http://www.horsechitchat.com/equinearticles en-us http://www.horsechitchat.com/equinearticles N/A Ron@Emanindustries.com Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:40:38 PDT 20 http://www.horsechitchat.com/equineblogs/99/What-To-Expect-When-Your-Mare-Is-Expecting.html I’m really not a maternal-type person. When I see an infant or child, I have no desire to coo or cuddle. In fact, I’m the one fighting the urge to flee the other direction when a child enters the room. And I’m certainly guilty of ridiculing my friends who are expecting or have a new baby, for their constant need to call their OB or pediatrician every time the baby kicks, sneezes or has a slight cold.  That well-worn copy of the pregnancy book on my best friends nightstand- yeah, I inwardly cringe when I see it, because really, if you’ve been through it once, what could possibly change?   Unfortunately, it turns out that when my own mare is pregnant, I turn into that expectant mother I can’t stand. As I write this, I am currently waiting on my third (equine) bundle of joy to arrive… and I’m a nervous wreck.   The first time I bred my mare, a few years ago, I think I may have driven my veterinarian to adopt a better call screening protocol… or at least hire an answering service. It started as soon as the mare had her 14-day pregnancy check. That little “black hole” on the ultrasound made me swoon like no human child ever could. After being confirmed in foal at 60 days, my vet pronounced her safely in foal, with no further checks necessary…   Thus began the next 9 or so months of my bi-weekly phone calls to my vet, with questions like  “are you sure taking my mare for a trail ride won’t make her abort?” and “my mare had a tiny bit of discharge on her tail… can you PLEASE come check her and make sure she’s still in foal?” Thankfully, at 360 days (even my mare had a sense of humor about the situation, and dragged it on as long as possible!), a healthy baby colt was born…. And at 3am, despite a totally normal birth and no indication of any problems, I dragged my vet out of bed to come and check the new arrival “just to make sure.”   The next year, when I told my vet I wanted to re-breed the mare, she made me first promise that I would “chill out” about the process.  So for the next 11 months, I did my very best to relax, and not over think, over worry, or over-analyze. At least I didn’t do it to my vets face… I kept most of my major freak-outs confined to a internet message board, where like-minded horse-mommies-to-be talked about the pros and cons of vaccines, debate the merits of imprint training, and decide whether the milk of a mare ready to foal tastes more salty or sweet…   When the due-date came for the second baby, I was ready. I stayed up all night for two weeks, waiting for the magic moment to come. I charted the mares temperature, the size of her bag, and the relative relaxation of her croup muscles- even tasted her milk for the sweet-or-salty test. After a particularly long night of watching my mare NOT have her baby, I turned out in a small outside pen to stretch her legs, as I got ready for work. In the fifteen minutes I left her alone, the mare had the baby, got up and resumed eating her breakfast, a healthy filly nursing away at her side. At least this time I got to call my vet during the day!   Now that I’m eagerly awaiting baby number three, I’d like to think I’ve mellowed out a bit from the impending baby jitters… I’ve only called the vet a couple times in the last month… and now that the mare is far enough along to visually ensure pregnancy, I’m at least able to visually ensure all is well. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that no matter what I plan and chart and prepare, my mare will have this baby when she feels like it- whether or not I happen to be there.      Yes, I think I’ve mellowed a little bit. I’m certainly nothing like my friends with human babies, over thinking all the possibilities… Of course, as the due date approaches, it helps that I’m going back and re-reading Blessed Are the Broodmares… again. Oh, and I probably shouldn’t mention it, but those first 14 day pregnancy ultrasound photos? I’ve made scrapbooks for those- they go well with the foals first teeth and a lock of their hair. Tami Rose Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.horsechitchat.com/equineblogs/98/Attack-of-the-Horse-Snob.html I’ll admit it- I’m a horse snob. I can’t help it, really. I grew up on the Hunter Circuit, surrounded by beautiful horses groomed to a sparkle, immaculately clipped, with not a whisker unshaved, or a hair out of place. As I grew up, and my horse-habit became my own financial burden, so went the barns filled with gorgeous, six-digit horses- but I find that despite a new setting, it’s hard for me to let those old grooming habits die.   