Three Years Post Concussion; Why I Need Natural Horsemanship

      On September 26, 2011; I had an epic fall off my heart horse and injured myself worse than I have ever before. I hit my head so hard I went unconscious and caused a cyst to develop in my left temporal lobe. I was up and down between being bed ridden and trying to be a real person for 6-8 months after this day. And it has changed me forever.

      It made me work through a lot of my own being. I worked through my fear of horses, my fear of riding again... But it also proved to me where my heart is. I learned how it was my own fault, and it put me on a perfect path to Natural Horsemanship. A path that will forever have my feet trudging along it in search of more feel and better connection. I learned so much about myself, and about how to start working more effectively with my horse.


      Natural Horsemanship is what brought me back to the light, it set my stage to become a trainer and to continue what will be my life's work as an ambassador for NH training, and Natural Horsekeeping. I have more tools in my tool box from the past 3 years of NH education than I have from my 15 years of English riding instruction before that. With the aid of a successful mentor, clinics and self education, partnered with certifications from schooling; I am all the better Jesse today than I was as I stepped up into the saddle that day 3 years ago.
      I often wonder where I would be now if I had started my entire horse journey with NH. What would I be capable of now if I had started a feel when I was 6 years old... I have always been looking for a connection, my entire life with horses I have been begging for that knowledge, for that spiritual sense of connection. But there wasn't anyone teaching it at that time.. It wasn't available to me. So now I will be available to all the little equestrians looking for that feel, that connection. And not just because it makes them better in the show ring, because their souls call for it.. because they know it is what horses are here for. To help us grow.
     
      I am thankful for my concussion, if that can make any sense whatsoever to anyone.

      Without it I wouldn't have struggled through so much in my life, my relationships, my heart and my soul. I wouldn't have been driven to buy my horse, go to school, start training to be an NH trainer, and I wouldn't have the man of my dreams next to me either. Without that literal fall to rock bottom, I wouldn't have been able to rebuild myself into someone I quite admire today. I am so proud of myself for taking the big hint and getting a clue. Where would I be now if I hadn't been forced down this path? Would I have my own facility? Would I have a herd of horses out back? Would I have my family close and motivated with me?

      Who knows! As much pain as I went through in that time, I am reaping every benefit of it now. The only downside I face now is my innate fear that pops up from time to time. But with the right support team, the help of sports psychology and my NH mentors; I am working through it every day to better myself.

To finish off, here is a post I wrote about conquering my fear and my first step back into the saddle after my fall.

Trust is something you work for. In yourself and in your horse. You have to take care of it daily, sometimes hourly and moment by moment. But it is the most important trait you will ever come to know in life. Cherish it. And keep it burning.

Emotional Fitness Clinic has Given Me Endless Inspiration!

      Last weekend I attended one day of a two day Emotional Fitness clinic put on by our local Parelli instructors; Todd and Maureen Owens who hosted the incredible Dr Jenny. She is a sports psychologist with the most amazing views on self help, healing and understanding ourselves so we can better understand our horses. She talked about a lot of amazing ideals, character traits and day to day actions we can do to help ourselves become more emotionally fit. But one thing she talked about which struck a major chord for me; is how little people are really in tune with their horses.

      I am just as guilty, as I went home and thought about everything she had said. How we need to take breaks in our training sessions so our horses can digest what we've been telling them, and working them through. How we need to stop and really observe our horses so we can look for tell tale signs of tension, fear and confusion. This pushes past just the ability to ask a horse to do something and having them react, we're talking about having a calm and collected horse who understands, digests and then responds to your cues. Tension and stress free.

