First Signs of Fall

If one is observant this was the week that brought about the first marked changes as our seasons progress from late summer toward early fall. Fall is a long, protracted season at this latitude. We'll experience elements of fall including colourful leaves and pleasant weather from now through Christmas. But the first of them began this week and I like to mark their passing each and every year. In this part of the world nut trees, particularly black walnut, are plentiful and they are the first harbinger species. This week the nuts moved a step closer to maturity as the leaves begin to rapidly turn yellow and fall. As an aside, even after eight years in this area it's odd to me to see colourful leaves and bares trees months before fall like weather hits in earnest. The staghorn sumac growing along the roadsides is also beginning to show a bit of colour in places and the Bois D'Arc trees that line every fencerow in this part f the world (locally called bodark, commonly known in other places as Osage Orange) are beginning to drop their heavy fruits. 

We welcomed the first of the season's cool fronts with open arms and open windows. It arrived on Friday to blow the humidity away and we've enjoyed a truly spectacular weekend with temperatures in the low 80's during the day and mid 50's at night. It's been a real treat to work outside and we're anticipating many weeks of mild, pleasant fall weather. The cooler nights are already beginning to have an effect on the warm season grasses which have begun to senesce. If things progress as they normally do our warm season grasses will be completely dormant by mid to late October. Meanwhile soil temperatures are still way too high for cool season grasses to begin to grow. As I mentioned in my last post I sure am glad we got some heat to trigger the warm season grasses or I would be contemplating feeding hay right now.

I also noticed that some of the "early" horses are beginning to grow out winter hair this week. Most will start in the next couple of weeks and the stragglers will begin to follow as October days begin to quickly shorten.

What are your favourite things about fall ? What 'natural" things do you watch to mark the passing of summer ? 

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Tony

Homer and Apollo

Maisie and Norman

Chance and Leo

Flyer, Faune and Romeo

Asterik and George

Lofty, Donneur and Lotus

Gus and Silver

Moe and Levendi grooming

Lofty, B-Rad and Darby hanging out

Cuff Links

Serendipity in the Pasture

(post by Jason) After a spring and summer that was much below normal for temperature and much above normal for moisture we were really beginning to wonder whether or not our pastures were ever going to come on. This is going to sound weird for anyone in the northern US or Canada where cool season grasses predominate, but our summer pastures don't thrive on cooler and wetter than average weather.

As I've mentioned in previous posts we live toward the bottom end of what is known as the 'transition zone'. What this means is that we grow both cool season C3 and warm season C4 grasses with neither type predominating. In this part of the world, cool season grasses thrive best from late September through April. During the winter months they will go semi dormant for periods of time from December through February but they will green up and actively grow during winter warm spells. The brown grass that people see here in the middle of the winter is almost always a C4 warm season species. C4 warm season grasses thrive when the weather consistently gets up around 90 F. They form the bulk of our summer pasture during the months of June, July and August. This year it was cool enough and wet enough that they never did really come on but it was also hot enough that most of the cool season grasses more or less went dormant. Thus in spite of lots of soil moisture it was beginning to look like we were going to run out of pasture before the cool season grasses started to come on. Feeding hay in September after one of the wettest spring and summer periods on record was really looking possible and it really, really didn't make me happy.

About the last week of August our cool and wet weather pattern finally decided to change and for the past three weeks we have experience much more typical late summer weather featuring lots of sunshine and daytime temperatures reaching the low 90's. The warm season grasses finally decided it was time to come out to play and our pastures went from looking kind of sparse to calf high and so thick that you can't see your boots when you walk through them.

A long time ago when I lived up north I learned that it was entirely possible to convert a farm filled with junky grass species to something much better through managed grazing with cattle with almost no external inputs. I saw renewed proof of this when I visited my friend Bob Stannard who runs Vermont Natural Beef last fall. When I toured his farm I was very quickly overcome with extreme pasture envy. All the good grass species exist in the soil seed bank but they can and do get crowded out by junky, low quality pest species when the pastures are not managed properly. The neat part is that this pattern can be reversed quite quickly. In just a few years Bob has created some of the best, thickest and lushest pastures I have ever laid eyes on solely through grazing management. Honestly the trip was entirely worth the cost and time just to see his pastures. But it sure didn't make me feel better about the state of my own pastures when I came home. It was kind of the same feeling one gets when one first opens the door and walks into the cluttered mess of home after a pampered week at a super sleek, super clean five star resort.

