Life with a Retired Show Horse: New Career?

Apparently Bella has decided she wants to be a jumper.

From 2003 – 2015, Bella has shown in the performance world of Saddle Seat. She has never jumped. As cute as I think (know) Bella is, she is a short mare with short legs and a short stride that makes her canter look like a little bunny hop.

So how do I know Bella wants to be a jumper? It certainly wasn’t jumping over the drain pipe on the scary trail several weeks ago.

No, Bella decided it would be a great idea to jump out of her paddock. That’s right. My little Saddlebred mare (who will be 16 this year) jumped the fence, then proceeded to run the fence line because her girlfriend, Belle, could not figure out how to jump out with her. While I would love to take some legitimate jumping lessons at some point, this is not exactly how I wanted to start a jumping career.

At least Bella always gives me a story.

Bella & Belle

While Bella has taken up jumping aspirations, I’ve taken up trail aspirations. In my previous blog post I talked about how Bella loves the open fields; however, the scary trails to get to the open fields are a slight problem. The other week I went back to the trails and Bella refused to go through. She is not a lazy or mean horse, but for a retired show horse it’s still a scary experience we’re working on getting over.

When I couldn’t get Bella to go through, I finally dismounted and had to rethink my strategy. Kicking and building momentum was not working like it could at a county fair with a scary thrill ride peaking over the grandstand for view in the show ring. I decided to walk right next to Bella. She hesitated some, but she went through with me. She even went through the second trail path that she finds ten times scarier than the first. I ended up doing more exercise than I planned on that day with all the walking, but I was happy with the results and my calm horse on the way back. (Bella doesn’t have a lot of calm days. You’d be surprised she’s turning 16.)

In my mind, Bella was completely broke and could do anything. She’s a brave soul, but this is a whole new life to her. It was my mistake to underestimate the power of ground work, even with a 16 year old horse scared of trails. I went back another day recently with Andrew (aka Thoroughbred boy) and he helped with Bella as we walked her through the trails in halter and lead rope. The only bad part was that when she was in the open fields she wanted to run, resulting in a rambunctious little mare. (My response to Andrew: You work with Thoroughbreds. You can handle it!)

Thank you Bella for having patience and putting up with me and my mistakes. I am blessed to have you (just don’t jump out of the paddock again please).

So much to see!

Can you please turn me loose?

I'd rather not go through here.

Back to the barn we go!

Life with a Retired Show Horse: New Exercises

Quite by accident, I discovered that Bella enjoys running around in the fields out back. What was supposed to be a trail ride turned into a gallop session, if you could even call her cute bunny hop a gallop.

Bella has short legs and a short stride, so even in a fast canter she looks like a bunny hopping across the field. She also hasn’t figured out how to drop her head yet (you got to love a Saddlebred).

On days I make it out to ride and she is full of energy, I let her go run out back. Some days I get on and it’s made clear to me that we are not going to be doing much walking that day. Even after she has run around, she still gets worked up and starts trotting off like she would in her show horse days (just not quite as fancy).

One day I took her out back to run around not too long before the sun went down. I thought I would take her back and forth one time through the field, but Bella seemed to have other plans. She kept wanting to go and we ended up running close to six laps around the field before I could finally rein her in, and barely at that.

I think the running must also feel good on her legs. Bella has had the tendency to get stiff and cantering at a faster pace has always helped loosen her up. I’m sure stretching her legs in an open field is quite a nice feeling.

Not only is it fun for me to have the opportunity to ride my horse in an open field, but I think Bella is enjoying it too. When we get out there, she starts trotting on her own before getting into a good canter without any cues. Her ears are always pricked and she seems to end the ride on a happy note. Though 

I will miss showing the little ball of energy, but I look forward to all the days we have together to bond and play around together. 

Life with a Retired Show Horse: New Friends

Bella has always been the horse in the field causing trouble. When she was in training and would get the winters off for vacation, she never understood that there were horses outside long before her and that they had an established pecking order. All Bella knew was that she wanted to be alpha mare.

