A Crossroads in Our Relationship

Recently my horse life has been intensely emotional.

The Problem

Cruz made it painfully clear that he wasn’t enjoying the life of a dressage horse. He didn’t want to go round and his canter was getting four beat/lateral and flat. At our last show he threw his head in the air, his equine equivalent of flipping me the bird.

This caused me to indulge in much weeping and gnashing of teeth while I considered whether we had a future together.

Taking Action

I decided to practice cutting the umbilical cord (remember, I bred, backed and trained this horse) and get used to the idea of saying goodbye to Cruz by trying out new horses for sale.

While I did this, at the suggestion of my trainer I sent Cruz to Steuart Pittman, brilliant local event rider, for a month’s training to re-establish my gelding in his old career as a one-day eventer. And find him a new owner.

Cruz’s Reaction

The very tall Steuart made my 16.2 gelding look like a little pony as I watched him ask Cruz to walk over a teeny-weeny ditch. My previously brave eventer looked at it in horror as Steuart told him to stop being such a woosy dressage horse. Eventually I walked in front to show him it was safe, and Cruz took the exact same route over it as I had done.

After some flat work and a few jumps (which Cruz attacked with gusto) Steuart rode him back to the barn. Cruz was then washed off and put in a stall.

I drove away, listening to his pitiful whinnies but sure I’d done the right thing.

Over the next few days Steuart got him jumping quietly, going on trail rides and being turned out in a big field with ten geldings he’d never met before. In short, Cruz went from spoiled brat to being just another horse. He was treated well, but not as anything special.

Feelings…. (Sound of violins)

I felt uncomfortable on all the horses for sale I tried out, ended up taking an off the track Thoroughbred to an OTTB rescue center instead (more about that in another post) and only felt at home when I got back on Cruz for a couple of lessons with Steuart.

Cruz has become humble: he doesn’t want to be sold.

Progress

After three weeks I brought him home to enter a local dressage show.

For the first time in four years I gave him no calming supplements. Although he whinnied for his buddy CD who was also there, he didn’t do anything naughty. He was a superstar in the warm-up, even when a horse came and kicked out next to him.

His three beat canter was back (he got 7 for his gaits) and despite our recent lack of dressage work, we still came in second!

The CoolStance Feed Factor

The CoolStance feed is a big reason for this. Cruz has quietened down so much that I sometimes take his temperature to make sure he’s not coming down with anything!

He hasn’t become a zombie by any means, but he’s calmer and happier. He’s putting on weight and doesn’t spook at everything. I’m no longer afraid to take him out on trail rides, in company or alone, and I jump him for fun, to vary his work.

What Next?

Cruz was getting bored with pure dressage, and it adversely changed his way of going under saddle. He returns to Steuart next week for his final six days of training, and I’ll have some jumping lessons, too. This will keep him interested in his work.

I’ve changed the way I ride dressage with him with positive results. I'll write more about that next time.

I’m more relaxed on him because I’m having fun with him, rather than only concentrating on riding perfectly. As a result we’re both enjoying a better relationship.

Maybe there’s hope for us yet.

Clinic Notes: Cesar Parra

Cesar Parra came to Sharon Myers’ barn, Chimney Hill, in Upper Marlboro for a clinic on 20th and 21st April. Unfortunately I was only able to watch three horses’ rides. But, as always, I learned a lot in that short time.

Here are my notes - I hope some you find some of them useful.

Specific Issues

First Horse

This was a young horse with lovely movement in walk and trot, but a weak canter.

Improving the Canter

• Cesar told the rider to work on her horse's trot for several months, to strengthen the horse before asking for canter again.

• For homework he told her to work the horse in shoulder-in away from and facing the wall to change his muscle memory. This would enable him to approach canter work afresh.

• He also suggested lungeing the horse before riding.

Second Horse

An established Third Level gelding,

Bending and ‘Giving’

• When bending the horse, the outside rein must remain in strong, steady contact – without moving the hand forward – otherwise the horse won't give into that rein.

• The horse’s head must remain straight in the bend, not tipped to one side. Otherwise it is an evasion and not true acceptance of the outside rein.

• When the horse gives to the outside rein, the rider can give, too. But we need to appreciate the big difference between ‘giving’ and ‘throwing away the contact’. Giving with the hands is a slight easing of rein tension, not a loose rein.

