My Grand Prix School Master

Bim Bambino was my Grand Prix School Master. What does that mean? Well, he was trained and shown up to the Grand Prix level in dressage and I bought him to teach me how to ride at the upper levels of dressage. Many people think that you can just sit on a trained horse and he will do whatever you ask, which isn't entirely true. If you don't know how to ask correctly - the horse will not respond correctly. This is where the school master part comes in - by learning on a horse that has been correctly trained - the rider learns how to correctly use her aids to get the response she is looking for. A school master doesn't try to figure out what you are asking for and give you a different response every time you use a certain aid, a school master gives you what you ask for. The rider starts learning not only what the correct response feels like, but also how to ask correctly.

Bim Bam and I started out showing at third level which was very hard for me because I had never shown at any level in dressage and probably confusing for him because he had been showing Grand Prix and was sure that we were doing extensions, Piaffe, and Passage several times during the test because I was so nervous and was giving him all kinds of confusing messages. He put up with my clumsiness graciously and slowly but surely we began to talk the same language. Once I began to communicate with him correctly we really progressed quickly. Within two years I was showing him Prix St. Georges and earned my USDF Silver Medal with him.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to have a school master, but I think that when one of the members of the riding team (horse/rider) is more advanced than the other, the results are better. Now that I have learned from a schoolmaster, I feel more comfortable with a less trained horse because now I have a better understanding of what response I am looking for with my horse. I am more confident and can give clearer and more consistent aids to the horse I am training so that she can also learn from my Grand Prix Schoolmaster.

Promoting the Stallion and His Offspring

The ad for my stallion, Patrick, in the Equestrian magazine came out this week. This is the magazine that all USEF members receive and so it will reach a lot of people. I decided to do a full page ad this year and put pictures of his offspring on it as well. I think is is a very good ad and I already received one inquiry about the offspring, so I think it is getting some attention.

As a result of the advertising we are also updating the web page so that it has the most current information and pictures. Take a look at http://www.lostworldfarm.com/ .

There will be a classified ad in The Chronicle of the Horse in the first issue in 2008 followed up with an ad for the offspring, specifically the three year old gelding, Polaris. He and Patrick will be going to Ocala, Florida in late January to compete in the winter shows. I hope to sell Polaris before going to Florida, but it is more likely that he will sell in Florida.

I also put the same ad for Patrick in the annual Breeder's Guide for the ISR/Oldenburg breed registry. He is offered for breeding on their auction as well as the auction with the Midwest Breeder's Group. I would like to attract some new mare owners to breed to him, especially owners of warmblood mares. The ones we have bred to so far have produced some really nice foals. All three of this year's foals out of a warmblood mare and by Patrick were judged Premium Foals at their inspections.

There are a lot of other places to place ads, but until we get more breedings and sell some horses the advertising budget can only go so far. This is where the advice -You have to spend money to make money - really rings true!

Selling Horses

I frequently get asked if it is hard for me to sell my horses. My response is: "Yes and no".

On the emotional level it is hard to see a horse leave that you have built up an emotional attachment with and it is impossible for me not to do that, especially with the ones I have bred and watched grow up. But as a business owner I know that they are all for sale, so I do my best to insure that they will go to a good home. I make sure that they have been well trained and are easy to handle. I also try to find out as much as I can about the buyer so that I know they are going to a good home and will continue to be treated the way I have treated them or even better. It is much easier to watch your horse go to someone who is excited about them and has demonstrated that they have the resources to properly care for and train the horse according to it's highest possible abilities. I also try to keep in touch with the new owner so that I know that everything is going well.

On the financial side, marketing young horses is challenging. There are not many people in the market for young horses that have not been started under saddle and it seems that the people who are are looking for a bargain. It is reasonable to expect to pay less the younger the horse is because you are gambling that it will grow up to be the horse you are expecting and that it won't injure itself before you get started. If you have the resources to keep the babies until they can be trained and ready for someone to ride you will usually make more money, but if the right person comes along that you know can do as good a job or better raising a young foal to a successful career it makes sense to sell it for a reasonable price for it's age.

Some horses are easier to sell than others. They are all special to me and so I want them each to have their own special owner. It is more like matchmaking than selling!

What does the Horse Give Back?

After reading some of these posts talking about how much work I put into my horses, you might be wondering: What do you get out of it? What does the horse give back?

• They accept you just way you are
• They don't have any expectations
• They let you ride them even though they are bigger and stronger than you
• They know how you are feeling but they don't judge you
• They are happy to see you even if you don't have treats
• They really try to do what you ask them - even when you do it wrong
• If you are in a bad mood you won't be by the time you leave them
• When you are feeling sad they make you feel happy
• When you are stressed they help you relax
• There's a lot more - but I can't think of them all

Horses are used in many programs for troubled children, autistic children, people with emotional problems, handicapped people, and many others that I don't even know about. They are very good at reading body language and seem to know how you are feeling and how to respond. Everything about them is real, honest, and trusting. I always feel better after I have been around my horses, even when I have been working hard. They give off good vibrations that touch your soul!

