DEAR DANA: My trainer had been feeding my horse feed with a high sugar content. I continued to feed it to him. I noticed when I took him to a show he started out fine and laid back, but as the day went on he would get hyper. Last July, after I started feeding whole oats, the problem was solved. Recently I took him to the first show of the year, and we had the same problem — he even bucked in equitation! Do you think that SPRING grass could have had the same effect that the sugary feed did? He gets turned out for several hours a day. There has been quite a lot of rain and the grass is really growing. It didn”t seem to bother him in the summer, but the spring grass is really lush. Help!
–Sharon LeClair, Lawrence, Kansas

DEAR SHARON: That is a very good question — and it addresses some common problems that all of us who show horses have to deal with. First of all, as you have found out, feed can definitely affect your horse’s energy level. I live on the West Coast and I don’t have grass pastures, but my experience with grass is that it usually would not make your horse really high. In my opinion, it was probably the first show of the year and he was just fresh and full of energy. I have found that even older, experienced show horses will be fresher at the first few shows of the year.

It sounds like the answer to your problems involves developing the strategy that works for you and your horse. I can tell you as a trainer that some of my horses are more easily affected by variables such as weather, feed and new environments than others. With one of my mares, I always went to a major show a day early just so that she could “settle in.” Later in her career, I was able to leave on schedule with that mare, and she was good the first day of the show. She needed time, and I gave her the time she needed.

I have also found that if I have a horse settled in and ready to show early in the day, some horses will “freshen up” later in the day and my need to be re-lunged. You will need to experiment with a lower protein, lower sugar feed program and pay attention to your horse’s energy level. Keep in mind many horses will re-energize throughout the day. My guess is that after a few shows, your horse will settle in and be back to his old self.

Dana

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DEAR DANA: I am having problems with my lope transition. My horse’s first inclination is to not push with her hindquarters, but to pull her forehand up and round out to go into the lope. I worked most of last summer on this and what I do is pick up the reins and drive her into the lope. I’m not feeling that these transitions are getting much better, and she doesn’t go into it properly on a loose rein. Should I continue on the path that I’m taking, or is there a better exercise to work on this?
–Charlene Smith

DEAR CHARLENE: My goal is to be able to control the flight and step of the hock with my outside leg.  I do a lot of exercises to move my horse’s hindquarters over with my leg, but I hold and push with my leg or spur until my cue and his step get together.  That way, I can leg my horse into the lope and not release until he is committed into the lope.  With this in mind, try again and see if you are missing it by releasing too soon, or if he is laying on — or ignoring — your leg. 
Another exercise I do is to back squares.  If I’m working on the right lead departure for example, I will back him in a square off of my left leg, and when I can feel his acceptance and willingness, I will then do a 180-degree turn on the haunches toward the right or into the direction I want to lope off.  This will often get him off of his front end and it also demands that he move over off of your leg.  Plus, it builds acceptance and strengthens him for the departure.  Try this and it should help a lot!

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DEAR DANA: I have a 7-year-old foundation-bred Quarter Horse. When I got him eight months ago, he had never been “broken,” for lack of a better word. He and I have come along greatly, but now he’s at a point where my skills are limited in taking him further. I bought him as a barrel prospect, but he has a serious case of lazy. I cannot afford a trainer now (I am a poor ranch hand!), but would love to move him into something fun –- reining (which is his bloodline) or ranch sorting. He rollbacks, moves off the leg, disengages, trail rides like a fool, but I am afraid he’s getting bored. What would you do in my position?
–Stephanie Moore, Potrero, Calif.

DEAR STEPHANIE: I think it’s awesome how far you have taken an older, “unbroken” horse in such a short time! If you are unable to put your horse with a trainer right now, then your next best choice to give him a “job” would be to refine and improve upon the areas that you have already taught him. You have said that he is lazy, so I am curious if he is slow to respond in any way.

