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!
Monday, February 29, 2016
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!
Thursday, February 25, 2016
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!
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.
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!
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
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!
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!
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
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!
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!
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!
Saturday, February 20, 2016
19 February Willy's special horse coat
19 February
Today we visited Josephine and Willy gave her a jumping lesson. She was using draw reins. Willy used trotting poles before and after a fence to help Josephine to keep control of her mare. It went very well until Willy set up a large oxer in the corner. Unfortunately Josephine took a fall into the fence around the arena.. Luckily she had her airbag body protector and she was unhurt. Willy schooled the mare afterwards and when Josephine remounted she appeared light and easy to control. We will see her again tomorrow.
Back at Le Frelut we gave Tamtam a shower in the washbox and then we attempted to load him in the horsebox. He was difficult to get into the washbox. I had to reverse him in as he wouldn't walk forwards. It was the same with the horsebox. He reared up and tried to run away. Willy and Geertrude sorted him out with a bit of pressure. By the end he was loading and unloading with all of us in a calm and careful manner. He is going to be a difficult horse to work with. He certainly has his own ideas about what he wants and doesn't want to do! Willy told me that with a recalcitrant horse it is necessary to confront him and deal with the issues. You must be very positive.
Later Willy told me that his "secret weapon" is his coat. He leaves the coat unwashed to keep the smell of horse. In that way the horses take Willy for a horse himself and have much more trust. It is a simple thing we can all do.....and it saves money on washing!
Here is Willy with a young stallion in his box....wearing the special coat!!
Today we visited Josephine and Willy gave her a jumping lesson. She was using draw reins. Willy used trotting poles before and after a fence to help Josephine to keep control of her mare. It went very well until Willy set up a large oxer in the corner. Unfortunately Josephine took a fall into the fence around the arena.. Luckily she had her airbag body protector and she was unhurt. Willy schooled the mare afterwards and when Josephine remounted she appeared light and easy to control. We will see her again tomorrow.
Back at Le Frelut we gave Tamtam a shower in the washbox and then we attempted to load him in the horsebox. He was difficult to get into the washbox. I had to reverse him in as he wouldn't walk forwards. It was the same with the horsebox. He reared up and tried to run away. Willy and Geertrude sorted him out with a bit of pressure. By the end he was loading and unloading with all of us in a calm and careful manner. He is going to be a difficult horse to work with. He certainly has his own ideas about what he wants and doesn't want to do! Willy told me that with a recalcitrant horse it is necessary to confront him and deal with the issues. You must be very positive.
Later Willy told me that his "secret weapon" is his coat. He leaves the coat unwashed to keep the smell of horse. In that way the horses take Willy for a horse himself and have much more trust. It is a simple thing we can all do.....and it saves money on washing!
Here is Willy with a young stallion in his box....wearing the special coat!!
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Better out than in
15 February 2016
One thing I didn't mention about the hack yesterday was Eric coughing.It was a fast hack but he coughed and coughed and coughed. I had noticed a lot of mucous on the ground outside his box. Willy told me it was better out than in! He told me that if I wanted to find out more I would need to have the vet take a closer look.......We will have to wait and see. I came here for Tamtam but it looks like my Eric needs some attention too!
This morning we went to watch Josephine and Argenta have a lesson with her trainer, Jean de Bellescize. They worked on the flying change at canter over a bar and then worked on various combinations. The impression I have is that the mare is taking Josephine and making the decisions, especially the decision on speed. She is ok over one fence but as soon as you put two or more together then mare takes the initiative and ups the anti. Jean asked Josephine to stop the mare after the second part of a double. She could not. Jean stopped the exercise as he said he didn't want Josephine to start pulling on Argenta's mouth. Afterwards Willy told me that a simple adjustment to the curb chain and strap would have sorted all that. I was thinking of putting a pole on the ground one stride after the fence to make the mare think and back her off a bit. I'm no expert on jumping though! I'll ask Willy today! It will be interesting to see how things develop as we are going to see Josephine again this week.
In the afternoon Charlotte, the partner of Serge (the farrier) turned up with a mare who has undergone Willy's muscle treatment. The mare is a Selle Francais of 6 years and her owner is a young dutch man. I asked for the mare's story. It was similar to all the others.....she had been sensitive from being a yearling (when the young man acquired her). She had been away for training but had been returned and pronounced unrideable. Willy had worked with Charlotte to heal the mare over the last 3 months. I watched the mare working. At liberty over fences and then ridden by the young man over trotting poles in the manege. Beautiful to watch....the only sign of any issues being when Willy approached her to give her a pat and she she threw her head up and took a step back.It will take her a long time to get her confidence back.
One thing I didn't mention about the hack yesterday was Eric coughing.It was a fast hack but he coughed and coughed and coughed. I had noticed a lot of mucous on the ground outside his box. Willy told me it was better out than in! He told me that if I wanted to find out more I would need to have the vet take a closer look.......We will have to wait and see. I came here for Tamtam but it looks like my Eric needs some attention too!
This morning we went to watch Josephine and Argenta have a lesson with her trainer, Jean de Bellescize. They worked on the flying change at canter over a bar and then worked on various combinations. The impression I have is that the mare is taking Josephine and making the decisions, especially the decision on speed. She is ok over one fence but as soon as you put two or more together then mare takes the initiative and ups the anti. Jean asked Josephine to stop the mare after the second part of a double. She could not. Jean stopped the exercise as he said he didn't want Josephine to start pulling on Argenta's mouth. Afterwards Willy told me that a simple adjustment to the curb chain and strap would have sorted all that. I was thinking of putting a pole on the ground one stride after the fence to make the mare think and back her off a bit. I'm no expert on jumping though! I'll ask Willy today! It will be interesting to see how things develop as we are going to see Josephine again this week.
In the afternoon Charlotte, the partner of Serge (the farrier) turned up with a mare who has undergone Willy's muscle treatment. The mare is a Selle Francais of 6 years and her owner is a young dutch man. I asked for the mare's story. It was similar to all the others.....she had been sensitive from being a yearling (when the young man acquired her). She had been away for training but had been returned and pronounced unrideable. Willy had worked with Charlotte to heal the mare over the last 3 months. I watched the mare working. At liberty over fences and then ridden by the young man over trotting poles in the manege. Beautiful to watch....the only sign of any issues being when Willy approached her to give her a pat and she she threw her head up and took a step back.It will take her a long time to get her confidence back.
A lesson in confidence and luck
16 February 2016
When I arrived at the stables Willy told me he had been taking a look at the videos by Barbara Schultz on youtube. He said that he agreed with everything she said and that we should go and meet her. This is Willy's way...........he likes to work and share with others. You can find the videos via the following link:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkvjTTo9jX85tHsHMjSD9Pw
Shortly after I arrived Maria ran to us to say that one of the stallions had trapped himself in the stable. We ran to help. The stallion had his left fore foot trapped between the metal partition of the stable and the metal support which held it in place. The horse was calm and didn't move which was lucky for him as if he had attempted to free himself he would have lost his foot! Willy stayed calm and got a hack saw and quietly sawed through the metal support. The stallion had confidence in Willy and didn't mind while he sawed away at the metal. Willy explained that this is why it is important that the horse has confidence in us and trusts us to do what is best for him.
In the morning Willy backed 3 horses which have already been sold. They were very well accustomed to the tack and working as they had been worked in the pessoa with all the tack before. Willy explained that when the horse is backed the most important thing is that he has confidence in the trainer on the ground. The rider is simply a weight to be carried. The rider does nothing. In a way it is better that the rider is a beginner who attempts to do nothing than an accomplished rider who fiddles about! Willy encouraged the rider to mount and dismount from both sides and then to sit behind the saddle directly on the horses back. He said that sometimes this feeling can happen to the horse when he jumps so it is important that it is not a shock. Patience and preparation are the keys to success.
This morning we were lucky. The stallion was not hurt. The last horse to be backed this morning was less lucky. He was born in a field with a stallion and the stallion mauled him. His injuries were very bad. According to Willy the vet was called and stitched and bandaged the wounds at a cost of 700 euros. Within 2 days Willy could smell there was a problem. He removed the bandages and discovered that the wounds were septic. He removed the stitches and advised that the wound was kept open and thoroughly cleansed twice a day with the Schaette disinfectant. See http://www.schaette.de/shop/pferde/wunden/wundstein-essenz-481.html. You can follow the story of the healing process at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5qLtawn0G0. Here is Bolero being ridden for the first time and afterwards having his shower in the wash box. He is another lucky horse!
I guess you're all wondering how Tamtam is getting on? Well this morning the worms are being excreted as can be clearly seen in the following photos:
Better out than in is the immediate thought!! In contrast Eric's dung is normal....but then again he is regularly wormed and I pick up the poohs in his paddock each day. Eric and Tamtam are staying in their boxes until Tamtam is clear of worms.
