[jen judkins]

@Donn Hewes 6075 wrote:

Early spring grazeing can also be used to set seed.

I’m not sure what this means? Spread seed then allow grazing so the seed gets tamped into the soil? Explanation please…

[jen judkins]

Well, that certainly blew the steam out of my spring clean up thread….yuck!

[jen judkins]

Grass is good bedding too…

[jen judkins]

There is a good organic feed mill in Bethel, VT. Green Mountain Feed. http://www.greenmountainfeeds.com/

I like their stuff alot. Abit pricey, but avoiding by-products and pesticide processed grains is important to me.

[jen judkins]

Aw, comeon….you guys can’t be serious:p. The guy is young and goodlooking, has gorgeous horses and knows how to have some fun!

Carl, I’m gonna make you run the barrels on Peanut bareback if you keep this up…:D

[jen judkins]

@Does’ Leap 5884 wrote:

I still have an agenda, but it is not task oriented. Rather the new agenda is how we (horses and I) move forward together as a team with mutual trust and respect. There are times when I still ask too much, but I am quick to re-assess and alter my plan if necessary.

George, this is definately where I get into trouble. I’m a completely task-oriented person and I struggle constantly to keep relationships in balance with my need to ‘do stuff’. I think one of the reasons horses have been so good for me in other parts of my life are that they so clearly NOT task oriented, so in dealing with them I can’t use the old task oriented agenda and be successful. Its still a struggle for me at times.

[jen judkins]

@Carl Russell 5865 wrote:

They always performed perfectly, but I was always on guard, trying to balance my conscious uncertainty, with the need to be a calm and confident leader. The last year, as I was entering down town Randolph, looking out at a sea of hundreds of people standing ten deep between the store fronts and the street, it really sank in, “This is so unfair to these horses”. I had ultimate confidence in my relationship with the animals, but I had absolutely no control over any one of those people, and I had no back-out, no way to protect the working relationship. Everything about that situation was to meet the expectations of some one else.

Yep, That pretty much sums up my feelings about galloping in the snow….in the middle of a carnival…..in a large city:eek:. Will add that to my (now lengthy) list of ‘been there, done that’ things to avoid in the future.

Manny and I did one parade many years ago. The idiots who organized the parade, put the fire trucks (with sirens and lights on full tilt) behind the horses! Manny piaffed his way through that parade (bless his heart), and I spent the whole time worrying that some kid would run out in the street to visit and push him right over the edge. We survived that, but I doubt he would think me a valuable leader if we did it again:rolleyes:.

[jen judkins]

Wonderful, Aaron!

[jen judkins]

This story has me quite queasy. What an unimaginable nightmare! I hope Bob recovers… Does anyone know his family?

[jen judkins]

@Bess 5814 wrote:

Tie Stall vs Box Stall vs Run-In Shed
There’s a book called “The Perfect Stall” by a vet, who owns Friesians, Karen E. N. Hayes.

I’ve read her book and its a good read, but the whole concept of a ‘perfect stall’ for a horse is alittle bit of an oxymoron;). Horses need shelter, yes. And I get that in a situation where your horse needs to be in a stall for a significant amount of time, there are things you can do to make it as comfortable as possible, but lets face it..a horse was not meant to be locked in a stall for any length of time…be it 20 x 20 box or a straight stall.

Most of the folks I know using tie stalls, don’t tie their horses longer than needed to dry them out after a workout or to feed them. Then they go right back out again, which IMO is the best management.

If you want to read a good book about simulating a natural environment for horses (and it is cheap to do) read Jaime Jackson’s book ‘Paddock Paradise’. Once you set it up, there is very little maintainence and the horses just do their own thing.

My advice, Ed, if you are building a barn from scratch…think about what makes life easier for you and is most natural for the herd. Turns out many things that are natural for the horse, also make your life easier as well.

My barn is new (2 years old). I set it up so that 3 12 x 12 stalls open onto my ‘track’ which is a quarter mile (runs around my upper pasture…see Jaime Jacksons book for details). This serves as my winter paddock. The horses can run laps if they wish and they do. The 3 stalls are shared by 6 horses (2 of which are minis). I frequently find 3 horses laying down together in one stall…its truly amazing. I very rarely shut them in (in fact never this year). I have a spare stall on the other side of the aisle for unusual circumstances. I built a ‘farmers porch’ this year over the 3 stalls which adds additional cover.

But the truth is, on a nice day, even in the dead of winter, I find my horses laying flat out in the snow. Reno, Andre’s horse, who is staying with us spends several hours a day laying in the snow…so its not obvious to me that horse need shavings or substantial bedding to get rest.

