Time for a bit of a change

In 2010, when we decided to downsize and retire from an active breeding business, I realized I did not want to be away from the "pulse" of the curly industry. Fast forward a bit, and I now find myself as the Current Director of Curly Sporthorse International ! I have been an avid supporter of "CSI" in the past, and am honored to take the reins from Elaine E. and I hope I can fill her shoes.

Elaine set up a wonderful registry in CSI, CSI is "Dedicated to the training, recognition, improvement and promotion of the Curly SportHorse. CSI contains talented folks, who are tried and true horsepeople above all else...we know horses, and we know how to compete our horses, and welcome all that are interested in this endeavor, no matter your experience.

I plan on continuing CSI as it stands, its wonderful programs, HOY awards( Horse of the Year), RPM(Rider Performance Medal) for the rider, registration of horses and promotion of the Curly Sport Horse.

In the world of fast pace social media, a Face Book page has been created for CSI, also a member blog has been created to share our journeys with our wonderful curly horses...check us out!

www.curlysporthorse.org

http://curlysportnews.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Curly-Sporthorse-International/178351712219497#!/pages/Curly-Sporthorse-International/178351712219497

Vote for the Peoples Choice

http://www.equinephotocontest.com/peopleschoice.asp

Public voting now open for the EPN winter photo contest...I have 3 photos that qualify, they have to be in the top ten of their division...they are "Tandem Drive" "Sea of Wheat" and "Henri"....

This contest is huge, literally worldwide and I am honored and humbled to have top ten photos this year.....woooohooooo !!!!!!!!!!

Travel tips

Before we know it, it will be spring and summer and time to get out there and travel with your horse! Being stuck inside is a bit tough for a tried and true horsewoman, but I am using my time to advance my learning, and to give things like travel some serious thought.

I recently watched one of the episodes of "Best of American by Horseback" on RFDTV...and thought I would share some tips about travel from that show...there are some things I had never thought of, so, here we go.

1. Do an early check of your truck, trailer and horse paperwork. You may think your Coggins is still valid, but time does fly, and if you check the date, you will know for sure. Truck and trailer checks should include the standard stuff, tire pressure ( check your spare too ) lights, brakes, etc. MANY people have a checklist of these chores...make one, and keep it in your truck.
2. The day before your trip, fuel your truck, hook up your trailer, pack your trailer, and you will be ready to hit the road early. Giving yourself a "night to sleep on it" may in fact make you realize something you had forgotten...and hooking up in the dark is just plain difficult.
3. Make sure you have plenty of feed and water for your horses. Horses often do not like strange water, and you also never know how long you could be stuck with a breakdown or behind a wreck or traffic issue, so bring water. Make sure you have your Vet Clinic's phone # in case of emergency.
4. Plan on getting to your overnight stopping point in 8 hours...you will drive mostly in the daylight that way, and if you plan to arrive by 3pm, you will have plenty of time to settle your horses in, grab some dinner for yourself and get some rest before the next day. Vets tend to agree that horses should not travel over 12 hours a day, shipping fever odds go way up if the horses travel over 12 hours. Plan out your trip well. DO NOT unload your horses in a strange plan, unless you must do so for an emergency, a loose horse in a strange plan is a recipe for disaster. No matter how nice the place looks to you, your horse has no idea where he is at.
5.Vets also agree, that several days in a row is OK. Just be sure to give your horses adequate rest at night.
6. Carry enough cash to get you home, keep your tank at least 1/2 full. Today's gas stations rely on power to work, so if you limp into a town with no electricity, and 1/8 th of a tank of gas, you may not make it to the next stop. Power outages can happen anytime, anywhere, bad weather and bad drivers can easily cause power outages. If you have cash, you won't be left with no method to pay, if your credit card is denied for any reason. Credit card companies may pull your credit card, if they think there is fraud, and you will be left with no way to pay for your fuel.
7. Use truck stops for fuel, truck stops are a haulers dream. They have ample room, plenty of hot grub for you and a good safe place to rest for a bit. Easy fuel pumps make an easy in and out for you and your trailer. Truck stops also have a few parts, and perhaps you can even get a new tire, plus suggestions for a mechanic if needed. IF you have a flat out on the highway, sacrifice the flat, rather than sacrifice your safety. Drive to the next exit, find that truck stop or tire store and get your repair made. Be sure and replace the spare though...don't figure you won't have 2 flats...( been there done that!) it does happen.
8. Keep a list of Purina dealers or Tractor Supply stores on hand. They are very helpful and direct you to area events and things of interest, or repair shops if needed.
9. NEVER trust the GPS. Call ahead to find the best route give to you by the locals. GPS does not account for small areas, difficult for a trailer to work their way through, road construction with possible closed roads, call ahead and find out....
10. Call your planned destination and find out details...are there stalls with water and electric? Are the stalls shaded/covered? are there trails there? how difficult are the trails? is there adequate parking? what are some points of interest for the humans to see? and if you go off sightseeing, do they care for your horses?
11. Don't forget to stock the "human food" hubby and I recently took a trip to Boise, I packed WAY more food than I thought I needed, and by the time we returned home, every crumb was gone. We hit terrible weather, and arrived in towns when the eateries were all closed up. We could not have bought dinner if we wanted too! Pack a good variety of food and drinks and water too, you won't be sorry!

