23 March Confrontation

23 March

Over the last few weeks I have felt empathy with so many of these sensitive powerful horses. I have realised that I am just like a horse. I like being in a group (herd) of like minded people with shared objectives. I like to know my place in the group. I like to have clarity about things. I like to be respected for my contribution to the group. I have spent my working life helping my clients to gain clarity and focus. It is not surprising that I need that for me. But I also know that I have clung on to situations when things have changed and I have lost my clarity.

I have spent 4 weeks here with Willy watching him confront horses head on. I have even witnessed him creating situations where he suspected there may be an issue so that confrontation may occur. He does not avoid confrontation. He sees the smallest digression…or he creates a situation to bring out the digression where he suspects it may occur…..then he intervenes immediately. Then he is so quick to correct and reward. He does not avoid confrontation as I am apt to do. Why do I avoid it? Perhaps because I am afraid of the consequences? Perhaps because I’m not sure I’ll be able to deal with the reaction? Perhaps because I’m afraid of losing something?

Let me give you an example. This morning Willy rode Tamtam. He decided to ride him at feeding time. Eric, his mate and next door neighbour, was eating his feed. Tamtam didn’t get any feed. Instead he got Willy with a headcollar (which means work!) Tamtam was having none of it. He gave the horsey equivalent of two fingers and went to the back of the box and turned his bum on Willy. Willy said “au place” and again Tamtam moved to the other corner, bum directed at Willy. Willy said “au place” and Tamtam ignored him again. Willy hit him with the headcollar across his bum and growled “au place”. Tamtam was completely surprised. Turned around and put his head in the headcollar!!

If this would have been me I know I would not have done the same. First of all I wouldn’t have chosen to ride him at feed time. Then I wouldn’t have demanded Tamtam’s attention. I would probably have waited and approached from the shoulder with a treat. This is what Willy calls “Please Sweety sweety darling” behaviour. This is avoiding confrontation and trying to find a way around things to avoid confrontation. The problem remains!! I have just avoided it…..this time. Willy prefers to confront issues and resolve them head on so that they are resolved once and for all. I see it is better.

The issue is having the confidence to do this. If we are frightened of the horse’s reaction he will sense this and he will be able to win. We must confront only when we are sure of success…..so we need to work on intervening successfully….and the more we do this the more situations we will be able to confront. If we are unsure of our ability to handle the confrontation we must be wise enough to know that and to seek help.

The diagram above shows the vicious cycle we can get into with avoiding and ignoring issues. When we loose confidence we "avoid" and "ignore". When we avoid we do not confront so the issue remains. When we ignore the issue we are not there. We lose contact with reality. In both cases we do not learn and grow. We live with fear. The good news is that we can recognise our avoiding and ignoring behaviour patterns and experiment with confronting our fears head on.

Back with Tamtam in the washbox, Willy showed him that he had a whip and then tacked him up (normal saddle and leather Pelham) and took him into the manege. After a few tours loose in walk Willy got on and headed out of the manege for a hack with me on foot. As we reached the exit to the chemin, Eric called and Tamtam stopped. Willy asked him to walk on and Tamtam reversed and threatened to rear. Willy sent him forwards and Tamtam tried to push him into the hedge. This time Tamtam got the whip and he scuttled forwards before settling down into a nice active walk. After that he was impeccably behaved. At various times Willy asked him to stop and wait or turn around…and then advance again….all obediently done…..for which he received a lot of praise. It was a happy confident horse that returned to the washbox and received his reward of a piece of apple.

We talked about it afterwards. I am afraid to confront because I care about what others think of me. I want to be liked. I don’t like to hear someone say that I am nasty or horrible. It hurts me. Willy says it doesn’t hurt him. He doesn't need to be liked , he needs to be respected. He takes his feedback from the source of all honesty = the horse. He cares about his relationship with each horse and that it is growing in trust and mutual respect. He wants the same with the people but he knows that he cannot control what other people think. I think I need to learn to do the same.

On that note I want to bring this blog to a close as I have a book to write. I hope that like me you will want to know the rest of the story and will read the book when it is drafted.  I'm going to finish with just a couple of photos of the three of us "TamTam ,me and him". Thank you for reading.

22 March A lesson in not being there

22 March

This morning Willly rode Tamtam for the first time. I wasn't there. I was gutted. It is a landmark in the process and I missed it. Instead I heard about it afterwards.

Willy told me that he had taken Tamtam to the manege and put the treeless saddle on him (the same one we had put on him before in the washbox when he reared and fell).When he secured the girth Tamtam had reared. When Willy let him go he had bucked and bucked in his effort to get rid if the saddle. After he had settled and accepted the breaking saddle, Willy took him back to the wash box. There he changed the saddle for his normal cobra saddle and his bridle with the leather pelham. He then took him for a short hack in walk for one hour.

I was not there so I don't know any more than what I have been told and how that plays out in my imagination. I think Willy may have excluded me so that I understand why he is always there for Josephine. He travels one hour each way to watch her ride Argenta....that way he can see and feel everything. Now I understand why!

I asked Willy why he is riding Tamtam before he is treated. He explained that it is just light work to understand his behaviour issues. The previous owner had told me that Tamtam couldn't be taken out alone. Well he has been! We will continue to work on Tamtam's attitude to work this week before treating him with Willy's muscle oil next week.

I am sorry to report that after going absolutely crazy in the manege Eric is hopping lame on his right fore leg again. I can't help thinking that it may be related to the nasty cut he got there when he got cast when he first arrived. More box rest for him.

In the afternoon we went to see Argenta at Jeans. It is the first time at Jean's in some time as he has been away on holiday. I felt privileged to see some beautiful graceful riding in a good rhythm and balance through some difficult combinations. Jean concluded that Josephine is ready for her first competition. As a trial she will complete a practice round at another venue on Saturday afternoon.Her first competition will be on 17 April we hope. Jean asked where Antoine was!

21 March Robert Miller

21 March

Willy told me he is a big fan of Robert Miller. We spent the morning watching a video by Robert Miller and talking about it.

The video covered:
(1) Desensitizing the horse through repetition. How it is situation sensitive;
(2) Teaching the horse to choose between evils with a lip chain;
(3) Using the hobble to train an aggressive confrontational horse.Important to note that the horse lives in a herd where there is a pecking order. It is important for him to know his place. Horses understand domination. It is important that the horse understands he is below humans in the pecking order. The hobble leaves then horse impotent and helpless. When he realises the trainer has the power to take away a leg and give it back he knows his place. It is important that this is done with no brutality or hostility. Patience, persistence and consistency are the important watch words. As Willy is always saying it isn't what you do it's the way that you do it!
(4) Imprint training at birth is very valuable. Foal is at his most receptive for learning at birth. It can set a foal up for life.

Willy told me that it is important to understand the cause of aggression/ bad behaviour. Is it because the horse has pain or is it a lack of submission? The two are often hand in hand.

A foal can be born with pain....maybe due to a difficult birth or to the way he falls from the mare!

Taking responsibility for my choices. Don't blame the vet or the farrier....they are doing their best....To grow we have to admit to our mistakes and learn from them. Blaming defeats this.

19 March A lesson in clarity

19 March

In the morning I loose schooled Tamtam in the manege then I took him to the washbox for a tidy up. He hesitated on entering but behaved like a gentleman. He is losing his coat. The hair he is losing doesn't look or smell nice. It is strange.

Afterwards Willy asked me to ride the young bay mare that had been so problematical before . You may remember the day that Willy had put her with another mare in the manege and then separated them (a challenge to each mare) and she had been a disaster to ride tossing her head around and generally not going forwards. Well today she was like a completely different mare! Willy told me had ridden her twice since then and swiftly driven her forwards with the support of the whip where necessary. Another successful confrontation! I watched him loose school her first. Fantastic rhythm, great outline, an old pro but only 4 years old!! What a difference when I rode her. Light. Forwards. Working over her back. Super! Only one issue I had was when I asked her to canter. I used too much leg and she shot forward bronking. After that I knew to ask quietly and she did some beautiful transitions.After we took her for a walk up the chemin. Her eyes were on stalks and she felt like an unexploded bomb. But she passed barking dogs, geese, horses in fields and on a walker....Not bad for only her 5th time under saddle!

