By: Cheryl Childs
   
      On July 25th 1989 my sister purchased her second horse - a black mare who was supposed to be a Missouri Fox Trotter, but she wasn’t registered so it wasn’t certain. The gentleman she bought the mare from had bought her at an auction and they had told him that was the mare’s breed, but he didn’t know for sure. They had also told him she was broke to drive and he couldn’t say that for certain either. My sister didn’t care she knew that was the horse for her and if the mare was broke to drive that was just a bonus.
      It turned out Missy was broke to drive, in fact that was probably the only thing she was trained to do at the time. It also turned out she wasn’t a Missouri Fox Trotter, but a Standardbred Pacer who was most likely off the track. Oh, by the way, when my sister bought the mare she didn’t have a name - she was just referred to as “the black mare,” so my sister picked out the name Missy and from then on she was Missy.
       After purhasing a harness  (as the years passed several more harnesses) and a small cart for Missy, Cathy ventured into driving. The first time she hitched Missy up it took awhile, because she was referring to a  Doris Ganton book on training the driving horse to figure out how to do it. She felt I should drive Missy first since I had more horse experience, sure why not.  I have no idea what happened, but when I pulled back on the reins the cart hit Missy in the rear. Fortunately Missy was a gentle soul and she didn’t freak out. However,  I was glad Cathy and our Dad were there in the arena that day. Cathy managed to solve the problem and the next test drive was fine. I was more than happy to hand the driving reins over to my sister - driving just wasn’t my thing.
   Even after we broke Missy to ride she actually preferred be driven and any time someone wanted to drive she was ready. She and Cathy spent many happy hours tooling around the area with their little cart. Missy really enjoyed it when our two brothers would drive her. They would always let here go full out in her pacing gait the way she did, I imagined, when she raced. Truthfully she perferred guys over woman in general. I think us girls were just too, well, affectionate for her taste. Missy always looked at you like “Puleeze - go be affectionate with the Arabs, not me”.
   I tried to enjoy driving Missy, but we never clicked. When I would climb into the cart and take up the reins Missy would turn her head slightly in the shafts, with her blinders on, and actually look at me. I swear I could hear her say “Oh please not her,”. Missy wasn’t rude about it, just more like passive aggressive. You know ignoring my cue to walk off etc. Funny thing was when I rode her, especially with a Dressage saddle, she and I both enjoyed it.
  Cathy and Missy would always have a Christmas drive, weather permitting, and it became somewhat of a tradition. Some years the whole family would participate.  Every year Cathy would plan how she was going to decorate the cart and, yes, Missy. First it was just sleigh bells then it became more elaborate. Missy took it in stride - the garland, the silk Poinsettas, the bows and ribbons and even the battery operated lights on the harness. Missy was a trooper. Didn’t matter if it was 50 degress or 25 degrees on Christmas Day - Missy went along with it.
   One Christmas, because it was so cold,  the only people crazy enough to go out for the drive was Cathy, our niece Michelle and me. Missy seemed to love pulling that cart in the few inchs of snow, in the cold, decorated up like Christmas tree. It wasn’t exactly a “ one horse open sleigh”, but Missy made it feel like that.
     We still miss her!
 

