Deer Creek Stables Eventing

It’s not all about riding....

January 2012 Issue #1

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Deer CreekStables

January 2012 Issue 1

Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring happy bells across the snow; The year is going, let him go. -Alfred Lord Tennyson

Happy New Year from Deer Creek!

We have a new year ahead of us and old year behind us. Your outlook on the new year changes depending on your particular vintage. If you have been in the barrel awhile things look a bit different, you might be seen more often in a helmet!

We are all trying to advance in our riding skills, the question is always are we moving forward, or standing still? Do you find that you learn something each time you ride or are you just going through the same exercises without improvement? If that is the case, this is a new year and a new start! Take a little time and assess your goals. Reevaluate and clearly define what you want to accomplish.

Me? Personally I’d like to get my heels down, stop drawing my knees up on canter transitions, take more jumping lessons and participate in more shows. There I said it, your turn!

For many of us riding is a release of tension and a way to jump out of the rat race for an hour or two, for others it’s a test of mettle, what you are made of, and what you and your horse can accomplish. For some it comes close to a necessity, like breathing. Where ever you find yourself, know that we are in this together, and there is a certain understanding to be found here.

Horses speak to you. You find solitude in the kind eye of your horse, joy in the three beats of the canter and enlightenment every time you ride. We are drawn together by these magnificent friends of ours. Make the most of this year, asses, learn and accomplish.

Happy New Year and all the best!

Angie,

Deer Creek Stables Eventing

Inside...

1 Welcome Letter

2 Alternative Therapies pt 3

3 Ariel the Oracle/Competition Results

4 Equestrian News

Front CoverThe annual DCS Christmas party hosted at Keri Hamrick’s. The next generation of Eventers cometh...look out!

5 Rider Exercise

6 Transitions/Barn News

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By Elaine Burn

Alternative Treatments: Acupuncture

Part 3 of a 3-Part Series

reaction with finger-tip pressure, Willy really does tell her exactly where he needs relief. I’ve seen him continue to be agitated at the end of a session, nodding his head up and down, until she goes over him again and, sure enough, there is usually one more thing he needs done.

Around 6 months into the treatment, Willy seemed happier and was working at walk, trot and canter, but he still swapped in back both on the ground and under saddle. Dr. Maas observed him one day and saw the “stutter step” that I had seen him make when transitioning down from trot to walk and determined that something was “catching” but that it might not be the patella. It seemed to come from his left hip. Hallelujah! If we weren’t dealing with a patella issue, that was very good news for both Willy and me!

Willy’s treatment that day involved treatment around 4 inches into the hip where it appears he has an old scar. This was not an easy treatment, as Willy was ready to go air-borne when she hit that spot. But, his relief after the treatment was palpable. It was another turning point.

No-one seems to know how this injury might have happened, but it is Dr. Maas’ best guess that he probably did the hind leg “splits” when he was around 2 or 3 years old. If it had been earlier, his bone structure probably would have been affected during those formative growth years. And, he was at the trainer at 3 years old with no visible evidence of any injury, so it must have happened in between.

That same day, another old scar revealed itself on his chest. There had been no depression there before this treatment, but now you could see a distinct “hole”, about the diameter of the end of my thumb and you could feel a hard rib of scar tissue next to it. This is the other amazing thing about what our bodies do in response to an injury, and what acupuncture can do to unravel it. Willy spent almost 3 years compensating for what had to have been a pretty traumatic and painful injury, protecting that left hind leg and causing more strain on the rest of his body while doing so. Relieving the pain and starting the healing process and restoring the flow of “chi” allowed his body to reveal this old scar, probably acquired at the same time as the hip injury. Amazing!

Now we started to make real progress and we were able to put lunging back into his therapy because we no longer had to be concerned about further damaging the

patella ligament, which may never have been involved at all. He started to develop a strong top line and was using himself well in both upward and downward transitions.

