Level 1 Parelli Clinic at Nebo

 

Last weekend I spent a fantastic two days at a Parelli clinic at Nebo, about an hour from Mackay.  The clinic was run by Parelli instructors Carmen Smith and Rob McAuliffe.

As it has been around 12 years since I last attended a Parelli clinic, I started again with level 1.  The games have changed a bit, and the progress seemed a bit slower than I remember – we didn’t ride at all during the two days – but so thorough.  My aim for the weekend was to really connect with Tana, and after two days of games, I feel that I did.

Both Carmen and Rob are very inspirational, as well as seeming like really lovely people.  Carmen was my main instructor, as Rob worked mainly with the higher level students,  and the way she could get any horse to listen to her within  a matter of seconds was amazing.  Here she is with Tana.

I have been very motivated to work my way through the Parelli program online, and have been paying the games with Tana this week and working my way through the online tasks.  Today as well as a figure of 8 around two cones we worked on circling and touching things with her nose (zone 1) during the driving game.  They both need a little more work, but Tana is very good at backing up, and I sent her backward though a gate and between a tractor and a fence with no problems.

Tana was definitely more relaxed on the trail ride today, and much more responsive to me.  I rode out with a friend and her horse (Saxon, an ex-racehorse), who had also attended the Nebo clinic, and both horses were great. We had no issues at all, and I rode Tana on a very loose rein most of the time.  She loved going through the dam, and had a big splash.  After our ride we took the horses back to the dam for a play.

Saxon loved it!  Tana splashed but didn’t roll, which had been my worry when I was riding her.  She did eat a bit of pond weed though!

Another fabulous day (it’s Show Day here so a day off) and more motivated than ever to progress with the Parelli Program. 

Deb xx

A Long Weekend of Riding & Puppies

It’s a long weekend here, for the Queen’s Birthday, and what a better way to celebrate than by doing something the Queen loves – horse riding!

I went on another trail ride yesterday, after a bit of work in the round pen and grooming.  I even got all of the burrs out of Tana’s mane – baby oil works wonders!

When I arrived the ponies and Tana were all happily grazing in the paddock, as a large eagle soared overhead and landed in a tree above them.  I managed to take a photo.

L_R Tana, Presence, Biggles and Spirit (eagle in top corner).

And I get to go riding again today – yeah!

I have only managed to get one of the girls to come with me, as we have a little distraction in our house.

Diva the border collie puppy arrived yesterday, and is 8 weeks old.

I have set up a puppy play pen in the lounge room, with her house, water and toilet.  We have a huge amount of Parvovirus around at the moment, so she isn’t allowed outside until after her 12 week shots. Having lost a puppy to parvo before we are a bit paranoid.

Of course with four children in the house she hasn’t spent much time in the play pen yet.  But she will when we are all off to work and school on Tuesday.  I plan to come home oat lunch time and check on her and feed her, and my eldest daughter gets home from school at 3pm, so she won’t be alone too long.

Last night she was quiet all night, and I was so impressed.  Then my ten year old told me she had slept with Diva on the couch most of the  time.  Not so impressed!

Anyway, wish us luck.

Deb

First saddle & First trail ride

 

I found my perfect saddle! A swinging fender from HP Australia – on ebay for $600, and only used once.  It came with everything but the girth, including the saddle pad.  I borrowed a girth today, and had my first ride in my new saddle– and my first trail ride on Tana.

I am still getting used to girthing the western way, as there are no buckles like on English style saddles.  It is definitely very secure though.

The saddle is very comfy, and I felt very secure.  The weather was perfect and we had a lovely ride, at just a walk and very relaxed.  Tana did well, even when we met some cows, and she splashed through the edges of the dam quite happily.  

I have ordered a girth, monkey grip and saddle bag from HPs website.  I have also ordered a fly/shadecloth rug for Tana off ebay to help keep some of the burrs off her.  Even though it’s winter here it not’s very cold – the days are t-shirt friendly and the nights don’t get below 7 C.  I am not really a rug person, but these burrs are horrible.  The rug is also great for keeping off bugs, including ticks, and acts as a sunscreen.  I also aim to get her a face mask in a few months to protect her white blaze from the sun.

Anyway, hopefully the rain will stay away and I will get to ride again on Saturday.  Mind you I will be a little busy – we have a new four legged family member on the way.  Watch this space!

Deb

Buying my first saddle

 

It’s a difficult choice, buying a saddle. Having been someone that has ridden horses whenever and wherever I could, I have ridden on many types of saddles common in Australia. I know there are many different types available world wide, and you can see a great collection at the Narrawin Stud Website. Do I have a favourite though?  Not really.

Traditional Western saddles are comfortable, but so heavy (anywhere from 35 to 70 lbs) , and seem to take ages to put on.  Some new lighter weight versions are available (25 to 32 lbs). The design was originally based on the Spanish saddle of the conquistadors, which in turn came from the Moors who had conquered Spain, and then modified over generations by  Spanish and Mexican Vaqueros or charros - the first America cowboys.

