Time Will Tell - My Long Awaited Time to Ride Again!

 I want to share a really heart warming story that happened to me recently after stressing for a year and a half. I believe it's important to share these stories. Its what makes us human. Together, we the people, can fight off all evils. I truly believe that.

Let's Start At the Top of This Story

   My old retired reining mare Jackie had an injury June 2023. I saw her having a good roll in her favorite dirt spot and when she stood up, she favored her hind right leg. She still slightly favors that leg today. 

   Unfortunately she was quite lame and had difficulty moving after that. I could tell that she hadn't broken anything - only badly sprained. Since she was an old mare I figured it would take her the summer (of 2023) to heal. Fast foreword to the fall, she wasn't getting much better that I could see and in September 2023, I considered having her put down.  I didn't want her to suffer. That would've been devastating to me since I've had her for 21 years and she's family to me for sure. I decided she needed more time to heal due to her age and the winter would give her rest.

 Moving forward now to Feb/24, I had a vet come and check Jackie to find out what had happened and whether there was a chance that she would heal ok or have her put down.  As you can imagine, it was very emotional and stressful to me.  I was also dealing with an old geriatric family dog's declining health (who ended up passing away 6 months later in Aug/24).  

Physiotherapy

 The vet told me that the mare had no injuries in her hip and may recover in time. That was some comfort anyway.  There was no other viable solution suggested and she was prescribed a pain med and time.

 Jumping ahead now to spring of 2024, I wanted to do more for my mare. I did notice that she was slowly getting better. I did research on the internet on solutions. I also thought that since walking was beneficial to me and my geriatric dogs I thought hay! why not start walking my mare. 

  So I did. Walk. Walk. Walk. At least twice a day, in and out of the stall. Up and down the driveway. Around and around the barn. She started getting better. The more I walked her, the better she walked.

Things are Looking Up

   That worked! Jackie was making significant progress. I was hopeful. Up to this point I was having to pick her feet and trimmed her hooves when I could catch her lying down. :/  Now I could pick her feet standing up.  I also thought I could possibly start riding her after 1.5yrs. Dare I try?

My First Rides After 1.5 Years

  So here we are now summer of 2024.  I've been able to hop on my mare bareback and ride her to the back field and back at a walk. She's still only at a walk today - but that's fine by me. :)

 I saddled my mare 2 weeks ago (Sep/24) and I managed to ride her just inside the entrance to my back bush.  I didn't want to push it. She was sore after that and I let her rest.

Back To Work in The Bush

   What a beautiful time to be in the bush to enjoy the fall leaves! September 2024, 1 year after the first time I thought to have my mare put down. We saddled up. Chain saw, trail ribbon and marker paint in the back pack, and we headed to the bush to work. I hadn't done anything to maintain the trails since Jackie's injury.

 Marking Trails

  As you can see by this photo, I use Jackie to position myself to a branch where I can tie the marker ribbon to strategic trees along the trail.  I was thrilled!  To enjoy the fall leaves, work in my bush again, riding my mare. 

Jackie Helping Me to Mark Trails

 Jackie Can Help Removing Cut Branches

 I was able to ride and trim and mark trails along 1 side of my bush. That was fantastic. I didn't think that she could go that far.  I have over 5 miles of trails in the bush but we have plenty of time before the snow flys. More time to enjoy the fall colors!

        

Jackie Helping Me to Remove Cut Branches

  I can't tell you how thrilled and happy and relieved I am to have spent that day with Jackie. And there will be many more!

  May you enjoy those special times with your horse!

 Putting My Spin on Time Will Cure

 Reinersue

 @KISS Reiners

Tips to Put The Bridle On

Under Construction  

I was going for a trail ride the other day and I was reminded of a tip to put the bridle on that I used to give to me students.

Are You Right Handed?

Are We Prepared Enough?

 When we have a multi-year project such as training a horse, we normally plan out month-to-month and know what the goal is at the end. We know when the project completes.  At first it seems like a long way away but it's amazing how quickly time does fly by.

When You Don't Want the Project To Complete

 I've been looking after my beloved old border collie rescue Oddie for 15 years. I've had to give him geriatric care for the last year or so - gladly with love.  All year I kept saying out loud that I knew the time would come when I wouldn't need to look after him anymore and I wasn't looking forward to his passing. I thought I was ready for it. I had planned for it. I knew that this year would be his last. He passed away Aug. 23/24.

