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Friday, September 16, 2011

The Nokota® Type

Nokota Horses
WorkingNokotas-13
From http://nakotahorse.org
 I became interested in this rare breed because I'm reading the book Flying Changes by Sara Gruen, in which there stars a Nokota sport horse.  Apparently they frequently come in blue roan, which is one of my favorite, albeit a very rare, color.  Because they are descended from Spanish Mustangs, the horses are Iberian in type (other Iberian breeds include the Lusitano, Andalusian, Lipizzan, and Friesian).  Here is a good link with a lot more information on them:

The Nokota® Type

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Posture and Performance – by Duncan McLaughlin | EasyCare Inc.

Posture and Performance – by Duncan McLaughlin EasyCare Inc.

This is a good article on exercises you can do from the ground to help a horse develop proper muscles to aid in self carriage. I particularly like the Lumbar Tuck... it's great for stomach, back, and hindquarter muscles. Click the link to read the entire article... below is an excerpt.

The Fan


Place four or five poles so they fan out and away from a central resting point on a half 44 gallon drum, stack or five tires or similar object (Figure 1). Begin by leading your horse in a larger circle which includes only the outermost edge of the pole fan. Gradually decrease the size of the circle towards the center of the fan. As the circle decreases the poles become closer and higher. If your horse becomes anxious or starts knocking poles, increase the size of the circle until he can easily cope with the pole distance and height. Be sure to work in both directions.

Cavaletti and the Climb Through/ Stretch Through



Walking through cavaletti is an excellent way to develop your horse’s core strength and flexibility. If your horse is not familiar with cavaletti begin slowly. Start by walking over one cavaletti set at the lowest height. When your horse is comfortable walking over this, add another. For most horses the comfortable distance between cavaletti is around 90cm: adjust as necessary for longer or shorter striding horses. Add cavaletti until your horse is comfortably walking over seven or so. Next, raise the fourth cavaletti to medium height. Then raise the sixth cavaletti to medium height, then the third, etc. Raise the cavaletti one at a time and only as your horse develops confidence. It may be necessary to shorten the distances between these raised cavaletti by 5-10cm. For advanced horses you can gradually set all the cavaletti at maximum height or, better still, create a Climb Through/Stretch Through.
You need two rows of cavaletti to make the Climb Through/Stretch Through (Figure 2). The first row consists of four cavaletti set close together (80-90cm) at maximum height. The second row consists of three cavaletti on the lowest height and set far enough apart that your horse has to lift and reach with his front legs (95-110cm).
The Shoulder-In



In this lateral movement your horse’s forehand travels on a path inside that of the hindquarters, with even bending along the spine. The degree of bending is the same as you would expect on a small circle. To introduce the shoulder-in begin by having your horse walk a small circle (6-10m in diameter) around you (Figure 3a). Keep a soft or loose hold on the lead-rope and point a dressage whip or carrot stick toward his quarters. After three or four repetitions allow him to take a few straight steps along the side of your work area before bringing him back on the small circle around you. Repeat this process until your horse anticipates moving onto the circle after a few straight steps. Once your horse is familiar with the procedure you can ask for a step or two of shoulder-in.

The next time you allow the horse to move along the straight side simply step toward his shoulder and bring the whip toward his flanks (Figure 3b). Initially it may be necessary to ‘gently feel’ the lead-rope to keep him looking toward the center of the work area. Ask only one or two steps before resuming the circle. Gradually build up the number of shoulder-in steps between circles as your horse becomes more familiar with the movement. The shoulder-in is physically and psychically demanding and must be developed harmoniously and with trust. Merely pushing or pulling your horse into the required form will have no gymnastic effect. Horses and riders with necessary equitation skills should practice the shoulder-in under saddle.

Stretches

Perform the following stretches during breaks between the above exercises. This allows your horse time to catch his breath after the metabolic demands of strength training. To be effective each stretch needs to be held for three minutes. This is the time it takes to effect ‘muscle memory’, where the muscle cells come to recognize the stretched position as normal. Initially this may be difficult for your horse. Take time and develop the stretches over several weeks. Remember a gentle stretch held for a long period of time is more effective than a stronger stretch held for a short period of time.

