Kitty's Quarry Ranch

05/09/2024

Time to get these ladies in summer riding shape!

03/26/2024

Horse Facts:

If a horse gets too stressed out they can colic and die

If a horse doesn't eat enough they can get stomach ulcers

If a horse eats too much they can founder or colic and die

If a horse gets stressed out and doesn't eat at the same time they will get ulcers, colic and die

If a horse doesn't drink enough...you guessed it, they can colic and die

If they have a drastic change in diet, environment or routine they can indeed colic and die

If you ride your entire life it absolutely does not mean that you are a good rider

If you ask 100 equestrians the same question you will get 106 different answers all of which which will be told with 100% confidence especially from those who bought their first horse last week

Horses can live outside 24/7 and they also can not live outside 24/7

Horses eat hay, grass, grain, expensive supplements, apples, carrots and 100 dollar bills

The pants you wear to shovel s**t, fix fences and ride in the dirt are more expensive then any other pants you will own

Horses are athletes. Athletes that trip on nothing, fall while playing, need stitches from cutting themselves on something that is not visible to the human eye, colic and die under stressful (competition type) situations, are scared of absolutely everything and don't like to be told what to do

Rank, fresh, hot, spicy, wild all mean the same thing and describe a horse on a beautiful spring day when all you want to do is go for a relaxing ride to unwind

Beginner safe, schoolie, husband type, anyone can ride, Grandma's mount, kid safe normally means, this horse is bat s**t crazy but I'm hoping you'll buy it sight unseen if I describe it as a kids horse and then ghost you when you tell me it killed your Grandma

If you are riding a horse and they see a rock that wasn't there yesterday you are possibly in for a wild ride as they avoid this horse eating rock at all costs. Including the cost of your life

If you see a horse on the road slow down.. actually just turn around and go the other way. For some unknown reason a horse often jumps infront of moving cars in order to avoid the scary moving cars

If your horse comes up lame, no problem you just need to rule out a couple of the most common things that it could be. These include ulcers, kissing spine, founder, EPM, HYPP, Lyme, influenza, cushings, sharp teeth, broken teeth, rotten tooth, tooth abscess, knee chips, hairline fractures from head to toe, cancer, pulled muscle, hoof abscess, weak stifle, lice, worms, conformational defect, headaches, sinus infection, bruised sole, ribs or spine out of alignment, poor fitting tack, laminitis, dehydration, vitamin deficiencies, anemia, infection and strangles.

And they have a frog in their foot.

If you aren't the one paying the vet bills these horse facts might seem funny but they are in fact, 100% accurate. So if you get a horse please also get yourself a good therapist and a deep bank account.

03/03/2024

A reader writes: “Do you prefer working with fresh-slate horses, or those who are somehow ‘spoiled’ and need restarts?”

***

Trainers definitely seem to fall into two camps, when presented with questions like the one above.

If a person is training commercially with an eye to competition, the first group of colts is, realistically, the only way to go. You’ll need specific bloodlines athletic enough to get the job done in your discipline. You’ll need that clean-slate, in order to absorb your training quickly and efficiently. You'll also need a stream of young horses coming in to fulfill your requirements for the futurities, whether or not we approve of such things!

Competition aside, time is money in the business of training horses, something that many people don’t understand. I tend to cut pro trainers a lot of slack when it comes to timesaving measures, for they, too, deserve to pay their bills and feed their families. There are many ethical trainers among the bad. For the most part, they do an amazing job of turning out consistent and uncomplicated horses for us to safely enjoy.

That leaves those of us who are willing to throw our leg over the horse with a stormy past.

These are not the horses who are going to be able to get by with a thirty, sixty or ninety-day re-start. Whether due to poor handling in the past, undiagnosed longstanding pain, or just a challenging personality—which is often confused with a lifetime of abuse—these horses will need a program with consistency that, over time, can reprogram neural pathways in the brain.

These horses really require a mixture of science and technically sound riding, along with good intentions.

This means performing a positive response hundreds of times, in order to erase the past history of life-altering, or inappropriate, former reactions. As Dr. Phil used to say, “It takes one thousand ‘attaboys’ to replace one negative, scarring comment”. All of this, without mindless drilling.

When we consider the training of spoiled, or abused, horses, this is sobering information.

I have made it my business to have at least one of these horses on my books, at all times. These horses may have had a bad start and have somehow fallen through the cracks. Maybe they were started fine but then lived through years of neglect. I have been surprised to find that teenaged horses learn every bit as well as the younger colts, with different pros and cons in their responses to my training.

I have also learned that all things being equal, the truly clean slate horse is far less complex to shape into an uncomplicated ‘going’ horse, than the one with a chequered past.