Oddie at 18yrs. old Aug/24

 Are We Prepared for WWIII?

   Here's another project that we need to take seriously and prepare for. With all the talks going on by both sides of the current 2 wars are talking nukes.

   Is your local TV news telling you to prepare?  I am. 

We can't manage this project but we can be informed and use discernment.

  Everyone is in my thoughts and prayers and I hope wise leaders can stop this and create peace.

 Puttin my Spin on PEACE.

Reinersue

@KISS Reiners

Are You Riding a Tiger?

 According to The Free Dictionary of Idioms: To Ride a Tiger is "to become or find oneself responsible for something risky, precarious, or unsafe to abandon; to do something that is safer to continue than it is to quit."

Old Chinese proverb: "He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount".

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Wow! I didn't know there was such a saying. What I was thinking about for this article wasn't exactly like the saying though the words Riding A Tiger came to mind.  I was thinking about life's lessons and how having an abundance of them - many not good experiences can be a good thing. 

An Interesting Thing Happened The Other Day

   I had an unexpected visitor the other day.  I've known this person for decades.  I wasn't sure why he stopped by - I still don't.  I listened to him talk about the good ole days for a while, trying to figure out why he was here.  He said he wanted to see if I was still alive. OK.

  I isolated myself during Covid and pretty much keep to myself these days. Anyway, after he left, I was thinking about the experiences I've had and I've heard about this person over the decades. I was thinking of that saying "consider the uses of adversity". I believe we all go through them.

  I was also thinking about the various horses I've had and trained over the years.  Even though the 'problem' horses are not good horses to keep (the tiger?) and some people may argue that point (and that's ok to have differing points of view) , they still give us good life's lessons. What is that other old saying: "What doesn't kill you will make you stronger." - something like that.

So Are You Riding a Tiger?

    Are you holding onto a horse that just doesn't fit your personality or your goals at the moment? It's sometimes hard to let go since you have so much invested into the horse and not just money. I'm talking emotional investment.

   The good thing is that after it's all over, the horse is gone and there's now a space for the new horse to enter your life. Then it's a comfort to know that the memories will be with you forever and so is the learning experience.  And that goes for people too.  Something to look forward to as we get older.

   It makes us wiser and cautious the next time.

Putting My Spin on Learning from Those Experience Tigers!

Reinersue

@KISS Reiners

Discernment Time

  I was sitting with a bunch of my friends one afternoon enjoying the summer sun and someone recalled how crazy things are getting these days.  WWIII??  I remember agreeing and of course being in Canada, we all commented on how the price of things keep going up- even watermelon! :) Speaking of money for value...

1 month old belt

 When Things Go Rip

  I was cutting my lawn the other day, just getting my riding lawn mower back from a spring tune up. You know, change the oil and the mower deck belt.  The mower deck belt starting falling off after the 2nd use. Fortunately, I was used to putting the belt back on. It didn't look good for the belt 's longevity however. Yesterday, I was cutting grass. I heard a disturbing noise and found out the belt was ripped to shreds. Only a month old! Luckily, I have a spare belt and with the help of youtube, I will put a new belt on. I'm not going back to the mechanic!

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Discernment Everywhere

   This incident made me remember a horse story about trust and discernment that I heard about, oh say 15+ years ago. Though I was not there, I do know all parties involved. It's your typical 'horse deal'.  You'll feel bad for the 'new people' just like I did.

  So these new people (we'll call them the Smith's) wanted to get into the horse showing world and found someone high up in Ontario to get them started.  (As a side note, the Smith's are still actively involved today despite this terrible experience). They got hooked up with 'respected' people and ended up buying 3 'dud' horses for an exorbitant amount of money with their hopes of being the top owners in Ontario. Of course the 2 middlemen walked away with big, fat wallets though short lived. (They always do. I call it retribution).

   To recap, the Smith's got duds. These horses couldn't do well in the show pen even when the best trainers money could buy rode these horses. They were eventually sold as trail horses.  Fortunately the Smith's were very smart people and did find trainers whom they could trust and buy horses with.

  As for the 2 middlemen, well of course, they weren't trusted again. The story got out rather quickly. We all know how gossip travels fast in the horse world! 