As I've mentioned before it is almost impossible to manage a horse pasture in such a way as to promote an improvement in pasture species over time. More often the opposite happens and I wind up reseeding large areas of pasture with cool season grasses every spring. I'll reiterate that horses are *extremely* hard on pastures, especially during the winter months. In spite of that, through a combination of pure serendipity, heavy grazing pressure combined with several extreme and unusual weather patterns, our pastures have seriously improved their warm season grass species. I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing when I walked the pastures and really looked at the grasses this morning. I couldn't have done a better job if I had spent hundreds of hours and many thousands of dollars trying to do so. Thanks Mother Nature. For those not in the know, it isn't very often you'll ever catch a farmer saying that !

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Fabrizzio, Walden and Thor heading out in the pasture on a foggy morning after breakfast. Thor and Fabrizzio have reached the point where the grass is up to their knees.

Silver and Gus

Flyer and Gibson

Johnny and Toledo grooming

Oskar and Donovan grooming

Noble, Snappy and Lightening

Wiz and Dutch

Merlin on the run

Levendi and Hemi

Lighty and Johnny

SportHorse Riders

I bookmarked this post by SportHorse Riders almost a month ago with the intent of sharing it . . .then I promptly forgot to share it for over a month. However I think this is an important resource to share, so better late than never, right?  SportHorse Riders is a website founded by two people that I really admire. One of the founders, Anastasia (Stacy) Curwood is an amateur rider, a published author and an educator with over ten years of experience teaching at the college level. The other founder, Carol Skricki, is a rowing world cup multiple medalist and placed fourth in the women's double sculls at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. 

To learn even more about them be sure to visit the SportHorse Riders website.  I hope you take the time to visit their website, find SportHorse Riders on Facebook, and subscribe to their newsletter. Some of the recent topics in their newsletters have included dealing with lameness and injury, dealing with negative self-talk, and how to handle feeling vulnerable. I am sure you are wondering what in the world is SportHorse Riders? Below is a blog post they wrote explaining SportHorse Riders. The original blog (with links that actually work) can be found here:   

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SportHorseRiders FAQ

August 4, 2013 — anastasiacurwood

by Anastasia

This week on the blog, I’m changing focus to explain a little bit about SportHorseRiders. Carol and I are excited about SportHorseRiders, and our group members are, too– but you yourself might be wondering what all the fuss is about.  These Frequently Asked Questions will tell you what our program is and why joining up might just be the missing ingredient in your riding life!

What the heck is SportHorseRiders?

SportHorseRiders (or SHR) is a web-based coaching system for serious horsemen and -women of all ages, levels, and horse sports. But the coaching is not about technical riding skills, like learning how to see a distance or how to ride a lengthening. Rather, we help you train your mind to maximize your skills and enjoyment of horse sports.

OK, if I don’t get any help learning how to ride, why would I want to join?

We’ll teach you the stuff that makes your technical skills actually work. You’ve heard people say the 90 percent of riding (or any sport) is mental.  The thing is, most instructors and riders spend 100 percent of time in lessons on physical and technical skills. This, after all, is what we pay our instructors to do!

However, riders need another, at least as important, set of skills. Those skills are patience, mental resilience, awareness, and a positive mindset. Contrary to what many people think, those things are skills and can be learned, no matter how old you are or what mental habits you have.

All of the technical know-how in the world won’t help you if you turn into a sweating puddle of anxiety before you tackle that tough course or hop on your youngster. It also won’t help you if the yelling voice in your head keeps interfering with your concentration when it shouts about how incompetent or hopeless you are as a rider.

But SportHorseRiders can help you. When you join a group, your coaches and your fellow members help you learn how to ride at your fullest capacity– both physical and mental.  You’ll also have more fun!

What is this “group” you keep referring to? How does a SportHorseRiders group actually work?

The heart of SHR is an online, proprietary software system that tracks the daily progress of a group of no more than 12 riders. You can see the progress of the 11 other riders in the group, and they can see yours.  The leader of the group is called the “coach,” and he or she reads everybody’s progress. The coach offers feedback and encouragement, and sends a weekly email that nudges everyone to stay focused on their goals and their progress.

The software is a powerful online accountability tool that provides daily reinforcement of the skills we teach. When you sign in, you see the group’s progress log.

Then, when you click on the box next to your name, you get to your daily coaching questions.  They are simple but extremely effective.

You’re asked to rate your ride(s) on a scale of 0-10, say what you worked on, what worked and what didn’t, and how you handled both.  Then you state your goal for the next day.  It usually takes about the same amount of time you spend on a status update for a social networking site, although some people like to write a lot (and there is plenty of room for you to do that!). When you hit “submit,” you get a little green checkmark next to your name for that day! And your coach and the other members know that they can read about your daily progress.