At one barn she would fight over the fence with the broodmares, mostly with the alpha mare. Bella wasn’t even in the same field but that didn’t matter to her. She would bite, strike and squeal at the others. She even resorted to biting their blankets, succeeding in ripping at least one of them.

The next barn turned her out with the lesson geldings for winter vacation. One of them, Snappy, was usually the one to stir up trouble, but that changed when Bella came in the field. He kicked her, and she chased him down and kicked him right back. From then on Snappy followed Bella around like a puppy dog, and they stayed close to the other’s side. Bella still bit, kicked and squealed at everyone in the paddock, but she did so with Snappy more affectionately. If she was busy annoying another gelding, Snappy would have his nose on her body, like a reminder that he was there and she didn’t need to worry with the other geldings.

I went to take a picture of Bella and Snappy touching noses but I got her striking him instead.

Bella and Snappy at Kismet Farm.

At Bella’s retirement home she started off fighting with both geldings and mares, but soon found her best friend: a chestnut Saddlebred mare named Belle. How coincidental.

Bella and Belle have been turned out in a paddock with just the two of them the past couple weeks and I have yet to see Bella try to assert dominance over her. There is no clear alpha between the two of them, they are simply best friends. If one mare moves to another spot in the paddock, the other follows. If I try to catch Bella, Belle runs right along with her. Belle has been friendly toward me in the paddock whereas Bella runs away so she doesn’t have to come in.

Bella and Belle

The two mares staying away because Bella thought I was trying to catch her

I never thought I would see the day when Bella got along with another horse so well. The two mares even get to be stabled next to each other when they come inside for the night. They nicker at each other, run around together, and they even touch noses. What amazes me is that is all happens without any biting, kicking, or squealing from my mare.

Bella and Belle really are two peas in a pod and I’m grateful that they have each other as best friends.

This time I was trying to catch her and they ran

Guest blog on "Past the Grandstand"

I entered a guest blog contest for Mary Cage's fantastic blog, "Past the Grandstand," and came in 4th. Below is a link to my piece "What Horse Racing Gives Us." Be sure to check it out along with the other published pieces on her blog!

http://pastthegrandstand.blogspot.com/2016/01/guest-blog-contest-fourth-place-what.html

Life with a Retired Show Horse: New Adventures

If you know anything about me, it is that I have a horse named Bella and I talk about her a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. For those who don’t know, Bella (Miss Believin’) is my Saddlebred mare that I showed for eight years before retiring her in October 2015. She was my first show horse and I couldn’t bring myself to part with her during my show days. We showed in three different divisions and she took me from junior exhibitor to amateur status.

Bella's reaction when I say "let's go for a ride" now that she's retired.

Bella has always taken care of me. She is game and loved her job as a show horse, but she never did more than what her rider could handle. I’ve spent over eight years at this point learning this mare, and she never ceases to pull something new and test me. She occasionally pulls stunts on me now that she never thought of back when I got her a twelve year old. And in her newly retired life, she is the same old Bella. All mare. All attitude. All the time.

Where Bella has been boarded the last couple months since her retirement there are short trail paths that connect a few open fields together. I’ve ridden Bella around on stable property before where I had her in training and around the pond there, but she’s never had to walk through a bunch of trees. One day over this past Christmas break I decided to take Bella out on the trail paths. I knew she loved outside, but I also knew there wasn’t going to be much stopping along the way. Once we were on our trail ride, there were no breaks. Bella is not one to stop and sight see. I tried this before on our trail rides around the previous property and we ended up spinning in circles until we were walking forward again.

Taking in the view of Dark Horse Training Center at Lismore Farm.

Now, Bella is a smart horse. I thought she might be hesitant first time out on these new paths, but I knew she would be able to get through them with some encouragement. As it turned out, the trail paths themselves were the least of my worries. On the way from the barn to the trails at the back of the property, Bella got scared of her own shadow. She’s never been a very spooky horse, but there have been a few things come across our path that she really did not like. But a shadow? This I did not expect. Bella stopped and refused to walk forward. When I kicked her she spun around. So then out came the whip and with a few small encouraging taps we got over the shadow fear.

