A Guerrilla Guide to Vet Care- First Aid 101

Let's face it, the cost of veterinary care makes or breaks a lot of horse ownerships. New horse owners are often overwhelmed and horrified by the first significant injury to their horse even if more experienced eyes do not think the injury nearly as worrisome as the newby thinks it is. They call the vet and $500 later they realize the experienced eyes were right- just a cut on the ankle not lacerated tendons or punctured joints.... But sometimes a relatively insignificant seeming injury can turn into a catastrophe with huge vet bills and extended loss of riding time- and this even the vets can miss. When one of my horses showed up for breakfast Monday morning with lacerations up and down her front legs, it occurred to me that maybe I should share how I handle first aid with my herd of twenty horses.

Owning multiple horses will make anyone phobic of the word, V-E-T. I often have the cost of veterinary care conversation with my mother who owns two horses- one who was competing seriously in 2011, and another who recently under went stem cell surgery- about the economics of horse ownership. Shivers go down her spine when she looks out into the field of horses at my farm and considers the costs she has spent on just two horses. However, I try to explain to her it's like comparing apples to oranges. My vet bill on 10-15 horses was no grater than her vet bill on two horses and the reasons have everything to do with the circumstances, first aid and attitudes. The circumstances and attitudes would take several posts to go into but first aid is simple and useful for everyone.

My First Aid Kit

I have a trunk, purchased at Home Depot, and stocked with numerous containers purchased at Walmart, that sits in the center aisle of my barn. That trunk is like a horse ambulance stationed on site. I am not in any way saying that this is a substitute for a licensed veterinarian and I will tell you that every experience with a vet is an education. But I simply can't afford to call the vet unless it is life threatening or career ending. That's the facts. So, what I stock in that trunk is like a life-line.

As a child I went to numerous pony club rallies where we had to have a first aid kit in our team tack room that the horse management judges came through and checked. We had a list of what that first aid kit should contain and often times we would get points off for not having anti-microbial ointment, sheet cotton, or bandage scissors. But after years of horse ownership, I have to tell you the US Pony Club "List of Equipment" is a treasure of knowledge and to this day I have the items listed in my trusty trunk.

Petroleum Jelly

Digital Thermometer (or Veterinary Thermometer with Thong & Clip)

Liniment or Body Wash

Isopropyl Alcohol

Antibacterial or Antimicrobial or Antiseptic Scrub

Topical Antibacterial or Antimicrobial or Antibiotic Agent;exp? _____

4” Sterile Wound Dressing

1 roll Gauze (2” min. width)

2 Flexible Stretch Adhesive/Cohesive Bandages

1 Lb. roll 12” Absorbent Cotton

Bandage Scissors (capable of cutting bandage)

1- roll Adhesive Tape (1” minimum width) (Coflex is a great brand)

4 Leg Bandages with appropriate Padding for 4 Stable Wraps

I also have added several other standbys that you must purchase at a pharmacy or request directly from the vet or order through a vet supply company.

A large container (500 tabs) of Trimethazone Sulfa tabs (TMZ's or SMZ's)

A vial of Banamine 

18-20 gauge needles

3ml-12ml syringes

A large container of Phenylbutazone powder

Antimicrobial Eye Medication

Antimicrobial plus steroid Eye Medication (do not administer without a vet's approval)

1 hemostat

Micanazole (anti-fungal medication)

1 container of DMSO 

1 container of Ichthamol

Preparation H

Witch Hazel

Liguid Ivory Soap

Poultice

Vetrocyn (a wound spray that I love)

1 drawn shot of tranquilizer (vet's choice)

Duct tape

Clean towels

As a horseman/woman's experience grows, they may find a wound dressing they prefer, or add a few items; but these basics will get you through the first aid for 80% of the injuries you will have with horses. I do not have the time in this one post to go through every item and it's uses. But I can promise that if I chronicle the medical problems that happen at the farm over the next year, I will likely cover the use of most of these items.

Thanksgiving Weekend and the Mysterious Wire Cuts

As I said at the beginning of this post, my inspiration for covering this subject happened when I came to feed Monday morning and found one of my horses standing by the fence with cuts up and down both front legs. She was walking gingerly and the nature of the cuts appeared as if she had gotten her front legs caught in some type of wire or vine. Our horses are in a large pasture (40 acres) with cattle fencing along the perimeter. Although this fencing is not ideal for horses, we have hot wired the fence-lines to keep the horses off the fence. Because the horses have a large area, I have had no problems with this fencing. But my first thought was that she had somehow caught her legs in the fence. I walked the fence-line- no sign of disturbed wire. The only conclusion I could come up with was that she had found something in the pasture to get caught up in-possibly a vine. In a smaller space we would have known immediately the culprit, but on a large farm like this we may never know.

The first step in addressing the injury was to bring her in the barn and wash her legs. I use the liquid Ivory Soap to clean everything and these wounds were no exception. Once the legs were clean and still wet, I trimmed the hair around the wounds (all of my horses are very fuzzy since its winter). I used scissors because the legs were wet but I could have dried them with a clean towel and clipped the hair with clippers. The left front legs had the worst cuts with a deep scrape along the outside of the pastern and a slice beneath the fetlock. I carefully examined the extent of both cuts by gently spreading the margins to see the  depth of the wound and whether there appeared to be any debris still stuck in the wound. Although she was uncomfortable, I never pressed so much on the wound to cause great pain**. The wounds appeared clean, not deep enough for stitches (although vet's rarely stitch if the wound is over 6 hours old). So, I took the mare back into the wash racks and sprayed the wounds with water for a full 10 minutes. After washing with water, I took gauze soaked in betadine and scrubbed the wounds lightly. Then I left her to dry.

** A side note on the need for tranquilizers- Different horses have different levels of pain tolerance and whenever you examine a wound, it is important to assess the level of pain you are dealing with. With hind legs I am much more wary of working on a wound without the horse being drugged. However, many vets have been kicked by a drugged horse, so caution is always important. I have the drawn dose of tranquilizers to use in an emergency such as this (although in this case, I didn't need them.) However, I do not recommend any use of tranquilizers unless you have been carefully instructed by your vet on the method of injection and the nature of the tranquilizer; and you and your vet feel comfortable with your use of the tranquilizer. I do not use tranquilizers very often. I am drug-phobic actually and I prefer using patience with the horse until they understood you are trying to help them. However, sometimes it is a matter of keeping the horse from further injuring itself; or necessary to get the horse properly cared for.

