Free - Please All Breeds, July 2012 take one & pass it All Disciplines, around! All the Time! Where there are rivers, There are valleys, There are horses, And… Your resource for equestrian news, events and information What's Inside: • ND Expressionist Artist Walter Piehl • ND Roughrider Rodeo June Results • Camping and Trail Advice from the Pros • MN Whips & Wheels Carriage Festival The Valley Equestrian News Page 3 www.theveonline.com July 2012 Charles Wilhelm: Ultimate Foundation Training from Start to Finish Are you a member? Bucking and Bolting on the Trail afety on the trail is always our first we can use to control the horse’s behavior. We all the way home, we find that training time is known for his superb skills in communicating concern. A horse that bucks, bolts must be able to control the hips, the shoulders time well spent. If you wind up having to walk with and motivating people as well as horses. His or even rears when out on the trail and most of all, we must have control of the the horse home for the sake of safety, time training methods reflect his motto, “It’s Never, is unsafe for the rider as well as emotions. Exercises that allow us to control spent at home training may seem much more Ever the Horse’s Fault”. anyone who is with the rider. This the hips, shoulders and feet are described in pleasant. Sbehavior is not acceptable and training is detail in my book, Building Your Dream Horse. Charles’ warm and relaxed demeanor has made needed, however, it is important to under- An educated rider is equally important as an Internationally known and respected horse him a favorite at regional and national clinics stand why a horse would behave this way. educated horse. trainer Charles Wilhelm is the creator of Ultimate and demonstrations. His training center in Castro It appears that this happens frequently and Foundation Training which combines the best of Valley, California is among the top equine edu- there are multiple reasons why horses do I always like to measure the emotions of a traditional, classical and natural horsemanship. cational facilities in Northern California. Charles this. Let’s discuss some of the reasons. horse on a scale of one to ten, one being This method is applicable to every riding disci- offers extensive hands-on learning programs for lethargic and ten being a horse that is out of pline. Charles is one of the few clinicians who is every level of horsemanship. I’d like to start with a story about an incident control. When a horse is a ten, the most that happened several years ago. I did a radio we may be able to bring it down to is a interview on The Horse Show with Rick Lamb. five. A horse that is a five or six, we may He asked me: what is the best way to handle bring down to a three or four. By sacking a horse that bolts out on the trail? out a horse and working with the emo- tions we can set ourselves up for success. A horse will bolt when his emotional level is When we have addressed emotional is- up because all horses have the flight instinct. sues at home in a safe environment, when Some horses, in general have a higher emo- we get out on the trail the horse will not tional level. Often we take our horses out on over react and bolt or buck. the trail when they are fresh and without any $15 Individuals Family $20 Organization $25 warm up. They are feeling frisky and maybe How long it takes to work with a horse have not been ridden for a couple of weeks on these issues depends on the emo- and they are anxious to get out. In this situ- tional level of the horse. I had a Tennessee ation, we are setting ourselves up to have Walker at the barn for three months and big problems. I’ve been working with horses that horse was an emotional wreck and called “problem horses” for close to 25 years was very bad about bolting. After three Serving the horse community since 1935 and I would say there are no problem horses, months there was a huge difference in the only uneducated horses and owners. I have horse but I really needed another month found that there is an assumption with most to make the horse totally sound out on horses: we just assume that we can get on the trail. Generally, when a horse has them and go out on the trail and they are go- been in training with me for three or four Scholarships Direct Funding Horse Welfare ing to be fine. I have had horses at the barn months, I have established body control, who are 10 to 15 years old and still emotional brought the emotional level down and basket cases in their own environment and the horse will be essentially sound. Trail Blazers Disaster Relief Grants when going out on the trail, they are even worse. When something startles them, they Time is an important aspect. Many of us bolt. To me, these are not problem horses but can accomplish a lot with a horse in a very Certified Stables Aisle of Breeds just uneducated horses with riders who also short time. For example, the colt starting con- need more education. tests where in the space of three to four hours You are invited to the we are able to get on and ride. The fact that we Sometimes a horse will react to fear not by can get on and ride them doesn’t mean those Horseperson of the Year Pioneer Award bolting, but by bucking. Another reason a horses are really broke or that their emotions 5th Annual MHARF horse may buck is that while we are out on are stable. You can’t estimate the time it will the trail, we separate from each other and take you to get the horse to the point where For information on applying for any of these programs, to find out how to volunteer one rider goes right and the other goes left. you can go out on the trail and be fairly safe. Trainers Challenge The horse may be what we call “buddy sour” We all know that horses are dangerous and we and the horse becomes concerned about his need to do our basics at home. Safety is always or to nominate someone for Horseperson of the Year or the Pioneer Award buddy leaving. Horses are herd animals and our first concern. Once we have accomplished of the Unwanted Horse the more that we restrain a horse, the more the basics at home and we can control the please go to www.mnhorsecouncil.org or call 763-755-7729 we increase his emotional level. A horse that horse’s feet, the horse understands the exer- August 25, 2012 at 9 a.m. is being held back may respond by bucking cise. Then, when we are out on the trail and or even rearing. the horse thinks about bolting, we can control Leatherdale Equine Center, St. Paul, Minn. the horse’s feet. The horse is going to tell you if Getting back to Rick Lamb’s question on he is getting ready to bolt. When you are going Pre-qualify to bid in the silent auction and you can choose Funding for programs made possible Minnesota Horsemen’s Directory what to do when we are out on the trail, down the trail and the horse throws his head I explained that there are certain things up in the air like a giraffe, that action tells you your next riding partner from 22 horses representing many by the Minnesota Horse Expo Find a Stable List a Business we can do on the trail but only if the horse that you need to control the horse’s feet and breeds and colors, including, Lipizzan, Fjord, Paint, Pinto knows the exercise. If the horse does not not wait until the horse is trying to run away or and Quarter Horses. Meet them all and their trainers now Find a Trainer Look for a Job understand what he is being asked to do, it buck. I have several DVDs available that speak doesn’t make any difference how good the to the basics that riders and horses need to by following the trainer’s blogs at: Connect at rider is, the horse is not going to cooper- know to be safe on the trail. ate. What I recommend is that the action www.mnhoovedanimalrescue.org www.minnesotahorsemensdirectory.com we may need to take out on the trail must So, for a safe and pleasant ride on the trail, be started at home. In the interview, Rick we need to put some training time in with Come to the event Aug. 25 to bid or watch your favorites said, “No, Charles, you don’t understand my the horse. Sometimes we don’t like to spend as they compete for trophies, ribbons and A FREE website provided by the question. What do we do out on the trail?” I our time training our horse. When we also Minnesota Horse Council replied that we must start at home. We must complain about not having fun when riding $9,000. in cash awards!! educate our horse with certain exercises that because the horse is trying to bolt or he jigs Admission: Please bring a non-perishable food item or un- opened toiletry item as a donation to be passed on PO Box 223, Plato, MN 55370 763-755-7729 [email protected] J & S Farmer’s Mill to the food shelf or $5/person 104 5th Avenue SE Quality Feed Barnesville, MN 56514 Pays Off! 218.354.2247 www.mnhorsecouncil.org 1.877.521.0150 See Jim for all Your Horse Feed! 218.493.4574 Jim & Sue Heng, Owners The Valley Equestrian News Page 4 www.theveonline.com July 2012 The Valley Equestrian News Page 5 www.theveonline.com July 2012 Vol.