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Welcome to my Blog!
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RIDER: TANIA MANNING
HORSE: Freestyler 005 (Mister)
BREED: Black Westphalian
HEIGHT: 17.2hh.
Tania Manning & Mister with Trainer,
Kate Rowland & Equine Affairs Tieco
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My love for horses started at the age of 3 when I was given a baggy pair of joddies/riding boots and
a hat and joined my sisters at Parrots Riding School in Stafford. Gentle giants allowed us to ride
through the fields whilst we pretended to be on Black Beauty!
My first pony was called blaze. He had character, then started to charge at us…we later found out he
was blind in one eye. Horses have a way of communicating with us I have found out!!
Pony Club days and camp were great fun, a spot a hunting, cross country and showjumping.
My sisters gave up riding, teenage years...I took over a horse my sister was riding and joined the BSJA.
Those frustrating years previous, when all I heard was the big “E” at the first fence were over!...
I gained my BHSAI about 13 years ago as I wanted to emigrate to the USA and teach…
The years went by and I just happened to take an interest in dressage which previously I had found very
boring...old people riding around in an arena in circles…not much skill in that...WRONG!!
Freestyler 005 is a Black Westphalian Florestan boy standing at 17.2hh. I bought him in November 2004..
(having bartered for him at a Dressage Sales…that’s another story!) and I joined British Dressage in 2005.
We have worked our way up to Medium level at present, having had 2 years out due to various injuries.
AIMS
My aim with Freestyler is to encourage more engagement which is required as you progress through the levels, a change in diet to increase muscle tone (Freestyler and myself!) thanks to Baileys Horse Feed Freestyler has just two weeks in improved. We hope to qualify for the Summer Regional’s at Medium level then spend some time working on a music routine which will be fun! Add a bit of Gareth Hughes in September for another informative lesson and we should be firing on all cylinders!!
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FINAL THOUGHTS FROM TRAINER, KATE ROWLAND.
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It's been a real shame that Mr went lame just before the Regionals. After Gareth's first lesson Tania
took the handbrake off and we were flying! Baileys have definitely sorted out Mr's feeding; he looks
thinner and more toned, even when on box rest for a month. He is back in work now so fingers crossed
he'll stay sound this time and we can carry on where we left off.
So a big thank you again to Baileys and Gareth Hughes for all their help and advice.
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Monday 19th September 2011....
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I am devastated as I write this knowing that Mister will not be fit enough for his last lesson with Gareth Hughes. I enjoyed my first lesson with him immensely and came away with sooo much knowledge. Horses, they are never predictable are they?! He has settled in very well in his new yard and really thinks he is in heaven! He adapted back to being in a herd, although at first he just stood there uncertain what to do ...with 10 acres he was unsure if he should graze or run or have fun with his new friends! He now manages to do all three. I really believe turnout is important for horses, even if it is only for a couple of hours. He did neigh relentlessly when bought into his stable from the field for the first few days... I was a little nervous when some young children decided to come into our stable and ask questions...I was just about to say "careful", "he may bite"...but you know what....he bent his head down and embraced their petting...I do believe he likes children!!
So our training has been slow, but incorporating a little bit more fun into our routine too...a little free schooling which we were unable to do previously, a few cross poles and even walking around the track and fields, all in a relaxed fashion, even with part of the track being a stones throw from the busy M25 traffic...I will video this to prove it on my last blog!!
Hopefully in my next blog we may have some dates lined up for competition...who knows....we may go jumping too!!
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Monday 5th September 2011....
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Having left Mister lame and on box rest I could rest easy knowing that Kate Rowland was looking after him.
She is such a star and he had 5 star treatment whilst I was away.
I was suppose to be away for 2 weeks, but due to Hurricane Irene our holiday was extended to 3 weeks
....You can watch the video below!! It was horrendous!!
So Mister was on box rest for 3 weeks and Kate kept in touch with my whilst I was away. She told me he was
feeling better, probably because he was prancing and dancing in his stable and bucking around
(good job he has a big stable!!). His feed had been reduced because of his box rest but he retained
muscle tone and a shine...(Baileys outshine I believe helped much with this!)
