It's Sunny in SD

Lesson Day: Dancer, hunt seat

2012-02-10T08:23:00.000-06:00

Between work & weather, I haven't ridden since last week's lesson. Not ideal - visualizing keeping my lower legs quiet and correct only works so well, you know? Sunny and Thunder don't seem to mind the break - Sunny hollers at me daily as soon as I step out of the car, and they're happy to be fussed over without having to work for their hay. Gluttons.

Yesterday was a warm, windy day - lately we've had something of a rollercoaster, temp-wise, with highs ranging from teens to low 50's - so I dressed for an outdoor ride in multiple layers, in case we ended up indoors. Even windy, outside is preferable though. Have to say, I LOVE the drainage on Eric's arena - not sure what his the base is, but the top is sand and the footing is fabulous: soft, without being deep, and it dries out fast.

This time, since I knew which horse to collect, he sent me after Dancer myself. He's outside in the big lot, and I had a train of inquisitive critters behind me by the time I got to the bale Dancer was munching. (Of course I stopped to do some nose-rubbing on the way.) He poked his nose in the halter and in fairly short order we were maneuvering out the gate - to the displeasure of several of his mates, who wanted to come, too.

I remembered my saddle, so I didn't have to worry about adjusting stirrups, which was nice. Brushed and tacked up, we headed outside, Eric with Pride - who next to Dancer's height looks even more perfectly petite and Breyer-like. He's so CUTE. I'll have to see if I can't locate a picture.

On top, Dancer felt good. Not quite as if I was riding a different horse, but certainly a much more relaxed one. Even with the wind whipping around our ears and the dog rattling around in the underbrush outside the arena, he rounded sweetly up to contact and walked - not jigged - off, flexing easily into the slight inside bend I asked for. It was such a change from the beginning of our previous lesson, I asked Eric if he'd been riding him since last week, but no - I was the last one to ride him.

And I got a compliment! Dancer is "sensitive" - he really doesn't like being grabbed in the mouth (what horse would?) and he gets frustrated easily - which can make him challenging to ride. It's one of the reasons Eric doesn't use him for lessons as much. But he's just as quick to relax and cooperate if he clicks with his rider. We apparently click, because Dancer stayed soft and light for the majority of the lesson. Eric informed me that I've come a long way since I started last fall. Happy glow!

That said, perfection 'r' not us! My downward transitions are still not the picture of melty and soft, my lower leg is inconsistent, and my two point is wobbly. So if it does get nice enough to ride, Sunny and I have our homework. I need to work on whoa in the following areas:

Soften my spine
Close my whole leg down through my ankle
Do NOT collapse forward
Keep my head/eyes up
Remember not to release until my horse is soft (well, my horse should actually stay soft...)

And practice two point. Trotting (and cantering, if the ground allows), remembering to push down and back into the stirrup, closing my thighs and knees on the saddle and taking the concussion all the way down into my heels. Oh, and also to look up and ahead, "as if [I'm] going to jump the fence at the end of the arena" - shoulders back! Scary thought...

I think some of the leg thing is lack of strength and endurance. I can hold position pretty well for a while, but toward the end of the lesson my legs get tired. On Dancer, because he's so light, I can maintain it for longer, but on Sunny who's lazy and requires more leg, I get tired a lot faster and sloppy a lot quicker. More riding would help, but I guess in the meantime I need more exercise.

With the wind-up to show season starting, Eric's starting to toss helpful pointers into the mix. Like, "You know those parents on the rail whose kids can do no wrong? Pretend you're one of them when you make a correction - your horse is perfect, the best horse ever, and nothing just happened." Show poker-face means a proud and happy smile regardless, apparently - LOL!

Smooth lesson or not, I was beat when we finished. Fell asleep on the couch after supper, which pleased the cats. Missed the dresses/runway on Project Runway: All Stars, too :( Although I did manage to wake up long enough to see who got eliminated. One great side-benefit of lesson days - I always get a great night's sleep afterwards.

Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I'll have more horsey news to report this week. In the meantime, off to catch up on what all of you have been up to!

Lesson Day: Dancer, Hunt Seat

2012-02-02T22:24:00.001-06:00

I'm full of pizza and there's a warm purring cat on my lap, and another one curled up on the back of the couch by my shoulder. I'm trying very hard not to fall asleep, so if this gets incoherent, blame it on the cats!

Another day in the high 40's. Checked the boys around noon, and contemplated the mess I'd need to make to get the trailer hitched up.... Nope, sorry Sunny, no pony ride for you today. Maybe if it's still warm and the ground is drier next week.

Arrived at Eric's just in time to help wrangle some goats - they'd been inside to get their physicals (health check, shots & what-not) and were not thrilled at the prospect of being stuck back in the horse trailer for a quick jaunt back to their usual location. Once that was done and only one - temporary - escapee, too! Eric asked what I felt like working on. Since show season is coming (gulp) it was time to choose a discipline to focus on.

