A Dilemma

"Blue"

So, as the New Year begins, I find I’m at a loss as far as goals go.  I used to set goals but have long since decided it’s best to take each day as it comes. Try and work on what I think needs to be done for or with the horses.  I’d like to spend more time with the herd, specifically, Blue, Donnie, and Sami.

This is a goal in itself because it seems there is never enough time in the days and weeks to have to myself and do what I want.  I’m not complaining (well maybe a little bit) but I often wonder [what's the best way to strike that difficult balance between doing the things I want to do, and that make me happy, and taking care of everyone else's needs? I think that's just life's problem, but I haven't figure it out yet, and if you have, I'd be happy to hear about how!]

I’m planning on working Donnie and Sami this weekend on the longe for a bit to start getting them back in shape. Just because Donnie can’t be ridden safely and Sami is too small for me to ride doesn’t mean they should be left to their own devices to keep fit. [Both of them actually seem to enjoy the work and] I doubt I’ll be able to ride Blue since he’s been a tad bit lame for the last week or so.  He’s getting older too and his hocks bother him.  So I have to be mindful of that and be gentle with him.

I go back and forth about getting a younger horse to ride and retiring Blue.  There are two schools of thought running through my head. The first is that I’d really like to spend more time riding while I still can physically manage it.  It’s a shame to waste what time I might have left in the saddle and the property, the riding arenas and the indoor we have for the horses, which, if not being used for the intention it was bought, seems wasteful, too.  The second is whether it's fair to get another horse at my age (65) that I may not be able to ride in a few years.  Although I would love to ride forever, age and physical agility are a question mark.  So I’m wondering, how do some of you older riders feel about this dilemma? What would you do?

Quote for Today

When you’re young and fall off a horse, you may break something.  When you’re my age and you fall off, you splatter. Roy Rogers

Investigate and Research

Recently I was thinking about some of the horses I’ve known or had as partners over the years and how much I miss them. More importantly, I’ve been thinking about all the things I wish I had known then that I know now.  An old German saying comes to mind my grandmother had hanging in her kitchen: “Too late we get smart.”  Not to say that I think I know everything there is to know about horses; just the opposite is true.  The realization that we are always learning and will never fully understand their thoughts, emotions and behaviors is never far from my mind.

The horses we’ve had - and two in particular, Lifeguard and Erik - will always have a special place in our hearts and memories.  Years ago there was no Internet or information highway and it never would have occurred to us we could learn about riding from old books, so we basically did whatever we were told by trainers; we placed our trust in them, expecting that they knew more than we did. Unfortunately, this wasn’t always the case, as we found out later on.  But at the time we thought we were doing right by our horses.

These days there is a lot more information out there, some good some bad.   And there are also a lot more trainers out there, and access to their “expertise” is much easier to come by, for good or for ill.  I’m of the opinion that the Internet and the information it makes available to the masses is a double-edged sword. On the positive side:  A few actually know what they’re doing and care about the good of the horse, know how to deal with real training issues and don’t pressure people into believing their new and improved way is the only way.  On the down side: There seems to be so many horse gurus or whisperers out there now and they are either selling themselves, their opinions, their egos, their products or all of the above.  Some are making it up as they go along; others are scamming inexperienced horse people looking for a better/easier/more humane way of dealing with their horses; and absolutely none of them are responsible for the way in which their methods are understood or misunderstood, used or misused once they put it out there.  This makes me furious because the ones who ultimately suffer are the horses.

Which sort of brings me to the purpose of this post.  I’m wary of all the new methods of training that have cropped up in recent years.  Some are cruel, some are totally incorrect and some are just stupid. Without going into all of these, because there are just too many to name, I’d like to recommend that if you’re not sure what you’re doing, how to do it, or what the end result should be, why not give reading some of the real experts a try?  Not the experts that have reared their ugly microphoned heads at clinics and book signings, but the old trainers and authors; the classical masters who were champions of working horses with dignity and not making a circus act out of a riding partner.

There is much to learn from reading the classics; you may or may not agree with everything they say, I know I don’t.  But at least it will give you access to a deep well of information gathered over hundreds of years of trial and error, failure and success.  After you’ve done that, then maybe you can go back and read this or that guru’s new bible of horse training and see if it still holds up.  If it still seems like the best way, go with it.  Just don’t take any one person’s word on anything; investigate and research until you understand all the different philosophies on your own, turn a critical eye on all of them, then choose and apply what makes the most sense for your horses and yourself.  This is what we did years ago (before the natural horsemanship holy men appeared) and it made us realize that we were on the wrong side of the horse, but we've learned to continually reevaluate everything we think we know; with education, research, and a willingness to question everything we see, hear and read, we’ve turned our thinking and training around.

