March 2013 Volume 47

Supporting the needs of equestrians and building

Harmonious horse/rider partnerships.

Dancing Horse News

“When I hear somebody talk about a horse or cow being stupid; I figure it's a sure sign that the

animal has somehow outfoxed them”

― Tom Dorrance

Here It Is, My Last Letter from Sunny Florida by Jen Truett

We are really looking forward to our return home. In fact, the Michael Buble song, Home, that is playing right now as I write this, describes our feelings for coming home perfectly. It's been an amazing couple of months here. It is so nice to have missed all the terrible weather back at home, but we really love be-ing home with our husbands, friends and families. I will miss my daily lessons with Heather and the warm weather the most. I will also miss the new con-nections we've made since we've been here. We've met fun new people at Heather's, I've taught lessons to some of Leif's great clients, and I've been able to help Leif make exciting strides forward with his very nice young horse Tucci, who is a Contucci son. I'm so happy to be able to be leaving a bit of me and RWTM here at Free Spirit Friesians after I'm gone. I look for-ward to returning again next year. My boys have made great leaps forward in their so-phistication. I can't believe how lucky I am to have them to ride every day and the best horse husband ever to let me come here to work with Heather. Since I've been here, I've been forced to make a major fun-damental shift in my personal beliefs about training horses. Thanks to my wonderful relationship with Heather that enables us to talk openly about anything with no concerns about what the other person will think, I've been able to open my mind up to new training possibilities. I sincerely wish for every stu-dent out there that they too can experience a similar level of trust, respect and understanding with their coach. I consider Heather to be my coach, mentor and friend. I so appreciate our relationship and find

her to be inspiring and totally genuine. I aspire to be all these things for my students and hope I also am helping them along their journeys the way she is mine. Thanks to Heather's stabbing in the dark for an an-swer to Sunset's long standing lethargy and complete lack of spark, he is now a totally different horse. Read about his Amazing Story of Rebirth inside this issue. I've posted recent videos on my youtube.com/jentruett channel and am sharing pictures of them throughout this issue. I look forward with excitement for what this year will bring to DHF. Here is where you can get more info: 1. We have an extensive line-up of educational events that can be found here: http://www.mydhf.com/calendar.html 2. I am gone teaching clinics at least twice a month and am excited to announce a new clinic venue in Casco, Michigan! 3. Check out this page for information about where and when I'll be teaching clinics: http://www.mydhf.com/jen-truetts-clinics.html 4. I know we have a lot of students who are excited to show this year, so I have updated our general show information and fees which can be found here: http://www.mydhf.com/showing-with-dhf-info.html 5. Our first clinic will be with Mary March 22-24. The ride schedule is done and is posted here: http://www.mydhf.com/ride-times.html

Continued on page 3

March 2013 Dancing Horse News Page 2

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Moving Forward by Apprentice Trainer Christina Knecht

As our time here in sunny Wellington comes to a close, I find myself preparing for life on the other side. Be-ing in one-on-one full training for an entire two months has transformed my riding and my horse, and once we return home, I’ll be moving forward armed with many more tools and much more knowledge in training my horse.

My biggest fear going into intensive training was that I wouldn’t be able to function without Jen’s watchful eye every day. So I’ve started reminding myself of everything I’ve learned and preparing an ICE plan. In case you didn’t know, ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. My mare, Addy, was born on April Fools Day almost six years ago with a big personality and the opinion to match. She’s really flexible and specializes in acrobat-ics of all sorts. On her best behavior, she can be quite lovely, and I’m really excited for her future. But sometimes, as with all horses, things can go wrong, and she’s not shy about expressing herself. So here is the core of my ICE plan. It consists of tidbits from Jen that I can mentally chant to myself when my rides at home get a little too..exciting.

--Keep my back corners down: Addy is fond of “ripping the rug out from under me,” in several directions. Keeping my back corners down ensures I’m attached to this rug wherever it goes.

--Hands low and wide; leg on: when she tries to evade contact with the bit by backing off, my hands need to go wide to remove potential slack in the reins and my legs push her forward into the pressure.

--Right arm cuff: my unruly right arm is in cohorts with Addy’s right shoulder. We’ve recently discovered that immediately before she states a big opinion about something, Addy’s right shoulder either bulges or drops (as if her right fore suddenly sunk six inches beneath the arena surface). My right arm cuff is the first step in preventing an escape by her right shoulder.

