Our new Aussie saddle looked so nice on Gilford that I was inspired to finish a macrame breastplate for him to wear. Finish is the proper term here… I made my two for Willy about 14 years ago, shortly after we got her. Then I started a blue and white one which was about 3/4 complete when I set it aside.
FYI, I have been asked several times if I would sell these things, so if interested, please inquire!
connie on Gilford showing macrame breastplate, aussie saddle…
Well, after all those years I had to relearn how to do macrame, and luckily all that was left to do was a simple knotting. I carried it along and finished it on vacation. It took me a couple of tries too at that, but with Emmie and HorseGal’s helping me via long distance by measuring the horse, I was able to finish up this one. I followed instructions from the booklet Macrame Horse Tack by Carol Peterson, with some variations. (This book is older but might still be found online, amazon or ebay??)
Here is handsome Gilford, with matching saddle blanket (which I got first and bought the yarn to match.) It may not be authentic Australian, but we go trail style!
It uses wooden and plastic beads knotted in…
Willy and connie ponying Glendale when he was 2 weeks old, showing the pink and white macrame breastplate Willy wears. It has held up quite well for 13-14 years with machine washing inside a net lingerie bag and air drying. The yarn is nylon parachute cord about 1/4 inch thickness.
Worth repeating [discussed here before in March and April, search on recall] is the list of dog food recalls and cat food recalls from the National Pet Foundation. On their site you can sign up to receive email alerts within-the-hour of new recalls as they are announced.
Their June 6 bulletin implies that salmonella has been found in Ol’ Roy pet foods sold by Wal-Mart, and possibly acetaminophen in others.
Thanks again to Jan S.
[From email conversation with HorseGal about problems leading Princess, when the mare rushes ahead and tries to pull away from her handler...]
Princess’ problem is that she’s never been made to understand that it’s not acceptable for her to act the way she has been and drag a person around. They don’t bother about finer points like that on the track. Our thoroughbred Moose, gotten a month off the track, started out high-headed and dragging poor Em AND me around like that but he learned better with training. We even had Moose with Joann (our trainer) for a couple of weeks. First thing he had to learn was to yield to poll pressure which the halter places on him, in other words lower his head when you pull down on the leadrope. (You may know that when the horse lowers his head he relaxes.)
Well to teach Moose this first step, Joann placed one hand on the leadrope and the other on the top of his neck behind his ears (his poll) and applied pressure. Similar to when I got Glendale to back up from flicking his leadline like you saw, his reward was for me to STOP flicking the rope as SOON as he showed the slightest indication of backing up. The timing is critical. Pressure, in whatever form it takes, is the signal to the horse to do something; RELEASE from that pressure or stopping that pressure tells him he has done the right thing.
So Joann’s method is to release the pressure on Moose’s poll as soon as he relaxed and gave in to it by lowering his head the slightest fraction of an inch. Then repeat. He was so tall she had to stand on a bucket to reach his high=headed poll. She started the pressure and he pushed against it, so she continued the pressure. Well he’s too strong to push his head down, so she had to continue the pressure till he untensed his neck.
She told me this herself– one HOUR after she started this, he FINALLY relaxed his head slightly and she released her hand! She said she was dying, her arms were killing her, but she knew, being the expert trainer that she is, that she couldn’t give in before he did or else he’d learn just the opposite of what she was teaching. She was in the barn doing this, I assume he was on crossties so he couldn’t back away to get out of the pressure.
The second time the lesson was presented, he relaxed sooner, and each time more quickly so very soon he had learned, but the first time was a killer. The next thing they did was make him lower his head before they turned him out, and probably before they fed him too. (Doing this before turnout enables the handler to remove the halter, or unfasten a chain, or whatever, safely.) Artie (Joann’s husband) said Moose got so that whenever he saw Artie walk towards him he would drop his nose down to the ground.
