September 2015 Volume 76

Supporting the needs of equestrians and building

Harmonious horse/rider partnerships.

Dancing Horse News

All I pay my psychiatrist is the cost of feed and hay,

and he'll listen to me any day. ~Author Unknown

Baby-Green Grand Prix!!! by DHF President Jen Truett

Continued on page 3

Whoo-hoo!! Taffy and I are officially now a “baby-green” Grand Prix “GP” team! We managed to earn my Gold Medal in our first two rides, which is quite awesome given the fact that neither of us really knows what we’re doing, and we’ve only ridden the test a total of four times (two of them in the show ring)!

It’s so interesting to me how my perspective has changed since we began seriously preparing for GP. I remember sitting on the sidelines watching the GP and wondering why so many riders had problems in the 2’s or 1’s, and being a bit of a critic on the quality of transitions and movements. Now that I’ve actually done it, it is very clear that Grand Prix IS VERY HARD!!!!! Holy cow is it hard! There’s so much happening so fast that you really don’t have much time to think, so you have to have a plan and then the ability to follow it.

As I’ve said before, I’ve never felt so unprepared to show, but at the same time, so excited and ready to do it. I also have never before been in a warm up and had so many new questions about how to handle this or that. I was so lucky to have my 20+ year coach and “S” judge, Sue Man-das, guiding us our first time through, but then for our sec-ond go, we were on our own.

The first time felt magical. I am very proud to say that I was 100% mentally there and was able to take in every second. I had no show nerves (I typically don’t, but I kind of expected I would due to the importance of this mo-ment) and Taffy was pretty relaxed and stayed with me mentally thorough the whole ride. I was thrilled to see the final score of 61.8% and read the positive and encouraging comments. The areas in need of improvement were pirou-ettes, piaffe, 1’s, and the zig zag, and became our main work focus the two weeks between shows.

Taffy’s pirouettes have always been a struggle, especially the right one, because of his left hind’s injury. The piaffe has also been difficult for the same reason and because early on, he couldn’t handle the pressure and would find an escape route. The canter zig- zag is just plain hard be-cause there is so much going on so fast, and I haven’t fig-ured out yet how to count, go sideways equally from the centerline, maintain enough correct bend, change the bend, flying change and repeat, repeat, repeat.... There are so many places for it to go wrong and it’s all only a single score!

We also worked on our 1’s and I am so proud that we got them back before the second show after they’d totally disappeared before the first one. But at the second show, our always reliable 2’s were suddenly not-so-reliable be-cause Taffy was so focused on 1’s!! It was wonderful to get some really good 1’s in the GP test, but surprising to strug-gle to get just a handful of 2’s.

I now have so much more respect and admiration for every rider who gets to GP and pulls off a 60+%, even with mistakes. Now I understand how extremely difficult the test is to ride, in addition to the years of training that are required to get to the point where you can simply ride the test.

One of my biggest concerns going into these shows was not knowing how to sufficiently warm up without tiring

Jen and Taffy at GP! Photo by www.BobTarr.com

www.thesculptedhorse.com

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September 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 2

You will see vehicles with “DHF Spon-sor” stickers on them at DHF from time to time. Be sure to thank their owners for what they do to support Dancing Horse Farm!

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September 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 3

him out, since we’d not successfully accomplished an ef-fective warm up at home. With Sue’s guidance and Taffy’s surprisingly quiet mind, we successfully warmed up within 35 minutes of me mounting at the first show. Even more amazingly, at the second show we warmed up even faster and he gave me new feelings in his balance, mind, power and contact. The new feelings brought on new questions like how much of that new power to take into the show ring.

Then, when we went to the show arena, something in-credible happened, Taffy totally calmed down! I’m not exaggerating. As the test progressed, he actually settled in and got quieter and quieter…this has NEVER happened. In fact, halfway through, I was adding leg to get more power instead of constantly having to ride the “half-halt brakes.” He didn’t look at the judge’s box even once – that’s never happened! After the GP test, he strutted back to his stall like a king and then stood in there quietly allowing us to serve him. Anyone who knows him knows that this is crazy behavior since he’s usually an anxious stall walker who spends a great deal of time fretting about anything and everything.