In the afternoon I rode the two lovely dutch mares again. Before I rode Willy warmed them up lose together in the manege. I noticed the grey was full of energy whilst the chestnut seemed dull. It was the same when I rode them. The chestnut had no energy or enthusiasm for her work.....the grey lots! We worked over raised trotting poles and then did a lot of canter work before finishing with walking on a long rein. Next week I will accompany Willy to Holland to return them to their owner.
When we put the horses back in their boxes I noticed that the grey immediately started crib biting. Geertrude told me that the grey cribs and the chestnut weaves. I asked Willy about it and he said it is impossible to stop once it starts. You can mask the symptoms and try to stop the horse doing it but the desire to do it will always be there. He said it starts normally when the horse is a foal. It has a stressful experience (often a poorly executed weaning from it's mum) and the behaviour starts from then. When I am stressed I pace up and down and if I am really stressed I rock back and forth. Willy said it is the same with the horse.....it has a calming effect.....Willy explained that he only weans the foals when the last foal is showing signs of independence (regularly spending more time away from his mum). Then he parts the mares and foals into two groups but still in sight of each other. This way the foals have company but can still see their mum......
Willy has no problems with vices despite the horses being stabled 24/7. This is because they are carefully raised and then the environment they live in is very open. They can see and touch each other. They have plenty to eat. The horses are happy.
Another brilliant day courtesy of Willy and his team.
When I arrived at the stables Willy told me he had been taking a look at the videos by Barbara Schultz on youtube. He said that he agreed with everything she said and that we should go and meet her. This is Willy's way...........he likes to work and share with others. You can find the videos via the following link:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkvjTTo9jX85tHsHMjSD9Pw
Shortly after I arrived Maria ran to us to say that one of the stallions had trapped himself in the stable. We ran to help. The stallion had his left fore foot trapped between the metal partition of the stable and the metal support which held it in place. The horse was calm and didn't move which was lucky for him as if he had attempted to free himself he would have lost his foot! Willy stayed calm and got a hack saw and quietly sawed through the metal support. The stallion had confidence in Willy and didn't mind while he sawed away at the metal. Willy explained that this is why it is important that the horse has confidence in us and trusts us to do what is best for him.
In the morning Willy backed 3 horses which have already been sold. They were very well accustomed to the tack and working as they had been worked in the pessoa with all the tack before. Willy explained that when the horse is backed the most important thing is that he has confidence in the trainer on the ground. The rider is simply a weight to be carried. The rider does nothing. In a way it is better that the rider is a beginner who attempts to do nothing than an accomplished rider who fiddles about! Willy encouraged the rider to mount and dismount from both sides and then to sit behind the saddle directly on the horses back. He said that sometimes this feeling can happen to the horse when he jumps so it is important that it is not a shock. Patience and preparation are the keys to success.
This morning we were lucky. The stallion was not hurt. The last horse to be backed this morning was less lucky. He was born in a field with a stallion and the stallion mauled him. His injuries were very bad. According to Willy the vet was called and stitched and bandaged the wounds at a cost of 700 euros. Within 2 days Willy could smell there was a problem. He removed the bandages and discovered that the wounds were septic. He removed the stitches and advised that the wound was kept open and thoroughly cleansed twice a day with the Schaette disinfectant. See http://www.schaette.de/shop/pferde/wunden/wundstein-essenz-481.html. You can follow the story of the healing process at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5qLtawn0G0. Here is Bolero being ridden for the first time and afterwards having his shower in the wash box. He is another lucky horse!
I guess you're all wondering how Tamtam is getting on? Well this morning the worms are being excreted as can be clearly seen in the following photos:
Better out than in is the immediate thought!! In contrast Eric's dung is normal....but then again he is regularly wormed and I pick up the poohs in his paddock each day. Eric and Tamtam are staying in their boxes until Tamtam is clear of worms.
In the afternoon I rode the two lovely dutch mares again. Before I rode Willy warmed them up lose together in the manege. I noticed the grey was full of energy whilst the chestnut seemed dull. It was the same when I rode them. The chestnut had no energy or enthusiasm for her work.....the grey lots! We worked over raised trotting poles and then did a lot of canter work before finishing with walking on a long rein. Next week I will accompany Willy to Holland to return them to their owner.
When we put the horses back in their boxes I noticed that the grey immediately started crib biting. Geertrude told me that the grey cribs and the chestnut weaves. I asked Willy about it and he said it is impossible to stop once it starts. You can mask the symptoms and try to stop the horse doing it but the desire to do it will always be there. He said it starts normally when the horse is a foal. It has a stressful experience (often a poorly executed weaning from it's mum) and the behaviour starts from then. When I am stressed I pace up and down and if I am really stressed I rock back and forth. Willy said it is the same with the horse.....it has a calming effect.....Willy explained that he only weans the foals when the last foal is showing signs of independence (regularly spending more time away from his mum). Then he parts the mares and foals into two groups but still in sight of each other. This way the foals have company but can still see their mum......
Willy has no problems with vices despite the horses being stabled 24/7. This is because they are carefully raised and then the environment they live in is very open. They can see and touch each other. They have plenty to eat. The horses are happy.
Later in the afternoon I traveled with Willy to see Josephine. Willy coached her over fences working on control and rhythm between fences. He helped her correct some of the problems she had been having the day before with her trainer. Here are the happy team:
Monday, February 15, 2016
A more thoughtful day
13 February
Today we had a quieter day. For Willy I would say it was a rest day. We watched some videos at Willy's place and Willy talked about how important it is to be clear and definite with horses. It is never "maybe" or "perhaps" it is always "yes" or "no". This makes an interesting link to my other project "Riding in the hoofprints of Richard the Lionheart" in the Limousin. Richard was known as "Oc e No", which is Occitane (the old language of the region) for "yes or no". Like Willy, Richard was also a great horseman!
Today Tamtam had a tonic for his liver and kidneys. Willy dosed him with 60mls of Colosan directly using a syringe. He administered it in 3 separate 20ml doses. http://www.schaette.de/shop/Colosan. It is worth noting that this is 3 times the dose recommended by the company! Willy had told me that he uses the products in other ways than the company recommends. Here it is in practice. He told me we will worm Eric and Tamtam together on Monday with the Equest Pramox.
Willy asked what I have been thinking as a result of what he has showed me. I told him that I have been thinking a lot about the way I keep my horses. I had thought I needed to buy more land but now I think otherwise. If I have a set budget it is better to have a round lunge pen installed and keep the horses on straw and use the feed. That way I don't need lots of land! What I have will suffice! We think that by turning our horse out we are giving them a natural life....but our horses aren't natural..they are man made...most of them could not survive in the wild.They are happy when they are together with plenty of fresh air and good food and a lots to see.They are ready and happy to work for us and they are safe and secure in their box. Even so there is something in my mind that says that standing around in a small area for 23 hours a day and then coming out and working for an hour is not the right way. I have watched Eric in the paddock at home and he is constantly moving......browsing around.....lots of gentle exercise and rolling....a bit of playing....I think my method of turning out in the day in winter and at night in summer probably provides the best of both worlds. But we shall see!!
Today we had a quieter day. For Willy I would say it was a rest day. We watched some videos at Willy's place and Willy talked about how important it is to be clear and definite with horses. It is never "maybe" or "perhaps" it is always "yes" or "no". This makes an interesting link to my other project "Riding in the hoofprints of Richard the Lionheart" in the Limousin. Richard was known as "Oc e No", which is Occitane (the old language of the region) for "yes or no". Like Willy, Richard was also a great horseman!
Today Tamtam had a tonic for his liver and kidneys. Willy dosed him with 60mls of Colosan directly using a syringe. He administered it in 3 separate 20ml doses. http://www.schaette.de/shop/Colosan. It is worth noting that this is 3 times the dose recommended by the company! Willy had told me that he uses the products in other ways than the company recommends. Here it is in practice. He told me we will worm Eric and Tamtam together on Monday with the Equest Pramox.
Willy asked what I have been thinking as a result of what he has showed me. I told him that I have been thinking a lot about the way I keep my horses. I had thought I needed to buy more land but now I think otherwise. If I have a set budget it is better to have a round lunge pen installed and keep the horses on straw and use the feed. That way I don't need lots of land! What I have will suffice! We think that by turning our horse out we are giving them a natural life....but our horses aren't natural..they are man made...most of them could not survive in the wild.They are happy when they are together with plenty of fresh air and good food and a lots to see.They are ready and happy to work for us and they are safe and secure in their box. Even so there is something in my mind that says that standing around in a small area for 23 hours a day and then coming out and working for an hour is not the right way. I have watched Eric in the paddock at home and he is constantly moving......browsing around.....lots of gentle exercise and rolling....a bit of playing....I think my method of turning out in the day in winter and at night in summer probably provides the best of both worlds. But we shall see!!