In the afternoon we worked the stallions in the pessoa in the manege. Willy demonstrated the effect of no contact and contact using the equipment. With a correctly adjusted contact the horse rounded his back and worked properly from behind. With more freedom the outline was continuously changing with the horse going hollow at times and not working from behind. Willy said it is like the mother taking the child out. The mother that takes the hand firmly and says come on we are going out! And the one who has a slack hand and says maybe we will go out....Which one would you trust? Positive. Positive.

Later I talked with Willy about what we had seen during the day. He told me that the horse that doesn't understand feels stress. And that when the horse feels stress it is difficult for him to learn. When we are clear and positive the horse can understand and this reduces his stress. Being "moyenne" (maybe) does not give the horse clarity. It is yes or no not maybe. Black or white not grey. Of course there are always shades of grey but the closer we can get to black and white the better for the horse. I think that it is the same for people.

18 March 2+2=

18 March

Started the day with mucking out 4 boxes...Madame Crotte was very happy!!

Then a team meeting to discuss the way forward. Some important decisions need to be made but we will wait for Francois so that we can take into account  his opinion.

I have been thinking a lot about Eric and his shoulder problem. I was not correct when I said that the only tie he had been lame was when the farrier had over tried his hinds. The last time he was hopping lame was 5 years ago. It was just after I had met Stephen Goodridge, Willy's apprentice, at Pompadour with his stallion, Vigo. I had made arrangements to visit Le Frelut but Eric came in hopping lame from the paddock on his right shoulder. I called Stephen to say I couldn't go, and, after consulting briefly with Willy, they told me that they would come to me the following morning! On that occasion I decided not to get Eric treated. I hot and cold hosed and massaged his injury and he got better. At least that is what I thought! He has carried muscle tightness in his left loin for some time. I am always massaging there....but as Willy says it is not deep enough. My Eric has been working with an old injury for 5 years......it is only as I have pushed for more that the old injury has once again made it's presence known. That is my hypothesis. As Yves the vet has already told me, it will improve again and he will work with it but I will have to be very careful. I think I owe my horse the chance of something more. I think I want him to be treated........

Willy took me to the wash box and put my hand in a jug of the special oil he uses. I felt nothing. It had no effect. The only sign was that the skin on my hand went white and dry. I have taken a photo of my hand that I will attempt to share. Willy wanted me to feel this so that I would know that if Eric is ok he will feel nothing.

When I arrived again after lunch Willy had turned Hermanus out in the paddock. I found him sitting watching and talking to the horse. He told me afterwards that he always sits with his sports horses in work when they are turned out. That way he knows exactly what has happened and he can intervene if things start to go awry. As with Eric's shoulder injury, he told me that most injuries occur when the horse is turned out. He does what he does to limit the risks.

Before we set off to visit Josephine and Argenta we talked about feeding. I shared the interesting conversation I had with Jo Bower of Horsesource Solutions. Jo told me that she wasn't surprised about the length of time it takes for the horses here to eat their forage mix. She told  me that short chop forage and chaff takes 1.5 times as long to chew as long fibre such as hay and haylage. I told her about my search for data to understand the digestibility of feed when the horse has for example poor teeth or parasites. How much of the feed is wasted due to such oversights? She told me that she once took samples of the dung at a yard, dried it and made it into brickettes. then she burned it in front of the yard's owner...to show how much energy was being wasted by their feeding regime. Willy told me that it wasn't really fair as all dung would burn in this way (that is why so many much heaps are set on fire to reduce!) He told me that he is more interested in what he can actually see in the dung. If he can see whole pieces of components of feed then this is clearly not digested. I wonder if I can find any proper studies on this? I am particularly interested in the effects of dentition and parasites. Jo told me that the two biggest effects are feeding poor quality feed and the ultimate is stress. Limiting the horse's stress is the best way to enhance digestibility and avoid wasting money.

Josephine did a super job of managing Argenta through a variety of jumping exercises Willy set for her. No running out and all very cool and calm. Once again well done Josephine. Jean is back tomorrow so we will see what he thinks of her progress in the coming week.
 

17 March A drive out in the countryside

17 March

This morning I spent a quiet time catching up with cleaning and things at the gite. About time!! I also spent some time starting thinking about the book. I have lots of information now so better get started!!

In the afternoon I gave my two boys a brush. Both seemed to enjoy the attention. Eric not so sensitive when I touched him where he was sore yesterday. And Tamtam not running away!

I spent a quiet time with my mentor, Willy. We took Antonio out in the caleche for a 2 hour balade. The sun was shining and everything was perfect in the world. Antonio was "extra" special. He is a 9 year old New Forest pony stallion...jet black with a blaze and 4 white socks and boy can he go!

I asked Willy about how he built him up to his level of fitness.He said little by little. This pony can trot at medium trot on the road forever......but that is because he is very very fit. A horse like my Eric that has been wrapped in cotton wool can't do that. Why have I done that to Eric I found myself musing as we drove along........
.................The answer is interesting. In short I'm afraid of breaking things.....so I always hold back.

Willy told me that with horses (as with all things in life) he is 100%. He never stops saying "Willy pas moyenne". He pushes for the extra all the time...with horses and with people. He is not afraid to push the limit. He knows just about where the limit is and if he gets it slightly wrong he is confident he can make it better again. I have a lot to learn. I do this in so many aspects of my life....holding back because I'm afraid of loss.

Afterwards we loose schooled Casper and Romano in the manege. I can assure you there was nothing moyenne about it at all.

16 Mars Esperance pour Eric

16 Mars

Dès que je suis arrivé, j'ai vérifié la température d’ Eric et l'impulsion numérique dans sa jambe antérieure droite. Température 37,7 celsius (normal) et le pouls 36 bpm (normal) . La respiration normale . état de son box normal . Jusqu'ici tout est bon.Je l’ai brossé et fais un petit massage, mais il ne voulait pas me laisser toucher entre ses pattes avant ou derrière son épaule droite .  Eric se retournant et claquant ses dents contre moi . Je comprend. Je comprend.

Yves , le vétérinaire , est arrivé plus tard dans la matinée. Tout d'abord , il a vacciné Tamtam car c'est le moment. Puis il a donné un coup d'oeil à Eric . Il était beaucoup moins boiteux aujourd'hui je l'ai noté . Nous avons marché au pas et trot sur ​​la route et Yves a confirmé ( comme nous avons pensé ) qu'il c’est la jambe avant droite. Il a ensuite fait une vérification complète ostéopathique ( Yves est également un ostéopathe ) et testé son sabot . Yves a confirmé que le problème ne vient pas du squelette ou du pied. C’ est dans l'épaule et c’est un problème musculaire . J'ai demandé si ça pourrait être lié à l' arrière gauche en diagonale et le muscle trop dur dans la zone le long de son dos . Yves a dit que ca pourrait bien être le cas et qu'il a devait avoir une douleur depuis un certain temps .

Je lui ai demandé ce que je devais faire et il a dit en premier repos au box pour quelques jours . Après ça? Il m'a demandé l'âge du cheval = 18 ans. Il a dit que s'il était plus jeune, il recommanderait le traitement musculaire de Willy . A l'âge de Eric , il est à moi de décider. Je peux juste faire très attention à ce que je fais avec lui ..... ou je peux le faire soigner . Yves a dit que Eric a l'air si bon que ce serait dommage de ne pas  le remettre en pleine forme . Je pensais avoir le muscle postérieur a traité alors peut-être cela est le signe que je dois rétablir Eric correctement  . J'ai besoin de réfléchir......

