Its a Damn Shame

I work with school horses that are more than obliging when it comes to slowing down. They may not be refined and athletic movers, but they're more than happy to walk and stop when asked... until now. I noticed this issue when some of the best school horses wouldn't halt at X when my students were preparing for a dressage show. It got to the point where I had to tell my student K to start thinking about the halt at A, when she entered the arena. Yeah, it's that bad. They still missed X at the show, and I could not figure out why. At home, several other horses have been plowing through the bit, taking half the arena, sometimes more, to stop. From a walk, mind you.

I took over the Wednesday night lessons because B* is pregnant. On Wednesday, I spent a lot of time getting to know what my new students know, where the holes are, what their goals are, etc. That night, one of my students demonstrated her "emergency stop."

"You mean 'emergency dismount', right?"

"No. The emergency STOP."

"Okay, show me this emergency stop."

My new student trotted a few steps, viciously ripped the reins back over her thighs and stood up in her stirrups. The horse, an old veteran named Tilly, gaped her mouth open and continued walking through the rider's heavy hand.

Sigh. I have discovered the reason why the schoolies are not stopping, and I'm once again appalled by the piss-poor riding instruction that is allowed at the barn. I hope B never comes back!

Needless to say, my new students took turns on the lounge line riding without reins. When not on the line, they were told to practice the following: SIT down in your saddle, EXHALE, light REIN pressure. I also had to re-teach how to turn because I can't stand it when riders haphazardly rip their horses heads away: LOOK, LEG, light HAND.

These kids are cantering. B allowed them to jump 18" and barrel race at what they called "full speed." (For me, "full speed" is sixteen seconds, and I doubt that any schoolie can pull that off, plus the kids have no clue what a lead is or how to change it.) What that reall means is, B told them to go as fast as they could, which usually ends up being a painful extended trot that is heavy on the forehead and poorly-balanced.

I don't blame the kids. I blame B and I blame my boss for hiring her on her sunny personality alone without testing her equine background. Someone whose claim to fame is showing 4H in high school is not riding instructor quality! I'm ARIA certified with a degree in equine studies and I take joy in riding some of the rankest, most misunderstood and aerodynamic horses in the barn, but I consider myself to be a beginner instructor. I'm not dissing 4H either; its a great program and I was once a member myself, but I would hope that an instructor would ride at a level that is higher than her students.

I do feel bad for my students though. They're going to have to re-learn everything from lesson one. That means no cantering for a while, and now that they've learned it they don't want to do anything else. However, with their riding as shaky as it is, I feel that I must put them through the basics before they can go on. The rider that deomonstrated her "emergency stop" has been B's student for eighteen months! That's a lot of time and money wasted. Its a damn shame.

Shorty's Special Ladyfriend

A few days ago, I blogged about the various transgressions of my boss.

When I mentioned that I was thinking about moving Shorty, and told him about the heaves diagnosis, he freaked out. I half expected it, to the point where I was ready to move that day if needed. He's done that before, and it isn't pretty.

I my surprise, he freaked out in a good way. He wants to fix up the run-in shed on the property for Shorty and put one of his horses with him. We've been trying horses out to see which would get along with Shorty. He didn't like Annie the pony, Oliver is too old to go out in the cold (he's thirty three), and the other pony, Bubba, is an escape artist. I haven't put Shorty out with his special lady friend, Tilly, but we will try it tomorrow.

It would take work, but there's a possibility that we can turn the shed into a cool place for Shorty and a turnout buddy to enjoy the outdoor life with a dry, but well-ventilated shelter. I already own two electric water buckets and wouldn't mind buying a blanket for Shorty's turnout buddy for the really chilly days.


Ultimately, I will do what is best for my horse. If I suspect that the wool is being pulled over my eyes, I will not hesitate to move Shorty. On the other hand, it is convenient to keep my horse where I teach, so I'm willing to give it a shot.

Fall 2009 Recap: Because I'm Bad About Blogging On Time

Before I launch into a whole huge tirade about Shorty's living situation, I have some good news! At a hunter pace race at Southfarm, we got first place out of twenty eight teams. We also got a fourth place at the Chagrin Valley Hunt Ridestrong Hunter Pace. Yay! Here's a picture of Shorty hanging out with his new girlfriend, Tilly, at Ridestrong.

Also pictured is me talking to my two teammates, Heidi and Barb. They are also my adult riding students. They loved both paces. I'm the one in the blue breeches. :)

And now on to other things.

Namely, I am looking for a new place to board Shorty. After four years of working with a boss who is occasionally insane, I have decided enough is enough.

