 Spring is in full swing as is the show season. The weather across the country is showing signs of improvement and yet despite wind and rain we continue to train our horses and ourselves. Lynn Palm's series continue with details of Training Level Test 1. We have included an article that addresses the issue of insurance for trainers. Whether you are a trainer or you are a client, insurance is an essential element in your working relationship. It is often assumed that there is comprehensive insurance coverage. Sadly, many people learn that insurance coverage is either limited or completely lacking only after there has been a claim. A quick check is often all that is necessary. Resources such as our Marketplace (Insurance listings) and Equine Legal Solutions can help provide information relative to insurance in the equine industry.
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DEVELOPING THE YOUNG HORSE PART 6
 by: Lynn Palm, Palm Partnership Training (TM)
"The Goal-Riding Training Level, Test 1, Part 6
Developing the Young Horse
If you have practiced the exercises given in the previous articles in this series, you should have the skills necessary to practice riding Training Level, Test 1, at home-correct rider position and balance, correct use of the aids, and development of the horse's balance through transitions and bending. Before you even mount your horse to ride the test, however, you need to memorize it. Walking out the test on foot in the arena is an excellent way to memorize it (paying special attention to the 20-meter circles), as is drawing it out on paper. At a show, you may have a "caller" stand at the B or E markers and read the test out loud to you so that you do not have to worry about forgetting a movement, but you still need to memorize it ahead of time.
Riding Training Level, Test 1
This test is divided into 13 sections, and you receive a score for each one:
1. A Enter working trot. X Halt, Salute. Proceed working trot. Outside the arena, circle your horse at the trot (rising or sitting) in his best direction and turn down the centerline, looking ahead to C. Looking ahead helps you ride your lines and curves accurately, and you need to keep your horse's body straight and aligned on the centerline.
Use your peripheral vision to keep track of where E and B are, and when you cannot see them anymore in your periphery, you are at X. Stop your horse's shoulder on top of X by using your seat aid, and make sure he is square. Do not make your salute until you are sure your horse is settled in the halt. To do the salute, put both reins in your left hand and move your right hand, with your fingers pointed down, to your side behind your right thigh and nod your head down and then back up. The judge will nod back so be sure to make eye contact because it shows respect and confidence.
Pick up the right rein, and use your seat first but supported with a light leg aid for the upward transition to the working trot. The judge will be looking for the smoothness of the transition and good forward movement. To keep the horse straight, keep your rein contact against your horse's neck on both sides. Prepare for tracking to the left at C by flexing your horse's head to the left before you get to C.
2. Track left, E Circle left 20 meters. You will give the judge a good early impression if you get your horse on the aids and ride a good first corner. When you track left at C, use your inside leg to ask the horse for a bend to the left and support him with your outside rein and leg. Sit up straight and do not tilt to the inside in order to stay balanced and over the horse's center of gravity.
As you go down the long side of the arena at a steady rhythm, prepare to circle left at E. Riding the circle as four quarters by looking ahead to each quarter makes it seem less daunting. If you have taken the time to walk out on foot a 20-meter circle, it should help you ride it accurately. As you finish the circle, ride straight toward K.
3. Between K and A working canter left. Use your inside leg to keep the horse on the track and your outside rein to straighten him. Use your leg and rein aids equally, and continue straight ahead.
Begin positioning your aids for the canter when you get to V so that when you reach K you are ready to bend him around the corner and ask for the canter. Ask for the upward transition by using your seat and your right leg for the left lead depart. Avoid the common mistake of falling in by providing solid support with your inside, bending leg aid and contact with your inside, indirect rein.
4. B Circle left 20 meters. After cantering past A and around the corner, straighten your horse at F and use your seat to encourage the horse to move forward from the leg aids. Lift your fingers slightly to encourage his forehand to stay up and light so he can keep engaging from behind. Keep the canter rhythmic, balanced and forward as you start the circle at B. Remember that the next movement is a transition to working trot between centerline and B so you will be cantering only a three-quarters circle.
