Update on the latest events

I admit it I have been bold…. naughty in fact! I have excuses from my dog trying to eat my laptop to writers block and to be honest none of them make sense… My dog is  a miniature Jack Russell so that one isn’t a great one. Writers block on the other hand is again not an excuse… I am not a writer nor do I claim to be. Anywho here is what I have been doing since my last post.

I brought a horse 17.1hh ex 2* eventer irish sport horse. He is 17 rather different from what I orginially looked for however the opportunity arose and he is an absolute gem so I am in love. He is now injuired from fooling about in the field however he is on a long road to recovery and hopefully I will be back riding him once his leg heals. I will post further on him if anyones interested in hearing more.

I have quit my job to start working as a working student and instructor in two different yards. Its stressful but I do love it and quitting the horse industry is personally much  harder for me. The foreign bred horse is now going quietly which is a relief and now is just green and needs a lot of schooling. We can actually let people ride him now apart from me without worrying about an insurance claim. Any questions shoot so much has happened that I don’t really know where to start. Also any ideas for posts gimme a shout 😉 On a closing note I could not get this song out of my head all day!

Ta Ta for now,

Lunge Lessons

I went to the yard last night and got another lunge lesson on Yates… I felt like I needed it to be honest. I haven’t had one in a couple of weeks. Did a few exercises which REALLY help me so I thought I would share with you guys. These can benefit any kind of rider. I’m personally working on developing my seat and legs so I can be clearly with those aids for the older and young horses.

The first one involves keeping the horse at a walk on the lunge. Firstly take your feet out of the stirrups, let them hang down. With one leg move your heel up towards the saddle until your thigh is 180 degrees horizontal and 45 degrees with your lower leg. Then keeping these angles move your knee as far away from the saddle without moving the other leg and not removing the heel from the horses side. Then stretch your leg down and around the horse. Repeat with the other leg. When you get better at it you can do both legs at the same time. This exercise will open up your pelvis creating a deeper seat helping you give clearer aid and not throwing the horse off balance. It will also help improve your leg position and keeping those lovely striaght lines between heel, hip shoulder and knee and toe. Always nice 😉

Another exercise we did was walk, trot and canter in jumping position. This will help stop any movement in your leg so you can give clearer leg aids, help you keep your heels down and improve your jumping position!

Wow all this? Whats the catch? My god you will feel wretch and sore the next day but it is so so worth it!

The hectic life I do live….

Hey guys!

I am very sorry about the sudden disappearance! Work has taken over my life! But the nights are brighter now and I can ride in the evenings which makes life so much the better! Bit of news for you guys… I am getting a horsey! And a free one at that. Before you ask he is not a young one but hes a total sweetie so I could really say no. His only fault is that he box walks. I will do a proper introduction in two weeks when I get him for a week just so I dont get my hopes up! I had planned for a 2 year old not a 13 year old…  But its going to be fun jumping straight into competition after I get him fit! Soooo EXCITED!

Any advice on what I should look for when buying an older horse? I have no idea on this concept.. Time to research!!! 😀

Lots of love as always,

 

Part two of the shoe saddle experience!

This is part 2 to my post on saddle fitting! This is where it gets interesting because when I was learning about fitting a saddle there was never any mention of fitting it to the rider until I became more experienced. This is one of the things I don’t like about the Irish horse industry. They never tell you everything up front. For example if your learning to turn left a riding school instructor will tell you pull the left rein!!! GRRRR anyways before I break into a rant:

Fitting a rider in a saddle

From research this topic into the late hours of the night it growing trend was to ‘ride in as many saddles as possible’ to see what features that you like in a saddle.  Saddles are made in inch and half-inch sizes, much in the same way as shoes sized for people. These features include seat (deep or flat), twist (medium, narrow, extra narrow twist), placement and width of the thigh rolls.

Seat Length is dependent on the length of your leg from hip to knee.  Long legged riders (like moi) need a longer seat to fit our dangly legs so the leg is not straight down and still flexed. The most common fault is having the seat too small for the rider, forcing him or her to sit at the back of the saddle. This puts excessive pressure on the horse’s back (obviously not very comfortable) and the rider’s knee should be at the centre of the knee roll. To find your length of leg you measure from your hip to the floor while sitting on a chair with your upper and lower leg at a right angle. To measure the seat itself check that you have 4 fingers width in between you and the cantle and 3 fingers length between you and the pommel.

Seat depth is the length of seat surface that keep your bum from absorbing the saddle into it.  It comes into forms: a deep and flat seat. In a deep seat, it is the seat is shorter and helps to hold a rider in position.  However it may affect the saddle seat length as it creates a shorter sitting surface.

