The Trail

We would often complain that our farm was just perfect except for the lack of suitable trails.  Riding in the arena and the pastures can get so boring.

I told you before about a neighbor who allowed us to ride on his property here.  It is a nice change of pace but not really a trail.  It is just an out and back type deal and is over and done with in about 15 minutes.

This weekend, though, we struck gold.  You see that red line below?  That is a small four-wheeler trail that I talked about last summer here.

Over the fall, two huge trees fell over that trail and we hadn’t ventured back.  Then, just last week, some property sold and a house was being built so an access road had to be built for the tractors and backhoes and whatnot to make it to the lot.  We were able to take our horses back to where we had been last summer and I guess the leaves are a little thinner because where our adventures normally ended (that red line indicates the path from our home to the end of the trail.  Note that most of that distance is on the street, not in the woods!) they actually just began.

Buck saw just through some high bushes a dirt road and we uncovered a maze of trails that has made our life 1000x better.  Seriously.  Life changing.

I’m talking about miles of trails that are well-cleared and wide.  Google Maps gives this dirt road a name, so we’re thinking it is a public road, but there is not a house nor camper nor trailer to be seen.  Just miles and miles of wide, lovely paths.  The purple lines in the photo above shows the plethora of trails we explored this weekend.  Two of them end up at a peninsula where the horses can go right down to the water and drink!

Slightly rolling hills and curving trails keep it all interesting and just perfect for trotting and cantering.  There are about 3-4 low spots with a stream and some puddles that kept our days exciting.

We uncovered all this on Saturday and were giddy with excitement anticipating the Sunday ride.  We had such a perfect ride – beautiful weather, well behaved horses, and exciting stuff to do.

The only thing we need to work on, and we’ll be back to the trail plenty to do so, is teaching our horses not to jump over the stream that leads to the dirt road.

Gelding Games with Cinco and Poppy

Nearly every day lately I look out the window or walk into the barn and see a variation of tag going on between Cinco and Poppy.  The first time Buck and I saw them play were just stood dumbfounded with grins on our face, so happy to see these guys enjoying each other so much.

If Cinco wanted to hurt Poppy he totally, totally could.  But as you can see from the video, Cinco only hints at bucks and kicks, totally knowing he can’t follow through.

Before Cinco moved in with us his favorite pasture mate was a blind miniature horse, a little bigger and certainly less playful than Poppy.  When we got Poppy we hoped Cinco would have a similar attachment to him.  It took months before they bonded like this, but now I’m so, so thrilled they seem to be such buddies!

 

Rank No Bit Bridle Review

While were were at Equine Affaire this year, I made it a point to look for bitless bridles.  I was hoping to talk to people about them, check out how they’re working for them, and see what types of bridles were on the market these days.

Cinco was started in a Dr. Cook’s bitless bridle upon recommendation from Buck’s sister and Cinco’s former owner, Patti.  In fact, Cinco has never had a bit in his mouth in his whole life.

Patti had me start in a bitless bridle for a few reasons.  I think the first was because I was a novice rider and she didn’t want anyone yanking on bits inside her horses’ mouths.  Now, a much more experienced rider than I was then, I feel sure I have much more quiet hands that I would have back then, but still have had no use to transition to a bit.

The type of riding we do is super casual.  We don’t show.  We ride around the house; we trail ride.  I’m not concerned about collection with Cinco.  That information might be relevant to some horse people.

Lucy, our mare, was started in a bit with Patti but when she came to us she arrived with a Dr. Cook’s bridle as well and hasn’t had a bit in her mouth since living with us.

Buck and I, having not ridden significantly using bits in horses in general OR our horses, cannot really compare bitless riding to bitted riding.  We know our horses turn left, turn right, and stop.  They “give to the bit” although there is no bit, and they flex their heads left and right when asked.

Life long learner that I am, though, I couldn’t resist checking out Doug Rank and his bridles at the Equine Affaire expo.  He was the only bitless bridle booth present other than Dr. Cook’s.  The difference, though, is that Doug designs and makes his bridles – the original Dr. Cook was not present at its booth.

I informed Doug that he didn’t need to convert me to a no-bit riding style, as he probably has to do for most customers, and that I just wanted to know why his bridle was better than what I currently use.  He piqued my interest enough that we bought bridles for both Lucy and Cinco.  Doug happily even made Lucy’s custom to fit her smaller Arab face.

My review is going to be divided into three parts: Doug and his craftsmanship, the bridle while riding, and a strict comparison to Dr. Cook’s.

Doug is awesome.  He is genuine and honest.  He cares about horses.  I watched him hand-tie these bridles and he does a meticulous job.  The craftsmanship is sound and there are no secrets.  He patiently gives people his rationalization for developing this type of bridle and his progression from other bitless bridles (novals, bosals, Dr. Cook’s).

