Jennifer, spend some time with your horse
just “loafing” around. At home, once in a while put on a
halter, grab a brush and walk around the barn/yard, looking for grassy “sweet”
spots. “Park” there for a while and let her eat while you brush her
and rub her legs. This will encourage her to relax and eventually create
the “going for a walk” conditioned response, which prepares her for
what she will experience at rides. At Endurance rides, it is good
practice to take your horse for little walks after the ride to keep her from
stiffening up. Some rides have grassy spots along the roads and around
camp that you can visit. It will also encourage them to pee and poop. Nothing
is better for the inside of a horse than nice green grass…high moisture
content, good roughage, and their favorite thing. It’s important to
monitor your horse’s condition frequently, even if you’re only
doing LD.
During your conditioning rides, get off
and walk a little, again stopping at good spots to graze and just hang out, eat
a granola bar and get a drink for you, loosen the girth, and scratch the
itchy/sweaty spots. With a green horse, initially I try to “time”
my conditioning rides to arrive periodically at “grazing spots”.
After a while, he will learn the trails and when he figures out the “route
for the day” will enthusiastically move out, anticipating the “food
stop”. It gives him something to look forward to and improves his
attitude. Then I start doing mini-stops frequently when I ride. Eventually,
I don’t have to get off…just point them at the grass and give
permission with a “head down” cue. They will become so conditioned to
doing this that you can cue them and they will slam on the brakes, get a mouthful,
and take off again, even when riding in a group. Sunny will sometimes grab so
much in his mouth he looks like a moving hay bale!
Horses have lots of intestines but small
stomachs….they need to eat frequently to reduce gastric distress and “keep
the pipe moving”. Carry a bag of broken up carrots. Again, good
roughage and high moisture. On long training rides, I carry a small
canvas feed bag (Wad’r Bucket) and a plastic bag of soaked beet pulp/Omolene
with a little Perform ‘n Win mixed in. I know my horses are going to see
this in vet checks, so again I’m creating a “conditioned response”
to get a “feeding” every couple of hours somewhere other than in
the barn. Horses are very strongly motivated by “routines”
and have phenomenal memories. As Pat Parelli says, “They are
experts at figuring out what comes after what comes after”. Be aware that
you can create undesirable conditioned responses, too! J The more familiar
you can make your horse with ride conditions and the more you prepare her in
advance, the more relaxed and comfortable she will be at rides.
Now about the splashing…. Ahem….it
is considered bad manners to allow your horse to splash in water sources.
It muddies up the creeks, causes other horses to quit drinking, and generally will
not endear you to other riders. J If you insist that she stand quietly, she will be much more
likely to drink. I suggest you take along a small riding crop and vigorously
discourage your horse from splashing in the drinking water. While I am on
the subject, courtesy demands that when you arrive at a water source and other
horses are drinking you wait until they stop drinking and not just barge into
the group. (Especially if it’s a tank or bucket) Conversely, they should
wait for your horse to drink before leaving or ask if it’s OK to leave…and
then leave at a walk.
-----Original Message-----
From: Equus Wolf <equuswolf@xxxxxxxxx>
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wed, 1 Mar 2006 20:43:25 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [RC] Trail and saddle question
Hi everyone,
I understand the importance of eating/drinking well on the
trail. What is the best way to encourage a horse to eat while on the
trail? My food monger is all business on the trail and doesn't even seem
to think about eating. I think if she realized it was "OK", she
would. So what would be the best way to go about this? Also, what
about drinking water, rather than splashing in it? Shelby *loves* spraying me with water, which
is nice when it will be hot, but I'd rather her drink it AND spraying me!
Thanks ahead of time for your time!
Jennifer
(and Shelby
- what's all this fuss about saddles.. can't we just GO!)
