English Equitation - The Back Up

Here is Gabrielle backing her gelding Jesse at the end of their class. The following information can be applied to any class that you may be asked to back the horse, not just an equitation class.

Rider: Equitation
First I’d like to say Gabrielle’s position looks great. Her ear, hip, and heel are in perfect alignment. She has a nice soft bend in her elbow. I would also like to note how calm and relaxed she looks.

I would ask that she elevate her chin slightly, and look ahead instead of down at the horse. At home, it’s fine to glance down with your eyes, but while showing I like to see riders are able to feel the position on the horse rather than have to look and check the position. I would also say to shift her shoulders slightly back. By bringing her shoulders back (approximately one inch) that will help her lift Jesse up off of his forehand. When she brings her shoulders back slightly her hands will be a bit farther apart and be more effective. I like to see a riders hands shoulder width apart.

Horse:
Equitation refers to the rider, and the horse is not being judged per se, but if there is a tie between two equal riders, the one with the more correct horse will be placed above the other. A more correct horse will also showcase the rider better so we need to fix a few minor things with the horse as well.

When you look at Jesse, besides being cute and having a beautiful hair coat, his mouth is gaping because he is resisting his riders cue for the back up. If you look at the front legs of the horse it appears that he has most of his weight on his forehand. He is being heavy on the rider’s hands. This problem is fairly common with a lot of horses.

What I would like to see is the horse shifting his weight back onto his haunches, lifting his shoulders and becoming soft in the mouth as the rider asks him to back. During this process, the horse’s back will lift and his momentum will move backward instead of downward where it is headed in this picture.

The Fix:
Once the rider has fixed her position, she should lift the horse’s head and ask him to back. I know, I am always preaching head down, but first we need to lift those shoulders, and then we can lower the head. In the above photo, the horse has his head down where it belongs so it would almost appear correct, but the rest of his body is not in the right frame.

A horse may know each time he is asked to back the rider wants the head down, so he uses his head down position as an opportunity to fight the back up. The goal should be the moment you ask the horse to back up; he backs without any fight involved. This way you can also maintain that beautiful position in the saddle.

When you lift the horse up, his weight will rock back onto his haunches. As you lift the horse, gently pull and release with both hands to back him off of the bit. When the horse is backing correctly, you will feel him underneath you. What I mean by that is you can feel the front of the horse is very light, and the back of the horse is moving under you and backing.

Once you have the horse lifting his shoulders, work the head back down into a lower position. The horse may revert to his old habits, if he does, just lift up the shoulders again. You will probably have to move your hands out of your comfort zone, but remember, you are training at home not being judged in an equitation class. To recap, bring the horse's shoulders up and his head down, keep practicing until you can do both at the same time.

The final step will be to back the horse in this collected position with your hands quiet and steady in the desired position.

The Back Up Cue:
Once you have fixed the problem, your back up cue will be simple. To cue the horse to back, hold the horse back with your reins by bending your elbows. When you feel a shift of weight backward, start to see saw your hands gently back and forth backing the horse off of the bit. At the same time, gently squeeze and release your legs to help the horse move his hind quarters backwards, as he lifts his shoulder and rounds his back maintain soft contact with his mouth.

Trouble Shooting Tip:
If your horse refuses to maintain backward momentum, you may be using too much leg. Too much leg would result in your horse becoming confused and thinking you want him to stop or to move forward.

Tune in next time for English Equitation, Part Two.

Thanks Gabrielle and Jesse!

Deanna

English Equitation

Reader Question:

I've seen so many different people's equitation, and I've been told to sit in so many different positions that I don't know what the correct way to ride English looks like. What do I have to feel and look for when I'm riding English?

Gabrielle

My Answer:

Hi Gabrielle,

Thanks for the question. Here are some suggestions on English Equitation I hope I can help clear a few things up for you.

Equitation – Refers to the position of the rider. In an equitation class, the rider is judged as opposed to the horse. One caveat, if the horse is collected it will always make the rider look better.

Posture
The proper way to sit is with your ear, hip, and heel in a straight line. I take a longe whip and hold it up next to my students vertically to allow them to see their own line and make adjustments accordingly. I make a straight line with the whip, and the student should adjust that the ear, hip, and heel is in alignment.

Your chin should be straight ahead, not up in the air or tipped down. Sit up straight do not lean back or tip forward. Keep your shoulders up and back. Not too far of course, just make yourself have the posture your Grandmother always told you to have.

Legs and Toes
I really don't like when I hear an instructor say that the rider needs to keep their toes straight ahead. Toes need to be slightly turned out. If the toes are not slightly turned out the calves will not have contact with the horse. Your toes should not be crunched in your boots and don’t forget to keep those heels down.