My 1st Mare and Foal

The second horse I bought for myself was a mare - Violette. She was only 4 years old, and at the time I really didn't appreciate how young she was. Her breeding was unknown, but she looked like she was at least half Friesian. A Friesian is a Dutch horse that was originally bred to pull carriages, but the new Friesians are also bred to ride. She was a bay with a long flowing black mane and very full long tail, with feathering around her feet. She had not had an easy start in her short life and it took some time to get her to trust me enough to get a saddle and bridle on her. Once we had a relationship building and I had begun to ride her some, I started thinking about breeding her.

I had never bred a horse, and I didn't know much about how it should be done. I didn't do everything the way I would tell someone now to do it, but I had no one to give me advice. I would recommend starting with a mare that has registration papers with a recognized breed registry and hopefully is also already approved for breeding. I did manage to get her approved through the American Warmblood Society and bred her to a TB Stallion that was also approved thru that registry.

Most breeders in Europe and the U.S. as well breed a mare when she is 3 years old after she has been started under saddle. During that year she can continue to do the light work required to start her and after the foal is born she can either go back to work or become a broodmare.

I took classes on foaling (labor and delivery of a mare) and continued to ride her until she let me know that it was no longer comfortable for her - around 8 months. During the last month I watched her constantly and was lucky because on the day that she delivered the foal she had shown by her extremely restless behavior that it was coming soon. She delivered a filly before midnight - another stroke of luck - they usually like to wait until the wee hours of the morning when everyone has passed out from exhaustion. She was surprised at what she had done and at first didn't know what it was (not unusual for a maiden mare), but when it started whinnying to her she responded immediately and the mother-daughter bonding began.

Violette and her filly, Alia, were my first mare and foal. I guess you could say I experimented with them and while they were not a huge success, the were not a failure, either. I remember when my oldest son was about 2 months and I was going crazy with his daily colic. A neighbor who had a son a few months older commented that it was a wonder the 1st ones lived past the 1st year given the amount of training and preparation we are given for parenting. I felt this way with my first mare and foal, even though I had attended some classes and tried to prepare myself.

Now that I have had 12 more foals I feel more confident about what I am doing, but they all seem to have something new to teach me. Over the next few weeks I plan on sharing some of these stories so that other people can use this information to make their experiences more successful. If new breeders can get started with a good plan and realistic expectations we can expect to see better and better horses coming out of the U.S.

The Sport of Kings

It is said that horses are the sport of Kings. Many people would tell you that this is true because only Kings can afford them! But horses come in all price ranges and horse care can be extremely extravagant to very basic. The various activities that can be done with horses are also variable in their costs. A horse that cost a lot of money is not necessarily any better than the horse that is free. As long as the horse receives good basic care, the cost does not matter. And having a horse as a back yard pet can be just enjoyable as competing with a horse at the Olympic Games.

There was a time when horses were mostly used for work and people viewed them more as a necessary piece of equipment than an animal for fun, sport, and fulfilling relationships. So in the past it was only the Kings who had the time and money to do anything with their horses besides work and now if they were only used for work, they might very well be extinct!

Horses are regal animals that generously share themselves and allow people to experience the fantasy of control of something bigger than themselves - like a King!

Horse Spa

Today as I was finishing up with my mare, Fiora, I was talking with the groom and she asked me if I knew any spas in the area. I laughed and said " Well, Fiora might tell you that there is one right here!"

I do more things to make my horse comfortable than I do for myself and she certainly gets more supplements and a more nutritious diet. I am her personal trainer who comes to her 5 times a week and works her in a customized program designed to build her muscles so that she can perform at her best. After her workout she stands under a heat lamp with a fleece blanket on to warm her muscles and I rub her legs with liniment and wrap them so they are not sore. She gets treats before, during, and after her workout. I brush her hair, clean her feet, give her baths, and blanket her so she doesn't get too cold. There is a fan over her stall so that she isn't too hot in the summer. She is fed hay five times a day and grain that was chosen for her special needs three times a day. I buy special supplements from a company called SmartPak that packages them in daily doses to ensure that she doesn't suffer from joint or stomach problems and that she has plenty of energy. She goes outside in her own private paddock every day next to other horses she can visit with and her stall is cleaned three times a day. No wonder people tell me "I want to be your horse!"

The horse stables that house many of the show horses in this world should probably be called Horse Spas because most humans who received the same treatments that these horses do would be at a spa!

Owning a Breeding Stallion

I own a beautiful grey 10 year old Dutch Warmblood Stallion named Patrick. I imported him from Holland when he was 4 years old. I didn't plan on buying a stallion when I went to Holland, but he was the right price, the right age, and had a great pedigree. He was also very sweet and friendly and stole my heart on our first meeting. The fact that he had very good conformation and beautiful gaits only sealed the deal.

One of the first things I learned about owning a stallion is that they get a lot of attention from other people as well as other horses. Some people are afraid of him and some are in awe of him, but they all admire him. Stallions are by nature the guardians of the herd, so they notice everything new and different. They are usually brave and bold and this can really enhance their performance in the show ring. The rider must develop a solid trusting relationship with a stallion because they are sensitive to every little change and must keep their attention focused in order to perform well.

