dancing horse news 2014 dancing horse news page 3 brought riders in from all over the eastern and...

June 2014 Volume 62

Supporting the needs of equestrians and building

Harmonious horse/rider partnerships.

Dancing Horse News

“Sit down with Respect. Be soft. Be gentle. Be respectful”

~Dr. Gerd Heuschmann

SILVER! by DHF President, Jen Truett

Continued on page 3

SILVER!!! After 18 years, I've finally earned my USDF silver medal!! I say 18 years because that's how long ago I competed in Young Rider's and came oh-so-close to earning the required scores then on a leased horse. I’d only ridden him for two months before our first show because my own horse I'd trained from be-ing a "jump run out king" eventer, wasn't competitive enough, or even ready to do it. It was the last year I could compete as a young rider since I was 21, and I decided to take the plunge and give it my very best effort to try to achieve my dream. The horse I leased had been in semi-retirement for well over a year and wasn't all that excited about having to work that hard again, and I really didn't know what I was doing! I was incredibly honored to be selected to go to the North American Young Rider's Championships as an alter-nate for our Region 2 team. Having never competed in a CDI before then, I had no idea what I was getting into!! We consistently scored in the mid to upper 50's never breaking 60%, with good reason, I can say now looking back with age and wisdom. Life as a college then grad student who became an entrepreneur starting both a consulting and software company does not allow for splurges like buying a fancy dressage horse. My only option has always been to buy youngsters to start and train myself. I suffered the unfortunate luck of having my first real "dressage" horse (purchased as a weanling) struggle mightily with the changes, despite the fact that she could do everything else in the GP tests. Her replace-ment, Lydia, died the year I hoped to compete her PSG after she made a full recovery from serious dou-ble hind suspensory lesions. It is true that dressage is not for the faint of heart because it takes many years

to develop a horse correctly through the levels and anything can happen to derail your plans along the way. Anyone who has heard my story knows my current mounts, Sunset and Taffy, are the replacement for my tragic loss of Lydia. Sunset was 3 1/2 years old and ridden 10 times when I got him, and Taffy was 7 years old and cost $1 to buy because he was on his way to being put down due to a very serious lame-ness and unstable mental state from getting his left hind caught in the tongue of a manure spreader. Four and a half years ago, my boys arrived at our farm within three weeks of each other and two months after we had to put Lydia down. I never had any expectations of Taffy other than my hope to make him sound, happy, confident, and com-fortable. In return for my devotion, everyday he gives me his entire heart in his effort to figure out what I'm asking him to do. This is what convinced me to give him a try in the very beginning - his heart. It seems fitting that this horse who gives himself to me wholly through his heart is the one who healed my broken heart and picked up the torch that sweet Lydia had to drop. It is just amazing to me that my broken, rehab project horse and I just danced through our first FEI tests this past weekend and did well enough to finally finish off the requirements for my USDF silver medal. Even more incredible is that we did it at our first show to ever compete PSG which also happened to be a very big, competitive show since it was the large Kentucky Dressage Association Spring Show and CDI which

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brought riders in from all over the eastern and Mid-western states! Not only did he earn the minimum scores, but he also beat all but one horse/rider in each of his Sat and Sun classes earning 2nd place in a class of 19 with a 70.5% Saturday and 2nd in a class of 13 with a 67.5% on Sunday!! Our Friday ride was not so stellar because I'd put so much pressure on the fact that we were actually doing it that I wasn't able to focus clearly enough, so we added some extra flamboyance to the test, only earning a 59.7%. Once that first test was over, we were all business. I learned a lot during this show about myself and my horses. I came into it feeling that Taffy and I were stretching to put together a good PSG test since we're not solidly schooling Intermediare at home and I've always been told, heard and believed that you should show a level below what you school at home. I also worried that we hadn't put in enough time at 4th level because we've only shown it 6 times (3 this year and 3 at the end of last year). When talking with my coach, Sue Mandas, about whether or not we should make the jump to PSG at this show knowing the judg-ing would probably be tougher than all other non-championship shows and the competition would be impressive, she recommended I go for it so we could get that first time done and over with. I'm so glad I listened. I also learned a very clear lesson that correct funda-mental training does shine through, despite not hav-ing super flamboyant gaits. I saw many horses that were very fancy leg movers but made mistakes, or suffered from tension in the neck and back. Taffy is not a super fancy horse that can toss his knees to his eyeballs. What he does have, and the judges com-mented on, is "correct training" that is "pleasing to watch" with "a good future". These qualities earned him very consistent 7's throughout his tests which equate to upper 60's and low 70's total scores. I'm very proud to have developed (in the words of our most recent clinician Dr. Gerd Heuschmann) a "back mover" who can earn scores like this his first time out at this level!

