Trail Training Newsletters
I have been posting my newsletters here, but I don't know if I will be able to keep it up. My emplyer has been blocking my access to this sight. Every now and then, I can get through (like today.)
Anyone interested in reading my newsletters can sign up for them on my website, and then I will e-mail them to you monthly.
My address is www.trailtrainingforthehorseandrider.com
Trail Training Newsletter - #88 - part 3
The River
The river, often the thorn in our side, has been very cooperative, lately. We can see the bottom and are crossing without any problems. Some of the crossings improved over the winter, too. Life is good.
Other people in the neighborhood, who are new to the area or have new horses, are now training their horses to cross-or in some cases-their mule. Katy the mule moved into the barn, and her stall is right next to Mingo. They are in love, and it is really cute when they roll simultaneously in their stalls and how Mingo watches over her when she lays down to sleep. They are buddies.
Katy crossed the river a few times last year, but only if her rider led her. Well, over the winter, her opinion of rivers hasn't changed a bit. Rather than fight, her riders lead her across and mount on the other side. She's fine crossing back on the way home, of course. The other night, we were riding home and intercepted Katy. Andy was riding her. Instead of riding across to get back home, even though he knew that she could do it, he dismounted and stood with her in the water for a while so she could get used to it. I'm sure, in time, she'll be happy to cross the water, since her riders are being so patient with her.
Another man that we know was riding a horse that belonged to his friend last fall. This horse was new to the trail. Ellen saw him riding across him across the water, and the horse must have figured the water was filled with piranhas. He bucked across the water to the other side. My sister said it was a fine example of a very balanced rider.
We were coming back from a ride last weekend, and we saw our friend trying to lead the horse into the water. He persuaded him in, slowly, and led him here, there and in circles. We didn't want to get in the way, so we just stayed on the far side and watched. He finally crossed. The horse did just fine-much better than the last time Ellen saw him. He got into the saddle, and we told him to have a nice trail ride. He replied, "Oh no, we're done. We're going home." He brought him down to the river, splashed around and knew when to quit on a good note.
Sometimes in training a trail horse, you just have to get off and get your feet wet.
Trail Training Newsletter - #88 - part 2
Cruiser - a Few Weeks Later
Something has happened to my horse. We have been working the hill and, once the river went down, going on short trail rides. He just simply is not settling down.
Mingo is. Mingo is going faster than he did last summer, but he is controllable. Of course, there was that day that he leapt into the river instead of stepping into it-twice-Ellen said something about sounding like Shamu. I could forgive him for that, though. It was the first time at that river crossing since December. Then there was the time he just jumped straight up in the air, for no reason, with all four feet, but when he landed, he was fine. Overall, he is getting better with each ride. I'm sure in a few more weeks, he will be the old Mingo, once again.
The thing with Cruiser is that he's not settling down. He is getting faster with each ride. Probability it is because he is getting stronger. The other night, I was out riding with Kevin on Starry. I tried to slow Cruiser's trot down. Huge Starry couldn't keep up with little Cruiser, and kept trying to canter. There was no question as to whether we should canter or not. In the mood that Cruiser was in, cantering would have been galloping, and I'm too nervous to be doing that with his tendon at this point.
I thought that Cruiser's gradual slowing down over the last few years was due to his age. In a sense, it was. Insulin Resistance is usually an age related condition. The summer before Cruiser bowed his tendon-he never behaved so well in his life. I figured a horse in his upper teens wouldn't act the same as a horse in his prime. I was wrong. He just needed a change in his diet. I should have known better. My first horse, Brandy, was quite a handful up until he died at the age of 24. There was no slowing him down, either.
The best thing about an Insulin Resistant horse is there is another component, other than diet, in his lifestyle that helps with his condition. Exercise. The more I ride him the better, and I am more than happy to comply. Exercise causes the muscles to absorb insulin.
This gives me hope in another way. Mingo is such a quiet horse, I often wondered how slow he would get once he got older. Maybe he won't get any slower, and when he's in his twenties, he will still be unexpectedly jumping up in the air with all four feet for no good reason. I sure hope so.
Trail Training Newsletter - #88 - part 1
Trail Training Newsletter - Volume 88
May 2008
Dear Readers,
Oh, we are having so much fun riding. It was such a long winter and late spring, that this year, we truly appreciate being able to get out and ride on the trail. April has been fairly dry, so we haven't even had problems with the river. We are working on building up their condition by gradually increasing the time, speed and duration of the rides. (A good point to remember-increase only one of them at a time.)
So now, Ellen and I are collaborating our vacation schedules. We started out with a couple days in the middle of May. We can't wait.
Looking for some awesome photos of Alaska and out west? My brother is a terrific photographer, and he is now offering some of his photos for sale. You can look at them at this website: www.rockylandscape.PhotoReflect.com
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Cruiser Starts to Canter
In early April, the vet came out to examine Cruiser's bowed tendon. The news was good, but not surprising. He had been doing very well working in the arena at a walk and trot. There has been no heat or swelling, and Cruiser showed much enthusiasm in his work.
The vet said that we didn't need him anymore unless Cruiser has a problem. The tendon looked great. We are now allowed to integrate some cantering into our program, and we can go down trail. I was thrilled to hear this.
