Riding the Fens

This is a blog about horses, people and places and it cannot come any better than when they are interesting friends, their horses in a place i call my home!

The Fens is a naturally marshy area in East Anglia spreading over parts of Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and a small part of Suffolk with an overall area of 1,500 square miles.

In his acclaimed book Waterland, Graham Swift wrote~

“Realism; fatalism; phlegm. To live in the Fens is to receive strong doses of reality. The great flat monotony of reality; the wide empty space of reality. Melancholia and self-murder are not unknown in the Fens. Heavy drinking, madness and sudden acts of violence are not uncommon. How do you surmount reality, children? How do you acquire, in a flat country, the tonic of elevated feelings?”

My answer to Graham is get on your horse and ride the Fens!

...and here comes the XXI century Adventurers. From right to left are Mary, Mouse, Paul, Jo & cat

Meet these 5 lucky XXI century Adventurers on this 28^th of December 2015 ~

Mary comes from the Midlands for some flat land therapy with her stunning, fit 8 year-old Friesian mare. Amongst other disciplines, they both compete at level 3 Trec so today’s 20kms ride was a walk in the park. For the occasion, Mary and Xara wore their matching Xmas hats which made the occasion even more special.

Mouse, just seen in the background, has a wealth of experience and abilities with horses. From managing a racing yard to driving she has worked it all. She is a true horsewoman whom i always enjoy riding with.

...Mouse is riding Jake, a 23 year-old Dales pony

which she also drives regularly... Philippa is standing in the background.

...Mouse's paw just seen under

the unavoidable tray of shortbread.

Paul joined us all the way from Suffolk with his 14 year-old Warmblood. i recognise savvy when it is never a big deal when a horse spooks at every bird flight, every rabbit fart, every wave on the shore, every leaf flying by. Jo is lending a helping hand.

Jo is used to riding TB ex-racers so when the opportunity presented itself to ride Pagosa, the not so forward bolshy pony, also affectionately known as cat’s pony, she relished the challenge and made a great job of it. It was great for me to see them having fun and to see Jo riding my pony very well indeed. Philippa & Pag look like they are both lending a helping hand to adjust Jo's stirrup leathers.

Pagosa, 11 years old.

i was the 5^th Adventurer riding Autan,

my 5 year-old forward-going Camargue pony.

Kate, the 6th Adventurer, could not make it after all but came to see us off!

Off we went from Welney along the Wash of the Old Bedford River, up to Salter's Lode, passing Denver Sluice and pumping stations and back to Welney. The 14 mile-long hack is totally off road, surrounded by big skies and flooded fields thriving with birds and wildlife. And apart from roe deer and a seal, we saw nobody else on dry land.

There were a lot of savvy and experience between the 5 of us enabling the ride to be fun and exhilarating. We rode at all 4 paces. At one stage Paul and i were cantering side by side then we galloped for a long while, not anymore side by side as my pony does not have legs as long as Paul's horse has. It was brilliant!

We tested ourselves with the gates. Mary showed us a new way to open gates in the wind, bottom pushing the gate first. Excellent!

“That's the way it is: life includes a lot of empty space. We are one-tenth living tissue, nine-tenths water; life is one-tenth Here and Now, nine-tenths a history lesson. For most of the time the Here and Now is neither now nor here.” ~ Graham Swift, Waterland

 ''How we forgive narrowness of mind, when it accompanies largeness of heart.

Yet no breadth of intellect exonerates want of feeling.'' ~  Graham Swift, Ever After

''I've always believed the greater danger is not aiming too high, but too low,

settling for a bogey rather than shooting for an eagle.'' ~ Sir Peter Scott

Pylon poetry

''What we wish upon the future is very often the image of some lost, imagined past.''

Graham Swift, Waterland

''Why are the Fens flat? So God has a clear view...''~  Graham Swift, Waterland

To a fabulous ride amongst friends of the Fens...

Riding with Master Horseman Buck Brannaman



Buck riding warmblood 'Big Lou'

…Mid-June 2015, i was very lucky to ride with Buck Brannaman’s in his first ever clinic in the UK. The 3-day clinic took place at Aintree's racecourse in Liverpool - with me was my lovely 5-year old pony, Autan.

What do you do with your horses? is a question i am often asked.  Invariably my answer is ‘My aim is to develop a good riding horse.’ And depending on the level of understanding the person who is asking the question has, the conversation can go two ways: dead silent or understatedly animated.   

