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Jul 26
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An Australian Winter

By Blog, Horsemanship

I had always thought that an Australian winter in Central Queensland was a little similar to a U.K. summer. From what I am seeing this year in the U.K. that is probably not the case. It looks like it maybe the start of an Indian summer for the U.K.

Whats been going on: Since my last blog we have had a home course with another scheduled for mid October. Horses continue to arrive for starting and return to their homes. This coming weekend we have a virtual course in the New Forrest in the U.K. at the home of Kate McMorris and Steve Parley . Kate is riding her horse Marilyn from John o’Groats to Lands End in the U.K. a distance of 1407 km, she is now nearing completion of this ride. You can follow Kate’s adventures and donate to her chosen charity on Facebook. The course schedule has had a few more courses added and continues to be updated with new upcoming courses.

Horsemanship: I have written a horsemanship article below, happy reading.

Recently in a conversation we were discussing, “The Road To Success, ” everyone has their own definition for this. What I found interesting was that this person who coached sport said that to improve their skills they did not take well meaning advice from those at the pub or coffee shop, they went to those that were attendees at a sporting academy or were ” further along the chosen road. ” This can be applied too many other activities as well, success leaves a trail. ( Sometimes you never know who you may be speaking to at the pub to I guess.)

In a recent video presentation, I made reference that for many, time and knowledge is a challenge. A genuine desire to want to improve, in this case their horsemanship is essential. If the desire is not strong you are not going to want to get out of bed to go and ride your horse on a cold winters or a warm summer day.

Over the years of teaching, which I think are now around 30. I have observed that those that make a commitment to improving their knowledge and understanding, given time make progress and have nice riding horses. A commitment to continuing to improve our knowledge and understanding and ” Polishing the Stone,” creates better saddle horses.

While the above writings are not new or perhaps not directly horsemanship related. They do reflect the reality of many of us.

Jun 27
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A Late Blog For June

By Horsemanship, Uncategorized
It is a late website blog for June, but non the less, I have just made it in time. Again as last time, it has been a busy month. Currently we have a yard full of horses with more to come in July. The middle of June saw us at Anstead Acres in Brisbane, Qld for 3 days. Pam Andrews, thank you for all your efforts in putting this course together after having to reschedule due to floods earlier in the year. It is always great to see the improvement that riders make over the course. While many have a tendency to believe that they are not making much progress, when riders look back and see where they have come from. When they could not lead their horse into the arena for the course or could not get their horse onto a horse trailer to get to the course, this helps to give some perspective.

In July we have a home course coming up, this is a 2 day green horse course, more information is available on the website. There are currently still a couple of rider places available. Email me at: [email protected]

In the U.K. starting Friday we have a virtual course starting in the county of Shropshire for 3 days. We started these courses last year as a response to Covid times and they were received very well, while a different format to usual courses, we do get some things done.

Below is a horsemanship article on trailering your horse, hope all enjoy reading.

Trailor loading is non denominational, it does not matter if you are a western rider or an english rider, or ride for pleasure or work. At some point you are going to have load your horse onto or into a horse trailer or horse float.

Horses do travel better on an angle or facing backwards and depending on how much you travel with your horses and what pulling vehicle you have, will influence what is going to work best for your situation.

My first suggestion would be not to wait until you need to load your horse to find out that they do not load. Preparation is important, have your horse lead well, know that your horse ties well and can stand tied for some time. Moving the hind and fore-quarters and being able to back up and come forward easily is good preparation for your horse to able to move their feet in the trailer. When your horse is in the trailer see if you can move their hindquarters over, see if you can back them up a few steps and then be able to have them walk forward. For horses that rush out this can also help. It may take some time to get to this point. With feed, if horses can eat in the trailer this shows some level of relaxation, although not always a guarantee. Having your horse feel relaxed and confident in the trailer is what you are looking for and that your horse will walk willingly into and back up, or walk out of your trailer willingly is something to strive for.