Since I'm not made of cash, picking one for which I'm already semi-prepared seemed wise, which left out saddleseat. And actually, western pleasure, too - I have the basics, but those show outfits are pricey with a capital $$$. Not to mention, none of the three horses at my disposal are geared for the extreme collection and control of western pleasure. Not that they're built for saddleseat, either!

Long story short, I went for hunt seat - it's what Sunny and I have been working on, I have the tack, and most of the show stuff - at least for the level I'm going to be at. And if Sunny's not quite built to be a hunt horse either, at least we can have some fun.

So... Eric pulled Dancer out for me. Dancer's a TALL bay pinto. Heavy on the Arab look, but with a high-set neck and upright shoulder and an impressive set of hindquarters. He had the energy and action to be a Country English horse, but not the throatlatch - too thick - so he ended up being a hunt horse. He's (like a lot of Eric's stand-bys) rocking an impressive resume, but it's been a few years since he top-ten'd at Scottsdale.   And none of Eric's students did hunt last year, so it's been a while since he's been ridden, too. "He has all the buttons, but they may be a bit sticky," was how Eric put it.

I practiced my be-calm breathing as I brushed him. He swayed and sidled back and forth in the cross-ties, watching everything with big eyes. Well, the goats still inside were a bit loud... But he picked his feet up politely and dropped his head like a gentleman for the bit, so maybe I wasn't going to die.

Tacked and ready to go, we headed for the outdoor arena. "He doesn't stand very well when you get on, so just sit deep and turn him in a small circle if he starts to walk off."   Sure, but first I have to get my foot all that way up there! Sheesh, am I glad I ride a short horse. And sadly, Dancer's "doesn't stand very well" label could be far more fairly applied to Sunny. I think Dancer took about two steps all three times I mounted. (Stirrups, girth tightening.... still can't quite get the hang of adjustments from on top.)

I learned two things about Dancer immediately - he's incredibly light-sided, and he'll get hollow at the twitch of a finger. Which meant I had to be very consistent, very vigilant, and very steady, especially with my legs.   Getting him to relax and stretch into contact at a walk was challenging. He wanted to get hollow and jig, and if I lost focus at all, he fell apart. Anticipating the trot and canter would be the same, I wasn't eager to try the faster gaits, but they arrived anyway.

And oddly enough, the walk turned out to be his worst gait. Trot was much easier to rate although he'd still pop up and get hollow, and he was still quick to speed up if I used too much leg, but at least it wasn't jiggy and rushed. Canter turned out to be much the same story - in fact, it was easier to keep him round and balanced, even to the right which was his stiffer direction.

I asked about it, because usually going faster doesn't make small issues like rushing disappear - usually it makes them worse. Apparently, Dancer'd been over-schooled on transitions under a previous rider. Because the rider's walk/canter transitions weren't the best, he'd practiced and practiced and practiced them, until Dancer was almost leaping into the canter at the slightest hint that he needed to speed up. It may have improved the rider's transitions, but it didn't do good things for Dancer's walk. No kidding.

After we'd worked through the gaits in both directions, Eric had me let him stretch for a few laps, then ask him to step into the trot on a loose rein, then gradually collect him and ask for a canter. Two-point, maintaining frame, hand-gallop, then sit and back to a more collected canter, and finally to a very collected canter. Wow. Like riding a bubble. Downward transition to walk, loosen reins, stretch, and walk until cool.

It was a challenging lesson for me, partially for my hang-ups. Initially I had to think very determinedly calm thoughts and not let Dancer's unease in the cross-ties make me nervous, too.   Jigging isn't one of my favorite things, either, especially when I know faster is coming.

Eric's getting pickier, too - it isn't enough that I do it correctly most of the time, I need to do it correctly, period. And make it look pretty, and easy - LOL! And he asks me to feel what needs to be fixed. Seriously, though - I like that he gives me a chance to feel and make adjustments on my own before he tells me what I need to do. And being pushed a bit means I do it, rather than wimping out like I'd do on my own.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to practice with Sunny tomorrow - the pasture looked better today when I was out. And if nothing else, even walking there's always something to be worked on.

Splish-Splash-Squelch

2012-01-31T19:32:00.001-06:00

I'm all for 50' temps, but I have to hope the snow melts and soaks in soon! Yesterday the footing was decent, if not great. Today, continued warmth meant Sunny was alternately splashing and squelching. The lot was muddy, but I didn't realize until I was out in the field how bad it really was.

I could have gone down the road, I suppose, but that would have meant fussing around changing saddles and since we haven't been out on the road in nearly a month, jut the three of us by ourselves, I'd rather wait for a day when we have company - and until I can see what's underfoot in the ditches if we have to make a dash into one. So...