I also learned that all the gallop-to-collection work I've done with both boys was worthwhile. They both earned 8's for their medium and extended canters with "Bold!" as the common comment. We also had to figure out how to best manage Taffy with his incredibly high anxiety when he's around ve-hicle traffic and high energy. Our stalls faced the main driveway to the back row of barns, so the majority of vehicles passed in front of our stalls both coming and going. When he arrived at my farm, he was terrified of anything with wheels (I think because of his ma-nure spreader accident) and has worked through his fear of being near a vehicle that is parked, but gets very nervous of anything moving with an engine. We rented a paddock for him and kept him in it most of the day each day because if left in his stall, he pan-icked and was inconsolable. We also decided to tack him up down by the show rings so that he didn't have to be in his stall at all before a class. So, I led him to the show complex to graze while Christina, Lenny and my parents brought all of our gear down in the golf cart. This management change made a huge differ-ence in his initial mental state once I got on. Finally, I learned to trust him even more. When I pre-pared to mount him for our final test, he noticed, then fixated on, the Kentucky Horse Park's Parade of Breeds demo going on up the hill. That got him very tense and worried and made the warm up very inter-esting since I was never able to get any series changes to happen. I also spent more time in long and low reaching trot and canter/gallop than in schooling movements because every time I tried to put him together, he would get bigger, more impres-sive gaits, but had tension in his neck and back that I didn't want. I actually asked Sue if I should scratch because he felt like he could explode any second and the last thing I want to happen is for him to have a bad experience. She said something to the effect of: No, just ride the trot work the best you can focusing on relaxation and whatever happens in the canter, happens. Well, something did happen in that test that I've

SILVER! continued

never experienced with him before - he actually RE-LAXED as the test went on! I just couldn't believe it! The only mistakes we had were at the end of the ex-tended trot. He looked up to fixate on a group of people who had just walked up to watch by the fence directly in front of him. He also got his legs a little tangled in the last change in the line of fours and so added a stride. I just kept telling him (quietly) out loud "stay with me, Taffy" throughout the whole test and he really did! WOW! What a huge confidence builder for me that I can actually bring him down from the ledge DURING a test! This was the test where he earned a 67.5% for 2nd place and the last score needed for my silver medal. What a way to end the show! I realize I have been a bit remiss in talking about my other superstar, Sunset, who also showed and was awesome. This weekend was his first time out at 3rd level. He not only did well his first time out, he quali-fied for Regional Championships! He still needs to fin-ish his flying changes and get even stronger in his me-dium and extended trots. The most amazing part about my experience with him was that he's never before given me 110% effort every single moment he

worked, every single ride, but he did that at this show. I'm so very proud of them both and how far they've come. We also had a great time with my student, Ashley Holden, who rode her 18 year old Quarter Horse, Ripken, in 2nd-3 earning super scores. This was her first show in more than 2 years and her first time ever at 2nd level. It was extra special for her since she came close to having to make the decision to put Rip down this spring when his health was se-verely failing. I was honored to be able to be a part of their fantastic come-back to the show arena. I look forward to seeing many of my Michigan clients at the June 13-15 Waterloo show and in upcoming clinics. Good luck to everyone in your show seasons and I hope that you all have the joy of learning like I did when you and your horse demonstrate your skills at your next show. This is a journey, enjoy the ride! ~Jen PS: You can see Taffy’s 70.5% PSG ride here: http://bit.ly/1nDlBdO


SILVER! continued

Behind the Scenes at Jen’s KDA Show by Lynda Sappington

Here you see Lenny’s back while he’s sitting in Lynda and John’s golf cart, John in front of the tack stall, Jen’s sponsor banners and DHF banner on the tack stall, and one of Taffy’s rib-bons on his stall baner. Sunset’s ban-ner is to the right and wound up cov-ered in ribbons! Sunset showed in more classes than Taffy (since PSG is so tiring to Taffy, that’s the only class he did each day), and placed in every class! Jen’s short dressage coat is hanging inside out to dry after her previous class.

Continued next page.

http://bit.ly/1nDlBdO

http://bit.ly/1nDlBdO


Behind the Scenes continued

Jen at Sunset’s stall. His tack is hanging up, so his class must be next. Below, this was the maiden voyage of Jen’s new rig. This Sundowner has a comfy camper in front, a mid-tack and four big slant-load stalls. Jen took this pic-ture just after they arrived. Sunset and Taffy are peeking out of the windows to see where they are (they’re parked in front of what will be their stalls at this show).

Continued next page

Pssst! Jen just got an opening in her training horse schedule. If you want your horse to benefit from her magic touch, contact her: [email protected] or call her at 937.532.3108




Jen and Lenny’s dog, Isis, guard-ing the tack stall. (She’s actu-ally hoping to be untied and put in someone’s lap but everyone was busy at the moment. Most of the time she was getting her wish to be a lap dog). Below: Being a horse show dad is such hard work. John nap-ping. That colorful thing behind him is someone’s artwork of Jen’s client’s horse, Ripken’s, name. That’s Ripken’s halter too. Continued next page



The “trusty steeds” that were so helpful to us—Lenny rode Jen’s scooter to run things back and forth, and John rented the golf cart. The cart was very useful for hauling stuff and people back and forth quickly! Below, Jen’s happy with her boys and looking forward to her next class.

Continued next page



What it’s all about. Jen on Sunset getting ready to go into ring 3 (the one ahead of them) for one of his Third Level tests. Lenny is in front of Sunset talking to Jen about the test, which he will read for her. Christina is putting the final polish on Sunset and Jen, getting warm-up arena dust off of them before they go in the show ring. John (yellow shirt and white hat) is walking down there to find a good spot to take video of the ride. Sue Mandas is down there somewhere, having coached Jen through her warm-up. Having so much help takes a lot of stress off of Jen so she can focus on her test and her horse.

