Whats up with Elton

Maine is a great place to be with a horse in the summer. The days are warm and the nights are cool. Elton blossomed over the summer here. June was filled with 3 or 4 days a week  of training for him. He was three years old  on June 6 and he had been trained continuously 11 months about 3-4 days a week.  His under saddle work has progressed but he is still on only 20 minutes of actual carrying of weight.  He  easily cantered the long side of the in-door and went around the short side in counter canter returning to true canter on the diagonal with ease. His trot work was full of centerlines and three loop serpentines from first level test one.

 Mid- July brought us a change. Mark and I took a much needed two weeks off  to enjoy and help with son Thomas and Britny’s wedding  and then a few days of camping to rest. Our barn manager’s daughter Starr is a mature teen who I engaged to do some things with Elton during this hiatus.  Starr arranged for grazing walks, baths on hot days, long grooming sessions, lunging off his halter and some ‘play” time in the in-door arena. I encouraged Starr to “play” with Elton. Summer brings us youngsters riding camp and mentally handicapped riding programs and consequently we have a great assortment of interesting things daily in the in-door. They range from beach balls, to road cones, tarps, tiny jumps, hoola hoops and assorted toys. I asked Starr to encourage Elton to “play” with her . He especially like to play ”ball” with her with an underinflated soccer ball that he could pick up with his mouth. In addition Starr ‘played ‘ with him  asking him to follow  her around and over all new obstacles and have  some ‘fun”.  It is important that it is not always only work when the young horses are taken to the arena. Those horses that are naturally claustrophobic can become increasingly stressed in the arena if they are always pressed when there.  I checked in occasionally with Starr and she reported that Elton was happy and all was well.

 In August my  work included  a  heavy judging  schedule and lots of clinics organized  all

Elton and Ida

over the country   to get  clients ready for their on-coming national championships. Elton who had been level throughout the spring now appeared to be croup high and having a growing spell.  With other horses in training that  needing my attention I decided to continue to focus on  non-riding work for Elton through August.  In-hand work is normally done in his bridle and I wear gloves, helmet and boots or clogs . ( and with horses not as well trained I wear my eventing vest).  At this point he  is so well mannered that we could occasionally do some of this work in his halter. This is very unusual. We “played” with the beginning of the piaffe. Some days we would step up to the wall ,do two diagonal pairs , have a treat and leave the arena. Some days we would do it several times and play  with the ball or free lunge. There is never any pressure. For quite some time Elton clearly keyed off my feet. If I piaffed with my feet he got the idea .Very light taps of the whip gave him the timing and idea to move from foot to foot.  He is now clearly showing a lifting of his neck and shoulders and a lowering of his croup while showing a diagonal step or two   without stress. 

Elton free- walk

Today,  Labor Day  I have re-commenced  his under saddle work . After a five minutes lunging with short side reins I rode him and  he easily accomplished his trot tour staying steadily in the bridle and had no difficulties with his counter- canters across the short end of the in-door arena. He has admittedly gained a bit of weight from our lush pastures and less work but seems happy  and is clearly re-freshed  for his change of routine. We are looking forward to the falls fresh weather and fine  foliage!

It has been a cold and rainy month here in Maine and Elton has been facing a lot of adjustments. He was already sleek and shed out on arrival and so he is back to his rain/wind sheet. Thank goodness it also keeps a good deal of the mud off him.

Last year Elton  spent most of his year pastured with herds or turned in with  Aryzona. He is now in a grass ‘run”  ( a long narrow pasture of grass by himself but  next to others) at Knowlton corner Farm days.  For the moment it was the best solution to keeping him safe . Aryzona who is used to being turned out 24/7 w as out day and night in Florida and Elton kept her company as she was not good by herself. Coming home to Maine he needed to begin the process of getting used to being stalled nights and out days. It is always a transition for a horse to learn to do this. His lack of “herd” in the pasture and separation at night must be faced but can sometimes be stressful and problematic.  It took some time for him to ‘settle” in the stall nights as evidenced by his lack of pattern to his manure in the stall. Finally he has gotten used to his stall and the manure and urine in the stall is mostly in the same pattern  in the morning. 

