Apparently 3pm yesterday was THE time to ride, as I saw both other people who ride out at the barn. Unfortunately Big Horse's owner was tacking up when I showed up so I could already tell that the ride wasn't going to be super productive.
Pro was very happy to come in out of the cold to get groomed and didn't object to heading back out to ride. When I got on Big Horse was on a like 10m circle on the lunge line because he hadn't been messed with in THREE WHOLE DAYS! ;) Pro ignored him though and we settled into a 15m circle on the other end of the ring. He was going pretty well and I worked on regaining the feel from the lesson. He got a nice rhythmic walk pretty fast so I worked on getting him to un-lock his neck by doing some neck flexions to the inside and outside and some small circles on the big circles. Each time after I unlocked it he'd move out really nice for about half a circle before we had to repeat it. Finally moved up to the trot and he was being good, just needed some time for us to play around with stuff and for him to settle into a good, steady rhythm. Unfortunately about 5-10 min into our trot work Big Horse's owner got on. She cut us off a couple times and I finally just gave up, figuring it wasn't going to work to ask for a regular trot when I kept having to slam on the brakes or do weird figures at the last minute. I think with another 15-20 min he'd have gotten back to where he was on Thurs, so I was pretty annoyed.
On the other hand, he spazzed at one point when we went by the mirror, I'm not sure if it was from seeing Big Horse in it or what, but a few seconds later Big Horse also jumped out of his skin in the same spot. Pro just trotted right back by it without even looking the next circuit though, so I was proud of him for that.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Mini-breakthrough!
So I got out of work a bit early on Friday, in theory so that the management could take us out for drinks to relax...I, of course, figured that I could relax way better in the saddle, so I high-tailed it for the barn. Turns out my trainer was already on Kellar, getting in his training ride for the day. We swapped out, and I just tooled around for 20min or so until we ran out of daylight. Overall, he was good, and I'm getting much more used to his gaits (he feels a lot "bigger" than other horses I've ridden, simply because he's got such a long/stretchy stride, so he covers way more ground than I'm used to). However, he was being really evasive about the bit...either he'd be way above the vertical, or he'd drop below it and fuss/root with the bit. So that was a bit discouraging.
Today (Saturday) I was supposed to have a lesson, but there was a show at the barn, so things were a bit crazy. Kellar and I played musical tack instead...we started out with the dressage saddle and draw reins, which worked well, and then swapped to a different bit, which made a HUGE difference, I think. He still fussed with the bit, but way less in a plain loose-ring snaffle than in the french link full-cheek. (Possible proof that the french link really does encourage "engagement" with the bit...he needs more of a restraining order from it, though!) After that, we ditched the draw reins (which I'm really not fond of, but they are useful in preventing him from doing giraffe mode and just speeding around the ring when I try to do inside leg->outside rein), and then we finally swapped to my jumping saddle. He was still really awesome, and we popped over a few jumps during a schooling break for the show just for fun.
Overall, he and I both did really well. :) I still need to work on canter transitions, because he's reluctant to pick up his left lead canter and instead of sitting quietly and asking (like I do for the right lead), my reaction to him going "nuh unh!" when I ask for the canter is to kind of shuffle around and throw my weight forward, as if that'll make a 1,000+ animal change gaits. ;-) So...homework for me. The vet is coming out next week to check him out and see if he needs hock injections, though, so hopefully that'll help him with his canter depart (once he's rolling, he's awesome). Other than that, more work for me on keeping him light and balanced, and my latest self-project is to work on really *knowing* what diagonal I'm on...I used to be able to feel it, but have lost that talent, so I'm trying to quiz myself when I swap from sitting to posting trot.
Today (Saturday) I was supposed to have a lesson, but there was a show at the barn, so things were a bit crazy. Kellar and I played musical tack instead...we started out with the dressage saddle and draw reins, which worked well, and then swapped to a different bit, which made a HUGE difference, I think. He still fussed with the bit, but way less in a plain loose-ring snaffle than in the french link full-cheek. (Possible proof that the french link really does encourage "engagement" with the bit...he needs more of a restraining order from it, though!) After that, we ditched the draw reins (which I'm really not fond of, but they are useful in preventing him from doing giraffe mode and just speeding around the ring when I try to do inside leg->outside rein), and then we finally swapped to my jumping saddle. He was still really awesome, and we popped over a few jumps during a schooling break for the show just for fun.
Overall, he and I both did really well. :) I still need to work on canter transitions, because he's reluctant to pick up his left lead canter and instead of sitting quietly and asking (like I do for the right lead), my reaction to him going "nuh unh!" when I ask for the canter is to kind of shuffle around and throw my weight forward, as if that'll make a 1,000+ animal change gaits. ;-) So...homework for me. The vet is coming out next week to check him out and see if he needs hock injections, though, so hopefully that'll help him with his canter depart (once he's rolling, he's awesome). Other than that, more work for me on keeping him light and balanced, and my latest self-project is to work on really *knowing* what diagonal I'm on...I used to be able to feel it, but have lost that talent, so I'm trying to quiz myself when I swap from sitting to posting trot.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Q&A...and Chardonneigh
First, I've been trying to catch up on everyone's posts, as I've been running around crazy with work and horses and not spending as much time as usual online. I'll try to be better about replying to posts! really!
Second, you all should buy my trainer's new book -- it's for a good cause :) For anyone who hasn't seen the post on NCHN, Julia's book "Finding My Distance" is coming out Jan 15th, and all proceeds are going towards the medical and living expenses of Kim Meier, an eventer who was paralyzed in a freak riding accident, schooling over stadium fences in a clinic. Kim is an amazing person...and has given Surf and I some terrible but well-deserved dressage scores this year, as she's judging and teaching from her wheelchair now. It's a neat book...the excerpts I posted about Huey and Surf are from the book...and she'd love to see it raise a lot of money for Kim :)
I've stolen the title of this post from an idea that my trainer recently implemented with some of her students. She doesn't teach a lot of students, and most of the ones she teaches are pretty actively competing and doing a lot of their own horse management/maintenance -- and she'd realized that in lessons how little time there is to talk about peripheral issues such as show scheduling, conditioning, care issues, health issues, life issues, training issues, and the like. So, she's started a regular little get-together at her house where every 2 weeks or so, we come over in the evening (after we're done riding) and share snacks and wine (hence the Chardon"neigh") and talk about a "peripheral topic". The last one was about managing your horse during the winter, both from a health perspective and in thinking about structuring your winter riding with spring showing goals in mind. This week is going to be split between 2 topics - preparing and executing a winter trip south to kick off the season early in South Carolina...and a book swap. One of the things we talked about doing is using time over the winter to further our riding education through reading...and we're all bringing some of our favorite books to talk about and swap with each other.