We moseyed around for a few minutes trying to find the best routes (least mud, most grass and snow). The farm owner came out to chat, which ate up about 20 minutes, and then we meandered around some more doing small circles and leg yields and working on collection and bending/counter-bending at the walk. About 40 minutes total time in the saddle, and about half that he was dozing while I talked. Oh well - chalk it up to good exercise in patience, I guess.

So here's a question for all of you - when you're done riding, do you ride all the way back to where you started? Do you stop, get off, loosen your girth/cinch and walk the last part of the way?

Here's what I do - not saying it's a best practice, just throwing it out there for the sake of conversation - lol!

In general, if I'm riding out, I stop at the foot of the driveway or a little way down the road, get off, loosen the cinch and chill a minute or so before preceding up the driveway. If I'm in the arena or practicing in our field, I stop somewhere in the center or along the edge away from the gate - but never at the gate - get off, run the stirrups up (depending on the saddle), loosen the girth/cinch and take a minute to rub some itchy spots.

Initially I started walking the last bit home after riding out because after a long ride, my back and knees didn't like me. A short walk was a good way to stretch. I made it a regular habit when I noticed that, after it was clear to the horses that they were pretty much done working when the cinch loosened up, they were standing more quietly and not wanting to rush back up the driveway.

In the arena, an additional benefit is that Sunny doesn't associate the gate with being done. Since I never end a ride twice in the same spot, he doesn't automatically try to stop anywhere, either. But when I do stop, he plants himself on the off chance that this time might be it for the day. He's learned that if he wiggles, we keep going. And if he moves after I get down, I get back on. But if he's still, there's a chance that he'll get me off his back, a loose girth and an ear rub. Patience-builders... gotta love 'em!

Growing up, we always either rode back to wherever we started (or had left the halter) before getting off, and then the saddle, etc. came off all at once.

When I took lessons out east, we were taught to get off, run both stirrups up and loosen the girth mid-arena prior to leading the horses back to their stalls for un-tacking.

Riding at Eric's on his horses, just out of habit I usually loosen the girth when I get done and do a bit of ear rubbing by way of thank you for the ride. Haven't had him comment one way or the other yet, though.

So what's your routine at the end of a ride? Do you have one? Why, or why not?

Sunny with Slush

2012-01-30T16:49:00.000-06:00

Woke up at 5 a.m. to temps already in the 40's, and it only got better from there. No wind and sunshine. Amazing.

Irresistible riding weather. At noon I hauled the English saddle and the rest of Sunny's stuff to the car and headed out. Interrupted the boys' nap time, but I wasn't too concerned about that. Sunny's had upwards of two weeks off, so I was curious to see what I'd get. He heaved a big sigh when I buckled his halter on and plodded along through the sloppy lot beside me.

Once he was clean(er) and dressed, I picked our way down the slope of the driveway carefully - muddy spots interspersed with tire-packed snow made the footing less than ideal. But Sunny's hooves cut into the slushy top layer much better than my boots - the advantages of four feet!

I shed my vest before I got on (I'd already ditched a sweatshirt) - even just my turtleneck felt like too much, but taking that off too wasn't an option - lol!

The snow in our usual field was a pristine blanket 3-4" deep and semi-slushy. The snow wasn't balling up in his hooves, and Sunny didn't seem to be having any difficulties keeping his footing, but I decided as we shushed along the curve of our first big circle that we'd stick to walking and trotting - no sense taking a chance on him slipping or hitting something hidden in the snow. I know there are no holes or big rocks out there, but the level snow was disguising several substantial dips and with only memory telling me where....

Ten minutes of warm-up, then I worked on getting him collected and really differentiating rates of walk. Shoulder in, haunches in, and some spirals. Sitting trot, and more collection - I did my best to just feel how collected he was getting, rather than tipping my head down to see what his head and neck were doing. He's gotten much less heavy in front - especially considering where we started last fall.

All told, about 40 minutes - he's not getting as much exercise as he was, and the footing was increasingly sloppy. Even just walking and trotting, the periods of collection were hard work - he was happy to pause for a breather periodically, and to take the opportunities to stretch I offered. Overall an excellent ride, and the weather is supposed to be just as nice tomorrow so we should get to go again. I'm sure he'll be thrilled.

Our post-ride circle...

Back up in the lot I left Sunny guarding a post after I brushed him and checked his feet for driveway gravel. Thunder's turn - oh, nothing major, but I've been doing some thinking, and I decided I wanted to try him in the same type of bit I use on Sunny, rather than the D-ring snaffle with rollers that I'd put on him previously. Since Sunny's bridle was right there handy, I figured no better time than the present...

You know, I learned something that surprised me - their heads are the same size. Appearances sure are deceptive. I would have bet money that Thunder's long face would require letting the buckles down at least a hole on each side. Not so. It must be Sunny's dish that makes his face look more petite...

