Message Board

St Christopher endurance saddle for sale, C

mmp — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:28:03 GMT

Beautiful St Christopher endurance saddle for sale.
Havanna
C fitting
Excellent condition
Let me know if you would like to be e-mailed photos

695 ono

Forum: General Equestrian items for sale

Horse's ears

DavidBowler — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:10:44 GMT

To whom it may concern!
I keep hearing people say that a horse looks happy because his ear are pricked forward. This is not true. A horse will always direct his ears towards anything that has his attention. If your horse has his ears forward when you are riding him then either he thinks you are boring him to death or he is looking at something for a reason only known to himself. Strada used to do it just before he ran away with me; which used to be often! Now he turns his ears back towards me because he is listening to me; Luis also. Have a look at the Spanish riding school of Vienna. All the horses have their ears turned back towards their rider.. Please pass this information on to any dressage judges you may know!!!!!!!!

Forum: Discussing Equitation

IC Multi for sale

Pippabear — Thur, 12 Jun 2008 19:53:02 GMT

IC Multi for sale Black.
6 months use for childs pony (so very little use as can't ride after school in the dark!)
Have bought strada dressage today so can't justify two for one pony!

Can be seen in Ashburton Devon.

Forum: General Equestrian items for sale

The throne of Kings

DavidBowler — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:07:55 GMT

It has been said that horses are the "thrones of Kings" and I think that an analysis of what this means is worthy of discussion.
First of all we need to know what makes a worthy King for the tyrant ruler has never been successful especially in Europe! Abuse of privilege and power is dangerous as the number European republics will testify.
So what do we learn from this "throne " of ours? I can only speak for myself and it is simply that it has made me into a better person. I have learned to control my temper for there is nothing like a willful equine to drive you mad with frustration. The loss of one's temper ,however, always leads to rebellion or lack of enthusiasm on the part of the horse. He loses his dignity and grace to the point where the rider is always humiliated and shamed!
I have learned to be patient as it takes time to build those muscles and even longer to build a partnership with an animal that is not like us in any way at all.
I have learned the value of living in harmony with nature and the benefits of refraining from the violation of others whether it be equine or human. It is the uncompromising nature of horses that have taught me this.
I have learned to recognise and search for truth as it is the only thing that can lead us towards perfection.
I have learned not to dismiss, out of hand, the words of past masters I disagree with for I have often found that it was my own inability to understand that was at fault.
" the further back I look, the further forward I can see!" Winston Churchill.

The right to be a King has to be earned not taken by force. This "throne" that we glibly speak of is often nothing more than a place we imagine as we elevate ourselves to a position way above our competence.
In summary I would say " the outside of the horse does wonders for the inside of the man ."

Forum: Discussing Equitation

Strada Dressage IC wanted

sandycap — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:20:51 GMT

Strada IC / I dressage wanted please e-mail on t4b@btinternet.com with details.

Many thanks

Heather

Forum: General Equestrian items for sale

Second Thoughts

DavidBowler — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:47:23 GMT

Second thoughts

I am starting to have second thoughts about every aspect of modern dressage. Once I started to question the concept of the deep seat saddle I started to wonder what other misconceptions lie within its accepted practise!

1 The deep seat saddle

2 The 2 bit bridle

3 heavy rein contact

4 banging the horses legs with a whip whilst restraining him to get the piaffe

5 The pressure of competition

6 Horse shoes

7 Clipping off his fur

8 Castration of male horses

9 23 hours a day in a stable

10 Isolation of stallions from other horses

11 Clamping his mouth shut with tight nosebands

12 Assuming he is happy because his ears are pricked forward

13 restraining devices such as draw reins, running reins etc

14 riding a horse when he is too young

15 too much grain in his diet

16 confusing the term aides with learned response

17 refusing to teach the Spanish walk

18 Misunderstanding the word Dressage and its origins.

19 The convenient omission of the airs above the ground

20 Judging a horses ability by the way it trots; usually a nervous passage like movement.

21 Riders ignoring the methods and teaching of past masters under the misapprehension that Dressage has moved on and is somehow better these days!

