Tornado Disaster in Durham

It's been a while since I've written. If you're like me, I've been busy working and busy with summer. I hope everyone has had time to enjoy the short, brief summer weather.

My hay is all in. Yes! Now time to pile wood.

Looks like fall is here. Today, anyway. It's cool.

I've been busy with customer's horses, buying a tractor, getting my place setup, working on adding a new building to my place... and of course.... starting to get ready for the coming winter. (It's my first year here. 4 months to be exact. You know how it is... Getting setup that first year.) Go. Go. Go.

Tornado Disaster in Durham - Stopped Dead in My-Our Tracks

I was finished up for the day. Horses enjoying a rest out on pasture. It started to rain and it took no time for the thunder to get really loud. Strange, I thought. Looked like a bad storm. I put the horses in and bedded them down for the storm. Ran extra water in a big pot for my house, just in case.

The sky went black at 4pm. The winds were incredibly strong! Being a small person, I could hardly stand. I was being blown away! Literally!

I lost hydro just then. Thank goodness I had put all the horses in! Out came the candles.

I stepped outside, looking south and could see black whirling clouds over Durham. It was eery. I had never seen such dark clouds. (I found out later of the tornado touch down.)

With a break in the storm a short time later, some clouds were coming from Durham from the southeast. Other clouds were coming overhead from the southwest. Both sets of clouds collided, not being able to decide which way to go. It was strange. I wondered if I were in the eye of the storm. Like a kid, I looked up in awe. Fascinated by Mother Nature's display of strength.

A customer & friend of mine Catherine Schafer, had gone into town to check her family and her home. Thankfully all was fine. She called and started to tell me of the damage throughout town....

Print shop... gone.

Activity centre.... gone.

Damage everywhere. No hydro for days the TV said.

You can see from the photo above of John Eckhart's farm that the tornado left millions of dollars in damage. My thoughts go out to those who were affected by the storm. Especially my customers, Calvin & Cindy Eghoetz of Durham. Their barn, house, pastures, & riding area were severely damaged.

Thank goodness everyone was safe!

The Calm After The Storm

All storms cleanse. There was such a quiet calm after the tornado. The rain had stopped. The thunder silent. Candles flickering. Everything at peace. The nothingness was a relief after all the noise and commotion. I just sat in my livingroom relaxing, knowing the storm had passed.

The lights from the candles gave the room a nice, peaceful glow. It was welcomed. I had time to think about how I was going to live and look after horses with the impact of the tornado.

Post Tornado

Live & Learn... the saying goes. I'm definitely getting a generator soon! I was without hydro for 7 hours but we were told that it could be days before we had hydro again. (That was the case for the people in town). With the prospect of no hydro for days, I phoned my friend Brad, a neighbour and farmer to see about hydro and water for the horses. They had a generator and we could get water from the creek if we needed to.

I also had no way of cooking or heating water except for starting a fire in my outdoor fire pit. BBQ anyone? Got to get one of those too! :)

I am going solar with my place but I'm not THERE yet. I will be working on it faster now too! :)

While checking out the damage in town the next morning, I was interviewed by Ann of the Globe & Mail. That was cool. I also spoke with a lady from town who remarked how it had reminded her of the ice storm. It sure did! We've had strange weather this year.

I just bought 60 solar lights. I'm not kidding...

Ride safe!

Reinersue

©Copyright KISS Reiners

Am I Using the Right Bit?

I just had someone ask me if the bit their trainer is using is proper for a green broke mare. Good question. How do you know if the bit you are using is the right one?

We all want to know... It's one of the most important questions to ask yourself as a rider and especially a trainer. We want to use one that will communicate the best to our horse and yet, not turn the horse off to using one. Or worse, turn our horse into a bad behaviour horse. eek!

Before I describe the bit to you, I want to make a point about all bits....

The bottom line is: If the bit is effective, then it's the right bit to use.

That's it. Just remember that and you will do fine! I mean it..

Doesn't matter how many parts, whether it's a curb or snaffle, is the mouthpiece broken, jointed, solid, brass, copper, bla, bla, bla. Or if co-riders don't approve...

Is it effective? Is it effective for you and your horse and what you are doing with them?

Effective means the horse is very light and responsive to your cues/requests (no pulling, yanking, head up, head shaking, ignoring 'runs through it'... all that stuff). The horse effortlessly responds. And promptly.

In other words, the horse is OK with it. No fussing. No feeling from the horse like the corners of their mouths are going to be ripped or their back molars are going to be pulled out.

And the rider is OK with it. Not feeling like your arms are going to fall off from being so sore because you have to keep repeatedly pull and pull and pull to get the horse to wake up and respond. Or they are so late in responding that you have to keep asking and asking and inadvertently turn into a nag.

Formula for the Right Bit

Ultimately, the best way to tell if a bit is effective is to buy/get it & try it. That can be costly if you end up trying many bits. So if you are considering using another bit and/or are trying to decide whether to buy another bit & use it, try this formula beforehand. It will give you some idea if it's worth spending the money to try it.

Effective Bit = Rider's Skill Level + Horse's Skill Level + What You Want To Do With the Horse

Figure out what your skill level is to know the types of bits to use. Beginner riders need milder bits so they are forgiving on the horse's mouth. Intermediate riders need milder bits to learn new skills & stronger bits to refine your communications. Advanced riders, like trainers can use stronger bits to refine their communications to a light cue. And milder bits to train new skills.

