A Pictorial View of my first clinic (LONG!)

So last friday night was my first ever clinic.  It was pretty good.  There were 50 people that had RSVP'd, and I think we probably had close to that show up.  I was busy all day cleaning up the girls, trimming bridle paths, and scrubbing them till they sparkled.  It was definitely a long day for me, but it was awesome.  The pictures below should pretty much lay out what happened at the clinic.  It will almost be like you were there!  Just be a little considerate of how funny I look in many of the pictures.  Most shots were snapped while I was talking and explaining things, so I look rather funny.

 

 Things started with an introduction.  I introduced myself, and learned quickly that I didn't need a mic, because I have a loud voice.

 After introducing myself, I introduced the girls.  I had Rachel up front, and I used her to introduce the group to the Belgian Breed.  She's a very capable model and she sure looked good for the event.  Pat Chase walked Rachel around for me.

 

Next came an introduction to the collar/hames style harness.  I used my pretty nylon harness for this.

I tried to be as photogenic as Rachel was

Questions before we harness up Rachel?

Up Next ... Harnessing Rachel  (Isn't she a gorgeous model?)  Pat was a great extra set of hands!

Collar on, making front adjustments

Explaining about the harness

Adjusting the speider and breeching

Putting on the bridle

And here she is, a harnessed horse

Next was ground driving.  I did a lap of example, and then my friend Yvonne took the lines.  Yvonne is a lifelong horse person, but has never driven.  She got to try everything I did after I showed her what to do.

More Ground driving

And more ground driving.

After ground driving, I set up to pull a tire around the arena.  Jodi Fry did great at holding the lines for me while I got set up.

Explaining the single tree and how it works

Starting to work

More tire pulling

More tire pulling

Yvonne demonstrating the tire pull

Next thing to do is hook up a sled.  I hooked the sled up.

 

Next I gave a few instructions and then drove the sled around.  This was followed by Yvonne demonstrating the sled.

At this point, I told the audience we could either talk about team ground driving, or I could hitch up the wagon.  We decided on the wagon, and hitched up.  Roger Barnes, Pat Chase, and Mike Featherstone helped so we got it done quickly.

I then showed how to walk the horse with a wagon so they can get used to the sounds and noises it makes.

Next I hopped inside the wagon and drove around myself.

After that, it was time to take all the kids there for a wagon ride.  They were very excited about that.

More of the kids,

And more of the kids,

And more.  This kind of ride is the best in my opinion.  The joy of children is awesome to behold.

After the kids were done, I offered to let anyone in the crowd who wanted to drive the wagon have a go at it.  I had a few takers on that, and made some good friends out of it.  SUCCESS!  The clinic went well.

One of my favorite parts of the clinic was seeing all the teamster friends I've made.  Chuck, Roger, Pat, and Jodi were all there.  I also met a friend Jerry from my yahoo group.  It was great to get all together and chat.  I get the feeling we'll be trying to get together again soon.  Always fun when you get together with people who share the same interests and hobbies.

I have to give a special thanks to my wife, and my teamster friends for helping to make this event happen.  A big thank you to Connie Pitkin for letting us use her covered arena.  Thanks also to my riding club, the easy rider saddle club, for providing the food and for getting so many people there.  I'd definitely do this again if given the opportunity. 

Picture of Rachel from the clinic

Just thought I'd share this.  She's an amazing horse and really showed off the breed well.

Line adjustment and coming around

My girls.  Notice the letters I added to their blinders.

This last saturday, I got up at 5:45 AM and worked the girls for the first few hours of daylight.  This is the only way to beat the summer heat.  It was still 80 degrees, but at least it wasn't 100.  If you recall my previous blog, I was looking into line adjustment.  I found an article on rural heritage that talked about how to adjust your team lines.  (Link Here)  It basically said that for a 36 inch tree you should adjust your team lines so that your check line is 8 inches shorter than the outside line.  He said that for a 42 inch tree, you should adjust the checkline out one more hole on the line.  I got out a tape measure and did this.  Turns out that for 8 inches of difference, I was on the hole closest to me.  My tree is 42 inches, so I adjusted it out one more.  I was pretty happy with this.  Pam and Rachel did very well on it, so I was very pleased.

