Ed Gardner - Asst. Editor
Everett Gardner - Photographer
April
2002
To answer this simply, the cost. I have noticed that the price of all of the equine publications have been soaring. I wanted to put something out there that everyone could read and not worry about the cost. I wanted the information that would be in this publication affordable to everyone. I will strive to get as much topical information each month as I can that will teach, inform and entertain. If you have any comments or suggestions just email me and I will certainly appreciate it. If you want a reminder in your email when each issue is on line just email me with your email address and I will send you a noticed when you can view new issues. Take care and enjoy those wonderful equine friends.
Pat Gardner
Nestled in the rich horse country in Fulton, New York is a seasoned veteran of the racing circuit. No, not the racing that comes to mind, the triple crown, the jockeys, the crowds. No, it is the trotters, the drivers who harness up their carts to their trotter horses and race the local circuits. This soft spoken 70 plus year old man is still in love with the sport. His name is Leonard Fleming, and he is probably one of the winningest drivers in this state.
When you come into his house you are immediately drawn to the walls that are filled with pictures, trophies and plaques of some of his lifetime accomplishments. He wears a tee shirt with the picture of his favorite horse, who won so many races with him. You can see by the way he talks about this horse that he really has a soft spot in his heart for him.
Leonard has handed down his love of the sport to his daughter. She is carrying on the legacy, displaying some of the talent and skills that her father has handed down to her. Last year she finished in the top places more than not.
Of course I had to visit the barn and check out the horses. He had about a half dozen beautiful black beauties. Some of them standard bred trotters, some of them warmblood larger horses. I was immediately taken with how friendly these animals were. I, like a lot of people assume that the typical racing horse would be high strung and not accepting of strangers. On the contrary, these horses seemed to crave the human contact. I was especially taken with one of the stardard breds that he had in his barn. She was just a two year old, but she had such wonderful blood lines. I felt an immediate connection with this little mare. I realize now that Leonard was watching me interact with the horse, and I was so taken with her. She seemed to sense that I loved her immediately, and the feeling was very mutual. In the end Leonard told me that if I really loved her, he thought that maybe she could be for sale. In the end she went home with me. I guess I had better not do too many stories where people have horses in their barns for sale. I cannot bring home too many more, I don't have room enough at home.
This year Leonard is going to be racing the standard bred circuit. There is a limit of horses ages to this competition. The horses must be betwen two and fourteen years old. The racing cicuit is very strict with its' drivers. They have to be schooled in all aspects of horsemanship. Leonard is now studying to take his two hour test of up to 200 questions. After that there are several qualifications that he has to meet. He has to get six other drivers to swear that they have seen him drive in races. Then he must show the officials that he can harness up the horse correctly. After that he will be given some equipment questions. Next he will be given a driving test of approximately one mile. They may also put other horses on the track to see how he reacts to traffic.
Leonard says that he is ready for the challenge and he is studying hard for the test he will be taking soon. He is an inspiration to us all, that no matter how old you are, you can follow your dream.
He now has his standard breds stabled at the Sandy Creek Fairground Stables so that he can practice with them daily on their track.
Good Luck Leonard, you are an inspiration to all of us. I for one will be at the track cheering you on as you cross that finish line in first place!
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Everything! It is a well known and accepted fact that if you are known on the horse show circuit and have made a name for yourself, you will place in the ribbons in the competition. Why is this? I shall tell you a story from personal experience and let you be the judge.
I was at a competition last fall with my sweet Morgan horse, Alex Bay. We were only competiing in the western divisions in this event, and we looked forward to the fun. In the first class I was with about twelve other riders. This was truly the best ride of my life. Everything went smoothly and pefectly. My horse performed all the neccessary gait changes as directed and he did it quickly and without hesitation. My horse and I were standing waiting for the judge to reach his decision. I was suddenly approached by the judge and he informed me that I was using the incorrect bridle for the competition. I was very surprised because there was nothing specified or told to me when I registered and signed in for this class. I obviously did not place in the ribbons, supposedly because I was using the wrong bridle. I wasn't overly upset, I had a great ride, and to me that was what was important.
There was a mobile tack shop at the competition, and I went in and purchased a new bridle, the type I had been told I needed. It really was so close to what I was using. The only thing different was the leather strap across the nose. Okay, so now I was using the right equipment, and I still had two more classes to ride in.