     It's really all about discernment isn't it. Today, more than ever.

Putting My Spin on the Necessity for Highly Skilled Discernment in Today's Climate

Reinersue

@KISS Reiners

When you practice the right way

 ... You'll learn to see differently. ~ Ian Roberts, artist

Now Ian is talking about composing a painting perfectly but I thought it was appropriate for our horse skills as well.

   I remember the saying: "Perfect practice makes perfect" instead of the usual practice makes perfect.

Putting my spin on Perfect Practice

Reinersue

@KISS Reiners

Constructive Criticism Given Harshly Hurts Everyone

  We all need constructive feedback from an expert from time to time to really know if we're making progress in a particular subject - riding horses for example.  Showing at a horse show would serve the same purpose. Or a clinic perhaps.

Photo credit: Pixabay

 They Mean Well

   Hearing from someone who tells you what they think you want to hear is not really helpful but friends mean well. So we pay good money to get very helpful advice. I remember attending many a horse clinic in my horse showing years. Or sitting up in the wee hours of the morning watching the pros tune their horses up for the day's classes at the Congress. (All American Quarter Horse Congress) trying to absorb as much as I could.

 Putting Yourself Out There

 Everyone knows how nerve wracking it is to  'put yourself out there' to get constructive feedback.  I belong to several art schools at the moment learning how to paint well. I get feedback and art critiques from several of them. It's really not good when 1 art instructor delivers the 'what can you improve upon' criticism in an unkind and harsh way.

  It really can be hard to sit there and get told of 'severe compositional issues' & 'fatal flaw' several times in front of a bunch of fellow artists like myself. Ouch! I'm not going to lie, it took me back. I did get an apology afterward but still...

 I wonder how that would've effected my future horse showing life if I had had someone harshly deliver horse advice to me way back when. Would I have continued to show? Maybe not.  I remember one rider getting feedback was told so harshly that she not only stopped showing horses, she stopped riding all together! I kid you not. I just thought of that now as I'm writing this. I don't know if she ever went back to riding at all. I felt so bad for her.  

 What to Do When Harshly Delivered Criticism Strikes You?

   "Once bitten - Twice Shy" as they say!  I'm certainly forewarned now. I don't know why the criticism was delivered harshly. I may never know. But I do know that I can go to my other art instructors who do know how to deliver the all important criticism in a more acceptable way. It's all about being heard after all.

   If you get someone power tripping on you whom you've asked for criticism and their not considerate, there are plenty of other experts out there that can be more helpful.  I'm glad I didn't have any of those harsh horse coaches back in my horse showing years.

 May you have great, considerate feedback to improve your horse skills and any other non-horse endeavors. 

Putting my Spin on Proper Helpful Criticism

Reinersue

@KISS Reiners

Bit for Sale: Myler Lynn Mckensie Gag Combo. Medium Correctional. Like New. Tie Down. 5 1/2: med port

 

SALE: Bit for Sale - New Myler Lynn McKenzie Medium Correctional Combo Bit

Myler  Lynn McKenzie Combination Bit, medium correctional mouthpiece (MB43LP) with Tie Down

Sale: $150.00

Some Uses and Benefits: 

Rider:

• The 2 rings allow for 1 or 2 rein placement for training or riding.
• Good for many disciplines especially for speed events like barrel racing, polo, team penning.
• The noseband/tie down as 1 piece will give great nose pressure to keep horse's head down.

Horse:

• "The horse is offered a pressure-free reward whenever he is light and relaxed at the poll."~Myler bits.  So it's good for training and riding.
• Good for all types of horse's personalities.
• The curb action (with a curb chain) will use leverage and therefore will ask for more attention from the horse.
• The mouthpiece gives great room for the tongue, will not interfere with horse when there is slack in the reins. Will give a great head set when contact is made on the reins. Also will act as a great emergency brake!

Not Suitable for:

  Rider:

•  With rough or quick hands. Anyone who has no patience.
• Beginners who are learning to use reins for communication. Need some slight skill at using reins.
• Riders who like to use a lot of rein work in their riding. This bit is for softer, quieter signals. Make life easier.

 Horse:

•   Just started under saddle and learning their job. Need a horse who understands rein cues and nose pressure to some degree.
•  Horse wants rider to be really soft in their cues (ie. leave my mouth alone). This bit makes is easy to learn and use to stay quiet. The horse will thank you!

