Which is Cheaper and Better: A Shrink or a Roping Clinic?

Actually, I can't tell you from personal experience whether a shrink is better than attending a roping clinic, but I can tell that in the whole time that I have owned horses I have never needed the services of a shrink. Plus, I know what they charge, and it ain't cheap.

The reason I bring up this question is because, as all Colorado horse people know, we are heading into the deep dark tunnel that happens this time of year. It's called winter. Unless you live the life of Riley and have an indoor arena, winter basically sucks for horse people in our neck of the woods. The snow, wind, and icy footing (normal conditions for deep winter here) are a formula for disaster and injury. So unless we want to haul to an indoor arena to ride every day, it ain't happening.

But a day without riding is like a day without sunshine, as they say (at least horse addicts like me say that). So what's a zen cowgirl horse addict to do?

Did You Say Cheap Horse Activity? Invent a Roping Clinic
Well, zen cowgirls who don't want to go crazy will invent new cheap horse activities that have never existed before. My whole goal, on this blog and during this winter, is to come up with as many fun, cheap, mostly safe horse activities as I can so that as many horse people can have fun as possible.

So here's one I've come up with recently: a series of roping clinics. I know a pro roper who, aside from having won a ton of money and stuff, also has a fabulous indoor arena and lives about 10 miles from my house. I also know a bunch of crazy cowgirls like me who are pinching pennies and trying not to go stir crazy. So I call them all and ask them if they could like to participate in a series of inexpensive beginner roper clinics taught by this pro roper. I call the pro roper dude and I ask if he's interested in making a few bucks teaching a bunch of crazy cowgirls how to rope (we only know how to do penning, jumping, reining, and trail riding). He says, "Sure!"

So we're scheduling a series of beginner roping clinics in his indoor arena this winter. The curriculum will go something like this:

Session 1: Meet your rope.
Learn how to hold, swing, and throw your rope while standing on the ground. Learn to avoid hitting yourself in the head with your rope. Bonus: you don't need to haul your horse to this event because there's plenty to learn standing on your own two feet.

Session 2: Learn to rope a dummy.
After practicing throwing the rope for a while, it's time to learn to rope the Robo Steer, still from the ground, of course. Still avoiding hitting your head, of course. Again, no horse needed.

Session 3: Learn to rope on horseback.
Learn to throw the rope off a calm, gentle, caring school horse. Learn to avoid hitting yourself in the head in this new position. Learn to avoid hitting the poor horse in the head. Learn to rope the Robo Steer in this new position. Again, no horse needed, school horse provided.

Session 4: Learn to rope off your horse.
Hah! This should be fun! Starting with twirling a mere lead rope around and over top of your own horse, teach your horse to be comfortable with the lariat, with you on the ground or on his back. Yee-haw!

Session 5: Learn to swing the rope while your horse is moving.
Again, yee-haw! Learn to juggle reins and the rope, and swing the rope, while your horse is moving at various gaits. Learn to avoid runaways and whacking your head, your horse's head, or other objects in your vicinity.

Session 6: Learn to rope the Robo Steer from your horse.
Need we say it again? Yee-haw! Some horses will need help even getting near the Robo Steer, never mind following it. Then there's you--with the rope, reins, and black eye!

Get the picture yet? These clinics are fun, fabulous, and could generate reams of blackmail tape to be published on YouTube. I love it. In total, I'm quite sure that this activity will keep me from going stir crazy this winter, plus I'm sure I'll love it more than I would love seeing a shrink.

Do you agree? What similar crazy events could you come up with for your horse and your area?

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Photo credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34419934@N03/ / CC BY 2.0

7 Ways to Save Money with Horses That Make You Go Duh!

The words "save money" don't usually go in the same sentence with the word "horses" because horses are expensive hay-burning creatures who are outmoded forms of transportation in the modern age. But, it is nevertheless possible to save money when it comes to caring for and enjoying your horses.

7 Ways to Save Money with Horses
This list comes with a warning, though: it is a list composed by a master of the obvious. You will read this list and say, "Well duh!" to many of the items. Nevertheless, ask yourself how many of these steps you are actually willing to take, especially the steps that seem quite obvious. You ready? Here goes.

#1: Stop Buying or Breeding More Horses
Don't say I didn't warn you that some of these items make you go "Duh!" Yet how many people do you know who own a stud and some mares, and keep churning out colts just because the mares and stud are "there"? How many people are taking in rescue horses or buying more horses just because it's a buyer's market? Every single horse, no matter under what circumstances it was bred or bought, eats and eats and eats. And that equals money running like a hemorrhage out of your bank account. Just stop it ... no really. Don't even go there.

