tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74095748103634841752024-02-19T01:20:48.081-05:00Listen to the HorseSteuart Pittman writes about training horses, training people, Dodon Farm, the Retired Racehorse Training Project, and life with horses. His solution to most problems is simply, "Listen to the horse."Steuart Pittman Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14180590567616866269noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409574810363484175.post-26670091550861719242013-10-30T15:10:00.000-04:002013-11-30T09:15:02.127-05:00My Visit to GoldMark Farm<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3rBCiU4uS-xfmL8IGY01uKCdMwm7cKiNfgmPsfhppgRUozV3jVWA-xOCamZFufWWlhozvT1aq7CT9h-GAVC5GeilFu9D6A-LJnGFDsPBn7WuoK2XEovuri2O-rXxZfc6Y8Db6Kq7MW0/s1600/MakeoverButtonLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3rBCiU4uS-xfmL8IGY01uKCdMwm7cKiNfgmPsfhppgRUozV3jVWA-xOCamZFufWWlhozvT1aq7CT9h-GAVC5GeilFu9D6A-LJnGFDsPBn7WuoK2XEovuri2O-rXxZfc6Y8Db6Kq7MW0/s320/MakeoverButtonLarge.jpg" width="320"></a>Life has been way too busy for blogging since my last
installment seventeen months ago. The <a href="http://retiredracehorsetraining.org/" target="_blank">Retired Racehorse Training Project</a> has become
to me like a growing child. My wife, my kids, and the farm are no less
important, but all have sacrificed for this new kid on the block. So has this
blog.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium at PImlico
on the first weekend of October was a smashing success. Eight hundred people,
51 horses, 40 vendors, 38 sponsors, and tens of thousands of followers online
were moved. RRTP is planning for 2014 and the opportunities are exciting. Is it
all worth it? Is this the direction my life should be going?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Good ideas seem to attract good people. We met at Pimlico on
the Monday after the Makeover with some of our board members and a handful of
newcomers who each have major talents that fit into our vision. One of those
people is Claire DeCamp. She had recently orchestrated a very successful
introduction of RRTP to Penny Chenery and the Secretariat Foundation, and her
new idea involved a man named Paul Bulmahn and his 2,600 acre GoldMark Farm in
Ocala, Florida.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Claire had already talked to Paul about RRTP in the context
of his plan to do a fundraiser at his farm<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgTLE6MMpwSqgGfDvgwIMvPvZ-19a0zSldLPWa6JGKZm3FLCQDBTzKdEhodvgfQdKoiM3yx9RpQ8ptmCwNAnZzLB7M_zJ3vo89q628CiFERmTp6zNv8qVUWeZwB7vGg2G44g_tqpgxz0/s1600/GoldmarkPaul.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgTLE6MMpwSqgGfDvgwIMvPvZ-19a0zSldLPWa6JGKZm3FLCQDBTzKdEhodvgfQdKoiM3yx9RpQ8ptmCwNAnZzLB7M_zJ3vo89q628CiFERmTp6zNv8qVUWeZwB7vGg2G44g_tqpgxz0/s320/GoldmarkPaul.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cara, Claire, Paul, Kelly, Kim, Aimee</td></tr>
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with the organizers of Ferdinand’s
Ball, which benefits Old Friends (a fantastic organization that merits a blog
of its own). Claire suggested that I fly to Ocala to meet with Paul and the
Ferdinand’s Ball people, and that the event could involve and support both
organizations.<br>
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Well, RRTP came out of the Makeover with no more money than
it began with, and none of our 2014 plans can happen without funding, so I
bought a plane ticket to Ocala. Planning high-end gala fundraisers is not
really my thing, nor is pretending to be comfortable in really fancy places. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I read everything I could find online about the farm and
about Mr. Bulmahn. The farm did seem to be an actual Thoroughbred training
center as opposed to just a display of wealth, and while Mr. Bulmahn clearly
made his fortune as a Texas oilman there were hints of humanity in the things I
read that didn’t fit the stereotype. I was curious.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At the airport in Orlando I met Claire and her lovely
teenage daughter Cara, who, as the result of a stroke, goes everywhere with her
mom. The 90 minute drive gave us plenty time for briefing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Getting in the gates of GoldMark took a little doing. We
started at what looked like the main gate but turned out to be a side entrance.
Claire reached her friend Kelly Moore who lives nearby and would later join us for
our adventure and will eventually soon be a key player in organizing our event.
Kelly redirected us to the front gate where some guys in a Gator managed to
push the magic button and in we drove through a wooded area, past some pristine
pastures and up to a fountain beyond which stood what appeared to be the house.
Claire wasn’t sure at first because the new mare and foal barn off to the left
looked about like the house and neither one looked much like a house or a barn
to me. They just looked impressive, in a Spanish, Mediterranean, Florida kind
of way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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The house was definitely a house, however, and Paul met us
at the door. He looked like his pictures: plain and a little nerdy if you
didn’t know who he was. He spoke and moved like a perfectionist. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Aimee Boyle Wulfeck and Kim Boyle from Ferdinand’s Ball were
there already and we all sat down in the living room for a glass of water. Aimee
and Kim are sisters. They are young, beautiful, and very smart. They are not
“horse people” but are “animal lovers” who grew up in Kentucky and love horse
racing. They are much more polite and charming then I am.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I couldn’t decide how I felt. Part of me wanted to just get
out of the house and go see some horses. On the other hand the entryway with
the waterfall and the elephant sculptures and the view of the pool and the huge
pastures beyond was not a bad place to be hanging out. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After an appropriate amount of time chatting we piled into
the three-seated golf cart with the GoldMark<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>logo on the side and began our
tour of the farm. We saw the weanlings, the Texas Longhorns, the offices with
the custom made wooden staircase spiraling around the glass multilayered trophy
case, the 75-seat theater, the conference room with the table that came from a
monastery, the upstairs deck from which all the farm can be viewed, the barns, the
stall mattresses, Derby and Preakness contender Mylute, the cold saltwater spa,
the equine vibration plates, the SafeTrack footing that is everywhere that the
horses go, the toe ring, the arena, the round pens, the ¾ mile training track,
the two-story trackside viewing structure with two bedrooms, garage, and a full
kitchen and bar, and finally the most impressive feature of all, the world’s
first fully enclosed manure-to-energy plant that puts as much electricity into
the grid as the farm uses with no runoff and no fumes. Paul is an avid
environmentalist and a passionate inventor. We ran out of light so saved the mare and foal barn with its upstairs four bedroom apartment and laboratory for the second day.</div>
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Throughout all of this, the conversation was about the farm,
but the message to me was about Paul. In describing the way his horse Cross
Traffic went down in the gate at the start of the $1 million Jockey Club Gold
Cup this summer due to track surface issues he simply stated that he would
rather it happen to him than somebody else. When asked why he built the theater,
he said that it holds all of his 55 employees and that they take English
classes there. Most of his staff are from Mexico, but unlike other seasonal
training centers he keeps them employed year round. The only thing close to
resentment he expressed all afternoon about anything was when he described how
badly the local police treated his employee who was driving without his
license. I got the impression that everything he did with his money was to give
pleasure to people and to horses, and is all part of an effort to make the
world a better place.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmDyipWhvImrtQ4V8EzdUa21OVpirsI-jyRSECLochyphenhyphen8WtqhipLgdUdm2T8u7tfJ58bqoLouC-ijv3M8_kMeZWuSu1yFbtjfdd9jVscQRcwFCWRTsu8W_rFSnlW_zIrMz1B2WWdu6zTc/s1600/GoldMarkbarns.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmDyipWhvImrtQ4V8EzdUa21OVpirsI-jyRSECLochyphenhyphen8WtqhipLgdUdm2T8u7tfJ58bqoLouC-ijv3M8_kMeZWuSu1yFbtjfdd9jVscQRcwFCWRTsu8W_rFSnlW_zIrMz1B2WWdu6zTc/s320/GoldMarkbarns.JPEG" style="cursor: move;" width="320"></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
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I was the lucky one to stay in the house that night. Aimee
and Kim were in the rooms by the track and Claire was at her friend Kelly’s. Paul
and I stopped in to the house before heading out to dinner and I checked my
email. Glenye Oakford had sent me the first draft of her video about the
Makeover. It was good, really good. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I hadn’t had any time to talk to Paul about RRTP and I was
worried that getting his attention long enough to really tell the story of what
we do would be difficult. After watching Glenye’s video I closed my laptop and
carried it out to the kitchen where Paul was cleaning up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I just got a short video emailed to me that
shows what we did at Pimlico. Would you like to see it?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Of course he said yes, but he really meant it. He really did
want to see what this Thoroughbred Makeover we had referred to was all
about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember Paul’s experience with
horses was all fairly recent other than playing with the neighbor’s draft
horses as a child. His passion for the animals is pure and heartfelt, and I
knew that if he saw the depth and breadth of what a Thoroughbred can do he
would be inspired. Well, I wasn’t disappointed. The color of his skin changed
before my eyes and I could almost see his hair standing up as the video reached
it’s crescendo. He got it. He loved it. He wanted more. I added a little
explanation of the idea of increasing market demand for the horses and how
their value goes up giving people an incentive to retire them sound. “This is
what I want to do,” he exclaimed! I wished we had another hour to scheme together.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We then met the ladies at the local country club for dinner.
Paul started the evening talking about the video and as we headed for our cars
he invited them back to his house to watch it. I felt like I had made a new
friend. I think he felt that way too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next morning we met at seven to watch horses train.