Features:

• Myler's Unique Combination bit technology. (info  here.) I really encourage you to read this! You'll be glad you did!
• "Dispersed pressure for a kinder, softer message. "
• "Utilizing various pressure points, Combination Bits offer simultaneous interaction of the mouthpiece, curb strap and noseband. When rein pressure is applied or released, the bit automatically disperses or releases pressure to the horse's mouth, chin, nose and poll. Because pressure is dispersed, the bits offer succint and effective, yet very humane communication, allowing the rider to use less pressure than needed with a traditional bit."
• "The curb strap sits high on the jaw, so to be closer to the rotational point of the second vertebrae or poll. Curb pressure encourages the horse to rotate his nose downward and backward until the pressure is released, hence he relaxes at the poll."
• "The sliding mouthpiece works lightly in the mouth, applying subtle pressure on the tongue and/or bars, until it hits the "ring stop" when it then applies downward pressure, asking the horse with more of a signal."
• "The noseband applies downward and backward pressure over points on the nose. In response to the pressure, the horse will drop his nose down and back towards his center."
• Independent side movement of shank. Great for lateral work.
• Copper inlay in mouthpiece. Great for salivation. Helps horse to relax.
• Swivel shank for more guided lateral movement or direct reining.
• Curved mouthpiece creates a bit of room for horse's tongue as opposed to a bit that goes across the mouth or jointed (nutcracker effect. Nasty). ie. Humane.
• Can have 1 or 2 rein attachment. The 1st ring acts like snaffle. The 2nd ring like a curb bit.

New or Used:  New
Size: 5 1/4"
Manufacturer: Myler by Toklat (production version)
Mouthpiece: Myler 5" MB43LP, medium port correctional sliding mouthpiece

Shank:  Combination bit with tie-down

Level: 2-3 or LTP/GTR (little tongue pressure, good tongue relief)

Total Price: $165Cdn (HST included)   Sale: $150.00
(was $166.95+HST=188.65 new)
 

 

 

Shipping is available. Based on your location. You will be invoiced through Paypal. Credit cards accepted.

For more information on bits, Myler Bitting System Philosophy, bitting levels, etc, please see the many articles on this website or contact me for help on the uses of this bit.

Please contact me if you're interested in purchasing.
thanks
Reinersue
@KISS Reiners

Horse Riding Is Like Peeling Back an Onion

According to the website SymbolismandMetaphor: "Onions are a symbol of positivity and healing". That's great. I like onions. I'll take that.

Photo Credit: pixabay

I was taking my morning walk with my very old dog and the thought came to me about improving my artwork is like peeling back an onion. You know... that ole saying about learning new aspects of something only to find more things to learn at a deeper level.  It's a learning process. 

I had just learned a few new things in art and was reflecting on it. So of course! I always think about how it impacts my lifelong horse life. I decided to google horse riding and peeling an onion and was surprised to find a couple of results! One article referred to the onion peeling in terms of not rushing rehabilitation after surgery. 

  Jim Wofford in Feb/2023 issue of Practical Horseman (title: Lost in Translation) talks about riding horses is like peeling back an onion. Though the article is mainly about using your seat bones for riding, I'm liking his description of learning to ride:

  "Learning to ride is like peeling an onion by hand. You can peel only one thin layer at a time, it will take you a long time to get to the central part .. and there will be a lot of tears in between. But the sensation your get when you peel off one more layer and understand for the first time something new about horses and riding is what keeps horsemen coming back for more. And when you get to the essential core, that's just one horse ... now you must start peeling the layers on a new horse, hoping to get to the centre of him (the horse)_ as well. That means more tears, yes, but more enlightenment as well'.

I don't necessarily agree about the tears (it does happen sometimes I guess) I was wanting to focus on the learning process. Being around a horse and learning to do our best in the horse-human relationship involves a steady commitment and action to better ourselves.

Putting My Spin on Learning & Growing When Riding Horses.

Reinersue

@KISS Reiners.

Intuition Reinforced From a Horse and Red Flags

 I like to do articles where I relate something from non-horse life and how we can apply it to our horse life. This time it's the other way around.