#2: Sell the Horses You Don't Ride
Pasture ornaments are pretty, but is your pasture really a Christmas tree? Does it need decorating? Do you derive joy out of looking at those ornaments, or do you feel guilty every time you see those horses and think, "I've got to start riding them!" No matter how much money you paid for the horse or how much the horse is worth in a good horse market, in a crappy economy when money is tight, that horse represents a total financial liability. Find it a new home, even if it means taking a financial loss compared to what you paid. Moving the horse to a new home means getting some money out of the deal, plus the reduced expense of all the food the horse won't be eating in the future. Suck it up, folks!

#3: Opt for Pasture Board if Possible
If you board your horse rather than keeping him at home, opt to board him in pasture rather than in a stall or run, if possible. Unless he is a total hothouse flower or runs through fences (or is a stud), pasture board is both cheaper and healthier for your horse. Yes, you'll have further to walk to catch your horse and he'll probably be covered in mud, hay, and manure, which means more grooming for you. However, your checkbook will reflect a healthier balance and your horse will probably be more mentally sound.

#4: Supplement Well But Inexpensively
I've written a lot of articles about how most hay and horse feed doesn't cover all your horse's basic nutritional needs, so to have a healthy horse you will probably need to supplement his feed. I've found an inexpensive "cover all bases" formula that does that for about $60 a month. It's called "horse goo" and is a mix of Simplexity Health Essentials (with blue-green algae, enzymes, acidophilus, and bifidus) plus a specific antioxidant juice. Feed 1-2 ounces of this goo daily for healthy results. When I say healthy results, I mean low to no incidence of colic, healthy feet, shiny mane and tail and coat, and high immunity. Amazing how well this stuff works. It's like having champagne even if you're on a beer budget. Get the specifics on mixing up this "goo" here.

#5: Skip the Shows and Go Play
Whatever your training routine is, stand it on its head. Add some variety to your routine. If you campaign your horse all the time at horse shows, go trail riding or school your horse in a different event. For instance, my jumper mares do really well when I take them to some team penning and sorting events. It gets them out of the jumper ring and chasing some cows, which for them is total fun. And the cost can't be beat: $20 for the day, which ends up being about 6-8 runs. Now that's cheap entertainment. I have friends who have been taking their dressage horses to some sport horse versatility shows, where they do the equivalent of a trail obstacle course. This teaches even the spookiest hothouse flower dressage horse to drag logs, carry raincoats, get the mail, and walk over all manner of obstacles. This is good cheap fun that's also a psychological rest for your horse.

#6: Decide Whether Your Horse Really Needs Shoes
Many horses do needs shoes, I know. But ask yourself, "Does my horse really need shoes all year round?" Maybe not. If you ride your horse in a soft arena all the time, he may not actually need shoes. Many cowboys pull their horses shoes off in the winter to give their hooves a rest. Consider doing the same for your horse. Shoes constrict the hoof and increase shock on all the joints in the body. Even if you want to go trial riding, you can still pull your horse's shoes this winter -- just buy a pair of boots to protect your horse's feet. A good pair of boots runs about the same price as a shoeing job, so you won't be overspending there. Plus, many horses only need boots on their front hooves, since they carry 60% of their weight over their front end. Pulling your horse's shoes for even 3-4 months will save you a pretty good chunk of change, not to mention improving your horse's health.

#7: Figure Stuff Out On Your Own
For a long time when I "schooled" my horse, I just walked, trotted, and loped him in both directions. I had no idea what I was doing except for exercising his muscles. That's because I always had a trainer who told me what to do, step by step. I never asked why we did what we did, I just waited for instructions, like a good little rider. Once I moved out of the big city and into the country, I was clueless because I didn't have an instructor (there were very few jumper instructors in cowboy-land). So I had to start figuring stuff out for myself. I read some books, took the occasional lesson from a trainer who lived 50 miles away, and watched some videos. I rode with people in the neighborhood, some of whom used to train horses. I made a lot of mistakes, and learned that almost no mistake is "unfixable." I became a much better rider and I learned to start my own colts. So instead of spending all your dough on lessons with a trainer, try to figure some stuff out for yourself. This will decrease your costs, and the things you learn will be priceless!

The "Well, Duh!" Factor
Yeah, I know, most of the things on this list are just common sense, but you'd be amazed at how many horse people have NO common sense. When you read this list, don't just say to yourself, "I already knew that." Instead, start planning how you will implement these changes in your daily life. If you plan on taking fewer lessons, figure out how you will tell your trainer about your change in plans. A lot of people are afraid to tell their trainers this. You'd be amazed. Then make a plan on how you will figure things out by yourself. Will you watch videos? Will you go to a clinic or two? Will you try a different event just to get a new perspective on what you need to work on? Be creative ... it's fun!

What about you? Any ideas, obvious or subtle, to have fun for cheap with your horse in this cruddy economy? Do share!

