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Sunday, October 4, 2009

Burrs in Manes and Tails


I've recently started volunteering at the We Can Ride Stables in Minnetonka, MN. We Can Ride is this amazing theraputic riding program that was founded in 1982 and works in conjunction with the University of Minnesota. It is also a Premier Accredited Therapeutic Riding Center with North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA).

They currently have 14 horses at the Minnetonka, MN location. These horses have big pastures where they get to roam around and eat grass to their heart's delight. Since most of my horse training took place in the DC metro area, when I came to the barn and was assigned horses to groom I encountered something I never had to deal with before. Burrs. Since all the horses live outside, and since it's colder in MN and they are starting to get their winter coats, several of them come in to the barn in the morning with burrs everywhere. After my new favorite pony Trixie (see photo above)(1) came into the barn practically dressed up as a burr bush, I wondered, what is the best way to get burrs out of a mane and tail without damaging them?

I turned to the authority on grooming for the answer. In the book "Grooming To Win: How to Groom, Trim, Braid and Prepare Your Horse for Show" by Susan E. Harris there is a whole chapter dedicated to the mane and tail. Ms. Harris tells the reader that the key to mane and tail grooming is detangling. "When detangling long mane of tail hair, start at the end of the hair and work carefully up toward the roots." (2) Harris suggests that the best way to do this is to pick out all tangles by hand. "If the tail is tangled and full of bedding or debris, spray it lightly with conditioner or a detangler. As the hair dries it becomes slippery and tangles, burrs, and debris will slide out more easily." (2) Harris cautions to prevent breakage not to brush the hair when it is wet.

In the end, the goal is to maintain a full and beautiful mane and tail. In order to do this, a groomer must be careful not to break or damage any of the hair. According to Harris, "Mane and tail hair is not shed, but grows at a steady rate of 18-25mm (about 2/3's of an inch) per month. At that rate, it can take years to grow a shoulder-length mane or a tail that sweeps the ground." (3) So next time I, or you, encounter a burr, take time to pick out as many tangles as you can by hand. If you need to, give the tail a quick spritz of a detangler of your choice, and gently pull out any burrs. Taking time and care so as not to damage any hair will lead to a better looking mane and tail, and who out there doesn't want a good looking horse or pony. ;)

(1) Photo above courtesy of We Can Ride website. www.wecanride.org
(2) "Grooming To Win: How to Groom, Trim, Braid and Prepare Your Horse for Show." 3rd Ed. Susan E. Harris. Wiley Publishing inc., Hoboken, NJ. 2008. Page 75.
(3) "Grooming To Win: How to Groom, Trim, Braid and Prepare Your Horse for Show." 3rd Ed. Susan E. Harris. Wiley Publishing inc., Hoboken, NJ. 2008. Page 40.

My New Business Cards



They're fantastic and I totally love them. Now I just have to keep plugging away and getting to know the MN Horse Community.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

New Business Cards!!

I received my new business cards in the mail and they look fantastic! Photos to come soon!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

What is "pin firing"?


Before we can talk about firing, or pin firing, it is important to understand the idea of a counterirritation and a means of treatment for lameness. "Its [counterirritation] purpose if to convert an old chronic injury into and active form to begin an active healing process." (1) Essentially, by re-damaging an old injury, the thought is that the injury will be able to heal better the second time than the first time.

There are several types of counterirritants. They range from mild forms, such as braces, to severe forms, such a firing.

"Firing is ... [a] means of producing counterirritation; it involves piercing various parts of the horse's leg with a red-hot iron or needles, and may be used on splints, bowed tendons, osselets, rind bone, and sesamoiditis." (2) See photo for example of healed firing on horse.

As I understand the process of firing, it was a very popular treatment among race horses in the early 1900's. Even though it has fallen out of favor among horse-persons in recent years, there is still the occasional horse who shows up with the tell-tale scarring that results from firing.

1) Evans, J. Warren. Horses, 3rd Edition: A Guide to Selection, Care, and Enjoyment. Holt Paperbacks, New York, NY 2001.
Page 350.
2)
Evans, J. Warren. Horses, 3rd Edition: A Guide to Selection, Care, and Enjoyment. Holt Paperbacks, New York, NY 2001. Page 351.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Trail Rides at Rock Creek Park Horse Center

On June 28, 2009 I was helping out the barn by picking up an extra shift and getting the trail out. Much to my surprise and delight a photographer/reporter from the Washington Post showed up to take some photos and interview some staff. Take a look at the article and see me leading the trail out. =)

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Why is it called a curry comb? - PART 2

I was talking to the barn manager, Suzanne Ward, at Rock Creek after my first posting about where the word "curry" in curry comb came from. Suzanne is very knowledgeable when it comes to horses and when it comes to random tid-bits and facts. So, it should not have been a surprise to me that she had a more definitive answer regarding the curry comb.