The other injury that the mare appeared to have was a cut and swollen tendon on her right leg. The swollen tendon was of greatest concern to me. I cold-hosed the tendon for 10 minutes, cleaned the cut (which was minor) with betadine and decided to create a "cast" for the tendon using poultice. I added water, witch hazel and a small amount of the poultice (bentonite clay mixture) and mixed until the poultice was the texture of silt. Then I thoroughly soaked the gauze in the silt making sure that the gauze held a fair amount of poultice. I layered the pieces of gauze up and down the length of the tendon, smoothing them out and making sure that the gauze evenly surrounded the tendons. When I had a good 1/8-1/4" of poultice gauze along the tendons, I took a roll of 4" gauze and gently wrapped the leg from knee to cupping just below the fetlock. After the gauze roll was completely wrapped onto the leg, I followed up with vet wrap and carefully (no wrinkles, even/light pressure) wrapped the leg making sure that the vet wrap only extended the same length as the gauze. 

There are two major concerns that I have with these injuries. I am concerned that the cuts do not become infected or start growing proud flesh. Because they are low on the legs, they are likely to be exposed to all sorts of troublesome microbes in tall grass or muddy footing. Also the incidence of proud flesh is likely given their location. Proud flesh (excessive granulation of the tissue) is something that can occur in the healing process. I do not like to cover wounds for long periods of time. Instead I choose to repeat cold hosing and washing for a minimum of 10 minutes several times a day. I have found that this hydrotherapy  in conjunction with application of the vetrocyn spray, limited exercise in short grass, no mud and administration of the TMZ tabs twice per day are sufficient to handle most wounds. If I begin to see the proud flesh, then I will apply Preparation H to the wound and wrap it with a light pressure bandage usually of gauze and vetwrap. The pressure of the bandage seems to be one of the best ways to limit proud flesh.

The other major concern I have is to make sure that the swelling in the tendon is reduced and no tear has occurred. A vet would probably ultrasound the tendon to determine whether any tears have occurred, then recommend some sort of support bandage. In this case the horse was sound and I determined that the biggest concern was to keep her from overusing the swollen tendon. The cast supported the tendon and I limited her exercise to walking in a small paddock to prevent further damage. I also administered 1 gram of phenylbutazone twice per day.

Early Results

The cuts have quickly begun to heal. I continue to wash and clean them with a cold-hosing that lasts 10 minutes up to two times per day. I have not noticed any indication of proud flesh but it usually sets in about the third to fifth day if it is going to happen. I left the cast on the tendon for two days, removed it and the tendon showed no signs of swelling. I left the cast off for a few hours and the swelling returned. So I recast the tendon and will continue to keep some sort of support on it for probably 1-2 weeks depending on the swelling. I have found that a polo bandage is a good transition from the cast as well.

She is a relatively quiet horse, so the limited exercise has not been a problem for her. I can let her out in the small paddock and she will graze quietly. Because I have not had the tendon ultra-sounded I will err on the conservative side with exercise. When the tendon shows no sign of swelling or heat, then I will probably give it a few more days before returning to her normal turnout and work. It is something I will keep an eye on into the future. Tendon injuries can be sneaky and any sign of heat or unsoundness in that leg will need to be treated with extra caution. If I feel uncomfortable about it's progress, I will get the tendon ultrasounded for peace of mind.

Accidents happen with horses in spite of all of our best efforts to protect these delicate creatures. The key to keeping vet bills down is to respond with good first aid and have your medications on hand for when something occurs. I would guess that at least 50% of the expenses horse owners incur are because a horse-owner has not educated themselves on basic first aid and had the necessary medications on hand. However, I am in no way discouraging an owner from calling the vet. If you can afford to, it is always better to get a professional's opinion on a medical issue. I often recommend a client call the vet because it will give them peace of mind, but I always insist that they be present for the vet visit. I did not gain the confidence and skills in my first aid without a lot of visits and education from my vets.

Lunge Lesson #1- Teaching footwork

Why use the Lunge Line?

The lunge line is one of those training tools that elicits lots of opinions on it's uses and misuses. There are some horse trainers that do not know how to function without a lunge line close at hand. There are other horse trainers that believe lunge lines are dangerous and stupefying. I have tried to hear out all of the opinions and draw my own conclusion as it relates to the way I train my horses. I have found the lunge line a handy tool for two specific jobs- allowing horses to learn something without having to contend with the interference of the rider; and to teach a rider to feel or learn something without having to contend with controlling the horse. The lunge line, like any training tool, can be overused; but used in moderation and with a clear purpose, the lunge line can be instrumental in the teaching crucial basics to horse and rider.

It came to my attention during my rides this week that several of the horse's were struggling with their rhythm and balance at the canter. This is not unusual or unexpected in a young horse, but I found myself using my hands more than I wanted. When working them over poles, the struggle became exacerbated and the horses seemed to become frustrated and worried. This seems to be a common setback with each horse and I have found that these are the times when the lunge line is invaluable.

The Basic Set Up

I have a simple routine and use the same equipment most times that I put a horse on the lunge. When I lunge a horse it is a lesson unto itself, therefore I rarely lunge in a saddle. It is very rare that I lunge a horse to prepare him to ride. I usually have a plan of things I want to accomplish on the lunge that usually takes 30 minutes. I was once told that every minute on a lunge line is like 2 minutes of regular work. This is a good rule of thumb and I almost never work beyond an hour in any ride, or 30 minutes on the lunge. When my rides extend beyond an hour it's usually because I can't seem to get something worked out; and I probably need to quit because I am just beating myself and the horse up.

I use the horse's normal bridle, a surcingle over a saddle pad, and the "neck stretcher" or chambon depending on what muscle groups I am trying to emphasize. I also put front boots and frequently back boots on as well. I rarely use side reins because of the dangers of a horse overreacting and rearing in the side reins. But I have conservatively used them in the past. For now, however, I am not typically working on the horse's frame on the lunge line, I just want to create a soft resistance that encourages the horse to use his back and the chambon or neck stretcher work well without being restrictive. I am very cautious of creating any sort of brace or rigidity in a horse and I find that certain training aids can cause this because the horse is not allowed to naturally use his neck to find his balance. In addition to this basic tack, I add the lunge line and a lunge whip. (I normally use a flat web or nylon lunge. I have had to use a chain on an unruly stallion but in general, I don't recommend a chain on the normal lunge line).

