Review - Herm Sprenger Stirrups

Stirrup Review

Last Christmas my husband presented me with a new pair of stirrups. I hadn’t used them until today. These are the Herm Sprenger System 4 Stirrups;

(the following excerpts are from various sites and catalogs selling these stirrups)

Herm Sprenger System 4 Stirrups offer security, flexibility, strength and comfort! This international, patent-pending style consists of four links allowing for movement in four directions at the same time, enabling immediate release in case of emergency. The Herm Sprenger System 4 Stirrup are the only stirrups in the world with dual lateral flexibility thereby softening the impact on your ligaments, cartilage and joints. HS Sprenger System 4 Stirrups adapt perfectly to the movements that have to be made in all riding disciplines. The high quality material and the ergonomical form guarantee comfort and security for horse and rider.

• Sprenger has made the original flex irons even better. Now they flex at four different points (two points on each side), for added comfort, safety, and performance.
• More security: The four links now allow movement in four directions at the same time enabling immediate release in case of an emergency.
• More comfort: Improved flexibility for easy mounting, secure whilst in motion, relieves tension in the hips, knees, ankles and calves following the movements of the foot precisely.
• More strength: Resistance against breakage has been increased by more than 30%. Special treads adapt to foot, ensuring permanent contact with stirrup.

My Thoughts

While I have been riding Dusty for a few weeks now and am enjoying myself again, my knees still hurt during the ride and afterwards. I did not immediately try these new stirrups because I wasn’t sure how they would work compared to the regular Fillis Irons I’m familiar with. Figuring the flexing joints may possibly give me some trouble with stability, they remained in my tack trunk. After last week’s ride on Dusty and Blue my knees took about 3 days to feel better, so as it was time to get back on, I knew I wanted to try something to relieve those aching knees.

I should say that the right knee I had replaced wasn’t actually giving me pain but it was very stiff. My left knee, however, is not in great shape. Whether it’s genetics (arthritis) or just too many jumps and horses over the years, who knows -and at this point, who cares; the damage is done. But I digress. After installing the new stirrups on my saddle, I did some ring work then took Dusty into the field. We did some hill walking and trotting and general meandering out there.

Well, I could not be more pleased with the way these stirrups felt and worked. There was no wobbling like I assumed there would be, my leg was secure, I was balanced and comfortable. Dusty decided she’d had enough fun for the day and then she spied some horse eating monsters in the woods. We proceeded to have a few discussions about her going home and we decided that no matter how many times she spun around and headed for the barn, we would just stay in the field a while longer and show her how much fun she was having. Therefore, to date this is the longest ride so far and the most comfortable.

As I sit here typing normally my legs and knees would be very painful to deal with but they don’t hurt at all. I would recommend these stirrups to anyone who has knee issues, be it arthritis or diminishing cartilage issues, hip pain etc…. I’m delighted someone finally made something for us mature riders to ease the strain and pain of riding. I guess from my flowery, gushing review it is easy to see I like these stirrups quite a lot. The only downside to them is they are rather pricey at around $199.00. But, then so is my doctor and it’s worth every penny to be able to enjoy a mostly pain free ride.

Until next time

Quote for Today

The world is best viewed through the ears of a horse!

Friday's Funnies

Friday’s Funnnies

I just received this in an e-mail. I am sure most of you have already heard some of these fabulous lines, but if you haven’t, please enjoy them as much as I did. Wouldn’t it be great to have the opportunity to slip them into a conversation sometime? Have a great weekend!

When Insults Had Class

These glorious insults are from an era before the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words.

The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor:
She said, "If you were my husband I'd give you poison."
He said, "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."

A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease."
"That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."

"He had delusions of adequacy." - Walter Kerr

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." - Winston Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." Clarence Darrow

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it." - Moses Hadas

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain

”He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." - Oscar Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend.... if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one." - Winston Churchill, in response.

"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." - Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator." - John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial." - Irvin S. Cobb

"He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others." - Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." - Paul Keating

"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily." - Charles, Count Talleyrand

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" - Mark Twain

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." - Mae West

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.." - Oscar Wilde

"He has Van Gogh's ear for music." - Billy Wilder

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." - Groucho Marx

Until next time

Quote for Today

Attributed to Lady Thornicroft after the hunt. When a saboteur asked her why the horse was so hot and sweated up; "If I had you between my legs for two and a half hours you dear sir, would be equally as hot and sweaty."

The Queen Is In

The Queen Is In

As this is our royal birthday, we started the day with a spa treatment. Bathing, clipping, mane and tail pulling and although the grooms tried they came up short when they realized there was no sparkle hoof polish to be found in my lady’s bathing area. Off with their heads ! Harrumph!