Not his color, but the size is right

Anyway, I definitely like the way this headstall in combination with the full cheek snaffle fits Thunder much better. The bars on the D-ring are straighter and thicker, and it was clunking against his teeth when he mouthed it which I really didn't like. The slightly narrower, more shaped fit of the bars on Sunny's bit let him nom-nom-nom away without any painful sounding clunking noises. Once he'd had a few minutes to chew, I did some bending exercises with him, and he was much quicker to respond, so I think practicing in the sidepull halter did some good, as well.

They both seem to have enjoyed the afternoon as much as I did, because they were hanging over the gate when I left.

Hopefully they'll be as pleased to see me tomorrow!

That's Burr, Not Brrr

2012-01-28T21:10:00.000-06:00

Burr-friz

The electric fence is still jolt-less, and the boys remain locked into the lot. G moved a new bale in to them this morning, their third for the winter. They went through this last one a bit faster, without pasture-access for nibbling. Unfortunately, pre-bale delivery, Sunny decided to go adventuring again - when I got to the farm Thunder was waiting at the bale - Sunny was on the other side of the west fence in the tree grove.

The fence on that side of the lot isn't electric - it's woven wire topped with two strands of barbwire. NOT ideal for horses, I know - but it keeps the sheep in, which is what G considers important. The deer started crossing at a section near the passage to the top pasture last winter, and the fence there keeps getting pushed down. Combined with the deep drifts we had then, Sunny and Thunder walked out over it once and had to be retrieved. I fixed the low spot and ran an electric wire across the neck of the alley, and since then the wire has stayed strung across, because the deer have kept using their trail. Periodically I have to fix that section of fence again, but the horses have respected the wire. Of course, the electric was on....

With the electricity down, Sunny ducked under and followed the deer path back across the fence into the tree lot. He can't GO anywhere in there - there's actually no gate into it, so the only way for him is back across the low spot. (G takes the fence down on the far end a couple times a year and lets the sheep or cows in to eat the undergrowth.) So he couldn't get out - but he did manage to find and collect a LOT of burrs.

Back over the fence, I led him up to the waterer to get a drink, and then tied him up, retrieved a comb and started picking burrs out.

Three quarters-finished with the front end...

Luckily, they hadn't been in there long enough to mat into a true brombie knot, but it wasn't pretty.

He had them in his fetlocks, too

Half an hour later he looked much better.

Burr-free

My fingers, however, were cold and full of pickers - wish I'd had a pair of leather gloves along, but since I was wearing knit ones, I had to take them off to avoid going home covered in burrs myself. As it was I kept having to pick them off my sleeves.

Not exactly ashamed of himself, is he?

I fixed the fence again until the next time the deer go through, at least, and it should hold for the night, especially with a new bale out. Tomorrow, if I can get the ground stake driven in, the portable fencer goes up. That'll fix him!

More info...

2012-01-27T13:02:00.000-06:00

Hey, everyone - if my explanation direct vs. leverage pressure, and why I wasn't having any luck neck reining Mac the western pleasure horse in his curb bit left you going, huh?, Mugwump just posted an interesting piece on three basic types of bits and how they work. Check it out!

Lesson Day: Mac, Western Pleasure, and the Boys Enjoy a Winter Break

2012-01-25T21:11:00.000-06:00

I should re-label these posts "weekly update" - it surely does feel as if there's not much new on the horse-front since winter decided to move in!

The boys are certainly pleased to see me every day, but I haven't been able to do much in the way of productive work this week.

Come on, open the gate... You know you want to!

Sorry, boys - it'll have to be a bit warmer before we get back to work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So tonight's lesson was all about western pleasure. Hadn't done that yet. Eric is taking quite seriously my statement that no matter what type of training the horse he puts me on has, I can learn something. He's living up to his end of the bargain - hopefully, I'm doing the same!

And to all those western pleasure people out there, I owe you an apology! For years I've watched you smile and step, step, step your way around the arena on slow-as-molasses moving horses and thought, "Huh... that doesn't look that hard." Boy was I wrong.

Tonight I rode Mac. Mac is a medium-sized bay Arab gelding with one slightly crooked front leg, a pretty face and a kind eye, and a higher-set neck than I would have expected on a pleasure horse. Very cute, and very sweet. And very well-trained. His usual rider just moved to the 13 and over age division. Mac'll be starting to leg up for show season next week, but recently he's been enjoying a well-deserved winter break. Thankfully Mac didn't hold the interruption to his vacation against me.

It being a western lesson, and Mac being over five, the bridle Eric handed me had a broken-mouth curb bit attached. Not show-ring sanctioned, but okay for training purposes. Mac also got splint boots in front rather than SMBs or polo wraps all the way around.

Once I had him saddled, with the stirrups adjusted and the cinch tightened, I swung on, and Eric gave me a quick rundown on proper hand/rein position and steering. Ai-yi-yi! Here I was, just barely managing to get my rights and lefts untangled with what I've done so far, and now he tells me western pleasure horses wearing curb bits steer in reverse. Oh, and I wasn't to stick any fingers between the reins, either.

