Posts Tagged ‘bitless bridle
Extreme Cowboy Race Here we come!
If you follow our blog, then you probably already read my post on the Extreme Cowboy Race.
I had this crazy idea that it would be something fun for Boomerang and I to try. Nevermind the fact that I ride English, or that I had no idea how to do a roll back, or even rope a cow.
I clipped my pony and ventured off to start some western lessons in the dead of winter with him. All with the idea in the back of my mind that “maybe” we might be ready to give the Extreme Cowboy race a try.
In the past month Boomerang has learned soooo much! I knew he was smart, but I had no idea in a matter of weeks he’d be doing roll backs like a pro, swapping flying lead changes with ease, ground-tieing, sidepassing logs, dragging trash cans, and opening gates. So last week I looked back over everything he had learned, and I knew that he was ready.
We prepared our entry for the Extreme Cowboy Race, and made this video to send in.
And after a week of waiting, Boomerang was accepted to compete!
I’m really excited to go, but also really nervous to venture into the “unknown”. Whatever happens though, I’m sure Boomer and I will have a blast. And at least now I can cross “Push myself past my comfort zone and compete in something I’ve never done before” off my 2011 Goals list!
Treeless Saddle – On My Wish List
I know it’s a little early for Christmas Wish lists, but I have one item on my list this year that I really hope to get! A treeless saddle for Boomerang!
Admittedly I’ve had my current saddle since I was 12 (14 years for anyone counting)….and after a few growth spurts as a teenager…lets just say it’s less than “fitting”. I have no idea how I’ve lasted this long with a saddle that was a couple sizes too small, it’s kinda embarrassing.
I’ve been thinking about getting a new saddle for a while now, but Treeless never crossed my mind until now, mostly because I had never even heard of it! I have a friend from across the county (Oregon) to thank for my spark into the treeless saddles, Kali from Pony Pros, Kali and her husband Les run an amazing riding program for kids that teaches them about training ponies in a natural way (their own method that involves some of clicker training & even Parelli). All of their ponies (even the lesson ponies) are ridden bitless and in treeless saddles or bareback pads. It’s pretty amazing stuff!
So what is Treeless?
Treeless saddles are typically flexible and move ‘with’ the horse rather than creating a barrier of a stiff tree. Horses move more relaxed and free because no tree is constricting the shoulder. No pressure under the cantle gives relief to short and flat backed horses.
These saddles also provide a very close contact with the horse and help horses and riders with back issues. Many riders find relief from pain because the saddles are so soft and cause less jarring to the rider’s back. Beginner riders learn to feel the rhythm and find balance much faster.
Recently, while at the Equine Extravaganza, I got to meet and talk with a treeless saddle vender. I sat in a few different models, which I found to be surprisingly comfortable (I was a little doubtful at first). I am now pretty thoroughly convinced that treeless is the way to go for me and Boomerang. I regularly ride Boomer bareback at home, because I’ve found that he seems much happier to respond to my aids without a saddle on his back – he’s also lighter and just generally seems to enjoy it more. And since my switch in March to a bitless bridle I’ve been becoming a bigger advocate for the “natural way” in my riding.
So with my decision to go treeless, I went on the hunt for the right saddle. There seems to be a lot of versions out there. You of course have the big brands like Barefoot, Freeform, Ansur, Torison (I’m sure there might be more, but these are the ones I know of) but then you also have the I guess what I could call “knock-offs” which you can find on Ebay and other like sites.
I looked at A LOT of saddles online – some I ruled out because the cantel was too high. For Mounted Games it’s preferable to have a low cantel to make vaulting onto the saddle from the ground much easier. I decided then to nix the “knock-off” ones from ebay, because as much as I liked the price tags (new saddle for $99, yes please), I knew that I would be putting this saddle through the works with all the vaulting I’d be doing – so I wanted something that would hold up. And with a $99 price tag, I doubted this was possible.
In the end (thus far) I think I narrowed it down to a Barefoot saddle. I liked the look of the Freeform, but they had a higher price tag (about $1,500) – and I was going for more a used saddle pricing, and the Barefoot seemed to fit that ($500 – $900). What I also liked about the Barefoot is that it has a VPS Panel System, which basically means it has spine clearance for your horse. A lot of people opposed to treeless saddles complain that they make it so the saddle rests right on the horse’s spine (A treed saddle keeps pressure off the spine) – so with the VPS Panel System this issue is eliminated.
The great thing about Treeless Saddles is that they are designed to fit pretty much any horse. So you don’t have to worry about an ill-fitting tree, with pressure points that hurt your horse – and it also gives you the benefit of ordering online without worry about having to send back tons of saddles.