There were eight sets going with I believe <o:p></o:p></div>
eight horses in each set. The first
two thirds were yearlings averaging eighteen to twenty months old. We missed
the first sets. They were in the round pens being driven in long lines and
experiencing their first rides. We watched three sets in the 100’ x 175’ arena
and then one on the track.<br>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNWSJgVAmrDqP7fUsKjXGzo4RzzbSulNOO2KEKT9vzu9G_YRQ8gsq2mlyn8we89mBMJUEthPNnmLJVv61n0ozXKzEDB6YY6N7iJ9uW4OgHTdTfgCSZVwxLsowP5s12UrCXFlsqwmzpuU/s1600/GoldMarkyearlings.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNWSJgVAmrDqP7fUsKjXGzo4RzzbSulNOO2KEKT9vzu9G_YRQ8gsq2mlyn8we89mBMJUEthPNnmLJVv61n0ozXKzEDB6YY6N7iJ9uW4OgHTdTfgCSZVwxLsowP5s12UrCXFlsqwmzpuU/s320/GoldMarkyearlings.JPEG" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Todd Quast watching yearlings enter the arena</td></tr>
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The farm manager and head trainer is Todd Quast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found myself drawn to him like a magnet. Like
most great horse trainers he had an easy going way about him, no need to
impress, and loved talking about horses. He rattled off pedigrees, owner names,
sale prices, and insights about conformation, movement, and attitude of each
horse with special attention to the horses owned by GoldMark. Todd designed the
farm with Paul. He said it was the third training center he had built and trained
out of and hoped that it would be his last. His sister runs an eventing barn in
Louisiana and he himself started out riding bulls when he wasn’t galloping on
the track. Todd spent most of the morning on a big black horse in a western
saddle supervising the riders. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The whole operation was very efficient and quiet, as all
good training must be. The grooms would appear with a set of horses and walk
them around the SafeTrack path between the barns as Todd and his Irish
assistant trainer Karl Keegan checked all the legs and tack. Riders were each
legged up and led into the arena by grooms. Todd and Karl stood in the center on their ponies ready to help if needed. After a couple of rounds at the walk, Todd asked each rider if their mounts felt ok, and
when he got all yesses said quietly, “Let them go.” All eight grooms unclipped
the horses at once and quietly left the arena to get the next set ready. Todd
would tell them when to trot, when to canter, when to change direction, who should
stay toward the middle and go slower, but mostly the riders knew exactly what
to do. It was all about going forward and straight. They rode long and had feet
out in front, but every one of them had a great seat, good hands, and knew how
to stay in the middle of a horse. <o:p></o:p></div>
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These were quality Thoroughbreds. We saw some big movers and
almost all were beautifully balanced at an age when horses are at their
gawkiest. One in particular moved and looked less classy than the others and I
asked Todd his opinion. He says he withholds judgement at the beginning because
they change so fast and he’s been wrong too often. He did not, however, hold
back an opinion on the ones he really liked. At one point he looked around in
awe and said there was $10 million worth of yearlings in the arena. Their sires
were a Who’s Who of North American racing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Of all the horses we saw, only one was identified as
difficult by Todd. We might never have noticed except that Karl ponied him
throughout the session. He had one minor blow up just before his rider mounted
and one early on in the ring when the horses trotted forward. “If we let him go
he stops and rears,” says Todd. “We had another like that who spent most of the
winter with the pony and then it finally clicked for him.” The quality of the
work these yearlings were doing just a few weeks into their training amazed me.
They went forward, forward, forward just like the Europeans insist with their
young sport horses. While cantering around the arena the riders ask for and get
flying changes when they are on the wrong lead. The horses learned as much from
each other as from their riders and there was just very little of the bumper
car scenario you would expect from eight yearlings trotting and cantering
around a riding arena. “We expect them to be good and they are,” said Todd. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The last set we saw was the first heading out to the track.
They varied in age from two upward. Some <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCWmmyuWvmsjPhoyNxriyWFEzhfmFOpO5LX3AYaVTgIlIffzkf2ATJR1_G0kC8UID0YZn8hagmyio6XyznXr21FadVccxY_XDn2D1Spu0W8cBebA4wAYq_hJBdUe_Bsof19hrqzV8gVE/s1600/Goldmarktrack.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCWmmyuWvmsjPhoyNxriyWFEzhfmFOpO5LX3AYaVTgIlIffzkf2ATJR1_G0kC8UID0YZn8hagmyio6XyznXr21FadVccxY_XDn2D1Spu0W8cBebA4wAYq_hJBdUe_Bsof19hrqzV8gVE/s320/Goldmarktrack.JPEG" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
were coming back from layup and others
had not yet raced. Todd dismounted from his coffee-drinking steed and carefully
checked each horse before the riders mounted. He gave each their instructions.
It was a foreign language to me. Twelve and three where? Huh? “They understood
all that?” I asked Todd on the way to the track. “Oh yeah,” he said. “These
guys can go within a fifth of a second to the poles. This isn’t their first
rodeo.” <br>
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These riders were good. The same guys riding yearlings with
their legs out in front of them were now riding short and as still over the
middle of their horses as a jockey should be. Some worked in pairs and others
alone. The track surface did seem just right. Not too deep, not too firm. Only
one rider let his filly go too fast. “He tends to go a little fast and she does
too,” said Todd. “Let’s put him on one of the slow ones next time,” said Carl.
“Not a bad idea,” said Todd.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One beautiful filly really caught my eye the way she
cantered effortlessly past us on her way to the pole where her work began. She
let herself get beat by a half-length in her work and Todd shook his head.
“She’s got all the talent in the world but when she gets in the heat of the
battle she backs off. We’ll work on that.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Paul was as fascinated as I was by all that was going on,
but did not badger his trainer with questions. Instead he waited for Todd to
tell him what he should know, and Todd delivered. The respect and admiration
that these two guys felt for each other was clear to see. Paul’s respect for
the rest of his staff was also obvious not only from what he said about them
but also in how he addressed them. Most he greeted by name but at one point he
turned to me and said, “One of the things that I don’t like about being here so
infrequently is that I don’t get to know the staff as well as I would like. I
should know all of them by name and I don’t.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was not thrilled about going back to the house to plan the
event when there were sets of horses still to work, but time was getting away from us and I had to leave by 1pm to catch my flight home. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Claire, Cara, Kelly, Aimee, Kim, Paul, and I
gathered in the conference room, but only after spending an appropriate amount
of time worshipping the Secretariat wall in his office.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pool with Mare and Foal Barn in background. <br>Demos poolside during the party? Maybe. </td></tr>
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I was glad to have spent time getting to know GoldMark and
Paul before sitting down to plan the event. All of us understood by the time we
convened that something more than a party would need to take place. Paul’s
passion for horses, RRTP’s mission of increasing demand for Thoroughbreds off
the track, and Old Friends’ work bringing racing to the public in the form of
retired champions are best served by an event that reaches into the local
community. <b>Thoroughbreds For All at GoldMark Farm </b>to benefit Old Friends and
Retired Racehorse Training Project will feature an affordable ticketed event
showcasing what goes on at the farm as well as how Thoroughbreds move into
second careers. An evening VIP reception at the house will raise money. The date in February will be announced soon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sitting at a conference table with Paul Bulmahn at the head
was almost as moving as touring the farm. I found myself imagining what it
would be like to be him, making hundred million dollar decisions affecting
thousands of people’s livelihoods. I felt the wave of sorrow come over the
table when he asked that we not hold the event on the day that he lost his wife
in 2006. I kept thinking about the story I read of him buying Volvos for his
employees, and then the tragedy of how the drilling moratorium after the BP oil
spill came just as his company was about to start production on a huge project
in the Gulf, leaving it no way to pay back the development costs and putting it
into bankruptcy. Then there is his new venture bringing to market technology
that detects corrosion in oil pipes with ultrasound, and his manure to energy
system, and GoldMark Farm. How does he handle the pressure, and how does he
find space in his heart to want to do this event? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Paul mentioned God a number of times while I was there. We
held hands and he said grace at dinner. He speculated that things happen for a
reason and said that we all have a reason to be here. He said it was his
obligation to use whatever talents he was given and to use them well. I was
moved.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I drove away from GoldMark Farm knowing where I am going and
knowing why I am going there. Thank you Paul.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>Link To <a href="http://www.goldmarkfarm.com/" target="_blank">GoldMark Farm</a></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>Link to <a href="http://viewer.epaperflip.com/Viewer.aspx?docid=0adf71ec-3f1c-44ab-8234-a26200bf13da#?page=0" target="_blank">Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium Final Report</a></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Steuart Pittman Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14180590567616866269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409574810363484175.post-33893937866934461062012-05-01T21:23:00.001-04:002012-05-01T21:23:20.729-04:00New York Times and Horse RacingThe New York Times published yesterday the second in its series on equine deaths in horse racing. If you have the stomach to read it <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/30/us/casino-cash-fuels-use-of-injured-horses-at-racetracks.html?_r=2" target="_blank">click here</a>. The first article focused primarily on statistics. Yesterday's piece looked at causes.<br />
<br />
I am a professional horse trainer, but the closest I get to racing is starting horses before they race and training them for careers after they race. My time on the backstretch is spent looking at horses who are retiring and in need of new jobs.<br />
<br />
I approached both of the New York Times pieces defensively. Horse people are like religious zealots. We all worship horses and thereby are bound together as a community. When outsiders criticize us we react in defense. For me, a person who devotes his or her life to the care of these glorious creatures is a brother or a sister whether they groom at the track, own a farm, ride in horse shows, or train. I hesitate to criticize my peers.<br />
<br />
Yesterday's article, however, disarmed me.<br />
<br />
Horses are injured and die on farms every day even when cared for meticulously. Anyone who has been around a breeding farm knows this well, and the causes are as diverse as nature itself. When horses are injured in the work that we ask them to do it breaks our hearts even more. We blame ourselves or whoever was responsible.<br />
<br />
I try to keep in mind, however, that in most cases our horses love their work. This is particularly true of a Thoroughbred that is lucky enough to be a racehorse. Racehorses are pampered more than any other equines, and the "work" that they do is being allowed to gallop in an open space on ground that is designed for their physical comfort in the company of other horses. They love it.<br />
<br />
The New York Times article was not about the devotion of humans to their racehorses and the glorious life that they lead. It was an effort to shock its readers and get a reaction. It described the use of anti-inflamatories as having feed "laced" with painkillers.<br />
<br />
When I was done reading and let myself reflect, I found myself hoping that the powers that be in racing (to the extent that there are any) were listening, and that change would come.<br />
<br />
You bet that track owners should stop looking the other way when horses being barely held together with legal or illegal therapies are used to fill races. Track owners like Penn National Gaming, Inc.complain about the cost of accreditation through the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's (NTRA) Safety and Integrity Alliance. Shame on them. Shame especially on the ones who only own a track because it's a way to get a profitable casino. Maybe we in the horse industry should organize boycotts of their casinos until they get their NTRA accreditation.<br />
<br />
