Spring Down Low Down Newsletter
The newsletter of Spring Down Equestrian Center
Winter 2011
WELCOME
Winter weather is upon us at Spring Down, but all of us enjoyed our Indian Summer to it’s fullest extent. Even though the days are getting shorter and wetter, keep those horseback riding lessons on the calendar, because we have two all-weather arenas with lights to ensure that everyone can ride despite the season.
Please remember that Spring Down is only closed three days in the year: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. All the other 362 days we are up and running with our regular schedules. If you do have a lesson normally scheduled that falls on one these three days, please try and reschedule your lesson.
Check our web site soon for the 2012 calendar of events!! We have many wonderful things in the works for next year. To finish out 2011, please don’t miss our December Horse Show. There will be a performance of the Rhythm ‘n Blues Drill Team with our horses and riders decorated in holiday costumes. And of course, Holiday Camp will be Dec. 19-23, and 26-30. Get in some last minute shopping while your kids spend the day with their horse friends!!
Please take special note of the articles at the end of the newsletter re new developments in regard to horse slaughter in the United States.. Let us join together to try to eliminate this barbaric practice.
HORSE SHOW UPDATES
Spring Down continues to host four horse shows a year, in March, June, October, and December. Carol Goodstein, Spring Down’s owner and CEO, will always consider it extremely important to be able to provide her clients the opportunity to participate in quality horse shows for a reasonable price. Doing four shows a year also affords people the opportunity to ride and show several different horses—and as we all know, we learn something unique in regard to horsemanship and riding technique from each and every horse we ride.
Our October show in 2011 was a wonderful event, with a record number of participants! The weather, although a bit rainy around the show date, held out for our actual show. All of our participants did an outstanding job—with our High Point awards going to the following horse/rider combinations:
Senior Advanced High Point:
Nicole Elsineitti and Omi
Junior Advanced High Point:
Lauren Pittock and Jake
Beginner High Point:
Julia Davidson and Butterscotch
Zoe Hammer and Sunshine
Spring Down attended two outside Horse Shows this year—one at Webb Ranch, and one at the Woodside Horse Park sponsored by the Woodside Pony Club. Congratulations to the following horse/rider combinations for winning High Point awards!!
WEBB RANCH:
SHORT STIRRUP: Emi Sears & Tony
BEGINNER: Jessie Van de Vosse & Doc
JUNIOR ADV: Laurel Saldinger & Craig
PONY CLUB:
INTRO DIVISION: Emi Sears & Tony
RESERVE: Rachel Howard & Pzazz
BEG DIVISION RESERVE: Casey Charlton & Doc
LOW AND MEDIUM DIVISIONS: Laurel Saldinger & Craig
Our last horse show of the year will be on December 11th, and it is going to be a great one! The drill team is going to perform in their very cute reindeer hats, which is something you do not want to miss. Since the Drill Team was not able to perform in our October Show, our advanced team is planning to give you a performance that will knock your socks off!!
To remind everyone who is asking, the Equitation Pattern class, for beginning riders, will again be available for riders in arena two. This class will be judged on an individual basis, so everyone will go in the arena one at a time—just like with the Tricky Trot Pole class. They will be asked to perform a simple pattern, involving following the directions about what to do at what letter in the arena.
HORSE SHOW INS AND OUTS
So have you wondered why some folks win ribbons in the flat classes and others don’t? A lot depends on the category of class in which you are entered. In any flat class that is an EQUITATION class, the judge is looking primarily at the rider’s position and technique. Some of the things the judge will consider are the following: having your eyes up and looking ahead, having your shoulders back, a good posture with a straight back, elbows at your sides, palms facing each other with thumbs up, fingers closed on the reins, seat in the center of the saddle, heels down, and a straight line from your shoulders to your hips to your heel. Also, it is very important to be on the correct posting diagonal, or the correct canter lead, b/c that is critical for the balance of the horse and rider.
In the HUNTER UNDER SADDLE classes, the judge is primarily judging the horse’s movements and manners. The rider’s equitation is important here because it will influence the way the horse goes...but the judge is really judging the movements and manners of the horse related to how well you are riding him.
WELCOME TO NEW HORSES AT SPRING DOWN!
Honest Abe—SDEC
Colorado—SDEC
WELCOME TO NEW BARN CATS
Check out our barn cats page for the latest information about Tuffy and Wally, the two kittens we had at Spring Down. There are some new photos up showing how Tuffy helps out around the house—and how much Kris, Tuffy’s owner, loves him!!
