The Stable Scoop Radio Show has posted it’s 3rd Episode. Stable Scoop is a horse related podcast that I think you will enjoy. You can listen on their site at www.stablescoop.com, subscribe through iTunes or listen right here by clicking the Listen Now button below. Enjoy!
Stable Scoop Radio Show Episode 3:
Join hosts Glenn the Geek and Helena B. as they take you on a wild ride with fox hunting talk to one of the most beautiful spots in America at the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center. And, your faith in the youth of today will be restored as we speak with our blogger of the week, she is one articulate teen.
News of the Week:
A little legal talk with a suit after being bit while farm sitting.
Drugs at the Olympics and those nasty chili peppers.
New drug testing using horse hair.
Irish fox hunters fight back - the war continues.
The Blog of the Week is one teen who can write! You can find Kristen Kenney at Equestrianism.
[comments from Ellen, who has a pair of lovely Percherons up north...]
Just read your blog Scary horseback and driving encounter
~~ first of all, happy to hear that the pairs driving is going so well. I did squirm at the bee mishap (worst nightmare). A friend of mine was riding in the woods with others and had a similar experience but her horse (in addition to bucking and rearing)~~ bolted thru the woods.
She was thrown off; hitting her head on a tree and he was in bad shape as well. So, I guess you can thank your lucky stars that your young horse didn’t add bolting to the list of his reactions!
Here’s a pic taken [in late August] at Sutton NH ~~
Ellen’s big girls, Bali and Killian, gave hay rides for the Sutton Musterfield Farm days held Sat and Sun. Great experience for them.
On August 2 we had our most frightening horse experience ever. We’ve been lucky and sort of charmed at times in avoiding serious injuries working with horses, and that luck continues to hold (knock on wood!)– at least we are still in one piece.
We set out from home with Glendale pulling the metal training cart– with Hubby and our young horse-loving friend Bailey– and this day I rode Gilford. I felt I would practice what Emmie had taught me in my recent Mom’s riding lesson “without stirrups to improve my balance.”
Starting out for the woods trail, passing a sheep farm (those are Gilford’s ears inside the green ear net of course… LOL)
Bailey with Dad and Glendale, who wears a fly net over his whole face and ears…
Turning around at one dead end Dad explored.
Heading up a power line cut and into the woods, Glen’s cart in the lead. Trail is a little bumpy, and Gilford doesn’t neck rein so it’s a tad tricky to steer him with one hand.
We knew that deer flies would be pretty bad in the woods this time of the summer, and they were! Our preparations of bug ointment, fly spray and ear nets slowed the deer flies down to a couple dozen per horse when we reached the wooded trail, and poor Glen in the lead was tossing his head a lot. (The lead horse attracts the worst of the bugs, which latch onto their poll at the top of their neck and buzz annoyingly around their ears.)
Entering a thicker part of the woods
The woods trail seemed pretty peaceful at first, except for deer flies…
Things weren’t too bad until we started down a sloping woods trail, when suddenly my mount Gilford, following behind the cart, began to buck and pitch a fit. I glanced back and saw what looked like a large horse fly on his rump, but I didn’t try to shoo it off– I was too busy holding his head up and single-reining him and trying to stay on him! I was also yelling WHOA! WHOA! so Dad’s passenger Bailey bailed out of the cart (she’s a sensible young girl.) Gilford passed his brother, got in front of him, then stopped and tried to scrape the bug off by rubbing himself on Glen. Not too cool, what with the shafts sticking out and Glen being harnessed to the cart.
Hubby was out of the cart too by then, he grabbed hold of Gilford’s bridle to help me, and I dismounted quickly. We both felt that Gil was being a crazy horse because of the deer flies, and we agreed we should turn back and get out of the woods. As we led the horses around to backtrack, Gil started bucking and rearing again and totally freaked out, he pulled the reins out of my hands and took off galloping back up the trail.
At that point my biggest fear was that Glen might break free of us too and take off after his brother. I had visions of him galloping up the trail with the cart flailing around behind him and crashing into a tree or worse. Hubby had Glen’s head by his left rein, so I grabbed his right rein as we both led him back up the trail. Suddenly Dad started yelling and slapping at himself– his head and neck and back! Glen jumped around then too and got very agitated.
It had taken until that moment for us to realize we were all being attacked by bees (well, wasps technically), which turned out to be yellow jackets. We hurried forward as fast as possible without letting Glendale start running. Gilford came back (not willing to go far without his brother) so I grabbed his reins again, and we booked it until we were out of the woods. Poor young Bailey got two stings which brought tears, but she was very brave.