From the moment Buck stepped into the equestrian arena, it was obvious we were up for a step forward towards understanding how to get closer to this aim. Buck, impeccably, demonstrated with the horse he was riding, the theory he is so expertly able to explain…here is my take on it -


With the short serpentine movement, we are looking for an even-balanced horse on all 4 feet. Firstly we ask for the lateral flexion with the horse’s head truly bent at 90C minding its ears are levelled, its face is at the vertical and its pole is higher than the withers. Pitfall 1- If we feel resistance it means the inside rein needs adjusting. Secondly, the rider is in position 1 and the horse’s inside hind engages under the mass. Pitfall 2 – Make sure the horse moves forward. If it gets stuck with his hind, ask again and start again. Once the first and second steps are accomplished, ask for one step forward and swing the head to the other side, then ask for the lateral flexion and the new inside hind’s engagement and so on.

The horse is truly engaged, when this movement is easy, swingy and light in the hand. Consequently the engagement from behind causes the horse’s front quarters to lift up, its front foot touching the ground lightly and in slow motion.    

Autan is by nature a forward moving pony. Remarkably after doing this short serpentine exercise, Autan was walking out freely, with power….turning loose, great feeling!  



Autan...Turning loose...



The reach exercise progresses to the backing on a tight circle which in turn progresses to the turn on one of the outside hind leg.

For the reach exercise, the horse must disassociate the lateral flexion at 90C where the horse is at a standstill and the reach element of it where the horse is in motion. Ask for the lateral flexion at 90C. My elbow is attached to my ribcage. The flexion is as light as a feather and the horse is balanced on all 4 feet at a standstill. This part has to be really solid. Then reach for the front foot as if the rein is linked to the horse’s fore. My elbow move backwards in order to place the front foot backward and sideways. When the foot falls where i want, release!

The reach movement progresses to the backing on the circle. For the horse to back up to the left circle, its head is looking left, reach with the left fore then ask for 1 to several steps back. The tighter the circle, the less back steps between two reaches.

Backing on the circle progresses to the turn. The foot sequence goes ‘reach’, ‘reach’ and so on omitting the backup step in between. This causes the horse to turn on one of its hind. Some horses will be more inclined to turn on the outside hind and others will be more comfortable on the opposite hind. My guess is that with timing and feel, a good horseman would be able to influence the movement by distributing the horse’s weight on one hind or the other.

Balanced on all 4 feet, ears levelled, face at the vertical (ish) 
& the pole higher than the withers

 

Moving the hind quarters 4 ways
a – rein and leg using the indirect rein & the same side leg

b – Rein and leg using the soft feel & the leg

c – leg only

d – Rein only. In this way, we ask for the lateral flexion and wait. Remarkably, the horse will figure it out.

Down transitions using the soft feel

Trot on a loose rein; Pick up the soft feel, then release once obtained; Pick up the soft feel then transition to the walk; Walk on a loose rein; Pick up the soft feel then transition to a halt; Release; Pick up soft feel to back up: Release on a soft feel.

The progression to this movement is to try to keep the soft feel for a few steps longer. The aim goal is for the horse to be on a soft feel at every transition down and up. The up transition with the soft feel is a much more demanding movement as engagement for the impulsion must be present.

Wow! it looks like cat brought one outfit and forgot the smile at home...Day 2 was my best day riding!

The 6 progressions movements are in preparation to the flying changes. In this exercise say we are riding on the long side of the arena approaching a corner on the right rein then half circle change direction traveling back on ourselves on the left rein.

Progression 1 - Travel on a loose rein at the trot from a right rein to a left rein.
Progression 2 – Progression 1 & ask for the soft feel when changing rein on the half circle.
Progression 3 - Progression 2 & ask for leg yield with the soft feel traveling on the left rein.
Progression 4 – Trot on the right rein up to the most part of the circle then ask for the canter to the left traveling on the left rein.
Progression 5 – Right canter up to most of the circle, then ask for a few steps at the trot almost finishing the circle then ask for left canter traveling on the long side of the arena on the left rein.
Progression 6 – Right canter up to most of the circle, then ask for flying change for a left canter travelling on the long side of the arena on the left rein.

...thinking about it cat!?...in doubt turn to the Master...

 

...Progression 3...Admiring your work cat!?...

 

 

...Lovely Autan...

When asked Buck for pointers with horses running off, his answer was 'Transition, lots of it'...i look forward riding with Buck again hopefully soon...



...Autan... a grand little horse in his Aintree stable

...Buck conducting another clinic in Surrey one week later with Olympian Showjumper Melanie Smith Taylor.

  

Y'ALL Welcome to Texas

Y'ALL is a contraction of YOU AND ALL and is strongly associated with

 the Southern States of America. In Texas, it never stops rolling off the tongue!