The next class was the obstacle course. I had never done anything like this, but what the heck. What did I have to lose? I went through the course like a knife through butter. My horse navigated all the obstacles like he had done this all his life. Actually he had, but that was before I got him. I was sure that I would place in the ribbons for this class. Myself and the people that were with me watched all the riders go through the course. When all was said and done, there were only three other riders, not including me that had managed to navigate the course correctly. We were all so excited, the lowest I could possibly place out of the six ribbons up for grab was fourth. The placing in the class would be announced later in the day.
I then went to the last class that I was in. It was the 39 and older class. I was really ready for this class. I had confidence and I had my new bridle. I watched the judge as I rode and executed all the gait changes that were announced. I rode as good as I possibly could. I rode as good or better than most of the other riders in the class. When all was said and done I realized that the judge never, ever, never, not even once looked at me or my horse. I am sure he just assumed that we were still using the incorrect bridle and were not worth his hime. I was a little miffed, but oh well, at least I knew I rode well and I had certainly placed in the obstacle course class.
When the six riders were announced for the obstacle course placings, my name was not among them. Why? The three people who had done as well as I had were in the top three places. I knew they had deserved the placings. But I found out that the first place winner was a joke. That rider was the one who had sponsored the obstacle course class. This looked really bad, but everyone seemed to knowingly accept this. The people that were with me were all so angry. I told them not to worry, I had ridden so well and that was all that mattered. But our New York Horse Whisperer that was with us wanted to confront the officials. I convinced him not to, and that was quite a task. He had been around horses all of his life and he knew a winning ride when he saw one, and my ride was a blue ribbon ride.
So now I know...it will not be until I can somehow manage to win a few more classes that I will be recognized for the rider that I am.
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WHAT THEY DON'T TELL YOU
So you want to compete with your wonderful horse. What do you need to know? I have found that ALL competing
venues assume that you know exactly what you are doing. They seem to assume that you have received instruction from somebody who has let you in on all the secrets. WRONG!
I personally took lessons from one of the finest instructors in the area. She had a fabulous reputation and could ride better than anyone I had ever seen. She taught me from the ground up how to ride using all those little un-noticed nuances, such as changing direction by a subtle shifting of my weight or placement of my feet in the stirrups against the horse.
When I was learning how to ride the very last thing in my head was competing. I had gone to the horse shows and I was always in awe of all those talented riders. I knew that I could never hold a candle to them.
There came a time when my riding instructor told me that she had taught me all she knew. She told me that I had turned into a wonderful rider, and she would have just been taking my money for nothing if I continued my lessons. She told me to just keep riding and practicing, and that the clue to being a good rider was simply, practice.
Then one day it came in to my head to compete. I called my instructor, who had since moved out of the state. I told her what I was contemplating. She told me not to worry, I was ready, just relax and do it. She told me that she knew I had watched enough horse shows, that I knew what to do. I should just be calm and listen to the instructions and I would be just fine. Okay, she had confidence in me, so I would do it. I really didn't care about the ribbons, I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it and just have fun.
Where would start to compete? i had already let the local county fairs go by for the year. But the big state fair with its' amazing big horse show was coming up. The previous year I had spent hours and hours watching the riders and drivers putting their horses through their paces. I knew the patterns, I knew the commands. Could I do it? Did I have the nerve? Why not! My thinking was that I didn't care if I won. I just wanted to do it. My goal was to just not make a fool of myself, hurt myself or my horse. I just wanted to have fun. If I could do these things I would judge myself a success.
Nobody told me there was so much to do to get ready for the fair. I had three months to prepare, so I figured I had plenty of time. I was fortunate that I was a dressmaker. I could construct my own riding outfits. The hundreds of dollars that it costs to purchase these clothes seemed like such a waste when I could make all of my own. I spent about a week sewing a red sequined western shirt with silver sequined trim and silver sequined stars. The finished product even impressed me, and I knew it was a one of a kind. I used the same material that was in the shirt to make a hat band for my western hat. The finishing touch for the hat was a red rose fastened to the front of the hat. I took a pair of black jeans and sewed redy shiny beads down the side seams of each leg. It was a lot of work, but when it was finished it was worth it. I had black boots and I hot glued some of the same silver stars on them that I had on my shirt. I had purchased a pair of black riding gloves to complete my outfit, so my western wear was complete. I jokingly admitted that even if my riding was not the best, my riding attire surely was.
