The LITTLE Training Moments

July 5, 2010 | Posted by Black Horse Rider

I’ve heard it said, and firmly believe, every moment you spend with your horse is a training moment – whether you want it to be or not! Training, in this sense, means more than teaching correct leads or a fluid side pass; it means shaping our horse’s behavior for better or worse by how we interact with them and often times in the dullest of moments – like when we lead them from the barn to the pasture or some other simple interaction. It is in precisely these smallest of moments where some of the greatest “shaping” of our horse’s mental mindset can take place, and so often we don’t jump on these opportunities – either out of laziness or lack of knowledge.

It is in the everyday, routine handling of our horses that we get to constantly establish and reinforce our role as herd leader and work on rewarding behavior we want while working out the behavior we don’t want before it gets to be a BIG problem. The more our horses see us as the unequivocal, uncontested and “fair” LEADER we need to be, a wonderful transformation takes place:

We form a partnership with our horses where they trust what we ask them to do and they “try”, even when it seems scary
They don’t try to buck, rear, kick, bite, step on our toes, drive us away from food, run from us in fear, panic when taken away from the rest of the horses or crowd our space
They respect us as the leader, they look to us for guidance and direction, and they trust us to be their “security and safety net”
They look forward to being around us and if they don’t, they don’t complain in their horsey ways – they are respectful
They don’t try to get us off their backs because to do so would mean they have lost their “leader” and “guide”

Adrienne and Hershey | Stubb Stewart, OR | 2010

Taking a rest on a 10 mile trail ride with Hershey

Annual Mule Skinners Poker Ride

June 3, 2010 | Posted by Black Horse Rider

Starting off the ride --- Spirits are high!

The annual Memorial Day Mule Skinners Poker Ride, held at the Flying M Ranch, was a large turnout despite the ominous signs of downpour on the horizon. The turnout wasn’t quite as large as the previous year when sunny, warm weather prevailed for the entire extended weekend, but, it was still a good crowd of dedicated trail riders looking for a fun ride and social gathering to kick-start the summer.

We attended the event on Saturday, the day it started. This year we attempted an early start knowing that the rain-filled week prior to the event would make for some muddy trails and there’s nothing worse than riding a trail that’s already been traversed by dozens of horses on wet ground! Despite our best efforts of getting up at 5am we still arrived at 9am – behind a sizable group of earlier risers and those who had camped at the ranch. However, the crowd of riders in front of us was small enough that the trails hadn’t quite become “soup” yet.

…read on about the Poker Ride

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The Synergist Saddle Fit

May 27, 2010 | Posted by Black Horse Rider

When I finally decided to take the plunge and order a custom made saddle I was a bit nervous. For the past 15 years I’d grown quite comfortable with my “bought used”, Circle Y, 14” barrel saddle but was finding that on long rides my feet and knees ached and I didn’t have a lot of wiggle room in the seat.

I ordered a custom made saddle from Synergist Saddles after seeing an ad for their family run business in my Trail Rider magazine and spending countless hours perusing their website. It was fun getting the measurements from both my horse and myself for the perfect fit. After I sent in our measurements and the “back form” taken from my horse, I got to go through the process of picking out the kind of saddle I wanted and with what features. I did this over the phone with owner CJ while sitting in front of the computer and using the website as a guide. When all was said and done, I just had to wait for my saddle to arrive!

…continue reading about the Synergist Saddle Fit

Horse Business 101

March 24, 2010 | Posted by Black Horse Rider

Over the many years I’ve owned, trained and ridden horses, or worked with other trainers, I’ve seen many horse boarding and horse training facilities. They have run the gamut from super high-end public facilities to small, family owned and operated stables. When it comes to a horse boarding establishment, I have an expectation of it being a clean, safe and fun-environment. It doesn’t have to be fancy or state-of-the-art, I just want a place where my horse and I can be happy, people are friendly, the arena is in decent shape and the owners/managers seem like sane, horse savvy people. I know everybody takes care of their horse differently so I don’t expect to see every boarded horse looking like a show horse ready to hit the ring the next day. Of course if I see neglected or sick horses or horses kept in dark stuffy stalls I won’t bring my horses to these places.

…read more on Horse Business 101

So Many Saddle Choices ~ 1 Synergist Saddle

March 9, 2010 | Posted by Black Horse Rider

The problem with saddles these days is there are just way too many choices! This is a real problem for me as I’ve finally considering moving away from the saddle I’ve been riding in for the past 16 years. Why? Well, it’s a 14” barrel saddle worn to perfection but it’s gotten a little snug (no comments needed) and the horn, being a tall, barrel style tends to catch my shirts when my horse jumps over a trail obstacle. Many of my shirts have noticeable patching about belly-button level.

Now, I also have a wonderful Wintec Pro dressage saddle and do ride in it from time to time but on those long, rugged 6 hour trail rides it just doesn’t provide me with the kind of mental and physical comfort I need!

But here’s the catch – the things I want in a saddle are not always easy to find in the right combinations right off the shelf. Things like; a little extra padding in the seat, stirrups that support my foot better, is light-weight, nice looking, can allow for a good balanced seat for the occasional jump on the trail, fits my horse well, fits me well, has all the doo-dads to attach all the “stuff” I think I might want to carry with me, can also be used in a low-level show (I like to keep this option open) and has that ‘worn in’ feeling right from the start.

The LITTLE Training Moments

Annual Mule Skinners Poker Ride

The Synergist Saddle Fit

Horse Business 101

So Many Saddle Choices ~ 1 Synergist Saddle

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