Jack Begins Under Saddle Work

Make no mistake about it, Jack being three year old off the track, but never raced, racehorse, has been ridden and probably ridden hard and fast! And when we first brought him home, we did put a saddle on him and "rode" him - it was like being on a newborn baby giraffe; he couldn't keep from tripping on his feet, he had no idea where to put his head in the space of things, it's hard to believe that Swiss Yodeler is his dad!!!

So, we took the saddle off and began at the beginning...
Relaxation is the first element of the horse's education and the very foundation for all further training.

"Keep your horse happy. Happy horses don't get tense." The Elements of Dressage; A Guide for Training the Young Horse - Kurd Albrecht Von Ziegner.




The first serious work begins on the lounge line, and Jack has had many months on the lounge line, beginning with basic voice commands at walk, trot, canter; and recently work over ground poles and cavalletti, first in hand, then on the lounge line to loosen the back muscles and encourage relaxation. Jack is relaxed! Jack is laid back!! Ok..next!! Get him to pick up his feet. He is very sloppy at the walk, but when he picks up the trot, either on lounge line or as today, under saddle, he becomes....almost graceful and there is hope for dressage in his future!


Just look at him picking up that hind leg to step over the cavalletti! This is all new and exciting work for Jack!!

Max and Tango go on a Field Trip

Today, Jessika and I took Max and Tango to Fallbrook Riders Field for a change of pace. What a great place to ride, even in 96 degree heat!! Full size dressage arena, super-size stadium jumping arena and a cross-country course with every imaginable obstacle to maneuver up, over or around! A local field for local riders! We are very lucky to have it!

Anyhow, Tango was not on his best behavior. But Max, who just turned 20 yrs., and we've been working together as a team for 8 years, is really coming into his own. He is a fine horse, with his one (major) fault being he doesn't have great brakes! We keep working on it, but he just doesn't like to stop.......

At this time in his life, he has decided he likes to jump! So we're starting out together in a small way, jumping! I'm lovin' it, he's lovin' it!

But Tango, the young whippersnapper, has a ways to go!!

Visit From a "Snake in the Grass"

Look who we found crawling around Jack's hooves! A California King Snake. Luckily, Jack was totally nonplussed. I haven't seen one around in a while...must be the warmer weather bringing them out. Certainly, we are glad to see them here. First, you were right, Jesskia - they do eat venomous snakes such as the rattlesnakes that we also have around here! So that's always a good job to have. They also eat gophers and other pesky rodents who get into the horses' grain and dig horse-tripping holes in the ground. So let's hear it for the beautiful California King Snake!

Two Milestones for Jack

Been awhile since I've posted to this blog - been working on the Wild Horse Conservation blogsite.

Meanwhile, Jesskia's been faithfully working with Jack, trying to get him to lift his feet and walk gracefully over a ground pole without clipping and stumbling each hoof as he drags it over the pole. Honestly, we were thinking "maybe dressage is too high an aspiration for this guy...if we can just get him out on trail without him falling over his feet, that would be good!" As you can see, Jack has had an "Ah ha!" moment!! Here he is trotting over a cavaletti with barely a brush of his hoof! So, we're all really proud of Jack.

And...we decided it was time for him to try playing with a friend. Jack has always been turned out alone because when he was first brought here, he did not play nicely with the other geldings. But he and Max have often sniffed noses at the fence and since the both have full shoes, it would be a fair fight if there was to be one, so Max joined Jack in the turn-out. They got along very well, and in fact, the encounter was rather unspectacular!

Here they are, seeing eye-to-eye............

Connor has a Rotated Coffin Bone...

Connor, the grey (white) thoroughbred in this photo was diagnosed with a rotated coffin bone this evening. We have been treating him over the last several weeks for various hoof ailments, but this certainly is the most severe! The bone has broken through the sole of his hoof and bleeding. We have it padded and wrapped, and waiting for Dr. Bender in the morning.

Horseback Riding Eases Back Pain and Boosts Confidence

A new study confirms that horseback riding boosts confidence and eases back pain. The study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, states that the main reason seems to be “that the movements transferred from the horse’s body to the rider are very like the body movements made by a person walking.”

“There are no excessive movements, but a continuous bilateral influence on postural balance that is enhancing balance reactions and the fine movements in the rider’s trunk,” said Hakanson, a researcher in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Goteborg University in Sweden.

"For those suffering from back pain, a horse at walk provides relaxing movements. Apart from the movement influence, the psychological effects of managing, communicating with and steering a large animal promote self confidence,” Hakanson said.

First Filly for Sulphur Springs Mustangs!

"Our first filly arrived in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Mom is the young grulla with the star. Filly is a red dun with a white Niki trademark instead of a star...??? She appears to be healthy and galloping circles around mom. The mare figured everything out and is a good mother; doesn't appear to be real nervous." - Kathleen Hayden, Coyote Canyon Caballos d'Anza.

Photographs by Kay Levie

Hey, Kathleen! I think you should call her Niki!!!

"Invader Zim" - This Pony Loves to Jump

This is a 5 year old Welsh pony that, as you will see, loves to jump. Once he gets going, there's no stopping him! We're just standing in the middle watching with delight as he obviously has an enjoyable jaunt over the obstacle course! Sweet as they come!

Nice...but where does the horse go?

Nice...but where does the horse go?

Movie of the Sulphur Springs Mustangs

Here's a little snippet of the documentary being filmed by the Fallbrook Film Factory on the American BLM Mustangs. This particular piece is of the newly rounded up (from Utah) Sulphur Springs mares, who will be part of a foundation herd to be reestablished here in southern California, under the auspices of the nonprofit group, Coyote Canyon Caballos d'Anza (See previous blog postings)

Begin Fly Attack - Now!!

I hate flies, and for the southern California horse owner, we are either in the mud season or fly season. Right now, we are in the small transition period from mud-to-fly season. Time to start bringing on the heavy artillery in the attack against flies!! My major weapon of choice: Solitude IGR by Pfizer, a feed through fly control product. I used it last year with great results. (I tried the fly predators the year before, but they just didn't work for me!). Yes, I still have to spray the horses when I bring them out to groom & ride, and they still wear fly masks for the occasional renegade fly, but for the most part, our fly population among 10 horses is drastically reduced.
And that's really good news when you have a busy riding stable full of children who hate the thought of even one fly landed on them!!