I had also decided to compete in a couple of driving competitions since my wonderful Morgan was also trained for driving. I had never driven a horse before in my life. I had a small two wheeled cart to practice in. With the assistance of a friend, I soon felt confident abuot my driving ability. My horse drove easily after a few tough sessions. I knew this really would be fine. The horse seemed to know just what to do, all I had to do was hold on to the reins and give him the signals for the gait changes.
I needed a costume for the driving competition. What would I wear? I definitely wanted it to be original. I decided to make a turn of the century carriage dress. I found a pattern and located some old fashioned looking material. I found just the right matching hat and trimmed it out with lace to give it that old appearance. I mail ordered a pair of boots that matched to the color of the dress. There were the old fashioned lace up type boot. I also purchased a whip. I hated the thought of that whip. I would never use it, but I knew from watching the driving competitions that I had to have the whip in my right hand, held at an angle when I drove. So be it! I had everything ready for the competition.
My driving cart was small and not really good for competing, but I was just beginning. My husband surprised me the week before the fair. He went to an antique dealer and bought one of the most beautiful carriages that I had ever seen. It had four large wooden wheels and a large high seat for two. It looked like it had just rolled out of Bonanza. It would need a little work, but in the end it would be worth it. I took on the job of repainting the carriage and recovering the seat.
When I took the seat apart I was in for a huge surprise. Burned into the base of the seat was info that this carriage was a Barlowe from Canada, made in 1850. It was noted on the inscription that this was the second one he made. It turned out that after a little research this carriage was a very valuable antique and here I was taking it into competition.
I didn't finish this carriage until late Friday night. I would be needing to drive it the next morning at the fair. There was no time for a test drive. There was no time to check out to see how my horse would take to driving this much larger carriage. I was about to really wing it.
When I entered the practice ring to get ready for my number to be called it seemed that the officals were all concerned by the way that I had hooked up the horse with the harness to the carriage. I had sought help from someone that had been around carriages all their life. But it was apparently not the way that the officials wanted it attached. I was lucky that they called over a few people. These people retacked the carriage to the horse. I should have been disqualified because I wasn't ready when they called my number for the class. But the fair director seemed to take pity on me. In the end after the competition I brought home a fourth place ribbon. I was very proud of this accomplishment. I will never forget the nerves I felt when I was told that I didn't have the harness hooked up to the carrige correctly.
In the open western riding competition I was very nervous. There were so many riders who were obviously very skilled. I got into the swing of things in the ring quickly. And I brought my horse to a canter for the first time in my life. I had previously only ridden in our pastures and I didn't want to go too fast with all the ruts and bumps. But much to my surprise I didn't go flying off, and we did just fine. We did make a major mistake, and I believe it was because I was trying to concentrate so hard. The voice over the intercom was giving out gait changes and directions. He instructed us to halt our mounts. He then told us to turn and face the wall. I heard the command as turn and walk. I started to walk and soon wondered why I was the only rider moving. Oh well, no ribbon, but a good ride, a lot of experiecne and fun!
A few weeks later I decided to try it one more time before the winter snows came. I would only compete in the western riding divisions. I looked at the different classes listed in this competition and picked out four that I thought I might beable to do. I saddled up my horse and rode him to the entrance of the ring for the first class. I looked around and realized that nobody else had saddles on their horses. This class was going to be a halter class, that is that you show your horse without the saddle, just by a lead attached to the halter.
God, nobody told me this, and the program clearly did not state this. I was just supposed to know this. I quickly unsaddled my horse and got back to the entrance of the ring. I didn't bring any fancy halters or tack . I had a wonderful leather saddle and bridle, I didn't think I would need anything further. So my poor old Morgan was shown in his faded old nylon field halter, when all around us was flashing silver. I didn't care, he did fine, obeying me to the letter and then standing so proud and still. All the ribbons went to the horses that were dripping in silver. This leaves the question, what are the judges looking for? Is it the horse, or how fancy the tack is?
