MyHoofPrints

Flying lead changes: The foolproof exercise

Our horses are good, average horses that fit well with our family. They do multiple jobs in 4-H at open horse shows. None received specialized training. None broke the bank at time of purchase. When it came to learning flying leads, we faced the challenge of rider inexperience, less-than-perfect horse conformation and in some cases, performance baggage that had nothing to do with the quality of our training. We tried method after method, sometimes with hilarious results: Jumping in a western saddle to force a change, horses bolting at the center of the figure eight fearing heavy leg cues, horses changing down the rail just for the fun of it, horses dripping with sweat due to stress. Of all the exercises we tried, this one from John Lyons Perfect Horse magazines (December 2005 and January 2006) is my favorite. All the horses we tried this exercise on executed a flying lead change by the end of our 4-H mounted ride. Simply put: You construct a chute of cones close enough together to discourage dodging, put a ground pole at the end of the chute, and ride the horse in an “S” through the chute, switching leads at the ground pole, all while using proper seat, leg, and hand cues. Remember, before you can "fly", you must first be able to sidepass, turn on the forehand, and two-track at the trot and canter, all with your horse in a good, light frame.

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Deadly impact: Skull - 1, Helmet - 0

The Thoroughbred gelding had been jumping the green and white, two-foot flower jump for days. This was just another routine schooling. As the horse cantered the line, his rider balanced over the balls of her feet in a classic two-point. She shortened the reins for better contact, looked ahead, and prepared herself for liftoff. The horse pricked his ears toward the jump, boldly cantered forward, then skidded to a halt, swerved right, then left, then right and, feeling his rider come unbalanced, scrambled away from the jump. She hauled on the reins, but the gelding continued his mad scramble. The rider slammed to the ground, head first. She didn’t move. Others in the arena ran to help, but seconds later, she stood up on her own. She was shaken and covered in the mud of the puddle her body hit. Except for a bad case of road rash, and later, a stiff neck, she was injury free. Somebody started laughing. Pretty soon everybody in the arena started laughing, partly in fun, partly in relief. As the rider tried to pull muddy strands of hair out of her face, she unstrapped her helmet. She stopped laughing. A six-inch spiraling crack fractured the helmet’s surface. (Click on picture to enlarge.)
Those of you who think you don’t need one, think again. My daughter’s helmet saved her life today.

Check out this life-saving video: Every Time, Every Ride

Hair box: The ultimate organizer

One item that has proven valuable over the years is our “hair box”. It holds everything from hair nets, to bows, to show numbers, to scissors, to a sewing kit. The latest incarnation of this idea is a tool box from our local Ace Hardware store. (Click to enlarge the photo.) We have used old overnight travel cases, makeup kits and clear, stackable tubs, but the tool box has been the best. The handle is convenient, the plastic is tough and shatterproof, and this size is light and therefore easy to carry along with all the other items you need to pack for a horse show. Our hair box has clear, closable compartments on the lid for small stuff like safety pins, stock pins and bobby pins. When you open it, another tray for bigger items makes up the second layer, and finally, underneath it all is the big open spot for everything else. As an organizational tool, the hair box keeps us from having to repack easily forgettable things, which when forgotten, create a crisis. When the show is over, we just close the lid and our hair box keeps everything in place for next time. This Stanley tool box at Amazon is similar to ours.

Radios: Stay in touch at the show grounds

Communication is everything; especially at large horse shows where you may find yourself far away from your support person. (Yes, every contestant needs a support person, and for children, a support person is a must!) There are times when we have missed classes at large horse shows due to arena changes that were suddenly announced in one barn, but not the others, or due to broken sound systems. After suffering the loss of all-around points due to missed classes, we went out and bought two-way radios, which instantly solved the problem. Even with the evolution of cell phones, we prefer our radios because they require no dialing, and therefore no wait time. We also carry the radios around the property at home, and have nipped many an emergency in the bud thanks to instant communication. My last pair of two-way radios purchased about two years ago came with a five-mile range. This pair from Wal-Mart costs about half as much and provides up to 15 miles of coverage. A word to the wise: Make sure you pick a different frequency than horse show management is using, and teach your children to use the radios as a tool, not a toy.

Stable land use: Ideas for change emerge

LOVELAND, Colorado – To its list of ideas for changing the way horse businesses use their land, the working group in charge of developing new rules has added a grace period for existing horse businesses to comply, and the term “equestrian center” to its vocabulary.
“If you’re living next to dust and manure, you’re gonna complain,” said Linda Hoffman, director of the County’s Rural Land Use Center. Hoffman outlined top issues surrounding horse property use, existing land use code, and the group’s new ideas at the first of two public meetings Tuesday night.
The grace period, called a “transition program”, would probably involve a fee and a deadline for facilities that have, for whatever reason, never been approved by the county, but would like to be recognized now, according to Hoffman.
The working group coined the term “equestrian center” to combine horse boarding and teaching of riding lessons or other horse activities. In existing land use code, the terms “riding academy” and “boarding stable” bring confusion to an already murky set of rules, and that is “one of the things we think needs to be cleaned up,” said Hoffman.