Lazy horses are often dull and slow to respond. You may be able to work on sharpening his responsiveness. One way that I improve my horses’ responsiveness to my cues is to give the cue to my horse, then pay close attention to his response. When you try this exercise, clearly focus. Is he resistant? Does he show you negative body language signs like tail-wringing, ear-pinning, or overreacting? If so, repeat the cue until he feels accepting and responsive. Horses learn by the reward or the release of the cue, so make sure that you give or release when you feel that your horse is trying to give.

For example, if you want to improve your horse’s responsiveness and acceptance to moving over off of your leg cue, you will ask him with your leg to move over while carefully evaluating his response. Is he rushy? Does he show a lack of acceptance by trying to get away quickly from the cue? Is he dull and sticky, showing that he doesn’t take your cue seriously? Or does he pin his ears and use his tail excessively, showing anger, fear, or resistance? His response will tell you a lot about where you are at.

Most likely, he will give you something to work on. What I do is ask again and release when I feel him give. Then ask again and release again. Your timing in your release will determine and define for him when he has completed the maneuver to your satisfaction. Your release shows your satisfaction, so repeat the maneuver until you have his obedience and his willingness.

This will take him to a whole new level. I expect a lot more from my finished horses than I do my green horses. This is one of the ways that I get my horses finished, or broke.

The other suggestion that I have is for you to do a lot of suppling exercises and a lot of bending of the head and neck. Teach your horse to give laterally in his head and neck, and to follow his nose. These skills are important, especially if you want to teach him the barrels. If you want to teach him to be a reiner, then teach him to give in his face and have a headset. Becoming light in the face and being able to set his head when you ask for it will be important if you want him to be a good reiner.

The other tip I can give you is to pay attention to where his body weight is while you are riding him. Correctly balancing his body weight is very important for any event, especially reining. If he feels heavy in your hands or heavy on his front end, he is probably traveling with his weight on his front end. To correct this, do a lot of stop, back and turn on the haunches. Also, remember the principal that when you reward, or give, you are showing that you are satisfied. So ride mindful of his response and strive for excellence. Good luck, Stephanie! I hope that helps.

Dana

P.S. – My Headset Series training DVDs would really help you with these maneuvers, as well as the Take Control Series.

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DEAR DANA: My mare is 5 years old. I was told that before I bought her she had been “beaten up” by other horses. Now I am trying to do drill with her, but she flinches and tries to get away as quickly as possible when another horse comes near her. She is so scared of other horses, even if they just look at her with their ears pinned or swish their tail. How can I break her of this? She is fine on trail rides, just as long as another horse does not turn their behind toward her.
–Rachel Pritchett, Brentwood, Calif.

DEAR RACHEL: In the past, I’ve trained horses with the same problem, and I was able to get them “over it” enough to become show horses. Some of them overcame it completely, while some stayed a little apprehensive of other horses — especially if those other horses were swishing their tail or moving fast around my horse. The mare was probably the bottom of the pecking order in the pasture, and those horses can be a little more timid or sensitive. But even though we didn’t reach perfection, the horses were greatly improved.

What I did to help my horse overcome her fear was to build positive experiences around other horses. Since I have access to other horses, I am able to do this, but you may have to enlist other people and their horses. With time and patience, you can help her through this.

First, pony her off of other horses. I would pick a safe, quiet horse that I knew would not kick or frighten her. Start at the walk, stopping often to pet her on the face, neck, and shoulders.

Every time I pulled her toward me on the other horse, she would be afraid, but I would pat her and talk to her. She gradually became willing and happy to walk up to me sitting on a horse because each time the experience ended positively.

This is one of the keys to overcoming her fear. Build each negative experience into a positive one and don’t quit until you have some improvement. I had one mare that was so afraid that it took me hours the first time I did this exercise — but I was patient and I kept at it. I also talked to her often while I was ponying her, as the human voice can be a soothing reward to horses.

The next step is to ride her and pony other horses off of her. You’ll need to make sure the mare doesn’t kick at the other horses, of course. In fact, use discretion here — if she is aggressive and prone to kick, you may skip this exercise altogether. Also, control or limit the horses touching noses or one another. This will reduce the amount that they “argue,” so to speak, and kick out at one another. That could turn your forward progress backward quickly! Also, remember that when you turn her nose or face toward the horse, then her hindquarters move away, so by controlling her front end, you control her hindquarters!