My next class was an open class, western riding competition. I did just fine, changing gaits as directed. I felt so comfortable competing, and I had really gained confidence. As I was standing, waiting for the judge to make his decision, the judge came over to me. I knew the judge from the fair competitions. He told me that I was using the wrong type of bridle for this type of compeition. Oh God, here we go again! Nobody told me and no where did it state just what kind of bridle you needed. I was lucky enough that there was a mobile tack shop at the competition. I went to this shop and purchased one of the bridles that I was advised about. I still had one more riding competition to go.
I had signed up for the obstacle course class. What the heck, what did I have to lose, even though I had never ever done anything like this before. I was the first rider to go through the course. I had to ride into the course and cross over a tarp with water on it. Next I had to stop and open a mailbox from the saddle and show the official the letter in the box. Next was the hardest for me. We had to trot to the next point and stop. Then we had to side step to a hook where a raincoat was hanging. I had never side stepped my horse, but after a few faulty steps, we did it. I had to take this rain coat and put it across the horses neck asnd then replace it on the hook. We then had to canter to the far end of the course and take a left turn. Next we had to stop, turn around and back through a narrow passage that had a ninety dgree turn in it. We had to do this all backing up. My Morgan wasn't known to be very cooperative when backing up. But this day he did it like he was doing this all his life. Then we had to trot to the next point. At this point there were about twelve PVC pipes set about a foot above the ground and twelve inches apart. I had to make the horse step through these pipes without knocking them down (or both of us falling down). We walked through these pipes without so much as a clink. He went through those pipes as cleanly as could be done. The next thing was to walk to a square and turn around inside the square. We crossed over an arched wooden bridge and then out of the course.
We did it! We did wonderful! The people I had brought with me were all standing there with their mouths open and all were speechless. Nobody would have bet on us doing so well. We watched the rest of the participants go through the course. There were only three other riders that did as well or better than I did. I knew I was in line for a ribbon. Everyone with me agreed, and we were all so excited. When the six ribbons winners were announced I was shocked. No where was my name announced. The winner was the women who had sponsored the event, how tacky! I don't know why I didn't place, but I believe that it was because I wasn't known. It seems that in a lot of competitions, the better known you are, the more you win, even if you don't deserve it. But please understand that this is just my opinion. One of the people that I had brought with me was a gentlman we call the New York Horse Whisperer. He had been working with horses for over fifty years. He was very angry that we had been overlooked for a ribbon. He wanted to say something to the officials. But I persuaded him that it really wasn't that important to me. The best thing of the day was that I had fun, and that I had ridden so well. I had gained more confidence that day than I ever thought I would attain.
My last class of the day was a division of western riders that you had to be over 39 to compete. I felt that I had a good chance here, since I had changed my bnridle. I did perfectly, but I noticed that the judge never, even once looked at us. I believe that he had already in his head that I had the wrong bridle and wasn't worth his notice or time. If he would have even looked at us once he would have seen that I had a new bridle on the horse, the type of which he had advised me I needed.
The winners were some of the same people that had been winning all day. They were all very well known. I knew that I had ridden as well as they did. At the end of the day, I didn't care that I didn't win a ribbon. I had ridden wonderul, and that was all that was important to me. And in the back of my head I told myself that I didn't get hurt, the horse was okay, and I didn't make a fool out of myself! These were my guidelines for a success, so I was a success. The people with me were all angry the way the competition ended, but I wasn't. I was learning, and I was gaining confidence, there was always next year.
The one hint that I can give you when you compete is to practice, practice, practice. A very important thing is to make yourself a list of all the things that you will need to take with you. List those items, even though they may seem stupid because it will be the obvious things that you will forget. Make the list well in advance and add items on your list as you think of them. By the time competition day comes, your list will be complete. As you load up your horse in your trailer, check off each item that you need to take with you. Some of the things that you will want to take with you are:
water grain
hay water bucket
treats saddle
bridle extra bridle
halter lead
saddle pad fly spray
peroxide alcohol
scissors tape
gauze brush
comb shampoo
towels pitch fork
rake hat
short pants
boots coggins test report
ice rabies test report
drink horse registration
maybe a chair or two
These are just a few of the things that you will find that will make your compeition easier for you. It gives you the confidence that you won't have forgotten something when you are far away from home. This way you can relax and concentrate on the competition.
In the end, I think that the only teacher for competition is experience. So much is assumed, and you will only learn by doing. Good Luck, and here's hoping for a ribbon for you.