Apparently even though I'd get to use only one hand - my left - to "steer", western pleasure horses that have graduated out of the snaffle and hackamore are not neck reining. Although it may appear that they are given that the riders are using only one hand, Eric assured me that they're not - Mac reinforced this as the lesson progressed - in actuality, 99% of the steering actually happens off the rider's leg, not via the reins.

So then, what's that about steering in reverse you ask? It's like this: a horse ridden in a curb bit will flex his nose the right when the rider's hand moves left, and vice versa. And if you're scratching your head, you're not alone. But once I thought about it, it got clearer.

As I understand it (and any mistakes here are mine, not Eric's) horses ridden in a snaffle on contact, or in a bosal, work off of direct pressure - it's how they're conditioned to respond. (Neck reining is also direct pressure - the pressure of the rein against the side of the horse's neck prompts them to give, or move away from the pressure.)

A curb bit, unlike a snaffle, operates on leverage from the shanks of the bit. So with a curb lifting your hand over to the left actually releases pressure on the left side of the horse's face - and increases it on the right, tipping the horse's nose in that direction. And if I got my rights and lefts straight, that should even make sense. At any rate, moving my hand toward the wall, in combination with inside leg, resulted in an inside bend and Mac stepping over toward the wall/outside of the circle, not into the center.

Ideally, Mac would move forward off my leg with a nice loose drape in the reins, and I would be able to change directions and increase or decrease my rate/change gaits from leg cues alone. In practice, the picture wasn't quite that pretty. In fact, the pair of us did several completely unintentional small circles in place before I figured out that I couldn't just move my hand right when I wanted him to go right. And once I almost ran him headlong into the wall. Thankfully we were only walking.

Just when I'd think I had it figured out, I'd realize that I was automatically trying to steer by neck reining, and Mac, bless his heart, paying attention, even though what I was telling him didn't make a lick of sense. Sorry, Mac! I managed to do a bit better as the lesson progressed, thank goodness.

Another thought I've frequently had while watching a western pleasure class is - please, no throwing things - that riding a western pleasure horse doesn't look like a particularly pleasurable experience. I didn't learn anything today that made me change my mind. It's much harder than it looks, definitely - but something I would want to do on a daily basis? No.

Why not? I thought about that a lot on the drive home. For some reason, although the level of collection and roundness asked for is comparable in many ways to what I've been learning to ask for riding hunt seat, the rate at which the horses are asked to cover ground seems artificial and unpleasantly... well, unpleasant. Everything from the four-beat - count them out, one. two. three. four. - walk, two-beat jog, and three-beat lope (which I had a hideous time getting slow enough, by the way) just didn't feel right.

What it does feel is darned impractical - who, outside the show ring, wants a horse that takes five minutes to cover 50 feet at the walk. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but still...

Maybe it's because I do so much trail riding in a stock saddle, but I want to go somewhere when I ride. Reining didn't feel wrong, but the horses move out. Saddleseat felt weird, yes, but as collected as the horses are asked to be, they go forward with energy. And hunt is again, collected, but not... stifled. I want my horse to be nice and round and balanced, but I also want to go, even if I'm only traveling in a circle.

Still, it was a fun lesson, even if Sunny and I won't be venturing into western pleasure anytime soon. Possibly because everything was so deliberate and rhythmically paced, I really had time to think about what I was doing. As a result, my lope transitions were the very best they've been, even though Eric informs me that Mac's lope is the very worst of all the horses he's put me on (including Sunny). Despite that, my lower legs stayed where they were supposed to, at least for the most part. Best of all, I stayed soft in my lower back, and I didn't collapse my inside shoulder on the upward transitions, and I could feel the difference.

Now I just have to cross my fingers that the improvement sticks!

No matter the discipline...

2012-01-22T18:57:00.000-06:00

Cdncowgirl shared this over on Home on the Range (a great blog, for those of you who haven't happened across it), and I just had to share it here as well.

I don't think it matters whether you're an English rider or a western rider, watching a talented horse & rider perform - or in this case a two pairs - is pretty amazing. Enjoy!

Random thoughts...

2012-01-20T14:51:00.000-06:00

I exercise pretty much every morning - we have one of those elliptical thingies, that I can get on with a book and just zone for half an hour. In the five years since we got it I've put over 1000 miles on it. It's great for my hind end, and my arms don't jiggle. But it's no substitute for "real" exercise. Who knew clucking with every stride could make it so hard to breathe?

Cats are weird - or possibly someone snuck into the house and drugged mine. Nunu spent the last half an hour stalking, batting, pouncing on and determinedly ignoring a kernel of dried corn that fell out of my chore-coat pocket. Apparently it's more fun than her catnip mouse. I just finished peeling carrots (after which I did rinse my hands off), and Mabel is now trying to chew on my fingers - I just dumped her off my lap for the third time so I can go wash - with soap. Snowball is sleeping - the cat-doper must have missed her.