      It was so interesting to see her working with different riders and trainers to pin point their issues and to work through them together. There was one lady who had her horse doing wonderful patterns and who was obviously very obedient... but after a few patterns we all came to realize what she did not. Her horse was actually very tense. This mare was reacting to very small, easy cues; and doing all of the patterns with ease. But she never relaxed into anything. She was always very tight necked, her tail was clamped, her legs were choppy.. And those were just the really noticeable traits from afar; there were more tell tale signs close up that Dr Jenny gave advice on.
      How do we know when our horse has really relaxed into work? When are they 100% on and ready for work; cool, calm and collected. Responsive and ready for action. This is where Dr Jenny stressed our need for better observation of our horses. Here was a seemingly wonderfully trained horse, who was living with stress 90% of the time during work. And to no fault of her owner, she just didn't know! She thought, well if my horse is answering my questions and working through what I ask of her, she must be ok with it. But she wasn't.

      It's not hard to take the time to recognize stress in our horses, or to even take a break and bring them back down. Passed that it's not very difficult to work them out of that state, and into a relaxed mode in both their body and mind. This is where we want them to be anyways!

      This lady took advice from Dr Jenny, and from Todd; and worked on how to be in tune with her horse. She learned to wait for her to lick and chew after every movement; which in the beginning took upwards of 10-15minutes. She learned to embrace her calm self, and how to ask for that calm self. And she also learned about her own walls that had been blocking her from seeing her horse's stress in the first place. She learned she was very much an LBI and needed to stop worrying about the big picture check list (circle game, check. yoyo game, check.) and instead focus on her horse's attitude and mannerisms. Is she relaxed? How do I know? Is she tense? High headed? Is her tail loose and swinging? Is her back tense and choppy? Are her eyes blinking and thinking or stuck open in shock?
      These are all things we need to start doing on a regular basis with our horses in everything we do. Because the more we tune into these qualities, the more quality we will start to see in our horse's work. Who works out and studies better when they are relaxed and comfortable? *raises hand* It's the same for our horses.

      I want you to look at your own training and riding; think back to times when you've maybe pushed your horse passed their relaxed threshold and into a stressed environment. Don't get me wrong, as Dr Jenny has said, stress isn't a bad thing; it's a biological imperative. But we need to be aware of when we're asking for emotional fitness, or when we're ignoring our horse's signs of being uncomfortable. Just because your horse allows you to climb up on their back, doesn't mean they are entirely relaxed in the process. Just because your horse allows you to stand up on their bum, doesn't mean they are comfortable with the idea. Are they standing cool, calm and collected because they are relaxed? Or are they frozen in shock or fear?

      My biggest advice is to look at those ears, paired with those eyes. They will tell you about a world of emotional thought in your horse. So next time you go to work with your horse, make sure you are waiting for those licks and chews, make sure you are giving them a few breaks here and there, and most of all make sure you are tuned into their comfort levels and wait for that relaxed demeanour before moving forward.

      I took this advice and had an incredible break through with a client's horse this past week. It was one of the most inspiring moments of my training career, and I've only just begun!

As always, keep on keepin' on!

Pasture Love

      It's been about 7 weeks now, and we are well under way with all forms of maintenance, repairs and building new things on the farm. But my day to day operations always include some form of pasture maintenance. It's hard work, long hours.. pretty stinky too. But I prioritize it as one of the most important things to be kept up with on the farm.

      Ever see over crowded paddocks with horses standing in a foot of mud? Sick of it?

      Yeah, me too. Because at this point, with all of the information we have on the topic; there is really no excuse for it. Keeping a pasture full of green grass, shrubs and the right mix of sand, gravel and dirt is so important for the health of our horses.

Why is it so important?

1) Parasite Control
      Your worming program is only as good as your poop maintenance plan. You can deworm your horses all you want, but if you aren't actively removing that poop from their dinner plates; you are just proliferating the issue. Most dewormers don't actually "kill" parasites/worms when you deworm your horse; they most often than not are used to cause the worms to leave your horse's system instead. That means when they poop out those worms, they are still alive. And some are still very capable of laying more eggs, or infecting your horse all over again. These worms need to be exposed to the heat of the sun, or removed from the pasture altogether and left to bake in a compost pile.