Yves a confirmé que Tamtam est maintenant cliniquement correct .... tous les signes internes sont ok . Il y a 3 étapes pour la remise en forme:

( 1 ) Clinique (maintenant fait ) ;

( 2 ) psychologique - traiter les problèmes mentaux et le comportement que Tamtam aura acquis à la suite d’avoir travaillé dans la douleur ( TT a l'habitude d'essayer de se libérer quand il voit une selle .... et se débarrasser de son cavalier ) ; et

( 3 ) physique - Traitement de la structure musculo-squelettique.

 Nous sommes maintenant dans les étapes ( 2 ) et ( 3 ) .

Un tel soulagement. A peine dormi la nuit avant ... malade d'inquiétude . Pensant que  l'histoire de Shantie allait recommencer. Maintenant, j’ai un peu d'espoir .

Dans l'après-midi , nous avons travaillé les étalons en liberté dans le manège sur le plat et en obstacle . Nous avons également travaillé TT dans le manège (pas de saut !!!!! ) Il a marche correctement au pas  et au galop . C’ est seulement dans le trot que l’on peut voir sa jambe postérieur boiter. Ensuite, nous l'avons emmené à la douche . C’ est la première fois qu'il a été de retour là-bas depuis sa chute . Une légère hésitation à l'entrée , mais alors pas de problème . Nous avons changé son licol fait spécialement pour être très robuste.Incassable en cuir fait pour ceux de Willy et j’ai tenu la corde alors que Willy a donné TT une douche avec la pression à l'eau chaude à l'aide du karcher . TT était un ange . Il ne bougeait pas même une fois quand il a fait sa tête. Après nous avons séché  sa tête et grattée l'eau sur sa robe , puis on l’a enveloppé dans une couverture polaire . Il semblait vraiment apprécier d’être dorloté. Un bon début.

16 March Better news for Eric

16 March

As soon as I arrived I checked Eric's temperature and the digital pulse in his right fore leg. Temperature 37.7 celsius (normal) and pulse 36 bpm (normal). Breathing normal. Box state normal. So far so good.I groomed him and massaged him but he didn't want me to touch in between hos front legs or behind his right shoulder. Most unlike Eric turning round and flashing his teeth at me. I know. I know.

Yves, the vet, arrived later in the morning. First of all he vaccinated Tamtam as he was due the week after. Then he took a look at Eric. He was much less lame today I noted. We walked and trotted him on the road and Yves confirmed (as we thought) that it is the right fore leg. He then did a full osteopathic check (Yves is also an osteopath) and tested his hoof. Yves confirmed that the problem is not skeletal or in the foot. It is in the shoulder and it is a muscle strain. I asked if it could be related to the diagonal left hind and the tight muscle in the loin area of his back. Yves said that could well be the case and that he has been carrying some small strain there for some time.

I asked him what I should do and he said in the first place box rest for a few days. After that? He asked me the age of the horse = 18 years old. He said if he was younger he would be recommending Willy's muscle treatment. At Eric's age it is up to me. I can just be very careful about what I do with him.....or I can have him treated. Yves said that Eric looks so good that it would  be a shame not to have him put back on top form. I was considering having the hind muscle treated  so maybe this is the sign that I need to get Eric properly sorted. I need to think......

Yves confirmed that Tamtam is now clinically correct....all the internal signs are ok. There are 3 stages to the rehabilitation-
(1) Clinical (now done);
(2) Psychological - dealing with the mental and behavioural problems the horse will have acquired as a result of working in pain (TT has the habit of trying to break free when he sees a saddle....and bucking his riders off); and
(3) Physical - Treatment of the musculoskeletal structure.
 We are now into stages (2) and (3).

Such a relief. I had barely slept the night before...worried sick. Thinking it was going to be Shantie's story all over again. Now I have some hope.

In the afternoon we worked the stallions loose in the manege on the flat and over jumps. We also worked TT in the manege (no jumping!!!!!) He is sound in walk and canter. It is only in the trot that you can see his hind limb lameness. Then we took him to the douche. It is the first time he has been back in there since his fall. A slight hesitation on entering but then no problem. We changed his headcollar to one of Willy's specially made heavy duty none breakable leather ones and I held the rope while Willy gave TT an all over pressure wash with warm water using the karcher. TT was an angel. He didn't move once even when he did his head. After we dried off his head and scraped off the water in his coat and then wrapped him in a all over polar fleece cooler. He seemed to really enjoy his pampering. A good start.

15 March On the move and bad news

15 March

With the empty box vacated by Beatrice, Willy has decided to move Hermanus and Antonio into the main stallion ecurie. Hermanus will be in the end box so ensuring he has a view outside and also ensuring there are no other horses walking past (he doesn't tolerate this!) So now the two boxes next to Tamtam and Eric are taken by two young mares. One chestnut 2 year old mare and the older bay mare who is ridden. TT seemed a bit sad to have lost his new mate Antonio.

After mucking out the 4 boxes, I tried giving TT a brush in his box but he was having none of it. He kept turning away and putting his nose in the corner at the back of the box so I decided to leave him to it. Maybe he associates brushing with work and saddles? Who knows?

Just before lunch I got Eric out to loose school him but he was hopping lame on his right fore at walk. We called Yves (the vet) and he will be there tomorrow morning to examine Eric at 9.30am. I am feeling very worried. W thinks it is his shoulder but I think it is his tendon....I've seen this before with Shantie. I think he may have done something when we went for the fast hack with the caleche a few days ago...I remember at one point shouting in english (as I was angry and I can't speak french when I am angry) for them to slow down .... I said W has 30 horses but I only have one and he means everything to me! And now look!      If that was when it happened it has been exacerbated by the work I have done since then (loose schooling and then the hack in walk yesterday)....and that makes me feel terrible.

Maybe I am wrong and dear God I hope I am. I have had Eric for 12 years and he has only been unlevel once....when the farrier had over-trimmed his hinds. I have always been very careful with him...no trotting on the roads etc etc. I have wrapped him in cotton wool because I wanted him to last....then in the last month already two issues.

In the afternoon we made one of our regular visits to Josephine's. Willy gave her a jumping lesson in the manege. First of all bending the mare in trot and canter using jump supports as bending poles then grid work. A set of 3 jumps with a bounce in between and then one stride to a bigger oxer. Josephine rode very quietly. The mare was very straight. They are creating a strong trusting relationship. It is great to see.

14 March Home Alone

14 March

Well F left today to look after his commitments at home.

I had a super day with Willy. In the morning I rode Romano (178cm chestnut 6 yr old stallion) and Bioterma (168cm 5 yr old stallion) again in the manege. Can't believe how lucky I am to have the opportunity to ride such quality horses. Then we loose schooled and jumped Casper (the 4 yr old New Forest pony stallion).

In the afternoon Willy and I went out for a long hack with Eric and Antonio. Before we left I commented that Eric's right fore leg was filled. I mentioned it to Willy but he just shrugged. The weather was super and the views amazing. So many castles. And it was most unlike Willly....very calm. We only walked all the way. In the morning he told me that he felt much calmer working with me. 

After that another horse left the yard...Beatrice, the mare of Elouise. That's 11 horses which have departed since our arrival. Feeling a little sad.

13 March A quiet day

13 March

I can't remember much about what we did today...mainly loose schooling I seem to recall.

Eric did some loose schooling......20 circuits each rein in canter and then some trotting poles. I noticed he was carrying his head higher in canter on the right rein and he also fell out of canter a few times and I had to push him on. I thought it might be because I did the right canter after the left canter and maybe he was getting a bit tired.

TT had a quiet day in his box!!

12 March Two Stallions

12 March

This morning I rode two stallions in the manege: First of all the big 178cm chestnut stallion "Romano" and then a smaller 168cm(!!) chestnut stallion "Bioterma". Romano is a complete gentleman. If he was a car he would be a Rolls Royce. Powerful but so smooth. Bioterma is quicker and less comfortable especially his canter. I really enjoyed riding the pair of them. Willy had to shout at me to keep the contact in the downward transitions....I know that is a fault of mine with Eric too.I will have to work on it!! How lucky am I to have the chance to ride such super horses.

