Excerpt from Maryal Barnett Interview: Maryal, you’re based in Michigan but you judge all over the country. In comparison to other U.S. and European riders, what do you see as the Michigan dressage rider's greatest needs? I think Michigan riders, whether they’re training level or Grand Prix riders, have a lot of opportunity as far as showing. I would like to see more trainers and upper level riders go to more clinics and certifications. The USDF workshops, for example, would be very beneficial for helping our instructors become more logical in their thinking, become better riders and improve their practical horse management skills. These workshops offer training in theory, in correct methods and in establishing a correct and logical order of teaching things. It begins in the stable, knowing about the horse. In my area, I don’t believe that a lot of dressage trainers know enough about horse anatomy. This leads to over-training horses or teaching things to horses at the wrong time in their physical development.I believe that other disciplines are moving more towards certification. Denny Emerson in eventing and George Morris in hunter jumper, for example, have been encouraging it. I also think that you learn by seeing. Michigan people should go to Florida, California, Europe and just watch. This watching is very important. Also, they need to learn theory. They need to know more than just riding movements. |
Book Review ---- Buy it!
Beyond the Track
Retraining the Thoroughbred from Racehorse to Riding Horse
By Anna Morgan Ford with Amber Heintzberger
Book review by Tania G Evans for Great Lakes Horse Sports, online regional news
This is a very well-planned and executed book. The book can make good trainers out of good readers. It starts with a thorough description about life at the track. Only a few of us get to roam backside and so few people realize how different horse life can be far from the boarding barn. The book moves on to deliver comprehensive. sound, good-spirited training methods.
The contents come out of Ford’s experience in horse adoptions. She is co-founder of New Vocations, an ex-racehorse re-hab, re-training and placement farm based in Ohio with branches in Michigan and Tennessee. A portion of book sale proceeds will go to New Vocations. The author has excellent editorial help from freelance writer Amber Heintzberger.
Some books never get the photos right but this author uses excellent photos as specifc teaching tools. For example, one photo shows a jockey riding an overbent horse, the horse hanging on the bit. Then another photo appears with an English rider in English tack also riding an overbent thoroughbred. This second horse has the same race-ready, lean and muscled body as did the one ridden by the jockey. Yes, the same horse type but the riders are asking very different things. This juxtaposition of race-fit horses helps you understand the time it will take to make the physical changes to the new riding style. Suddenly a reader/rider has empathy for the horse. Instead of anger and resentment against the horse for being slow to react to the new aid, the rider can have the “before I bought you” picture in mind and allow the horse the time to change. Next, the author provides the details to achieve the fix.
To let the book speak for itself, here’s another subject, the half-halt. I chose this to quote because it exemplifies for me the excellence in the book and yet also points up one of my very, very, very few objections. As a reviewer, I need to remark it.
Quoting the book, "A half-halt can help bring a horse’s attention back to his rider, refocusing him and ‘waking him up.’ It can balance a horse in preparation for a transition, a turn, or any movement such as a circle or figure eight. It can also be used very few strides to rebalance or collect the horse. Whatever your discipline or riding goal, the half-halt is an important lesson.
“The aids for the half-halt are closely related to the aids for halt: you ask by closing your legs, sitting up tall, and closing your hands all at the same time for only a couple seconds – then releasing the aids. A half-halt is a momentary action; as soon as it is performed, it is done. Concentrate on giving very clear aids in this exercise. OTTBs learn quickly…. "(pg. 182)
This is a great description! A reader can understand exactly how important and useful this tool can be. To me as a trainer, the half-halt is an aid as important as the legs or the rider’s eyes. It deserves a lot of attention. Okay, now here’s my reservation about the half-halt description provided by Ford. I was always taught that a half-halt is done on the outside rein, not both reins. Further, with horses taught to pull through hand pressure, providing unequal pressure (not sawing), I have found, can help break this habit. This said, I have decided that I can go with Ford's two-handed half-halt because the author clearly knows her stuff 99% of the time. So, maybe Ford thinks it’s hard for a newish rider to understand the inside-outside concept and apply the half-halt within this semantic circle? I am going to assume that Ford has made a conscious choice here. Most of the time, I am in complete agreement with her and I’ve trained many horses off the track for other disciplines.
The book is full of short tips with big impact. 
How many times have you had ex-racehorses break the ties as they fling themselves backward? How many stories have you heard about horses flipping in the crossties?? A photo and a tip is here. Teach him about crossties by putting some up in his own stall where he’s comfortable and where there’s not enough room to go back or up easily.
Ford clearly loves the thoroughbred. She is also practical. “If you decide that you would like to work with an OTTB,” she says, “you need to realize that you will be in it for the long haul….You need to roll with the punches, and patiently take the good with the bad.”
This caveat given, Ford practically guarantees that you’ll love your OTTB because of his great heart. I feel the same way about this book. I say, “Buy it!”
