Bluebird Lane Blog

Loosen Up to Sit Up

by Lori Albrough on January 25th, 2012

Sitting on the horse, we want our torso to be upright and our shoulders square, as I used to say to the kids I taught in Pony Club, “like a box of cereal”. In this way, our parts are stacked in the most efficient way for us to be in balance, to go with the movement of the horse, and to influence the horse with our seat and weight.

Unfortunately, today’s lifestyle works against us being able to effortlessly achieve this nice upright square-shoulders posture. The problem is that most people’s chest muscles tend to be overused and tight, and back muscles underused and weak. This results in a rounded slump-shoulder look more reminiscent of a dried-up leaf than the powerful equestrian we are hoping for.

The thing is, if you are forking stalls, carrying water and hay bales, and lifting saddles, you are strengthening and tightening your chest muscles. In contrast, we do very few activities behind us, which means the opposing back muscles are weak and let the strong chest muscles pull the shoulders forward. Couple this with the amount of time spent in front of the computer keyboard and the steering wheel, and you can see how this situation develops.

The remedy is not to “try harder” to get your shoulders back when you are riding. The result of the try harder approach is to make yourself stiff and tight, which will diminish your ability to ride properly. You will also end up sitting behind the vertical, leaning back to get the “shoulders back” feeling you are after. And intuitively we know that anything that you can’t do easily off the horse is not going to magically happen on the horse, when you are engaged in managing the details of riding, which even at its most basic comprises balancing yourself on a thousand pounds of moving muscle.

Instead we need to undertake some strategic training off the horse. The first step is to loosen up your chest muscles through stretching. You are going to get the most benefit if you incorporate stretching into your day as a practice. Working our craft as riders means that every single day we engage in activities that enhance our ability to positively influence the horse. Suppling our own body off-horse is just as important as suppling the horse’s body while mounted.

There are two kinds of stretching, dynamic and static. Dynamic stretching is what I do before I get going with my riding, as well as interspersed in between my rides and chores. This type of stretching is moving the body in a flowing way through it’s full range of motion, to gently loosen and increase range of movement. Later, when the work of the day is winding down, I will do static stretching. These are your long-held stretches, letting time and gravity lengthen the muscle fiber as much as possible.

Overhead Whip Pass

A good dynamic stretch to open the chest and loosen the shoulders is the overhead whip pass. This can be done anytime anywhere (yes I take a lot of good-natured ribbing for spontaneously breaking into a stretch, anytime, anywhere) and it takes just a few seconds, and uses props commonly found in the barn, like a long whip or a lead shank.

First stand in an athletic stance, knees and hips soft, pelvis level with tailbone slightly tucked. Take a fairly wide grip on your whip, hold your arms out in front of yourself, then bring your hands up overhead, take a deep breath and pass it down behind your back. Then roll your arms with the whip back over your head and bring them in front again. Repeat for a total of 4 to 5 times.

If this seems impossible, take a wider grip on your whip or leadshank (get a longer one if you have to) until you can do it. With time and repetition you will loosen up your shoulders and find that you can bring your hands in closer together.

Yoga Mat Static Stretch

A nice relaxing static stretch for the end of the day, that is good for the chest and shoulders, is simply laying back over a rolled-up yoga mat. Place the rolled-up yoga mat at about bra-strap vicinity, and lay back with knees bent, allowing your upper back to release. This stretch is best done for about five minutes. Use the time to let loose and concentrate on your breathing.

Strengthen the Back

The other side of the equation involves strengthening your back muscles. In this Dressage Today Online video tip, narrated by equestrian fitness expert Heather Sansom, I am demonstrating some good exercises used for strengthening the backline postural muscles.

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An Interview with Pan Am Medalist Tina Irwin

by Lori Albrough on January 18th, 2012

I love to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of people who inspire me!

I’m guessing you’re probably a lot like me, and want to get better at riding and communicating with your horse, play a bigger game, and stretch out of your comfort zone. So, when I see someone who rides with correctness and sensitivity, and puts the best interest of the horse first, having big success on the world stage I think it lifts us all up!

Successes like these give us a model we can all learn from. That’s why I am so excited to share today’s podcast with you. In it, I interview Canadian dressage rider Tina Irwin.

Tina is a member of the Dressage Team that won the Silver Medal for Canada at the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara Mexico, a feat she accomplished just six months after giving birth to her first child!

In our interview, Tina shares how she was able to get back into show-shape so quickly, some of the techniques she used to be on top of her game mentally, how every rider can start building a support team to help them in reaching their goals, and a reminder of the most important thing for all of us to focus on: enjoyment of our rides!