In terms of the riding, well, it's been busy on that front too. Huey is back to full work, and he recently made his first field trip off the farm since his injury back in March. The old man still cleans up well...and I was so proud that after 9 months of being a homebody, he marched right onto the trailer and was a perfect gentleman at the show. At the show, someone asked how old he was...so I asked them how old they thought he was...and the answer was 8, maybe 9 or so. I had to laugh, as the old man is 26 days shy of his 21st birthday. Perhaps, come January 1, I'll have to buy that horse a beer :)
It's an educational experience riding both horses...but the educational experience is exponential rather than linear. There's the education from Surf, and that from Huey...and the education that's coming from learning to be flexible and adaptable enough to ride two very very different horses back to back. I'm learning a lot about myself and my riding in the process. Yesterday, in my jumping lesson on Surf, we had much discussion about how Huey is self-propelled, and Surf is an exercise in creating forward motion...how Huey will take a rail in order to get from one side of the jump to the other regardless of the approach, while Surf is more dependent on me to set him up until the last stride, then leave him alone in the front end while attacking more firmly with my leg...how Huey likes to be the one making the decisions (and is quick to tell me that I'm asking for the wrong option), while Surf looks to me to make the decisions for him. I've learned that I'm a decision maker in the wrong sense...I tend to pick my spot too far away, and stay committed to my spot when I should be more adjustable...but then when it doesn't work out perfectly I have a tendency to flake out and not ride the correction I need to make my spot happen and leave my horse hanging out in a spot he didn't want without the support from me to make it work anyways. Huey does little to discourage this behavior, as he'll correct my mistakes himself...and come hell or high water, he's getting to the far side of that fence, with or without me. Huey is a perfect example of Jimmy W's ideal horse that jumps the fences not because of what we do, but in spite of what we do. Surf on the other hand needs someone to make the decisions for him, and to support him through the decision. Without the support, he stops, which is the safest option. The big brown horse is going to make me be decisive...which is a good thing for my riding, and a good thing for me in life in general.
I've been thinking a lot lately about the connections between riding, and my work in Psychiatry. Surf in many ways reminds me of my supportive psychotherapy patients. Huey, on the other hand...well he's probably my therapist :)
Second, you all should buy my trainer's new book -- it's for a good cause :) For anyone who hasn't seen the post on NCHN, Julia's book "Finding My Distance" is coming out Jan 15th, and all proceeds are going towards the medical and living expenses of Kim Meier, an eventer who was paralyzed in a freak riding accident, schooling over stadium fences in a clinic. Kim is an amazing person...and has given Surf and I some terrible but well-deserved dressage scores this year, as she's judging and teaching from her wheelchair now. It's a neat book...the excerpts I posted about Huey and Surf are from the book...and she'd love to see it raise a lot of money for Kim :)
I've stolen the title of this post from an idea that my trainer recently implemented with some of her students. She doesn't teach a lot of students, and most of the ones she teaches are pretty actively competing and doing a lot of their own horse management/maintenance -- and she'd realized that in lessons how little time there is to talk about peripheral issues such as show scheduling, conditioning, care issues, health issues, life issues, training issues, and the like. So, she's started a regular little get-together at her house where every 2 weeks or so, we come over in the evening (after we're done riding) and share snacks and wine (hence the Chardon"neigh") and talk about a "peripheral topic". The last one was about managing your horse during the winter, both from a health perspective and in thinking about structuring your winter riding with spring showing goals in mind. This week is going to be split between 2 topics - preparing and executing a winter trip south to kick off the season early in South Carolina...and a book swap. One of the things we talked about doing is using time over the winter to further our riding education through reading...and we're all bringing some of our favorite books to talk about and swap with each other.
In terms of the riding, well, it's been busy on that front too. Huey is back to full work, and he recently made his first field trip off the farm since his injury back in March. The old man still cleans up well...and I was so proud that after 9 months of being a homebody, he marched right onto the trailer and was a perfect gentleman at the show. At the show, someone asked how old he was...so I asked them how old they thought he was...and the answer was 8, maybe 9 or so. I had to laugh, as the old man is 26 days shy of his 21st birthday. Perhaps, come January 1, I'll have to buy that horse a beer :)
It's an educational experience riding both horses...but the educational experience is exponential rather than linear. There's the education from Surf, and that from Huey...and the education that's coming from learning to be flexible and adaptable enough to ride two very very different horses back to back. I'm learning a lot about myself and my riding in the process. Yesterday, in my jumping lesson on Surf, we had much discussion about how Huey is self-propelled, and Surf is an exercise in creating forward motion...how Huey will take a rail in order to get from one side of the jump to the other regardless of the approach, while Surf is more dependent on me to set him up until the last stride, then leave him alone in the front end while attacking more firmly with my leg...how Huey likes to be the one making the decisions (and is quick to tell me that I'm asking for the wrong option), while Surf looks to me to make the decisions for him. I've learned that I'm a decision maker in the wrong sense...I tend to pick my spot too far away, and stay committed to my spot when I should be more adjustable...but then when it doesn't work out perfectly I have a tendency to flake out and not ride the correction I need to make my spot happen and leave my horse hanging out in a spot he didn't want without the support from me to make it work anyways. Huey does little to discourage this behavior, as he'll correct my mistakes himself...and come hell or high water, he's getting to the far side of that fence, with or without me. Huey is a perfect example of Jimmy W's ideal horse that jumps the fences not because of what we do, but in spite of what we do. Surf on the other hand needs someone to make the decisions for him, and to support him through the decision. Without the support, he stops, which is the safest option. The big brown horse is going to make me be decisive...which is a good thing for my riding, and a good thing for me in life in general.
I've been thinking a lot lately about the connections between riding, and my work in Psychiatry. Surf in many ways reminds me of my supportive psychotherapy patients. Huey, on the other hand...well he's probably my therapist :)
Friday, December 5, 2008
Amazing Lesson
So, my fears were unfounded, Pro was amazing for his lesson.
Well, first he started out looking like this --->
Then Gayle went through position fix stuff with me, sort of like what she did with Kate last Saturday. Some of this visualization seems like it's success is personal, so if it doesn't work, sorry!
1) My seat bones need to point straight down. That one had me confused for awhile before I realized that it means I should orient my pelvis straight up and down vertically. I over compensated for my "hunter perch" by sitting too far back and rocking my butt underneath me.
2) My hips need to be open and flat. This I think is essentially does the same thing as getting the thigh flab out of the way. Gayle told me to picture a board across the front of me that I was trying to flatten my entire body against, and had me open my hip-flexor. After having her tell me what that was, it helped. It also burned. Feel the burn!
3) Keep my body upright and stretch my shoulders across, while letting my shoulder blades slide down my back. This one ended up being the hardest for me to keep up, my inside arm kept getting lazy and sliding in (and apparently according to the pictures, I was also dropping my inside shoulder a bunch). We did this before #2 actually, which is why the open hip thing made more sense to me, because I was trying to get the same feeling in both my shoulders and hips.
