The Horse Logic Blog
Monday, January 28, 2008
Horse Playing Soccer !!!!! Hysterical !!!!
Check out this horse playing soccer. It is super cute!!!
Labels: horse trainer, horse training lessons
posted by Sara at
7:41 PM |
0 Comments
Links to this post
Bridleless Saddleless Classical Dressage
Here is a neat video that I found on youtube. This is what classical dressage is about, having a great communication with your horse.
Labels: Bridleless, Classical Dressage, Horse, Saddleless
posted by Sara at
7:33 PM |
1 Comments
Links to this post
New Horse Magazine Article Series in the Kane County Farm Bureau Paper
I will now be writing a new series every month about Dressage and also Horse Training. This article will be published in the Kane County Illinois Farm Bureau. Check it out in the Farm Bureau Paper, and it will also be published on my blog.
Labels: horse trainer article news
posted by Sara at
7:05 PM |
0 Comments
Links to this post
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Waiora Nutritional Supplements
Why use Natural Cellular Defense and Essential Daily Nutrients...Theory behind Remove, Replenish, and Restore.
If you do not get the toxins out of your body, it does not matter if you are ingesting the most powerful supplements in the world. Why? Because toxins go in the body just like a nutrient does. They have a positive charge just like nutrients. The toxin has a higher charge so the body grabs it before the nutrient. As an example, if Lead and Calcium enter the body at the same time, the body will grab the lead thinking it is calcium. The lead has a higher plus charge. The body does not know or understand the difference. It is chemistry. Problem is, once they (toxins) go in the body they don't just come out, they grab onto receptor sites. They get stuck in bones, tissue, cells, in your brain. If your body ingests too many toxins you no longer can absorb nutrients. Our food is already so mineral deficient that we are compromised as it is. Think of all the chemicals and preservatives in processed foods. Grab a box and read the label. That isn't even the half of it. Think about the toxins in your cleaning supplies, in the water you drink and better yet as you sit in traffic and breath the car exhaust fumes....Different toxin exposure is linked to specific illness, such as high aluminum is linked to Alzheimer's. Mercury is linked to ADD, ADHD, Autism and Lead is linked to calcium deficiency which is linked to osteoporosis.
Natural Cellular Defense has negative charge and pulls out the toxins. It is a critical part of helping the body heal itself. I believe in helping people with the "whole picture." Imagine refrigerator magnets. There is always the magnet that falls down easily and then there is the one that holds 15 pieces of paper. Natural Cellular Defense (a Zeolite mineral) is the stronger magnet. It grabs and pulls the toxin into its cage and then it is excreted out via urination.
Once you remove these toxins from your body you can choose to take the Essential Daily Nutrient drink to replenish the body with much needed vitamins and minerals, even if you choose not to your own nutrition plan will work better now that the toxins have been removed. Receptor sites are freed up and the body now is able to absorb much needed nutrients. Once on this protocol for a few months you will find that people notice a huge difference-for the better in how they feel on a daily basis. Myself, family and friends all report-more energy-better sleep-needing less sleep-mental clarity and focus and fewer aches and pains-almost feeling 5 years younger! Be patient and persistent. You did not feel the toxins going into your body and you might not feel them going out. I strongly recommend you do some research www.ewg.org and find out how much of a PREVENTATIVE THIS WELLNESS PROGRAM IS!
This is the real deal and a real good thing for our planet. There is a yin and yang in nature and this is natures own answer for our toxins to be cleaned up.
To your health and prosperity!!! If you need any assistance please contact Sara McKiness (630) 631-2746 or sara@horselogic.net
Horse Supplements - Horse Vitamins
If you do not get the toxins out of your body, it does not matter if you are ingesting the most powerful supplements in the world. Why? Because toxins go in the body just like a nutrient does. They have a positive charge just like nutrients. The toxin has a higher charge so the body grabs it before the nutrient. As an example, if Lead and Calcium enter the body at the same time, the body will grab the lead thinking it is calcium. The lead has a higher plus charge. The body does not know or understand the difference. It is chemistry. Problem is, once they (toxins) go in the body they don't just come out, they grab onto receptor sites. They get stuck in bones, tissue, cells, in your brain. If your body ingests too many toxins you no longer can absorb nutrients. Our food is already so mineral deficient that we are compromised as it is. Think of all the chemicals and preservatives in processed foods. Grab a box and read the label. That isn't even the half of it. Think about the toxins in your cleaning supplies, in the water you drink and better yet as you sit in traffic and breath the car exhaust fumes....Different toxin exposure is linked to specific illness, such as high aluminum is linked to Alzheimer's. Mercury is linked to ADD, ADHD, Autism and Lead is linked to calcium deficiency which is linked to osteoporosis.
