Tips of the Week

Excelling With Your Welsh Pony/Cob in the Show Ring

dr_ruth — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:38:00 GMT

Turn your pony out the best you can every time you go in the ring. In the Welsh ring, fancy equipment doesn’t carry more weight than workmanlike clean equipment, but good grooming and showmanship are always important. One of my pet peeves is in hand halters/bridles not fitting properly. Cavessons need to be in the correct place on the head or you can make a beautiful pony look very common. Remember to have fun. The people at the Welsh shows are very friendly and helpful and are quick to offer advice, help, and equipment if needed.

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From a Judge’s Perspective

gary_mullen — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Judges should be looking for the specific criteria that are mentioned in the rule books. Study your class specs! Are manners judged over type? Is excessive speed penalized at the hand gallop? Know your class specs! Obviously, every judge will have personal opinions based on their background and experiences. How can competitors stand out? The competitors that stand out to the judge are usually the ones that are most correct for whatever is being judged. The best grooming and tack will not make a poor moving horse, or a poorly trained horse stand out. Now, if you are riding one of many impeccable horses in the class, you may stand out more with superior tack, clothing and grooming. Well fitted clothing is very important.

Some judges really focus on the upward and downward transitions of every gait. Attention to transitions may help you stand out. Some judges are very adamant that a horse not look tense or intimidated, and may favor horses that appear happy and positive.

One common mistake in the show ring is to be unaware of your horse’s position relative to other horses in the rail classes. Practice at home in large groups, coming on and off the rail, or place cones around the arena representing horses to pass.

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Coordinated Grooming

jgoodnight — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:22:00 GMT

Grooming is a great time to get some exercise and develop the bi-lateral coordination and symmetrical strength that you need to become a better rider. Many riders have a strong dominant side—which can mean that the horses they ride also have a strong and weak side or direction. Strengthen right and left by grooming with both hands at once—you’ll strengthen both arms and make sure you can cue your horse with symmetrical strength.

Start with duplicate brushes: two curry combs, two stiff brushes and two soft brushes. Put a currycomb in each hand and start your normal grooming technique, using both hands in a “wax on, wax off” motion. If you normally make circles with the currycomb, make the same circles with both hands, starting with circling both hands inward then both hands outward. You’ll repeat the two-handed process with all your grooming tools.

Pick up your stiff brushes and repeat the process, using both hands equally as you flick the dirt out of your horse’s coat from his ears to his tail. Finally, you’ll use the soft brushes to bring the shine out in your horse, nose to tail. If you are right handed, make sure you use your left arm at least as much, if not more than the right; and visa-versa.

Double grooming will help you build strength on both sides of your body and will develop your coordination as well, making you more ambidextrous in the saddle. The added benefit is that your horse will get twice as much grooming and his coat will gleam. For more strength-building exercises, check out www.JulieGoodnight.com for volume three in the five DVD riding series, Perfect Practice: Exercises to Improve Your Riding.

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The Different Phases of Driving

Lisa — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:00:00 GMT

Dressage is probably the biggest challenge that drivers face. It is the hardest discipline for combined driving. But once you master that the rest is easy. In driving, I feel that there are many people in the sport for the fun of the marathon. I would have been included on that until I started to learn more and more about dressage and how important it is for all the other phases of combined driving. If you can somewhat master the dressage, marathon and cones are easy to tackle.

--Interview by Jeannie Blancq Putney

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Showing Affection to Horses

jgoodnight — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Before you start smooching on your horse, it may be useful to understand how horses show affection to each other. Mutual grooming (a.k.a. allo-grooming) is the primary affectionate behavior of horses that isn’t related to reproduction. Mutual grooming is a social, care-giving behavior. Young or adult horses that are buddies in the herd often show their affection by nibbling on one another’s withers and backs. Horses stand facing each other—close at the shoulder—to simultaneously groom each other in the areas hardest to reach alone: the crest of the neck, the withers, along the back, croup and dock of the tail.

When you want to show affection to your horse, stroke him with a massaging motion. Start along the crest of the neck and withers. This calms him and is proven to slow his heart rate and release soothing chemicals in his brain. It’s best to avoid kissing your horse on the lips. Being lip to lip is the same as biting for horses. It has a stimulating effect. You’ll see horses lip to lip when they’re fighting or aggressively playing.