Cinco transitioned into the Rank bridle easily from the Dr. Cook’s.  The bridle is extremely adjustable.

There are two knots on the sides of his face with nice ropekeepers for keeping the tails tucked in.  Doug instructs you to adjust the bridle so that the noseband is about 2″ from the corner of the horse’s mouth.  The throat-latch is also adjustable and my bridle has a handy clip that makes it easy to connect and disconnect.  The brow band is optional and we opted for it.  It is a little baggy on Lucy’s smaller head but fits Cinco perfectly.

The nose band has  a spring-release action to it.  When pressure is released by the rider, the nose band literally pops open, relieving the horse of any signal or pressure.  The reins ride through a metal lined ring on the noseband so that there is little friction or delay when giving or releasing signals.

These two options (spring release and the metal lined rings) are upgrades on the bridle and I highly recommend them.  I haven’t ridden without them but they make total sense.

The noseband stays put and is not pulled up the face of the horse as Dr. Cook’s was when I would ask the horse to whoah.  Cinco’s stop is much cleaner with this bridle and I’m able to use less pressure and aid with the Rank bridle.  The signals must be so clear to the horse – there’s no confusion or fighting.

The appearance of this bridle is much more casual than the Dr. Cook’s.  Doug did say, however, that he is developing a leather bridle for sale in the future.  Since we are not showing and I’m not a showy person anyway, I don’t mind the casual appearance of the rope bridle.  The Rank Bridle looks distinctly western while Dr. Cook’s looks sleek and English.  These are just facts – not opinions on whether one is better than the other in terms of looks.

The Rank Bridle can be converted easily to a rope halter by running the rein rings through the back of the throat latch (hard to explain but check it out on Doug’s site linked above!) which is handy as well.

All in all, Cinco and I were very happy with the switch.  I grab for my Rank No Bit Bridle before grabbing for the Dr. Cook’s, so there’s my opinion, loud and clear!

Buck likes his Rank Bridle with Lucy as well.  Lucy is a fussy girl, so in full disclosure, she had a lot of head tossing the first few times she rode in her new bridle, but she is now over her fit and happily plodding along in her new no bit bridle.

Conquering Fear in Horsemanship

There is a bed and breakfast in Georgia that Buck and I ADORE and have visited for years – long before we were horse owners or even dreamed of actually owning horses.  When you stay there you ride twice a day on the farm’s wonderfully trained horses through hundreds of acres of pastures and wooded trails.  Even then – on these proven, safe horses, I had fear.

I wanted to ride and loved the vacation but I was scared.  I was scared while brushing the horses, walking the horses, riding the horses.

When we got Lucy and Cinco, two years ago now, I was scared of them.  It didn’t take long, however, living full time with them to realize that I could not fear them and care for them properly.  Easily, my fear on the ground of them went away.  This was a time when Buck didn’t yet live with me on the farm and our farm was not fully enclosed as it is now.  Faced with the challenges of squeezing Cinco in and out of pastures to take him to the barn to build weight on him, I learned that I must not fear Lucy’s escape or dominance.

Fear on the ground is not something that most horse owners have, though.  Fear in riding is a different story.  I was truly shocked to see how many people showed up at Equine Affaire 2013′s session on conquering fear in horsemanship by Ken McNabb.

I won’t say that I was a fearful rider.  I certainly, however, have had some scary things happen to me while riding (even recently, even on our oldest – best trained, perhaps? – mare).  Still, I thought I could learn from this seminar.  Since returning from EA, I have ridden with a much greater sense of confidence – I am not sure if that stems from the riding lessons I witnessed or this seminar, but I’m going to collect my thoughts regarding fear in riding below based on what I’ve learned from Ken McNabb and what I feel.

1) Horses are flight animals.  They run away from stuff.  They are NOT going to attack you.  They are not going to sneak up on you and ambush you.  People think this might happen.  It won’t.

2) You cannot be fearful of something that has not yet happened.  You can’t freeze and lock up because you think your horse is going to throw you.  If your horse has never thrown you, there is no reason to think your horse will.  If your horse has never run off with you, do not assume it will.  It is a waste of emotion to fear something that obscure.

3) Have an escape route.  If your horse does have a habit to fear, have a PLAN for what you are going to do should the need arise.  This could be a well-practiced one rein stop, an emergency dismount, and mental headset.

4) When you tense up in fear, so does your horse.  Your horse, however, doesn’t realize you are scared of him.  So now you are sitting on a horse, scared, and your horse is scared, and freaking out over the environment looking for what HE should be scared of.

I remember the first time I fell off.  It was scary but then it was great.  Here’s why: you can fall off your horse a lot and survive.  Sometimes you fall off and don’t even hurt yourself.  We aren’t that fragile.

When you lose fear and don’t get lost to fear, your riding greatly improves and I’ve seen the results in just a boost of confidence I received from EA.

