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The importance of consistency – The Natural Horseman
By Steve Stevens
Consistency is the secret to training horses. If you can’t be consistent, what can you do? This time of year, when it can rain every couple of days…when spring storms come as often as the mailman…what can we do? I think it is important to know how to get the most out of your time during inconsistency. For some, all you can do is the best you can do. We need to understand and allow our horses to make more mistakes during these time periods.
Wet conditions make it hard to stay consistent when riding your horse. (Photo courtesy of Steve Stevens)
We need to try not to get frustrated with the horse when he is only being worked every other couple of days. The best use of your time, I truly believe, is to find a patch of at least three days in a row. The first day you get the rust and edge off. The second, you start back on your training program. The third day, your horse will really be paying attention and ready to learn.
When you have one day of work, four days off, then two days on and three days off, et cetera, you never have the chance to get the best of the horse’s mind. If you really only have a day here and a day there, I think it is essential to focus on what is important. Really focus on foundation. Work more on the basics, like good stops and forward motion.
Don’t spend this valuable time working on tricks and flying lead changes. That will be there when you have time for more consistency. Lots of times, when we feel limited on time to train, we want to focus on the advanced. That would be like asking a sprinter to run the 100 meter dash without stretching. So what can happen when skipping the fundamentals is that we will push too hard and get into a fight with our horse. Then we lose more time trying to correct that.
Remember that when we are talking about the horse, we want to think ahead and set everything up for success. At the end of the day don’t beat yourself up about the limited time. Be fair to yourself and fair to your horse. And take advantage of every moment you have with your horse. Sometimes when time is limited we appreciate it more. In the words of one of my favorite country singers, Gary Allan- “Every storm runs out of rain.” Be Safe!
In the words of country music singer, Gary Allan- “Every storm runs out of
rain.” (Photo courtesy of Steve Stevens)
By Barry Whitworth, DVM, MPH
With the prolonged drought, most pastures in Oklahoma end up in poor condition. With the lack of available forage, animals may go in search of alternative foods.
If oak trees are in the pastures, acorns may be a favorite meal for some livestock in the fall. This may result in oak poisoning.
Oak leaves, twigs, buds, and acorns may be toxic to some animals when consumed.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Tony Dean
There are a handful of grasses on North Texas grazing lands ranchers need to know, not because they are highly desirable, but rather because they are not of much value. I call them “decom” plants, which is am acronym for “Don’t Ever Count On Me.” Silver bluestem is a “decom” grass.
Silver bluestem is a perennial which grows in all areas of Texas. It can survive in almost all soil types, and in full sun conditions or in semi shade. It grows up to three feet tall and is easily recognized with the presence of the white fuzzy seed head. Also, one of the identifying characteristics of Silver bluestem is a bend in the stems at each node, causing the plants to take on a rounded shape as they mature.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Rayford Pullen
Fall is here which means winter is closing in on us and before we officially get into winter, we need to make sure our factories are either producing or will be producing in a few months.
We have been pregnancy testing our cows this fall and if they are not bred or nursing a calf, we are bidding them adios. With annual costs somewhere between $900.00 and $1,000.00 per cow, those cows not producing a live weaned calf are costing us quite a bit.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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