We stopped then and scraped off a few dead wasps, we all remounted, and we headed down the streets for home. It took a while for the boys to calm down, and Gilford was understandably a bit hypersensitive to flies on the trip back. Once safely in the barn, we counted 6-8 sting welts on Gilford, 11 on Glen, and poor Hubby had nearly 2 dozen stings, including near his mouth which caused his lower lip to swell up. He iced it and took some Benadryl and aspirin. The stings had been very painful at first.
After phoning the landowner, we returned to the location later that day, for two reasons. Dad had lost his glasses (most likely while slapping himself in the face during the bee attack), plus the landowner wanted to spot the nest so he could get rid of it. We expected to find an underground nest, though we were incredulous that bees would go to ground so early in the year because that normally happens in the fall.
We found the glasses, remarkably intact, and finally spotted the yellow jacket nest– it was in a hollow stump at least 3 feet away from the edge of the trail! Those jackets had flown out and attacked the horses just for walking by in the middle of the trail!!! When we had turned around to leave, we had passed the nest again and they had converged on poor Dad, the closest to them at that point, then hit Glendale on Dad’s right. Being on Glen’s other side, I was screened by the horse and somehow I never got a sting myself.
Apparently when we first walked past the nest going out, Glen in the lead had attracted their attention but Gilford coming behind got hit by them first. Dad had brushed one off his forehead but didn’t know it was a bee. Turning around and re-passing the nest was the worst thing we could have done (perfect hindsight!) At the time neither of us realized it was bees, it all happened so fast.
In researching afterwards (yellow jackets) I learned that in late summer, because the colonies are at their fullest maxed-out size, yellow jackets CAN become even more aggressive than normal, and they are pretty bold normally. Scary way to find THAT out– but the nest was destroyed by the landowner who returned at dusk to spray it, on a couple of different evenings.
Neither Hubby nor the horses had any allergic reactions to the stings (if that’s possible for horses?) and we were terrifically lucky no one suffered other injury. This episode was much the most horrifying thing we’ve had happen with horses… horse people beware! I knew from a bee encounter on horseback years ago that underground nests can be exposed in the fall by breaking or clearing new woods trails or even traveling on unfrequented trails, but this attack in late summer was completely unexpected, and unprovoked as well in our minds. Not in the wasps’ minds though.
NOTE: If you were expecting pix of the bee attack and afterwards, dream on! You’ll just have to use your imagination! In fact if I had had my camera in hand when Gilford started bucking, there’d probably BE no camera at all anymore!
NOTE #2: Since Gilford didn’t manage to buck me off, could it be that Emmie’s riding lesson did me some good?? I can tell myself that, but I’d rather NOT put it to the test again like that!!
Sharing a couple of different training runs with the boys as a new pair, in “downtown” Gilford Village. These were late July and early August, putting mileage on them.
FYI– we started them as a pair with Gilford on the left or “near” side because he has been driving longer, is older and more experienced, so we thought he might be steadier facing oncoming traffic. (Glen on right is in the “off” position.) At some point we plan to switch places with them and see how that goes. It would be real nice, better for their continued development, if they became interchangeable.
This neighbor’s field has a couple of interesting visual obstacles, old upside-down rowboats and the like…
During Emmie’s summer visit, she came along with us for a ride in the neighborhood! Whenever their hoofbeats sound like one horse trotting, that means they are in sync with each other.
Fun long trot back out the field and into the street… but cars often pass way too fast for our tastes.
Heading out downhill on a different day, Glen nuzzling at his big brother’s face as he likes to do– the Belknap mountains seen in the distance.
This is probably a Sunday morning, because we stop by the Village store for a Sunday NY Times! Friends and neighbors say hi.
Once again we check out progress on the new Library…
…and put them on a training walk loop through the construction site.
Hardly ever bothered by stuff that doesn’t move!
More trot work in the Village downtown
Return leg, crossing a 2-lane highway
Almost home again!
Their worst “spook” so far was trotting up a steep hill in the rain, near an intersection when three cars in a row passed us in too much of a hurry, making them nervous with all the rain and wet splashy tire noise and slippery pavement, and they started into a canter for several strides. Fortunately they were very easy to slow down again, and stay pretty sensible generally.
It seems we never get tired of looking at horses’ butts!
As promised, here are PIX from Glen and Gilford’s first outing driving together as a pair (see previous post Pairs carriage driving in Chocorus NH for videos.) This was on a weekend trip where we camped two overnights and drove three different days.
Gilford and Glen in their horsecamp
Trotting out on Day 1, giving sort of a visual sense of their motion…
This is their third hitch together, the first two hitches being under supervision of the instructor at the Carriage Barn in Newton, NH.
Laurie G. harnesses her pony Sophie, while Sonja C. assists. Both gals are members of Granite State Carriage Assoc. Sophie is the little lady that Glen was smitten with during the weekend.