Whether you lead your horse into the trailer or stand outside and drive them into the trailer has a lot to do with the situation and the trailer that you have. I remember receiving some guidance a long time ago in the California with a foal. When we had loaded the foal into the trailer we turned the foal around in the trailer in both directions. This was to help him be able to learn how to move his feet in the trailer. That may not always be possible, it can help horses to travel better.

Just because your horse loads into your trailer is not a guarantee that your horse will load into your friends trailer. Knowing that you can take your horse off the trailer and get them back on if you are by yourself is also reassuring. Maintain your trailer, I have seen horses that have gone through the floor and tried to fit through the jockey door of the trailer. Some trailers are too small for the size horse you are travelling.

The above is a guide as to what you should be aware of, for when you travel your horse. Preparation is the best advice I can suggest. Some horses are going to need more preparation than others, if your horse is one that panics and goes into flight mode easily, spend more time on the preparation.

May 22
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Mayhem

By Blog, Uncategorized

It has been a very busy month to date with having returned from Western Australia mid May followed by a quick trip down to Bowral in New South Wales.

It is great to see the progress of all the riders and their horses. When you start down the horsemanship road there is a few turns and twists for everyone.  It is always rewarding to see horses and riders make it through the rough spots.

Upcoming Events; In mid June we have a Foundation Horsemanship course coming up in Brisbane at Anstead Acres. For more information please contact Pam Andrews, contact details are on the course page of  the website. In July we have a virtual course in Shropshire in the U.K. and also a Green Horse home course here in Central Queensland, email me at [email protected] for more info and prices.

The horse starting at home in Central Queensland is still very busy and with the improved facilities, life is easier for both horses and humans. Below is an image of our new horse wash bay. I have also added a horsemanship article below that I hope all enjoy reading.

 

Building the Foundation: It is easy to say, it takes a lot longer than many realise. Time is one of the ingredients to building that foundation. With some horses that are really sensitive and their self preservation is right on the surface  it may take longer to develop their confidence and trust in the human than horses that don’t have that depth of self preservation. The riders competence also has a lot to do with this as well.

What are you wanting in your horse or maybe what are you not wanting in your horse is a great question to ask yourself as well.

In reading some articles the other day I thought they really touched on some great points. One, was having a ground covering stride and how some horses can have a trot that is very short or “floaty” and the importance of lengthening that stride. The other point I was reading was on responsiveness, if a horse can feel a fly land on them then why are we having to do so much with our arms and legs to get the message across,  the horse is not responsive to our aids, in other words they are dull or not understanding.

One of many ways to lengthen the stride of your horse is riding out. Often a short stride is associated with a horse being anxious or nervous. As long as it is safe to do so, hacking as it is termed in the U.K. or riding them out will lengthen the stride and help the horse to relax and let down over time. In the U.K. I used to take young horses out a lot on trail rides. I also took riders out a lot as part of the courses that I ran over there.

 

When you are out there on the trail there are so many things that you can do to help your horse gain more confidence, the environment often causes your horse to be more forward and responsive than what many achieve in an arena environment.  This will also help with straightness in your horse as well, when you are out there have your horse walk out. Growing up on my families cattle property we often had large  areas to cover, so you appreciated your horse if they had a good walk.

The horse below was a polo horse that I rode for a little bit in the U.K.  While not swinging a polo mallet well, if I can ride them outside swing a rope on them, ride them with a flag, others will be able to swing a polo mallet. It is easy to focus on the end result and if we get the preparation better then the outcome is also likely to reflect this.


 

Apr 27
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A Late Blog for April

By Blog, Uncategorized

I may just have time to get a website blog in for April. It has been a very busy time since my last website blog. At the end of March I headed up to Barkly Downs Station for 10 days. Barkly Downs Station is in Qld near the Northern Territory border. Words do not do justice to the size of these operations. One photo of the landscape looks very similar to the last, when you are on the downs country. It was a great experience and thank you to ACC and Rob and Megan Mcauliffe and all the staff at Barkly for your hospitality and having us there.