I’ve never seen a switch flip in a horse like what we wit-nessed in Taffy this past weekend. He is now confident, proud, content, and has an inner peace that I never imag-ined in my wildest dreams would be possible for him. It is remarkable. I am so happy for him finally finding himself. What a journey!

Next for us is Regional Championships in September com-peting in the Small Tour: PSG, Intermediare 1 and Interme-diare Freestyle and hopefully, we qualify and get to go to National Finals. Then, this winter in Florida, we will do the GP again with the goal of competing in CDI’s. So, we have 6 months to work on those 1’s and the crazy zig-zag!

On a different subject, I’m very excited to announce that I just got a new pony of my very own! I bought a 5 year old Hanoverian gelding named Rock by Rousseau and out of a

Warkant/World Cup I mare! He’s bay with a couple small socks in the back and an almost invisible star, 16.1 hands and is basically training level. He has lovely expressive gaits and a sweet, puppy-dog disposition. I’m very excited to see where we will go together.

Sunset’s flying changes, piaffe and passage are coming along nicely and he continues to get stronger every day. I plan to show him in FL.

I’d like to send my heartfelt congratulations to long-time student, DHF Riding School Coordinator, and past DHF trainer (before she moved away and opened her own lovely facility) Sheila Wilson for earning her Bronze Medal at the Delaware, Ohio ODS Show. She has done a superb job bringing her hot, sensitive mare, Lone Star HQ (Taffy’s ½ sister) along. I was very proud to stand on the side lines and watch her ride her first and second 3rd level tests well enough to earn her medal.

I also have to add that another student of mine, Ashley Holden, bumped up to 3rd level at that same show with her 19 year old Ripkin and just barely missed getting her scores for her Bronze. These two women have worked very hard and learned so much along the way. It is really awe inspiring to get to watch students progress and fulfill their goals like Ashley and Sheila have; this is one of the best parts of my career choice. Keep up the good work, ladies!

I want to wish all competitors heading to Regional Cham-pionships next month the best of luck. I’m excited to have the following students join me in Michigan for the Region 2 Championships: Jeanne Brose from Minnesota compet-ing in the 1st level, AA championship and bumping up to 2nd level in the open classes; Sheila Wilson competing in the 2nd level, Open championship; and Kara Mastern com-peting her last year in the Training level, AA championship and bumping up to 1st level in the open classes.

~Jen

Baby-Green Grand Prix!!! continued

Barn Banter by Barn Manager Lori Aman

Farewell to Copper, whose original owners are delighted to have him home! Farewell to Cinnamon—not to Kelly Peterson quite yet—who has gone to Kelly’s mentor for therapeutic horse training. Congratulations to Apprentice Trainer Ellie Ashworth on her new Dancing Partner, Rex Bibendi! Welcome to Rock, DHF Owner Jen Truett’s new horse! Welcome to Apprentice Kate Springer’s new clients: McKenzie Blackman, Katie Anderson Welcome to Apprentice Trainer Helen Pianca’s new clients: Aidan Sanders, Kira Danzinger

Ricos by Audrey Rawlins, age 7 Get your crayons/markers/pencils/paints/clay/camera ready! We’re going to feature art and artistic photos

by our clients, both adults and children in the February 2016 issue of the Dancing Horse News as a Valentine to our horses! There will be no cost and no prizes, it’s just a chance to share your art with the rest of us. Crafts as well as fine art will be accepted, as long as it’s horse-related. So do a portrait of your horse or your favorite school horse, or do a landscape with horses in it! We’d love to see what you do. The theme of this “virtual art show” is “For the Love of Horses,” so show your love of your best equine buddy, your sport and the horseman’s lifestyle! .