I almost forgot, I always have a watch with a stop watch to keep track of time. This may seem unnecessary but the dangers of overworking a young horse on the lunge line are too great not to keep track of time. Also, I use the stop watch to keep track of the length of time I stay in a gait in one direction. I want to change directions approximately every 5 minutes. This keeps the horse's development comparable on both sides and keeps the lunge work from getting too dull.

My routine usually begins with a minimum of 3 minutes of the horse walking. The lunge line is hooked to the nearside of the bit and as the horse walks I try to use a light hand aid to encourage the horse to give in it's jaw and neck, all the while pointing/ driving the horse's hip out on the circle with the lunge whip. The walk is a very neglected gait both in lunge work and riding. I do not recommend trying to control the rhythm of the walk because there are many problems that can get created. However, watching the walk and observing the horse's back and movement will help you see where there is bracing being created in the riding. Also, I work a lot on pushing the hip laterally out on the circle and teaching the horse to step under. This work on the ground will translate later into lateral work where the whip is replaced by the rider's leg.

I usually trot my horse both directions for approximately 3 minutes without or very loose resistance from the neck stretcher or chambon. Often times the horses are quick at first. I do not jerk on the bit but talk softly trying to encourage the horse to relax and slow its rhythm. Once I have trotted both directions I will do a few circles of canter both ways. This usually occupies the first 10 minutes of my work. I do not worry much with the rhythm or frame of the horse during this time except to talk softly to a nervous, quick horse. I mostly focus my attention on observation of where the horse struggles on the circle, quickens, bends out or in. If the horse is lazy, then I keep the horse close enough on the circle to touch them with the whip, and send them out into a larger circle when they are in the correct gait. However, be careful that you are out of range of the hind feet when using the whip (that's why that whip lash is long). I have seen several unexpected hind feet way too close. If the horse is dangerously fast, slipping and careening around, I keep the circle very small and only work on the walk and trot.

Getting Down to Business

As I stated in the beginning, my lunge exercises this week are about canter balance and footwork. For this I use 1-2 cavaletti or ground poles (preferably 4x4s that do not roll easily) are also useful. I do most of my lunge work in a round pen with a 70' diameter and a light base of crush and run footing (89/10). The size of the round pen is relevant in that I can set up the cavaletti or poles and still have a 25' circle that can utilize or skip the cavaletti depending on how the horse is going. For my purposes in working on the canter I put the cavaletti approximately 11' apart on an angle (the inside distance of the poles is approximately 9.5' and the outside is 12') and I put them on the lowest level (the top of the pole no more than 4" off the ground). I go back to the trot, which has hopefully settled a bit and begin to work trot and canter transitions with a focus on improving the horses balance. At this time my circle does not include the cavaletti.

The trot and canter transitions improve the horse's balance at both gaits. The horse generally has the most balanced steps of canter just after the transition from the trot. I watch for when the balance changes and that is when I return back to the trot which often times may be quick in the first few steps but is also more open-strided with freedom of movement. The horse often recognizes the amount of work involved as the frequency of transitions increases, and they typically slows their rhythm to conserve energy. In a horse that wants to run into and out of the transitions on the lunge line, I frequently change the diameter of my circle, bringing them in on the circle in the downward transitions and sending them out on the upward transitions. This work will last for 5-10 minutes depending on the horse's attitude and acceptance of the work. This is also the time when I will increase the resistance of the neck stretcher just enough to lightly resist the horse throwing it head and encourage the horse to stretch its neck and back. It is important not to use the training aids to force the horse's frame to a certain shape. The horse is doing this work in order to learn balance and forcing a frame in the horse when it is learning to balance will create bracing. As the horse relaxes, becomes supple and is balanced- the basic frame of the horse naturally rounds.

When I feel like the horse's canter has improved in rhythm I will move to using the cavaletti. I always introduce the cavaletti at the trot so that the horse is not surprised by them. I then pick up the canter and try to keep the horse's rhythm through the cavaletti. This is never perfect and is the whole point of doing the exercise. The horse has to figure out its feet to maneuver the poles. I let this be the horse's job and my job is to simply encourage calmness (and in some cases staying in the canter as they try to trot to adjust their stride). If the horse figures out the distance and can calmly handle the cavaletti, I increase the height of the cavaletti up to 12", being careful not to change the distance between the poles. I change directions every time the horse successfully handles the exercise and I give them a circle or two of walk to reward their efforts. It is amazing how quickly 10-15 minutes will pass and the horse is blowing heavily with the work.

I think people often underestimate how much a horse learns from an exercise even if they do not appear to succeed at the exercise. This is magnified if the rider/trainer of the horse is relaxed and encouraging of the horse, careful not to force the issue beyond the horse's ability to absorb the information- i.e. a nervous, lathered horse with no reward learns to fear the work rather than engage the work. Obviously there are examples when there is an exception- a hot day, a hot stallion, an overwhelmed horse. But it never hurts to bring the work back down in intensity when it seems to be increasing the nervousness of the horse.

Real Examples of this Exercise being a Success

Off-the-track-thoroughbreds are typically lunging nightmares. I currently have five OTTB in training and I would be miserable without the use of this exercise in helping the thoroughbreds learn to turn on a circle and balance their canter. I use this exercise periodically over the year of training as a way to go back and make improvements. A year ago when I first put Phippen, a five year old thoroughbred on the lunge in the roundpen, I wanted to cry. When he tried to canter in a circle his legs went in every direction, scrambled without rhythm and he was clearly a danger to himself and anyone trying to ride him. When I tried to show him the cavaletti, he panicked and ran backwards in the opposite direction. My expectations at that time had to be within the scope of his ability. If he got so much as three strides of three beat canter, I quit and made a huge fuss over his success. If he tried to walk over the cavaletti, he got to go back to the barn. A year ago this would often take an entire 30 minutes to happen. I forced myself not to ask for more.