El Bayo: A love story

Timing is everything. That was especially true the day Juan Rael saw the horse in the sale yard.
Blood bay, tall and powerful, the gelding had the look of an eagle, the body of an athlete, and high-stepped like a parade horse.
Juan Rael loved horses. Juan Rael hated horses. They drove a practical man like him crazy sometimes with their unpredictable and demanding ways.
People remembered long after Juan died that the day he switched from ranching with horses to ranching with tractors, Juan also quit swearing.
Juan went out window shopping for ranch stock that day in the 1930’s. He took one look at the bay and knew the animal carried good blood.
Juan timed his bidding perfectly and went home with the horse they later called “El Bayo”.
El Bayo soon made it clear that he would not work for everyone.
“He was highly-spirited and he loved to prance,” said Juan’s youngest son, Nicholas Rael, who lived through what he calls “a strange love story”.
Nicholas grew up working for his father on Rancho Uraca (Magpie Ranch) in a valley at the foot of Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
“El Bayo was very, very big.,” said Nicholas. “Not just any person could ride that horse.”
One man fell in love with El Bayo, and that was Luciano Jaramillo, Juan’s dashing, part Ute Indian brother-in-law and partner. Apparently the feeling was mutual.

Stable land use changes: Public invited

Larimer County, Colorado –- The working group appointed by county commissioners to spearhead new rules for horse stables has ideas and goals to share with the public at two upcoming meetings.
Monday, June 22, 2009, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., The Ranch, Thomas M. McKee Building, Loveland, Crossroads Blvd. and I-25. Presentation at 6 pm., open house to follow.
Thursday, June 25, 2009, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Larimer County Courthouse Offices Building, Hearing Room, 1st Floor, 200 W. Oak Street, Fort Collins. Presentation at 6 pm., open house to follow.
In 2006 a move to tighten livestock restrictions failed in a vote before the commissioners. As the result of about 25 complaints against facilities boarding horses, the commissioners voted late in 2008 to narrow the scope of proposed land use changes to horse businesses.
On Saturday, June 20, the working group plans to take a bus tour of horse stables for a first-hand view of stable issues. County commissioners are set to vote on the rule changes in December.
For information go to: http://www.larimer.org/horses/ or contact Rural Land Use Center director Linda Hoffmann at (970) 498-7681, lhoffmann@larimer.org for further information.
For MyHoofprints previous coverage on this story, go to: Horse Property Issues.

Tornado: A tough call

Last year a tornado whipped through a stable near Windsor, Colorado, destroying buildings. Flying, collapsing debris seriously injured horses inside or near their shelters.

We are not supposed to have tornadoes this close to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, but this afternoon, a year later, we survived another close call.

The sky turned black, the wind developed an odd wail, and sudden waterfalls of rain thought about turning to ice. Television and radio broadcasters announced a tornado warning, with funnel clouds sighted south of town.

The wind wailed louder, and we began getting calls about our horses spending the day outside in daily turnouts with no roof over their heads. People wanted their horses in, period.

This fall, I asked our vet, Dr. Allen Landes of Equine Medical Services, what to do under threat of a tornado. His reaction? ... 

Horse kills 11-year-old girl

Our hearts go out to the family of Eloise "Ellie" Peek, who died Sunday after a horse kicked her in the head at her grandparents’ farm in Hainford, Norfolk, England. Ellie went out to check her pony, Flynn, before an upcoming horse show, and was kicked by another horse, according to the Morpeth Herald, Ellie had been riding since age four, and according to the Mirror News she attended many jumping competitions. We will probably never know what actually happened during the accident, but this proves a grim reminder of the importance of safety zones when working around horses. Colorado 4-H’ers are taught never to stand directly in front of or behind a horse, but to always work from the side. Believe it or not, it is safest to stand close to a horse’s hindquarters, as opposed to standing several feet away. Always touching a horse and talking to it as you move around its hindquarters lets the horse know exactly where you are. If you stand too far from the horse, you run the risk of being at the point of maximum impact should the horse decide to kick. Another safety must-have is the video, Every Time, Every Ride, which talks about the importance of helmets. Rest in peace, Ellie.

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Collapse at the state fair

Our gelding, Billy, went down on his knees about 10 years ago just before my son’s hunt seat class at the Colorado state fair 4-H horse show in Pueblo. This handsome red gelding had seemed fine all morning, but the temperature spiked 30 degrees in two hours, taking us from the 60’s to the 90’s. We did not think anything of the uncooperative weather until, on the way to the in-gate with his boy, Billy went to his knees, and then to his side. If we had not pulled Billy up by the reins, he would have crushed the saddle. Billy had colic, the Number 1 killer of horses. The many kinds of colic all involve stomach pain. Two of the many causes include a sudden change in the weather and heat distress. Like dehydrated people who experience headaches and muscle cramps, heat stresses horses and they need constant hydration and in some cases, electrolytes , to help cope. Billy suffered a handful of other colics over several years until we figured out that he drinks little water. Today, Billy gets daily electrolytes, and an extra dose for any summer horse show. The electrolytes did the trick. Since then, Billy has been as healthy as … a horse!