Thursday, September 24, 2015

Ruger at 2015 Nationals!!!

2015 Nationals has come and gone. We had a blast, spent time with old friends and new friends. Our horses won 2 Reserve National Champions (Rivenburghs Lets Roll SE and I AM Rhythms Cameo), 5 top fives and 5 top tens. The classes were HUGE, and our horses drove well. We were super pleased. This was the first year that we drove our own home bred babies in classes. Ruger (I AM a Secret Weapon LR) and Thunder (I AM The Last Roll of Thunder) were our 3 year olds and they handled everything very well. Both of these boys were for sale,  and we had prayed asking God's hand over them. Thunder sold into a wonderful home, and the Lord must intend for us to keep on driving Ruger, for he came home with us. I put together a montage of his various classes into a video. He stayed soft on the bit, willing, rounded and collected and amazingly consistent......I was thrilled with him. He is amazing for a horse that just turned 3 in June of 2015. We will continue to train and drive him until he is sold. Here is the video of him.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Tips...tail socks and cart lights!

We had a visit from one of our favorite ladies this morning and she asked me to show her how to tail a sock. So, here it is for anyone else who is interested.

It is hot here in Phoenix, so we do a lot of driving at night. When we are in the arena, lighting up our carts is no big deal....but when we are out and about the neighborhood, being seen is essential. Here are some cheap nifty little lights.


Love my "nightlights!" Easy, cheap, no hubby required, and no damage to the cart!
Posted by Beth Dales on Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Friday, September 4, 2015

You are a trainer...like it or not!

"But, I don't want to train, I just want to have fun!" That was the moan I would hear out of one of my daughters when they were little and we all were riding big horses. Yes, there is time for relaxing, and we go on many a trail ride....but my response was, "Every time you interact with a horse, you are training!" Parents, this is true with your children too. Every moment you are around them, and even when you are not around them, you are teaching them about life and relationships. Our children learn from what we do, rather than from what we say. More is caught, than taught!!!  So, in essence, every one who drives a mini is a trainer, either for good or for bad.  You are giving your horse a message every time you drive.

That being said, I don't want to set myself up as an expert, or as an authority in any way. I am just a verbal lady, excited about horses, fairly transparent and handy with a camera. There are many out there much wiser than I am. Wish they had the time to be busy with a camera :)   We are all in this together. I love when Angela or Kim or Jaci or Julianna or Tim or.....fill in the blank, asks me why did I just do that? Or, would it be better to do it this way or that?? We are all in this together; striving to get the best from our horses. I welcome ideas....

I also know that when I started driving minis, it puzzled me. With big horses, there was help everywhere. I live in a horsey area and a man who trains with Al Dunning and Brad Barkenmeyer is down the way. He always could redirect me. There were World Champions in many homes that were enthusiastic and shared with me. There are many videos. But, I struggled to find accessible help with collection in the cart. How to get that mini body moving correctly without my legs and weight???? That was my question. I rode a lot of Western Pleasure horses too. You touch the rein, they drop the head and get off your hands completely. Minis, on the other hand, are driven with contact. When was it hard? How did you drive on the bit, but still have your mini light? These questions stayed on my mind as we worked with horse after horse. I'd see fancy movers at shows who look scared and hyped up on sugar to move the way they did. Then, I'd see some who were trained to move, and yet were calm. I had so many questions. I have been thankful for those experienced drivers who would talk to me. On a whole, there are many nice people in this miniature horse world.

I can't wait for Nationals. Not because I want to show my own horses, but because I learn. I love watching the talent in the warm up arena. I have heard many complaints about trainers. and some are justified in my mind, but there are some real experts out there too. Some of the trainers amaze me in what they accomplish with the number of horses they work, the varying temperaments involved with each horse and how well they do.

Even though we take horses in and train for others. I still call myself an ammy. With how old I am, I will always be an ammy. But, I love learning. It was Muffy Seaton's video on "Bending the Driving Horse" that first got me thinking. I watch videos like I cook. Glean quickly over the recipe, close the book up and start playing. But, Muffy's ideas of bending began making sense.

I admire the "real trainers" for they also have to have people skills. Much of their skill is also in handling the multitudes of personalities that come with miniature horses, and to do it kindly!



Tuesday, September 1, 2015

VIDEO....Balancing the Driving Miniature horse

Before you begin to ask of your horse what I am asking of Beamer, you need to do lots of preliminary work. First ask for just soft lateral bending. Once my mini understands that , I ask for lateral bending that involves breaking the poll and moving the shoulder. Finally I ask for lift. But, this exercise is not one that I begin with! I can only ask this of a horse that is soft on the bit and understands lateral movement.

Remember that collection starts from the hind end. Thus, you will hear me clucking while I play with positioning his head. This is to keep him driving from the hind and to keep impulsion happening. Beamer is so much "go" that a cluck is all that is needed. If you have a horse that is dead to the cluck.....you are going to have to get them moving when you ask for impulsion. That can be accomplished in the round pen most easily.