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Anyone that knows me, knows that I am extremely particular what I feed my horses. I started using J.J. Feeds last fall. Now I wouldn't feed them anything else. My horses seem to really love it, and they are thriving on their pleasure and show horse blends. J.J. Feeds has different types of horse feeds with varying fat and protein contents. I cannot believe the quality and the freshness that this feed has. I also use their goat feed and their chicken mash for my hens. Since starting the chickens on their brand my egg production has more than doubled. Try them, I know that you will feel the same about them that I do. Tell them that I sent you, you'll be glad you did!
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I AM AFRAID I MIGHT FALL
The older riders have not cornered the market on the fear of falling off a horse. I believe that this feeling is amplified by the fact that as we get older our bones become brittler and easier to break. Even the novice, younger riders are afraid of falling. But if you get it into your head that everyone falls at some point, and you will just get up, brush yourself off and get back into the saddle and ride again, you will be okay.
An important thought is why did you fall? Are you blaming the horse or the rider for the fall? In most cases the fault rests squarely with the rider. If you have your seat correctly, it is almost impossible to fall. There are a couple of important tips to remember when sitting on your horse. If you remember them, your chances will be almost nil of falling. The first is to maintain a straight, but comfortable balanced posture. Keep yourself centered in the saddle with your head erect. When riding, you should be looking straight ahead and not down.
Next, remember to put your feet firmly in the stirrups, so that the bottom of the stirrup craddles the balls of your feet. When you ride, ride on the balls of your feet. That is, put your weight on those stirrups, almost standing in your saddle. If you maintain these two valuable tips, it is amost impossible to fall.
I took a ten year old student of mine, and had her follow these two tips. She too was afraid of falling. I then tried to pull her from the saddle. I was at least four times her size and there was no way that I could pull her out of the saddle. She was amazed by the control she suddenly had of her seat and posture. From that point on this student gained so much confidence on her riding ability. Fear can be a crippling emotion when riding and you must try to control it, or it will control you.
I personally have had only two falls, both of them being when I was over fifty years old. One was spectacular looking, and the other was really stupid. The stupid one was my own fault. I wanted to ride, and had no patience that day. I tried to hurry getty my sweet Alex Bay saddled. I knew his trick of blowing his belly up with air when I was cinching him up. I tried to hurry the procedure, figuring the cinch was tight enough. But within a couple of minutes in the saddle I felt the saddle starting to slide slightly to one side. There was nothing I could do but go with the slide when it suddenly let go. Lucky for me we were only walking. I managed to halt the horse as I was sliding. As the saddle slid around the horses belly, I slipped to the ground. I banged my head a bit, and the only thing hurt was my pride. This fall could only be blamed on the rider, me. It taught me a lesson in patience that I will not forget.
But my second fall, I will not entirely blame on myself. This day i was going to ride my very tall appendix quarter horse mare. I had not ridden her myself. I had left that honor to the very advanced riders. I had come to be a very competent rider, at least in my own mind. Even my instructor told me that there was no reason why I should not be riding the smooth gaited horse. Before I rode the mare, an advanced rider took the horse out for a short ride, so that I wouldn't be getting the mare fresh and ready to run.
Hopefully a little of the energy would be gone from her after the short work out. I really was nervous, and I suppose that the horse sensed the tension as I slid into the saddle. After a few seconds I tried to relax a bit in the saddle.
The mare was not happy to be going out for yet another ride. She seemed to think that her work out was over when the experienced rider took her back to the corral. Within about twenty feet she reared up on her back legs, wildly bucking as much as she could. I felt like I was in a rodeo.
I remembered what I had learned about emergency dismounts. Once I realized I couldn't possibly remain on her back, I slipped my right foot out of the stirrup and swung it over her back quickly. In one swift and fluid movement I used my left foot, that was still in the stirrup to push hard and I jumped back, free of the wrath and bucks of the angry mare. Everyone was totally amazed that I came out of that dismount without even a bruise. I knew it was a spectacular looking dismount, and everyone was expecting to have to pick up pieces of me from the ground. I knew I had done that dismount exactly as I should have, and felt like I had scored a perfect ten in the dismount olympics. I am sad to say that I have not attempted to ride the mare again since that fall. She has proven to be very moody and unpredictable. My words to her after that dismount was "your now a brood mare"! But I have reconsidered it, and I am planning on giving it another try riding her this summer.