Tamtam and Eric meet the farrier
14 February 2016
Valentine's day.....but no cards or flowers for this blogger! Sunday too....but we're still working at Willy's! As is he!
The farrier arrived in the morning to shoe Eric and Tamtam. Serge, the farrier, informed me that the vet, Yves, had called and talked to him about what needed to be done. Eric went first. He was last shod on 9 January about 5 weeks ago. He made a number of changes to Eric's feet and shoes:
(1) He fitted lighter 8mm thick shoes as opposed to the 10mm shoes he had before. I asked why and he said that they are lighter and therefore the horse moves easier in them;
(2) He fitted shoes with a wider bearing surface and with a slightly broader surface still at the outside heel to provide the heels with more support;
(3) He fitted rear shoes a size larger than had been fitted before;
(4) He rebalanced all the feet but paid particular attention to the right hind. He explained that the shoe was twisted on his foot;
(5) He shod him cold. He told me that it is better than hot shoeing. I was surprised. I have always been led to believe that hot shoeing is better as it allows the farrier to tailor the shoe to provide an exact fit. This farrier said that often hot shoeing (or burning) is used to cheat rather than seat a fit. I looked on the internet and there is a lot of controversy on discussion forums about this. A useful informative article I found is this one http://www.equiworld.net/horses/horsecare/hoofcare/hotorcold.htm
Here is a photo of Eric's hinds before:
And here is a photo of the right hind hoof with the new shoe. If you look carefully you can see how much further back the last nail is on the shoe...in contrast to the small difference in the holes from the previous 2 shoeings. Notice the support for the heels.
Tamtam was next. The key with Tamtam is providing sufficient support for his collapsed heels. Eric has very good feet and strong heels so he doesn't have this problem.You can see the collapsed heels very clearly on this photo taken before he was shod:
Here is one of Tamtam's front feet with the new shoe in place:
You can clearly see the support for the collapsed heels.
Serge explained that there is a huge element of fashion with shoeing these days. For example he has noted that a lot of horses are being shod with quarter clips in front rather than toe clips. In his view this restricts the natural expansion and contraction of the foot during movement and this can have long term consequences as the horse carries most of his weight on his forehand. For sure the management of the horse's feet is a controversial topic in the horse world.
We will see how Eric and Tamtam get on with their new shoes. They will be shod several times by Serge before they return home.
In the afternoon we left with Argenta in the horsebox to return her to her rider, Josephine, and to visit the family's farm. We watched Josephine ride Argenta over fences in the indoor school. Josephine rides quietly and the mare responds well to her. They have a good partnership.....the three of them...Argenta, Josephine and Willy. Afterwards we talked about Josephine's ambitions (she wants to go to the olympics showjumping) and how the family have been influenced by Willy's approach. Josephine told me that she has learned to listen to her horse, to work with a strong support team and to ensure her horse is well nourished. We will be visiting again in the coming week so that Josephine can profit from Willy's advice during the school holidays.
On the way back Willy, Geertrude and I talked about another controversial topic "alternative therapies". Willy told me that he is completely open to anything new. He will try anything but the most important thing is the results. If he doesn't see the results he stops.Some time ago I wrote a "spoof" article about these alternative therapies. It is funny but there is an important message and some questions for you to ponder at the end. You can find the article at http://learningrider.blogspot.fr/2011/08/story-of-stones-by-kerry-turner.html
On our return we went out for a hack. Willy and Geertrude in a carriage pulled by Antonio (one of Willy's new forest pony stallions) with Casper (the other pony stallion) in tow. I accompanied them on Eric. There had been a lot of rain and the river had burst it's banks. The little stream I had forded with Willy when we did our previous hack earlier in the week was a raging torrent. If it had been my choice we would not have crossed....but Willy was in charge and as determined as ever we crossed. The water came up to my saddle! My heart was in my mouth! But we made it.
This is Willy's way. He does nothing by halves. He believes and he commits. He is like that raging river....carrying me along to a new destination.
Valentine's day.....but no cards or flowers for this blogger! Sunday too....but we're still working at Willy's! As is he!
The farrier arrived in the morning to shoe Eric and Tamtam. Serge, the farrier, informed me that the vet, Yves, had called and talked to him about what needed to be done. Eric went first. He was last shod on 9 January about 5 weeks ago. He made a number of changes to Eric's feet and shoes:
(1) He fitted lighter 8mm thick shoes as opposed to the 10mm shoes he had before. I asked why and he said that they are lighter and therefore the horse moves easier in them;
(2) He fitted shoes with a wider bearing surface and with a slightly broader surface still at the outside heel to provide the heels with more support;
(3) He fitted rear shoes a size larger than had been fitted before;
(4) He rebalanced all the feet but paid particular attention to the right hind. He explained that the shoe was twisted on his foot;
(5) He shod him cold. He told me that it is better than hot shoeing. I was surprised. I have always been led to believe that hot shoeing is better as it allows the farrier to tailor the shoe to provide an exact fit. This farrier said that often hot shoeing (or burning) is used to cheat rather than seat a fit. I looked on the internet and there is a lot of controversy on discussion forums about this. A useful informative article I found is this one http://www.equiworld.net/horses/horsecare/hoofcare/hotorcold.htm
Here is a photo of Eric's hinds before:
Tamtam was next. The key with Tamtam is providing sufficient support for his collapsed heels. Eric has very good feet and strong heels so he doesn't have this problem.You can see the collapsed heels very clearly on this photo taken before he was shod:
Here is one of Tamtam's front feet with the new shoe in place:
Serge explained that there is a huge element of fashion with shoeing these days. For example he has noted that a lot of horses are being shod with quarter clips in front rather than toe clips. In his view this restricts the natural expansion and contraction of the foot during movement and this can have long term consequences as the horse carries most of his weight on his forehand. For sure the management of the horse's feet is a controversial topic in the horse world.
We will see how Eric and Tamtam get on with their new shoes. They will be shod several times by Serge before they return home.
In the afternoon we left with Argenta in the horsebox to return her to her rider, Josephine, and to visit the family's farm. We watched Josephine ride Argenta over fences in the indoor school. Josephine rides quietly and the mare responds well to her. They have a good partnership.....the three of them...Argenta, Josephine and Willy. Afterwards we talked about Josephine's ambitions (she wants to go to the olympics showjumping) and how the family have been influenced by Willy's approach. Josephine told me that she has learned to listen to her horse, to work with a strong support team and to ensure her horse is well nourished. We will be visiting again in the coming week so that Josephine can profit from Willy's advice during the school holidays.
On the way back Willy, Geertrude and I talked about another controversial topic "alternative therapies". Willy told me that he is completely open to anything new. He will try anything but the most important thing is the results. If he doesn't see the results he stops.Some time ago I wrote a "spoof" article about these alternative therapies. It is funny but there is an important message and some questions for you to ponder at the end. You can find the article at http://learningrider.blogspot.fr/2011/08/story-of-stones-by-kerry-turner.html
On our return we went out for a hack. Willy and Geertrude in a carriage pulled by Antonio (one of Willy's new forest pony stallions) with Casper (the other pony stallion) in tow. I accompanied them on Eric. There had been a lot of rain and the river had burst it's banks. The little stream I had forded with Willy when we did our previous hack earlier in the week was a raging torrent. If it had been my choice we would not have crossed....but Willy was in charge and as determined as ever we crossed. The water came up to my saddle! My heart was in my mouth! But we made it.
This is Willy's way. He does nothing by halves. He believes and he commits. He is like that raging river....carrying me along to a new destination.
Feed company visit
Friday 11 February
In
the morning I rode two horses in the manege as it was raining cats and
dogs. This time I rode the chestnut mare first and I carried a schooling
whip. She was FABULOUS! After the grey mare seemed ordinary and she is
no ordinary horse!
In the afternoon Willy and Gertrude
took me to see the feed company. LaGrost, in Burgundy where their feed is made. It
was 2 hours each way! That gave me a fantastic opportunity to pose more of my questions.
First of all we talked about the leather bit Willy uses.It is a pelham bit made by Meroth in Germany. You can see the bit here although the site is in german! Link to buy Meroth Pelham Bit. At 285 euros plus postage and packing it is not a cheap option! Meroth also make a leather snaffle bit which can be used with or without a headstall. Again you can buy this bit directly from Meroth or from the USA. For more details and videos in english see http://www.horsewellness-store.com/leatherbit.php. The Meroth snaffle purchased directly from Meroth is 65 euros. There are cheaper imitations on the internet.
Unlike metals, leather is a natural material and Willy has found that all horses like it. I can tell you that having ridden in one I will definitely be purchasing one for Eric. I will talk about the bit more and how it is adjusted and used in a future installment.
At the feed company we were given a guided tour by Sebastien LaGrost, the son of the original entrepreneur.. We were able to see, touch and taste each of the individual components of the feed including
Luzerne chopped (without poppy seeds which would contravene FEI doping rules!)
