8 - Stacy Westfall and Horse Slaughter

I don't like to go on rants about things.  Really, I don't.  But, occasionally I do it anyways, apparently.  I love Stacy Westfall, and currently posted my first rant, on her blog.  My toddler was sleeping, and my older two boys were playing quietly.  The timing was right, I guess.  I hope she doesn't mind, I dream of riding with her (lesson, clinic, etc.), and of course I dream of riding LIKE her.  So, I hope my post wasn't annoying.

She wrote, "This may seem like an odd question but I am trying to gather information.  I try to visit a sale like this at least twice a year.  No, it is not enjoyable, but it does keep me grounded and aware in a very real way.  If you do check 'Yes' please leave a comment about where the sale is held.  I have gone to Sugarcreek in Ohio.  I would be interested in other known locations."

She asked people a very simple question, "Have you been to a horse slaughter sale?"  She also wanted to know where (please leave a comment on her blog).

Here is her blog, in case you want to contribute to her fact finding:
http://stacywestfallhorseblog.com/2012/03/20/have-you-been-to-a-horse-slaughter-sale/

Here is my rant:

I use to volunteer as “Stable Crew” at a YMCA camp when I was younger. The Stable Director took the ‘crew’ to Sugarcreek. I was a teenager (I am now 35), but the memory is quite vivid. It was my first exposure to the reality of the horse industry…that horses are simply a commodity, and disposed of in the most profitable way possible, if not of value otherwise. To a horse crazy teenager, it was quite a shock.

But, I think I benefited from this early exposure by learning the importance of training a horse right, breeding responsibly, and the need to plan, financially, for your horse’s retirement.

The stable crew I was a part of 20 years ago, has collectively purchased each and every horse that was part of our herd when we worked there as teenagers, and have retired them, to prevent them from going to slaughter. They toted thousands of campers, Indian Princesses, and even mentally and physically disabled, on trail rides and around the ring. They deserved a happy home when they were no longer able to serve.

Thanks for this post. Although I have sent numerous checks to my friend (a stable crew from our teenage years) who boards the retired horses (just a couple horses and a donkey still alive), I haven’t in a while. I am writing a check today and sending it her way. Everyone needs to realize that horses need a retirement plan, just like they do.

Additionally, I have a fairly nice QH mare myself, (papered, good breeding, 16 hands, and a looker). I have been tempted to breed her to a nice stud, with the hopes of getting a competitive show prospect of my own. But, I vowed never to breed an average horse, because the likelihood of getting another average horse is too high (even if I breed to a proven stud). Although she looks good ‘on paper’, and is pretty, my mother always said, “Pretty is as pretty does”. So, hopefully I will get some points on this mare during the next couple show seasons, and then I can justify breeding her.

I think everyone needs to visit a ‘slaughter sale’. I’m not against horse slaughter entirely, only because I think it is a better option than the neglect that an unwanted horse often suffers without this option. But, you can obviously see that I am passionately against irresponsible breeding, not investing in your horse’s training, and the discarding of horses that have served their people their entire lives. Maybe if we made more of a fuss over these things, slaughter wouldn’t be such a necessary evil.

Stacy, not sure if you were hoping for more than a simple response from the question you posed, but, what a great question to ask people! You got me going  Hope you don’t mind! I hope more horse owners will visit a slaughter house and take a first hand look at their horse’s potential ‘retirement’, if they don’t invest in their horse’s breeding, training, and golden years.

7 - Two steps forward, one step back

Today was GORGEOUS out.  I turned out my horses in the small paddock so they could munch on the grass, whereas the rest of the pasture was eaten down to nothing.  They ate until they were tired, and, by midday they were standing and napping in the paddock, so I put them back in the barn/pasture so they could rest in the barn, out of the wind.  Although it was 68 degrees today, it was windy.  As I was opening the paddock gate to let her go back to the pasture, Dottie slipped and FELL.  Thud.  Poor girl.  Klutz.  She seemed insulted, but fine.

I finished moving her to the pasture, and she stood by the fence, looking for some attention, or, perhaps she was just wondering if I was going to grain her again.  I noticed some dark, dried blood on her back foot.  Geesh.  Not again.  She did not look swollen, so I figured it was either not too bad, or, recent enough that it hadn't had time to swell.  Since I had two kids in tow, and nothing was life threatening, I let her be, and decided I could tend to it later, without the kids.