Natural Cellular Defense has negative charge and pulls out the toxins. It is a critical part of helping the body heal itself. I believe in helping people with the "whole picture." Imagine refrigerator magnets. There is always the magnet that falls down easily and then there is the one that holds 15 pieces of paper. Natural Cellular Defense (a Zeolite mineral) is the stronger magnet. It grabs and pulls the toxin into its cage and then it is excreted out via urination.
Once you remove these toxins from your body you can choose to take the Essential Daily Nutrient drink to replenish the body with much needed vitamins and minerals, even if you choose not to your own nutrition plan will work better now that the toxins have been removed. Receptor sites are freed up and the body now is able to absorb much needed nutrients. Once on this protocol for a few months you will find that people notice a huge difference-for the better in how they feel on a daily basis. Myself, family and friends all report-more energy-better sleep-needing less sleep-mental clarity and focus and fewer aches and pains-almost feeling 5 years younger! Be patient and persistent. You did not feel the toxins going into your body and you might not feel them going out. I strongly recommend you do some research www.ewg.org and find out how much of a PREVENTATIVE THIS WELLNESS PROGRAM IS!
This is the real deal and a real good thing for our planet. There is a yin and yang in nature and this is natures own answer for our toxins to be cleaned up.
To your health and prosperity!!! If you need any assistance please contact Sara McKiness (630) 631-2746 or sara@horselogic.net
Horse Supplements - Horse Vitamins
Labels: horse vitamins, NCD, supplements, waiora
posted by Sara at
9:57 PM |
1 Comments
Links to this post
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Very Funny "Dressage Test"
The Amazing New Dressage Test
For Horses Unsuitable to Become Anything
By Joanna MacDonald et al
The Test
1. A. Enter at ordinary serpentine.
X. Sprawl. Salute.
2. C. Stop dead. Stare in horror at judge and shy to left.
Continue at ordinary working gallop.
3. E. Stagger left 20 or 15 or 22 meters in diameter circle or pear shape
or five pointed star. Avoid excessive crossing of legs.
4. K. Begin to halt.
Z. Keep trying.
F. You can do it.
B. Pulley rein. Give up. Continue at out of hand gallop.
5. H. Regain right stirrup. Continue at ordinary trot, bouncing.
6. MKT Change rein. Free Walk loose reins. Remove horse from judge's
luncheon table. Ask judge for leg up. Jump back into ring.
7. Z. Turn down center Line.
Halt. Grin. Scratch. Burst into tears. Leave area at free walk on long
reins, loose language.
History of the Amazing New Dressage Test
Submitted to the OADG Newsletter, July-August 1995, by Joanna MacDonald. Karyn Curtis, Ed.
1995 marks the 21st birthday of The Amazing New Dressage Test (For Horses Unsuitable to Become Anything). (There used to be dressage classes "For Horses Suitable to Become a Dressage Horse" - Ed.) Almost every dressage person in the English-speaking world has giggled over this test; it has become an anonymous classic. Hardly anybody knows where it came from. Karyn Curtis and I know. We wrote it. Here's the story:
In May 1974, some Spiritwood riders went to the OADG Spring Dressage Show at Copanspin Farm (then Marchcroft, now Riverside) in Dunrobin. There was Lorraine MacDonald, with her TBX mare Baska; my employee, Big Sue MacMillan, with her 3-year-old Quarter Horse, Flyer; and me with my 5-year-old grey mare, Azteca, known to her friends as Tattie. It was our first dressage show ever in our lives -- except for Lorraine, who had been in just one. A bunch of little kids came to help; Karyn was one of them. It turned out to be The Dressage Show From Hell. The rain came down in buckets all day without stopping. The show was held in the indoor arena with no place to warm up. We were up to our knees in mud outside. The ramp of the truck got slippery. The horses went crazy and we didn't get any ribbons.
We finally got home, soaking, shivering, miserable and disgusted. The word dressage was enough to make us throw up. We all sat around the kitchen table: Lorraine, her husband Angus, Sue, me and a lot of little kids. There was also, I remember, a bottle of wine. And we got silly and we wrote The Amazing New Dressage Test to express what we had just been through.
It went, anonymously, into the OADG Newsletter; then it went into the OVH Pony Club Newsletter; then the Corinthian (now Horse Sport) picked it up; then the Chronicle printed it; then , over the next ten years, it went into many regional U.S. dressage newsletters, to England, to California, back to Canada via Vancouver, and it's still travelling. Horse and Country printed it last year and, I ask you to believe, a friend sent it to me from Yellowknife, NWT, saying "Isn't this the funniest thing you ever read, who do you think wrote it?"