Afterwards I worked Eric in the manege loose and then did a very short hack. Eric is easily doing 15 or 20 circuits of the manege in canter on each rein.

Tamtam was also loose schooled....but then afterwards refused to be caught....I had to bluff catching him (he let me on his terms). Willy found that TT was sore in the same area as Argenta was yesterday. He did some osteopathy on him. Where do we go from here?

11 March Two Problems

11 March

Josephine's dad had been in touch to report that Josephine  felt that Argenta was holding on the left side of her mouth. When we arrived Willy did a full diagnostic check....He found a problem in the wither area on the right hand side (RHS). The mare had been stronger on the left contact as she was protecting the RHS. Willy took Argenta to the manege and with Geertrude's help made an osteopathic correction. The impact was immediate.Willy explained that is the way with corrections to the skeleton. The problem is if the skeletal problem is not identified early as then the muscles will compensate and there will be two problems....skeletal and muscular. Luckily Josephine is well trained and spotted the problem immediately. Well done Josephine!

On the way to Josephine's we talked about Valegro and why he had been so successful. Willy concluded that all the success factors were firmly in place. That is to say:
(1) The horse has good genes and is very capable of his job;
(2) He is in good health and on top form;
(3) He has been trained with patience;
(4) They have been lucky; and
(5) They have a good team working with them.
I found the following article on facebook that evening:
http://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2016/03/talking-dressage-with--carl-hester/
We also discussed the story of Totillas. A lot more controversial! See
http://beeandthehorse.com/2014/05/30/totilas-how-a-magnificent-stallion-became-a-poor-creature/

Later in the afternoon we went out for a balade with Antonio in the caleche and me on Eric. It was very fast. Mostly trot. And mostly medium trot! Quite a few times  had to shout at Willy to slow down as we were trotting through deep mud at one point and on the roads...something I never normally do with Eric. But Eric returned without much sweat and in good humour. He is obviously much fitter than I think!

10 Mars Deux Poneys

10 Mars
J'ai decide d'essayer d'ecrire le blog en francais...peut etre que si ca marche je vais faire le blog un jour en anglais et un jour en francais - comme ca tous la monde peut etre au courrant pour les nouvelles de Tamtam (excusez moi mais mon clavier anglais n'a pas les accents).

Aujourd'hui Willy et Geertrude sont arrive de leur voyage en Allemagne. Moi, j'ai travaille Eric dans le manege en premier. J'ai fait 10 tours de galop chaque main....je vais essayer d'en faire 50 eventuellement (comme Argenta!)  mais c'est necessaire d'aller doucement car Eric a 18 ans! Apres je suis alle faire une ballade en pleine nature...le temps etait super bon....J'ai de la chance. Francois a monte trois chevaux. La jument baie en pleine nature et deux etalons dans le manege.Il sait qu'il a une chance enorme meme si c'est tres dur de monter ces jeunes chevaux qui sont a peine debourre. (C'est un cavalier debutant). Un peu de stress mais pas de peur car les chevaux de Willy sont bien eduque.

Apres dejeuner Willy a cherche les deux poneys etalons "New Forest", Antonio et Casper. Casper a juste 4 ans et Willy m'a dit ,il a ete monte juste 5 fois avant.  J'ai monte Antonio en premier. Nous sommes parti pour une ballade, avec Willy et Francois dans la voiture pour me suivre. Ca c'est bien passe....nous avons fait des seances de galop (doux et vite) et nous avons franchi une rviviere en premier au pas, apres au trot et apres au galop...impressionant. Jamais je n'aurais ose faire cela toute seule. J'aime bien Antonio. Apres j'ai monte Casper. En premier dans le manege et apres en plein nature. Willy et Francois m'ont accompagne a pied. Nous avons traverse encore la riviere et apres une grosse ferme avec des cochons, une chevre et des vaches. Casper etait impeccable. Merci les poneys. J'ai toujours aime les poneys et des petites chevaux et aujourd'hui j'ai resenti pourquoi!

TT est reste dams son box. Nous avons discute de son comportement quand il est tombe. Willy dit que c'est un probleme de comportement. Nous allons travailler ca demain j'espere.

6 March A Tale of two 2 year olds

6 March

Yesterday we tacked up and rode the horses straight from their boxes....today we took the horses to the wash box, tacked them up then untacked them and returned them to their boxes without riding! More education! Willy put Anna on Aromeo bareback in the wash box. She then stood on his back! Wow very impressed! Willy then challenged F to vault on. He made it on the 3rd attempt....voltige is ot so easy!! I would love to learn but with my back not sure it is a good idea!

Willy asked if we thought he had prepared the horses going to Germany well enough. Did we have confidence that they would be ok in their new life. We said yes....Willy had educated the youngsters well....but F said the issue could be with the new owners. We have seen how a horse reacts differently to different people many times.Let's hope they have a good owner.

I took Eric out for his first lone hack. We did a short circuit that took about 20 minutes then I did some canter work in the manege before doing the same circuit mainly in trot. He felt like an unexploded bomb so I was very quiet with my body and concentrated in my mind. He did attempt to take off with me as some horses did the same in the field at the side of the road...a  momentary slip in my concentration!! Finally I finished with a cool down without me on board in the manege. A good work out for the boy! Willy checked my saddle for me. It looks like it is bridging. We will get it checked out by the saddler who will be visiting shortly.

In the afternoon I watched 2 young 2 year old stallions have their first experience of being tacked up. Willy uses a treeless saddle as it is supple and moves with the horse. He put on a simple snaffle bridle without reins. And tendon and fetlock boots. With each item Willy let the horse see and smell before attaching. He then walked the horse around in the wash box so he could feel the sensation of the new equipment on his body. Both lifted their hind legs really high like Eric does when I put on long travelling boots! Each horse was then loose schooled in the manege with their new tack. There was a lot of bucking and jumping around to begin with but each eventually settled.

An issue arrived when Anna went to the young chestnut stallion to detach the lead rope from the bit. It was attached through one ring and clipped onto the other ring. Anna faffed about and ended up with the horse pulling back and losing confidence. Afterwards we had a lot of problems catching him and leading him from the bit. Wily succeeded in calming the horse and removing the lead rope by covering the horse's eye.

There were more problems later in the wash box. The horse would not stay "au place" and kept moving. Willy kept putting him back....it was a battle of wills.....Willy did not lose! He said one loss like that could be the end of the horse in future....but the problem was created initially by Anna. Small errors cost dearly with young horses which is why we must go slowly and carefully. If we have made a mistake apologize to the horse, he will understand, and make the correction.

Personally I don't agree with attaching the lead rope to the bit. I know a lot of people do it but why take the risk of damaging the precious mouth? I would prefer to see Willy using a cavesson where the rope can be attached to the nose rather than the mouth. Or I have a Micklem multibridle with a ring to attach the rope to the noseband. I will ask Willy tomorrow.

8 March Bad news for Tamtam

8 March

At 7.30am the camion arrived and 7 horses and 40 bales of feed were loaded. For the horse it was the first time many of them had travelled but they loaded like old pros. It was a sad moment for me as my favorite horse "The Galloper" was among them.

Aftre the camion had left Willy moved many of the horses to different boxes. Eric and Tt have a new home near Hermanus. It is very spacious. Each box is 21'6" by 11'6". Luxury!

After Willy had left we decided to walk Tamtam in hand along the chemins close by. He behaved impeccably which was just as well as he only had a normal headcollar! Afterwards we put him in the wash box.We brushed him and washed his tail and then tried the treeless saddle on him which Willy uses for breaking. After 5 minutes all hell broke loose. Tamtam tried to rear and then slipped and fell. It was terrible. The result - a broken leadrope catch; a broken Karcher; a broken tap; and several cuts and sores on TT. One step forwards yesterday and several steps back today. We will need to talk to Willy when he returns. Willy has already told me that it is easier to teach a young horse with no experience than an old one with a bad experience.

