It's Broke

The english language has a few words that are spelled the same and have very different meanings. In the horse world vocabulary it is no different. One of those terms that is often used and hosts a wide range of meaning is "broke".  The truth is most people use the term "broke" in the horse world right after they buy a winters worth of feed, pay the trainer, or screw up at the show. Today though I want to talk about broke in relation to how well a horse rides.

Often I hear people talk about how broke their horse is then find myself puzzled as they fail to turn in a 40 acre pasture, but hey it did not buck them off, so I guess it's broke. Then I talk with some trainer friends and they talk about how unbroke another trainer get's their horses.  Only to watch that trainer go in and mark big and win the class, yep that thing is fur sure not broke. So in this mangled mess of ideas lets start with one concept.  There is a difference between broke and gentled, then there is physically broke and mentally broke.

So the guy who can get on and the horse drives but never is dangerous has a "Gentled" horse not a broke horse. Pretty simple!

Now the tricky part is the broke concept, here are some simple thoughts.

*On a physically broke horse you can control all his body parts independently. In other words he will flex at the poll, yield his neck, shoulders, ribs, and hind quarters when you apply the proper cues.

*On a mentally broke horse when you go into a scary situation like a show, or trying to pass that big monster rock on the trail, your horse trusts you and allows you as a result of that trust to guide him anywhere you want to go.  Even past the big scary monster rock.

Ideally we want both a horse that is physically broke and mentally trusts us. This level of connection only occurs as both horse and rider come together in a mutual agreement.  To me this is what a truly broke horse is.  When he is looking at something and telling you "no way" and you can control his body,  resulting in him trusting you, and going where you asked at the pace you dictate.

So in the end remember that gentled is nice but not broke, unless it is the horse you hate to ride cause he won't go where you want and still leaves your bank account broke. However just because something won't flex its chin like butter doesn't mean it's not broke, it may be more trusting than your super soft pony with its head bent around to the right running off to the left.

 Until next time get your horse broke before they break you and remember to slide long.

www.ivieranchreining.com

To buy or not to buy

With the arrival of green pastures comes the itch to buy a new horse. As you set out on your adventure today's tips are handy in your back pocket.

1. It is all about finding the right match not the "best horse". If your a timid rider the blazing stallion your friend tears through all the speed events,  generally out of control on, is not for you. Even if your friend wins all the time. Look for a personality that compliments yours and a horse who's strengths are your weak spots. Nothing I mean NOTHING is more important than finding a horse that is a good match for your skills and temperament.

2. A 500 dollar horse for 300 is not as good a buy as a 10,000 dollar horse for 7,500. Adding zero's is a scary idea. It may just be the cheapest thing you do. Your Grandpa always told you that you get what you pay for. Spend a little extra now and reap the rewards for years.

3. Try it twice. While driving a car around the block may get the job done horses are not machines. Like us they have good days and bad days and the best way to find out if you really get along is to try the horse a couple times.

4. Have the owner or trainer ride the horse first when you go to try it. This has two reasons, first if they don't want to get on you shouldn't either. Second this allows you to see what the horse is capable of doing making it easier for you to get on and push the buttons.

5. You really should ride it like you stole it. If it's going to be your horse ride it like it is your horse. The only way to know if your a match is to ride like you ride at home.

6. A pictures is worth a thousand words, but only tells half the story.  In todays online world most of us look at horses online before we go to buy them. Pictures tell a couple things. First they show that the owner can operate a camera if they took the time to take a nice picture. Second they show that some people have no clue how to take a good picture. Call the best pictures first, but don't pass on a horse just because someone did not take the time or have the skill to create a nice image.

So now you have a half a dozen tips to head out and find your next champion with. As you test drive remember to have fun, feel free to use a professional trainer for help, and most of all slide long....

www.ivieranchreining.com

Look Up

Chances are if you listen to any riding lesson in any discipline during the lesson you will hear the instructor yell "LOOK UP".  This oft repeated yet ignored bit of advice can go along way in improving our overall riding. This simple act of picking our chin up and looking where we are going will do two main things: First it will improve our balance. Second it will give our horse clear direction.  Below are two images that illustrate these points.

Balance: By looking up Kytie shifts her weight over her hips and centers herself better on her horse. This allows the horse to stride deeper and use his strongest muscles to correctly propel himself at  the lope.  When she looks down she shifts her weight to the front of her hips shifting her center of balance and causing the horse to hollow out, not stride as deep, which results in a lose of power and overall balance.

Direction: You are the driver when you ride and if you look at the dashboard you will eventually crash. When Kytie is looking up you'll notice her hand is giving her horse clear direction (in this instance slightly steering him out) this clear direction gives the horse confidence and insures good communication between horse and rider.  When she looks down her hand is not giving good direction, as a result her horse is dropping his lead shoulder and leaning.  This results in poor communication between horse and rider.

From seasoned pro to beginning rider we are all guilty of this riding error but a simple correction can make a big difference. So head out saddle up and look up but most of all remember to slide long........

www.ivieranchreining.com