Seat twist is the width of saddle between the upper thighs, just under the pubic bone. This refers to the width of the saddle tree at its narrowest part, right behind the pommel. For the rider, it refers to the width of the saddle between your upper thighs. The style of twist that is most comfortable for you depends on the shape and position of your pelvis, the way the femur is attached to it and the shape of the inner thigh muscle. Your preference can be determined by your gender. If you are a female you naturally have a wider pelvis therefore are better able to cope with a wider twist. However the twist is too wide, you may feel stretched through your hips. Also, if have shorter legs, you might find that a narrower twist holds your leg too far away from the saddle.

Thigh rolls (or blocks) help you maintain correct leg placement on the saddle.  If the rolls are placed incorrectly to far back, your thigh will be pushed into too vertical a position; you will be tilted forward onto the front of your pelvis and pushing the horse onto the forehand.  If the rolls are too far forward, your legs may move too far in front of you and place you in a ‘chair’ position (maybe more common on the Irish hunting field). Both positions prevent you from balancing correctly and following the motion of your horse.  Both positions interfere with proper positioning of leg aids.  Some saddles come with moveable rolls and some rolls can be adjusted by changing the flocking, which can be an advantage to growing kids and teenagers J

Stirrup bars need to be placed so that your leg hangs down with your ear, shoulder, hip and heel are in line. Incorrect positioning the stirrup bars creates similar problems to that of thigh rolls and prevent proper leg aids

The flap length of your saddle should be half way down the calf muscle.  If it is too long, it interferes with your leg aids.  If it is too short, it can catch on the top edge of your boot.

These two link should help:

http://www.thesaddleoutlet.com/Saddle_Sizing_Chart.html

http://www.crazyhorsetack.com/sasiri.html

Finding the perfect saddle for horse and rider can result in a serious price tag but knowing exactly what your looking for and the exact size your looking for for both horse and rider can help cut costs. My advice to reduce costs is get a good saddle fitter and write a list of things which you want to know such as the exact measurements you need for both your horse and rider and explain nicely that you don’t have the time or money to be messing about. Hear what they have to say listen to their advice. Generally people love talking about what they know and will not come at any extra cost only your time. Try it out a few times before you buy it and  remember that a well kept quality saddle can last you up to 20  years which is nearly your horses life span and if kept in good condition they are very resalable second hand.

 

Are you happy with the fit of your saddle for you and your horse? Did it take you long to find to find and was it expensive?

Lots of love,

 

Superman and The Yatesister

I had a great time Saturday. I only rode two of the stallions as I was late to the yard and the manager had to rush off so we just only did the two main boys!

Alfie was in great form today as a 4 year stallion he’s really growing into himself. I lunged him in a de gouge for about 15 minutes before sitting up because he was seriously fresh. I personally not a fan of training aids apart from the peossa but I go along with whatever my trainer prefers because at the end of the day its his horse. They apply pressure until the horse drops his head so you really got to introduce them slowly but Alfie is well use to it now. We has a nice easy schooling session just bringing it back to basics again just not pushing him into tantrums and not challenging the superman ego which he has developed this spring. I think he knows hes getting some girlfriends soon. We basically concentrated on walk, trot, canter circles getting him going nice and easy leaving him  nice and soft on him only asking for a bend, simple stuff. Then I increased and decreased the trot using only my seat which he copped straight away was willing enough to do and we moved onto the canter. He has only cantered a hand few of times but he as he was so fresh he messed a bit on one rein. I ignored it went with it and pretended like I was bored at this point of his antics. My trainer was delighted how easy I was about it because I would have doubted my ability with his ego a couple of months ago but I was just delighted to ride up. So all round good day!

With Yates I worked on my transitions and improve my seat aids. Yates is a dressage schoolmaster but a complete prankster who loves taking the p*ss outta of ya and showing your weaknesses and mine happens to be my controlling my seat through trot and canter. Yes I do realise that is a novicey thing to work on but it is one of my weak areas and I am a perfectionist, generally I ask for lunge lessons on him to develop my seat more but I love messing about and practicing as well.  Yates keeps me in check hes very sensitive and knows his transitions inside out so if I do it wrong hes make a point that I am not doing it right! And hes not going to help me out until I do it right. We mostly concentrated on my seat aids and transitions to get them more accurate.  In the end we got a serious walk canter transition so I was chuffed and he was quite sweaty after a good work out so it was smiles all round leaving the yard.

Lots of love

Saddles are like shoes

My first comment on irishhorseygirl was on my second post. I have to say I was genuinely delighted that I recieved it and therefore I decided to dedicate this 2 part post to Katyk . She has been having troubles finding a saddle for her horse and it really gave me inspiration to write this post. The saddle fitting problem kept me up until half 1 that night which I can only imagine was only a tester of the sleepless nights shes had over her horse and I realized how little I actually knew about saddle fitting so I did a little research 🙂

So what is the perfect saddle?