So no matter your age, the fear of falling has to be conquered to be a competent rider, comfortable in the saddle. The key to overcoming your fear is three little words, practice, practice, practice. Hang in that saddle!
It is true that many people's fondest dream is to some day own their own horse. But are these same people really ready to own one of those wonderful animals that depends on us for everything?
I have heard so many horror stories about people who buy a horse and don't have a clue as to what to do with them next. The other day I heard about a man who bought three horses at an auction. When he was questioned about what kind of feed he was giving the horses he looked confused. He said that he wasn't giving them any feed since they were able to eat grass and graze in the pasture each day. This confession made the questioner ask the new horse owner who his farrier was. The reply was that he understood that since he wasn't using shoes on his horses he didn't need a farrier. He figured that the horses hooves would wear down on their own.
Yet another young man confessed to me that he was going to put his new horse in a cow stanchion. It was hard for me not to burst out laughing at this horse ignorant guy. I can only imagine what a horse would do if tried to be confined in a cow stanchion.
I believe that the first thing that a person should do even before they take on the awesome task of caring for a horse is to try to educate themself. Before you bring home a horse you need to find out about nutritional issues. What do you feed? When do you feed? How much do you feed? Do you change the amount of feed given when the horse is allowed to graze? How much hay do I feed them? There are so many things that you need to find out about so that your new friend will receive the care they need and deserve. There are many places that you can seek out to find this information. The easiest way is to ask somebody who already has horses. But don't just ask one person, because if you ask ten people, you will get ten answers. When you compile all of the answers you can reach a middle ground.
I have found that in the spring and summer, when grazing is lush, I reduce the grain that I give my horses by about a third. I always provide plenty of hay for muching, and they always appreciate the fresh hay at night for bedding and snacks. In addition the hay will keep the horses from becoming bored. Sometimes when a horse is bored they will start to crib. What is cribbing? It is the chewing and knawing on the wood in their stall. I have found that one cribbing horse can literally destroy a stall over night. Always, always provide plenty of fresh clean water for them to drink.
What about the horses hooves? A good farrier is important for the health of the horse. Do I get those metal horse shoes put on my horse or not? The main factor that will answer this question is what is the horse going to be used for. If the horse is going to remain in a pasture and be ridden on grass than no shoes are needed. If the horse will be walking on cement or blacktop or ice, then shoes will help to protect their feet. But even if you decide against metal shoes the hooves will need to be cut, trimmed and filed down. During the spring and into the fall the hooves will need to be maintained by the farrier about every six weeks. In the winter, the hooves grow slower and they will only need the farrier about every eight to ten weeks.
If your horse is wearing shoes, then the shoes will have to come off, and the growth of the hoof will need to be clipped and trimmed off. If this is not done it will make the horse walk incorrectly, even tripping when walking. It can also be very painful for the horse. The farrier can also check the teeth of your horse. When the horse is bitting down on the bit, sometimes the teeth will get very sharp and pointy in a few areas of the mouth. The farrier can "float" the teeth, filing down those sharp annoying painful points. If you have questions on any of these issues a good farrier can help to guide your decisions.
What about a vet? You will need to find a vet that will make house calls. The vet will need to come out and give the horse their shots at least once a year. If you are going to show your horse, you will need to have your vet draw some blood and do a coggins test. It is a major rule that all competing and transported horses have a negative coggins test available for examination. The needed innoculations vary with areas and your vet will guide there. I know that in New York there are about three or four different things that I need to have my horses have shorts for. You don't need to make these decisions on your own. Your vet will tell you exactly what yuor horses need to keep them in good health.
Where am I going to keep my horse? Of course if you do not have the space or facilities needed you can board your horse. If you are going to board, go and check several stables in your area. An important thing is to use your nose. Does the stable smell bad? If they are not doing daily clean ups of the stalls, then there will be a very prominent bad odor. Of course all stables have that "horsey" smell, but it will not be stifling. Look around and note the other horses in the barn. Are the horses calm? Is there an adequate supply of fresh air coming into the barn? Will the horses be turned out, that is put out into the pasture each day? Are the hours of the boarding stable enough that you will be able to accomodate your schedule and ride as much as you want to? Is there an indoor riding area so that you can ride in the winter or bad weather? What is the cost? Compare the cost of several stables versus what they offer before you make a decision.