Even though moving forward at home with only weekly lessons will be an adjustment, I’m excited for up-coming opportunities. Florida has been wonderful, and I highly recommend the experience to anyone who can make it happen. Addy and I have progressed more in two months than I could have ever imagined would happen in a year at home. I hope to have a good handle on this short list by the time of the Mary Wanless clinic. It is my first time riding in any clinic at DHF, and I’m very excited to discover an even more extensive list!

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Here It Is, My Last Letter from Sunny Florida con’t. from page 1

I promise to put one last blog post out there before we leave about where the boys are in their training. I loved all the comments on my last post about Taffy facing down an airplane! If you haven't read it yet, check it out. What a crazy experience: http://www.mydhf.com/dancing-horse-blog.html Christina and I are praying for nice Ohio weather in March! -Jen

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Sunset’s Amazing Story of Rebirth by Jen Truett

DHF Summer Day Camp Schedule

Beginner Camps: July 1-5 Intermediate Camp: June 24-28 Advanced Camp: August 12-16 Teen Camp: July 29-August 2 The camp sign-up form is on our website, http://www.mydhf.com/dhf-events-schedule.html Contact Helen Trimeloni (Helen@myDHF.com) for more information.

In the past month, Sunset has experienced dramatic improvements in his physical fitness, alertness, reac-tivity, motivation, and general attitude because of medical intervention. Heather and I were scratching our heads about why my obviously talented, well-bred young horse was so lethargic, disinterested, nonreactive, and generally no fun to ride because it was such a struggle to get anything out of him. Frankly, he's always been like this. All this time, we've skated by on his talent and my ability to get "just enough" out of him. But, now that the workload de-mand is higher, we couldn't skate by anymore. In a moment of desperation because of being out of tools and options for getting the next level of respon-siveness, Heather suggested I have the vet draw blood for a new and very inexpensive ($38) blood titer, called a peptide ELISA, that tests for the body's antibody reaction to the presence of the S. neurona protozoa that cause EPM. It's important to note here that Sunset has always been normal neurologically on every neuro test, which means he doesn't have EPM (the name that describes a horse who exhibits neu-rologic behaviors and ataxia). Shockingly, his titer came back quite high on all three S. neurona antigen types which means he was exposed and infected by the S. neurona protozoa over 60 days prior to the test. It's not surprising that he would have been ex-posed to these protozoa since they are very prevalent in our area of Ohio. The vet recommended I do an additional ($25) test on the blood sample to check for generalized inflam-mation which can be caused by the presence of the S. neurona protozoa among many other things. His gen-

eral inflammation results were very high, explaining why he always had slightly thick tendons and puffy ankles because Newton's law of gravity dictates that fluid drains to the lowest point. His legs had been puffy since his arrival on my farm and my vets had no explanation other than "that was just him" maybe caused by skin irritations in his pasture in Denmark that went untreated causing his tissues to stretch out. As soon as we had his results, he went on the new 10-day Oroquin 10 treatment ($150) that is currently in the second phase of FDA testing. Throughout his treatment, I stayed in regular contact with the re-search vet, Dr. Sioban Ellison (www.pathogenes.com), who has extensively re-searched EPM and the horse's body's associated in-flammatory response. She told me to keep working him through the treatment and that I should feel that he was the best he'd ever been by day 5 and then by day 10, she expected him to feel like a totally new horse. A tall order for any medicine, right? Well, surprisingly, she was almost right. Day 4, he peaked with alertness, reactivity, willingness to work and his tendons and ankles were drawn up tighter than I'd ever seen them before! Unfortunately, day 5, he felt icky as his body worked to eliminate the pro-tozoal waste and extra inflammation. Dr. Ellison rec-ommended a couple days off, then light rides for two days and then back to work. That time is exactly what his body needed to recover and he definitely felt the best ever on day 10 and continues to have each day better than the last.

