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September Already!!
Right after I decided to do monthly newsletters again, my office flooded. Literally, on the morning of July 20, 5-6" of rain came down in a very short time backed up the drain and 5-6" of water in my office. It was quite a set back but, I have a really clean basement now. Absolutely everything was cleaned and a lot was just removed.
Then I went away to visit friends & family in PA, then the yardsale, then I went away again for a few days with friends in Nashville, then I went away again to an amazing clinic with Cody Harrison, then I had friends come vist from PA. And there goes the month of August! It was fun and I did work a lot in between.
Now, I promise again to keep up with the monthly newsletters. During my first trip, I learned of the passing of Richard Shrake and on my last trip I learned of the passing of one of my oldest and dearest friends, Michael Wright. Michael was like family to Larry & I. We have stayed close long after the years of fox hunting we did together. He will be greatly missed but, I know that someday we will see him again in Heaven.
 Richard Shrake was my mentor. He taught me more probably then any other. For many years I traveled to clinics to ride and/or teach with him. His Resistance Free training was like a blend of western and classical training. He had an unbelievable and unshakeable ability to stay positive and calm no matter what. I remember coming home from the first clinic which literally changed my life and wanting to ride every horse on the farm to practice what I learned. The “string test” he developed for evaluating a horse's athletic ability, I still use today. The 12 steps for warm up and learning timing, control and feel, I also still use today. Richard I am sure passed as he lived, Resistance Free and I know I will see him again in Heaven.
Rip is already doing the 12 steps but he doesn't have his own video yet. Here is Fancy, Annie's Mother when she was a baby doing the 12 steps. Here is the written explanation of how to do the 12 steps on the ground and under saddle.
Richard said teaching the horse to rebalance was one of the greatest gifts we could give the horse. Everytime the horse takes a crossover step, they have to rebalance. In order for the horse to get the maximum benefit of the exercises they need to be relaxed and receptive which when done correctly, the 12 steps definitely relax and release endorphins. At every clinic, his and mine the horses come in looking around, nervous and uncomfortable but by the time we were ready for our first break all the horses were relaxed and no one was round penned or lunged. We just moved their feet in time with ours, fast & slow, disengage and did the 12 steps.
Let's have a Resistance Free clinic! I love this stuff & I think it would be the best way to honor Richard. Anyone interested?  Is your saddle helping or hurting your horse? Sadly, we saw a horse at the Back Country Horseman's Ride over the weekend with an open wound caused by the saddle. That was pretty obvious, the saddle was hurting. But what about when it is not obvious? I saw a post last night of a poor fitting tree and the saddle maker himself was bragging that he rides the horse in a saddle with that same tree. He claims that the horse shows no soreness. Well, first of all Quarter Horses especially are hard wired to hide that pain. That is why I just bought another Quarter Horse because they are so darn forgiving even to the point of allowing a rider to hurt them over and over with a saddle and keep on going. They keep going until they can't take it anymore and then it is too late the damage is done. The horse's posture showed that he is not lifting his back and using his core. It will eventually catch up to him either in a lameness or back problems. Just because you don't see any open sores or signs of soreness doesn't mean the saddle fits.
We are having another basic saddle fit class here on Saturday, Sept. 16. We still have room for participants. This class is for anyone that wants to learn how the saddle needs to fit to prevent damage to the horse. Poor fitting saddles also cause a lot of behavior problems like bucking and spooking. How many times have we seen a horse chased around a round pen to take the buck out? Poor saddle fit can cause a horse to buck. Poor saddle fit can cause a horse to shorten his stride resulting in front end lameness and tripping. Tripping can cause horse and rider to fall resulting in injury or even death. Poor saddle fit can ruin a great horse or help a horse be great.
As always, thank you for reading and sharing the newsletter. The referrals are greatly appreciated and the kindest compliment. Thank you for them. I hope you have a great fall riding season, stay safe and God Bless.
TTYS,
Terry
Terry Peiper, Fit Right Saddle Solutions
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