Next figure out the horse's skill level. Green broke horses, horses just being started, horses learning new skills or horses still in their initial training, need milder bits as the rider/trainer will need to exaggerate the cues and help the horse learn their job. Since the hands are moving a lot and the bit will be used a lot, the bit needs to be milder. Intermediate horses will need a mild bit for learning new skills & then a stronger bit for skills they already know and are advancing on. Advanced horses can use stronger bits as the cues will be sutler anyway. (The idea is to keep your hands quiet and use lighter cues. Both for you and the horse. Since the horse already knows their job.)

Lastly, figure out what you want to use the horse for. Trail riding, eventing, reining, penning, polo, etc or an all around horse. Penning requires a lot of hand movement (at least for me anyway. I'm not an expert at it). Trail riding, not so. Show horses have certain bit requirements (reining requires certain types of curb bits).

Advice for Anonymous

Ok. So back to the owner (anonymous) who wanted to know if the bit the trainer is using is right. I get the impression that the owner feels that the horse is not on the right bit.

To the owner (anonymous): Is the bit the trainer using effective? Answering that question will answer the question as to whether the bit is right for the trainer and your horse and what the trainer is doing with your horse.

Is the bit effective? Look to the horse for the answer.

And remember, the bit could be different than what you would use as your skill level could be different than your trainers.

Let's look at this together as the owner would...

1. The first thing you know is the mare is green broke. So she is in training since she is at a trainer. So she is learning new skills. She would need a milder bit than a finished horse. Generally I use a snaffle most of the time. (That's me. Since I will be moving my hands a lot.) But I've also had to use a curb on some dull mouthed horses. Depends on the horse too. Remember (Rider's skills + horse's skills + what you want to do with the horse = effective). Is the horse responsive or dull mouthed. For example, the horse in my banner picture of my website (look up!) was dull mouthed. I had to move into a curb bit faster than most.

2. The horse is being ridden by a trainer. I am assuming that the trainer is advanced in their skills. So the bit can be stronger if needed (to be effective) and the trainer will know what to do. (Owner/Anonymous: You need to find out how skilled your trainer is). I, myself can use stronger bits to teach/train a horse since my hands are very small and my hands are very soft. I'm not a heavy handed rider. (And I want to keep it that way).

3. You did not mention what you wanted to do with the horse or what kind of training the horse was at the trainer for. Since the horse is green broke, I am assuming that the horse is in for more basic training. But you know. Learning any new skills requires a milder bit unless the horse is at a trainer to be 'finished'. Finishing a horse means the fine use of a curb bit. Generally.

The owner "My feeling is this mare needs to go back to ground work then try again."

4. Lastly, let's look at the bit. The bit has a roller and a large mouth piece. "I do know it is designed to put pressure on the chin, poll, nose, ear then mouth last.I was told this actually is a gentle bit in order to keep the horses mouth soft. Using a regular mild snaffle the mare runs right through it".

It sounds like it's a curb bit since it puts pressure on the chin. A snaffle doesn't do that. Sounds like the trainer feels that the bit is gentle to keep the horse's mouth soft.

So... Here we are. Is the bit effective? Is it the right bit for the horse, the trainer and what the trainer is doing with the horse?

If I saw that the bit is being effective, then I would say YES, the bit is the right bit.
If I saw that the bit is not very effective given the horse's skill level, trainer's skill level and what the horse is in training for, then I would say NO, the bit is not the right bit to use.

That's how you tell if the bit you are using is right or not.
It's a matter of asking yourself those questions, and observing the horse. And yourself when riding. (Or the trainer in this case).

It just takes practice to spot an effective bit.
Look for the repeated calmness in the rider and the horse.

Owner/Anonymous: If you still need help with this, if you send me more info and/or pictures of the horse's mouth, I can help you identify an effective bit. (Please no photos that would identify the trainer.).

Good luck!

If you need help with any more questions about bits, please contact me.
May you always use the right bit!
Reinersue
©Copyright KISS Reiners

Sunny's Graduation!

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Congratulations to Sunny and owner Jacquie Gingerich!
On her successful completion of her tune up program.

@KISS Reiners

Foundation Reining Training Centre
Reinersue

Many happy trails!

She showed the most improvement in her time with me! A very good learner! I think she really enjoyed it! :)

Amigo's Graduation!

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Congratulations to Amigo and owner Bob Gingerich!On his successful completion of his tune up program.
Many happy trails!

He was a funny horse to work with. Quite a character!

Foundation Reining Training Centre
Reinersue

Peanut's Graduation!

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Congratulations to Peanut, owner Ann Byberg and agent Cathy Byberg!
On his successful completion of his colt starting program.Good luck to his future career as an english riding horse!
I appreciate the opportunity to work with our national horse, the Canadian.

Foundation Reining Training Centre
Reinersue

China Girl's Graduation!

Congratulations to China Girl and owner Gerry Schafer!

On her successful completion of her colt starting program.

Good luck to her future career!

She was such a great horse to work with! Like all the Lazy Lou horses that I've started, she was very sensible and enjoyable to start.

Foundation Reining Training Centre

Reinersue