Eric's seance went much better I'm pleased to report. He was brushed, then worked in the school in his tack then a nice hack. He was excellent.

I'm also pleased to report that Madame Crott had the chance to muck out the two horses. That was nice!

In the evening I talked to Barbara Schulte on skype. You can see more about her mission at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkvjTTo9jX85tHsHMjSD9Pw

 We are going to work with Barbara to help with her mission.

7 March Good news for Tamtam

7 March

It is almost exactly one month since Tamtam and Eric arrived at Le Frelut. This morning Yves, the vet, arrived again and took blood and dung samples.

In the afternoon we went to Josephines to work Argenta. Willy gave us a masterclass on stretching the horse. First of all stretching before mounting. We always stretch the forelegs forwards and then slight out but tis time he also took the foreleg backwards and placed it just in front of the hind legs. He then stretched the hind legs backwards. I will try to get some photos to demonstrate what I mean. Willy emphasised that you have to be very careful with the stretchs of the hind legs...not all horses will appreciate it!! Willy then rode her in the manege. He worked her very loose.....encouraging her to stretch her neck forwards and down in all 3 paces. It was very nice to watch....

Tomorrow the young horses will be going to their new home in Germany.

The day finished well with a phone call from Yves to say that TT's results are all normal. He has no worms and his blood results are good....That shows what one month at Willy's can do for a horse! But you can see the results on the outside too. His coat shines and he has life in his eyes. There is hope for Tamtam.

4 March Auras and actions

4 March

This morning we set off first thing for Josephines as Willy was going to rider Argenta. On the way we talked again about the issue of controlling a young horse in full energy. Willy talked about how we have our body but we also have our aura (Willy also used the term charisma). We control the horse with our aura. The horse can see our aura. Anna has a small aura. Willy has a huge aura. You can feel it when you are with him.

He let Argenta run loose in the school first with her tack and he watched her. As Willy says "le cheval parle". He speaks. He always does this. He puts on the tack and then pulls down the stirrups and puts the reins behind the stirrups.He only rode her for 20 minutes...quality not quantity! Argenta was calm and obedient and immediately answered every question Willy posed for her. 

We returned to the stables to find Eric hurt in his box. It looks like he has been cast and has caught the inside of his right fore and right hind legs and also his nose. Luckily it is just the hair which has been taken off...but of course there is trauma so his leg is a bit swollen...but he is not lame. My poor Eric! We cleaned up the wounds and rubbed some of Willy's Schaette wound salve in it. Willy said we would do that once a day to keep the wounds supple.

For Willy's birthday treat we had lunch out at the Belgian resto in Autry Issards. Steak and chips with starter and dessert...yummy!

In the afternoon we rode a number of horses in the school. My favourite "The Galloper" was super to ride - We did a bit of work on shortening and lengthening the trot and I explained to F and Anna how important it is to breath when you ride...and that talking helps...as when you talk you have to breath and the horse is reassured by that. It is the same with the words we use....eg whoooaaaa is a great word as to make it we breath out (souffle in french). The horse feels the reduction in tension in our body...and as we relax he relaxes. I also tried to explain how important it is to be on the correct diagonal in rising trot and also to change the diagonal to avoid the horse becoming one sided.

I talked to Anna again about wearing protective clothing but I don't know whether she listens.She told me that she is only riding in an attempt to overcome her fear....for me it is necessary to love the horse...I think the horse feels this. I told Anna again to stop and think before doing something. She either reacts or she panics and when you panic you do not think you revert to habits. Stop, breath, think, choose, do.

Willy explained how important it is to fasten the leather chin strap immediately with the leather bit to prevent the horse chewing the bit. The leather pelham cost 300 euros! He always gives the horse a piece of apple to chew with the bit as it gives him a nice taste.

I guess many of you will have have experienced the horse trying to rub his head on you after work. It is natural for him to want to do this but interdit on the humans. For this reason Willy always keeps a towel to dry off the sweat around the head and ears after work.He also explained how he only uses water on the horse's feet. never oil or other products. The same with the horses coat. A healthy coat comes from the inside out not the other way around! He told us to examine the hoof. If there are ridges it is an indication of a problem internally.

Finally I looses schooled Eric in the manege to demonstrate to Anna that .it is not the words you use but it is how you say them and their effect on your breathing and your body.

We watched some videos of the effects of treatment by the oil....if I decide to have Eric treated I will need to be prepared for the likely reaction!

3 March The spark that lit the inferno...a lesson in safety

3 March

I spent the morning at the Gite catching up on things like the cleaning and shopping. Someone has to do it!!
Anna and F helped Willy with the young horses, F reported that Anna fell off the bay gelding twice. Luckily there is a sand surface to the school and Anna is very supple so is unhurt. This is despite not wearing any protection. I have remarked several times that she should be wearing gloves, a back protector and steel toe capped boots but so far she has chosen not to take my advice or my offer of lending my equipment. I don't understand the mentality that put protective boots on the young horse but not protecting yourself.

I was however at the stables to witness a problem created through lack of communication/anticipation between Anna and F. Anna was bringing the young black mare from the stables to the wash box when F was leading a young chestnut mare in the opposite direction. Both had been playing up individually before they met head on in the narrower space between the manege and the hedge. If one had waited there would not have been a problem...but both carried on and the two kicked off big time and all the stallions and other horses in the stables joined in. All hell broke loose....mayhem! Luckily Willy stepped in and prevented what could have been a very costly error. Needless to say Willy was angry. Not with the horses, but with Anna and F. He said it is always that.....a problem with the people.

Afterwards we talked about why. Willy lit a match and explained how just like the little match can create an inferno it is the same with what happened with the horses. We are not machines. The horses are not machines. When Willy asks for the horses to be changed over he expects that we will think before we do it...not simply react....We must consider how to do what is required in a safe manner. I had that drilled into me with my BHS training. I hope that Anna and F have taken note. This was certainly a big reminder for me.

Before we left Willy explained that most horses are either intentionally or unintentionally kept in a low energy state. When horses are "en forme" they are "electrique". Willy encouraged us to think about the change we are likely to see in Eric and Tamtam as a result of their new regime. He asked us if we thought we would be up for handling the energy. I immediately said yes.But I noted that I hadn't ridden Eric for two weeks and that he had not been on a hack alone since arriving here....tomorrow I will start his new regime. Travaille Eric!!

2 March An early start

2 March

So far I have rarely made it to the stables  before 11am. This is because I tend to use the mornings to write and catch up on emails etc. This morning I decided to make an exception and indulge my curiosity to experience morning stables.

First thing was feeding and then I watched as a young black mare was prepared for work. At her side Elouise's mare, Beatrice. It was interesting to compare the condition and fitness of the two. The black mare is in very good condition thanks to Willy's feeding regime, however, she is just starting to work a little bit so she is not fit. The bay mare is fitter. Elouise works her most days....she is leaner and her musculature is more obvious. Willy explained that we need the condition to create the muscles. Then we need to work the muscles patiently to make them strong and flexible.

Many vets say that horses should be kept skinny when they are young to avoid joint problems and the dreaded laminitas. Willy told me that this is the source of a lot of future problems....poor nutrition when the horse is growing.

A horse does not reach maturity until he is 8 years old. It is for this reason that we need patience and luck. Patience in our development of musculature and fitness and luck in avoiding injuries. Unfortunately many horses are already on the scrap heap at 5 or 6 years old as a result of either lack of patience in the training or lack of luck.....before the horse has even reached maturity! A number of the horses at Willy's are still alive and with a future as Willy saved them from the butcher!

We talked about how sad it is: the loss of all those horses and the dreams of all those owners/riders. What can we do to prevent this happening? Well I am writing this blog and I hope that when you read it you tell others what you have learned. I also think that we need to be able to demonstrate that Willy's 4 key principles of horsemanship (genetics, health, patience and luck) make economic sense too. I will try to put together a spreadsheet with the cost comparison. Maybe also we could create a "Horse Service Log Book"? Like we have for our car with the record of the servicing and maintenance done. As Willy always says "prevention is better than cure".