Intuition  (photo credit Pixabay)

How Horses Teach Us to Trust Our Intuition

  Those of us who've been around horses know that we develop our mastery of intuition in many ways thru the horses. According to HorseandRider magazine titled "Horses Use Their Intuition. Learn to Use Yours":

    Horses are clairsentient animals, meaning that they can perceive emotional energy through feeling. As intuitive beings, they feel the energy around them, perceiving when and how to react.

   Humans, like horses, have a strong intuition. When humans start to fall short on following intuition is when we run into limiting beliefs. Humans, unlike horses, also have limiting beliefs that block us from fully following our intuition.

The article is at this link if you want to read the full article. (Feb 10,2023 by Michaela Jaycox). https://horseandrider.com/how-to/build-confidence/horses-use-their-intuition.

This leads me into my experience and why I thought of my skill with intuition.  The article also agrees that horses can be our teachers when it comes to intuition and that's what I'm talking about.

No Longer Trusting Some 'Authority' People in Society

The above title my sound like 'woo' but I've had some interesting experiences. I was taught to always trust people and believe that their telling the truth especially so called 'experts'. Well time moves on. We grow up and know that that is not always the case. So what's different?

I have found an increasing number of 'authority' figures not being honest. I was following a few people on youtube for advice about different subjects, one of them being nutrition, and after a year found out that they were BS'ing everyone.  I have a bad gut feeling about this person because the doctor was saying extreme protocol ideas that left me questioning what he said. Up with the 'red' flags. I didn't follow the advice and I'm glad I didn't. That doctor could be messing with people's lives.

I had another case, again on youtube, in the truther community where a lady influencer was starting to act arrogantly and bad mouthing people. Red flags flying again. I was shocked to be honest. Again, a short time later, I find out that she isn't telling the truth and is trying to spread disinformation. We really have to be careful out there.

Thanking my Horse

I was pondering on my discovery of a 'disinformation' agent and was pleased that I followed my gut instinct and waited until I could verify the source. I'm glad I did.  

I was also realizing that my horses over the years have helped me to develop this skill and I'm glad I did.

Putting my Spin on Intuition and How to Use It To Protect Ourselves.

Reinersue

@KISS Reiners

Time Flys When Your Messing Up Your Horse's Steering & Brakes

 Under construction

Intro - riding along as time flys and your horse now has crappy steering and/or no brakes.

How to Fix It?

New Bit or Ground Work or the Smart Way (german martingale)

Picture of Training Bit

Picture of Ground work Flex To a Stop

Picture of german martingale

Links to my other articles

Putting My Spin On Great Steering

Reinersue

@KISS Reiners

Man! I'd Wish I'd Known That Decades Ago!

"Man! I'd Wish I'd Known That Decades Ago!" That's a saying I've said to myself a lot this past year.  You know... when you've made a small change in a procedure or your routine and it ends up making a HUGH difference. Tweaking at its finest.

 It surprises you! You think Wow!  Wish I'd Done That Decades Ago. That sort of thing.

OK. I have to interrupt this article for a news flash! Have you seen the Facebook short where someone pours Elmer's Glue All into their vehicle's dirty cup holder + baking soda + a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol to make a pasty ball? And then they use it to clean their console and the surrounding area with this ball? Wow! I've got to try it. Ya never know!

Back to Small Things That Make A BIG Difference

Dust Buster for Quick Pickups

 Often times I find the area of the living room where my chair is gets dirty from my socks. I found I had to vacuum often. So I now keep a cordless dust buster close by and use if often so I don't spread the dog hair and loose hay bits in other places.

Dog Dust Bunnies Everywhere

 What a different it makes with 2 or more dogs in the house. It seemed like I couldn't keep up with all the dog hair. My SIL called them dog dust bunnies.

  Walmart had an introductory sale on these stick vacuums for under $20. I thought that would solve my problem! I bought 6 of them and put them throughout my house.  I also bought extension cords for them so that they overlap on territory.  Best thing I ever did!

Vacuum, Vacuum Everywhere

These small but mighty ideas didn't just stay in the house.

Too Hard to Carry

   Have you noticed as you get older that the grain bags get heavier and heavier. Same thing with the saddle. :)

The Grain Wagon

  I saw this plastic kids wagon and thought it'd be handy for carrying things outside. It ended up doing grain duty. Very easy now to move these heavy grain bags around.