Upcoming Art Issue!

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I came to Jennifer's Dancing Horse Farm to work on my riding biomechanics and was absolutely surprised at not only the quality of instruction, but also how Jennifer had a wonderful horse (Ricos) for me to ride at a fantastic, well-run facility. Jennifer was able to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses immediately and had a specific plan for me over the two days I worked with her. Jennifer used examples, imagery, and explana-tions and exercises to really break down my biomechanics and help me to understand and practice better riding position and feel. I am truly excited to have found a fantastic biomechanics instructor! The time spent with Jennifer at her Dancing Horse Farm was well spent and I am excited to practice the principles she shared with me. They have immediately made a difference in my riding! Hope to stop in to the clinic this weekend in Michigan to audit! Stephanie Bruce, Michigan _________________________________________________________________________________________ Hi Jen, today I got to ride the school horse I ride at home and try out some of the things I had learned with you!!! It was phenomenal the difference both of us felt! I hardly lost my right stirrup and he was so much rounder on a much more consistent level than I've ever had before - thank you!!! I also was not relying on the reins to either steer him or round him. I had the lightest connection only. This may very well be the miss-ing link for me. I never had someone to instruct me on my position when I first started riding and even though I've improved so much over the past months I think truly going back to basics and “starting over,” so to speak, with regards to my position and looking at it bio-mechanically is the truly best thing for me. I am so excited. This is my biggest passion in life (next to my two children of course) and it gives me the biggest sense of peace and belonging to improve!! Melissa Neal, Michigan

Testimonials about Intensive Training at DHF

Do you need help with some aspect of your riding or training? Come to DHF for a couple of days or a month, whatever works, with your horse(s) or ride one of ours. You’ll be amazed at your progress, as these ladies were.

Jen Truett’s 2015 Proposed USDF Recognized Show Calendar: NOTE: days listed are when Jen plans to show , always arriving the day before unless it’s a local show. 9/17-20 Region 2 Championships at Waterloo 11/5-8 US Dressage Finals—hopefully

Updated List of Upcoming Clinics David de Wispelaere Clinics Oct. 7-8 Mary Wanless Clinic, Nov. 14-16 (Sat-Mon) Please see our Riding Clinics page for more information.

Jen Truett’s Confirmed 2015 Clinics: September 5-6, Kelly Vallandingham St. Paul MN, U of MN October 10-11: Jennifer Glass in South Lyon, MI, Thistle Hill Farm October 23-25: Kelly Vallandingham in St. Paul, MN: U of MN Nov. 20-22: Shauna Kelly in Olin, Iowa: Double Shoe Arena Decenber 12-13 Kelly Vallandingham in St. Paul, MN: U of MN

Please see Jen’s Clinics Page for information on these locations and how to sign up for the clinics.

Above left, David de Wispelaere. Left: Mary Wanless during a workshop Above right, George Williams Right: Jen Truett teaching postural alignment in Minnesota.

September 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 5

Lafayette HQ (“Taffy”) in Grand Prix con-

You can see video of Jen and Taffy’s first Grand Prix test here: https://youtu.be/JM-d8vhoyAU And their first I1 Freestyle here: https://youtu.be/Xea_AlUf-rM

Jen and Taffy in their second GP test, where they earned their Gold Medal. Photo by www.bobtarr.com

Meet Jen’s New Horse, Rock! Rock is a 5 year old, 16.2 hand Hanoverian gelding who is a lovely mover and a real pocket pet in personality! Jen’s having a lot of fun getting to know him. You can see a video of him here: https://youtu.be/sC76BJXtqTQ

“Dancing Horse News” is a production of Dancing Horse Farm, 4080 Weisenberger Rd., Lebanon OH 45036, www.myDHF.com and is copyrighted by DHF. To reprint our articles in your publication, first contact us for permission, then if permission is given, please add this wording, “Reprinted from Dancing Horse News, www.myDHF.com. Used with Permission.”