Maize - as popcorn and flaked
Carob (I liked this)
Linseed
Barley flaked
Wheat straw chopped
Sugar beet
Bran in pellet form
Vitamins & Minerals in pellet form
Syrup to bind
A vinegar based conservation to prevent deterioration in summer heat.
Sebastien told me that unlike many other feeds the recipe is always the same. All the individual ingredients undergo a strict quality control process.
Sebastien noted that that there can be a difference between what you give your horse to eat, what he actually eats and what he digests. I have noted that some horses at Willy's leave some components. Willy said the horse knows what is right for him/her. It is worth reflecting that the horse can't make this decision with granule/cubed feeds. Look at what is left in the manger or bucket. Look at the dung: Is there any complete undigested food elements?
Willy said that horses get very stressed when fed small quantities of short feed. Willy's horses are fed a large bucketful of the Lagrost feed 3 times a day. There is little evidence of stress. The manger is virtually never empty and the horse always has his straw bed to eat as well. It was interesting to note that few of them do eat their bed! The weight of a bucket of feed is about 3kgs which means that with 3 buckets a day they are eating about 9kgs. Here is a photo of the feed:
I was fascinated that a bucketful of this feed could take so long to eat. I have seen my Eric wolf down hard feed and also quickly eat huge quantities of hay. Willy told me that chewing is very important for the horse. It produces the saliva which is so important for the digestive process (and avoiding stomach ulcers) but also keeps the horse employed and happy in his mind.It takes a lot longer for the horse to chew short chop than long fibre.
Willy adds a herbal supplement to the feed of some of the horses. He decides which based on their health and when he notes that something is missing in the horses demeanor eg eyes, dung, urine, feet, energy levels. http://www.schaette.de/shop/pferde/stoffwechsel/ursonne-pferde-premium.html
Willy stressed that the horse must have continuous access to water. 80% of his body is water and it is important that the water is high quality. At La Chassagne, Willy filters the water as tests showed it to be high in impurities. Be very careful when using natural water sources such as rivers or ponds. When in doubt get it tested!
On the way back we talked again about the importance of a good team for the horse. The team needs to have:
Vet
Farrier
Dentist
Osteopath
Saddler
Rider
Trainer
Nutritionist
And they need to be prepared to work together, to communicate with each other and be open to learning. Willy is always saying "travaille ensemble".
He went on to say that there are 4 essential factors for success with horses:
(1) Good genes;
(2) Health;
(3) Patience; and
(4) Luck.
First of all we talked about the leather bit Willy uses.It is a pelham bit made by Meroth in Germany. You can see the bit here although the site is in german! Link to buy Meroth Pelham Bit. At 285 euros plus postage and packing it is not a cheap option! Meroth also make a leather snaffle bit which can be used with or without a headstall. Again you can buy this bit directly from Meroth or from the USA. For more details and videos in english see http://www.horsewellness-store.com/leatherbit.php. The Meroth snaffle purchased directly from Meroth is 65 euros. There are cheaper imitations on the internet.
Unlike metals, leather is a natural material and Willy has found that all horses like it. I can tell you that having ridden in one I will definitely be purchasing one for Eric. I will talk about the bit more and how it is adjusted and used in a future installment.
At the feed company we were given a guided tour by Sebastien LaGrost, the son of the original entrepreneur.. We were able to see, touch and taste each of the individual components of the feed including
Luzerne chopped (without poppy seeds which would contravene FEI doping rules!)
Maize - as popcorn and flaked
Carob (I liked this)
Linseed
Barley flaked
Wheat straw chopped
Sugar beet
Bran in pellet form
Vitamins & Minerals in pellet form
Syrup to bind
A vinegar based conservation to prevent deterioration in summer heat.
Sebastien told me that unlike many other feeds the recipe is always the same. All the individual ingredients undergo a strict quality control process.
Sebastien noted that that there can be a difference between what you give your horse to eat, what he actually eats and what he digests. I have noted that some horses at Willy's leave some components. Willy said the horse knows what is right for him/her. It is worth reflecting that the horse can't make this decision with granule/cubed feeds. Look at what is left in the manger or bucket. Look at the dung: Is there any complete undigested food elements?
Willy said that horses get very stressed when fed small quantities of short feed. Willy's horses are fed a large bucketful of the Lagrost feed 3 times a day. There is little evidence of stress. The manger is virtually never empty and the horse always has his straw bed to eat as well. It was interesting to note that few of them do eat their bed! The weight of a bucket of feed is about 3kgs which means that with 3 buckets a day they are eating about 9kgs. Here is a photo of the feed:
I was fascinated that a bucketful of this feed could take so long to eat. I have seen my Eric wolf down hard feed and also quickly eat huge quantities of hay. Willy told me that chewing is very important for the horse. It produces the saliva which is so important for the digestive process (and avoiding stomach ulcers) but also keeps the horse employed and happy in his mind.It takes a lot longer for the horse to chew short chop than long fibre.
Willy adds a herbal supplement to the feed of some of the horses. He decides which based on their health and when he notes that something is missing in the horses demeanor eg eyes, dung, urine, feet, energy levels. http://www.schaette.de/shop/pferde/stoffwechsel/ursonne-pferde-premium.html
Willy stressed that the horse must have continuous access to water. 80% of his body is water and it is important that the water is high quality. At La Chassagne, Willy filters the water as tests showed it to be high in impurities. Be very careful when using natural water sources such as rivers or ponds. When in doubt get it tested!
On the way back we talked again about the importance of a good team for the horse. The team needs to have:
Vet
Farrier
Dentist
Osteopath
Saddler
Rider
Trainer
Nutritionist
And they need to be prepared to work together, to communicate with each other and be open to learning. Willy is always saying "travaille ensemble".
He went on to say that there are 4 essential factors for success with horses:
(1) Good genes;
(2) Health;
(3) Patience; and
(4) Luck.
I will talk more about Willy's thoughts on breeding in a later blog.
Friday, February 12, 2016
Dentist
Thursday 11 February
When I arrived Willy was riding a stunning liver chestnut mare in the arena. She belongs to a very ambitious 14 year old girl. The mare is with Willy for schooling as she is incredibly sensitive. We are taking the mare back to the owner on Sunday where Willy will be working with the girl and her trainer to improve their relationship. Willy asked me to ride her so that I could feel her sensitivity.
Wow! What an interesting mare to ride. A mare who can truly read your mind. The concentration required to ride her is immense but when you click it is truly wow. Afterwards Willy asked me to cool her down in walk along the tracks just outside the stables.
In the afternoon the dentist, Dr Antoine Barat, arrived. Tamtam and Eric were the first to be checked. Tamtam had a lot of sensitivity when the dentist touched his temporal mandibular joint. In humans TMJ problems can cause headaches. In horses they can go off their feed or get colic. Many unexplained colics are caused in this way. Tamtam just needed a quick once over so the dentist used his electric tools to ensure a good surface for mastication. He thought that the sensitivity in the TMJ may therefore be due to issues in the neck.
I asked him why he uses the electric tools and not manual. He told me that it is better for the horse as it is much quicker. The issue is that the dentist must be aware of this and not grind away all the surface. The horse needs a rough surface to grind his food not a smooth one!
Eric's teeth were fine (great given that he was last done in May last year!) Unlike Tamtam he had no sensitivity in the TMJ joint. The only thing the dentist needed to do was break off the tartar which had accumulated around his canines. He advised that this can be done using gros sel myself. I asked why some horses have this and others don't. He said they don't know exactly why but maybe it is the acidity of the saliva and genetics. It should be removed as otherwise the horse can get gum infections as a result.
The dentist checked about 20 horses and reported whether they needed doing and if not how many months before they were likely to need to be done. Willy explained that regular check ups are very important. He has his horses checked every 6 months or according to the recommendations of the dentist. The dentist told me Eric would not need to be seen for 2 years but that I must remove the tartar myself.
When I arrived Willy was riding a stunning liver chestnut mare in the arena. She belongs to a very ambitious 14 year old girl. The mare is with Willy for schooling as she is incredibly sensitive. We are taking the mare back to the owner on Sunday where Willy will be working with the girl and her trainer to improve their relationship. Willy asked me to ride her so that I could feel her sensitivity.
Wow! What an interesting mare to ride. A mare who can truly read your mind. The concentration required to ride her is immense but when you click it is truly wow. Afterwards Willy asked me to cool her down in walk along the tracks just outside the stables.
In the afternoon the dentist, Dr Antoine Barat, arrived. Tamtam and Eric were the first to be checked. Tamtam had a lot of sensitivity when the dentist touched his temporal mandibular joint. In humans TMJ problems can cause headaches. In horses they can go off their feed or get colic. Many unexplained colics are caused in this way. Tamtam just needed a quick once over so the dentist used his electric tools to ensure a good surface for mastication. He thought that the sensitivity in the TMJ may therefore be due to issues in the neck.