Yesterday, was a lunge day for Phippen. He has routinely gone back to the roundpen at least 3-5 times per month since his first lunging adventure. He automatically picks up a lovely trot rhythm when we work and easily navigates the cavaletti. His canter work is always improving and he can beautifully canter the cavaletti on the highest level. Although he is an example of horse that I have taken very slowly through this process, it has been instrumental in giving him confidence in his feet and jumping. From a horse that a year ago was terrified of a pole on the ground, Phippen now quietly jumps multiple fences including cross country jumps with lovely athleticism. We regularly return to the lunge line to help him keep his feet organized. He has learned to trust the process and actually seems to be looking for the next challenge.

Another example of the exercise helping is on my medium pony, Scotty ( Springstone's Perfect Chemistry ), who came to me terrified of all things human. The routine of the lunge line, having to deal with a lunge whip that is never used abusively towards him, and the experience of a patient person on the ground has taught Scotty a lot about human's having positive expectations rather than in his early experiences of abuse. Also, Scotty has so much curiosity and engaging intelligence that the lunge lessons give us an opportunity to bond in a different way. He is always watching me for my next cue, sometimes so much that he will stop and stare at me, which can be frustrating when working on rhythm. The lunge exercise has also helped with Scotty's stiff direction. Because he is so small in comparison to his current rider, me, the lunge work helps by allowing him to adjust to the canter in his stiff direction without fighting my weight in addition. The angled cavaletti help keep him supple by encouraging him to step under and stretch his neck. He can get quick and rush when nervous but the work of the cavaletti is strenuous enough that he often settles without much interference by me.

Routine is More Important than Perfect

I use lunge exercises in my training to help the horse learn with minimal interference from me. It is a good opportunity for me to build the horse's confidence in themselves, learn balance and increase the horse's awareness of it's feet. I do not harp on the horse to be perfect because they often need to explore their rhythm and balance to realize that the best way is usually the correct way. When horses are allowed to learn this on their own, everything improves- self carriage, rhythm, seeing a distance to a jump, transitions. I have had shocking improvements with my horses's canter by allowing them to learn to turn and balance on the circle without ripping on their mouth. This is where a round pen comes in handy, but any type of boundary like poles on standards or barrels will help. My goal is to teach the horse balance, rhythm and self-carriage while keeping their mouth soft and their body without braced muscles. I use lunging exercises, specifically with cavaletti to accomplish this at the canter.

This Week Training Theme- Transitions

Organizing the Program

      I am always looking for ways to be more organized and systematic. Taking care of 20 horses by myself (Tucker helps several days a week), trying to have a training program for 12 of those 20, and getting a 3 1/2 year old off to school, oh yeah and being a wife, has my mind generally in a tornado. There are days when I saddle up a horse, look them in the eye and think, "What the hell am I going to do with you today that makes us feel like we made some kind of progress." I have to simplify my program into a plan that I just get in the saddle and execute. So, I have decided to give each week a theme and everything I do during the week with each horse will have that theme as it's touchstone. This week, the theme is "Transitions."

Why Transitions

      In every riding discipline success at some point hinges on the quality of the horse's transitions. It is the tell-tale sign of the rider's communication with their horse. If the transitions are braced, anxious, confused, involve a buck, anything but smooth- the horse and the rider have not come to an agreement about what they are doing. In good horsemanship, the outcome is horse and rider having the same goal in what they want to accomplish. Transitions (halt to walk, walk to trot, halt to reinback, trot to canter, collected trot to lengthened trot) and the agreed upon communication between rider and horse to achieve those transitions make a horse trainer and a trained horse look good. But quality transitions, soft and gentle, relaxed and balanced are a very difficult thing to achieve and most riders settle for a little better than pretty bad because they want to get on to the movement or jump or exercise.

      In the past transitions for me were about getting a better score in a dressage test. I learned what I thought they were looking for in the horse and rider and I worked hard to mimic an image in my mind that got a good score. There was nothing wrong with that except that I was missing the point- that a good score was just a by product of good communication. The communication was the crux of the matter. Evidence that I was only getting half of the message was the fact that my horse could do a lovely halt in a dressage test but ran away with me after a jump.

      I digested this recently after a Buck Brannaman clinic where the communication that I gained with my horse, Z (Izod WW) could be repeated in any situation I put him into: jumping, trail riding, dressage... I was even ready to give it a try among some cows. The horse and I had an agreed upon language not just one answer for one problem like: halt at X.

In Practice on the Farm

      Today, I rode five horses: Scotty (8 year old, 13.3h pony), J'adore (17 h, 3 year old warmblood), Phippen (5 year old 16h OTTB), Crown (6 year old OTTB, and Rocky (4 year old warmblood stallion) with the theme of transitions in mind. I also had an exercise of poles set up that I am planning to build into a jumping exercise later in the week. I worked my transitions through these pole exercises which added an element for the horse to negotiate before and after the transitions. Regardless of where the horse was in training, I tried to take the focus on transitions as a way to practice our communication.

     J'Adore being the youngest is just learning the basic signals for transitions and a good effort on her part is an accomplishment. She is a large horse and although basically balanced has a lot of body to figure out how to maneuver once she does a transition. I started out mostly working on walk/halt and halt/rein back transitions. I tried to get her to listen to the slightest cues and always tried to introduce a transition with a change in my balance and seat position before I used my hand. Instrumental in this work was having taught her the one-rein stop and to soften to my contact at the halt. Once she listened to me, I could easily transition from the walk to halt to reinback and then walk again, I move on to adding the trot and eventually the canter. At any point when I felt like I was overusing my hand to get my point across I took it down to the next slowest gait, interspersing halt and reinback to re-emphasize that she should balance on her hindquarters as opposed to her fall forward into my hand.
   
     Scotty and Phippen are a little older and have some baggage from their previous life with which I have to contend. Scotty always seems to start out in a hurry, over-reacting to any cues to go forward, with a quick tempo that makes that short-legged pony movement feel like riding sewing machine. As the ride progresses he often relaxes and his movement gains suspension and length of stride. Phippen, being previously a racehorse has a similar issue in that he loses his balance, falls on his forehand and quickens. When either of these horses are asked for a downward transition they tend to pull on the bit, brace their necks and lift their heads. I found that in order to improve their transitions I had to improve their balance before the transition. If I tried to do this with just my hands, I encouraged their braced back and hard mouth. Instead I tried to take the idea of the one rein stop which they are both familiar with, and basically I "hinted" at it by putting their quickening trot into a small circle. As the circle got smaller they had to shift their balance and step underneath themselves and often volunteering to slow down. Also the small circle is increased work. As soon as they gave me a better rhythm, I opened up the circle to a straight line and offered them an easier job as long as they kept the rhythm and balance I wanted. Once I repeated this several times, they started listening to the first cues of my change of balance and shifted their balance in anticipation.  J'adore was taught from the start of her training that the change of body position and one rein stop indicated a downward transition, but often to improve her balance within the gait I do the same small circle or the "short serpentine" that Buck Brannaman teaches in his clinics. (I will have to save an entire post for my experience with Buck's "short serpentine.")