With all the rain we have had this summer, everything has been lush and verdant. Bugs are capitalizing on all the moisture to swarm to great numbers. It’s hard to enjoy a ride when you and your horse are being tor-mented, so here are some tips that I have found to keep the bugs from bugging you. Fly spray is every horseman’s go-to product. I have found that a mix of ingredients works the best to repel all different types of bugs. I like to mix a small amount of fly spray concentrate (typically permethrin, but you can use eucalyptus oil if you want a chemical-free rec-ipe) with equal parts white vinegar and Avon Skin-so-Soft. When you apply fly spray, make sure that you are away from wind and drafts so it doesn’t all blow away, and take care not to spray your horse’s face. Fly spray needs to reapplied often to be effective, so make sure to do it just before riding or turnout. Fly gear is also a great solution. Fly masks keep bugs off sensitive eyes and ears, and can even be used over your bridle while riding. Make sure the mask fits your horse’s head well and is not close to or touching his eyes. You might need to try several different designs before you find the right shape for your horse’s head. Fly sheets are great too, but if your horses like to play, fly sheets often don’t last very long. You may have to replace it often, or consider a heavier mesh that is more resistant to tears. But heavier, sturdier fabric is of-ten hotter, so keep an eye on your horse in the summer heat to make sure the sheet isn’t too warm. Fly wraps for legs are good for horses that stomp the flies a lot. Some horses with existing conditions can even make themselves lame from stomping so much! One of the best ways to beat the bugs is with good manure and water management. Bugs need places to breed, and sitting piles of manure and standing water are open invitations for them. Remove manure from stalls and arenas daily, and properly compost it to kill fly eggs. Remove standing water from around your property, and place “mosquito dunks” (such as: http://www.planetnatural.com/product/mosquito-dunks/) in water sources that cannot be removed, like ponds and water troughs. They are safe for other animals, but prevent mosquitoes from developing. Fly predators (learn more: https://www.spalding-labs.com/products/fly_control_products/fly_control_for_horses/p/what_are_fly_predators.aspx are also a good way to keep flies from breeding on your property. Good bug management practices are only effective if you are the only farm in an area or if your neighbors do it too, because, shockingly, flies will just fly to your farm if there’s somewhere nearby for them to breed. In such a case, fly traps are very effective and inexpensive, and can help control populations of flies coming from elsewhere. Not just a nuisance, bugs can transmit diseases and also cause horses to act up in frustration, not to men-tion the painful bites and occasional allergic reactions. Keeping them in control is a simple step you can take to make your horse a much, much happier creature.

Protect Your Horse from Biting Insects by Apprentice Trainer Helen Pianca

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September 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 7

DHF Summer Camps by Apprentice Trainer Kate Springer Summer camps at Dancing Horse Farm have sadly come to a finish for the year. We had a total of 5 weeks filled with fun, learning and adventure. This year had a good mix of DHF students, riders from other barns and kids that have not ridden before. Campers learned not only a lot about riding, but they also learned horse handling, anatomy and general horse health. In between all those moments of learning there were scavenger hunts, exhibition rides, crafting and games. Many of the campers took part in a well liked activity, horse painting. Copper proved to be a good canvas for the kids to paint on. I always looked forward to this day be-cause you never knew what Copper was going to look like at the end. He had hearts, flowers, butterflies, polka dots and happy words about camp all over him. Several weeks he sported some food items including a hamburger and ice creams cones. Scavenger hunt proved to be a great way to get kids to think about all the different horse items we use on a daily basis. Campers were divided into two groups, they then had to find a horse related item that started with every letter in the alphabet. Difficult letters would get a team a bonus point. If both teams had the same item, neither would get the point, if it was different then the Judge would pick the most interesting item. Campers found lot of everyday items and a few interesting ones including dewormer, a kid’s saddle and a goat. Every session had a day of mounted games, a trail ride, and an exhibition ride for the camper families. Exhibi-tion day was always filled with lots of pictures and braiding. All of the campers learned to braid manes earlier in the week. Campers braided flowers and bows into the horses’ manes, which made the camp horses look absolutely amazing. Each camp was filled with awesome moments. Between campers learning to trot or riding a Dressage test for the time, there were moments when every camper improved on some part of their riding or horse handling skills. It was a lot of fun for me to be a part of the camps, and I look forward to being a part of them next

