core strength

September 25 2021

MULE CROSSING: Training for Health, Happiness and Safety

Kyle Davidson Mule Crossing Balance, core strength, lucky three ranch, Meredith Hodges, Mule Crossing, Posture, Training for equine health, Training for happiness 0

By Meredith Hodges

Whether you just want to use your equine for pleasure riding or for show, the way your equine should be managed is still the same. He still needs to be fed, managed and trained correctly for optimum health and performance in order to be a safe, happy and healthy companion. What you do with him each and every day lays the foundation for future challenges. When he is schooled in a logical and sequential way that allows muscles to be slowly and symmetrically strengthened in good equine posture, he will feel better overall than the equine that is not schooled this way. He will not only be able to do tasks safely and more easily, but will actually be happy and have fun engaging with you. The incidence of resistant behaviors becomes practically non-existent. Taking shortcuts with training will never produce the trust and confidence of an equine that is logically and sequentially schooled.

Even pleasure riding produces physical challenges.

Balance in good posture separates the winners from the rest at shows and other public events.

Encouraging good manners and offering the food reward of oats will begin positive negotiation with your equine right from the beginning. He will eagerly learn to look forward to his time with you.

The food reward assures that good behaviors will be repeated and your consistency in routine will transform the equine into one that remains calm, that will ultimately stand quietly upon request.

Being promptly rewarded for confidence and bravery during the execution of fearful tasks such as negotiating obstacles will begin to lay a foundation of trust between you.

When your equine trusts your judgment, trail loading and similar tasks are no problem at all. He will follow you anywhere, anytime…even in stormy weather!

Teaching your equine to execute gates the same way every time results in learned behavior

…the halter and lead rope become incidental.

He will always go through and turn back to you for his reward and can then be easily haltered outside of the pen or easily caught anywhere, anytime.

When you need to lead teams, they will all learn to negotiate the gate the same way.

Even multiple animals will still exit the gate, turn to you and wait for their halters and rewards.

Practicing showmanship techniques as a matter of course and not just reserving it for a show, gives leading a purpose that your equine can easily understand. It begins to develop strength in good equine posture that makes him comfortable in his body.

Standing still while mounting is never a problem when your equine is properly prepared and knows what to expect. The anxiety that causes movement is no longer present.

Carefully planned and controlled exercises in the round pen with the “Elbow Pull” gives your equine the freedom to move in good posture with a passive support system. It will help him to hold that posture for more than a few strides at a time. It gives muscles the time to be properly conditioned in good posture before the rider is ever introduced.

When the rider is finally introduced, he is strong enough in his own ideal posture to be able to sustain his balance while dealing with any shifts of balance from an inexperienced rider or variations of terrain.

When your equine has had ample leading training for good equine posture, it is easy to make the transition to ground driving in good posture, whether driving single or with teams…

…large or small, your equines will be in sync with you, and with each other. They can easily learn to pull evenly, stop squarely and stand quietly.

Learning to negotiate obstacles correctly and in good equine posture aids in symmetrical muscle development and the ability to stand balanced and comfortable in a variety of postures…

…this makes it much easier for handling by the veterinarian and farrier, and during practical applications such as taking x-rays from blocks.

Learning to stand off the end of a bridge during leading training exposes how unbalanced most equines really are until they learn how to negotiate these kinds of strengthening and balancing exercises. No mammal is automatically born in good posture. It must be taught.

When it IS taught, standing on the x-ray blocks behind is easy for your equine and will not cause anxiety and the necessity to move. If he gets stuck in a strange position he can wait and sustain the position much longer if he has core strength and is balanced in his body.

The equine that has had adequate schooling in good equine posture during leading training to promote good balance in the Round Pen with lunging and ground driving will be much stronger and better balanced overall.

This makes for a much smoother ride and a happier animal!

Practicing jumps first on the lead rope and then in the drive lines helps to build strong muscles in good posture that is essential for body control over jumps with a rider on board later. He learns to not only balance his body, but to jump only as high as needed to clear the fence.

This conservation of energy allows him to tuck his knees neatly underneath his body and clear jumps with alacrity and grace. It allows the rider a smooth ride over fences with plenty of stamina on the cross country courses. This logical and sensible approach to training will always keep you and your equine safe and happy together!

To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

April 25 2020

Chasity’s Challenges: Chasity’s Health Check

Kyle Davidson Chasitys Challenges Chasity, core strength, equine vet care, Greg Farrand, Health Check up, lucky three ranch, Meredith Hodges, New donkey, Veterinarian care, Wrangler 0

3-31-20

Our veterinarian, Greg Farrand, came to do a health check on Chasity the day after she arrived. She obviously needs a lot of core strength work, but it will improve her health and keep her occupied while she is in quarantine. Simple core strength leading lessons will have a dramatic effect on her overall health and welfare both physically and mentally. Wrangler looks on with interest as the vet surveys her condition.

