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Show Wednesday, September 11, THE 1974 PARK CITY cun Page 19 TRAINING TUPS By Linda Offret Everybody who owns horses experiences a problem here and there on how to get his horse to do one thmg or another. Here are a few common problems experienced by riders, and some solutions. To teach a horse to tie: Use an unbreakable halter and lead rope, and tie just under the horses natural head carriage to an unbreakable post. You must do these things exactly as they are described or you will have problems. Let the horse stand tied no matter what happens (excluding serious injury to the horse) Another method of teaching a horse to tie is to use the same halter as mentioned previously and a long soft cotton rope (15 feet). Tie a slip knot into it, place the rope around your horses barrel, and run the free end through the slip knot under your horses barrel, between the front legs, then up through the ring for the lead rope, and tie as mentioned above, just under the horses natural head carriage. Be sure you tie to a good post. When the horse pulls back, the to rope will tighten around the barrel and the horse will come forward release the pressure. The follow-u- p treatment after your horse has had his lesson in tying is to always have that good halter and lead rope with you and that good post. To teach your horse to back up : First, you must understand the part your legs can play in cueing your horse to perform. The horse will move according to your leg pressure. When your horse is standing square and on all four legs and seems to be the word Back and quiet is a good time to back. You want to say with a rein in each hand, pull on the left rein first (gently) if you want ' him to take off from the left first, and also squeeze gently with your left leg from the knee down. If your horse is extemely sensitive to the leg, you must remember not to confuse his leg cues that he already has. Assuming he did step back, then do the same thing with the right rein and right leg. As you do this, there are some things you can do to help him, such as : think about rolling or tucking your seat under you as you ask for a back. Be sure your weight is not too far forward, and try to really feel what is going on under you. It is important to note that you do not pull on the rein during the whole backing lesson, but pull and release, pull and release. If this method seems to be of no avail, you need to start from the ground. Holding the reins in one hand and standing in front of your horse, say Back, then push back gently on one rein and then the other, (Hhiking and watch what his feet are doing. This method works very well; however, sometimes you need a little more encouragement. Use a stiff quirt or crop and tap gently on or below the taiee, as you say back. You must be sure you are operating your reins correctly and the whip and your voice, too. They all have to fit together. Time and patience are very important here and we can soon think about gettingon his back to see if we can have him back from on top. Of most imthat to back a horse is to be a functional part of the is the Eortance as afact pleasure or working horse; therefore, you do not want to do it too much. This will bring on rearing and problems. Horses get bored, too. One thing I failed to mention is if vou are using a bit and your horse opens his mouth a lot, try a cavasson to keep the mouth shut and moist. head-throwi- ng To teach your horse to canter on the correct lead : Leads are very important in a good performance horse. A leadis the Number One part of a canter ; say your horse is cantering in a circle to the right: You would want the horses right legs (front and back) reaching into the inside of the circle first so that he can bend correctly. It is just the opposite for a circle to the left. First, you need a corral big enough to canter in. Then, you need to have someone to tell you when your horse is right (on correct lead) or wrong (on wrong lead). To get the left lead, you need to walk and trot your horse around to the left in a circle to limber you both; then, bring him down to a walk. Place your left leg at the girth and right leg behind. Take your reins in both hands and pull your horses head slightly to the right. Now, cue with your right leg to canter. If your horse will not canter from a walk, you will need your quirt again and have to smack him on the flanks when you cue him. You should say canter when you cue him. If he breaks into a fast trot, bring him down to a walk and start him over. It is important to be repetitious so that he can remember this lesson. To get a canter to the right, it is just the opposite procedure. Take the horse around to the right at a trot and walk in a circle. Then, place the right leg at girth and the left leg behind. Hold your reins in both hands, but pull your horses head to the left. Now, you can cue him to canter. As always, do not overdo this lesson. The ultimate in lead changes is the flying change of lead and being able to cue your horse on the straight away, for whichever lead you want. We will discuss this later. For every trainer there is also a method that he alone uses. It is important to realize that there are many different ways to achieve the same things and there is no such thing as the only way. The best criterion for judging a trainers method is if its safe and it works well, use it. How To Keep Up Your Down By Jerri L. Ragland Your down bag or parka will last longer and give you better service if you give it proper care. This means cleaning it before it gets irretrievably dirty. The time you spend here can add years to the life of your gear. While you sleep in a down bag, or hike in a down jacket, moisture passes out through the down, carrying some of the dirt and oils your skin has accumulated during the day. Eventually, the dirt collects in and on the down particles, reducing their resiliency and ability to loft. There are two basic cleaning methods: hand washing and dry cleaning. Hand washing is the better method, but takes more time (plan on lots). HandWashing: You need a large sink or bathtub for bags. Using lukewarm water and a nondetergent soap like Woolite or Ivory Flakes, gently knead the suds through the item. Avoid twisting or baffles or seams. The dirt will appear as the suds are worked through. You should repeat this until there are no more dirty suds, and then rinse in the same manner with clean water several times (at least 300). If you leave much soap in the product, it will act the same way the dirt did, so you need to rinse it well. Dont pick up a wet bag until you have pushed the water out of it. Wet down weighs a lot, and can avalanche through the baffling material an unattractive contingency. It is best to tumble dry the product in a large commercial dryer. This over-stressi- ng restores loft and will eliminate down bunching. You can also dry it in the sun, fluffing it occasionally-b- ut dont leave it wet for a long period of time. That will cause the down to bunch up and stay that way. Dry Cleaning: Make sure the cleaner knows his stuff (in writing, if you have to). You want him to use his weakest solvent (Stoddard Fluid is one such), as harsh fluids for example) will damage down. Dry cleaning can be alternated with hand washing for a long product life. (per-chorethele- ne, Special note: Down products do not need to be cleaned very often; in fact, we have a friend who has used his sleeping bag extensively for over a year and has just gotten around to cleaning it. It is such a difficult and worrisome task that if you give your bag proper care in between uses, you shouldnt have to do it very often. Bags and general down storage and care in between uses should consist of the following. Allow the product to air thoroughly, then hang in the closet (thats right, the bag usually has a fabric loop sewn into it for just such purposes) ; do not leave stored in the stuff sack. Down maintains its loft longest when it is allowed to expand to its fullest extent while not in use. Frostline suggests that you store their bags in one of the giant garbage bags, loosely, after it has been thoroughly aired out, at least two days, and that will protect it from gathering dust while not in use. |