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 Natural Horsemanship Summer Camp 2011
We've started our first year hosting a natural horsemanship summer camp! We are off to a great start - and have pictures to share at http://www.lfequestrian.com/Photos.php?view=thumbnailList&category=10
Campers learn about horses, horseback riding, practice skills of working and playing with horses, and campers get a chance to play at 'liberty' with horses. This camp goes beyond the typical horse camp and helps campers to have a better understanding of horses and how to interact with them.
This camp focuses on learning how to keep horses happy and motivated - riders do not use crops, spurs, or whips to force horses to perform, but instead campers learn how to play with each horse and create a partnership of understanding, trust, and respect.
Some other neat camp features - painting a picture frame with a picture of their favourite horse, having a cd of pictures ready to take home at the end of the week, and a printed photo of the camper with their favourite horse too!
It has certainly been a lot of fun and we still have one more week of camp to go in August! Learn more at http://www.lfequestrian.com/SummerCamp.php
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Taming a Mustang
 On Thursday July 28th, I had a unique opportunity. I received an unusual request to come tame a mustang. Cimarron is a beautiful chestnut mustang from Nevada. She was born wild and ended up being captured. She was shipped up to Canada with a couple other mustangs that were all adopted in Ontario.
Cimarron had been in Ontario for a few years but noone had tamed her. She was simply a wild pet. She had been abandoned by her original adopter, and now she is being cared for by another woman, Judi. Judi had no intention of training Cimmarron and was quite happy to have her as a pet in the field.
Judi had spent some time in the field with Cimarron and sometimes can feed her carrots by hand, but usually Cimarron would quickly take the carrot and scurry away. Things changed this spring when Cimarron's hooves started to grow a lot more than usual.
A horse's hoof grows much like a human's nail. It grows, and when it gets really long then it will chip and break off or we can cut and file it down ourselves. Cimarron's hooves typically would chip off when they got too long, but this spring the didn't. They grew out of control and now her hooves are about two or three times the length they should be, and they have curled and become misshapen to the point where Cimarron can barely walk.
Judi realized she had to do something but Cimarron wouldn't even let a human touch her - so reaching down and filing a hoof was definitely out of the question. The vet and farrier had suggested trapping the horse in a chute, tranquilizing the horse, and then working on her feet. This seemed rather tramatizing to Judi so she contacted LFEquestrian natural horsemanship services.
I was up for the challenge - I told Judi I would probably need a morning to bond enough with the horse to put a halter on her, which would be the first step. We set the date and time, and Thursday morning I showed up ready to meet Cimmaron.
When I arrived, Cimarron was standing in the run in shed. Judi had closed off the run in shed which is a large space of about 40 x50ft. It was important to have enough space that Cimarron wouldn't feel trapped when I worked with her, but not so big that she could run completely away from me. It was also nice that it was covered since it was raining outside!
Cimarron appeared to be in good health with a shiny coat and a good weight to her. Other than her overgrown and crippled hooves, she seemed like a healthy, happy horse. I started to work my magic and played join up with her.
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 New Lesson Program, Part Boarding Opportunities, Summer Camp, and Boarding Announced!
Take a look at these new services: http://www.lfequestrian.com/Services.php
This will be offered through the new home facility at 381 Feasby Rd in Uxbridge.
Don't forget the open house/potluck will happen Sunday May 1 from 1pm - 3pm, all are welcome!
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New Facility Coming May 1!!
 The time has finally come, a home for LFEquestrian in one central location. LFEquestrian is very proud to annouce a new facility opening May 1, 2011 at 381 Feasby Rd in Uxbridge, Ontario.
The new facility will offer lessons, training, boarding, and summer camps along with other activities all with a natural horsemanship focus.
This is a dream come true for Lindsey - to have her own place to call home and all of her horses in one location. Currently Lindsey is spread between 3 facilities for training and lessons and the hope with the new facility will be to have all horses in one location. LFEquestrian will still offer freelance services to travel to your barn for lessons/training, but now there will be one central facility for learning opportunities.
To make this facility a success we are looking for a lot of work and items - from feed tubs to building an arena, we have a long list of items we are looking for and construction help too. Please take a look here for more information: http://www.lfequestrian.com/Facility.php
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2 Kittens for Adoption
 Do you want a cute and cuddly kitten? or do you know someone looking for a kitten? One of my clients has two kittens up for adoption. They were just born and are orange tabbies. Please email Mark if you know of anyone how might want one - itech.bull@gmail.com They are located in Oshawa.
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Fenix got his New Saddle
 Fenix finally got his new jumping saddle! I know longer have to try riding him in my western saddle. The gorgeous warmblood towering at 17H did look a little silly in the western gear. He now has a new adjustable Mondego jumping saddle.
It was important that he get an adjustable saddle. He is still only 3 years old, so his back will change as he continues to grow and develop. It would be a shame to get him a brand new saddle and only months later find out it no longer fits because he has grown or filled out. It will be important that we continue to monitor his back shape and the saddle fit - that way we can change the saddle before it becomes uncomfortable for him.
