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In This Issue
Barn News & Updates
Dressage Training: Arena Exercises for Fun and Problem Solving
Dressage Training: The Swinging Back by Helen Langehanenberg
Horse Care Tip of the Month: 10 Hot Weather Horse Care Tips
Recipe of the Month: Black Bean and Couscous Salad
Paula's Pearls: "Ah Ha!" Moments in Riding
A Little Inspiration
Paula Recommends: Bobbing for Apples and "Horse Popscicles"
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Temecula, CA Show
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Paula and Slipstream (Lucy)
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The Temecula show this year in June was a beautiful weekend with temps in the low 80s and lots of green grass. This show is always fun, offering great prizes and is a well-run venue.
Karen Carns joined our group in May and is rapidly improving her dressage skills with her gelding Bold.
Maren Cochran, with her four-year-old gelding Harry, had another great show scoring in the 70s.
Sherrill Tripp's Slipstream (Lucy) won all four of her classes and performed her first 4th Level Freestyle to a musical compilation of Frank Sinatra songs - it was a hit!
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Sherrill Tripp, Denise Ostrow, Karen Carns, Maren Cochran and Paula Paglia
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Upcoming Western Dressage Clinic with Kristen Whittaker
Contact Paula to reserve your spot for this fall program!
Kristen Whittaker is the owner and trainer at Whit Acres Farm in Norwell, Massachusetts. She began her show career at the age of eleven primarily in the Arabian horse world. She won numerous achievements, and top titles at US and Canadian Nationals, in English and western pleasure as a junior and amateur exhibitor. Kristen went on to become the co-captain of the Stonehill equestrian team in college. Since that time she has developed a strong interest in Horsemanship and using effective communication to enrich her riding skills and training through Western Dressage, Working Equitation, Garrocha, and obstacle work. Kristen continues to enjoy competing in a variety of disciplines including WD, Huntseat Equitation, and at Versatility events. She recently earned a Top 5 and Top 10 in the Level 1 Open division at the 2016 WDAA World Show in Oklahoma.
The Heat is On!
We're extremely busy at the ranch checking on all of the horses SEVERAL times a day and night for signs of overheating or any type of distress. We take every precaution here: fans, misting systems, cool showers, icy towel wraps, apples in water buckets to encourage drinking and more. Here's a reminder of what to look for in your horse that can be a sign of distress:
- An elevated heart rate that does not return to normal in a reasonable period of time;
- Excessive sweating or lack of sweating;
- Temperature that persists above 103°F;
- Depression and/or lethargy - look for staring at the stall wall; and
- Signs of dehydration: dry mucous membranes, poor capillary refill, and poor skin turgor.
If you are concerned that your horse is suffering from heat stroke, call your veterinarian immediately and get your horse into a cooler environment.
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Dressage Training
Arena Exercises for Fun and Problem-Solving
If you've fallen into a riding rut, try our 10 basic arena exercises. They'll have you moving in a whole new direction.
You've got the arena to yourself, so you settle your horse into a nice warm-up jog, moving along the rail. Soon, you reverse, jog in the other direction, circle a few times...and your mind begins to wander. Schooling in circles can be boring-for you and your horse. And if your mind is wandering, chances are, his is too.
Break out of that rail rut with arena exercises that will freshen your workout and your horse's outlook. Use them to ease into your regular training sessions, warm up before your classes at a show, or get the "fresh" out before a trail ride. As you break the monotony, you also improve your horse's responsiveness, suppleness, and muscle tone, plus polish your own horsemanship skills.
The following 10 exercises include options to increase or decrease the level of difficulty and skills required, so you can customize each exercise to your and your horse's level. To add even more interest, combine two or more of the exercises, or make up your own, using the resources in "Don't Stop Now" at the end.
TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THESE EXERCISES:
- Be sure to always ride each exercise in both directions.
- Use your inside leg at the cinch to bend your horse on circles and through turns, and your inside rein to tip his nose in the direction of travel. Use your outside leg just behind the cinch, plus your outside rein against his neck to reinforce his bending. Use your leg at or just behind the cinch and the same-side rein against your horse's neck to ask for lateral movement.
- Work to make your cues as light and subtle as possible.
- Look ahead to where you're going (not down at your horse or at the ground).
1. The Basic 8
How to ride it: Make a figure eight, using the straight line of the center (marked X) to change your horse's bend before heading in the new direction.
Perks for you: Improves your ability to bend your horse, guide him precisely, and keep him straight between your reins ("straight" on a circle, meaning bent to the curve of the circle).
Perks for your horse: Encourages him to bend equally both ways and stay attentive to your steering.
Success tips: Focus on keeping your circles round and equal in size. Pay attention to the amount of rein and leg needed to get the right bend. Add a cone at the arena's center for a visual cue.
Change it up: Keep it simple by staying at a walk and jog. Make it more challenging by varying your speed, changing gaits at X, or riding it at a lope and changing leads at X.