My kids had a playdate that afternoon, and my middle son pointed out her wound to his playmates and their mothers.  The horses were hanging out in in the pasture near out back yard, and Dottie was resting her hurt leg.  I tried to duck under the fence and take a look while a friend watched my 2 year old, but, it was sensitive enough that she wouldn't let me get a good look.  She was a real baby about it, which made me worry that it might be worse than I thought.

Luckily, my husband was home by 5, and after we shoveled down some dinner (rushed because when you have a 2, 4, and 6 year old, you don't have time for leisurely dinners), I headed out to the barn so I could hose her and take a look at her leg before dark.

Disappointingly, the blood was quite dried and caked on, and there was heat.  At least it was warm enough out that I could cold hose her.  I hosed for about 20 minutes and the blood mostly came off.  The cut didn't look too bad, but the heat worried me.  Sigh.  Bute.  Furazone.  Grain, and Extra Hay.  Goodnight.

Wait and see, I guess.

This is the second cut in the last two months, and she hasn't had anything like this in the several years I've owned her.  Yes, as green as she is, it's been several years.  OK...four years.  And, she was 3 (I think?) when I got her.  Pregnancies and babies tend to eat away quickly at quality riding time.  But, 3 beautiful, rambunctious boys is all I can handle, so, no more babies.  Anyway, I doubt she minds all the rest and relaxation.  And, you can't say she was started too young!

I had planned on lunging her today.  The ground was finally dry enough that I wouldn't destroy my paddock/arena.  I don't like riding in the wind, and she needed the exercise as much as she needed the training.  But, I guess it just wasn't in the cards.

Now, I need to figure out how she is getting hurt.  There is a new pony next door.  Is she kicking at the fence?

I might even have to consider keeping her in her stall a little more often, if I can't figure it out.  I hate to do that, because at least they are getting exercise when she is wandering around the pasture.  Whenever I look out my window, they always seem to be moving around.  In fact, my vet thought she looked 'in shape' last summer, when I hadn't ridden her in months.  There is something to be said about the health of a pastured horse compared to a stalled horse.  I feel lucky that I have the luxury of letting them run in and out of the barn.

I need to walk the fence.  Of course there is a 70% chance of rain tomorrow.  Fun.  Maybe that will have to wait until Saturday.

6 - Improving the canter - more video!

I got to ride AGAIN this weekend.  Two weekends in a row, in the winter; I'm feeling quite spoiled!  But, not for long, my husband goes hunting next weekend, so my horses will get fed, and that's about it.

This trip was amazingly different.  You wouldn't think it was the same horse, in more ways than one.  First of all, she had much more energy.  Perhaps during our last visit, she was too cold to move.  My horses often seem to feel frisky when the weather first warms up, but I would hardly call 35 degrees a warm up!  I lunged her for longer, for two reasons, one, to get rid or some energy, and two, to get her muscles working on the hideous canter.  She was unbalanced, even on the lunge line, but, after 5 minutes of trot-canter transitions (working on the verbal cues, to make things easier when I'm on board), she began to at least develop a decent rhythm at the canter.  She was also starting to depart better when I kissed at her, so, progress on both accounts, so we stopped.

We tacked up, western saddle with an english bridle and a snaffle, just like last time.  When I got on, I carried a crop this time, just in case my legs weren't enough to keep her collected.  My legs aren't as strong as  they use to be.  This became blatantly apparent when, after my ride last weekend, I was sore ALL WEEK LONG!  This week, there was no western jog in sight.  She was moving.  I did a ton of bending, some shoulder ins, lateral trots along the diagonal.  She was very responsive, and it was FUN!  She didn't look much like a pleasure horse, but, these exercises are good for her; we can work on stretching out and relaxing, later.

I finally braved a canter, reluctant to come down from the high I was on, from her spectacular trot, but, knowing it needed the work.  I warned the other girl that was riding, that, even though she was doing fine at the trot, things might get a little crazy.  I got ready to canter.  I sat the trot.  I was going left, so I shifted her haunches in (to the left), put my right leg on, and kissed.  She took a few speedy trot strides, and departed...into a decent canter!  I did just one circle and broke her down into a trot before things could fall apart.  She did soooo much better!