 These were just a few ideas on how a few small changes can make a big difference.  I hope this got you thinking about your own place.

Putting My Spin on Small Things that Make a Big Difference!

Reinersue

@KISS Reiners

20 Years Strong

 This was a big year for me. I knew the date was October 19th, 2023. I spent a big part of the day hanging out with my 21 year old mare Jackie. That day was our 20th year anniversary.

 It was the last year Nelson Bilyea had his auction in Woodstock, On. I wasn't looking for a horse that day - just hanging out. Famous last words I know! LOL  But when I heard her sire Whizard Jac being announced over the PA, I was curious. And then when I heard her dam, whom I knew fairly well, I had to go and check her out. As you know, I ended up bringing her home.

 We've done many, many things over the 20 years, in and out of the show ring. I consider her one of my best friends. She's family to me.

Jackie & I  2007 ORHA LNP Derby Champion

 Some of the Ole Sayings Are True

   I remember a saying that goes something like "Cheap is what cheap does."  I don't think they were talking about toilet paper. LOL 

My Ole JD Tractor and Manure Cart

 Twenty years ago when I had moved to a new farm south of Woodstock, On I needed a riding lawn mower.  I had done my research and the John Deere model was the best for that year.  My Dad was shocked because he always drove truck for Massey Ferguson and would ridicule John Deere any chance he could get. "You're not going to go green are you?"

When I had brought the JD riding lawn mower home, WELL! my Dad had to come and try it out. Now 20 years later, my ole JD is still going strong and still doing many jobs. I honestly wouldn't know what I'd do without it.

  In the picture you can see that I bought a dump cart 20 years ago as well and it's still going strong.  It's tough to buy the higher cost initially but it sure doesn't owe my anything now. I'm glad I have both of them.

 New Shiny Trailer

 Twenty years ago in the spring, my old rusty steel trailer didn't do so well over the winter and not being a handy man myself, I knew I had to get another horse trailer.

 So again doing research, I had found a new-ish aluminum trailer and bought it. I figured, as most people know, that aluminum will last a long time.

22 Year Old Horse Trailer

  I'm sure you can see the pattern by now. Sure enough, this trailer is still going strong. It's looking a little used but it's still in great shape. I'm so glad that I decided to spend the extra for the aluminum.

SO the point here is that I had some big 20 year anniversaries to celebrate this year. In a time where WWIII is looming, I'm glad to be able to celebrate some mechanical friends.

And of course, the best for last.... my dear Jackie.  Though she looks old now with her slightly swayed back, she's still going strong and I consider myself so lucky to this day.

May you have many strong friends that you can feel proud of and hold close to your heart.

Putting My Spin on Strong Solid Friends

Reinersue

@KISS Reiners

Tips to Improve Your Learning

 

In Whatever Field of Study

I've seen people who have spent a fortune and those who have not and the process is still the same. It's like the ole saying: "you get out of it what you put into it".

Here are some suggestions to improve your learning in whatever aspect of life it suits. 

Photo Source Pixabay

1. Get good equipment ie. a good experienced horse.  I remember other riders talking about getting so well trained of a horse that 'any monkey could ride it.'.  Then you are pretty much guaranteed to win.  I used to think so too. But I've experienced it differently.

Yes, you do get a lot of wins riding that well trained horse. Yes, a good horse makes a good rider. But you also have to be willing to put in the time and practice to learn how to get the best out of that horse. 

My main goal for competing was always to see how well I was progressing from the last show. 

2. Get the best Mentor (ie. Trainer) you can find.  

When I was first learning how to rein (for the 2nd time in the '90s) and eventually train my own, I found the best coach in Ontario at that time. So I spent almost every weekend at the coach's place during the spring to fall time frame. I always called it 'Reiner Immersion'.

 I have some of my best memories from that time.  I remember a funny story about me that I want to share. A bunch of us were training and practising in the arena as usual and I had just completed my turn. I stood atop my horse resting in the corner. The next thing I knew, I had woken up on a couch! Apparently, I have fallen asleep on my horse and had fallen off while still asleep! Ah, those were the days!

3. It takes Time to Learn the Necessary Skills.

Photo Source: Pixabay

  One of the best pieces of advice I got from a few people was to learn the whole process or program first from someone before incorporating other people's processes into your own. It took time. It was great advice. Once, I learned a complete program from my coach, I then knew 'the whole picture' so to speak. I could then learn how to improve and customize the program or process to suit me.

