A lesson in finding the right lesson program for your child!

Ok, so you want to enroll your young aspiring equine professional in a riding lesson program. What should you know and where should you go? Both good questions that I get all the time, hence I’m going to share my thoughts with all (3) of you, but first a little local horse history trivia.
Sonoma County has in excess of 30,000 horses and nearly 50 % of those horses (and ponies), are located in public (versus private) equine facilities. Also of interest (to you), is that horses rank second only to grapes in dollars and cents generated in our Sonoma County Ag Industry. So before you even start to look around just know that our local equine industry is alive and well hence as a consumer you have much to consume from. So don’t be afraid to be discriminant and discriminate against any and all places that don’t meet your needs. Which brings us to the next important question, what exactly are your needs, or in this case your kids needs?
Some questions to ponder are has your young rider ever ridden before and if so, have they ever participated in a structured riding program? Some facilities, like our Howarth Park Intro to Beginning Horsemanship Classes are geared more towards the beginner level rider and have a strong focus on staying safe while learning basic horsemanship and riding skills. Does your young rider have a preference for English or Western? And depending on their age, would they be more comfortable on ponies or horses (we have both)? Utilizing my thirty years of teaching experience I’d like to share my personal professional opinion with you.
I start all of our young riders (ages three and up), in a western saddle. Why, because it offers a little/a lot more security to the young and inexperienced rider. Once they have developed a balanced seat, which can take anywhere from one week to one year, I would then encourage the student to consider focusing on a more specific discipline. If you’re not familiar with either discipline or the difference between English and Western, I would highly encourage you to make a trip into one of our local tack stores that sell saddles and compare the two( very different), types of saddles. The type of saddle you ride in is determined by the type of riding that you do, example jumping versus reining. However, at the beginning of anyone’s riding career, I think it’s best to have more saddle underneath you (western), versus less (English).
Once you have determined what discipline you prefer, I would then recommend that you go out to several of the barns and ranches (Google Santa Rosa riding programs), that provide a youth based riding program and watch a few lessons. See the facility, meet the instructor and look at the horses or ponies that are used in the riding school program. You will need to think about getting your young rider the basic riding attire which should include a USEF approved riding helmet, comfortable riding pants/breeches as well as proper foot attire (boots with a small heel). All programs are different but I would strongly encourage you to find one that places a strong emphasis on safety as well as the fundamentals of riding principles.
In addition to riding skills, hopefully your child will, as do the kids enrolled in our Howarth Park riding program, have the opportunity to learn basic ground skills and ground skill safety. This should include how to groom and saddle as well as safely communicate in and around your horse from the ground. A good riding program will not only be great fun for your child, but will also provide them with great life skill learning opportunity in an authentic learning environment.
For as those of us in the know know, horses make the very best of teachers. They teach us how to give, and receive trust and respect, and open our eyes to the fine art of (non-verbal) communication as they demand that we stay focused and present at all times (no technology allowed). They teach us the true meaning of team work and in the process of processing all of this information they keep us grounded, not a bad place to be, indeed.
I hope that you find this some, if not all of this information helpful. In the event that you should have more questions or need further info, please feel free to go on our website @ http://www.theponyexpressrocks.org/, or email me @pxpress1@gmail.com.
Happy trails :)

How to get a good deal on hay...

Ok, it seems to be pretty quiet out there so I must ask….is anyone listening? Not yet, well hopefully in time someone will. I have faith, and when you do I say thank you from the bottom of my horse’s empty feed buckets. This is a blog that, not unlike Seinfeld which is a show about nothing, is a blog about nothing and everything equine. I’ll admit, I’m not as funny as Jerry but you might still learn something. Why, because I’m the pony lady and for those who don’t me, I’m a self-described cross between Pipi Longstocking and Annie get your gun Oakley, bottom line lots of bad hair days which for those who do know me I cover up with lots of hats.

I know everyone (ok no one), really wants to know what a day in the life of the pony lady is really like… but I’m going to tell you anyway beginning with today. I had a load of hay coming, actually it was supposed to be here yesterday out of Sear’s Point, but the squeeze ( heavy duty tractor with a lift that moves massive amounts of hay at one time), broke down. Shucks, so today is the day. Hay to horses is like gasoline is to cars. You can’t have one without the other and the price fluctuates a lot, and rarely in your favor. I’ve found in the horse industry as in life- that, which goes up seldom goes down. I used to buy my hay from the feed store, which is like buying and paying retail price. But about the time my feed bill exceeded my house payment, I knew I had to do something different. Last winter when we saw the price of a bale of hay (both oat and alfalfa) go from $12.00 a bale to almost $20.00, I knew it was time to make a change or I would have no change left to make.