Another trick we did with Moose, once he got the head-yielding thing, is to carry a crop or dressage whip in your left hand while leading him and hold it across your body in front of his face or chest, wherever most effective. It is a visual barrier and cue to wave it in front of his face when he starts walking faster than you and getting ahead, or can be used to tap him lightly on the chest for the same reason. All intent is to teach him his neck is supposed to stay even with your shoulder, and also that his job is to stop as soon as you stop walking, Helpful with this is to face your body towards him each time you stop, and be sure your body is facing forward whenever you’re walking. You practice starts and stops over and over. You also teach him to back away from you when you step towards him, that might come later on.
PS. This sort of training should be done when the horse is NOT hungry ie. totally fixated on getting to grass, so she has a chance of learning something. ALL training is best done when the horse is satisfied and calm, not worried and distracted.
It’s the horse that needs the learning. Rather than forcing or intimidating or trying brute strength, you want the horse to respond and react to the SLIGHTEST amount of pressure possible and that is your ultimate goal. It’s more a matter of getting the horse to pay attention to YOU and be aware of people at all times, and you have to teach his MIND that by being smarter than him!
I got on Princess for the first time this season in late April [see other blogs for Princess stories]. I hadn’t ridden her since last October and have been having a very difficult time getting used to her trot. I am all over the place. At Kerry’s, where I take my lessons, the horses are all Quarter Horses and have such comfortable gaits. I just love riding them and loping is so much fun! As you know, riding my favorite, Mighte, is like sitting on a comfy recliner!
HorseGal starts out a bit rough but her second try is much better. Teaching yourself how to post is tough– anybody with some tips, feel free!
So, I was a little apprehensive when I got on Princess again after such a long layoff and knowing what a hard time I had last fall. I wasn’t really nervous; just unsure of myself and of Princess. Since Princess arrived only last October, I didn’t ride her very much last year. I also have to keep reminding myself that even though I have a hard time riding Princess, I DO know how to ride. I know that after 3 years of lessons, Kerry (my riding instructor) has given me the tools I need to be to be able to ride with confidence and knowledge.
But riding a Thoroughbred off the track is still so different from what I’ve been riding up to now. I think Princess is a lot of horse, but she’s also a wonderful horse. She listens really well; but she’s also very spirited! She loves to GO! And I consider myself still pretty green at this horse business! Nevertheless, I was ready to get back in the saddle…
Video of HorseGal in a decent walk.
Not a bad trot for a western rider learning to post English…
…. And it went surprisingly well! Even though I ride Western, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m going to need to post when trotting. It’s the only way I can maintain my balance. I haven’t actually had anyone teach me how to post because of the fact I ride Western, so I just kind of go up and down with Princess’ gait. If it feels comfortable and I’m staying collected, then I feel like I’m posting correctly.
I tried to post last fall, but felt (and still do) that if I were a half-way decent rider, that I should be able to ride without posting. [ED. NOTE: That's not the case, when a horse's natural trot has a lot of bounce and springiness, you almost HAVE to post; it is actually more comfortable, not just for you but for the horse too.] But, it’s made a difference, so that’s what I’ll do from now on. And I’m kind of proud of myself that I’ve kept at it and that I’m learning to ride a different kind of horse. It’s wonderful experience for me! I want, more than anything, to become a well-rounded and confident rider and that means learning to ride different horses. And to keep taking those lessons!
Princess shows how happy she is to be turned out in grass in this video! (All horses are so happy when the work is ended!)
Now cantering – that’s something I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to do on Princess. I tried that last fall and it didn’t go well. For now, I’m just happy I’m doing better at trotting! Maybe I’ll stick to my loping at Kerry’s, western-style! Although to be the well-rounded rider that I want to be, I need to be able to do all the gaits. We’ll see how it all goes. In the meantime, I’ll keep you all posted on how Princess and I are doing. I wish you could all see the beautiful Roan coming out in her as she sheds her winter coat! Happy Trails!
[ED. NOTE: Stay tuned, it won't be long before HorseGal is going to get on Willy my arabian mare! We'll see if she gets totally confused!]