Next we went to watch Josephine have a lesson with Jean at Josephines. It was pleasing to see how Josephine is increasing in confidence. There was dialogue between her and Jean....always a good sign of a partnership. Jean worked the pair over a single upright and an oxer having Josephine approach the fence from different angles and working on maintaining straightness. He used a circle a lot before a fence to stop the mare from thinking that on an approach she would always jump.Well done!

Back at Le Frelut we worked Eric loose in the manege.  We checked his muscles too. He has a tight muscle on the left hand side behind the saddle. I asked Willy if it was the saddle or my riding but Willy said no. The more likely cause is a slip resulting in a small injury. Many horses sustain small injuries like this. The problem is that if they go un-noticed and untreated and we continue to work the horse then the small problem will get bigger. These problems often go un-noticed as the horse is not lame.

I asked Willy what I could do about it? In the past I have given Eric a little massage but Willy explained that the massage will not go deep enough to have an effect. What Eric needs is some treatment with Willy's massage oil. I will have to give it a go! It will be an interesting experiment. Once he is free-er there I can maybe start to work him in the pessoa to re-educate the muscles.

Tamtam had an easy day. He went for a little walk in hand and then had his beard singed with Willy's candle!

Hermanus was worked loose in the school on the flat and over a fence. Unfortunately he jumped awkwardly over a large oxer and dropped his hind legs heavily on the back pole. He was (understandably) reluctant to jump the fence again and Willy had to drive him at it. Afterwards we tended a number of small cuts and Willy gave him a full pressure wash. The issue will be the damage we can't see....to his soft tissues and his confidence. Let's hope it is not too much.

Afterwards we worked a young chestnut stallion loose in the manege. F came in for a lot of criticism over the way he approached and handled the horse in the box and in the manege. "Contact with yourself, contact with the cheval"!!

Finally Willy insisted we finish by working the bay mare who had given us so much trouble the previous day. First of all he worked her in the pessoa over her saddle - on the flat and over a fence - and then he put F on board. There was a raging storm going on outside with high winds and rain. The manege rattled and shook. F managed to retain control of himself and therefore control of the mare.... a big step forward I think for F with his riding. However, in my humble opinion, the mare is still not accepting the hand. We shall see!

1 March Happy Birthday Willy and Kerry!!

1 March

The day started with another visit to Josephine's. Josephine was at school so we worked and rode Argenta on the flat. Then we went to Jean's, where Elouise and Beatrice had a lesson. It went very well. Elouise jumped a nice flowing course with a good rhythm.Bonne travaille.

Back at Le Frelut, I rode a big chestnut mare alone in the manege and then took her for a short walk. I returned to the manege and then Willy brought in another bay mare. All hell broke loose when Willy swapped me onto the bay and asked F to leave with the chestnut!! As with all things with Willy it was a test. Would the chestnut mare leave? How would the bay mare react when the chestnut mare left?

The chestnut (the older) had no issues with leaving. However, the bay mare would not accept that the other horse had left.... To say that she shook her head around and was generally very disagreeable was an understatement. In the end I got off and it took Willy a lot of time to settle her down. Then I got back on. Even then she was not accepting the hand! But we finished with her calm. Not my cup of tea at all!

Luckily there was a nice cup of tea and birthday cakes to follow! We went back to Willy's and ate cake and drank tea and discussed the meaning of everything. I opened my presents: riding gloves and socks for me. Tendon boots, a thermal top and Barbara Schulte's book for Willy. Happy days!!

29 February Just 4 hours left for us women to propose!!

29 February

Good evening

This afternoon I rode 4 horses in the manege. First of all the horse Willy calls "The Galloper", a big rangy dark bay thoroughbred gelding, a bright bay warmblood gelding by Argentinus, Aromeo (Bolero), a dark bay gelding and Hermanus, Willy's model stallion. The 3 geldings form part of a consignment of 7 horses that Willy has sold to a client in Germany. Willy has high hopes for the stallion in CSO.

Let me talk about each in turn.

I love "The Galloper". I liked him from the first moment I saw him. Couldn't tell you why! Now I can tell you that he is very comfortable to ride and has easy paces which really cover the ground. Willy likes to use thoroughbred blood in his breeding programme because of this. His future career will be in eventing in Germany. .

Whilst being impressive to look at the Bay did not do it for me when ridden. He is not truly forwards, constantly holding back. In England we would say that he is not a generous horse. Not going forwards means discomfort for the rider and an inharmonious picture for the spectator.

Aromeo is very funny and full of life. He is like a pony in a horse body. He is forwards but with a very fast rhythm. All in all what we would call a cheeky chappy.

Hermanus is interesting. He is very fluid but surprisingly not as comfortable as the Galloper. Jean said it is because he has a lot of bascule in his canter. He is very very sharp and reacted to slightest movement of my leg. Good for me to ride to ensure I practice keeping my leg still...one of my faults!

Finally we worked Eric loose in the manege or rather Eric worked himself. Bless him. He is feeling a little left out. When the 7 horses have departed next week we will be able to do some more things together.

And for your information I didn't propose to any of the young boys! Of course I am already wedded to my Eric xx

28 February Travaille Francois!

28 February

 When we arrived yesterday evening, Willy told us that we would be spending the next week preparing 7 horses for their future careers in Germany. They leave 8 March. Between now and then they will be ridden every day....Travaille Francois!

When I arrived Anna was riding a young black mare in the manege. Apparently Anna had ridden all the young horses with no problems last week under Willy's direction. It was not going well today. You could have sliced the atmosphere with a machete. Anna has a super position on the horse. In contrast to F she always sits up and never tips forward (if anything she is more inclined to tip backwards when stressed). However, her reins are always too long which means that she has problems with leg/hand contact.

The mare did not want to pass close to where we were standing and tested Anna all the time. Anna was not strong enough to take the leader position and direct. As a result the mare decided to do it....the mare had no respect for Anna and the eventual result of the lack of contact and indecision was a fall. I felt so sorry for Anna. I could feel her hurting inside but Willy wouldn't let us sympathise or go to her to help her. We watched as she picked herself up and then attempted to get on this huge mare from the ground. Willy opened the gate to the school and asked Anna to continue riding the mare inside past the open gate. Another test. In my opinion he was very hard on her!

Afterwards we talked about what had happened and why together. Willy said it was Anna's choice to ride. That she understands that the horse is a mirror and that Anna wants to learn and get stronger. Apparently it is not only horses that walk all over Anna. He told us that Anna is like a piece of apple under a cover....not open, indecisive and a walk over for the others. Why? Because she wants to be liked. Because she is afraid of damaging something. Because she is afraid of losing someone. I know how that feels! She chooses to seek to be liked rather than respected. Willy demands respect. He wants others to have the courage do the same.

 Why the problem today when she had no problems the week before? Was it because we were watching? I remember that feeling...that others were watching me and finding me wanting. Some of my friends will still not allow others to watch them when they have a lesson. Why? Because it puts them off! They are unable to control themselves (their reaction to the spectator) so they try to control their environment (by banishing the spectator!) The issue with horses is that you can't always control the environment!!!! And for those wishing to compete it is even more important....you can't avoid the spectators at a show. My experience of competing taught me to shut out everything around me and focus only on the task in hand. There wasn't anything else in my head...just me, my horse and the jumps.

The truth is that we create our own reality. The reality we think we see and feel is just energy and signals within our brain. We are what we think we are. Which is why our confidence is so important. 

Willy explained how quickly a clever horse can outwit a weak rider. The horse looks for confidence in the rider....for leadership and security...but when it isn't there he is insecure and he tests. Young horses, like teenage children, nearly always test. If the issue is not corrected swiftly it grows and in no time an ordinary horse is labelled "difficult and unrideable". It is not many steps after that to the butchers! Or Willy's if they are lucky!

Wow what a big learning experience! And there was much more to come!