We care a lot about your progress, we want to know how your riding is going, and our number one goal is your safe enjoyment of the sport. Your fellow group members will support you, too.  It helps to know that someone cares about your happiness on horseback and knows about your achievements, large and small!

How much does all of this cost?

A four-week SHR session costs less than most weekly lessons: just $50 for 28 days of daily interaction that helps you get more out of every lesson, clinic, and competition.  You do this sport because you love it.  Why not enjoy it even more, and use our strategies to ride better?

OK, since you’ve read this far, here is a special link to a discounted fee of $35, good until August 18.

Is there any part of the website that doesn’t cost anything?

Yes! Our blog (you are reading it now) is 100% free… and our newsletter is too! If you follow the blog and/or subscribe to the newsletter, you will get a helpful article in your email inbox about once a week. And feel free to share our blog posts with friends.  We blog about all topics on the mental side of horse sports– from fear to perfectionism to focus.

What if I don’t have time to use SHR?

Really, you should be making time every day to track your riding progress anyway– whether with pencil and notebook, on your computer, iPad, or the backs of old vet bills. With us, you can have it all in one place and print it out at the end of each session. Not only that, you can also get community and encouragement.

Users of the software spend about 8 minutes per day logging their progress.  Don’t you think you owe it to yourself and your horse to spend these few minutes so that you can become a better rider? It really is worth it!

So will you critique my riding at all?

Nope. See the answer to the first question. Yes, members do sometimes share tips and tricks that have worked for them.  But your technical knowledge is the territory of your instructor/trainer. SHR is focused on the mental process of your riding, not the physical execution of your riding. We are all about helping you develop wisdom, courage, mindfulness, and gratitude as you practice our wonderful sport. We guarantee that developing those skills will make you a happier, better rider.

You might actually be on to something here.  How and when do I sign up?

Our next session starts August 18! We have room for a few more committed people. The next one starts 28 days after that… you can always find the next start date under the Join Us page on the website. We hope you will!

Thomas and Tony

Maisie says you have to keep an eye on those ponies (Norman and Cuffie)

Cinnamon, Silky and Traveller

Calimba and Lily

George and Asterik

Romeo and Gibson

Donneur and Lofty

B-Rad and Alex

This was the scene Sunday morning after a rowdy Saturday evening. The nappers are Kennedy, Toledo, Rocky, Largo and Oskar. The ones still upright are Donovan, Stormy and Clayton.

Hi from Faune

Apollo and Hemi

Lofty

Lofty is a bay warmblood who joined us for retirement from California in April. We have known Lofty's family for awhile as they also own Cuff Links the pony.  Before he ever hit the ground Lofty was destined to be a great hunter. His sire is Aristos B, one of the most famous hunter sires in North America. Aristos B also sired Rox Dene, the horse that many people consider to be the show hunter of the century.

Lofty and his mom at a show

Lofty and his mom hanging out

Lofty came into his mom's life almost six years ago. She had been riding an "interim horse" for a few months after outgrowing her first and only pony while she and her trainer searched for the perfect horse to buy.  Her trainer had known Lofty a few years earlier when he was very young and green. He first met Lofty as a three year old, and then won the Founder's Cup at the famous Upperville Horse & Pony Show with Lofty as a four year old. As they were searching for the right horse her trainer remembered Lofty and called his owners in Virginia and asked if they still had Lofty and if they would consider selling him.  Lofty was still there but he was not for sale, however his owners finally consented for them to come and try Lofty thanks to her trainer's persistence.  

Lofty and his mom getting some last minute instructions from their trainer. Their trainer knew Lofty as a young horse and thought they would  make a good match. He was right.

Lofty's mom and her trainer flew to Maryland where Lofty was competing in the high performance hunters. The plan was to try Lofty and one other mare while they were at the show. They tried Lofty first and it was such a perfect match that his mom did not even end up trying the mare, and Lofty and his mom became a team. Apparently there were several people who were very upset that Lofty was sold without ever actually being on the market, they were upset that they never even had the chance to buy him.

in the show ring

Lofty checking out the showgrounds

Lofty is a big horse and he also has a very big stride, yet he covers the ground in a very elegant and graceful way. His mom's mom told me that although Lofty was such a big horse, she never worried about her daughter when she was riding him. She knew that he would always take good care of her daughter over the jumps, and he always did. Lofty liked to live up to his name over the jumps, and always jumped in a beautiful style.