One big example for me, is that I'm not very tall. I have short legs. Most teenagers are taller than me. So I had to learn to use spurs well in order to really communicate to my horse.

4. Learn from Other Professional Sources.  

  When I was developing my reining skills, I would attend as many clinics as I could. I also bought as many VHS tapes as I could. They were from greats like Shawn Flarida, Bob Avila, Tim McQuay etc. 

This tip wouldn't be complete without mentioning the fact that today when I'm researching and learning from professionals or experienced people, I binge watch a ton of youtube channels.  I consider youtube to be like a university.

5. Developing Skills Through Experience.

 Showing is both an art and a science. I remember those first shows. Thanks to the Ontario Reining Horse Association, I was able to show 'in my own back yard'. They only had the 1 beginner class in those days - not like today with so many choices for new people. It was just the ticket! I was able to get the show experience and confidence I needed before trying other shows in the states.

6. Assist the Experts(ie. Judges). One of the opportunities I have is to volunteer for my reining club.  Our judges require an assistant or 'scribe' as we call them to record the scores as the judge is scoring each maneuver for the contestant's run. I started to scribe over 20 years ago to not only help the club but also to keep on top of the changes in the rules. It also allowed me to see first hand who the judges were scoring our runs so that I would know best as well. Perhaps that is possible for your too.

7. Upward and Onward.  For me, the last tip is one of moving up. As our skills progress, we need to better our tools if we want to progress even  more. I just joined a prestigious art business school that I hope will be beneficial in the future.

Good luck in your advancement of learning.  

Putting my spin on improve your learning.
Reinersue
@KISS Reiners

Stepping Out of Our Comfort Zone

 Why do we do this to ourselves?

Photo Credit Pixabay

Remember that first day of high school or college?  Nervous. Excited. Anxious. Hopeful that you'll fit in. 

Phew! Got over that one.

Here we go again. Remember that first day on the job. That new job that you spent tons of time and worry that you nailed the interview and celebrated when you got the job offer.  I remember that. Nervous. Excited. Anxious. Hopeful that this will be a long successful career.

Time goes on and you're good with that one.

But that's not enough. We do it again. Over and over (for most of us anyway).

Remember that first day at the first horse show you've ever been to. Newness. Feeling like a 'grade 9ner' all over again. Nervous. Excited. etc. You get the picture. But can you feel that feeling in your stomach as you recall your experiences?

That's the feeling of steeping out of your comfort zone for what we hope will be a successful result.  And experience has shown that sometimes it works our well and sometimes it doesn't. But that's life.

I just started a big adventure. I'll talk about it later if it works out. :) But right now I'm nervous. Excited. Anxious and yes a bit queasy in the stomach.

I've won many horse showing awards in my day and yet I still get that feeling when I start a new big - out of my comfort zone - projects or adventures. Sure keeps us going!

Hope you have many successful adventures in and our of the show pen!

Putting my spin on Out of Our Comfort Zone

Reinersue

@KISS Reiners

Ingenuity

in-ge-nu-i-ty:  def'n

  noun   the quality of being clever, original, and inventive.

              Ex. "considerable ingenuity can be used to solve problems like training horses and moving mats".

Ingenuity Using a Tractor

Ingenuity Allowed Me to Get The Job Done:

  I was selling some heavy stall mats on facebook marketplace and I wanted to take them outside and power wash them.  The problem was that I couldn't get them outside on my own. At 62, I tried to drag them outside but it wasn't going to be pretty. I've avoided doing this for years as they were just too heavy to move.

 So I figured out that if I wrapped my tow strap around the mat and twist the ends, I could pull the mat outside with my lawn tractor. Gosh, I've used that tractor for so many things like this.  My friend Eleanor uses clamps to attach to the mat and pull it around.

Ingenuity with Horses:

  Ingenuity can be used in the horse world for so many things like training.

 

Ingenious bit for training.

Once I had removed the mats from the barn floor, I noticed my Myler 3-ring combo bit that I've used for training, trail riding, colt starting, and ease.  Sometimes I just want to put a good bit in my horse's mouth and focus on other things.