The ceiling at the Will Rogers Watt's coliseum

 

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The Legacy of Legends 2015 took place in Fort Worth, Texas. Over three days, it reunited horsemen from all over the world whose horsemanship’s savoir-faire were influenced by Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt. The atmosphere was fantastic and the level of horsemanship was top-drawer. This year the program was highly geared towards stockmanship. We saw demonstrations from Joe Wolter, Peter Campbell, Doug Jordan, Wayne Robinson, Anthony Desreaux, Jaton Lord, Nick Dowers…without forgetting Buck Brannaman, the co-founder of the Legacy of legends. Nick Dowers is just amazing and the shape of his horses was just incredible. Buck demonstrated outstanding horsemanship throughout the event on two of his horses, a 3 y.o. roan stud and a chestnut horse with a 24 freeze mark on the shoulder. Below are a few things i picked  up along the way which are, by the way, the same material Dave Stuart presents us with during his clinics:



Day 2 -Buck on 24 with the 2 year old colts

Buck talked about the importance of straightness, the horse being centred and balanced. When asking for lateral flexion we want the horse’s ears to be levelled, its face to be vertical and its pole to be higher than its withers. If all three points are met it is an indication that its weight is evenly distributed on all 4 quarters therefore the horse is centred.  Some people think that straightness is the absence of flexion. On the contrary, said Buck, straightness is the balance of the horse on all 4 quarters.

 

A balanced horse is one which is in the rectangle. Always think of the horse being centred between feet and reins. If so, he is left in peace. The basics to a balanced horse are to guide the horse with your legs whilst the horse is loose with the reins. There is no pulling on the reins in a balanced horse.

‘Don’t tell your horse to move away from pressure, tell him to move towards peace.’ BB



Day 3 - Buck on his 3 y.o. stud with the colts

For the reach exercise, think of it as a two-position exercise. Position 1 - Bend the head only. Position 2 - For the reach, the inside leg is on for the flexion then the inside rein takes the horse’s foot out at 90 degrees. As soon as the horse’s foot is where we want, we release the rein. In this exercise, position 1 is distinct to position 2. At position 2, the horse does not move forward at all. Keep in mind not to do too much with the inside leg or the horse’s attention might be taken away from the feel of the rein. The leg is just here to help to get the eye before the reach. All turns begin with a reach.

 

The soft feel is the precursor of the collection. In other words, at the beginning you ask for a soft feel and as soon as given, you give the reins back. Before asking for the soft feel, the horse must be travelling fluidly at a nice rhythm on a loose rein. A loose rein is relative depending on the horse you are riding. Progressing with the soft feel, ask the soft feel for a few steps. To test if it is a true soft feel, let the rein loose and see if the soft feel is maintained and the horse is still with you.

 

The walk-trot transition – At the trot, ask for the soft feel to come back to the walk and in turn ask for the soft feel to stop and finally ask for the soft feel to back up.

At H1 level, go to the transition up, then ask for the soft feel.

At H2 level, go to the transition up with the soft feel.

 

Buck on 24 cantering a circle in perfect balance

Short serpentine, soft feel & leg yield - In this exercise, use your legs to serpentine. Then when away from the fence ask for the soft feel then leg yield back towards the fence. For the leg yield to the right, which is when the horse is travelling to the right on the left rein, the horse’s head should be slightly to the left with the soft feel.

 

In the fast walk– slow walk exercise, pay attention to the feel and make sure the horse is centred inside the rectangle. This exercise is good to ascertain whether the horse is with you or not.

 

Ask your horse to move off using his inside hind leg first. The idea is to engage the horse’s mind. The horse will get lighter in the end. When moving off the hind, the horse moves off with power and engagement.

 

Whilst on a loose rein, travel with focus. 

 

When riding at any allure get your horse to dial into you. Start the walk with the seat then with the legs only if the horse does not respond. Guide with the legs such that the feel of my legs changes to a lighter feel when the horse goes in the direction i want. The idea is to have the horse into the rectangle in peace.

 

A horse is backing to the right when its head is looking to the right and its hips to the left.

 

 

Day 3 - Third ride for these colts on a loose rein

‘I want the horse to do my thing, his way.’ RH

 

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      Moving on, after the Legacy, with Tina & Emma, we travelled two hours to the North East of Texas to meet Dawn Hnatow & Candi Cowden. Dawn was to Bud Williams what Buck was to Ray Hunt. If you want to experience excellent stockmanship, you cannot go wrong meeting with Dawn. Dawn’s ability to read cattle and herds of cattle is incredible. She demonstrated the ‘doing less to achieve more’ that everybody talks about, again and again every steps she took. Low Stress Stock Handling is about being effective and understood.

