Happy New Year Everyone! I hope that your holidays were enjoyable and that you are planning for a great new year. Opps! Made an unexpected last minute trip to North & South Carolina for saddle fittings and totally forgot about the December newsletter.

  This month I have included a list of winter time exercises that you can do with your horse to help you stay connected with your horse when it is too cold to ride. Also, some winter time care tips and the saddle fit evaluation recommended schedule.

  As others are making new year resolutions, I strongly encourage you to make a list of your goals and then a plan for reaching your goals. As an instructor, I often ask a new student "what do you want to do?" then I tell them what I think they need to do to get there. I like to have a plan, day to day, week to week and yearly. It helps me to stay on track and not get caught up in daily chores, holidays, work, kids, weather and all the other real life situations that prevent us from spending time with our horses.

  After every training session with your horse write down your strengths, weaknesses and key points you want to remember, like what worked. Remember a training session doesn't necessarily mean just riding. Most importantly, list 3 things that you or your horse did well. Then reread your journal regularly and celebrate the tiniest accomplishments, note your weaknesses and if necessary, get help. Sometimes we become discouraged, it is part of the process. Rereading your journal will remind you of how far you have come and help you remember things you may have forgotten.

  Anyone interested in bringing Western Dressage to PA should contact:

Lynne Bauer ldkbauer@live.com
412-526-0868 Pittsburgh, PA

  Lynne is presently in the process of developing a PA chapter of the Western Dressage Association. And if you are looking for a really nice horse to do western dressage with, my Nicholas horse is for sale. Here is the link to his ad.

TERRY's SADDLE FITTING LECTURE SCHEDULED

Saturday, March 3, 2012 at 9am Cutting Edge Farm in Ickesburg, PA
FMI contact Bonnie Derr 717.438.3980

Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012 at 6pm
PA Horse World Expo
Round Pen Arena


WINTER HORSE CARE TIPS

1. To warm our bits so that our horses continue to take them willingly, I have a heating pad in the barn that I plug in to warm the bit. By the time I am done brushing, I am warm and the bit is warm. When trailering to ride, I put the bridle on the floor in the front seat of the truck.

2. When trailering your horse in cold weather remember horses NEED fresh air more than they need warmth. The dust from the hay, manure and shavings can become toxic are very harmful to your horses respiratory system.

3. Be sure to warm your horse up at the walk for at least 10-20 minutes to warm up muscles and lubricate joints.

4. After riding hand dry a sweaty horse with towels and/or cover him with a blanket that allows the vapor to raise but keeps the horses warm.

5. Adding a small handful of table salt to your horse's feed will help make sure they drink enough water on cold days.

6. To help horses stay warm, hay should be available at all times.

7. If you horse wears a blanket be sure to remove it and check for injuries. Also be sure that there is enough wither relief on your blanket because just like the saddle the blanket can cause nerve damage.

8. Put a heater in your horses water tub at night to keep it from freezing and then remove it during the day. Some horses play with the heater or won't drink when it is in the tub.

WHAT I CAN DO WHEN IT IS TOO COLD TO RIDE

  I want to give you some ideas of things you can do with your horse to keep him connected to you when you don't have an indoor. First, train on him at feeding time. Your horse is hard wired to believe that who ever controls the food is the boss. The difference between reaching through a hole in the wall and walking into the stall, asking the horse to back up a step and wait for you to release him to eat is HUGE to your horse. Honestly, if he doesn't respect you enough to allow you to feed him without issue then I don't believe he respects you enough for you to safely ride him. Spending a couple of extra minutes on this every day is like putting money in the bank back when it earned interest.

  Put a halter on your horse and ask him to move around his stall. First move his hip with your hand gently and in time with his feet, then ask him to move his shoulders, back up and ground tie are all things you can do in his stall. You can also let him learn a little bit of patience by standing tied in his stall for a little while each day. This will help tremendously when you go to a show or a trail ride and you want to let him stand at the trailer for several hours. Let him learn that it is ok to be alone.

  Lead your horse in and out of the barn everyday with your hands in your pockets so he learns to watch your body. Then you can teach him to walk with you without a lead rope.

  Ask your horse to lower his head for the bridle (with the warm bit) put the bridle on give him a treat and take it off. These things just take time and patience and can easily be done in the barn. So no excuses, you have to go out there anyway. And don't forget when you come in, read those books, watch those videos, make a list of your riding goals for the coming year and visualize. It all counts!


SADDLE FITTERS PLEASE EDUCATE YOUR CLIENTS

  There seems to be a lot of frustration surrounding saddle fitters. The story usually goes something like this: Horse owner has saddle or several saddles that don't fit their horse. One day a fitter comes along and fits the current saddle or sells the horse owner a custom made saddle. Saddle fitter or salesperson is happy, horse is happy, owner is happy and feels good about doing the right thing for the horse. 3, 6 or 12 months later a trainer, instructor or another saddle fitter comes along and says your saddle doesn't fit. Horse owner feels betrayed, hurt, ripped off, frustrated and unhappy. Thinking that this saddle stuff was all behind them, they don't know who to trust.

  Solution: Saddle Fitters Please Educate Your Clients. Show them how a horse develops through training and age. Recommend a saddle fit evaluation at least twice a year for horses 3 - 8 years of age, 1-2 times a year for horses 8 - 15 and at least twice a year after age 15. Tell them straight up - your saddle probably won't fit in 6 months and after a horse realizes that a saddle doesn't hurt, they become even more intolerant than if they never had a saddle that fits and they are just used to it.

Favorite Link of the Month Positive Tips from Jon Gordon          Have a Happy New Year Everyone!

As always, thank you for reading our little newsletter and for all the responses. Call or Text me at (717) 609-2822, email me at tpeiper@aol.com, Facebook me at Buck N Horse Hollow or FIT RIGHT SADDLE SOLUTIONS.   Oh yea, if you do Facebook, please like us. 

TTYS & God Bless
Terry