You bet that the claiming game is racing's most insidious force working against horse welfare. Owning a horse is a responsibility. Claiming one because you think it has a few good races left in it and then masking its injuries to get someone else to claim it when you think it won't win anymore is a disgusting form of horse ownership. When somebody buys a horse they are taking responsibility for that horse's future. The quick and easy transfers of ownership through the claiming process turns these horses into a disposable commodity.<br />
<br />
I am a Marylander and have one more year in my service as president of the Maryland Horse Council. I have a naive dream that our Maryland Jockey Club adopts the slogan "Maryland Racing: Where Horses Come First!" Wouldn't it be exciting to test some horse welfare and safety standards that go beyond what any track in America has tried, and then to market racing as a place for horse lovers to gather. Come to the track to learn about Thoroughbred horses. We will show you how they are cared for, how they are trained, what they can do in careers after racing, and what makes them earth's most powerful and graceful domesticated creatures. Bet on a horse and be part of the action.<br />
<br />
I also have a dream that the work of the <a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/" target="_blank">Retired Racehorse Training Project (RRTP)</a> and its friends in the sport horse and racing worlds make owning an ex-racehorse so fashionable and honorable that prices for the sound horses retiring from racing rise to at least the bottom claiming price. When demand for ex-racehorses grows, the incentive to squeeze the last races out of unsuccessful horse is reduced.<br />
<br />
Two time World Champion Bruce Davidson proclaimed at an RRTP event in Kentucky last week that "The Thoroughbred horse has the best temperament of any breed." Let us spread that message throughout the horse world and be there to receive these great animals when they retire from a well managed racing life that provides them with a solid foundation for a second career.Steuart Pittman Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14180590567616866269noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409574810363484175.post-37227280010607750402012-04-05T22:42:00.000-04:002012-04-05T22:42:35.215-04:00From Flight To Dance: Dressage Training With the Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorse<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i> This is an article that I submitted to Dressage Today magazine. As we await word on whether it will be published I thought I would share this draft for comment from readers of this blog.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It has been a while since Hilda Gurney dominated US dressage on her Thoroughbred ex-racehorse Keen and placed 4<sup>th</sup> in the 1976 Olympics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may no longer be possible to rank near the top of world standings on a horse not bred for the sport, but we can still move up the levels on a Thoroughbred ex-racehorse, win some nice ribbons, and have a blast doing it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Americans love Thoroughbreds. They carried our soldiers, they delivered our mail, and their intense desire to win races inspires us every spring as we yearn for a Triple Crown winner. In my thoroughly biased opinion as founder and president of the Retired Racehorse Training Project, I am convinced that their suitability for dressage is underappreciated in today’s marketplace. Ex-racehorses still win the dressage phase at every level of eventing, and if more went to top dressage trainers we might see more at the FEI levels of dressage. I find that horses off the track find comfort and peace in dressage training, and that many are very forgiving of their rider’s mistakes. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you happen to be one of the twenty thousand people to visit the Retired Racehorse Training Project website during our recent Retired Racehorse Trainer Challenge, then you saw on video the process from day one to week five of four recently retired racehorses with three very competent professional trainers. Many were surprised by how quickly these horses learned to shift their balance from that of a leaning racehorse to something closer to a training level dressage horse. Or maybe you were lucky enough to be one of the three thousand to squeeze into the Trainer Challenge finale at the Pennsylvania Horse World Expo on February 25 and saw how the success of all four horses moved judge James Wofford to threaten to pull a trailer up to the arena door and take all four horses home.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Trainer Challenge was a thrill for thousands, but for the average professional three day event trainer, it was nothing new. We know how easy it is to introduce an ex-racehorse to a career that includes basic dressage training. We also know that the process is a little different from what we do with a green-broke youngster of any breed who never ran. Those of us who put ourselves through the United States Eventing Association’s Instructor Certification Program were asked to become fluent in the terminology of the German National Equestrian Federation’s training scale or pyramid. Rhythm, looseness, contact, impulsion, straightness and collection are the words we use in English. Let’s see if this terminology helps to describe our work with ex-racehorses..</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Applying the Training Scale to the Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorse</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I may be stoned at X for blasphemy, but open your mind and pretend for a moment that a happily galloping Thoroughbred and exercise rider demonstrate in some way the first five elements of the training scale. They maintain a lovely <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">rhythm</b>, their <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">looseness</b> is demonstrated by the full range of stride, the rider maintains a consistent <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">contact</b> in the bridle, the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">impulsion</b> is felt in every stride, if not contained in the manner of a sport horse, and while some manage to run crooked, the faster they go the more <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">straightness </b>they show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are moments of great harmony between horse and rider in the mornings at the track. The riders that encourage rhythm, looseness, contact, impulsion, and straightness in their horses are in great demand by good trainers. Their horses stay happier and sounder, and are therefore able to win more races.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No, no, you say. That isn’t dressage at all. I am completely twisting the meaning of those sacred training scale words! Of course I am, but<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am doing it to make a point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the masters stress that the early stages of training are about going forward, forward, forward. They might not have to say it so many times if they were working with ex-racehorses. The willingness to go forward, I believe, is the primary reason why horses off the track take so readily to the beginning stages of correct dressage training.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The feel of a three or four year old horse who raced recently is very different from that of a horse of the same age that is green-broke outside of racing. The sport horse is usually more reluctant to march forward into the bridle, but finds rhythm and looseness in its body more easily as long as no fear is present. The ex-racehorse tends to be eager to go forward at all three gaits, but has difficulty with <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>rhythm and looseness. Of course, there are exceptions on both sides.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is the relationship between rhythm and looseness and contact that we must resolve early with a horse off the track, and they way we do it makes all of the difference.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Balance, Balance, Balance</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For the observer from the ground the progression up the training scale toward the ultimate goal of collection appears to be all about shifting the horse’s balance from its forehand to its hindquarters. When starting with a horse off the track, we have no choice but to address this balance from day one.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Racehorses lean into the bit and not only push from behind at speed but also pull at the ground from the front. We are told by the experts that a galloping horse carries 60% of its weight on its front legs, but that a balanced cantering sport horse carries 60% behind. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We feel this leaning on the forehand with most ex-racehorses as soon as we pick up the reins and ask for a trot. With some horses it becomes even heavier at the canter. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If we refuse to support the horse in the bridle with the reins, we feel the horse rushing forward in a tempo so quick that we are forced to break the rhythm with inconsistent pulling on the reins, which punishes the horse for going forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rhythm and looseness are difficult to achieve on a fit horse who has worked daily at the race track with ten or more pounds of weight in the bridle.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If we are at all sympathetic, we understand that our ex-racehorse is pulling not because it wants to run fast, but simply because it has not yet found the balance that is required to do basic work in a riding arena. We want to correct the balance problem and find the rhythm and looseness, but we sometimes fail to offer the quality of contact that these horses expect, thinking that it is premature. Here is where we can learn from our brothers and sisters at the racetracks.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I will never forget the first session of our 2009 Retired Racehorse Training Symposium. Retired jockey JK Adams rode Monster Chaser fresh from the track in an exercise saddle and racing silks. All 350 jaws in the arena dropped as he walked, trotted, and cantered in balance and rhythm around the indoor arena with the horse in a frame that looked quite appropriate for a competitive training level dressage test. His secret was his balance, his shock absorbers, and his hands.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Exercise riders balance over their feet and allow their ankles, knees, and hips to absorb the movement of the horse while their upper bodies stay still. They lock their joints to slow down and let them move to go forward. They never raise their hands. They place them down on the horse’s neck just in front of the withers and leave them there. That is exactly how Mr. Adams gave us all a riding lesson at our symposium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ex-racehorses will find the balance that we seek if we find perfect balance ourselves and allow them to redefine their relationship to the bit without flailing about with our hands. We seek rhythm and looseness, but we must meet the horse on its own terms to get there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An ex-racehorse needs the bit as it discovers the new balance. We must allow him to use it and not confuse him by moving it. That is why putting the hands down firmly on the neck is so effective. The horse might pull quite hard against the bit for brief moments as it seeks balance, but if the pulling is against its own neck then the rider’s balance never shifts and the solution is much easier for the horse to discover.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But contact, you say, is not only in the bridle. What about the seat and legs? Well yes, even ex-racehorses need some leg, sometimes quite sharply. The leg aids are more difficult to apply tactfully when riding in a half seat, or two point, and impossible to apply in racing stirrups. But we as riders must learn to use our legs independently even when our weight is balanced over our stirrups in a forward seat saddle. Event riders learn this skill to keep our horses balanced and flowing around the modern, very technical cross country courses. We brag about our ability to do “dressage in two point.” Try riding a good working trot correctly on a well-schooled dressage horse without ever letting your bottom touch the saddle. Then throw in some transitions and lateral work. That will test your skills!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dressage saddles put us in a wonderful position to drape our legs around the horse’s barrel and plug our seat into the horse’s back. From there we can snuggle up and dance with our horses. We can play that game with our ex-racehorses, but only when they allow it. If that position causes a loss of rhythm and looseness, then it is too soon…or we need to learn to sit better!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dressage saddles tend not to work well with a horse fresh off the track. Jack up the stirrups and free up those tight racehorse back muscles. Sit when you can, but understand that it might not be right away.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Beyond Rhythm, Looseness, and Contact</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Once a Thoroughbred ex-racehorse is accepting the bit, the leg, and the seat in fundamental ways, and moves in all three gaits with a consistent rhythm and some degree of looseness and swing through its body, we start asking for more. Nothing is different in what we strive for than with any other breed of horse, but the obstacles to success have a common theme. These horses have a flight instinct that works for you and against you every step of the way.