A good read

This is a link to a post by Mark Rashid's wife, Crissy McDonald: https://crissimcdonald.com/2020/03/29/shedding-a-heavy-coat/

Great idea!

Found this video on Facebook and just had to share it here because this is something I plan on doing. I'm all about safety and making things easier!

...you're welcome....

Animal Therapy

There are three things in my life that always pull me through when life throws curve balls: the first and most important is my faith, which always puts things into perspective for me; -the second is my husband who is always supportive; and the third is my critters. How can anyone have a bad day for long when they have such wonderful creatures in their life?

When life gives you mud- roll in it! If it's blowing hard- face it!

Give troubles the boot!

Rise to challenges!

Face adversity head on.

Do what you do best.....(and have fun doing it!)

and always know that you are loved.

Raising young horses

It seems a lot of people don't know what's involved in acquiring a foal and raising it to the age where it's usable for riding. As with keeping any age of horse, the first consideration is a safe environment. A pen with solid fencing- not barbwire!- is a good place to start. This can be board, pipe, or mesh fence, or some other material that a horse won't injure itself on. As with adult horses, a good source of water and a safe place to put feed, and some sort of shelter; a run-in 3 sided shelter is usually  enough- like this one I had for Chickory and Andee (now owned by Fern Valley Appaloosas):

That's Andee on the left, Chickory on the right

Once housing is taken care of, that leaves your interaction with them. As a side note, it's always good to have a companion for them, either another youngster or an older horse. Until they are in the summer of their yearling year, most of what you do with them will be just getting them to lead nicely, pick up their feet, behave for your hoof care provider, stand tied, and tolerate grooming all over. If you plan on showing, you can add in training specific for the class you show in, eg. halter, showmanship, in-hand trail, etc. Since I don't show, I can't advise on what you  can do for that. 

As a yearling, you start introducing other things, such as trailer loading, ponying, sacking out. 

Rio trailer loading at age 11 months

You also increase your expectations of good behaviour. If you plan to introduce them to riding in their 2 year old year, then in the fall of their yearling year you can introduce them to longeing for short periods (not too long because it's hard on their joints), sacking out with saddle blankets, and progressing to setting a light saddle on them.

Longeing Sassy as a long yearling

 I like to have them checked by an equine dentist and get their wolf teeth pulled before they are 2.  There is lots of ground work you can do with them as a yearling, like getting them to move away from the pressure of your hand on their side (imitating leg pressure). There are many books written on the subject of training, and I'm no expert, I just do what works for me.

None of this is rocket science, and there is no horse-whispering- mystery involved in getting a youngster prepared for their life as a good using horse. It's all common sense, and treating them like a horse, not tolerating bad behaviour just because they are cute, and laying out a training plan for them. If you aren't confident in being the first one on their back, plan ahead and save enough money to send them to a reputable trainer for at  least a month. Remember, the ground work you do with  them helps to build a bond and establishes your "place in the herd". Start as you mean to continue: if you don't want to be pushed around by a  1100 pound horse, don't let a 500 pound baby push you around. Establish boundaries from the get-go. 

The end result will be a horse that you know the complete history on, one that you helped form, that you know inside out. 

Me and Sundee,  Coyote Belle's mama; my first heart horse that I bought as a weanling.

Safety First

There's a series of posts going around, started by Deanna over at My Country Genes on safety around horses. Fern Valley and Ranch Riding blogs have contributed with very good tips and thoughts, and I have a little bit to add.
My number one concern is my safety. I'm getting old and brittle, and don't quite bounce as good as I used to. My tip, is to be aware. Not just of where your horse is, but of what she is thinking. Read your horse. They have very expressive bodies, so take the time to get to know what each nuance means.

 When I walk into my mare pen, I can tell what kind of morning I am going to have with them.They tell me by their actions and reactions.

 I lead the three mares and Rio all at the same time as I take them to pasture, and it requires having eyes in the back of my head. There is no crowding me, stepping on me, biting each other or lagging allowed. Also, I am very aware of what I am doing with the lead ropes; I don't let them get tangled or wrapped around my hands, and I always have it so that I can use a tail end of a rope to snap with if one of the horses gets unruly. They aren't allowed to be pushy as they go through the 4 ft. pasture gate; one at a time, and politely.