This KDA show was held in “The Bowl,” the infield of what was once a race track on the farm that was on these grounds before it became the Kentucky Horse Park. There are buildings nearby as well as a road and tourists who are constantly walking by as well as other things going on at the Park (tourist horse-drawn wag-ons going by, the Parade of Breeds up the hill, etc.) so it’s very distracting for horses, but getting used to dis-tractions is an important thing for show horses. It’s a beautiful facility and always a well-run show.


My Appreciation for DHF Apprentices Christina and Helen P

by Barn Manager Lori Aman

I made a serious investment in my 20 year long dream of riding dressage in 2008 when I bought Jen’s beau-tiful mare Nachtwind DHF (Breezy) and began a 4 year long journey that would be filled with wonder and excitement and insurmountable obstacles. With Jen’s guidance, expertise, patience, psychology, cajoling, criticism, support, insistence, tenacity, acceptance, good judgment, friendship, and refusal to accept “I can’t” as an answer, Breezy taught me to ride shoulder-in, half pass at trot and canter, extended trot, canter pirouette, piaffe and passage. It was amazing and my dream came true!

Despite the best care I could possibly take of my beloved Breezy, she suffered a 65% tear of her suspensory ligament in her left front leg, which could have been a career-ending injury. I was determined to bring her back and had everything done that could possibly be done to improve the odds. It took 12 months of rest and rehab to bring her back and during that time I had the good fortune to lease Helen Pianca’s gelding, Willy, who tried to teach me series changes; they are much harder than they look and it was a great experi-ence riding counter change of hand and trying to do the canter zigzag. He was a really fun horse to ride.

After only a little more than three months of full work, something else went wrong with Breezy. She had a deep digital flexor tendon injury so serious that she had to retire with no hope of her ever coming back. I was completely devastated and it took me quite a while to decide to try to move on. But one thing is for sure, if one is part of DHF there is no such thing as giving up.

So, in November 2013 I found myself sitting on my 3½ year old Zachary, a horse that had been owned by Jen and who had been ridden by Helen Pianca and Christina Knecht as well as Jen. It started out going well be-cause he is a sensible young horse and as long as we lunged him before riding, he was very well behaved. It was a very different experience for me, having spent five years riding older, very highly trained horses and having no experience at all with young warmbloods. Then, in mid-January, he came up lame with an in-flamed suspensory in the right front, probably from slipping on the ice that was on the ground nearly the entire winter.

About the worst thing that can be done with a young horse is to take them out of work and put them on no turn out except for the smallest of sand lots. I couldn’t even do groundwork with him because he wasn’t al-lowed to do circles or sudden moves. I was supposed to walk him in straight lines but sometimes his pent up energy would be too much and I would just take him back to his stall for fear he would hurt himself or me. I started giving him Ace Promazine so that he could move around with less likelihood of injury.

At the beginning of March 2014 Zachary was finally allowed to return to work but only for short amounts of time and only in straight lines and no lunging. I was not willing to sit on this three-year old who had been out of work in the coldest, worst winter in memory but there were two people at DHF who were: Christina Knecht and Helen Pianca.

The value of these two young Apprentice Trainers is immeasurable. Christina wore her “sticky pants” and Helen called herself a “crash test dummy” and they both fearlessly and effectively rode my young horse through the tedious rehabilitation work with all of his bucking and overzealous attempts at more exercise than the veterinarian prescribed. One ride Christina tried to remove her jacket while Zach was walking and when she had gotten her left arm out it dropped down onto his right shoulder, which terrified him, of course. He went into canter trying to escape his right shoulder while she sat calmly trying to decide what to do; she controlled him into halt eventually and so Zach had sort of done his first working pirouette. Continued next page

DHF Birthdays! Happy birthday to our DHF family members born in June! Karen Poleyeff, June 4 If you are new to DHF, please send me your birthday so I can add you to the list!

Barn Banter by Apprentice Trainer Helen Pianca -Farewell to Windy as she returns to Minnesota with Suzy Fitzsimmons! -Welcome back to returning staff member Dana Needles, home from college! -Welcome to new training horse, Emily Duke's Townie!

It seems like I have had more than my fair share of bad luck with my horses recently but I am thankful to be a part of DHF with all of the amazing resources it has to offer. I am looking forward to someday soon when I can come out and ride my horse like everyone else at DHF.

Thank you Christina and Helen for being so kind to Zach and me, for skipping lunch sometimes, for fitting us in to your impossibly busy schedules, for never complaining about the “baby” horse and helping him learn some manners. I will be forever grateful.

My Appreciation for Christina and Helen P continued

master. Riders of all levels can benefit from clinics and symposia, even as auditors. Riders of all levels can benefit from riding different horses every so of-ten. Being open to new techniques (such as riding in a light seat, as Dr. Gerd had the riders do in his recent symposium at DHF) can open new avenues to training and feel. I've ridden Mya in a light seat in lessons with Jen since the Symposium and the feeling of her back swinging so much more simply amazes me! I’m

working on sitting differently as a result, so I can feel that relaxed, swinging back all the time. It certainly has helped my sense of “feel” of the horse’s move-ment to learn that detail. It all boils down to this: the wider the range of your good riding experiences, the wider the range of your skills, especially if you've had the help of good coaches in attaining those skills.