A well trained breeding stallion knows when it is time for work and when it is time for breeding and while he will notice the mares around him, if he is being worked, he will behave like a gentleman and others will not see any evidence that he is interested.

Owning a breeding stallion means that everything that is done with him must be the best it can possibly be. He is always on display. You always want him clean and presented in the best tack (equipment) possible. You want to put the best riders on him that you can and not show him until you are sure that he is ready to perform at the top of his abilities. This can be difficult sometimes for the amateur rider, but I have taken the position that the fact that an amateur rider can ride and show him, whether or not they do well, is a testimony to his sweet nature - something most people want to see in the offspring he produces. I have put him in the show ring with both professional and amateur riders with good results.

I have had people ask me why I keep him a stallion. Stallions can be dangerous, difficult and in the U.S. most stallions don't earn enough in breedings to pay their keep. My answer: He has never given me reason to geld (castrate) him and he is producing beautiful babies that are going to be wonderful horses for someone else!

Horse Terminology

For those of you who are not horse people I thought I would define some terms so that you can understand what I am talking about and I don't have to define the terms every time I use them.

Stallion -An intact male adult horse.
Mare- A female horse - usually used for horses adged 3 years and older.
Broodmare- A mare used for breeding.
Gelding- A male horse that has been castrated. (The one preferred by most amateur riders)
Colt- A young male horse, usually aged 2 or younger, and usually still intact.
Filly - A young female horse, usually aged 2 or younger.
Foal- A baby horse that is still nursing (at his/her Dam's side).
Dam - A horse's mother.
Sire - A horse's father.
Weanling- A baby horse that is no longer at his Dam's side (nursing) and under 1 year old.
Yearling - A horse that is one year old (this is usually counted from Jan. 1 the year following their birth no matter when the actual date was).
Young horses are frequently referred to as 2 year olds or 3 year olds, but after that they are just a stallion, mare, or gelding and considered an adult horse.

Gaits- the paces of a horse. Warmbloods have three - walk (4 beat), trot (2 beat), and canter (3 beat).

Warmblood- this is a term used to describe a horse that is one of the many breeds of horses from various regions and countries around the world that have their own breed guidelines but are all crosses of a hot blood breed (usually Thoroughbred- TB) and a cold blood breed (draft horses) somewhere in their past. These horses are primarily used for the sports of Hunter, Jumper, or Dressage. They are usually very athletic horses with a even temperament that can be ridden by most riders.

Hunter - the sport of jumping horses over fences similar to those found in fox hunting, which is where the sport came from. Horses for this sport need to have very steady, rhythmical gaits with a lower and longer way of moving than the Jumper or Dressage horse.

Jumper - the sport of jumping horses over jumps that are higher and with more complicated patterns than the Hunter - also called Stadium Jumping - this is an Olympic Sport.

Dressage - this sport stresses riding horses according to a specific system to develop obedience, flexibility and balance. There are tests of increasing difficulty for the horse and rider that are patterns ridden in a rectangular arena. This is also an Olympic sport and the part that is ridden to music (called a Freestyle) is the most popular with spectators.

There are many more terms, but these are the most basic and most used in this blog.

Keeping Horses

Keeping horses is a 24 hour 365 days a year job. Let that really sink in - keeping horses is more work than having children. I raised three children and while there were times that I thought my freedom was being seriously threatened - it was nothing compared to the responsibilities of keeping horses on a small farm.

What is a small farm? Well, that can depend on how may horses you have, but generally speaking, if the pastures cannot supply enough grass to feed the horses, you have a small farm. The horses need to be fed hay and probably some type of grain several times a day and at many horse farms the horses also spend some time in stalls that have to be cleaned and re-bedded every day.

Every morning the horses have to be fed and turned out. Every evening they have to be brought in and fed and it is best for most horses that there is at least a third feeding either in the middle of the day or late night. Every day the stalls have to be cleaned and re-bedded. Every day, every day, every day.

A true horse lover accepts the every day. It is worth it for us and over time we find someone to help in some way and we take a break, but we always accept the responsibility of EVERY DAY.

What I'm doing here.

I am starting this blog to talk about horses - horses I own, horses I used to own and some of my friend's horses. Horse breeding is a big part of my life. I own a stallion and three broodmares and six of their offspring. I also have a mare I just purchased to show in dressage and a young TB filly that was recently given to us. I would like to help people new to breeding learn more about the ins and outs of this business by sharing my experiences and the knowledge I have gained thru classes, books, other breeders and just by doing it myself.

The daily life on a horse farm is very time consuming. Horses are like children but they never grow up and take care of themselves - they always need care and attention. For the horse lover it is worth it because of the way horses affect our lives and hearts. They are special animals that tend to bring out the best in the people that they are with regularly.

People who know me always ask about my horses and it always amazes me that even people who don't own horses and never have or will are fascinated with my stories and always want to hear more. So with this blog I plan on talking about breeding, raising, training, riding, showing, and everything else that I do with my horses. Hope you enjoy!