Foals especially love to mutual groom and they love to be rubbed and have close bodily contact. Be careful you do not instill bad habits in your youngster by letting him move into your space to demand grooming; these habits won’t be so cute when he weighs 1,000 pounds. The dominant horse most likely begins any grooming session and he ends it by biting. So it’s best not to ever let a horse groom you back, since you don’t want him to become dominant. He’ll try to dominate by moving into your space, putting his mouth on you, and controlling your actions.

During the winter, or whenever you’ll have less riding time, it’s a good time to do more groundwork with your horse to establish a strong bond and learn more about behavior and your leadership of the horse. Check out my Complete Groundwork Package, including my DVDs on behavior and ground training exercises plus the training equipment you’ll need, at a great discount. Available from my website at www.JulieGoodnight.com

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Show Advice for First-Timers

Jannie Giles — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:00:00 GMT

When getting started showing horses, the best advice I can give the first-time exhibitor is to first go to horse shows as a spectator. Sit and watch as many classes as possible, observe how competitors enter the ring and how they place themselves amongst the other entrants. Constantly ask yourself questions. Which exhibitors stand out as being superior? What makes them have that special look? Are they performing all that is asked of them at the required gaits accurately? Are horse and rider turned out to perfection with that sparkling shine, appropriate attire and perfect fitting tack? Are horse and rider performing as one unit? How does each exhibitor handle mistakes? Is that top rider considerate of others? Do both horse and rider look like they are enjoying the ride? Then in your mind, place the class before the line-up, and see how close you come to the judge's decision. Use each class observed as a learning tool, learn by others' mistakes as well as their triumphs. Most importantly, be honest with yourself and your ability. Don't ever set unrealistic goals for yourself or your horse. Showing is not just about the ribbons. It is about camaraderie with your horse, your trainer or instructor, and your fellow exhibitors. The more fun you have along the way, the more successful you'll be. Enjoy the journey!

--Interview by Jeannie Blancq Putney

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Focus on Goals, Not Nerves

kristin_bachman — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:00:00 GMT

In competition, a huge factor to your success is your ability to handle nerves. Riders at every level get nervous so it’s important to learn how to deal with them. Being nervous takes away from your ability to think clearly, and performing what you are perfectly capable of doing. Everything changes at a show, so set goals when practicing at home to focus on when you get to the event. If you get some really good trot work at home, try to get a few of those steps at the show, whether in the ring, or in warm-up. Focusing on what you know you can do well will greatly help eliminate nerves.

--Interview by Leah Oliveto

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Teaching Pace

gmorris — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:11:00 GMT

Pace should be taught through miles per hour. If you ask riders how fast they’re going at a walk, one will say, “two miles and hour”; another says, “six miles an hour”’ and another says, “five miles an hour.” Well, a walk is approximately four miles an hour. We teach basic pace control and understanding by teaching miles per hour. We teach basic pace control and understanding by teaching miles per hour. It’s helpful to know roughly how many miles per hour at a walk and also, of course, at a trot, a canter, and a gallop. So, we teach pace rather than use terms such as “shorten stride,” “lengthen stride,” “impulsion,” and so on. A slow trot, a sitting trot, or, later, a collected trot is six miles an hour. A canter is approximately ten to twelve miles an hour. And a hand gallop is approximately fourteen to sixteen miles an hour. So the first thing we teach as a habit about pace control is learning to associate pace with miles per hour. Then we’ll work on increases and decreases—simple ones like trotting and stopping, sitting trot, posting trot, sitting trot, and canter. We never let beginners post into a canter or run the horse into a canter. We ask them to go from a slow rot into a canter. Later on, at a higher level, they go from a walk into a canter. So the increases and decreases are longitudinal controls. What about a simple lead change? That’s a longitudinal control.

Reprinted with permission from George H. Morris Teaches Beginners to Ride by George H. Morris, published by The Lyons Press

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Breeding the Welsh Pony/Cob

dr_ruth — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Keep a clear picture of what you want to breed. Study pedigrees and the successes of well-known breeders. Don’t be afraid to cull something from your breeding plan when it doesn’t work out. Don’t be “barn blind.” Remember it takes just as much to raise a mediocre pony as it does a superstar!