To make things more interesting, we had to walk between two paddocks to get to the start of the trails. In the field to our left there was a mare and a mini donkey. I’m not sure if Bella had ever seen a mini donkey before, but she was spinning around again and trying to go the opposite direction. The donkey was following her along the fence line and wanted to play, and the little mare who has beat up so many other horses in the field was scared. I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to “I AM MARE. HEAR ME ROAR.”

We finally got over our fear of the mini donkey by stopping (and squirming) for a few minutes and looking at it. After that we went through our first path of trees. This went quite well for a horse who had never done anything of the sort, but Bella was all pumped up this day for some reason. She was already wound up when I first got on and then going on a new adventure like this just made her even more wound up. My plan was to walk the trails, but Bella had other ideas. We ended up marching through that trail path and through the first field, even trying to trot along the way.

Then came the second trail path.

This one was a game changer. Bella started through the path confidently, but then she came across the top of a drain pipe that was sticking out of the ground. This was more of a challenge than I thought it would be. We walked up to it, spun around, went back to the field. Walked up to it, spun around, went back to field. Repeat and repeat. This wasn’t the first time Bella had to step over something, but she was not stepping over that drain pipe. At this point, she was even more worked up. I decided to trot her through the trail path, hoping she would use the momentum to go over the drain pipe. This decisions kind of worked, and I say kind of because it didn’t quite go as planned. Bella trotted down the path, stopped in front of the drain pipe, and jumped. My very first time jumping my horse was not on purpose, but at least we were clear of that path and onto the second field.

Bella marched on, refusing to flat walk at this point. We ended up in a slow trot the second half of that field and through the third trail path into the last field. Now Bella wanted to show trot. No amount of whoops or woahs would change her mind on this one. We turned around to head back to the barn and Bella acted like she was about to trot through the gate at the World’s Championship Horse Show. We made our way back to the second field and I gave up holding her back at this point. We cantered our way through the field, which was another new experience with Bella for me. I had never cantered her in an open field before, and she never once tried anything bad. There were no kicks, bucks, or jumps. She went straight through the field and carried me safely along the way.

When we got back to the second trail path, I was wondering how we were going to get back over the drain pipe. This time Bella marched up to it confidently, but she didn’t just step over it. She placed her hoof on top of it as if to say, “Screw you drain pipe. I’m not afraid anymore.” Then she proceeded to march through the path before we took off cantering through the first field.

Bella ended up marching through the final path and continued to march all the way back to the barn. Although it had been in my plans to walk the entire ride, I enjoyed the time I had to experience new things with Bella. Not everything went smooth on our trail ride, but Bella was brave and found a way to overcome her fears, all the while never putting me in danger. As much as I will miss showing her this year, I’m also excited to be able to play around with her and learn new things.

When weather permits, we will work on getting desensitized to the trails so we are not always that wound up!

Play time in the round pen.

Sometimes I think Bella enjoys retirement too much (not really, that's just one dirty horse).

Bella and her new best friend, Belle, who also happens to be a Saddlebred. This is the first horse I've seen Bella be very good friends with and not try to assert dominance over.

Bella and Belle running away when I tried to catch Bella to ride.

Things to Look for when Buying a Horse

As people are starting to gear back up for show season, fine tune new horse and rider combinations, and continue to buy and sell horses, I couldn’t help but the think of the traits I like to see in a horse. I’ve grown up in the Saddlebred industry, but the qualities I like are not simply for that breed alone. They can go for any breed or discipline. So other than a horse that is healthy, sound, and well-suited for the rider, here is a list of things I like to see when looking to buy.

“Happy Ears”

This is a term I like to use for horses that wear their ears well. When a horse’s ears are up, it means he is happy and enjoying his job. I’ve seen some very talented horses get penalized in the show ring because they go around with their ears back. These horses don’t look as bright in the bridle and don’t seem as happy to be showing as the ones with their ears perked up.

A Horse that Loves their Job

I don’t mind having to push horses harder than others, but I want a horse that still enjoys their job. The newly retired horse I own, Miss Believin’, is not a hard horse to ride, but she is not push button either. “Bella” will not do more than her rider asks of her, but as soon as the rider shows he or she is game, Bella is game too. I’ve also been on horses that are game no matter what and I’ve been on horses that you have to push and push because they are lazy. If I’m looking for a show horse, I don’t want something that is lazy. I want a horse that is excited about their job. This goes back to the “happy ears.”