If you have the space for your horse, what will it need? The most important thing is the pasture. A good rule of thumb is that each horse needs at least two acres. Give your horse room to run. Most horses love to run and need to have the room to expel their energy. An important thing is to be sure that the fencing is adequate for the horse. I know that in my case I use a three strand electric fence. I use plasic colorful tape tied to the wires so that the horses know that the wire is there. I know that when my horses start to run I need them to clearly see the fence lines and boundaries to avoid accidents. I have my top wire about five and a half feet high. I have a large quarter horse that thinks she is a racehorse. She needs to have high fences or she could jump right over and clear the low wires. Some horses only need the four foot fences. The height reallty depends on the horses that it is keeping in. The electric wire is a good idea and it will not hurt the horses. It just gives them a little shocking jolt of electricity if they should come into contact with the fences. It only takes a couple of these jolts to make the horses respect and avoid the fences.
It is a good idea to bring the horse in at night. A dry, well ventilated area is necessary for your horse. It should not be big enough for the horse to run in, but big enough for the horse to walk around in. I have a covered area about twelve by twelve and they can come out to an open corral of about twenty by twelve. The main thing is to have a place that the that the horses can come in out of the rain or snow and be free of the wind.
Always provide a good supply of clean fresh water. My horses can each consume up to five gallons a day. This water is an essential part of their diet and health.
To bring your horse home you will need a halter and a lead. But what about equipment and tack, what do you need? The other day I heard about a guy who just bought himself a horse. He didn't know what he was doing. He only thought he was an expert! He had an old saddle and he put it on the horse and tightened the bucking strap with no girth. The horse would not let the man get into the saddle...thank God
First you need a good blanket or saddle pad to put under the saddle to cushion the horses back. Always remember to give the horse a good brushing before you start to saddle the horse to get any debries off of him. Even small bits of dried mud or leaaves can hurt when they are between the saddle and the horse.
As for the saddle, make sure that the saddle you get fits the horse and the rider. There are tack shops and stables that will happily help you make your selection. The size of the saddle is more for the rider than for the horse. The saddles are sold in sizes in inches, such as a 16" saddle. This measurement is the distance between the back of the seat to the front. Obviously a child will need a smaller saddle, somewhere between a 13" to 14". An adult will probably need a saddle somewhere between a 15" to a 17". They saddles do come in larger and smaller sizes, and also in half sizes. This will all depend on the rider as far as to what you purchase.
You will also need a girth. There are many types of girths today for you to select from. There are standard string girths that you can cinch up with a nylon or leather strap. You can get a leather girth that has padding for the horse. There is also a new neoprene girth that stretches with your horse. It is really just personal preference as to what to use. I have been using the traditional string girth and I feel very comfortable with this. I recently purchased a new neoprene girth and I have tried it a coupld of times. But I have not yet gained the confidence in this piece of equipment enough to compete with it. It will take time and pracatice.
You will also need a bridle, bit and reins. There are many types of bridles and bits, and your tack shop can help you with your selction. The main factor on what you are going to need is what are you going to be doing. Are you going to be just riding western pleasure, english, jumping or competing. These are all factors in the final decisions of your tack. Don't be afraid to ask a question about the tack if you don't understand. There probably isn't a question that the tack shop people haven't heard. Don't feel silly, they are there to help you.
The main thing is to learn enough to ensure that you and your horse have many happy and healthy years together. Remember your horse counts on you for everything, give them the care they deserve.
& RICH X-POLITICANS
February 19th Senators Charles Schummer and Nancy Lorraine Hoffman along with Assemblyman Bill Magee had a town meeting at the Farmers Market in Syracuse. There was a small showing of farmers and a large showing of news media. Senator Schummer presented a synopsis of what was in the new Farm Bill. He confided that there were three main portions of this bill.
The first of these is the Dairy Section. They are trying to get us to become part of the North East Dairy Compact. In the senate it lost 140 to 290, and then was filabustered by Wisconsin that stopped the whole procedure. Wisconsin was afraid that New York would interfere with their cheese market.
The proposal is for the government to guarantee the farmers $16.94 per hundred weight for class A milk. Anything less than this amount will be compensated by the governmental fund that has been set aside. The average amount the farmers in New York will see from this is approximately $12,400 per year.