Fenix has been doing great and started jumping with a rider - he has been free jumping 3ft occasionally but now he will start jumping low fences with a rider. Fenix is still quite young, so we do need to be careful we don't over jump him because we could damage his legs if we jump him to much.
I am excited to progress with Fenix's training over jumps!
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I Got a New Trailer - Did you know.... ??
 Friday was a very exciting day for me - I drove to Smith Falls to pick up my new Portax trailer from Maple Lane Equestrian. I left in the early morning and arrived around noon to hitch up the new trailer. One thing that surprised me though was how much I would learn.
When going over the trailer care and use I learned some new things... did you know....?
- you should NOT use WD40 on the hinges/etc of the trailer because the WD40 turns sticky and the dust will stick to it. Instead use a Silicone spray.
- There is a type of grease that you can put on your electrical plug on your car that you plug your trailer into. This will help protect against the salt and other harmful elements that may affect the electrical plug.
- You can put grease on your hitch ball which will help for a quieter and easier ride.
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Artex - New pictures
 Artex is a fantastic Gypsy Vanner - so enjoyable, willing, and very smart. He has been a pleasure to train and work with. Artex was started as a stallion by Lindsey in December of 2010. He is doing very well and is being enjoyed by his owner as he teaches her walk, trot, going over poles, etc.
Artex had a new beginning last week as he was gelded - he is a sweetheart and coping quite well. The vet recommended extra exercise to help drainage and keep healing progressing. We exercised him outside so the dirt in the arena wouldn't get into his wound.
I took some pictures of Artex enjoying the fresh air and new powder snow - enjoy the pictures here: http://www.lfequestrian.com/Photos.php?view=thumbnailList&category=9
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Have you Seen This???
 New inflattable vest that claim to be the best in safety - Take a look and let me know what you think!
http://www.point-two.co.uk/
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Prince Goes for his First Trot!
Prince is a gorgeous 4 yr old Gypsy Vanner that I have been working with since December, 2010. Before Prince came to me, someone else tried to start Prince under saddle.... she was able to sit on Prince but never able to advance to walk... instead just to a bucking spree and eventually it resulted in a broken hip for her. Needless to say she was scared of the horse, gave up, and sold him to my current clients.
I spent a lot of time doing ground work - building Prince's trust with desensitizing, but also developing communication. I taught him sideways from the ground, w/t/c on circles, going over jumps, backwards figure 8's, etc all from the ground. We did this all with the saddle on - that way he got very comfortable with the feel of the saddle and the stirrups dangling at his side. Being able to communicate with each other on the ground meant that Prince became to trust me as a leader - not an easy task, but over the last couple months we developed a huge amount of trust together.
When I first sat in the saddle on Prince, he felt like a tense bomb ready to go off. He was so incredibly nervous - I couldn't imagine asking him to walk forward when he wasn't even comfortable with me sitting there. It was easy to feel how the previous 'trainer' would have ran into such problems - Prince was very tense, and asking a very tense horse to go forward usually means you get a lot more energy and movement then you might want!
Because he was so tense, I practiced a lot of getting up and down from the saddle, and just sitting in the saddle waiting for him to take a deep breath and relax. It took some time, but he is much more relaxed and I can easily mount up from both sides and take Prince around the ring at the walk. He also is very good at steering, halting, and backing up.
For his first trot, I had an assistant lead me. This is because Prince is a very nervous horse, but he finds a lot of comfort and reassurance when someone is on the ground. To start with my assistant had a lead rope attached to Prince's rope halter, and he ran with me at the trot. We did just a few steps of trot to start with, and then we worked up to longer stretches of the ring. I practice both sitting trot and posting trot, and it was a pleasant surprise that Prince stayed quite relaxed and calm.
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Can't Wait for a Saddle Fit!
 Fenix is a 3yr old warmblood gelding that has been in training since July. He has been going beautifully walk/trot/canter and over jumps. He then started to get a bit tight through the transitions, raising his head a bit, and when jumping under saddle he seemed a bit stiff and awkward - like he didn't want to stretch out and use his back.
Then when taking a closer look at the saddle we notice that he had grown and his back shape had changed. The saddle had become a little tippy (not sitting evenly on his back). Continuing to work a horse with an ill fitting saddle can be very harmful for a horse and cause big issues.
I've called up the saddle fitter but it is going to be two weeks before we get the fitting done. There are some exercises we can continue though to keep him fit and in training. We have been jumping him online, practicing transitions online, and even teaching sideways from the ground.
We've also been riding him western because the western saddle fits him better - take a look here: http://www.lfequestrian.com/Photos.php?view=thumbnailList&category=8
If you notice your horse raising their head, tossing their head, or being reluctant to stretch out their neck/back then it could be due to an ill fitting saddle. Remember that horse's back's change as they age and their fitness level changes - always ensure a proper saddle fit.
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Winners from the 2010 Survey are Announced!
The winners from the 2010 Natural Horsemanship survey have been annouced - please see below.
The 2011 Natural Horsemanship survey is now accepting entries - you can enter here!
The 2010 Winners are:
- Sarah J.
- Chris W.
- Brianne G.
- Tara W.
- Melissa O.
- Rebecca S.
- Sarah T.
