am I a wimp...?

I find an awful lot 

of my (usually female) clients 

are way too hard on themselves....

their 'self talk' is 

don't be such a wimp 

when in fact they are being 

realistic about:

• their ability
• the risks
• their confidence
• their stress levels
• and the likelihood of their succeeding (at this point in time)

if your gut 

- and your brain -

 are telling you that you're not 'up to this'

they just may be right...

particularly if you have genuine concerns about the risks! 

so am I advocating that
we should never:

• stretch ourselves
• work through our fear
• attempt something new
• etc....?

of course not!....

but there is absolutely no point in doing the above

if we are not currently

'in the right place' 

- both mentally and emotionally

to stand at least a 70% chance of succeeding...

that's not fair on us

and it's certainly not fair on the horse!

so we should just give up and go home, then?

well, on some occasions - YES
(e.g. when our stress levels are 'off the scale',
or we're simply in a 'foul' mood)

but often...
all it needs is for us to 

• stop
• take stock
• refocus
• and give ourselves sufficient space and time 
• to get (back) 'in the zone'

then re-assess the situation or challenge

and our feelings about it....

there is absolutely no point 

attempting to do something

if you are convinced you won't succeed...

all you will ever achieve in such a situation is to  
prove yourself right...!

as I have said in other posts:-

Ultimately

the big trick is to...

learn to control and channel your fear

whilst being sensible and realistic about the risks 

if you would like some help and training on controlling fear I would strongly recommend you check out this on-line
Emotional Freedom Techniques event
which combines Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
with two other powerful techniques
 

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One of my pupils has started a blog about his journey through the horseworld...

Click here to visit The Accidental Horseman

I'm sure he'll get round to mentioning me soon !

stabled or living out...?

like most questions in horses

the answer to are horses best kept stabled or living out?

depends, in no small part, on age, circumstances, personality and level of work...

but it must be acknowledged that in recent years 

there has been a general shift 

towards keeping horses as 'naturally' as possible 

with even some of the world's top dressage horses 

now getting regular turnout in a paddock

- something which would 'never' have happened a few years ago...

using my horse as an example...

he is very high mileage
having been ridden 300+ days per year for all of his competitive life

whilst competing 

he was kept stabled at a 'competition' yard 

which had limited turnout 

and he would sometimes go for days without a session in the paddock

(strangely enough... the owners' horses always got priority on that!)

he was retired from competition at 17 due to injury

but (once this had healed) he has always been kept in regular work

having moved to another yard...

 
around the age of 20

he was typically turned out for around 7 hours every day - but still stable kept

and as you would expect for a Thoroughbred horse of that age and background

he had been put on the 'bute every other day' diet...

as an experiment
- which i firmly expected not to work - 

I moved him in with my other horses who 'live out'
- fully expecting him not to cope with this more rough and ready lifestyle...

to my surprise, he thrived on it....!

within 3 months he was off the bute
and still is at 26...!

he was prone to lymphangitis (filled legs) all his life 

(which always went down during his work sessions)

- but he no longer has this problem

and he's come through the last few years of hard winters 

in better condition than he ever did whilst stabled....

- though sometimes he resembles a ' Michelin man' 

in all his winter rugs ;-} 

so, in his dotage,

living out has been 'the making' of him

does this mean that I believe 

all horses should be living out, rather than stabled?

No...  

because in the 'real world' - in the UK at least -

many yards just do not have sufficient acreage to support 24/7 turnout

and certainly, for reasons of practicality, 

many horses need to spend at least some of their lives in stables...

but I do think that the widely held view that all horses should have a stable

and that it's 'cruel' to expect a horse to be out in all weathers

certainly needs challenging

(providing of course, that the horse is monitored and managed accordingly...)