Last week, I had gotten into 2 point so that I could stay off her back, let her move forward, and let her find her balance without interfering with her.  She is still green, and hadn't been ridden in about 5 months.  It was a trick I had picked up from a Polish Dressage trainer when I was a teenager.  He did it with his young and green horses.  Getting off their back was supposed to be easier on their back, and was supposed to help them stay balanced.  This week, I sat the canter, and asked her to collect by holding her face while pushing with my legs, bending her on the corners, and guiding with my seat and legs every bit of the way.  It worked for her.

It didn't all go without a hitch.  A horse came in the arena, Dottie fell in love at first sight, and after he left, she spent the next 20 minutes whinnying, while I did walk-trot transitions, and bending exercises to distract her.  When I cantered her to the right, there was no one in the ring, and I expected things to go well, like they did to the left.  But, she was right back where she was last week, counter-bent, uncollected, and racing around the arena.  When we crossed the middle of the ring, she gave a couple BIG bucks.  She was unhappy with things, just as I was.  I was thankful to have saddled her Western, because I remember my thighs bumping against the pommels, and I wondered if I would have stayed on, had I saddled english.  I got her working back on the rail, right away, at the trot, and, although slightly nervous for a repeat performance (I have 3 little boys at home who need a fully functional mommy),  and asked for another canter.  I kept used my legs and hands to push/pull her together, and ta-da, a nice canter!  I cantered her immediately after her bucking instance, for training purposes, I didn't want her to get away with that type of behavior.  Heaven forbid, this become a habit.  But, I didn't want to canter her again, until their was someone near by...just in case.

As soon as I saw someone, I asked if she would video me at the canter.  A witness, and, if she bucked again, we'd get it on film!
I'm sorry no bucks, and it's not the embarrassing performance from last week, that would have been more entertaining.  But, here is the second ride/canter of 2012.  We're getting somewhere!

After much thought about last week's, versus this week's rides, I gave a good friend a call.  She had worked with the Polish Dressage Trainer, back when I picked up my 2 point-don't interfere- trick.  Was I using it appropriately?  We discussed Dottie, her canter, the potential need for a chiropractor, and her condition.  She wondered if I stuck with it, and were able to ride her 4-5 days consecutively, would her balance improve?  It's hard to say.  Maybe, but, with such a dramatic difference between rides, I concluded that Dottie simply needed my guidance.  Even in pasture, she doesn't look as balanced as her pasture mate.  And, since I don't get to ride every day, I don't have the option to just wait and see if she would figure it out.  I couldn't ignore such a dramatic improvement.  Once she is consistent, we could work backwards, with a goal of little interference, while she does a balanced canter!

5 - First ride off the farm, and first youtube video!

Despite the fact that I had a beautiful horse trailer sitting in the driveway, it was hard to imagine actually loading my horse onto it, and me, pulling it somewhere!  It wasn't easy, though.

After the ordeal of hitching the trailer to the truck, I proceeded to get everything ready for Dottie to load.  I went to open all the back doors, and I couldn't even get the ramp down.  One of the latches was frozen shut!  I beat on the latch for about 20 minutes before finally getting it open.  Then, there was ice on the rubber loading ramp, so I had to salt THAT.  I tied a rope in the trailer, so I could hook her up easy once she walked in, and I finally went to get Dottie.

She immediately put a foot on the ramp, then another.  Then, we waited.  and waited.  I rewarded her efforts with a handful of grain, but, it seemed she was content to stay right where she was.  So, I encouraged her to step forward, and she backed off.  We played this game for about 20 minutes.  I decided that if I kept doing the same thing, she would probably keep doing the same thing, so, I tried a new approach.  I did a little 'ground work' and had her move across the ramp, like I had seen some clinician do in a demo, a long time ago.  She moved across the ramp, this time, stepping her hind legs on for the first time, so, I felt this was progress.  After moving her back and forth across the ramp a few times, I thought we would try to load again.  No luck.  And, she was getting annoyed with me.  The feelings were mutual.  I tried backing her, and walking her forward a few dozen times.  No luck.  Of course, my husband was on child duty, so he was of no help.  I'm not sure what he could have done, given that his only horse experience is feeding and cleaning stalls.  But, he could have helped hold a butt rope, while standing out of the way.