When we returned from the USA on Friday afternoon we tried to adjust to UK time but unfortunately did not awake at the time we wanted...instead it was 11am and we were due to move Mister that day!!! It was one long afternoon and evening, rubber matting is soooo heavy and difficult to move!! Mr was on his toes and instead of slipping into the new yard unnoticed, he decided he wanted to let everyone know he was the new kid on the block!! He duly walked off the box and grew a few more hands , neighed rather loudly and proceeded to rear and buck on the spot!. Needless to say he turned a few heads. My plan of a quiet entry did not work!! He "skipped" to his new box pleased that his performance had caused an onlook.
The following day I trotted him up and he was sound! Great, now the only problem was he had been on box rest for 3 weeks, walking was not an option, especially as he was on a new yard. Riding would have been insane without first letting off steam so I had to lunge him first. He was a good boy really, just a few kicks, bucks...then I let him rest in his new stable for the morning. In the afternoon I put my sticky bottom breeches on and hoped for the best! He was a gentleman under the circumstances as the school is HUGE!! He felt a little stiff but to be expected, coupled with being excited , I was pleased we both survived!
So my mission now is to keep him calm and relaxed and bring him slowly back into work.
I was allowed to use a small field for him, which he enjoyed as you can see from the pictures!!
He has not seen his main field yet....only about 10 acres and friends too,
although he will not be in this just yet!!
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Monday 22nd August 2011....
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Since my last diary Mister has been on box rest. Unfortunately although we qualified for the regionals he was not fit enough to go. He was lame, that word we all hate but know at some point in a horses career it is inevitable. He has and still is on box rest but can come out for a little wander and stand in the sun whilst chomping away on his hay and watching the rest of the yard hard at work whilst he relaxes!! He has not lost too much condition and is still as perky and cheeky as ever. He has more massages than ever now and is glistening from all the grooming, something he really enjoys. He would love to be groomed all day and always swings his head around to let me know if I have missed a spot on his back or underneath his belly!!
I hope to assess him in about a week so fingers crossed he will trot up sound and be back in training very shortly! For now I too am having a rest but itching to get going again!
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TRAINER FEEDBACK: KATE ROWLAND
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The changes can be seen, weight loss for sure! Mister has lost his beer belly and you can see a
stomach line now. This has helped him to move more forward, lighter on his forehand and he is becoming
more supple in his lateral work. I think the Outshine has given him slow release energy so can
work for longer and his coat looks realy shiny now.
Unfortunatley Mister has tweaked himself so is
off work for a week and hopefuly back to hard work before the regionals. We are working hard on Mister being
forward in his lateral work, quicker tempo in his trot and sitting more in the canter with more jump.
We are working on Tania sitting straighter and her shoulders going the right way in half pass and
thinking she is doing everything at medium trot and canter.
Tania is competeing at Medium level at the Regionals so lots of practice in a short space of time.
I believe Tania learn't much from Gareth's lesson and has been practicing the exercises he gave her.
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Monday 8th August 2011....
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This last month or so has been very testing for both Mister and myself.
We were gearing up and getting ready for the Regionals but unfortunately he has gone lame.
We have been fortunate enough to go to four regionals and qualify for the
Nationals fours times but on this occasion we were not so fortunate.
Lameness can occur at any time and when it does it takes time to assess
the reason. We are in the process of eliminating various ailments,
conditions but as yet not quite sure what is the issue. In the meantime Mister is on box rest.
This can be a very boring time for the horse so every morning I still get
up early but instead of riding he is receiving a massage, lots of TLC and
attention (which he loves!!) which we can do outside in the sun as he can
come out of his box and be tied up two steps away! He has a good look around
and munches on his hay watching the activities on the yard!! He will be on
box rest for about a month or so, then we shall see if there is any improvement.
Box rest! Not suppose to stick it up his nose!!
I am keeping my fingers, toes and everything crossed that his condition gets
better before we have to go down any further investigations.....only time will tell.
