Trick Training Gone Bad and Other Ramblings

January 18, 2010 | Posted by Black Horse Rider

Several weeks before Christmas I found myself swamped with all the hubbub of the holiday chaos. I breezed in and out of our horse’s lives with little time to spare for riding – only to feed and pass out some kindly pats on the neck. Then it got bitterly cold and I blanketed everyone up snug and got even quicker with my feeding and visiting regime, trying to limit the time before my fingers, toes and nose suffered severe frostbite.

Rain, looking a bit scruffy, meeting the Friesians!

Unfortunately after the cold spell, rain hit in buckets and what once was a suitable shelter became a mucky mess (it was a ground water issue)! So, amidst the frantic and last minute holiday preparations, we also had to move the horses to more suitable environments. I took Hershey and Dino back to Walnut Spring Stable for boarding, farmed Rain out to a good friend for a little R&R and some Friesian company and my older daughter took her mare back to her Dad.

Hershey and Dino adjusted well to stall life again, and Charlie and I love having a spacious, light and airy sand-filled arena to work in during the winter. The beauty of stall boarding is:

How clean you can keep your horse!
How easy it is to get your horse – for riding, brushing, company, etc….
And Most Importantly…. How easy it is to manage their diets individually!

…read on-you eventually get to the trick!

Finding The Right Horse

January 4, 2010 | Posted by Black Horse Rider

Horses have personalities just like people do. And just like people, some personalities mesh really well and others don’t. We can make the mistake when buying a horse in thinking that how the horse acts under saddle and in the arena is an indicator of his personality. If you’re going to form a long-lasting riding and companion bond with a horse you need to get along with it in all kinds of situations, especially the ones outside the arena. You need to consider your horse’s personality the same way in which you would a good friend. A good friend is someone you trust, you respect, you feel comfortable with, you want to be with, you share good and bad times with, you have similar likes and dislikes with and your personalities “blend” well together. Essentially this is the relationship you want with your horse so you enjoy keeping and riding him.

…read more about horse personalities

Difficulty Getting On Your Horse

December 26, 2009 | Posted by Black Horse Rider

You’re getting ready to put your foot in the stirrup and gracefully (we hope) hoist yourself up on the back of your horse. But as you lift your foot to find the stirrup your horse dodges sideways. You try again. Your horse scoots away from you again! Soon this becomes a kind of dance, he moves sideways, backwards and in circles away from you while you hop around on one foot, chasing the stirrup with your other foot. No amount of yelling, positioning the horse against a wall or yanking on the reins does any good except rile your horse up more and completely diminish the possibility of taking that nice relaxing trail ride you planned on doing.

In desperation, you call to a nearby boarder (or neighbor, friend, child) and with their help holding, bracing and positioning the horse, and you being as nimble and quick as humanly possible, you finally lunge upon your horse, exhausted and worn out before your ride even begins!

If this describes your typical mounting experience, fear not – there is a solution! With reflection on your own riding practices, with some attention to your equipment and with a little handling consistency you can correct this annoying and potentially dangerous problem.

…read more about mounting problems

Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas

December 23, 2009 | Posted by Black Horse Rider

We wish you a very blessed holiday with family and friends and a joyful 2010!

~ Black Horse Blog

Hershey, Dino and me

Horses are the dolphins of the plains, the spirits of the wind; yet we sit astride them for the sake of being well-groomed, whereas they could have all the desire in the world to bolt, but instead, they adjust their speed and grace, only to please us, never to displease.
- Lauren Salerno

Where's the carrot??

He knows when you are happy. He knows when you are proud. He also knows when you have a carrot.
~anon

When Your Horse Dives To The Center Of The Arena

December 11, 2009 | Posted by Black Horse Rider

Over the years I’ve watched and heard about people struggling with a horse who will dive to the center of the arena at inappropriate and unexpected times. There are a number of reasons for this and some ways to correct this problem.

Fundamentally, the horse isn’t accepting you as his leader or is testing your leadership. Make sure as you handle your horse on a regular basis you are doing actions that establish “you” as the herd leader. Let no room for doubt creep into your horse’s mind! If he doubts your authority or ability as a leader he will challenge your position by ignoring you and doing what he wants. Or at least test the waters to see if there is any room for change.

A horse wants to go to the center of the arena for one primary purpose – to REST! Like any other animal on this planet, if there is an opportunity to conserve energy and not have to work as hard, it will be taken! Like most riders, our normal routine in the arena is to work on the rail then come to the center to rest or end the ride and dismount. The horse quickly figures this deal out and his thoughts kind of go like this… “Gee I’m tired of all this hard work running around, if I can just get to the center my rider will stop this nonsense and get off of me.”

…Read the rest of “Diving to the Center of the Arena”