According to Suzanne, the word curry as it relates to the curry comb was first used in a 14th century French poem called "Roman de Fauvel" by Gervais De Bus. Roman de Fauvel is translated as the Faun Colored Beast. In the poem there is a donkey whose name is Fauvel. "The donkey's name, which when broken down forms fau-vel, or "veiled lie", also forms an acrostic in which each letter stands for one of the seven deadly sins: Flaterie (Flattery), Avarice (Greed), Vilanie (Guile), Variété (Inconstancy), Envie (Envy), and Lacheté (Cowardice)." (1) It has also been suggested that historically the word "fauvel" is where the word english "favel" came from in relation to currying favor. In my previous posting I referenced the idea of the words "fauvel" and "favel" having a relationship with favor, as in currying favor. In the poem, " The English expression "to curry Fauvel", (now to "curry favor") arose from the scene in which potentates descended so low as to brush down the donkey and clean him off." (1)

1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_de_Fauvel

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Why is it called a curry comb? - PART 1

I received an email from an instructor I work with about a question one of her students had asked her. Apparently her student wanted to know why curry combs are called curry combs. I stared reading through the small library of horse books I have acquired and while I was able to read all about what a curry comb looks like and what it does I was not able to find a whole lot of information regarding it's history.

The first thing I decided to research was the definition of the words curry and comb. Comb was self explanatory, so the next logical step seemed to be to look up what it means "to curry" something. According to www.merriam-webster.com, the word curry - a transitive verb - as it relates to horses dates back to the 13th century (1), specifically between 1250-1300 (2). It's etymology is listed as "Middle English currayen, from Anglo-French cunreier, correier to prepare, curry, from Vulgar Latin *conredare, from Latin com- + a base of Germanic origin; akin to Gothic garaiths arrayed" (1) At the bottom of the definition, Merriam Webster cites the idea of currying favor by stating, "— curry favor Middle English currayen favel to curry a chestnut horse: to seek to gain favor by flattery or attention." (1) Similarly, on www.dictionary.com they cite the idiom curry favor ["curry favor, to seek to advance oneself through flattery or fawning: His fellow workers despised him for currying favor with the boss." (2)] along with the verb definition of curry as it relates to grooming horses. "The word 'curry comb' itself, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is not recorded before the 16th century - though it also quotes, from 1398, the phrase 'coryed wyth an horse combe." (3)

After I determined the definition and origins of the word curry and the idioms that specifically relate to it I began to formulate my own theory as to why a curry comb is called a curry comb. Since the idiom that relates to the word curry is to curry favor, it seemed plausible to me that the curry comb got it's name from those who had to groom noblemen's, knight's, lord's, etc's horses; by grooming them well and making them clean and beautiful they were able to curry favor with the horses owner. However it was a book titled The Medieval Horse and Its Equipment, c. 1150- c. 1450 by John Clark from the Museum of London that provided the foundation for my theory. In his text on page 160 it states, "Kurath & Kuhn suggest the original meaning was no more than 'curry the master's horse' - presumably, to do dirty and menial work in order to get into the lord's good books." (4) Clark then goes on to cite, from Jones (1989a, 207-8), "...the development of the French estriller fauvel,' English 'curry favel' and Provencal 'saber de la falveta,' all found in the 14th century with similar meanings - to groom (use soft soap on, butter up) the (horse-)lord to win his favour." (4)

In conclusion, though it was difficult to find a large amount of texts or a variety of texts relating to the history of the curry comb, my initial theory appears to be valid -that the curry comb got it's name from those who groomed noblemen's et. al (noblemen, lord's, knights, etc.) horses in an attempt to gain their favor and to seek advancement.