Continued on page 6

March 2013 Dancing Horse News Page 5

Sunset’s Amazing Story of Rebirth continued from page 4

Now, if you're like me and most other horse folks out there, you're probably saying to yourself, it's crazy for a horse to recover that quickly from something that in other horses can become totally debilitating. The explanation is in the medicine. Oroquin 10 is two tab-lets given once per day: one treats the inflammation and the other is the drug that kills the protozoa (like deworming, except it's “de-protozoa-ing”). Dr. Elli-son's research has shown that S. neurona protozoal infected horses can experience dramatic improve-ments simply by giving them a general anti-inflammatory drug like DMSO and not actually ad-dressing the protozoal infection, because generalized inflammation throughout the central nervous system slows all nerve impulses down which can lead to neu-rologic symptoms. Interestingly, the IL6 protein given off by S. neurona is a serotonin inhibitor. Most people are aware of what low levels of serotonin does to humans; it does the same thing to horses! Sunset's symptoms of lethargy, excessive sleeping, lack of reactivity/desire/alertness, etc. all stemmed from him suffering from "equine de-pression"! As soon as the general inflammation re-solved completely (as evidenced by the tightness of his tendons and ankles, diminished cresty look to his neck, and the general lack of "puffiness" in the tone of his entire body indicating complete elimination of the protozoa), he was SUDDENLY a totally different horse. I am not exaggerating. It was as if he'd just been born and was experiencing life for the first time. He actually became spooky because he realized there are things out in the world that are worth his atten-tion. He displayed opinions about his work, good and bad. He blinked more frequently. The expression on his face became one of thought and consideration instead of vacancy or disinterest. He started reacting to the smallest touch of the whip, my leg and the bit - a level of reactivity I thought would never be possible with him. Because of Sunset's experience, my vet here in FL has discovered multiple other horses who have dramati-cally benefited from Oroquin 10. Most of them were

like Sunset with no neurologic symptoms but suffer-ing from generalized inflammation with or without positive S. neurona titers. The owners of these horses have also experienced the same amazement that I have in the dramatic improvements in their horses. Many trainers and vets in this area have started doing annual Oroquin 10 treatments similar to having a regular deworming schedule because of the high S. neurona exposure rates, lack of negative side effects, and low cost. I honestly can't believe the difference in Sunset. I've truly had to change my expectations of him and fig-ure out how to ride this wonderfully hotter horse be-cause he's so different. As a pro with goals to develop my horses into successful Grand Prix horses, I am sim-ply ecstatic to now have a hot, sensitive, and reactive horse because that's what's required to get to the top. I've started thinking differently about horses I know and/or work with who display various training issues. Could the problem be caused by generalized inflam-mation? Or, could they have a S. neurona protozoal infection? Either can be easily and inexpensively diag-nosed. What an incredibly valuable tool for horse owners and trainers to have now! If you want more information on any of this informa-tion, read Dr. Ellison's web site: www.pathogenes.com. There is extensive informa-tion there about S. neurona protozoal infections, EPM, diagnoses and treatments. Her contact info is on there and she has a wonderful power point pres-entation she can send to you or your veterinarian for education. By the way, since Oroquin 10 is currently in phase 2 of FDA testing, any veterinarian who has a patient start the Oroquin 10 treatment regimen is eligible for three continuing education credits.

Absolutely AMAZING before and after pics of Sunset are on page 7

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Riding is Simple, but Not Easy! by Apprentice Trainer Helen Trimeloni

You may have heard the adage, “Riding is the art of keeping the horse between you and the ground.” Well, maybe there's more to it than that, but its cer-tainly not the mysterious art that some make it out to be. It's quite simple, really. You just have to be able to sit balanced over the horse and give clear aids. But before you think about all the time and effort you have put into mastering this “simple” skill, I would wholeheartedly agree that riding is by no means easy. Sitting still is easy; sitting still on top of an unpredict-able moving animal is hard. To be able to balance your body weight so that you don't interfere with the horse's balance requires a lot of isometric muscle us-age. Isometric contractions occur when opposing muscle groups act simultaneously to stabilize your body parts. However, some muscles are stronger than others, so it can be difficult to retrain the pat-terns in your body to prevent the stronger muscles from overriding the weaker muscles. Right-handed people tend to be stronger in all the muscles on the right side of their bodies, and the reverse is true for lefties. Also, the muscles that curl the body into the fetal position are very strong, making it difficult to keep those toes lifted up and your shoulders over your hips. Only once you are sitting still can you give the horse clear aids. If you have ever tried to communicate with someone who does not speak English, you will have

some idea what its like to train a horse, except its doubly difficult because horses communicate primar-ily via body language. Horses are trained to yield away from pressure, whatever that pressure may be. You have to make sure that you are not putting pres-sure on the horse when you don't want anything to change, and conversely, that the pressure is instantly released when the desired response is achieved. If the horse doesn't respond, the pressure must be in-creased until he does, so that he learns to respond to the light pressure. However, if the pressure is in-creased too quickly, the horse may be startled or not have time to respond, but if increased too slowly, the horse might not make the right association with the original request. With the right timing, the horse ap-pears to be performing of his own accord with seem-ingly invisible aids from the rider. A common sentiment from non-riders is “It can't be that hard—you just sit there.” But they have no idea how much goes into “just sitting there” while riding. Training your body to have the correct muscle pat-terns to be able to sit still is a never-ending journey, and even with that accomplished, you still have to guide a prey animal many times your size through complicated maneuvers with only gentle pressures. Keeping your riding simple is the only way to make your aids understandable to your horse, but it would be a mistake to think that this simplicity is easy to achieve. Yet the results are certainly worth the effort!

