Fairhope Stables

Did you know that horses can get many of the same illnesses that humans get. One of the most common illnesses is Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) which is the equivalent of type 2 diabetes in humans. They can also get Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM) which is the equivalent of type 1 diabetes in humans.

This means that for many horses feeding grass or sugary treats such as apples and carrots could kill them. Just like with most people suffering from diabetes, it’s usually associated with a fat horse but don’t be fooled because even skinny horses and humans can suffer from diabetes too so don’t assume that when you see a skinny horse it’s safe to feed them treats!

How does diabetes kill horses exactly? Well, like with people it greatly affects the extremities and in horses. The inflammation detaches their coffin bone from the hoof wall causing it to rotate and in some cases pierce through the sole of their foot making them walk directly on bone and get severe infections and die a horribly painful death. Next to colic, laminitis caused by too much sugar in the diet is the most common cause for euthanasia.

So when you see that beautiful horse or cute pony out there, be kind and don’t feed it!
———————————————————————

Saviez-vous que les chevaux peuvent contracter de nombreuses maladies similaires à celles des humains ? L’une des plus fréquentes est le syndrome métabolique équin (SME), équivalent du diabète de type 2 chez l’humain. Ils peuvent également développer une myopathie à accumulation de polysaccharides (PSSM), équivalente au diabète de type 1 chez l’humain.

Cela signifie que pour de nombreux chevaux, les nourrir d’herbe ou de friandises sucrées comme des pommes et des carottes peut s’avérer fatal. Tout comme chez la plupart des personnes atteintes de diabète, cette maladie est souvent associée à un cheval obèse, mais ne vous y trompez pas : même les chevaux et les humains minces peuvent souffrir de diabète. Ne pensez donc pas qu’il est sans danger de donner des friandises à un cheval maigre !

Comment le diabète tue-t-il les chevaux exactement ? Eh bien, comme chez l’humain, il affecte fortement les extrémités. L’inflammation détache la troisième phalange de la paroi du sabot, ce qui provoque sa rotation et, dans certains cas, sa perforation de la sole. Le cheval marche alors directement sur l’os, ce qui entraîne de graves infections et une mort atroce. Après les coliques, la fourbure due à une alimentation trop riche en sucre est la principale cause d'euthanasie.

Alors, si vous croisez un beau cheval ou un adorable poney, soyez bienveillant et ne le nourrissez pas !

This is one of my favorite quotes as a teacher.
Not everyone stays long enough to really hear what is being taught. This doesn't just mean staying for years, though that may be the case.
Let's face it: training horses and bettering ourselves takes the time it takes.

For the student who is prepared to continue despite the heartache and the confrontation with the Self on a seemingly constant basis—the one who simply continues to "show up"—there are rewards. It grants the ability to grasp something that is Real.
Something so worthwhile it makes the heart sing and enables a fractured relationship to reach upwards to a higher level. (And yes, I am still very much a student, too.)

At times I have felt like walking away, but deep in my soul I know that the trials are there for a higher purpose.
They are not stop signs; rather, they are our guides, showing us very clearly what needs to be done.

Are you up for the task?

It is a journey of self-discovery, because a true master never hands you the answers.

"The Teacher does not give you the truth. He gives you the method by which you may find the truth for yourself."
— Nuno Oliveira

As riding instructors we spend a lot of time managing the gap between what new students expect riding to be and what it actually is. Most of that gap could be narrowed significantly with one honest conversation before the first lesson ever happens. So here is everything I wish every new student and every new riding family walked in already knowing...

1. Riding is harder than it looks
This is the one that surprises people most. Watching a good rider looks effortless but it is not effortless. It is years of muscle memory, feel, balance, and body awareness built through consistent work over a long time. Your first lessons will feel awkward and uncoordinated and that is completely normal. Every rider you have ever admired felt exactly the way you feel right now when they were starting out.

2. The horse is not a bicycle
It is a living animal with its own personality, its own opinions, and its own good days and bad days. It does not always do what you ask the first time and that is not always your fault but it is always your responsibility to figure out the communication. Learning to work with a horse rather than on top of one is one of the most valuable things riding teaches and it starts from the very first lesson.

3. Progress is not linear
Some weeks you will feel like you have jumped forward three levels. Other weeks you will feel like you have forgotten everything you learned last month. Both are completely normal parts of learning to ride. The students who improve consistently are not the ones who never have bad lessons but they are the ones who show up anyway and keep working through the frustrating ones.

4. One lesson a week is a start but not a program
A single lesson per week gives you exposure to riding. Two lessons per week builds skill significantly faster. The riders who progress quickest are the ones who ride consistently and frequently enough that their muscles and nervous system have time to develop real memory around what correct feels like. If budget allows for more than one lesson per week it is worth it.

5. Your position will feel wrong before it feels right
Correct position in the saddle feels deeply unnatural to most people at first. Heels down feels like you are pushing your foot through the floor. Sitting tall feels like you are leaning back. An independent hand feels like you are doing nothing. Trust the process and trust your instructor. The things that feel strange now become automatic eventually but only if you commit to doing them correctly rather than defaulting back to what feels comfortable.

6. The time around the lesson matters as much as the lesson itself
Grooming your horse before you ride. Learning to tack up correctly. Understanding how to read your horse's body language in the cross ties. This is not the boring part before the real lesson begins. This is horsemanship and it makes you a better rider than an hour in the saddle alone ever will.

7. Bad rides happen to every rider at every level
Including the ones you look up to most. A bad lesson does not mean you are not cut out for this, it just means you are learning something hard and doing it on the back of a living animal that is also having a day. Come back next week and it will be different.
Your instructor is on your side.

8. Every correction we give is in service of your progress and your safety
We are not pointing out what is wrong to make you feel bad but we are pointing out what needs to change so you can get where you want to go faster and more safely. The students who improve fastest are the ones who hear a correction as information rather than criticism and apply it without taking it personally.

9. Riding changes you in ways you will not expect
The patience it builds, the confidence that comes from communicating with an animal ten times your size and being understood. The resilience that develops from falling short of a goal and coming back for it anyway. The community you find at the barn. None of that shows up in the first lesson or even the tenth but it will show up at one point. For most riders it becomes one of the most significant things in their life and not just what they do on Tuesday afternoons but part of who they are.

If you are a riding instructor share this with every new family who walks through your gate. If you are a new student or a parent of one - welcome. You picked something genuinely worth doing!

What do you wish someone had told you before your very first riding lesson?