End Notes:
(1) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curry
(2) http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Curry
(3) Clark, John. The Medieval Horse and It's Equipment, c. 1150-c. 1450. Museum of London. 2004. pg 158. http://books.google.com/books?id=A6mfmPBUUewC&lpg=PA160&ots=BBF-ibqjyU&dq=where%20did%20the%20curry%20comb%20get%20its%20name&pg=PA158
(4) Clark, John. The Medieval Horse and It's Equipment, c. 1150-c. 1450. Museum of London. 2004. pg 160. http://books.google.com/books?id=A6mfmPBUUewC&lpg=PA160&ots=BBF-ibqjyU&dq=where%20did%20the%20curry%20comb%20get%20its%20name&pg=PA160

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Reactions from the Horse Community - Cherry Hill

Below is an email I received from Cherry Hill on May 25, 2009 in response to my "Do Horses See Color?" Posting:

Hi Tzena,
Google tells me whenever someone posts something related to me or my books and I came up on your blog "Do Horses See Color?".
I wanted to applaud you for being a great teacher, reader and writer. Ah, very refreshing ! A nicely thought out and presented Q&A.
I wondered if you would allow me to post that Q&A on my website and refer my readers to your blog?
Have a great day and keep up the great work,
Cherry
Cherry Hill
author of over 30 books and DVDs on horse training and care
www.horsekeeping.com


Imagine my delight and excitement to receive such an email from such an important and highly regarded person in the horse community. According to Cherry, "It will be the first time I have a "guest" besides my husband Richard who sometimes answers farrier and facility questions." You can find a link to my blog and the above posting on Cherry Hill's website by either clicking on Today's Ask Cherry or the top one in the Ask Cherry Column:
http://www.horsekeeping.com/ask-cherry/20090530-seecolor.htm

I encourage you to take a look at the Q&A on Cherry's Website and the take some time to look around her website (www.horsekeeping.com) in it's entirety.


Monday, May 25, 2009

Do Horses See Color?

I had a student ask me a couple of weeks ago if horses see in color. I thought about it and said, “Well, as I understand it I don’t think they see all the colors we do, I think they see in shades of color…kinda like cats.” It was a reasonably lucky assumption on my part, but I wanted to know the specifics of if horses can see in color and what colors they do see.

It is a given that horses have a different field of vision than we do simply cause their eyes are built and located differently than ours. Because horses eyes are on the sides of their head (as opposed to the front like cats or like ours) the horse views a much larger field of vision.

In their book The Body Language of Hoses, published in 1980, Tom Ainslie and Bonnie Ledbetter state, “Many authorities have proposed that horses are nearsighted as well as color blind. Experimental findings support both contentions, but not persuasively.” (1)

As time progress our understanding and research progressed. As discussed in Desmond Morris’s book Horsewatching: Why does a horse whinny and everything else you ever wanted to know, published in 1988, he sates that “For many years horses were said to be color blind but we now know that this is not the case, although color vision is much weaker in them than it is in us. They are most responsive to yellows, then greens, then blues, and least of all reds, according to recent experiments.” (2)

William Micklem, in his book Complete Horse Riding Manual – published in 2003 – he says that “Research has shown that horses are dichromates, which means that they have limited color vision. They can distinguish between light and dark, between reds and blues, but not between greens and grays. This is why you will not find green or gray poles used in a grass showjumping arena.” (3)

Cherry Hill, in her book How to Think Like a Horse: The Essential Handbook for Understand Why Horses Do What They Do – published in 2006, she supports Micklem’s assertion that horses are dichromates. “The horse’s eye has two types of cone cells in the retina that are sensitive to color whereas a human has three types of cone cells. Whether horses can see colors as we do is still widely debated. Most researches agree that horses do have more than “shades of gray” discrimination but not the color range of humans. Exactly which colors horses see is sill unresolved.” (4)

“Equine vision expert Dr. Brian Timney, of the University of Western Ontario , explains that horses are like humans with color deficiencies. For example, humans with red-green color vision defects have only two hues (blue and yellow) rather than four. Such dichromates do not see intermediate hues, seeing instead white or gray or a faded form of the two colors.” (5)

“Horses have little difficulty in discriminating red or blue from gray. With respect to green and yellow, the results are mixed,” says Timney. His findings are similar to those from earlier studies but other researchers’ results differ. Exact answers have proven elusive in color vision research because of the difficulty in designing experiments with adequate controls (such as for brightness).” (5)

In the end, there is still debate about what colors horses see. It would be fair to say that there is a general agreement that horses can see colors, yet what colors those are remains to be conclusively confirmed.