At our next opportunity, we headed for the hill. I brought Ellen along on foot. I know I could have done it by myself, but I just like to have Ellen along. Cruiser was very happy to leave the driveway and head down the street. We walked down the hill and trotted the flat stretch at the bottom. He trotted very fast and was quite excited.
Our hill doesn't go straight down. It is level at the beginning, goes down a slope, is level in the middle, goes down a slope and is level at the bottom to the river. We can trot and canter on the level areas. I used to do it on the slopes, too, but not since he bowed his tendon.
We did two trips, and since we had been doing trotting, I was ahead of Ellen. I figured I would try our first canter when she wasn't looking. She didn't know we were going to do it. I didn't want to tell her because I didn't want her to worry.
We rode just past a muddy section, and I said the word. Cruiser's head went up in surprise and away we went-very fast. I started to slow him down as I neared the end of the trail, and, much to my surprise, he dropped his head and tried to pull the reins out of my hands-swinging his head to the left and right, slowed down and tried to buck!
Since he didn't get his head, it wasn't much of a buck. I laughed. It has easily been a decade-maybe more-since Cruiser has tried to buck while I was riding him. He felt good, and he was trying to express it in the only way he knew how to. I had one happy horse.
He never tried anything like it last year when the vet originally told us we could canter before he reinjured his leg this winter. When I asked him to canter, then, he went slow and carefully. I think it is the new low carb, low sugar diet. He really is feeling better. We can tell just by looking at him-he looks younger. I guess it only make sense he feels younger, too.
I feel better, too. I have my Cruiser back.
Trail Training Newsletter - #87 - part 2
Spring Silliness, Again
Finally, I was able to get Mingo out on the trail. We have had such a rough winter-not so much with cold and snow. I can deal with that. The problem has been ice. I just don't like to risk the horses on an icy driveway.
I knew he would be hyper the first few times. For as quiet a horse that Mingo is, he can't resist the excitement of getting on the trail after a long break-and the excitement of going back home. The first time I took him out in March, the footing was a very slippery and snowy. It meant walking only, which wasn't a bad idea anyway on the first time out. We walked slowly down the hill to the frozen river, turned around and walked quickly back up. Not too bad.
We turned around and walked slowly down, again started back up. At the foot of the hill, he tends to misbehave. It is the steepest part of the hill. I think he has the idea that it is best to charge up it. Sure enough, he tucked his head, grunted and did one of the classic huge Mingo bucks that he is so famous for. They make me look like such an accomplished rider. Honestly, they are very easy to ride because they are so straight and clean. His buck feels no different than a large canter leap.
From then on, he kept trying to trot. It was the last thing I wanted since it was so slippery. I knew that if I did trot him one trip up the hill, it would settle him right down for the rest of the ride, but I just didn't think it was safe. Usually, in a situation like this, I would turn him around and make him go back down the hill. I did this a few times, but with all the snow, I was unsure where the trail edge ended and where the drainage ditch that runs alongside the trail began. I used an alternate technique. I would ask him to walk a few steps and then ask him to stop and stand-hopefully before he started to trot. In the beginning, I had trouble, but eventually, I was able to stop him before he started trotting.
It took a lot longer to get to the top of the hill, but by that time, he was walking. We went home.
The following weekend, we had a huge, huge snowstorm, so trail riding was out. Something else happened that weekend-daylight savings. I now had time to ride on the trail in the evenings after work.
As soon as the snow melted enough to be able to negotiate the trails, I took Mingo out for a trip down the hill for an evening ride. Since the snow was melting, it was very slippery, so I had to stay at a walk. Once again, on the way home, Mingo disagreed with me. I sighed. As we headed up the hill, he kept trying to trot, so I started to work on walk/halt transitions. It worked much faster this time. Halfway up the hill, he decided walking was a better idea. I must confess I was a little nervous when we got to the herd of deer just off to the side of the trail. In his mood, one sudden move from them would make him go flying. I did more transitions-trying not to startle the deer, and he was fine.
When we got nearly to the end by the street, he started trotting. No way was he going to get away with that. We turned around and went back down the hill. (Actually, I planned to do it again, anyway.) We didn't go as far as the deer herd, though. Rather, we turned around and headed back up.
He tried to trot again at the top, so I decided to just work the top of the trail for a bit-I wanted to ride longer, so it worked out fine for me. Finally, he did that section of the trail perfect, and we went home.
Springtime is a rough time for all of our horses. I can't ride Cruiser in the snow because the vet wants him to wear eggbar shoes to support his bowed tendon, but when I get him out, I'm sure I will be experiencing a similar situation with him. I know Ellen has gone through it with Ranger in the last few weeks. It didn't help her when a huge tree branch fell right behind Ranger. The horses will be even worse when we start riding them together.
I honestly think that one of the reasons we have more problems than most people is because we like to ride our horses fast. If we walked them all the time, and that is all they knew, they wouldn't get so excited. Since we trot and canter so much-which is no problem at all once they settle down-they anticipate going faster-and love it. This is a small price to pay for all those wonderful canters down the trail that we get the rest of the year.