~>>  feel free to add any comments or views 

via the 'comments' section at the bottom of this post

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keep those heels down!

although we are all taught to keep those heels down...

a 'raised' heel is actually a symptom rather than a cause

the real aims are:

to 'lengthen' our legs

and to distribute more of our weight into our legs

thereby allowing us to maintain a relatively low centre of gravity

which keeps us more secure in the saddle

so, instead of concentrating on pushing your heels down...

think instead of pushing your knees back and down

diagonally towards your horse's rear fetlocks
then your legs will lengthen and your heels will ‘drop’ naturally

or imagine a giant walking alongside you

with 'his' hands on top of your thighs

pushing down....

put your own hand halfway along the top of your upper leg

and push down to 'get the feeling'...

then your knee will move back and down,

your legs will lengthen,

and your heels will ‘drop’ naturally

what you are looking for

is the sensation of the long 'rubber band' (tendon/ligament)

which runs down the back of your lower leg
lengthening and stretching...

these techniques should help you to achieve your goal to keep those heels down

whilst also stretching your whole leg
and helping you to establish a ‘naturally’ more secure seat

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robotic horse - must see video...

Robo horse...

This is really quite amazing...
in places it behaves uncanny-ly like a horse

later in the video we see a very passable piaffe!!!!  
I love the 'trotting down the road' ... and the 'hacking in company'
and the 'getting up from a roll' is pretty realistic too...

Although I think it would definitely benefit from a vet visit... !!! ;-}
appears to have horrific stringhalt, arthritis etc

At first I thought it was demonstrating rein back, but it turns out the first section is filmed 'from behind'




(hope this forum link works...) 
this is the response I got when I posted this to a forum a couple of days ago >>> click here

Robot Information from developer's web site... 

LS3 is a dynamic robot designed to go anywhere Soldiers and Marines go on foot. Each LS3 will carry up to 400 lbs of gear and enough fuel for missions covering 20 miles and lasting 24 hours. LS3 will not need a driver, because it will automatically follow a leader using computer vision or travel to designated locations using sensing and GPS. 

instant stress relief...!

we've all been there

something 'sets him off'

or 'winds him up'

and suddenly -

we're sat on an unexploded bomb

mounted on four pogo sticks..... ;-[

and if we're not careful 
that dread, negative spiral, 
of stress and tension 
encircles both of us

so...

what should we do
for instant stress relief...?

well

ride him forward 
obviously 
(- but I'll leave that for another post) 

and breathe and smile!!

BREATHE...

because holding our breath causes tension

(hold you breath now, for a count of ten 
- feel how your body grips up...

then start breathing normally again
- and feel the instant release of tension...)

SMILE...

because smiling releases endorphins into our body
which cause us to experience a feeling of 
well being, stress release and positivity
(go on, give it a go, now ....)

however, in the kind of circumstances described above 
even those of us most practiced in self talk
and the control of our 
always, ever-so-helpful (not), subconscious
can struggle to breathe and smile 'unaided'

I experienced such a situation this Sunday

- a close encounter with a wild boar

(not recommended)

thankfully my horse span

before he bolted....

otherwise we'd have been heading straight for the main road through the village!

once I had him back 'under control' 

I was faced with a very 'high octane' hack home 

- along aforementioned road -

on a TB

who was now convinced a boar 

lurked in every garden 

and down every side road...

self-talk alone just was not enough, on this occasion...

so time for a 'trick' 
that I know many other riders also employ...

at times like this

I would always

strongly encourage 

singing

• a 'happy' 
• rhythmical song
• out loud

(well loud enough to be audible to you and your horse, at least!) 

as you'll find that ...
when you sing a song 
in rhythm with your horse's stride:

• your horse will tune in, 
• find your voice reassuring (honest!) 
• AND will tend to keep his pace regulated to the song

but also...
it is IMPOSSIBLE to hold your breath whilst singing out loud...

and it needs to be a happy song 
as this adds the previously described, positive endorphins 
into the equation too...


suggestions for happy songs which fit virtually all horses' rhythm are:

'zipp a dee do dah' 

(note: this is chosen for it's lyrics and rhythm, 
not its - to some - controversial context)



or 'bear necessities' from The Jungle Book 



or even, good old 'singing in the rain'....


remember 
for instantaneous stress relief...

breathe

smile
and ...
sing !!!! 

