How do you know...?
It was almost three years ago when I bought Grace and she joined my herd of two to become three.
She was perfect - met all my criteria, (OK was a little taller than I'd planned...), passed my trainers keen eye and so she came to live with us.
The great thing about getting to know a horse is how suddenly all the small things that you take for granted with your other horses, become noticeable in the new horse, especially when absent!
With Grace one of the first things I noticed was that she wouldn't pick up her hind feet to have them picked out.
She's a heavy girl, and to say the least it was quite a battle. Not many of us, enjoy battling with back legs on a horse we barely know. Bottom line was the only way I (or others) could pick out her feet was to let her rest her foot on its toe. Then with my head almost on the floor, I'd try to see what I was doing and pick away.
She was barefoot behind (and still is).
This troubled me. At first I thought 'is she lazy'? Instinct said that was a pretty lame excuse. It was only six months later that suddenly things changed.
The cause of the change? I removed her front shoes too. It was a stressful, worrying time, going barefoot for the first time, with your dream dressage horse, against the vets advice. What faced me underneath those shoes was horrific for a 6 year old, and convinced me that barefoot couldn't be any worse!
However, within just a few weeks of those shoes coming off, I suddenly noticed she was able to lift her hind feet actually off the floor.
I still had to do the work and hold her legs while picking out. She didn't hold her own weight voluntarily but there was definitely air clearance off the floor!
For the last three years, she's become very responsive and helpful and offers to lift each foot as you approach. I can only conclude that as she became more comfortable in her front feet she was able to weight bear on them more, in order to lift her hinds up.
However, last night, two and a bit years on, and there was another small but significant change. Suddenly not only did she lift her hinds as I went from foot to foot, but she actually held her own foot up in the air, without me having to bear all her weight of it and her back end!
It was very noticeable - just ask my poor old back!
So, I'm posting about it. Why? What's different? The only thing that has suddenly changed is the fact that for the last week she has been living out, with very little stable time. She has a large paddock to roam around in. Nothing else has changed.
I can only conclude that with more room to move, and more time out moving, her back end is toning up and she has less tension and more ability for self carriage - (not the way dressage riders dream of) but hey ....!
Thing is, last night she also lunged like a schoolmaster - a total pro, I was so proud, (somewhat surprised too given we've only been at our new yard for one week). The old woman was watching and commented that "she looked so relaxed" and she did - throughout her whole body. For example I had noticed (and this was before the feet picking out experience) how much more movement she had through her hocks and how much she was stepping underneath herself.
So, how do you know ...when your horse is getting enough turn out? When small things shift and change especially in areas that you previously took for granted.
I share these observations assuming others may have noticed similar 'small things' about their horse, that defy explanation, but which surely if we notice them, when they don't seem right - probably aren't! That in itself beckons us to keep looking for solutions and not to quickly assume we have a 'lazy' horse or 'disobedient one'.
I can't take credit for knowing these benefits would be realised, although I can take credit for being obsessed about giving my horses turnout above all other priorities.
One very pleased human.
Presumably one comfortable horse too!
For completeness the same front feet photographed on Friday August 15th 2014....
It was almost three years ago when I bought Grace and she joined my herd of two to become three.
She was perfect - met all my criteria, (OK was a little taller than I'd planned...), passed my trainers keen eye and so she came to live with us.
The great thing about getting to know a horse is how suddenly all the small things that you take for granted with your other horses, become noticeable in the new horse, especially when absent!
With Grace one of the first things I noticed was that she wouldn't pick up her hind feet to have them picked out.
She's a heavy girl, and to say the least it was quite a battle. Not many of us, enjoy battling with back legs on a horse we barely know. Bottom line was the only way I (or others) could pick out her feet was to let her rest her foot on its toe. Then with my head almost on the floor, I'd try to see what I was doing and pick away.
She was barefoot behind (and still is).
This troubled me. At first I thought 'is she lazy'? Instinct said that was a pretty lame excuse. It was only six months later that suddenly things changed.
The cause of the change? I removed her front shoes too. It was a stressful, worrying time, going barefoot for the first time, with your dream dressage horse, against the vets advice. What faced me underneath those shoes was horrific for a 6 year old, and convinced me that barefoot couldn't be any worse!
 | ||
| Right Fore at 6 years of age, when I removed her shoes. No part of the foot is healthy! March 2012 |
 | |
| Left Fore. Awful structures - lack of! March 2012 |
However, within just a few weeks of those shoes coming off, I suddenly noticed she was able to lift her hind feet actually off the floor.
I still had to do the work and hold her legs while picking out. She didn't hold her own weight voluntarily but there was definitely air clearance off the floor!
For the last three years, she's become very responsive and helpful and offers to lift each foot as you approach. I can only conclude that as she became more comfortable in her front feet she was able to weight bear on them more, in order to lift her hinds up.
However, last night, two and a bit years on, and there was another small but significant change. Suddenly not only did she lift her hinds as I went from foot to foot, but she actually held her own foot up in the air, without me having to bear all her weight of it and her back end!
It was very noticeable - just ask my poor old back!
So, I'm posting about it. Why? What's different? The only thing that has suddenly changed is the fact that for the last week she has been living out, with very little stable time. She has a large paddock to roam around in. Nothing else has changed.
 |
| Grace on the right (Solar over on the left) |
I can only conclude that with more room to move, and more time out moving, her back end is toning up and she has less tension and more ability for self carriage - (not the way dressage riders dream of) but hey ....!
Thing is, last night she also lunged like a schoolmaster - a total pro, I was so proud, (somewhat surprised too given we've only been at our new yard for one week). The old woman was watching and commented that "she looked so relaxed" and she did - throughout her whole body. For example I had noticed (and this was before the feet picking out experience) how much more movement she had through her hocks and how much she was stepping underneath herself.
So, how do you know ...when your horse is getting enough turn out? When small things shift and change especially in areas that you previously took for granted.
I share these observations assuming others may have noticed similar 'small things' about their horse, that defy explanation, but which surely if we notice them, when they don't seem right - probably aren't! That in itself beckons us to keep looking for solutions and not to quickly assume we have a 'lazy' horse or 'disobedient one'.
I can't take credit for knowing these benefits would be realised, although I can take credit for being obsessed about giving my horses turnout above all other priorities.
One very pleased human.
Presumably one comfortable horse too!
For completeness the same front feet photographed on Friday August 15th 2014....
 |
| Right fore. |
 | |||
| Left fore |
No comments:
Post a Comment