Training the older horse to stop

Older horses sometimes have a hole in their foundation. I have a 17 yo mare that doesn't have a good stop. She will transition down with seat cues and breathing, but the transition from a walk to a stop is terrible. Tonight my husband rode her and I taught him how to work on her stop. He would shorten his reins to be prepared to use them, then stop seat movement,  exhale, sit down and back and if no response slowly pick up the reins and apply pressure. The release was when she gave to the bit, not when she stopped her feet. Why? If she stops her feet, but is still pulling her head forward and against his hands, she is not mentally stopped. She needs to stop 100%. At first she thought he wanted her to go backwards. Again, he waited for her to stop her feet and then give to the bit. He was consistent, so she started to understand exactly what he was asking.

If this doesnt work and the horse is so strong that they blow through your hands, another way is to laterally flex the horse into a stop, and then back up in your training and just teach them to give to head pressure from the ground, using a halter, then switch to a bridle. Takes time but even an older horse can be retrained to have a good stop.

Barefoot Trim

Here are some examples of what hooves should look like when trimmed using the barefoot method. All of the examples shown are horses that are ridden weekly.

 When the owners ride these horses on trails they are booted. What breeds? Mostly QH's, but one is an OTTB who use to have thin soles and weak hoof walls. The right kind of trim can do wonders for any horse. It's a beautiful sight to see a balanced, healthy, bare hoof that not only looks good but also can perform.

How time flies

I, like many others, start a blog and then time flies, we get very busy and before we know it its been months, or in my case longer, since we post again. Oh well. So I'm attempting to try again and hopefully this time I will be able to keep up.  

So back to blogging.

Some things have changed since I started this blog. Not only am I training horses and teaching students, I have also opened my trimming business to accept a larger clientele. I have been trimming for around seven years but mostly my horses and a few clients. I didn't want the trimming business to take over my first love, teaching and training. The trimming business has grown immensely this year, but instead of it taking over my time, I have found it has lead to an increased client load of students. When a horse owner hires me to trim their horse(s), they see how well I am with their horse(s) and one thing leads to another and I have gained a new student.
Now I look back at my decision, my fears of it taking over my time, and the bit of risk I took and I say to myself, "Wow! I wish I had done this earlier."

RF Before

RF After

One other big step I took with my trimming business was the decision to get certified. I joined the PHCP (Pacific Hoof Care Practitioners) and I am about half way through the program. The benefit of this program is that it not only focuses on trimming, but also on nutrition, a huge benefit  to me as a horse owner and trainer. I feel I can offer more to all my clients with the knowledge I have gained. Of course, the more I learn, the more I realize how little I know....and that is one of the things I love about horses, always more to learn and ways to grow!

Iliad training - groundwork, filling in a hole

Iliad is our belgian draft horse. He came from CBER and was owned by one of my students for about two years. There was an issue with children and biting, so now he resides here on Allen Acres.

I've been able to start moving forward again with his training. He does really well in his groundwork; leading, backing up, crossing the forehand, crossing the hindend, lateral flexion, and doing really well with the join up in the round pen. He also does well with ground driving.

There is one area that I've found that he has an issue, and that is switching from one eye to the other. He does well clockwise in the round pen but he does not like it when I work on his right side when he is close to me. This could be dangerous when up in the saddle as he might become startled or frightened if I were to do something on his right side.

To get him comfortable I have been doing a series of simple ground exercises on his right side. Lead, stop, and back up. I pause between each of these things to let him soak it in and learn. He is doing really well and he is starting to show he is a bit more comfortable by slowing down his breathing, showing a relaxed eye, licking and chewing and lowering his head.