I asked him why he uses the electric tools and not manual. He told me that it is better for the horse as it is much quicker. The issue is that the dentist must be aware of this and not grind away all the surface. The horse needs a rough surface to grind his food not a smooth one!
Eric's teeth were fine (great given that he was last done in May last year!) Unlike Tamtam he had no sensitivity in the TMJ joint. The only thing the dentist needed to do was break off the tartar which had accumulated around his canines. He advised that this can be done using gros sel myself. I asked why some horses have this and others don't. He said they don't know exactly why but maybe it is the acidity of the saliva and genetics. It should be removed as otherwise the horse can get gum infections as a result.
The dentist checked about 20 horses and reported whether they needed doing and if not how many months before they were likely to need to be done. Willy explained that regular check ups are very important. He has his horses checked every 6 months or according to the recommendations of the dentist. The dentist told me Eric would not need to be seen for 2 years but that I must remove the tartar myself.
My first hack
Wednesday 10 February
I spent the first part of this morning shopping and writing. The days are pretty full on with Willy. He starts work at 8am in the morning and doesn't finish until 7pm in the evening and that is 7 days a week! Not bad for a 70 year old! Here he is with me on a grey mare in the background....
The weather was sunny so Willy said he and I would go out for a hack.....me on Eric and he on the grey mare I had ridden the previous day. It was the first time the mare had been out for a hack in her years on this earth. We passed through a farm with pigs everywhere including lots of piglets running around on the track. We waded through a stream and we had two full on gallops (not a fast canter, a proper gallop!) It was the first time I had galloped Eric like that out on a track....but I had little choice as Willy made the decisions on the speed and I just followed.......until we were trotting at a pretty smart pace down the road....then I shouted to Willy to stop...and I told him I didn't trot like that on roads as I wanted to save Eric's legs from concussion. I explained that Eric is getting on now (18 years old) and that he has clean legs and that I wanted them to remain that way! Willy walked on the roads for the rest of the ride.
It is the fastest ride I have ever done! For the most part a very brisk (at times extended) trot with bouts of canter and gallop.
Afterwards Gertrude told me that Willy has found that the problems horses get with their legs are more likely to be as a result of working on soft,deep surfaces rather than hard flat surfaces such as a road. What do you think?
Willy does not want to be the master whose word we all follow. What he wants is that we discuss and share our experiences and learning for the benefit of our horses. There has to be dialogue. I hope that you will contribute your experiences here so that we are all able to benefit. Let's work, learn and share together!
In the afternoon we visited some dutch people who have known Willy since 1982 when he was based in Holland. They shared their experiences of managing a pony with navicular disease. They have followed Willy's feeding and preventative care regime with all their horses and their problems are few and far between as a result.
Willy explained that the problem is that there are too many competing feeding regimes and too many products on the market. It is confusing when it needs to be simple. Willy needed to make it simple as he had 500 horses in Holland to take care of! I asked him how he acquired all those horses and he said he had helped a lot of people to get their mare in foal when they had failed. Many could not afford to pay his fee and instead gave him either the mare or the foal afterwards. Gradually his herd grew in this way. And when you have that many horses you have to find simpler ways of managing them and keeping them in good health.
Willy told me that he first came across the products he prefers at Equitana in Dusseldorf. They are all produced by a german enterprise called "Dr Schaette". Here's what it says on their home page-
That’s why we perceive of animals holistically according to their being; we act upon it accordingly and develop the appropriate feed, care, and veterinary medicines for them.
With selected medicinal plants, traditional herbs, natural minerals, and additional natural raw materials, Dr. Schaette Health Products support and promote the energy, health and well-being of your animals sustainably and naturally. And it’s been like that for 90 years.
And nothing has changed since! We still only offer you nature’s best for your animals for prevention and healing, balanced diet and care."
Willy has tried all their products and regularly uses 5 of them:
(1) Ursonne Horse Premium: Food supplement with herbs, vitamins, trace elements and mineral nutrients;
(2) Wound Ointment;
(3) Wound disinfectant;
(4) Colosan: A tonic to treat gastro-intestinal disorders (Tamtam will be receiving this);
(5) Joint Fluid: To activate circulation, care for and promote health of joints, muscles and tendons.
He told me that he has experimented with the way he uses the products too......not simply following the labels. He has tried to have a dialogue with the company to talk about the products and the uses he has discovered and also to research his discoveries scientifically but they are not interested.
You can buy these products in France directly from Schaette's online shop: http://www.schaette.de/shop/pferde.html. In the UK you can buy these products directly from Samsara Equitation: http://www.samsara-equitation.co.uk/index.php/products. You can also obtain a wealth of advice on how to use these products and keep your horse on tip top form from Stephen and Julie Goodridge, joint owners of Samsara Equitation. Stephen returned to the UK 2 years ago after completing an intensive 3 year, 7 day a week, 12 hours a day apprenticeship with Willy.
Willy is looking for another apprentice now. If you know someone who may be interested in this amazing opportunity do get in touch.
I spent the first part of this morning shopping and writing. The days are pretty full on with Willy. He starts work at 8am in the morning and doesn't finish until 7pm in the evening and that is 7 days a week! Not bad for a 70 year old! Here he is with me on a grey mare in the background....
The weather was sunny so Willy said he and I would go out for a hack.....me on Eric and he on the grey mare I had ridden the previous day. It was the first time the mare had been out for a hack in her years on this earth. We passed through a farm with pigs everywhere including lots of piglets running around on the track. We waded through a stream and we had two full on gallops (not a fast canter, a proper gallop!) It was the first time I had galloped Eric like that out on a track....but I had little choice as Willy made the decisions on the speed and I just followed.......until we were trotting at a pretty smart pace down the road....then I shouted to Willy to stop...and I told him I didn't trot like that on roads as I wanted to save Eric's legs from concussion. I explained that Eric is getting on now (18 years old) and that he has clean legs and that I wanted them to remain that way! Willy walked on the roads for the rest of the ride.
It is the fastest ride I have ever done! For the most part a very brisk (at times extended) trot with bouts of canter and gallop.
Afterwards Gertrude told me that Willy has found that the problems horses get with their legs are more likely to be as a result of working on soft,deep surfaces rather than hard flat surfaces such as a road. What do you think?
Willy does not want to be the master whose word we all follow. What he wants is that we discuss and share our experiences and learning for the benefit of our horses. There has to be dialogue. I hope that you will contribute your experiences here so that we are all able to benefit. Let's work, learn and share together!
In the afternoon we visited some dutch people who have known Willy since 1982 when he was based in Holland. They shared their experiences of managing a pony with navicular disease. They have followed Willy's feeding and preventative care regime with all their horses and their problems are few and far between as a result.
Willy explained that the problem is that there are too many competing feeding regimes and too many products on the market. It is confusing when it needs to be simple. Willy needed to make it simple as he had 500 horses in Holland to take care of! I asked him how he acquired all those horses and he said he had helped a lot of people to get their mare in foal when they had failed. Many could not afford to pay his fee and instead gave him either the mare or the foal afterwards. Gradually his herd grew in this way. And when you have that many horses you have to find simpler ways of managing them and keeping them in good health.
Willy told me that he first came across the products he prefers at Equitana in Dusseldorf. They are all produced by a german enterprise called "Dr Schaette". Here's what it says on their home page-
"It all started in 1919. With a great idea.
We wanted the best that nature had to offer for your animals: Like Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras of Samos, we also believe that animals share with us the privilege of having a soul.That’s why we perceive of animals holistically according to their being; we act upon it accordingly and develop the appropriate feed, care, and veterinary medicines for them.
With selected medicinal plants, traditional herbs, natural minerals, and additional natural raw materials, Dr. Schaette Health Products support and promote the energy, health and well-being of your animals sustainably and naturally. And it’s been like that for 90 years.
And nothing has changed since! We still only offer you nature’s best for your animals for prevention and healing, balanced diet and care."
Willy has tried all their products and regularly uses 5 of them:
(1) Ursonne Horse Premium: Food supplement with herbs, vitamins, trace elements and mineral nutrients;
(2) Wound Ointment;
(3) Wound disinfectant;
(4) Colosan: A tonic to treat gastro-intestinal disorders (Tamtam will be receiving this);
(5) Joint Fluid: To activate circulation, care for and promote health of joints, muscles and tendons.
He told me that he has experimented with the way he uses the products too......not simply following the labels. He has tried to have a dialogue with the company to talk about the products and the uses he has discovered and also to research his discoveries scientifically but they are not interested.
You can buy these products in France directly from Schaette's online shop: http://www.schaette.de/shop/pferde.html. In the UK you can buy these products directly from Samsara Equitation: http://www.samsara-equitation.co.uk/index.php/products. You can also obtain a wealth of advice on how to use these products and keep your horse on tip top form from Stephen and Julie Goodridge, joint owners of Samsara Equitation. Stephen returned to the UK 2 years ago after completing an intensive 3 year, 7 day a week, 12 hours a day apprenticeship with Willy.