The chances of getting hurt on the latter also go way up, exponentially. While few horses go out of their way to hurt us, an older horse will have judgments about prior abuse and is not above doing what is necessary to protect itself. This is understandable. We are all wired to survive, horses especially.

I personally enjoy the problem-solving nature of restarting troubled horses. I have learned, the hard and heartbreaking way, that not all horses can be saved. This is an unpopular notion that is borne by real life experience, alas.

There are some horses who are so fundamentally damaged, or so wrongly wired neurologically, that they can never be asked to serve us as saddle horses or driving horses. I have had to learn this lesson, many times. It is still untenable to me… or perhaps more truthfully, to my ego.

There is a lot of ‘feelgood’ associated with giving horses a second chance. Being someone’s saviour can have a dangerous allure.

I try very hard to not tie my own self worth to the successes my horses have seen, or have failed to find, while in my tenure. I do know that to be offered a clean slate horse means that I will be afforded a wonderful period in my training program, something that I have learned to enjoy and value.

People might be surprised to know that the average mustang, or unhandled horse, is an easier prospect than the one who has been started, or handled, wrongly.

I’d like to point out that riding nothing but spoiled, or troubled, horses can have a negative effect on one’s technical riding, as well as one’s emotions. Like unsound horses, they can become a very heavy burden, if we are not careful. I always aim to have at least one advanced horse in my string, to keep my riding light and without habitual defensiveness.

It is all-too-easy to begin handling ‘problem’ horses with a chip on one’s shoulder. Instead, we have to constantly find the balance between softness and acceptance, with staying aware and ahead of the constant possibility of getting hurt. Many troubled horses have hurt people in the past. Though this is understandable, it is not a comfort when your own safety is on the line.

I never worry about whose fault it is, that a horse is now this way. Blame solves nothing. If I now have this horse in my care, moving forward is squarely up to me.

Bottom line, I appreciate all the trainers who have their horses’ best interests at heart. Whether they are starting with gifted, clean slates with all the world before them… or their equine students are working to overcome hard and desperate pasts, I salute the trainers who create consistently straightforward, happy horses.

It is both my constant goal and great honour to endeavour to ride among them.

Shown here, a wintry memory of Mike on the beautiful 13:3 pony, Chica d'Or. That she went on to a life of proud service as a children's riding pony, belies her rough start in life.

02/22/2024

Calm Or Chaos...

Did you ever notice how some people can just change the dynamic of a group as soon as they join it. The interesting thing is that the change can be either for the better or worse.

This also happens when we are around our horses, we will either bring chaos to their lives or peace and calm. I have learned that in all things, what a horse seeks is peace. It is the one thing that drives every fiber of their being.

The thing that is so interesting is that if we want it so bad, and the horse wants it so bad, why is peace so elusive? Why are we so convinced that we won't experience peace when we are trying to enjoy our horses?

Here in lies the problem, most people have not truly learned what makes a horse tick, how they think. Further more most people haven't learned how they, themselves think. If we haven't learned how to find mental peace we will not be able to lead a horse towards calm, we will in essence only follow the horse towards chaos. Once the chaos has started it begins spinning, and then it spins faster and faster until it has spun out of control.

These points have been brought up to hopefully encourage you to deepen your thoughts on what is going on in your mind. At the same time you can be aware of what the horse needs from you at any particular moment. So that you can be that person that can change the dynamic towards peace and calm with your horse.

If your horse has learned that we will help them work through the chaos of life they will truly desire to be in our presence. They will learn to trust our guidance and will do the things that most would never dream of.

This is the overall topic that is covered in our Confidence Through Horsemanship Clinic. I sure hope we can help you in the future if this is something you struggle with.

Pc Rachel Ann Photography

I have posted a link to a video in the comments as an example of what I'm referring to. You may or may not, ever do it bridless, but it can be done regardless.

02/15/2024

Feeding Frenzy.

02/14/2024

Free time.

01/25/2024

A reader writes: “How do I settle an uptight, tense horse?”

***

Among other things—which first address her comfort (finding hidden causes of pain and treating them, which can literally take years), the horse’s dread of being ridden, the subjects of bitting and saddle fit—I spend a lot of time riding on bendy lines. A LOT of time.

Tension in horses is usually a visible by-product of excessive energy and stamina, heightened and maintained due to fear of pain, remembered mis-handling, confusion about training methods and often, a combination of all three. Tense horses do not just ‘love to go’ as we so often like to think!

Ongoing, chronic tension is not the same thing as keenly getting ready for a big effort with a beginning and an end to the adrenaline rush.