Video Lessons with Jen! by Lynda Sappington Have you ever wished you could take lessons with Jen Truett, but you live so far away, it just isn’t feasible? Now it is! Jen is offering Video Lessons! Here’s how it works: You upload a video of you rid-ing your horse, contact Jen and send her the link. She will set up a time to talk with you on the phone and the two of you will watch it together, with her giving you tips and pointers along the way, exer-cises and homework, as well. Then you send her another video showing how your homework has worked out for you and you do another video lesson, getting more home-work. She will work on your biomechanics and that of your horse, and whatever other issues she believes need to be addressed. (Does your horse not stand well at the mounting block? She can teach you how to fix that. Is your horse tight in the back? Jen can tell you how to fix that too. And on and on . . .). The lessons cost $60 each, payable to Dancing Horse Farm. We take credit cards as well as checks. If you ride with her in clinics, or have wished you could, this is your lucky day!

The Value of Coaches continued from next page (11)



What do you have in common with Olympic Team riders? You have a coach (if you take lessons). At the lower levels of riding, your "coach" is your instructor. When you get to upper levels, like Jen Truett, you have a coach who watches you ride and points out things she thinks will be helpful, offers suggestions to various training problems, etc.

Perhaps you think that, at some point, you won't need a trainer/instructor/coach, but have you ever noticed that professionals in all kinds of endeavors have coaches? Actors, opera stars, rock stars, players in all kinds of sports all have specialized coaches to help them do their best. Olympic team riders, gym-nasts, skaters, etc. all have coaches. Many of them also have sports psychologists among their coaches to help with their confidence. There are very good reasons why we all need coaches, no matter what our level of riding, playing sports, singing, etc.

Having different coaches to address different skill ar-eas makes the student's skill-set much more well rounded. The same baseball player who has a batting coach will also have a strength and conditioning coach and various others. The opera star or rock star will have a singing coach as well as a voice therapist and an acting coach. The rock star will also have a choreographer and perhaps a dance trainer.

Jen Truett's coach line-up includes Sue Mandas, an "S" judge who is performance-focused, Mary Wanless who is rider-focused, and Suzy Fitzsimmons who is ground-work and horse mental/emotional state-focused. Jen is currently working on adding a sports psychology coach to her list. Using all these different coaches helps Jen address every aspect of her and her horses' training, and what she learns from them she passes on to her students, because Jen is a coach too.

Some coaches, like Jen's husband Lenny, aren't seri-ous riders themselves but are wonderfully analytical and observant (it helps that he really is a rocket scien-tist). Lenny is Jen's best ground coach because she has taught him what to look for while watching her ride her horses for countless hours. He knows what

looks right, what looks wrong, and knows enough about her work to be able to suggest she change this or that. He's also an amazingly talented musician and can tell her very quickly if her rhythm has changed, for instance.

I'm nowhere near as good a rider as Jen (never will be, either!), but I've noticed things about her horses' movement (for instance) that have been helpful to her. One time I told her Sunset was "rope-walking" (moving his front feet in front of each other rather than in separate tracks). She said, "That's a detail I hadn't noticed! Thanks!" Another time, Sun-set was kicking out in his changes and I told her he seemed stiff in his stifles. After she examined him, she called the vet and Sunset wound up getting his stifles worked on. (He was fine after that). These ob-servations came about because I do know horses and I know my "grandhorses" and what Jen's looking for in their performance.

It's important that all riders--professionals as well as amateurs-- understand the benefit of having a trainer or coach who they take lessons or coaching from on a regular basis. Your coach will help ensure that you haven't fallen into bad habits and also ensure you haven't missed any potential problems in your horses (like Sunset’s stifle or gait detail). I also think it's im-portant that we all try to find a friend or loved one who is willing to be our ground coach. For lower level riders, it should be a trainer, but for those who are in the upper levels, like Jen, it could be a loved one who you've trained in what to watch for and how to help you. Perhaps your horse goes wide behind and you've been working on getting him to narrow his stance/gait. It could be very helpful to have someone who knows what you're looking for to tell you when the horse has narrowed his stance or taken wide-behind steps.

Riding is fascinating, especially dressage--there's so much to learn, even for those who are experts in the sport! But nobody, no matter what level rider they are, knows it "all." That's part of what makes riding so interesting. There's always something more to learn, some new insight to gain, some new feeling to

The Value of Coaches by Lynda Sapping-

Continued on previous page (10)


Getting Ready for Show Season by Working Student Hannah Addington It is that time of year. People coming from far off lands with their valiant steeds competing for the prize. Magic metal boxes help get you and your partner to epic adventures in far off places. It is the wonderful time of . . . Show Season!!!

For your adventures you not only need to have yourself looking your best but also your horse. When getting ready to bathe your horse make sure all of your supplies are where you intend to bath him. You should have: a bucket or two (I use a five gallon bucket so I can fit Skid’s tail in it), mane and tail detangler, mane and tail shampoo and conditioner, a sponge, a clean rag, a nylon scrubby pad or a soft rubber curry, a sweat scraper and, if needed, stain remover. Most shampoos need to be diluted. If so, put some in your bucket and add water (check your bottle’s label to make sure).