But, Willy still seemed to be unhappy anytime we approached his right side, well in front of the hip. His transitions into the right lead canter were very disorganized and he seemed more reluctant to bend and stretch in that direction under saddle than he did to the left. Sure enough, Dr. Maas around a rib head on the right side, which she treated. His next workout saw a huge improvement in the right canter transition, which now looked as good as the left. Another layer off the onion…

Along this journey for Dr. Maas, we’ve employed Chinese herbs that help reduce his discomfort (Body Sore) while his body is going through all the changes needed to heal and rehabilitate. We’ve also had the privilege of having another colleague who specializes in touch therapy and essential oils, and it has been equally amazing to see Willy respond to both. We continue to use Bergamot oil to help reduce his aggressiveness, and Soleskin to stimulate the acupuncture points associated with the liver meridian in between his acupuncture treatments. The liver meridian is associated with anger and aggression in Chinese medicine.

We now have very organized transitions both up and down into trot and canter, both directions, on the lunge line and are starting to reinforce them under saddle with the minimal use of draw reins. While he can still be a little aggravating on the ground with his mouthiness, he does seem to be getting a little better over time. Some time off for a stone bruise this month held up progress a bit but Willy is, at this writing, happier and healthier, thanks to alternative therapies.

So, when we left off last month, Willy had been diagnosed with a possible partial upper fixation of the patella. I did a little on-line research and found several credible case histories utilizing acupuncture. With Dr. Willard’s blessing, and after calling around to my contacts in the alternative equine medicine field, I was referred to Cold River Equine in Joshua where Dr. Gayla Maas treats their clients with acupuncture.

Lucky Willy got to go for his spa treatment at Cold River, which included daily “swims” in what is essentially a treadmill under water for horses. Because their hooves never leave the ground, they’re not really swimming, but they are able to get a good workout with less stress on their joints since much of their weight is held up by the water. And, for Willy, it would encourage the use of his hind legs in a full range of motion.

During my first meeting with Dr. Maas, she shared the news that her acupuncture colleagues find most patella issues actually originate in the hip. And, sure enough, she found Willy to be reactive in the hips as well as pretty much all along his back and even up into his shoulders. She began treating him every 2 weeks, first at Cold River Equine, where he continued to get the hydrotherapy 6 days a week, for the first month. Every treatment saw positive changes in the amount and location of his pain, and improvement in the amount and type of work that he was able to do under saddle.

Before we continue, it’s important to point out that, while acupuncture has been used in treating chronic pain, it is only one of its many benefits. The Chinese believe that pain and other ailments are caused by the lack of good flow of the “chi” and that acupuncture helps the body to repair those channels or “meridians” so the chi can once again flow freely and return us to good health. The results of acupuncture treatments can be seen physically in the reduction or removal of scar tissue, the reduction of stomach acid production, improved endocrine health and more. Explaining exactly how it works is very difficult in Western terms.

When asked how she knows where to put the needles into Willy one day, Dr. Maas responded that “Willy tells me where to put them.” She’s not kidding. As she tests for a

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Ariel the Oracle

Ariel says that all was quiet at the last herd meeting and she has nothing to report this month.

She says that she would love it if someone could find carrot flavored popsicles and bring one out to her.

Even though it’s cold, everyone agrees those guys have it worse...

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Competition Results for DCS Riders

Some of our competition results were incorrect in the December Newsletter. We apologize for any oversights. In the future please email your corrections to deercreekeventing@gmail.com and we will reprint them in the following month’s results. Also, in appreciation of what a good job our riders do in a competitive environment, we will begin reporting the number of starters in a division.

December Newsletter corrections for November competition results:

Holly Hill Recognized Horse Trial

In addition to the Texas Rose recognized Horse Trial in Tyler, TX, Rachel Herod also competed at  Holly Hill, a recognized

horse trial also.  Rachel rode Hors Concours HC, or not for ribbons. It is worthy of mention that her final score would have put her in the top 1/3 out of a class of 19 starters, a very big and competitive class!   

November Fairfield Dressage Schooling Show

Deborah Brown wrote in her corrections and are reprinted (partially) as follows:

Greetings,I have a correction that really needs to be added to the next newsletter. At the last Fairfield Dressage Show, it was incorrectly printed that I won first in training level test 3. This is incorrect ; I won first in both training levels tests 1 & 2. Also, I won Adult High Point Championship!

Thank you,Deborah & Hobby

Jennifer Burk also won High Point on Buddy Smith at 2nd Level Tests 1 & 2.

Stay warm and

keep good

company.....

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Riding Horses is Good For You!

Research commissioned by the British Horse Society (BHS) has proved that regular participation in horse riding is good for human health.

