Balanced Rider 19th July

So second group trip down to Quob, new Gang of Four, Yvonne having to pull out so Jac came along, nice to have done young blood :-)

Traffic was light so arrived early and went to invade tack shop, which has recently moved in with plans to expand HKM range stocked :-)))

Had lunch and met up with Kim, quick recap and spent the afternoon with Legless as a cooler room

So my asymmetries have clearly improved as per the objective assesement of the thingie that you yes your core to move 

The mobiliser was a very interesting experience and showed where I have less spinal mobility

Had great fun doing a free ride on Legless lots of half pass and canter piris 

Had a treatment on the table mostly around mobilising hips and thoracic spine

Champagne Magnum to finish then meg possible pony purchase :-) 

Tom Graham 19th April

Leg yield head to wall shows use or lack of use of outside rein, I lose my left rein and bang we lies the angle

On and back within the LY

Half pass don't make it harder than it need be to half pass left then turn onto centre line from left rein

Walk piris have improved 

Overall will to go forward has much improved

Hand still hurts :-(

Cotswold Confidence

So went along for a NLP day as I am still doing the "what ifs" well now it is the "So what ifs" :-)

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

Well I think my constant thinking of myself as a nervous rider has become my destiny so time to change my thoughts

Was interesting I couldn't recreate the fear was very positive actually

Need to remember to get on and just be, do the breathing then walk on

Think of being grounded through his legs

Visualise yourself as a confident rider model on a role model

Have homework to do 

Commitment be the ham not the egg

So was late getting out of work but luckily Tom was caught in traffic so I was ready on time, was feeling pretty under the weather IBS having flared up again (TMI?)

So take away points

• Hold the left rein *properly* (Jeez when will I get this consistently?)

• Be committed to the transition - At one point I lost connection so had a whinge and Tom pointed out the transition to walk  was just not good enough I am too fluffy and indecisive and we sometimes just wallow and wade into transitions. Essentially I have made Chorrie in my image (do enough at work to stay out of trouble) so if I want more I need to be committed and just darn well ask properly.

• Started training trot half pass, I need to watch the angle, we are NOT riding GP so do NOT make them steep. So on left rein down centre line in left SI, keep him around inside (left) leg and move him across the diagonal to the left away from the right leg.

• I am still thinking ‘ooh well done good boy’ and flopping into a heap *finish* the movement

• Still need to do more adjusting pace (on and back) and  flexion to keep him listening and with me

I have read that flaxseed (linseed) meal can generate toxins when fed to horses. Is it safe to feed?

http://ker.equinews.com/answer-exchange/flaxseed-meal-horses



Q: I have read that flaxseed meal can generate toxins when fed to horses. Is it safe to feed?


A: Flaxseed contains cyanogenic glycosides, which are activated by enzymes in the seed to form cyanide. As long as the seed is intact, there is no cyanide development but when exposed to air or water the conversion to cyanide occurs. The longer the exposure, the greater the time for the reaction to occur.

This is why equine nutritionists recommended that flax be fed as soon as possible once it is ground. In times past when flax (linseed) was an integral part of many equine diets, flax was boiled to soften the hard outer shell. When dropped into boiling water, the enzyme deactivated and no cyanide was produced. On the other hand, if flax is put in cold water and brought to a boil, there will be some cyanide production. Heat and acid exposure deactivates the enzyme.

Whole flax seeds can be fed without any cyanide production because the acid in the stomach will denature the enzymes. Whole flaxseeds are chewed by the horse fairly effectively and may have some effect on keeping the digesta in the tract moving well, as the pectins in the flax form a glutinous gel. Some seeds, however, may escape digestion.

Commercially purchased ground flax will be “stabilized,” a heating process that denatures the enzyme, so they are considered safe to serve as-is. The stabilized product can be refrigerated after opening to extend the shelf life.

Even though there can be cyanide production when soaking or grinding flaxseeds, the total amounts are not very high. In fact, plant breeders have been working on developing lower glycidic strains of the plant during recent years. As it stands now, a horse would have to eat more than a couple pounds of raw ground flax that had been standing around awhile (or soaked in cold water) to ingest the amount of cyanide to approach having toxic effects. Normal intakes are anywhere from 2 to 8 oz per day and do not come anywhere near the amount that would be considered dangerous.

Please note that flax meal and ground flax are not the same thing. Flax meal is the product left after the oil is extracted from the seed. Ground flax is the whole seed that has been ground so that it has the same fat content as the whole seed.