Several people recommended Quic Silver to me. For Skid, I use Quic Silver Intensifying Shampoo for Light horses. It goes on blue, which is fine, but make sure not to let it sit for too long or you will end up with a blue horse. If you have a chestnut, bay or other bright-colored horse, you can use Quic Color; for a black or dark brown horse you can use Quic Black. If you have a horse with white socks you don’t have to use any whitening products unless you need to get rid of a stain—these shampoos will brighten socks beautifully. Some shampoos can be used on the mane and tail, be sure to read your shampoo’s labels to be sure it is safe.

The Tail You will want to start with the tail. This is because you will leave conditioner in his tail (and mane if it is long; braiding length mane doesn’t require conditioner) while you are washing his body. Start by wetting your horse from neck to tail with a gentle spray and leave the head for later. Make sure your water is room tem-perature so you don’t make your horse uncomfortable.

For the tail, have your bucket with clean water and shampoo (if the shampoo needs to be diluted; if not, just have clean water) in it ready. Put your horse’s tail in the bucket, including all the loose hair below the tail-bone, as slowly as needed. If you just have water, put the bucket down and gently work the shampoo into the hair. If you have your shampoo in the bucket work the shampoo in by swishing his tail around in the wa-ter and then working it into the hair by the tailbone. Be sure to clean under his tailbone as well as washing the hair. Sometimes manure sticks there and it will show when he’s working with his tail slightly lifted.

Once you have worked in the shampoo, rinse his tail off until there are no bubbles or signs of shampoo left. Then, put conditioner in it, working it through the hair with your fingers, not a brush or comb, Leave it in until you are finished washing the mane and body of your horse.

The Mane

Next, move up to the mane. This part is easy. If your horse has a braiding length mane, wash it like you do your own hair. Be sure to scrub the crest well with your fingers. If your horse has a long mane be very care-ful when washing it because it might get all tangled. Also, for long manes put conditioner on it and leave in until you rinse the shampoo off of your horse’s body.

NEVER brush or comb a wet mane or tail with anything but your fingers! And don’t brush a dry tail that has-n’t been detangled with conditioner and your fingers! You can rip hair out unintentionally and that’s not good. After you finish getting the shampoo out of your braiding length mane or the conditioner out of your long mane, use your fingers to get out the tangles so it doesn’t dry that way. After you’re absolutely sure all of the tangles are out your can use a mane brush if you wish.

Continued next page


The Body

If your horse has dried at all while you were making his mane and tail fabulous, rewet him without washing the conditioner out. Now, soak your sponge in the bucket that has soapy water in it and put it on your horse. Make sure you get all of him covered. After you have him all sudsy, use your soft rubber curry (winter coat) or your nylon scrubby pad (summer coat) and give your horse a massage to bring out all the dirt so it can be washed down the drain. If your shampoo is to be used undiluted (like the Quic products), pour some on your curry or scrubby pad to distribute it better than just putting it straight on the horse. When using a rubber curry scrub lightly on his flanks and legs to protect his tendons. Also, be careful around their private parts.

They can be ticklish and may kick, so keep an eye out.

Make sure to read the shampoo label to ensure that you’re using it properly and not irritating your horse’s skin. Most color-enhancing shampoos are to be left on the horse for about five minutes. Others are to be rinsed right away. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

If your shampoo is one that is left on for a while, you can wash your horse’s face with a washcloth and baby shampoo, or just plain water while you wait. If you’ve used color-enhancing shampoo on his body, you’ll need to wash his face with the same product or you’ll give him an awkward dirt line. Use your shampoo spar-ingly. Apply it with a damp cloth and be careful to keep it away from his eyes, ears and nostrils. Rinse the cloth out regularly. To clean out his nostrils and ears wipe them out with a damp cloth, free of shampoo, or a baby wipe. If you need to wash his face with the hose put it on a gentle mist and steer clear of his eyes, nos-trils, and ears to prevent swimmer’s ear.

Wrapping It Up

By the time you have the head all clean and looking good, you can probably wash the shampoo off of his body. Change the hose setting to a higher pressure than what you used on his face. Rinse him off thoroughly to get all of the soap off. Use a sweat scraper every so often while rinsing to see if there are any bubbles left. Keep rinsing until no more bubbles appear. Once he’s bubble-free, use the sweat scraper to get off the ex-cess water from the large muscle masses of his body (not his head or lower legs). If the conditioner you put in his mane and tail are the kind that need to be rinsed out (some are leave-in conditioners—read the bottle to be sure how to use it), this is the time to rinse out the conditioner. Don’t use the sweat scraper on his mane and tail. Untangle them with your fingers. When they’re dry, you can brush them out, but NOT when they’re wet!

Stall Attire

To be sure your horse doesn’t mess himself up again by rolling, you can put him in a light nylon sheet and a Sleazy-type head and neck protector to protect his braids. The next day you can pull off the Sleazy (or leave it on until you’re at the show if you want and if it isn’t too hot) and put shipping boots on and you’re ready to go.