A Big THANK YOU from DHF President Jen Truett I would like to acknowledge my amazing barn manager, Lori Aman, for jumping in to work in the barn, in-cluding taking on AM feeding, requiring her alarm to be set for 5 AM. Having to get up that early after re-tirement from corporate America is only fun when it’s for a horse show! She did it this week so that my amazingly dedicated Apprentice Kate Springer could enjoy a well earned week-long vacation at home. I also want to thank Apprentice Trainer Ellie Ashcraft for making Lori's job easier by bringing in the night turn out horses for her each morning. And my groom, Miranda Sharon, also jumped in putting in many extra hours, like Ellie, to keep the farm running smoothly during Kate's vacation. And our wonderful stall cleaner, Sarah Robinson, also helped out in many ways to help make each day a little less stressful for Lori.

September 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 8

We all know that goals are supposed to be good for you. Drop into a bookstore self-help section and you will find lots of books to help you set goals, follow through on them, and use them to become the per-son of your dreams. Jen Truett is the poster child for using goals and following through with organized ac-tion plans to achieve success in life. But many of us rarely set goals, and don’t even like thinking about them. Why is that? From my experience, I can think of a couple of rea-sons why I might avoid setting goals for myself. One is that goal-setting seems methodical, mechanical, and not creative. Going with the flow, and seeing where the journey takes you is an appealing ap-proach for many. Who wants to be rigidly set by some goals? Another reason that probably plagued me more in my youth than now is that if you set a goal and don’t achieve it, you have failed. If you set goals and tell people about it, then they all know you failed too. However; these are not very good argu-ments against goal-setting, and I think my experi-ences this summer are a good example of why goals are good. As many of you know, this year the Regional Champi-onships for USDF Region 2 will be held at the Water-loo Hunt Club. This is in my backyard, so to speak. So I decided to try and qualify at 2nd level and show in the Regional Championships. This seemed like a good goal—not easy, but not impossible. Little did I know that my horse was going to find the horse-show at-mosphere VERY unsettling. At our first outing, she was frightened, angry, defensive, hated her stall, hated the show ring, went on a hunger strike and got colicky. Qualifying scores were not on the agenda for that show: I felt lucky just to have completed a few tests. I had to change my goal. Actually, I had to cre-ate a sub-goal: get my horse to be ride-able at a horse show. Setting sub-goals is how we solve prob-lems, and it speaks to the first objection to goal-setting that I mentioned above, going with the flow and seeing where the journey takes you. If you don’t

have a goal, you don’t set out on any journeys and there isn’t much “flow” to go with. But if you set an intention and take steps to achieve it, chances are you will hit a snag and will have to re-group and re-adjust your immediate goals. It took several outings for my horse to realize that the show ring was not a place where terrible things happened, but she did eventually become calm and even happy in the ring. It used up all of my horse show money for the season before I could get my qualifying scores, but I did ac-complish an important sub-goal, one that had to be accomplished for me to go on and eventually achieve the goal of riding in a regional championship. And I learned a lot of things on the journey. I learned to trust and appreciate my horse, who really, really did not want to be in the show ring, but she went there with me anyway. I learned that pulling and diving onto the forehand is a security blanket for her, and a way to tune out the rider. The horse equivalent of putting her hooves over her ears and say “lalalalala.” Jen has talked about how it can be exciting to dis-cover a hole in your horse’s training because once you know where the hole is, then you can work on it. I feel excited about increasing my horse’s confidence in me so that she does not want to tune me out so much. (Hey, that might just be a new goal…..and I am happy to report there is progress here!). I also learned that my horse and I can achieve 7s and 8s on all of the movements in 2nd level (but so far not alto-gether in one test! And yes Jen, even the turn on the haunches). I discovered just how much I appreciate my Thistle Hill family who were very supportive and encouraging. I accepted their help in all of the hard work involved in going to a show and feel so grateful for that support (remember Lenny’s article on accept-ing help?). I had time to spend with my horse friends while at the shows (including a friend from high-school who I have not seen for a while), and to ex-pand that circle of friends. So, the journey took me places I had not expected and showed me things I did not anticipate.