The funny thing is, it all started with a window. I cannot tell you how many times I've put up with him using my flyspray on his horses, stealing my first aid supplies, losing my halter, failing to feed my horse correctly, "forgetting" to put the fuzzy protective sleeves on Shorty's cribbing collar if they fall off and him refusing to turn on Shorty's fan in the summer, even when it is legitimately hot and I pay extra for the luxury. I've come to the barn to see Shorty with a stovepipe leg that went unnoticed. I've come to the barn to find my blankets gone and my horse with poop in his waterer.

Before I purchased Shorty from this boss, Shorty lived in a piss-soaked stall with a light dusting of bedding, a dirty waterer and feed bucket and was fed crappy hay and not enough grain. I was initially hired to train Shorty to prepare him for sale. When the horse didn't sell, I was told I would no longer be paid to ride the horse, but could continue working with him if I wanted to. Since the Shorty was too hot for the lesson program and no buyers lined up to see a generic OTTB, I continued working with the horse for free.

Over time, the two of us bonded. I started supplying Ultimate Finish to boost his weight. I bought blankets for him to keep him warm in the winter. I bought a new halter for him because the old one was too small and chafed him. I started adding bagged bedding at my expense. When my boss refused to get him vaccinated, I paid for the services out of pocket (had his teeth, sheath and shoeing done too). I showed him a few times to boost his marketability; that's how we got started with the hunter pace races.

Last November, my boss gave me the ultimatum. "Shorty's going to the auction next week. I can't afford to keep him anymore. I just thought you should know." My heart sank. Where do OTTBs like Shorty end up? Honestly, they go on double decker trailers to Canada to become dog food. Knowing this, and sensing that my boss wasn't kidding, I went home and weighed my options. Yes, I am student with limited funds. Yes, I drive the world's crappiest car. Yes, I have student loans. But no, I cannot let this horse slip through the cracks. I showed up at the barn the next day with a check in hand.

For the past year, I have kept Shorty at the same barn, but have provided the majority of the care. I do all of the cleaning; he does the feeding. I measure the feed out and supply the grain, so it isn't that hard. I've put up with the aforementioned with patience, often correcting the issue (like moving the flyspray bottle back to its rightful place) without complaint.

It goes without saying that horses need fresh air. Knowing this, I do my best to get Shorty outside and try to keep clean air in his stall by keeping the window open. Since early November, I have been opening his window, only to find it closed the next day. I confronted my boss about this and asked that he leave it open. He refuses because, "the horses will be too cold." I have explained before that really, the horses don't care about the cold. They handle it very well. Just ask any Icelandic enthusiast. A friend of mine owns fifteen Icelandics- they live outside 24/7 without blanketing, and they do just fine as long as there is food and unfrozen water. We're the ones that hate it. So, I can't open my window and my horse's lungs suffer because my boss gets cold and is too cheap to buy a better coat and actual barn boots.

I ignored my hatred for the situation until I heard a single dry cough escape from Shorty's lips during a warm-up a few days ago. I had a horse with heaves (basically equine asthma) before, and it was devastating. The disease usually shows up in older horses and can be identified by labored breathing, wheezing, flared nostrils and reduced tolerance for exercise. Horses that have had it for a while will have a line of muscle on the underside of their ribcage called a heave line. Its usually triggered by living in dusty environments, and let's face it: almost all barns are dusty.

So, knowing this, I immediately hopped off, untacked and grabbed my stethoscope. Sure enough, I could hear a slight whistle as he exhaled, which is an indicator of the disease at work. I called the vet with Shorty still in the crossties. She came out today and confirmed my suspicions. Indeed, Shorty has heaves, probably from living on racetracks for five years during the early part of his life. However, it is very mild at this point and was caught in its early stage (thanks to my paranoia).

The best thing for a horse with heaves is to live outside, they way they were intended to live. That will not be provided at my current barn: fifteen minutes of turnout in the indoor is the standard for all of the horses (except mine, who gets hours of it everyday because I come up everyday and put him out with his geriatric turnout buddy). Even the four hours I give him everyday isn't enough.

For those who are wondering, the symptoms of heaves can be alleviated with medications. Typically, prenisolone can be given to open up constricted airways. However, long term use of the steroid has been linked to founder. Also, the disease is progressive. Considering that Shorty is only 11 years old, I need to do more than pump him full of drugs. We're talking soaked hay, pine pellet and cardboard bedding, watered riding areas and outdoor living. It is clear that this will never happen at my current barn, so I am shopping around for a new place.

If you are in the Northeast Ohio area, do you have any suggestions? Criteria are as follows:
Ten or more hours of turnout daily
Indoor riding arena nice, but not necessary
Must be able to soak hay
Must be able to handle splint boots and blankets
Well-ventilated stall

I can clean said stall, provide pellet bedding and high quality hay for soaking.

