Newsletter

In This Issue Dropping Off.... Openings CLOSED Greetings! It appears spring has gave way to summer heat!  Several of the horses have already been hosed down after a hot day.  Some lucky students have watched Astro's antics: drinking from a bottle and a hose! The arena is complete and students are enjoying it immensely! Please read below for further updates and announcements. Sincerely, Loretta Arey 20/20 Horsemanship Dropping Off/Picking Up When arriving for your lesson, please do not walk into the barn area unless told to do so by me.  Several people have walked through looking for me, and have scared the horses.  It is NOT safe to be in the barn area without me.  If you do not see me, please call out for me.   Some students have my consent to walk into the barn area.  I ask them to make sure to announce themselves to the horses BEFORE rounding the corner. When picking up your child, please wait for us outside of the barn area.  Again, it is not safe to enter the barn.  If we are in the arena, please walk BEHIND the barn to view the lesson in the arena.   Parents and care givers:  Please do NOT come into the barn when picking up your child.  Your child needs my full attention.  If you have on sandals, and my horse spooks, you could end up missing a toe.  I cannot keep your child safe if I am preoccupied with what you are doing.  Openings Wed., June 1 @11:30am & 3pm Sun., June 5 @12:15pm Mon., June 6@10am Fri., June 10 @2:30pm Closings I will be away for the Memorial Day weekend. There are NO lessons Sat-Mon. May 28-May 30. Arena Etiquette Please do not lean, climb or hang on the arena fencing.     As always, I thank each and every one of you for the time spent teaching with you or your child.  I am always learning and growing from teaching my clients.

Loretta the natural horseman clear communication/visible results

Rescued Horses

Hello Everyone,

During the next few days the York County SPCA will be removing 22 neglected and starved horses from a farm in Southern York County. Another 16 horses, including pregnant mares and foals are expected to follow. These horses are mostly registered thoroughbreds and crosses are were kept at a farm that was supposed to be a legitimate horse rescue. The SPCA's budget for things such as this won't even come close to covering the veterinary and rehabilitative costs these animals will rack up over the next few months. 


Please find it in your hearts to send a small donation of money, grain, or hay to the York County SPCA at the address below to help the horses recover and find new homes. The SPCA may also need volunteers to groom and handle the horses. Please contact them if you are interested.

Please send your donations to the York County SPCA, 3159 Susquehana Trail North, York, PA 17406, 717-764-6109

Its up to responsible horse owners like us to make a difference in cases like this. Please make sure you mark your checks specifically for the rescued horses.








Loretta 
 the natural horseman
 clear communication/visible results

Horse show in Great Falls

1st Annual Great Falls Horse Show at Turner Farm
925 Springvale Road, Great Falls, Va  22066


Saturday, June 25, 2011 at 8 am


VHSA Associate Show
Judges – Lisa Hammerschmidt – Ring I
Karen Washburn – Ring II
Show Manager/Course Designer: Mychelle DeWoolfson
Day of Show Telephone Number – 703-338-7369
Before Show Information - mychelledewoolfson@yahoo.com


Directions:  Turner Farm is located at the intersection of 
Georgetown Pike (Route 193) and Springvale Road (Route 
674) in Great Falls, Virginia. The park entrance is on 
Springvale Road.
Sponsored by The Saddlery, Inc, Great Falls, Va
Refreshments on the grounds by Le Grand AppetitRing I


