Have We Found It?

Since we have been deep into the move, it is important to take some time out. I found this an opportunity to do some housekeeping for the blog and generate some light reading of previously acquired information. The blog has been organized a bit better and the layout spiced up with more visuals. I have saved loads of information over the years on horses and felt the time appropriate to unload from the cart some of the most recent blogs on Horse Sayings, Horse Idioms and Natural Horse Gaits. There is more to come, so please keep trotting back.

Of course, the process of the move is a big focal point in our lives right now. Still packing boxes, I wonder if it will ever end – HELP! Impossible to pack up everything, we will wait to have a definite closing date on the house before everything is in boxes. Still need those forks and spoons.

With prospects coming in and out of the house, we still wait for that one buyer. We continue with treks to the country looking for a property. We have decided to view only the ones that are move in ready and we have found an interesting property to visit. We called the listing agent and were excited to learn some of the past behind the home. The estate being steeped deeply in history has made it even more appealing. We are scheduled to meet with the realtor Wednesday for a showing – WOW!

The home is located in a very small rural town of 148 people, 2 churches, a feed and tack shop combined with a pizza parlor and karaoke bar. The only grocery store has remained in the same family for over 150 years and locals are still able to charge their groceries. However, the sign behind the old hand operated register reads “All charges must be paid within 30 Days”. Truly, a one-horse town, we look forward to our return visit.

Go Green Tips:

OPT OUT

• sign up and stop phone solicitations. Go to www.donotcall.gov and get on the "do not call" list
• stop those pre-screened credit card offers in the mail. Go to www.optoutprescreen.com  

  Any Go Green Ideas?

Email us: info@agreenhorse.com

To me, horses and freedom are synonymous.
~Veryl Goodnight

Natural Horse Gaits

HORSES LEAVE FOOT PRINTS on OUR HEARTS

As I research and study horses, much is passed on to my husband. Remembering his life with horses only started two years ago, finding helpful ways for him to gain understanding and skill creates many blog ideas. This new blog stemmed from a working session with our horses trying to explain the “footfall” patterns of gaits to him. To be effective with horses, one should know how a horse moves, how their feet work and where they are at all times, whether you are on the ground or in the saddle.

Horse gaits are different ways a horse can move. Each gait has a specific “footfall” pattern or beat a horse exerts. A horse displays five gaits naturally: walk, trot, canter/lope, gallop and back up; furthermore, each gait has three degrees of speed slow, medium and fast. Horses do have another tread, a place called halt. This is not considered a “gait”, but one of the most important abilities you can have your horse perform. Before continuing with the various gaits, "natural" gaits verses "trained" gaits is a big topic of debate within the horse world and touching on it lightly here is essential for thorough coverage. As gaits may be natural to one breed while training is required for other breeds; gaited horses i.e. Tennessee Walkers and Paso Finos have several other gaits not listed herein. Discussions of this matter are numerous on the internet and a great way of communicating your thoughts. For the purpose of this blog, the five “basic” gaits of a horse have been the preparation and will be discussed.

Each gait has a different “footfall” pattern and the number of beats that occur may differ. In addition, the distribution of the horse’s weight changes in the different gaits. Understanding the “footfall” patterns and weight distribution of a horse allows a rider to become effective. Rhythm, timing, along with a rider’s weight distribution are key elements of riding. The horse’s center of balance (drive line) is located near his withers. Riders need to keep their nose behind this line when riding*. These elements play an important part in the rider acquiring a natural balance and becoming one with the horse. Separating the gaits, covering each with facts and some visual effects helped simplify the learning process for my husband. Hope you may benefit as well.

* Some Exceptions - Jumping, Racing, Going Up Hill, Roping,
or Getting Bucked Off

HORSE GAITS:

W

ALK

• 4 beats

• Averages about 4 miles per hour

• 1 foot raised while other 3 are on the ground

• The horse moves his head in an up and down motion to maintain balance

• The advancing rear hoof oversteps the spot where the previously advancing front hoof touched the ground. The more the rear hoof oversteps, the smoother and more comfortable the walk becomes.
  

"WALK" Footfall Pattern:

Eadweard Muybridge Photograph*

Starting with the Hind Leg:

1st beat - Right Hind
2nd beat - Right Front
3rd beat - Left Hind

4th beat - Left Front

"WALK" Body Weight Distribution:

60% on the Front Feet
40% on the Hindquarters

T

ROT

• 2 Beats - Diagonal Gait

• Legs work in diagonal pairs

• Averages about 8 miles per hour

• Very safe, efficient and stable gait for the horse

• Main gait horses use to travel quickly

• Most difficult gait for a rider to sit because the body of the horse actually drops a bit between beats and bounces up again when the next set of legs strike the ground. Therefore, most riders post to the trot, rising up and down in rhythm with the horse.