End Notes:
(1) Ainslie, Tom & Bonnie Ledbetter. The Body Language of Horses: Revealing the Nature of Equine Needs, Wishes and Emotions and How Horses Communicate Them - For Owners, Breeders, Trainers, ... Other Horse Lovers Including Handicappers. William Morrow and Company, New York. 1980. Page 30.
(2) Morris, Desmond. Horsewatching: Why does a horse whinny and everything else you ever wanted to know. Crown Publishers, Inc., New York. 1988. Page 41.
(3) Micklem, William. Complete Horse Riding Manual. Dorling Kindersley Limited, New York. 2003. Page 46.
(4) Hill, Cherry. How to Think Like a Horse: The Essential Handbook for Understanding Why Horses Do What They Do. Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA. 2006. Page 24.
(5) Hanggi, M.S., Ph.D, Evelyn B. “How Horses See.” http://www.completerider.com/horsemanfeb2003.html. Feb 2003.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Is There a Perfect Stirrup Length?

Stirrup length is different for every student and stirrup length preferences can differ for instructors as well. Personally, when I ride I prefer my stirrups to be slightly on the short side. Stirrups can be too short and they can be too long, so how does one figure out what is right for them?

A good guide to estimate stirrup length from the ground is what I call the arm-pit test. A rider takes the stirrup length and makes it long so when they have their fingers on the buckle of the stirrup leather the bottom of the stirrup iron hits them in the arm-pit when they stretch it out with their arm. The stirrup leathers should always be the length of a riders arm. Once mounted, it is best for a rider to double check their stirrup length. "With your feet out of your stirrups, the stirrup irons should hang at your ankle bones." (1)

For children an instructor needs to be able to find the right stirrup length for them. "A child has not the strength to ride [with their stirrups] long, but an over-short stirrup makes it difficult for the child to use his or her legs effectively. A good guide is that the child should ride at jumping length; riding longer makes balance more difficult to master." (2)

Why one person chooses a particular stirrup length is generally a practical decision based on rider preference. To start this research I went to Sally Swift's book Centered Riding. In it she states that "It [the length of your stirrups] varies according to the conformation of the rider and the horse, and also with the type of saddle used." (3) She goes on further to say:

"If you find you must reach for your stirrups, they are too long; your feet will swing forward and you will lose your bottom building block. If you are long legged and/or your horse is round and shallow-bodied, you will need to shorten the stirrups in order to reach his sides with your legs. Your stirrup leathers will probably be at least two or three holes longer for flat work than for galloping or jumping, but must hang straight, behind your knee and in front of your ankle, with your hip joint over your ankle." (3)

Again, as stated above, the length of your stirrup depends on the kind of work you are planning to do with your horse and/or your student. In the book "Complete Horse Riding Manual" by William Micklem, Mr. Micklem suggests that there are three general lengths when discussing stirrups:
"Dressage Length: The angle at the back of your knees should be around 120-130 degrees, with your knees and toes pointing forward. If you ride longer than this, it is not possible to keep the lower leg in contact. If your horse is very wide, you will have to ride a little shorter.
Jumping Length: The angle at the back of your knees should be around 105-115 degrees. This shorter position makes it easier to keep the balance through the led in order to go with the horse's jump. If you are short and the horse is big, it may help to ride a little longer.
Cross Country Length: The angle at the back of your knees should be around 90-100 degrees. The disadvantage to riding shorter is that there is more weight in the leg, so it is more difficult to use the leg aids. The shorter you ride, the lower you should keep your heel." (4)

What is a perfect stirrup length? It is the length - depending on the size and confirmation of the horse and rider - that is correct for the work that you and your horse and/or student will be doing. My suggestion, start with the arm-pit test, double check stirrup length once mounted to see if the stirrup iron rests at your ankle bone, and adjust accordingly from there.

(1) Richter, Judy. Judy Richter's Riding for Kids: Stable Care, Equipment, Tack, Clothing, Longeing, Lessons, Jumping, Showing. Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA. 2003. Page 14.
(2) Wallace, Jane. Teaching Children to Ride: A Handbook for Instructors. Kenilworth Press, UK. 2002. Page 33.
(3) Swift, Sally. Centered Riding. Trafalgar Square Farm, New York. 1985. Page 20.
(4) Micklem, William. Complete Horse Riding Manual. Dorling Kindersley Ltd, New York. 2003. Page 94.



My First Western Lesson


On Wednesday morning I had my first ever proper (or official for those of you who aren't familiar with the Brit speak I picked up in the UK) Western Lesson. What an eye opening experience! My instructor and friend Rachel Burlison - who also teaches at Rock Creek Park Horse Center - gave me a lesson that I won't soon forget.

