Horses Hands-On: Care and Anatomy

"Horses Hands-on; Care and Anatomy" a week long horse camp offered by Saturday Academy comes to Mauna Lio Ranch. There are 10 girls and 1 boy being mentored by Melissa in horsey things and by Dr. Barbara Shaw of Portland State University on their anatomy, adaptations and evolution.

The class departs from Portland State University at 9:00am and returns by 4:00pm. It takes at least 40 minutes to get from PSU to Mauna Lio Ranch.

The class description reads:

Spend a week at a horse ranch.

Each morning in the stables learn how to care for and manage horses, including safety. grooming. stable care, and how to tack up. Every afternoon, study the science behind horses -- their adaptations and evolution are a remarkable story of lineage. Examine the fossil record to explore the many species of horses that were once alive, from the tiny fox-sized Hyracotherium to the modern horse of today. Explore the Anatomy of the horses and investigate the structure and function of their organ systems. Finally, learn about their behavior, collecting data to answer questions about herd life.

Instructors: Barbara Shaw has a PhD in evolutionary biology/paleontology. Shehas developed curricula and taught science for over 19 years for youth organizations, science museums, national wildlife organizations, and Portland State University. Currently at PSU, she teaches teachers how to incorporate inquiry-based science in their classroom. Melissa Emang has been a horsewoman all her life and is the owner of Mauna Lio Ranch in Newberg, OR.

Course #9734: M- Th, June 29 - July 2, 2009; 9:00am - 4:00pm

Entering Grades: 5-8

A busy year

Mauna Lio Ranch and the Fractional Ownership plan has just celebrated its one year anniversary. We celebrated by butchering a pig and roasting it on a spit, island style. We had a luau!

Here's a picture of the 100+ pound pig roasting over a wood fire on a spit setup in our arena. We purchased the little piggy at less that 50 pounds and fed her about 150 lbs of feed. She grew at over a pound a day.

We learned a lot in the past year. Our mix of horses has changed as we tried to establish the business based on the client's needs. At first, we had lots of kids and parents. Of late, our clientele are working adults who have had horses in the past but could not own one now for one reason or another. Mostly the riders come to get a horsey fix or to maintain a mode of physical therapy.

We've been able to work out the insurance issue by getting commercial equine business insurance and coverage as a riding stable.

What horse business?

Our search for a profitable horse business model took many turns. Melissa really wanted to explore a handicap riding facility. Unfortunately, no matter how we crunched the numbers, the non-profit business plan was just that; a no profit, heavy on goodwill, with little chance of being an ongoing concern.

We very carefully looked at boarding, lessons and riding and saw many possibilities. There was also a lot of and better competition.

Then it dawned on me. Horses have a lot of unused capacity to work. Why not time-share them?
We tossed the idea around our friends. Many thought it was a great idea, if only we could resolve scheduling conflicts, give the horses enough rest, find the right horses, work out the liability insurance, etc., etc., etc. Lots of challenges, but basically, the economic basis made it a very attractive business model.

We started to lay out our plans in the spring of 2006.

Half a dozen rides a year

With twice as many barn chores, and an increased teaching load to pay for our hobby, I found less time to ride. Melissa, always willing to share the joys of equitation, had lots of kids ride Fancy. Several Boy Scouts earned horse-back riding merit badges on her. She was very well liked.

She tolerated, but gave me little respect. Perhaps it was my 200 pounds and/or inexperience at my age. We figured this was so after one frustrating ride. I couldn't get her to move! So Melissa got off OReilley and rode Fancy. Lo and behold, she performed perfectly to the slightest of cues. She showed off a very smooth trot! She performed like the former 4-H dressage horse that she was! Maybe Fancy just didn't like men.

With so little time on the saddle, my experience level stayed neophyte. My horse was well ridden but not by me. I barely got more than half a dozen short rides a year.
There was one ride that Melissa said I did perfectly. Unfortunately, that was 10 minutes of my life that I had absolutely no recollection of. We were riding back the long gravel road from the neighbors, when Melissa asked if she could trot OReilley. As she took off, Fancy took off after them. I remembered trying to grab the saddle horn and slipping. Next thing I knew, I was taking off the saddle by the stall! I asked Melissa where the time went.