While chatting to a woman who wholesaled equestrian products at a show, she informed me one of her lines was with Jaguar Saddle and she explained to me the perfect saddle is not just to fit the horse but also the rider. It is similar to wearing shoes. To achieve optimal performance the horse and rider both must be balance. If they are too small or big it will negatively affect your daily performance. Therefore it must firstly fit the horse. The rider however must be put into a position that is both comfortable and will enhance your position for that discipline therefore improving your performance. An ill fitting saddle to the riders body structure will only work against you pushing you into a position that will make the rider unbalanced and therefore unbalance the horse.

The Horse Fitting

The most obvious difference from the horses fit is the width of the tree, but this is only the beginning. Going into greater detail you can differ in flap length, twist, seat width, thigh rolls or blocks, seat depth, stirrup bar placement, and you may even have third billet strap. The horse is the primary concern and it may not be as simple as finding saddle with a certain size. The width of a saddle is usually denoted by the letters N (narrow), M (medium), W (wide) and XW (extra-wide). These graduations can also be shown numerically by the numbers 2,3,4,5.  Some English saddle tree manufacturers will make trees in MW (medium-wide) and NM (narrow-medium) graduations, whereas other European trees may come in centimetre graduations, which can be confusing as different manufacturers use differing means of measuring tree widths. For example, Prestige offer width fittings from 28cms to 37cms., Stubben offer width fittings from 27cms. to 32 cms, and Amerigo define their width fittings as +/- half a centimetre either side of Medium. In other words, ‘Medium’ may not be the same width measurement from one saddle maker to another and ‘33 cm’ may not be measured from the same points on the saddle from one company to another. Some saddles may be ruled out due to the horses conformation such as a particularly short back or the height of the withers.  Saddle flocking need to be adjusted for horse with a club foot because of differences in musculature development in each shoulder. Horses that have a stiff and hollow side will have more muscle on the stiff side and less on the hollow side and will need more flocking on the hollow side to provide support for the saddle until the muscles are properly developed and equal sided flexibility is achieved.  Any chronic back problems, current soreness, how much and where the horse lifts his back, and how much does the rider get the horse to use his back are also issues for proper flocking and therefore proper support for the saddle and comfort for the horse.  Flocking needs to be reassessed as your horse matures and the musculature changes.  Even the air support saddles need to be maintained regularly. If your horse is young and still developing, or your horse is coming back from an injury and the saddle needs will be changing, or you want a trial period prior to buying a saddle, you might consider renting a saddle. When trying on a saddle remember:

1. There should be no restriction of the horse’s shoulder blade when in movement… the points of the saddle should sit an inch or two behind the shoulder blade to allow for it’s rotation.

2. Discomfort and restriction of movement will be caused by the back of the saddle sitting behind the last rib.  The weight of rider and saddle cannot be supported beyond this point on the horse’s back.

3. Front arch of the saddle should have adequate clearance over the withers, and not be tight laterally so as to ‘pinch’ the withers. As a rough guide, with a seated rider there should be at least 2 fingers’ width vertical clearance between the horse’s wither and the underside of the arch of the saddle.

4. The central gullet of the saddle panel (underside) must ALWAYS maintain sufficient clearance above the horse’s spine. Not having full clearance here can have dire consequences to the comfort and well-being of the horse, as sores, bruising, discomfort and, at worst, damage to the vertebrae can be caused by direct  pressure here.

5. Any pinching of the spinal areas of the horse’s back caused by a ‘too narrow’ gullet can also cause soreness, soft swelling and discomfort which will again detract from the horse’s ability to move freely and happily.

6. You need to be sure of all the points listed above, and that the saddle sits comfortably with an even bearing surface at the front and the rear, and that the balance of the saddle is correct (as detailed above).

This is only half of the information I found. It honestly was exhausting researching this topic and I dread to think what horse who don’t have “normal” saddle confirmation go through to find a saddle that fits. So heres my question of the day:

Have you ever been amazed at how much information is out there on a particular horsey topic that you knew very little about? What was it? And what influence your research?

Lots of love,

The magic leadrope!

In the last post I asked you guys what your favourite piece of tack was. The one thing you guys couldn’t live without and I decided to tell you guys about mine!

This is not my invention first and foremost but its very simple to make. The kind of tool you get shown and you think “Why didn’t I think of that?” I was first  introduced to the magic leadrope by an 70 years old man who has been training and backing young horses since he was 12. It has honestly been a  pleasure watching him work with them. He still hunts to this day putting the fear of god into his sons and daughters. His methods are traditional however everything is soft and timing is what his methods are based on.

This man introduced me to this tool to and explained how it is safer, quicker and cheaper than “those useless nylon headcollars”.