Willy is looking for another apprentice now. If you know someone who may be interested in this amazing opportunity do get in touch.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Vet visit
Tuesday 10 February
I arrived at the stables with questions swimming around in my mind this morning. I will definitely look for an opportunity to ask my questions today. And if as this blog develops you have questions of your own, for me or for Willy, then please do not hesitate to ask.
Tamtam and Eric seem really settled this morning. I was pleased to see that Eric had worked out how to use the automatic drinker. Unlike the one he is used to at home, this one has a side button he has to press. I had stupidly wasted time worrying all night that he might not be able to drink! They are both enjoying their food but Tamtam's pooh continues to be soft and with a bad smell.
When I arrived Willy was riding a an 11 year old chestnut mare in the school. She is here for retraining as she had developed a nasty habit of bolting after her fences. The rider had decided to try using stronger and stronger bits and this had just made the mare more frightened and very unhappy in her mouth. The end result was a mare that had become virtually unrideable. Willy has been working the mare in the leather bit to help rebuild her confidence.
It is the first time I have seen Willy ride. He rides sympathetically and it is very clear who is the boss. He has an excellent relaxed position which has come from many years in the saddle training literally thousands of horses.But he is humble enough to take a handful of the mare's mane as he makes downwards transitions to avoid hurting her in the mouth (even with this soft leather bit). There is no quick fix. It will take hours of confidence building for the mare to understand that this rider is not going to hurt her in the mouth.......and it will be a fragile confidence because horse's never forget.
Irrespective of the severity of the bit in the horse's mouth, it is always the rider's hands that are the problem. We cannot have soft hands without a balanced position. The rider to the horse is a like a stationary motorbike to a person trying to move it around. When the bike is in balance over it's two wheels it is light and easy to move. When the bike is leaning to either side it becomes very heavy and difficult to move. It is the same for the horse when we lose our balance and tip to one side or more often forwards or backwards.
I found my opportunity to ask some questions when Willy dismounted. I asked him about the regime for building up to the 100 circuits of the arena in canter the day before. Obviously, I said, it will be different for a young or old horse or one recovering from injury. Willy told me that there are no hard and fast rules. Each horse is an individual. The trainer has to observe the horse and know when to stop. It is always watching for the horse's signals and "feeling". If the horse does not appear "right" in the box it is not the right time to work him. If we work him the problem will undoubtedly get worse.
I also asked about lunge equipment. What are his thoughts on side reins, the chambon, the lunge cavesson etc? He told me that it is not the tool that it is important, it is the way that it is used. And that is down to the trainer. It is important to be very knowledgeable about these tools as using them badly can have very bad consequences for the horse and our relationship with him.
Willy told me that he learnt that when he was young and on the showjumping competition circuit. He noted that his horses were often injured and would get worse and then had to be retired. He thought long and hard about it....asking why....and he told me the answer was always "me"....He said "I was the problem". I have to change what I am doing and find a better way. He has spent the rest of his life doing just that.
We often seek to ignore, mask the symptoms or attempt to use varying degrees of force. These are quick fixes but the problem will only get worse in the long term. To fix the problem we have to find the root cause and fix that.
After the work session Willy thoroughly checked the mare. He explained it is important to notice where the horse has perspired. Perspiration should be symmetric across the horse's body. There should be an amount appropriate to the amount of work the horse has done. It is most worrying if there is no perspiration when he has worked hard. I will try to get some photos to demonstrate what I mean. After work the mare's temperature had soared to 38.9 degrees. He checked again in 30 minutes and it was back to normal. Finally, the mare had her hydromassage and he finished by applying a special cream to the corners of her mouth to keep it supple. And of course he gave the mandatory apple to say "thank you horse".
In the afternoon, Yves van Vaeck, Willy's vet, arrived to examine Tamtam and Eric. Yves is also a horse osteopath. He is belgian and he speaks 5 languages (plus equus!!) He looked at the x rays of Tamtam's pastern and the report the previous owner's vet had given her.
The bony swelling can be clearly seen on the x ray. It can also be clearly seen on Tamtam's leg! Yves thought the cause of the injury was probably a strike from a forehoof when trotting (he suspects Tamtam has trotter in his blood. We don't know as he is ONC - origin unknown - on his papers). The strike caused trauma to the bone and then ossification (ie new bone to grow). The important thing he said to note about the x rays is that the joint is not affected! And that is a very good thing. There is hope for Tamtam!
Yves took samples of blood and dung for analysis. He said we could call with the results later that day (great service!) He felt the horse all over and found many areas of soreness in his body. He said he suspected the horse had digestion problems and problems with his kidneys and liver....but that the analysis would help with this.
The most important thing is the diagnosis. We must look at the whole horse....not just the lump on his right hind. We must ask why and search for the root cause. It may well be something we can not see. It is too easy to see the lump and assume that this is the cause of the lameness.
Yves looked at Tamtam moving in walk and trot on a hard even surface. He asked me what I saw. It was really easy to see that his right hip was moving up and down normally but his left hip didn't move at all. It appeared to be locked. Yves told me that he could unlock that easily as it is his trade as an osteopath but that he preferred not to just now until we had all the other elements of the diagnostic in place. Also it would be a waste of time because the horse has muscle wastage so, if he puts the joint back in place without the muscle there to suppport it, it will just come back.
Yves looked at the recommendations that the previous vet had made. This included:
(1) Remedial shoeing;
(2) Anti-inflammatories;
(3) MSM and plant based products;
(4) a Tildren http://www.tildren.com/en
He said the only thing he agreed with was the remedial shoeing. He explained that (2), (3) and (4) are all options to mask the symptoms rather than to find and treat the root cause. If you use these the symptoms will appear to get better but the problem is still there and the horse is working with it. As a result the symptoms will reappear even with the drug and the answer is usually to increase the dose of the drug. There is a lot of controversy over the use of Tildren. This is an expensive (might I say "designer") drug. Take a look: http://www.doctorramey.com/tildren/
Later that day we received the results of the blood and dung anaylsis. The bloods were on the poor side of well in a fair few categories. Better than we had thought though! More good news for Tamtam. However, the worm burden the poor boy is carrying is huge....the worst being in strongyles and tapeworm.
We concluded that to begin with for Tamtam:
(1) The farrier will come to do his feet according to Yve's instructions:
(2) He will receive a tonic for his liver, kidneys and digestive system;
(3) We will worm him with a broad spectrum wormer for tapeworm - Equest Pramox.
Next Yves examined Eric. He looked at the hind hooves for me as for some time now Eric has been dragging his toes. Yves immediately showed my why this had been happening. His toes are far too long. My farrier has not been correctly balancing his hind feet and for months Eric has been walking on his heels and, because the toes are too long, dragging his toes. Yves explained that there is a simple check we can all do to verify the balance of the foot. If we draw a line down the pastern to the point where it touches the coronary band and the we drop that line directly vertical to the ground we divide the hoof in two parts. Each part should be the same length. That is to say there should be as much hoof behind the line as in front. This was clearly the case on Eric's fore feet.....but drastically not with his hinds! In addition his hinds are unbalanced side to side. The inner part of the hoof wall appears to be longer than the outer part.I will share the before and after photos with you when the farrier comes on Sunday.
OH NO NOT MY ERIC! Was the first thought in my head. How could I have allowed this to happen?! I think there are two reasons. First of all I trusted my farrier. Secondly I noticed it at first and then after a while it became "normal". It was what I was used to! I think it is important for us all to notice changes and act on them before it becomes "normality". Ask someone to look at your horses critically with a pair of fresh eyes. Understand what good foot balance looks like! The simple tool Yves has given me should be widely shared. Share this blog with your friends who have horses....together we can make a difference.
Of course Eric is being reshod with Tamtam here. But what do I do when I return home? Do I look for another farrier? How will my farrier take it if I try to explain to him in french what has happened? What do you think I should do?
Yves also found tight areas in the muscle higher in his hips. He thinks that this is also as a result of the unbalanced hind feet. We will see how this improves once Eric has been reshod.
I asked about another problem I have had with Eric. In winter he coughs. He is very susceptible to dust in hay and I usually have to soak the hay. He is much better with haylage but is is difficult to find horse haylage in France and when you do it is often exorbitantly priced. We will see if this improves at Willy's with the dust free food.
The day finished with us exercising two mares in the arena. First of all they were lose schooled in their tack on the flat and then over fences. Then I rode both horses. One is a dapple grey 8 year old anglo arab mare. The other is a 12 year old chestnut mare. Both owned by the same person. The chestnut has jumped internationally. She sustained an injury to her right hind as she got caught up in a wire fence. The grey mare was a dream to ride. The chestnut more reluctant to go forwards...especially in canter on the left rein. Willy had to encourage her with the lunge whip in the centre. I have a video that I will try to upload for you.