SPRING DOWN STARS
We’ve launched it here on the web site! Go look at the STARS of Spring Down who work tirelessly, patiently and lovingly to teach our riders how to ride. We couldn’t do what we do without our horses! They are trained to do a special job here, keeping new or experienced riders safe, as well as patiently guiding us to new challenges in the arena. Spring Down trading cards are now available for Holiday Gifts: 2 for $5, and a complete set for $95. Please check in the office for more information about these new and exciting cards.
MONDAY IS MOTHER’S DAY!
Every Monday at SDEC, from 1PM—2:30 PM, we are hosting a new and wonderful group of ladies/Mothers who are very interested in learning all there is to know about riding and dealing with horses. These lessons not only include a lesson to teach and improve riding skills, but every week we have a special lecture on an important aspect of horse care or horsemanship. When one owns a horse, really the riding is only 25% of the time that is necessary in dealing with all aspects of the care of the horse...so SDEC has launched this new program to try to teach folks all of this other very important information.
During our regular lessons, we do try to squeeze in as much information as we can about the other aspects of horse care and horsemanship...but this special Ladies group affords us the time to go into more depth about the training of horses, veterinary care, nutritional needs, horse show preparation, horse psychology, and many, many more topics.
Come and join us on Mondays, from 1—2PM! Please see the SDEC office to schedule these lessons.
DRILL TEAM UPDATES
The Spring Down Drill Team, "Spring Down Rhythm `N Blues" performed an outstanding routine at our horse show in June. Our show in October, however, did not include a drill team performance, because the team was in flux changing from old to new members. Our plan is to do a drill team routine for the December show—so come to this show and be prepared to be “wowed” by our drill team horses and riders!!
Riding in a drill team teaches you many riding skills, and you are having so much fun "dancing" with your horse, that you are not even aware how much you are learning!! If you were unable to attend either of the events mentioned, there will be another one at our December 11th horse show. Also, there are some great drill team videos up on the Spring Down channel on You Tube—so you can check them out there as well!
The current members of the Saturday advanced drill team are the following: Diane Allison, Britta Buehneman, Kore Chan, Kris Clark -Hahn, , Deb Lyons, Laurel Saldinger, Kelcy Senz, and Caroline Warde.
The current members of the Sunday team are as follows: Lori Doran, Xenia and Armena Gonikberg, Emily Ketchen, Robyn Ogilivie, Dani Schneider, Emi Sears, and Julia Wettersten.
TACK - UP LESSONS
Spring Down will be continuing to offer group tack-up lessons on a monthly basis. The lessons are scheduled every Sunday, at noon, for one hour.
"Why take this lesson?," you may ask. At Spring Down, we teach comprehensive horsemanship, not just horseback riding. A very important component of horsemanship is understanding the equipment you are using on any given horse: both how it is put on, and how and why it works. The group tack-up lessons will allow time both for demonstration of the equipment that we use, and hands on practice with someone standing by for instruction and assistance.
General grooming and equipment used for grooming will also be taught in the tack-up lesson. And, of course, as we are very safety conscious here at Spring Down, techniques for keeping both you and your horse safe will be taught so that everyone is safe and comfortable during the grooming and tacking-up procedures.
Please see the office to schedule yourself into one of these tack up lessons. If you are unable to make the group lessons, a private lesson may be arranged. The group lessons are preferable, because the hour time will allow you to become familiar with more different types of equipment and also allows for more time to practice. A private lesson is the next best thing, however, if that is what your schedule will allow.
It has always been a SD rule that, if you are 12 years old or over, and you are capable of tacking up your horse, then you need to take a tack up lessons to learn how to do it safely. If you fit these requirements, but you choose not to tack up for whatever reason, then you will be charged an additional $10 for tacking and also untacking your horse.
NEWS FROM THE OFFICE
Please remember that Spring Down has a strict 24 hour cancellation policy. If you do not cancel with 24 hours notice, you will be charged for your lesson. This means that, if you have a lesson at 12 noon on Wednesday, you need to cancel your lesson by 12 noon on Tuesday. If you call to cancel at 4PM on Tuesday, you will still be charged a late cancel feel. This policy exists because we need to plan our instructors and horses schedules in advance. We have reserved your teacher's time for you, your horse's time for you, and very often the horse has been tacked up by one of our grooms. Making an appointment for a lesson is a firm obligation, so please consider it as such, and give us a minimum of 24 hours notice if you are not able to attend your lesson.