• We should give with our hands every chance we get. When the horse learns to relax - without taking hold - he also learns to accept the giving as a reward.

Third Horse

Working at Prix St. George level.

Canter Pirouettes

The rider was having problems getting her horse to submit to the right outside rein in canter pirouettes.

Cesar had her walk the horse in a 10 meter circle with haunches in, then go into canter from walk, still keeping the haunches in WITH LOTS OF OUTSIDE REIN on the ten meter circle.

(I've watched Cesar giving lessons at his New Jersey barn, and his big issue with canter pirouettes is frequently the rider's insufficient outside rein.)

Tempi

For the flying changes the rider’s legs should move ‘like windshield wipers’ in the moment of change, rather than the huge leg and body movements one sees in some riders.

General Themes/Observations

Emotions

• Don’t take it personally when the horse doesn’t do as you ask.

• Don’t hold a grudge against the horse after corrections. Quickly regain your calm.

Quickness

A theme throughout was that we riders are too slow to react to the horse and make things happen. We need to be much more alert and reactive, without being hurried.

Work Less for More Results

The aim is to work less as a rider for more reaction from the horse.

Forward, Forward, Forward!

This was another constant theme running through the clinic.

• If the horse is sluggish off the leg, take both legs away and kick. Keep doing this until the horse reacts as soon as you simply take your legs off.

• Get the horse moving forward before all else. There is nothing to work with until the horse is doing this.

• Get the horse moving from freer shoulders.

Half-Halts

Get the horse sensitive to the half-halts: be dramatic with them if the horse doesn’t listen. The half-halts must come through!

The Whip

Get the horse to react to a touch of the whip. This way we can use it as an aid, not as a punishment, with just a light request.

Reins First

This is a difficult concept for those of us who were trained in the German fashion which dictates ‘applying as much or more leg as we hold with our hands.’ But most of us aren’t strong enough to do this.

So Cesar advocates getting the horse to come back ONLY WITH THE REINS. Then, when he is light in front, ask him to go forwards off the leg and seat.

This makes the horse much easier to ride.

Constantly Adjust

Keep making little adjustments while riding, testing the horse’s flexibility in the head and neck, or rebalancing him.

Lateral Flexion

Continually test the left and right lateral flexion in the horse, in all three gaits. Make sure the horse is supple and ready for any new movement.

Cruz Bay still looking supple today after working hard! 

Exercise for Developing Counter Canter

What is Counter Canter?

'Counter canter' means cantering on the lead counter to the direction in which you are traveling. For example, if you're cantering clockwise round the arena, but are deliberately on the left canter lead, this is 'counter canter.'

Among other things, it's a test of the horse's balance and obedience under saddle, and is introduced in the Second Level dressage tests. 

Learning Counter Canter

Here’s a useful exercise for developing counter canter.

1.     Start with your horse’s easier canter lead as it will help him perform better.

Let’s say it's the left lead.

2.     Develop a rhythmic, active left lead canter on a 20 meter circle at one end of the arena.

3.     Once your canter is established, ride across the diagonal, maintaining a consistent tempo.

4.     Don’t go deep into the corner. Instead, turn your horse to the right in a shallow arc and begin a 20 meter circle at that end of the arena, maintaining the left lead. 

5.     Continue riding in counter canter on the 20 meter circle (or larger, if necessary).

6.     If your horse has trouble believing you're really serious about this ‘wrong lead’ business, exaggerate your canter aids to convince him. E.g. more inside bend, stronger outside leg behind the girth, stronger driving inside leg. But remain centered in the saddle, otherwise your horse will feel he’s losing his balance.

7.     Stay relaxed throughout, so this exercise doesn’t become a big deal for either of you.

8.     Once you’ve completed a circle, ride back across the diagonal and canter on the ‘correct lead’ for one circle.

Ride as if counter canter is the most normal thing in the world and you’ll stop yourself from stiffening in the saddle, making it harder on the horse.

Once in each direction is probably sufficient for your first attempt, as it’s physically and mentally tiring.

Make This a Daily Routine

Incorporate this exercise into your riding routine until it becomes second nature. Then you can start working on the Second Level three loop serpentines.

Another Use for this Exercise

My instructor originally gave me this exercise for Cruz because he wouldn’t bend to the left in left-lead canter. Not only did I have to ride him in counter canter, but I also had to counter-bend him to the right.