[jen judkins]

Dave, I was told by a great mentor some years ago….’Concentrate on what’s working and not on what isn’t’. Sounds like you have alot of good stuff working with Duke. I wouldn’t concentrate too much on the other stuff. Sounds like you handled the situation just right.

[jen judkins]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies, everyone…

Carl, As I hit the ‘post new thread’ button, I thought….sh*&%$#, Carl is just gonna tell me that he never has a bad day with a horse and I need better focus. So thanks for your simple reply…much appreciated.

SJ..where did you come from and what a cool job you have! Thanks for the insights…I will look at your website.

Plowboy…I was struck by your father’s story…thanks for sharing it. On the way home yesterday, I told my brother (who loves the competition…we took 3rd place in quebec) that I would not take Manny back to that particular competition, as it was just too stressful for us both (Manny and me, that is) and he totally understood. One of the reasons I skijor is to have fun with my family who are not really horse people. But over the past few years, they have become more understanding of the connection I have with my horses and they now understand that a horse is not a snowmobile or a tractor…that’s progress, in my opinion.

Becorson, you have hit the nail! Sometimes there are expections, that develope into an agenda without much force. We find ourselves in the most unusual situations…mostly as those planning the interaction have no clue how a horse see’s the world. I am interested to hear how these situations bear out and what people do. As a rider I feel insulated from disaster to an extent….I can ride most of what Manny can dish out and if I fall or bail its just me and my bruised ego (or broken arm). But if I were pulling a sleighful of people and realized I am having trouble..what do you do? Do you set it up so the horse has no choice but to comply (reads big load) or do you bail on the job and work on the behavior?

Thanks again for everyone’s insight…this is a really cool place to learn.

[jen judkins]

That makes sense:)

[jen judkins]

Donn, I loved your slideshow (and I set it on slow;))

Anyway, I did alot of what you are showing with Peanut when he was young without bit or harness. My approach was always to ground drive first, hook to the cart later. But I’ve been told by a few teamsters now that it is better (maybe translates to easier) to start hooked to a cart, then work on stuff like skidding wood. I don’t know what training Connie came with, so am not sure where you are in her training (forgive me if I missed that in an earlier post). My question is, what do you do? Do you work with your feet on the ground in the beginning or in a cart? Which do you think is better for the horse? Thanks.

[jen judkins]

Rod, I think there is alot of useful information in CIW and Sanhestar’s posts. You might want to re-read;).

I’ve studied bits with alot of interest…as an ear nose and throat (people) specialist, I am fascinated with the way bits make contact, create pressure (for good and bad) and otherwise affect the sensitive tissues of the tongue, jaw, lips and palate. I’ve even been known to put a few in my own mouth….mostly ouch!

But I think every horse, mule and donkey needs to be evaluated individually. I mostly use a high quality single jointed snaffle for most of my riding horses, but I also spend alot of time keeping them soft, so I rarely need to put enough pressure in the lines to cause discomfort. Some horses will have a shallow palate and event the lightest of pressure will cause pain (from the joint). Others have bigger tongues (like many people) and suffer with pinching. So…if the single jointed snaffle is not working for one of your horses, I would go to either a straight bit (consider something with a curb like a liverpool, if you think control might be an issue) or a double jointed (french link) snaffle. There are other options (mylar has an obscene number of alternative bits, most quite expensive) and an equine dentist might be able to help you evaluate your horse’s mouth, but these are two relatively inexpensive bits to try.

I’m using a jointed liverpool for Peanut right now and all seems to be going well, but I would switch to a straight unjointed bit if I thought he was having trouble with the jointed bit.

One last point, to expand on Sabines point… I was taught by a great horseman to start a horse with the bit set low in the mouth, until he learned to pick it up and hold it. As a training tool, I think this is important (at least with saddle horses…I assume the same would hold true for a driving horse), so that the bit is introduced and accepted by the horse, before it is actually used in any significant way. Then it can be raised to a more constructive place in the mouth. I have been suspicious that many chronic head tossers had a bit shoved in their mouths without any ‘foreplay’ so to speak:eek: when they were young.

Peanut was so mouthy as a yearling that I put a bridle on him while I was doing chores in the evening. I set it low so he could play with it. It was like a pacifier for a baby. He would stand in one spot, working that bit for a half an hour. I would take it out as I finished my chores and he would follow me to the barn gate looking for more. I’ve actually never ridden him with a bit yet (only 3 rides on him…all in a hackamore), but I suspect the bit will be a non issue…as it has been with his driving training.

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