To post to the left – Rise in the stirrups when the horse’s Left Hind and Right Front legs lift

• This is the only gait a horse can perform in one place because a horse’s weight is evenly distributed. In dressage, it is called the Piaffe. There is movement without going forward or backward. This requires tremendous collection, careful training and considerable conditioning for a horse to perform.

"TROT" Footfall Pattern:

1st beat - Right Hind and Left Front
2nd beat - Left Hind and Right Front

"TROT" Body Weight Distribution:

Carries Weight Evenly

50% on the Front End
50% on the Hindquarters

C

ANTER / LOPE

• 3 Beats

• Average speed is between 10-17 miles per hour – depending on the horse’s stride

• There is a moment of suspension when all 4 feet are off the ground. This occurs after the leading front foot hits the ground and before the new stride starts with the hind foot.

• Notice one of the three beats in a pair of diagonal legs hitting the ground at the same time. Study the diagonals of the trot to see the correlation.

"CANTER / LOPE" Footfall Pattern:

Left Lead

1st beat - Right Hind strikes the ground first 
2nd beat - Then the diagonal Left Hind and Right Front 
3rd beat - Then the Left Front hits last

"CANTER / LOPE" Footfall Pattern:

Right Lead

1st beat - Left Hind strikes first
2nd beat - Followed by the diagonal Right Hind and Left Front
3rd beat - Then the Right Front hits last

"CANTER / LOPE" Body Weight Distribution:

Tips weight back approximately 60% on the Hindquarters and 40% on the Front End

G

ALLOP

• 4 Beats

• Fastest gait of the horse averaging 25-30 miles per hour

• The horse's outline lengthens the most in the gallop.
  

• There is a moment of suspension when all four hooves are off the ground
  

• Horses seldom gallop for more than a mile or two before they need to rest

• The American quarter horse achieves the fastest galloping speed in a short sprint of a quarter mile or less. Some have been clocked at speeds approaching 55 miles per hour.

• Some believe the gallop is merely a faster version of the canter. Even though there is a leading leg and a moment of suspension following the leading leg are common characteristics, the key difference lies in the beat. The gallop is a four beat gait while the canter has three.

"GALLOP" Footfall Pattern:

Eadweard Muybridge Photograph*

Left Lead

1st beat - Right Hind

2nd beat - Left Hind
3rd beat - Right Front
4th beat - Left Front

"GALLOP" Footfall Pattern:

Right Lead

1st beat - Left Hind
2nd beat - Right Hind
3rd beat - Left Front
4th beat - Right Front

"GALLOP" Body Weight Distribution:

A horse’s body weight tips forward between 51 – 70%

B

ACK UP

• 2 Beats

• Similar to the trot where the hooves move in diagonal pairs but the difference lies in the horse’s weight distribution and the direction. When moving backwards naturally and without interference, it is in a two beat pattern.
  

"BACK UP" Footfall Pattern:

1st beat – Right Front moves with Left Hind
2nd beat – Left Front moves with Right Hind

"BACK UP" Body Weight Distribution:

The horse tips his body weight on his Hindquarters between 51-70%. If more weight were distributed, he would sit down or tip over. If the weight goes under this percentage, the horse is probably doing a Piaffe.

H

ALT

• All Hooves Stop

"HALT" Footfall Pattern:

"HALT" Body Weight Distribution:

When standing, a horse has most
of his weight distributed on his front end,
which is approximately 60%.

In the old westerns, we would see a common trend of the cowboy folding his arms on the saddle horn and leaning forward while the horse was at a halt. This action copied directly from the real cowboys, placing most of their body weight on the front end of the horse. Knowing how the horse displays its weight naturally, the rider will know how to distribute their weight in accordance with the “natural” balance of the horse.

You do what the horse does.

* Eadweard Muybridge:

The first practical application of high-speed photography was Eadweard Muybridge’s 1878 investigation into whether horses’ feet were actually all off the ground at once during a gallop. The photographs above are of his works.

Photographer: Eadweard Muybridge 1830 -1904

Go Green Tips:

• Inside the barn, make stall doors approximately 25" in height versus all the way to the floor, 50" wide and the bottom should hang approximately 26" from floor. This will provide excellent air flow.
• Use cordless clippers with rechargeable batteries.

  Any Go Green Ideas?

Email us: info@agreenhorse.com

Wherever man has left his footprint in the long ascent from barbarism to civilization,
we will find the hoof print of the horse beside it
~ John Moore

Horses Need 4 Conditions

4 Conditions

The connection between us and our horses has increased tremendously. We contribute this to a few “changing” elements. Firstly, my husband and I continue the interaction with the horses daily, studying and learning new things constantly. We have become better teachers/students for the horses. Our knowledge and skills has not only been learned from books, but from the horses as well. They make the best teachers. Secondly, they are at a different boarding facility. Together these occurrences are key factors in the progress the horses and we are making.

