Frank Hopkin's Ideas Still In Use Today

Today I found an interesting website, www.frankhopkins.com/ . After reading through some of his writings, I noticed that much of it sounded similar to what today's big name trainers such as Pat Parelli, John Lyons, Clinton Anderson, etc. say today. So I guess what is new today was actually common sense horsemanhip of yesterday.

The Time Between Christmas and New Years

Christmas is over for another year. I had a really good one and hope others had one as well.

As usual, the horses got Christmas dinner...cut up apples and carrots in their grain. I never work them either because they deserve the day off, too. I got a tractor for Christmas and I am thrilled with it so far. It will make so many chores around the barn so much easier.

Now is the time to think about the past year and plan for the next. What resolutions should I make for next year besides the usual - like lose weight? Time to look at the books and see what made money and what didn't. Some farms start to plan ahead for the breeding season during the winter months. I won't be breeding any mares this year and I still will not be standing my stallion so these are things I won't be worried with.

Well, I better get busy thinking about those resolutions, New Years is only two days away

10 Easy Lessons

It happened to me again today.  I had a beginner adult ask about riding lessons, which is good, but then want to know how long and how many lessons it will take to learn how to ride.  No way can I answer those questions.  Very few people can learn to ride a horse 10 easy lessons.

To begin, everyone learns at their own pace and there is no way that I can make someone learn how to ride.  It takes both physical and mental ability to make riding a horse happen.  Take for instance, balance.  I haven't figured out a way yet to teach someone balance.  Just like learning to ride a bike that balance has to come from within a persons own body.  

Strength is also something that takes time to achieve.  Some students come to me with very little physical strength.  It takes time to build those muscle groups that will help a rider achieve a safe, effective position.

Finally, it takes practice to be able to ride a horse.  There are so many people who think that you practice playing a musical instrument or playing a sport, but they don't think that riding a horse is something that should be practiced.  Maybe it's because everyone thinks a rider sits on a horse and so they think that doesn't take practice, but that is far from true.  

For most people, if I could get up on the horse and ride for them it would be so much easier, but I can't do that.  I had to learn the long, slow way and it wasn't easy, but I'm so glad I did.  And, I'm still learning.  Learning to ride a horse has never been something most people can do in 10 easy lessons.

Working In The Rain

It really doesn't seem as if it has been 5 days since I last posted anything on this blog. Anyway, I was just reminded of what I always seem to be telling my students when it comes to training their horses..."It doesn't happen by magic".

Training isn't magic at all, but it is work. Just like today when I was lunging a young filly out in a 41 degree rain. See, I don't have an indoor ring so I have to work in all kinds of weather...good and bad. But, the training i.e. work won't get done unless I do it. So there we were out in the blowing rain, but we did it and she was a good horse, too.

Just Some Of My Thoughts On The Way Horses Are Used Today

Good Morning! And it really is a good morning for me...it's warmer today. I'm not a cold weather person and during the winter I really suffer some days. As I was telling someone the other day, when the wind blows out of the south my attitude improves dramatically!

I was having an interesting conversation the other day with one of my students. She told me that she had been reading an article and the author believed that many horses could be saved from senseless slaughter if they had been trained correctly. I totally agree and I would like to add something to that. In addition to training horses, riders also need more training. Now, I know that this isn't a very popular idea among many recreational riders, but I feel it's the truth.

First, most horses are NOT recreational vehicles. They aren't ATVs that you can go start up on a Sunday afternoon and take a spin around the area. Many horses need to be worked - yes that dreaded word for many folks today - worked. And, for that matter, so do the riders. Riding is a physical activity and both the horse and rider need to be in good physical condition. When neither party is, it leads to sore muscles and joints for both and let's face it we may understand why we're having a tough time getting out of bed the next morning, but more than likely the poor horse doesn't.

Also, many people today think that horses are pets. However, up until 100 years ago, or less horses were used for many kinds of work whether it was the TB on the track or the QH working cattle on a ranch. Yes, horses were bred to work and many that couldn't work met an untimely end if you know what I mean. So just through selection, either planned or otherwise, horses became animals that are used to physical activity. It has only been in recent history that horses have become something similar to a labrador retriever in some people's views.

Finally, riders need to be able to ride, not just sit up on the horse and hang on for dear life with their heels and hands. I'm not saying that everyone needs to be an Olympic caliber rider, but a rider should be able to control what their legs and hands are doing for the sake of the horse. Nothing can be any more confusing for some horses than to be banged in the sides with flapping legs or jerked in the mouth by hands that are trying to keep the rider in the saddle. And the beating that the poor horse's back takes as the stiff rider bounces around....oh my!. Unfortunately, most people don't want to take the time or make the effort to learn correct riding.

These are just a few of my thoughts. What are yours.

Hay Buffet

December is here and things are slowing down here on the farm...thank goodness since Christmas will be here in less than a month.  I am never ready for that day and I know it's coming every year.  Oh well, maybe I'll start getting ready for next Christmas next September.  Yeah right!

Lime has been applied to the fields and it really would be nice if it would rain to help it go into the ground.  Unfortunately, it just doesn't seem to want to rain and now the wind is blowing a gale, drying out what little rain we received the other day.  

Of course, I'm feeding the horses hay this time of year.  I'm lucky that I don't feed hay year round like a lot of people, but then paying for the diesel fuel to run the irrigation pump to water the pastures has gotten expensive, too.   The horses go out at night and have the all they can eat "hay buffet" round bale.  I know there are many, many people that would never begin to feed their horses the way that I do, but the way I feed horses is actually a more natural way.  Instead of grazing on grass while in the pasture, they graze on hay.  The hay is in a feeder so that it doesn't rain on it and they can't walk through it so I have very little wasted.  I feed very little grain, unless a horse is in heavy work and let's face it most of today's horses do very little work, but that's a discussion for another day.

This method has worked for our barn for many years.  Think about it.  It may work for your horse, too.

Some Days I Really Love To Teach Riding

Well, this is my second installment to this blog. So here goes.

Yesterday, I had a six year old student who has been riding for about 1 1/2 years decide that she wanted to try to ride like the riders she had seen last weekend at the Lippizaner (sp?) show. So, I dropped her stirrups down to about dressage length and let her try it. Well, she had also noticed that all the riders last week did a sitting trot, so I had her try that, too. And, I'll be darned if she didn't do a wonderful sitting trot! By the end of the lesson she had adjusted wonderfully to the longer length stirrups and could post, too! I let her try a turn on the forehand with help and a leg yield with a lot of help and she loved it. Maybe, we have our next Olympic gold medalist in works here. You just never know.