5. Between Centerline and B working trot. Begin a downward transition to either rising or sitting trot as you reach the centerline (it is easier to stay in balance at the rising trot for this transition). You want to be at the working trot before you get to B. Ride straight to M, and make sure you have the correct bend through the corner M to C. There is a downward transition to the walk at C.
6. C Medium walk; C-H medium walk. The scores at the walk are just as important as at any other gait so do not slack off in the walk. To transition to the medium walk at C, sit tall and tighten your stomach muscles, stop your hips from moving in the trot rhythm, keep you legs in contact with the horse's sides, and close your fingers. The medium walk should be regular and energetically forward but calm and of moderate lengthening with the horse on the bit. The horse's hind hooves should track slightly in front of the prints of his fore hooves. Hold the medium walk through the corner to H.
In the next article, I will take you through the remaining movements of Training Level, Test 1. In the meantime, my visual series Dressage Principles, available in VHS and on DVD, will enhance this training. You may order it and other fine training products and learn about our courses by going to www.lynnpalm.com or calling 800-503-2824.
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Legal & Insurance Advice...
 by: Rachel Kosmal McCart, Lead Counsel,
Equine Legal Solutions, Inc.
What Kind of Insurance Does a Trainer Need?
If you are training horses and receiving compensation for training, you will need insurance. Although Equine Legal Solutions is a law firm and does not sell insurance, we often assist clients in determining their coverage needs and in negotiating coverage issues with their insurers. Here are the types of insurance we recommend, and reasons why they are advisable to have.
Care, Custody and Control Insurance
If you have horses in training and are primarily responsible for their care, you need care, custody and control insurance. CCC insurance is very limited in scope and only provides coverage for injuries to or death of clients' horses in your care. The limits of CCC insurance are typically relatively low and therefore are often well below the fair market value of valuable horses. For this reason, you may want to require your clients to purchase mortality insurance on their horses.
Note that even if you keep your clients' horses at a boarding stable that has CCC insurance, you will still want to have your own CCC insurance. If the facility owner's insurer has to pay out on a CCC claim regarding horses in your care, they may look to you to recoup their costs.
Commercial Liability Insurance
Commercial liability insurance is much broader in scope than CCC insurance. It covers most types of liability claims, including negligence. Even if you have a good training contract with a liability release, you can still be sued. In the United States , it seems that almost anyone can sue almost anyone else for anything. Therefore, one of the most valuable roles of commercial liability insurance is to pay for your legal defense in the event that you are sued (not to mention any actual judgment that might be issued against you). The average negligence lawsuit defense runs well into the tens of thousands of dollars in a case that goes to trial, so the cost of commercial liability insurance is money well spent.
If you train out of a facility owned by someone else, the facility owner will typically require all on-site trainers to provide proof of insurance, and to name the facility owner as an additional insured.
As with CCC insurance, even if you train out of a boarding facility that has its own commercial liability insurance, you will still want to have your own liability insurance. Your activities may not be covered by the facility's policy. Even if they are covered, if the facility's commercial liability insurer has to pay out on a claim related to your negligence (or alleged negligence), the insurer may pursue you for reimbursement if you are not listed as an insured party under the policy.
Property Insurance
If you own your own horse property, you will want to have casualty insurance that covers fire, etc. With rural properties, this type of insurance is often called a "farm and ranch policy."
Vehicle Insurance
If you have a truck and trailer, you will want to insure them as well. In many cases, your auto insurance will cover damage to the trailer you are towing (but NOT the contents of the trailer), so check with your insurance agent to clarify what your coverage terms are.
Equine Mortality, Major Medical and Loss of Use Insurance
If you have valuable horses of your own, you may want to consider insuring them, as your CCC insurance will not cover horses that belong to you. Mortality insurance generally makes sense only if you could not afford to replace your horse without undue financial hardship. Likewise, major medical insurance is recommended if you could not afford a several-thousand-dollar vet bill without breaking the bank. Loss of use insurance may be advisable if you have a horse whose value is heavily dependent upon his or her use (e.g., as a breeding stallion). Do be advised that some loss of use policies provide that the insurer may opt to take possession of the horse before they are obligated to pay the claim. If this would be unacceptable to you, loss of use insurance probably does not make sense for your situation.
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