Barn Banter by Apprentice Trainer Helen Trimeloni -Welcome new employee Jerry Harner! -Farewell to employees Crystal Drake and Jeff Elam! -Welcome Home, Jen Truett, Taffy, Sunset and Christina Knecht!

Testimonial Lynda,

What an absolutely beautiful, creative and informative Newsletter!!!! Terrific layout! I've been so impressed with it since receiving the past several issues, thanks to your responding to Lori's request to add me to your mailing list. Though living a thousand miles away in upstate New York, it almost makes me feel I know DHF first-hand.

Congratulations, and thanks so much,

Bill Hickman, Lori Amans father

March 2013 Dancing Horse News Page 7

Above, Sunset in summer coat, May 2012. Note the cresty neck , soft abs and “thick” legs. Below, Sunset after treatment, a lean, sweet (not mean!), body clipped dressage machine!

Sunset’s Amazing Story of Rebirth continued from page 5

Spring is Almost Here by Apprentice Trainer Traci Ventura After the months of layering up and limiting our time outside (if we can help it), we as horse owners have a to do list that comes every spring. Most of you will be gearing up for the start of your competition season and the rest of us will just enjoy the longer sunny days for riding and getting things done. You should talk with your vet about recommended spring vaccines for your horse. Also, if you plan to show, most shows and barns require a copy of your horse’s negative Coggins certificate dated within the previous 12 months. During show season you will come in contact with many “stranger” horses and it is best for your horse to have an immunity boost ahead of time. Other health tips would include possibly body clipping your horse’s winter coat if he doesn’t shed quickly as you get back into work. Spring nights can be cool and your horse could get chilled if his coat is wet when you put him away. The damp spring months also bring rain rot and thrush. Your vet can also advise you what is the best way to treat these problems. Now would be a good time to make sure your first aid kit is fully stocked and anything that is expired should be disposed of. Something you may not think about are your grooming tools. They hold and accumulate lots of bacteria, fun-gus and who knows what else. It is a good idea to give them a good soak before your horse’s coat is gone and their skin is not as well protected. I wish everyone a happy show season and I can’t wait for the warm, wet and muddy spring days!

March 2013 Dancing Horse News Page 8

School Horse Spotlight: Grand by Apprentice Trainer Helen Trimeloni

Grandioso- “Grand” is a 2005 16.2h bay Canadian warmblood gelding. Don't let his large size fool you, he is a gentle giant and is our go-to les-son horse for students of any size, age, or skill level. He came to us at DHF with a hard mouth and an unsteady canter, but his big heart and willingness to try won us over. After being in training with DHF president Jen, and continuing with the apprentices, he is now a much nicer horse than we ever imagined. He goes on the bit and has 3 smooth, easy-to-ride gaits. He has started lateral work and has great uphill walk-canter transitions. He also likes jumping, having done small courses with our apprentices and students. He has participated in DHF shows, been a demo horse for the USDF L Program, and has cliniced with Mary Wanless. Grand is also our designated side saddle lesson horse, being a good fit for riders of all skill levels.

Horses for Sale - More info: Jen@myDHF.com or 937-532-3108 Wildorado’s Mandalay is a handsome young (DOB: 18 May 10) Danish Warmblood gelding. Mandalay is by the famous Blue Hors Don Roman-tic by Blue Hors Don Schufro and out of Kastaniegardens Eliise/Ragazzo/Raphael. Mandalay is a lovely bay with a very large star and two back socks. He has a quiet, easy-going personality and lovely, expressive gaits. He is over 16 hands already and has huge joints and substantial leg bone. He will mature to at least 16.3 hands. He had a full pre-purchase exam on 10/22/11 including x-rays, flexions, eyes, lungs, heart check and passed with flying colors! He is being backed March 2013 and his price will increase commensurate to his training and experience level. He is priced at $20,000 to a show home. Videos: taken 16 May 2012: http://bit._ly/KcqTLC http://bit.ly/MXLPGB http://bit.ly/LHSeEq http://bit.ly/Kcsa5y http://bit.ly/M76JEj

Wildorado's Zachary is an elegant young (10 May 10) Danish Warmblood gelding for sale. Zach has superior dressage bloodlines since he is by Blue Hors Zack by Rousseau and out of Noble Heart by Michellino. He is a brown bay with two small hind socks and currently stands over 16 hands. He will mature to at least 16.2 hands. He had a full pre-purchase exam on 10/22/11 including x-rays, flexions, eyes, lungs, heart check and passed with flying colors! He is being backed March 2013 and his price will in-crease commensurate to his training and experience level. He is priced at $20,000 to a show home. Videos of Zach are at the links at the end of Mandalay’s ad above.

