September 2010

Here we go, the best riding time of the year. Happy Fall Everyone! Now that the flies aren't so bad and
the temperatures have finally cooled down, I am really looking forward to taking Fancy out trail riding
with our friends. This time last year, she was barely starting out under saddle but now as a 4 year old,
she is more mature physically & mentally to handle the stresses of the outside world.

We can do lessons here at Buck N Horse Hollow out on the trail or in the rings if you have a young or
green horse that you need to get out and want help with.
FMI about lessons http://www.bucknhorsehollow.com/lessons.cfm

Has anyone tried the white tee shirt test from last month? If you can do all these things without getting
a white tee shirt dirty then I would say your horse understands that you are the leader and you are now r
eady to move on to riding.

White Tee Shirt Test
1. Lead your horse from both sides at the walk and trot
2. Stop your horse and have him stand still for 30 seconds
3. Have your horse stand for 30 seconds in the grass without eating
4. Then do it all in a strange place or at home without holding onto the rope

If you missed the "Learn to Speak Horse" article last month, you can read it at
http://www.bucknhorsehollow.com/articles.cfm

And if you haven't heard, not sure how that's possible but just in case, the World Equestrian Games are
coming to Kentucky in a few weeks. Here is their web site, looks like Disney World for horse people.
http://www.alltechfeigames.com/multimedia/photos.aspx?id=290

Think Positive !
Since you get exactly what you think about, let's think about what we want and how we want our horses
to act. Think about your ride, visualize it perfectly. Seriously! Have you ever imagined that your horse is
going to spook at that boogie man in the bushes? Or do you believe that he has a phobia about that
corner that causes him to lean in? Be honest. And then doesn't he spook at the first butterfly that goes
by or lean in at that corner every time?
Let's imagine our horses being calm, responsive & obedient. Then picture yourself sitting on him,
focused on your job, enjoying the ride. Imagine how good it will feel to be hacking around the ring or
riding down the trail, feel that warm and fussy feeling in your stomach that only your horse can give you.
Then go do it. I KNOW IT IS NOT AS EASY AS IT SOUNDS. My job is to help you stay focused on your job.
Being a confident rider takes a lot of time, self discipline, hard work, study and practice. Your success
will be determined by your level of commitment. Think about the rider you want to be.

You Get What You Pay For
This quote comes from John Ruskin (1819-1900) and I stole it from http://www.hoofprints.com/ Gina
is married to a farrier. She has some really neat ideas. I have really enjoyed her newsletters for a long
time now. I have bought some neat gifts from her too. Check out her web site.
Here is the quote
"It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little.
When you pay too much, you lose a little money, that's all.
When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable
of doing the thing it was bought to do.The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little
and getting a lot - it can't be done."
John Ruskin

Ok so we have all heard the saying you get what you pay for and this is really nothing new he just has
a neat way of saying it. The amazing part for me was the time period in which he lived. He wrote this
while we were having or recovering from the civil war.
So the moral of the story is there really are no free horses. Having and riding horses is a financial
commitment. I do not buy & sell horses. I know that I miss out on a huge chunk of business because
I don't get involved in sales commissions. I don't work for sellers, I work for my students. If you find a
horse that you want to buy, I will be happy to do a pre-purchase evaluation for you. My fee is determined
by the length of travel time. Usually it is the same as a lesson. Then I would recommend your vet's
pre-purchase exam. Your vet will see things that I don't see and I will see things that he isn't looking for.
I should go first because I am cheaper. I usually don't go out and find horses for people because it is
very time consuming and I would feel awful if I picked a horse for someone and it didn't work out.
However, if I do recommend a horse you can be assured that I am not making a penny off the sale
and I honestly feel like the horse will suit your purpose.

Happy Fall Riding!
TTYS
Terry
Buck (like the deer) N Horse Hollow

"Helping Horses with Their People" for over 25 years. Specializing in training horses by training riders.