So even though I feel kinda ok about ordering online – I’d much rather be able to try something on my horse to make sure we both like it first.
Well, wouldn’t you know that Pennsylvania doesn’t seem to be in the forefront of treeless saddles, because all my local tack shops seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. Luckily the Barefoot Company seems to have a retalier in nearby Delaware!
So if you’re listening Santa, I’d like to take a trip there to pick out a new Treeless Saddle!!
And if anyone out there has experience going Treeless let me know. I’ll take all the suggestions I can get – and I’m looking forward to being the only mounted games player in the US sporting a bitless bridle and a treeless saddle 🙂 Maybe I’ll start a new trend.
What’s on your Christmas Wish List?
Images from the Barefoot Saddle Company.
Bombproof Pony
On Sunday we held a little event at Iron Horse Farm. It was mostly a mounted games competition but we also set up a little obstacle course for anyone who wanted to give it a try. Most of the games ponies were pretty great about running through the course – hardly bulking at any of the obstacles.
That’s one of the great things about mounted games. It introduces the kids & ponies to a wide array of strange objects, ultimately creating a pretty bombproof pony.
After watching all of the kids have fun through the course I decided to pull Boomerang out and give it a whirl….bareback and bitless. Boomer is an exceptional pony who is VERY brave. I have yet to find ANYTHING that makes him nervous or spooky. On the rare occasion he may take an extra second to look at something, but without fail he will always crosses it, touches it, or picks it up in his mouth. Here’s a video of Boomer and I doing the course for the first time. It should be noted that he hasn’t seen ANY of these objects before in their current setup, nor has he gone through the course. Also we typically set up objects in our arena, so it’s in a different setting than he’s used to.
P.S. I had the fastest time of the day! woohoo!
And here’s a video of Boomer cantering over the tarp. He’s such a cool pony.
Check out Ammo the Dachshund’s posts on the day’s events. Part 1 & Part 2
Traveling with Ponies
Well I’m back from my big trip to New Jersey for the 2010 MGAA National Competition. Not only did I bring along my competition mount, Chesapeake Boomerang, but also trick pony extraordinaire, Chincoteague Minnow, and my ever present sidekick, Ammo the Dachshund.
The plan was to have Minnow paint and perform on Thursday Night, with a little help from Boomer and Minnow. Boomer was then primed to compete in mounted games for 3 days – his longest and biggest competition since I’ve had him. And Ammo, well he was just there to be cute – and I could have never left home without him!
We arrived late on Wednesday night. We got the ponies checked in and bedded down for the night in their stalls. We then set up our campsite in the blazing heat (yes it was even hot when the sun set). I spent most of the night warding off miskitos to no avail while the dachshund slept soundly on my pillow.
The next day was even hotter than the first as I readied Boomerang for the first day of riding. In the warm-up arena I could tell he was hyped and ready to race. We worked on channeling his adrenaline as I asked him to compose himself and stand still.
As we barreled across the start line in the first race I was impressed at Boomerang’s ability to respond to my commands even when I knew he was completely full of himself. As we finished nearly half the races in our set, a big storm approached the horse park. The organizers rushed all of the riders and ponies into the indoor to get shelter from the darkening sky.
Lightning crashed, wind blew, and the rain poured as we hid out in the indoor. I used the opportunity to work on Boomer’s laydown in the arena with many strange horses and riders surrounding him. He successfully laid down about 5 or 6 times. During our stint in the indoor I was approached by several of my fellow competitors asking about my bitless bridle. As far as I know I am the ONLY Mounted Games Competitor on the Eastern Half of the US that competes in a Dr. Cook’s Bitless Bridle. People were interested in how I controlled my pony at high speed with no bit, I talked to them about clicker training and the importance of a really good stop. I think a lot of people were surprised to see a speed horse without a harsh bit or the ever popular hackamoore. Made me proud that my pony was well trained enough to run with the big boys yet I could stop on a dime like the rest of them without yanking on his mouth.
After the storm we returned to the rest of our races. Boomer and I made it through the day with barely any mistakes in our races, and I was very proud of him in how he channeled his high energy.
Unfortunately the ravaging storm wrecked our tent causing us to get a hotel room for the remainder of the trip. Something I think both the Dachshund and my mom were very happy about.
Thursday night I readied Minnow for his trick performance. Minnow painted a wonderful painting that was auctioned off to benefit the non-profit mounted games group, MGAA. He raised $200 and his art was a big hit with everyone! Minnow then performed his beach skit for everyone. Ammo stepped in and stole the show when he decided to dig a big hole in the indoor arena – he had everyone laughing. Ammo even surprised me with how enthusiastic he was to perform his tricks too. He jumped through his hoop, played dead, made a scratch art painting, and even gave me a high five. He was pretty adorable!