1-Working Hunter on the flat
2-Working Hunter over fences-2’6”, 2’9”
3-Working Hunter over fences-2’6”, 2’9”
4-Green Horse on the flat (1st or 2nd year)
5-Green Horse over fences-2’3”, 2’6”
6-Green Horse over fences-2’3”, 2’6”
7-VHSA Junior/Adult Medal -2’6”
8-Junior/Amateurs on the flat- 2’6”, 2’9”
9-Junior/Amateurs over fences - 2’6”, 2’9”
10-Junior/Amateurs over fences- 2’6” - 2’9”
11-Pleasure Walk Trot:  Apollo
12-Pleasure Walk Trot Canter:  Apollo
13-Pleasure over fences – 2 - 2’ fences
14-VHSA Pony Medal, S/M - 2’, L - 2’6”
15-Pony Hunter on the flat : Apollo
16-Pony Hunter over fences, S/M - 2’, L - 2’6”
17-Pony Hunter over fences, S/M - 2’, L - 2’6”
18-Green Pony on the flat (1st year): Astro
19-Green Pony over fences, S/M - 2’, L - 2’6”
20-Green Pony over fences, S/M - 2’, L - 2’6”
21-VHSA Short Stirrup Equitation on the flat: Apollo
22-VHSA Short Stirrup over fences, 2’
23-VHSA Short Stirrup over fences, 2’


This show is a fundraiser for Turner Farm Park, 
and the proceeds will go to the Fairfax County 
Park Authority to maintain and enhance Turner 
Farm Park.


Ring II


24-Lead Line 100% equitation (10 and under):Piero
25-Lead Line 100% pony: Piero
26-Lead Line 50% equitation and pony: Piero
27-Pre-Short Stirrup W,T (12 and under): Piero
28-Pre-Short Stirrup W,T individual canter
29-Pre-Short Stirrup over fences, 4 fences/18”
30-Long Stirrup on the flat (all ages): Apollo if not in other ring
31-Long Stirrup over fences, 4 fences/18” 
32-Long Stirrup over fences/4 fences/18”


All day schooling in Ring II as soon as Long Stirrup 
is completed.  California Warm-up available all day."


Sponsors:
Plants provided by American Plants on Georgetown 
Pike, please patronize them!
Stoneridge Farm






Rules and Regulations


Office Fee: A $10.00 Office Fee will be charged per horse/pony.
Class Specifications: Every class offered herein, covered by the rules and 
regulations of the current VHSA Rule Book, will be conducted and judged 
accordingly. The Judge’s decisions are always final.


Entry Fees: $15.00 per class, including California Warm-up.  VHSA Medal Class 
$25/class.  Best Child Rider, $5.00.


Schooling: Schooling will be permitted only in designated schooling areas.  
Schooling available from 6:00 am to 7:30 am prior to the show.


Coggins Test:  All exhibitors must present a Negative Coggins Test report taken 
within one year on each animal exhibited.


Awards: Six ribbons per class.  Champion and Reserve in Working Hunter, Green 
Horse, Junior/Amateurs , Pleasure, Pony Hunters, Green Pony Hunters, Lead 
Line, Pre-Short Stirrup, and Long Stirrup.  Points scored 5,3,2,1 for VHSA 
Associate award programs.


Responsibilities: Mychelle DeWoolfson, Turner Farm Park and Fairfax County 
Park Service, their officials and employees will not be responsible for any 
accident, or loss, which may occur to any exhibitor, spectator, rider, guest, 
groom attendant, or other employee, animal or equipment at the show.  The show 
reserves the right to decline or accept any entry and return any entry fees 
before or during the show without being liable for compensation; to change the 
location, combine, cancel, split or limit any classes; or change any officials.
Dogs: All Dogs must be on leashes while on the showgrounds.


VHSA Division Specifications


Open only to regular members of the VHSA.  Riders to compete over a regulation 
equitation course at approximate heights: 3’ for Children’s, Adult Amateur and 
Large Pony, 2’6”, Medium pony, 2’3”, Small pony, 2’. At least ¼ to return for the flat.


Short Stirrup Hunter: Open to horses and ponies ridden by children 12 years and 
under.  Neither riders nor mounts may cross enter into any division where they 
would jump higher than 18”.  Jumps 18”. May trot or canter over fences.  Riders 
limited to not more than 2 mounts in the division.


All Hunter classes to be judged on performance and soundness, with emphasis on 
manners and suitability in  Pony, Children’s and Adult Amateur.  Over fences not to jog.