4) DO NOT SQUEEZE WITH MY LEGS! DO NOT OPEN MY FINGERS AND USE THAT TO BE "NICE" TO THE HORSE. If I open my fingers, then Pro doesn't know where the end of the rein is and he has to worry about when it's going to magically appear.
If I managed to do 1-4 then he pretty much transformed in this ->
We spent probably 15-20 minutes getting me to figure out where I should be, and then spent the rest of the ride at the walk and trot on a circle and letting both Pro and myself play around with the feelings. I spent the entire time trying to memorize the sensations, while Pro spent a good bit of the time alternating between doing an amazing lesson-master impression at the trot and trying to unkink his vertebrae...
He was really happy with himself for knowing what his job was and doing it. Gayle, Kate, and I spent some time discussing what our goal was for him at this point in his re-training and just generally talking about how awesome he is. For now Kate and my goal is to get Pro feeling like this every ride as fast as possible and then leave him alone to figure things out. Once he's 100% solid in this, then we'll be ready to take the next step. She also said that 90% of horses and riders never even get this far. Not bad for the little pony who ran around like a spaz a year ago. :D
One last picture... Gayle described his expression as "just like a man after having really great sex." Proof that Pro enjoyed the lesson too!
Then Gayle went through position fix stuff with me, sort of like what she did with Kate last Saturday. Some of this visualization seems like it's success is personal, so if it doesn't work, sorry!
1) My seat bones need to point straight down. That one had me confused for awhile before I realized that it means I should orient my pelvis straight up and down vertically. I over compensated for my "hunter perch" by sitting too far back and rocking my butt underneath me.
2) My hips need to be open and flat. This I think is essentially does the same thing as getting the thigh flab out of the way. Gayle told me to picture a board across the front of me that I was trying to flatten my entire body against, and had me open my hip-flexor. After having her tell me what that was, it helped. It also burned. Feel the burn!
3) Keep my body upright and stretch my shoulders across, while letting my shoulder blades slide down my back. This one ended up being the hardest for me to keep up, my inside arm kept getting lazy and sliding in (and apparently according to the pictures, I was also dropping my inside shoulder a bunch). We did this before #2 actually, which is why the open hip thing made more sense to me, because I was trying to get the same feeling in both my shoulders and hips.
4) DO NOT SQUEEZE WITH MY LEGS! DO NOT OPEN MY FINGERS AND USE THAT TO BE "NICE" TO THE HORSE. If I open my fingers, then Pro doesn't know where the end of the rein is and he has to worry about when it's going to magically appear.
If I managed to do 1-4 then he pretty much transformed in this ->
We spent probably 15-20 minutes getting me to figure out where I should be, and then spent the rest of the ride at the walk and trot on a circle and letting both Pro and myself play around with the feelings. I spent the entire time trying to memorize the sensations, while Pro spent a good bit of the time alternating between doing an amazing lesson-master impression at the trot and trying to unkink his vertebrae...
He was really happy with himself for knowing what his job was and doing it. Gayle, Kate, and I spent some time discussing what our goal was for him at this point in his re-training and just generally talking about how awesome he is. For now Kate and my goal is to get Pro feeling like this every ride as fast as possible and then leave him alone to figure things out. Once he's 100% solid in this, then we'll be ready to take the next step. She also said that 90% of horses and riders never even get this far. Not bad for the little pony who ran around like a spaz a year ago. :D
One last picture... Gayle described his expression as "just like a man after having really great sex." Proof that Pro enjoyed the lesson too!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Update on Deuce, and Introducing JAY!
Finally, the update I promised! Deuce seemed to be showing some improvement, albeit slow, so I have not taken him to the vet school yet. I discussed this with my vet, and the vet at NCSU. His back is not quite as sore, and I can now stretch his front legs forward without him exploding backwards in pain. The farrier, however, still could not put him on a hoof stand long enough to finish dressing his trim. We are planning to give Deuce some bute before he comes out next time to see if that will help. It looks a little exaggerated in this picture, but gives a good idea of the asymmetry.
One reason I am not feeling as stressed out having Deuce worked up is that I found a lovely new horse! I am still keeping Deuce's best interest in mind, but I also admit that I like to actually ride. Deuce is settling nicely into his new role of "pesky little brother," and he and Jay like to play together and get along just wonderfully!
Jay is an 11yo OTTB gelding who has done some eventing with his previous owner. He knows through First level dressage, too. He spent 6 months the first part of this year with a professional trainer. Here are two links to videos of her riding him: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v4...urrent=Jay.flv and http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v4...Dressage-1.flv
I realized during the process of looking at Jay that I am officially having a confidence crisis for the first time in my life. It really hit me the first time I cantered Jay. I was honest with the owner and her trainer/instructor about what I was feeling, and they still thought Jay and I were a good match. I cantered him a couple more times that first day I looked at him, so that I was on a good note, but have decided not to push myself since then. Jay is also recovering from EPM, so it is probably good for him to work up slowly with me, too.
I did decide that I needed to get back into lessons as soon as possible, especially with the confidence issues. When I really thought about it, I have not had a lesson since the last part of 2001! A lot has happened since then, and then I started back riding a green horse. I have not really cantered a made horse since about that same time. So I found an instructor and had a lesson last week!
We first worked on getting Jay really moving forward and using himself. This also got him softened through his neck and jaw. We then worked on taking the inside rein and really asking him to soften and bend around my leg. When Jay then put weight on his outside shoulder and my outside rein, I would just close my fingers around that outside rein to 'hug' him and give him some support. From there we changed the size of the circle, going straight, adding stride (speed), and slowing, as long as he is soft. I have been doing lots of transitions and giving him a lot of breaks on a long rein, too.
I just got back home from a fabulous ride on Jay. At first, he felt more 'stuck' with me today. I really asked him to keep moving forward, and did lots of transitions. He finally gave me a really nice stretching trot in both directions. I am thrilled! I even found myself feeling very tempted to canter today, so that is a really good sign. I am still planning to wait for now, though. Jay has not put a hoof wrong, though, to cause me to be concerned. I just think I really need some good experiences under my belt, and want to give myself the best chance for that to happen!
One reason I am not feeling as stressed out having Deuce worked up is that I found a lovely new horse! I am still keeping Deuce's best interest in mind, but I also admit that I like to actually ride. Deuce is settling nicely into his new role of "pesky little brother," and he and Jay like to play together and get along just wonderfully!
Jay is an 11yo OTTB gelding who has done some eventing with his previous owner. He knows through First level dressage, too. He spent 6 months the first part of this year with a professional trainer. Here are two links to videos of her riding him: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v4...urrent=Jay.flv and http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v4...Dressage-1.flvI realized during the process of looking at Jay that I am officially having a confidence crisis for the first time in my life. It really hit me the first time I cantered Jay. I was honest with the owner and her trainer/instructor about what I was feeling, and they still thought Jay and I were a good match. I cantered him a couple more times that first day I looked at him, so that I was on a good note, but have decided not to push myself since then. Jay is also recovering from EPM, so it is probably good for him to work up slowly with me, too.