Having groomed and ridden in the world of show hunters, I spent many years of my life thinking that all horses were body clipped in the wintertime, and that the hair around their ears existed for the sold purpose of tempting fate while climbing up on a stepladder to shave it off. To my mind, all horses had beautiful, long flowing tails that required no maintenance except to send it sweeping into the show ring.   The riders in these barns- well, they were as well kept as the horses. Breeches never touched a spec of dust, their boots untouched by water and manure, their socks I’m sure never filled with shavings.    I wasn’t quite so lucky- grooming to pay for board and lessons, I was the one with the dirt smudges on her face, breeches covered in dirty handprints, and usually a bit of the tell-tale “bareback butt” by the end of the day.  Anything I did to the horse had an equal but opposite effect on me. The horse was bathed and got squeaky clean- I looked like a dirty, wet dog. A horse got body clipped, and I would resemble Chewbacca, and be pulling short horse hair out of my ears for the next few days.   Horse shows were even worse- I was there at dawn to feed and clean, tack up and lunge everyone elses horse-and by the time my class rolled around, it was all I could do to get myself cleaned up enough to not mess up my show clothes. Despite my best efforts, there would always be a stain or smudge on my pants before I ever entered the ring.   I might not have always looked the part, but darn it if I didn’t make sure my horses did. They may not have been the big dollar horses that my barn friends rode, but they looked the part, as immaculately clipped and shined as all the others.  Even in the off-season, muzzles were whisker-less, newly clipped coats were blanketed in, and that bridle path was clean and tidy.   Flash-forward a few years, things changed. My taste for adventure waned, and hunters were traded for quarter horses, jumping for western pleasure and trail course classes.  Body clipping was suddenly taboo, and I was introduced to keeping horses under lights, sweating necks, and tail bags. As I became accustomed to this new kind of kept horse, I tried to get myself used to an attire change- breeches became jeans, no hunter rider would be caught dead in the amount of sparkles and crystals my new show outfits had on them- and instead of hand prints on the breeches, I would get dirt on my cowboy hat.   But darn it, my horses were well kept! Slinkies kept banded manes safe and tamed and fake tails helped to augment what nature didn’t provide in the hair department. The gear may have changed, but the pretty picture didn’t- I might not have looked my best, but I made sure my horses did!   Flash forward a few more years, and me and my herd is pretty much retired. I happily spend my days at the barn mucking stalls, getting covered in dirt and mud-and I really don’t mind. But retraining my mind that my horses are allowed to look like they live out in pasture- that’s taking some getting used to.   For the first time in my life, my horses have fuzzy winter coats, and I’m not putting on three layers of sheets and blankets! The box stalls and shavings of the past have been replaced with dirt and open spaces- and the horses are simply thrilled. But I find it very difficult to restrain myself from taking the clippers to that fuzzy muzzle when the farrier is out trimming feet.   I get ridiculed relentlessly about the fact that my two of my horses still wear tail bags out in pasture. Neither will ever go to a show again, and hardly ever get ridden. “Why bother with a tail bag” my friends ask, as I religiously wash and condition the tails every few weeks, combing them out carefully before re-bagging.   Yes, I know no one will ever see the tail my horse has under that tail bag, but I do- and I like that it’s beautiful, long and full. It would break my heart to see the tail destroyed, knowing that it could have been at it’s full potential if I had just spent the time keeping it in good condition.   I still cut the manes too. I’ve tried letting them grow long, I really have. Every time, I make it a few months, until the mane reaches that point where it’s too short to be long, but is too long to be a short, cut mane- and then I lose my self-control. In a flurry, before I can change my mind, I have the scissors in hand, and that mane cut and pulled out. Even as I do it, I know it’s ridiculous- but once it’s cut, I just feel so much better.   I know it’s crazy, and I know I’m probably just a horse snob. But if I have to live with fuzzy, mud rolling horses with 3” long hair poking out of their ears, then I want that mane short in return. It’s not that much to ask, right? They may not be the fanciest horses around, but darn it- they will be the best kept!     