Her Royal Highness ‘Moon’s Stardust’ will be holding court all day, therefore her loyal subjects may come bearing gifts and treats as is befitting a Queen of her stature.

Queen Stardust has decreed that her wish-list will include all precious gems, which will be taken to the royal saddle maker and inlayed into her bridle’s brow band. Rubies would be best, after all it is her birthstone; then again, diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Such hard decisions… had better just bring both. Any new clothing would be appreciated (preferably trimmed in ermine or mink) grooming tools , new fly masks, tiaras, etc… Of course, it is understood, no toiling in the fields or arenas today anywhere in the realm. A serene enchanted day in which all subjects can properly worship the ground she walks on shall be trumpeted throughout the entire kingdom.

Official adoration is set to begin after breakfast and continue until the stroke of midnight when the festivities and butt kissing will end. Any subject wishing to partake of the buffet of unlimited grass, hay and their dinner grain, carrots and treats are welcome to attend. If no one chooses to acknowledge Her Majesty’s birthday with the proper adulation well then - let them eat cake - carrot cake!

Thank goodness her birthday only comes once a year; Dusty can be an unbearable tyrant!

Until next time

Quote for Today

An owner about her Appaloosa Mare - "She will do everything and anything I ask her as long as she thinks it is okay!" (It seems this also applies to my palomino mare, Dusty)!
- Mary Ann Holan

Honest Scrap Award

Honest Scrap Award

It seems I’ve been triply honored. Three very kind bloggers have bestowed the Honest Scrap Award on me.

First, we have Once Upon an Equine who after years away from horses has been able to realize her dream of owning her own horses and now has two, Misty a Percheron mare and Marley a Norwegian Fjord gelding. Second is Horse of Course who is Swedish but lives in Norway. She has a beautiful talented mare Fame she is training and has some great stories and interesting rides. Third and last is Marissa whose blog Tucker the Wunderkind is a blog I just started to follow. Her horse is adorable. Check out her blog when you get the chance and see what the two of them are up to these days.

The Honest Scrap award comes with a few fun rules that recipients must follow.

1. Recognize your award presenter and link back to their blog in your post.
2. List 10 honest things about yourself.
3. Present this award to 10 admirable bloggers and link to their blogs.
4. Leave a comment on your recipients' blogs to let them know to visit your post to retrieve their award.

Honest Scrap Award

Ten things about me that you most likely don’t know

I’m an optimist. The glass is usually half-full.

I’d rather clean the barn than the house.

I would rather be outside than stuck inside any day.

I like gardening and planting beautiful flowers and enjoying whatever else Mother Nature has to offer in each season of the year. Autumn and Spring are my favorite seasons.

One of my favorite trips included the Grand Canyon, The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest, the Southwest deserts and their vibrant colors and rock formations are awesome sights.

A challenging course of jumps in Equitation classes was always one of my favorite parts of riding, especially if you were lucky enough to be called back for the test.

For 15 years, I rode a 17’2 hand Dutch Warmblood and before that, a 16’2 paint. Seems I’ve always had horses on the larger side. Now that I’m riding again and Dusty is my horse of choice because she’s sane and mostly dependable ( I can depend on her to be very opinionated) at 15’1 or 15’2 hands I feel like I am riding the pony I never had as a child. Dusty has been a lot of fun so far, she is still green and we have a lot to learn together, I just have to get used to riding an under-tall horse even if she is a tank.

I’ve been told I drive a little too fast sometimes, usually by intolerant state troopers with little or no sense of humor.

Cooking is one of my least favorite things to do.

Native American Indian history is one of my favorite cultures to study.

Finally, I’ve been known to swear like a pirate, most times while driving. This is more than likely due to men in spandex…on bikes… riding 3 or 4 abreast and refusing to move as if’ Team Testicle’ owns the road. Might I suggest that if you really feel the need to wear tights and a helmet, get a horse at least you’ll be off the roads. Does it sound as if I may need anger management classes?

Now on to passing this award to ten admirable bloggers. This is always hard since there are so many deserving blogs out there. I’ll just try to pick the ones that I think have not received this particular award yet.

Teachings of the Horse

I Will Jump Sweet Jumps

Horses of Follywoods

Glenshee Equestrian

Transitions

The Literary Horse

Hoofbeats and Paw Prints

Less Is More

A Bay Horse

Copper Pony’s Cowgirl

Until next time

Quote for Today

Ride a wild horse
against the sky-
hold tight to his wings
before you die
whatever else you leave undone
once ride a wild horse
into the sun.