I did decide that I needed to get back into lessons as soon as possible, especially with the confidence issues. When I really thought about it, I have not had a lesson since the last part of 2001! A lot has happened since then, and then I started back riding a green horse. I have not really cantered a made horse since about that same time. So I found an instructor and had a lesson last week!
We first worked on getting Jay really moving forward and using himself. This also got him softened through his neck and jaw. We then worked on taking the inside rein and really asking him to soften and bend around my leg. When Jay then put weight on his outside shoulder and my outside rein, I would just close my fingers around that outside rein to 'hug' him and give him some support. From there we changed the size of the circle, going straight, adding stride (speed), and slowing, as long as he is soft. I have been doing lots of transitions and giving him a lot of breaks on a long rein, too.I just got back home from a fabulous ride on Jay. At first, he felt more 'stuck' with me today. I really asked him to keep moving forward, and did lots of transitions. He finally gave me a really nice stretching trot in both directions. I am thrilled! I even found myself feeling very tempted to canter today, so that is a really good sign. I am still planning to wait for now, though. Jay has not put a hoof wrong, though, to cause me to be concerned. I just think I really need some good experiences under my belt, and want to give myself the best chance for that to happen!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Pretty Pony!
I've been riding, I just haven't been blogging. In part because for awhile there before Thanksgiving my rides were only about 15 minutes long because I was constantly running around. I'm back for awhile now though!
Kate met me out at the barn after work so she could coach me through her lesson revelations before my lesson, which is Thurs morning. She hopped on first because I wanted to see what she did before I tried to repeat it. Pro was in full-out Arab mode when we walked down to the ring and she got on. He tried to rush through his walk with his neck up and sucked back. He looked awful. Kate talked me through how she was using her seat to regulate the rhythm of his walk and we discussed the new, milder method of correcting him when he gets looky (just a quick, firm tug to the inside with the inside rein, then release - if he's being responsive then just use a quick tap of the whip and then give him a pat). Within about 5 minutes he was stretching forward for the bit and stepping under himself and was pretty focused.
So I hopped on to try to duplicate things and he was amazing. I realized a ride or two ago and this one really cemented it that I have to be sitting IN the saddle, not ON the saddle. I think this goes along with the thigh-bulk idea, but if I roll my entire leg in so that it points forward rather than my knees pointing slightly out then sit BACK my butt-bones make a much firmer connection to the saddle. It almost feels like I'm sitting on him too hard, but that's probably not the case since his immediate reaction tends to be to puff up, go forward, and stretch his shoulders to his nose when he steps. I'm probably not explaining it right, but it's like if I roll my leg forward then my calf comes off the horse (which makes sense, everyone gets told to make your feet point straight). But typically I'd do that from my ankle or knee, not really my hip. By rotating my entire leg to keep it straight, I can't squeeze with my thighs so Pro has room to move up under me and really use his shoulder.
We decided to be brave and trot and he was moving like a 30k horse, I swear. At one point I got sort of lazy about my outside rein and so he got sort of disjointed, still moving nicely, but without that suspension that was making his trot so insanely nice before. So I took back contact with the outside rein and within a stride he was back to his awesome, balanced trot. I even cantered him, which we don't really do much these days. He certainly does not have an awesome, balanced canter yet, but I think it's starting to improve some as he builds the muscles from carrying himself at the walk and trot better. We're still in the half-seat, opening rein, baby-ing mode so it's hard to influence it much.
So, the final miracle of this entire ride was that it was dark, cold, and Kate hadn't given him his dinner before hand and yet he was still willing to focus! I'm super psyched about the lesson on Thurs, which is in turn making me start to freak out that I'm going to get tense, expect to much, and turn it into one of those awful lessons where you have to relearn stuff you could do just fine a couple days ago... Kate is coming to be our videographer/photographer so hopefully my post on Fri will be full of pictures!
Kate met me out at the barn after work so she could coach me through her lesson revelations before my lesson, which is Thurs morning. She hopped on first because I wanted to see what she did before I tried to repeat it. Pro was in full-out Arab mode when we walked down to the ring and she got on. He tried to rush through his walk with his neck up and sucked back. He looked awful. Kate talked me through how she was using her seat to regulate the rhythm of his walk and we discussed the new, milder method of correcting him when he gets looky (just a quick, firm tug to the inside with the inside rein, then release - if he's being responsive then just use a quick tap of the whip and then give him a pat). Within about 5 minutes he was stretching forward for the bit and stepping under himself and was pretty focused.
So I hopped on to try to duplicate things and he was amazing. I realized a ride or two ago and this one really cemented it that I have to be sitting IN the saddle, not ON the saddle. I think this goes along with the thigh-bulk idea, but if I roll my entire leg in so that it points forward rather than my knees pointing slightly out then sit BACK my butt-bones make a much firmer connection to the saddle. It almost feels like I'm sitting on him too hard, but that's probably not the case since his immediate reaction tends to be to puff up, go forward, and stretch his shoulders to his nose when he steps. I'm probably not explaining it right, but it's like if I roll my leg forward then my calf comes off the horse (which makes sense, everyone gets told to make your feet point straight). But typically I'd do that from my ankle or knee, not really my hip. By rotating my entire leg to keep it straight, I can't squeeze with my thighs so Pro has room to move up under me and really use his shoulder.
We decided to be brave and trot and he was moving like a 30k horse, I swear. At one point I got sort of lazy about my outside rein and so he got sort of disjointed, still moving nicely, but without that suspension that was making his trot so insanely nice before. So I took back contact with the outside rein and within a stride he was back to his awesome, balanced trot. I even cantered him, which we don't really do much these days. He certainly does not have an awesome, balanced canter yet, but I think it's starting to improve some as he builds the muscles from carrying himself at the walk and trot better. We're still in the half-seat, opening rein, baby-ing mode so it's hard to influence it much.
So, the final miracle of this entire ride was that it was dark, cold, and Kate hadn't given him his dinner before hand and yet he was still willing to focus! I'm super psyched about the lesson on Thurs, which is in turn making me start to freak out that I'm going to get tense, expect to much, and turn it into one of those awful lessons where you have to relearn stuff you could do just fine a couple days ago... Kate is coming to be our videographer/photographer so hopefully my post on Fri will be full of pictures!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Pepsi's Great Escape Plan- FOILED!!
I can't believe that I was actually starting to like my evil human captors! My main captor had been coming out 2-4 days a week and running me in circles in that round arena they have. But it was fun, and we even started playing the 'chasing game'. I liked chasing her around the round arena! And she seemed to think it was cute too, and would give me lots of petting and praise afterwards, especially when I would put my head down REAL low and start to lick. Humans are so silly.