So for now I hope you too can keep your fingers crossed that
Mister will get better xxx
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| Monday 25th July 2011.... |
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Where is the time going??!! I have been busy videoing horses and listening to music nearly 24/7 !!! Flamin Dressage is busy busy!! Trying to get the right music for horse and rider is not as easy as you think!! The rider has to like the music, but at the same time enhance the horses way of going AND hopefully encourage the Judge and audience to tap their feet!!....It is amazing how many diverse tunes you come across though…but it is rather time consuming…luckily I can wear my i-pod at work!!
We have only 2 weeks before the Regionals, this year I am going to Oldencraigs because the other Regionals clash with my holiday. We have never competed at Oldencraigs so Mister will no doubt be having a good look around…
We shall be moving yards in September. The new yard is closer to home so when we get our snow fall again I will not have to worry too much about whether I get stuck in a small lane or not!!
Hopefully in our next blog we shall have news about our regionals so watch out for the report!!
New vids from Flamin Dressage
http://youtu.be/XrL2EKxOQBA
http://youtu.be/Rc7ngq4GtPc
http://youtu.be/5g2mBQpp79o
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| Monday 11th July 2011.... |
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Too much, too little...reassess...more leg, less leg, too much bend through the neck, FORWARD FORWARD....dont you just love lateral movement!! These past two weeks we have been improving ...slowly but surely..Rome was not built in a day....so patience is the necessary ingredient when schooling and never blame the horse...!!
Kate observed us and gave some useful advice...when training lateral work if you do not have mirrors it can be very difficult although video is helpful to assess you need to rectify straight away if there is any improvement to be made.
The next couple of weeks will be more training as we only have four weeks left before the Regionals!! So I shall be making a 60x20 school in my front living room (well not those dimensions exactly...I wish!!) and will be "role playing" my test...I may even try and practice smiling instead of pulling faces whilst I concentrate!!
So if you see me out and about with a permanent smile on my face.....you know why!!
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| Monday 27th June 2011.... |
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You can lead a horse to water, but if you can get him to roll over and float on his back, then you got something.............well I rather thought I may well have a circus horse after our performance at Patchetts!!...Forget dressage we can do tricks...!!!
Well Mr was flying but not in the right direction. Onwards and Upwards comes to mind!!! He is 12, not 5 so there is no excuse..apart from the fact that he is a horse...and for that reason I forgive him...the wind and rain left us in rather a state...(note to use waterproof mascara next time!)..as far as Mr was concerned there were spooks everywhere in the bushes and no amount of coaxing could persuade him otherwise. As always one has to remain positive.. If you never lose then you can never appreciate the victories!!! I rather like this quote which was quite apt for the day...
" Hard work and togetherness. They go hand in hand. You need the hard work because it's such a tough atmosphere....to win week in and week out. You need togetherness because you don't always win, and you gotta hang tough together."
Next was Norton Heath...guess what...ANOTHER wet day!! English Weather is sooo unpredictable!! Then again I presume I would be moaning if it were too hot!! LOL!....Mister performed much better, but unfortunately this time I was the one who lost us points....dressage is definitely a partnership!!...I think I may need glasses...honest...I really did think it was a 10 metre circle....!!...
Ok, so last chance corral....Harolds Park Farm...one test...lets go....and guess what...it was blooming hot hot hot!!! Doing a dressage test at 7.20pm is not my idea of fun...I could have been in the sun having a BBQ and glass of wine...but no ..in any sport if you want to succeed you have to stay focussed....I focused on my cold wine waited for me at home...and guess what...we won!! We now shall go to the Regional’s...but we have much to work on...or rather I have ...these next few weeks will be grill grill grill ....and I am not talking about a BBQ!!!
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| Monday 13th June 2011.... |
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I was more nervous than a long-tailed dog in a room full of rocking chairs!!
Thanks to Kate Rowland who encouraged me to enter the Equine Affairs competition I was one of the
lucky few to win the prize which included; Baileys Horse Feed assessment, Lessons with Gareth Hughes,
Stretch n Flex bandages, saddle cloth from Baileys and much more!!