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When we ask for more impulsion, we might get an overreaction, leading to a loss of balance and then tension. When we make corrections to achieve straightness, the aids that we use on one side of the horse’s body might easily be interpreted as a threat to escape from. When we ask for collection, the flight instinct might again set off alarms that create a response unlike the one we seek.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I like to think of the tension in a Thoroughbred’s body as it seeks to learn the meaning of our aids as an intense desire to please us. A sensitive Thoroughbred will usually settle and return to the rhythm and looseness that we need as our foundation when it understands our exercise. Thoroughbreds tend to thrive on physical movement, and they are, like all horses, hypnotized by their own rhythms. Repetition of success creates a sense of peace. Little time is spent inspiring the Thoroughbred horse to give more effort. They were bred to try hard.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Frequent circling back in our training to rhythm and looseness is more essential with the Thoroughbred than with most warmbloods. A good trainer on a Thoroughbred will spend lots of time reassuring the horse that all is well. Some will use voice, some will relax the legs, and almost all will soften a rein to invite the horse to stretch its topline as a reminder that we seek looseness in everything we do.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thoroughbreds seem to want to do things well, and respond to balance and tact. They are bred to be brave, to thrive on their work, and to move away from pressure. Add this to the fact that they are earth’s most graceful domesticated creature, and it is no wonder that so many of us call ourselves Thoroughbred lovers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; padding: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Next time you are in the market for the dressage horse of your dreams, go to Sources For Horses at </span><a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">www.retiredracehorsetraining.org</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">. It is organized by state and includes farms, organizations, and racetracks where your next horse can be found for very little money. Then click on our Trainer Directory if you are short on experience. It lists professionals in your state who can help you and your new horse to get where you want to go. If you already own that Thoroughbred, please enter it in our online Bloodline Brag with pedigree, show record, and characteristics so that others will seek out your horse’s relatives.</span></div></div>Steuart Pittman Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14180590567616866269noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409574810363484175.post-64592220250196570382012-02-05T09:48:00.001-05:002012-02-05T10:10:42.984-05:00RRTP Breaks From The Gate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OPPs87deSAhqjSXpQNEiC4aS4KB6F54zTiaP5uSctPgex-nLtVgOKhBO9S1PcL6xZiYbhEi5Owa7At2EeCzMS3-lvLyYUO-B1qoPza_T1PMsHjn7Xnw9DcjzmXJYw238LYkk8JtXZcA/s1600/rrtplogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OPPs87deSAhqjSXpQNEiC4aS4KB6F54zTiaP5uSctPgex-nLtVgOKhBO9S1PcL6xZiYbhEi5Owa7At2EeCzMS3-lvLyYUO-B1qoPza_T1PMsHjn7Xnw9DcjzmXJYw238LYkk8JtXZcA/s400/rrtplogo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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I have neglected this blog, but I have a good excuse. The Retired Racehorse Training Project (RRTP) is my good excuse. It is a very, very good excuse.<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/RetiredRacehorseTrainingProject" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCacD_06j1L-Dcxl42cm5UN0vwlLNfwOmGbyqyNE4kNMQxGm1OwnwoK1rXDvaquDLFWPkWy3wjngjenpo6J7LN7qIbCBhoGUczJK5toJcfxm_SFTfP_rQs9E82hqE9aIGk1K3WNm7J98/s1600/facebooklogo.gif" /></a>RRTP finally launched its <a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/index.php">web site</a> in December. Within a week of the launch we announced the first <a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=59&Itemid=168">Retired Racehorse Trainer Challenge</a> at the Maryland and Pennsylvania Horse World Expos. Then we launched our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/RetiredRacehorseTrainingProject?sk=wall">RRTP Facebook Page</a>, announced the three trainers for the Challenge, and then the horses for the Challenge with their super-popular videos. At the same time we were churning out press releases, promoting the <a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=59&Itemid=168">Bloodline Brag</a>, desperately seeking to line up sponsors, ordering logo wear to sell, figuring out how to do credit card sales, and keeping up with all the databases in the web site: the <a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=122&Itemid=158">Trainer Directory</a>, the <a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=120&Itemid=148">Sources for Horses</a>, the <a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/index.php?option=com_adsmanager&view=list&catid=1&Itemid=294">Free Classifieds</a>, and the <a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/index.php?option=com_adsmanager&view=list&catid=1&Itemid=294">Bloodline Brag</a>.<br />
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Had my wife Erin not quit her job teaching Equine Studies courses at the University of Maryland none of this would have been possible. She has been the computer jockey extraordinaire. Had I not had the best assistant trainer in Michelle Warro, the best barn manager in Emily Siegrist, and the most helpful students and friends in the world, I could not have kept our business at <a href="http://dodonfarm.com/">Dodon Farm</a> running while spending more than half of my time on RRTP work. Has it been worth the effort?<br />
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Consider these numbers. As of today, February 5, not even halfway through the five week <a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=59&Itemid=168">Trainer Challenge</a>, we already have had 23,695 views on our <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/RetiredRacehorse">You Tube channel</a>, have had 16,388 visits to our <a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/">web site</a> from 9,533 people who spent an average of 4 minutes 33seconds there for a total of 67,462 page views. Our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/RetiredRacehorseTrainingProject?sk=wall">Facebook Page</a> has 1,857 followers. Most Facebook pages have a Total Weekly Reach that is close to or less than their number of followers. Our Total Weekly Reach, however, is thirteen times greater than our number of followers at an astounding 24,302. Our followers are forwarding the material on to their networks constantly. All of the great online and print press coverage has helped as well.<br />
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A month from now we will look back at these numbers and laugh. We have yet to open the online voting for your favorite trainer. We have not yet traveled to each of our trainers' farms to interview them about their training techniques, watch them on their Trainer Challenge horses, and watch them on their own experienced horses. That will all be available to watch online for free. And then the live stream of the Trainer Challenge at the <a href="http://www.horseworldexpo.com/PAmain.shtml">Pennsylvania Horse World Expo</a> on February 25 will attract thousands more viewers who will be invited to vote for the winner.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEily9TrFrWo_Y3iZmV5SmzLRK8g2ZtznmHqvjdD-kO1L81ttC5O_i9aVVW3FJsTcAVQkNlH_RvPwClTzxL_xhlhOLGdJq25jdTPqqshBzHFM214Yx2pKTtWC0tNOIa9QmBl7-GHN6696Xs/s1600/trainerchallenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEily9TrFrWo_Y3iZmV5SmzLRK8g2ZtznmHqvjdD-kO1L81ttC5O_i9aVVW3FJsTcAVQkNlH_RvPwClTzxL_xhlhOLGdJq25jdTPqqshBzHFM214Yx2pKTtWC0tNOIa9QmBl7-GHN6696Xs/s400/trainerchallenge.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Trainer Challenge participants, left-right: High Level with Tiffany Catledge, <br />
Brazilian Wedding with Trainer Eric Dierks and owner Pat Dale, Steuart <br />
with Solidify and owner MidAtlantic Horse Rescue President Bev Strauss,<br />
Trainer Kerry Blackmer, Four X The Trouble and owner Robin Coblyn.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Note that all of this is free. We are not selling the education. We are giving it away. The people, however, are not the primary educators. The horses are the real stars. Nothing could convince the general public that Thoroughbred ex-racehorses are magnificent, kind, trainable, ideal candidates for sport and recreation like Solidify, Brazilian Wedding, Four X The Trouble, High Level, and Bodiddle. There is no way that these horses could know that their good behavior will have the effect of increasing demand for their families and friends at the track. They may not know it, but something is making them present themselves as perfect ambassadors for their kind. Maybe it's the skills and commitment of<a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=62&Itemid=311"> Kerry Blackmer</a>, <a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=61&Itemid=312">Tiffany Catledge,</a> and <a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=60&Itemid=313">Eric Dierks</a>. These trainers have a huge responsibility to make the case that is the mission of the RRTP. They are doing a great service.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdhkLfARZru0JTH70YCo3YcSlouQJMOXaEJ4vDBK_Z_EyzdnMEiWrzpN1sasZlyK9nYmC7zWmVckj3fnTR7K_Rrlj6LCNzWAMHUHQgUWTUXCAnTAEGd3qMT9__aSscmWEejfxm2uZsBw/s1600/MHBAlogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdhkLfARZru0JTH70YCo3YcSlouQJMOXaEJ4vDBK_Z_EyzdnMEiWrzpN1sasZlyK9nYmC7zWmVckj3fnTR7K_Rrlj6LCNzWAMHUHQgUWTUXCAnTAEGd3qMT9__aSscmWEejfxm2uZsBw/s1600/MHBAlogo.jpg" /></a></div>Expanding the market for ex-racehorses is a task that never ends. The non-profit placement organizations, the Thoroughbred horse shows, the top riders who prefer ex-racehorses, and the thousands of people who buy, train, and sell horses off the track for profit or for fun are all a part of the picture. Our partners in horse racing understand how important the task is. The <a href="http://marylandthoroughbred.com/">Maryland Horse Breeders Association</a>'s ex-presidents invited me to present our work to their foundation board and immediately awarded us a $5,000 grant. The <a href="http://www.ntra.com/home">National Thoroughbred Racing Association's (NTRA)</a> Aftercare Committee has decided to focus on increasing demand for ex-racehorses in 2012 and will work to strengthen partnerships between racing and sport horse interests. I was honored to accept an invitation to serve on that committee. I grew up idolizing folks in Thoroughbred racing. To me they are still the ultimate horsemen who all of us can learn from.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6BhUhqxCoShsOdi3FT99ZlIfrAcCQ0P2oYbkJ5arOC7NEhypAtsmgV00GXKAlX887cjRu0lEe6cGMSYlF9sUsKtZWZu3c4aUo-BvqIrp6CkMgbZlSyOmppbHiGFK7yjwoEgsi1Selzo/s1600/bodiddle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6BhUhqxCoShsOdi3FT99ZlIfrAcCQ0P2oYbkJ5arOC7NEhypAtsmgV00GXKAlX887cjRu0lEe6cGMSYlF9sUsKtZWZu3c4aUo-BvqIrp6CkMgbZlSyOmppbHiGFK7yjwoEgsi1Selzo/s320/bodiddle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apprentice Trainer, Laury Parramore, with Bodiddle, who<br />
didn't quite make it into the Trainer Challenge, but<br />
who still gets a month of professional training at Dodon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Look for announcements soon about the <a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99&Itemid=164">Apprenticeship Program</a>, the next Trainer Challenge, and Thoroughbreds For All! What's that? You'll see.<br />
<br />
Like most new charitable organizations we are nowhere near meeting the budget that will allow us to move forward with our plans. Everything helps. If you've not yet donated, please <a href="http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=111&Itemid=289">click here and do so</a>. If you know of a company that recognizes the huge marketing potential that association with our work can offer, please give me some names and numbers. We'll talk to anybody who shares our vision and supports our mission. We only have one chance to get this stuff right. Our horses deserve to have their story told.<br />
<br />