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All purpose, English style saddles are lighter, and quite comfy, but I don’t always feel secure. they were designed specifically to allow the horse freedom of movement, whether jumping, running, or moving quickly across rugged, broken country with fences, for things such as fox hunting, hacking and military use.

Stock saddles are a bit of a mix of both, and feels a bit more secure than the all purpose saddle with knee pads, panels and fenders, larger stirrups, and deeper seat and higher cantle.  I do have a stock horse, so this may be the saddle with the best fit too.

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I do love the idea of the Parelli hybrid saddle, but at nearly $4000 I might wait a bit. 

HP Australia also has a great swinging fender saddle which looks similar, and is a bit cheaper at around $1,400, and is said to have a very secure seat. 

I am keeping an eye out for a second hand saddle on ebay to start off with.  My conditions are size (17 inch for my large bum), and preferably black and under $700.  That’s about it.  I’ll post an update soon.

Happy trails, Deb

A sunny day, chooks & a new paddock

 

Finally a sunny day.  I spent an hour getting mud off Tana, and then an hour recovering from an asthma attack caused by all the dust.  But at last she’s clean.  We rode in the arena and up and down the little nearby hill for about an hour.  The moveable chook pen concerned  her a little, so we attacked it from different angles, and after riding had another look and a graze nearby.  I think she’s over her fear!

I spent time getting to know her, as she’s only been here a few weeks, and with her sore leg we haven’t done much riding.  We even did a little trotting, and I felt quite secure in the swinging fender saddle I was using.  Not mine, but I have bought one on ebay and it should be here soon.   Exciting!

After our ride I gave her a hose down, seeing it was such a sunny day. She didn’t mind the hose at all, and even drank from it.  Then it was into her new paddock.  It’s larger, and with less mud, and has some paddock mates – miniatures Presence and Toby.

They have been on opposites sides of the fence for a few weeks, so hopefully they will get on alright.  Tana certainly felt right at home.

It will be interesting to see if she is still easy to catch in this new paddock.  I’ll find out soon!

Happy trails,

Deb

What is Natural Horsemanship?

 

I am attending a Parelli Super Course natural horsemanship weekend in a few weeks (at the Nebo showgrounds near Mackay), run by licensed Parelli professionals Carmen Smith and Rob McAuliffe.

What is natural horsemanship?

Basically I believe that Natural horsemanship is the idea of working sympathetically with a horse in order to obtain cooperation while avoiding fear- and pain-based training methods.

Some well-known trainers considered to be practitioners of natural horsemanship in the late twentieth century include: Tom and Bill Dorrance, Ray Hunt, John Lyons, Buck Brannaman, Monty Roberts, and  of course, Pat Parelli.

John O’Leary at Horse problems Australia has a detailed history of natural horsemanship on his site, particularly from an Australian point of view.

Like many other forms of horse training (clicker training for example) operant conditioning is the core concept of natural horsemanship, this time in the form of pressure and releases. The basic technique is to apply a pressure of some kind to the horse as a “cue” for an action and then release the pressure as soon as the horse responds, either by doing what was asked for, or by doing something that could be understood as a step towards the requested action, a “try”. Timing is everything, as the horse learns not from the pressure itself, but rather from the release of that pressure, and by reinforcement of the action. As well as knowing how to use pressure and release, body language of the trainer is also key, like how to use your eyes, how to place your body, as well as your tone of voice or lack of voice.

My aim as a new horse owner is gain the respect and trust of my horse so that we will have good relationship and I will be able to ride her safely and with confidence. I think that learning and practicing natural horsemanship is key to this, as is learning how to create the best environment and lifestyle for my horse. To this end I am also looking at paddock care and set up, tack, hoof care and trimming and diet.

There are many natural horse women around too!

In Australia

Cynthia Cooper at my favourite site, Natural Horseworld ,is a Natural Horsemanship Instructor, based in Tasmania, and was previously was a Parelli Instructor and has been teaching Natural Horsemanship for the last 10 years.

Georgia Bruce is from Kuranda in Far North Queensland (about 8 hours of north of where I am in Mackay). She has represented Australia in Dressage on eight occasions, most recently at the 2008 Paralympic Games.  She specializes in training young horses and retraining problem horses and gives lessons and clinics around Australia , and has founded Click with Horses horse training website.

Jenny Pearce in Victoria is an advanced kinesiologist, a master of reiki healing and a Melchizideck master and helps both horses and riders.

Fire Horse Inspirations is the website of Michelle Harris, a South Queensland based horse trainer who is amazingly inspirational. Her displays with up to nine horses at liberty at one time, are extraordinary.

Carmen Smith is a licensed Parelli professional based in Cairns, North Queensland, and has been involved in the Parelli program for the last 15 years, including 5 years working at the Parelli Centres in the USA & the UK. Carmen runs clinics throughout Australia, and has a passion for helping students to live their dream with their horse.....to be able to understand how your horse, thinks, acts and plays.