     Crown, even though he was a racehorse, poses a different challenge in transitions. Crown has an extraordinary natural balance that is both a result of his uphill conformation and his God-given way of going. Even though he has a gallop that won almost $70,000 on the track, he will shift his balance and break to a slower gait as soon as you take your leg off and sit back. But Crown wants to always shorten his body and brace his back in the downward transition. I used the "short serpentine" before the downward transition in an effort to keep him loose in his back and not anticipating the downward transition. I also found that any transition upward or downward, after lateral work was improved because he concentrated on using his hind-end and back during the lateral movement.

     Finally, there was Rocky, who I trained from the start in much the same way that J'Adore is being trained, so he is always keenly aware of shifts in my balance and body. However, we regularly struggle with two challenges. First because he is a young stallion, he is very easily distracted by activity in the barn area or field. It is not that he does anything rude, he just checks out of the work were doing to take a good look around. Keeping his focus can be a full time job that involves a lot of creative exercise. I have had to develop almost a second instinct about what will catch his attention and become more interesting than the distraction before I lose his attention. In practice this means that I constantly change direction, change the bend of his body, and repeat transitions until I gain his full attention. The more I challenged him, the better he got. The other difficulty with Rocky is that he tends to alternate from no connection to the bit, to biting down on the bit and feeling rigid in the hand. Although he may be doing a transition on cue, he feels disconnected and shifting. I found that going up a gait, for example from trot to canter then back to trot, improved the trot because the first strides after the downward transition he was moving forward and taking the bit without becoming rigid.

"Practice Does Not Make Perfect Only Perfect Practice Makes Perfect"

      I heard this quote at some clinic and did not realize it was first made popular by Vince Lombardi, coach of Green Bay Packers. Lombardi knew what anyone trying to coach an athlete to success does, practicing the wrong plays doesn't win the game. I often think about this when I am riding and it definitely puts the pressure on. If I continue to accept something mediocre, I will have a whole lot of mediocre and nothing of the best. Focusing my rides on transitions seems a good place to start achieving the best. And it's simple. I don't need eyes on the ground to tell me it took five strides of walk to get that halt.

Childhood, Horses, Blockbuster Movies and the Environment

A Blockbuster View of the Future

    We watch a lot of movies at our house. Thanks to my husband, Patrick, there is no intellectual snobbery that goes into our movie collection (if it were up to me the majority of titles would probably read like a Handbook to New York Film Geeks). On any night of the week you are likely to feel the pulse of blockbuster sound effects from the hallway to our condo. Recently Patrick revisited several major motion pictures that afterwards I found haunting my daytime hours at the farm.  The films we recently watched were The Fifth Element (1997) by Luc Besson and Rise of Planet of the Apes (2011), directed by Rupert Wyatt. Both films were about the fate of mankind in the future but each portrays a very different vision of what this future will look like.
      In case you need me to catch you up on the plot lines, I'll quickly give you the two scenarios. In The Fifth Element, we are quite literally dropped into the twenty-third century in which man-kind exists in an aerial uber-city populated by media-freaks and fast-food misfits. The universe is threatened by "Evil" and the only hope is a scientifically engineered DNA wonder-girl, Milla Jovovitch, and her taxi driving admirer, Bruce Willis. Rise of Planet of the Apes is set in the much nearer future, when a well-intended scientists brings his work home with him in the form of a genetically enhanced chimpanzee that soon exhibits intelligence enough to take over the world from humans one ape at a time.

     What I found so haunting about these films is that nature has such an aberrant role in the future. In The Fifth Element, the only natural creatures or landscape are the humans and humanistic aliens and these both are a far cry from anything we would refer to as natural in current times. The only savior for this human dominated world being consumed by an unnamed evil is a genetically modified human-like tool that looks really beautiful when she kicks butt. Don't get me wrong, I actually find the movie quite amazing in its own respect. It's the vision of life in the future that has me vexed.
     In sharp contrast Rise of Planet of the Apes unabashedly indicts humans and their pesky scientific ambition as the source of trouble for the future in spite of all good intentions. In this film nature, embodied by the apes, takes over when humans seem inept. But it is a nature that is clearly considering eliminating the problem, i.e. Humans.
      Media is a strange creature in and of itself. Basically it is a projection of the human mind that in turn  is used to influence knowingly or unknowingly the population. We use man-made images, sounds, words to get messages and ideas across to others. Even when the material appears to be happening "live", it is edited by someone somewhere. Believe me, nothing you experience from the media is unadulterated. I know. I'm trained in just this type of weapon. So watching a movie for me is always a little like playing with a loaded gun. It is a vision that has successfully made it into the minds of millions and in the case of Rise of Planet of the Apes and The Fifth Element  it is a vision of a genetically modified, hostile or obsolete natural world- nothing like the natural environment that I witness on a daily basis at the farm... Hence the haunting.

Childhood Imagination and Horses

     My daughter, Honor, was raised among the horses from the age of two weeks old. She quite literally went with me every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow, to the barn to take care of the horses. This was not always an easy thing, especially for my extended family to accept, but it has been a bit of a mission for me. However, last spring, when at three years old, she barely averted two situations that could have been very dangerous, I decided school during the week was a good thing for her safety and my sanity. She was just too mobile for me to keep safe while I needed to be training horses. I must admit this fall has been a bit lonely without the little terrorist strewing halters down the barn aisle and pouring buckets of feed out onto the feed room floor. But she loves her school and I am actually accomplishing a lot more. Now, Saturdays are our days at the barn when she can ride and play among the animals.
     I say that having Honor with me at the barn was a bit of a mission because it was probably one of the most important things I knew to do as a parent. You see, from the beginning of my adulthood, from my days of film school in New York City, I determined that when I had a child they had to know the life of the farm and the experience of being raised among the horses. This conviction came from my own childhood experiences.
     The story of my childhood would read a little like a Bridge to Terabithia-style, divorce-nightmare. Let's just say it was the definition of complicated and confusing- actually a lot like many kids experience divorced parents. My parents did a lot of things that I look back on and think were crazy. But the one thing they did that helped me survive the turmoil was they kept horses in my life and by keeping horses in my life, they kept a connection to the natural world for me that always provided spiritual solace; a spiritual peace that can not be found among humans. I spent untold hours riding horses and letting my imaginary world unfold in the woods behind our house. I was eleven years old when we moved off of our little farm to a suburban neighborhood and began boarding our horses. But that childhood among the horses, exploring nature continued to survive in my mind and prospered into writing on the page. When I had a child, the best survival skill I felt I could give her was a connection to the land and animals.

