The Minesota green Gang!

This is one happy crew, they have waited 6 months for the glorious green stuff!

TWH Stryker the rubber band boy he's so elastic. Cant believe he has not got his legs crossed to get closer as it's not uncommon for him to do so!

TWH Major who has to be on very sparse grass due to his Thyroid.

Love his big old time walking horse head.

TWH April, daughter of Millers Superman, a line I love. My very multi gaited girl!

Quarter horse Lassie who who is 26 this year and have had her since a few months old.

What a great mare she is!

RMH Pretty Boy Floyd falling in love with the MN green!

I did not get a photo of Doodles today but will.

This is my horse

family that are my friends, my healers when life gets hard and my partners in work!

Liz

How NOT to injure Humans and horses with a big stick!

The Teachers

The Student

Link to slide show

http://lizgraves.com/doma_vaquera/index.html

An Adventure in the Art of Doma Vaquera

Learning the Art of Garrocha

Although I have been home several days from my trip to CA to conduct a clinic and treat myself in my favorite pass time of being a student, I have waited even with inquiries, as to how it went. This experience was something I needed to absorb, relive in my mind, practice and relish while being greedy for myself for just a bit. This is the best way I know to express how it made me feel and this was as special as learning from the elephants in Thailand. The best part is I can keep working, learning and strive for better each and every time in that horses are in my daily life and I’m not having much luck finding an elephant on Craig’s List to hone those skills..

This will be a bit long but I so want to share what I think are some important notes and observations on my part in learning this very challenging skill .

I have always had an admiration for those I have seen conduct demonstrations with the Garrocha but never took it seriously as something I would do, remembering how lethal I was to anyone around me in taking baton lessons as a child. The only times I find rhythm and timing in my own body is when astride a horse and was taught from a very small child in applying and refining that but not holding any extra paraphernalia such as a Long stick!

It became a possible reality for me when Dave gave me as a gift for a birthday the DVD “The Art of the Garrocha” John Saint Ryan released 2 years ago. I think Dave knowing John and in that John helped film and produce his saddle fitting video so long ago, brought it closer to me as a possibility. The Instruction of the video was excellent and as one educated as a teacher myself, I saw how John could make this possible for me through his teaching methods. Doing something well and actually being able to teach it are 2 different things, and John did both fabulously.

So my adventure started, and I started with a simple broom handle working on the ground knowing my past experiences of the baton close in my mind and making sure I would not bean a horse in the head first. Eventually I started carrying that broom handle while astride and working at it, and the horses were great in accepting my fake Garrocha, I was just not very good at it myself. The horses were doing better than I was.

So at my age we start thinking of our as I call it “Kick the bucket list” not just bucket list as I’m going to be kicking as I go. On this list was, one day taking lessons from Master John Saint Ryan. That opportunity presented it’s self in scheduling a clinic for Barb and Chris Ryan also being friends as Dave is with John. On the book it went, lessons for myself, I could not believe this was going to happen!

It was time to get a long, real pole to practice with, and practice I did! I now need to purchase a new DVD as I’ve worn my first one out.

So the big day arrived and I had been on a plane all morning and went from a 45 degree temperature here, to 90 degree temperatures at Red Rose Ranch in the desert. So I know, drink water, and drink more water, it’s so dry you don’t sweat, it just evaporates off of you. We did wait till later in the evening till it did cool down a bit and some evening shade had begun. John asked me many questions getting an idea of what I had done so far and where I was , I simply told him I was no ballerina but had been practicing, but not confident I had done so correctly in any way. I was not hitting horses, myself or other people with the Garrocha so that was a pretty important start.

My lessons started with going through all the ground work exercises which was huge in clarifying and refining how one uses our hands to the Garrocha. It was huge in getting step by step instruction repeated as I needed it do learn all the varying hand positions to move and manipulate the Garrocha around yourself and a horse. There are a lot of great close up photos in the above slide show of John demonstrating these very important moves. The Garrocha in no way is a tool in which you manhandle, one must learn to develop a softness and feel for moving and working around the Garrocha , this was a giant part of the lesson I need to learn. It needs to become almost a part of your own body and one has to find the comfort in, which John demonstrated beautifully.