Getting Ready . . . continued

No, this isn’t the way to bathe your horse, but it’s such a fun picture, Lynda included it!

http://www.doversaddlery.com/Sleazy-Sleepwear-Hood/p/X1-24910/eid=X18A00U1005/?utm_source=shopz&utm_medium=CSE&utm_campaign=MerchantAdv&zmam=1460880&zmas=1&zmac=125&zmap=0024910609995X1-24910

“Dancing Horse News” is a production of Dancing Horse Farm, 4080 Weisenberger Rd., Lebanon OH 45036, www.myDHF.com and is copyrighted by DHF. To reprint our articles in your publication, first contact us for permission, then if permission is given, please add this wording, “Reprinted from Dancing Horse News, www.myDHF.com. Used with Permission.”


How often do you ride? As much as you wish you could? There aren't many people who can truthfully an-swer that with a “yes.” But when life gets in the way of your horse habit there are things that you can do to keep yourself on track.

There is no substitute for actual time spent on a horse, but you can get the most out of the time you do spend in the saddle. Instead of walking or trotting around aimlessly, have a plan and have goals for each ride. You may find that your horse woke up on the wrong side of the stall and you need to change your plan, but the mere fact of having a plan makes each ride more productive. If you are having trouble thinking of what to do, focus on what your instructor was working on in your last lesson. Or ride in front of mirrors or have someone video you so that you can see if what you are feeling matches with what is actually happen-ing. Many riders are too tentative when trying to change something. For example, if you usually lean forward and are trying to stay straight in the saddle, try leaning too far back. If you can do that, it will be much easier to stay straight than if straight is the farthest back you ever go. This is also a good way to break old patterns and teach your body a new pattern. Exaggerating the change makes it much clearer in your mind.

Sometimes you don't even have time to ride, though. If you can at least make it to the barn, groundwork is a great way to work on training concepts and refine your relationship. It doesn't take long to slip a halter on. Working on moving your horse's body around and being able to lead your horse through various patterns on a loose rope are very beneficial to under saddle work as well. A horse that can do good turns on the fore-hand and haunches on the ground can certainly do them under saddle too. Being on the ground also gives you a trainer's perspective to see what moments your horse would tend to rush or become unbalanced. Just knowing that information will help when you do get back in the saddle.

But what if you can't even go to the barn at all? You can ask your instructor to show you some unmounted exercises (some using exercise bands, some not) that you can do to improve your core strength and riding muscles. You can also work on keeping a correct posture and neutral spine while you are driving, at school, or watching TV. Not only will your back thank you, but your riding will benefit as well. Another very helpful thing is to watch people riding well, on video or in person. Seeing what it is supposed to look like is incredi-bly beneficial to the learning process. Imagine trying to paint a picture of a tree. If you are not an artist, this might be challenging enough as is, but then imagine that you had never seen a tree before! How hard would that be? Riding is the same way. It helps even more if the rider you are watching is a similar body type to you. Having that image in your head when you ride can make a huge difference. Watching videos is also a good way to learn technical concepts like posting diagonals, canter leads, and counting strides.

If you can put any of these techniques into practice, you may find that you can still make considerable pro-gress even though you cannot ride every day. The realities of life get in the way far too often, but I hope these strategies keep you on track to your goals.

Making the Most of Saddle Time by Apprentice Trainer Helen Pianca

Staff Show Results! Congrats to Helen Pianca and Syd! They got 2nd at Penny Oaks Horse Trials at Training Level and 7th at Greater Dayton Horse Trials.

June 2014 Dancing Horse News Page

Introducing Myself by Working Student Abbi Arculeo

Hi everybody! My name is Abbi and I'm a nineteen-year-old sophomore at-tending The University of Findlay. My majors are Equine Business Manage-ment, Equine Science with a double emphasis in Dressage and Eventing, with a minor in art. In the past, I attended Eastern High School in my hometown of Voorhees, New Jersey. I was very active in my band program, holding more than one leadership position, but everything came second to riding. I've rid-den and competed for as long as I can remember with Kathy Adams out of Somewhere Farm in Mount Holly, New Jersey. From her I was taught how to be an eventer, and I absolutely loved it.

Being involved with horses, I learned not only how to ride, but how to become a better person. Riding teaches a sense of self-worth, determination and inde-pendence that’s extremely hard for young children to find sometimes. When all else failed, I always knew I had those three things engraved into my brain. My trainer was never going to be able to sit in the saddle behind me and ride for me, I had to do it myself, and when I could, it was the best feeling ever.

This is why I continued my education from home, to the university, to Dancing Horse Farm.

For the summer I am here, I was able to lease a horse, Harley, from the university. He's a very special kind of horse, the giant, talented, gentle kind that everybody loves, and I'm extremely lucky to be able to work with him. But with all that goodness, there is a little bad. Unfortunately, in his career he was supposed to com-pete on the Paralympic Equestrian team with his previous owner, but he got injured. Throughout his seven-teen years, he has pulled all four suspensory ligaments, and torn his right hind ligament sixty percent. Even after all of that, with good rehabilitation from the university, he still was able to perform a fourth level free-style a little over a year ago. Since then, he has been given time off to fully recover and heal from his injuries. My professor at the university felt it would be a good idea for Harley to stay with me for the summer so that I could continue to help him build muscle and keep his legs healthy. Some people who see us work together question why our rides are longer than other people’s, but I take many walk breaks for Harley’s benefit. His legs are not able to handle too much exercise at once yet.