My evil human captor had even started doing this weird thing she calls 'massage' to me. I don't really understand what she's doing, but she lets me graze while she does it, so it was fine in my book!
Anyway, everything was going great...UNTIL they locked me away from my friends! (I guess they had learned about our escape plan, and decided to foil it! Now I'll never be free!)
They put me in this tiny little pasture away from all of the other horses. Oh sure, I can see everyone, but I can't KICK anyone! Where's the fun in that?!
Anyway, the little pasture they put me in has hardly any grass! They said it was because I needed to 'lose weight' but I know it's really a way to torture me until I tell them about our plans! NEVER!!!
Honestly, it had really gotten to the point where I wasn't even trying to escape anymore. But NOW....well, now I'm re-doubling my efforts to come up with yet another good escape plan! And as soon as I get back to my friends, we're outta here!
PS- I'm so hungry! Can I talk someone into getting me some alfalfa cubes????
My evil human captor had even started doing this weird thing she calls 'massage' to me. I don't really understand what she's doing, but she lets me graze while she does it, so it was fine in my book!
Anyway, everything was going great...UNTIL they locked me away from my friends! (I guess they had learned about our escape plan, and decided to foil it! Now I'll never be free!)
They put me in this tiny little pasture away from all of the other horses. Oh sure, I can see everyone, but I can't KICK anyone! Where's the fun in that?!
Anyway, the little pasture they put me in has hardly any grass! They said it was because I needed to 'lose weight' but I know it's really a way to torture me until I tell them about our plans! NEVER!!!
Honestly, it had really gotten to the point where I wasn't even trying to escape anymore. But NOW....well, now I'm re-doubling my efforts to come up with yet another good escape plan! And as soon as I get back to my friends, we're outta here!
PS- I'm so hungry! Can I talk someone into getting me some alfalfa cubes????
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Shanthi & Kellar - Intro
Hi all,
I've been reading this blog for a while, and finally decided to jump in on the fun. :) I'm a low-level event rider, and dabble in dressage/hunter/jumper when the opportunity arises. I've ridden for over 20 years, and have just bought a 9yo Thoroughbred gelding. He's done foxhunting for the last few years, so now we're planning on working on our dressage over the winter so we'll hit the ground running in the spring when the horse trials start up again.
I'll need some good incentives to ride this winter...my tentative plan i
s to ride before work during the week, but I'm so not a morning person, so I'm not sure how well that'll turn out.
I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend, and I look forward to reading/posting more in the future!
For now, a picture. (Not me, by the way, I need to get someone else to take photos!)
I've been reading this blog for a while, and finally decided to jump in on the fun. :) I'm a low-level event rider, and dabble in dressage/hunter/jumper when the opportunity arises. I've ridden for over 20 years, and have just bought a 9yo Thoroughbred gelding. He's done foxhunting for the last few years, so now we're planning on working on our dressage over the winter so we'll hit the ground running in the spring when the horse trials start up again.
I'll need some good incentives to ride this winter...my tentative plan i
s to ride before work during the week, but I'm so not a morning person, so I'm not sure how well that'll turn out.I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend, and I look forward to reading/posting more in the future!
For now, a picture. (Not me, by the way, I need to get someone else to take photos!)
Kate & Pro - lesson
Of all the lessons NOT to have a photographer/videographer...*sigh*. Pro was fantastic!!!
I hadn't had a lesson with Gayle in exactly five weeks and one day, I sure was missing it! Pro had some time off in between, which wasn't exactly a huge deal because Gayle said it helps him "think" about what he's learned and process it. Right now he's been on the MSM for about two weeks and Gayle said she could notice a difference. Before I hadn't felt anything different, but today I did!
The first thing she had me do once I got on was get my seatbones plugged in and stop his rushing walk. Within a few strides I "had" him, and she said to be sure to make that a priority from now on, from the second I sit in the saddle. Alright then. Immediately, when I plugged in, he stopped rushing. Took more measured, deliberate steps. I shared what Andrea and I have started noticing - that his "default" neck-set is more down. It used to be that even if he was being a good boy, his neck was set higher. Now, unless he actively lifts his neck/head up to be naughty, it's down!!! This change, while subtle, is so mind-blowingly phenomenal for him. He's finally a real horse. :)
Gayle then decided to attack my position. Wonderful. She did explain that we couldn't do much about my position when we first started with her, since how was she going to help me sit better when Pro gave me nowhere to sit? He was all over the place, and throwing me all over the place. She said we had to deal with his "monkey-man behavior" before we could fix me. Now that he's giving me somewhere to sit, she showed me how to sit better. A few minute changes and WOW!! First of all, she lifted my thigh off the saddle, took what she calls "the generous part of my thigh" (haha, everyone has this) and pulled it back underneath my thigh, if that makes sense. (She explained that men have flat inner thighs, meaning that this is easy for them..%*#@!!) From there, my lower leg naturally lifted OFF his sides. My core ab muscles tightened and he instantly "poofed" underneath me. "Boxing" him with my lower legs became much more easy!! I no longer had to pull my legs off and THEN box him, I just boxed him and they sprang lightly back to their lifted-off position.
Magically, this also somehow did a wonderful thing for my upper body. I felt TALLER, without having to actively sit up straight. Even though I moved my lower leg back so that my ankle was right under my hip, my legs naturally felt LONGER. Gayle had me "stretch my leg down" artificially to feel the difference....yuck! When I pushed my leg down, my seatbones popped up and I was no longer effective on his back, I just floated above his back, totally unable to influence his movement. When I artificially "sat up straight", my legs stiffened and Pro sucked back. But just by sinking deeper into the saddle and lifting my legs off his side, I felt taller, felt longer, felt truly elegant. Gayle said it looked as it should, elegant. Graceful. And Pro was LOVING it...chewing the bit, poofing out in front of my leg, stretching and reaching for the bit, working the middle neck muscles. Fantastic!
Then we worked on answering the question - "Where do you tigthten/brace when you apply your aids?" Seriously - TRY asking this!!! It should be that you apply an aid and then remove it, and nothing else braces or tightens inadvertently. Yet when I was applying the inside rein aid, my inside lower leg was bracing and my ankle was tightening, which made my toe turn out. By calling attention to this, I got my homework assignment: work on consciously RELAXING my tight points when I apply aids. Gayle had me wiggle my toes/ankle around when I applied the inside rein aid, just to keep that joint loose. It was working!
Turns out that I also collapse my inside seatbone when I turn, and that makes my inside hip flexor close. Gayle talked about how our seatbones should move when we ride. Instead of forward and backward, forward and backward...it should be forward, forward, forward, alternating. Like sitting on the ground and "walking" your butt forward. Neither seatbone ever goes backward. Neat, huh? So I tried that. Suddenly, I hit upon the right movement and Pro just POOFED and started stretching more, chewing the bit more, lifting his back more. It felt like my seat was moving more, but Gayle said I looked more still (funny how that works), so that I wasn't moving around. I tried to describe it - balanced. Wherever he moved, I was there, directly over his center. He also felt "there" and "ready" - so that he was there, and I was "here". So very zen-like!! But really, it was amazing.
