Yesterday, I gave Bella Benedict another riding lesson on Gunny. This wouldn't be so significant, after all I teach horseback riding lessons for a living. But Belle is just 6 yrs old and she has to clean corrals to EARN her own lessons. Her family is Very tight financially, so I offered Belle a chance to join the 'work to ride' program. She works Hard to earn enough credits to get to ride.



So, this was her 3rd lesson, and we worked on developing a SMOOTH whoa - a nice easy slow pull…

Well, I feel I left a story untold.  So, I will quickly tell you all that Belle and I happily completed our first endurance ride last May- we actually placed 13th in a field of 30 - so I was pretty happy.  And maybe a bit over confident as we sent in entries to go all the way up to Mendocino to a ride in the redwoods.  SEEMED like a wonderful idea - camping, company, and a ride.  But the haul up was a basic nightmare - instead of an easy 9 hours, we were in the truck for 12, I was so tired…

Sometimes it is not the horse, but the horsepower that is a real danger on the farm or around the barn.

In 2010 alone, There were 22 work related deaths on Alberta farms in that year. Of the 22 fatalities, 19 were males, 12 were 60 or over, and 3 were children. Four incidents were electrocutions, and another four involved either baling or moving bales.  This number doesn't even come close to the number of work related injuries.   Do we take too much…

My dad always said it was his lot in life to be surrounded by beautiful women. He has a wife, two daughters and all of our pets- horses, dogs, hamsters, rabbits- were female. We had a male cat once but I think even he knew there was only room for one man in our household so he eventually up and ran away with the cat next door.



Anyway, my dad always did his best to keep his ladies inspired with different articles on dynamic women who pertained to our interests. For my mom and…

Sable Island is by no means a great place to live. It’s composed mostly of sand, rocks and salty marsh grass. The surrounding sea is also home to over 350 shipwrecks, recorded since 1583. Still, to five people and a herd of wild horses, this island is home.



Sable Island is located in the Atlantic Ocean about 300 kilometres south of Nova Scotia. Five people –four from Environment Canada and one researcher- inhabit the island in addition to approximately a little over 300…

I have had problems with my balance my whole life.  My faulty balance is part of the reason that I never really learned how to jump well.  It is probably also the reason why I never managed to get the results I wanted when I tried to use my seat aids to subtly influence the horse.  When I learned I had MS I finally realized why I was unsuccessful in attaining the highest levels of horsemanship.  They all require perfect balance.  This lack of balance is…

Top 10 Wind List:

The advantages of not having an indoor arena on the flat, windy, treeless plains of Colorado.

10. Less time is spent working the arena -as all hoof prints are erased hourly, along with the top inch of sand.

9. Wind helps with the spring grooming -working like a brand new shedding blade.

8. Riding with feel is increased as your goggles get covered with dust, or you simply ride  with your eyes closed one direction .

7. Un-cued, near…

     This past weekend Chance and I had the great opportunity to ride in a two-day clinic with Shannon Peters thanks to a $400 grant I received from The Dressage Foundation. It was so much fun! On Saturday Shannon started right off the bat by…

Skijoring



This sport’s usually seen with a horse pulling someone on skis. However I’ve also seen it done on roller blades and snowboards. Races are sometimes held in this sport, but more so in Europe. If someone manages to perfect this one on water-skis, please send me a video; I’d love to see it!



Pair/Synchronized Jumping



It’s basically normal hunters or jumpers except you get to take your friend and her horse out on the course with you. This…

Dressage Canada has recently announced new safety rules in regards to helmets. Riders at the fourth level and below are now required to wear an ASTM/SEI approved helmet while mounted on show grounds. See below for the full and complete rule change:



As of May 1st, 2011, the following rule regarding safety headgear will be adopted by Dressage Canada:



1. ASTM/SEI or BSI approved headgear must be worn by all riders showing Fourth Level and below, regardless of age, when…

When I got back to riding after being diagnosed with MS I found that I never knew where my lower legs were.  I would start of riding with my lower legs in the right place, and sometime during the ride my attention would go elsewhere and my lower legs would start drifting along the horse's sides.  My toes were pointing too far out, I was pivoting on my knees, bringing my lower leg too far back, and when I tried to correct this I would put too much weight…

Well, Muffin is coming along.  She was very good last Saturday, and then Sunday, with no martingale on ... lets play throw our head in the air and race around the arena!  At least she was going somewhere...  So, around and around we went, until she gave up and came round. 

Monday, I was trying to give her a light stretchy ride... doesn't work if she's coming in season.  By Wednesday, we had full blown evil child.  When you can't get your horse past a little drip in the arena,…

Finally and at last, the ice on the pond has thawed and birds have returned. It’s our spring break.

My elderly, domestic ducks waddle off to the pond with a very officious gait, business-like in their bathing.  They quack around with wild ducks, exchanging opinions. Mine are easy to tell apart, they swim much lower in the water and act like they own the place.  They return to the yard in late afternoon for dinner- the old gelding shares his with them. It has been a long,…

Emily Winegar is definitely another young rider with a career on fire. At just 15, she has already been crowned AQHYA World Champion in 2009 in addition to two previous reserve champion titles. Her other victories include winning the KRHA Sunflower Slide Futurity Open in 2005, an Open finalist at the NRHA Futurity, named the National Reining Horse Association’s Youth of the Year in 2008 and Palomino Horse Breeders Association Youth World Champion for the last four years. She was also…

If your horse drifts and/or veers after a jump, it can cause numerous problems. You could lose your balance, it could interfere with your preparation for the next jump or you could potential crash into something. So here’s a tip to solve it. Place two pylons a few feet away from a jump and position them so they’re wide enough for your horse to go through. Then canter towards the jump, go over, then aim to keep your horse at a steady pace and go through the pylons. This should help teach you…

Attention eventing enthusiasts! Canadian Eventing Dressage Tests are now available for your your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch on the iTunes Store at http://bit.ly/fGFqcw

Canadian Eventing Dressage Tests include:

• Entry Division Test 1
• Entry Division Test 2
• Pre-Training Division Test 1
• Pre-Training Division Test 2
• Training Division Test 1
• Training Division Test…

The Running Horse 

A Bi-monthly Newsletter from Horse Play

March - April 2011

Horse Play

EIN: 05-0506340

Website:  www.hptrc.org

Email:  horseplayri@msn.com

Message from Aidan – the Alpha Mare

Spring might be coming! Rain, mud – but mud is better than ice - then there…

Welcome to spring!  Horse show season is under way and bathing suit season is just around the corner.  A winter of holiday feasting and reduced activity may have left you with a few souvenir pounds to help you to remember last season.  I was recently asked if I think that counting calories is a good way to lose weight so I…