Tami Rose Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www.horsechitchat.com/equineblogs/97/Help-Get-This-Horse-Off-My-Computer.html I need parental controls for my computer. No, it’s not what you think- I don’t have a young child who I want to protect from pornography sites or Internet predators. I need parental controls for ME. I need a program designed to block me every time I surf on over to TheEquineYard, “just to look”. Something that will prevent me from being able to browse the rescue websites, ripe with statements like “these broodmares must be rescued in three days or they will go to slaughter!”    You see, I’m a sucker. I don’t fall for pyramid schemes, and I never buy anything unless I know what it costs, what it should cost, and what it costs at three other places. But when it comes to horses, I am weak.   It all started about 10 years ago, when I innocently started looking at horse rescues in my area. I already had a perfectly nice, sound, competitive horse at the time- but I was bored, and wanted a project. It seemed simple enough- rescue a nice horse that is going to be killed, put some time and training on it, sell it to a good home, and rescue another one.   Simple, right? It sounded like a good plan to me, so I found a flashy bay Thoroughbred type mare that was going to slaughter, and brought her home. She was three, and not even broke to the halter, but she was cute and athletic, and had lots of potential. In the beginning, things went OK. She was headstrong, but smart, and within about 6 months she was broke to ride and going like an average young horse, but with a few more surprises in store.    She had a way of making you think that you were totally in control and everything was going great- until she changed her mind, and left you sitting in mid air, wondering where the horse that was just under you had gone. She was difficult to read, and when she was good, you never trusted it completely, and waited for the other shoe to drop.   After a good foundation in dressage, we started doing some small jumping, and she showed a natural talent, and looked to be a nice little amateur hunter. But despite continued training, lessons, clinics, she still had the tendency to be unpredictable. Ok, looking back, I now see that she was often really, really bad… but the times when she was good, she was so very good that she could string you along, and I put up with the many bad times for those few times when she showed such promise.  I kept thinking she would grow out of it…   Throughout this time, she began showing signs of foot soreness- subtle at first, and easily controlled with shoeing. We started to show a bit, and while we didn’t win any championships, we didn’t embarrass ourselves either. She’d have a bout of lameness, we’d take a few weeks off for shoeing changes, injections or whatever else seemed to help for a short time. Then she’d come back for a few weeks, get ready to show again- and go lame again.   This continued for about 4 years, until the lameness began getting worse, and the riding times were well shorter than the lame times. She hadn’t grown out of her bouts of temper tantrums or occasional bad behavior- if anything, they got worse the older she got.   At this point, I had put so much money into training and vet care, and so much of myself into bringing her along, that I was devastated.  I found a pasture where she could live, and turned her out- and she’s never been happier.   As for myself, despite my experience with this mare, I’ve fallen for the same “scheme” of horses a few more times since. A lovely mare with an injury, who just needed a place to recuperate for a while before she was going to be a great show prospect… that one keeps the first mare company in the pasture.  And another, a gelding rescued as a weanling who required several surgeries to fix the infirmities inherited to him by poor genetics- the jury is still out on him, but I’m not holding my breath… oh well, I guess the mares won’t mind a gelding to keep them company.   Yes, I need parental controls on my computer. Something that will never let me look at another picture of a horse headed to slaughter, or one that has been abandoned and needs just “one surgery to be 100%”. I can’t look- and if I do, I’ll bring it home- and there is definitely no room at this inn.  Despite the best intentions, lots of hard work, and too much money, all I’ve got to show for it are three very happy, fat pasture ornaments, who I am sure will live with me forever, blissfully ignorant of my now-antiquated desire to save their lives, then find them good homes. And my original horse, the one I was bored with when I decided to get my first rescue?  Yep, he’s still going. I have to have at least one to ride, don’t I?             