Get out on the road and just plain enjoy yourself ! Keep safety in mind and be prepared, the rest will fall into place.

Herd Boss vs Herd Leader

Krinkles and her colt "Tiger" our in front of the herd...

I have to admit, having a "herd" of horses that live on pasture and interact pretty much like nature intended them too, has certainly enlightened me over the years. We all know about the "herd boss" and how that horse can move horses out of its way, usually is the first one to eat and just is generally bossy...and many people try to emulate that behavior in training...

But...the more successful way, is to emulate the "herd leader." Sometimes the herd boss and the herd leader are the same horse. But more often than not...they do not hold both titles. The herd boss, rules with an iron fist..the herd leader, takes no flack off any member, yet rules with a more passive and kinder nature. The herd leader moves the herd. All herd members must have respect for the herd leader, or they will get left behind ( a sad truth that some herd bosses found out the hard way here...LOL ) the herd leader decides where the herd will graze, when they move to water, when they rest and sleep ( and often stands watch ) and when they head to the barn for dinner! The herd leader has the ability to earn the other herd members respect, often with just an ear movement or some other subtle body language. We have had ONE single herd leader since the day we moved here....our herd matriarch, Krinkle Clown. There have been several mares that tried to take her position, often keeping a few horses rounded up for their own little herd, but none have been successful for more than a few days. Eventually, they all return to the herd, and accept that just one, wise mare really knows how to run things. Kudos to you, Krinkle Clown for years of keeping our herd safe. I have even seen this mare return up the hill, to rescue a youngster that took the wrong path and got lost from the herd. She always had a bit of a "I can not believe I have to do this" look on her face, but never the less, she returned to help the youngster out. The fact she has a whinny you can hear for 3 counties helps her out.

Now...how does this relate to the training of horses and our horse/human relationship. Most folks don't have a herd leader to observe, but if you did, you would learn that body language is of the utmost importance. and...consistency, though hard for some humans, seems to come easy for these herd leader horses. Learn the body language of horses, and be consistent and your herd leadership skills will rise to the top of the herd.....consider it, and put it into practice!

Something new to read

While recovering from surgery this winter, I ordered a couple new books to read...after all, I DO have the time for it ;-)

I purchased the book "Better than Bombproof" from Amazon.com and it arrived last week. This book is amazing. There are not very many training books, that I would plug, but this one is so different, and if you take the time to actually read it, and to then apply what he tells you, to your own horse, you can reach goals you never thought possible.

For several winters, I took adult group lessons at a local riding center. We worked on many things, most of them dressage oriented, EVEN though we were all western riders ( at that time ) and had no desire to compete in dressage. What I learned though, is.....you need to know this stuff to be a competent rider...and your horse needs to know this stuff to become really 'well broke" which is what most of us strive for.

The author Sgt. Rick Pelicano puts the theory into practice, and guides you one gentle step at a time to boost your riding ability and your horse's ability. What I REALLY like about this book is, he does most all the exercises in hand, then in long lines, long before he wants you on the back of the horse. Imagine if you long line your horse past the scary mailbox. If you horse spooks or bolts, you have control with out the added problem of being scared while on your horse's back. Once you and your horse have conquered the scary mailbox, think how easy it will then be, when you are on his back, to know what reaction he will have!

I also am quite pleased this book shows the training to aid horses that will be driven..that was, my main goal in getting this book, I "thought" it would be helpful, turns out, it is MUCH more helpful that I could even have imagined! so..pick up a copy and happy reading, you could be ready to ride bomb proof by summer if you start now. Also...most of these exercises can be done with a horse of ANY age, so get out your youngsters and do all of this in hand......what a great way to make an exceptional horse! I plan to take each and every horse of mine through the whole book...one step at a time...my summer goal I suppose.

Being a leader - the secret of horsemanship

What if I told you that the real secret to horsemanship is a tiny fact. Could it really be a simple thing, after all, there is a whole industry trying to help you develop your horsemanship....is there something they are leaving out?