Do you want to know what happened to the cast of characters? Flyer was sold as a hunter/eventer and was re-named "Cashel" and, when I last heard, was still in retirement in Oxford Mills. Tattie achieved a respectable Medium 2/3 and ended her days as a school horse here at Spiritwood, teaching about a million people how to do shoulder-in. I don't know what became of Baska -- I last saw her picture in a tack ad for a Toronto store, modeling a blanket. Big Sue MacMillan went back to Edmonton and married a dairy farmer and has two children. The little kids all grew up; ponies were replaced by horses, horses by university, careers, husbands. Karyn came back to Spiritwood. I never left. Lorraine MacDonald is an FEI Dressage Judge for Canada!
So now you all know the true history of The Amazing New Dressage Test...
For Horses Unsuitable to Become Anything
By Joanna MacDonald et al
The Test
1. A. Enter at ordinary serpentine.
X. Sprawl. Salute.
2. C. Stop dead. Stare in horror at judge and shy to left.
Continue at ordinary working gallop.
3. E. Stagger left 20 or 15 or 22 meters in diameter circle or pear shape
or five pointed star. Avoid excessive crossing of legs.
4. K. Begin to halt.
Z. Keep trying.
F. You can do it.
B. Pulley rein. Give up. Continue at out of hand gallop.
5. H. Regain right stirrup. Continue at ordinary trot, bouncing.
6. MKT Change rein. Free Walk loose reins. Remove horse from judge's
luncheon table. Ask judge for leg up. Jump back into ring.
7. Z. Turn down center Line.
Halt. Grin. Scratch. Burst into tears. Leave area at free walk on long
reins, loose language.
History of the Amazing New Dressage Test
Submitted to the OADG Newsletter, July-August 1995, by Joanna MacDonald. Karyn Curtis, Ed.
1995 marks the 21st birthday of The Amazing New Dressage Test (For Horses Unsuitable to Become Anything). (There used to be dressage classes "For Horses Suitable to Become a Dressage Horse" - Ed.) Almost every dressage person in the English-speaking world has giggled over this test; it has become an anonymous classic. Hardly anybody knows where it came from. Karyn Curtis and I know. We wrote it. Here's the story:
In May 1974, some Spiritwood riders went to the OADG Spring Dressage Show at Copanspin Farm (then Marchcroft, now Riverside) in Dunrobin. There was Lorraine MacDonald, with her TBX mare Baska; my employee, Big Sue MacMillan, with her 3-year-old Quarter Horse, Flyer; and me with my 5-year-old grey mare, Azteca, known to her friends as Tattie. It was our first dressage show ever in our lives -- except for Lorraine, who had been in just one. A bunch of little kids came to help; Karyn was one of them. It turned out to be The Dressage Show From Hell. The rain came down in buckets all day without stopping. The show was held in the indoor arena with no place to warm up. We were up to our knees in mud outside. The ramp of the truck got slippery. The horses went crazy and we didn't get any ribbons.
We finally got home, soaking, shivering, miserable and disgusted. The word dressage was enough to make us throw up. We all sat around the kitchen table: Lorraine, her husband Angus, Sue, me and a lot of little kids. There was also, I remember, a bottle of wine. And we got silly and we wrote The Amazing New Dressage Test to express what we had just been through.
It went, anonymously, into the OADG Newsletter; then it went into the OVH Pony Club Newsletter; then the Corinthian (now Horse Sport) picked it up; then the Chronicle printed it; then , over the next ten years, it went into many regional U.S. dressage newsletters, to England, to California, back to Canada via Vancouver, and it's still travelling. Horse and Country printed it last year and, I ask you to believe, a friend sent it to me from Yellowknife, NWT, saying "Isn't this the funniest thing you ever read, who do you think wrote it?"
Do you want to know what happened to the cast of characters? Flyer was sold as a hunter/eventer and was re-named "Cashel" and, when I last heard, was still in retirement in Oxford Mills. Tattie achieved a respectable Medium 2/3 and ended her days as a school horse here at Spiritwood, teaching about a million people how to do shoulder-in. I don't know what became of Baska -- I last saw her picture in a tack ad for a Toronto store, modeling a blanket. Big Sue MacMillan went back to Edmonton and married a dairy farmer and has two children. The little kids all grew up; ponies were replaced by horses, horses by university, careers, husbands. Karyn came back to Spiritwood. I never left. Lorraine MacDonald is an FEI Dressage Judge for Canada!