What I find most fulfilling about working with horses is that I can see the positive influence I have on the ani-mals I work with. Most recently though, from being given the opportunity to work as an intern here, I have learned the positive influence my knowledge can have on young kids. What draws children in to Harley is his sweet person-ality, but what keeps them interested is what I can teach them about his legs. You can still see the relative damage done to his legs just by feeling for certain things. Watching children make the connection between a healthy and an un-healthy leg is extremely satisfying. Questions though, have to be my favorite thing about working here. I have to ask questions all the time because I still never know if I'm in barn one or barn two right away. But having kids, and even adults, ask me questions about how to take care and rehabilitate an in-jured horse is a learning process for me as well. Sometimes I worry that what I'm trying to say doesn’t come across correctly, but another good thing about working with horses is that there's always a chance for a demonstration. I’m always willing to show people Harley’s little leg kinks, and he's always happy with the attention.

Harley and I are very happy to be here and I think we've settled into the barn family pretty quickly! Feel free to stop by his stall and say hi, he's something of an attention hog. Feel free to ask me anything you want to know about either of us! Thanks so much for the opportunity to work with everyone!


DHF is having a sale on certain logowear! Supplies are limited, so shop soon! We have a variety of polo and t-shirts, fleece jackets, tote bags, ball caps, etc., as well as DHF logo jewelry. You can see these things in the DHF Observation Room. If you need access to the logowear cabinet, give me a call at 513-933-0343 and I’ll come to the farm and open it for you (I only live a few driveways away—it isn’t a big deal for me to come over if I’m not already there). You can also order DHF logos on your saddlepads for show season (you provide a pad like the one shown and we can get it embroidered for you)! Questions? E mail me: [email protected] or call me at 513-933-0343.

Order Form for DHF Window Stickers How many stickers do you want? _______ (at $12.78 each, which includes tax). Check which wording you want above logo: __Dancing Horse Farm __Dancing Horse Dressage __Dancing Horse Eventing __Dancing Horse Dreamers Words below logo (Name of rider, or name of rider and horse) __________________________________________________________________________________ Where you want the sticker delivered (tack locker—please say which barn and what name—or mailing address): ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ Please drop this form and payment (made out to Dancing Horse Farm) in the payment box in the office, or mail it to Dancing Horse Farm, 4080 Weisenberger Rd., Lebanon OH 45036

Support Your DHF Rider! (Or Yourself!)



New Horse Owners Class! by Lynda Sappington The next New Horse Owners Class will be June 8 from 2-4 PM. Guest instructor Jen Truett will be demonstrating and teaching various braiding techniques.

Due to the high value of this lesson’s content to anyone who even thinks about showing at some point (whether you now own a horse or not), we’re opening this class to oth-ers. The cost is $5 per person, payable to DHF the day of the class. If you pay cash, please remember to put the money in one of the provided envelopes in the office and mark it as required.

This is the only date Jen is available for months. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn braiding techniques and tricks from her!

More Show Results by Apprentice Trainer Christina Knecht After Pebbles’ fantastic performance at the Spring Bay Horse Trials in April, we entered at the novice level at the Greater Dayton Horse Trials, which were held May 17-18. Although my slight mishap in dressage at the April show caused our elimination, we had permission to continue the show for educational purposes, and Pebbles went double clear in both her first stadium jumping and cross country courses. Between the two shows, we focused on a small list of things to improve our performance at Greater Dayton.

Because Greater Dayton is held at the Twin Towers Park in Fairborn, Ohio, we are blessed to be able to trailer in for the day as opposed to paying for overnight stabling. While Spring Bay had elicited perfect show weather and footing for our first show, the days before Greater Dayton (and during) saw plenty of rain. All warm-ups are held in the same grassy areas, and stadium jumping itself is also on grass every year. Despite the mucky footing, Pebbles warmed up well for dressage and produced (as is becoming the norm for her) a lovely, quiet novice test. Unwilling to repeat the momentary escape of the last show, I sacrificed bend in the corners, but she still managed to score a 26.0 (comparable to a 74%) for 1st place following the first phase.

As we prepared for our stadium course, she again warmed up well in the muck. Riding forward with my leg on, we only hit each warm-up fence once before awaiting our turn. Her first time riding, let alone jumping, in the mud put her at risk to tire out too quickly; the minimal warm-up was just what she needed. As we started our stadium course, I must have shifted gears mentally and stopped riding forward, giving Pebbles less and less support as the course went on. We came in to the fifth element, an in-and-out, lacking power, and I buried her to the first fence, causing her to get creative in the air. A long one-stride turned into two, and again she took care of getting us over the second fence. Shortly after, Pebbles was done with the non-sense and got rid of me in a hurry, broncing around the end of the arena as I landed in the squishy mud. My fall resulted in our second elimination (and my first fall at a show).