Ok I think that is enough for now! I need to go and see what the master has in store for me today.
I arrived at the stables with questions swimming around in my mind this morning. I will definitely look for an opportunity to ask my questions today. And if as this blog develops you have questions of your own, for me or for Willy, then please do not hesitate to ask.
Tamtam and Eric seem really settled this morning. I was pleased to see that Eric had worked out how to use the automatic drinker. Unlike the one he is used to at home, this one has a side button he has to press. I had stupidly wasted time worrying all night that he might not be able to drink! They are both enjoying their food but Tamtam's pooh continues to be soft and with a bad smell.
When I arrived Willy was riding a an 11 year old chestnut mare in the school. She is here for retraining as she had developed a nasty habit of bolting after her fences. The rider had decided to try using stronger and stronger bits and this had just made the mare more frightened and very unhappy in her mouth. The end result was a mare that had become virtually unrideable. Willy has been working the mare in the leather bit to help rebuild her confidence.
It is the first time I have seen Willy ride. He rides sympathetically and it is very clear who is the boss. He has an excellent relaxed position which has come from many years in the saddle training literally thousands of horses.But he is humble enough to take a handful of the mare's mane as he makes downwards transitions to avoid hurting her in the mouth (even with this soft leather bit). There is no quick fix. It will take hours of confidence building for the mare to understand that this rider is not going to hurt her in the mouth.......and it will be a fragile confidence because horse's never forget.
Irrespective of the severity of the bit in the horse's mouth, it is always the rider's hands that are the problem. We cannot have soft hands without a balanced position. The rider to the horse is a like a stationary motorbike to a person trying to move it around. When the bike is in balance over it's two wheels it is light and easy to move. When the bike is leaning to either side it becomes very heavy and difficult to move. It is the same for the horse when we lose our balance and tip to one side or more often forwards or backwards.
I found my opportunity to ask some questions when Willy dismounted. I asked him about the regime for building up to the 100 circuits of the arena in canter the day before. Obviously, I said, it will be different for a young or old horse or one recovering from injury. Willy told me that there are no hard and fast rules. Each horse is an individual. The trainer has to observe the horse and know when to stop. It is always watching for the horse's signals and "feeling". If the horse does not appear "right" in the box it is not the right time to work him. If we work him the problem will undoubtedly get worse.
I also asked about lunge equipment. What are his thoughts on side reins, the chambon, the lunge cavesson etc? He told me that it is not the tool that it is important, it is the way that it is used. And that is down to the trainer. It is important to be very knowledgeable about these tools as using them badly can have very bad consequences for the horse and our relationship with him.
Willy told me that he learnt that when he was young and on the showjumping competition circuit. He noted that his horses were often injured and would get worse and then had to be retired. He thought long and hard about it....asking why....and he told me the answer was always "me"....He said "I was the problem". I have to change what I am doing and find a better way. He has spent the rest of his life doing just that.
We often seek to ignore, mask the symptoms or attempt to use varying degrees of force. These are quick fixes but the problem will only get worse in the long term. To fix the problem we have to find the root cause and fix that.
After the work session Willy thoroughly checked the mare. He explained it is important to notice where the horse has perspired. Perspiration should be symmetric across the horse's body. There should be an amount appropriate to the amount of work the horse has done. It is most worrying if there is no perspiration when he has worked hard. I will try to get some photos to demonstrate what I mean. After work the mare's temperature had soared to 38.9 degrees. He checked again in 30 minutes and it was back to normal. Finally, the mare had her hydromassage and he finished by applying a special cream to the corners of her mouth to keep it supple. And of course he gave the mandatory apple to say "thank you horse".
In the afternoon, Yves van Vaeck, Willy's vet, arrived to examine Tamtam and Eric. Yves is also a horse osteopath. He is belgian and he speaks 5 languages (plus equus!!) He looked at the x rays of Tamtam's pastern and the report the previous owner's vet had given her.
The bony swelling can be clearly seen on the x ray. It can also be clearly seen on Tamtam's leg! Yves thought the cause of the injury was probably a strike from a forehoof when trotting (he suspects Tamtam has trotter in his blood. We don't know as he is ONC - origin unknown - on his papers). The strike caused trauma to the bone and then ossification (ie new bone to grow). The important thing he said to note about the x rays is that the joint is not affected! And that is a very good thing. There is hope for Tamtam!
Yves took samples of blood and dung for analysis. He said we could call with the results later that day (great service!) He felt the horse all over and found many areas of soreness in his body. He said he suspected the horse had digestion problems and problems with his kidneys and liver....but that the analysis would help with this.
The most important thing is the diagnosis. We must look at the whole horse....not just the lump on his right hind. We must ask why and search for the root cause. It may well be something we can not see. It is too easy to see the lump and assume that this is the cause of the lameness.
Yves looked at Tamtam moving in walk and trot on a hard even surface. He asked me what I saw. It was really easy to see that his right hip was moving up and down normally but his left hip didn't move at all. It appeared to be locked. Yves told me that he could unlock that easily as it is his trade as an osteopath but that he preferred not to just now until we had all the other elements of the diagnostic in place. Also it would be a waste of time because the horse has muscle wastage so, if he puts the joint back in place without the muscle there to suppport it, it will just come back.
Yves looked at the recommendations that the previous vet had made. This included:
(1) Remedial shoeing;
(2) Anti-inflammatories;
(3) MSM and plant based products;
(4) a Tildren http://www.tildren.com/en
He said the only thing he agreed with was the remedial shoeing. He explained that (2), (3) and (4) are all options to mask the symptoms rather than to find and treat the root cause. If you use these the symptoms will appear to get better but the problem is still there and the horse is working with it. As a result the symptoms will reappear even with the drug and the answer is usually to increase the dose of the drug. There is a lot of controversy over the use of Tildren. This is an expensive (might I say "designer") drug. Take a look: http://www.doctorramey.com/tildren/
Later that day we received the results of the blood and dung anaylsis. The bloods were on the poor side of well in a fair few categories. Better than we had thought though! More good news for Tamtam. However, the worm burden the poor boy is carrying is huge....the worst being in strongyles and tapeworm.
We concluded that to begin with for Tamtam:
(1) The farrier will come to do his feet according to Yve's instructions:
(2) He will receive a tonic for his liver, kidneys and digestive system;
(3) We will worm him with a broad spectrum wormer for tapeworm - Equest Pramox.
Next Yves examined Eric. He looked at the hind hooves for me as for some time now Eric has been dragging his toes. Yves immediately showed my why this had been happening. His toes are far too long. My farrier has not been correctly balancing his hind feet and for months Eric has been walking on his heels and, because the toes are too long, dragging his toes. Yves explained that there is a simple check we can all do to verify the balance of the foot. If we draw a line down the pastern to the point where it touches the coronary band and the we drop that line directly vertical to the ground we divide the hoof in two parts. Each part should be the same length. That is to say there should be as much hoof behind the line as in front. This was clearly the case on Eric's fore feet.....but drastically not with his hinds! In addition his hinds are unbalanced side to side. The inner part of the hoof wall appears to be longer than the outer part.I will share the before and after photos with you when the farrier comes on Sunday.
OH NO NOT MY ERIC! Was the first thought in my head. How could I have allowed this to happen?! I think there are two reasons. First of all I trusted my farrier. Secondly I noticed it at first and then after a while it became "normal". It was what I was used to! I think it is important for us all to notice changes and act on them before it becomes "normality". Ask someone to look at your horses critically with a pair of fresh eyes. Understand what good foot balance looks like! The simple tool Yves has given me should be widely shared. Share this blog with your friends who have horses....together we can make a difference.
Of course Eric is being reshod with Tamtam here. But what do I do when I return home? Do I look for another farrier? How will my farrier take it if I try to explain to him in french what has happened? What do you think I should do?
Yves also found tight areas in the muscle higher in his hips. He thinks that this is also as a result of the unbalanced hind feet. We will see how this improves once Eric has been reshod.
I asked about another problem I have had with Eric. In winter he coughs. He is very susceptible to dust in hay and I usually have to soak the hay. He is much better with haylage but is is difficult to find horse haylage in France and when you do it is often exorbitantly priced. We will see if this improves at Willy's with the dust free food.
The day finished with us exercising two mares in the arena. First of all they were lose schooled in their tack on the flat and then over fences. Then I rode both horses. One is a dapple grey 8 year old anglo arab mare. The other is a 12 year old chestnut mare. Both owned by the same person. The chestnut has jumped internationally. She sustained an injury to her right hind as she got caught up in a wire fence. The grey mare was a dream to ride. The chestnut more reluctant to go forwards...especially in canter on the left rein. Willy had to encourage her with the lunge whip in the centre. I have a video that I will try to upload for you.