Why I like Goals, or What I did this Summer

by Jennifer Glass, Thistle Hill, South Lyon MI

Continued next page

September 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 9

Those reasons for not setting goals just don’t hold water. Setting a goal and organizing your self to achieve that goal is not something that is “rigid” if you have the right problem-solving attitude. Instead, it sets you off on a journey where there are discover-ies to be made, road-blocks to overcome that lead to more discoveries and maybe new goals. And if you never set out to achieve a goal, it is very unlikely that you will just by chance take all of the right steps and magically reach that goal, so by never setting a goal,

you have, by default, set your self up to fail! ************* Jennifer Glass hosts regular clinics with Jen Truett at her Thistle Hill Farm in South Lyon, Michigan. She had this idea for an article and sent it in, which we welcomed! Thanks, Jen! If you would like to contribute to the Dancing Horse News, please contact Lynda@myDHF.com

Why I like Goals . . . continued

DHF Show Pics! (Show Results on Next Page)

Emma Werner on Sticky Bun with Helen Pianca and Emma’s family.

It was hot and sunny, so shade was highly valued that weekend!

Nicole Wilcox on Pansy,

Horse shows involve a lot of waiting. Jen Truett and her new Grand Prix kitten, Prixie

To say the parking lot was full, especially on the hunter day, would be an understatement!

Photos by John Sappington for DHF

September 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 10

DHF Student Show Results!

From the DHF Dressage show August 15, 2015: Intro A Jr: Nicole Wilcox and Pansy, 1st; Ashley Hoke and Billie Rae, 2nd; Sarah Benson and Buddy DHF 3rd. Intro B Jr: Nicole Wilcox and Pansy, 1st; Ashley Hoke and Billie Rae, 3rd; Ainsley Chambal and Sticky Bun, 4th. Intro C Jr: Nicole Wilcox and Pansy, 1st; Aidan Albers and El Paso Aricos, 3rd; Emily Chiaramonte and Buddy DHF, 4th (tie): Ainsley Chambal and Sticky Bun, 4th. Training 1: Aidan Albers and El Paso Aricos, 3rd; Emily Chiaramonte and Buddy DHF, 4th Training 3: Apprentice Trainer (therefore a student herself) Kate Springer and Zappoli, 1st. First Level Test of Choice: Apprentice Trainer Kate Springer and Zappoli, 1st. Junior High Point: Nicole Wilcox with 72.183%. Senior High Point: Kate Springer with 73.182% DHF Hunter Show August 16, 2015: Sarah Benson and Grand DHF- 4th place and 6th place Max Thompson and Pete - 1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd Emma Werner and Sticky Bun - 3rd, 4th, 5th, 5th, 5th, 6th Aidan Albers and Buddy DHF - 4th, 4th, 5th Chloe Tanner and Grand DHF - 2nd, 2nd, 3rd Nicole Wilcox and Pansy - 1st,3rd Greenstone Dressage: Ainsley Chambal and Sticky Bun: 2nd Intro A, 1st Intro B, and 2nd Intro C Nicole Wilcox on Pansy: 3rd Intro A, 2nd Intro B, and 1st Intro C Apprentice Trainer Helen Pianca: 2nd on First 3 and 1st place at 2nd 1, and reserve high point for show Warren County Fair Jenny Sedlechek and Van: 1st and 2nd place in Training 2 and 3, and 4th in Hunter Hack Ohio State Fair Jenny Sedlachek and Van: Grand Champion in Training 2 and 3 Trails End Hunter Show: Max Thompson and Pete: Beginner Horse 5th under saddle, 1st and 2nd over fences, reserve champion CONGRATS TO ALL OF YOU!