He thought because of her enlarged, fallen crested neck and all the fatty deposits over her body that she may have foundered. But her feet were in pretty good shape…no stress rings from founder.

She did have Borium shoes on the front feet (maybe previously used for parades on asphalt?). They were inordinately grown out and her hooves behind were also a bit long in the heels. She was definitely out of balance.

When we looked at her udder, we noticed that she had possibly been nursing before she came to us. She had what looked like milk dripping from extended teats and dried fluid caked on the insides of her legs.

She has cataracts starting in her eyes which made her a bit head shy…

…but, her teeth had just been floated and they were good.

Her posture is terrible with substantial Lordosis (sway back) even though she is only 13 years old! She exhibits the posture of a jennet after several foals. Her fallen, crested neck will be another challenge. However, she is a very sweet and cooperative girl! She is obviously the victim of some negligence… intentional or not.

When Chasity begins her lessons, we will be employing a reward system of training called “Behavior Modification.” This is a more complex way of training than Clicker Training in that your voice is an important communication element that fully engages the animal’s attention and promotes a more intimate bond between you. She has already been exposed to this training process by asking her to come to be haltered, follow at my shoulder and to stand quietly for the veterinarian. It is the simple beginning to a lifetime of good manners.

When we train, we carry the crimped oats reward in a fanny pack around the waist. When the equine knows you have them, they don’t try to run off and are willing to follow you anywhere. Animals need to be rewarded for the good things they do with more than just a pat on the neck to insure that their good behaviors will be repeated. Food is the animal’s ultimate payment for doing a good job. You just need to learn what food is best to use and how to dispense rewards appropriately for the best results. For equines, the food is crimped (rolled, cracked, or steamed) oats. Contrary to popular belief, the equine that is rewarded with crimped oats is less likely to bite than one that does not get the practice of taking them gently from your hand. Your equine will always continue to work for a reward of crimped oats and the oats will give your equine the extra energy he needs during training. Carrots and other “treats” do not work the same way and will not yield the same results.

The most important thing when training your equine is to learn to dispense the crimped oats reward promptly and generously in the beginning, and only when your equine is complying. This will solidify the connection between you, insure that the positive behaviors will be repeated, and will begin to facilitate a strong, and mutually satisfying relationship. If your equine tries to pull away, just let go of the rope (if he is already haltered), call his name, reach in your fanny pack and offer the oats to coax him to return to you. Do not chase him! Be patient and do not try to progress through lessons too quickly as this is usually what causes disobedience.

It will take some time to strengthen Chasity’s core (the muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue that support the skeletal frame), get her into good equine posture so her joints work properly and obtain her trust, but I see no reason that it cannot be done…and I am pretty sure I can do it!

October 26 2017

What’s New with Roll? Happiness is getting back to good health!

Meredith Rock & Roll Rescue core strength, equine chiropractic, equine massage, leading for core strength postural workout, lucky three ranch, Meredith Hodges, Mule Appreciation Day, rehabilitation, rescue, Roll, What's New, While Line Disease 0

10/26/17: It is MULE APPRECIATION DAY today and the perfect time for an update on Roll! Roll has recovered nicely from his bout with White Line Disease in 2016. He had no workouts during that year, but surprisingly, he retained his core strength and balance throughout 2016 and came into 2017 still in good posture and balance. This leads me to believe that core strength does not necessarily deteriorate as rapidly as does bulk muscle.

Roll had his most recent “leading for core strength postural workout” on May 23^rd this year. However since then, I have been unable to pursue any more lessons during the entire summer due to business obligations.

He was scheduled for his regular farrier visits on May 18^th, July 14^th and on September 21^st. During that time, he also had two chiropractic visits and was doing very well with only minor adjustments needed.

On October 17^th, Roll had a short ride with Brandy in the Lucky Three Ranch North Pasture after being off all summer. He was rather disgusted with Brandy after she unseated her rider, Bailey, at the beginning of the ride by spooking at a shadow on the ground. Roll did great although I could tell he was a bit stiff from the onset, but loosened up and gained impulsion by the end of the ride.

Roll had his last massage on July 13 and continues to thrive at the age of 26 years old. On October 25, we discovered a sarcoid-like tumor on his right jaw, x-rayed it and will do a removal following next week’s vaccinations.

After being off all summer, I thought he did very well and this only reinforced my belief that core muscle really does sustain itself once the animal has spent at least two years doing very specific core muscle, postural exercises.