Something is going on with my blog, the last entry did not show up in its entirety and there is no comment form. I've inquired to Blogger, we'll see what they say and hopefully have this resolved soon.
Edited to add, now it appears that everything is doing what it's supposed to do and behaving the way it's supposed to behave. Yay! Thanks to the Blogger help forum folks.
~SFTS
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
All The News That's Fit To Print
Today was a bit of a mixed bag. I had a topic rip roarin' and ready to go, wanted to get it written early to post it this evening and then I get the phone call. One of my longtime clients has a mare with an injured eye. Prognosis is not good, we're bringing her over to the barn so I can treat her 6-10 times a day and we'll re-evaluate at the end of ten days. Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer for Ruby, would you?
News regarding the local ETI Corral 88 club has been exciting, we have planned a couple of events and after our Board meeting yesterday we finalized details. Our used tack sale is going to be the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, May 29 at White Shadow Ranch in Phelan. Then we're holding a trail ride at the Figley ranch on Sunday June 6 over in Llano. Details should be on our website soon, and fliers will be available. If you're local, come on down and join us.
Plans are in the works for the formation of a professional horsemen's association here in our local area affiliated with the California Professional Horsemen's Association. Very exciting for those of us who are working hard to set ourselves apart and operate to the highest standards of the industry.
That's all for tonight ~ please keep Ruby in your good thoughts.
~SFTS
News regarding the local ETI Corral 88 club has been exciting, we have planned a couple of events and after our Board meeting yesterday we finalized details. Our used tack sale is going to be the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, May 29 at White Shadow Ranch in Phelan. Then we're holding a trail ride at the Figley ranch on Sunday June 6 over in Llano. Details should be on our website soon, and fliers will be available. If you're local, come on down and join us.
Plans are in the works for the formation of a professional horsemen's association here in our local area affiliated with the California Professional Horsemen's Association. Very exciting for those of us who are working hard to set ourselves apart and operate to the highest standards of the industry.
That's all for tonight ~ please keep Ruby in your good thoughts.
~SFTS
Monday, May 3, 2010
Barn Raising
What is it you look for in a barn? For me, there are a number of "must have's" that I cannot live without.
Roomy, light stalls with plenty of ventilation is first on my list. 12' x 12' is standard size for a box stall, though I like 16' x 16' or 12' x 24' for foaling stalls.
I want the grilled stall fronts (all across the front) similar to these:
(Photo credit MD Barns)
(Photo credit Barnmaster Barns)
My preference is also to have grilled stall dividers between each stall. As a rule, however, there may be a reason so have some stalls with solid walls, so a mixture is ideal. Then there are sliding back stall doors which open out into paddocks, with grilled windows that can be "closed". Having a well lit barn is another must, I love the "skylight" panels many barn companies offer these days, and I insist on good lighting for both the stalls and the barn aisles.
Safety is of paramount concern, so the barn needs to be well constructed with no shortcuts taken. Recently I attended a Dressage show at a lovely brand new facility and was appalled to notice they had a beautiful 20 stall barn which was virtually unusable because when the foundation footings were poured, the contractor blew it on the measurements and toward the far end of the barn, the footings were well over a foot off from where the walls were erected. WTF? I can't imagine how or why anyone would have allowed the barn to continue to be put up once they began to notice something was wrong! But I digress.
Stall doors, feed doors and the walls themselves are also of great importance. I prefer sliding doors with a grilled top, and I'm partial (for some horses) to the open yoke doors (pictured below):
I also like these grilled dutch doors, because you can close a horse in and he an still see out the door, but if you want the option of allowing your horses to hang their heads over the door (and don't have blanket bars on your doors):
I have spent countless hours designing and planning the perfect barn. What about you?
~SFTS
Roomy, light stalls with plenty of ventilation is first on my list. 12' x 12' is standard size for a box stall, though I like 16' x 16' or 12' x 24' for foaling stalls.