2. Big Circle/ Little Circle
How to ride it: Go down the long side of your arena, making a smallish circle in one corner, then a larger circle in the diagonally opposite corner.
Perks for you: Enhanced ability to bend your horse to varying degrees.
Perks for your horse: Increased suppling thanks to the smaller circle; teaches him to balance on circles of varying sizes.
Success tips: Choose "landmarks" around the arena to help you circle at the right point for the correct size circles.
Change it up: Vary which corners you ride the small and large circles in. Make it more challenging by varying your speed, or lope the large circle and jog the small one.
3. Loopy B
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Dressage Training
The Swinging Back by Helen Langehanenberg
One of Germany's best riders explains the importance of a supple, submissive horse.
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Helen Langehanenberg rides Annabelle, a 9-year-old Holsteiner mare (Conteur/Linaro) owned by Gunther Fielmann. The mare has shown successfully at S level and is ready for Grand Prix.
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When my horse's back is swinging, it is supple and loose and he carries me into his gaits with a swinging rhythm. I'm not sitting on my horse; rather, he allows me to sit into him and into his rhythm.
When a horse's back is not yet supple and loose, the rider feels that she's being thrown out of the saddle. It's difficult to sit and the rider can't swing in the rhythm of the horse. In that case, the hind legs work separately from the middle of the horse and the contact. Sometimes I ride a horse who isn't using his back and hasn't had correct basics. Then I must work the hind legs to send the energy through his back to the bit. In that way, the horse's back becomes the connection between his hind legs and his mouth. I must always feel that connection.
Defining Submission
A submissive horse is one who is supple, loose, happy and reacting on my aids. The whole horse swings, so it's easy to get into his rhythm. The horse's paces go from the hind legs toward the bit, and he carries me. Mentally, my horse is relaxed, but he concentrates on me and waits to see what I want him to do. He enjoys the work so he is willing. When my horse is submissive, he is not separate from me. We are one being.
-From "The Submissive Horse," by Helen Langehanenberg with Beth Baumert,
Dressage Today, June 2010.
Working with a Swinging Back is Easier
When the horse works from the hind legs through his back to the bit, he uses his whole body. So each individual part of the horse has less work to do, which makes the job much easier. On the other hand, when the horse's legs are working under a stiff back, that back cannot take work from the legs, so the legs must work harder. The more the horse is supple and loose, the more he can use his whole body. And the more he uses his whole body, the easier the work.
Developing the swinging back begins with submission. Without submission you will not have a situation in which the whole horse moves together. The submissive horse is supple inside and outside. The horse's body parts all work together and his mind is supple as well.
Transitions to Develop Submission and a Swinging Back
I try to achieve submission and a swinging back with transitions. These transitions develop obedience, change the horse's body position and start to get the horse working between my aids.
Downward Transitions: Trot to Walk
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Horse Care Tip of the Month
10 Hot Weather Horse Care Tips
Summer is a great time to ride, but summer heat can be dangerous for horses, resulting in dehydration, lethargy, and general malaise. Severe heat stress can even cause diarrhea and colic.
In a release issued June 17, Janet Johnston, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVS, an emergency critical care veterinarian at University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's New Bolton Center, offers the following tips to help keep your horse healthy and cool as we approach the first day of summer:
1. Choose cooler turnout times. If your horse has a stall, but is turned out for part of the day, provide turnout during the cooler hours. Overnight is ideal, but if that's not possible, have the horse go outside as early as possible during the day. Remember, the summer heat can also take a toll on the quality of your pasture. You might need to provide additional feed as the grass becomes sparse to maintain proper body condition and energy.
2. Provide shade. If your horse lives outdoors or if he must be outside during the day, provide relief from the sun. A run-in shed is best. Trees are a source of shade, but as the sun moves, so will the shade; ensure that, regardless of the time of day, the trees are offering shade.
3. Move the air. Fans are a great way to help keep the air moving in the barn, but use them wisely. Always ensure that your horse can't get a hold of cords and plugs.
4. Mist your horse. If you are fortunate enough to have a misting system for your horse, use it. As moisture is absorbed from your horse's skin, it will take away some of the heat. Frequent mistings are far more effective than a single dousing with a hose.
5. Provide fresh, cool water and an electrolyte source. Make sure your horse has plenty of fresh, cool water. A bucket hanging on a pasture fence will get warm and the water will no longer be appealing. Left long enough, the water will also become stagnant and unhealthy. If you are providing clean, cool water and your horse doesn't seem to be drinking, then encourage it by providing a salt block, or even by misting hay with salt water. If your horse is sweating a great deal, water laced with electrolytes can help keep its body in balance.
Click here for the rest of the article.
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Recipe of the Month
Black Bean and Couscous Salad
"This is a great salad for a buffet, with interesting textures and southwest flavors combined in one delicious salad. Leftovers store well refrigerated for several days." - Paula
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked couscous
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 8 green onions, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
- 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2 quart or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans and toss to coat.
Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve.
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Change the Way You Ride!
The Unisit Sit Strap System
Guaranteed to teach riders to sit in unison with their horses, this tool improves muscle memory and seat development, consequently enhancing the horse's performance.
Use of this system will bridge the gap between the description of a correct seat and actually feeling it by using a non-verbal, kinesthetic approach.
The Unisit will work for you whether you are a world-class trainer, judge and FEI competitor, an amateur, therapeutic riding instructor, young rider or aspiring upper level athlete.
From Angela Seda-Garvin:
"So I had my 2nd experience today using the Unisit System...all I can tell everyone is that this is a MUST have for every rider! What an amazing device to assist the rider in feeling a correct seat. It helps me SO much!!! A perfect tool for trainers to help their students develop the feel of a correct seat or anyone for that matter that wants to improve their riding. I'm not a beginner and the tactile experience you gain with the Unisit is fantastic. This can and should be used by any level of rider. I felt 100% safe with this on due to all the safety features in place. I can stay out of my horse's way and he can engage his hind end more because I'm not disrupting the movement. Those of you that know me, know I hardly ever post an endorsement for anything....but this hands down is a total game changer for my riding! Thanks Paula Paglia for a great invention!!!"
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Paula's Pearls
"Ah ha!" Moments in Riding
In going from the canter to walk, stabilize your upper body. Organize your canter so that your pelvis swings, not your upper body. Stay on the back of your seat in the saddle. Soft inner rein. Upper body can not swing, only allow your hips to follow the movement.
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Paula Recommends
Bobbing for Apples;
and Frozen Treats
Click on the photo to see Karen Carns' boy Bold drinking and drinking and drinking as he works on eating the apples. A great way to encourage our horses to take in plenty of water!
And, it's easy to make frozen treats. Just fill a tupperware container with water (add electrolytes if you have them!) and stir in your horse's favorite treats. Shredded carrots, chunks of apple or even watermelon. For metabolic horses that can't have those naturally sugary treats, mix in beet pulp pellets. Be sure to freeze a string into it as well so you can hang it for them. Or, you don't need to hang it, you can also float it in their water bucket. The key is to keep these guys hydrated!
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About Paula Paglia
Paula Paglia, owner and head trainer of Paula Paglia Dressage in North Scottsdale, Arizona began her professional training career in 1979. Paula is a USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold Medalist and has been named ADA Rider of the Year numerous times through 2014. Paula has been an integral part of the training and success of her clients. She is credited with creating numerous winning horse and rider combinations through the FEI levels. She has developed Regional Winners and sent many students to the National Junior Young Riders Championships, the North American Young Riders Championships and the National Dressage Seat Equitation Finals.
Formerly the head trainer at Dynamite Dressage, and the head trainer at Los Cedros, she is thrilled to now offer her own niche to her clients: a full educational program based on dressage, developing amateurs, young riders and other professionals to their fullest potential. As owner of Paula Paglia Dressage, she has taken the best of training practices used throughout her career to offer a specialized experience for her clients. She considers her facility to be "heaven for horses." Owning her own facility allows her to cater to every horse's special needs.
Paula has trained with some of the most successful trainers and riders in the world, including Debbie McDonald, Leslie Reid, Christine Traurig, and Conrad Schumacher.
In 1992, Paula began importing warmbloods from Holland, Poland and Germany. Presently, Paula conducts personalized buying trips abroad for her clients, as she has extensive experience selecting and starting young horses and developing them up the levels.
Philosophy
The Paula Paglia Dressage philosophy is to develop a partnership between horse and rider. The well-being of the horse is the primary consideration. Paula evaluates each horse and rider individually and will design a program appropriate to their ability, yet focused on the long-term goals of upper-level classical dressage. Each horse and rider is developed at their own pace, allowing each team to be mentally and physically strong at each level of competition.
Paula believes that a successful training regimen is a logical, step-by-step process that utilized the horse's natural intelligence, his loyalty, his goodwill, and his honesty. A sensible, kind and structured training program will produce a horse with a strong muscle structure and a sharp working mind. Both are necessary to compete at the national and international levels of dressage.
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Paula Paglia Dressage Services
Services
- Boarding/Training
- Lessons
- Showing
- Purchase/Sale
- Clinics
- International Equine Procurement
Amenities
- Regulation arena with premium footing
- Over-sized stalls, cleaned multiple times daily with premium shavings
- Fly misting system and cooling misting system
- Three all-weather turnouts
- Medical, shaded turnout
- Premium hay feed 5x a day
- Personalized grain/supplement feedings 2-3x a day
- Automatic waterers/outside tubs and interior buckets cleaned daily
- Hot water wash racks
- Locked tack rooms
- Laundry rooms
- Blanketing/final night check
- Caveletti course
- Access to Equine Corridor trails
- Regularly scheduled on-site clinics
- Trailering to shows available
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