It was time to now get to know the horse I would be riding and start working astride with the Garrocha and I think you could have pulled my jaw out of the sand when I saw what horse he was giving me the honor to use for my lessons! That being his own competition horse, an 8 year old PRE Andalusian Stallion Siroco who is a son of the great Indiano. Magnificent best describes this horse, personable, beautifully mannered and High School trained. The saddle was a traditional Doma Vaquera saddle so you were instantly put into a level pelvis and balanced seat and how very important it is to have that very seat in doing this work. Bracing in stirrups with legs forward is not going to save you when doing this kind of work; one must ride the horse, not ride the saddle.

Siroco was very patient with me as I call it “ finding the horses ears on their sides” as in each horse they can be a bit different and in a short time I found them and everything I asked he did, even when I asked wrong. The slide show tells pretty much the rest of the story as my lessons progressed and the second day when I thought we were finished with the Garrocha work you will see John shared the treat of learning some Doma Vaquera work with his bull cart. Wow, Wow, Wow, it was fabulous, and of course I do not have the skills to do so with a Garrocha yet but I can envision in the future possibility of doing so here at our ranch, just chasing Dave around with the Garrocha, using him as my bull!

Understanding the history and the purpose of this great art really brought its importance into perspective for me as the Garrocha is a tool in working bulls in a real ranch working situation, very dangerous work where man and horse MUST be a team to get the job at hand done and not being killed in the process. It takes a very trained horse and rider, there are no short cuts in being good at this art, you just can’t “cowboy up”, muscle, haul and hack on your horse to do this and that is even in just the Garrocha work in demonstration and show. Softness, feel, timing, rhythm between rider and horse are a must, good equitation has to be in place. It takes dedicated time, practice, patience, and focus, but the right practice over time, poor practice won’t get you there. I also see this as a great application in teaching horses and riders to excel to the higher levels so many strive for.

A final observation is, I learned I can baton, just need a longer one and have to do so on the back of a horse, easy!

I would like to Thank Chris Ryan for working as photographer, something he is such an expert at from his years in the business.

Also thank you to John and Joyce Saint Ryan for their gracious hospitably, in sharing their lovely ranch with me. I will be going back for continued teaching as John is the perfect teacher for me in this art, and life sometimes is just knowing when you find them, and being like a dry sponge and soak it all up and practice. I am one very lucky gal to have had some of the greatest teachers of my time to learn from.

Liz

Copyright 2011

Easter Celebrations!

The Woodpile Horse gang have put in a long hard winter of diligent work and are thrilled to have spring finally here.

Their good friend Blubber Duck just migrated in so they are all getting ready for the big Easter egg hunt on Sunday!

This is my very special non horse family.

Sissy the Gordon Setter, Tony the Australian Shepard,

and the cutest Bunny Boy on the planet Dave.

Fun when they come back all grown up!

Below is" Keeper" who is a half brother to" Joker" who was here earlier this winter.

It was very hard though getting pushed back inside with rain to ride after 3 glorious spring days riding outside.

Keeper was here a couple of years ago as a youngster and now is back just for a little spring tune up and getting him started on his next assignments in his advancement in training.

I grew up owning, training and showing a lot of Appaloosas and they still are one of my favorite breeds, I love the brains they have, smart, athletic, fast learners. I've just found them very easy to work with, live with and teach.

Liz

Below is a link to an article on a study done in France on pain related behaviors in horses.

Also pain issues I have found will change herd dynamics as well. A horse in pain will often act as the herd dominate and/or stay farther distanced from the core group in trying not to move or be moved by the other horses in turn being aggressive . When the pain is reduced or removed they can change from being an aggressor in the herd dynamics.

http://aboutthehorse.com/Chronic%20Pain%20and%20Aggression.p

Liz

It's all on our shoulders!

It's spring again and folks are starting to head for their horses and it is sad with every new year I get the tight feeling in my gut knowing what I'm am going to start hearing of tragedies in accidents and sadly deaths.