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Paralympics 2012 - equestrian links

 NOTE : Links are STILL available 

(December 2012)

 

The following set of Paralympic Equestrian Links 2012 will be updated daily from Thursday 30th September...
 

Or for a full set of 2012 Olympic Equestrian Links click here
 

As these are links...

I have no control over, or knowledge of, how long they will remain available for access

nor of the accuracy of the information they provide...

They are listed here in reverse chronological order (i.e. most recent first)

purely for information 

(and the convenience of having them all in one spot)...

I hope you find these Paralympic Equestrian Links 2012 useful....

regards, labruyere - for an enhanced relationship with your horse

NOTE: 

READERS OUTSIDE THE UK MAY FIND THEY ARE BLOCKED FROM WATCHING THE VIDEOS... 

THE RESULTS PAGE SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO ALL HOWEVER...
( apparently you can get a temp UK IP address via this website:- www.expatshield.com 
>>>> USE AT YOUR OWN RISK... I have NOT used this product and am NOT endorsing it 
- ref came from a poster on Horse and Hound forum, UK)


FYI - an overview of the criteria used to classify Paralympic riders follows:-

Athletes with physical and visual impairments are eligible to compete. There are five classes:

Ia and Ib – athletes with the severest impairments, such as spinal cord injuries and cerebral palsy
II – athletes with severe impairments but who retain reasonable balance and abdominal control
III – athletes, including those who are visually impaired, with good balance, leg movement and co-ordination
IV – ambulant athletes with either impaired vision, leg or arm function 



FYI -  an overview of paces/movements required/allowed by Grade of rider follows:-

Paces		Ia	Ib	II	III	IV
Walk	Medium, Free	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
	Extended					✔
	Circles 8m 10m 20m, Serpentine	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Rein back				✔	✔	✔
Trot	Working	F	✔	✔	✔	✔
	Lengthen		✔
	Medium			✔	✔	✔
	Extended					✔
	Serpentine		✔	✔
	Shoulder In				✔	✔
	Half Pass					✔
Canter	Working			F	✔	✔
	Medium				✔	✔
	Extended					✔
	Counter			F	✔	✔
	Flying change (single)				F	✔
	Flying change (3 & 4 time)					F

F indicates that the movement is permissible in the Freestyle test but not mandatory.

(SOURCE for above table : Horseclips.co.uk)

LINKS:-

UPDATE: Youtube  appears to be the only source of video coverage at the moment, if it's anything like the Olympics, these videos could be removed at any time. See bottom of post...

The information provided by C4 on it's coverage is frankly, rubbish...

Thankfully the Official Olympics/Paralympics results page now appears to have evicted the gremlins plagueing it on Day 1...

Below is the best Information/links I can find at the moment...

If you have found better information or links, please add details in comments below for everyone's benefit... thank you...

Results
the Latest results page
is provided by the same site used in the Olympics, during which it showed 'live' results updated rider by rider

To view results click on the relevant block in the schedule, then click on it's title on the 'following' page ...

The Individual and Team Medals have been decided...
'just' the Freestyle competitions left...

Video/Live Stream

C4 are not able to cover all sports live

This link seems to give the best idea of what IS being covered...

• with 4 live streams available from the top menu
• an overview of what will be featured on C4 itself available by selecting 'schedule' from the menu at the top of video sub-window (though this information so far has proven grossly inaccurate)
• and 'session replays' available from the menus at the bottom of the video sub-window (no equestrian sessions listed for Days 1 or 2)

Tests
FEI page with copies of all the Paralympic DRESSAGE TESTS
 
Youtube 

NOTE - as stated above Youtube 'took down' much of the footage from the Olympics, so not sure how long these links will be available for!

Video below shows competitors on Friday, including excerpts from Sophie Wells (GB) test:-
(Note: 'play' arrow may be difficult to spot against the arena fencing, but it is there!)


further links to follow (hopefully!) ....

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" walk a mile in his hooves... "

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To access all blog posts, click the tab at the top of the page

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