Cowgirl's Horse Dies

Cowgirl’s Horse Dies

Below is a quick update chronicling how Donna Byrne’s ride is progressing on horseback from Florida to Texas. I copied and pasted this article from TBO.com. My first post about this woman and her mission was when she started her trek five months ago in a post titled, “Would You Do This”. It looks like she may be reaching her goal soon, but at what cost. Anyway, just thought some of you might be interested in her progress.

Cowgirl’s horse dies on epic ride through Texas

Donna Byrne, an out-of work cowgirl, left Arcadia, Florida earlier this year on horseback, heading for Texas. Jay, the horse she is riding in this picture, died last week.

Cowgirl Donna Byrne packed up her two horses, Tonto and Jay, in Arcadia, Florida five months ago and took to the road, hoping to make it to Amarillo, Texas, and a new ranch job.
She’s less than 80 miles from her destination, but she’ll arrive exhausted, beaten down by the long trip and heartsick.
Jay, the horse she was riding, died last week.
Byrne thinks it was the result of eating a poison plant in the town she was passing through, Childress.
“I saw her chewing on something and I jerked her away,” she said. Soon after that she began to bleed from the nose, then her tongue swelled up. Byrne called a veterinarian who came out to check on Jay. He gave her medication but couldn’t save her.
Byrne later became ill and went to the local hospital emergency room. She thought she was having a heart attack, but the doctor said she was in shock. He medicated her, she said, and when she got out, all she wanted to do was get back on the road.
She bought a new horse, which she knew seemed cold, so soon after Jay’s death, but “I had to do something,” she said. “I wanted to get out of that town. I just wanted to get the heck away from there.”
No one performed a necropsy to figure out what killed Jay, but it could well have been a poison plant, said Terri Gammage, president and founder of a horse rescue operation in Amarillo, Safe Hayven.
“She could have died from eating toxic weeds. We have them here, they’re everywhere. She could have died from heat stroke. I do not know. And it’s too late to find out now,” she said.
But after getting calls from people who have been following Byrne’s story, she tracked her down on Monday. She wanted to check on Tonto and the horse that Byrne bought to replace Jay. Byrne is calling the new horse Bitch, because she has a surly attitude.
Gammage found both of them in good shape, she said. “As a cruelty investigator, I would never dream of trying to make a case against her,” Gammage said. The horses seemed comfortable. They weren’t blowing “or dancing around like they were hurting.”
Tonto is lean, but it’s what you would expect from a horse that had travelled 1,500 miles.
Byrne, 44, set out from Arcadia in February, riding her horse Jay and using Tonto to carry a tent, clothes and almost everything else she owned.
She had lost her job on a small ranch and decided to head to Texas, hoping to find steady work in Amarillo. Ultimately, she said, she wanted to get to Montana, where she worked several years ago.
Along the way, people began giving her money and places to stay and feeding and putting new shoes on her horses.
Many offered to drive her and her horses to her destination, but she said no. She wanted to keep riding, to prove she had the guts to finish what she started.
Byrne wound up in a hospital in Tallahassee and later in Pineville, La., with a leg infection. After several days on intravenous antibiotics in Pineville, she finally got the infection under control. Then she decided to ride a bull in a rodeo down the road from Pineville; she used to be a professional bull rider. She flew off after 7 seconds and bruised her back.
But none of what she’s been through on the road compares with losing Jay, she said on Monday. “People think I killed her. I didn’t kill her. I would have killed myself before I killed that horse,” she said.
Some bloggers on a Web site set up to follow Byrne’s progress have been condemning her for subjecting her horses to such a long trip. But after seeing Byrne’s horses and meeting her, Gammage defends her.
“What she is doing is not any way worse than what a lot of people on competitive trail riding and endurance riding do. They do it every day. She’s not doing it nearly as hard as competitive riders do,” she said.
“Donna has a choice in what she’s doing. The horses don’t. But as far as I can see right now, the horses are not in danger.”
But Byrne is spent. “I’m worn down,” she said. “I know cowgirls don’t cry, ride, baby, ride. But with Jay’s death, it really took a toll on me. I’m just tired.”
By LINDSAY PETERSON

Until next time

Quote for Today

A horse is an animal not a machine and is only as good as it's rider.

A Change of Venue

A Change of Venue

I came upon this petition put out by Philippe Karl and anyone interested in stopping the abusive practices that are happening around the world in dressage and other disciplines may want to look it up and sign it. In my opinion, this is a start and one way to let the judges and sponsors know that the grading they are currently giving the "stars" is not okay with everyone. Most of these "stars" use abusive training methods to make up a horse quickly and get them out there exhibiting the flash and dash that some uneducated audiences want to see. Most of these poor horses are thrown out by the time they are eight or nine years old. That’s right. Can you believe that? It’s disgusting what some people will do for their egos and money.