There are several reasons I credit for this new cause for incompletion, all of which I determinably fixed be-fore schooling her through the entire novice cross country course the next day without a hitch (even in the muck). For one thing, I was giving an inexperienced horse a poor ride in bad footing. She may have just got-ten a little scared being left to her own defenses. I mentally smacked myself and moved on, riding forward and confidently the next day. In addition, her saddle had slipped back considerably, perhaps being the last straw. We have since started using a non-slip pad and a breastplate to help keep her saddle in place, and they’ve worked beautifully.

I am very fortunate to get the opportunity to work with such a high-quality mare (thank you, Suzy FitzSimmons!), and each bump in the road will just help us find the more successful path that much more quickly! Our plan is to get through all three phases next time around!

December 2013 Dancing Horse News June 2014 Dancing Horse News Page 18

DHF Classifieds Classified ads are free to DHF clients! Send your information and a photo of what you’re selling to [email protected]. The item will run until it’s sold or until you tell me to take the ad down.

Mountain Horse Dressage Boots

Size 9, wide calf, zipper on back. Lightly used by Suzy Fitzsimmons, who says they’re “very comfy.” $150 To see them in person, contact Lynda Sapping-ton at [email protected] or 513-933-0343.

2008 Copper Canyon Keystone Travel Trailer Model 298fwbh Excellent condition! Two slide outs and sleeps 9! Master bedroom in front has a queen bed with storage un-derneath and dual wardrobes and overhead storage cabinets. Built in flat panel TV swings 180 degrees to be watched from either the Master bedroom or great room. Surround sound/DVD theater system including out-door speakers. Rear bunkhouse with floor to ceiling wardrobe/drawers, upper and lower bunk beds and trundle bed (all single size) and a TV hook up. Great room has fold out couch with full size air mattress and a U-shaped kitchen booth that seats 4-6 and transforms into a queen bed. Kitchen has lots of storage, full size mi-crowave, refrigerator/freezer, floor to ceiling pantry, gas stove and range top. Totally enclosed bathroom with skylight over tub/shower and separate entrance. Has an electric awning and electric front jacks. Currently has a gooseneck converter that can be removed for 5th wheel connection. Has cable/satellite hookups, day/night shades on all windows, Extreme Cold Weather Package with a totally enclosed underbelly, and upgraded ax-les, aluminum wheels, and tires. 30’ long, GVWR 12,000 Price - $17,500 Contact [email protected] or 937-532-3108 Photos on following pages






2008 Copper Canyon camper continued

Left, camper with both sliders out. Below left, back entry door goes into the bath-room. Below right: Bath-room with shower stall. Below left: looking from the kitchen toward the bunk-house in back, bathroom on left, pantry on right. More pics next page.

Continued next page


Above left and left, dinette and couch both turn into beds. Couch includes an airbag mattress (left). Above right, kitchenette and front door (on side). Door straight ahead leads to master bedroom. TV shown swivels from this room to the Master bedroom.

Below right, Master bedroom with queen-sized bed and tons of storage. TV is at foot of bed built into the facing wall so it can be turned to be seen in the seating area or the bedroom.. Below left, bunkhouse with three single beds. Top bunk folds up out of the way, trundle slides under bottom bunk if you don’t need to use all of them. Opposite wall has a TV area and tons of storage. Contact [email protected] or 937-532-3108 for more information.

2008 Copper Canyon camper continued


1999 Sundowner 747 black, 7'6" tall 6'8"' wide, 31’ long (39’ including gooseneck),

head-to-head trailer. $16,500

This trailer has it all! A/C in both the HORSE compartment and in the extra long (6') dress-ing room! An on-board generator to run the A/C while shipping in hot weather and an elec-tric jack. On-board water storage in the horse compartment with an easy access spigot at the side entrance. Two roof vents per horse. Surveillance cameras and monitors with night vision technology to monitor horses during travel. Extra length in the center of the

horse compartment and in the dressing room for maximum storage. Removable full length dividers in front of the horses' heads so that nothing stored will slide around and get under foot. Easily converts into two large box stalls with storage between. Tires all less than 1 year old. Dimension Specifics: 6' dressing room (twice the size of a standard head to head's DR and one of the main reasons I bought this trailer) 7'6" tall 36" wide stalls (pad to pad) 7'2" from chest bar to butt bar 2'6" from chest bar to the floor to ceiling gate that allows safe storage/shipment of "stuff" between the horses while traveling 5'6" center space between the horses for shipping "stuff" 6'8" is the width of the "box" (the horse compartment excluding the wheel wells) Contact [email protected] or 937-532-3108


More pics on following pages

Generator runs air conditioner during travel

Rear horses are loaded through rear doors via ramp. Front horses are loaded via the side

ramp.



Sundowner Horse Limo continued

Above Left, Front Stalls Above Right, Rear Stalls

Left, Water Storage Tank

Above, Full Stall Divider at Horses’ Heads

Tires are less than 1 year old Right, night-vision surveillance camera, two vents per stall, fan by each stall in addition to A/C


Sundowner Horse Limo continued

Above left, outlet in nose. Above right, rack to hang clothes. Below left, 4 saddle racks, 12 bridle hooks.

Center, whip rack, bridle hooks Right, fuse box and backup battery

Bottom left, VIN label Tack room is insulated and air conditioned

dancing horse news 2014 dancing horse news page 3 brought riders in from all over the eastern and...

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