Safety, comfort, play and food form a horse’s behavior. These four elements listed in order of importance are essential requirements for every horse. For the most part, when horses are boarded these conditions depend on the facility and manager. As a horse owner, one needs to build on these 4 conditions. It is so important to provide them allowing a solid foundation for a horse to grow physically, mentally and emotionally. Because of the wonderful provisions at our current facility, the horses have settled in nicely and there has been a noticeable change in their behavior. They feel safe, are treated with respect, get lots of play and hordes of good pasture to consume. These fulfilled necessities have had a positive affect on their behavior in which their willingness to participate with consistency in the relationship with us has increased greatly. The responsiveness to our cues has been incredibly established. It has been amazing to watch this transformation unfold. We often speak of what the future holds when we have our own place having total control over all these elements.

With the four conditions having a strong hold, we have been able to progress with the horses at a faster pace. Constantly using our imagination to create interesting sessions is one way we utilize"play" with our horses. This has become a successful technique. Imagination plays a key role in the learning process. It helps provide meaning to experience and understanding to knowledge. Right now, we are finding restrictions on our abilities to carry thorough with our thought-out constructions. We need more options. Our current boarding facility is beautiful, but busy. It is 80 acres with 20 in pastures and the remaining either thick forest or areas predisposed to certain duties. All this, and the fact that its layout lacks natural obstacles leaves limited possibilities for imagination. Furthermore, since the property is not ours, we cannot add to or change the layout. We are at a point where we need to expand our lessons with the horses. We truly enjoy our current facility, understand the limitations, but look so forward to our own place.

Go Green Tips:

• In the barn, use a commercial coffee maker for instant hot water
• Buy feed / shavings in paper bags. Roll them up and use to kindle fires in fireplaces or for bonfires outside
  

  Any Go Green Ideas?

Email us: info@agreenhorse.com





“Imagination is more valuable than knowledge.”
Einstein

Changes at Hand

I t is said to keep articles short and sweet on the internet. No matter how hard I have tried to exercise this model, it is difficult for me to shrink the mammoth mounds of information researched into mini molehills. In addition, when I seek out information and come across the “short and sweet” version, I find myself continuing the search for “more”.

Most of my writings incorporate a horse topic and I somehow tend to create lengthy reads when I combine stories of our big move to the country along with the lives we share with our horses. Additionally, with the move around the bend more stories will be forthcoming on country living. I felt it best to make some changes and divide up the content on future writings to allow simplicity and more mobility within the site. Most blogs will be on a specific subject matter, although there will be times when blogs will be general in scope covering several categories. Either way, it is still not likely to guarantee a short read. There are various labels pertaining to horses and three new categories will be added “The Move”, "Changes" and later “The Journey” . These will cover the accounts of our lives with the move and the various roads we encounter with the horses. Whichever one I write, I do encourage and look forward to the exchange of experiences, comments or suggestions from readers. I hope these information swaps benefit all involved – and ultimately the horses, of course.

The move requires so much effort, from selling our home and uprooting everything to uncovering that special place we would like to call home, the current events seem endless. The course of the move has taken another setback, leaving us disappointed and exhausted. The deal on the house and property we wanted to purchase fell through about a month ago that left us drained and empty and we needed time to recover. Shortly, we understood a push forward was essential. So, with gathered energy and spirits we continue the travels back to the country in pursuit of finding a home. A general description of the property we are searching for includes; a historical home with plenty of acreage, in a small town – (actually, the smaller the better). Even with the current list of homes that meet our criteria narrowed down, applying the pros and cons of each property still generates a lot of discussion between those involved in the selection. Also, the decision remains open about whether to choose from among the homes we have already considered, or to keep the possibility of discovering another suitable property on the table. With all these limitations set forth, we are still eager to make the switch. We also await the sale of our current home.

Our home has been on the market for two months. There has been a moderate flow of buyers,but no bids yet. The current economy has affected the housing market and property values have dropped considerably over the past few years. Devoting many discussions to these conditions led us to make another change. We have decided to lower the asking price in selling our house, and in turn lower the offer on whichever property we choose. Let us hope this strategy works and increases the pace towards moving. We have been lined up and ready for quite some time now to get all these processes accomplished.

Go Green Tips:

• most areas have recycling centers - learn what can & cannot be recycled in your community
• set recycling containers next to the trash cans - paint recycle signs on them and labels for the intended contents

  Any Go Green Ideas?

Email us: info@agreenhorse.com

Feeling down? Saddle up.
~Author Unknown