The research, carried out by the University of Brighton in partnership with Plumpton College in East Sussex, U.K., looked into the health and well-being benefits of horse-based sport and leisure. The findings indicated that horse riding and activities associated with horse riding (such as mucking out stalls) expend sufficient energy to be classed as moderate intensity exercise--the level of activity recommended by the British Government/National Health Service that when achieved for 150 minutes per week will help to keep a person healthy.

Other key findings include:

• Evidence shows that regular periods of trot work in a riding session may enhance the energy expended and the associated health benefits;

• Horse riding is especially well-placed to encourage physical activity among women of all ages. Evidence indicates that the vast majority of riders are female, and more than a third (37%) of riders who took part in the survey were above 45 years of age;

• The study found that horse riding stimulates mainly positive psychological feelings; and

• Horse riders are strongly motivated to take part in riding by the sense of well-being they gain from interacting with horses. This important positive psychological interaction with an animal occurs in a very few sports.

Mark Weston, BHS director of access, safety, and welfare, said, "While there was anecdotal evidence available on the physical and psychological well-being and health benefits of horse-based sport and leisure, there was a lack of empirical evidence to support, or challenge, these claims. The results of the survey will provide this empirical evidence."

The full report is available as a PDF download on the BHS website.

USEA Making Jumps Safer

The USEA has committed to making a grant to the USEF to cover the first phase of the study into frangible fence technology being conducted by the University of Kentucky College of Engineering. Eric Grulke, Suzanne Weaver Smith, Katie Kahmann, Michelle Tucker, Ben Matar and John Greenwell are members of the University of Kentucky Engineering Team who will conduct the study which will cover the evaluation of jump designs for improved horse and rider safety with a focus on in-field mechanical testing, analysis and design, materials evaluation and construction cost estimation divided into the following tasks.

1.            Field Testing of Prototype Breakaway Safety Features

2.            Design and Analysis of New Concepts

3.            Materials Evaluation

               Laboratory and field testing of materials contributing to design and to evaluation of concepts constructed with standard materials, foam (Prolog) and other novel materials will be undertaken. Standard testing methods will be used where applicable, but it is anticipated that novel materials may require non-standard testing approaches.

The USEA believes that this is one of the most important projects needing support as it speaks to one of our key guiding principles: the welfare of both horse and rider. “We are working on all types of frangible technology and while it may not prevent a fall, we hope it will minimize the effects of one.” said USEF President and FEI course designer, David O’Connor. “The U.S. has the second largest number of starters in the world and we have long wanted to form a bigger partnership with other countries doing similar studies. It is exciting that the researchers from Britain’s Bristol University, who have been working on these studies for a few years, and researchers from our own University of Kentucky are now able to bounce ideas back and forth about frangible technology as we all work to improve safety.”

The USEA is privileged to announce that upon hearing of this major study, Tom Spalding of SpaldingLabs, the Fly Predator® folks, immediately agreed to make his company the founding corporate donor. “I hope that others will see the immense value in a study such as this and join me in helping the USEA secure the financial support needed to get the job done,” said Tom from his company’s headquarters in Arroyo Grande, California. “Eventing is a truly exciting sport and both horses and riders are amazing athletes.  They deserve our best efforts to insure the courses over which they compete are to the highest safety standard possible. This work should lead to new generation of still challenging, yet much safer, fences that will benefit Eventers and their horses for years to come.” 

This two-year project has a total cost of $160,000. Our immediate goal is to reach $30,000 by April 30th.

See Video of breakaway fence.

Equestrian News

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Rider Exercise

These exercises are taken from livestrong.com

Lunge lessons are not just for beginner, classical schools of riding and training, like the Spanish Riding School, require new riders to work extensively on the lounge line before they are allowed to use reins or stirrups. Riders are also required to periodically return to lunge line work to refine their seat and balance. Lunge lessons are useful for balance, coordination and position while the horse is under the control of an instructor who can regulate pace, rhythm, size of circle and transitions. Riders can focus on different mental and physical conditioning exercises that form the basis for skills necessary to establish confidence for independent riding. Deer Creek trainers are skilled in providing lunge lessons, contact deercreekeventing@gmail.com to schedule an appointment.