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The Good Competition Horse

tmcquay — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:06:00 GMT

You want a horse with a great mind, to start with. You can get a horse to do a lot, but if you can’t control it, that doesn’t help you either. My best advice there is to buy one that wants to be a show horse. There are just certain horses that just say, “I’m a show horse.” They’re not all that perfect individual every day, but having a nice horse that you can get along with, it sure does help. I would say find one that fits you, that you feel very comfortable on, that has smoothness of ride. Make sure that you enjoy being with that horse. You want a partnership. Make sure you enjoy feeding him. There are some quirky things you can put up with. For instance, people hate cribbers, yet some of the best horses I have won on have been cribbers. I don’t do much with them because it’s hard to sell them. But don’t throw it out of realm of possibilities.

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Heart, Temperament and Talent Make the Horse

gary_mullen — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:02:00 GMT

“Heart” is something that some great show horses have. Baroque breeds, and many other breeds are known to have this trait. You want a horse that has a good work ethic. Temperament is of the utmost concern. The temperament MUST be suitable for the temperament of the rider. Also, you must have a horse with talent for the respective event. It is often much easier to train a talented horse, the “natural,” the one built to do its job. Study the desirable conformation and temperament qualities for a dressage horse, a reiner, a Western pleasure horse. Every horse has its niche, but maybe not for the event you prefer. Be realistic; training can only go so far.

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Catch the Judges Eye

archie_cox — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:43:00 GMT

What judges look for is a neat, tidy, clean, confident picture. A beautifully turned out horse and rider stand out. It does not cost anything to be neat and clean; all that is required is a little extra elbow grease. A crucial part of presenting the perfect picture is ensuring your tack is well fitted and your saddle pads are clean and white.

--Interview by Leah Oliveto

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Benefits of Professional Help for Drivers

Lisa — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:13:00 GMT

Get some professional help so you do not make a mistake such as spending needless money on equipment that very soon you will realize that you need to sell and get the more appropriate thing. Then I advise drivers to volunteer to learn about the aspects of competing in a CDE.

--Interview by Jeannie Blancq Putney

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Save Your Horse’s Mouth, Stop with Your Seat

jgoodnight — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:57:00 GMT

You probably learned to “kick to go” and “pull to whoa” from the very start of your riding career. While this simplistic view of communicating with your horse may get you through the first few rides, you want to learn some finesse. While all the natural aids are important to master—seat, legs, hands and voice—your horse will feel your seat aids first. When you make sure that you’re using your seat correctly, you won’t have to pull so hard to make your horse whoa. Your refined and combined cues will save your horses mouth and ensure your horse gets your message as soon as possible.

No horse wants you to pull on the reins. Even with the lightest touch, your backwards rein cue means your horse feels metal in his mouth. What’s more, most horses want to stop; they’re fundamentally lazy and usually don’t need tons of rein pressure to stop. Your horse will be glad to stop when he feels your seat cue and before he feels pressure from the reins and bit. Sadly, most horses don’t know their riders want to stop until they feel a pull on their mouths. They haven’t been given the gift of a gentler aid given before a panicked pull on the reins. Learn to cue your horse in a sequence so he can learn to stop with subtle cues. Before you pull on the reins, make sure to say “whoa” and sit down on your pockets. This sequence—providing voice and seat aids before rein aids—will save your horse’s mouth and make him a happier, more willing partner.

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Putting in the Time

kristin_bachman — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:52:00 GMT

For amateur riders, the biggest challenge is finding time. Many riders have jobs, and riding is only a hobby. In this sport you really have to put in the time doing your homework, and spending quality time in the saddle. Part of being a successful event rider has to do with ensuring you are capable of going out and accomplishing what you set out to do. This comes from taking lessons, practicing what you’ve learned in lessons, and just getting to know your horse. It goes back to having a good trainer, someone who is qualified and has the time to ride your horse when you are unable to. Having your trainer ride your horse not only keeps him in shape, but helps him remember how to do his job correctly.

--Interview by Leah Oliveto

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