To those words, I would reply..yes, horsemanship is a simple thing, so simple in fact, you probably have never really thought about it.

All of us want a great bond with our horses, but many times, we fail to communicate on a horse's level of understanding. We often hear how we want to have our horse, be our partner. Well, that is in error, we don't want a partnership, a partnership would imply that our horse has a 50% part of our relationship. The wisest horsemen/women, instead refer to this relationship as a "team" A team has something a partnership does not. A team has a clear leader. A partnership implies that each member has an equal share in the matter...look at it this way. When you come to a fork in the road, do you let your horse decide which way to go? If he is a partner, then he should have a say in deciding which path to take...but if you are a team, the team leader would decide which path to take....am I making sense yet?

So, My horse and I are a team. How can we advance our relationship? One of my favorite things to help my horse see me as the team leader is to let my horse hand graze. Simple enough, I take them out of their pasture, pen, stall, whatever, and let them eat grass....very simple indeed! but did you know there is a proper way to hand graze, and doing it the wrong way can make your horse think he is in charge of your whole relationship?

Hand grazing is done alot here on our farm. We seem to have lots of spots with good grass, and no access to those spots for the horses..I just enjoy hand grazing my horse, and I like to start my youngsters in this exercise as early as they are weaned. To be a leader and to correctly hand graze, you must lead the team. You must move the horse to you, not let him eat and wander wiley niley all over the place dragging you behind. IF you set the rules for hand grazing ( you must follow me horse, I make the plans here ) hand grazing becomes a bonding tool. If you let the horse decide which area to move to next, with no regard for you, you will find out quickly that all other commands you ask of your horse, will be ignored, or at least argued with.

Hand grazing is a tool we can all use, any horse, any age, any place ( as long as there is grass ;-) Next time you take out your horse, let him/her hand graze and practice being in the team captain role...you will be amazed at the difference it makes in your horsemanship!

Deilvering Darkie

Darkie and his Dam....DKH Black Sage

Earlier this week, we delivered *C-C Handsome Dark Knight to his new owner. "Darkie" is a long yearling gelding, sired by our former ranch stallion "*Shadow's Hawk Spirit" aka "HeartBreaker" ...( he stands in Canada now ) .....out of DKH Black Sage, a mare we lost to colic when Darkie was just a week old. Darkie joins a mare we sold these folks a while back, and will grow up to be a stellar trail horse. He is pictured with his Dam, the black mare, and his adopted Mom, the white pony, and a head shot from last winter....

Darkie and his Nursemare Adopted Dam ..."Addy"

Here at Creekside, we have often delivered horses to their new owners. If it is a reasonable mileage trip, we often do our own hauling, it saves the buyer a heap of money, and is VERY good customer service. We planned this haul for a weather break, and felt comfortable with our trip plans.....the only thing I can say is....Don't trust the weatherman !!!

We left home before daylight, and a few miles into our trip it was apparent it would not be an easy haul. 60+ MPH winds beat on us the first 100 miles...the 2 nd 100 miles we had icy roads and snow, snow and MORE snow.....

We actually arrived just a couple hours late to our destination....Darkie hauled well, and was anxious to see other equines at his new home. His owner put him in with a 3 month old orphan BLM filly...with a real attitude..she marched right up to Darkie, stomped a foot, turn and kicked at him and did all sorts of funny dance moves to show her dominance....Darkie just smiled ;-) he is used to "little" bossy girls....LOL...when we lost his Dam, we were fortunate to find a nurse mare for him..an 11 hand pony! He has also been exposed to all the 2010 babies since they were born, and Darkie is a very gentle soul, not a mean bone in his body...I can not wait to find out how long it takes for the two of them to be roughhousing and grooming each other.

So, there is yet another curly in an awesome home, that will be used and well loved ;-) The gentleman that bought him considers Darkie his "own" and is looking forward to the journey of youngsterhood, to finished horse.
Darkie in his winter coat......handsome boy!

The trip home made the trip there look easy...boy, semi trucks look alot bigger when they are on their side......we made an unplanned stop for the night...after 14 hours of driving, we were just worn out. We arrived home the next day, that drive as about as impressive as the rest of the trip had been. We later found out, the road closed behind us ....and traffic stood still for hours...I often hum to ease the stress of winter driving...everything I can think of, "Blue Skies", "White Christmas" such things...after we passed the semi wreck and the stalled, jackknifed semis, I turned my humming to hymns, something along the line of "To God be the Glory" my moto for our safe trip in a world of really bad weather.

But...all in all, a successful, though stressful trip, and a curly in a home that will cherish and grow him up...nothing better for a curly horse breeder!
Linda