With the Holiday Season upon us already it got me thinking about, well, the holidays and how horse people celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. Let’s all be honest our priorities are, in
general, a little different than those outside the horse world and the holidays are no exception.
Take, for example, a friend of mine who, for many years, spent her Thanksgiving at an endurance ride. No, really, she would pack up the RV, the horse and her husband and spend Thanksgiving at the ride. She loved doing that and looked forward to it every year. I guess everyone attending would make a dish and they would eat Thanksgiving dinner outside at the ride camp. If you think about it maybe that is truly a Thanksgiving tradition that is closer to what the first Thanksgiving actually was like.
Personally I never attended an Endurance ride on Thanksgiving, but I have ridden on that holiday. Picture this- everyone in the family is gathered anticipating the holiday feast of Turkey and all the trimmings, but me I wondering when would be the best time to mention I’ m heading for the barn to go for a ride. It can be tricky – I usually like to wait until the Turkey is in the oven and some of the side dishes have been prepared. I also like to help with clean up a couple times before I go. Once Turkey is in I usually casually ask “so when will he be done?” and when I get my answer that’s when I make my announcement about the annual Thanksgiving ride. It’s at this point I grab my jacket and bolt for the door (if you have co-conspirators who want to ride that helps). So I’m always thankful for a family that understands and puts up with it. They have even come to expect the trip back to the barn after dinner to give the Thanksgiving carrots and apple treats to the horses.
Have you noticed when you say to family members I’d really like a new bridle, saddle, or horse blanket for Christmas they look at you like you’re from Mars? Then they will say something like “ that’s a gift for the horse not you,” and you can’t seem to explain to them that’s what is what you really, really want for Christmas. Oh sometimes if say new riding boots and riding gloves, you know apparel, I will actually get that as a gift. Hey one of the best Christmas gift I ever got was new winter Muck Boots from my Mom. I realize people don’t really understand you running around the house with a big grin on your face after you open those new boots, but, really, having warm dry feet while you muck the stalls is a great gift to horsewoman. Sometimes they get it – like the year my sister-in-law gave me an Arabian World Magazine. I was in heaven, in fact I still have that magazine from 1980. Then there was the book about training your horse for Dressage that my sister gave me. I still have, and love, that book even though it is well worn and dog eared now. Another great gift I received was the painting my brother did of the first horse I had when I was about 9 or 10 years old. Then there was the hand carved Spirit Horse my other brother made decorated with mane hair of my gelding Omar. Again I’m thankful for a family who, for the most part, understands what horsewomen want for Christmas. Hey, some of them have even participated occasionally in my Christmas ride/drive. But I’m still waiting to receive a horse for Christmas. Who knows maybe it will happen.
Have a great Holiday Season everyone! Give your horse a carrot on Seasoned Rider. May the Horse Be With You in 2015.

Cheryl Childs/Editor Daily Hoof Beat

Horse The Magic Word

 Dick Francis, a former jockey in Britain and mystery novelist, is one of my favorite authors. In one of his novels the hero is attempting to find information about something in Russia and when he gets the information he is asked how he got it. Our hero informs them “I knew the magic word,” and when asked what the magic word is he responds, “ Horse,”. I love that line because it’s so true. Only a horseman would have written that line and only horse people understand the meaning of it.  It seems to me that horse people, on the  whole, are a  little different than the rest of the people in the world and we see things differently, even when it comes to literature, art and film.
 I remember going to see Mask Of Zorro and when Antonio Banderas’ character says to the horse “ I’m  going to give you the great honor of being my horse,” there were just a few people in the theater who laughed slightly - horse people of course. Then when he says “ I’m warning you I will get another horse,” when the horse won’t come when he is called, a few of us  laughed out  loud. Of course, that had to be the horse people in  the theater, because we all knew that threat would never phase a horse. Non-horse people, well, they didn’t really get it.
 In the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance   Kid in the scene where Butch trys to run off the  posse’s horses, and they don’t move, we all know how silly the line “ Some one sure trained them good,” is. Please... that’s standard horse behavior - if you are trying to run a horse off to get them out of your way to do something they just plant themselves in front of you, but if you are out there trying to catch a horse  he will gallop off.
 If you look at the bookshelves of a horse owner chances are  you won’t see a lot of self-help books, unless they apply to training or riding. You might find authors names like Mary Twelvepony,  Monty Roberts, or Gawani Pony Boy. You  might find titles like Cross Training Your Horse or Training The Reining Horse.
  Another thing I have noticed about us horse people  is the photos  we carry in  our wallets may often times be of our beloved equine friends. Family photos often will include horses. Photographs on the wall, as rule,  are photos of horses.
  We tend to buy art work that is equine related. Home decor is often equine related as well and should everyone in the house be a horse person then chances are the entire house may done in “horse”.   If you look at our movie collections they may not all be horse movies, but most do have horses in them. When flipping the television channel we just automatically stop when we see  a horse, whether it’s a horse race, rodeo, 3-day eventing coverage or old an western movie or TV western.
    I think horse is a magic word  and it  really  is an international language that we all speak whether we talk in English, Spanish, French or German, because we are all horse people.