Decently Kind Personality

While a horse’s personality doesn’t always affect their show performance (unless the horse is downright mean and tries to bite, kick, and throw riders), it can make a difference to the owner. I prefer horses that are willing to let you come into the stall and love on them. Some horses are fine to ride but can be mean in the stall. If the owner lives out of town or doesn’t plan on being in the stall very much, it may not make a big difference for them, or maybe it is an adult rider looking to buy who can handle a tougher horse in the stall. For those who want to cuddle with their horse or find a little kid’s horse though, try to watch for a horse’s personality when trying them out.

Safe

Speaking of a decently kind personality, I want a horse that is safe. This doesn’t mean the horse can’t be game or has to go slow, I just want something that will not try to get me off its back. It’s one thing for a horse to spook and kick or rear, it’s another if a horse tries to deliberately get you off of its back. The horse could have a problem where something causes pain or it could just be a mean tempered horse. Either way, I prefer something not known for being dangerous.

This is just a short list of a few things I’m big on, but there are plenty of other traits out there to keep an eye out for. What do you look for when buying a horse?

                                                                                                                                                                                       

The Saddlebred Industry on the Edge: Where did we make the wrong turn?

I’ve been in the Saddlebred industry since I was six years old and my mom followed the industry since she was a little girl, seeing the greats like My My, Imperator, and Skywatch. She tells me stories of going to the World’s Championship Horse Show on Saturday night to see these horses, saying everyone was “dressed to the nines” and there was “not an empty seat” in Freedom Hall. Today, the upper level is not even half way full. The event used to be “the thing to do” during the Kentucky State Fair. Now it is mostly people in the Saddlebred industry that attend.

WGC CH My-My. Photo from faithfulfriends.asha.net

2014 Saturday night crowd at the World's Championship Horse Show

Not only does the industry need to find a way to get more people involved, it needs to find a way to keep entries up as well. While some classes like the pleasure divisions still see many entries, other higher divisions like three gaited and five gaited are losing entries. It is also becoming harder for the middle class to compete in the Saddlebred industry. While the more expensive horses used to be in different divisions, they have started coming into the pleasure divisions, making it harder for those competing on a cheaper budget. It is not uncommon for pleasure horses to cost six figures now, making the middle class less competitive in the show ring.

Back when the World’s Championship Horse Show didn’t include pleasure classes, top competitors spent their money on horses that were able to show at the World’s Championship Horse Show. Now they can drop six figures on a very nice horse that is nearly guaranteed a world championship win in the pleasure division. The qualifying rules for pleasure classes at the World’s Championship Horse Show, which takes place in August, state that a horse must have shown in six pleasure classes at three different shows by the end of June. Qualifying classes start after the previous World’s Championship Horse Show. Before this rule, people would show up to the World’s Championship Horse Show with a horse that competed in three gaited all season long and show in the pleasure classes for an easier win. Though the qualifying rules changed this from happening, there are now pleasure horses that once competed or easily could compete in divisions such as park or three gaited, giving those true pleasure horses and their riders a smaller chance of being competitive.

All this is not said to discredit the good work that has been started in the industry. The Bluegrass Select Series, for example, started in 2015. These classes are designed for horses competing in Kentucky and not attending the World’s Championship Horse Show. It allows riders to be more competitive because they don’t have to compete against the bigger show horses going to the World’s Championship Horse Show. Similar in its goals, the Carolina Summer Circuit was started not long before the Bluegrass Select Series to support smaller show circuits in the Carolinas.

While these efforts are great, it still makes it hard for riders competing on a cheaper budget and still wishing to show at the World’s Championship Horse Show. As of right now, there is not a way to keep more big show horses from dropping into the pleasure divisions and knocking down the true pleasure horses. I believe that if we want to continue to see this industry grow and stop going backwards, we must find a way to keep competitive showing more affordable and not let the six figure horses take over all the divisions.