Sticky Bun is a 2006 13.1h flashy brown and white Shetland/Paint cross mare who is as cute as they come. She is very friendly and always ready to greet visitors to her stall, nuzzling them and searching for treats. She came to us with nice gaits but very green, and has been in training with the ap-prentices and advanced students since winter of 2010-11. Sticky now knows 1st-2nd level dressage and is jumping courses. She has beautiful hunter form and is working on her changes. She could do very well in the hunter ring and has the talent for ‘A’ shows. She is quiet and gentle enough for our beginning students and has been used for beginner lessons and camps. Sticky Bun would make a wonderful best friend for lucky child and could easily progress with her rider up the levels. She goes barefoot, is an easy keeper, and is UTD on all farrier, dentistry, and veterinary care.

Price will increase with continued training, lesson experience, and show mileage. $10,000

Miley is a 13.1h 2006 buckskin pony mare of unknown breeding, but her fancy movement hints at some Morgan heritage. She can be a little feisty but is always fun to ride and has never bucked or reared. Her flashy gaits led to her purchase by us as a prospective dressage pony, but we soon discovered that she is equally talented over fences. Miley was quite green when we got her in January 2011, but she has been in training and now is solid WTC and over fences with our lesson students. She is a favorite in our lesson program and is jumping 2' courses with students and will begin competing in the hunter ring very soon. She is super about getting her correct leads and nearly has her changes. She has no vices, goes barefoot, is an easy keeper,

and is UTD on all her veterinary, farrier, and dentistry care. Miley would make a wonderful hunter, Pony Club or 4-H

March 2013 Dancing Horse News Page 9

Continued page 15

March 2013 Dancing Horse News Page 10

mount, or dressage pony for a lucky child! Price will increase with continued training, lesson experience, and show mileage. $5,000 OBO

Solitaire: 2008 Pinto Oldenburg Gelding By Sempatico, out of Berlin/Cimarron (HOL) Will mature 17.1+ hands Regis-tered & Branded Oldenburg NA. Detailed 5x Pedigree: http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/solitaire45

Well started under saddle. He is very careful over fences with a powerful jump. He will be a fantastic Open Jumper or High A/O Jumper. Solitaire will be a top level competitor and partner for an advanced level or profes-sional rider. While our farm's focus is on Show Jumping, Solitaire has good foundation in dressage work and would make a great Dressage horse. He is a smart and willing horse with superbly elastic gaits. He is a true athlete and is certain to be a top competitor in any company. He has a sensible temperament and really bonds with his grooms and rider. He travels well; over the past summer he spent a week at the Kentucky Horse Park during the Blue Grass Festival Hunter Jumper show. He hacked out in the busy warm up rings and also went trail riding both

alone and in a group around the horse park. He will be at several USEF shows this summer at the Kentucky Horse Park and will be available to be tried both at the horse shows and at our farm in Dayton Ohio. Videos available upon request. Priced at $50,000 Contact Heidi Poinsett stoneybrookfarmohio@gmail.com or call 937-263-0329

Horses for Sale continued from page 14

Happy March! Mar. 1 is Employee Appreciation Day! Be sure to appreciate

the DHF employees! Mar. 3 is If Pets Had Thumbs Day, 4th is Holy Experiment Day

(Batman??), 5th Multiple Personality Day, 8th Be Nasty Day, 9th Panic Day (because

of being nasty??), 11th (this one’s for Lenny and John) Worship of Tools Day, 14th Na-

tional Pi Day (because 3.14 is the value of Pi), 15th Everything You Think Is Wrong

Day, 16th Everything You Do Is Right Day (seriously! How cool to have a catch-up

day!), 20th Extraterrestrial Abductions Day, 22nd National Goof Off Day, 23rd

Near Miss Day, 26th Make Up Your Own Holiday Day, 27 National “Joe” Day, 28 Some-

thing on a Stick Day, 29th National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day (YAY!), 30th I

Am In Control Day, 31 Bunsen Burner Day

And Last But Not Least, Happy St. Paddy’s Day and Happy Easter!

March 2013 Dancing Horse News Page 11

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