After a circle of this, it was a huge relief for him to bend correctly to the left!

Is Your Horse High on Spring Grass?



Cruz Bay's mom, Kelly at age 25

The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that Cruz and I were supposed to attend a bomb-proofing clinic last weekend, which was to be the ultimate proof of how well the CoolStance was working.

Thankfully, it snowed and the event is now set for May 7^th.

Spring Has Sprung and So Has Cruz

I say ‘thankfully’ because, after the remarkable way he calmed down since being on CoolStance, the spring grass has shot up and so have Cruz's spookiness levels! He declines to listen to yours truly and every riding session is currently a ‘back to basics’ ordeal.

It took a few bad rides for me to put two and two together and come up with four. But I did finally make the connection between his being on more lush pasture and his new, bolshy attitude. He’s gone from virtually no NSC starch in his diet to way too much from the grass. (Although the CoolStance is keeping him from being borderline dangerous, which is what he was last year before I changed his feed.) 

What to Do?

So last night I researched online to see what I could do to mitigate the effects of the grass, until its high sugar levels die down again and I get my pre-spring horse back. I found some really useful information on an Australian website.

If your horse is being a butthead ‘cos of the new spring grass you may find this helpful:

http://www.naturalhorseworld.com/Articles-Nutrition.htm#magnesium

The article recommends chelated magnesium. I have noticed that Cruz is showing a new interest in his mineral block, which tells me he’s missing something in his diet. So I actually went so far as to order the site's chelated magnesium product, called Alleviate.

Since it’s not going to arrive from the Antipodes any time soon, I researched chelated magnesium products closer to home and found SmartPak’s Quiessence.

Since no expense is ever spared when it comes to the horse, I ordered a month’s supply based on the product’s 37 testimonials. Most of them were very positive re: calming effects - among other good results like loss of excess fat (not a problem with Cruz!).

If you Google ‘chelated magnesium for horses’ you’ll find other products out there, too. I just happen to like SmartPak as I use their SmartFlex joint supplement with great success on our twenty year old Irish Draft cross C.D. as well as Cruz.

So I’m hoping that chelated magnesium will give me back my well-behaved CoolStance horse in time for his first competition on 1^st May and that bomb proofing clinic the following weekend!

I shall keep you updated.

Update: I have been giving Cruz Quiessence in the spring for four years now, and highly recommend it. It really does counteract the effects of the sugar in the spring grass for him and keeps him on an even keel through those dangerous months. Not to mention fending off the dangers of laminitis aka founder.

The Warm-Up: Part III - Exercises for the Athletic/Easily Distracted Horse

I wrote in Part I that the warm-up phase for Cruz, my athletic and easily distracted horse requires more contact than for my husband's older and calmer horse.

Not only must I keep Cruz on a shorter rein, but I also need to keep his brain busy. Rather than riding large circles and asking for bend and stretch, I have to sneak up on him with more subtle suppling exercises.

To be honest, they keep my brain busy, too.

Walk Work is Under-rated!

I have a tendency to overuse my hands, which Cruz understandably resents. So I devised a sequence of movements to loosen his shoulders and neck without him getting bored. The advantage to me is that I must keep my hands quiet and be effective with my seat and leg. All my aids must be communicated to Cruz in a clear and unhurried way, so he can understand and obey them without resistance.  

Harry Boldt’s fantastic, but wildly expensive book “Das Dressur Pferd” explains how useful lateral walk work is for suppling the horse.

 The Exercises

1. I walk a few large circles before asking for leg yield on both reins - on a 'Training Level' contact. I try hard to keep my hands quiet and slightly in front of the saddle, so I’m not ‘in his face’ when I ask for the lateral movement. By asking for only slight inside flexion I avoid blocking his shoulder with a too tight inside rein. 
2. I then ask for shoulder-in on the long sides, in both directions. 
3. Now comes shoulder-in till the half-way point of the long sides (E/B) then an unhurried switch to travers (haunches-in). When Cruz is happy with this, I switch a couple of times between shoulder-in and travers on the long sides. 
4. As soon as Cruz is giving nicely to my quiet hands and listening to my leg and seat aids, I ride him down the center line in shoulder-in, then change to renvers (haunches-out) to make sure he’s supple in his neck and through his ribcage. I switch back and forth every few strides. (I got this idea from this YouTube video of Bent Branderup.) 
5. Once Cruz is bending without any resistance, I go down the center line again. This time I ask for shoulder-in followed by half-pass in walk to the right (his better side). I then come round and ask for half-pass to the left.