Ingenuity will give you a competitive edge:

Have you got a bit that you know is ingenious and will cut your learning time substantially? What other things can you do will help? Why not?

I did a quick search on the internet and there are tons of articles where trainers have used ingenious ways to train horses. It's everywhere.

The great thing about learning and practicing this skill outside of the horse ring will also help inside the horse ring. Enjoy!

It sure has helped me! So I hope you're encouraged to do the same.

Have a great summer!

Putting my spin on in-ge-nu-i-ty.

Reinersue

@KISS Reiners

Decluttering Bits - The Rider's Side

 Let's talk  about decluttering bits. If you're like most riders, you have a proverbial bucket of unused bits.  I spent a month decluttering my house, garage, barn, horse trailer and now bits. I kid you not! I was binge watching these 3 ladies with their decluttering youtube channels and it brought my decluttering 'game' to a whole new level! 

Clutterbug from Toronto

Here is what my wall of bits looks like after a declutter.

Note the # of empty pegs.

In a previous article: "Bits Do Help If You Let Them" (Foundation Reining Training Centre: Bits Do Help If You Let Them (reinersuehorsemanship.com)) I talk about some bit considerations for riders. When decluttering, the experts talk about just keeping your favorites.

Myler Lynn McKenzie 3-Ring Combo
With Tie-Down

This is a Myler 3-Ring Combo bit (highly recommended) in the Lynn McKenzie series - popular for barrel racers.  I have this bit for sale on Facebook Marketplace. A great place to sell decluttered items (if you've not heard of it yet :).

From my Bits Help You article:

"A lot of riders just use whatever bit their fellow riders of their sport use. It's easier that way. I would agree that it's a good place to start. I know I did. I got the reining bit for showing that reiners used back in the 80's and still use today.

 Nothing wrong with that, if it works. That's the key... if it works. But what if it doesn't - what then?  You can ask the local tack shop owner or someone else but the problem is that misinformation is taught to everyone including trainers. Usually without their knowledge. Whether its pride or ignorance that people don't want to know technically about bits, I can't say. I'm not going there but I have studied that too - to know the source of why riders are hesitant to 'go down the bit route'."

Once you're figured out your best bits to keep and you've done your decluttering - 'kicked the (bits) bucket!' and got rid of the ones you don't want, it's so easy now  to pick up that bit you want to use!

Putting my Spin on Decluttering and More on Bits!

Reinersue

@KISS Reiners

Do You Have Horseman Syndrome? It's Not What You Think

Have you heard of 'Horseman Syndrome'? It's actually a thing. My first thought was are they talking about a cowboy being bow-legged? LOL

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Scientific American released an article in Mar/23 talking about a handful of skeletons found in Bulgaria that have this characteristic 'tell' of horseback riders. I didn't know that was a 'thing' either. Apparently, we've been riding horses for over 5,000 years. Cool.

Here is a link to the article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/humans-started-riding-horses-5,000-years-ago-new-evidence-suggests/.

Horseman Syndrome as early as 3,500B.C.E. in Western Russia

Note the position of the legs to denote a horse rider.

   Many of the skeleton remains belong to the Yamnaya people, a nomadic tribe from the Ukrainian steppe, who have been long associated with horses by archaeologists. These horsemen swept across much of Eurasia from modern-day western Russia.  These same people also influenced the Indo-European languages spoken today. Ex. English, Celtic, Germanic, Spanish, Hindi, Russian and Persian.

So in 2015, some DNA was sequenced of these human bones to around 3,500 BCE which archaeologists set the date for horse domestication.

Oh, My Aching Bones

   "Bones are living tissue in living creatures" where you can read life histories from bones. I knew that bone doctors like Temperance "Bones" Brennan (from the TV series Bones) could read the bones for all kinds of forensic evidence.

     So Horseman Syndrome is detected by a pattern of marks on the skeleton that show an adaption to riding a horse - biomechanical stress caused by repeated movements. According to the article: "Horseman syndrome involves changes to the thigh bones, pelvis and lower spine." "You use muscle groups in a way you usually don't do in everyday locomotion". Don't we know it! Back to the bow-legged cowboy again. Lol

    The article doesn't suggest any cure or care for the still live horse riders but it's interesting to know what our skeletons will show.

    Putting My Spin on a Sore Back and Legs from Repetitive Riding

  Reinersue

 @KISS Reiners