The next test? Tamtam (TT) in the douche and loading! Francois (F) went to get him while Willy and I watched. I am relieved to report that TT managed both tasks with only a slight hesitation. He has clearly thought about things and sorted out some issues in his head while we have been away! Then Willy announced we would take TT to the river crossing. F led TT through the river with no hesitation....TT was in his element.then Willy put F on TT bareback with just a head collar and told him to ride through the river and back. He did! Then TT loaded well and returned to the stables. I was impressed and so happy for both TT and F. This is a foundation we can build on I hope.

 What about Eric? Well he is as happy as a pig in muck! His hind legs were a bit puffy probably due to lack of work so I did a bit of work with him loose in the school. More tomorrow!!!

Then F rode 6 young horses: 3 mares and 3 geldings. All went well. The best was the horse Willy calls "the galloper", a big dark bay rangy through-bred gelding. F rode him really well and is starting to look like a proper rider in walk and trot......however he says he is still not ready to canter. He says he would like his first canter to be on Eric or TT in the school. The issue is that if we go out on a hack and he doesn't know how to canter and his horse decides to do it what will he do?? He needs to try a canter soon!

Oh one other tip I'd like to share. Willy has been tidying up the horses which are sold. I watched him removing the long hair under the horses jaw by singing with a candle. Now that is a sign of complete trust. And makes a very tidy finish. So on that point I'll finish for today!

22 February Au revoir les chevaux

Monday 22 February 2016

A good nights sleep, a shower and a huge dutch breakfast greeted us this morning. The owner-rider of the horses had just flown in from a round of the sunshine tour in Spain where she has been trying a new horse she is thinking of buying.

I asked them how they had met Willy. Her husband told me that it was through a mutual friend, the famous haptonome, Ted Troost. See  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xswdcOCZoms Ted had spent a day with Willy at Willy's invitation after Willy had read his book. Geertrude told me that they were like 2 peas from the same pod. The rider's husband, met Ted through a golf acquaintance. The husband is not horsey (in fact he is allergic to horses) but he likes to see his wife and her horses in good energy. The rider had been having problems with her approach to fences and so he contacted Ted for help. Ted told them about Willy Sidorak and that he thought Willy could help her and her horses. The rest is history as they say.

We went to the stables to work the horses. The rider told me that the chestnut mare was injured on the electric fencing soon after she bought her. The grey had problems with her right shoulder. Both horses had been tense and working short and for this reason she had called Willy and the horses have been with Willy for the last 3 months.

Each horse was worked systematically. First loose on the flat, then loose over a fence and then ridden…first by Willy, then by the owner coached by Willy. I asked the owner what differences she felt as a result of their stay at Willys. She told me that they were both moving freely again. More relaxed. More forward. More willing to work. Job well done!

Who is Tamtam? Who am I? Who is he?

A number of people have asked me who is Tamtam? I think I need to share a little more on myself, my friend Tamtam (who is a horse) and a truly gifted horseman called Willy Sidorak.

Let's start with Tamtam. He is a bay gelding, 158cm tall and 8 years old. Here are a few photos of him when I collected him from his previous home.

As you can see from his papers (above) he is what the french call "ONC" - Origin Non Const - ie parentage unknown! If he was a cat he'd be a moggie! No one in their right mind would want to save him....which is where I come in!!

I am Kerry Turner. I am passionate about horses and learning. You can find out more about me via my electronic cv at http://www.kerrylturner.blogspot.fr/.
I am an equestrian author and journalist. You can find out more about my book "Riding Dynamics" at http://www.ridingdynamics.blogspot.fr/.

Several years ago I met Willy Sidorak. Willy cuts a controversial figure in the horse world with his uncompromising approach to sports horse development. No-one can question his knowledge of horses or the quality of horses he produces both physically and mentally. You can read more about Willy at http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/sur-la-mare-france-on-horseback-436603.html

The objective of our project is to capture and share Willy's knowledge of how to keep horses (and people) on top form. The idea is that we take a broken horse and a broken man (who has never ridden) and try to fix them both and create a trusting relationship between them. We will use our story to share Willy's methods for healing horses...but in reality it is the people who have to change.The ultimate test is whether the pair of them are able to complete a 7 day randonnee in June through Richard the Lionheart country in France. My first Lionheart Ride!

21 February Holland here we come

Sunday 21 February 2016

Our bags are packed and we are ready to go to Holland with the two lovely mares. But first we have work to do! Before we leave we have to collect the two New Forest pony stallions from La Chassagne and bring them to Le Frelut as Serge, the farrier, will be arriving to shoe them and Bridget (a young mare already stabled at Le Frelut – actually in the box next to Eric).

Serge is always happy to talk about his work so I took the opportunity to ask him a few questions. One of my TREC friends had told me that she likes to give her horse’s feet a rest from shoes during the winter. I asked Serge his opinion on this. He said that there were a number of issues with this including loss of fitness, loss of hoof shape and the loss of the opportunity to train during a time of the year when there are usually no competitions. If the horse is well shod and well cared for then wearing shoes all the time is not a problem….in fact it is essential for most sports horses. I know for myself that if I stop a certain activity it is much harder to restart again. I also think that if, like me, you only have one horse to work, then my preference is to continue working my horse with shoes through the winter.

Serge also explained that he uses slim nails when he shoes and puts them in high. He said that if the horse loses a shoe when shod in this way the chance of hoof damage are minimised. I didn’t even realise that there were different thicknesses of hoof nails! Apparently the slimmer ones are more expensive.

So far I haven’t talked about Francois. Why? Because I have to be honest and say that I wasn’t sure he would take to life as Willy’s apprentice. However, he has proved me wrong and has lasted the first two weeks! More than that, he is always with Willy by 8am in the morning for first feeding and is always there for the last feed of the day at 7pm. Long hours!  He is managing most of the day without coffee or cigarettes, which I have never seen before! He doesn’t have time as Will keeps him very busy. Willy has him handling all the horses including the young stallions. He is learning about the importance of contact and being positive “Willy pas moyenne”. Willy has even had him helping with the debourrage of a variety of youngsters….including dismounting and remounting from both sides and the rear!!! He has ridden in the school and out on hacks and has experienced a number of near falls.

Today Willy asked Francois to remove the shoes of the ponies. He demonstrated the technique on one foot and then left Francois to do the rest. I reckon it is probably the hardest he has worked in his life! Willy used to do all his own horse’s feet….it is only now that he is doing less and using a farrier again.

I worked Eric lose in the manege before we left. He did about 40minutes over raised trotting poles and then canter. He didn’t cough once. He listened to me all the time. I was really pleased with him.

Another question a friend asked was about the sudden change of diet for the horses and how they had coped with it. Thanks for the question Roz! It made me realise that actually Eric’s diet hadn’t changed much at all! He was, and continues to be bedded, on straw which he nibbles when he feels like it. The forage mix Willy feeds contains straw, hay and alfalfa……again foods he was used to…..and the Destrier Sport granule he was fed at the Gammas stud contains the same cereal ingredients as appear in Willy’s forage mix. The difference is that with the mix Eric can choose to leave what he doesn’t need….with the granule he has no choice.

For Tamtam it is a little different. He is eating well but his droppings are still are not right. We don’t think it is the change of diet…we think it is the heavy parasite burden he has been carrying and the toxic effects of the wormer. Tamtam will have another dung and blood check when he has been at Le Frelut for 30 days.

Willy told us that the next phase of saving Tamtam will be working on his behaviour. For the project to be a success Tamtam must learn to trust Francois and myself. And if he doesn’t trust us on the ground he won’t trust us when ridden! When we return we will start to take Tamtam out in hand. We will take him to the pig farm and he will learn to ford the river. After the resistance he put up to loading the other day I think we are going to have our hands full. But Willy will win….I am sure of it.