Overarching themes of Equine Affaire 2013

I found it interesting to note the themes running through the presenters’ clinics throughout Equine Affaire.  Regardless of the content of the clinic or presentation the same ideas weaved in and out of the message.

I would say the first theme was Natural Horsemanship.  Though many people have different interpretations of that term (and my interpretation includes not using a bit while every presenter I saw did use a bit, even severe ones) this is definitely a trend of horse training that is loud and clear.  Julie Goodnight, Kerry Kuhn, Ken McNabb, and Sean Patrick all worked on a pressure-release style of horsemanship that was nice to see.  When viewing all of these clinics it is reassuring that everyone has the same fundamental interpretations of how horses should be trained and treated.

I was especially proud of Kerry Kuhn who openly bashed severe bits AND removed needless spurs from one of his participants in the clinic.  Go Kerry!

Another topic running strong throughout the clinics was the concept that reins don’t control speed.  It was abundantly clear that though the classical ways of teaching a person to ride a horse include 1) kick the horse to go and 2) pull back on the reins to stop, these are the least effective techniques for influencing the speed of your horse.

Julie Goodnight taught us about the 3 pronged way to stop your horse: voice, then seat, then reins.  With enough training the reins become needless.  I have started working on this technique with my greenbroke Cinco and he is stopping without pulling on the reins!

Sean Patrick is a John Lyons trained trainer, which especially interests us since Buck’s sister is a John Lyons certified trainer as well.  He gave a lecture on ‘controlling speed in the backcountry’ with steering techniques that definitely seem to get undue speed under control.  He taught me how little one needs to move the reins to get a response from a horse – even an unfinished and novice-trained horse like my Cinco.

Kerry Kuhn’s biggest message was “if your horse needs to move, let him move!  Force him, however, to move in the direction you choose.”  This concept was novel to me – allowing the horse to run off or trot off – as long as you, as the rider, determine the direction he takes.  This piggybacks on the fundamental nature of horses that requires them to do what they can to conserve energy, ie. rest!  A horse does NOT want to run continuously and given the correct set of options from the rider, that horse will choose not to.

Pulling back on the reins is a HUGE issue when stopping a horse.  Haven recently ridden a run-away horse than ended in a big fall, this was particularly useful to me.  Constant pressure on the reins gives the horses something to bear down against and run harder with.  Giving them rein actually slows them down!

I tried this idea of giving rein to the horse to slow the animal this week in the arena with Cinco.  We were cantering off down the long side of the arena and I recognized in myself choking up on the reins and noticed Cinco speeding up.  I immediately shoved my hands forward toward his head, loosened my reins, and he slowed.  Brilliant.  It will be difficult to remember this fact in a situation where the horse is out of control and not in a confined arena, but hopefully it will become second nature.

Next I’ll be talking about Ken McNabb‘s session on conquering fear in horsemanship.

Look at me

Buck and I were amazed at the Equine Affaire with a simple task Julie Goodnight required of the horses she was working with.  Keep in mind that we were in an indoor warehouse type building with people in stadium seats, taking pictures, talking, plus people moving in and around the vendors.  In my mind, this is a recipe for a disastrous display of horses.

(A lot of these horses, by the way, had never been in such circumstances and ended up being just fine, which shows how your leadership truly influences their behavior.)

Julie took this mare, Abrey, from a calm but curious, inquisitive, looking-all-around horse being to a steadfast, focused partner.

It took 5 minutes.  Then she had a 9 year old girl do it.

We were truly underestimating the degree to which our horses could behave.

Julie says that when you are with your horse your horse’s feet should not move FOR ANY REASON and the horse’s head should not drift beyond the plane of its two shoulders.

Our mare, Lucy, is the queen of stepping around during tacking-up, and the always observant and watchful mare, looking ALL AROUND all the time.  We thought it was okay because she was the lead mare (although we know the moving around while saddling was wrong) but Julie convinced us otherwise.

When we got home we simply took Cinco and Lucy into the arena with halters and a 12 foot lead line and forced them to stand still without looking around.  We did it by simply snapping the lead line whenever they moved a foot or looked around for the other horses in our herd.  Within 5 minutes, they were trained to stop and stare at us face to face without looking around.  Amazing!

For more information, visit Julie’s site here.

Equine Affiare 2013

Buck and I ventured to Ohio from South Carolina to visit the biggest horse related expo in the United States, Equine Affaire.

  (Julie Goodnight tells Abrey she’s boss)

We are back now with our minds full of knowledge, chomping at the bit (or, bitless bridle in our household) to get out into the arena with our horses, eager to use our new purchases and newfound information.

Over the next few weeks I will be giving reviews of items we purchased, most notably the Rank No-Bit Bridle, as well as reviewing the take home messages we learned from three top-of-the-field horse trainers: Julie Goodnight, Kerry Kuhn, and Ken McNabb.