Lisa’s Catering provided good food, as usual! Pansy and Grand DHF (horses) in foreground.

Lenny Truett (in blue shirt) always takes time to answer questions. Photos by John Sappington for DHF

September 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 11

DHF Birthdays!

Happy birthday to these DHF folks whose birthdays are in September: Gima Albers, Sep 8; Janet Riccardella, Sep 15; John Sappington, Sep 23; Macey Windley, Sep 23 If I’ve missed your birthday, it’s because I don’t have it on my list! DHF clients, please send your birthdays to me at Lynda@myDHF.com so we can help you celebrate!. Thanks!

Laura McKee applauds Apprentice Ellie Ashcraft:

Ellie helped Helen (Pianca) and me unload and load horses at 5:30 AM during a thunder-

storm. I was so grateful for the extra set of hands and thought it went above and beyond

***********

Lynda Sappington applauds Apprentice Ellie Ashcraft:

My “elder statesman” (24 year old) horse, Jack, foundered and required a lot of care (he’s

doing well now! Yay!!) I was sick for three weeks and couldn’t do everything needed, so I asked Ellie to help.

She not only does the things necessary to take care of him, she loves on him as if he’s her own, every time

she sees him, and she’s always ready with a report on what she’s done and how he’s doing. I feel very com-

fortable trusting my dear Jack’s care to her when I can’t do it all myself. Thanks, Ellie!

DHF Applause!

Jen Truett’s Gold Medal

This is what it looks like when you have your bronze, silver and gold USDF medals (the round ones) on your shadbelly, as well as your Bronze and Silver Freestyle Bars. The gold one, as Jen says, is “very, very shiny!” Congratulations, Jen, on earning your Gold! The Gold Freestyle Bar is next!

Photo by Jen Truett

Video Lessons with Jen! by Lynda Sappington

Have you ever wished you could take lessons with Jen Truett, but you live so far away, it just isn’t feasible? Now it is! Here’s how it works: Upload a video of you riding your horse, contact Jen and send her the link. She will set up a time to talk with you on the phone and the two of you will watch it together, with her giving you tips and pointers along the way, exercises and homework, as well. Then you send her another video showing how your homework has worked out for you and you do another video lesson, getting more home-work. She will work on your biomechanics and that of your horse, and whatever other issues she believes need to be addressed. The lessons cost $85 each, payable to Dancing Horse Farm. We take credit cards as well as checks. If you ride with her in clinics, or have wished you could, this is your lucky day! Contact Jen Truett at Jen@myDHF.com for more information.

September 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 12

Mom’s Helpful Hints by Lynda Sappington (Jen’s mom)

This one’s from Jen Truett: “http://www.jefferspet.com/products/the-dare-cribbing-control-collar-one-size?sku=SCBT1

A friend who owns her own boarding farm recently told me that a client of hers got this cribbing collar for her horse and that it actually stopped the cribbing instantly. So, I bought it for Sunset, and it really does work!!! He looks a little sad now when he tries to suck wind and can't, so he's left just licking the gate in-stead of cribbing on it. It's an INGENIOUS design that is patented. The link I provided is to the least expen-sive one I found that has free shipping.”

And now back to my hints: Do you know how useful baking soda is around the barn? Make a paste of bak-ing soda and water and put on insect bites (on horses or humans) to stop the itching. Sprinkle baking soda on the cleaned-off wet spots of your horse’s stall (or in your cat’s litter pan) to kill odor (when we had our own barn, I more often used a product called Sweet PDZ which did the same thing and smelled great!). Pour some baking soda on a clean scrub brush to clean out water buckets. It scrubs them and leaves them sweet-smelling.

