We All Love Our Horses

Howdy Friends!
We all love our horses. We all love to ride them, be with them, play, work and just be a horse person. Everything we do with, for, and too our horses effects them, mentally and physically. Every time we lead, work and ride our horses we impact their lives, being and bodies. What we do, and how we do it effects our horses’ posture – every time. In almost everything we do riding, effects the horse’s posture in a manner contrary to positive, healthy body carriage.
 

Here I'm demonstrating the "Rock Back" exercise. Standing softly in front of your horse, ask for her to shift her weight back to her hind end (Not a step back). This exercise will be easier after the horse has mastered the other exercises that soften the body and improve posture. This exercise is very important.

Repetitive training, competing, showing, and even trail riding all impact posture, forcing most horses onto their forehand, if we don’t employ techniques to offset the impact. Horses operating on their forehand begin a downward spiral of health. The front end stiffens, flexibility erodes, the top-line begins to drop, and the hind-end degenerates into disengagement. Joints become painful, tendons stretch, and even organ function is hindered. Of course all this damage takes time, at least most of it, but some damage begins very early and is often unnoticed, or misdiagnosed. It is why horses slow down, balk, and even display temperament changes.
 
My strongest passion as a horse advocate is helping equine enthusiasts learn the truth about horse posture, and simple things they can do to ensure their horse enjoys proper, healthy posture, body carriage, and self awareness. My passion is why I travel to do clinics and teach the simple to learn exercises that guarantee horses can maintain proper, healthy posture throughout their lives.
 
Horses can indeed enjoy absolutely correct and healthful posture lifelong, and every horse owner, caregiver and enthusiast can be certain they are helping their horse, just by learning a few simple exercises and techniques that promote it.
 
My “Equine Posture Clinics” will provide every horse enthusiast the tools they need to forever help their horses maintain that healthful posture. At my clinics you’ll master a series of easy to learn exercises for the horse that will not only promote, restore and maintain healthy posture, but will cause your horse to excel in any discipline you love.


To learn how you can help bring my Equine Posture Clinic to your area, email me dutchhenry@hughes.net and please put “clinic” in the subject. Let’s do it for the horses!


Gitty Up, Dutch Henry.

"Rotation in the Saddle—Belly Button Exercise"

Howdy Friends,

Peggy Cummings calls this very important exercise she teaches, “Rotation.” I often call it “Belly Button Exercise.” By any name, I recommend you master it and learn to use it often. It’s good for you, and wonderful for your horse.

The benefits of this simple, easy to master exercise are many. “Rotating” can, and will, help calm your horse, because it will soften you, and also help sit you deeper in the saddle. It will soften your spine, shoulders, neck and legs. Even your feet will become lighter!

When your body is soft and relaxed your horse can relax, soften and lengthen, and she will. You can add to “Rotation” the exercise of “Combing the reins” to greatly help soften and calm a worried, hurried horse.

Sitting soft in the saddle put one finger in your belly button, the thumb of the other hand at your spine, and rotate, just your belly button not your hips, an inch or two to the right, and hold it a second. Then rotate back to the center, hold it a second—then rotate to the left, hold it a second, and back to the center. Now keep rotating right, center, left over and over.

As you rotate remember to breath normally, sit in neutral, and allow your body to respond. 

Feel the softness radiate up and down your core from your feet to head. You will feel your seat grow deeper, your legs lengthen and body soften. You’ll also feel your horse soften.

Begin your practice sitting still, but as soon as you are able, walk your horse on and rotate while walking. As soon as you master the feel of the rotation, you can stop using your hands, simply think of your belly button and rotate.

At first it will be difficult to rotate only your belly button, your mid-section and hips will want to turn along, and that’s okay at first, but concentrate on only aiming your belly button slightly right and left. In time you’ll feel the release and will be able to rotate subtly and your hips will not follow, you’ll only rotate from your waist up.

Remember the movement is slight, only turn an inch or so, then hold and return. Stay soft, sit in neutral and breathe. Allow the rotation to soften you, and your horse. You can practice and do this any time, sitting at your desk, driving, even walking. In time, with practice, you’ll learn to feel your muscles move lightly around your spine, you’ll feel an amazing release. So will your horse.

This exercise is something I do all the time, perhaps a hundred times a day. In addition to being a great thing for your horse, it helps a lot with back and leg pain, I know.

Do the “Belly Button Rotation,” it’ll do you and your horse good!

Gitty Up, Dutch Henry 

P.S. ~ If you not yet had a look at my book, “It’s for the Horses: An advocate’s musings about their needs, gifts, spirit and care,” CLICK HERE ... and to view the trailer CLICK HERE

"My Thoughts on Having One Horse"

Howdy Folks,

Last week Linda Tansek asked if I would share my thoughts of having just a single horse. My reason for wanting to keep only one horse is both health and financially driven. If I could I would have 3 – 5 as we used to. Coffee Clutch followers and Facebook friends know that I do have only one horse, my mare, Kessy. You may not know that before Kessy I had other single horses, my Competitive/Endurance horse, River and the fabulous rescue horse, Honey. All did fine being the only horse here.