What do we do at NRE?
      We pick and clean the paddocks from manure on a weekly basis. We are lucky enough to have a gator vehicle with a self dumping bucket on the back. So we drive into the paddocks, scoop up the poops with pitch forks (yes, labour intensive but soooo worth it) and then go dump everything in our manure pile/compost pile.

2) Horses don't eat poop covered grass
      Ever notice that if you leave your horses out in a pasture long enough for them to eat all of the grass up, that some spots get left over grown? They avoid those areas like the plague. And for good reason. That's their washroom! They urinate and leave their poops there. They have their own natural instincts built in to avoid those areas because that's where parasites live; waiting for a hungry mouth to nom them up and give them a new warm home. This is another important reason to remove manure from your paddocks, so that all of the grass has a chance to be rid of parasites, and so the horses can rotate their "washroom" areas and have full access to all of the yummy grass in the field.
      Another great idea after removing the poops from these areas is to give them a good weed whack or mow. Not too short, but enough that anything lingering in the moist tall grass has a chance to dry out. This is a great area for mold to form, and if horses are left to their own devices without another source of food. They will turn to eat these areas if the other areas have been eaten down to roots. Forcing a horse to eat molding grass and parasites isn't the best way to create a healthy environment.

What do we do at NRE?
      Depending on the time of year, the grass grows at different rates. But just about every other week we'll go out after removing poop piles and run the mower over the long parts in the pastures. Especially effective to do this on a hot dry day.

3) Mud.
      Poop build up creates mud. It kills grass... that mixed with the ground moving hooves of your horses; creates perfect areas for mud to set up camp. This happens especially fast to those who have too many horses in their paddocks, or who setup their paddocks so everything the horse needs is in on tiny little area.
      Remember that not ALL mud is bad either, some mud is good. Horses love to roll in mud to help cool off, and to keep the bugs off. It's a natural part of their grooming behaviour, so leave a good rolling spot for them.

What do we do at NRE?
      Keep herd numbers smaller, and have the option to rotate paddocks to give each pasture time to heal and regrow. It's important to keep an eye on the grazing fields so as to not allow the horses to kill the grass by eating too much of the blades. When the grass is short enough that it starts to burn, you need to give it some time off.
      Put your water trough far away from your shelter, and your salt blocks far away from those too. Your horses should be moving around a lot, every day. If you put everything close together, they are going to congregate there and too much movement in the one area will kick up the ground and become mud.
      Get some sand and gravel in your paddocks. Not only is this great for your horses bare feet, but it's also great to keep water from pooling into muddy areas. Gravel is best placed along fence lines that show a lot of wear from horse paths, around water troughs, feeding troughs and around your shelters. Sand is also a great spot for rolling off those itchy spots. I like to leave one big spot with just clean sand for the horses to play in. They love it!

4) Weeds
      Not all weeds are bad, and not all weeds are good. Make sure you do your research so you can recognize a bad weed from a good one. Horses like and need variety in their diet; and weeds and shrubs are a great way to allow them this freedom of choice to eat. Bad weeds need to be removed by the root, and left to dry in the sun out of the paddocks and then burnt in a safe manner. Good weeds can be kept under control by regular mowing and weed whacking; or with the use of other paddock companions like donkeys and goats.


     So what can I say? These are just a few of our happy horses, in their happy pastures!

Anyone have some pictures of their own happy pasture buddies to share?

Keep on keepin' on!

 

Nature's Run Equestrian: 1st Month of Adventures

Welcome to Nature's Run Equestrian!

We officially open for business on October 1st!

      Our first month here has been eventful to say the least so I haven't had much time to write anything about our adventures. So I thought I would give a quick update to the goings on! And show off some nice pictures as we go.

      We got our full load of hay in, 1500 small squares and stacked into the barn during our first weekend here. My poor family got their first taste of hay work, we started the first day with 5 of us, and were down to 3 of us after 6-7 loads. We managed 1000 bales in the first day, with 5 left on the second. But we all survived!

