they occasionally make beginner mistakes like looking down at the jump, getting left behind the motion or pulling on the reins at the wrong moment. If the horse bucks when this happens they will inevitably fall off.  I retuned (my new word) him to the exercise and we accomplished this cavelletti calmy from canter then called it a day with much praise.

Just as the bucking was caused by the years of rushing fences -perhaps the calm accomplishment of the small jump will become habit over time. The future belongs to those who believe in the future of their dreams and so we must follow the three step process to make this happen.

1)      Decide what you want – be clear

2)      Take positive action

3)      Keep changing your approach til you get what you want

Although I see how this approach makes us believe we can control our future it makes us understand that the past is not our potential. Behavior is determined by beliefs and responses with the truth standing that the seed or silent promise grows in all people and their horses. We can in fact make perfect practice of our daily rides to influence the perfect rides to come! Knowing that natures calculations of 1,1,2,3,5 are working their magic all the time.