We can do more than Listen To The Horse. We can pass the message to the rest of the human race. We need to hear it.Steuart Pittman Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14180590567616866269noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409574810363484175.post-89109236685767792212011-10-30T20:37:00.000-04:002011-10-30T20:37:21.132-04:00Expanding The Market for Ex-Racehorses<link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CSteuart%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CSteuart%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_editdata.mso" rel="Edit-Time-Data"></link><!--[if !mso]> <style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://retiredracehorsetraining.org/documents/ExpandingTheMarket.pdf" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLpRJqEP7OfJM_JU1ll3k4HpBg9dtYK9xnt-4to6DbR7PAHda2hdjasA1urbAHbsDWM_8sbC4J91xHM3Qk7ANrm_IX3e3wXllswRCo3MGrrmXkU6upmIQox55rJ0VCsM4qx9ayWinbUk/s400/NTRATalkCover.jpg" style="background-color: #b6d7a8;" width="311" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"> The easiest way to read this blog entry is to click on the <a href="http://retiredracehorsetraining.org/documents/ExpandingTheMarket.pdf">link to a pdf of the document</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I did not write this for the blog. I wrote it for a seminar at Keeneland hosted by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. I am posting it here because it presents what I think is a compelling case for expanded work in an area that is close to my heart. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Thoroughbred racehorses are the planet's most powerful and elegant domesticated creatures. They made me the person I am today, for better or worse, and they continue to inspire me with their generosity and grace.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I am thrilled to report that the Retired Racehorse Training Project is now a 501(c)3 charitable organization and will have a fantastic new interactive web site up within a week or two. We will be at the <a href="http://www.equineextravaganza.com/index.html">Virginia Equine Extravaganza</a> doing clinics November 4, 5, and 6. Please stop by our booth and ride the equiciser!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><!--Session data--><input id="jsProxy" onclick="jsCall();" type="hidden" /><div id="refHTML"></div>Steuart Pittman Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14180590567616866269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409574810363484175.post-88131072072419297912011-09-05T22:06:00.000-04:002011-09-05T22:06:29.498-04:00Herding to Harmony<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qz9YkScXnmI8hExq6GAy5lZ-cAbNOkhUwFSf1yp6YfjEovdeGKMoW2eBXGtGReaLGHJZqo1KHyKoYsni6QkaM8Fm08YhADKqUnxg6mi-DbZqZUtKrPSWU-jgkQoSuaClPLwCQmLN4Yo/s1600/DSC_0850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qz9YkScXnmI8hExq6GAy5lZ-cAbNOkhUwFSf1yp6YfjEovdeGKMoW2eBXGtGReaLGHJZqo1KHyKoYsni6QkaM8Fm08YhADKqUnxg6mi-DbZqZUtKrPSWU-jgkQoSuaClPLwCQmLN4Yo/s320/DSC_0850.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somebody must be herding them...for the camera</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Sorry about the title. Sounds like another natural horsemanship scam has been born, but if you just read on I'll promise that I will NOT copyright the phrase and I will NOT try to sell you a DVD about it. I will, however, suggest that you subscribe to this blog and that you "like" the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/dodonfarm">Dodon Farm Facebook Page</a>, where we post lots of farm news.<br />
<br />
When I was a kid we always had five or six family horses in a big pasture. My Dad was a lawyer in D.C. and we went to school in town, so our time on the farm with the horses was precious. Dad loved to see the horses run. " Let's chase the horses," he would say.What a thrill for me. I could waive my arms, run a few steps, and be rewarded with ten or twenty seconds of thundering hooves, bucks and squeals. We were herding, and it really was fun.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to the age of sophisticated horsemanship. I will describe three recent situations in which herding of a more refined nature has helped in three stages of training. .<br />
<br />
First let me upgrade the concept of herding to what I like to call establishing boundaries. For me all of what we do on a horse's back can be understood as creating boundaries and moving them closer in or further away. Horses instinctively understand our aids when they are consistent and firm because they are herd animals.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2SXkXuFGqMwEbdsJuxBgbMmOX5qouKllJmNMhGrd1616y5Qwn1bMemmnooAa04jFPEojaCHAUAUWwzq1TYd4j7fewZtxZSs8bNXi5nqsRl5tIyKSFnITjMtzHhtWwOP8Z5PZRTHv6Kvo/s1600/DSC_0837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2SXkXuFGqMwEbdsJuxBgbMmOX5qouKllJmNMhGrd1616y5Qwn1bMemmnooAa04jFPEojaCHAUAUWwzq1TYd4j7fewZtxZSs8bNXi5nqsRl5tIyKSFnITjMtzHhtWwOP8Z5PZRTHv6Kvo/s320/DSC_0837.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">True Class as a foal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>True Class (Kate) is a gorgeous and talented three year old who is taking longer to start under saddle than most. She seems to imagine that something is attacking her when she moves with the saddle on and suddenly feels the need to get away from it. First she scoots forward, but sometimes she drops her head and throws a series of very impressive bucks. She started with a rider in the beginning on a loose rein quite relaxed, but with no boundaries ever in place she was too much to handle when she came undone. We decided that she needed to accept more boundaries before she would be safe enough to ride. We decided that after she dumped our assistant trainer, Michelle Warro, during one of these episodes. That's what we mean by "Listen to the Horse."<br />
<br />
I taught her to long line, and that helped. It got her used to reins rubbing her sides and to me behind her. It also got her somewhat accepting the bit for turns and halts. The bucking problem, however, was still there. There are lots of ways to attach a longe line, and one that I don't usually like is to run it through the inside bit ring, over the poll, and snap it on the outside bit ring. Michelle did just that to Kate after a bucking fit when I wasn't there to supervise. Damn, I thought. That's brilliant. And it worked. Now we longe her that way before riding, and when she dares to drop her head to buck I can pull on the line hard. That pulls the bit directly upward and brings her head back up. It creates the boundary that says you are not allowed to drop your head. It's simple, but why had I never thought of using the longe line this way on the many youngsters who buck while longeing under saddle? Michelle hasn't had the opportunity to ride her buck lately, but we suspect she will at some point. The hope is that Kate will remember when Michelle pulls the reins upward that we've established a boundary. Head between the knees is not a comfy place to be. It's not about punishing her for bucking, which I find does not work. In fact, I don't think punishing horses works at all, because it's not in the moment. This was about creating a consistent boundary with an artificial aid. That does work.<br />
<br />
Amy Parsons trailered in from Warrenton for four lessons over two days on her retired steeplechase horse with whom she has done some low level eventing. I'd never met them, but I wish they lived closer because horse and rider were a delight to work with. Their problem on the flat was common. A good rider, a talented and cooperative horse, and an inconsistent connection in the bridle. The solution was straightforward. Stabilize the hands.<br />
<br />
When I got on, the horse went well. When Amy got on and I made her grab her stirrup leather with her left hand where it was crossed over the pommel (grabbing anything can work), the horse went well. Once the connection was established she was able to remove the hand from it's prop and maintain the feel. It's so simple. Amy had been told, as we all have, that the horse should be soft on the inside rein. Rather than letting the horse accept the rein and soften to it, she softened the rein herself, over and over again. There was no boundary established for the horse, just a lot of movement from the rider's hand that sent no clear message.<br />
<br />
Amy's problem with her horse over fences was that he's sticky. He sometimes stops, but more often sucks back to the point that he's almost jumping from a standstill. The stickiness would also show up on the flat. He didn't really move forward from the rider's leg when asked. We call it a failure to stay "in front of the leg."<br />
<br />
The solution there was also simple, if thought of in terms of boundaries. He must sense that there is something behind him that is quick to respond when he sucks back. Kicking with dull boots repeatedly can be a little like pulling the rein and letting go. The horse will learn to hold his breath and brace his body for the kick, rather than to relax his back and swing forward in long strides. We added spurs to make the leg pressure more acute, and therefore more likely to be felt with less movement by the rider, and we added a crop so that a signal could be delivered from behind that is quick, clear, and very natural to send the horse forward. It was then Amy's job to establish in her mind a minimum pace for jumping, and a commitment to act consistently when her horse backed off from that pace. Simple, obvious, and straightforward. The key is that it is a boundary that the rider is capable of establishing and that the horse is capable of working within. Our steeplechase retiree is certainly capable of jumping at more than 300 meters per minute. I hope to see Amy again soon and find that she has mastered what we practiced and has a new set of issues to confront, or more likely the same issues, but at a new level.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGfJ69H8y2lFa0DS_A-rF5u7sGCjqpeULNDNM4186jja_j9M1qHD4LtYwZ1CFAKwcwIEE3n0OHkIynyx8c1lFP8dVSnkIBYxK6KprmrRoTJG5F_ollmbaWVjf7aKsIRiTIM2AjpccQYk/s1600/12316_412637237386_735537386_5659794_7161934_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGfJ69H8y2lFa0DS_A-rF5u7sGCjqpeULNDNM4186jja_j9M1qHD4LtYwZ1CFAKwcwIEE3n0OHkIynyx8c1lFP8dVSnkIBYxK6KprmrRoTJG5F_ollmbaWVjf7aKsIRiTIM2AjpccQYk/s320/12316_412637237386_735537386_5659794_7161934_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michelle and Billy during brief experiment in double bridle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Now we progress to a higher level of training. Michelle, the same one who gets to ride the broncs, has an Irish Draught /Arabian cross gelding who she calls Billy competing at Preliminary. He is as opinionated as a pony, trots like a cart horse, and until a year ago usually cantered in four beats rather than three. He's a fantastic jumper and a cross country machine, despite a recent temporary fear of trakehners (logs with ditches under them). <br />
<br />
Michelle dreams of making Billy a better mover and competitive in the dressage. Michelle is very ambitious, and has the talent and drive to make her dreams come true. Off and on over the last couple of years I have asked Michelle to use less leg on Billy, especially in his trot work. She tries so hard to create suspension. Billy does need leg to keep him from dropping his back and becoming disengaged behind, but leg for that is a boundary. He is not allowed to collapse and become flat in his topline. Tickling him in the belly with the spur is usually enough to remind him. Thumping calves in the rhythm of his trot, however, is more like noise.<br />
<br />
Lately I have come to the conclusion that Billy really can become competitive in the dressage. Don't get me wrong. He usually scores under 35, but we need him to be under 30. The answer, I believe, is simply making him straighter. Billy wiggles. Parts of his body are way too loose, and keeping his shoulders lined up with his poll and his tail, whether on a straight line or on the arc of a circle, is no easy task. If you do take away the lateral wiggle, his withers start to lift and he starts to feel like he's really doing dressage. He's not lazy. He likes to work. He just hasn't learned to dance.<br />
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I won't try to explain here how all the parts of the rider's body must respond to each lateral drift in each gait. There are books about that, but you won't get it until you've practiced for a few thousand hours. Fortunately, Michelle gets it and is pushing herself to a level of accuracy in her dressage riding that establishes closer boundaries in a way that Billy is starting to accept. Hips and shoulders are over the center of the horse, legs and hands perfectly placed in any given moment, and no acceptance of crookedness in horse or rider. They scored 32.2 for fourth place this weekend at Seneca, and have six weeks to prepare for the first FEI competition of their career at the Kentucky Horse Park. The boundaries will have moved closer by then, Billy's front end will magically lift, and the judges will smile.<br />
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It's always dangerous to adhere too closely to any framework of thinking. It would be easy to forget that establishing boundaries is an art, that boundaries can create resistance, that we must listen to the boundaries that the horse puts in our way, and that we don't always know which boundaries will create the movement that we seek. On the other hand, if we remember that we are simply herding our horses through physical boundaries we take responsibility for what they do in every moment. That should be enough to occupy our minds completely while we ride. If all of us could do that our horses would reward us.<br />
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<div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><!--Session data--><input id="jsProxy" onclick="jsCall();" type="hidden" /><div id="refHTML"></div>Steuart Pittman Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14180590567616866269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409574810363484175.post-82242572296592962832011-05-04T22:32:00.000-04:002011-05-04T22:32:03.394-04:00Horses for Everyone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvjNetUmROkDGPVEnuwFsbpVI4jTo5Ssk5zUmncQN7AXp5gzd6FH8w4kGIOFDs3OoK3SEb47Trj_AUQx6yl6g-cajyPEzb-6dP0b4NWMzvu-jseWbisqSqrpJALd6tSLixbx_BPj4jgw/s1600/mhclogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvjNetUmROkDGPVEnuwFsbpVI4jTo5Ssk5zUmncQN7AXp5gzd6FH8w4kGIOFDs3OoK3SEb47Trj_AUQx6yl6g-cajyPEzb-6dP0b4NWMzvu-jseWbisqSqrpJALd6tSLixbx_BPj4jgw/s1600/mhclogo.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Being president of the Maryland Horse Council has allowed me to listen to horse people outside of my own riding discipline. It has also allowed me to think big thoughts and do big things.<br />