I have had a lot of luck with a butt rope, in the past.  Basically, this is a lunge line, hooked to the side of the trailer, draped behind the horse's buttocks, and held by someone who stands clear of all danger.  That way, the horse can kick at the rope, and no harm is done.  The rope simply provides a steady pressure, and the horse is usually more concerned about moving away from the rope that is pushing in an unfamiliar manner, than the trailer.  I had trained and shown my vet's horse, during my last year of 4-H, and I had to do this every time I loaded her.  She would have nothing to do with the trailer, but, once the butt rope was behind her, she hopped on.  Finally, there was a time where I simply got the rope out, and she hopped on, without ever using it.  I could practically see her thinking..."OK, I guess if you are going to use THAT thing, I might as well get on."  By the end of the show season, she was willingly hopping on the trailer without any funny business.

But, this was a new problem, for me, trying to load by myself, with a horse that didn't want to load.  I decided to try the butt rope, all by myself.  I hooked it to the side of the trailer, gently slid it over her back, got back into leading position, then gave the rope a slight flip so that it went behind her buttocks, and I applied ever so slight, pressure.  A step forward!  I gathered up the rope as she slowly stepped towards the trailer, and kept it taut.  Then, she walked right in!  Hallelujah!  I snapped her in, shut the divider, closed the doors, put up the ramp, and headed out.  Whew, 45 minutes of fussing around, and I pulled out the butt rope, and she hopped right in.

Looking around, wondering WHERE AM I ?!

I drove the 1/4 mile to the neighbor's (I would walk, but the roads are 45 MPH and busy), pulled in, unloaded, lunged in their gorgeous outdoor arena.  Twenty-five degrees out, and the footing was perfect.  I wasn't sure how she would behave, and I was unsure if she was completely sound (recent cut and swelling), so I didn't have my heart set on riding; we were there for the experience.  But, she was only a little nervous, and sound, so, no excuses!  I saddled her western, for the added security, and put on my helmet.

Before I got on, I tried to snap a photo...she was loose, walking beside me.
Not quality photography, but you can still tell she is cute, right?

English bridle, western saddle.  Identity crisis.

After just a couple times around the ring, she was quiet.  LAZY in fact!  Next time I go, I'll need spurs or a crop!

I had a bystander do a quick video with my phone.  She was trotting more collected prior to taping, but, after getting the video ready, she must have thought she was done.  But, not bad!  Oh, this is my first EVER youtube video!

Her canter, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.  Uncollected.  Uncoordinated.  Fast.  Ugly.  So, I didn't tape that, I didn't want to embarrass ourselves.  In fact, the bystanders who had admired her at the trot, jokingly asked if they should get the barrels out.  Ugh.  I know she (like me), is out of shape, because we haven't ridden since fall, but, it's still pretty bad.  Maybe I'll tape it just so I can admire how far we've come, a few months from now.  I'm thinking positive.

We enjoyed our ride, and I was tickled pink that she was sensible.  In fact, she had just come into heat, and was still sensible.  Good girl!  I was worried about loading up to leave.  I didn't mess around, and at first balk, I flipped the rope behind her, and, without hesitation, or my having to apply any pressure, she walked right in.  When I unloaded her, she calmly walked out, as if she had done this a hundred times.  All this sensibility is getting my hopes up, that I might actually put out a decent performance at our first show.  Well, decent performance if it is a walk trot class!

4 - To Bute or not to Bute

It figures.  Sometimes it seems that nothing goes as planned.  But, I try to believe that everything happens for a reason, and just try to be OK with the fact that I might never know what that reason might be.

I was hoping to trailer my horse to the neighbor's indoor arena this past weekend.  Before that adventure, I needed to get more hay.  Since the horse trailer was the nearest thing in the driveway, we decided to use it to pick up the hay.  It was the first trip out with the trailer, so, it wasn't quite ready to go.  We put on the license in the blowing snow, my husband trimmed the branches of the tree that would have hit the trailer as we pulled it out, he greased the ball and hitch, and hooked it up.  My husband doesn't know much about horses, but he has a lot more experience pulling things than I do.  So, I stayed with the kids and occasionally came out to check on his progress.  Finally, after an hour's preparation, my husband started to pull out, and, I can't believe it...a flat tire.

I knew the tires were original to the trailer, and that meant they were 7 years old...older than what is considered safe; my dad is a tire engineer and I recently had a lesson on tire safety.  I had learned that they should be replaced after no more than 6 years.  Even though a horse trailer probably won't have much tread wear, the rubber becomes degraded by the changes from the sun, heat, cold, and moisture.  I had planned on replacing them.  I was glad the flat happened on the driveway, and not on the road.