22 the short girth

23 Training methods that go against the nature of the horse.

24 the term classical used to describe something that is not Dressage either

25 Thinking that a trainer can teach you to ride

26 Thinking a trainer can train your horse so all you have to do is take over when it is ready!

Dressage is beginning to move in the right direction again and we will succeed only if we can set an example for others to follow. Unfortunately it is not easy and, as with all things that require a considerable degree of intelligence and thought, it takes a lot longer to do it well! In our Trainers section of this site I have included people that I believe are making a real difference to the way dressage is practised. Nobody knows everything of course but some know a lot more than others. We must not be afraid to criticise each other and must also learn to accept criticism also as nobody is perfect. I love the word REPENT! Unfortunately, it is often used by religious people out of context but it actually means to regret having done something or having not done something. In other words, to think again.

I am not sure why people like to think that force is the most appropriate way of achieving something so I will leave you with this thought. Why do we dislike paying taxes? Taxes pay for the roads, schools, hospitals, pensions and police to keep us safe. We dislike paying taxes because they are forced upon us with threats of fines and ultimately imprisonment. What makes us think that horses are any different!

Forum: Discussing Equitation

Dressage . The meaning,the aims and the definition

DavidBowler — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:13:05 GMT

In the last few years we seem to have developed a divergence of principles in what people call "dressage"! Firstly, we have the competition type dressage. Typically, these riders prefer to use the warmblood for this so called sport as their way of going appears to be accepted as "normal" in this disipline. As with all sports, the are few who do it well! Secondly there are the so called "classical" dressage riders who often enjoy to criticise the competition girls and boys but generally offer no obvious qualifications for doing so. There are some exceptions to this but my experience of both is that neither party can keep me interested as a spectator for more tha a few seconds. Why? Well , I do not see that there should be any difference theoretically but from where I am standing it looks as though most of the competition people have not understood what dressage IS and most of the other lot seem to think that having the money to by an expensive Baroque horse is enough; it is not! You still have to learn to ride! Let us keep things simple and avoid which or what "camp you are in and just look for the true definition. Most people believe that the word "dressage" comes from the French word "dresseur"-ie. someone who trains animals. Really! That means that a man who has a flea circus is doing dressage! I don't think so. How about the French verb "dresser"? The Larouse dictionaire gives "to raise or pitch up. To raise a horse onto its hind legs". as a meaning. Has this definition been lost? Could this explain the deep seat saddles with big knee rolls that stop the rider going up the horse's neck as the horse pounds accross the diagonal of its forehand! Maybe this explains why you see riders scraping at the horse with their spurs while the horse shuffles about on its front legs in the "piaffe" The more a horse takes the rider's weight on his shoulders the more active his hind legs and the more uncomfortable it is to sit to!!!!!!! A "dressed" horse, on the other hand has active foregs and is as comfortable as your favourite armchair. I keep hearing the expression "big moving horses are best for dressage". All lateral work is done in collection as is the passage, piaffe and pirouette. If you include the collected walk.trot and canter it only leaves the extended paces and in this the walk and canter are the most useful for the pleasure of riding. Hardly a reason for all those expensive trips to the osteopath for a dammage spine! And don't be surprised if you buy an expensive Baroque horse and find that they go onto their front legs easier than a warmblood if ridden badly which they do!
Last year during a visit to Turville Valley Stud I was surprised to see that Dianne Thurman had bought a warmblood for her daughter. She has always ridden Lusitanos in the past. To my amazement the warmblood performed just the same as the Lusitanos and the reason of course is that she knows how to ride.

The moral of the story is: if you want to pull and spur buy a warmblood as it does not look so bad. If you take the trouble to learn to ride, the Baroque horse will give you more pleasure and keep you safe for that has been his job for centuries but remeber he is a sensitive horse even though his courage will often overcome the discomort he feels. To get expression from him he needs to be relaxed just like any other horse. Learn the French expressions and terms used in dressage as they often convey a better understanding of what is required. In the meantime, je vais dresser mes cheveaux aussi!