I began banging on barn doors literally and found the best hay in our area can be found in the Sear’s Point area. But you can’t buy just one bale at a time from the hay growers/brokers. They frown on that. So you have to buy many bales as in a truck and/or trailer load which is anywhere from 10- 12 tons for a truck to 24 tons for a truck and trailer load. Dollars and cents you pay about $150.00 a ton delivered and in doing so save about $50.00 a ton. This is good but if you do the math you still have to come out of pocket about $2,000, and that’s not all. You have to have a place to store all of that hay where it is going to stay both clean and dry so you don’t end up throwing all of your savings away on wet, moldy hay once it starts raining. For a person such as myself that feeds a couple bales a day, not counting the concentrate feed that my older horses require, my feed bill is by far my greatest expense. So savings is just that, money saved which is a good thing when you’re a not quite profitable, non-profit.

Another thing about buying a lot of hay at a time versus a little is you best trust your hay broker to bring you good quality hay. And I do. Charlie White Hay Sales out of Diamond Mountain Stables is the best, as are his guys. So outside of the squeeze accidentally running over my favorite pooch’s paw who was too busy chasing mice out of the hay to notice a larger than life piece of metal coming in her direction, it was a good day. My dog’s foot survived and the hay looks great, red oat is the best. The horses love it and as for a day in my life it was as are all others, much fun to be had by all. So please for any and all who are listening, please continue to do so. And tell your friends and then they can become my friends. The Pony Express does rock, but first we must get rolling. Have a great day, and may the horse be with you. (:

Milo's Story: Save a Horse, Learn to Listen

Milo is a proud and handsome bay gelding. Part Peruvian Paso and part who knows what, he stands tall even though by horse standards he is quite short. One can barely see his arresting brown eyes hidden beneath a mass of wild forelock. They say the eyes tell all and Milo's both beckon and caution one to approach with great care. Once upon a time not too long ago there existed a barn-size chip on Milo's shoulder, one of defiance born from distrust. A nearly impossible burden to bear, Milo retaliated as his attempts to communicate a growing discomfort with his human partners continued to fall on deaf ears and untrained eyes. It was as if no one was listening.
Once a school horse in a beginning riding program, Milo tried in earnest to go along and get along with his newly acquired human herd. The students were eager but lacking in their skills and understanding of the world of horses and horsemanship. They did as all those new to the equine field do. They approached Milo with reckless abandon, uneducated in the fine art of "horse whispering". Alternating between body language that was either too aggressive or too passive, the student's actions, or lack thereof both confused and alienated Milo. Once on his back, though they tried in vain to differentiate between go, stop, left, right; the constant kicking and pulling left the sensitive gelding senseless.
Balancing on his mouth, and out of balance on his back Milo soon grew to fear and resent anyone and anything a human partner stood to represent. His response, once a mild and occasional pinning of the ears and quickening of his pace as if to attempt to literally run out from underneath the uncomfortable burden he was forced to bear, soon transcended into violent outbursts resulting from fear, pain and rapidly growing resentment. It was only when all else failed did Milo resort to bucking, biting, rearing and bolting as if to say "I can't take it anymore. Why is no one listening to me?"
But that was not the message heard by his human herd. Instead Milo was labeled a dangerous horse, uncontrollable and as such no longer suitable for a beginning riding program, or any other type of riding for that matter. Sadly, Milo did not choose this label nor did he deliberately go in search of it. His human partners had betrayed him, broke him and now left him broken, alone, fearful and with his future unknown. The owners of the ranch called the horse brokers and made arrangements to have Milo picked up. He could no longer stay at the riding academy that had been his home for years. Milo would be sent to auction the following week; a place where horses were sold to the highest bidder of the lowest breed of horse buyers. With Milo's future and very life at stake I was called to his rescue.
I barely recognized the once proud equine spirit as he stood motionless in the corner of the dilapidated pen. His head hanging down, his brown eyes dull and listless, it was if he knew his future, his life was hanging by a precariously thin thread. I called Milo's name and he turned to eye me, suspicious and closed off to the world around him. Tears welled in my eyes as I remembered the Milo I used to know. The once proud and handsome gelding bore no resemblance to the shattered spirit that stood before me.
As I wrote the get out of sale fee to the horse broker for a pittance of Milo's original worth, I could feel my sadness turn to anger. Our horses rely on us, depend on us. We are their guardians. Yet time and again due to human not horse error, they become broken and not unlike the trash; we throw them away. As I loaded Milo into my horse trailer I stroked his neck and softly reassured him that his life would get better. He could trust me, but even as I said it I wondered if he could ever forgive, forget and learn to trust his human partners again.
Upon returning home I turned Milo out into the pasture with the rest of my herd. I watched him as he retreated to the back of the field, aloof and indifferent to the other horses. The greatest gift I could give him right now was time. How much time it would take to heal the physical, psychological, and emotional wounds that Milo had suffered would be difficult to determine. It had been a long time since anyone had listened to Milo, and consequently distrust had his survival instincts on red alert, alive and literally kicking. I knew if I wanted to change Milo's belief system and encourage him to trust again, we would first have to become friends. From here on out we would be on Milo's time schedule.
Days would turn into weeks and months as Milo slowly adjusted to his new surroundings. I would make frequent trips out into the field to offer up a carrot or a kind word, stroke his neck and quietly assure him time and again that life was good. As I watched him begin to interact with the other horses and become more playful in the field, I sensed Milo was ready to move on in his training. Feeling the time had come, I slowly approached him, halter and lead rope in hand. As Milo grew tense, I sensed his thoughts; nothing good could come of this. Using my voice, which he now trusted I reassured him. Keep it positive I said to myself. Take small steps and move slowly albeit in the right direction and we would eventually get where we wanted to go.
Grooming and saddling was a challenge for Milo. He had learned to expect both pain and painful pressure from his human exchange hence his body was braced for action. But I took my time cinching him up slowly, untracking many times to allow him to relax, breathe, and adjust to each and every step we took. Even leading Milo was a challenge. He would charge in front of you and in the process push you out of his space, literally running over you with the whites of his eyes showing as his fight or flight instinct set in. Horses most often come into your space out of either fear or disrespect. In Milo's case it was a little of both. He was going to hurt you, before you hurt him.
Moving away or giving to less, not more pressure would be the next lesson Milo would learn as we began our groundwork. I promised to listen and respect Milo, and in return, Milo would have to listen and respect both me and more importantly, my space. There would be no running over the top of me, or pushing me around on the ground. Milo would learn to wait quietly for me to ask him to move away from me at the walk, trot and canter. Using long reins in our groundwork exercises, Milo soon learned to give to the lightest pressure of the reins, the bit and my voice when asked to change directions, disengage his hindquarters, halt or rein back. Staying calm, consistent and keeping each and every lesson positive helped to reinforce in Milo that he could indeed trust his human partner. It was now time to get on his back.
As I threw my leg up and over and landed ever so softly in the saddle I could feel Milo again tense up. No good could come from this, his old mantra kicked in. But we just sat there and both of us took a deep breath and relaxed into the situation. I lifted my rein hand forward and with very little leg Milo set off at a walk. I gave him a stroke on the neck and lots of reinforcement with my voice. We began with simple transitions and changes of direction. Milo's old patterns of behavior were still simmering all too close to the surface so it was important to go slow and keep it positive. Clear, consistent use of my communication aides encouraged Milo to make the right decisions, and in doing so go in search of positive reinforcement allowing him to experience success each and every step of the way. Slowly, but surely this not so new training method paid off.
Soon Milo was trotting, ears forward, proudly displaying his magnificent Peruvian Paso gaits and actually finding himself a willing participant in our newly developed partnership. There was still the occasional buck or rear, but with a quick correction Milo was soon back to work and the task at hand. His old patterns of behavior were no longer acceptable and Milo knew it.
Establishing trust, respect and boundaries, all the while utilizing clear consistent communication with much needed positive reinforcement in turn reinforced positive behavior. Milo no longer feared that his voice would not be heard and consequently grew to enjoy his new-found relationship with a human partner again. It became an opportunity to go on a trail ride or jump the small course in my arena. Yes, I said jump. Milo learned to and loved jumping. And he was quite good at it, Peruvian Paso and all.
My experience with Milo re-enforced the importance of a lesson I've learned many times over, though one I never tire of and that is that horses are the most exceptional teachers, friends and partners. They teach us how to trust and be trusted, respect and be respected. Through them, we learn the fine art of communication as they encourage us to listen, not just with our ears as we are accustomed, but with our eyes. In learning how to become more effective communicators and tune into our horse's body language, we in turn become more in tune with ourselves and others.
Horses are such simple creatures and us humans, oh so complicated. As we can't bring our horses into our world, we must learn to stay grounded in theirs. And in a world that has become increasingly more disconnected, remaining simple and grounded can be good, no great. Someone much wiser than myself once said, "The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man... or a woman." But first you must learn to listen. See what you hear. Hear what you say. Say what you mean. And in doing so, you might just save the horse you rode in on.
In addition to working with at risk equine, Linda Aldrich is owner/director of The Pony Express Equine Assisted Skills for Youth (EASY), a non-profit organization that offers an equine/educational learning environment for at risk youth ages 12-18 years of age. The Pony Express EASY Program assists youth in the development of life and leadership skills through the use of horses as both guide and teacher.
For more information please contact Linda Aldrich at
(707) 538-9323 or email linpen@msn.com.