After winding through a few quaint villages (sat nav not on board and mother-in-law tried her
best to read the map to Chris who was driving!) we arrived at Gareth Hughes. WOW is all I can say..
picture perfect! Kate and I were met by the Equine Affairs team Victoria and Hayley who instantly
made us feel at home.
The horses were given a stable for the day so they were well rested and ready for their lesson!!
I met all the other lucky winners, their instructors and horses and before I knew it Kate
Rowland was tacked up and ready to have her lesson first. This was the first lesson I watched.
Sorry I did not video much Kate I was in awe....Rusty just kept on improving..Kate was not
that bad either!!
Each lesson was different, there was much to be learnt from the day for sure. A variety of horses
and riders, who rode in various disciplines but each one improved after the session.
Next Mister had his assessment by Lorna from Baileys Horse Feed which was very informative.
After decreasing his intake and gradually introducing Baileys feed I can honestly say there is
an improvement already. I was feeding Mister too much, believing it would increase his energy
but in reality it was rather like eating a double whopper, cheeseburgers and fries and trying
to run the marathon!!
Next was my lesson….gulp!..After visiting the ladies powder room more times than someone with
OCD we walked into the indoor school. After our warm up and assessment and nearly running
over someone (mentioning no names!)…Mister then decided it would be fun to kick out when
I used the whip …unfortunately at the riders mum I had almost run over...SORRY!!!!
Gareth told me not to use the whip by the mirrors as it would be an expensive day!!
Mister improved soooo much...he kicked off his slippers put down his pipe and said OK mum I
have gears you have never even touched yet!!...Usually my face is the same colour as my hair
but after this lesson the only drawback was the next day...I felt like I had used the
abductor machine all week but perfected the John Wayne walk a treat!!! Suffice to say I
was very pleased with the results...a cunning plan to kidnap Gareth Hughes is yet to be
devised!! I shall be putting into practise the methods used in the lesson and video our
experiences....the changes and how you too can improve with just a few tips....Kate you
have your work cut out ensuring we keep on improving with our lessons!!
Food and refreshments arrived from Waitrose courtesy of Equine Affairs...which was
luvverly thank you very much.....
Lastly all riders and horses came together for a photo shoot outside....I must take some
tips on how to pose from Kate!! LOL!!...David Short was snapping away all day and did
a grand job (his artistic expertise on some made me wonder if I had had too many glasses
of wine a I was seeing double!!).
Well, after all the excitement we had to head back home....Mister went back into his stable
happy, content and dying for a pee....I went home poured myself a well deserved glass
of vino and watched the day on the video...put some music on ..then got to work on
editing.........before I knew it it was 12pm.....5am alarm call...was it worth it...
Yup it sure was!!
DRAWBACK OF THE DAY THOUGH
.....it was not long enough!! A weekend would be nice next time
..or maybe a week.....
I am now off to check out the biggest show directory...EQUINE AFFAIRS...INSTANT events and
training clinics, My diary, shopping mall, win over £300, check out the latest news, enter
shows on-line..(god send..I hate licking stamps and envelopes!) oh and if you join up...
you need to look at the benefits...discounts galore on a variety of USEFUL, everyday
equine companies...
Watch my videos of Kate and I ...there will probably be many...and yes we will show you
the good, the bad and the ugly!!.
So for now....smoke me a kipper I'll be back for breakfast!!!
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| Vidoes & Filming courtesy of
Tania Manning - Flamin Dressage Videos
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Tania's Lesson with Gareth Hughes!
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Tania's British Dressage to Music Mix!
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| BAILEYS HORSE FEEDS TRIED & TESTED ... |
ASSESSMENT OF MISTER...BY LORNA FROM BAILEYS HORSE FEEDS
Mister is 17.2hh, 12 years old, has been with you for 5 years, he is very laid back,
and lacks stamina and a bit of sparkle when working, he is looking well but is not
needing to carry any more condition. The feed below is split into 3 meals per day,
he has ad lib haylage and is turned out during the day.
