Potpourri
Posted: Sat May 27, 2017 8:27 pm
1. I. Klimke states in a recent DT that she only walks on the hills and only canters on flat good footing. So people doing trot and canter on hills seem to be wildly overdoing it, yes?
2. I. Werth, in a recent article in DT, had Otts and Lucky Strike do a tiny trot because he was too extravagant too quickly or something. There or elsewhere, I can't remember, someone said that doing a tiny trot to warm up targets the muscles and not the joints. I have been doing a tiny trot to warm up with my aged aged horse because he seems to benefit from it. I didn't know why it was helpful but the claim it is easy on the joints and targets the muscles seems reasonable. Does anyone else do small trot to warm up?
3. I used to do in hand work before every single ride to warm my horse up. I now usually do large, over the back, on contact walk all over the property (uneven, hilly, etc.). The walking seems better and he is always in the bridle after this work whereas he might not be after the in hand work though the in hand work is done on a type of contact.
4. I was talking to my trainer about balancing on the one hand being over the back and on the other hand with on the forehand. She said she recently dealt with that topic on a horse of hers in a clinic. I had been putting my horse long and low and constantly lengthening the neck in canter but he occasionally fell on the forehand whereas that was never an issue when he was younger. So I was overdoing the lengthening. I think it is sometimes a fine line with an older horse to have them working over the back without throwing them on the forehand. It's a chicken-egg strength issue in my opinion. The horse has to work low to strengthen the back but the back must be strong enough to avoid dumping on the forward.
5. I recently used Lanacane from Walgreens instead of horse wound remedies on a wound that might have have developed proud flesh. Worked like a charm. I think I am done with horse products for wounds and will only use human stuff.
6. My horse developed a small (3-4 mm) hard lump that I assume is a bug bite remnant. Will it go away?
7. I have been feeding alfalfa cubes as a treat. Any problem with this?
Thanks.
2. I. Werth, in a recent article in DT, had Otts and Lucky Strike do a tiny trot because he was too extravagant too quickly or something. There or elsewhere, I can't remember, someone said that doing a tiny trot to warm up targets the muscles and not the joints. I have been doing a tiny trot to warm up with my aged aged horse because he seems to benefit from it. I didn't know why it was helpful but the claim it is easy on the joints and targets the muscles seems reasonable. Does anyone else do small trot to warm up?
3. I used to do in hand work before every single ride to warm my horse up. I now usually do large, over the back, on contact walk all over the property (uneven, hilly, etc.). The walking seems better and he is always in the bridle after this work whereas he might not be after the in hand work though the in hand work is done on a type of contact.
4. I was talking to my trainer about balancing on the one hand being over the back and on the other hand with on the forehand. She said she recently dealt with that topic on a horse of hers in a clinic. I had been putting my horse long and low and constantly lengthening the neck in canter but he occasionally fell on the forehand whereas that was never an issue when he was younger. So I was overdoing the lengthening. I think it is sometimes a fine line with an older horse to have them working over the back without throwing them on the forehand. It's a chicken-egg strength issue in my opinion. The horse has to work low to strengthen the back but the back must be strong enough to avoid dumping on the forward.
5. I recently used Lanacane from Walgreens instead of horse wound remedies on a wound that might have have developed proud flesh. Worked like a charm. I think I am done with horse products for wounds and will only use human stuff.
6. My horse developed a small (3-4 mm) hard lump that I assume is a bug bite remnant. Will it go away?
7. I have been feeding alfalfa cubes as a treat. Any problem with this?
Thanks.
Yes, I have read other bnt's advocate for starting with tiny trot. I don't recall it if was Gal or Carl. I do warmup in tiny trot. My horse even when young was not one to offer a big trot right from the get go. He doesn't care expend extra energy. Doesn't it make sense to warm up in slow gait? Think about it as a human; those of you that exercise or run. When I used to run, I started out slower and gradually as I warmed up my gait lengthened and got faster.
Probably, but it isn't life or soundness threatening so don't sweat it. 