Published by Trafalgar Square Books 2008
Michigan
Her artwork, which is titled “Painted Beauty,” will be unveiled at the premier Paint Horse competition this summer. The APHA World Show is the largest Paint Horse show on earth, with approximately 2,000 horses from across the globe being exhibited. Cindy Price’s previous artwork, much of which features horses,
has been selected as the official artwork of Equitana USA and earned
multiple awards at events such as the annual Thumb Area Artists
Exhibition. To learn more about Price and her work, visit cindypriceart.com.
 |
Catherine Haddad in 1997 wrote an Epic Poem about her first successful FEI mount in Germany-- Izotops, a Russian warmblood of mysterious origins.
The first time I saw Izotops I laughed: What is that for a horse? Ewe neck, sway back, comical fluttering gaits. Is it a horse? Looks more like a sparrow!
I laughed and laughed. Until I saw the look in his eyes, and then I swallowed my mirth from one instant to the next. Eerie, glazed over, hazel colored eyes with no depth. They told no story, revealed nothing from his life. But in that startling moment I could hear the tears dropping from his soul. Astonished, ashamed-- I turned away.
A caged falcon on a perch, wings bound. No need for a hood, mask already in place. Each shallow breath preserving this vision: Air against majestically spread wings. Soaring far and wide over a land in a time long, long ago.
When I had to ride him those were my tears that fell. He was broken, ruined and resigned from all things. We had no common ground on which to start. He came from Russia—that much I knew. But surely it was ancient Etruscan that he spoke. Or it could have been Swahili. I, the great self-proclaimed horse whisperer, could not understand a word.
His mystery haunted me by day and by night. More seat, less leg, more snaffle, less curb, longer whip, shorter spurs, carrot on a stick…I searched and pleaded my way through layers of knowledge (some acquired, some borrowed) for a way to speak to him. He would not even take sugar from my hand.
I remember well the day I gave up. We were walking in the forest because we couldn’t do anything else together. I tried one more time, aloud in English: “Help me, Izotops! I want to see you happy but you have to show me the way. I’m on my knees. Give me a sign. Something. Anything. Please?”
Silence. The birds increased their song, the creek gurgled a bit louder, but Izotops responded only with the soft pat of his hooves on the forest floor. My spirit sank as we turned for home.
A gentle stirring of the air, a tentative flutter, the invisible unfolding of wings.
I felt it. Passage. And I understood. He would fly again. He had chosen. He would trust me, my Pegase. I honored his gift and a partnership flowed forth from the place where he struck my heart.
From that day forth, Izotops carried me stride by stride closer to my destiny. At shows we navigated the centerline not only to compete, but also to give thanks. Halt at X, bow our heads, and rejoice in dance for all to see.
I had never understood the meaning of Grace. Izotops taught me that.
Michigan's dressage rider Catherine Haddad - more on Dressage page
Hoof Problems
By Rob van Nassau
This book is for the curious, intelligent reader looking for detailed approaches to the anatomy, function, diseases and injuries of the hoof. And it's for the reader who likes to hear about cures whether they are technical surgeries or home remedies. Every effort is made by the author(s) to elucidate. I am so grateful to be given real information. So many supposed vet books for the non-vet are the shallow pool version when what you want is a deep sea dive. The author has a wealth of experience to contribute. Rob van Nassau has over 30 years of farrier experience working in a specialist equine vet clinic. He is a former European Champion farrier and National Champion in Holland.
The layout is outstanding.
The pictures are terrific. I’m a photographer and I really appreciate these. There are all sorts of them, from shots of surgical procedures to microscopic looks at fibres: close-up, clear, annotated, and illustrated.
Every page is a multi-layered look. If you don’t understand the text or the point of a photo, there’s another one to help you. There’s so much material, you could spend an hour before turning a page.
There's an abundance of interesting home cures, the sort you might learn while reminiscing with your vet as he packs up his truck to leave on another call. For example, says Rob van Nassau, you can use honey to kill fungus. "Bees know how to keep the nursery of the queen's eggs clean. Honey contains propolis - a fungicidal agent." Honey is also indexed, appearing in three places in the text: a thorough index is a real plus.
There are elucidations that only a thoughtful instructor realizes a student needs. For example, in my barn we are having a bout of foot fungus. We recently installed rubber stall mats. These mats fit the stalls tightly and don’t drain. I increased the bedding, which has helped but, still, we've never before in 20 years had any fungus issues. So I am keen to read about them here. I am made aware IMMEDIATELY that a fungus issue is also a bacterium one. And I am made aware that their sources are ever present in the soil. Now I knew both of these things. But this book tells me to treat fungus and bacterium as separate issues. I am given separate cures for them. Fungus is described specifically so I can see how it moves through the hoof. Suddenly, it’s the enemy and I can see it!
