|
Dressage letters
are frequently used for arena markers and are useful in group
control, regardless of whether your students ride dressage
or another discipline. The letters give a road map to your
arena and allow you to communicate clear direction to students.
But what happens if you teach very young children, or people
with learning disabilities such as dyslexia? Instead of using
letters, try using colors like green, red, yellow, etc. Some
people will find it easier to ride to a color than to a letter
and besides, it really brightens up the arena!
Laura Brown
Sparta NJ
|
|
Sweeping
the barn aisle is a necessary evil if you want your barn to
look neat and clean, but it is a time consuming, back breaking
and filthy proposition. Try using a standard lawn leaf blower
instead of a broom! It makes the job fast and easy and you
will quickly pay for the cost of the blower with the labor
that you'll save. The first few times you use the blowers,
the horses may be put off a little by the noise, but they
will quickly adapt and soon not even notice.
Terry Jones
Lebanon OH
.
|
|
In hot and humid
climates, excessive hosing of horses to keep them cool and
clean will often lead to a fungus on their back. Try using
Gold Bond Powder (buy the generic, it is much cheaper) sprinkled
on the back under the saddle blankets and under the cinch.
The powder will keep the horse fungus free but make sure the
horse is groomed thoroughly the next morning so that the powder
does not cake up on the horse's back.
Polly Barger
Ashland City TN
|
|
Snaffle bits,
although commonly used are often misunderstood. Snaffles are
"direct pressure" bits, meaning the rein is attached
directly opposite the mouthpiece, so that a pull on the rein
gives a direct and equal pressure to the corner of the horse's
mouth. A common misconception is that the joint in the mouthpiece
is what makes it a snaffle. While it is true that most snaffles
have jointed mouthpieces, it is not the joint that makes it
a snaffle. For example, a very commonly used Western bit is
the "Tom Thumb," a/k/a western snaffle or shanked
snaffle and it is not a snaffle at all. Because the reins
attach below the mouth piece on the shank of the bit, pressure
is not put directly on the corners of the mouth but on the
tongue, chin and poll and leverage is created by the shanks.
Although this bit is commonly thought to be mild, because
of the joint in the mouthpiece, it is actually quite severe
and often leads to a gaping mouth since the joint pushes up
into the palate of the horse's mouth when pressure is applied
to both reins.
Julie Goodnight
Salida CO
|