Then we moved on to the trot, and focused on even posting. Not tilting my seatbones or pelvis out of alignment. Gayle did say that my posting has improved by leaps and bounds, so that was encouraging. It's pushing, lots of pushing forward with my core - as if "the middle of you moves before the rest of you". My legs "hung" down long, my posting was even, suddenly my hands steadied, and Pro just hammed it up. His tail was lifted, his neck was arched forward as he reached toward the bit, he tracked up and he was just floating. Whenever his attention started to waver, instead of using my inside rein to briefly redirect him, I just lightly tapped on his side with the whip, then quickly reassured him with an inside rein pat so he wouldn't get OVERLY worried by the whip. ;) We also worked a little on getting him to move outside, off the circle, without using my inside rein. GIVING the inside rein instead, and just thinking "come over here with me" and gently opening the outside rein for him to fill it. So the "inside leg to outside rein" isn't referring to MY inside leg, but to HIS inside leg. Aha!
Just as a testament to his wonderful goodness...the two dogs who live across the pond showed up, bounding out of his pasture by the arena. He barely lifted his head, and then returned to his working attitude. At one point sirens screamed by on the road...no response from him! Gayle said that I didn't even hear the gunshot close by that was probably the reason for the sirens (followed by people shouting), and neither did Pro. Nor did he/we hear or see Big Horse's owner drive in, back her truck around, throw hay to Big Horse right by the arena, etc. He was just wonderfully elastic and free. Gayle congratulated us - we've graduated from "Pre-sage" to real Dressage!!!! :) :) :)
I hadn't had a lesson with Gayle in exactly five weeks and one day, I sure was missing it! Pro had some time off in between, which wasn't exactly a huge deal because Gayle said it helps him "think" about what he's learned and process it. Right now he's been on the MSM for about two weeks and Gayle said she could notice a difference. Before I hadn't felt anything different, but today I did!
The first thing she had me do once I got on was get my seatbones plugged in and stop his rushing walk. Within a few strides I "had" him, and she said to be sure to make that a priority from now on, from the second I sit in the saddle. Alright then. Immediately, when I plugged in, he stopped rushing. Took more measured, deliberate steps. I shared what Andrea and I have started noticing - that his "default" neck-set is more down. It used to be that even if he was being a good boy, his neck was set higher. Now, unless he actively lifts his neck/head up to be naughty, it's down!!! This change, while subtle, is so mind-blowingly phenomenal for him. He's finally a real horse. :)
Gayle then decided to attack my position. Wonderful. She did explain that we couldn't do much about my position when we first started with her, since how was she going to help me sit better when Pro gave me nowhere to sit? He was all over the place, and throwing me all over the place. She said we had to deal with his "monkey-man behavior" before we could fix me. Now that he's giving me somewhere to sit, she showed me how to sit better. A few minute changes and WOW!! First of all, she lifted my thigh off the saddle, took what she calls "the generous part of my thigh" (haha, everyone has this) and pulled it back underneath my thigh, if that makes sense. (She explained that men have flat inner thighs, meaning that this is easy for them..%*#@!!) From there, my lower leg naturally lifted OFF his sides. My core ab muscles tightened and he instantly "poofed" underneath me. "Boxing" him with my lower legs became much more easy!! I no longer had to pull my legs off and THEN box him, I just boxed him and they sprang lightly back to their lifted-off position.
Magically, this also somehow did a wonderful thing for my upper body. I felt TALLER, without having to actively sit up straight. Even though I moved my lower leg back so that my ankle was right under my hip, my legs naturally felt LONGER. Gayle had me "stretch my leg down" artificially to feel the difference....yuck! When I pushed my leg down, my seatbones popped up and I was no longer effective on his back, I just floated above his back, totally unable to influence his movement. When I artificially "sat up straight", my legs stiffened and Pro sucked back. But just by sinking deeper into the saddle and lifting my legs off his side, I felt taller, felt longer, felt truly elegant. Gayle said it looked as it should, elegant. Graceful. And Pro was LOVING it...chewing the bit, poofing out in front of my leg, stretching and reaching for the bit, working the middle neck muscles. Fantastic!
Then we worked on answering the question - "Where do you tigthten/brace when you apply your aids?" Seriously - TRY asking this!!! It should be that you apply an aid and then remove it, and nothing else braces or tightens inadvertently. Yet when I was applying the inside rein aid, my inside lower leg was bracing and my ankle was tightening, which made my toe turn out. By calling attention to this, I got my homework assignment: work on consciously RELAXING my tight points when I apply aids. Gayle had me wiggle my toes/ankle around when I applied the inside rein aid, just to keep that joint loose. It was working!
Turns out that I also collapse my inside seatbone when I turn, and that makes my inside hip flexor close. Gayle talked about how our seatbones should move when we ride. Instead of forward and backward, forward and backward...it should be forward, forward, forward, alternating. Like sitting on the ground and "walking" your butt forward. Neither seatbone ever goes backward. Neat, huh? So I tried that. Suddenly, I hit upon the right movement and Pro just POOFED and started stretching more, chewing the bit more, lifting his back more. It felt like my seat was moving more, but Gayle said I looked more still (funny how that works), so that I wasn't moving around. I tried to describe it - balanced. Wherever he moved, I was there, directly over his center. He also felt "there" and "ready" - so that he was there, and I was "here". So very zen-like!! But really, it was amazing.
Then we moved on to the trot, and focused on even posting. Not tilting my seatbones or pelvis out of alignment. Gayle did say that my posting has improved by leaps and bounds, so that was encouraging. It's pushing, lots of pushing forward with my core - as if "the middle of you moves before the rest of you". My legs "hung" down long, my posting was even, suddenly my hands steadied, and Pro just hammed it up. His tail was lifted, his neck was arched forward as he reached toward the bit, he tracked up and he was just floating. Whenever his attention started to waver, instead of using my inside rein to briefly redirect him, I just lightly tapped on his side with the whip, then quickly reassured him with an inside rein pat so he wouldn't get OVERLY worried by the whip. ;) We also worked a little on getting him to move outside, off the circle, without using my inside rein. GIVING the inside rein instead, and just thinking "come over here with me" and gently opening the outside rein for him to fill it. So the "inside leg to outside rein" isn't referring to MY inside leg, but to HIS inside leg. Aha!