My husband borrowed a neighbor's trailer, so we got some hay.  But now I (or my husband!) has to learn how to change a tire on a trailer.  I tried calling AAA.  They don't do horse trailers.

I figured I had better get my horse groomed up, in case I got everything road worthy.  They were mud balls, so this could take some time.  I brought them in from pasture, and Dottie looked like she wasn't moving quite right.  The pasture was super muddy, so I hoped she was just awkward in the mud, and I wasn't overly concerned as I brought her in.  I grabbed a brush, and, I didn't even need to get to her legs to notice that her back right leg was swollen.  UGH.

Of course my first aid kit was in the barn, and so my Bute paste was frozen.  Double Ugh.  I gave her a bunch of hay, and took the Bute inside.  After a few hours, I boiled some water in a tea pot, and took my thawed Bute back to the barn, and gave her a dose.  Then, I added the hot water to a bucket of cold water, and started to get the mud off to see what injury was hiding.  Dottie wanted nothing to do with this, and I told her she was ungrateful for the warm sponge bath.  She was tied, with a quick release knot, of course, in the corner, with just enough room to reach her hay.  I kept at the sponge bath, ever vigilant of the potential that she might try to kick me away, depending on how much pain she was experiencing.  She was normally well mannered and stands to be brushed and for the farrier.  But, she rarely gets bathed and could use some more work in that department.  She was uncomfortable, and occasionally pulled her leg up under her.  She was swollen enough that she couldn't even flex her fetlock completely.  I ran the water down her leg and gently rubbed away the mud.  Her hind end moved back and forth, with her head stationary.  Had I spent more time grooming, bathing, and fussing with her, perhaps we wouldn't be doing a training session on standing, while treating an injury.  She finally realized that I wasn't going to give up, and ate her hay quietly while I cleaned her up enough to discover a couple inch long gash on the inside, front, of her hock.  The swelling all the way down at her fetlock was a result of this injury further up the leg.  I dressed it, and untied her.

I hoped that giving her Bute was the right thing to do.  I had always heard that you don't want the horse to be TOO comfortable, because then they might over do it, and injure themselves more.  But, I was hoping the Bute's anti-inflammatory effects might bring down the swelling, and I figured this was most important.

Ironically, I got the QH Journal in the mail the next day, and just this morning, I read an article saying that recent studies have debunked the thought that letting a horse experience some pain will help them to take it easy.  In fact, it said that pain caused stress, and that stress causes the release of hormones that inhibit healing.  There were other negative side effects of pain, such as diarrhea, ulcers, and more.  It tuns out that horses weren't more likely to cause further injury when given pain relievers, anyway.  So, it turns out that it was a good choice to Bute my horse.  The swelling is going down, and, the wound is healing up.  Who knows how she hurt herself.  I would guess a kick from her pasture buddy, but it is hard to imagine my little half blind, bottom of the pecking order, much smaller mare, inflicting a blow that would hurt big 'ole Dottie.

Between the flat tire, and the lame horse, I obviously wasn't meant to ride that day.  I just hope that all these inconveniences kept me from something much worse, and that my horse heals up without any long term concerns!

3 - My horse needs a change of scenery!

Since I don't have an indoor, or a well drained outdoor arena, for that matter, my riding time seems to have dwindled to summer and fall.  If I try to ride in my arena when it is at all muddy, it leaves ruts, so then it would be ruined for when it has dried up.  But, soon that will change!

I stopped by a neighbor's house, and introduced myself.  This particular neighbors happens to have a large, very nice, indoor arena.  She said I am welcome to come over any time!  She requested I get a Coggins, which I promptly did, and the vet just called today, and it is in the mail (negative of course).  Although she is just a half mile away, if that, I would need to trailer my horse there, due to the busy roads.  Up until a month ago, this would have been a problem, but, I just got my first horse trailer!  

This trailer is a big deal for me!  I have owned and trained and shown since I was 14 years old.  That is 21 YEARS of horses and no horse trailer.  Twenty-one years of hitching rides, paying to haul, and borrowing from friends.  So, after much research as to what I wanted, I got a deal on Craigslist.  Thank goodness for the Craigslist app!  I had my keywords plugged in, and I called as soon as it posted on my phone.  I love getting a deal.  And, I contacted the manufacturers, and they congratulated me on my purchase and are sending me the owner's manual at no charge.  Honda wouldn't do that when we purchased a used minivan.   And, since I bought my trailer used, they are simply providing support for their product.  They made no money on this deal.  Thank you Exiss!  It is not often, these days, that I run into customer service that deserves positive recognition. 

