May 2011

Hello Everyone! This month I spent a few days in Canada at Schleese Saddlery. I am very excited to be
working with Jochen Schleese and everyone at Schleese Saddlery and Saddlefit 4 Life. Jochen Schleese
& I both share the same passion for helping horses.

As I continue on with my mission in life "Helping Horses with Their People" it is now also becoming
"Helping Horses & People With Their Saddles."

And we had 2 great clinics. Thank you to all those that attended. click here for pictures
http://bucknhorsehollow.com/photos.cfm
On April 30, the riders challenged themselves to some pretty difficult exercises that ended up be continued
at Level 3 on May 7th. On May 7th we had 6 riders complete our highest level clinic with some really great
progress. Congratulations to our riders Lynn Witmer, Tonda Lewis, Dorothy Laincz, Colleen McCallus,
Jill Fluck and Wade Fluck. Job Well Done !!

Starting over again with Level 1 this Sunday and Level 2 next Saturday. These will be the last of the spring
clinics. There will be a saddle fitting with Jochen and myself in training the end of June, then it's hay season.
And I am making time to get Easy & Fancy out to a few shows. Musical freestyle is still on my to do list.

Favorite link of the month is
http://www.sstack.com/Stable_Barn-Supplies_Cribbing-Chewing-Control/Dura-Tech--Breakaway-Cribbing---Grazing-Muzzle-15502c/

I ordered these muzzles from Schneiders a few weeks ago and I love them. I think $30 for muzzle already
attached to a breakaway halter is a pretty good deal. Full size fits all my horses. I strongly recommend
limiting the amount of grass your horses eat at this time of the year. Just in case you missed it last month,
here is a link to a very good article about founder.

http://americashorsedaily.com/grass-founder/


SADDLE FIT?

Jochen Schleese will be here for fittings again in June around the 30th. The final date is not yet confirmed.
If you would like to have your horse and saddle evaluated by Jochen please register on their web site and
let me know. http://www.schleese.com/SaddleFitRegistration

One of the things that seems to come up frequently when evaluating horses and saddles is the wither
clearance. We know that we should have 2-3 fingers of space between the top of the withers and the saddle
while we are sitting in the saddle. But what some riders don't know is that in order for the shoulder to move
freely upward backwards, we should also have 2-3 fingers of space on the side of the withers AND we need
that space all the way to the base of the withers.

If your horse is tripping, doesn't want to move forward or is reluctant to go up or down hills it could be a sign
that your saddle is hitting his shoulder.

To check your saddle, place it on your horse's back without a saddle pad. Start with the saddle a little bit too
far forward on the shoulders and then gently slide it back so that it rests 2 fingers width behind the shoulder,
then check with your hand if there is enough space around the withers for the shoulders to move. There are
several other places to check your saddle fit as well, billet alignment, length of saddle, width of gullet, shape
and angle of the tree, seat balance and twisting or rotation. Proper saddle fit should be monitored on a regular
basis as our horses change.

If your horse is exhibiting behavior problems such as biting while being saddled, bucking, not standing still
at the mounting block, tail swishing or grinding on the bit it could be your horse telling you that the saddle is
bothering him.


SPRING CLINIC SCHEDULE

There is still room for more riders at both of these clinics.

Sunday May 22, 2011-Level 1 Clinic 9am-3pm (groundwork & riding)
Saturday June 4, 2011-Level 2 Clinic 9am-3pm (groundwork & riding)

For more information about our clinics and an application, go to http://www.bucknhorsehollow.com/clinics.cfm

Saddle Fitting Evaluations with Jochen Schleese tentatively scheduled for July 4th.

GOOD REPORTS

Continued get well wishes for Heidi Seifert as her finger is now pinless :)


As always, thank you for reading our little newsletter and for your responses. Most importantly, thank you
for allowing me to be a part of your riding goals. Also a special thank you to all the people that have helped
me lately. Buck N Horse Hollow is truly a team effort, whether it's cleaning stalls, pulling weeds, throwing
hay down, sweeping floors, feeding or watering horses, letting dogs out, running the weed wacker, using
your tractor or keeping me awake while I drive home from Canada, you are all sincerely appreciated! Thank
you all so much.

TTYS & God Bless
Terry