Next, sit on the mare and have people ride around and up to you, then pet her and talk her from their horse. This really helps a lot because she starts out afraid of a horse approaching her, but ends positively by getting petted and talked to! In my training, I would also tie her in my arena and ride up to and around her, cautiously. If the mare gets afraid or pulls back, it could make it worse.

I would also get people to ride next to me and also with me. I also found it helpful to take the horse to a lot of shows to ride around crowds of horses.

One thing to be mindful of is this: Don’t put her in a situation that would leave her more fearful. At the shows, I would ride defensively, and if some of the other horses looked out of control, I would keep her away from that horse. I would do nothing to make it worse, if possible!

Good Luck, and with time and patience and positive exposure to other horses, you can improve her!

Dana

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DEAR DANA: I really want to show more than I did last year, but cost is a factor for me. Do you have any budget tips for the adult amateur?
–Betty Nugent, Arizona

DEAR BETTY: Many people are watching their costs of showing this year, and I don’t know a lot about you, but I can tell you some things that my clients and I are doing to watch our spending:

1. Get your goals in mind and only go to shows that will support you reaching your goals.

2. Do your best to go and show where you are giving yourself the best shot to be successful. I look at things like (1) the judges (Are they good for you and your horse?), (2) the facility (Is it one that you can prepare your horse well to be successful? and (3) the classes (Are they good-sized so you get the points that you want or need?)

3. Check prices carefully. I just recently considered going to an out-of-state show because the stalls and entry fees were less than at my local shows. The RV spots were also a lot less. By the time I factored in the extra fuel and travel time, I figured I would still spend less than at a local show and I knew the classes were big and there would be a lot of points. So, carefully check all fees — including all the little charges.

4. Do your best to have your horse really schooled and ready before you go so that you reap the most success that you possibly can.

5. You may consider smaller, one-day shows that you can go to. Close to where I live, there are many local organizations that give great year-end awards. You may choose to go for some of those year- end awards and forego some longer breed shows.

Hope these tips give you help! Good luck to you.

DEAR DANA: In your DVD,  you say the horse can get “clutchy”… could you explain what that means?   Is it the movement of the horse?
— Tonya Schnell, Boonville, MO

DEAR TONYA: “Clutchy” is a word that I have used for years, somewhat mindlessly because obviously many people don’t know what it means.  I would guess “clutchy” came from someone incorrectly using the clutch in a car, where they would surge forward and backward and be rough or not very smooth!  But my definition of “clutchy” is a horse that feels the pressure of the leg and shuts down or “clutches” through his movement.  I believe that incorrect use of spur control has created a lot of horses with this appearance. Most horses that become “clutchy” through their legs and in their movement will also become tight or intimidated-looking in their head and neck. One of the challenges of correct spur control is to prevent our subtle leg cues from being evident through the horse’s profile and movement.  A “clutchy” horse will often tell on the rider through his legs, his head, and his neck.  This usually stems from a lack of acceptance to the leg cue.

I hope this answered your question!

Dana

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DEAR DANA: Are there some riding exercises that you can recommend to keep a seasoned show horse “fresh” during the show year? Maybe something to break up the regular training and showing routine?
–Jennifer Bettiga, Los Alamos, Calif.

DEAR JENNIFER: Such a good question! It’s very important to do exercises or calisthenics with our show horses. These will not only keep their mental state “fresh,” but they will also help keep their movement fresh. I base my program on giving my horses times of conditioning and then times of drilling and training. If we only “drill” or train on our horses, we can burn them out.

Also, many people focus intensely on drilling their horses, and in the process they forget about maintaining their horse’s movement. The most common problem that people encounter with their horse’s movement? It’s when they drop their shoulders, lose their natural lift, and move with their body weight on their front end. This makes for an uncomfortable horse, and it adds to his burn out. I have some exercises that will help you to rebalance your horse.