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An Update on the One-Jump Wonder Project

There are one-trick ponies and then there's me, the wannabe one-jump horse wonder.

I recently wrote about how I was embarking on several projects to have cheap fun with my horses in this cruddy economy. It's become my new passion to offer up as many ideas as possible for horse people to have fun, for cheap, with their horses.

One project I took on involved tearing down some chewed up wooden corrals to create an open space big enough to I could lope my horses (read that post here). In that space, there would be room for exactly one jump. My plan? To school my jumper mares over a single jump all winter long and be prepared to jump full courses come show season in the spring.

The Update
I promised an update and here it is. I am following my three-step plan of
1. Using what I already have
2. Bartering
3. Borrowing

As you can see from the pictures, the corrals have been taken down so I can now make use of a space I already had, but couldn't use before. I bartered with my neighbor Bill for this. He took down my corrals and I'm doing his chores for several weeks while he and his wife go to Africa on safari.

I have also borrowed jumps from my friend Heidi so that I can school my mares (see them all lined up like neat little soldiers?). I have six standards and six poles, so I can either make a vertical jump or an oxer, or even a Swedish oxer if I get really crazy. After all, I've got room for just one jump!

Thus far I have dragged the lumpier parts of the arena using the four-wheeler and have loped in it. The horses don't love the footing, but they are learning to deal with it. The footing is soft, but not totally even. I'll be working on that some more by mixing some old hay, horse manure, and grass clippings into the footing (not to worry, I don't let the horses eat the grass clippings).

Anyway, so far my cost has been $0. I'll be doing Bill's chores for a few weeks starting soon, so I'll have to invest a little gas money, but $20 ought to cover the entire cost as he lives just up the road from me. I'd ride my horse to his place to do chores but it takes too long to get there and back on horseback, so I won't do it except once or twice. My only other investment has been in poultices that I've had to put on wasp stings. Wasps have built nests in my hay barn (where I put all the old wood) and they are a little territorial. Oh well, a little acidophilus and blue-green algae mixed with spring water and baking soda took care of the stings.

So that's my report on cheap horse activities for a cruddy economy. My focus is on using what I have, bartering for things I need done, and borrowing everything else.

What ideas do you have for horse activities that are fun and cheap? I'd love to hear so please drop me a line or share a comment!

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Cheap Horse Activities in a Cruddy Economy: Rediscovering the Desert

This is a second in a three-part series of articles on what cowgirls and cowboys can do with their horses for cheap in this depressed economy. The first focused on the three ideas of retrofitting what you have, bartering with others, and borrowing from others. This one focuses on riding in other locations without necessarily paying show fees. So here goes ...

Arena-Bound
I hadn't noticed until recently, but I've become horribly arena-bound in the last few years. As a rider who very much enjoys the horse events of hunter/jumper, penning and sorting, and more recently, reining, I realize that I have spent a whole lot of time in arenas. After all, you need good arenas, great footing, and jumps or cows or cones for all of those activities.

But arena-riding, not to mention hauling to arenas several times a week, can be expensive ... and for me, no longer acceptable. These days, I very much want to invest my land and invest in acquiring new land. So hauling to other arenas all the time is out, at least for now. So I've been looking at alternatives that still allow me to have fun and not spend a fortune. I recently wrote about becoming a one-jump wonder, or schooling my hunter/jumper mares to jump full courses using only a single jump. That's going to be a fun work-in-progress.

My Second Idea for Having Fun with Your Horse for Cheap
My second idea for cheap horse activities is rediscovering the desert. When I first moved out to Western Colorado about 9 years ago, I spent a lot of time with neighbors and friends riding out in the high desert. I learned how to go up super-tall ridges. Then I learned how to come down steep ravines, since what goes up must come down. I had a blast! And I spent very little money. Riding in the desert cost very little. You only pay for gas hauling to the trailhead, some snacks to eat along the way, and some minor repairs to your trail gear when necessary.

But riding in the desert isn't just cheap, it's priceless. The peace of mind you can get from riding out just before dawn and heading back just before dinner is better than any meditation I've ever experienced. Not only that, but any sort of open-range riding helps you school your horse, without the awful boredom of arena-riding. Trail riding teaches your horse to:

- place her feet carefully
- stay balanced on different kinds of footing
- navigate around objects (like trees, rocks, and shrubs) with a minimal of guidance
- conserve energy for the long ride ahead
- drink when presented with water
- enjoy the art of standing still
- engage different muscle groups while going up or down hills
- accept wildlife
- cross water and other obstacles

The list could go on ... and those of you who to ride the open range could probably double or triple this size of this list. The bottom line is that getting out of the arena and into "the real world," so to speak, is not only less expensive but also offers so many benefits you can't find in the arena. It's cheap schooling plus beaucoup fun for you and your horse.