When requesting a specific horse for a lesson, everyone needs to understand that it is just that: a request. The office will make every effort to honor that request, but sometimes we have ten requests for the same horse in a given day. Also, all the horses at Spring Down need to get exercise each and every day, so it is our responsibility to make sure that each horse gets ridden by someone (and that one horse doesn't get ridden too much). We try to match the horses and riders as best as possible, but please remember that each horse can teach you some new and different skills. Be flexible, and you'll be surprised at how many new horse friends you will acquire by branching out a bit...and at how much you will learn.
HORSE SHOW DATES: (2011)
December 11th
HORSE SHOW DATES: (2012)
March 4
June 3
October TBD
December TBD
HOLIDAY CAMP IS HERE!! (2011)
December 19th—23rd
December 26th—30th
NICK CLINICS: (2012)
March 27,28,29
July 3,4,5
October 23,24,25
WINTER BREAK CAMP: (2012)
February 20-24
SPRING CAMPS: (2012)
April 2-6
April 9-13
April 16-20
MINI CAMP: (2012)
Jan 21
March17
May 19
Full 2012 calendar of events...
MINI CAMPS
Our new monthly program "Crazy About Horses" has been quite successful for those that only have a day to spend with horses and get their "boots wet." It is a perfect option for the parent, friend, or grandparent to ride along with their horse crazy kid. The camp is from 10 AM - 2PM covering many aspects of horsemanship: safety around horses, horse management and care, grooming, understanding how to put on special epqupment, a live demonstartion, and of course, RIDING! Be sure to sign up early as this program is very popular!
Next 20112 DATES:
January 21, March 17, May 19
GIRL SCOUT "HORSE RIDER" BADGE PROGRAMS
We've been working with the Girl Scouts of Northern California as an approved vendor. The standard Horse Rider badge is $40 per rider. We currently offer the Horse Rider and now Horse Fan badge to all troops. Each troop can earn 2 badges in one visit for a special price of $65 per rider. For the Brownies, we are offering the Horse and Pony Try It patch for those young scouts! Check our web site at http://www.springdown.com/groupevents/girlscouts/
15 FOR 15
Do you finally get in the groove after the first half of your lesson, and need just a little more time to figure out how to get things right? We are offering, during the slower times of the day (Mon - Fri, 9AM - 2PM) 15 extra minutes of lesson time for $15 dollars. If your instructor is availlable, the extra time can be just the ticket to boost your confidence. Contact the office within 24 hours of your lesson to see if the 15 for 15 is available for your next lesson!
THE HOLIDAYS ARE COMING!!
At Spring Down, we have a tradition of supporting and recognizing our wonderful staff of grooms during the Holidays. These fellows work tirelessly every day to take care of all the Spring Down horses, keep the barn up and running, tack up and untack, and assist the lesson customers if they need help. Please consider our special grooms by contributing to a Holiday fund for them. See anyone in the Spring Down office, and your donation will be truly and gratefully appreciated by Manuel, Francisco O., Candelario, Marcos, Francisco, Sefarino, and Jose.
SPRING DOWN EMPLOYEES
Spring Down wants to acknowledge our new office employee, Cherie Hammer :) Cherie worked tirelessly in the office three days a week, and helped Spring Down to get more organized and efficient for sure!! Unfortunately, due to some health issues for Cherie’s husband Tom, Cherie is no longer able to work in our office at this time. Everyone at Spring Down wants Cherie to know just how much she is loved and missed—and we are all sending our love to her and her wonderful family!!
One other person who continues to deserve accolades and recognition is Jennifer Dekker, the office manager at Spring Down. Jennifer is one of the folks that helps to hold Spring Down together, doing an extremely difficult job every day. Running the office at Spring Down can often be a tiring and thankless job, and the details that need to be managed can seem never ending. Jennifer does her job with skill, grace, and humor, and we thank her very much for all of her hard work!
SPRING DOWN ’s HISTORY
Carol and Stan Goodstein bought Spring Down in 1984, but it had been in existence since 1967.
Stan and Carol bought in 1969, a smaller horse property in Woodside, where Carol had a small number of horses, and taught some lessons. After a while, Carol’s business developed issues—and concurrently, Stan found out that Spring Down’s property was for sale….and it seemed like it was fate for them to acquire it.