Boomer later “crashed the party” and performed his newly learned bow for everyone. I then attempted to get him to lay down, but he had a little trouble. I ended up skipping it, only to have him do it later while Minnow’s painting was being auctioned. I was just happy he did it at all – considering he only learned the trick a little over a week ago.
Minnow had a blast performing, as I gave him a little bute to help with his arthritis limp, he was definitely feeling good (faced the dogs’ arthritis treatment a while ago, used glucosamine chondroitin). Afterwards he took a much needed gallop and buck around the indoor. It made me smile to see him frisky and feeling good again.
Day two of competition felt even HOTTER! Ammo got frequent water hosedowns as he layed by the side of the arena watching me ride. By day two both Boomer and I were a little drained. Boomer was moving slower in the heat, and I was struggling with my sore muscles. Our first session had a few more mistakes than the first day, but I sort of expected it. By the second session of the day I had a little more energy and so did Boomer, but he was still sort of dragging. He wasn’t used to the heat, nor the multitude of competition days. I can’t say I blame him. I’m just glad he did try, unlike the many ponies that started refusing to cross the start line on day 2 for one reason or another.
In the evening I gave a little talk on clicker training to the few people that decided to show up for my demo. It ended up being a bad time slot, as everyone seemed to have gone back to the hotels to shower and eat after a full day of competing. Can’t say I blame them – that’s what I wanted to be doing. But Minnow was happy to be out showing off his tricks again, he’s a real ham sometimes.
Day 3 was the final day of competition, and Boomer seemed to be dragging even more. I worked in the warm-up on clicking him for offering me more acceleration, and it seemed to help a little. I know his muscles must have been very sore – and being the smart pony he is, he’d start off the line in a controlled canter, complete his skill and when pointed towards home he’d let out the speed knowing that the faster he got to the finish the faster he got to rest. I was again happy he at least decided to try for me, even if it wasn’t as speedy as I would have liked.
At the end of the competition we took home 4th place in the Masters C Final. I had hopped to do a little better, but was still proud of Boomer for trying. Its a lot to ask of a horse to stay in a stall for 4 days in 90 plus degrees and run their heart out for you for 3 days straight. He handled it a lot better than a lot of the other ponies did.
And now its time to gear up for PONY PENNING at the end of July! Anyone have any great trick suggestions I can teach Minnow over the next month before we go?
Stacy Westfall – Devon Demo
Last Saturday I was able to sneak away from my barn duties and head over to the Devon Horse Show. Usually I get to Devon at least once or more during their big Hunter Show of the year. In fact, I’m headed there tonight for the Grand Prix Jumpers. I’m not really “into” hunters, although as most children have, I did compete in my fair share of leadline and hunter classes as a kid. It’s an easy way to transition into horse showing, no dressage tests to memorize, usually pretty simple jump courses and fences – pretty much just stay on and steer and you’re good. Although don’t tell anyone…I was usually the kid that fell off at all the super low (non-scary) fences. I blame it on a pony who HATED to jump, I wish someone had handed me a clicker back then, I might have avoided myself many spills. But that’s ok, it made me a better rider, and probably helped push me into DRESSAGE! 🙂
Anyway, back to Devon. My big push to go to the Devon Horse Show on Saturday was to watch STACY WESTFALL! Yes, I saw Bruce Springsteen’s daughter ride, and yes I ate funnel cake and desperately held back from purchasing a lemon stick (I don’t need anymore cavaties), but what I really went to see was the Stacey Westfall Demo.
If you have no idea who Stacy Westfall is, then you have to watch this video. If you have already seen it, then watch it again, because it’s just awesome.
This video basically made Stacy recognizable and sort of made her a household name. My mom has recently been watching a lot of Stacey’s training videos while she recovers from her knee surgery. They have her itching to get out there and keep working with her pony. I admit I haven’t had time to watch any of her videos yet, but I plan to.
So I was super excited when I saw Stacy Westfall was on the list of demos at Devon. (The demos are always the best part of Devon, and I’m not just saying the because I’ve ridden in several demos there over the years). The best part is she actually brought her mare from the previous video, Roxy. She explained that Roxy is coming out of retirement so that she can be in the opening ceremonies at the World Equestrian Games this year. Pretty cool. Anyway, check out the videos I took below – unfortunately my camera died near the end of the second one, but I don’t think much was missed.
I was bummed we couldn’t watch Roxy do a sliding stop, maybe next time! And you totally know you were that kid that wanted to ride the Black Stallion…I know I was!