Supposedly, I fell off and landed on my back with a thud. I got up, mad as a hornet, chased Fancy, grabbed her reins, remounted, walked her to the spot where I fell and rubbed her nose at the ground. Then, I swung her around with authority and rode her home. I paused by a steep drop just beyond the gate and seemed to want to ride Fancy down the slope. I then chose to dismount and walk her down the slope. Very soon, I returned to present time and found myself untacking my horse.

My best ride, and I did it while in a state of shock-induced temporary amnesia! I guess I have it in me ... somewhere.

Plain truth, without rose colored glasses

The search for my horse ran in tandem with finding a way to pay for our hobby. Driving to and from the pasture to feed everyday meant at least an hour and a half of time plus gas. Whenever the car broke, we had to inconvenience friends to drive us to the pasture. A second vehicle would have been useful, but the cost of having OReilley cut into any new car purchase. An additional horse would cut into the budget even further.

We just weren't making enough money. Although, we weren't really putting out that much cash. The pasture was $150 a month for 3.2 acres. OReilley had more than enough grass for himself. We only had to buy a bale or two of alfalfa and grain for supplement. We purchased a hoof rasp and clippers to try to save on farriers and kept OReilley unshod. We've had to call in the vet for shots and other concerns and blew our budget each time. But overall, we felt that if we could save for the purchase and transport of the new horse, that we'd be able to maintain them well. We'd also be able to enjoy riding at the same time!

We needed to find extra work. After due consideration, we decided to find Melissa work in the horse business. Perhaps she could find work as a barn helper at some well run place. She looked at and applied at several places, but found we would be making less. One stable was really promising, if only we could have had OReilley at the stable for free.

Week after week, we searched the classified for a suitable horse-related job. In the mean time, Melissa go accepted into a volunteer position at Thumper's Therapeutic Center. This would be a good place to get the training and hours towards the goal of certification with NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped Assc) . The schedule created constraints and conflicts with her regular job as an apartment manager. So, I had to cover for her while she did her volunteer work. At the same time, I was getting more technology classes to teach. More work for me to help pay for the horses and more experience for my sweetheart. What a deal!

While at Thumpers, she made friends and learned a lot from their manager and trainer. I learned how they operated on donations, the complete sponsorship of the landowner and free labor from lots of volunteers. If the aged landowner died, there would never be enough income to pay for any kind of lease. The fees that the parents paid for their handicapped kids were woefully insufficient to make this non-profit a going concern. I figured the only way to make a business out of a Hippotheraphy Center was to have physical therapist on staff and bill insurance for much higher fees. In addition, more parents and kids who had insurance coverage could become clients.

While at Thumper's, we met Fancy, a newly acquired 19 year old Appaloosa mare. She was to be the newest and youngest of the theraphy horses. Unfortunately, she wasn't settling well and was too spooked. Her owner was moving and could not take her back. So we made the best offer we could make. It was waaayy below the original asking price. Fortunately, after checking out our pasture and knowing she would be going to a good home, the owner agreed to sell.

We arranged for transport and on the day she arrived at the pasture, OReilley bucked, squeeled and danced in delight. He had a mare! This confirmed our choice!

First thing we found out was the spare saddle didn't fit Fancy. So we had to squeeze a bit more money out of the budget for tack that fit her. Thanks for Portland Outdoors' try before you buy consignments, we were able to test several saddles before purchasing one. We also needed to supplement with more hay because there was a drought that summer. She was also quite dominant and chased OReilley from his hay. But I had my horse and we tried to make to most of it.

There was now twice as much poop to shovel.

With horses, one is never enough

After the crash through the fence, the mules next door were pastured farther away from the gossip fence. OReilley was feeling lonesome, so it was time to consider a pasture mate. The landlord wouldn't allow a goat, "Climbs fences.", he said. So we started shopping for another horse. What an experience!