Tami Rose Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www.horsechitchat.com/equineblogs/89/Kids--Responsibility.html I was thinking back when I was a young man and got my first horse. It was a very important day in my life. My sisters had already got their first horse and I was being teased that I hadn't received one because I wasn't responsible enough.Now this being a true statement when I look back. But at the time it was quite a ego crusher. I knew I could take care of a horse, I had been faithful in other responsibilities. A cat and dog and a bakers dozen of chickens, not to mention all the other animals I had captured for pets, lizards,snakes and mice from the hay stack. But back to my point of rant. When Molly came into my life I knew I had arrived at manhood and the responsibilities were at hand. I must have brushed that horse down to its hide multiple times per day. And she just stood there and let a boy learn. I wonder how many kids today would have a better chance at their younger years if they had a horse or even a large animal and the responsibilities that come with? My horse taught me many things and cost me few in return, now that I look back. There were many times not being able to go away on a moments notice with my friends until I set up her care taught me planning. Not spending all my money on BB's or new arrows so I could pay for half her shoeings. A lot of good sound principles were instilled in me. I just wished she could have taught me better grammar. I truly think kids today that don't get any time in rural life miss a big chunk of a great plan. Till next time I can't sleep. Peace to you and yours.Ron Ron Petracek Thu, 12 Jul 2007 00:00:00 PDT http://www.horsechitchat.com/equineblogs/88/Planning-for-the-Future-Weighing-Risks.html It all started when I looked at a Dutch Warmblood for sale on behalf of a friend who later changed her mind and suggested that I look at her as my potential next horse.   I’m not great with conformation but there was something about this horse that didn’t look right. Dutch Warmblood or not, she looked like she had the front end of one horse attached to the back end of another.  Her back was swayed. “I don’t think she’ll stay sound,” I said to my friend. Something about the way she was put together looked really off, and at three-turning-four, I thought she should look more together than she did.   Though I knew I didn’t want this mare, even if she were free, it started me thinking about my next horse.   Being in an area of the country where it typically costs between $600 and $800 per month to keep just one horse, I wasn’t really thinking about the potential horse #2. My plan was to eventually breed my Thoroughbred to the same Dutch Warmblood sire she had been bred to before for a nice cross as my next horse. Her baby was recently started under saddle and doing wonderfully.   So, that was the plan until I started reading all these breeding your mare books…all of which forewarn of great risk in just the first few sentences. Then my friend told me how her mare’s foal was stillborn at 9 ½ months. My other friend mentioned how her trainer “lost two out of 10” bred last year. The thought of losing Lady or her baby was just overwhelming. Then my friend made another good point: “What happens if it’s born with a twisted leg, can never be ridden, what are you going to do?” I didn’t answer. “I know you. You’ll keep him anyway.” She had a good point. That’s what another friend did. The foal born to her favorite eventer had a twisted leg that made him pasture sound only. She kept him until he passed away from old age.   “Besides,” she added. “Are you really willing to wait that many years before having a horse to ride again?” Lady’s still sound, but she is arthritic. At 15 years old, I’m not sure how long she’ll hold up to being ridden as much as I’d like. I’d be looking at almost five years down the line before having a green horse to ride.   And then I kept thinking about all the horses that need homes already now. Do I really want to breed when I could find a nice youngster that needs a home?   So, while I was debating what I was going to do, a friend sent me a link to a yearling for sale. She was a Quarter Horse/Belgian cross. I called my friend. “Have you been reading my mind?” I had been carrying around an old issue of Practical Horseman that had the article “Beautiful Blends.” There, it mentioned unusual draft crosses like a successful eventer that was ¾ Thoroughbred ¼ Clydesdale.   I printed out the yearling’s photos. Boy, did she look nicely put together! I ran the photos by several friends. “I love her! Buy her!” They all exclaimed.   The yearling goes up for auction in a few weeks but we can arrange for a private showing before then.   So, we’re going on a road trip to see the yearling this week. Will this be my next horse? Kris Equine Staff Sun, 01 Apr 2007 00:00:00 PDT http://www.horsechitchat.com/equineblogs/85/Judging-Leadline-Classes.html If you think judging is hard, imagine how hard it is to rank adorable little tykes on cute ponies in the leadline class. It’s especially difficult to judge leadline classes in schooling shows because this is the first taste of showing these youngsters get, and my goal as a judge in schooling shows is to make showing a positive learning experience.   