In conclusion I’d like to thank Lifeguard and Erik, for putting up with my mistakes and getting it wrong a lot of the time. I wish they were here so I could make it up to them, but since they’re not I’ve made a commitment to do the best I can with the horses I have now.

Until next time

Quote for Today

Great riders are not great because of their talent; they are great because of their passion.

Conference on Rollkur Results

Conference Results

FEI Round-Table Conference Resolves Rollkur Controversy 09/02/2010


Following constructive debate at the FEI round-table conference at the IOC Headquarters in Lausanne today (9 February), the consensus of the group was that any head and neck position of the horse achieved through aggressive force is not acceptable. The group redefined hyperflexion/Rollkur as flexion of the horse’s neck achieved through aggressive force, which is therefore unacceptable. The technique known as Low, Deep and Round (LDR), which achieves flexion without undue force, is acceptable.

The group unanimously agreed that any form of aggressive riding must be sanctioned. The FEI will establish a working group, headed by Dressage Committee Chair Frank Kemperman, to expand the current guidelines for stewards to facilitate the implementation of this policy. The group agreed that no changes are required to the current FEI Rules.

The FEI Management is currently studying a range of additional measures, including the use of closed circuit television for warm-up arenas at selected shows.

The group also emphasised that the main responsibility for the welfare of the horse rests with the rider.

The FEI President HRH Princess Haya accepted a petition of 41,000 signatories against Rollkur presented by Dr Gerd Heuschman.

The participants in the FEI round-table conference were:

HRH Princess Haya, FEI President
Alex McLin, FEI Secretary General
Margit Otto-Crépin, International Dressage Riders Club Representative
Linda Keenan, International Dressage Trainers Club Representative
Sjef Janssen, Dressage Representative
Frank Kemperman, Chairman, FEI Dressage Committee (by conference call)
François Mathy, International Jumping Riders Club Representative
David Broome, Jumping Representative
Jonathan Chapman, Eventing Representative
Roly Owers, World Horse Welfare Representative
Tony Tyler, World Horse Welfare Representative
Ulf Helgstrand, President, Danish Equestrian Federation
John McEwen, Chairman, FEI Veterinary Committee
Dr Sue Dyson, Veterinary Representative
Dr Gerd Heuschman, Veterinary Representative
Prof. René van Weeren, Veterinary Representative
Jacques van Daele, FEI Honorary Steward General Dressage
Graeme Cooke, FEI Veterinary Director
Trond Asmyr, FEI Director Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage
John Roche, FEI Director Jumping and Stewarding
Catrin Norinder, FEI Director Eventing
Carsten Couchouron, FEI Executive Director Commercial
Richard Johnson, FEI Communications Director

Take what you will from these results of the conference on Rollkur.  I for one am skeptical that anything at all has changed and it certainly hasn't been resolved. There may be some fancy footwork involved here. 

'The technique known as Low, Deep and Round (LDR), which achieves flexion without undue force, is acceptable'.

I'd like to ask who is going to deem what exactly is acceptable concerning LDR. The judges? The trainers? The riders? 

I do give them credit for having made some progress and addressing this issue. I think having 41,000 signatures on a petition against Rollkur certainly helped.  In the future I don't think those of us opposed to this or any other abusive practice should stop voicing our opinions and making our voices heard. Now that they have made the statement that the Rollkur issue has been 'resolved', if they don't implement some backlash against those who use it, perhaps keeping the heat on the FEI is in order.

Until next time

Drum Roll Please

Drum Roll Please

I would like to thank everyone who participated in the discussion concerning the Live Feed feature available and used on some blogs. I appreciate all of your opinions and comments and taking part in the poll.

One thing I did notice was the fact that some of the blogs I have visited with the Live Feed feature in the past did not comment, and I respect that. I am sorry if I offended some of you. Being the curious type, I simply wanted to see if other people felt the same way about this subject as I do.

Here are the results of the poll most visitors voted on:

Like the Live Feed: 15%

Don’t like the Live Feed: 50%

Don’t care about the Live Feed: 35%

So again, thanks for participating. I appreciate all your opinions and comments.

Until next time