All equitation classes to be judged on hands, seat, guidance and control.
For membership and Horse Recording forms and information for these 
Associations, see the Show Secretary.  





Loretta the natural horseman clear communication/visible results

Fox Hunting and the Cavalry

Hunt Reports / Articles Extensive Cavalry Knowledge Makes Guide a True Treasure by AERON MACK HYNES, For Middleburg Life (Created: Sunday, December 14, 2008 2:57 PM EST)  A twig snaps nearby, and suddenly he is wide awake, listening. It’s just starting to get light. He quietly peels back his blanket and peers out across the misty fields and nearby woods. One of the horses stomps its foot, and then goes back to snoozing on the picket line. As the mists begin to rise and the birds begin to chatter, he is struck by the beauty of this land. Taking stock of this warm June morning, he gets up and begins to make breakfast for the others. The Virginia cavalry would have slept on this very spot, and Todd Kern wouldn’t have it done any other way. Kern and his group are on an overnight expedition, following in the footsteps of Civil War cavalrymen. Looking around Welbourne Farm and across to Goose Creek, it’s easy to imagine that this is the same view the Virginia and Carolina troops would have seen when they camped here in the mid-1800s. Today, Kern strives to give his groups an historically accurate experience of what it would have been like to be in the Virginia Cavalry of that time, complete with horses in authentic cavalry tack, period dress, and meals of seasonally grown and available food which would have been eaten by the troops. This goes beyond re-enactment; they are living the past. To call Kern a Civil War buff would be like saying Tiger Woods is a pretty good golfer. He is a walking encyclopedia of all things cavalry, specifically of the Civil War era. Growing up near Winchester, his childhood was filled with stories from his father about John Mosby, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. As Kern grew older he read everything there was to read about the Civil War, especially the local history and the cavalry. After college, he worked as a curator and manager for Civil War museums. Already an accomplished horseman, he began to get involved with re-enactments, particularly cavalry re-enactments. But because Kern was so knowledgeable about the history of the period, he became disappointed with the inaccuracies of the events he participated in. He yearned for a more authentic experience, an insight into what the soldiers felt living in the saddle for days or weeks. After more research into what it was really like to "live in the saddle," he started doing his own tours, focusing on a more historically accurate experience. It was around this time that a friend invited Kern to try foxhunting. He was hooked instantly. He began to understand how foxhunting and cavalry were linked, and why many of the major players in the Civil War’s cavalry were avid fox hunters. "Foxhunting and the cavalry have many similarities," says Kern. "You have your advance (the huntsman and hounds), flankers and scouts (whippers-in), main column (first field), logistics (second field or car toppers). You leave from a camp not knowing where you will end up, and one must be able to read terrain and traverse broken country, often at speed. Once the battle is joined (or quarry struck), the action takes on a life of it’s own: spontaneous, fast-paced and covering a lot of ground. You lose people and horses in the fray, and must continue. Foxhunting taught the cavalry officers how to think on their feet, read their opponent, and overcome obstacles on the fly." That "is precisely why many foxhunters became good cavalry officers, such as Richard Henry Dulany, who had formed the Piedmont pack by 1840 and became lieutenant colonel of the 7th Virginia Cavalry in the war," Kern said. Col. Dulany also started the Upperville Colt and Horse Show in 1857, the oldest horse show in America. "Horsemanship was an important part of day-to-day life in the 19th century," says Kern. "The reason the Southern cavalry dominated the northern cavalry early in the war was precisely because the southerners were such experienced horsemen,"Kern continues. "It was very much a horseback society. Between foxhunting, racing and farm work, they knew not only how to ride, but often knew everything about the care and upkeep of their horses. To be in the Confederate cavalry, one had to own and bring one’s own horse. The northern cavalry was at a huge disadvantage because they did not live the same type of lifestyle; their horses were issued to them by the army, and often the men didn’t even know how to ride." Through his work doing reenactments and hosting benefit rides for the Snickersville Turnpike Association, Kern met Nat Morison of Welbourne, and they became fast friends. Morison and his family have not only been here for eight generations, Morison is a direct descendant of Colonel Richard Dulany, and continues to reside in the family’s ancestral home. Through his friendship with Morison, Kern was able to offer his clients an even more authentic, not to mention beautiful, experience at Welbourne. "To see this area on horseback is to really experience it in it’s fullest. This is how life was back then, and to have Nat welcome me so unconditionally made it all the more special. Riding through Welbourne, you can really understand what life was like 150 years ago. This is truly an experience you can’t get anywhere else." Kern offers custom-tailored rides from spring through fall, and will book groups from two to ten people or more. He offers everything from a trail ride along old cavalry haunts ending with a boxed lunch at historic Goose Creek bridge (site of part of the battle of Upperville), to an overnight camp-out with dinner cooked over an open fire, to a weekend package including an overnight stay at Welbourne. Whatever your preference, you can rest assured you will receive a fully authentic and unforgettable experience. Tour costs range from $150 to $750 and up for weekend packages. Participants can bring their own horses, or Kern will provide them. All are guaranteed to be regaled with fascinating stories about the characters of the Civil War at no additional charge. To book a tour or get more information about riding through history, contact Kern at (540) 722-7219, or e-mail him at valhallastables@earthlink.net.