So, back to my horse...Not only will I be able to get some more time in the saddle, but, this horse hasn't left my property since I purchased her.  She has had several years of the same old routines, and I'm about to turn her world upside down.  I suspect that there will be plenty of snorting and whinnying, but, we have to start somewhere.  Who knows, depending on how cooky she is, I might not even be able to ride during our first outing.  I wouldn't want to spend all evening there during our first visit, and wear out our welcome!

I'm just happy that I'll be getting her off the property.  I remember how disappointing it is to work hard with a horse, and for that horse to act like it has had no training whatsoever at it's first show.  Most horses don't have a level head the first time they leave home.  It takes a while for them to become desensitized to all the sights and sounds that come with, not just horse shows, but new places in general.  Even though I know the first couple shows I take Dottie to will probably just be opportunities to get her in the ring and adjusted to the sights and sounds, I can't help but hope that we'll actually put out a decent performance.

So, here's my plan.  Fail to plan, and you've planned to fail, right?   Take her to the neighbor's a few times.  Sign up for a clinic at a local trainer's; not just another locale to adjust to, but a learning and networking opportunity as well!  Maybe if it's not too wet, we'll even go with a friend (and her experienced trail horse) on our first EASY trail ride.  I think versatility in a horse is important.  And, there is another nice indoor that was built just down the road.  Perhaps I should go introduce myself there, too?  It never hurts to have too many friends!

2 - Catch me if you can!

A friend recently called with questions about a horse that was suddenly becoming difficult to catch in the pasture. Why? Most often, we can understand what they are thinking if we consider their instincts. Find food. Stay with herd. Avoid work. Just like we do, they try to avoid unpleasantries, and gravitate towards enjoyable experiences.  So, the woman wanted to bring her horse in, and he wanted nothing to do with her. Apparently, he doesn't like the work.
I was born an animal lover.  When I was little and played 'house', I pretended to be the family dog, or the horse, while my young peers were playing the mom, or the teenager role.  Naturally, having spent some time in their 'shoes', so to speak, I had some conflict about making my horse work.  Is it fair to strap a saddle to their back, put a bit in their mouth, and ride around in circles, over jumps, or through rivers, simply so that I can enjoy myself?

Clinton Anderson once described how lucky a horse is to have us.  We work a typical 40 hour week, just to earn the money to pay for their food, their medical care, their blankets, and their barn.  We clean their stalls, and provide them pasture so they can graze and relax.  Their needs are completely met, all in thanks to our hard work. 


So true!  We aren't asking them to work 40 hours a week to earn their keep...just a couple hours a day.  Perhaps they have to put in some extra hours once or twice a week for a show, but really, you're talking a 20 hour work week during their busy season.  Wouldn't that be nice?

So, what to do about the horse that doesn't want to work?  This is the one instance in which I regularly bribe my horses.   I feed them when I bring them in.  If I am about to ride, and I don't want them to have a full belly, they just get a handful thrown in their feed pan.  Feed the horse in the bucket, not by hand.  Regular feeding by hand will make a pushy, nosy horse, and perhaps even a biter.  While he is licking up every last morsel, I get the tack out, pick their stalls, and give them a few minutes of relaxation prior to grooming and tacking up.  If you want to speed up the training process, bring them in, feed them, and put them back out, with no work in sight.  So, they associate being brought in with food and relaxation, rather than getting tacked up and ridden.  My horses associate me with food and relaxation SO much, that they run to the barn EVERY time they see me.  I go in the yard to play soccer with the kids...they run to the barn.  I go get the mail...they run to the barn.  I want to ride...they run to the barn.  Problem solved!

Apparently, the owner had been rewarding him with treats AFTER a ride.  Even if her intentions were to reward a good ride, there is little chance that your horse is going to make the association between a collected canter and the subsequent carrot.  Plus, those treats after the ride are not on his mind when the owner is trying to catch him in the pasture, so, it does no good there either.  Certainly, they enjoy post ride treats, but realize, their simple enjoyment is all they are good for.