When I posted about what driving commands I use, Jim asked a very good question that I hadn't thought of.  How do you train a horse to come around?  It is a sidepassing motion, but not completely.  The movement is more like the horse is the minute hand on a clock, and the wagon stays right in the middle.  So how do you train this?  I tried on both Rachel and Pam both individually, and it's a tough on.  Both girls did not want to move their back end, they wanted to pivot on their rear feet and just turn the front end.  What I was doing was giving a little more pressure on the inside of the turn, and keeping tension on the outside line as well.  I was trying to communicate that I wanted them to turn, but that I didn't want them walking forward to do it.  They were slightly catching on, but the most I could get was one step on the rear end, and that was from Pam.  Rachel struggled grasping the concept.

There has to be a better way to teach that.  My friend Pat has some Cathy Zahm vhs movies, and I'm going to borrow them.  He says she covers it pretty well.  In the meantime Jim, I'm not sure what the answer is.  I'm definitley going to figure it out though.  I haven't done that manuever since I had Lily, and she was already trained so that the minute you said "come around" she just did it.  She was trained so well!  Remembering this kind of thing really strikes the heart strings for me and makes me remember the wonderful things I miss on my wonderful horse.

I should also note that the farrier I use is AWESOME!  His trim on Rachel's rear foot is doing a perfect job.  She is carrying her weight on her frog like he wanted.  This means that her tender sole and hoof wall where the abscess was is growing out great.  I'm very happy with it and hopefully Rachel will be crossing rock roads without wincing in pain soon!

After I worked the girls, I hosed them down and let them dry, then I fly sprayed them.  I actually got a few pics, so enjoy.

A shimmering wet Rachel

A nice clean Pam

Driving Commands

So I am writing up some things to get ready for this clinic, and I compiled a list of all the commands I use.  I figured I would post it here, just so anyone else can see what I use.

Driving Commands


Step Up (may accompany with clicks) – move from stop to a walk.

Get Up – used in team driving to get one horse to step up and pull evenly with the other horse.

Trot Up (may accompany with kisses) – move from walk to a trot

Walk – move from trot to walk

Whoa – stop

Gee – turn right

Haw – turn left

Come Around – sidepass to the right or left

Back – back up

Easy – stand and be still; I also use this anytime I feel a horse is getting a bit anxious and needs to relax.



*NOTE – I always begin any driving command (except Easy) with the horse’s name. This lets my horse know that I am talking to it. This will help your horse not queue off any other person who might be saying those words. (Example: Rachel, Step Up; Rachel Gee; Rachel Whoa)

Clinic Attendance

So my clinic is next friday.  We're trying to get a headcount on how many people to plan for, so if anyone reading this would like to come, please let me know.  Thanks in advance! 

Link to clinic information is HERE:  http://thegreenteamster.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-first-clinic.html

Summer update

It's HOT!  I really hate summer.  Not only is it way to hot to find any joy in being outside, but I feel bad working the girls because they're already sweating before I even attach a halter.  I find myself waiting for storm systems and trying to get a few minutes before the rain hits or after if its not muddy.  Needless to say ... the girls have been getting a break.

For Rachel this is a good thing.  I had the farrier out, and he cut away a lot of dead frog and dead hoof on her rear left hoof (the one that had the bad abscess a few months back).  he's really good at what he does, and had to trim her to get her weight to distribute onto parts of the hoof that aren't tender from that abscess.  I was pretty shocked when I saw how much of her hoof was dead and regrowing.  He told me that she needs to grow out and that until she does, I shouldn't work her hard.  He said pulling something light in dirt is okay, but do NOT take her on rocks or on the road.  So it looks like we get to play the waiting game for Rachel to grow out enough so that I can work her again.

Pam is busy being as sweet as ever.  Giving her a job has been an awesome thing for her.  I have found now more than ever that she comes right up to me when I call her, even if I'm holding the halter.  It's very nice.  We got some blood drawn today for a pregnancy test and so within a few days I'll know if next march we're expecting.  Very cool!