Some Cheap Horse Activities for You
Can you think of some places nearby where you can haul your horse without paying massive fees? If you don't have access to a high desert, here are some ideas:

- horse-friendly state parks
- a friend's arena (who won't charge you to ride)
- wooded trails
- a horse show (haul in to school but don't show)
- down the road and back (as long as there's not too much traffic)

Does that give you some ideas of some cheap ways to enjoy your horse? I hope so. As for me, I'm off to rediscover some desert land that I haven't ridden in a few years ... see you some time before the supper bell rings!

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Cheap Horse Activities in a Cruddy Economy- -Becoming a One-Jump Wonder

Yikes! The price of being addicted to horses has suddenly gotten higher than ever! Have you noticed that while no one has any money, the price of horses hasn't really dropped much? The price of keeping, feeding, caring for, and showing horses hasn't gotten any cheaper, either.

In fact, it's gotten more expensive. Our local "come learn how to do penning and sorting" has just become a jackpot penning, driving the price up by 3 times. The local shows now have added surcharges for fuel and office administration. Does that make any sense in a depressed economy?

Regardless, it's resulting in the zen cowgirl blues. This zen cowgirl has money but has bigger dreams. I want to invest in an enhanced watering system for the back pasture, not to mention some raw land. So that means less showing and more work and investment in my business. Yikes! Unfortunately, I do better when there's a competitive event on the horizon to shoot for ... a horse show or a practice penning. So what's a zen cowgirl to do?

3 Ways to Find Cheap Horse Activities in This Economy
Below I'm going to highlight one of the ideas I'm pursuing as a cheap horse activity. The three basic concepts of that idea are:

1. Retrofit what you have
2. Barter services with someone else to save money
3. Borrow equipment or gear from others

These three concepts really don't require money, or at least not a lot of it. Now, read through the idea below and see if this gives you some ideas on what you might be able to do for a cheap horse activity.

What I'm Going to Do About the Zen Cowgirl Blues
What do zen cowgirls do when the wallet gets tight but the competitive spirit is still burning strong? We get creative, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. I've come up with 3 horse activities that I plan to do in the next 6 months which are aimed at competitive goals but won't break the bank. In this article I'll cover the first one:

... to be a one-jump wonder ...

How to Be a One-Jump Wonder
I live on five acres of heaven with lush pastures for horses to graze and for making hay. One thing I have not had, though, is a flat area large enough in which to lope my horses. Thus far, I've only had enough room to walk and trot. That is all about to change. At the back of the property I have an large area that is currently divided into three corrals. The corral wood is old and nasty, not to mention chewed-up by the horses (see the picture and you'll know what I mean).

I was recently struck with the idea that if I take the corrals down, I'll have a huge arena in which to lope. I can also put 1 or 2 jumps in that space. I can't take down all that wood by myself, but I can with the help of a friend. So I'm bartering with my buddy Bill. He's going to help me take down the corral wood and I'm going to do chores for him later in the month, when he and his wife are going on safari. Barter is cheap and only requires a little gas money and some elbow grease on my part.

Once I have my loping arena, I'm going to put 1 or 2 jumps in the area (a friend is going to loan me her jumps). Once that's set up, I am going to become the one-jump wonder. That means I'm going to school my hunter/jumper mares to jump full courses by using only 1 or 2 jumps. This is modeled after a chap with whom I took one jumping lesson. Like me, this man only had land for one jump, so he taught every one of his horses and riders to jump entire courses by schooling over a single jump. Given that this man was once the high-jump champion in the state, I think he might have something there. I'm going to give it a whirl this coming fall and spring, and see whether I can use his techniques to teach my mares.

The benefits of this idea are:

1. Allows me to school my horses without hauling, thus saving on gas.
2. Keeps my intrigued because the idea is so crazy it's fun (if I get bored, I go out and collect more horses).
3. Enables me to keep my horses in jumping shape without buying a bunch of jumps or taking expensive lessons.

The downsides to this idea are:

1. I will be proving once again that I am crazy (but hey, what is a zen cowgirl anyway?).
2. I'm not sure if I remember everything the dude taught me about schooling over just a single jump.
3. There are probably pitfalls to this approach that I have yet to discover.

Oh well, as with most activities related to my horses, everything is an open experiment, a work in progress. Without a doubt, this one-jump wonder idea will be interesting to implement, and I will probably learn some new tricks. It is, in any case, a fitting activity for a zen cowgirl who is addicted to mustangs. Stay tuned for more progress on this INSANE idea!

What About You?
What crazy but cheap ideas can you come up with to do with horses? Here's one from my local paper:

"Will pay someone to ride my fat draft gelding."

Hmmm ... does this sound like you? It's not just cheap, you get paid!

*** Get an Update on the One-Jump Wonder Project here ***

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