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I became active with the horse council in 2005 when people were mobilizing in support of a state horse park 20 minutes from our farm. We lost that battle when the wrong guy was elected county executive, but it turned out that there were other issues and a lot of opportunities. I couldn't stay away.<br />
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Saving farms from unreasonable zoning and permitting requirements, saving horse racing from greedy track owners, pulling together horse professionals to support each other in business, drawing attention to the crisis of unwanted horses in a bad economy, funding our state's Horse Industry Board so that it can promote what we all do, convincing state legislators to classify what we do on horse farms as agriculture... The list is long and worthy.<br />
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Usually we work on issues that cut across disciplines. Supporting racing has been an exception. We have fought alongside the backstretch workers, trainers, and breeders because horses bred for racing comprise more than a third of the state's horse population, and an even higher percentage of the equine-related economic activity and farmland. Those of us who love Thoroughbreds and idolize the crusty old guys who train them to race just can't stand to see out-of-state track owners making decisions that threaten the whole industry, so we fight back.<br />
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An interesting thing happened when we created our Maryland Horse Council Committee to Support Racing. The group of about forty that began having meetings was an equal mix of folks who make their living in racing, both on the thoroughbred and standardbred sides, and people like me who are from other sectors of the horse world. The racing people were at least as interested in doing things to promote the non-racing industry as we were about supporting racing. The committee evolved into what is now the Horse Industry Marketing Advisory Committee. <br />
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Discussions about bringing people to the tracks kept coming back to The Horse, and what an incredible attraction it is. Why doesn't the Maryland Jockey Club focus more of its marketing on the animals that do the running? The American Horse Council did a survey a few years back suggesting that a majority of Americans want to be involved with horses. That's a lot of people.<br />
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Well, duh. Horses are the most powerful and beautiful domesticated beasts on earth. They represent power, grace, spirit, self-discipline, and just about every other cool attribute we want to label them with. They are what we want to be. Even guys like to be called studs.<br />
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Every once in a while Hollywood turns to the human fascination with horses to make money. Interest in racing peaks only when the media becomes focussed on a star like Secretariat or Zenyatta. People don't go to see the jockeys or to make money at the betting window. They go to be close to the horses and the lifestyle that horses represent. <br />
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Why is it so hard for investors to see this? Why isn't there a network of equestrian theme parks like Disney World, with horses as the attractions rather than a frickin mouse? Is it that horse people are just bad business people?<br />
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I want to sit down some day with some really smart business folks who create entertainment destinations, and create a place where the public can come to experience the mystique of the horse in a big way. Wouldn't it be great if someone bought the Maryland Jockey Club and wanted to make the race tracks into something like that? A theater with nothing but horse movies. An arena for shows and demonstrations. A barn for nothing but tours and education. Riding simulation machines and games. Entertainment every weekend with stuff for the whole family.<br />
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I'm not giving up. In fact, I'm not the only person who thinks this way. I've recently gotten to know a guy named Ross Peddicord. He used to be a trainer at the track, then was the Baltimore Sun's award winning racing reporter, and most recently was publisher of Maryland Life magazine. Just this year he became the director of the Maryland Horse Industry Board. Ross's new job is to figure out ways to promote the state's horse industry. Ross has been co-hosting our marketing meetings recently, and Ross is a genius. He also knows and loves everybody and he believes that the marketing and entertainment potential of the horse has never been fully realized...anywhere.<br />
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Ross thinks that a horse park can be much more than just a place for competitions. He talks about things on the scale of Disneyland. He sees the horse park as a place for the public and tourists to start, and from there spread out across the state to our major competitions, our farms, our lesson barns, our racetracks, and our trail networks. That's a vision that even I, the master of dreamers, hadn't conceived.<br />
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Who knows if Ross's vision of a horse park plus, or my vision of racetracks as equestrian entertainment destinations will come to pass. I do know, however, that we are on to some ideas that inspire people, just like the original horse park plan inspired me, and that if enough of us support each other and keep the fire in our bellies, we will eventually emerge with something way better than what we have now.<br />
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Horses are great role models for humans, and most of us horse folk believe that the world would be a better place if more people were brought up knowing horses.<br />
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So let's get to work promoting The Horse. It's not just about helping an industry. It's about improving our world.<br />
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PS.<br />
When I told my 92 year old dad that I had titled this blog "Listen to the Horse," he smiled knowingly and said, "That can mean a lot of things."<br />
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"Yep," I said. "Remember when I interviewed you on camera and asked if you had any advice to your grandchildren as they sought to understand the big questions that can never be understood?"<br />
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"What did I say?"<br />
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"You said, 'When you are looking for answers, listen to nature.' That's part of what I mean by Listen to the Horse."<br />
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"That's what I meant too," he said. And we both smiled.<br />
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<div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><!--Session data--><input id="jsProxy" onclick="jsCall();" type="hidden" /><div id="refHTML"></div>Steuart Pittman Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14180590567616866269noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409574810363484175.post-38008178780312344432011-04-11T22:51:00.000-04:002011-04-11T22:51:45.533-04:00Eventing The First Time<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOA9xyctuMtHae5EjvENTkFFhnx6NQ5sII4Kxrh07ZXmaQf6KNK_IWVt2_g0AWIvwEokm2lHYABRIJ0OKSwMB0yvGcW_NqY9ZgOy344gAH_tEjdMVvjFHCvbKzz08ppgZe4VPVZtYs75c/s1600/DSC_0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOA9xyctuMtHae5EjvENTkFFhnx6NQ5sII4Kxrh07ZXmaQf6KNK_IWVt2_g0AWIvwEokm2lHYABRIJ0OKSwMB0yvGcW_NqY9ZgOy344gAH_tEjdMVvjFHCvbKzz08ppgZe4VPVZtYs75c/s320/DSC_0036.JPG" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plain Truth warming up for his first dressage test</td></tr>
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Saturday was one of those first times. I got to ride Plain Truth, aka Brownie, in his first event at the Maryland Horse Trials near Frederick. It was an unrecognized event, which means your screw-ups don't go on the horse's official record, and it costs less to enter. It was at Carolyn Macintosh's magnificent Loch Moy Farm, which means that the footing is perfect, the jumps are like art, and the organization is flawless. It also means that everything is pretty much maximum height and to the standard of a recognized event.<br />
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Brownie was my second horse of the day. Perfect Eli went first at the same level, so losing my way was unlikely. <br />
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Brownie has never been one of the easy ones. He is by my stallion, Salute The Truth (Willy), out of a Thoroughbred mare who we leased for a year because her owner was moving and she was a pretty nice mover. Brownie was always pretty plain looking as a foal, not particularly friendly, and brown. We knew he would become gray and I couldn't think of a good name. Plain Brown Truth became Plain Truth, but Brownie stuck at the barn.<br />
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We raise our youngsters like cattle in the far field. They get their feet trimmed and dewormed, but it's always an ordeal because they are wild. Our farrier Angus Whyte would be happy to share some stories.<br />
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Brownie got real big and ugly fast. When we brought him down as a three year old to start him we were very careful. He was close to 17 hands, very nervous, and really powerful. Most of Willy's offspring act like they were ridden in the womb, but Brownie made us treat him with respect. He also made the effort worthwhile.<br />
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No two horses are alike, but I can't help but lump them into types sometimes. Brownie had developed into the type that has a lot of suspension when inspired, a looseness throughout his body that makes his movement feel like slow motion, and a way of reacting to stimulus that has a little agression mixed in with the fear. He's a pure Thoroughbred that looks, feels, and acts a lot like a quality European warmblood. I love the big, athletic, loose and powerful warmbloods, but they are usually the scariest horses to train. Brownie was all of that.<br />
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He never bucked anyone off, but he had a way of tensing up when his environment was unpredictable. He would sometimes lock and stop, sometimes throw a threatening little buck, and generally become angry.<br />
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Michelle Warro, our super tactful and super talented assistant trainer did a lot of his early riding, fell in love with him, and then lost the ride to her boss. I get the big ones, she gets the little ones.<br />
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We got Brownie going in the fall of his three year old year and had an advanced level event rider do a pre-purchase exam on him that winter. The price was $20,000. The vetting went great, except for a small chip that the radiographs showed in his hock. Maybe never an issue, but you never know. I agreed to do the surgery at my expense. The sale was still on track until the hock got infected. In total the ordeal cost $10,000 and left him with a perfectly good hock but a permanent "bog spavin" or pouch of fluid.<br />
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We put Brownie back in work last fall after 8 months off, got him jumping, and took him to some neighbors to school over their jumps a handful of times. Brownie never really stopped at jumps, but the new environments would make him think his world was caving in and it would always take a while to settle. I would hold the neck strap quite firmly.<br />
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When I walked the cross country at Loch Moy Saturday I thought that maybe this was too much. We'd really only schooled cross country twice away from home, and the second time he was so worried about his little girlfriend Truce that we didn't accomplish much. Brownie isn't the kind of horse that responds well to pressure of any kind. I couldn't make him jump if he didn't want to. <br />
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I decided that my big-ass ego would not get in the way. If we only trotted a couple jumps on the third try and then went home, that would be OK. If we only did a bit of time standing around the dressage warmup and then called it quits that would be OK too. No expectations.<br />
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Brownie was Brownie on the way to dressage. He was petrified, but fortunately also a bit curious. I think he really wanted to leave the trailer and go see what all those horses were doing up on that hill. It was just really, really scary. Malinda walked alongside him and led him when he needed the help. It took a while. The show jumping, three dressage arenas, and dressage warm up are all in one huge enclosed arena. There were probably twenty horses in the warm up, plus three doing their tests, and another jumping the colored rails on the other side. <br />
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We sort of scooted in the gate of the warm up arena and then spent five minutes darting this way and that like a pinball. If he just had to stop and snort I let him and then coaxed him forward. When he was going forward I nudged him along even more forward with my calves. My salvation, I knew, would be the incredible trot that he was born with. He can't help but find rhythm in that trot, and that rhythm and full use of his body has a way of captivating his mind and reminding him that it's really all about him. When I finally got that trot we were good. The canter made us even better. I swear he knew he was the best moving horse in that herd and forgot that he was the newcomer. By the time we entered the arena we owned the place.<br />