I love the confidence I feel when I read this book. I am being educated.
Now, the book isn’t perfect. It has several purposes. Most are benign. One is to provide detailed anatomical description. Well done!
Another is to offer case histories, in delightfully deep detail, of problems that look insurmountable. Also well done, even if the examples overall are weighted towards the most serious.
Thirdly, less benignly, the book is promotional. It promotes the patented shoes that the author and his brother have created. This is fine BUT why not state it up front?
Which parallels a real problem. The book has some forceful, sophisticated and sometimes extreme approaches to problems and I would like to know more about the credentials behind the suggestions. There is insufficient biographical information about the author. I find on the back cover that he’s a well-recognized farrier of the highest calibre. He is associated with a specialist equine vet clinic. This is great to hear but it's very bareboned bio. And so, I wonder, is this vet clinic where the hoof surgeries are done? There's a lot of extreme cutting away of hoof elements. Who performs these operations? The author isn't a vet so I'm assuming he has vet support. I'd like to know how the vets are involved in the procedures and what the author expects of my farrier.
The other people producing this book are the author’s brother as fellow researcher and the author’s wife as photographer and writer. However, without reading the bookjacket, I wouldn't know until I worked my way through most of the book that these were strong collaborations. Therefore, I want the author to establish a foundation for the material. Besides, I would love to hear the story of their farrier practice, the history of which is interesting in itself.
This book is a wonderful addition to my library and I’ll put it right next to my medical books. You should, too. And don’t forget to give it to your farrier. Tania Evans, Editor
For more on this book Hoof Problems , visit Trafalgar Square books
THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS SIGN UP FOR 2010
GAMES
In the first ten days since the launch of a new Web-based volunteer registry
system, nearly 4,000 new volunteers have already signed up online for the 2010
Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The World Games 2010 Foundation estimates
that at least 6,000 volunteers will be needed to work before and during the
Games, to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park from September 25-October 10, 2010
in Lexington, Kentucky.
Volunteers from 49 states and 46 countries have signed up so far. More than 1,300 registered volunteers live in Kentucky, and nearly 700 people from states surrounding Kentucky have signed up. International volunteers from Russia, France, Chile, South Africa, and Thailand are just a few among the nearly 400 people from around the world who have already registered.
These world championships of the eight equestrian disciplines recognized by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), and are held every four years. The Games have never before been held outside of Europe; nor have all eight disciplines ever previously been held together at a single site— both firsts that will be achieved at the Kentucky Horse Park. The 2010 Games are expected to have a statewide economic impact of $150 million. It is anticipated that more than 600,000 spectators will attend the 16-day competition. Feb 13, 2008. More: 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
Preliminary Report Out on Michigan Equine Industry Profile
from MEP, MSU, MHC and MDA/NASS in partnership - made public on 12/13-14/07. Highlights:
155,000 horses in Michigan as of June 1, 2007
Sargeant Maureen Kennedy is a dedicated cop, an avid horse trainer and a longtime learner of all things about horses. Always an officer with the Michigan State U Police, Mounted Division, Kennedy has also pursued dressage. She qualifed several times for USDF regional championships riding her multi-talented police horses. more
November 15, 2007: Hunter-Jumper Association of Michigan Annual Spring Welcome Shows
Move to Waterloo Hunt Club, May 8-25 more
Tanya Grant Barber talks about the dressage merits of the Andalusian and the special qualities of the older school horse more
New Options for competitive riders in Michigan:
1. Rumor: There's a new Detroit Jumper Club to base at the Fair Grounds in Detroit - more to come on this in November!
2. Jerry Campbell announces new race track to be built south of Metro Airport!
3. Carol Grant wants a Midwest Dressage Circuit. And Horse Shows by the Bay considers adding weeks onto their 3-week summer show.
The Search for America’s Next Equestrian Star: Dressage begins Friday, October 19 at 9:00 a.m. EST on the Fox Network.. This unique show consists of five hour-long episodes that will air sequentially at the same time every Friday through November 16, the show’s finale. J.J. Tate is a finalist on the program. She's based in Wisconson. The show, conceived by Robert Dover, full story
Wisconsin's J.J. Tate is one of the finalists.
3 of our own Michigan riders qualiified for the 2007 American Eventing Championships in Chicago in the Jr/YR Novice Division.
Taylor Foote, finished 1st on her dresage score of 27.4!
Erin Strader, 16, of Ann Arbor finished in 7th after stadium.
Alyssa Meek, 13, of Fowlerville was tied for 16th after dressage but went too FAST in cc and incurred over 7 points which landed them in 37th. Also, See report on the American Eventing Champions by going to the Lamplighter Equestrian Center site and look for all the results!
The Daratony family constructed a 132-acre residential and equestrian community on Gregory about ½ mile from Zeeb in Webster Township. About four months ago, Webster Township approved the last of the whole project