- Heather M.
- Beth CT.
- Mathew McD.
- Erin K.
Prizes included lessons from LFEquestrian, gift cards to Greenhawk, and more!
Winners will be contacted by LFEquestrian to receive your prize!
For privacy reasons the full last name is not displayed.
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Kick Start a Healthy Life – 10 Tips you can Start Today
By Lindsey Forkun BScN, PHN
1) Eat more veggies, fruits, legumes, cereals (non sugary types), fish, and when consuming fats pick the monounsaturated types like olive oil. Research shows that eating more of these foods will boost your immune system, boost energy, boost your overall health, and can even help prevent future cognitive problems.
2) Sleep. Many people skimp on the zzz’s and then use caffeine to jolt their system awake during the day. Limit yourself to a maximum of 2 cups (reasonably sized) of your favourite java per day… and no caffeine within three hours of bedtime. Plan your day so that you can stay in bed for 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
3) Start Walking. Inactivity is plaguing our society like never before. We drive everywhere, stand on escalators, take the elevator, or even ride scooters through stores. Is your community walkable? Challenge yourself to walk when you complete your errands – park in one location and then walk to the various stores you need to, or if you are only going to one store then park further away. If you take the bus then get off a stop early and walk the extra distance. Get off the elevator one floor early and take the stairs. Try to incorporate 10 minute walks into your day on breaks, lunch hours, or after work/school. Walking is a low impact activity that pretty much everybody can do. It is easy, free, and you can do it pretty much anywhere. Start walking and you’ll be surprised just how far you can get in such little time.
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2010 Christmas Parade Success!!
Thank you to everyone who helped and participated in the 2010 Christmas Parades. The pictures are now posted and you can view them here
We were luck to have such great weather for all three parades... the sun was out and all the horses were very well behaved - including 6 month old Balius that went to his first parade!! Nifty also participated in his first ever Christmas parade being ridden by Laura and did very well! All in all it was a great success and we thank everyone so much!
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Week 6 Training Fenix from Lindsey
 Fenix has been learning a lot and improving greatly. It's hard to believe that just back in July he was so herd bound that just bringing him into the arena he was such a nervous wreck that he would scream and literally sweat buckets. Now he is so relaxed and follows humans willingly at liberty, he tries very hard, and is doing so well under saddle.
When Fenix started training in July he didn't know anything other than leading and basic manners for tasks like the vet, farrier, and grooming. Now Fenix knows circles, transitions walk, trot, canter, back up, half pass, forehand turns, haunch turns, and jumping!
Fenix had a brief interruption to training from August/September due to a knee injury in the paddock, and he moved farms in October to continue training in West Ridge, but he has still progressed immensely.
His owner now rides him weekly in lessons and they ride walk/trot/canter together and started over little jumps and poles together. He is still going bitless in the sidepull hackamore, and we are slowly introducing the bit on the occasional session. The bit is for advanced communication (advanced collection, bending, movements), but for the most part Fenix just does basic steering, patterns, movements, basic bending/collection, so a bit is not necessary.
Andrea had a lesson/training session with Fenix this past Wednesday and they were cantering jumps for the first time together. Fenix picked it up so easily and by the end of the session Andrea and Fenix were cantering a 1'6" oxer together - a little jump, but a great starting point.
I then tossed by coat over the jump to make it different - Fenix stopped to look at it the first time, and then back into trot and he was up and over like it was nothing. This brave and curious horse is so athletic and willing that I can't wait to see what he'll do in the show ring... he will definitely be a superstar!
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Fenix Training Sessions at West Ridge
 My first session with Fenix was lead by Lindsey. We worked on goals that we wanted to reach with Fenix in the next couple of weeks. Some of these were transitions walk/trot/canter on the line, standing by the mounting block quietly, walk/trot in the saddle, and respecting our personal space.
He is a big boy and loveable but that can become dangerous if he doesn't have any understanding and respect for our personal space.
Second Session
I worked on his transitions from the line in a circle. He was really understanding the cues from just the words being said and the clucking or kissing noises I made. The carrot stick was not needed for extra pressure. However, it was important to remember that when I was asking for canter I had to have that extra slack in the line so he would be able to get the right lead. After many transitions both ways it was time to mount up.
This took a few attempts. He is not scared of the mounting block but tends to either push you off your step by pushing against you or by walking too far past your mounting step. With persistence and staying on the mounting block I was able to get on when Fenix was ready and respectful. It is so important to have a good mount because it sets the tone for the rest of your ride - if your horse is anxious or disrespectful during your mount, your ride will not get any better!
After patient persistence Fenix now stands quietly when you get on and waits for the rider's cue before walking on.
After mounting up, my daughter held onto the long natural training lead rope in the middle of the arena while I walked and trotted a few circles. He is very green and does not bend very well yet. Something to work on. After we played follow me in the arena to finish on a different game - we don't want Fenix getting fixed on a routine of we groom, do ground work, and then ride and we're done. Instead we change it up so maybe ground work, then groom, then ride, then more ground work, etc.
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Baby Balius is growing up - he started out as a chestnut and now he is turning a very dark grey. Take a look at his new pictures: 