I mentioned Sweet PDZ above. If you have your own barn, or a kennel, cat litter pan, chickens, rabbits, etc., or even just smelly garbage cans, you need to know about Sweet PDZ. It absorbs ammonia and keeps bed-ding odor-free. It doesn’t dry hooves or burn skin like hydrated lime can. It composts well too. Here’s their website so you can read all about it: http://www.sweetpdz.com/our-products.html

I know you don’t want to hear it, but winter’s coming—ACK! Here’s one way to get ready for it: If you keep your horse at home and have a microwave in your barn, this is an easy way to make a bit-warmer. Sew a bag that’s about 5” long on each side, leaving a one inch hole open to fill it. Pour uncooked rice into it, but don’t fill it tightly—you want it to mold to the bit when you use it. When you want to warm your horse’s bit, put the bag of rice in your microwave for a minute or so, then wrap it around the bit just long enough to warm it, not make it hot. Your horse will thank you for the warm bit! These can also sooth a human’s head-ache or achy muscles—you can add lavender or other scented herbs if you’re making them for people. If you have helpful hints to share, please let me know at Lynda@myDHF.com.

September 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 13

Classifieds

Black dressage Elegance model Reactor Panel saddle with a 17.5" seat and 12.5" tree in good condition. This saddle has the low-profile, 23" long velcro attachable panels with two sizes of Sorbothane discs to attach the panels to the underside of the saddle. The disc size labeled "Thin" is .5" thick and the one labeled "Medium" is .75" thick. It also has two foam wedges from RP that were included in the original purchase. I also have a white show Mattes pad that is made for this saddle that has never been out of its original plastic bag I am selling in a separate auction. I have all the original paperwork, including the extensive User's Guide from its purchase. I have never used this saddle, so cannot tell you anything about how it feels. I picked it up to resell only. Contact Jen Truett at Jen@myDHF.com or 937-532-3108

$1200 OBO

Horses for Sale

Winter’s Coming (ACK!) Get Your DHF Jackets Now!

Moxie Equestrian’s Cavalero jackets with embroidered DHF logo. Ladies: fold-up sleeves, three

front zippered pockets, two hand-warmer pockets and a stand-up collar that snaps closed as well as snaps on the bottom of the jacket for riding comfort. Men: Bomber style with knit cuffs, two hand-warmer pockets and two zipped pockets. Both styles have a two-way zipper. Techno-suede exterior Sherpa fleece interior and machine washable! Shavings don’t stick to this fleece! Jackets are breathable, moisture wicking and moisture resistant. Jen says the jackets wick so well, she stays dry no matter how hard she’s worked!

$60 (which includes tax) while supplies last. Sizes range from XXS to XXL and colors available include navy, black, emerald, hunter green (the bomber only), and a very limited supply of medium blue, red and raspberry (raspberry in S only). Sorry, we can no longer do special orders.

Jen Truett and Lori Aman are modeling the ladies’ jacket. The bomber is on the right. Contact Lynda Sappington for more information or to order.

Toddler T’s Too!

September 2015 Dancing Horse News Page 14

DHF Logo Wear

We are cleaning out some logowear to make room for new stuff! Come and get your imprinted t-shirts and embroidered polos today!! Most t-shirts are $10, high quality polos are $15—50% off!! You can see these things and more in the DHF Observation Room. If you need access to the logowear cabinet, give me a call at 513-933-0343 and I’ll come to the farm and open it for you (I only live a few driveways away—it isn’t a big deal for me to come over if I’m not already there). You can also order DHF logos on your saddle pads for show season (you provide a pad like the one shown and we can get it embroidered for you)! Questions? E-mail me: Lynda@myDHF.com