All to often the horse gets blamed and pays with it's life and it was humans who let the horse down, not the horse that let the human down.

Many different scenario's will be become all to real in the coming season.

Even when we do everything right things can go wrong.

Many will be of horses that have sat all winter and were working well last fall. But understand they have been standing all winter and on what we know as unemployment and have again established strong herd dynamics and we all to often think because we want to ride them now they should willingly do so. This is not alway the case and it is wise to go back and review ground work and establish your old relationship getting them back to work.

Also get them conditioned for the work expected, don't just tack up and head out for 2 hours first ride and expect them not to be sore the next day. It is all to often I see folks year round not ride their horse 6 times all year or just before a big weekend ride of 4-7 hours per day and wonder why their horse got sore or was unsettled. Often we see white marks later with next new seasonal coat growth show up from this too and it's not that the saddle did not fit but the back was not conditioned to carry weight again, hence the back gets sore and white marks from saddles. The horse has not been conditioned to carry it's self in a weight bearing posture.

Sometimes a horse does not want to go back into work as it just says no from having bad experiences it with the rider before and just zoned out then and is not willing to now.

From my own experienced in a case.

I rode a horse that was not mine but had been recently purchased by the new owner after a clinic on a trail ride. I knew where the horse had come from and who had trained it. I was right and it was a well mannered well trained horse and had a great ride.

Knowing the new owner it ran through my mind that this one she could not have messed up already.

1 year later I rode that horse again on a trail ride and it was a mess, scared of everything and would spook and spin, kick out at other horses, it went down pinning me to the ground till it got up and continued on. In one year the wonderful horse had lost all confidence and was fearful of the world and nothing I could do on that ride would fix it. She was a rehab horse that was going to take much training to bring her back. Sad thing was she was sold as a brood mare with the new owners not knowing her new fears and problems believing she was the same horse I had ridden the year before.

Hence my dislike for horse jockeys that are just good marketers and not horseman.

Below is a link to a pdf file on a recent e-mail I shared with a new owner of a young horse. The names have been removed as it's not about who people are but the willingness of a good owner to ask the right questions and the value in the information I shared back to help . Just another scenario that can and has thousands of time before taken place.

I love how he later stated he was glad saying he did not listen to his friends as his BS detector was telling him not too.

http://lizgraves.org/rocky_issue.pdf

So in closing here, sometimes those of us that teach are not the most popular of teachers.

OK sometime we receive hackles up just because of what I term the claw factor, jealousies or even just competitions no matter what we say it's not OK ,but about pure individual issues inside themselves and we pay the price through their bad mouthing and slander along the way and they love to bully others into believing they are right, the more followers they get the more they feel empowered in their convictions. Other times folks feel threated by teachers in that they are so honest in delivering information to save your selves and your horses and it's not alway conducive to the fantasy the people want to hear.

Often folks just are willing to do steps A,B, C and are not willing to also do E,F & G hence their failure and then it's our fault.

So just know ,for a good teacher it's not about us, but you, your horse and your success.

Teaching honestly not a popularity contest , it's a service to our communities in which we care deeply about and we care deeply about you!

We don't alway tell you what you want to hear but thats not our job, but it is our job t share what you need to hear weather it's received well or not.

So all be safe this year, use your common sense and don't ever be afraid to get help or ask questions.

Liz

Goings on!

Nancy Jurgensen , RMH Johnny, Tom Leventure

So much going on and some horses have gone home now.

Today Johnny graduated from basic training and went home with his owner Nancy.

Tom finished his training internship and was a delight to teach and have here on a daily basis, Dave and I both enjoyed him.

Sad news it seems everyone that comes here a lot ends up losing weight, so I'm sorry Tom and Eric to for turning you both into skinnier guys.

Teaching astride from Mia the Fell Pony

Thursday was Chiropractor day, so shown is Floyd getting his adjustment.

I really do encourage Chiropractic check ups on horses by quantified Doctors for horses.

Next week it's the hoof trimmer.

This is a Back mapping Tom and I did today on one of the horses. A great tool in learning to see and understand our horses bodies, also to track progress in physical rehabilitation's too.

Liz