My gelding is now supple and willing to work long and low in all three gaits with a soft, round contact. Best of all, we’ve achieved our goal without a fight.

This may seem a somewhat back to front approach, but it works very well for us. Maybe it could help your horse and make the warm-up walk phase more interesting for you both?

The Warm-Up: Part II - Warm-Up Exercises for the Older/Arthritic Horse

In Part I we met C.D. who is an older, slightly arthritic horse. He needs a long, loose rein for the first ten minutes of his warm-up and after that he’s willing to listen to his rider.

However, he still has days when he’d rather not bend, thank you very much!

A friend of mine who is now his regular rider was away for a week and asked me to keep him going in her absence.  One day I didn’t have time to tack him up and ride him, so I put on his bridle and took him down to the arena for some short-reining.

An Exercise on the Ground

I’m no expert at this. What I know about short-reining comes from the fantastic book  “Horse Training in Hand” by Ellen Schuthof Lesmeister, available from amazon.com.

She explains (and illustrates in great photos) how to ask the horse to bend while you walk next to him, holding the regular reins. It is a wonderful way to encourage the horse to work long and low without you on his back, and loosens him up before you get in the saddle. (There is also way more valuable information in this book on what you can accomplish through long-reining and other work in hand.)

I short-reined C.D on both reins, working him in walk on circles and figures of eight. It didn’t take him long to become soft in my hand, and I rewarded him by finishing for the day.  When my friend rode him two days later, she was amazed at how supple C.D. was.

Short-Reining Before Mounting

After a week of being ridden, C.D. became a little resistant again. So my friend decided to short-rein him before her ride. It was her first time doing this, but she’d read the book and watched me. She soon felt comfortable with it and so did C.D., so she trotted him for a few half-circles, too. (This is a great fitness exercise!)

C.D. was now supple. The question was, would he remain so under saddle?

He was so supple and obedient that she only needed to ride for fifteen minutes to achieve what it normally takes twice that time to accomplish! She was thrilled, and C.D. was relaxed and happy. End of session and lots of pats.

Another Use for Short-Reining

Short-reining is really useful if you have a horse which can’t be ridden but is still able to work.

As an example, I used this method to exercise Cruz Bay when he had a sarcoid on his girth area, but was otherwise perfectly healthy.

The Warm-Up: Part I - Two Styles for Two Different Horses

We know that the warm-up for a dressage horse (or any horse for that matter) should be for 'as long as necessary and as short a time as possible.’ In my experience, depending on the type of horse, not only is the length of the warm-up going to vary, but also the method.

Cruz Bay is an 11 year old, athletic ¾ Thoroughbred. He often acts like a child with ADD and needs his attention focused quickly, and his energy channeled.

Callow Double Clover (aka CD) is my husband’s 17.2 hh Irish Draft/Thoroughbred cross. He’s 21 years old and very even-tempered with a touch of arthritis.

The two horses require very different warm-up approaches.

The Older/Calmer Horse

You can enjoy relaxing with a horse like CD at the beginning of each riding session.

But the big gray takes this one step further: unless you allow him to walk on a long rein for at least ten minutes, he’ll fight against any real contact. He can resist for hours without giving in!

But after you walk him on a light, almost non-existent contact for those ten minutes, he’ll accept a long and low frame, allow you to bend him left and right, and soon start to carry himself. He always honors his end of the deal if the rider does, too.

The More Athletic/Easily Distracted Horse

Cruz Bay is a more challenging animal. If I lead him down to the arena in just a halter, he’ll behave much better than if he’s bridled. He’s no dummy, and knows when Work is about to happen!

He’s not a good candidate for doodling at the start of a warm-up because he’s too likely to ‘spook’ at the trees swaying at one end, or imaginary deer rustling behind the bushes at the other. Cruz needs stronger contact with shorter reins than CD as soon as I’m mounted. It’s almost as if he feels more secure when I use a more masterful approach right from the get-go.

He’ll allow me to perform a series of warm-up exercises with him in a shorter frame, although I keep his poll below his withers at this stage. He needs the opposite of the light loose contact to relax him.

