Horse Skeleton

For those that knew and have asked about the exhumation of the horse Bubba we are going to be rebuild the skeleton of, we did complete the digging today. What we found after 2 years, is that MN is better at preserving than composting.

The body had composted very, very little. We were able to remove some parts on the right side and I will complete the rendering of those. We decided to add some bacterial cultures to help things maybe get better started again and reburied and will try to bring the rest up in a year or 2 more, hoping it does compost down.

I did get my pony finished this spring but will not rebuild as a full skeleton as it's nice compact size makes it easy to use as a teaching aid in separate systems.

Glad our Mothers are not around or they would not have allowed either of us near the house but the dogs thought we smelled and looked wonderful.

Will I have nightmares tonight, yes probably, but it's in the name of education.

This horse I started myself as a youngster and owned until he was 33 years old, so any thing I do find abnormal in damage, I was responsible for and no excuses for that from me. I will hold myself accountable for what I find and learn from it and hope others learn from my mistakes so they do not have to make them on their horses.

Liz

Free to ride in comfort, Thank you Vicky for showing me the way!

Free to be me!

If Vicky from CA can be comfortable enough in her own skin to ride in fancy PJ's and her knitted ski cap, then I discovered I should be able to do the same in my favorite riding clothes!

Ahh the freedom not to be held hostage in wearing:

Silver,

Rhinestones,

Brand name jeans

Sweaty cowboy hats

Chinks

Belt buckles the size of manhole covers

Rag scarves

Yokes on shirts

Name brand riding gloves

Form fitting English britches that make you feel your butt following you!

Freedom, freedom freedom!

Hot New Stable and Ranch Fashions!

Excessive heat warnings today of 110 makes any ranch gal plan for comfort!

Baby Boy Pine opted for the birthday suit !

Happy 4th of July Weekend everyone one, be Safe but have fun too!

A good question & Answer to share.

Below is the link to the post I wrote last year in which the question below comes from.

http://elizabethgraves.blogspot.com/2010/08/working-back-to-front.html

The Question:

Hi Liz,

At David's recco. on the esi forum, I read your blog about collection - I've also attended a talk you gave last spring at equineaffaire, and attended Dave's saddle-fitting seminar in ShadowHills CA in April, before we came east for the summer. Anyway I'm hoping you can answer this question for me (if it's answerable, in words):
You say:"Collection to me is working from the back to the front of a horse.
This when astride means I work from the center of the horse first when asking for it.
By this I must be in a centered, balanced position with an open pelvis and ask the abdominal muscles to lift up to me through my pelvis and leg aids. This in turn raises the loins of the horse , engages the pelvis ,while opening up the hind quarters of the horse to reach well under its self, and raising the spine upward.
This puts the horse in that desired weight bearing posture."
I fully understand , and of course agree with, the philosophy - and the emotion, mental, and also physical preparation we need to give our horses.
My question:
When you say "ask the abdominal muscles to lift up to me through my pelvis and leg aids..." please, could you possibly say a little, just in practical terms, about what the pelvis and legs are actually doing?
I mean if that's possible. Thank you.


The Answer:

I’ll do the best I can, it’s fun stuff and we just had a workshop this past weekend working on this very thing.
In person it’s easier as I can point out the positive and negative results as they occur.
Your pelvis should remain neutral doing nothing if it’s in the proper position it will be level and open. This means NO stirrup pressure. Stirrup pressure tells the spine to drop away. Heels should be level not down or up as these positions also tell the spine to drop away from your pelvis.
If your horse responds well to leg aids I’ll roll my legs on to the horse abdominals ( not Lift or bend the legs upward or back or this shifts the riders pelvis). I softly flex my leg muscles in a feathering motion asking the horse to use its abdominals and lift up to my pelvis. It’s a small squeeze release motion of the legs. If the horse holds its abdominals then I make my legs aids quiet. If the horse does not sustain the body position I ask with the legs, then I again engage leg signals again and continue the process until the horse is clear that when I am on his back I want him to have more muscular tension on his underline than his top line all the time when I am on his back. When you can see a line of demarcation along the horses abdominals you know he is engaging his rear end. In my head I’m thinking the words “ too me , too me” This creates a pulling upward energy from my own body the horse hears my intent and raises to it. From astride one can feel the horse lift up to your pelvis and when your rhythm is in time with the horse it feels

like two toilet plungers stuck together, it’s a hooked together feeling and you flow together in every stride.