Stan and Carol decided to make the switch from their current location, to Spring Down Equestrian Center….and the rest is history! Spring Down Equestrian Center, with Carol Goodstein as the CEO, as been in existence for coming up on 28 years now. Carol’s main focus is to provide the community with an accessible and affordable way for everyone to be able to experience the world of horses—to learn horsemanship from the ground up. Spring Down is a place where people can not only learn to ride—but they can also explore the human/horse connection, and learn all that these amazing equines have to offer us—as well as join in a community with similar interests.
SPRING DOWN NEWS & NOTES
MOMMY AND ME
This program has turned out to be a smashing success. It is a series of 3 classes designed to introduce the smallest member of your family to horses while spending some quality time with Mom or Dad. As a group, you'll be introduced to safety, horse's ground manners, and you will get comfortable around horses. We'll teach you all about their special equipment, grooming and tacking up, and learning to ride. Each class may include the use of a vaulting horse, grooming, a riding lesson, and a special lesson about some aspect of horsemanship, geared to the little ones.. The series is a scheduled class, so look for upcoming dates!
Please see the office for more info.
Session 1: 1/9, 16, 23
Session 2: 3/9, 16, 23
Session 3: 5/8, 15, 22
SDEC times for this class are scheduled from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM. If you have capability for registering through Park and Rec, there may be availablitiy to sign up for the earlier group from 10:00AM - 11:30 PM. You must register through Park and Rec to get into this time slot.
UNDERSTANDING HORSES
Understanding the way a horse thinks is a big part of what we try to teach people at Spring Down. Horses have a reactive side and a thinking side of their brain. When they are on the thinking side of their brain, they blink their eyes and lick their lips—two very good signs. Look for these signs of submission and paying attention to their rider the next time you are riding your horse.
For horses to become willing partners and followers they must have a natural leader in us, so walk tall and walk strong both when you are riding your horse, and when you are handling him on the ground.
WHAT ARE THE HORSES TWO BLIND SPOTS?
Your horse has a blind spot that extends about 4 feet in front of his face. He can not see the ground near his front feet, and he can not see his own knees and chest.
Horses also have a blind spot directly behind them. Always be careful and alert when walking behind your horse.
Are you ready to join a group?
A frequently asked question is " When will I (or my child) be able to join a group?" There is no one answer to that question, because every person, no matter how young or old, learns skills at a different rate. In my experience as an instructor, the time may vary from just a few months, to over a year or more. But, there are a few key criteria from which we instructors judge whether or not joining a group is feasible:
- Can you get your horse out of the stall to the arena, and back again after the lesson SAFELY AND CORRECTLY? Parents, a hint to expedite this process for your smaller child is to learn how to do this too so that you can assist your child. There can sometimes be 6 or 7 folks in a group, and one instructor can not help everyone in the group to and from the stall.
- You must be able to check and tighten your girth, and also adjust your stirrups MOSTLY BY YOURSELF. This does not mean that your instructor will not help you at all, but it DOES mean that you must make a good effort to get as much done by yourself as you can.
- You must have good skills at mounting the horse safely.
- You must be able to do a posting trot ON THE RAIL BY YOURSELF WITHOUT MUCH ASSISTANCE. This includes being able to start, stop, and steer by yourself.
- Do you know how close you can safely get to the horse in front of you? Do you know what to do if you think you will get too close, i.e. pass safely, cut across the arena, or circle safely? Your instructors can assist with your refining these skills, but the basic knowledge and ability must be there.
- A basic understanding of posting diagonals is necessary. Of course, your instructor will continue to help you with this skill, but it must be understood by the rider.
- Do you know how to dismount safely by yourself? Your instructor can not assist everyone in a group without taking too much time away from the lesson.
There are, to recap, lots of requirements for being able to join a group. The bottom line for the necessity of these requirements is to ensure the safety of all the riders. Remember, there is only one instructor in a group, so each rider must posess the basic riding skills to ride responsibly and safely.
DO YOU WANT TO JUMP?
Our goal at Spring Down is to help people to acquire the skills to do whatever type of riding interests them. Jumping is one part of the equestrian experience, and although it can be very exciting, it is also very demanding and challenging.
It is essential that you have mastered your flat work before you start jumping. After all, jumping is really advanced flat work with obstacles. Having solid flat skills is vital for your safety and security.