So now you all know the true history of The Amazing New Dressage Test...
posted by Sara at
3:44 PM |
2 Comments
Links to this post
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Training Tree: Rhythm and Relaxation
Training Tree: Rhythm and Relaxation
By: Sara McKiness
Every person that handles horses should have a relationship with that horse, which is based on trust. With a relationship based on trust you accomplish a lot more, and it is also easier on both trainer and horse. The more the horse trusts you the more he is willing to do, and also the harder that he tries. With trust as the foundation your horse will also be much more responsive and obedient to what you ask for.
As training progresses you start to move up the training tree. The training tree* is a systematic progression in training that is logical for both the horse and rider. The training tree has 10 steps that allow the training to be understood by both horse and rider. In this article I will go into more detail on the first 2 steps of the training tree, they are Rhythm and Relaxation. The articles to follow this will also go into more detail on the steps of the training tree.
Rhythm is step 1 of the training and the foundation for all horse training. This applies to both groundwork and under saddle work. The definition of Rhythm: a regularly repeated pattern, movement, beat or sequence of events.
Rhythm is the first step of the training tree because it is the foundation for all training. The reason for this is rhythm helps to establish trust. When your horse trusts you it makes training easier and quicker. Another reason that rhythm is the first step in the training tree is rhythm helps to show the horse that you are consistent in everything that you do. So you as the handler need to really train yourself to always be rhythmical anytime you are around the horses. This means that your breathing, footfalls, and anything else that you do need to have a consistent rhythm. Horses pay close attention to these details because in the wild it can mean life or death. This is instinctual for all horses and shows how much you need to pay attention to them in order to make it a positive experience for all.
So when you go to your barn and go out to the pasture to get your horse remember to stay very rhythmical and consistent. This will start out the time you spend with your horse positively.
One way you can pay attention to your horse's rhythm is through his breathing. If your horse maintains a consistent rhythm in his breathing than he has rhythm. You must also strive very hard to maintain your own breathing. It is very important to never hold your breath. This will interrupt any rhythm that you might have, and can cause the horse to lose his rhythm. Anytime that your horse’s breathing is not rhythmical he is worried about something and it is usually something that the handler has caused. For example you introduce a new piece of equipment such as a saddle pad. This causes your horse to breathe faster and he has lost his rhythm at this point. By introducing the saddle pad in a non rhythmical way you have interrupted the rhythm and thus can’t proceed further up the training tree. At this point you need to back up a step with the training, and then when you have achieved rhythm once again, you can then reintroduce the saddle pad. Just make sure to go at a slower speed when reintroducing it. One thing to remember is you must keep your rhythmic breathing at all times, even if your horse spooks at something. He will start to figure out that you maintain your breathing and rhythm, which will show him that you are a safe place to be. This is a huge positive reinforcement of your relationship.
Rhythm is easier to maintain on the ground. Many riders will change their breathing as soon as they get in the saddle. This interrupts your rhythm. Remember to keep your breathing rhythmical especially in the saddle. If you have a hard time with your breathing while in the saddle try whistling or humming while riding. This way you can’t hold your breath. It will get easier every time that you do it.
Here are some things that can help you to maintain your rhythm with your horse: playing a radio in the barn, and using ground poles for walk, trot and canter work. Remember to pay close attention to both your breathing and your horses. This will make a huge difference in both of your training sessions.
Relaxation is step 2 of the training tree. Relaxation is step 2 because it follows rhythm very closely. Without rhythm you can’t have relaxation. In order to get your horse relaxed you must have rhythm. Your horse's breathing tells you whether or not he is relaxed and ear position will tell you what he is paying attention to. It is very important to pay attention to his degree of tenseness. These tell you how relaxed he is and about the mood he is in.
To get relaxation you must be very consistent and rhythmical in everything that you do. Nothing that you do with your horse should cause him any excitement. If it does you need to back the training down a level and accomplish that first, before returning to the next step. All training should be done in the smallest baby steps possible. This means that each step that your progress with your horse should not cause any reactions in him. You do not want any reactions that are caused by fear or nervousness. If you should get any sort of reaction again bring step back with what you are trying to accomplish. Once you have the relaxation again you can go back to what your were trying before the excitement happened.
Please visit my blog and check out new posts about training an untrained horse from the start.
I welcome any suggestions for future articles, or any questions that you would like answered in a future article.
Learn something new every month from Horse Logic. A new article will be featured every month in From the Horse’s Mouth by: Sara McKiness from Horse Logic.
