Arena - Framing This Week

Looking forward to riding in it shortly!

Trusses go up next week.

Putting my spin on things.

Reinersue

©Copyright KISS Reiners

2010 Brochure

Just finished my 2010 Brochure.

Putting my spin on things.

Reinersue

©Copyright KISS Reiners

Before Sending Your Horse For Training Tips

This is a continuation of my article Horse Training Timeframes...

What You Can Do Before Sending Your Horse For Training To Get The Most Out of Your Training Under Saddle Dollar Value

(foto of felicity during side driving)

Good Ground Control (Respect While Being Handled):
Most, if not everyone, would like their horse-in-training to finish knowing the most riding skills as possible. For the 30 day training, certain skills need to be taught to the horse beforehand if the trainer is to spend most of their time teaching the riding skills.

For non-started, young horses, often these can be taught as a weanling and yearling. 'No time like the present!'
The good news is... this can be done by you in preparation for their mounted training!
This is totally optional of course.

You may not wish to do so for various reasons and I can certainly train your horse to have those necessary skills. It is certainly not recommended for safety reasons if you are unfamiliar with doing any of this training. Lessons are available to teach you this skill if you like so you can, in turn, teach it to your other horses.

Note: All training programs at Foundation Reining Training Centre have an extensive groundwork portion. ‘Good habits are always started on the ground’. Here is my first article, Groundwork - A Paradigm Shift in Training explaining my philosophy on the subject.

Groundwork While Handled:

To get the most riding or under saddle training for your horse at the Foundation Reining Training Centre, if you are able to work with your horse & teach them to:
- Halter & lead respectfully beside you and yield to pressure on the lead rope. Isn’t pushy or draggy. This will make it easier to work around the horse during training.
- Respect your space from the ground. So the horse doesn’t crowd or run over you or the trainer!
- Stand tied and remain quiet. Not freak out on cross ties. This will make it easier for the colt to be tied when saddled etc.
- Groom while quiet including spraying, feet picked, and touching their face & ears. Not run off or kick or bite. This will speed up the saddling and bridling process.
- Desensitized (despooked) to common ‘scary’ objects and will stand still.
- Cooperate with vets & farriers. They get used to being handled by other people.

Pre-Longeing Groundwork:
This would definitely speed up the groundwork portion of the training & move into the riding portion if the horse were trained to:
- Flex laterally to the side in the halter and/or bridle.
- Stop on the word ‘whoa’. Most important skill. This is the 1st skill taught from the ground & under saddle.
- Go forward with a ‘cluck’ . This will speed up the process of the horse learning their voice commands. (jog/trot for the ‘cluck’ sound, lope/canter for the ‘kiss’ sound)
- Backup with the word ‘back’ or pressure from the lead rope.
- Accept a bridle & bit. Will speed up bridling process.
- Accept being saddled. Will speed up acceptance of being saddled.
- Trailer quietly tied. Will prep them for traveling to trainers, shows etc.

Longeing Groundwork:
This would be a bonus to the groundwork & pre-riding portion of the training if the horse were trained to:
- Emergency 1 rein stop. Used for emergencies while on the ground or under saddle. ‘Don’t leave home without it.’
- Free longe in a round pen. This will speed up the round pen skills portion of the groundwork training.
- The ‘Hooked on You’-type of Longeing. This will speed up the learning portion to longe before being ridden.

All of the above will ensure that your horse is respectful of people and will progress in their training under saddle very quickly.
For all types of training, all of these parts mentioned above are incorporated into the beginning of every training process. Other training cannot proceed without it.

So any part that you're able to do yourself would benefit you greatly.

For further information or help with this training, please contact me at Foundation Reining Training Centre and receive an information package on my innovative approach.

Putting my spin on Sending a Horse for Training.

Reinersue

©Copyright KISS Reiners

Arena - Framing to begin Week of Feb. 22nd

I'm excited to announce that the framing for the arena will start the week of Feb. 22nd, 2010!

Photo above of horses waiting for arena to be built! (Arena will be built behind where the excavator is sitting in the photo.) The trusses will go up the 1st week of March.

Will send updates!

"Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts."
-Oliver Wendell Holmes

Putting my spin on things.

Reinersue

©Copyright KISS Reiners

Arena - Foundation Complete

A friend of mine thought this would be a cute photo to show people. I'm sitting in the excavator bucket. The excavator, Jim Dier of Chatsworth was starting to dig the trenches for the poured cement footings.

In this photo you can see that I'm looking through Lady's ears as I take the picture of the completed foundation. The base footing of clay has been laid down as well.

The arena walls will be going up shortly. I can't wait!

Upward & Onward!
Reinersue
©Copyright KISS Reiners

Conditioning Time Frames & Exercises (& Winter)

Objective: Lady Needs to Be Conditioned For Spring

Since this is the final article in the series on conditioning, I will use the following time frames and exercises for the 1st stage or legging up.

Scenario: Factors: Age: 14, Training Environment: Outside, Condition: A little out of shape & a little fat, Weather: Winter

4 Stages of Conditioning - Stage 1 - Legging Up With Winter & No Arena.

Riding Session format: Groundwork, Warm Up, Work Out, & Cool Down& End on a Good Note

The length of the session is based on monitoring the horse's energy level (horse health check) and stopping before the horse gets too tired and learns to resent training/riding sessions. Each part of the session is lengthened as the horse gets in shape. There is always groundwork, warm up & cool down.

1st Month - Legging Up, Winter, No Arena

Emphasis this month: ground work & warm up. Longeing & riding will be light in the last 2 weeks. They may not be able to do a full session the first couple of weeks.