Reins, Hands, and Horse's Mouth
You do not want to palm the reins. The reins should be in your fingers with your thumbs on the sides of the reins, remember to keep your fingers closed on the reins. Do not squeeze the reins. You should have contact with the horse's mouth, but not holding him back allow him to move forward. Any pressure you feel on the reins is your horse's mouth.

You should be able to feel the horse's mouth as you ride. Do not be stiff in any part of your body. You should "flow" with the horse. Meaning, ride with his stride not against it. Your hands should be out in front of you, but keep a soft bend in your elbows. Don't let your elbows stick out, keep them close to your sides, but not touching them.

Check Stirrup Length
Sit in the saddle and allow your legs to hang down on the horse's sides, with your feet out of the irons. The bottom of the iron should be at the level of your anklebone. If your stirrups are too short, posting will be difficult. If your stirrups are too long, you will not be able to put the proper amount of weight in the irons. The amount of weight that belongs in the irons is the weight of your leg nothing more, nothing less.

Work on your position first, then your horse will be able to ride in frame with his head and neck level, his nose should not be nosing out, behind the vertical or behind the bit (when the horse draws his head toward his chest to avoid contact with the bit), and have his back round, his strides should be collected and ground covering.

This is the brief explanation, even though it is very long and involved. I hope this helps!

Deanna

Gabrielle has also e-mailed me some great pictures of her and her gelding Jesse to critique. Over the next week I will be posting the pictures with some further explanation and some exercises that can be done to make corrections and adjustments.

Stay tuned!

Deanna

Careers With Horses

In an effort to make “Improving Communication Between Horse and Rider” more interactive I have added a job board to the blog.

There are so many careers out there with horses. Who would like to work inside without horses when they don’t have to? Even cleaning stalls somehow feels therapeutic.

There are jobs such as Horse Trainers, Wranglers, Grooms, and everything in between. Check out the job board if you are in the market for a job in the horse industry or would like to advertise a job you have available.

Some of the jobs do sometimes include lodging, if needed you could pick up and completely change your life. That is especially exciting for someone who isn't rooted someplace with responsibility!

Even if you are not interested in changing careers, it’s still fun to look. I will be adding new jobs weekly.

There is a permanent link on the sidebar of the blog, or you can check out The Job Board by clicking HERE.

Quarter Horse Tube

So we have all heard of YouTube, but have you heard of Quarter Horse Tube?
While it is still in the soft launch phase I'm pretty excited about it. The Internet has really changed how the horse industry can do business.

Quarter Horse Tube is a Global Quarter Horse Broadcast.
Quarter Horse Tube is all Quarter Horse Videos of horses for sale, all different events, and fun stuff including pictures. This is a free service and I think it's spectacular. I hope the other breeds follow suit because it is so convenient for everyone involved in the horse industry.

There are also educational clips posted by members, so this in no way is limited to owners of only Quarter Horses.

Check it out at quarterhorsetube.com

Deanna

First Aid Kit For Horses

You know what they say about horses:
"They can find a needle in a haystack and then get injured by it."



It’s a great idea to have a First Aid Kit ready.

By having a First Aid Kit ready, if your horse gets into trouble, you don’t have to go rummaging around for some basic supplies. I am not a vet, but I always liked speaking with my vet and figuring out some basic treatments I can do myself at home. My vet had always been aware that I would often rescue horses and to try and keep the costs down. He would help me figure out what I could do on my own without the extra cost of him making a trip to the farm.

It would be a good idea to check with your vet about a First Aid Kit for your needs at your horse’s next vet appointment. Have him or her look over your inventory and make suggestions as necessary.

I keep my first aid kit stocked with:

• VetWrap – used to wrap any injuries, but it has many uses!
• A cotton roll – for cleaning and protecting
• Gauze
• Boric Acid – To be used as eyewash
• Band Aids – For humans!
• Banamine – I like the paste. This works great for mild colic.
• Scissors – To cut bandages etc.
• Q- Tips – I’ve actually used Q-Tips to clean out some nasty thrush on a neglected horse. Now I keep them in my First Aid Kit as a precaution.
• Peroxide – I prefer to use this diluted 2:1
• Epsom Salts - great for soaking hooves if there is an abscess
• Antibacterial Soap – This works great to clean superficial wounds and cleaning your hands before touching a wound
• An Iodine Wash
• Horseman’s Dream Cream – A very gentle first aid cream for minor cuts and scrapes. This is my most used product.
• Bute also known as Phenylbutazone – a painkiller by prescription only.
• Linament – For soreness, stiffness, and sprains
• Dandruff Shampoo – works great for flaky skin in body, mane and tails.
• Disposable Syringes- these work great without needles to inject peroxide into a wound.
• Ice Packs - for swelling
• Wound Powder - or some similar product containing a coagulant to stop bleeding.
• Thrush Buster – Creates a physical barrier on your horse’s hoof. It is purple so you can actually see when it needs to be reapplied.
• Thermometer – I have always been able to tell if a horse has a fever without one, but I cannot always predict the exact temperature, so I like to have a thermometer on hand so I can check on a horse’s progress. A horse’s normal temperature should range between 99 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Clorox –Years ago, I had rescued a horse with severe rain rot. My vet suggested I use a mixture of Clorox and water. Ten parts water to one part Clorox (10:1), and it worked great! It very quickly cleared up the rain rot without harming the horse.