To start I had to work on getting my leg nice and long without over exaggerating how low I put my heel down. I also had to work on keeping my back nice and relaxed. What was the most challenging about riding western for me is how much more I had to use my legs and how much less I had to rely on my hands and reins. I've been told by another instructor that I tend to balance on my horses mouth using my hands. I didn't realize how much this was so until I had to ask Grayson, my trusty steed for the lesson who is also pictured above, to turn off the rail. Once I started to figure out how to communicate effectively with Grayson with my legs we were on our way to picking up a jog. A jog is the western version of a trot. Like a trot it is a two beat gait in which the legs work in diagonal pairs, you do not post, and according to Rachel you want to look like you are floating just above and moving with the saddle. Once Grayson and I were "happily" jogging around the ring - for those of you who know Grayson you know what I mean by "happily" =) - we tried to work on the lope (the western version of the canter). Ever since I started riding my biggest problem has been that I learn forward, especially during upwards transitions (I blame it on playing ice hockey as a forward and a goalie for over a decade). I was pretty frustrated when this problem reared it's ugly head in my western lesson. You'd think with a big saddle horn in my belly I wouldn't lean, yet it still happened. I assume that this - partly because of my lean and also because of my struggle with primarily using my legs instead of my hands - was why Grayson wouldn't pick up the lope for me.

By the end of the lesson my legs were already sore but I was aching for another lesson. The improvement in my sitting trot was already noticeable to me. I would recommend a western lesson to every rider. For those riders who are trained in English, Hunt Seat, Dressage it can help with leg work and balance and of course sitting trot and for other riders it is simply fun! A good horseperson and rider is a well rounded one and I recommend every rider try a western lesson.

Monday, May 18, 2009

What is coggins or EIA?

I am the first person to admit that I don't know everything. So when I heard some staff at the barn talking about a coggins test, I thought to myself "what the heck is coggins?" I've never owned my own horse nor have I ever purchased one, so the massive amount of details, research and planning that goes into such a purchase are a little unfamiliar to me.

After a little snooping around I discovered coggins is actually the name of a test and a person. "The Coggins test (agar immunodiffusion) is a sensitive diagnostic test for equine infectious anemia developed by Dr. Leroy Coggins in the 1970s.” (1) The test actually looks for antibodies developed to fight the disease. (2)

This of course led to my next questions, what is equine infectious anemia? "Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is a viral disease for which there is no vaccine and no cure. Though most horses succumb rapidly to EIA a percentage of infected horses appear to recover. However they still harbor the virus and during times of stress may become ill again." (3) There is a vaccine that has been developed in China (2), but to the best of my research I was unable to find any information about its availability in the United States. Similar to HIV, EIA is lentivirus. Also similar is that EIA, like HIV, can be transmitted through blood, saliva, milk, and body secretions. Biting insects tends to be the most common means of transmission. (1) According to J. Warren Evans in his book Horses, 3rd Ed. "The disease affects less than 1 percent of the horse population.”(4)

There are three stages or sets of symptoms of EIA:
Acute: " The acute form is a sudden onset of the disease at full-force. Symptoms include high fever, anemia, weakness, swelling of the lower abdomen and legs, weak pulse, and irregular heartbeat. The horse may die suddenly."(1) "With acute infection the horse also has depression and no appetite. The acute horse may be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are very general and he will not be positive on the EIA test for a month and a half. Approximately one third of infected horses will die of the acute form within a month."(3)

Subacute: "A slower, less severe progression of the disease. Symptoms include recurrent fever, weight loss, an enlarged spleen, anemia, and swelling of the lower chest, abdominal wall, penile sheath, scrotum, and legs."(1) “Subacute forms are less severe, so the horse survives.” (4)

Chronic: "Horse tires easily and is unsuitable for work. May have a recurrent fever and anemia, may relapse to the subacute or acute form even several years after the original attack." (1) "The chronically infected horse will having recurring acute bouts along with weight loss, ventral edema (swollen belly and legs) and anemia. These horses will be positive on a EIA test. These horses may linger for a year or more before they die." (3)

So what happens to a horse that has EIA? J. Warren Evans sums it up as follows:

“The temperature of an acutely infected animal rises to 105 to 108°F. The horse appears depressed, becomes weak, and loses appetite and weight. Fluid (edema) may collect under the skin, in the legs, chest and abdomen. Membranes lining the natural body openings may be congested and yellow in color. There is a marked drop in the number of red blood cells (anemia). The horse usually dies in a few days.” (4)

What did I learn from my little educational and inquisitive foray into the mystery that is "The Coggins Test"? Buying a horse is a HUGE decision and you should spend at least as much time researching and riding a potential new purchase as you would researching and test driving a car. The more time and research you invest the more likely you are to be satisfied with your equine purchase and well on the way to being a happy horse owner.