In the mean time we have also continued adding infrastructure to our facilities at home. I am sure that they will be appreciated by those attending our home course in July. This course is a Green Horse Course so if you are interested then please contact me on [email protected]

We also have a Foundation Course coming up in Brisbane in Queensland in June. This was originally planned for March but due to floods has been rescheduled for June. This course is held at Pam Andrews facility at Anstead Acres. More information is available on the course schedule page.

Presently I am in transit in the Qantas Lounge in Brisbane on my way to Perth for 10 days to do some courses and lessons at Horsemanship First in Serpentine, Western Australia with Jenny Jackson. Again for more info please go to the website or get in contact with Jenny.

Within the U.K. we have some virtual courses happening in the next few months. Tina will be able to provide more info and the dates are again on the course schedule page.

During the second half of the year we will also be updating the website, so please stay tuned for that. Hopefully all goes relatively smoothly.

I have also added a horsemanship article below, enjoy and we hope to be able to catch up with you many of you throughout the year.

( Some may call the new seating around our round pen a viewing stand, I am calling it a Grand Stand.)

At many of the courses over the years I have mentioned that these days everyone has a ground and ridden work repertoire of one nature or another. What differentiates the outcome for many is that one persons approach may have more quality and understanding to what they do in their ground and ridden work to what anther person is doing.  The horse then becomes a reflexion of this.

What are some of the qualities or outcomes that you are looking for within your horse when you are  both on the ground or in the saddle. Is your horse understanding and thinking and feeling down to their feet, do you have relaxation within your horse both at a standstill and in motion? Does your horse accept you on the ground and in the saddle? How well does your horse accept their environments? What are your transitions like ?

The above are just examples of and you can make a long list of questions here. To get better with your horse you have to ask different questions, if you want a different answer. If you are just running your horse around on the ground or in the saddle, you are not going to like the answers to your questions.

“While we may all ask what our horse can do for us, it is perhaps what can we do for our horse.” This may not be the first time this line has been used and I believe that it is still relevant today.

Ray Hunt used to say you have to THINK, many just react to circumstances. On a halter that I received as gift a long time ago, there is a leather nose band on the rope halter that says THINK. I had kept this halter in my house and recently thought that perhaps the giver of that gift would like to see it in use.

It is a very useful reminder and lesson and a wonderful memory.

 

Mar 13
Love0

A March Autumn

By Blog

While it may be the start of Australian Autumn, in Central Queensland it feels more like the beginning of Summer. I thought my temperature  gauge was broken as it has been stuck on 40 degrees celsius or above for the last few weeks.

Working from a saddle horse

In the last few weeks we have done a green horse course in Bowen in Central Queensland and we were to do a course in Brisbane, that has now been rescheduled for the middle of June due to the recent floods.

We have been busy with stock work on my families cattle property and are continuing to add additional  improvements. My welding and fabrication skills are not strong, but I have found someone with that skill set.

In the coming weeks and months I have private courses in North Queensland and in New South Wales. At the end of April, depending on covid I am back in Western Australia and we are looking to have a home course in the middle of the year. There will also be additional courses added once confirmed.

Below I have written a horsemanship article on working with the blind spot, I hope all enjoy.

The Blind Spot;

Can really get riders into a lot of trouble, horses have a blind spot, almost directly behind them and also in front of them and under their neck. Getting horses confident in these areas is really important. At times horses will spook, go to bucking, bolting etc because of not being accepting of movement or motion in these areas.

On the ground when using a flag if you are too sudden with your movement and go underneath a young or green horses neck with the flag, they may strike with their front feet or escape backwards. Have your horses solid when changing eyes and going through that blind spot, you would like them to be really smooth when changing eyes.

Using a saddle horse also helps for your green or young horse to be able to see you from above them before you get on. I have put a small video on social media and if you go to my facebook page David Stuart you should be able to view the video. This video probably gives more understanding than my words do. ( we are also amateur video editors as well ).

I hope you all enjoy.