      Our second week here I woke up to a flooded barn from a burst water line for the automatic waterers in the stalls. Luckily we didn't have any horses in, but the bottom layer of some of my hay stalls got soaked!

     We swept all the water out, and dried up everything as best we could.. what a work out!

      We've been working away at all of the paddocks and taking out all the weeds, planning new shelters, and putting up the new tack room!

This is one of the paddocks for indoor boarders, finally all cleared and mowed.

This is the big hill paddock by the road where my 4 geldings reside in utter bliss.

This is Johnny and Spirit helping with the paddock clean up!

Q enjoying his new digs.

My two newest OTTBs Floyd and Zeppelin on quarantine as new arrivals.

Our freshly mowed grass ring leading to the sand ring (which is still being weeded out!)

And at the end of the day I get to look out on this....

It's pure bliss here!

Keep on keepin' on,

Jesse

An OTTB Rehab Story: Q

      Last fall I was given a 3yo OTTB gelding, Q. He had lived the usual OTTB lifestyle up until this point; life in a stall, only leaving for training or racing, little to no contact with other horses, and "racing fit". I had made the decision to take him to a friend's boarding barn and "rehab" him back into being a horse over the winter, fatten him up and restart him in the spring. Oh the plans I had....

      Here's what really happened. And everything I have learned along the way. This is what Q looked like a month or so before I moved him. Shiney, healthy looking on the outside... But as we learned through the next few months, he had ulcers and absolutely no immune system from being cooped up for so long.

      He had little energy and was pretty easy going, but he was sound and sane. With the small issues of cribbing, a contracted heel and some kind of interesting skin rash. But nothing I couldn't handle!

     

      So without any thought to the matter, we blanketed him up and sent him into a paddock with a small herd of well socialized horses and he became an outdoor horse again. He was going to be so happy to be out of his stall, I couldn't wait to see him nicker at the other horses, play and frolick. But he didn't do any of those things. He didn't perk up, he didn't seem very happy; infact he didn't even know how to interact with the other horses. He was completely lost at what to do 90% of the time. He didn't know to go and eat from the hay bale, he didn't know where to go to find water, he didn't know what the other horses were doing to him or how to stop it... He shut down. Fast. He resorted to cribbing all hours of the day and night, and hiding in his shelter. Eventually it got to the point where we didn't think he was actually going to come around, so we took him back inside and tried to keep him healthy. But the damage done from his past life and now new stressful week was too much, too fast. And thus begins my 8 month battle trying to put him back together again.

      After putting him in a stall for awhile and trying to keep weight on him, we decided to try him out on his own with one pony. So at least he would have full access to hay, shelter and water; and could learn from the pony on how to be a horse again. While this came at great cost, it worked. He learned how to go to the water trough, where to find shelter, where to eat; and the pony even guided him around to make sure he went to his shelter to sleep. It was a great miracle that he so badly needed; but it still wasn't enough. He had lost so much weight in that first week, he was borderline emaciated and was not putting anything new back on. And he was still cribbing all the time.

      As difficult as it was at the time, he wasn't going to get better in this situation and desperately needed more attention and care. So we moved him closer to home to a facility with my other horses so we could start filling him up and treating him more severely. By this time his skin rash had gotten worse even with medications, and he started cribbing to the point of not eating. I finally caved and got him a cribbing collar; which helped a lot for the next few months. It pushed him away from the fence and towards the hay bale. It forced him to interact with the other horses, and learn how to be one again. His skin rash was getting concerning by this point, and he wasn't shedding his winter coat by any means so I had the vet up to check him, and she suspected a serious case of ulcers. So we put him on ulcer medications for the next month to try and bring him around. All the while feeding extra rich and proper grain full of fats and goodness!