I want the grilled stall fronts (all across the front) similar to these:
(Photo credit MD Barns)
(Photo credit Barnmaster Barns)
My preference is also to have grilled stall dividers between each stall. As a rule, however, there may be a reason so have some stalls with solid walls, so a mixture is ideal. Then there are sliding back stall doors which open out into paddocks, with grilled windows that can be "closed". Having a well lit barn is another must, I love the "skylight" panels many barn companies offer these days, and I insist on good lighting for both the stalls and the barn aisles.
Safety is of paramount concern, so the barn needs to be well constructed with no shortcuts taken. Recently I attended a Dressage show at a lovely brand new facility and was appalled to notice they had a beautiful 20 stall barn which was virtually unusable because when the foundation footings were poured, the contractor blew it on the measurements and toward the far end of the barn, the footings were well over a foot off from where the walls were erected. WTF? I can't imagine how or why anyone would have allowed the barn to continue to be put up once they began to notice something was wrong! But I digress.
Stall doors, feed doors and the walls themselves are also of great importance. I prefer sliding doors with a grilled top, and I'm partial (for some horses) to the open yoke doors (pictured below):
I also like these grilled dutch doors, because you can close a horse in and he an still see out the door, but if you want the option of allowing your horses to hang their heads over the door (and don't have blanket bars on your doors):
I have spent countless hours designing and planning the perfect barn. What about you?
~SFTS
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Widgets, Gadgets and Gizmos
So here we are...we're supposed to be talking horses, right? Therefore, I present a real horse related topic! :)
This one I've put a lot of thought into and there's been all manner of discussion across the internet about various training aids, tools or what some would call gimmicks. Alright, here's my take. In the right hands, many of these things are indeed tools that help horsemen achieve their goals with their horses, but most can be improperly used and overused. Shortcuts are never okay. Choosing to use certain training tools while working toward an admirable goal is just fine in my book. But, there are some I simply don't have any use for.
Let's start with the basic running martingale ~ there are actually several variations, though I like to keep it simple. This is what I personally use:
Easy to adjust for each horse, no worries when properly adjusted of the horse coming into contact with it unless he's misbehaving.
Variations include the ten ring martingale (pictured below):
My problem with this one is fairly simple. A martingale should not be used as a leverage device and should only come into play if the horse attempts to throw his head in your face or otherwise try to get out of staying where he needs to be. With this one, there is too much of an ability to actually pull the horse's face down. Likewise with the training fork (pictured below):
I really dislike the training forks, even moreso than the "pleasure martingales", because of how easy they are to over-adjust. Pleasure martingale here:
Now, I've found these are almost always too long anyhow, unless your horse has the neck of a giraffe, and inevitably the rider has them tied in a knot. With my martingale of choice, no worries about that.
Let's move on to the standing martingale, which is not dissimilar to the tie down. Tie downs are used in working Western and Western games (roping, gymkhana, barrel racing) events and standing martingales are used in English circles for over-exuberant jumpers. What really is the difference, the English version attaches to the cavesson and because Western horses generally are ridden without a cavesson, tie downs come with a hanger and noseband in addition to the strap itself.
Standing martingale:
Tie down:
I've got a standing attachment for one breastplate I have and it's been used on one horse because I didn't want him to smash my face in. Never had any use for a tie down and here's why...that restriction of the horse and a desire not to impede his natural carriage and movement. Okay, ask any skilled roper and he'll tell you there is a need for a tie down in order to help the horse balance himself. I don't rope or game, thus reinforcing my not needing one.
Next up is the German martingale. There are really very few cases where I'll use one, such as the horse needing a little bit more help than a running martingale will give him, but not in need of draw reins (which I'll get to in a moment). Pictured here:
They work similarly to a cross between the two and work well for the horse who's learned to evade the bit while in draw reins.
Speaking of draw reins, they are basically a leverage device though I always use them in conjunction with a direct rein (as pictured in the first photo, below). There are as many configurations for draw reins as there are manufacturers, and they are used in both English and Western styles of riding.
I'm running out of steam ~ there is so much more I would have loved to cover and a whole lot more I wanted to say. Not being able to stay awake to write is becoming a severe hardship, however, so I'm going to wrap this one up. We will revisit the topic, get more in depth and explore things like chambons, sidechecks, overchecks and side reins later on.