City snow plows manned by evil people. I've cleaned off the sidewalk at the corner for the postman three times today and they just went past again - my nicely cleared corner is now knee-deep in crusty chunks. Again. And if I don't go shovel it. Again. The postman will leave me a nasty note threatening not to deliver my mail. Okay, okay. I know they're not really evil - but can I still suspect them of being wielded with malicious intent? Probably not, I guess I just have bad timing.

HorseLoverZ.com is having a customer-appreciation lycra sale - all lycra 40-70% off. Who thought up lycra for horses, anyway? Were they color blind? Channeling Cyndi Lauper circa mid-'80s? And now I'm wondering what Sunny would look like as a zebra...

It's far more fun to put Christmas ornaments up than take them down.... Speaking of which, back to work.

Lesson Day: Pete, Saddleseat, and Snowy Noses

2012-01-19T21:00:00.000-06:00

Not surprisingly, my lesson tonight was on an another of the indoor horses - the car thermometer read 0', but inside was much warmer.

Eric offered me my choice, western pleasure or saddleseat - I didn't really have a preference, so he had me get Pete out. "We'll go with one that will keep you warm," he said.

Pete's a hackney/Arab-cross; a medium-sized, upright, compact-bodied, large-headed chestnut pinto.

"He might be a bit fresh, he hasn't really been worked much since the end of show season." Ummmm... Really? "Pete can be a bit squirrelly on occasion, but he's really talented." Eric ran down the horse's accomplishments - an impressive list - under youth and open riders - while he hunted for the right saddle.

Pete rolled one eye back to look at me as I brushed him, and heaved a big sigh when the very flat saddle settled on his back.

"We'll just lunge him for a couple of minutes to get the buck out - if he feels hunchy when you get on, let me know." You betcha!

I jokingly accused Eric of wanting to make sure I had a chance to practice the whole "melting into the saddle" thing, and he just grinned at me.

Pete stood firmly planted while I adjusted the bridle to fit his big head - the buckle was stiff, and it took me three times of on/off to get it right. He opened his mouth and lipped the bit up politely every single time. He didn't budge a hoof as I swung on, and walked off nice as pie when I asked. Not a hunch to be felt.

With Pete's cooperation, the rest of the lesson was incredibly helpful. I've watched saddleseat at shows, but I've never ever considered riding it. As it turns out, getting the varying degrees of collection - which Pete was very, very capable of performing - required me to really focus on my upper body position, lower leg position, and relaxing through my lower back. Oddly, all areas I need to work on....

While he did get hollow and stick his nose out (read, when I slipped up and let him), Pete was completely sane and sensible, with no sign of loose screws or squirrelliness. A little look-y now and then, but in a lot of ways and despite their dramatically different builds, he was much more similar to riding Sunny - particularly the tendency to get hollow and the lookiness - than either Pride or Alisha.

I enjoyed the heck out of the opportunity - I've always thought saddleseat riders looked, well, behind their horses. It certainly appears as if they're holding themselves up by the reins. But it didn't feel anything like that on top. The way Pete is put together - that long neck, upright front end, short back, and powerful hindquarters, let him drive up underneath himself. When he was collected and balanced, he was as light in my hands as Pride, the cute little Arab reiner I rode last week. Just like in reining, I had to remember to really keep my shoulders back, my head up, and my weight over my hips - making it easier for him to elevate in front and really extend and reach forward.

I'm consistently amazed by how something as simple as tipping my chin up and rolling my shoulders back impacts the horse's frame.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elsewhere in my horse world.... I finally moved the trailer out to the farm today - they're saying we may get another 4" of snow tomorrow, and since the city already plowed around the trailer once while I was out of town for work earlier in the week, I didn't want to push my luck and end up with a ticket - or with it stuck in a giant drift I'd have to shovel free of.

The temperature had climbed all the way up to - 2 by half past noon. Kind of a shock to the system after the warm weather we've had 'til now, but at least the sun was out. The windchill was -19, but hey, who's counting.

They look so innocent, don't they?

The boys were napping in the lee of the hill where the sun could hit them, breath steaming in the cold, but they didn't seem phased one bit by the weather. I picked out feet and scritched itchy spots. They've been gated out of the pastures now, probably for the remainder of the winter, since the electric fence seems to have developed a short.

Unfortunately, if it's not hot, they can't be trusted not to creep through it. G came home Tuesday night while I was gone and found them in the driveway. They'd been helping themselves to one of the bales he feeds the sheep from, so hadn't gone far, thank goodness. But as a result they got to spend Tuesday night and all day Wednesday in with the sheep. G put panels up across the alley out to the pastures Wednesday afternoon, and when I got back Wednesday night I moved the boys back in where they belong. Troublemakers, the both of them.