After five minutes or so of this he is more settled and focused, stretching down into a nice long frame on a lighter contact.

It’s been interesting to understand that although following the German Training Scale is a must when riding dressage, there are various ways to achieve each stage, depending on the temperament and athleticism of the horse.

Overcoming My Horse's Fear (and Mine!): Final Part: Completing the Cure

Part I and Part II explored why my horse and I are afraid, and the first steps I need to take to overcome the problem. But there are other methods I can adopt.

Besides changing my attitude, here some more practical things I'm doing to help Cruz and me work through our fear.

Desensitization

If you’ve read my previous blog on desensitizing Cruz, you’ll already know that I’m throwing nerf balls at him: opening and shutting umbrellas next to him, holding them over his head and waving seven balloons round his body and between his ears. He is coping magnificently – if not actually happily! – with this.

At the end of this month we’re going to a Rick Pelicano bomb proofing clinic. It’ll be with eleven other horses, so I hope to (a) get through it with flying colors and (b) have lots of photos to prove I did!

Change of Nutrition

I’ve changed his feed to CoolStance, which is a starch reduced feed deriving ‘cool’ energy for horses through coconut oil and fiber. It seems to be having a very positive effect on him: he is much less spooky and anxious after only a short time on the feed.

Reintroduction of Cruz to Other Horses in the Ring

I’ll be taking Cruz to a local “horse whisperer” who trains difficult horses. He’ll help me build up Cruz’s confidence around other horses in the ring.

I’ve also extended an open invitation to my riding friends to bring their horses to ride with us.

Yesterday a friend brought her horse and rode with me in my arena. Cruz gave one small sideways shy, but quickly got over it and concentrated on his job. When another friend brought Cruz's stable mate in as a second horse, I rode Cruz between both animals as they walked towards me. Cruz coped well.

Next time we'll do the same thing in trot and canter. I expect to report good results!

Why Bother Doing This Myself?

Why don’t I just hand Cruz over to a professional and be done with it?

Because I’m his Mum! I bred him - from a mare who was a complete basket case when she first came to me, and ended up being the best and most reliable horse I’ve ever owned to date.

With TLC, professional guidance and determination/grit/guts I hope to turn this talented, athletic gelding into the horse that he was born to be.

Overcoming My Horse's Fear (and Mine!): Part II: Where Do We Go From Here?

You now know where our fears originated (see previous post) but what can I do to remove them?

Stop Anticipating Bad Stuff!

Every time I mount Cruz now – and I mean every time – visions of him rearing/bucking/bolting go through my head. I have to remind myself that he has never done any of those things without cause, and certainly not while being mounted! He is not a rearer/bucker/bolter. I take a deep breath and remind myself to act like a confident leader.

Be Cruz’s Comfort Zone

As I wrote in a previous blog about spooking I need to take charge and ride Cruz with quiet but determined purpose. Whether he pretends to be afraid or is truly worried, it’s my job to steer him through that anxiety/naughtiness.

I must be careful not to increase or cause fear in him by anticipating a bad reaction. Instead I have to ride as if I expect everything to turn out well. If I do this, Cruz will worry less and concentrate on his job.

Dwell on Victories, Not Defeats!

There have been many occasions when Cruz has acted up yet I’ve managed to ride him through it and perform a good test.

This includes our last show of the 2010 season, when he panicked and bolted in the warm-up because an empty trailer rattled noisily past. He followed this with a series of half-rears round the dressage arena because he suddenly developed separation anxiety from Double Clover, my husband's horse who was competing at the same show.

I am encouraged by the video of my two rides that day. Although I felt terrified inside, I was determined to make my talented bay do the tests! Onlookers remarked on how calm I appeared throughout – and I hope I fooled Cruz, too.

He tried to duck out a couple of times, then buckled down to work (albeit resentfully) and we missed first place (to my friend on my husband’s horse!) by half a point, with marks in the mid-60s.

So: I need to stop focusing on the bad times and remind myself that I’m perfectly capable of riding Cruz through his fears as long as I don’t allow myself to be afraid.

Next: Completing the Cure

Overcoming My Horse's Fear (and Mine!): Part I: Where It All Went Wrong

Over his eleven years of life since I bred him, Cruz Bay has had a lot of accidents. Not all of them have involved me, but a good many of them have!

Here are some examples of what I’m talking about.