Thanks for hanging in there!
~SFTS
This one I've put a lot of thought into and there's been all manner of discussion across the internet about various training aids, tools or what some would call gimmicks. Alright, here's my take. In the right hands, many of these things are indeed tools that help horsemen achieve their goals with their horses, but most can be improperly used and overused. Shortcuts are never okay. Choosing to use certain training tools while working toward an admirable goal is just fine in my book. But, there are some I simply don't have any use for.
Let's start with the basic running martingale ~ there are actually several variations, though I like to keep it simple. This is what I personally use:
Easy to adjust for each horse, no worries when properly adjusted of the horse coming into contact with it unless he's misbehaving.
Variations include the ten ring martingale (pictured below):
My problem with this one is fairly simple. A martingale should not be used as a leverage device and should only come into play if the horse attempts to throw his head in your face or otherwise try to get out of staying where he needs to be. With this one, there is too much of an ability to actually pull the horse's face down. Likewise with the training fork (pictured below):
I really dislike the training forks, even moreso than the "pleasure martingales", because of how easy they are to over-adjust. Pleasure martingale here:
Now, I've found these are almost always too long anyhow, unless your horse has the neck of a giraffe, and inevitably the rider has them tied in a knot. With my martingale of choice, no worries about that.
Let's move on to the standing martingale, which is not dissimilar to the tie down. Tie downs are used in working Western and Western games (roping, gymkhana, barrel racing) events and standing martingales are used in English circles for over-exuberant jumpers. What really is the difference, the English version attaches to the cavesson and because Western horses generally are ridden without a cavesson, tie downs come with a hanger and noseband in addition to the strap itself.
Standing martingale:
Tie down:
I've got a standing attachment for one breastplate I have and it's been used on one horse because I didn't want him to smash my face in. Never had any use for a tie down and here's why...that restriction of the horse and a desire not to impede his natural carriage and movement. Okay, ask any skilled roper and he'll tell you there is a need for a tie down in order to help the horse balance himself. I don't rope or game, thus reinforcing my not needing one.
Next up is the German martingale. There are really very few cases where I'll use one, such as the horse needing a little bit more help than a running martingale will give him, but not in need of draw reins (which I'll get to in a moment). Pictured here:
They work similarly to a cross between the two and work well for the horse who's learned to evade the bit while in draw reins.
Speaking of draw reins, they are basically a leverage device though I always use them in conjunction with a direct rein (as pictured in the first photo, below). There are as many configurations for draw reins as there are manufacturers, and they are used in both English and Western styles of riding.
I'm running out of steam ~ there is so much more I would have loved to cover and a whole lot more I wanted to say. Not being able to stay awake to write is becoming a severe hardship, however, so I'm going to wrap this one up. We will revisit the topic, get more in depth and explore things like chambons, sidechecks, overchecks and side reins later on.
Thanks for hanging in there!
~SFTS
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Major League Fail!
I admit it. Getting back into blogging has been just about impossible. There are so many ideas roaming through my head, but by the time my day is nearing its end I'm so exhausted that putting the words swirling up there into blog form just gets impossible. I feel like I'm letting you all down by not making this a priority. I've definitely failed in my mission to make blog posts regularly!
There is so much going on that at times I feel like there's barely time to breathe!! A lot of news will be forthcoming soon on a variety of fronts. In the meantime, please check out the Tri-Community Horsemen ETI Corral 88 Facebook page and group at these two respective links:
ETI Corral 88 Facebook Page
ETI Corral 88 Facebook Group
*(I'm not sure you can view either without "becoming a fan" or a member or whatever it is that you do on Facebook with these things, it's still pretty Greek to me)*
Until next time........
~SFTS
There is so much going on that at times I feel like there's barely time to breathe!! A lot of news will be forthcoming soon on a variety of fronts. In the meantime, please check out the Tri-Community Horsemen ETI Corral 88 Facebook page and group at these two respective links:
ETI Corral 88 Facebook Page
ETI Corral 88 Facebook Group
*(I'm not sure you can view either without "becoming a fan" or a member or whatever it is that you do on Facebook with these things, it's still pretty Greek to me)*
Until next time........