More Granite Staters harnessing up, daughter Taryn and mom Pat P.
Taryn and Pat pose for pix before their driveout, their snappy Appy-Arab mare in front.
Another driver, Ginger L., got many compliments on her restored antique wagon, here put to her Canadian gelding.
I’m making an attempt to keep Glen’s mane all on one side of his neck!
Putting on Glen’s hoofboots in front– Easycare Boas.
then comes the harness
Dad and I going out on Day 2 with the boys
Several of us line up for Sonja’s portrait, this one planned for the cover of GSCA’s 30th Anniversary Album, which I was finishing the design of.
Sonja got pix of us coming and going
The second night we had a tailgate pizza party, after which Dad and I rushed off to a concert in Wolfeboro!
The last day there was no escaping the drizzle– Glen’s back is pretty wet already…
but they were willing to go wherever we pointed them, even over wet slippery bridges!
Such handsome boys!! (well, WE think so– like our second set of children!)
When daughter Emmie visited in mid July, I asked her to give me a riding lesson. After falling off Glen during Tom Curtin’s Clinic in June, I decided I needed some coaching to begin developing a more secure, independent seat. Emmie was going to lunge Willy mare while I rode without stirrups or reins. (Thank you HorseGal for the pix and vids!)
You should know that I have taken maybe six riding lessons in my entire life. When I rode on other people’s horses as a teenager, what I knew about riding was from reading books and watching cowboys on TV, and whatever tips I could pick up; it was seat of the pants riding. I was lucky because at age 16-17 I got to play on one good steady horse that taught me much, but after my freshman year in college I didn’t get to ride anymore until my mid-forties, when Hubby and I got our first horse, Willy. Then, for years I learned ABOUT riding techniques, mostly second-hand, by watching Emmie’s riding lessons. I read a lot more, and studied the basics of dressage and hunt seat schooling, which was what Emmie did in her teens.
At a Walk to start out, practicing without stirrups
Walking with arms out LOL
Normally I ride in a lightweight “endurance” saddle which is western-style but without a horn; it has a leather seat and pommel and cordura nylon flaps and skirts. For this lesson, I went in an English saddle. Em instructed me to try to feel as if my heels were being pulled down into the ground, which helped my legs be stronger on the horse’s sides and my seat to sink deeper into the saddle. We discovered that my left leg was harder for me to keep straight down and steady than my right leg– I was off balance on the horse. I have probably always ridden that way, since my half-chaps have always gotten more worn on my right leg than on my left.
So I went around in circles while trying to point my toes forward, drop my weight into my heels, relax my shoulders and upper body and follow the motion of the horse with my pelvis. Immediately I was using muscles which hadn’t been used much before, stretching them in new directions while I focused on how it felt to get my center of gravity over the horse’s center of gravity.
Look ma, no hands!
Willy mare is the type of horse that will make a good rider out of anyone willing to work at it. Being an Arabian, she is sensitive to the rider’s position in the saddle, and it annoys her if her rider bounces around on her back. By watching her ears and keeping tuned in to her reactions, you can tell if you are riding in balance or not. She puts her ears back when someone gets loose and bouncy on her, or off balance in the saddle.
After a little while I do some seat action, stopping the mare by resisting with my seat and NOT following her movement, then starting the mare by making my seat more active and sort of “pushing” her with it… demonstrating her sensitivity to the rider’s weight in the saddle.
I trusted to Em to direct the mare’s speed, and without having to steer I could focus entirely on my balance and body position. I could hold my arms out or on my thighs or my head at the walk. When we first started trotting I pulled myself down into the saddle with one hand holding the pommel in front of me. After a while I felt secure enough to let go completely for a few strides at a time. I didn’t feel quite secure enough to try cantering however.
It was quite strenous to keep my heels down, and it pulled my calf muscles to point my toes straight ahead. I kept on with the self-torture however because I could feel it working. Em said she could see my leg and body positions improving. Finally she had me ride for a spell WITH stirrups, trying to replicate the same feel and position I had when stirrupless. At first I had trouble keeping the stirrup in place on the ball of my foot, which was OK because that meant I wasn’t carrying my weight on the stirrup anymore but rather into my heels– that was a good thing.
Trot work, holding myself deep in the seat with one hand, trying to keep myself there without tensing up my upper body, and letting go with the other hand.
Me taking a much-needed break
Now I feel I have some tools to use and will be able to practice better skills whenever I go riding. Emmie was an excellent teacher! Doing this stuff makes one feel like you’ve never ridden before. My legs were sore for days!
Emmie and HorseGal both managed not to laugh… here’s Em on Willy.