You know the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
The best thing you can do for your horse is to periodically check his stall and pasture for anything that could potentially harm your horse. Keep every area that your horse is exposed to free from obstructions. Even with the best of intentions, a horse will eventually have a scratch, scrape, or some other minor injury so be prepared!

I am sure my readers have many other helpful tips on what to keep in a First Aid Kit For Horses.

What’s in your First Aid Kit?

Deanna

Parts of The Western Saddle - Interactive

I always notice there are many great examples of the Parts of The English Saddle, but not as many examples of Parts of the Western Saddle.

This weekend my Dear Husband took me to the barn to take pictures so I could do a post on the Parts of The Western Saddle. I was under strict orders that I keep my pregnant belly to the side of the horse.

Perry got so excited because she thought I was going to finally ride her. We put the saddle on the horse, took the pictures, and then un-tacked her and put her back into the stall. I should have taken a picture of the bewilderment on her face, it was really sad. She looked at me like "Why won't you get on me and ride? Don't you like me anymore?" It won't be long more until I'm back in the saddle again, but until then this is as close as I can get.

To test your knowledge just point your mouse at different spots on the saddle to find the names for each part.

Enjoy!

Deanna

Cantle, Cheyenne Roll, Concho, Fender, Fork, Horn, Latigo, Latigo Keeper, Pommel, Rear Jockey, Rear Rigging Ring, Seat Jockey, Skirt, stirrup, Stirrup Hobble

"The Power Of The one Rein Stop"

Omolene University

There is now a nifty University all horse lovers can attend and earn "Omolene Hours" which may be cashed in for merchandise. Omolene University courses teach horse owners about nutrition in horses.

Pass all four online courses and you will receive a coupon for $20 when you buy two bags of Omolene horse feed.

Once you have completed courses 1 - 4 $1 will be donated to NAHRA in your name.

Registration is free just go to omoleneuniversity.com and get started.

Deanna

UPDATE!

Omolene University is running a contest to name their mascot. The mascot is the cartoon horse on the site. By providing a name for him they will automatically give you five Omolene Hours! Contest ends April 30, 2008.

Help Me Build A Better Blog - Poll Results

The poll results are in, thank you to everyone who participated!

Horse Training Tips	15 (83%)
Riding Lesson Topics	11 (61%)
Barn Organization and Management	6 (33%)
Product Reviews	7 (38%)
Trouble Shooting Tips	6 (33%)
Grooming The Horse	6 (33%)

I am glad the Horse Training Tips have come out on top because that is my favorite thing to post... I appreciate the feedback and will be tailoring future posts to reflect what my readers are looking for.

I will be spring cleaning the blog for the next few months. If you scroll down on the right hand side you will see a section titled "Labels" I will be reworking old posts, adding pictures, fixing type-o's and relabeling them to make more sense. The goal is to make the blog more user friendly and for my readers to be able to find relevant info more quickly. I really enjoy blogging, and it wouldn't be much fun if no one was out there reading!

Thanks for reading, I really appreciate that you give me a moment of your day to stop by and read my blog.

Sincerely,

Deanna

Free De-Worming Chart from Safe-Guard

Spring is almost upon us, in this part of the world anyway.
I associate spring with new beginnings, organization and cleaning. At this time of year, I like to really make sure that my horse is healthy starting from the inside.

A good de-worming program is paramount for your horse’s health.
In addition to keeping your pastures clean, it is important to keep your horse on a de-worming rotation schedule.

It is best to speak with your vet to determine what type of schedule best meets you and your horse’s needs.
Your vet can run a fecal sample on your horse and you will know without a doubt which type of if any parasite infestation is present in the animal.

For myself I prefer to do an eight-week rotation.
If this type of schedule fits your needs you may request a free barn chart from Safe-Guard by clicking HERE. Safe-Guard has taken the guess work out of the de-worming schedule for horse owners and caretakers based on seasonal parasite prevalence. There is some great information for horse owners about equine de-worming facts on the Get Rotation Right website.

My vet will be visiting soon and I will have another another fecal sample done to see how effective my program is working. You know you need to get out more often when you get excited about putting some manure in a plastic bag to send off to the lab!

Deanna