It might also be a good idea to write to the sponsors of these "stars" and let them know that we will no longer buy their products if they are endorsed by riders and trainers who employ rollkur - or as the judges so conveniently call it now "hyper-flexion." No matter what name it goes by, it is still abuse. We have to start somewhere to let them know that what dressage has become is no longer acceptable and must be brought back to the original classical style. The horses need someone to speak for them and make this nonsense stop.

JME has also posted this particular link on her blog with a well written post, titled Dressage Detox, check it out and the comments as well.


Click on this link to sign the petition:

http://philippe-karl.com/703

Until next time

Quote for Today

" In order to serve its purpose, a vision has to be a shared vision."

Warren Bennis

DVD Review - If Horses Could Speak

If Horses Could Speak

A DVD Review

Horses do not make a specific noise when they are in pain and yet with practice it is possible to read their state of health from their face and especially their eyes.
One years work went into developing the unique 3-D animation which clearly
demonstrates where false riding hurts and why.

IF HORSES COULD SPEAK

by Dr. Gerd Heuschmann

75 minute DVD by Dr. Gerhard Heuschmann

Introduction spoken by Hans-Heinrich Isenbart

The moving 3D-horse at walk and trot is a world novelty, which clearly depicts what happens in the horse's body with hyperflexion techniques that are currently widely rewarded in competition arenas around the world.

Positive and negative live rides by Hans Riegler (Chief écuyer Spanish Riding School, Vienna) and David de Wispelaere (Grand Prix Rider, awarded with the Piaffe Horsemanship award 2008) and others.

Computer professionals, who had worked on known movies like Jurassic Park, King Kong and other 3D-animations developped this project. The animation lets the viewer understand completely, why false riding must lead to permanent damages!

With the complex 3D-animation, work movements can be depicted now. Currently, you see the horse standing with moving neck and head and its anatomic effects on back and hindquarters. Drawings of skeletons and muscles literally become vivid. The whole walk and trot mechanism will also be shown in the movie.

Everyone who loves his horse will watch this movie to understand: The rider who does not want to understand the horse's anatomy will torture his horse consciously in the future. What horseman does really want that?

Below is a synopsis of the DVD Review I condensed from this site. If you would like to read the full review go to:

http://www.equibooks.com/heuschmann.html

The DVD Reviewed

This video shows how incorrect modern riding negatively affects horses' health. Experienced rider and horse veterinarian Dr. Gerd Heuschmann employs the highest level of technological help to capture the horse in 3D and clearly demonstrates the biomechanics of the horse and displays the 'torture' that ‘rollkur’ can cause in the breakdown of the horse.

The material here explicitly details each gait and riding techniques that are currently rewarded in competition arenas around the world. His plain speaking on behalf of the horse and his depth of research and understanding of the horse in both mind and body will impress any rider.

The production is of the highest quality and Dr. Heuschmann has presented a factual basis for asking judges around the world to return to rewarding the true classical training of a horse. Input from the highly regarded Dr. Heinz Meyer, Jochin Schleese (saddle maker and rider) and Johann Riegler of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna provide their own points of view on the subject.

About the Author

Dr. med. vet. Gerhard Heuschmann

He is a vet, a rider and above all a true horse lover. He is the man who currently pours all his energy into educating riders to develop an awareness of what is really needed to make their sport more horse friendly. He is not afraid to speak up for his cause and if need be to lend the horses his voice.

His book “Tug of War – Classical Versus “Modern” Dressage” – was published by Wu Wei Verlag, Schondorf.

First released at the end of 2006 – exactly one year later the revised second edition is released including an open letter to the FEI, the FN and the German horse riding authorities. Over 25,000 copies have been sold to date making it one of the most successful horse books in recent years and it has so far been translated into 9 languages. It explains impressively and clearly what riders have to know so that their horses stay healthy.

All of the above material was taken from different sites because their information is better than anything I could write. Below are

' My Thoughts '

While the video itself is rather pricey at around $60, it is worth every dollar. If you check around the internet or Google ‘If Horses Could Speak’ many sites come up and while I haven’t checked them all out I think you may be able to purchase it for less. I should also add that even though the video I uploaded from You Tube has subtitles, the version I have is dubbed over in English so you can watch it without reading the scroll at the bottom. There is also a site where you can rent this video called: Giddyupflix.com.

I feel everyone could benefit from watching this DVD, whether you ride English or Western . Educating ourselves and discovering a better way to ride by incorporating how our horses bodies work in our training can only help us form a better partnership with our horses. A happy healthy horse should be the goal we constantly strive to attain.

Until next time

Quote for Today

What the horse does under compulsion...is done without understanding...and there is no beauty in it.

- Xenophon