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Even if you own the warmup arena, being all alone in the 20 x 40 is a different scene. He spooked hard at the scribe's paper shuffling as we took our tour around the arena just to show the judge he was a greenie and get some sympathy. He did his absolute best once we entered. He couldn't do better than he's trained to be, and he really isn't very polished yet in his transitions, but he sure can walk, trot and canter like he belongs there, and he showed that. The judge was generous, the competition was light, and we finished in third with a 35 (that's 65% in dressage numbers).<br />
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Going from the trailer to the jumping warmup was easier than our first trip away. He was only a fraction as tense as in the dressage warmup, but still a bit tight at first. It's amazing, by the way, how much more dangerous a warm up arena with eight Beginner Novice horses is at an unrecognized event than a warm up with twenty upper level horses is at a recognized event. It's just really hard to figure out what direction some of those wild ponies are going!<br />
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Brownie jumped the warmup fences just fine, thank you. We got going forward, almost a gallop, and let him use his body. Jumping 2' 6" doesn't really count as jumping for a horse with Brownie's talent, but I wouldn't have wanted them any bigger. We trotted out of the warmup area to the gate for show jumping like we meant business. At least I wanted Brownie to think he meant business. Poor guy didn't even know what the business was going to be.<br />
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Lucky for me we didn't have to wait long. The gate person, Tom Smith, is a friend from the horse council and after his public pronouncement after my first ride that I'd never win the Medal Maclay he owed me one. I got into the arena before Brownie had time to get distracted.<br />
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Often I trot the first fence on a really green horse and then just kind of let them tell me how they want to proceed. The jumps are enough of a shock, and if they come up too quickly the youngsters don't have time to process what they are going to do and they freeze. Brownie has such a balanced canter that I picked it up right away and let him find that magic rhythm in a nice big loop around to the first fence. That was, of course, after I walked him past the first fence in an obvious effort to cheat legally. The canter felt good so we cantered right down to the first fence, and he stepped over it like it was one of the jumps at home. He jumped the whole course like that, pretty much waiting for me to ask him to shorten or lengthen his stride. They weren't all perfect, but that's because I didn't give him a perfect ride. The dude was ready to be perfect. Next time I'll be ready.<br />
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He did offer a bit of humor to Tom Smith and company at the gate on the last fence. It was a two stride combination, with the second element right in front of the in-gate. The two was riding very tight for most horses, so I made a point of getting close to the first element and jumping in small. I was too successful at that and the two strides suddenly became long, giving Brownie an opening to see the gate. As I was about to ask him to stretch forward in his second stride he veered right toward the gate. I managed to swerve back, add a third stride and get over the fence, but I used my voice at a fairly high volume to get it done. I can't remember what Tom said, but he certainly cut me no slack. That's ok. My horse just grew up. He's two thirds of the way to becoming an event horse. Just getting through the finish flags is enough to make my day.<br />
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Like most events these days, we go straight from show jumping to cross country with just a few minutes to catch our breath, adjust our tack, or jump a couple warm up fences. I slipped into the cross country warm up area on my way and let Brownie feel the spongy wet turf that had soaked up a lot of rain the previous day. We cantered a few circles and jumped the log jump that was set up for schooling. Brownie was a little confused about why we were going in circles at the edge of a huge field, but no real problems.<br />
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Dale Clabaugh was the cross country starter. Seeing people like Dale at events always makes me feel safe and among friends. She used to organize the Menfelt Horse Trials, she's active in the Maryland Horse Council, she sponsors this event in her role as a State Farm agent, and she would do anything for anybody. She introduced me to her college-age daughter as we waited to start. While Dale spoke over the radio I told her daughter that I was part of Dale's Fan Club. Her daughter said she was President of that fan club and gave me the thumbs up. Off we went, smiling of course.<br />
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Again, we picked up a canter and headed toward the roll top that was fence #1. We went for a conservative, close distance, stepped over the jump like it was nothing new, and cantered on. Fence two was a little bigger and more interesting looking with a shine from the rain that was no longer falling. Perfect. He used his body a little more and it was fun. Fence three was a little weird looking. It had stone dust to repair the footing at take off and chopped up mud on the far side. It had that airy hanging log effect, and was at the end of a line of bigger jumps for the higher levels. Brownie actually hesitated here, broke to trot, and then jumped. I like that carefulness. If they never question the jumps at the lower levels, they never learn to think. We want them to get there, ask if it's ok by hesitating a titch, and then go when we answer them with a reassuring squeeze. That little conversation works like a half-halt to shift the balance back and increase power and adjustability for the jump. Horses that are too brave don't check in with us that way, so we have to check in with them. That's harder to do without interfering with the rhythm. It won't be long before this huge subject gets a blog posting of its own...if I ever figure it out myself.<br />
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Brownie did everything right. We trotted the downhill house with the slippery turn after it to the water. He went into the water at a trot and cantered out. He cantered over the ditch with no fear. On we went.<br />
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The coolest part is just being out there. Cross country jumping is so natural for a horse that we don't have much work to do. In dressage and show jumping we as riders have to be on the ball, but on cross country, especially at the lower levels, we spend most of the time just balanced over our feet feeling the incredible beast beneath us doing what he was bred to do, which if he is all or part thoroughbred is to run. A little daydreaming is ok. A little listening to the horse is even better.<br />
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Wow. Brownie just went around his very first cross country course and proved to the world that eventing is the sport for him. He's brave, he's adjustable, he's athletic, and he did it so calmly! I always say that horses only learn when they are relaxed. This horse just learned so damn much in six minutes. He mostly learned that it feels really good to do this. I'm damn lucky to be there for the ride.<br />
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Oh, and don't feel bad for Michelle who did the hard work with him early on. She had an identical experience Saturday with Salute The Truce, our four year old who has been under saddle for only 6 months and placed 2nd in her division at the same level. I didn't steal the ride on that one because she'd look like a pony with me on her. The two of them were magnificent.<br />
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And big, bad Brownie finished his day tied to the trailer with Sam and Andy, my 20 month old twin boys, taking turns on his back. <br />
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PS. If you are wondering where this whole "Listen to The Horse" thing came from, it's part two of our answer to the Natural Horsemen who seem to be in the habit of copyrighting phrases and words for their training materials. First we thought we would copyright the phrase "Learn to Fucking Ride." It's a pretty good answer to people who ask why their horse misbehaves, don't you think? When you've done that, you get to compete. When you are at the competition, the hardest thing to do is to "Listen To The Horse". It may sound a little hokey, but I swear it's the best advice you'll ever get as you enter the arena. In another blog post I will tell you what it means to my father. For that be prepared to go deep.<br />
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So, whatever it means to you, <i>Listen To The Horse</i>.<br />
<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><!--Session data--><input id="jsProxy" onclick="jsCall();" type="hidden" /><div id="refHTML"></div>Steuart Pittman Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14180590567616866269noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409574810363484175.post-36684557688281166132011-04-07T21:20:00.000-04:002011-04-07T21:20:52.513-04:00Annie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOAvft8ikhJIUk9bbWSUzkcRLxyfHT-IJUCzXhelDINVvJZenBvpQgWpqO-SN31sgy4cCf0GD7BE8YldL80V7x64c3tFs9OZsn93mtLdk5zVn0cv2SQroSTeFz4vCvrk8Lfpr2gXi4TE/s1600/Annielonge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOAvft8ikhJIUk9bbWSUzkcRLxyfHT-IJUCzXhelDINVvJZenBvpQgWpqO-SN31sgy4cCf0GD7BE8YldL80V7x64c3tFs9OZsn93mtLdk5zVn0cv2SQroSTeFz4vCvrk8Lfpr2gXi4TE/s320/Annielonge.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Today was only day two on Annie. She's a nice looking bay Thoroughbred mare who I met last month when her owner, Shannon Bristow, brought her to a clinic at Stonewood Farm in Pennsylvania.<br />
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"She just gets really quick and locks against me," was Shannon's initial commentary. After 15 minutes of trying this and that without much progress, I asked if I could ride her. Usually at clinics, I get on and within ten steps or so the horse accepts the bit, and a couple circles later starts to accept the leg, and everyone is really impressed. Then I get off and have at least a chance of getting the rider to produce the same result.<br />
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Annie wasn't playing that game when I met her in PA that day. After about twenty minutes she started to give us a glimpse of where we wanted to go, and Shannon was able to get on and get a glimmer of it, but we were both pretty clear that it wasn't the breakthrough that was going to stick. Shannon asked what I thought I could do with her in a month, and I promised the world...or at least that she'd be doing basic training level dressage respectably and ought to be cantering small fences quietly.<br />
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So, she arrived Friday afternoon. Training horses only get ridden on weekdays unless they are competing, so Monday was day one. I got on in the indoor. Annie jigged. A little tension at first isn't unusual, but most horses will settle at the walk if you ask for nothing. Annie's walk wasn't settling, and there was enough natural impulsion in that walk that I decided to close my fingers on the reins and wait for her to soften to my hand. The idea is that the horse figures out that the bit is establishing a boundary. The horse accepts that boundary and settles within it, like it accepts the walls to a stall or the pressure of a rider's leg. Moving the bit a lot or pulling it hard does not convey the idea of a stable boundary.<br />
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As I walked around the indoor arena on Annie yesterday I stabilized my hands, but felt no need to squeeze my legs because she was already going quite forward and any additional pressure anywhere felt like it would make her explode. It worked to some degree, but slower than on most horses. She ended the session having found the round frame, or at least softened poll (arched neck if you're not a horse person), some of the time. While that was a relief to her, she would still lock against my hand and throw her head up defensively at the slightest distraction. I thought we had made progress, but not as much as I'd hoped.<br />
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Tuesday it was raining hard outside. Horses are never as settled in the indoor arena when it's raining outside. She started out even more tense than yesterday. We walked for 20 minutes. I worked to maintain my position and the consistency of my connection while thinking back on similar mares I had ridden when I was younger. I remembered how much more demanding I was then. I was like my younger students who want so much to get it right, whose bodies get more and more tense as progress slips further and further away. Those thoughts would have made me smile had my arms not been getting sore from the fact that Annie really wasn't softening to the bit.<br />
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Michelle, our assistant trainer, came in on Truce, and then barn manager Emily entered with my next horse, Brownie. Annie became even more oblivious to the guy on her back and just had to check out the new arrivals. Quick, quick, quick. Everything she did was quick. A good quiet rhythm is hypnotic to a horse. Rushing is bad.<br />