Just as a testament to his wonderful goodness...the two dogs who live across the pond showed up, bounding out of his pasture by the arena. He barely lifted his head, and then returned to his working attitude. At one point sirens screamed by on the road...no response from him! Gayle said that I didn't even hear the gunshot close by that was probably the reason for the sirens (followed by people shouting), and neither did Pro. Nor did he/we hear or see Big Horse's owner drive in, back her truck around, throw hay to Big Horse right by the arena, etc. He was just wonderfully elastic and free. Gayle congratulated us - we've graduated from "Pre-sage" to real Dressage!!!! :) :) :)
Friday, November 21, 2008
Weekly Summary
This week I decided it was time for Desi to learn to neck-rein. All my personal horses learn how, I think it is a very important tool. (dressage riders read: outside rein) If my horse doesn't neck rein then I can't REALLY keep thier shoulders up, side-pass, pivot, etc. So I started with getting her to opend up her shoulders.
When I open my right rein I put my outside leg on, I time my "pulls" with her inside front leg. So when she picks her foot up off the ground I lift my rein and pull out. I keep doing this with my outside leg applying similar pressure until the leg goes OVER and not straight. I have been working on this for a while now as part of our warm-up/cool-down and recently started laying my outside rein on her neck. She will now half way neck rein. She doesn't have power steering but I can get a halfway decent circle and can put her back on the rail with the lift of a rein. YAY
Then we had to work on her GO! I refuse to ride a horse I have to kick. Desi is content with a certain level of pressure, she will just tollerate it. I want that to STOP. I want her to get AWAY from any pressure.
For the past few nights I have been riding her in a loping hackamore. It has a braided noseband but is made from grass and has LONG split grass reins. After we warmed up I would ask her to trot with my seat, if I didn't get a response then I touched her with my calves, if I didn't get a response then I would RAPIDLY over/under her with the end of those reins....she started to really JUMP into the trot and started paying attention. She is still confused in the middle of the arena....she really relies on that rail. Last night I went to ask her with my calves and she quickly picked up a very nice trot. We worked on shoulders and hips, and more shoulders last night. We would trot and then quickly stop....pivot towards the rail moving her heavy shoulders over....and then trot off.
Things were going so well I decided it was time to canter.....Desi isn't a horse she is a great dane puppy that flops around. It was horrible! She has a big stride but wasn't confident so every stride felt like she was going to stop. Looks like we are going to spend a LOT of time loping!
Hopefully I can get someone to take pictures on Sunday. It is dark when I ride and I'm off to Clinton, NC tonight and tomorrow.
When I open my right rein I put my outside leg on, I time my "pulls" with her inside front leg. So when she picks her foot up off the ground I lift my rein and pull out. I keep doing this with my outside leg applying similar pressure until the leg goes OVER and not straight. I have been working on this for a while now as part of our warm-up/cool-down and recently started laying my outside rein on her neck. She will now half way neck rein. She doesn't have power steering but I can get a halfway decent circle and can put her back on the rail with the lift of a rein. YAY
Then we had to work on her GO! I refuse to ride a horse I have to kick. Desi is content with a certain level of pressure, she will just tollerate it. I want that to STOP. I want her to get AWAY from any pressure.
For the past few nights I have been riding her in a loping hackamore. It has a braided noseband but is made from grass and has LONG split grass reins. After we warmed up I would ask her to trot with my seat, if I didn't get a response then I touched her with my calves, if I didn't get a response then I would RAPIDLY over/under her with the end of those reins....she started to really JUMP into the trot and started paying attention. She is still confused in the middle of the arena....she really relies on that rail. Last night I went to ask her with my calves and she quickly picked up a very nice trot. We worked on shoulders and hips, and more shoulders last night. We would trot and then quickly stop....pivot towards the rail moving her heavy shoulders over....and then trot off.
Things were going so well I decided it was time to canter.....Desi isn't a horse she is a great dane puppy that flops around. It was horrible! She has a big stride but wasn't confident so every stride felt like she was going to stop. Looks like we are going to spend a LOT of time loping!
Hopefully I can get someone to take pictures on Sunday. It is dark when I ride and I'm off to Clinton, NC tonight and tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Kate & Pro are back!
Well, we've been riding for a little bit, but it has been a long break. I had a lesson a month ago and it was great! I'm posting some pictures here. Then Pro had some time off, then back to work last week before the rain, and now back to work again. I took a full month off from running and ran for the first time again last night and was surprised at how well I did - and I say that because I'm realizing that Pro is the same way. Physically, we're both a bit stiff after breaks (my legs huuuurt today). BUT mentally, we both feel much sharper. Interesting...I know everyone needs a break once in awhile, but maybe some people/horses need it more frequently?
The biggest thing that we've been working on is what we've been calling "Barbie arms". I can't remember who said it during the lesson (me or Andrea) but it's the concept that your wrists shouldn't move, your elbows shouldn't move, only move from your shoulders. Gayle gave some great imagery of her friend getting on a warmblood one day and he was strong...so the woman, instead of tweaking her outside rein with her wrist, "threw" her outside shoulder back and the horse sat right back. Barbie can't move her wrists or her elbows, she can only move her arms. It reduces tweaking, reduces irritating the horse, and just elicits a much better response. Gayle said someone once told her to imagine that the reins were attached to her elbows, not her hands. Having all of these images in my head is REALLY helping. Gone is the "sitting up straight" instruction - we think of "sliding our shoulderblades down our backs" - try it, it's neat!!! You sit "up" without forcing yourself into an awkward position.
However, I've found that my shoulders are MUCH weaker than my wrists...ouuuuch. So when I combine this all - sliding my shoulderblades down my back, lifting my legs gently off his sides (no clamping or gripping!) which tightens up my core and plugs my seatbones in, and using my shoulders to manipulate the reins, he really puffs up. However, my body feels like it's going through boot camp.
Lately though, I've been super pleased with Pro. Last night we worked just at the walk to get him all limbered up from a few rainy days off. He was good, but is trying his "you want a Western spin?" trick when I ask for a quarter-pirouette. Then he gets fussy when I block him from spinning, so his head goes up and I have to pick up my reins (to keep the elbow-bit line straight!) and wait. He's become quite frustrated that his giraffe-face trick his now being successfully countered, and usually drops his head within a few seconds once he realizes that I can hold my hands up for longer than he can hold his head up. So when we work through a trouble spot, it's like this:
Me: (request for something that he chooses not to do)
Pro: Trick A
Me: Response A
Pro: Trick B
Me: Response B
Pro: %#*@!!...Trick C
Me: Response C
Pro: (big sigh): (compliance)
It's just a matter of patiently and consistently countering each trick with the appropriate tool or response. I swear, I'll be able to ride any horse once I get past Pro. Oh and he's now on MSM...much to my dismay (do I now have to admit that he's OLD?!?!), but I'm hoping it'll make him feel better and be more willing to work. :)
Monday, November 10, 2008
Quick update and thoughts........
Sorry I haven't updated lately. I have been riding Desi almost daily. Its going REALLY good. I really have her moving off my leg and she is figuring out what outside aides are. Its going GREAT!! She is really settling into her job and feeling more and more solid with every ride.
