Copper Horse And Rider Training

1. Congratulations to Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp 2. Why is this a thing? Women comprise about 95% of the equestrian industry. Why are we so vastly underrepresented at the top of equestrian sports?... Ladies, we are good at this. We thrive with our horses. This isn’t just a boys game. Perhaps it’s because we are so inherently concerned with our horse’s well being that competitive goals are on the back burner? Maybe it’s because during those high level competitive years many of us are focused on caring for human families? I am not sure. I am sure that we can be compassionate to our equine partners and reach competitive goals at the same time. Self care is critical to family rearing, and there probably is no better self care than being with horses. Let’s turn this around! Let’s encourage all those horse girls that they can be kind and fierce. After all, that is why we are so mesmerized by horses - they are a perfect balance of strength and grace.

I absolutely have NOT forgotten what month it is! I planned to post evidence for every day of #NoStirrupNovember so now I owe you 3 separate pieces of evidence tomorrow! Who is with me?! You don’t need ‘em!

Riding the war horse on day 2.5 of Santa Ana winds

Baby horse is completely unphased by every weird thing I ask him to do. He understands that his life is just a string of weird experiences

Happy Halloween from me and Lily!

So obviously I completely failed at my own No Stirrup November challenge.... so, I’m putting this out there: what challenge should I do for December?! Extra points for coming up with something catchy Nothing gross or weird... ya filthy animals!

From newborn to fully trained can take maybe 6-8 years, and by "fully trained" I don't mean higher levels of competition, so probably I mean "mostly trained to ...a more than basic level." So, say that we just grab 7 years as that time when we have brought along the horse to a well developed stage. Seven years, in days, is 7 times 365, which equals 2,555 days of development and training from birth to age seven. 2,555 is a lot of days, and we can then think----"How much of what this horse now knows and is trained to do was accomplished on any one of those 2,555 days?" Well, I guess one answer might be 1/2,555th of what he knows. The point being that on no given day is a horse going to make great leaps forward in its education. The truth is that the horse got to where he is today by hundreds and hundreds of tiny increments, stacked like playing cards, one upon another. But I can DESTROY a horse forever in ONE DAY. Literally. I have known of horses killed by having them flip over on tight side reins, horses run to death, horses spun in circles until their hocks broke down, horses flipped in rotational falls---- And I am not talking about true accidents here. What I am referring to is what can happen when a trainer loses his temper, or when a competitor gets too hungry, or when a rider gets too caught up in emotion to think about what the horse is feeling. And even if a temper tantrum in a training session, or pushing too hard in some competition does not cause permanent damage, it can set training back by days, weeks, or even months. So think this through---"On no given day can my horse make big progress, but on any given day, my horse can see big deterioration." And then, if you feel yourself slipping into the red zone, stop right away. Don't go there. Just don't. It is not going to get any better, not today it isn't, but it can get a whole lot worse. Hard to have emotional control sometimes? You bet. But having that regret afterwards is lots harder.

A thought-provoking read. By Jane Smiley Most horses pass from one human to another - some horsemen and women are patient and forgiving, others are rigorous and... demanding, others are cruel, others are ignorant. Horses have to learn how to, at the minimum, walk, trot, canter, gallop, go on trails and maybe jump, to be treated by the vet, all with sense and good manners. Talented Thoroughbreds must learn how to win races, and if they can't do that, they must learn how to negotiate courses and jump over strange obstacles without touching them, or do complicated dance like movements or control cattle or accommodate severely handicapped children and adults in therapy work. Many horses learn all of these things in the course of a single lifetime. Besides this, they learn to understand and fit into the successive social systems of other horses they meet along the way. A horse's life is rather like twenty years in foster care, or in and out of prison, while at the same time changing schools over and over and discovering that not only do the other students already have their own social groups, but that what you learned at the old school hasn't much application at the new one. We do not require as much of any other species, including humans. That horses frequently excel, that they exceed the expectations of their owners and trainers in such circumstances, is as much a testament to their intelligence and adaptability as to their relationship skills or their natural generosity or their inborn nature. That they sometimes manifest the same symptoms as abandoned orphans - distress, strange behaviors, anger, fear - is less surprising than that they usually don't. No one expects a child, or even a dog to develop its intellectual capacities living in a box 23 hours a day and then doing controlled exercises the remaining one. Mammal minds develop through social interaction and stimulation. A horse that seems "stupid", "slow", "stubborn", etc. might just have not gotten the chance to learn! Take care of your horses and treasure them.

Also last weekend, we went camping at Lake Perris to celebrate a special lady’s 17th birthday. The school horses, the chubby pony, and the war horse went camping and they all did fantastic. The views were absolutely beautiful and the camp was lovely and peaceful. It was the war horse’s first camping trip, and he LOVED IT! He was cool as a cucumber about going for long walks in the sand, didn’t care at all about being away from home. He knew he was with friends. ... I can’t wait to go and explore more up at Lake Perris!

BOOM!!! ARENA LIGHTS! Darkness can’t stop me now!

This last weekend was JAM PACKED with horsey fun! To kick it off, Saturday morning Rhys and I tried cross country for the first time, to say we had a great time would be an understatement! We started the morning off a bit apprehensive, there was definitely a lot going on and a lot of new sights to see. After our 4/5 fence we started to hit our stride and after Rhys got to splash in the water he realized this was really fun!... I was laughing and smiling the whole time, Rhys was flinging his mouth foam all over as he ran and played. He confidently jumped every new thing we came across. Copper Meadows Eventing provided an absolutely amazing experience. They were professional, fun, accommodating, and they made an experience that could have been very intimidating completely comfortable for us. I recommend anyone who is interested in eventing or cross country to check out what they have to offer! We will for sure be back! Rhys will insist!

There is a budding new bromance in the air!

At the end of the day, breathe, laugh, keep your heels down and chin up King and Queen of the mountain #CopperHART #HeelsDownChinUp

That’s a no from me....

This has been on my mind. I’ve already talked about it, but here it is again: You. Are. Going. To. Fall. Off. You are going to hit the dirt. You are going to get tossed, slip off, zig when they zag.... whatever you want to call it. It is going to happen....Continue reading

Now it has sound!

Oh this hits so true

Stop scrolling. Look at this critical message. Donkey Blep. That is all.