At one ride school where I judge, every child in the school show’s leadline classes gets a ribbon, but small children are often more savvy than we adults expect. Many figure out when fourth, fifth or sixth place is tied, and can be especially disappointed with not winning first place. That’s why, I feel, the judge’s interaction with these students can really make the difference in how they feel, even if they walk away with sixth place. I like to chat with each one and tell them what their strong points are and what they need to work on. Ending with some words of encouragement can quickly turn tears into a grin. (My personal feeling is that all schooling show leadline contestants be awarded a blue ribbon. In fact, I think that we could have each child win a particular area of the leadline division such as best control, winner of the red light green light game, best hands, best heels, winner of the Simon says game, etc.)   So, how do I judge school show leadline classes? Position, control, appearance and knowledge. I don’t really like to penalize a child whose parent or assistant assists in helping to steer or halt the pony unless the child doesn’t try at all. For example, if two children both require the aid of assistants to get their ponies to turn or halt, the child who actually tries to steer or halt will pin over the child who just sits there and allows the assistant to do all of the work.   Good form includes heels down, straight back with shoulders back, lower leg underneath them, not jammed forward, low and soft hands, eyes looking ahead, steady and balanced seat not wobbling from side to side.   Most of the schooling show leadline classes that I judge have children who mostly ride at the walk and require assistance to do an individual trot to the end of the line. Many students may not have learned yet to post the trot, sit trot or demonstrate two-point position, so I usually ask the instructors the extent of their basics in this training. In schooling show leadline classes, the instructors are often in the ring with me or acting as the assistants leading their charges.   I incorporate games as well as understanding of parts of the horse or equipment. With red light green light 1-2-3, we get much giggles and smiles as the children try to outsmart the judge, and it’s always fun when I, as judge, get nudged by the winning pony.   The Simon says game helps to test the children’s knowledge of parts of the horse and equipment without seeming like a lot of work. Simon says touch your helmet, Simon says touch your stirrup.   Regarding appearance, safe equipment like certified helmets and correct footwear are required. Safety vests are optional. Beyond that, the child just needs to look clean and neat. A child in a hunt coat and jodhpurs will not pin over a child in a sweater and jeans in a schooling show just based on attire. Some families can afford to buy fancy show attire for such youngsters and other families cannot. Those who cannot for a schooling show are not penalized. I do, however, inform the parents of the difference rated show leadline classes.    While testing for knowledge, I have to keep in mind that in a schooling show, these children are on school horses and ponies. They may not even know their mounts’ names. But I ask to see if they do and to see if they know the color of their mount and whether they think he’s a pony or horse and why. I’ll also ask them to point to the girth. Depending on how knowledgeable the class is, we might even get to the parts of the saddle, like pommel and cantle.   A final test as to capability of the riders is to ask them, while they are halted, to drop their stirrups and reins. Then ask them to pick them up again. Many children are just accustomed to having their feet placed in the stirrups and the reins put into their hands. If they can take back their stirrups on their own and adjust their feet to have heels down, it’s a pleasant surprise. If they can pick up their reins correctly, it’s a very pleasant surprise!   I’ve sometimes been jokingly chastised for taking too long in schooling show leadline classes, but I think it’s important to make this first experience a positive one for our future horsemen and women! Kris Equine Staff Thu, 29 Mar 2007 00:00:00 PDT http://www.horsechitchat.com/equineblogs/86/Take-Your-Riding-with-Patience.html I was observing a junior rider while she was schooling her horse. The horse, ridden in dressage tack, was moving in a nice soft frame, round and on the bit. They looked as though they were schooling training level. Suddenly, the rider hauled both her hands up and back, jamming her seat down and shoulders back. The horse came to an abrupt halt, head high, eyes wide with surprise, back hollow.   “Sorry,” the student said somewhat sheepishly. “She was heavy in my hands.” Being that I am a hunt seat instructor, I didn’t feel that it was my place to comment especially since the rider didn’t ask for my opinion.   