I've been slowly starting to prepare for the clinic next friday night.  I was expecting the clinic to be a small thing with a group of friends from the riding club, but it got advertised pretty well, including an article and picture in the company email news.  With free pizza and prizes, I'm thinking we may have a few more people than I thought.  I'm really looking forward to it though.  Most of my teamster friends here are going to be there, so it'll be kind of cool just to have us all meet up.  Pat, Jodi, Chuck, and Roger are all willing to help and have offered me any of their resources I need.  I'm very grateful to have such good friends.  I'm pretty sure that teamsters are a cut above the rest.  Most horse people I've met will gladly give you the shirt off their back; but a teamster will give you their shirt and a harness for your horse too.  :)  I am very blessed to have such good friends.

I ended up not doing the parade on July 4th.  Roger offered a horse and wagon to drive, but a local red dirt country band I play the drums for was playing a show up on Lake Texoma that night.  We ended up having a practice that day at noon, so I figured it was probably best if I didn't rush up and rush back.  In my experience, I've found that Horse + Rush = frustration and trouble.

I've been looking for bits online and all I can say is that the 3 slotted liverpool straight bit (for buckle lines) is a VERY popular bit and hard to find cheap.  I need one so that I'll have 2 and can use them on both the girls.  I've been scouring the web and can find them for 45+shipping.  I found them on ebay for 35, but by the time I clicked the buy button, they were already sold out.  Like I said ... popular bit!  I did buy one liverpool with the two round openings for snap or buckle lines.  That one will go on my nice looking single nylon harness, which makes sense since my single driving lines have a snap.  The slotted bits will go on the team harness.

That's about it for me.  Not much going on, just trying to beat the heat and get ready for the clinic next week.

I think I should take a moment and brag on my friend Pat's colt again.  I went over the other night to pick up some hay and give Pat a line drop I got for him as a present.  He had his mares and colts up and I got to see Ace again.  Wow is that little guy put together well.  He holds his head almost like a swan.  Head way up, and nose down a bit.  His shoulder line is awesome, and his feet and pasterns look awesome.  Pat is going to try to show him in the upcoming Oklahoma State Fair.  I'll probably see if I can't tag along for it.  Usually the weanling winners are born in January, so Ace has a 2 month disadvantage there, but Pat figures by the time he gets to the yearling shows, he'll have no problem holding his own.  He's beautiful to look at and really shows off the Belgian breed well.  Great job on a great colt Pat!

More teamwork

I tell you what ... having a nice storm system swirling about all week has been so awesome.  I've played with my horses almost every night.  I'm real happy about that.

Last night was teamwork night.  2 horses, one sled, 2 hours of work.

The highlight of the evening was to see that both horses are actually beginning to see that they are workhorses.  Let me explain.  It's one thing for a horse to tolerate a harness and then do what you say, and another for a horse to know that when the harness is on, they are gonna work and actually look forward to it.  Rachel is changing right before my eyes and it's awesome.  I always put her collar on by just sliding it over her head and down her neck.  Up until this week she kind of mildly tolerated it.  This week she is actually pushing her head through.  I just hold the collar up over her nose and she does what she can to get it on.  She knows where it goes and seems to want it on. 

Also, the last few nights, she has surpassed Pam in wanting to pull.  Rachel has been a constant step ahead of Pam the last few nights.  This is different from Monday night when Pam was a step ahead.  I find myself getting after Pam to step up, and then when Pam does do a quick step to get even with Rachel, I have to make sure to hold Rachel back so she doesn't just break into a trot to stay ahead.

Last night the girls seemed very full of energy and so I did lots of trotting with them.  This is good because it let's us work on the "trot up" command I'm trying to ingrain in them.  I was real impressed though.  Both girls seemed to have no problem and I didn't have to get on them about wanting to stop either.  Great progress.