Ok I think that is enough for now! I need to go and see what the master has in store for me today.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Monday 8 February 2016
Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Today is a very important day in the life of a horse called Tamtam. I want to save his life....but to do that he has to travel....and this is a horse that isn't easy to load. And that is the understatement of the year!
Willy and Geertrude arrived 15 minutes early at 9.45am. The box is a 2 horse box, side loading and the horses travel facing backwards. Willy lined the ramp of the box with the rear exit of the barn complex at the Gammas Stud. Tam Tam has been staying there with his new friend, my other horse, Eric, for the last 2 weeks. I thought Willy would load Eric first but he said no....Tamtam first! And no treats or food to tempt him! I lead him out with some trepidation.Willy walked behind. He hesitated once. Took a good look and then walked deliberately onto the box and turned and faced the correct direction. Wonders will never cease! Or was it that he had listened to what I had told him the day before? That this was his big chance and not to blow it! Anyway first test over. He didn't blow it.
The horses arrived at Willy's ecuries (stables) in Autry Issards at lunchtime and were given some freedom to walk and roll in the indoor school while we had lunch. Over lunch Willy explained the programme over the next few weeks. He explained that it is important to consider every aspect of a horse systematically. Tomorrow the vet will be arriving to take blood and samples of Tamtam's dung for analysis. The day after he will have appointments with the farrier and the dentist. As well as working with Tamtam and Eric we will be watching and learning how the other horses Chez Willy are managed and trained. We will be travelling to Willy's clients in France and Holland to see how they work with Willy and to understand their experiences and learning. It sounds like we are going to be very busy!
After lunch we returned and the horses were lead to their new homes. Two "boxes" in a huge indoor barn. The two boxes are essentially open in that there is a roof but it is high and there are no sides to the boxes. This means they have lots of fresh air and no draughts. The horses are contained via a strong metal gating system. They have automatic drinkers. They are bedded on top quality straw. They are fed a special food mixture that Willy designed himself. He has it made by a local animal feed manufacturer. It looks like chaff but has various cereals and other additives including alfalfa, sugar beet, barley and maize. I will take a photograph of the label and share it with you.Each horse was given a bucketful of this feed. When we returned after an hour working another horse they had not finished eating!
I watched Willy work a young chestnut stallion of 6 years old. He worked him in the large indoor round pen with a sand surface in all three paces. The equipment he used consisted of: A cobra jumping saddle; a simple headstall bridle without a noseband; a leather pelham bit with curb chain (again I will take a photo as it is very interesting); reins; tendon and fetlock boots and last but not least, the pessoa (secured over the saddle). Willy encouraged me (as he always does) to watch the horse and notice his behaviour.....how he communicates with us through his body. The mouth should be calm (quiet) and the tail should be carried and not constantly swished or carried to one side. When the horse does this it is because he has a problem. Willy explained that he looks for a good over track in all 3 paces. And that once the horse is warmed up he expects 50 circuits of the lunging ring (22 metres diameter) in canter on each rein. This is for the horse's pulmonary and cardiac fitness (heart and lungs). It is interesting to note that this equates to just under 7 kilometres in canter alone!!
Before, during and after the session Willy observes the horse. Does he want to work to work today? (Does he come to put his nose in the headcollar when we catch him?) Is he enjoying his work? What can he do to help him? He is watching and listening.....to the horse's breathing....to the beat of his hooves.....to the movement of his ears, his tail and his mouth.
When he had finished work the horse walked to cool down. He was covered in a foamy sweat but he walked well and was calm. Willy told me to watch the walk at the end of the session. Does the horse walk well or is he stiff? If he is stiff after a work session find out why. Willy told me that for a lot of horses the cause is insufficient fuel. Just as a car can't work without fuel neither can muscles. The muscles must be well fed. Willy checked the horse's temperature. He told me the horse's temperature increases with work but should fall back to normal within 30 minutes of finishing work. He then untacked the horse and gave him a shower with warm water using a pressure washer adjusted to massage the muscles. The horse was clearly content and enjoying the rush of endorphin that good exercise creates. Afterwards he covered the horse with a fleece cooler rug and put him back in his box.
WOW! Why aren't we all doing this? My mission is going to be to share everything I learn from my experience here with you all. How to breed, raise and train quality saddle horses....and what to do when things go wrong.....and how when things have gone badly wrong there is still hope......There is hope for Tamtam.
En route this morning I passed "Aire d'Esperance" and after "Aire de Veritie"......in english that translates as "Place of Hope" and "Place of Truth". I am here with hope in my heart and a desire to discover the truth.
Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Today is a very important day in the life of a horse called Tamtam. I want to save his life....but to do that he has to travel....and this is a horse that isn't easy to load. And that is the understatement of the year!
Willy and Geertrude arrived 15 minutes early at 9.45am. The box is a 2 horse box, side loading and the horses travel facing backwards. Willy lined the ramp of the box with the rear exit of the barn complex at the Gammas Stud. Tam Tam has been staying there with his new friend, my other horse, Eric, for the last 2 weeks. I thought Willy would load Eric first but he said no....Tamtam first! And no treats or food to tempt him! I lead him out with some trepidation.Willy walked behind. He hesitated once. Took a good look and then walked deliberately onto the box and turned and faced the correct direction. Wonders will never cease! Or was it that he had listened to what I had told him the day before? That this was his big chance and not to blow it! Anyway first test over. He didn't blow it.
The horses arrived at Willy's ecuries (stables) in Autry Issards at lunchtime and were given some freedom to walk and roll in the indoor school while we had lunch. Over lunch Willy explained the programme over the next few weeks. He explained that it is important to consider every aspect of a horse systematically. Tomorrow the vet will be arriving to take blood and samples of Tamtam's dung for analysis. The day after he will have appointments with the farrier and the dentist. As well as working with Tamtam and Eric we will be watching and learning how the other horses Chez Willy are managed and trained. We will be travelling to Willy's clients in France and Holland to see how they work with Willy and to understand their experiences and learning. It sounds like we are going to be very busy!
After lunch we returned and the horses were lead to their new homes. Two "boxes" in a huge indoor barn. The two boxes are essentially open in that there is a roof but it is high and there are no sides to the boxes. This means they have lots of fresh air and no draughts. The horses are contained via a strong metal gating system. They have automatic drinkers. They are bedded on top quality straw. They are fed a special food mixture that Willy designed himself. He has it made by a local animal feed manufacturer. It looks like chaff but has various cereals and other additives including alfalfa, sugar beet, barley and maize. I will take a photograph of the label and share it with you.Each horse was given a bucketful of this feed. When we returned after an hour working another horse they had not finished eating!
I watched Willy work a young chestnut stallion of 6 years old. He worked him in the large indoor round pen with a sand surface in all three paces. The equipment he used consisted of: A cobra jumping saddle; a simple headstall bridle without a noseband; a leather pelham bit with curb chain (again I will take a photo as it is very interesting); reins; tendon and fetlock boots and last but not least, the pessoa (secured over the saddle). Willy encouraged me (as he always does) to watch the horse and notice his behaviour.....how he communicates with us through his body. The mouth should be calm (quiet) and the tail should be carried and not constantly swished or carried to one side. When the horse does this it is because he has a problem. Willy explained that he looks for a good over track in all 3 paces. And that once the horse is warmed up he expects 50 circuits of the lunging ring (22 metres diameter) in canter on each rein. This is for the horse's pulmonary and cardiac fitness (heart and lungs). It is interesting to note that this equates to just under 7 kilometres in canter alone!!
Before, during and after the session Willy observes the horse. Does he want to work to work today? (Does he come to put his nose in the headcollar when we catch him?) Is he enjoying his work? What can he do to help him? He is watching and listening.....to the horse's breathing....to the beat of his hooves.....to the movement of his ears, his tail and his mouth.
When he had finished work the horse walked to cool down. He was covered in a foamy sweat but he walked well and was calm. Willy told me to watch the walk at the end of the session. Does the horse walk well or is he stiff? If he is stiff after a work session find out why. Willy told me that for a lot of horses the cause is insufficient fuel. Just as a car can't work without fuel neither can muscles. The muscles must be well fed. Willy checked the horse's temperature. He told me the horse's temperature increases with work but should fall back to normal within 30 minutes of finishing work. He then untacked the horse and gave him a shower with warm water using a pressure washer adjusted to massage the muscles. The horse was clearly content and enjoying the rush of endorphin that good exercise creates. Afterwards he covered the horse with a fleece cooler rug and put him back in his box.
WOW! Why aren't we all doing this? My mission is going to be to share everything I learn from my experience here with you all. How to breed, raise and train quality saddle horses....and what to do when things go wrong.....and how when things have gone badly wrong there is still hope......There is hope for Tamtam.
En route this morning I passed "Aire d'Esperance" and after "Aire de Veritie"......in english that translates as "Place of Hope" and "Place of Truth". I am here with hope in my heart and a desire to discover the truth.
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