Training Clinics The Good, Bad and Entertainment

 A number of years ago when someone said they were attending a “ Clinic”
it usually meant they took their horse to a trainer for an intense one or two days of training and education in a particular discipline- whether it be dressage or reining. Today, however, things seemed to have changed greatly.  Now people attend clinics by sitting in bleachers watching the person giving the clinic work with a horse in the arena. Today's “clinics” have  turned into entertainment for the masses.
  I see all the photographs of horses jumping over chairs and barrels and through hoops. I have seen videos of these clinicians standing on a horse’s back cracking a bull whip. This brings to mind the historical posters of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show or the great entertainment at the rodeo. Oh, don't get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for those trick riders, stunt riders and entertainers, but  they don’t bill themselves as horse trainers. Of course they have worked hard and trained their horses to perform, but being able to stand on a horse’s back and crack a bull whip is certainly not a requirement for a good trail, endurance, pleasure,
driving, hunter jumper, dressage etc. rider or horse.
  Personally  I can not think of a time when I wished my horses were trained to allow me to stand on their backs  and crack a whip or swing a rope, unless I wanted to be a trick rider.  I have no need to have my horse jump over a chair or any other non-traditional item, again unless I want to start a new career as a trick rider or my horse wanted to audition for the circus, rodeo or films.
 At these “clinics”, as they are referred to, a horse has been pre-selected for the demonstration. The horse has met certain requirements for height and age. According to some “clinician’s” websites you will be notified if your horse is accepted as the “ demo horse” after you have submitted your information. Somehow I don’t feel that’s quite right.
 I think what actually bothers me the most is that some people who attend come away feeling inadequate - as if they just aren’t bright enough to get it. Some, who do take their horse, also come away feeling as though it was their fault that they couldn’t make the horse do what the trainer had done. A good trainer/instructor should educate, train and work with both horse and rider, so they come away from the clinic with some knowledge. The instructor shouldn’t make the rider feel as though he/she is incapable of understanding  what they are teaching and, therefore, it’s the rider’s fault.  If you speak to someone who has taken , say, a dressage clinic they will tell you “ Oh I really learned a lot and I’d take the clinic again, because the trainer is so good,” they won’t say “well I’m just too nervous or I don’t have the intelligence to understand what she was teaching me”.
 I know I have been on this soapbox in the past, but I feel it’s an issue worth addressing again. Over the past 17 or 18 years we have seen more and more of these people giving “clinics”  across the country.  In that time we have also seen an increase in horses with problems and more fearful riders - think about it!
 I will state again there are people like Monty Roberts and Linda Tellington Jones,
to name a few, that I respect.  I also respect many people who give traditional clinics who help horses and people.
  I just believe if you want to see trick riding you can attend a rodeo or circus and enjoy the show. If you want to further your education or seek the help of professional then it’s not about entertainment - that’s bad for everyone, most importantly the horse.
 I wrote this several years ago as an editorial for a publications. Why you ask did I choose to post it here now, well  I  feel that this subject is still as relevant today as it was when I wrote the editorial originally. Another reason I wanted to post this was I have noticed that many of the people who attend these clinics are 40plus riders who are new to horses as well as 40plus riders who have had some issues with their horses, so I think it's important for Seasoned Riders to read this.
 

We just wanted to say Happy New Year to all the Seasoned Rider. We are thrilled that 2014 is the Year of The Horse and we think it's going to be a good year. Look for lots of new features in Seasoned Rider Magazine in the new year. We would also like to thank all you Seasoned Riders who support us since we launched in 2012.  Don't forget January 30th is the Chines New Year, so be sure and ring in the Year of the Horse.  Seasoned Riders Rock On in 2014!