Accident One

When I took him to his first show, the four year old panicked and jumped over the breast bar of the trailer. He squashed me onto the floor where moments earlier I’d been standing and trying to calm him down (big mistake!).

He scrambled to his feet, then dived out through the jockey door on the side of the trailer. This exit is designed for humans, not horses, but somehow he survived the narrow squeeze with only a few scratches.

I, on the other hand, needed months before I could use my left shoulder again!

Accident Two

Another time he panicked on tarmac between a stationary truck and a trailer. He slipped and fell, throwing me to the ground with him, then kicked me under the trailer as he scrabbled to get up and flee for home.

A few more scratches for him and several weeks' recuperation for his owner!

Accident Three

This is the accident which scared him and me the most. We were at a huge licensed show in New Jersey and had no business being there. I didn't realize that we would be warming up for First Level together with Grand Prix horses coming at us from all directions and performing 'menacing' half-passes and canter pirouettes.

Cruz freaked and reared vertically. I survived the rear but ricocheted off him on landing. Upshot: he was terrified of other horses in the warm-up and I was terrified of my horse. ( While hobbling with the help of two walking sticks for three weeks!)

The Blame Game

It took me a long, long time to stop blaming Cruz for what happened and take responsibility for having put him in that situation. Oh, how I wish I could take back that day!

Instead of thinking we were ready for the Big Time, I should have swallowed my pride and taken it slowly at more schooling shows. It now takes one small thing to ‘go wrong’ in the warm-up at even local schooling shows for Cruz to go ballistic. Mea culpa, mea culpa!

Next: Where Do We Go From Here?

Anyone else have horse accident stories? Let me know what happened and how you and your horse coped afterwards.

Is My Horse Really Afraid When He Spooks?

Does your horse have favorite ‘spook spots’? Mine does!

Every time I lead him down to the arena he hopes that deer will rustle in the woods, to justify him giving a big leap. When that doesn’t work, he waits until I’m in the saddle, then keeps an eye out for any kind of movement at either end of the sand school.

How much of this is real fear, and how much is just putting it on?

I understand that horses are prey animals and watch out for predators (you know, like deer and the barn cat), but I have noticed that Cruz’s ‘fear’ depends a great deal on how he feels on any given day.

For example, I once rode him in the arena with the entrance gate open. The one thing I promised Cruz would never happen, happened. A stag ran into the middle.

Unbelievably, Cruz didn’t bat an eyelid. Turned out he had a respiratory infection (from weed killer spray): he had no energy left over to be upset by the intruder.

I’ve noticed that my gelding’s level of spookiness increases in direct proportion to the intensity of his work.  He’ll seem relaxed at the beginning of our riding sessions, even walking quietly past the short side of the arena where the vicious deer, squirrels and barn cat hang out .

But when I ask for true bend in trot and canter, it becomes Work with a capital W. Suddenly he just knows those varmints are out to get him and leaps sideways. (So much for my outside rein.)

Hmmmm…. Interesting!

So I’m using this evasive behavior as practice for later, when I’m at a show. He’s a strong horse, and it takes a lot of effort and energy to combat his naughtiness, but I have to prove that I can thwart his attempts to avoid work and frighten me.

I drive him powerfully forwards - past the area where he acts up - over and over again, from both directions and in different gaits. Additionally I ask for extra inside bend before, during and after the ‘scary’ spot (he tries to scoot off when we’re past it).

We often have to go through this charade. But on his new CoolStance feed I’ve noticed a considerable increase in his willingness to give in and get down to work.

Translating this into preparation for shows this season, I know I have to ride him this way whether he’s acting out of fear or just misbehaving to avoid work. 

Results of the New Feed Plus the Desensitization Process

In addition to changing Cruz Bay’s feed, (see previous post) I’ve also set about desensitizing my big bay. I purchased a copy of Rick Pelicano’s book Bombproof Your Horse and began using some of his techniques.

A set of twelve nerf balls from Walmart began my sessions. At first I showed one to Cruz in his stall then bounced it gently off his neck and gave him a treat. I continued to throw them at his neck, his back, his rump.....you get the picture.

Cruz's eyes bulged and he shied away, but then understood the balls weren’t going to hurt him and allowed them to come at him.

Eventually my son could throw them at him while I was mounted - still offering treats, of course!