Sunny, with a (Lack of) Forward

2012-01-15T19:07:00.000-06:00

It may not have quite hit 50' today, but 44' is plenty warm for mid-January. I was just tired today for some reason, but it was too nice not to ride. I didn't have the energy to monkey with the trailer though, so I tossed the lighter western saddle I've been using on Thunder, a pad, a couple of brushes and Sunny's bridle in the car. For one day they can share - I can only ride one at once, after all!

The boys were napping in the lot, which I kind of expected. I was disappointed though, to see that no one was home - I'll ride Sunny with no back-up, but Thunder and I haven't progressed to the point that I'm brave enough to tackle him without someone around.

I gave them both a quick brushing, saddled Sunny, and walked him out and down around to the field where we usually work. The standard warm-up routine and a pause to tighten the cinch, and we were off.... well, sort of.

I'm not sure what I'm doing, but when I ask for an upward transition, I'm getting collection - which is good - but not a transition. I didn't feel like he was being lazy - just sort of stuck in compressed mode. I didn't have spurs on, which might have helped, but since he was trying, maybe not. Eventually we ironed out walk to trot, but upward to canter remained... odd. He felt sort of like riding a completely squeezed together accordion, which was truly bizarre. On the plus side, when he did finally rock up into the canter it was easy and much more collected....

Since I wasn't having much luck figuring out a fix for that issue, I changed gears and worked on half-passing. To the left has been getting better and better, but right has been a struggle. For the first time we managed a couple of decently put together sections of half-pass right. I concentrated on really holding his right shoulder and pushing his left hip over, keeping my weight back and looking ahead instead of down, and lo and behold, progress.

We spiraled, I did some two-point... same old, same old. Thunder hung out for a while along the east fence, nibbling grass with occasional pauses to watch the show, then disappeared back up into the lot for another nap.

An hour with Sunny, but I petered out on Thunder. The prediction for tomorrow's high is 15', which I'm sorry, is just too cold to think about riding, but hopefully it will warm up into the 30's by mid-week and I can keep our string of winter rides going..

When I left the boys were hanging their heads over the gate watching me go as if they'd had no attention whatsoever. They are such a trip sometimes.

Tomorrow, we ride!

2012-01-14T17:46:00.001-06:00

I've always wanted to say that - lol!

Today, we played. I buckled Sunny's halter on and hopped - or wriggled - on bareback and Sunny and I made a foray up to check on the gate they escaped through on Wednesday. No hoofprints even close to it, so apparently they haven't been that eager to repeat their excursion.

In fact, there weren't too many tracks out into the snowy fields they do have access to. Today was the first day since the snow that the wind has really died down, and from the looks of it they've been content to shelter in the dip where the bale is and munch.

Thunder didn't join us. He's long since realized - as Sunny has - that these treks of ours around the fields, even when we disappear from sight, are of short duration. He cocked a hip and watched up go, and didn't stir himself until we came back, when he moseyed over to have his ears rubbed.

I didn't ride for long - out away from the protection of the tree grove and hill the tiny breeze was enough to chill my fingers and toes, and I was sorry I'd shed my gloves before I got on. I buried my fingers in Sunny's mane and steered with my legs. We half-passed slant-wise up the hill and managed a fair turn on the haunches before making our way back down. Spiral in, and trot off, slowing to walk the perimeter where the snow cover could potentially be hiding things to stumble over.

I practiced trying to stop him just be breathing out and pressing my seatbones down into the warmth of his back, but had better luck just breathing the word "whoa". Instant stop, just add w-word. We backed a circle, then walked forward into another spiral in. Another halt, then I asked him to flex to my knee in both directions, and then repeated, but this time asked him to step over with his back end until he was straight again.

Touching my toe with his nose.

For such a short-necked horse, he really is pretty flexible. Sunny was warm and willing under me, the sun certainly felt good, and it was fun seeing his tracks marking our maneuvers through the frosting of snow. Tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 40's and sunny again. Crossing my fingers that the weatherman isn't being too optimistic, because I really want to get a serious ride in!

Lesson day: Pride

2012-01-11T19:18:00.000-06:00

So glad I'd already decided the boys were not going tonight. The road over to Eric's was shiny, just greasy-glazed with ice. I left early so I could go nice and slow, and I was glad I did.

Once I was in the nice warm barn, I didn't want to go back out - and Eric, who was fighting a nasty cold and had very little voice, didn't either. I got to ride Pride. He's so cute! Have I mentioned he's a stallion? You'd never know it - his manners are no different than any other horse in the barn, and he's not handled or treated any differently. Plain web buckle halter and a cotton lead.

The lesson was an interesting combination of hunt-seat and reining. I got to do two-point in a western saddle, and practice spins. My leg position (thanks to the two-point practice with Sunny) was much improved, but I'm collapsing my right shoulder consistently on lope departures, and I'm bracing into my stops. Nice to know I'm at least being consistent!

So... I got to practice lope departures with the reins in my outside hand and my inside hand planted on Pride's butt. Which both of us thought was odd, but it did work. At least until I got to try with both hands again. Sigh... The good thing was lesson I was able to give Pride much clearer cues and at least he was making the transitions smoothly.