Just a Short One

A lot has been going on my life, with three jobs, classes full time, a horse and a developing business. I am very behind on providing updates, and I promise I will in the near future.

In the meantime, I recieved this in my email and was appalled. Uncut Scandic Blue Tounge

One look at the horse, and you know he's not comfortable. Take a closer look at his tounge. The pressure of the bit is so harsh, his tounge is blue!

Here's something we can all do about it: sign this petition.

Here's something else: check out the Natural Dressage Website and notice how the horses look well-fed and happy on the ground and under saddle. I wish more people would embrace this methology and approach to training animals.

That's all for now, but updates are on their way. I have some good news regarding a certain spoiled OTTB! :)

Equine Germaphobia

Truck owners lament that they get a lot of people asking for their help when moving. As a trainer and instructor, I get people asking to use my tack.

I'm an equine germaphobe. On my horse's behalf, I do not share saddle pads, girths, bridles, bits, buckets, brushes, or any other items of that nature with any other person in the barn. To me, these items are as personal as my underwear. Too often, these items are carelessly passed through the barn, causing transmission of disease and bacterial/fungal infections.

Sure, I've cleaned my fair share of stalls and enjoyed a delicious cookie without washing my hands, but I will never share something as intimate as my horse's girth with another rider. I often shrug and accept my dusty, dirty hands and face, but I use baby wipes to clean my horse's brown spots in between baths. I often disinfect Shorty's feeder, waterer, brushes, buckets, and bits with diluted Listerine.

That doesn't mean that I don't get throngs of people asking to use my stuff. The purpose of this blog entry is not to engage in a penile listing of all of my stuff, but to illustrate. For example, my Matha Josey barrel racing saddle is one of the best saddles for the sport, and I have a rare collector's edition model. Do people want to use it all the time? Yes. I have an Albion dressage saddle with leather so soft and cushiony I feel like I'm riding on a pillow. Do people want to sit in my delicious dressage saddle? Absolutely. Do they want to borrow my Supra Cor pad or try out my Tom Thumb bit? Do they marvel at Shorty's awesome new splint boots or ask to borrow my Back on Track wraps in lieu of using poultice? All the time!

Do I let them? I let a student of mine borrow my western saddle on the condition that she acquire (borrow) a different girth and pad. I'll never let someone use my dressage saddle on another horse because it is flocked specifically for Shorty and the seat is padded specifically for me and my balance issues (the right side has a tad more padding due to an irreversable issue in my hip that causes it to sink unless propped up). I don't, as a rule, share brushes, buckets, scrubbies, sponges, girths, saddle pads or similar items. I will allow someone lacking in first aid supplies (I have two huge trunks of first aid stuff for one horse!) to use a dab of novalssan or some guaze, particularly in emergency situations. One of my students used my bute, 2 grams a day, for ten days. The horse needed the bute, and she didn't have the money to purchase her own (which baffles me- 100 grams is $40!), and I ended up giving her the drugs.

A purchased a pony pad by mistake. Yes, A is the another RIDING INSTRUCTOR at the farm and should be able to pick up a pad and say, "This looks like a pony pad; I should get a bigger one." Nope. The pad didn't even completely fit under her saddle, so she asked me if I would lend her one of my "many saddle pads." Yes, I do have four English pads and two western ones. That way, if one gets sweaty or hairy (usually both), I can fold it up, stick it in my laundry basket, and take the basket home when the thing is full. I usually get one, maybe two, rides from a saddle pad before I decide it needs to be washed. Shorty's back is so sensitive that a dirty, hairy, itchy pad will do us no favors, so I'm somewhat anal in that regard. I routinely switch out polo wraps and splint boots for the same reason, as well as the fuzzy thingies on Shorty's cribbing collar.

I felt greedy for sticking to my usual germaphobia when A asked for a pad, but I did decline to lend her one. Her horse has rain rot because she doesn't brush the mud off of it routinely, and I don't care to expose my horse to it. I straight out told her, in no uncertain terms, was she allowed to use any of my horse's equipment for herself or her horse. I felt bad for turning her down, but there are plenty of extra pads in the school horse tack room that she could use, or she could simply go out and buy a larger pad. Even a cheap baby pad would work.

Yes, I am a germaphobe when it comes to Shorty's tack. I feel like an asshole for it, but I also feel I have to protect my horse's health in every way that I can. I want to help others, but I won't sacrifice the frgaile well being of my special guy. Am I a bad person? Probably. Were we taught in grade school to always share? Yes. I'd straight out open my wallet and fork over all of my cash to a needy person (and usually end up doing so when I see a collection can for Last Chance Corral), but I still can't bring myself to share my tack.

Is anyone else in my wonderful readership also an equine germaphobe? Speak up! I'd love to hear about your ideosyncracies and minor lunacies when it comes to your horse's health.