*As Taught by Meredith Manor International Equestrian Center
Horse Logic 2007
Sara McKiness
Horse Logic
Saint Charles, IL
630-631-2746
sara@horselogic.net
www.horselogic.net
By: Sara McKiness
Every person that handles horses should have a relationship with that horse, which is based on trust. With a relationship based on trust you accomplish a lot more, and it is also easier on both trainer and horse. The more the horse trusts you the more he is willing to do, and also the harder that he tries. With trust as the foundation your horse will also be much more responsive and obedient to what you ask for.
As training progresses you start to move up the training tree. The training tree* is a systematic progression in training that is logical for both the horse and rider. The training tree has 10 steps that allow the training to be understood by both horse and rider. In this article I will go into more detail on the first 2 steps of the training tree, they are Rhythm and Relaxation. The articles to follow this will also go into more detail on the steps of the training tree.
Rhythm is step 1 of the training and the foundation for all horse training. This applies to both groundwork and under saddle work. The definition of Rhythm: a regularly repeated pattern, movement, beat or sequence of events.
Rhythm is the first step of the training tree because it is the foundation for all training. The reason for this is rhythm helps to establish trust. When your horse trusts you it makes training easier and quicker. Another reason that rhythm is the first step in the training tree is rhythm helps to show the horse that you are consistent in everything that you do. So you as the handler need to really train yourself to always be rhythmical anytime you are around the horses. This means that your breathing, footfalls, and anything else that you do need to have a consistent rhythm. Horses pay close attention to these details because in the wild it can mean life or death. This is instinctual for all horses and shows how much you need to pay attention to them in order to make it a positive experience for all.
So when you go to your barn and go out to the pasture to get your horse remember to stay very rhythmical and consistent. This will start out the time you spend with your horse positively.
One way you can pay attention to your horse's rhythm is through his breathing. If your horse maintains a consistent rhythm in his breathing than he has rhythm. You must also strive very hard to maintain your own breathing. It is very important to never hold your breath. This will interrupt any rhythm that you might have, and can cause the horse to lose his rhythm. Anytime that your horse’s breathing is not rhythmical he is worried about something and it is usually something that the handler has caused. For example you introduce a new piece of equipment such as a saddle pad. This causes your horse to breathe faster and he has lost his rhythm at this point. By introducing the saddle pad in a non rhythmical way you have interrupted the rhythm and thus can’t proceed further up the training tree. At this point you need to back up a step with the training, and then when you have achieved rhythm once again, you can then reintroduce the saddle pad. Just make sure to go at a slower speed when reintroducing it. One thing to remember is you must keep your rhythmic breathing at all times, even if your horse spooks at something. He will start to figure out that you maintain your breathing and rhythm, which will show him that you are a safe place to be. This is a huge positive reinforcement of your relationship.
Rhythm is easier to maintain on the ground. Many riders will change their breathing as soon as they get in the saddle. This interrupts your rhythm. Remember to keep your breathing rhythmical especially in the saddle. If you have a hard time with your breathing while in the saddle try whistling or humming while riding. This way you can’t hold your breath. It will get easier every time that you do it.
Here are some things that can help you to maintain your rhythm with your horse: playing a radio in the barn, and using ground poles for walk, trot and canter work. Remember to pay close attention to both your breathing and your horses. This will make a huge difference in both of your training sessions.
Relaxation is step 2 of the training tree. Relaxation is step 2 because it follows rhythm very closely. Without rhythm you can’t have relaxation. In order to get your horse relaxed you must have rhythm. Your horse's breathing tells you whether or not he is relaxed and ear position will tell you what he is paying attention to. It is very important to pay attention to his degree of tenseness. These tell you how relaxed he is and about the mood he is in.
To get relaxation you must be very consistent and rhythmical in everything that you do. Nothing that you do with your horse should cause him any excitement. If it does you need to back the training down a level and accomplish that first, before returning to the next step. All training should be done in the smallest baby steps possible. This means that each step that your progress with your horse should not cause any reactions in him. You do not want any reactions that are caused by fear or nervousness. If you should get any sort of reaction again bring step back with what you are trying to accomplish. Once you have the relaxation again you can go back to what your were trying before the excitement happened.
Please visit my blog and check out new posts about training an untrained horse from the start.
I welcome any suggestions for future articles, or any questions that you would like answered in a future article.
Learn something new every month from Horse Logic. A new article will be featured every month in From the Horse’s Mouth by: Sara McKiness from Horse Logic.
*As Taught by Meredith Manor International Equestrian Center
Horse Logic 2007
Sara McKiness
Horse Logic
Saint Charles, IL
630-631-2746
sara@horselogic.net
www.horselogic.net
posted by Sara at
6:54 PM |
0 Comments
Links to this post