One of the most common reasons a horse drops his shoulders and starts moving on his front end is that many times riders will take hold of their horse’s face to ask him to bridle his head or drop his neck or slow down. When doing this, they may inadvertently be promoting their horse to drop his shoulders because if they release as soon as it looks like he gives, some horses will learn to follow the bridle reins down — first with their head and neck, and then their front end. Almost any time a horse is asked to drop his head and neck or slow down without also asking for collection or lift, he will drop to his front end after he is released. The fix for this is to make sure that when you connect with your hands to his mouth, you don’t release until you feel him lift, collect and soften in your hands. If he gets resistant or stiff, you may need to drive with your legs until he lifts up in the shoulders and softens.

How your horse stops tells volumes about where his body weight is when he is moving forward. A horse that is up in his shoulders and balanced over his hindquarters will stop up and balanced. I like to feel my horses break or give in the haunches when they stop. Then I know without a doubt that they were moving up and balanced. Some pointers to help you to diagnose where your horse’s weight is balanced are: When you stop, feel through your hands how he stops. Is he heavy in your hands? Does he stop with a jarring motion almost pulling you forward?

These will tell you he is on his front end! Your goal is for him to stop light in your hands on his hindquarters, and stay put where he stopped.

If he stops heavy in your hands, you can correct this by asking him to move back forward and asking him to stop until he gets it right.

I practice my downward transitions often. The stop is not only diagnostic, but also a correction when stops are repeated until the horse stops balanced and up in his shoulders.

After you have successfully mastered the stop, the other exercise I love for my older horses is to medium-trot them. I don’t just pitch the reins away and let them go — I hold and drive them and really make them work. This exercise sounds so simple, but it’s really effective in making your horse use his hindquarters and drive from behind. I look for a slow, strong rhythm and I count one-two with my horse. I will then walk and let him catch his air and go to a different maneuver.

I hope these exercises give you some variations to your workout, while you keep your horse fresh and moving great!

Dana

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You know the old saying “You never get a second chance to make a first impression!” When you and your horse enter the show ring you are speaking loudly without saying a word! You and your horse show that judge or those judges many things. Like, for example if you are ready for your class, if you are confident or nervous, or if you have paid attention to detail and if you are tuned up and ready to show.

I encourage you to become mindful, pay attention to the details that often make the difference between first place and fifth place. The judges only have a few moments to make their decision as to who will be their winners.

Find out what their judging standard is, what the rules are for your association, what the standard for your event is, what guidelines are they taught to judge by. Then honestly assess you and your horse. Where do you fit in your breed and event standard? The rules are constantly being revised so keep abreast of the rules you show with. Many trainers and riders get very caught up in their own opinion of what is good, but they miss the mark because the judges they show to are being trained and guided to judge a different standard. A great tool is to have someone video you riding, see yourself from the viewpoint of that person in the middle of the arena.

I am going to give you a checklist to make sure that when you enter the arena you give your best show ring presentation possible!

#1) Your Appearance

• Be clean and neat – most importantly be neat and orderly.
• Have your hat shaped and clean – pay a professional to clean and shape your hat. Most top horsemen and women take great pride in their hat. You can tell a lot by the shape of a person’s hat.
• Make sure your clothes are color coordinated and well matched.
• Make sure your saddle blanket is clean and neat and covers the pad that is underneath the blanket. Also make sure the color of the blanket compliments your outfit.
• Pin you numbers on straight and neat and make sure they are visible to the judge.
• Make sure your shirt is tucked in and pressed.
• I feel that women or girls should not wear blouses or shirts that are low cut or revealing. Remember, look professional and represent your breed and event well.
• Women or girls with long hair, make sure your hair is neatly put up in a ponytail or bun. If you have stray hairs hanging down, secure them with hairspray or pins.
• Make sure your saddle, bridle, and bit are clean and if you have any silver, make sure it is clean and polished.