Forum: Discussing Equitation

Anja Beran

DavidBowler — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:38:37 GMT

For all those sinterested in "classical dressage" you would find Anja's web site very informative . http://www.anjaberan.de/. Make sure you have the time to explore it though as it is comprehensive. She is doing a few clincs around Europe this year. Try to get to one if you can. Dates are on her site.
David

Forum: Discussing Equitation

Strada saddle for sale

sueblue — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:44:29 GMT

Brown Strada dressage saddle for sale as no longer have horse for details please pm me thank you

Forum: General Equestrian items for sale

Wanted Strada Dressage Saddle Std

Lucia — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 19:59:46 GMT

Hi!
I need a Strada Dressage saddle in Std fit, prefer black if possible.

Thanks
Lucia

Forum: General Equestrian items for sale

Horses without rugs

DavidBowler — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 22:00:34 GMT

Just recently I have given some thought to avoiding putting rugs on my horses during cold weather. I never clip them and grooming during winter is kept to a minimum. I notice that in continental Europe it is normal to see most horses in fields without rugs. Here is my opinion and some possible consequences of riding a horse when he has not been rugged. I am going to assume the horse has been brought in at night. Horses that live out and are not ridden should be better without a rug providing they are of a local breed and have the constitution and coat to cope with extreme weather!
You cannot ride a cold, wet, muddy horse.
If a horse has been standing still in a stable at night and it is cold, say anything below 0 degrees c his blood supply to the skin may be reduced. -10 degrees and this would almost be certain. We come along (after this breakfast) and start to groom him. The saddle is on the rack and is now very cold as is the pad. The specific heat of saddle and pad is not that high but they will still take heat from the back when first placed on. The horses back just got colder and now there is pressure to further reduce circulation of the warm blood. We mount up and cause further pressure and lay the hair flat so the cold saddle takes heat from the skin more efficiently. My guess is that on a really cold day the back never gets warm enough, during a one hour training session, to get the blood moving under the saddle and even if it did get warmer it is likely that some damage would already have been done. Conclusion: if you want to ride on that cold, crisp winter morning you need to put a nice thick rug on your horse to make sure the blood in his back is unrestricted and the muscles are well supplied. It is good to try and keep things natural but sometimes we need to apply a little logic also.

Forum: About Saddles

Worms in |Horses

DavidBowler — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:22:15 GMT

Just a quick note say that it is always worth sending a sample of your horses dung to be examined for worm infestation. Lots of people think that if they worm it is not necessary........WRONG! try it and you may have a shock. The following web link is to the people we use. I posted a sample from Mr Moon on Saturday and I got the results on Monday. Fantastic service for only 9.50
http://www.westgatelabs.co.uk/

good luck
David Bowler

Forum: Horse's Health

pressure on the left hip

DavidBowler — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 20:12:50 GMT

I got this e mail from one of our customers recently and I thought it would give me the opportunity to explain a little more about horse crookedness and the causes.

"Let me start by saying that I love the saddle which I
purchased for my horse in April this year, it fits him beautifully.
However, I have developed a very sore left hip in the past few months,
which is always worse after riding, and so did someone else in my yard
(same hip) who has used my Strada saddle on her horse. That's when it
clicked that it may be the actual saddle causing the pain. Here are my
questions: Have you heard of this problem before? "