Reality and Understanding Your Environment  

     Today, Saturday, Honor came with me to the barn. She is familiar enough with the routine. First we feed the horses, clean stalls and then ride or picnic or generally play around the barn. Unfortunately when we got to the barn today things were a little disorderly. A group of horses had pushed through a gate and were upturning buckets of feed as we arrived. Thankfully, in spite of her recent absence from the barn, Honor remembered the "emergency" plan when it comes to horses. She is supposed to seek higher ground- climb a fence, a gate, go in the tack room and shut the door, whatever separates her from the path of the horses. I was impressed to see her little 3 1/2 year old mind assess the situation and follow directions. We quickly gathered up horses. She helped me clean up spilled feed and pretty soon everyone was fed. All the while, Honor talked to the different animals as if they were her friends. She'd brought Axel, the dog, several toys to play with. She promised Glenda, the cat, she would feed her. She   pet the goats and chatted with them about playing hide and seek. And then she wanted to ride.
     Claire, the borrowed pony, was Honor's pick to ride today. As Honor brushed Claire from her perch on the mounting block, she asked me about Claire's ownership circumstances. She wanted to know if anyone else was coming to look at Claire (I told Honor a while back that Claire was borrowed and we were trying to find her a home with a kid). She wanted to know that since Claire was recently turned down as a possible purchase, did that mean Claire was going to stay at the barn forever... and basically be Honor's. I tried to moderate the situation with lots of options and basically hoped I was not encouraging horse hoarding in my child (a disease I am sometimes concerned I may have as well). Honor seemed satisfied that Claire was temporarily at her disposal and she felt she could temporarily get attached enough to ride.
     Today, just happened to be one of those days when I couldn't care less what we did. I was just happy to be in the sun playing with my kid and horses. This worked to Honor's advantage because I was willing to walk the pony anywhere she wanted to go. Honor had been eyeing the hill and lake bed as possible adventure places. She and Claire seemed to follow the dog, Axel, and I just trailed along as a lead rope attachment. As we walked Honor's conversation began to spin in a hundred directions and I could feel her imagination expanding with every step of the pony. I could feel the power of nature working it's magic on her. She was taking in the trees, watching the animals' behaviors, listening to the wind and exploring her environment as a connected participant. She wanted to preserve these moments, stay in nature as long as she could, exploring every inch of land on that farm. I believe at that moment she understood how valuable this natural world is, and she felt the pleasure and peace that nature can provide.

The Future of Nature

     I consider myself an environmentalist. I deeply feel that human life must be in harmony with nature in order to be spiritually fulfilled. I don't believe this because I read it in a book and I like to eat granola. I believe this because I experience it on a daily basis. We need to preserve our natural world for our own well-being. Conservation of land, of forests, of animal habitats is not just so liberals can have another bumper sticker; it is a spiritual debt we humans should pay to preserve our sanity. The loss of family farms are not just a bygone of economic hard times; they are another rift in the connection the average American has to the land. "Buy Local" is not just a cute food advertisement, it is about respecting the roots to nourishment that are already established in your community. Teaching kids about where their food comes from, giving them camping experiences, taking walks in the woods and listening to the birds, all of this seems too simple a task. And yet, the majority of parents are letting the media do their talking. Beware, I haven't seen a film recently about the future where everyone ends up happily on a beach, emotionally content listening to the waves. If there is one out there, please forward the title so I can add it to our movie collection.

   

K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) - Part 1

The Origins of My K.I.S.S. Horse Training Experience 

      My mother and sister live in Southern Pines and I try to make an annual or bi-annual visit with horses to take advantage of the world class riding instruction available in that small North Carolina town. The majority of the lessons that I have taken in Southern Pines have been with J. Michael Plumb, who at the time was also training my sister, Grace, and her horse, Canoe. Approximately 2 years ago I took an Anglo-Arab pony mare of mine up to Southern Pines to be tried for sale.  On one of the days before the people took her for trial, I took her to a lesson with Mike. This lesson on Starlight, who was a good pony but at the time had mostly been used as a school horse, stands out in my internal rolodex of lessons as one of the more important lessons I have taken in my horse career. The gist of the lesson was that when training a horse it is important to K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid)- my term, not Mike's. 

     In the lesson on Starlight, I was working on trying to keep her bending and moving through her body correctly on a circle. This would seem simple enough but the little mare had a knack for swinging her hips in and out of the circle, lifting her head and hardening her mouth around the bit when she felt you put tension on the reins. She had a recipe for rider frustration that she had honed to an art as a school horse. I in turn kept hands and legs working at a frenzy trying to contain the slippery beast in a frame. I don't think it was a pretty sight despite the pretty movement the horse was capable of and the occasional moments of everything working correctly. Mike immediately focused on my busy riding as a part of the problem. He said in not so many words that I was giving the horse so many different cues simultaneously that she could not decipher what it all meant. He insisted that I break down the problem into smaller parts.

     First, we addressed the horse's understanding of turning- open the inside rein and have the mare follow her nose around the circle. As she began to relax with the simplicity of the question asked, she also softened her mouth, lowered her head and neck and slowed her overall rhythm. When she was relaxed, we then could apply the inside leg and push her into the outside rein. But the first issue was to keep her following her nose through a turn. The lesson stayed on this simple subject until she seemed to understand what was being asked and then the lesson was over. 