I'm not going to tell you how to create respect in your herd, you do what works for you. But being aware of what's going on around you is the ticket to staying safe. Put yourself out of harm's way. Listen to that little voice in your head that tells you when something is unsafe. Create safe situations by habitually doing things with safety in mind. Make safety a habit!
Another post at Own a Morgan

Another filly for Carol

There is a new filly over at All These Pretty Horses and it's another big foal. Plenty of big foals this year.
It seems that my Picasa Web album has reached its storage limit, and since I don't do credit cards, I can't get more storage with them. It means I can't upload any more photos until I find another source for web storage of photos; any suggestions? I need something user friendly and free!

Blog design

I have a question or two for all you computer savvy folks. When I add photos to my sidebar, is there any way to make them smaller? I've tried resizing the photos, but they still come up the same width; if you look at the one I just put up of Rio, you'll see that it's much bigger than the ones I put up of Midnight Coyote and Sparkle N Peppy. I'm using the advanced editor option.  I'd like the photos to be a lot smaller like the older ones, then my sidebar doesn't have to be so wide. Also, I'd like to add pages along the top of my blog, like I've seen on a lot of blogs, but the only thing I can get there is the "Home" page. Help, please!

Hoses made easy

One of the banes of existence in the winter is dealing with frozen hoses for those of us who aren't blessed with automatic heated waterers and heated barns. I use tubs and electric de-icers, and have to fill them with a hose. Last year I was reading Mustang Diaries blog and she mentioned putting the hose in a garbage can to bring in to a warm room. I've read a few comments this year about folks storing their hoses in showers or bathtubs, so I thought I'd share with you the easy method I use to deal with the hoses of winter.

I store my 100 ft of hose in my muck cart; it makes it easy to get it from the house, where I store it in my mud room, and the wheeled cart makes it easy to take anywhere. I have to bring it up a few steps to the deck, and it rolls up easily.

When I coil it up I start with the far end, and have the part that goes to the tap on top; I attach it and roll the cart along while the hose unrolls itself.

It's quick and easy, the longest part is re rolling the hose and coiling it into the bucket.

I have had my share of frozen hoses over the years, and I've found this method super easy. The muck buckets are available at most farm supply stores. I use them for a lot of different things.

Some food for thought

I had a great email from lvmyhrs as a response to my post below, "Working Chickory". I have her permission to post it here- and I will have to find the book she recommended.

Hey Shirley, your post on Chickory hit a few chords for me.. Have you ever read the book The Tao Of Equus by Linda Kohanov? if not it's a very good read and would suggest it to anyone with an open mind to feel their horses.. anyway, to the point I had a mare in last summer for training similar to Chickory and was having the same ups and downs and I was at the time reading this book and had a "ahh haa" moment. Your sentence is pretty much exactly true "I swear this horse can read my mind, because she only gives me her trust when I realize just how much she has to teach me." and here is why I say this.. the mare I had in came to me as a 5 year with a bucking problem, she would panic and buck . lucky for me she didn't have a lot of buck but enough to unnerve you! You could handle her any way you wanted do anything to her including all the Walt Vermatal stuff and she would just panic for what seemed no reason now and then and I could for the life of me could not figure out what would trigger it because it was so sporadic.

So here's the "aahh haa" moment it wasn't what I was doing to her that would trigger her reaction it was where my mind went! So then I realized when I was working her and was 100% there and 100% honest with her she was a sweetheart.. So this is the neat thing she taught me.. She didn't mind if I was grouchy, tired, lazy, nervous so long as I didn't try to hide how I was feeling from her.. Because when we hide this stuff from our horses they just see a mask cover us and we become predator to them there for they act out.. That mare taught me so much about not hiding what I am feeling from our horses that I in reality will never be able to pay her back for the lesson she taught me... I was honest with her from that day forward and even though the odd day I would think she's gonna buck as long as I didn't hide it she didn't buck, the dumb days that I reverted back to myself and hide those feelings from her she bucked..

So it even has turned to my everyday handling with our horses, we got a new little mare this winter who was hard to catch and we just kicked her out with the herd and I said to Bruce "No matter, when I go out to get her I'll simple walk out and be honest with her and catch her" she now follows me around the pasture and I haven't had a hard time catching her! I no longer think "This is going to scare this horse" I am simply honest with the horse in my mind, think about what the object looks like in my mind let my horse see it first through my mind and body and wa la it didn't spook that horse simply because I didn't freeze in my head that it was going to spook them.

