Monday, February 28, 2011

Artex - New Pictures, the first after being gelded!

Artex is a fantastic Gypsy Vanner - so enjoyable, willing, and very smart. He has been a pleasure to train and work with. Artex was started as a stallion by Lindsey in December of 2010. He is doing very well and is being enjoyed by his owner as he teaches her walk, trot, going over poles, etc.

Artex had a new beginning last week as he was gelded - he is a sweetheart and coping quite well. The vet recommended extra exercise to help drainage and keep healthy progressing. We exercised him outside so the dirt in the arena wouldn't get into his wound.

I took some pictures of Artex enjoying the fresh air and new powder snow - enjoy the pictures here: http://www.lfequestrian.com/Photos.php?view=thumbnailList&category=9

Friday, February 18, 2011

Building an Indoor Arena Advice? There are so many to choose from - who do you reccomend?

One of my clients is considering building an indoor arena on their property... they want something safe and economical. There seems to be many to choose from, but overall there are two main types - coverall types and solid steel type buildings. What do you reccomend, who do you reccomend?

I've explored many types:
www.wecover.net/
www.megadomebuildings.com/
www.cover-all.ca/
www.norseman.ca/
www.britespanbuildings.com

and more!

There are so many to choose from, and all of them seem have nice designs - any suggestions? Let me know, you can contact me through this link!- http://www.lfequestrian.com/Contact.php

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Have you seen this? Two race horses die on the field! Watch the news story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QilYB9lBvG4

Shockingly two race horses died at the race track - the situation is being investigated. It is suspected that the horses were electrocuted due to a bad combination of the horses wearing metal shoes, having wet ground, and an electric current running through the ground.

A terrible tragedy. I have heard of something similar happening in an arena that had a wet spot - horses with shoes were killed from the electric current.

I suppose to take this as a cautionary tale- ensure all electrical wiring is safe, and maybe consider if your horse really needs shoes.

From LFEquestrian - www.LFEquestrian.com

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Have you seen this? http://www.point-two.co.uk/

New inflattable vest that claim to be the best in safety - Take a look and let me know what you think!
http://www.point-two.co.uk/

New pictures of Balius!!

New pictures of Balius are now posted - take a look at http://www.lfequestrian.com/HorsePictures.php?view=thumbnailList&category=4&q=&ImageGalleryPage=3

He is turning from chestnut to a super dark grey!

Can't Wait until Saddle fit!

Can't Wait for a Saddle Fit!

Fenix is a 3yr old warmblood gelding that has been in training since July. He has been going beautifully walk/trot/canter and over jumps. He then started to get a bit tight through the transitions, raising his head a bit, and when jumping under saddle he seemed a bit stiff and awkward - like he didn't want to stretch out and use his back.

Then when taking a closer look at the saddle we notice that he had grown and his back shape had changed. The saddle had become a little tippy (not sitting evenly on his back). Continuing to work a horse with an ill fitting saddle can be very harmful for a horse and cause big issues.

I've called up the saddle fitter but it is going to be two weeks before we get the fitting done. There are some exercises we can continue though to keep him fit and in training. We have been jumping him online, practicing transitions online, and even teaching sideways from the ground.

We've also been riding Fenix western because the western saddle fits him better - you can take a look here: http://www.lfequestrian.com/Photos.php?view=thumbnailList&category=8

If you notice your horse raising their head, tossing their head, or being reluctant to stretch out their neck/back then it could be due to an ill fitting saddle. Remember that horse's back's change as they age and their fitness level changes - always ensure a proper saddle fit.

I just hope his saddle is easy to fit to his back!

New pictures of Fenix - http://www.lfequestrian.com/Photos.php?view=thumbnailList&category=8

Friday, February 4, 2011

Can't Wait for a Saddle Fit!

Prince Goes for his First Trot!

Prince is a gorgeous 4 yr old Gypsy Vanner that I have been working with since December, 2010. Before Prince came to me, someone else tried to start Prince under saddle.... she was able to sit on Prince but never able to advance to walk... instead just to a bucking spree and eventually it resulted in a broken hip for her. Needless to say she was scared of the horse, gave up, and sold him to my current clients.

I spent a lot of time doing ground work - building Prince's trust with desensitizing, but also developing communication. I taught him sideways from the ground, w/t/c on circles, going over jumps, backwards figure 8's, etc all from the ground. We did this all with the saddle on - that way he got very comfortable with the feel of the saddle and the stirrups dangling at his side. Being able to communicate with each other on the ground meant that Prince became to trust me as a leader - not an easy task, but over the last couple months we developed a huge amount of trust together.

When I first sat in the saddle on Prince, he felt like a tense bomb ready to go off. He was so incredibly nervous - I couldn't imagine asking him to walk forward when he wasn't even comfortable with me sitting there. It was easy to feel how the previous 'trainer' would have ran into such problems - Prince was very tense, and asking a very tense horse to go forward usually means you get a lot more energy and movement then you might want!

Because he was so tense, I practiced a lot of getting up and down from the saddle, and just sitting in the saddle waiting for him to take a deep breath and relax. It took some time, but he is much more relaxed and I can easily mount up from both sides and take Prince around the ring at the walk. He also is very good at steering, halting, and backing up.

For his first trot, I had an assistant lead me. This is because Prince is a very nervous horse, but he finds a lot of comfort and reassurance when someone is on the ground. To start with my assistant had a lead rope attached to Prince's rope halter, and he ran with me at the trot. We did just a few steps of trot to start with, and then we worked up to longer stretches of the ring. I practice both sitting trot and posting trot, and it was a pleasant surprise that Prince stayed quite relaxed and calm.

Next came the assistant letting me off the lead rope - and I have to admit I was a smidge nervous... I took a few deep breaths and tried to relax. Horses can sense when you are nervous which will make the horse nervous, so it is so important to stay relaxed and confident. Our first trots offline were trotting toward my assistant. We did just a few steps and worked up to long sides of the arena. Prince was quite relaxed and being extremely great!

One big key to my success is that I always allow Prince to stop or slow down if he wants to - this is because I am so happy if Prince decides to stop or slow down if he gets nervous, instead of take off bucking. I want Prince to know he will never get in trouble for feeling nervous and wanting to stop. I simply gently correct him and ask him to keep moving, but if he feels tense I will allow him a few moments to relax first.

Yesterday was my third time trotting on Prince, but the first time trotting on him without having an assistant on the ground for comfort. Prince was incredibly relaxed! I just did a couple trots and then to reward him I dismounted and took him for a walk. I am so happy with the progress he is making - although it can be frustrating that progress is much slower with a horse that has 'trust issues', it is so rewarding to see those issues be overcome!