BalanceThe purpose of using a lunge line for balance exercises is to prevent a beginner rider from accidentally jerking on a horse's mouth while learning to sit a walk or trot. Start by putting your hands on hips with eyes closed. At a walk, relax the hips and torso to feel the motion of the horse. When comfortable with the horse's gait at a walk, one exercise is to turn completely around in the saddle, first with both legs to one side, swing around to face the tail, then bring both legs to the other side and forward again. Stretching exercises will enhance coordination, such as reaching each hand to the opposite foot, reaching alternate hands to the horse's ears and then tail. By holding arms straight out to sides at shoulder height and twisting the body at 45 degree angles and performing arm circles and shoulder shrugs, you will improve upper body balance and dexterity. The exercises can progress from a walk to a trot.

SeatWhether you are riding western style, for dressage or for jumping, you need a secure, centered and independent seat that keeps you in balance and control of the horse at all times. Sitting with knees up in jockey position is an exercise to feel the seat bones. By holding legs away from the horse's sides at a walk and trot, the hip muscles are stretched, which helps develop a proper seat. Trotting without stirrups is a method of improving your seat and creating a feeling of stability and connection to the saddle. It encourages a deep seat, with the hips moving with the horse, and leg contact. By squeezing your seat bones without leaning or rounding your back, you can learn how to stop a horse with your seat and thigh muscles instead of with the reins. Learning to balance independent of the reins will help you communicate with your horse entirely through your body.

LegsPosting at a trot without stirrups will strengthen your thigh muscles and teach you to move with your horse. Be sure to keep your legs long, heels down and toes pointing straight ahead. Because the horse is naturally bent on the circle on the lunge line, it is easy to check diagonals, with the outside leg going forward as you rise from the saddle. An exercise that can be done at a walk is leg lifting in the saddle. Rotate your thighs inward with your pelvis in a neutral position. Lift your legs directly sideways and up without rotating your thighs outward. Avoid arching your back or tucking in your pelvis. Although hard at first, soon you will be able to get the correct motion and you can repeat the exercise several times. This task is especially useful for putting your lower legs in the correct position.

PostureProper posture while riding depends on supple core muscles in the lower abdomen and strong oblique muscles on either side of your body at waist level. An exercise to tone and strengthen these muscles while finding your center of gravity is to stand up in the stirrups. Do this at a walk, then trot and finally at a canter. When seated in the saddle, it is important to sit tall. Pretend your head is being pulled upward by a string, suggests Complete Rider. Your center of gravity should lie directly over your horse. Imagine that a straight line can be drawn from your ears through your shoulders, over the hips and down to your ankles, perpendicular to the ground. Maintain that alignment as the horse moves forward and into upward and downward transitions. Slouching or pushing the head forward or back will misalign the body and forfeit the positive results of the exercise. Keep your chin up. Looking down affects your posture and balance. Open your chest by trying to touch your shoulder blades together. Try moving your shoulders up, back and then down. Maintaining a proper posture which is centered, aligned and symmetric is difficult and depends upon an instructor recognizing when you are out of position and adjustments need to be made to the head, torso, legs or arms. With practice, a proper posture while riding will become naturally relaxed and balanced.

Special thanks to Braden Anderson for his help with this exercise.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/455254-rider-exercises-on-the-lunge-line-position/

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Transitions

DCS Holds Train the Trainer Class

On Saturday, December 31, 2011, DCS held a half day training class for assistant trainers. Training was led but Jennifer Burk and assisted by Harli Dollinger. Participants were Rachal Herod, Keri Hamrick, Sarah Norris, and Angie Heflin. Amy Haycox morphed from a beginner to an advanced rider through the course of the afternoon. Gunner, Amy’s mount and a true gentleman, was probably wondering what in the world was going on with his rider.

Subjects addressed were horse safety, beginner lessons from start to finish and teaching a beginner cross-rail lesson.

The training was geared toward providing a safe, beneficial lesson for clients, as well as communicating Deer Creek’s unique teaching methods and riding theory.

WelcomeNo new boarders for the month of December....

GoodbyesMoe has a new home with a 16 year old 4-H Club rider in Midlothian. Best wishes for them.

Miss Bea has returned to Conroe, TX to be with her owner. We certainly enjoyed her while she was with us. All the best to Miss Bea and Robin.