Now part of my after-ride routine is to throw nerf balls at him in his stall – from the front, on his head, from behind. He doesn’t enjoy it, but he lets me do it. I can now throw four or five at him before giving him a treat.

He's also learning not to be afraid of umbrellas. I open and close two different sizes and colors of umbrella on either side of him, and hold them over his head. Treats are liberally dispensed and he is being very brave.

In the arena I’ve placed a tarp, which he walks over with no problem now.

Is the Combination Working?
Yesterday I took Cruz down to my arena to ride. I deliberately had a friend drag a noisy chain behind my tractor in the field next to the sand school, with the front bucket raised menacingly high in the air.

The tractor came very close while I was leading him down to the arena. He saw it and raised his head, ready to take off. I offered him a treat and his fear immediately subsided. That has never happened before!

The tractor came full frontal towards us and close to the boundary fence many times while I rode in the arena. A cyclist came past on the other side. But Cruz remained unperturbed by any of it. He listened to me, and performed his walk work in shoulder-in, renvers, tranvers and half-pass as though nothing else were going on.

Conclusion
The feed and the desensitization seem to be working. For the first time in three years I am hopeful that Cruz can become a confident horse who trusts me.

And I have just received information that Rick Pelicano is giving a bombproofing clinic in March at the farm next to me. What a stroke of luck!

I’ve signed up for it so watch this space.

New Year's Resolution: Create a Calm Horse!

The Mistake
This year I'm going to turn Cruz Bay, my three-quarters Thoroughbred gelding, into a calm horse. I only have myself to blame for my ten year old's problem: he’s terrified of other horses in the warm-up arena at shows.

The year 2007 was a wonderfully successful dressage season for us. We won all our local schooling shows at Training Level, and when I moved up to First Level we won those classes, too.

Then I made a huge mistake in 2008 by taking him to a massive licensed show at the New Jersey Horse Park for our first competition of the season. I didn’t realize that all dressage levels - including Grand Prix - warm up together in one not-so-large ring.

Cruz became anxious about the high-stepping horse traffic as soon as I entered that arena.
Within seconds he was pinned against the boundary fence with a huge black horse cantering diagonally towards him in half-pass. He panicked and reared vertically. I stayed on for the rear, but he landed with such a thud that I was unseated and lifted up into the air. I fell with a thump onto the ground.

Upshot: me hobbling around with two canes, terrified of Cruz, and Cruz with a deep phobia of other horses.

In the last three years I’ve annually - with a lot of hard work - managed to persuade him that the other horses in the warm-up are not out to get him. He has never had a horse actually run into him, yet that seems not to impress him.

Every year something happens to upset him in the warm-up. Another horse acts up or a loud trailer/car drives by and he becomes a basket case again.

The Mission

So, this year will be devoted to getting Cruz over his anxiety. Until I get past this stumbling block, we shan’t be able to compete at the higher levels in licensed shows.

The First Strategy - Change of Feed
Cruz has been on Ultium for the last three years, but now I was looking for something to calm him down while still providing the energy and nutrients he needs.

After researching the internet and reading horse owners’ feedback on various feeds, I became interested in an Australian product called CoolStance

It is made from coconut, and is low on non-structural carbohydrates (NSC). High NSC diets increase the horse’s blood glucose levels which in turn increase the horse’s blood insulin levels. One of the many negative effects of this is hyperactivity.

In a low NSC diet, the horse’s necessary calories have to come from fat and fiber. CoolStance is ‘packed with ‘cool’ energy from coconut oil and fibre from copra meal.’ Online you will find some bad press about copra, but the makers of CoolStance are fastidious about their preparation process.

CoolStance has been fed to horses for over 20 years. The less than 2% starch doesn’t cause hot or fizzy behavior, and the coconut oil is easily digested and absorbed by the horse.

According to the information from http://stanceequine.com ‘CoolStance and hay will provide the required amounts of minerals and vitamins’ for most horses.

I contacted the only person selling this feed on the east coast, Paul Christy, at paul@stanceglobal.com (Tel: 610-247-7584). He visited me from his home in Pennsylvania and left three bags of CoolStance for me to try. I immediately started feeding Cruz with it.

Here are some testimonials

P.S. No, I’m not a paid representative: I’m simply trying out a new feed for my hot horse!

Next: Working to desensitize Cruz, and the results of the new feed