     There are a lot of people who go to a lesson or clinic with a "Big Named" rider in hopes of working on the big movements, or the big jumps. They want that instructor to take them from where they are to the next level. One of the things I have learned from my lessons with Mike is that more than often what is preventing someone from achieving the next level in movement or jumps is the gap in the foundation. I feel a great instructor is one who can identify that gap and makes you aware of it. And if they are really good- they can explain how those gaps are preventing your progress. My lesson on Starlight was about turning, and we spent a good hour on it. But more importantly, my lesson was about a philosophy of training a horse where you do not assume that the horse can understand all of your signals and aids at once just because you know how to apply them. Instead, listen to the horse and if you are experiencing resistance, break down the problem into smaller parts and address them one at a time. Allow yourself several days to accomplish something that before you assumed the horse should get in minutes. What I find remarkable is that horses love good communication and can retain so much more when they are not bracing against the rider. Keeping the questions and answers simple allows the horse to be successful and in turn those gaps in the foundation truly disappear.

K.I.S.S. and Springstone Horses

     I have basically two groups of horses that I train at my farm. I have the young warmbloods that I have trained from the start- most of which only knew how to be led from the pasture when I got them; and I have my young thoroughbreds that started their career on the racetrack and are being re-trained for jumping and dressage. Both horses have very different training needs. The young warmbloods only know what I have taught them. Whereas the thoroughbreds are reconciling what they knew on the track versus what I am teaching them now. 

     For example, racehorses are taught to speed against the pressure from the bit. They are asked to run against the rider's hand. No wonder so many ex-racehorses are pullers, right? Also, racehorses gallop onto their forehand. If they have been on the track for any length of time, their entire way of going, including their muscular build, is oriented for this type of balance. When we retrain the racehorse for equestrian sports this previous training plays a primary role in the strategy we take.

      To keep it simple, I try to address the horse's mouth first. From the ground I try to teach these race horses a new meaning of the bit. I apply a soft pressure to the bit and release as soon as they soften to it - the art of which another of my favorite instructors, Buck Brannaman, teaches to specifics in his clinics. As the training progresses with the horse, I have to continuously evaluate which mouth I'm working with- the race horse mouth or the new mouth that I am trying to encourage. Over time, if I continue to reinforce "the good deal" as Buck calls it in his clinics; the racehorse mouth begins to disappear from the horse's way of going. However, heavy hands by myself or another rider will very quickly bring back the racehorse mouth.

      With the young warmbloods I am working with a blank canvas. If I am systematic with how I introduce the bit then they only learn to have a soft mouth. The caveat to this is that at times, as the horse learns to carry its balance it will try to lean on the bit and it is my job not to fall prey to creating that harder mouth by the exercises I address with them.

Going Forward

     Hopefully I will get around to detailing where each of my horses are currently so that I can be more specific about how all of this theory applies on a daily basis. But there is a lot of background to the methods I am using that I also think one has to have to understand where I am coming from in my training. So, stay tuned... I will be coming back to more K.I.S.S. training examples as they come up in our day to day experiences at Springstone.     

   

Repairing Hoof Cracks

The following photos were taken on Tuesday as I repaired Vicar's hoof cracks. The first photo is the front right hoof and the second photo is the back right hoof. The back right hoof was by far the most significant and was in the process of abscessing at the coronary band. The original crack in this foot began when an abcess erupted through the hoof wall and the crack slowly split the hoof up to the coronary band. As you can see the "crud" has formed a vein of black beneath the hoof wall that was continuing to deteriorate and compromise the hoof. The crack at one time several weeks ago was opening and closing with each step. It has since healed enough so that at the time that I did this repair, the hoof was holding together. Although the hoof abcess is still causing some pain, the repair has definitely given Vicar considerable relief. I will be watching the repair over the next few weeks to see if the bonding adhesive will hold. If it does not hold we will have to have the vet's farrier do a more extensive repair likely to include shoes.

I used SBS Hoof Crack repair kit. I do all my own trimming and opened the crack in preparation for the adhesive. The adhesive was mixed and applied within minutes. We also repaired the cracks in Tucker's horse's hoof as well as the cracks in Phippen's hooves. After seeing the damage done by an unattended crack in Vicar's foot, we aren't taking any hoof cracks for granted.

    I cleaned the hooves with water and bleach before I started cutting out the crack. As I cut away the involved hoof wall, my goal was to cut the least amount while still exposing the source of the crack to light and air because I believe the majority of the "black crud" is anaerobic bacteria, fungus and dirt that continue to work up into the crack until it is exposed and cleaned out. I repeatedly rinsed the crack with a 50/50 bleach water solution to assist in the cleaning.

On the back crack it was clear that I was not going to be able to remove all of the vein of black crud. Notice that the cut into the hoof wall is approaching the white line which is where I stop. It's just a pedicure until we get to this part of the hoof. Beyond that we're getting into what I consider surgery on the hoof and I will leave that up to the vets if my patch does not work.

The blue tape was an attempt to keep the crack filling material away from the hairline. I actually found it unnecessary in the end.

The directions suggest over-filling the crack. Once the bonding material hardens (after approximately 15 minutes) then I rasped away the extra material. 

These images below were taken of Bentley's hooves (Tucker's horse) to illustrate the cracks before the trim, after the trim and as I prepared the crack for filling. Notice the way that Bentley's feet grow between trimming. The flares in his feet create the unequal weight bearing surface and the cracks. Flares when unmanaged eventually lead to cracks and any repair of a crack has to be followed up with "floating" or rasping the ground-touching surface so that the weight-bearing pressure does not continue to split the hoof.

As you can see our set up for the repair was minimalist. We used the mats to keep the hooves on a clean surface- I decided the wash rack was too difficult to get really clean. I also wanted the horse to stand on a clean surface so that the bonding material did not get any debris in it. I used the seran wrap on the cracks that were expanded at the bottom because the Seran wrap kept the material from sliding out as it hardened. The plastic wrap also kept the surface of the hoof clean and smooth requiring little rasping after hardening.

Calling this one, "Still Life with Hoof Crack Repair Kit"

Show Jumping - Eventing vs. Pure

     The week after I return from any show is always a time when I review and evaluate the training that I am doing with all of the horses.  Regardless of whether a horse went to the show or not, I evaluate my training program in light of the successes and failures I experienced at the show.

     Last week I took Z to Conyers, Georgia for the Atlanta Fall Classic and competed him for the first time in the Jumper ring (and even found myself in the Hunter ring.) As I have said before, my first equestrian sport is Eventing, which includes a phase of dressage, a phase of cross country, and a phase of show jumping. It would seem that doing one of these sports, i.e. dressage or show jumping, by itself at the same level should be no problem. However, at this show I became acutely aware of the differences between the training I have always done for show jumping in eventing and the training that is required for the horse to seriously compete in the jumper ring- especially as the jumps get higher.