The second part of this bill is the Specialty Crop Section. This is for crop growers such as apples and other vegetables. In this portion, there is a proposal that the goverment cover 67% of the cost of the crop insurance cost for the farmers.
The last part of the bill is the Conservation Section. This is a a big concern for all farmers, horse stables and ranchers. With the big push on to build, build, build, the water has to go somewhere. That somewhere seems to be the pastures and fields of the farmers and ranchers. There is a wetland assistanace fund for those impacted. The Department of Enviornmental Conservation is trying to stop the flow of the water onto land that once was farmland, but their words seem to be falling on deaf ears.
Senator Hoffman spoke briefly about the barn restoration program. She had four million dollars last year, and has a promise of two more million this year. She is trying to preserve the old barns in the area. She recognizes that they are a landmark of the old farms and the more peaceful way of life. In the Farm Bill there is a section dedicated to the Barn Program.
Time will tell as to just how the bill will be finially presented as the various interest groups try to get the senators to put into the language their concerns and needs. The one thing that is certain is that unless something is done, and done quickly, the family farms in our nation will quickly fade away to be a thing of the past.
Our family knows this to be true from experience, because we have voiced our concerns to both of these senators and to Governor Pataki about how the current new building trend is swamping our property. Let's see where they stand when all the smoke clears. They voice their concerns at our problems to our faces, but is it real?
Some of the local x-politicians seemed to have gotten into a new business, real estate. They know the people and they know how to pull the right strings. I saw this personally happen last night at the Cicero Town meeting. A zone change was proposed to decrease the lot size to let this x-politician build a lot more homes on this certain tract of land. There were so many residents at the meeting to voice their concerns and outrage of the impending change. One gentleman even had a petition signed by most of the local residents, that this zone change would impact. All of this fell on deaf ears, the council didn't want to see it or hear about it, their minds were made up before they even came into the meeting.
The town council just rushed and pushed through the zone change in favor of the x-politician. Those in power in the council seemed so smug regarding the situation and this was all very high handed. It appeard to those of us in attendance that all of this voting was just a show. We believe that the final decision had been made before this meeting. Whatever happened to the public officials being elected to represent the people? This select group of politicians definitely does not care for the residents or do they represent their wishes.
Our family approached this same x-politian over twenty years ago and voiced our concerns about the way that the water was beginning to back up on our property. He really wasn't concerned about this problem. He flatly refused to do anything about it. And then about six years ago this same politician pushed through a bridge project that bordered our land. He managed to raise the road and extend the guard rail, the only area that our property met the road. By doing this, this politician landlocked our property. In 1960 when the interstate came through and took some of our farm for the interstate, the court granted us the land that we had been using as a driveway to gain entrance to our property. This bridge project absolutely went against that court decision. It was as if our farm didn't matter.
This same bridge project put our mother into her grave, and caused one of our family to be disabled for life. This all has to end, this is not the way America is supposed to be. This is not what our flag stands for. If this all can happen to our family farm, that has been in existence for over a half century, think about it, it could happen to you. We have all got to stick together and take a stand.
Word got back to us that the powers that be wanted us to sell our property so it could be developed. It seemed that we were being squeezed and forced out in any manner they could think of. Believe me, that as long as I have a breath in my body, we will be on this farm, mud or not. Nobody is going to make us leave this family farm that our father, a deceased wounded combat veteran spilled his blood on foreign shores to keep us free. Is this freedom? I hate to think what he would think of this situation. I only hope he would be proud that we will not cave in to the fat cat politicians.
If the cities have their way, the farms, stables and ranches will be bought up by the politicians to make a big fat profit as they build more and more homes that crerates more and more drainage, turning everything into a swamp. These same politicians get themself rich by investing in this real estate making a huge profit and then retiring to Florida, leaving all the devastation they created behind.
Yesterday it was so muddy that I got my feet stuck in the sticky clay soil. The harder I tried to pull myself free, the more suction I was creating. I called for my husband who had to get me out with a shovel. By the time he got me out the mud was almost over my knee high boots. I wonder how they would like it if their homes were engulfed in mud created by the runoff of too many houses in an area that was already designated wetlands. It can only get worse.
***I will keep you all posted in future issues as to how all of this proceeds and which policians end up on either the good guy side or the bad guy side. This infomation may be helpful to you when you go to the polls next time and you find one of these policians names on the ballot.
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