~SFTS
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Fun, Fun and More Fun!
I know, I know, I blew it in my attempt to start making blog posts regularly again. There just aren't enough hours in the day!
Yesterday our ETI Corral 88 group took about a dozen or so horses to the Mustang Spirit Horse Rescue 3rd Annual Playday, plus we had a booth there to let folks know who we are, what we're all about and how to become a member of our fabulous group. We had so much fun! Thanks go out to all the folks who helped man the booth talking to everyone and a very special thanks to Tania and all connected with Mustang Spirit. What a wonderful day!!
Between the four horses we brought, the tally was six first places, five second places and two third places in nine classes. My daughter competed on a beautiful relatively green buckskin Quarter Horse gelding and won a couple of second place ribbons (Gelding Halter and Walk/Jog Western Pleasure), and I took home the blue ribbon on the same horse in both the In Hand Trail and the Advanced Trail classes. These were timed events with a plethora of obstacles, some of which our horses had never seen before.
A couple of weeks ago I had also been asked to judge the Western and English Pleasure classes, which was a very tough call. I was extremely impressed at all of the horses, though the divisions were small. Many were rescue horses, and they all represented the quality available in rescue.
All in all we had a great time and the success was just icing on the cake. :)
~SFTS
Yesterday our ETI Corral 88 group took about a dozen or so horses to the Mustang Spirit Horse Rescue 3rd Annual Playday, plus we had a booth there to let folks know who we are, what we're all about and how to become a member of our fabulous group. We had so much fun! Thanks go out to all the folks who helped man the booth talking to everyone and a very special thanks to Tania and all connected with Mustang Spirit. What a wonderful day!!
Between the four horses we brought, the tally was six first places, five second places and two third places in nine classes. My daughter competed on a beautiful relatively green buckskin Quarter Horse gelding and won a couple of second place ribbons (Gelding Halter and Walk/Jog Western Pleasure), and I took home the blue ribbon on the same horse in both the In Hand Trail and the Advanced Trail classes. These were timed events with a plethora of obstacles, some of which our horses had never seen before.
A couple of weeks ago I had also been asked to judge the Western and English Pleasure classes, which was a very tough call. I was extremely impressed at all of the horses, though the divisions were small. Many were rescue horses, and they all represented the quality available in rescue.
All in all we had a great time and the success was just icing on the cake. :)
~SFTS
Sunday, April 18, 2010
We're Back
I think. :)
It's still been so hectic around here I am just not sure how I'm going to have time to continually update the blog, but I'm sure going to try this time!
We're busy getting getting horses ready to show, getting new horses in training and I am going to be judging a show next weekend. In other news, ETI Corral 88 (our local horsemen's club) is busy planning a tack sale fundraiser, a breakfast trail ride fundraiser and a series of Summer playdays.
Upcoming topics for the blog include training gimmicks and having an understanding of them; tips for barn building; choosing leg protection for your horse; trail building and maintenance; revisiting ground manners ~ specifically as they relates to wash rack training, hotwalker training and standing for clippers; putting together a horse show checklist and delving again (for the first time since the beginning of the blog) into Arabian bloodlines.
Check it out beginning tomorrow! Until then, have awesome rides and go get 'em in the show ring!!
~SFTS
It's still been so hectic around here I am just not sure how I'm going to have time to continually update the blog, but I'm sure going to try this time!
We're busy getting getting horses ready to show, getting new horses in training and I am going to be judging a show next weekend. In other news, ETI Corral 88 (our local horsemen's club) is busy planning a tack sale fundraiser, a breakfast trail ride fundraiser and a series of Summer playdays.
Upcoming topics for the blog include training gimmicks and having an understanding of them; tips for barn building; choosing leg protection for your horse; trail building and maintenance; revisiting ground manners ~ specifically as they relates to wash rack training, hotwalker training and standing for clippers; putting together a horse show checklist and delving again (for the first time since the beginning of the blog) into Arabian bloodlines.
Check it out beginning tomorrow! Until then, have awesome rides and go get 'em in the show ring!!
~SFTS
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