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I walked her into the corner. When she figured out that she couldn't go left and couldn't go right, she actually took a deep breath and stood still. Hmmm. That was interesting. I had never before put a horse on time-out like that. It worked just like it does with a child. She had time to settle and reorganize. So did I. We both needed it.<br />
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I used my time in the corner to slow things down and come up with a new plan. I'm always in a hurry to get all the horses ridden. Don't like delays. Annie needed help. Emily, I'm sure, was a bit surprised when I said she could take Brownie back and put him on the cross ties. Annie and I weren't done.<br />
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Things needed to be simpler for Annie. One issue at a time. Accept the bit.<br />
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Side reins are straps connecting the bit to the saddle with a rubber doughnut in them to soften the connection. I dismounted, walked to the wall where we keep but rarely use such paraphernalia, attached the side reins to the saddle at the top of the girth, and connected the longe line. Before attaching the side reins I let Annie walk and trot on a circle around me on the line for about a minute. Longeing was not new to her. I slowly and deliberately attached the side reins to the bit on the longest hole. Some very defensive horses try to fight the restriction of side reins and run backwards or rear. Annie did not. She put pressure on the bit, tested the restriction, but did not fight. <br />
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Watching a horse like Annie in side reins is fascinating. She locks her left jaw more than her right, and prefers to bend her neck to the right. As a rider we know that if we can work through the resistance on the stiff side, wonderful things start happening. The horse discovers that its body moves in a way that it thought was impossible, and the opening of vertebrae in its back and neck feels so good that tight muscles become soft, tension disappears, and everyone smiles.<br />
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Annie walked and then trotted with her head in more or less the correct position, with her nose only slightly in front of her forehead, but from the expression on her face and the shape of the muscles in her neck it was clear that she still was locked in her neck and jaw. I asked her to walk and then halt by stepping slightly to the left as she circled me counter clock-wise. She did so like an expert. I walked slowly toward her and tightened the left draw rein by two holes. Then I showed her at the halt how to bend all the way through her neck in a deeper frame by working the bit with one hand and pressing her neck with the other. She got it. I cooed to her.<br />
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OK. Now lets see what we've got.<br />
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Annie walked forward from a voice command in a circle to the left. I was really into it by this time. I found myself straightening up my own slouchy posture and twisting the kink out of my own neck. I took a little feel of the inside ring of the bit with the longe line that was attached to it. Annie found the spot. She looked good. I asked her to trot. She looked even better. Wow. Nice trot. She's got rhythm, swing, even a little suspension. Her hard eye got soft. Her neck had a shape. All the tension left my body as soon as it left hers.<br />
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I don't normally ride a horse in side reins, especially one who carries a lot of tension, but I really wanted to be sure that before we ended our session Annie got a feel of her new shape with me on her back. I mounted really carefully, a little nervous still that she could react to the side reins in a way that would leave my face black and blue. She walked on just as carefully, but without the tension I had felt earlier. I picked up the reins and connected to something soft and elastic. It was every muscle in her neck unlocked and willing to move wherever my hands led. She was elastic. I rode for about 30 seconds at the walk, dropped the reins and dismounted. I can't wait to ride her tomorrow.<br />
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This wasn't about the side reins. It was about showing Annie just how safe and comfortable life can be inside of the boundaries that we create. Some people don't ask horses to accept the bit or accept leg pressure in the way we do for dressage and eventing. That's OK. Some horses go just fine on a loose rein for certain activities.<br />
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Annie, however, was stuck. Going above the bit for her was a demonstration of dominance, a way to increase her pace at will, a way to avoid bending laterally, and a barrier to the softening of her back. The dressage training scale says contact and submission to the bit comes after relaxation and rhythm. Some horses, particularly those who have raced, won't find relaxation and rhythm without roundness and acceptance of the bit. Annie is an extreme case. <br />
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I don't know what Annie will do tomorrow, or a week from tomorrow. Were I a gambler, I'd bet that tomorrow she'll be as steady as a rock in her new round frame and that I can start work on transitions and acceptance of my leg aids. She just seems to me like a very serious horse who believes that she discovered a way to make being ridden more comfortable, and she won't forget that. But I'm not a gambler, and if I get too invested in the notion that I have had a breakthrough with Annie I'll be frustrated tomorrow when she comes up with new ways to demonstrate her dominant nature.<br />
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My obligation to Annie is that I ride without expectations and continue to listen, continue to feel, and continue to think. Not a bad lesson for me. Thanks Annie.<br />
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I hope tomorrow that again I will <i>Listen to the Horse</i>. <br />
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<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><!--Session data--><input id="jsProxy" onclick="jsCall();" type="hidden" /><div id="refHTML"></div>Steuart Pittman Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14180590567616866269noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7409574810363484175.post-37539612084060140982011-04-05T14:20:00.000-04:002011-04-05T14:20:45.993-04:00Steuart Pittman's New Blog<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgktH-Q_m5evNiwctd0iFlHe7MEpXHbPHI6k7kEaeoJnXHnQYKq1C9hJF1m6x7DjRNa0HUSq2sRpjy0ilIzvUACEyVx2-YwJfSe6ScvrBun3hpi5T6Ax55EHk7Y7wlIgwy2HF4Mw_JqY/s1600/Radnorcorner.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgktH-Q_m5evNiwctd0iFlHe7MEpXHbPHI6k7kEaeoJnXHnQYKq1C9hJF1m6x7DjRNa0HUSq2sRpjy0ilIzvUACEyVx2-YwJfSe6ScvrBun3hpi5T6Ax55EHk7Y7wlIgwy2HF4Mw_JqY/s320/Radnorcorner.jpg" /></a><br />
Steuart and Salute The Truth <br />
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Welcome to <i>Listen to the Horse</i>. Future posts will have a subject and a theme. This, however, is just a bit of a ramble on what to expect if you choose to subscribe. Consider it a warning about who I am and what I am likely to say.<br />
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Training horses is most of what I do, and most of what this blog will be about. We do it for clients by the month on our farm, and we train the ones we own that are for sale. To my simple mind, training is about learning to ride well, knowing what you want to achieve, and then listening to the horse. The horse tells you what you need to know to figure out your road map to get where you're going. It's pretty simple, except that the horse is changing every second, so to be any good at it you have to pay attention. <br />
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I also get paid to teach people to ride their own horses well. I charge more for that because it's harder work. Some of my teaching is private lessons with regular students here on the farm, and some is at clinics elsewhere. It's a nice mix. Regular students test my creativity and force me to take some responsibility for progress over time. Clinics give me a snapshot of horse and rider on a day, and challenge me to create for them a breakthrough in their learning that puts them onto a new trajectory that they will have to manage in their future.<br />
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What I like about teaching people is that most really want to succeed. The sensation of the horse as an extension of one's body is enough to motivate folks to try really, really hard, but humans are a lot less honest with themselves than horses, and their brains get in the way. I'm no psychotherapist, but people who learn to "think like horses" sure do seem to catch on quickly to riding. Seems to me that they also enjoy living their lives. I am sure that I won't be able to resist the temptation in this blog to tease humanity, and maybe a few individuals within it, about the intellectual knots they tie while seeking to connect with nature's most powerful domesticated beast. If you are offended, please remember that I also am a human being. <br />
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What horses will do for people is amazing to me, and what people will do for horses is pretty impressive as well. I find the whole thing fascinating, but it goes further than that. When humans share a passion they connect with each other. They connect and become communities. That gives purpose to people's lives and makes us evolve as a species. Sorry, I know I shouldn't preach like that. Just read on even if you're disgusted.<br />
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In addition to the horse thing, I consider myself a lifelong community organizer. It's kind of like a religion. From 1984-1994 I worked for what used to be the largest national network of neighborhood organizations in low and moderate income communities of America. I organized in Chicago, in Iowa, and then was Director of National Campaigns in the Washington, D.C. office of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). It was a fantastic organization that eventually fell victim to its own success long after I had made a decision to return to my family's farm in Maryland and make a living with horses. I mention this only to warn you that some of my thinking is tainted by a social conscience. It pops up unexpectedly.<br />
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Three Day Eventing is my sport of choice. The challenge of training horses to do dressage, cross country, and show jumping not only makes for strong horse-to-human bonds, but also is the basis for a community of people that shares a connection like nothing I have felt anywhere else in my life. Serious eventers are all friends at a deep level. They are organized locally and nationally in formal and informal structures, and their gatherings are always fun. For information about the sport go to <a href="http://useventing.com/">useventing.com</a>.<br />
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People from other horse sports also organize themselves and love each others' company. To some degree horse people organize geographically across disciplines. The <a href="http://mdhorsecouncil.org/">Maryland Horse Council</a> is one such group that I know well because I am about to begin my second (and last) two year term as president. Pulling horse folks together who don't necessarily ride together is challenging, except when outsiders are messing with our world, or when our animals are being hurt. Then we mobilize and kick butt. It's something I get a real charge from because it's people at our best. It's people in community. <br />
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The final aspect of what I will write about is the <a href="http://retiredracehorsetraining.org/">Retired Racehorse Training Project</a>. Teaching to large audiences at horse expos gave me the confidence to organize a Retired Racehorse Training Symposium in the fall of 2009. When 350 people bought tickets I knew we were onto something. Filling the four hours with good information and entertainment was easy, and our post-event survey of attendees showed a huge demand for more education and promotion on the subject. Look for future posts about an apprenticeship program, training camps, and our new web site that is soon to be launched.<br />
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So after years of resisting the trendy word "blog" I am jumping in with my own. If reading my posts makes you feel part of a community, gives you ideas about training, makes you think outside the box, or makes you laugh, please subscribe and ask others to do so as well. The more readers we have, the harder I'll work at this.<br />
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For more information on what we do on the farm, go to <a href="http://dodonfarm.com/">dodonfarm.com</a>, and for regular news click "like" on our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/dodonfarm">Dodon Farm Facebook</a> page. <br />
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My parting line will always be the same...<br />
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<i>Listen to the horse.</i><br />
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<div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><!--Session data--><input id="jsProxy" onclick="jsCall();" type="hidden" /><div id="refHTML"></div>Steuart Pittman Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14180590567616866269noreply@blogger.com2