#2) Your Horse’s Appearance

• Make sure your horse is clean and well groomed with no mud, dirt, or shavings anywhere visible on your horse.
• Clean your horse’s hooves – for large shows I hoof black or oil my horse’s feet.
• Mane, forelock, and tail should be brushed and tail clean to look full.
• Wipe the mouth and nostrils out and around the eyes.
• Fly spray your horse well so that he is not bothered by flies.
• Use polishing spray to add shine to your horse. (If your horse has a long hair coat, apply sparingly as this can make his coat look oily.)
• Make sure his tack is well fitted and know your association’s rules so that you are sure all of your equipment is legal.

#3) Your Ride

• Sit up tall and confident. Use good posture and horsemanship while riding, show you care. A rider who is slouched over will detract from the overall appearance of the horse. You want to compliment your horse, not to detract from him.
• Sit square, don’t twist your upper body or lean towards your rein hand.
• Be quiet with your hands.
• Look up and show your confidence. When you ride looking down at your horse you give the impression that something is about to go wrong and you need to fix it. Put your hand down, look up and show your horse.
• Keep breathing. Breathe deep through your diaphragm. This helps you to sit back and keep your seat where it belongs on your horse.
• Flow with your horse. Learn to get in rhythm with your horse’s gaits. Move with your horse’s movement, not against it. You will create a pleasing picture moving in sync with your horse.

#4) Your Attitude

• Your expressions, mannerisms, and body language tell the world your attitude. Your attitude often tells of your expectations and your expectations definitely determine your results. So…attitude is everything. Spend as much time on your attitude as you do on your horse’s grooming, picking your outfit, or even practicing your event.
• Show confidence, remember the saying “Fake it until you make it”. Everyone goes through periods when their confidence is low. You won’t move beyond that if you give in to fear or lack of confidence. Coach yourself, speak positively to yourself, encourage your self. You can do it too! Prepare as well as you can, because when you know you are ready, that builds confidence.
• Practice visualization – visualize in your mind the ride you want to have. Sports psychologists and coaches have proven visualization works – expect the best. Once you are in the arena you’ve done all you can do, so expect a great ride. We usually get what we expect.
• Be on time for your class. Be at the back gate ready when your class is called. Often the judges are watching the exhibitors as they are preparing to enter the arena. Let them see you acting positive and confident.
• Put a good expression on your face as you enter the arena, smile.
• Be courteous in the ring, don’t just think of yourself. Give other exhibitors room when passing.
• If a problem arises, handle it smoothly, and then go back to showing.
• Be a good sport whether you win or lose. Even the biggest winners have lost their share of classes. Gracefully accept your placing and remember it is just one person’s opinion.

Don’t take it too seriously or be too hard on yourself if you don’t have that perfect ride. There is always another day. But don’t give up, keep stretching to a new level. Raise your standard, and be the best you can be! Have a great ride!

DANA

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DEAR DANA: I have always wanted to be a horse trainer, and I am going to start to try to fulfill my dreams in becoming one. Can you provide me some information about what it takes to be a trainer, and what to expect?
–Lacy Thompson, Moberly, MO.

DEAR LACY: How wise you are in seeking information about becoming a horse trainer before just starting a business. The first thing that I recommend that you do is to give thought to what events you want to train for. Also, do you want to train horses and people for shows, and if so, at what level do you want to show? Local shows? World class shows? Breed shows or Open shows? Anyone can hang their shingle and be a horse trainer, but strive to be excellent at whatever you do!
Another key step: Be qualified. You do that by doing your homework and taking the time necessary to being the best you can be. It takes years to develop the skills needed to be a good horse trainer. You will need to develop feel and timing in your riding.

Also, the discernment and wisdom to learn to read horses and decipher what is needed to overcome a problem when it presents itself. You will need “people skills” also, as you don’t just deal with the horses, you have the owners as well. There are many trainers that are great with horses, but not with people. There are also great riders who aren’t good teachers. Identify your strong points as well as your weaknesses, then you can work on your weaker areas.

As a next step, write down your goals. Then, from that, research those whom are some of the best trainers in the area you pick. Contact them and see if they have an apprenticeship program.
I tell people that they should commit to work for someone for five years. It takes a long time to learn someone’s program. Also, make sure the person you will work for is willing to spend time teaching you!