 

Dawn with a herd of Angus yearlings. Cattle need 3 things: Eat, drink & exercise.
When checking cattle, don't look for the sick ones or they will get sick for you!

 

Emma & Candi sharing a joke.

 

From R to L at Cattle Up Ranch ~ Emma, Candi, Tina, Dawn & cat

Moving 415 heads of cattle in the direction we wanted them to go just put a smile on my face FULL STOP 

 

Over 5 days we experienced the importance of moving cattle using a zigzag pattern causing the cattle to move forward and in the direction intended. The angle of the zigzag depends on the flight zone of the cow and the herd. For this exercise to work, all cowgirls need to be on a straight line to each other. This adds another dimension to the exercise in that we had to stay in tune with each other. Furthermore, the direction of travel of the herd would be driven by the angle of the straight line about the chosen direction. We moved 415 heads out of a field through a gate towards the stockyard. The cowgirls’ line needed to be at 90 degrees to the gate in order to be effective. All animals travelled calmly to the stockyard, no one got hurt, no fences fell apart.  

 

At the stockyard, we got 80 cows into a long, 5-meter wide corridor which was closed at one end. The idea there was firstly channel the cattle into the corridor and secondly empty the corridor. At this stage we were on horseback and by using whole steps and weight distribution each rider monitored the flow of the cattle in and out of the corridor as well as the speed of exit. Hence the importance here of helping your horse to be centred and knowing which foot will go where. In this exercise, the thing that blew me away was again the ‘doing less to achieve more’. i emptied half the corridor using my horse’s backward and forward motion. As for the rest, pressure took care of it. The cattle at the end of the corridor were being pressured by the cattle behind moving forward. The pressure reached a level of return and naturally the cattle turned around and walked back out of the corridor. This was TOP DRAWER

Captain & cat

Dawn’s stockyard is simple, well designed and very effective. The idea of a BudBox is to drive cattle into the contention corridor using their innate characteristics and by doing so minimizing the stress. Imagine the capital letter P where the upper part of the letter is a rectangle and the leg that sticks out is the contention corridor. Inside the rectangle the cattle are pressured by a cowgirl on foot or on horseback so that the cattle are driven anticlockwise alongside the fence of the rectangle. Initially the cattle would have entered the box by the side of the rectangle which is continuous to the corridor and just where the corridor starts. The hinges of the gate are, very importantly, situated where the corridor starts. Cattle are being pressured and therefore innately travel back where they came from which is where the hinges are. The gate is now closed and they realise two things: there is an escape route which is the corridor and there is some pressure coming from the cowgirl who is standing at the gate’s hinges. The cowgirl at the gate is facing the cattle therefore is moving/standing in the opposite direction of travel. Moving in the opposite direction of travel causes the cattle to move forward into the corridor. JOB DONE


The BudBox ~ There is a lot to it.




A mixed lot of cows in the stockyard



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My time in Texas brought an array of surprises, discoveries, good laughs, old and new friends & a fair amount of ‘surf & turf’swimming in Margheritas.

Saddling up Captain

Candi Kindly let me ride the ranch horse in a Dale Harwood saddle.
As far as Western saddles go, there is no better deal

 

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The Kubota tractor at Cattle Up Ranch had a big round bale attachment which allowed the bale to be unfolded flat in the field as opposed to being dropped in one place as one round lump. Feeding cattle this way means firstly all animals get to eat and secondly the damage to the land is reduced.

No Pictures!

 

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One morning we saw a drove of orphan baby boars on the range. There were a dozen of them.

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This is the main high street of the tiny charming town of Farmersville.
 To me this is very representative of small towns of Texas.



Petrol is so cheap which reflects on the low price of goods in general and on the size of the vehicles in particular. Every one drives a massive pick up and leaves their engine running. The Toyota Hilux Invincible we find in Europe looks tiddly next to their monsters. A litre of diesel in Texas costs 36p compared to 120p in the UK!

Look at the size of these pick ups! They are almost as big as the buildings themselves.
Nothing comes in small packages in Texas.

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A big surprise to me came on the Saturday night at the AQHA Cowtown Showdown at the Will Rogers Watt’s Coliseum. Lyle Lovett, my favourite artist of all time, sang the US National Anthem.
Lyle is a big name worldwide and even bigger in his native Texas.

 

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Another delicious Burger moment!

Night out with the girls in Stockyard Fort Worth.
From R to L ~ Tina, Emma, T Bone & cat. Check out T-Bone's music, excellent!

 

See Y'ALL!