Just click the arrow button below to play.

Right click this link to save the audio as an mp3 to your computer.

If you prefer a transcript, right click to save the transcript.

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The ABC’s of Training: Always Be Clear

by Lori Albrough on January 11th, 2012

One of the most important things to learn about working with horses is what I call the ABC’s of training: Always Be Clear.

I think most of us feel that we are being kind when we cut our horse some slack when he doesn’t respond in the way we want. We may make some excuses for him, like, “I must not be asking him the right way,” or, “Sometimes it takes a while before he can concentrate”.

In reality, however, you are far more kind to your horse if you are always black and white. When you are black and white, your horse clearly knows when he is doing something right, and when he needs to keep trying.

Horses who are free in a herd know they have a trustworthy leader they can rely on. Now, we must be that leader. A horse who can clearly understand what you want is happier, because he can have trust in a person who is clear in her expectations and is consistent in her actions.

Although we want to be our horse’s leader, we want to be a benevolent leader, not a violent or forceful one. So don’t confuse being black and white with being harsh. You don’t need to react harshly when your horse doesn’t give you the response you were looking for. In fact, I encourage you not to. But you do need to react, and do so immediately, in order to tell him, “No, that is not quite right, try again“. Don’t accept and make excuses for what you don’t want.

Always Be Clear means YOU know exactly what you are after in any given moment. You have a clear picture in your mind and don’t stop asking until your horse gives you that picture back in reality. Sometimes you may have to ask again and again in an encouraging way, in effect saying “Come on! You can do it!” Sometimes you need to give a quick correction that tells him “Hey Mister, that was an aid! When I give an aid I expect a reaction!”

An Illustrative Story

I want to share a story about what happened to this girl I know. Let’s call her Suzi. Suzi’s horse came back from being at the trainer’s, and Suzi was riding him at home alone. She asked him to canter. He kept trotting. She thought “Hmmmm, I must not be asking the same way as the trainer did”.

So, she reorganized and thought about how the trainer had asked for the canter, and after another time around the circle she asked him to canter again. He kept trotting. Suzi thought “Well, he’s probably a bit distracted by the environment here, and I’m still not sure I gave that aid perfectly”.

So, they went another time around the circle and she asked him to canter again. He kept trotting. Suzi was beginning to feel a bit annoyed and gave him a smack him with her dressage whip. The horse immediately bolted off at top speed, and ran all the way back to the barn with her, coming to a screeching stop in front of the electric fence!

Do you see why he reacted like this? A horse has a strong sense of fairness. Suzi had already told him it was perfectly OK for him to ignore her canter aid. No wonder he was shocked and offended when she smacked him for doing what she had just told him repeatedly it was OK to do.

Suzi thought she was being kind to horse by giving him the benefit of the doubt. In reality she was not being clear about her expectation, and as a result the horse’s understanding suffered. This ended in a scary situation for both herself and her horse. The tap with the whip, had it come immediately after the first ignored canter aid, would have been accepted as a fair correction and most likely resulted in the horse cantering on immediately.

It truly doesn’t matter if your aid is not 100% perfect or 100% the way the horse is used to. What matters most is your clarity. Clarity means that in that moment you know exactly what you want to have happen, and you become quite persistent in making it happen. When it does, be quick to praise him.

The Corollary of Always Be Clear is Always Be Consequent

The best example of Always Be Consequent I can think of is the electric fence. Horses know that if they put their nose on the electric fence, they will receive an unpleasant jolt. It only takes them a few times doing this before they decide that they shouldn’t touch the fence.

Horses don’t resent the fence, or live in terror of it, or worry that the fence will chase them around jolting them unmercifully. They know if they don’t touch the fence, nothing will happen. If they do touch it, they will get shocked. This is black and white and therefore the horse learns it quickly and easily and does not put any pressure on the fence.

And when does it stop working? When we turn the fence off! Don’t “turn your fence” off. Always Be Clear and Always Be Consequent. Then your horse will know and respect his boundaries and will feel safe with you within them.

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Bluebird Lane Jaeger Rocks the Midwest!

by Lori Albrough on November 30th, 2011

I want to extend a great big congratulations to Bluebird Lane Jaeger, his owner Kristin Lee, and his rider Anna Lee, on another extremely successful showing in the Midwest!

At the Midwest Fjord Horse show this year Jaeger was Grand Champion Gelding (for the third year running) and Versatility Champion (a feat he also accomplished in 2009)! And this year he was Reserve Champion Adult High Point (in which he was Champion in 2009 and 2010)!