To make this leadropes all you need is:

A clip (similar to one you would find on a leadrope)

A nylon rope a little bit longer than 12 foot (3.6 metres)

Ok firstly slip knot the clip onto one end of the rope and on the other knot a loop while still maintaining 12 foot. The reason we use 12 foot is that can double up as a lunge line as well as a head collar and lead rope if it is 12 foot.

But hey how the h*ll do you use it?! Its still just a bit of rope with a clip! Yes guys I went all out on this one!…. I made pictures!!! 😀

Firstly put the rope over the horses neck

At the non looped side of the rope make a curve and slot it the loop.
Slip this curve over the horse nose and tighten slightly until it looks like the above. I promise it is so so easy!

To undo pull down noseband part of  the rope off the nose and pull slightly and it will all undo in two seconds and your horse will be free!!

The magic leadrope  gives you more  flexibility when dealing with young horses. If something happens while leading a horse you have the extra length of the rope to get yourself out of the way while still holding the horse. You may be reading this and thinking my horse is impossible to catch and there you can leave this on in the field, this isn’t for me. A nylon head collar can become more of a danger than a convience. If a horse gets caught or fall off in a field they can do serious damage to your pretty pony. If you catch a horse with a head collar on it the field then you can catch a horse with no head collar and just this rope. It is unbelievable quick and there is no mess or fuss like a tangled headcollar and leadrope clumped together. Don’t take my word for give it a go and tell me how you get  on and your thoughts on whether I have converted you or not!

Ta Ta for now,

 

Lets go shopping!

I decided to write a list of the bare minimum you need equipment wise for producing a horse. There is so much more I can add but this is the basics. Enjoy!

Bridle – In sale you can pick one up for €20 easily enough and really for training purposes thats all you need is a cheap one!

Saddle – I want to post further on this. There is a debate in Ireland whether to use a cheap saddle in fear of the youngster destroying an expensive one however do you risk a comfort factor to save money? So

Grooming box –  These include hoof pick, body brush,plastic and rubber curry comb, dandy brush, main comb, normal hairbrush hoof conditionor (big tub €25) and furniture varnish spray. Hoof pick is a must obviously. The combination of using a rubber curry comb in circular motions along with a body brush to flick out the dust and loose hair gives a brilliant shine and makes the hair so soft that it is worth it for the extra five minutes. Plastic curry comb and dandy brush are essential for those muddy days where the mud is caked to the skin. Leave it dry and they use the plastic comb in the direction of the hair to get rid of the large amounts of mud and then use the dandy brush to make your horse as good as new. Main comb is obviously used for pulling the main which a horses should get used to as soon as possible (another one of those chores I’m afraid). A €2 normal hairbrush can act as a tail brush and combine it with furniture varnish spray which is a cheaper alternative to spray in conditioner. Hoof conditioner applied daily to a clean sole and hoof wall will reduce your farrier bills and keep him happy also.

Tendon boots – Cheapest pair you can find will do the job as even the top showjumpers don’t use expensive boots at home and there is no real extreme different other than the price

My special Leadrope – A homemade headcollar, lunge line, leadrope combination with is quicker, safer and cheaper that your average headcollar leadrope combination.

Leather headcollar n leadrope – Essential for travelling. Nylon headcollar don’t snap in case of accident so definately an essential bit of kit when it comes to travelling.

Buckets – Found cheapest in you local pound/discount store.

Nummahs – Check sales where you can find them for as little as €10

Lunge whip – Ok this needed. I suppose you could borrow one but its handy to have around and its only 15 quid.

Roller – Not exactly sure how much these cost but kinda helpful when

Training aid – I love the peossa/ john whitaker training aid but thats just a preference. I also think a set of draw reins and side reins helps too but some people before not using anything which is cool too. You can get cheap versions but they are like saddles in my option so much damage is done with them without lack of knowledge so I would only buy training aids from brands I trust and have used a lot.

First aid kit – Safety first

I am too scared to add up the cost of everything! Haha the amount we spend on horses and the amount of stuff I have left from owning horses is crazy? What is THE most important piece of kit you love and adore?

Lots of Love

Introducing “The Young Horse Series”

Hi guys,

First post woohoooo! Tad nervous but bare with the rambling 😉

Firstly if you didn’t check out “My Story” check it out her because it’s relates to this post.

I am going to start a series relating to buying and producing a young horse. Every horses (all of 2) I have produced and backed other peoples horses (first horse I backed was a 3 year old warmblood stallion… yay for me lol not!) I don’t think there is enough information out there about young horses and I think a lot of people either try to con you with products and training or else have no clue what they are doing. I am one of those semi knowledgeable people but am lucky enough to know a lot more knowledgeable people that have been training young horses for years and years that have no interest in conning me with money just like how I give a hand every now and then. This series will try and assist anyone with or thinking about getting a young horse and give a bit of guidance and honesty I got when I first entered the producing side of the industry. Happy reading!