      It was after a few weeks of the ulcer medications that we finally started to see a change in him. Even our barn manager said he had finally sparked on. He was happier, you could tell by his entire demeanour. He perked his ears and came trotting over to visit you. He would follow you around happily, and he would even go running out with the other horses to play in the fields. 

      He even started getting a bit of a belly! He had lost all of his racing fit muscle in that first horrid week and was down to such skin and bones... I feared I had ruined him. I was certain I would never be able to forgive myself for what had become of him. But now when I go visit him and care for him, and see his glimmer and his spunk.. I know that he was destined for this path; either with me or someone else at some point. And I'm glad it was with me and my family, knowing that we would do absolutely anything to make sure he would recover ok.

      Now we have just gotten over a bacterial skin infection of some kind, fought off mud fever and a bit of rain rot.. but he is finally healthy again! We've started some work on the lunge and will soon be starting some work with the surcincle to rebuild some back muscle. I am confident when I say that in the next month or so he will be better than ever. It took so much loss to be able to rehab back into a horse again; but he now knows how to be a horse, how to be happy, how to play and frolick... His eyes light up. All we need to do is make that body shine on the outside, the same way it does on the inside.

This is Q today, still very much a work in progress. I can't wait to show him off to you in a few weeks...

Much love! We can accomplish anything if we put our minds and hard work towards it.

We just got to keep on keepin' on!

UPDATE:

This is Q as of yesterday (a few weeks after this original post was written), he's full of muscle and the happiest guy I know!

Did I mention he eats like a king now? And, no cribbing collar needed! As long as he has forage available, a salt lick and his daily grain; he cribs very rarely if at all.

Q having a good run in his new home.

He's just about ready to start under saddle again, another week or so of back building exercises and we'll be set!

Another update! This is Q as of Sept 21st.

Horsenalities in the Show Industry: Right Brain Introverts

      Second edition of my "Horsenalities in the Show Industry" goes to the Right Brain Introverts (RBI). They have a hard time in the show world, and are most often the "give away" and "auctioned off" horses. They do not handle stress very well, and when rushed, forced and pushed tend to explode in very dangerous ways. They more often than not end up being labeled as unpredictable and dangerous.

      I have only encountered one true RBI in a show world setting, and he ended up being sent away after hurting two trainers in two different situations. It's difficult for me to understand how so many people can turn their backs on these guys, because their personalities can be so warming and their partnership connections are so strong when properly woven. Gaining their trust can be very difficult, and proving your competence even more so... but the biggest cause of wastage for these guys is because they need time. A lot of it. Time and patience.
      They need time to think through each situation, especially in the beginning, without being pushed or stressed out. When they hit a wall in their comfort level, they hit it hard. And it causes them to recoil in anxiety. As a trainer, it is our responsibility to recognize this recoil and step back and wait for them to relax again. As long as they are pent up, nothing we can do will make them move forward faster than doing nothing at all. They need to break down their own wall slowly, calmly and without persuasion; before they can move on to anything new. And if you do push them, they will get more and more tense.. and build up more and more energy until one little last straw and BOOM. This is when someone is likely to get hurt. A seemingly quiet and ignorant horse turns into a cascade of flying hooves and bucks. Many label this as behaviour associated with the latest action, but it's the build up of the entire session from that first moment of anxiety. They have effectively hidden it within them and suppressed that anxiety until a few seconds ago, when it finally boiled over and exploded.

      So the best way to work with a RBI? Prepare yourself to avoid the beginning phases of anxiety in the first place. Go slow. Be patient, and as always, be supportive. These guys get scared easy, tense up fast and get lost in their own fear world unless you hold their hand and keep them safe. The first signs of anxiety need to be taken as seriously as the big bucking fit you might experience in 20 minutes if you were to ignore those anxiety signs. You need to address them immediately. Step back, relax and wait for them to relax too. Don't ask anything more of them until they breathe a sigh of relief, lick and chew and tag up.