The ‘keen’ horse knows how to regulate her energy up and down, as required by the job at hand. The tense horse cannot. She is always ‘on’, to the point of being very challenging and uncomfortable to ride. The horse who is uncomfortable to ride is also uncomfortable being ridden! I wish more people understood this and so, the first thing is to find out WHY the horse is dreading the riding, rather than trying to fix it.

Many a time, the tense horse is also carrying a tense and worried rider.

Note that a lower-energy horse might communicate by bucking or balking when asked to move forward. The higher-energy horse becomes filled with tension, working in a constant state of fight or flight.

Baby steps it is, then. Once I’m given the health all-clear and the gear has been switched around in whatever combination that the horse shows me is working best (and this last point will change as the horse changes through her body), I will walk first, before introducing any trot.

Nor will I be carrying a whip, or wearing spurs, which is something a lot of riders feel disinclined to let go.

Bending around my left leg at the walk, then smoothly around my right, rhythmically and quietly, until the horse begins to understand and offer these on her own. Once the horse can bend both ways and sustain the slow rising trot—and our path all over the arena would resemble a plate of cooked Ichiban noodles, if seen from above—I will begin to ask for some stretching down at the trot. There will be longer and looser strides between our bendy shapes, though we will always come back to the bendy exercise, should tension return…

Tension does return and it will, again and again!

The tense horse calls for a long and slow program of trust building, hand-walking out in nature, lungeing without side-reins, walking and trotting under saddle and slowly building up to the canter. I have ridden tense horses for a year or more, without cantering them under saddle, if we are struggling to find relaxation at slower paces.

Rising trot on bendy lines is truly brilliant with such beings as off-track Thoroughbreds, who have learned to amp up and get ready to run whenever they are saddled. There are still many teachers and trainers who will ask a horse to canter or lope on a large circle, until he begins breathing and letting go… but I have found there are many horses, especially hot-blooded horses or those who have formerly raced, who will never ever ‘let go’.

They—or you—would drop from exhaustion, first.

I don’t force their heads into a frame or position, ever, but I have found that a lovely mullen-mouthed, short shanked pelham will often invite the tense horses to reach for the bit and lessen their worry. This is just one more little piece in the puzzle and I will reach for it, even with the western horse who is ridden in a stock saddle.

I will not feed a tense horse any sort of bagged commercial feed or grain, as it is too ‘hot’.

I also don’t sit into the saddle at the trot or canter but rather, I stay light, riding in a bit of a half-seat. This is not the time to pressure the horse from above.

The biggest thing I have found with tense horses is that they have often been skimped in their schooling. They do not understand that one consistent and light aid is asking only for one consistent and confident result… and so, they worry. Just knowing and learning their part of the bargain is a huge help.

So, the type of feed… the amount of herd turnout… the need to check for and treat ulcers (and this last one is almost GUARANTEED in a tense horse!)… saddle fit… the need for thorough dentistry… your riding style and how heavily you sit… the amount of time you can put into the project... the realization that working in a tense ‘upside down’ outline with the head raised and back hollow will never beget relaxation… and the sheer worry of all of the above… will cause even the most otherwise stoic horse to become tense when ridden.

It becomes a thoroughly-engaging project where one must become half horse(wo)man, half private investigator, to get the job done.

I want to leave you with the feeling that with knowledge and faith, it CAN be done. Yes, you can remake a tense horse into a soft and lovely ride but you will most likely require a village of an excellent teacher, a team of health professionals and fitters who are willing to start you on this long and winding journey… and who will stay along for the ride!

Here, we see Pamela, the ruling Queen of Tension, beginning to 'let down' and let go, finally trusting her rider's leg and hand, trusting in the sameness of the bendy walk and trot, trusting in the process of starting over... and yes, even this modest progress has taken three years and counting.

There are some ‘befores and afters’ in the comments.

12/30/2023

12/07/2023

In the Netflix series, “Muster Dogs,”one big takeaway was just how much together time it took for true bonding between the puppy and the human, and that the handlers who spent that time got better results than those who had less time to devote.

I was thinking about that yesterday, but in a horse context. For the past ten days or so, it has been boiler plate ice up here, the indoor ring has a big gap in the side where a new door is being installed, so riding is out, and the 4 mares are on vacation.

Anyway, normally, when they are handled every day, brought in, groomed, ridden, messed with, three of then---not grumpy Cloud---are sort of “in your pocket” types.

But in just a week and a half of not being handled much, I could sense already a bit more skittishness, even with Waverly who is generally like a Labrador puppy.

Which makes me realize that if we want horses to feel totally comfortable around us, we have to go to them, and we have to do it in calm and quiet ways, spending time just the same way those dog handlers did with the Kelpie pups.

It’s not that I didn’t get this before, but watching the series reinforced the idea of the importance of quiet and “friendly” contact. Just to keep them used to it---.