However, my feeling is that anytime you ride on contact, you owe it to your horse not to punish her for something that is a minor evasion…and perhaps not even an evasion at all, depending on her level of training.   If the horse were heavy in her hands, she could have performed a simple training technique that would have encouraged her horse to get lighter in her hands by attaining self carriage. All the rider has to do is give with her inside rein for three strides, then take back contact. Give (with the hand moving forward toward the horse’s neck, and easily take back contact.) If that doesn’t work, she can alternate giving with the inside rein for three strides, then with the outside rein for three strides. Regardless of gait, the horse will become softer in her hands when performing this exercise.   Instead, if this rider keeps up with the snatching of the bit with her horse, she will have great difficulty gaining this horse’s trust, and training will be difficult as the two move on. If I were that horse, I’d be hard pressed to go round and on the bit if I had to fear my rider’s hard hands! I find this snatching to be far more egregious in abuse than spurring the horse unnecessarily hard. Snatching may be necessary if your horse has run away with you and you’re heading toward a cliff; in that case, you might need to snatch or go to a pulley rein. Otherwise, I see no use for it. Whether the rider was stressed with my presence (her instructor asked me to observe) or whether she lost her patience, clearly she isn’t doing right by her horse.   When you ride, you owe it to your horse to always maintain your patience and never lose your temper. Kris Equine Staff Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:00:00 PDT http://www.horsechitchat.com/equineblogs/87/Being-a-Good-Boarder.html Being a good boarder isn’t difficult, but you wouldn’t know it by the way people move their horses around from barn to barn. Most people probably think that if they pay their board on time, they’re set. But many barn owners will tell you that paying board at the first of the month is less important than having boarders who make for a pleasant environment. If you follow some suggestions for good boarder etiquette, you’ll find a happier place for you, your horse and your barn’s owner.   Clean up after yourself. Though you are a paying customer, remember that you are also a guest. Clear your grooming area of your items and sweep up after yourself. If someone uses a grooming stall before you and didn’t clean up some manure droppings, don’t be petty and think that since your horse didn’t do it that you’ll leave it. Be a team player and clean it up. Don’t get involved in barn politics. For some, running a boarding facility is a business, but for others, it’s a hobby and an escape from their former work lives. Neither wants to be involved in petty disputes or barn politics. Nothing raises the ire of a barn manager or owner like suggestions of inferior care—especially when it’s muttered from boarder to boarder instead of being brought directly to management. Being a good boarder means not getting sucked into rumor spreading or whisperings among each other. If you have a problem, go directly to management and ask politely about the issue. Share. You’ve heard the classic term “ring hog”? Share the riding area with other boarders and don’t make others feel as though you want the entire ring to yourself. Ask. If lessons or a clinic are going on in the arena and you wish to ride, ask if you may enter and ride while the lessons are going on. Most of the time the answer will be yes, especially if you’ve been polite enough to ask. Be a part of the family. It’s easy to get wrapped up in just being concerned with your own horse, running in, doing your thing, and running out. Try to take the time to get an overall look at the other horses. If your horse’s water bucket is empty, don’t just fill hers. Check the other horses’ buckets too. What you give is what you’ll get. Great barn environments have boarders who help each other out, especially when things are looking low. For example, it’s a Sunday, the tack shops are closed and someone’s horse has come up lame with what looks to be an abscess. You still have the soaking boot, Epsom salts, drawing poultice and diapers from your horse’s last abscess. Offer to help them. It’s not only courteous to help, but you never know when you’ll need their help later.   