I took on a job early this spring for a cutting barn near by.. they had 34 wild yearlings that needed handled.. I halter broke, taught to tie and trimmed 34 yearlings in 2 weeks and 3 days.. and I didn't not rush one colt, they just did it because they believed in me.. Even the ones that sold two days after bringing them in wild, they jumped right into their new horse trailers behind me no questions asked.. I schooled a young girl working at the barn with them whenever she had a spare moment and she is now able to walk out and catch whichever one she wants so long as she stays honest to them.

So just food for thought, because Chickory has always been jumpy you have that in the back of your mind so I am sure you get in a mind lock now and then and boom she reverts back because she cannot trust a creature who is trying to hide!

Remember that if you are not able to release all of your pre-conceived notion about her at least acknowledge them and don't try to ignore or hide them because she will know!

Saddle fit

I was reading a post on HorseCentric today about her mare Lily having issues with being saddled, which got me googling saddle fit. I came up with some interesting stuff. This first one is talking about fitting an English saddle, but the information is very interesting and applies to any horse.

This second video is by the makers of the Martin Saddle.

There are some videos linked to this one that show fitting for barrel horses, rope horses and cutting horses. This is just for this particular brand of saddle, but it shows that there are options out there and that saddle makers are starting to think outside the box a little and are considering what works best for the anatomy of the horse.

I had a horse that was really hard to fit, and had a saddle custom made for her. We had to shave the front of the bars so they flare out, just like the Martin tree, and the same thing on the back of the bars. I like the way Martin has a stirrup fender slot on both sides of the tree.

Lately I've been thinking about getting a different saddle for Beamer, because I think he needs a different fit on his shoulders. Guess I'd better put in some extra hours at work, or sell lots of pups!

Feeding to prevent colds

In the fall, I usually have weanlings, and I've developed a feed program over the years that helps combat the onset of colds due to the weather changes and the stress of weaning. Since the mares get grain while they are lactating, baby has learned to eat grain from an early age, chowing down alongside mama, and at weaning they continue to get grain, and mama doesn't. As soon as the cooler weather hits, I start adding garlic to their feed, as well as dried nettles.

I also top dress with a good mineral mix. The garlic I feed is crushed garlic; this photo shows how much I give them, as well as how much nettles. I call it their gourmet dinner. Nothing like getting horse kisses with garlic breath!

Beamer and Chickory also get this concoction, but they only get about a cup of grain, just enough to mix everything up; they are plenty fat and are loving the hay from this area.

So to those of you who have stinging nettles in your barnyard; don't get rid of them; harvest them! Feed them to your chickens, your horses, your dogs ( the commercial feed I give my dogs has nettles in it) and even yourself!

Updates on Gussie and Chickory

Although this is Hallowe'en night, this isn't a post about things that go bump in the night. Here is an update on Gussie-now known as Sunday- Pat called to tell me that they did an ultrasound, and Gussie/Sunday is definitely pregnant. Also, they got her teeth floated-note to self- call the horse dentist! Looks like I will be buying the foal back off them as they really don't want to raise a foal. That is just fine with me; if it's anything like Peppy, it will be a terrific baby.

When it comes to Chickory, I thought I needed all the insight I could get, so I contacted Twila Hayes at Awakening Spirit . She helped me to see things from Chickory's point of view, and gave me some things to do that will soften up my approach to this wonderful little filly. I won't go into details here, but I will journal the results here. I believe God puts challenges in our paths for good reason, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this one plays out. The end result that I am looking for is a willing partnership. Sometimes we have to step away from our usual way of doing things, take a good look at ourselves, and not be afraid to trust, to change, and to think outside the box. After all, that is exactly what I am asking Chickory to do.

33 Truths about horses

This came in an email from my friend at Prairie Ridge:

1. People who don't take care of their own horses will be the first ones to tell you how to care for yours.
2. You should never buy a cheap girth!
3. A handsome horse who's badly behaved will become a lot less attractive in about 15 min.
4. People who think they have nothing more to learn about riding, hit the ground the hardest.
5. Children and ponies are natural allies and often have identical dispositions.
6. The richest horse people often look the poorest.
7. The closeness of a horse is one of the sweetest smells in the world.
8. A solitary ride through the bush is more beneficial then six months with the best psychiatrist. 9. The worse a person rides the more likely they are going to blame it on the horse.
10. The best thing about going to the barn first thing in the morning is that horses don't care how you look.
11. If a dealer insists a horse is worth twice what he's asking he's usually worth half that much. 12. The best way to appreciate how another person rides is to get on their horse.
13. I can recognize another horse person no matter what town, city, state, county or country I visit.
14. You can never have too many hoof picks.
15. It is not wise to argue with something that outweighs you by 1,000 pounds
16. I'd rather have a horse with a perfect mind then a perfect head.
17. Eight hours is not too long to be in the saddle!
18. If you think you have left the water on in the barn you have, if you think you have closed the pasture gate you haven't.
19. When someone asks you if you like their horse always say yes
20. The happiest people I know own horses, dogs, cats and at least one deranged goat.
21. If you're looking for the perfect horse you will never own one.
22. Owning a horse can either make a marriage or break it.
23. I'd rather lose my Chap Stick then my curb chain.
24. You shouldn't talk about your first place ribbon to someone that came second.
25. If someone says that horse has a little buck, it has a BIG buck.
26. If we need rain, schedule a show.
27. I've never warmed up to someone that didn't want to walk down to the stables.
28. A clean stable and a sparkling horse are among life's great pleasures.
29. Even given away horses can be too expensive. Especially give away horses.
30. No matter how badly behaved you are, your horse always gives you a second chance.
31. A more expensive horse doesn't make a better one.
32. I can't stand to have an empty stable.
33. Losing a horse can break your heart, but it will have been worth it.

Looking For Advice

For the last week or so I have been busy working with Peppy to get him ready to show in a halter class. Now, I know he isn't your standard halter horse; he's bred to be a cow horse and reiner, but he is nicely built, and the main reason I am doing this is to get him out in the public so that we can find the right buyer for him. We'll do a trial run at a local fair open horse show, and if all goes well, we will take him to the AQHA show in Red Deer this month.

He is doing really well; he leads beautifully, even at the trot, and is doing quite well at standing square. He lets me place his feet if they aren't perfectly where I want them, and stands still for a good while, even when he can hear the other horses calling him. I am getting him used to being away from mama so that weaning time won't be too stressful for him.

If any of my readers have shown weanlings at halter, I'd appreciate some advice. I plan on clipping his face and legs; how much bridle path will I need to clip? What do I use on his hooves?

Will a nice new, well fitting leather halter do or will I need one with silver on it? What do I do with the chain on the lead shank- attach it full length or double it back on itself? Do I have to wear a jacket?

Any comments will be appreciated!

Quotes from Al Grandchamp

( Al Grandchamp, May, 1998)

A few years ago, Al Grandchamp gave me a little Syllabus that he wrote, entitled "Syllabus for the Advanced Horsemanship Class". There are excercises described in a step by step fashion, and diagrams to follow as well. At the end, he has a number of quotes; some from other famous horsemen and some from himself. Let me share some of them with you:


Jean Froissard-(French horseman)-To judge a situation rapidly, one must learn to observe, and to be able to observe one must not talk a great deal.

Ed Connell-(California reinsman)- The main point for any rider to remember is for him to come alive on the horse while he is up there working him. Go with him!

General L'Haute-Calm, forward, straight. This triad is the catechism of riding which every rider must keep constantly in mind.

Henry D. Chamberlain-(U.S. Army)- Sensitiveness of the hand is cultivated by conscious effort.

Wilhelm Meuseler- (Germany)- In a quarrel with a horse the more intelligent man is always wrong, or else he would not let it come to a quarrel.

Alois Podhajsky-(Spanish Riding School)- When anyone thinks he has found out something new, he may be sure that some old riding master has had the same experience and that it has been temporarily forgotten.

Henry Wynmalen-(England)- Nothing shakes a horse's confidence more than being held tightly.

And from Al Grandchamp, the following quotes:

The 5 Bs: Be ready. Be relaxed. Be alert. Be poised. Be confidant.

Expect the unexpected and be prepared for it.

Teach one thing at a time and put the components together.

Adapt to fit the horse and the condition.

A basic rule: It is wise not to rush a horse into something he is not ready or willing to try.

The 3 Ps: Prepare. Position. Propulsion.

Preposition the horse for the desired maneuver before asking him to do it.

It is better not to fight old habits. Just start new ones.

Skill is mastered by repeated effort and attention to results.

Always be willing to learn by accepting suggestions and criticisms.

No matter how difficult the training problem, never become discouraged. There is always a solution.