No, we have not experienced this before as far as I know
but what I do know is that most horses prefer to support the rider on their strong left hind leg. This is due to the natural crookedness and is worse with some horses. Take the horse down the longside and feel that when you get to the right hand corner he tries to put you on the outside seat bone and look left. The opposite of what we like. He is young and needs to be stronger in the right hind and needs to advance the left hind further forward which will drop his back on that side allowing you to sit more evenly . Be careful that you try to improve it as this situation means that you are putting more weight on the left than the right! Most people do! The solution is the shoulder in exercise as always.
...........what people normally do is get the saddler to flock up the right side of the saddle to compensate ie. to make it level. The horse will never be straight as he still has the problem but masked for the rider. What you end up with is a "crocked " horse as he will be forced to go in asymmetry for as long as one uses the saddle.I will send you a short video to demonstrate this; Luis learning the passage/ piaffe transition . You will see that he does not advance the left leg enough and is continually taking a short stride as he is not in a position to use the
left hind usefully! Also he is trying to push his haunches out to the right to get the weight on his strong left leg! Our saddles are made in perfect symmetry so the rider can feel and correct this. One must remember that we are dealing with nature and progress must be slow if we are to avoid damage to our horses! I could easily get someone to bang his legs with a stick to get a more "expression and extravagance" but I can get this by riding more forward when he is ready and inducing a little excitement. I never allow myself to be tempted into going against the nature of the horse. This way always leads to success and enthusiasm grows in horse and rider.

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=ScZWBy2sdHE

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=XwsUDtkAANk

The next day with stronger seat aides he advances the left hind and it starts to look better! The feeling is more powerful and he "dances" with a more even diagonal. If we adjust the saddle to make the rider sit level it will not be possible to feel any faults in a horse's way of going!

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=dh0n6Gq0U9o

Remember that the more weight the horse carries on a leg, the less time he has to raise it. A horse that works on the forehand tends to have a very low action of his forelegs! In a correct piaffe the fore legs are raised very high but the hinds, that carry most of the weight, hardly leave the ground at all; only a few centimeters.

So, having discovered the problem, we now need to find the solution and as with most problems assciated with dressage the "shoulder in" and "forward riding" can often be the best way of correcting crookedness.

In this case I try something that I would not normaly do; shoulder in but with a little less collection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd6YMj_BjHw

Ok, now we have advance of the inside hind combined with the natural weight carrying ability of that left leg. Look how free the outside shoulder is by observing the height it is lifted! The next step is to try the passage to piaffe again with the smallest aids possible! Luis knew what was required but lacked the confidence and courage to try it.
( the problem is that the passage is what horses do when excited and the piaffe when they are frustrated. Two different emotions that we ask for in an instant! Combine that with the strength needed to go forward from maximum engagement and you can see the problem they have; keep asking in a forward way and it will drop into your lap like a ripened apple!)

Forum: About Saddles

IC Multi Saddle wanted

Troy — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 20:50:40 GMT

HI there - I'm looking for a second hand Multi IC fit saddle if any of you have one for sale? I'm in the Wiltshire area of the UK. Many thanks!

Forum: General Equestrian items for sale

Tooting my own horn!

Erider — Thur, 06 Sep 2007 22:32:27 GMT

I just had to toot my own horn...

Bhen, my 10 year old Arabian gelding, and I did his first "completely barefoot" 50 mile endurance ride and finished in 6th place. The ride was held in the mountains just outside of Idaho City, Idaho USA in a very small town called New Centerville.

The mountainous terrain was a combination of decomposed granite logging roads, gravel on some of on the roads, beautiful dirt trails, and 10 miles of river rock of all sizes on the trail. I had heard two people say they lost shoes on the ride and needed the farrier. HA!

Bhen was strong as an ox the whole day - powering up those climbs (I think he finally figured out why he has a QH looking butt on his little Arab body...lol). My buddies where there to cheer us on when we crossed the finish line (for once they hadn't gone to bed already...lol). They watched closely (some still think I am nuts to ride barefoot) and said they didn't see the slightest hesitation in his trot out - he was SOLID as a rock with his ears forward! I heard there were few shod horses trotting tenderly at the finish.

Of course I was riding in my favorite saddle...the Strada St. Christopher. It took a little while to warm up in the morning since the temps were around 50 F when we started but it quickly warmed up after 10 miles into the race. By afternoon the temps were pretty toasty in the upper 90's F and my saddle was soft and squishy. I l-o-v-e my saddle!!

Bhen's feet are in perfect condition after the ride, you can't even tell he left the pasture. Isn't that amazing? How is that even possible?? How cool is that!

Toot -Toot!

Sally Tarbet

Meridian, Idaho USA

Forum: Horse's Health