Before leaving for Holland I had the opportunity to talk to Elouise, a young rider who keeps her horse with Willy. She told me that

-         She first met Willy when a friend who had done a course with him had told her that he was looking for someone to ride his young horses. She had tried Vigo but he didn’t suit her and so Jena Charles Pirot got the ride. Later Willy asked her to try Leonardo and Lucatoni and her relationship with Willy has grown from that;

-         She had learned to watch and listen to her horse. To strive to increase her horse’s energy and to lean how to control and direct that energy;

-         She had learned how important it is that the horse has correct nutrition. She has noticed that the horses at Willy’s never have colic, laminitas or ulcers and she believes this is because the horses eat their food slowly and carefully without stress;

-         She has learned to detect small changes in performance. She has ridden horses with problems and then after they have been rehabilitated so she knows the difference in the feeling;

-         She recognises the importance of a good diagnosis for a problem.That it is important to have a good support team and that the most important aspect of each team member is their open-ness to learning;

-         She has learned the importance of work outside the school and lots of variety to keep the horse in good morale;

-         She likes to use the pessoa for lunging and uses the leather bit for correction from time to time;

-         She is an athlete herself (she runs) and so she understands what it feels like to train and the importance of variety and recovery time;

-         She has noticed that a lot of stables are run by the clock. The rider doesn’t notice the change as he is too busy thinking about the next horse he has to ride. The horses at Willy’s are worked to a timetable based on “quality” of training rather “quantity”;

-         Most horses are permanently low in energy. When a horse is truly on top form and in full energy we have to be capable of controlling that energy….which means that we have to work on ourselves;

-         Some horses are so dominant and intractable it is necessary that we teach him the lesson that we can take away his escape route. Willy uses an old Indian technique of tying up one of the horse’s front legs in the manege. This renders the horse incapable of his flight instinct and in the wild would mean certain death. A horse who has experienced this has much more respect for the human who does this to him. (I have witnessed this being done to a young stallion. There was no stress and no harm was done.)

We left for Holland at 2pm and arrived at 9.30pm. The horses traveled with no hay and no travel boots. Geertrude told me that they have found that both can cause as many problems as they solve on long journeys. The camera allowed us to keep an eye on the horses and is a real godsend. I wouldn’t want to do the journey in a trailer although I know a dutch friend who does. Again without hay or travel boots.

The private stables we arrived at were sheer luxury. The horses had a leg stretch and a roll in the indoor manege before being left to eat and sleep in their luxury boxes. We stayed the night in the luxury of the owner's mansion near S’Hertogenboch. I have stayed in a lot of 5 star hotels throughout the world and this matches the best of them! The warmth and hospitality of our welcome was a match to the comfort of our rooms. Tomorrow we will talk to the owners and work the horses. Can’t wait!

20 February. A hairy hack

20 February

Once again we are on our way to see Josephine. Today she is having a lesson with Jean. On our way we had a discussion about what makes a good team. As our thinking develops on this I will share it with you in another post.

The lesson with Jean went well. They were both much more relaxed. However, the mare continues to run out occasionally. Always to the right. Jean said that it is because Josephine gives away the contact too soon before the fence (at least that is what I have understood). I have observed two other reasons: Firstly, Josephine is right handed. She is therefore liable to have stronger contact in her right hand than her left. If this is true she needs to work on keeping an even contact. Secondly, I have noticed that she is poor at preparing her line to a fence. This is partly because at times she doesn't look where she is going....but also because she hasn't thought about the preparation beforehand. In my thoughts, if I was her coach, I would have her working over a "course" of poles on the ground instead of jumps. Working on keeping the rhythm and contact even and meeting each bar in the centre. Once she was able to do this I would start to introduce fences to replace the jumps. But I am not a showjumping coach!

Back at Le Frelut, Willy had us prepare Eric and the 2 dutch horses for a hack. Willy does nothing by halves. When we trot it is full on either medium or extended trot. I nearly came off when Eric bolted down the road after I had relaxed and lost concentration and a big black dog ran at a garden fence! Luckily there were no cars and I got him back under control. I was terrified he was going to slip and fall on the road.
Francois nearly fell off when the mare he was riding cantered up the hill near some running horses. He fell onto her neck and she stopped bless her and let him get back in the saddle. Horses will always be horses and therefore fearful. It is essential that we remain concentrated and on contact when we hack.

Eric coughed a little bit when we first started trotting but then he was ok. I am so relieved!

Tomorrow we leave for Holland. We had a group discussion about our next steps with Tamtam.....Willy said we must work on his behaviour in hand. We will take him out and about in hand and we will expect him to trust and follow us...walking through the rivers and past the pigs etc. It will be a big ask for him after all the trouble yesterday!

17 February Saddle pressure

Wednesday 17 February

Today we spent quite a number of hours in the car traveling. It was a good opportunity to ask a few questions.

The first question I asked was Willy's opinion on the saddle pad the young man with Charlotte had used under the saddle on the mare. It was a back protection pad placed in between the saddle cloth and the saddle. Charlotte said it was an amortiseur. See http://kingsleyshop.fr/ for more detail and http://www.kingsleypads.com/.

I talked to Willy about it. Willy said that adding more padding between rider and horse just reduces contact and makes it more difficult to feel the horse. Once again the important question to ask is why you need a pad? What is the root cause of the problem? Is it because the saddle doesn't fit? If so get another saddle.Is it because the rider is unbalanced and sitting heavy in the saddle? If so get some help to improve your riding. I have seen pads like this used with a horse whose back is expected to change........if this is the case it is better to work the horse without the saddle....get the back fit and then have a new saddle fitted to the fit back!

Willy is always open to new ideas....but they have to demonstrate tangible results. He has invited the company to come and demonstrate the pad. Apparently they have an electronic pad which they put under your saddle which detects pressure and downloads the data to a computer. They are going to come and  demonstrate this to Willy in March. I am looking forward to seeing it. I did a bit of research on pressure assessment on saddles.Here are some interesting articles: http://www.equitationscience.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Science-in-the-saddle-Nov13.pdf and https://www.researchgate.net/publication/246543326_Evaluation_of_pressure_distribution_under_a_too_wide_saddle_with_different_saddle_pads.
I noticed that areas are dry under Eric's saddle when I work him....think I need to get my saddle checked!!

Willy has two saddles. They are both made by Cobra in Germany.http://www.cobrasaettel.de/index.htm. He find that with his horses with a fit back these saddles fit them all.

The most important thing is that the horse is comfortable in his tack. In the case of the saddle the horse will not be comfortable unless the rider is also comfortable. All the bridles at Willy's have a comfort headpiece. He does not use a noseband. The fastenings for the bit to the cheek pieces always have the buckle on the outside. 

Today we went to watch Josephine have another lesson with Jean. They started working the mare over single fences on a circle. Then they worked up to combinations and then a short course. At the more difficult fences (either due to height or difficulty of approach) the mare started running out to the right. Always the right! We need to find out why and fix it!

Tamtam continues to excrete parasites.Today we noticed a lot of small  red larva in Tamtam's excrement. I use the term excrement because it is more like liquid than normal horse droppings. In the following photos you can see what I mean. They are the larva of the Bot fly....the small yellow eggs we see on our horses coat in summer turn into this inside the horse!

This underlines the importance of the dung check in managing the horse's system. Willy also emphasized the   importance of a strong immune system for the horse to manage the parasites....and this as always takes us back to good nutrition.

We talked about making and feeding hay vs buying a complete feed like Willy feeds. All hay will be variable in nutritional quality. Most people still feed short feed with the associated negative behaviours of stress and bolting of feed in the short run and risks of colic, ulcers and laminitis in the long run. It is difficult to find good hay without dust or spores. Hay has to be soaked with the associated issues of time, nutrient loss and extra work. You have to store the hay so therefore nedd to factor in the costs of a barn or other building and it's maintenance. If you make your own hay using a local farmer you are not guaranteed to get it cut when you want.....on the other hand if you have your own equipment it will be expensive to maintain and insure. Once you take into account the full costs of  feeding hay and short feed vs feeding a complete feed like Willy's there is no contest!