Being a good boarder doesn’t mean keeping your mouth shut or walking on eggshells when you have a concern. It does mean respecting others’ property, being a pleasure to be around (at least a courteous member of the barn family), and not stirring up problems. Kris Equine Staff Tue, 20 Mar 2007 00:00:00 PDT http://www.horsechitchat.com/equineblogs/82/The-Cleveland-Bay.html When I mentioned to a friend that a colleague had bought a part Cleveland Bay horse (actually, a Thoroughbred-Arabian-Cleveland Bay), she quizzed me as to why a breed would be named after Cleveland (Ohio). She didn’t realize that the Cleveland Bay was an old breed that is actually England’s only native Warmblood. In fact, aside from native British ponies, the Cleveland Bay is thought to be the oldest breed in Britain. Some documents state that the breed may go back to the times of the Roman Empire. Ancestors of the Cleveland Bay were thought to be pack horses bred to transport goods between monasteries and abbeys. Many European Warmblood breeds can find Cleveland Bay among their roots—especially the Oldenburg, Holsteiner and Hanoverian, among others.   The Cleveland Bay is considered a critically endangered breed of horse. Estimates are that just over 550 pure bred Cleveland Bays exist in the world.   The Cleveland Bay’s history traces to a district called Cleveland in North Yorkshire, England.  The breed was a true jack of all trades—plow horse, pack horse, field hunter and carriage horse for the Sunday church visit. He was expected to do all jobs without going lame (try that with any breed of horse today!)   The breed stands roughly between 16 and 16.2 hands, is always bay in color with black points (legs, mane and tail) and with blue hooves. It is noted for its longevity, stamina and sturdy construction as well as its steady nature. (My friend's horse is 26 but has the back and body of an athletic 15-year-old.)   During the 1700s, the same foundation Middle Eastern horses that began the Thoroughbred breed were being used to refine the Cleveland Bay to make a more fleet carriage horse.   The breed suffered several successions of declining numbers: first, with the advent of the railroad, the Cleveland Bay was used less, then lost on the battle fields in World War I and World War II as the horses were sought after for the cavalry.   But during the mid 1800s, the breed made its way to the United States into breeding programs (including those for Quarter Horses, Morgans and Standardbreds, and into the U.S. cavalry as well as Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show.)   In the 1960s, a sire of note named Mulgrave Supreme was one of only the five remaining adult Cleveland Bay stallions in England. Originally destined to be sent to the United States, he was purchased by Queen Elizabeth II to keep him in England. (Her father had bred Cleveland Bays in the 1920s.) She made his breeding available to the public, and over the course of the next 10 years, Mulgrave Supreme sired horses that went on to become Olympic champions. His offspring showed success in hunting, jumping, dressage, driving and even just pleasure riding.My friend never knew what history she was getting when she purchased Jo Jo (Jo Jo! What kind of name is that for a horse with such ancestry!) Kris Equine Staff Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:00:00 PDT http://www.horsechitchat.com/equineblogs/81/The-Dance-of-Dressage.html When the video of top international rider Andreas Helgstrand on his mount Blue Hors Matine at the 2006 World Equestrian Games went around from equestrian email boxes, equestrians and non-equestrians alike around the nation agreed with the commentator--"the mare is absolutely dancing."The video demonstrates the real dance-like movements that the pair is gaining international recognition for--the strong passage and piaffe.The passage is a very collected trot with supsension and higher steps. The movement follows a rhythm (and, in this video, the rhythm really rocks to the music). In a correct passage, the height that the legs are lifted to is more dramatic with the front foreleg bending at the knee to 90 degrees. As in collected dressage work, the horse's poll is the highest point of the horse. His head is close to being on the vertical (that is, vertically pointing to the ground), but his nose is pointing forward just slightly forward of the vertical.The piaffe is an even more collected trot that looks like a trot in place or "trot on the spot." Like the passage, the steps are high and rhythmical. As the collection is to a greater degree from passage, the horse begins to "sit" even more in the hindquarters. The forelegs should lift as high as they do in the passage, but the hind legs do not because there is not a movement forward and because the hindquarters are sitting more.The very basics of teaching a horse piaffe and passage begins by improving his suspension at the trot. Beginning with poles on the ground and raising them until they are raised cavaletti will help a horse attain suspension, balance and rhythm. The goal of the rider is to help the horse maintain that suspension and rhythm when he passes the cavelletti.Just the little bit of suspension and rhythm that you will feel while working cavaletti will make you feel like you are dancing--almost like Andreas and Matine. Kris Equine Staff Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:00:00 PDT