Wither lift. Stand level with the girth facing the side of your horse. Bend your legs and apply the fingers of both hands to the midline of his undercarriage, directly behind area of the forelegs, in an upward direction. The withers should rise up noticeably. ‘Stoic’ horses, those who are desensitized to touch due to pressure from the saddle and girth, may require a very firm upward pressure. Use your fingernails if necessary but remember to use the least pressure possible – don’t you do the work for him.





Lumbar tuck. Only perform this stretch if you feel confident your horse will not kick. Stand to one side of your horse and at the hindquarter facing toward his head. Place one hand on each side of his hindquarter, level with and around 10cm to the side of the point of croup. With firm and increasing pressure slide your index or middle finger back to the point of buttock. The lumbar area will rise and the hindquarters will tuck.

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Male Model, Country Style


Okay, so I realize that the road in front of the farm is busy with all kinds of traffic, and people are inclined to stop by if they see us outside (especially on the weekends), but this was a new one!  A very nice male model by the name of Kevin Alexander stopped by to say that he thought the horses were beautiful, and wanted to know if he could possibly use them in a photo shoot he was doing for his portfolio.  So I said, "no problem!", and he came by with his crew and took some nice shots... here are a few examples.


Saturday, February 26, 2011

Side Saddle jumping

This photo, taken in 1915, shows Mrs. Esther Stace, from Yarrowitch, riding sidesaddle and clearing a record 6'6" at the Sydney Royal Show.  It is from the Walcha Historical Society.

Pretty impressive, I must say!  Although from what I've heard, riding side saddle is actually pretty secure.  The saddle has something called a "leaping horn", which the lady can grip with her legs.  I have always been interested in riding side saddle, although I've never been able to come up with sufficient justification to buy one.  Other than dressing up in fancy costumes and riding through the park, of course. Which would really impress the birds and deer, I'm sure.  I'm kinda odd that way... I have a lot of mismatched, raggedy clothes for working around the farm, but when I go riding, I like to have a top that coordinates well with my breeches.  Go figure!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Park Police Mounted Volunteer Wins Award!

Gail Joyce has been with the Park Police as a mounted volunteer since 2006. We are very proud of her and her Lippizan mare Anaverta!

Mid-Atlantic Lipizzan Association Ambassador Award for 2010 Gail Ann Joyce and Anaverta

Congratulations to Gail Ann Joyce and Anaverta for receiving the MALA Ambassador Award for representing the Lipizzan breed with honor, beauty and integrity. Below is a little about them:

Anaverta successfully completed her bomb proofing training with Sgt. Rick Pelicano of the MNCPPC Park Police. Anaverta is now the only Lipizzan fully commissioned to perform MNCPPC Park Police Volunteer Mounted Patrols and Details. Anaverta and Gail went to Washington DC to honor fallen Police Officers on Police Memorial Day. They stood stirrup to stirrup with the sworn officers who were protecting the Capitol’s perimeter as president Obama provided the keynote speech. Together they greeted the families of the fallen officers on the day of remembrance.


Anaverta and Gail participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics and were the honor guard for the start of the torch run. As Park Police Civilian Mounted patrol members, Gail and Anaverta have logged numerous hours patrolling their local parks and acting as the eyes and ears of the park police force and providing a visible mounted presence.


In their first show season together they have won TL Reserve Champion high score with Pennsylvania Dressage Association (PVDA) Sugarloaf show. Anaverta also earned Champion high score TL at the Celebration Farm Show and TL Reserve Champion and High Score award at the PVDA year end awards. Together they have also participated in several large, organized trail rides and the Potomac Hunt Sponsored Clinic for “ Hopeful Fox Hunters.”;

http://malalipizzan.net/index.php?p=1_6

Christmas with the kitties

This will be our first Christmas with Kali (aka "Demon Baby"), whom we rescued from the cold last January when she was around 6 we...