Wrangler Jayne is an internationally respected natural horsemanship instructor, having been influenced mainly by Pat Parelli, and master horseman, Australian Philip Nye.  Jayne is a dedicated advocate of bare hooves, bit-free communication and natural, holistic horse keeping, and does not lend her support to organisations or industries that exploit the horse’s rights, such as horse racing and rodeos. 

In New Zealand

Hertha James at Safe Horse teaches natural horsemanship for safe horse ownership, as well as clicker training.

In the UK

Rio Barrret of Oakwood horsemanship studied Parellis’ Natural Horsemanship programme for several years, both in the UK and at his ranch in Colorado, USA. She passed my Level 3 and in 2001 and graduated as an instructor in Parelli Natural Horsemanship, later chosing to work independently, teaching and demonstrating all over the south of England.

Kelly Marks at Intelligent horsemanship is a protégée of Monty Roberts.

Lynn Henry is the founder of Think like a pony, and author of natural horsemanship books aimed at children. She is has studied and trained with some of the leading figures in horsemanship and is a horse and human healer, having qualified as a horse Iridology practitioner and a Shiatsu for horses .

In the US

Karen Rohlf at Dressage, naturally, trained over 20 years in dressage with Anne Gribbons ('O' dressage judge, International Grand Prix trainer and competitor) and studied Parelli Natural Horsemanship

Leslie Desmond, is a horsemanship coach after Bill Dorrance, whose main goal is to teach others how to teach their students to develop a reliable partnership that is based on feel.

Now world wide, Tellington TTouch was developed by Linda Tellington and is a specialized approach to the care and training of our all animals, as well as for the physical and emotional well-being of humans

Liz Mitten Ryan is an expert in Horse Herd Language, natural horse training, therapy with horses, horse programs, equine programs and Horse and animal communication, as well as a talented artist, and also has a site dedicated to Natural Horse Friendship.

Centered Riding was developed by Sally Swift, author of the best-selling books and videos , and is now available internationally via lessons from Centered Riding instructors.

Stacey Westfall is a Freestyle Reining champion, currently building the Westfall Horsemanship approach to create a program that is efficient and effective — with resources to compliment the clinics such as DVDs and equipment.

There are so many websites and books, and so much information. Although I love the Parelli method, I think there is something to learn from every natural horseman or women out there, professional or not. 

My favourite natural horseman at present does not have his own method, training dvds or books, but has a great website and heaps of FREE training videos and info.  Not everyone likes him, as he is forthright and outspoken, especially against women who treat horses like pets and not horses, but I think he has a lot of great info.  Check out Rick Gore’s site at Think Like a Horse.

And as Rick says, Happy trails!

Deb

Stone bruises, hoof support & boots

 

Tana’s sore foot turned out to be a stone bruise and abscess, which while painful,  was pretty quickly fixed compared to the tendon problem we feared. It could have been caused by the change in  environment, moving from soft green pasture to a more rocky environment, as well as a change from a wetter to a drier environment, or she could have knocked her hoof during her travel up in the truck.  It could even have occurred before she arrived.

Once the abscess travelled 'up' the hoof and ruptured out the coronet band Tana was walking well. She has had soaks in epsom salts, poultices, magnetic boots on and antibiotics – everything really as I have not wanted to get her shod.  I know some people recommend shoes to prevent stone bruises, but they can also cause them.  Here is a great article about hoof problems in horses, and the author (Chrisann Ware,an Equine Myofunctional Therapist),  shares my view that horse shoes slowly deform horses’ hooves.

I am looking at getting Tana removable boots (like mine!) for when we go on trail rides, but in the meantime I am just building her (our) fitness with some gentle lunging and work in the round yard, and we might start gentle riding this week. All boots are different, and I would prefer to find a farrier who stocks boots so they can be tried on first.  There are many different brands and fastenings too.  

These velcro boots can also have extra fastenings added – see the Easycare range here - they start at about $87 each.

See the space age looking strap on renegade range here.  At around $130 a shoe, they come in a range of colours too, including red!

The Equine Fusion jogging shoe in red and black are around $225 a pair.

Cavallo have a few different boots too, at around $170 a pair.

Tana is taking well to her new diet, and has not lost any condition since moving here three weeks ago.  Hopefully the added nutrients, including sea weed meal, will improve the health of her hooves too.  I am also thinking of trying a hoof support supplement, such as this one from Easycare Downunder.

Bare hoof trimming is a real art, some may say science, especially when you start talking about things such as the correct alignment for the pedal bone.  I am only just starting to learn about it, and I would love to be able to trim myself one day.  Until then I aim to find out as much as I can about the correct way to trim, so that I can make sure whoever I use is doing a good job!

There are some great articles by Pete Ramey at Hoof Rehab.com,and when I am feeling richer I am going to get a copy of  Sarah Bell’s  How to Barefoot Trim for the Complete Beginner, which is available as an e-book for about $55. 

Happy trails

Deb xxx