Not sure if this helps any but it is hard to describe the feel but easy to say the mechanical aids used to achieve something.
Liz

Woodpile Gang having Identity Crisis!!

An old quote of mine is : Don't humanize your horse,

and your horse will not horselize you!

Another great Quote not mine most are familiar with is:

We fear what we do not know.

It has been my experience that not truly finding a complete understanding what a horse is and what drives it's whole being in instincts, emotions, its purpose known to a horse as a specie and defined as a horse would define it, to you a human may be very different than what we as human have defined it. More often we have defined the horse in terms we understand and can accept but one that horse does not know and thinks very differently than we do.

So often we in what we are get in the way of seeing the horse as it truly is, be it fear, ego, narcissism, jealousy, competition, power, the need for control, so many of the things that drive humans that horses dont understand but are the recipients of in the way we treat, train and interact with them.

When one really learns to understand as best we can in what a horse really is and needs to be, then at that time the door to finding true horsemanship in it's completeness can actually be achieved but this is also a path in looking into our selves and seeing our own weaknesses, yet also learning of our own strengths .

When we see this and learn to see the horse, it will know you see it and accept it for what it is, and work with in those parameters.

The horse will then hear you, and give to you in all it is capable of understanding.

So my Final quote today many have heard me say so many times over the years:

It's not about me, it's about we, you and your horse!

Now the Wood Pile Gang has a one question quiz to help all on their understanding of defining what things truly are!

Woodpile gang question:

What is the Woodpile Gang??????????????

Scroll down to Answer below:

V

V

V

V

V

V

V

A bunch of sticks in the MUD!!!!!

BaaHaa!!

Liz Graves 2011

FREE SADDLE FIT WEBINAR!!!

David Genadek President of About The Horse Inc. Will be conducting a free saddle fit Webinar on line Tuesday June 21,2011 at 7 pm central time.

This is the link for instructions to down load the program to partake in this interactive webinar.

http://aboutthehorse.com/webinarflyer.pdf

This is not a movie or video but a live on-line interactive presentation between all logged in at that time.This is as always with Dave not a selling of product session but one to empower all horse owners with knowledge. It's a great presentation and have your questions ready and notebooks on hand for note taking as the information is vast.

Also here is a link to a short video done for last years Iowa Horse fair that explains what the webinars will cover.

http://youtu.be/pGgrC5chMJg

Time Fly's!!

Baby Luke Little

Baby Luke Big!

7 years ago a client purchased a RMH mare and foal , Monica being the Mare and Luke, 2 months old and had them shipped directly to me from WV. I was to do a riding evaluation and tune up the mare and teach the foal all the baby basic of being touched all over, pick up hooves to clean, tie, halter, lead , etc.

As you can see Baby Luke and I spent much time smoozing it up and I always called him Baby Luke and he is the foal in my Structure videos running around and sniffing up the camera.

Such fond times and memories for me and he is a grandson of RMH Buddy Roe who I had the honor of riding in a halter and lead rope in KY at Carl and Wanda's so long ago now and Buddy Roe has long passed now but Luke brought back so many fond memories as a foal of special days spent in the KY mountains with special folks for me.

I did a clinic recently in Watkins MN and Broken Wheel Farm and one of the participants came up to me and said," I have a horse you may remember". Well upon seeing him I did not and his now owner Dianne told me who he was and the work I had done with him as a foal, my heart just melted for the now big horse I knew as Baby Luke.

When calling home that evening to let Dave know I had arrived safe and well, I told him of Baby Luke and he asked if he remembered me, as it's common most horses I teach do but was sad to tell him that Baby Luke did not.

The next day during a wonderful clinic and during our ground work session as always I pulled out my bottle of lavender to help relax and introduce myself to the horses in a positive way, a tool I have used for over 16 years now. Wow that turned on the light bulb for Baby Luke as at that moment he remembered me!! It was hard to keep him away from me !

To see him so happy, healthy and well with his owner Dianne who did all his saddle work her self and do a great job, while give her new home work to advance his skills such as lateral work. He loved the new work and took to it right off , with my self to be able to ride him and experience him as an adult horse was one of those highlights that sticks for ever. He will always be Baby Luke to me and have a place in my heart!

Liz