End Notes:

(1) : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_infectious_anemia

(2) Evans, J. Warren. Horses, 3rd Edition: A Guide to Selection, Care, and Enjoyment. Holt Paperbacks, New York, NY. 2001. Page 383.

(3): http://www.eqgroup.com/Library/coggins.htm

(4) Evans, J. Warren. Horses, 3rd Edition: A Guide to Selection, Care, and Enjoyment. Holt Paperbacks, New York, NY. 2001. Page 382.

The Needle Point Pattern


This past week I decided to try to incorporate some more complicated dressage like patterns into my lessons. I picked the Needlepoint Pattern - See my illustration to the right. (Lesson #2 in the 101 Dressage Exercises for Horse & Rider by Jec Aristotle Ballou - See my recommend reading list). I think it's an excellent pattern that requires students to think ahead and to use their legs as aids to steering instead of just relying on their hands. Additionally, according to the book the pattern "loosens your horse." (Aristotle Ballou, pg 4) I tried the pattern in two of my classes: a semi-private lesson with two 10 year old girls on Monday and my B1 Adult Group Class on Thursday night.

The semi-private lesson seemed to enjoy the pattern a lot more than the Adult Group. Because the pattern takes up half of the ring the other riders either (a) have to wait and watch or (b) you have to come up with something simple and safe for them to do while a rider completes the pattern. I chose the former and asked my students to wait and watch as their classmates walked then trotted the course. I would recommend the pattern for private lessons or semi-private lessons with less than 3 students or as a pattern to practice on your own when you're riding.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

My Friday Class Canters!

A couple weeks ago the B2/B3 Children's Group I teach on Friday started asking me about cantering. As a group we decided to make it our goal to be able to canter down a long side of the ring by the end of the Spring Semester. I made the deal with them that we'd spend the first 30 minutes of our lesson doing trotting exercises and if they do well we will spend the last 30 minutes doing exercises that will help us learn and prepare for the canter. So far we have done a lot of sitting trot work and no stirrup work. I have to say, the progress these students have made is awesome. They listen well and they try hard. There have been canter attempts with me holding on and running with the student and horse at the canter (not an easy feat which frequently leaves me a little sweaty...just call me "Runs with Horses"). Yesterday, however, two of my students - Tana on Bertha and Graeme on Leo - asked for and got the canter all on their own! They both successfully cantered!! I was so happy for them and I proceeded to tell everyone about their accomplishments! Even more exciting is that the rest of the group isn't too far behind and they are all very close to being about to canter all on their own as well. The group is so close to our canter goal and I'm so very excited about it! Can't wait for next weeks lesson.

A New Blog!!

As I was getting ready to renew my certification for the American Riding Instructors Association (ARIA) I realized that perhaps the time had come to get an email address that is specifically for work. I frequently get emails from work and from parents and students and I decided that having an email address just for my work (at Rock Creek Park Horse Center) as a riding instructor would be immensely helpful. I wanted something catchy and fun and I finally came up with tzenateachestrotting@gmail.com. I was so excited about the email address I had just created that I decided to branch out into a blog and possibly even my own website.

I really enjoy reading and learning, which I realize probably sounds cliché, but I've always been the kind of person/student that wants to know everything about everything. I believe in always asking questions when you don't understand and doing research till you find the answer. Frequently at work either a student will ask me a question I am not 100% sure about or I'll hear a colleague talking about something I am unfamiliar with. I'll make a little note to myself and come home and snoop around through my books and the internet until I come up with an answer. Because of this, a blog seemed like an excellent idea. What better way for me to share what I know and learn all at the same time!

Also, I love celebrating the accomplishments of my students! They all work really hard in their lessons and I am so proud of the work they do. Teaching both children and adults is so much fun and so rewarding for me. Figuring out how to communicate effectively with different students is a fun challenge. Nothing makes me happier than when a student and I have figured out the best way to work with each other and as a result they reach the goals we've set in their lessons.

I hope that this blog is informative and helpful to my students and to anyone who wants to know a little more about horses.