The Fjord shows in the Midwest are generally the biggest in the country, and Jaeger’s consistently successful showings against a large number of Fjords is testament to both his quality and the wonderful training his owners have given him.

Kristin purchased Jaeger from us as a coming three year old, and she was very clear on what she was looking for. Kristin knew she wanted to show, and she was looking for a young Fjord gelding with balanced, comfortable gaits who was well-suited for sport. After viewing Jaeger’s video, Kristin could see he clearly stood out from other young horses she was considering, and she knew that he was exactly what she was looking for. Kristin purchased Jaeger sight-unseen based on our video and Bluebird Lane’s reputation.

From the moment Jaeger arrived in Minnesota, Kristin has been thrilled with this wonderful gelding, and we have been thrilled with the good care and training she has given him. Kristin’s trainer said he could tell Jaeger was handled very well as a baby since he was so respectful and polite.

I was speaking with Kristin this fall, and she was saying that she was about to take Jaeger up to her cabin for a week with four girlfriends to ride the state forests. They trailer their horses to the parks during the day and stay at the cabin at night. They have a couple of paddocks and picket lines for the horses. Kristin said they always have a great time!

This anecdote reminded me again just how much I love the Fjord breed. The exact same horse can be competitive and successful in the show ring, and then go for a fun week of trail riding in the state forest! A Fjord really can take you anywhere!

Jaeger’s First Placings this year include:

• 1^st – Geldings 6 & Over
• Grand Champion Gelding
• 1^st – Adult Showmanship
• 1^st – Adult Trail
• 1^st – Ride & Drive
• 1^st – Adult English Pleasure
• 1^st – Adult English Equitation
• 1^st – Suitability for Dressage
• 1^st – Hunter Hack
• 1^st – Adult Western Pleasure

Jaeger’s other accomplishments include:

• National Champion (2006): Maiden English Pleasure, Open English Pleasure, Adult Showmanship
• Register of Excellence Award in 2010
• Trail Riding Award (2011)

Congratulations to Bluebird Lane Jaeger and Kristin and Anna Lee! You make us proud.

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Fjords at the Royal Winter Fair

by Lori Albrough on November 6th, 2011

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto is a very big deal. This ten day agricultural exhibition and horse show attracts upwards of 340,000 visitors and is actually the largest combined indoor agricultural fair and international equestrian competition in the whole world!

Going to the Royal each year is tradition among just about everyone I know around here, and many attend not just one day but for two, three, or more days. I was just reading an article in the Corinthian Horse Sport which referred fondly to “the ten days of controlled mayhem that is the Royal”.

RAWF attractions include the horse show which attracts top equestrians in a variety of disciplines who look forward to competing each year at the Royal, as well as all types of livestock, giant vegetables, crafts, dog agility demonstrations, and shopping galore (especially for us equestrians)!

So, I was ever so pleased when last year, for the first time, the Canadian Fjord Horse Association decided to have a booth showcasing the Fjord Horse at the Royal. The Ontario Equestrian Federation runs the Spirit of the Horse at the Royal as an area to highlight the variety of breeds of horses. Here, there are breed demonstrations running all day throughout the fair as well as demos of various services like equine massage, training techniques, saddle fitting, and even an animal communicator.

Last year I rode our mare Bocina (now owned by Alice MacGillivray of Gabriola, BC). This year Russell Brenneman was exhibiting his mare Bluebird Lane Sparrow, and Stefan and I were there to help out in the booth. Sparrow was our first foal, and she is now 13 years old. Boy does time fly by and the babies grow up!

Russell has had a great year with Sparrow, showing her at First Level and getting good scores and ribbons at the Silver dressage shows. Sparrow was a real trooper at the Royal, acting as a patient model in the saddle fitting demo and doing a great job in her three demos a day in the Spirit of the Horse ring. Job well done, Sparrow and Russell!

I put together this gallery of photos from last year with Bocina. It gives you a bit of the flavour of the fair. We were there for the opening three days Friday through Sunday, then we left and another Fjord came in to do the demos for two more days. The opening weekend was especially busy, with lots and lots of visitors. On the Friday we got a lot of school kids. Everyone, one and all, seemed fascinated by Bocina, and we had one of the only two stalls in the Spirit of the Horse with a top door that opened so Bocina could put her head out and let people meet her up close and personal.

Bocina is a daughter of my former top show horse Prisco (now owned and shown by Peggy Spear in WI) and she is not only very beautiful, she is so sweet and has the softest coat ever. There was definitely a lot of love in the air around Bocina’s stall at the Royal.

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