Loretta 
 the natural horseman
 clear communication/visible results

Safety Know-How Test

Safety Know-How Test

Loretta

the natural horseman

clear communication/visible results

Safety Know-How Test

Safety Know-How Test

Loretta

the natural horseman

clear communication/visible results

Rider Fitness: We are athletes, we need to treat ourselves like athletes!

Enjoy!

Amplify’d from www.equisearch.com

Rider Fitness Tip of the Month: Teaching Your Body New Patterns

By Heather Sansom

Exercises to teach your body new patterns to improve your riding.

Do you ever find yourself wishing there was a more direct link between your brain and your body parts?  You know what to do: you’ve studied it, you can see it in other riders, your coach has reminded you a hundred times.  It’s just that the road between what your brain knows, and what your body actually does must be under construction or washed out because your body does not seem to be getting it.  When this happens, riders often exteriorize the problem with statements about how the horse is not doing what he is told.  Most of the time, close observation reveals that the horse is doing what he is told, it just isn’t what the rider thinks.

I just got back from a clinic half way across the country from where I live and normally work.  With 18 riders, it was arguably the largest single clinic day I’ve ever done- and an excellent opportunity to spot some trends.  Riders ranged from early teens to late middle age, and from relative beginners in their discipline, to fairly advanced.  Most were dressage riders, but we had two Western riders, and a former hunter and former Event rider.

Once you are standing in the arena dust working with a horse and rider, it does not seem to matter what corner of the planet you are on: our bodies and brains work the same way.  Our bodies and our horse’s bodies interact the same way, regardless of our discipline or saddle preference because of basic biomechanics.

Observing a sampling of riding abilities as broad as this, condensed into one day has a similar effect on me as my experience scribing at dressage shows.  It’s like a condensed version of the training year (or several years), and a really great opportunity to spot trends and patterns in rider development.  This particular clinic was, well, almost a clinical opportunity in the scientific sense because so many of the common variables affecting riders were not present.  I could eliminate footing, horse quality, saddlefit and cold weather as factors.  All the riders had horses with acceptable conformation for the task, had gone through saddlefitting, rode on a nice surface in a well heated arena.

An Equifitt clinic is a little different than a standard riding clinic in that instead of focusing on the horse’s training through the rider, the focus is on the way the riders’ bodies are going and influencing their horses movement.  As you know, the interaction between the rider and horse can be influenced negatively by poor saddle construction or fit.  When analyzing a rider’s posture and body usage, poor saddle fit can throw the analysis off.  In this particular clinic, I had the rare opportunity to work with riders who had all gone through saddle-fitting, which eliminated saddle fit as a factor affecting their posture and performance.