Allow me to describe, "here" because I do believe their home environment plays a big part. A barn that allows Kessy to come and go as she pleases, about an acre to roam in among trees. No grass to speak of, but free choice hay in a slow feed hay bag 24/7. No grain, but some fruit and fresh vegetables. She also has her free roaming chickens, 2 cats and 3 dogs. Her barn is 30 feet from the house and her yard is our back yard, she can and will come right up to the back door. Sometimes she'll nicker softly to get my attention.

Kessy's barn allows her to come and go as she pleases. Our chickens do too!

Kessy has been an "only horse" for 34 months, she moved in with us in May 2011. Kessy had never been off the farm where she was born. She was 7 when she moved in with us. They had lots of horses. I believe she made the adjustment to being an only horse right away. So did River and Honey, but as I said, I suppose their "home" here had something to do with it, the free style roaming and pets and chickens, and our back porch. And don't forget I start each day with our Coffee Clutch. And sometimes I write in the barn, but only when it's warm. Now everyone who would like to keep only one horse may not be able to do everything we do here, but I share our set up as "food for thought." Perhaps it might help you to make your own plans.

Kessy is free to roam her wooded acre lot. The dogs cats and chickens roam with her.

Also I do a fair amount with Kessy, the release and relax exercises, we ride 2 or 3 days a week, groom her almost daily and other little things. But there are plenty of days that all I do is feed her, too.

Kessy, Saturday and Dutch working on a story together.

I've been told because of the herd thing horses need other horses to be happy, "they are herd animals" they say. Plenty of folks with one horse have ponies or minis as pasture buddies, or other companion horses. I think that is wonderful, if you want it. I was told a few years back, after River left and I was looking to adopt a horse, I could not adopt with only one horse, I needed at least a companion horse. I did not adopt there ... did that horse I wanted to give a home to find one? I don't know.

I know this is a touchy subject with strong opinions on both sides, but it's my opinion a horse can and will thrive and enjoy life if they are the only horse. Just as is the case with any horse be it your only horse, or part of a herd, how we care for, play with and learn from them are the most important things to that horse.

One final note, Kessy is just fine when we go riding with others, too. No excitement, no separation anxiety, no crowding on the trail. She is confident in herself, trusts me and enjoys herself. I think everyone needs to make this decision for themselves, but I think a single horse well cared for is perfectly wonderful. I also have several friends who have only one horse and are doing splendidly. I do think diet, exercise and no confinement to a stall is very important, but then I think that is very important for all horses.

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry

How much Therapy does a Therapy Horse (or any horse) need

Howdy Folks,

How fast does a horse get out of shape? How much Therapy does a Therapy Horse (or any horse) need? Does anyone really know? Is every horse and situation different? … Yesterday I spent the morning at Sprouse's Corner Farm doing Therapy for Therapy Horses exercises as I've been doing most Monday's this year. You may remember when I wrote about Donnie & Petey before and their progress with the exercises.

There are several other Therapy Horses at Sprouse's corner and most recently I've been working them. Donnie and Petey had progressed to the point with improved attitude and softer stride that LaRue, the owner, had wanted to work on a few other horses, including a recent rescue. And along the way I missed a few weeks, so it has been about 7 weeks since I've worked with Donnie and Petey.

When I speak of improved attitude, both Donnie and Petey are very polite, excellent lesson horses. Petey is only 3 and his work load is light, perhaps a lesson a week, we were doing therapy for him because when LaRue rescued him he was a physical and mental wreck, a sad story. In Donnie's case he is her best Lesson and Therapy horse averaging 3 to 5 lessons a day, 3 or 4 days a week.

Donnie had responded so well to the Therapy for Therapy Horses exercises that LaRue had commented the children could ride without hanging on the reins, which they often do when looking for their own balance. This uncertainty in the rider is often caused by a horse heavy on the forehand who hurries and takes uneven, short strides. About 3 weeks into his own therapy Donnie was even more attentive and floating so smoothly in stride that the children found new confidence and were content to ride on a loose rein.

Petey had learned to stand and walk off his forehand, but he had other issues too. He held himself inverted and had a lot of pain in his sacral area, and was weak in his hind end, and fidgeted and nipped a lot.

Yesterday we were working with a new volunteer, spreading the word of therapy exercises, and LaRue wanted me to see Donnie and Petey again. She was surprised at how they had regressed in the past few weeks. When I started with them yesterday, I was too. Donnie was tight all over, especially in his neck and shoulders, on the forehand and had trouble focusing. Petey, even though he is on very light duty, was sore in his sacral, on his forehand, lost awareness in his hind end, did not want to focus and was nipping  again.

So it only took a little over a month to see these changes go backward. The good news is by the end of today's session they were both well on their way back to healthy, happy minds and bodies. So while it would seem horses may lose their posture and condition quickly, after the horse is familiar with the Therapy exercises they can recover quickly, too.

How much Therapy do they need? There are a few simple things such as Belly/Back lift and Rock Back and TTOUCH along their back that I think you can and should do daily, certainly every time you tack up, and the others after you've made progress, every week or two seems to be enough.  That's what I do with Kessy.

Have a perfect day!

And Gitty Up ~ Dutch