Although he had been worked in the covered arena in Florida, He has not experienced training daily in a completely closed arena such as is available at Knowlton Corner Farm. When there has been a lovely day I have been tempted to go outside as  Elton is very reliable but I know that this time must be spent day after day getting him really confident in such an enclosed space. For horses started  under saddle outside there is a very clear necessity to work a horse consistently in an indoor arena and gain confidence  as the   completely  closed walls and lack of window is great for a trainer and a good training situation but claustrophobic for a horse that has not yet gotten used to this situation. Elton is doing well and I am thrilled with the closed walls as it allows me to begin to introduce the in-hand work that leads to the piaffe. I had begun in Florida but the walls of the arena are only 3 railroad ties tall and with young athletic horses they think about “hopping” over the wall.

Gary Severson the Saddle Doctor was due in town at a farm across town where I work sometimes. I arranged to trailer over and meet him to have Elton’s saddle adjusted. The saddle had been adjusted  in February  when Gary was in Florida    and taught us about saddle fit   and adjusted  our saddles  at our Florida Dressage Experience Program. Elton has matured and muscled so much the saddle was sliding forward as he gained muscling through the wither area. Elton was a very good boy standing on the trailer with his hay and water for most of the day and then coming off and being ridden in a completely unfamiliar outdoor arena and standing quietly for his saddle fitting and “ body work” by Gary.  All around a productive day!

This week we have done a similar routine trailering to Amanda Smith’s  farm to meet up with Dentist Steve Scotia. Elton had just lately been slightly grinding his teeth as his 2 year old molar caps have been falling out and loosening. In addition for the first time ever, I had experienced him unsteady and snatching some in his connection. It is always important to check their teeth if you start to have connection or contact problems.

Dentist Steve said his 2 year old molars were going out and the last one came off as he was working on Elton. In addition Elton needed his Wolf   teeth removed. Elton received  three quarters of a c.c. of Dormosedan  IM as a tranquilizer. In twenty minutes he was ready for Steve, who also rubbed clove oil on the gum area to numb sensation locally. Wolf teeth like wisdom teeth can cause a good deal of ongoing troubles.    One wolf tooth had erupted but Steve said the other was ”blind” . It was growing at an angle under the gum and would not ever show but would cause bitting troubles later. In a few minutes Elton was finished up and alert  enough to accept a treat from Dentist Steve. Wolf teeth are generally removed between the 2^nd and 3^rd year or are removed by the vet when horses are castrated. For the next three days he can be worked but with no bit. My plan was for him to have a day off after and to concentrate on some of my in-hand work which I can do with his halter and to work on some free lunging and de-sensitization  Environmental  Training  in the in-door arena.

 Elton  will shortly see the chiropractor as some horses tend to struggle a bit with the dentist and can get their necks or TMJ  out of joint.  In the photos of Dentist Steve  working you will see  the speculum   which is the metal devise  that   allows s the horse to have its mouth partially open but he cannot clamp down and close it.  The horses teeth rest  on it like a mouth guard for an athlete.  It  is necessary for safety so the dentist can put his hands and tools in the horses mouth. 

Elton has had a lot of new experiences this month. He seems un-fazed with it all and I am grateful for his generally happy co-operative attitude.  His under saddle work continues

with just a few minutes a day of riding  three or four times a week.  He is actually carrying weight about 20-25 minutes now. His forward work is still Training Level like including walk, trot and canter in both directions in a Training Level frame.  His leads are still asked

on the corners from the trot. He does turns on the forehand handily and he has started leg yield at walk but in “classical “position which means turn left on the centerline and go left ( more like ½ pass).  I am confident his connection will be more consistent now after the wolf teeth removal.