The lowlight is my rein control.  I'm not happy with things and need to do some research and try and get it to where I feel like I have more control on the lines.  I think the biggest issue was that the girls seemed to not keep a constant relationship next to each other while working.  Pam was always falling a step behind and in the process of stepping up, she would get really close to Rachel, or further away than she should.  They have a yoke on, but sometimes they are 4 inches from each other, and other times they're over a foot away from each other.  This makes it a nightmare to try and keep line tension good.  Rachel seems steady as can be so I want to say that Pam is just not falling in line like she should.  I don't know though.  There were many times when I'd try to turn and I'd get the inside line on one horse with good tension, but there wouldn't be any tension on the outside line of the other horse.

I'm going to look more into team line adjustment.  My current line setup up has me using some spreaders on the inside.  The lines have a few holds where you can adjust the check lines.  I don't know how to know when and what to adjust those to.  I'm going to do some research in that and I'll try some things and let y'all know what I find out.

In other news ... I noticed that Pam is doing the head movements I talked about the other night anytime I stop.  I unhooked the overcheck completely and got way too much head movement.  I hooked it back up but gave her some slack in the line, and she would still lower her head till the overcheck was tight and then jerk it back up.  Is it possible that she just likes the feeling of the twisted wire bit being tight?  As of right now, she looks like she is constantly nodding "YES" when we're stopped. 

I think I'm also going to switch out my 2 twisted wire bits with Liverpool straight shaft bits.  These twisted bits came with the team harness and so I thought I'd try them.  They work okay, but I don't feel like I'm getting the response I want.  Maybe switching bits could help with Pam nodding her head too.  Who knows.

Tomorrow I should be going to Paris Texas to be in a parade.  Due to Rachel's hoof still healing up, I'm not bringing my own horse.  I will most likely drive one of my friend Roger's horses on one of his wagons.  He's got beautiful Belgian horses so I'm sure I won't mind at all.  For more information on Roger, check out his website at http://www.oldtimetransport.com/.

My first clinic.

In July I am putting on a clinic for the riding club I belong to.  They just sent me the flier for it, so I figured I'd post it here.

Easy Rider Horse Club to sponsor a
Horse Driving Demo/Clinic

with Tim Adams

July 23, 2010 – 6PM

Have you ever wished you could do more with your horse than just ride? Would you like to hitch to a wagon, skid some logs, even pull a stuck vehicle out of the mud? Your horse can do these things!! This month Easy Riders Saddle Club member Tim Adams will be doing a driving demonstration/clinic. Tim has been working with Belgian draft horses and is very passionate about all things hitch related. Tim has used his horses for many different things on his farm. He has been in parades and given Christmas wagon rides on Park street in Greenville last year. Tim currently has a team of Belgian horses he is working. Tim is going to cover topics that could enable any horseperson to begin working their horse into other uses, besides riding. Topics to be covered will include: a brief history of the Belgian horse breed, introduction to a work harness (collar/hames style), how to fit a harness to your horse, introduction to ground driving, introduction to using a sled. Tim wants this to be as hands on as possible, and hopes that anyone who wants to try their hand and driving will have the chance.

There is no charge for the demo/clinic and it is open to the public. The arena is covered with a limited amount of seating.

The Demonstration will be held at John & Connie Pitkins Farm at 3915 Old Mill Road, Greenville, TX 75402-5417 at 6pm on July 23, 2010.

The public is welcome.

Free gifts and Pizza will be handed out till gone. If interested, please email Yvonne Gurzell (yvonne.r.gurzell@L-3com.com) or Ann Sides (Ann.Sides@L-3com.com) so we can get a head count. You can also call Yvonne at 443-854-1042 for more information.

Directions to the Pitkins Farm:

From I-30, go south on Hwy 34 for 4.4 miles. Turn left on CR 3318. Go 1.2 miles on CR 3318 and turn left on Old Mill Road. The farm is on your right after you turn. You’ll see a large covered arena.
From L-3, go west on Hwy 1570. Approx. ½ mile turn left on Old Mill Road. Go 2.5 on Old Mill Rd. and you’ll see their place on the left, before you get to a “T” in the road.