1st & 2nd Week : We're working up to a 1hr.+ session of walking.

*Groundwork Exercises - half, most or all of session (1hr+/-)

- List: Index of exercises, all Flexing exercises, see PREVIOUS ARTICLE section on side bar for more.

*Warm up flexing exercises - introduce in middle part of session (15mins+/-)

- List: Warm up, Mount Up&Flexing, Cruise Control, see side bar for more

* Body Control Longeing - introduce in last part of session (15mins+/-)

- List: Longeing, see side bar for more

- If the horse is really out of shape, I would leave out any longeing in the first week or so. That would only leave the free longeing.

* Riding at a walk - probably not the first two weeks

- Probably not in shape for riding/walking depending on the horse. I did not ride Lady in the first couple of weeks. I did exercises in the barn.

* Lots of cool down& End on a Good Note - however long it takes

- The walking/hand walking is a great way to cool the horse down. (Some people use automatic walkers. I don't have one so I can't comment. Please refer to the internet.)

3rd & 4th Week : The horse should be well into the groundwork/warm up exercises than the previous 2 weeks. The horse should be able to start riding now unless they are still out of shape. The groundwork exercises will decrease slightly once horse is able to handle the exercise&skill and as the riding part of workout increases since the horse will be in shape for it.

*Groundwork exercises - first part of session (15mins.+/-)
*Warm up flexing exercises - middle part of session (15mins.+/-)
-see side bar for a list of warm up exercises.

*Body Control Longeing exercises - middle part (15mins.+/-)

* Riding at a walk - introduce in last part of session (15mins. - 1/2hr.)

- The length of time riding at a leisure walk will increase to 1hr. as the horse gets in shape.

* Lots of cool down& End On a Good Note. - however long it takes

2nd Month - Legging Up, Winter, No Arena

Emphasis: Riding at a walk, jog & trot. The groundwork exercises will consist of mostly longeing and warm up. The warm up exercises will go from groundwork to mounted.

1st & 2nd Week : We're working up to a 1hr.+ session at a jog and trot.

*Groundwork/Body Control Longeing exercises - first part (15mins.+/-)

*Mounted Warm up flexing exercises - middle part (15mins.+/-)

- (see side bar for a list of warm up exercises).
* Riding at a walk - last part (1/2hr.+/-)

* Riding at a jog - introduce at the end of session (10-15mins+/-)

- The length of time riding at a jog will increase to an hour riding on an easy surface.

* 'Cool em out' - however long it takes

3rd & 4th Week : The horse should be well into riding at a walk and some jogging. Trotting is introduced.

*Groundwork/Body Control Longeing exercises - first part (15mins+/-)

*Mounted Warm up flexing exercises - first part (15mins.+/-)

- (see side bar for a list of warm up exercises).

* Riding at a walk - middle part (1/2hr.+/-)
* Riding at a jog - last part of session (1/2hr+/-)

* Riding at a trot - introduce at the end of session (10-15mins+/-)

- The length of time riding at a jog & trot will increase to an hour riding on an easy surface.
* Lots of cool down & End on a Good Note. - however long it takes

3rd Month - Legging Up, Winter, No Arena

Emphasis: Riding at a jog, trot & lope/slow canter.

1st & 2nd Week : We're working up to a 1hr.+ session at a jog ,trot and some loping/slow canter.
*Groundwork/Body Control Longeing exercises - first part (15mins.+/-)

- Will still do longeing exercises as groundwork.
*Mounted Warm up flexing exercises - first part (15mins.+/-)

- (see side bar for a list of warm up exercises).

* Riding at a walk - middle part of session (1/2hr.+)
* Riding at a jog - middle part (15mins. - 1/2hr+/-)

* Riding at a trot - last part of session (15mins. - 1/2hr+/-)

* Riding at a lope/slow canter - introduce at end of session (10-15mins+/-)

- The length of time riding at a lope/slow canter will increase to an hour riding on an easy surface.

* 'Cool em out!' - however long it takes walking & sight seeing!

3rd & 4th Week : The horse should be well walking, jogging & trotting. The horse, if in shape, can now be loped/slow cantered to build the conditioning.
*Groundwork/Body Control Longeing exercises - first part (15mins.-/+)

*Mounted Warm up flexing exercises - first part (15mins -/+)

- (see side bar for a list of warm up exercises).

* Riding at a walk - first part of session (1/2hr.-/+)

* Riding at a jog - middle part of session (1/2hr-/+)
* Riding at a trot - middle part (10-15mins -/+)

* Riding at a lope/canter - end part (15mins - 1hr +/-)

* Lots of cool down & End on A Good Note. - however long it takes

As you can see it's a steady progression, introducing more work as the horse is able to handle it. I wrote some interesting ideas to ride last year 'Spring Tune Up on a Trail Ride', talking about getting a horse in shape.

From here the horse would go into Stage 2 Specificity or Strength Training, where for me, that would be introducing simple reining maneuvers.

If you need help with this, please contact me. I would be happy to help! Or please feel free to comment. What's your plan?!

Happy Winter Riding!
Information package available on my fun, innovative approach.
Putting my spin on conditioning.
Reinersue
©Copyright KISS Reiners

My Column in The Rider now Online

I was just informed by Barry Finn, the editor of The Rider that the magazine can now be read online.

So you are able to read my monthly column now on line.

Here's the link to Jan/2010.

My column is usually found on page 21-24.

Again, I want to thank Barry Finn for the wonderful opportunity to write in such a great magazine.

February 2010 will mark my 1st anniversary of the monthly column.

Enjoy!

Putting my own spin on things in writing.

Reinersue

©Copyright KISS Reiners