      They take the longest in the beginning, and for awhile it seems like maybe you aren't getting anywhere with them. But as long as you make a little progress every day, and end somewhere better than where you started, you are on a good track. Somedays you start and it feels like you went back in training a few steps from the day before, but that doesn't matter as long as you end on a good note. Make everything possible as positive as you can. And if you can't handle the frustration that you might hit, it is imperative that you step away as soon as you notice it. These guys do not handle negative emotions well. They retreat very quickly and will start to act out in ways that will make you even more frustrated. So nip that vicious cycle in the butt and call it quits before it escalates.

      When handled and treated right, a RBI will give you the world. They will try, go slow and be safe. As long as they feel safe. So work towards your partnership as hard as you can with these guys in the beginning, and once you can break down those walls and start with a trusting friendship from the gate; you'll be set to take on any new challenge together with ease!

      Anyone think they have a RBI at home? What was your first impression of them?

That Moment...

      Today I experienced a serious break through in myself, one that I have held very safe for a very long time. A little under 3 years ago I had a very debilitating injury to my left temporal lobe. It left me unconscious at the time of the incident, forced me into months of recovery, pushed me to a breaking point with the people I love and also created a wall around my ability to trust myself and my horse in the saddle again. It took me months to get back to the barn in the beginning, more months after that to get back into the saddle... And even though I went "back to normal" after some time; there was a big part of my confidence that never came back. I was always very cautious getting into the saddle of any horse, which tends to be very difficult to explain to people when you are being paid to train their horses, but even more so I was convinced I would never feel myself again. I would never feel safe, never feel courageous to try something new, something fun.

      But today I felt that again. It sparked out of my chest and engulfed my entire being. I felt as though I could fly anywhere, and I didn't worry about getting hurt, I didn't fear, I didn't fret. I just felt those powerful legs beneath me and let go.

      I owe this feeling to two very important horses in my life. My forever love and first horse Johnny, and my Mum's rescue horse Spirit. My fall was off of Johnny, before I had even decided to buy him. And at 16.3hh he has made me very nervous to mount since then, until today. Though my fall was entirely my fault and I never blamed any of my pains on him; the memory was always so real and the sharp pain in my left forehead was nauseating. But through it all he has never let me down for a second. He has always gotten back up and faced the world with me. For his endless patience and deepest soul; I am so grateful.
      Spirit was the last piece of the puzzle for my breaking through, for my courage to meet up with me again in understanding. Spirit scared the living daylights out of me the first time I worked with him, he charged, kicked and reared and made me feel so insignificant as a horse trainer.. I thought I would fail from that point on. But with some guidance from my mentor, and then being left to my own thoughts with him. He helped me prove to myself that I am capable. And beyond capable, I achieved something I never thought I would. I got on him, without any fear. I have put off his starting under saddle for months and months because every time I knew he was ready; my stomach would turn and I would make myself sick thinking of the battle we may have. I didn't want to get on him and scare him and then not know what to do. I needed to be everything I could for him, so he would have the best experience possible.
      He helped me find that courage because he trusts me. After a year in our care, in our love, in our embrace; he stepped away from his aggression and came to me. He burst through the cage of his own fear, and taught me how to do the same. So today when I stepped into the saddle, I didn't feel fear. I felt connection. We became a team. If he was going to trust me so heavily, I was going to return that favour. I promised to keep him safe if he promised to keep me safe. And that's how we went. Safe. Together.

      With this feeling in my bones, that break through all around me. I decided to try my first attempt at a bridleless lesson with Johnny. And in that moment, that break through.. When I let go of my reins and asked Johnny to keep me safe... He did. He lifted up and sat back and away we went.

I promised to keep him safe, I promised to keep this feeling alive again.. to feel like myself again. And to never second guess him again. I would always let go and enjoy the ride.

      With everything coming our way in the very near future, I can say with no word of a doubt.. That I am back. And I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for us!

Much love with your own break throughs, take every moment you can get, and as always.. keep on keepin' on!