The coaches and instructors also taught from a well rounded perspective with classical riding principles.  The riders also had frequent exposure to clinic opportunities with international and high performance coaches.  So, what I was watching their bodies do had little to do with the instruction quality or access to knowledge.  Their ears were hearing the right things, and their saddles were putting them in the right position to ride correctly.   The footing was excellent, peers were supportive, horses had appropriate conformation for the work, and the arena was heated so not even cold weather, horse suitability or footing could be blamed for the various compensating patterns and biomechanic inefficiencies I was observing.  There were simply gaps between will and execution.

We carry the body we have into our ride.  In the September issue of Dressage Today, Charles de Kunffy said that the horse cannot go better than the rider will allow.  The rider’s body can block or allow the horse- or even more hopefully, lead the horse to better movement than he would do on his own naturally.   The rider detracts or helps the horse through posture, stamina and strength, tightness/joint mobility, and body usage (movement patterns).

Body usage is a simplified way to talk about kinesthetic abilities of proprioception and muscle recruitment and movement patterns.  Proprioception is like perception, but related to your sense of where you are in space.  You could simply call it body awareness.  High level athletes typically have a very high natural proprioceptive ability, but it is something that can be improved through training.

People who practice ball sports have a high degree of proprioception which allows them to move their bodies in relation to the game object very precisely.  Conditioning coaches for these sports develop exercises to improve foot or hand and eye co-ordination.  Gymnastics and skate are two other sports that require a high degree of proprioception.  From a rider’s perspective, proprioception means knowing not only where your body parts are (seat, limbs), but also where they are relative to the horse (a calf a hair behind the girth, a seat bone moving in the upward half of the elliptical cycle following your horse’s hind leg motion).  Your degree of proprioception has a very big impact on your effectiveness as a rider.

Firing patterns, or movement and recruitment patterns, are what your body does in response to or in pro-active leadership of your horse’s movement.   As you can appreciate when you try and execute a movement that is difficult for you, there is much more to achieving the result you want than the actual aids.  It’s how you get your body into and out of position, and the side effects of whether you do so efficiently (soft, supple and accurate) or inefficiently (unclear to the horse, tensing other areas).  An example could be the way a very talented rider seems to naturally do everything from the core, vs an amateur rider that tends to ride from seat and legs.  Unless they have training in dance, martial arts or pilates, or are an advanced athlete in another sport, many riders initiate signals from legs and hands without core engagement.

Proprioception and firing patterns are often at the basis of a disconnect between will and execution.  An example could be the rider who is sitting a trot to the right, and the horse is having difficulty bending.  The rider is not conscious of the fact that their pelvis is actually pointing off the circle to the left.  This is a proprioceptive issue.   What the rider does to correct a problem could show an inefficient movement pattern.  For example, a rider with a twist in the hip will likely have oblique muscles which are weaker on one side than the other.  The rider feels straight.  When they go to adjust, they may have difficult simply adjusting the hips because the connection to the weak muscle area is weak.  The muscle does not turn on the way it should.  So the rider will frequently try to achieve the desired result through a compensating pattern such as adjustment of the shoulders instead.

Heather Sansom is the author of rider fitness ebooks Complete Core Workout for Rider, and a regular columnist in several equestrian publications including Dressage Today. Equifitt.com offers personalized coaching through clinics and convenient online coaching available anywhere. Clinics available include fitness, yoga and fitness, and sport-psychology and fitness. You can get a free subscription to monthly rider fit tips, or download the ebooks at Equifitt.com. Read more at www.equisearch.com

 