These are the steps I would recommend you take in order to lay a good foundation for yourself. You’ll be ready to go out on your own as a trainer. Then, you will need to find a good facility, and get an insurance policy. I recommend a liability and care, custody and control policy. You will need a truck and trailer if you are going to shows.

It is a lot of work, but is fulfilling to see riders and horses progress and to help people to achieve their dreams!

Best of luck to you!

Dana

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Meet Dana at Equine Affaire! Saturday, Feb. 6 at Noon in the Horsetrader booth #748

DEAR DANA: I have a grandmother’s dilemma —  I am thinking of sharing my retired reiner with my 7-yr-old granddaughter, who has been taking English lessons.  What problems could arise from this?
–Carolyn Read, San Marcos, Calif.

DEAR CAROLYN: My first thought is that the problem you may encounter is that she will probably fall in love with reining!  I can speak from personal experience because I have two daughters who both have ridden many different events.  I think it made them better riders.

My older daughter rode English and jumped at the age of your granddaughter before she started showing in the reining at the age of 8.  (She placed in the Top 10 at the Quarter Horse Congress at that age.)  She also showed in Western Pleasure, Trail and Horsemanship.  What I had to teach her was to adjust her seat and riding for each style.  I realize English style of riding is different from western, but what I would do is (1) identify the different styles of riding for her and (2) give her key words to help her to switch from one to the other.

For example, what I would say to Brook is “OK, Brook, use your pleasure seat” or “Brook switch to your English seat or your horsemanship seat”.  In her young mind, it helped her to have identifying names for her body position.  My younger daughter, Bree, has ridden primarily reining and western pleasure. 

I had a problem for awhile in that she would push her western pleasure horse forward with her seat.  I would have to tell her to soften in her seat and slow down her rhythm.

Horses truly do respond to the feel of the rider’s seat. Traditionally, an English seat is a more “forward seat” than a western seat.  I teach my riders to sit a western pleasure horse differently than a reining horse, but I can tell you from experience that you can teach your granddaughter to reposition herself and her motion through her seat to fit each style of riding.

I also recommend you talk to her English instructor — she should be able to help with pointers and key words for your granddaughter.  I would be glad to help also!
 
I hope that helps. Good Luck to you!

Dana

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DEAR DANA: What types of precautions should we take as far as liability when we have a horse for sale and invite a stranger to come try her out? It just seems like a recipe for potential problems.
–Caroline, La Jolla, Calif.

DEAR CAROLINE: What a great question you have asked, and you are so right — it is an open door for a potential problem. I want to emphasize that I am not an attorney or an expert in insurance, but I can tell you what I do when I have potential buyers come to look for a horse and hopefully this will help you to protect yourself.

First, you want to check your homeowner’s insurance policy. Typically, these do not cover horse-related activities, but some do. If yours does not, you will want to purchase a “Personal Horse Owners Policy.” This will cover you if your horse injures someone. Keep in mind that if your horse operation is a business, this will not cover you. Check into this before you purchase, as even a part-time vendor could be considered a business. Also make sure that the policy allows someone other than you and your immediate family to be covered if there is an injury. Then, whenever someone comes to your property to ride, you will need to have them sign a release of liability. You can either purchase these or download them from the internet. Make sure that your Release of Liability is compliant with your state laws, as each state is different.

Next, it is important to get to know the person. When I have a potential buyer come to look at a horse, I really quiz them. I try to determine if they are a serious buyer and if they really intend to come try out my horse. Once we set a date, I will do a check-up call to confirm that they are still coming and ask them to let me know in advance if they intend to cancel. Before you even let them ride, make sure that you feel the rider is suited for the horse.

Last but not least, you have to know your horse. How well-trained is your horse? How safe is he? Is he safe for a beginner rider? These are questions that you want to ask yourself before putting someone that you don’t know on his back. Remember, you don’t have to let them do anything that you are not comfortable with them doing!

I hope that helps! Good luck to you.

Dana

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