Three days after their first pair hitch training sessions, we took Glen and Gilford to a Granite State Carriage Association drive and ride in scenic Chocorua, NH. It was a Friday through Sunday drive, we camped for two nights and kept the boys penned inside a portable electric fence.
(For those who have trouble viewing vids, see pictures at Pair driving PICS!)
This is Glen’s first reaction to being shut into a relatively small corral with his brother, in a strange new place, with a flirty pony mare nearby to show off to. I think he had to prove he was worthy of the pony’s attention, and maybe he felt like roughhousing after the trailer ride!
With Glen being so frisky the first evening, I was a little concerned how they would be… and I had trouble getting to sleep in the trailer with them continuing to fool around outside. Sure enough, in the middle of the night I awoke to the unmistakable sound of galloping hooves. Convinced it was our boys, I crawled out of bed and got my boots on, but it turned out to be someone else’s horse who got loose! It was caught safely and all quietened down again.
Field warmup before our new pair’s first outing, as usual put to the Eagle 4-wheel carriage.
Very first driveout, first day, one of three drives we took over the weekend. We pull over to let a car pass from behind.
Second day, practicing walk-trot on woods trail. The area offered good variety of terrain suitable for carriages. However, the deer flies were pretty awful in open sections of the woods. Also, Glen wants to fuss around with his brother’s face.
On Sat. night we had tickets to a concert in Wolfeboro, so we hopped into our truck after the community pizza dinner and went to the Great Waters Music Festival while neighbor campers kept an eye on our horses!
Third day– At beginning of this vid Glen, the brown bay on the right, hops over boards covering a drainage ditch. Makes my camera hand jerk & shake a little, neither horse got upset. This last drizzly morning turned into steady rain, you can hear it on the vid. It was warm though, and we had on rain gear, and luckily our harness is synthetic!
Hesitant walk on river trail in rain. They have both stopped of their own accord, worried about the looks of the trail just ahead. After giving them a minute to look, Hubby gets them going again and they sort of creep forward, looking sideways at things as horses do. It must be their. Percheron nature that keeps them calm instead of getting all worked up.
Leave river woods trail, trot over Highway bridge. We meet GSCA friends in woods, the drive organizer leaves her warm dry truck to watch traffic for us while we pull out onto 2-lane highway for short time, crossing bridge over the river then onto a washboardy dirt road. Not sure why the camera sound changes near the end, but maybe just got too wet!
We were all soggy but happy when this drive was done, and time to pack up in the rain to return home! Other club members were complimentary (maybe even a bit jealous?), not everyone gets to drive a pair. A successful weekend overall!
NOTE: if you have trouble loading page or playing vids, please try going onto youTube and see my videos there… horsepaintings
Trucking back onto the grounds at the Carriage Barn, Newton NH, we notice Gilford and Glen in their round pen where they had spent the night… they are resting quietly (possibly snoozing), standing close and perfectly side by side, with Glen in the right hand (”off”) position the same as we have been pairs training them! We have seen this happen all the time with draft horse teams in Acadia National Park at Wildwood Stable, since those drafts have become so conditioned to being in their places as a team. To see our boys doing this now was great fun!!
Warming up on the second day, second hitch… walking around the indoor. They are sort of plodding along, and Glen fools around with big brother’s face… Mary can be heard in background praising their quick progress to an onlooker.
As our friend Clare arrived, the second session started out in the indoor arena again (no difficulties), then Mary climbed into the back of the carriage and off Hubby drove them, out the arena door, up and down the street, into and around a sand ring full of horse jumps, up and down a short steep hill… while Clare and I chased them as best we could and I took more pix.
Practicing in sand ring outside…
At the trot on straightaways they again trotted in sync much of the time. Hubby got more good pointers from Mary such as further cross rein adjustments to make. The boys were close to perfectly behaved.
Second day, second hitch as a pair, walk & trot outdoors with trainer riding inside carriage.
Continuing onto pavement out into the neighborhood… as I thank the stars they have had tons of exposure to cars, streets, roads etc.
We have gathered an audience as we conclude Session 2, Hubby taking a last solo turn around the indoor arena.
Now comes practice, practice, practice! We packed up and headed home to Gilford very satisfied and optimistic, anticipating pairs practice driving at a 3-day Granite State Carriage Drive this upcoming weekend, in a beautiful area near Mt. Chocorua!
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Shared with permission of Mary Gray and Ann Miles at the Carriage Barn, Newton NH.
American Cowgirl is the story of the women who helped shape the American West. This trailer features Connie Reeves, who at 101 years old was still riding her horse every day. To see more about this project go to www.americancowgirl.com (fine art photographs, a short blog, etc.)
Always saddle your own horse, and go in the direction that you are heading!