Can I vent/blog about power and responsibility for a minute? One of the main reasons I have been away is because of a frustrating client. When/if you send your horse to a trainer, have a lesson, participate in a clinic, read a training book, whatever you do to learn and you get that WONDERFUL "ah hah" moment with your horse...... what do you after that? I have recently found people to be like kids with a new toy. They push a button on the toy and something REALLY cool happens so they keep pushing and pushing and pushing it until the toy breaks or the batteries run out. I have found that inexperienced and advanced riders/handlers/owners are just like little kids. They see this neat thing that their horse does and instead of loving it and adding it to the daily ritual or using it responsibly they show friends, over do it, get rough, and abuse it until it doesn't work anymore. So when a horse respects you, gets soft when asked, and moves from minimal pressure what kind of responsibility comes with that new "power"? How do you teach this kind of sense?
Thoughts? Experiences? Do you have a self check to make sure you aren't asking too much of your horse?
Sorry to have such a different post. If you want I can move it to another message board. Thanks for letting me vent though!
Can I vent/blog about power and responsibility for a minute? One of the main reasons I have been away is because of a frustrating client. When/if you send your horse to a trainer, have a lesson, participate in a clinic, read a training book, whatever you do to learn and you get that WONDERFUL "ah hah" moment with your horse...... what do you after that? I have recently found people to be like kids with a new toy. They push a button on the toy and something REALLY cool happens so they keep pushing and pushing and pushing it until the toy breaks or the batteries run out. I have found that inexperienced and advanced riders/handlers/owners are just like little kids. They see this neat thing that their horse does and instead of loving it and adding it to the daily ritual or using it responsibly they show friends, over do it, get rough, and abuse it until it doesn't work anymore. So when a horse respects you, gets soft when asked, and moves from minimal pressure what kind of responsibility comes with that new "power"? How do you teach this kind of sense?
Thoughts? Experiences? Do you have a self check to make sure you aren't asking too much of your horse?
Sorry to have such a different post. If you want I can move it to another message board. Thanks for letting me vent though!
Deal or No Deal
So for whatever reason, I always have much better first rides back than second rides. I don't know if it's because I never really ask for that much on first rides or if I ask for too much on second rides, but almost every horse I've ever had/ridden has been that way. Pro was no exception, our ride on Sat was not nearly as nice as Thurs night. He wasn't exactly bad, he just wasn't good either. He wanted to look out on the circle, he wanted to jump sideways at the bunny tree, he wanted to just stop this silly riding business and get left alone. In his defense, it was slightly windy, but it wasn't THAT windy.
Sunday he was better, he was willing to negotiate. If I'd drop my hands then he'd be delighted to lower his head. Oh, and if I could kindly remove all traces of contact with my inside rein then he'd relax his head and neck, but if I dared to ask him to bend correctly then his head would go right back up. I kept at it and didn't cave in on purpose (though I'm sure he tricked me at least a couple times) and finally I was happy with how things were going. I was very pleased with the fact that I got him to stop popping his outside shoulder out on the circle. I read a blog (I think Mugwump Chronicles?) that mentioned that if your horse is dropping it's outside shoulder you need more OUTSIDE rein, because if they're straight they can't pop that shoulder out. So I opened my outside rein another couple of inches while maintaining contact and kept asking for the inside bend with the quick "comeherecomeherecomehere" tugs Gayle recommends to the inside and sure enough, fixed shoulder and eyelashes visible. :)
Kate should hopefully get to ride him tonight, and then we'll be tag teaming all week to try and get chores done and Pro ridden so more Pro-blogginess to come.
Sunday he was better, he was willing to negotiate. If I'd drop my hands then he'd be delighted to lower his head. Oh, and if I could kindly remove all traces of contact with my inside rein then he'd relax his head and neck, but if I dared to ask him to bend correctly then his head would go right back up. I kept at it and didn't cave in on purpose (though I'm sure he tricked me at least a couple times) and finally I was happy with how things were going. I was very pleased with the fact that I got him to stop popping his outside shoulder out on the circle. I read a blog (I think Mugwump Chronicles?) that mentioned that if your horse is dropping it's outside shoulder you need more OUTSIDE rein, because if they're straight they can't pop that shoulder out. So I opened my outside rein another couple of inches while maintaining contact and kept asking for the inside bend with the quick "comeherecomeherecomehere" tugs Gayle recommends to the inside and sure enough, fixed shoulder and eyelashes visible. :)
Kate should hopefully get to ride him tonight, and then we'll be tag teaming all week to try and get chores done and Pro ridden so more Pro-blogginess to come.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Good Pro
So, as I mentioned in my comment, Pro hadn't been ridden in awhile. Last night was his first ride in 12 days and he was incredibly good. Very forward (not surprising) but he was listening so it was actually more useful forward than annoying. I had every intention of just walking him around and getting him to listen, but he picked back up almost where we left off so I was "bad" and added some trot and even a smidge of canter work in. We did the big (20m) circle with small (10m) circles to connect him to the outside aids and he was very responsive to the outside aids. Inside rein was just quick little give-takes to get him to soften his pole and think "inside, inside" since he tends to counter-bend once you get him on the outside aids. I tested both of us with non-pulling halts where I'd just freeze my seat bones and ask him to stop. In Kate's lesson Gayle said that only works if you've actually got your seat connected, so I've started including that as a test for myself. He was never really fully connected, but that was mostly me not asking I think. He was being so nice and soft that I didn't want to push the envelope after he'd had so much time off. Hopefully his MSM is helping and he'll stay forward and loose even once he's being ridden more than every other week.
The weather has been gorgeous so I hope everyone has been riding! The rings may be a bit wet, but unless your horse has plaster feet, that's no excuse!
The weather has been gorgeous so I hope everyone has been riding! The rings may be a bit wet, but unless your horse has plaster feet, that's no excuse!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Just another ride...
Nothing much to report, except I HATE having to scrape mud out of winter woolies. I'm covered in dust!
Skate was a good pony tonight. He had a few days off because he wanted to continue his high maintenance trend and pulled his fancy new shoe. Thanks to my farrier for tacking a shiny new nat. balance shoe back on for free : )
I'm not sure where everyone has gone...but just to entertain you all, here's a pic of Skate and I at our Halloween party. Since its totally not obvious, I was Daphne and he was Scooby...and those are ghost orbs, not dust particles ; )
Skate was a good pony tonight. He had a few days off because he wanted to continue his high maintenance trend and pulled his fancy new shoe. Thanks to my farrier for tacking a shiny new nat. balance shoe back on for free : )
I'm not sure where everyone has gone...but just to entertain you all, here's a pic of Skate and I at our Halloween party. Since its totally not obvious, I was Daphne and he was Scooby...and those are ghost orbs, not dust particles ; )
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