First, there isn't a mall for horses. Farms and ranches are far apart. Second, we aren't in Amish country, so buyer beware! I'm told that the Amish are so honest, they tell you everything good and bad about a horse. In contrast, everyone turns slicker than a used car salesman when offering their horse for sale. Oh the platitudes!

There's so many considerations: breed, age, conformation, training, color, attitude, purchase cost, transportation, saddles and tack, etc. I plumbed the internet forums for ideas, read books to get caught up with the intricacies. I found as many opinions as there are "experts" times the phases of the moon. The only constant I saw was that any horse would cost more than it's purchase price in time due to the cost of maintenance. In the process, I started to find cost justifications. We could offer rides or training to offset our expenses. Perhaps we could have riders trade for chores, etc.

Melissa had her ideas too. She wanted to start a horse therapy program. She wanted a cowboy barn. She wanted to breed the perfect horse. She even has an ultimate dream of a medieval bed and breakfast castle with all the ambiance and romance of knights and ladies.

In short I was thinking of one more horse. Melissa was dreaming of moving back time to when horses were extremely useful in everyday life.

In other words, this wasn't going to be a hobby. We needed a plan to make a going concern of horses.

Stars in the bright blue sky

With O’Reiley just 15 minutes away, I thought for sure I’d get a lot of lessons on riding. I got a few here and there. But for the most part, I was learning more about the other end of the business.

The lessons were easy and well rehearsed. How to scoop up the poop, clean the water trough, catch the horse, buy, load and unload tons of hay, brushing, hoof picking, managing muddy pastures, etc. Lessons learned:
(1) tack is not reversible. The horse really looks funny and snorts at you when the halter is done wrong. Solution: Practice, practice practice.
(2) a horse will fill its lungs and inflate his torso so that your seemingly set saddle will eventually find itself upside down on its belly. Solution: let Melissa ride O’Reiley first.
(3) a horse that doesn’t want to be caught in open pasture, is a futile chase. Solution: operand conditioning; shake the grain bucket and think like a horse. One time, O’Reiley did not want to come to the barn because he was out socializing with the mules. I volunteered to get him. With halter in hand, I crossed the pasture and headed straight to the closest mule. I reached over the fence and offered him O’Reiley’s treat. I begged the gentle mule to be excused then headed to a now stunned horse. Caught him, haltered him and led him to the barn. Melissa said I was a natural.

Of course, after hours of labor, there were actual riding lessons. The biggest lesson, the hardest to learn, was not how to ride … it was how to fall. Riding lessons were a controlled exercise. Melissa was usually at the other end of the longe line while I practiced what she was telling me to do. To prepare for the eventual fall, all I had was this sage advice: (1) kick off the stirrups, (2) get away from the horse’s feet, etc. Finally, one is supposed to get back on the horse after a fall. How ridiculous is that?

All these lessons were rushing though my brain on my first un-tethered ride. I pointed O’Reiley towards the path. He kindly made me think I led him. We went down towards the creek, then up the rise towards his gossip fence. This is the same fence along which he races the mules. All was well until I tried to turn him for the barn. O’Reiley raised and turned his head to look at me squarely. He gave me one look as if to say, “Really?” “Really”, I thought, shaking the slack reins close to my chest. The next shake of the reins accelerated him towards a gallop. Perhaps I could get him to whoa, but not. Within the first two or three transitional gaits, I knew to rack up the falling advice and put it to good use.

I kicked off the stirrups and felt a launch sideways and upwards. In a moment I was on my back seeing stars in broad daylight. A quick self check and a slow rolling rise brought O’Reiley into view about 50 yards away. He had kept going but curved his head around to look at me like, “What are you doing down there?” I made it back to the barn after responding. “I’m OK!” to Melissa’s hail. To my horror I was told, “You gotta get back on!” I did, but very quickly got off. It was a lesson felt for the next two or three days.

A good fall is one which you can walk away from in one piece.