The learning journey continued at the 2011 Horse Owners & Breeders Conference in Red Deer. The Conference was last weekend which was perfect because it was too darn frigid to do anything else but sit indoors learning more about horses. The Horse Industry Association of Alberta does a wonderful job of organizing this Conference every year. The line up of speakers was exceptional. It is impossible to attend every speaker because they overlap; one has to pick and choose what they want to learn more about.
Peggy Brown's presentation on centred riding was very engaging. Peggy was dressed in a body suit painted with her skeletal system and joints; making it very easy to see how our body works while riding. Patti Colbert's presentation of how to get folks involved with horses and staying involved, was right up my alley. There were also informative presentations of the research being conducted on equine health issues namely - respiratory ailments and cushings disease. The constant theme surrounding health issues is that we have to do a better job of feeding, increasing movement, and housing our equine friends. I also attended a presentation on arena footing and its importance - especially when training and working horses hard - something our "boys" wouldn't know much about.
It was great fun to connect with folks from across the province that you only see at the Conference or at the Mane Event in April. My friend Sherri (a former student and now a wonderful friend) came with me and we ran into a couple of former students (Lena and Irene) who are now enjoying their own horses; along with their riding buddies (Timmi & Linda). We all enjoyed sharing horse stories over cocktails and meals.
Friday evening, Sherri and I were privileged to have dinner with Doug Householder, one of the speakers, and Nettie Barr. During Doug's presentation, he demonstrated the science behind equine behaviour and how that relates to training our horses. While he was in Red Deer presenting to us, his daughter Dusty was back in Texas, showing and winning on a very challenging reject reining mare they bought last year. It was touching to hear him explain the story of hard they worked with the mare to help her relax and trust; and how well she is performing for them now.
A terrific reminder of the importance of developing a trusting relationship with your horse so you can be brilliant together - whether in the show ring or riding down the trail.
Thanks for reading,
Tovie
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