The following guidelines provide the minimum essentials that are required before you are able to safely and securely start jumping:
- Must be able to maintain good balance, steering, and control of the horse at all gaits: walk, trot, and canter.
- Must be able to walk and trot without stirrups. The instructor should not notice any difference in leg position or effectiveness with or without stirrups.
- Two-point seat must be strong and balanced, with the ability to do poles at the trot and canter.
- Must be able to stay in two-point seat at the canter three times around the indoor arena, or one time around the big, jumping
arena.
- Must be able to execute circles at the canter effectively.
- Must be able to drop and regain stirrups at all gaits.
- Must know diagonals and leads.
- Must have a basic knowledge of simple and flying lead changes.
"Sometimes you don’t get the horse you want….you get the horse you need."
- Carol Goodstein
WE GET LETTERS
Hello!
My name is Karin Hatami, and I was a student of Carol Goodstein’s many moons ago. I stumbled onto Spring Down’s web site accidentally and wanted to send a heart felt “Hello” to my wonderful teacher. I am a busy dentist, mom of two, still riding, and have a 10 year old daughter that is crazy about horses. Please let Carol know that I always remember her advice whenever I get on a horse—even 20 years later!!
I have never met a teacher as compassionate and caring as Carol. My years at Spring Down were a wonderful experience and I will always cherish them!.
Karin Hatami
CAROL’S 10 COMMANDMENTS OF RIDING AND JUMPING
- Always check the tack-up book and your tack before you ride.
- One rein can stop a horse. If you don’t learn anything else, this is one very useful thing to learn!!
- Make the wrong thing difficult and the right thing easy for the horse.
- Have a plan, stick to it, and don’t give up.
- Every horse has its five issues. Understand those issues and plan to ride accordingly.
- Learn to think like a horse.
- Look up...don’t look down unless you want to go there.
- Regarding the number of strides in a line, the horse can’t count. That’s your job.
- Turn late to change your lead, and turn early to keep it.
- When jumping, the rider’s four jobs are to find a pace and rhythm, steering, balancing the horse, and keeping the horse straight so they can see the jump and find a distance.
HORSE SLAUGHTER
In most cases where horses are slaughtered for food, they are processed in a similar fashion to cattle. Unfortunately that results in a less than acceptable rate of effectiveness rendering the horses unconscious with a captive bolt gun, due to the difference between trying to get an accurate shot on an unrestrained horses vs. an unrestrained cow. In addition, horses’ brains are set further back, so even when the shot is in the correct spot, it sometimes does not render them unconscious. They are then killed by being exsanguinated by severing the jugular vein or carotid artery while suspended by the rear leg by a heavy chain shackle.
There has been a bill languishing in the Congress for several years, sponsored by Senator Landrieu (D) Louisiana, and Senator Graham (R) South Carolina—The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011—which would prohibit transportation of horses within the US and exportation for purposes of slaughter.
Since President Obama signed a bill that reinstates the funding for horse slaughter plant inspectors—horses are now available for slaughter and human consumption. The choice now is to stop horse slaughter by demanding that Congress pass HR 2966 and Senators pass SD 1176 that will prohibit the transportation of horses for purposes of slaughter.
Horse slaughter is the practice of slaughtering horses for meat. These animals come mainly from auctions, where they are sold by private sellers and breeders.
Slaughter of horses is opposed by the vast majority of Americans. Horses are perceived as companion animals like cats and dogs, and deserving of humane consideration because of their roles serving Americans as working and sport animals. In addition, the routine abuse and inhumane treatment horses are subjected to in the slaughter pipeline has created strong objection from horse owners to the industry’s usage of American horses.
Groups lobbying for horse slaughter site as reasons: 1) banning any animal for slaughter will lead to outlawing all meat production, 2) neglect would increase if 1% of the horse population is not slaughtered
each year.
American horse meat raises a number of potential health concerns, mainly due to the routine usage of medications in horses banned in food animals, and the lack of tracking of this usage in horses. Most American horses destined for slaughter end up at EU regulated plants in Mexico and Canada. The meat of some horses killed in Mexico are mixed with beef and sold back to unsuspecting US consumers. Because American horses are not “intended” for the human food chain, throughout their lives they will often have received medications that are banned by the FDA for use at any time for human consumption.
Read the previous issue of the Spring Down Low Down: Summer 2011
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