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Current Newsletter

In This Issue Availability Arena Update Summer Camp Naturally Safe Horsemanship Program Quick Links Our Amazon Store Purchase your own 20/20 Horsemanship t-shirt or mug today! Greetings! Hello and welcome to our newest addition of the newsletter.   Congratulations to Jensa for joining the NSHP!   There will be a grand opening celebration in honor of the new arena.  Stay tuned for the details. Welcome to new students Emmy and Angela! Bring to class..... A list of at least 3 things you did not know about horses, horsemanship or riding, before you started riding here. I will post the lists in the next newsletter.  The person with the most items will receive a t-shirt. Sincerely, Loretta Arey 20/20 Horsemanship Availability Monday May 16 @5pm Tuesday, May 17 @6pm Wednesday, May 18 @ noon & 3pm Arena Update The new arena is coming along and should be completed within the next couple of days!  This is very exciting and I am thrilled to share this with my students.   Summer Camp I have extended the registration deadline for camp.  Please let me know if you are attending before June 1, 2011.  There are still openings each week, so register now! July 11-15 10yrs and up  9am-2pm July 18-22 5-7 yr olds      9am-1pm July 25-29 8 & 9 yr olds   9am-1:30pm Naturally Safe Horsemanship Program (NSHP) The new programs are under way!  This is a wonderful opportunity for the more serious equestrian to enhance their skills.  Important update:  ALL participants receive an additional 15 minutes of activity added to the end of their lesson. One way this time will be spent is to give the student the opportunity to assist in teaching the next student, thereby learning through teaching.  Please schedule pick up accordingly. Warmer weather is upon is! The days have been quite lovely for all things horsey, finally!  We have long been waiting for this time.  Now that it is getting warmer, all riders need to allow for time to cool their horse (or pony) down after their lesson.  This means taking off their tack, brushing them and allowing them to move around while hand grazing.   This is PART OF GOOD HORSEMANSHIP.  Please allow for this extra time and schedule other activities accordingly.  If you do not have time at the end of your lesson to do this, then the last 10 minutes of your lesson will be spent cooling off your mount.   As a good trainer friend of mine says, "If you don't have 15 minutes at the end of your lesson to properly thank your horse, then you don't have time to ride." Note to parents:  I know everyone is busy, however this truly is an important aspect of your child's learning experience. Please see me if you have any questions or concerns. A word about trail riding Parents: This is for you With the nice weather here everyone wants to enjoy the time with their horse friends.  I have been able to take some of my advanced students out on the trails and they've enjoyed it immensely.  Many people are asking when they too can go out on a trail, a very valid question!  Here's my philosophy: My horses and ponies are not automatic trail animals.  They have to be ridden.  Period.  Piero, for example, is a VERY safe pony.  However, ponies can be unpredictable.  I need to know that you or your child can handle yourself properly in case of an emergency on the trail.   An emergency being if the horse or pony spooks, jumps sideways, suddenly stops and spins, or the worst, runs off.  In the case of a run away, you need physical strength to perform the emergency one rein stop that I teach everyone.  An 8 year old child is not capable of that.  Period.    In order to automatically do the right thing in this situation you cannot take the time to think about it.  Your body just has to perform the moves without thought, an automatic response. So, how do I know if you are ready? Here are some things I look for: Can you ride at a walk around the arena while standing? Can you walk around the arena by yourself, halt, and walk again, off lead? Are you trotting yet? Are you trotting off lead line? Can you post to the trot without losing balance? A student not yet proficient at trotting is not safe on the trail.  Please understand, it is a BIG, wide open space.  You need to be comfortable because often the horse will attempt to trot home and you need to be able to control his speed.  I teach only one child capable of trail riding and she's been riding for 6 years.  She spent the first 3 on a lunge line developing her seat.  I am not being a prude about this.  I am protecting your children.  This is a dangerous activity and it is my job to eliminate unnecessary risks.  Are there places that allow children to trail ride?  Sure there are.  There are also places that teach trotting before they have control, cantering before they can trot correctly, and jumping before they have a good seat at the canter. These same people do not know what it is when a horse cocks their leg or licks and chews. They do not know how to properly catch a horse or say hello.   You will not find that here.  I am proud to offer horsemanship skills and will teach everyone how to be a safe trail rider, when they are ready, in their own time.

Loretta
 the natural horseman
clear communication/visible results