Lofty living up to his name over a jump

showing off his beautiful jump on a grass field

touching his knees to his nose over a jump

Although Lofty was generally all business in the show ring, the rest of the time when you were riding him he tended to be on high alert and on the lookout for monsters and other things that might get him and his mom. He was sometimes called Scooby-Doo because of his tendency to peek at everything. It was almost like Lofty would look for things to scare him, but at the same time with a little bit of encouragement he would be brave and eventually face the scary things as long as his mom told him it was ok. His mom learned that as long as she had a lot of patience and stayed focused on Lofty he could handle almost anything.

Lofty looking around on high alert at a horse show

One thing that Lofty always disliked were hot walkers. He was convinced that they were horse eating monsters and no amount of coaxing through the years would ever convince him otherwise. One time a new groom ignored the instructions not to lead Lofty past the hot walker. The groom was going to lead Lofty to the ring and their trainer made the comment "see you in a minute." The groom went the wrong way and everyone heard a big commotion, and a few seconds later Lofty came trotting around the corner alone and put himself back in his stall. Lofty was serious about disliking hot walkers!

Lofty and his mom after their last show together

My favorite picture of Lofty and his mom together

Lofty and his mom had a very successful show career together. The original plan was for Lofty to get his mom very solid and confident over three foot fences. Once that goal had been accomplished they would either sell Lofty or lease another horse for her to move up to the junior hunters at 3'6". However once his mom formed a partnership with Lofty she didn't want to sell him and get another horse, or even to get a second horse and keep Lofty. He was the perfect partner for her and she didn't want a different horse or another horse, she simply wanted to enjoy Lofty. 

 Being presented the trophy for winning the Bit o' Straw Hunter Classic at Thermal. They had a first round score of 93. For those of you not familiar with the hunters that is a really good score at a big, competitive show.

Loft and his mom were a winning partnership in and out of the show ring for almost six years. When it came time for his mom to go off to college she had a lot of discussions with her parents and trainer about whether Lofty should be leased to someone else or retired. Lofty ended up answering that question for them. He started having an occasional stop at a jump which was completely uncharacteristic of him. Instead of trying to work him through things or patch him together they decided it was time to let him enjoy being a horse, he had definitely earned it.

Lofty and his buddy Donneur grazing and hanging out

Lofty has taken well to retirement

His mom told me that in their last class at their last show together they were showing out on a big grass field. The field was huge and everyone was cutting in quite a way off the rail to keep the rounds from taking too long and to keep from over tiring their horses. As she landed from the last jump she was thinking about cutting in off the rail, doing her finishing circle and ending the round. But instead of hurrying to end her round she decided to let Lofty carry her all the way across the grass, making their finishing circle much bigger than necessary. She said she remembers really savoring the feeling that it was, at the end of the day, just the two of them out on the grass, having a really great time.  I love the fact that his mom didn't even tell me that she and Lofty were champions of their division at their last show together, her mom told me that. Instead her favorite memory from that last show was of simply savoring the moment with her horse.

Lofty leading the way in for breakfast one morning

Lofty with his friend Donneur

His mom summed up her time with Lofty by saying her relationship with him was one of the most rewarding experiences she has had in her life thus far. They learned how to be partners together, and he taught her how to be brave, to love, to be patient, and to be kind, even when it was the opposite of what she wanted to do. And she also thinks she taught him the same.  As she said they grew up together in a way, after all they are only a couple of years apart in age.

Lofty going for a run around the pasture with Donneur

Lofty grazing with friends Gibson and Donneur

Lofty made the trip to our farm in April. He had no issues leaving behind his California show horse lifestyle. Well, he had one issue, he would not drink from a water trough. This was not a problem when he was still in a stall part of the time as he would simply drink from the buckets in his stall when he came in. Jason and I spent a couple of weeks begging and pleading Lofty to drink from a trough, any trough. We would sit on the trough, we would splash our hands in the water, we would cup water in our hands and touch it to his nose. Once Jason even tried to pull Lofty's head down to the trough. 

Lofty was having none of it, and we would eventually give in and water him from a bucket. As soon as we lugged the water out to him in a bucket he would happily drink. One day Jason had done everything short of climbing into the water trough himself trying to get Lofty to drink. In an exasperated voice he told me to go get a bucket. I went to get a bucket and when I came out Lofty had his nose in the trough, drinking. Jason and I each did our own version of a victory dance, and Lofty has been happily drinking water from a trough since that day. Other than having to be convinced that a water trough was not a horse eating monster Lofty had an easy transition to retirement. His best buddies are Donneur and Gibson and he spends his days grazing, playing, grooming and napping. 

We hope you have enjoyed getting to know Lofty!