Current Diet
2 scoops of Pavo Slobber Mash per day
3 ½ scoops of Competition mix per day
3 scoops of Alfa Oil per day
Beet
2 mugs of vegetable oil per day
Suggested Diet
9lbs or 3 round bowl Stubbs scoops of No.9 Competition Mix per day
1lb or 2 mugs of Performance Balancer per day
1-2lbs or 2-4 mugs of Outshine per day
No more than a double handful of Alfa Oil per feed
No more than ¼ of a scoop of Speedi Beet per feed
Lorna felt Tania needed to reduce the bulk of Mister’s feed to ensure that what he does receive he can utilise and absorb efficiently. She therefore reduced the volume of feed per meal and introduced a balancer to ensure Mister gets all nutrients he needs to support his workload without providing any more calories. To increase his energy levels further, Lorna suggested that Tania could add No.10 Racehorse Mix, which contains more oats than Competition Mix so would assist with more ‘spark’!
Lorna recommended adding Outshine high oil supplement to replace the vegetable oil and Slobber Mash Tania was feeding. Since Outshine is very calorie/energy dense, it can be fed to increase the overall calorie content of the diet without significantly increasing the overall volume of feed. Lorna suggested starting with 2 mugs per day but Tania can increase this up to 6 mugs per day, if she likes but baring in mind that if Mister is not using the calories in his work as energy, he will lay the oils down as body fat!
With ad lib haylage and daily turn out, Mister’s fibre intake is good so Lorna was not too worried adding beet and chaff to his hard feed. Should Tania find, in the winter months, that he loses condition, looks a little hollow or tucked up, and the haylage is not such good quality, she can provide him with a separate bucket of a hay replacement chaff, such as Badminton Ultra Grass, Mollichaff Veteran or Ready Grass, to ensure he gets adequate amounts of good quality fibre.
TANIA'S THOUGHTS...
Having assed Mister (AKA Freestyler) Lorna commented how large he was in stature,
his neck was not cresty but there were a few pockets of fats which needed to be addressed.
The amount of feed was to be drastically reduced as a horse can only use efficiently
a certain amount of food at a time..anything else would just flush through his system
and be excreted….I can now save some money which is nice!! Only two weeks have
passed but already his outline is improving...shame I cannot say the same about myself.....!!
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Condition Photos taken on 17th May 2011 at Aspen Grove Dressage
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ASSESSMENT OF MISTER - TANIA'S FEEDBACK...AUGUST 2011 (3 months later)
My initial consultation was spot on. If your horse lacks energy do not expect by giving more it means you will receive more energy. Totally the opposite...!!! Yes you can be fit and fat BUT it requires more effort...PLUS when you have an overweight horse the muscles will not be as prominent...not dissimilar to us really....do you want that six pack and be fit???!!..or just be fit...and exert yourself more?....
So the first solution with Mister was to decrease his feed, but incorporate a high energy feed ,sufficient fibre to keep his hindgut healthy as he was not at grass all day, change of haylage to quality, decreasing quantity (putting a haynet inside a haynet prevented him from eating it too quickly!!) and including electrolytes . When a horse sweats he looses essential minerals...these are essential to help the horse recover more efficiently.
The programme has worked! But I had to incorporate, as a suggestion by Baileys to incorporate a Race Horse Mix. We may think that oats are the highest energy giving feed, but in fact Maize is.
Mister has shed his fat pockets, but still remains broad and dense. His energy has improved overall. Most importantly I do not feed as much helping his digestive system as we know horses do not digest carbohydrates easily in large amounts , receiving energy from fibrous feed is much more efficient for their hindgut....coupled with oils which give energy too.
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Condition Photos taken August 2011 at Home
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Contact Tania Manning
Email: dressage@blueyonder.co.uk
Tel: 0791 777 3583
Flamin Dressage Video Productions
Email: dressage@blueyonder.co.uk
Web Site http://www.wix.com/freestyler005/flamindressage-n-animals
Facebook: Flamin Dressage Group
Twitter: FLAMINDRESSAGE
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| THANKS TO MY SUPPORTERS... |
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