My first Experience in the Jumper Ring

      This was not the first time that I had ridden in the Jumpers. Several years ago I chose to compete my Training level event horse in the Jumpers when I wanted to improve our show jumping and overall technique. I started taking my horse Finisterre (barn name "Jojo") to lessons with Alejo Maddalena, an Argetinian show jumper that transplanted to Birmingham several years ago. For a number of lessons, Alejo tried to manage my horse's overzealous attitude about the fences and my triage-style riding (where I tried to simultaneously manage and not interfere with the horse's balance and momentum). Eventually Alejo came to me and asked if he could have the horse in training for several weeks- without me. I considered being offended for about 2 seconds. Then, handed the horse over and prayed for a solution.
     Alejo was operating from my barn at the time and I got the privilege of watching every ride. At first I cringed watching Alejo ride. He immediately changed Jojo's shape on the flat from the round frame that I had worked on so diligently for dressage to allowing his head to be carried high, nose out. Also, I had struggled with my horse's tendency to become tense and shorten his stride through lots of suppling exercises and trying to stretch him out towards the bridle. Alejo didn't seem to care about the length of his stride. Instead, all he addressed was the horse's balance. I waited patiently to see what this would bring.
     Within three weeks, Alejo had Jojo jumping 4 foot (1.20m) with balance- no rushing. When I got on Jojo for the first time to feel the changes, I was shocked. He was a totally different ride. He felt uphill, carried himself and jumped from his hind-end. This was my first taste of a show jumper having a different training goal than I was pursuing in my event training.
     I did one or two Jumper shows with Jojo and Alejo. The experience taught me not only the value of exploring a different training method than my own; but it convinced me that riding in the Jumpers was priceless experience for any horse that was going to do Eventing

Owning a Horse Bred for Show Jumping

     My horses, Z (Izod WW), Rocky (Irock WW) and J'Adore WW are bred to jump. Rocky and Z have some of the top European show jumping lines on their sire's side.  ( Irock WW Pedigree ,  Izod WW Pedigree ) Orlando, their grandsire was the sire of the 2012 European Six Year old World Champion, Gangster de Longchamps . And the list goes on- Heartbreaker, Nimmerdor, Sandro (Z), Kannan. I am definitely biased, but both of these horses (Z and Rocky) are the most naturally talented jumpers I have worked with or seen. They have an intuition about jumping and getting correctly to the jump that is uncanny. J'Adore is equally well bred ( J'Adore WW Pedigree ) with her grandsire being Carthago Z. J'Adore's talent is best exhibited in her power to push off the ground. As a three year old we have only jumped over small jumps, but the power is undeniable. So with all of this show jumping talent in the barn, I would be a fool not to stay in the Jumper ring for a while.
     However taking these talented youngsters from unbroke to competing in the Jumpers is proving to be a very different experience than my previous time in the Jumper ring. Jojo had several years experience in Eventing when he entered the Jumper ring. While he carried a number of bad habits from the event world to the show jumping world, he basically knew his job. Jumping a clear round in the Jumper ring was a matter of perfecting our skills. But now I am bringing youngsters with relatively little show experience into the Jumper ring and I am seeing the process from a very different perspective. Talent is just a small piece of the picture of success, the training program is what makes the talented horse have a big future.

Jumping at Home versus Jumping at an A rated Show

     At home I have been focused on teaching the young horses the basics in rhythm and technique jumping at a set height. They have been jumping grids and short courses of fences. The short courses set up at home are generally 5-7 stride lines with an occasional bending line distanced at approximately 4 strides. The majority of the combinations that they jump are in a grid. At the show my goal was to jump around at .95m, possibly 1 meter (3'-3'3"). I was schooling this height at home. I felt they needed the skills that were normally needed to jump around a Novice level event- jump a height of 3' (.95 meter), negotiate a  1 stride combination and possibly a 4 stride bending line. What I hadn't considered was the relationship between the jumps in the course and how the horses would handle jumping a series of fences in which each jump directly affected the next approach.
     The simplest description of what makes a show jumping course in the Jumpers different from a show jumping course in Eventing is that every stride counts between the jumps. When I first started walking jumper courses with Alejo, I laughed at how we went from fence to fence counting strides. I never counted strides on a show jumping course in Eventing unless there were four or less between a fence. I always rode from my eye (seeing the take off spot as I approached the jump) not from a conscious counting of strides from one jump to the other. This approach to show jumping comes from my upbringing in Eventing where my instructors focused on bravery and approach before counting strides. The kids that rode in the Hunters before they came to eventing were the ones that learned to count strides.

Here's an example of a Training Level show jumping course I jumped on a horse a year ago. Notice that the majority of the jumps are off of wide turns, and the only jumps on straight lines are at a minimum of 6-7 strides (other than the combination)

         Now here's an example of the .95 Jumper course at Conyers Horse Park from this past week. Keep in mind the jumps in this Jumper course are about 3"s shorter than the Training Level show jumping course shown above.

     Notice that the jumps in the Jumper course have much shorter turns, multiple combinations and oxers* on related distances to combinations that start with an oxer. Also the majority of the oxers are square oxers or parallel oxers asking the horse to be more careful. Needless to say, I might have done an ok-job preparing him for an event show jumping course, but for the Jumpers, he was a little over his head. He tried, but I could feel his confidence wavering.

Considerations for the Future

     I realize now that the training that I did of Z for the show was a bare minimum of what he will need to be successful in the Jumper ring. Z has a natural rhythm that makes distances fairly easy to achieve, but the flip-side of this is that because his strides are so even, he mathematically gets to the fence on exactly what you give him. This becomes a serious consideration when the jumps are as related as they are in a Jumper course. If he backs off of an oxer and doesn't have the impulsion needed he can't get to the next fence in the exact number of strides and will either add a short stride at the next fence or have too long a spot to jump from and be in trouble- especially in a combination. I could feel that Z was a bit intimidated by these questions. He will need to be challenged at home with more similar questions to what he will see at competitions.
     This is just a beginning to the observations I made at the show. It is my intention to work through some of the different training issues I experienced and use this blog to document the progress.