We did a lot of stopping. And a lot of loping. And after Pride spooked and bounced at the dog, I got a serious lecture on not bracing. I stiffened up, which pushed my seat out of the saddle rather than sinking into it and going with him - I caught myself and Pride didn't take advantage, but it's apparently one bad habit Eric takes pretty seriously, as it was about as close to irate as I've heard him get. He reiterated that as much trail riding as I do, I MUST learn to go with the horse or I'm going to end up on the ground. Crud! I know that, too. I just have a hard time translating the knowing to the doing.

Unfortunately it's one of those nasty habits I've had for a very long time - hopefully he'll be able to help me fix it. And I could tell he was ready to get after me for it again, as he stopped discouraging the dog from playing in the arena, but he'll have to wait for another opportunity - neither the dog nor the horse cooperated. But it's only a matter of time....

Cool down was basically just a few rounds of the arena to let Pride stretch his neck and back. Living inside, he's pretty darn sleek and he's also in excellent shape - he wasn't the slightest bit sweaty when we finished, but I took some extra time brushing him off anyway. He was a very good boy, even if I could feel him getting lazy on me toward the end of the hour. All in all it was a good lesson, and as always I have plenty to think about and try to assimilate before next week.

I guess it had to happen sometime...

2012-01-11T14:32:00.000-06:00

Mother Nature decided to send winter to visit us. (I say visit, because Sunday it's supposed to be 50' again.)

Don't know what made me decide to check on the horses early today, but I was very glad I did. Got to the farm to find that G had moved in a new bale for the horses, but the horses were nowhere to be seen. No tracks in the new snow, either.

So I grabbed the halters and set off in search of the missing. Sure enough, the gate out into the big cow pasture wasn't closed.

Do you see what I see?

That's right...

Ponies amid the cows

Stinkers.

The cows said, "Ooh! A scary person!"

The horses decided that the cows had the right idea. It didn't help that the wind was blowing straight at me, making it hard for them to hear me call.

Run away!

Thankfully, the pony part of the equation stopped almost immediately, Sunny whinnied at me, and then the two of them headed back my way. I caught Sunny first - the cows quick-stepped it for parts distant, and Thunder contemplated going with them. Not good. But he didn't really want to get too far from Sunny and I collared him before he'd had a chance to get far.

A prancing pony in each hand I started back - they were plenty wired, and I had my hands full. All the practice the three of us have had leading together this year paid off today for sure - if they weren't used to leading on either side and respectful about keeping slack in the leadropes, I'd have lost them a couple of times. Complicating matters, the new snow covered over the many holes in the cow pasture. Thunder and I managed to avoid them all, but Sunny stumbled into a shallow one and came up in a poof! of snow. No damage done, thank goodness!

Back through the open panel into their pasture, another exercise in horse-juggling since we couldn't all walk through at once. No place to secure them and the electric gate was down, too - so it was on through their pasture and up to the top lot. I locked them in and they had a drink and a chance to scavenge the morning's windfall corn from the base of the big grain bin while I went back and secured the pass-through and restrung the electric gate. Once that was done, I let them out again and they circled a few times while I cut the twine off their new bale. They must have been tired from their adventure, because they settled down in a sheltered spot with their butts to the wind. Nap time.

Changing shape?

2012-01-09T08:26:00.000-06:00

What do you think - is he changing shape? Other than getting rounder, I mean.

July 2011

October 2011

January 2012

Eric keeps saying Sunny's building muscle and that he can see a difference. I can feel a difference in how he carries himself, but I don't really notice one looking at him - maybe there's too much padding! Of course, I see him every day.

July 2011

January 2012

He's definitely fuzzier... I know the pictures aren't all taken from the same angle or in the same light, and it would be much better if he was standing the same way in all of them. I'd love to hear some of your thoughts.

**********

Another hour of riding with Sunny yesterday. Pretty much a repeat of Saturday's schedule - bending for him, two-point for me. I spent more time on spiral-in/out at the walk warming up though - it really seems to help him get stretched out, and he flexes better afterwards.

His monster-detector was registering something in the tree grove again, so he kept trying to hollow out and crane his neck to see what was in there traveling along the north side. Probably just deer (or squirrels), but it did make things interesting.

About 40 minutes total with Thunder - 20 riding. He's getting the hang of yielding and turning. Walking off is still tentative, but watching his ears flick back and forth I can tell he's thinking hard. He does show a strong inclination to want to ease back over to the trailer and Sunny - his security blanket - but even though he wanted to go that way, he turned back away willingly enough. At least he wasn't seeing monsters in the tree grove!

Progress!

2012-01-07T20:38:00.000-06:00

It only looks like a bad hair day

Sunny and I put in just under an hour of work this afternoon. I'm not entirely sure how successful my two-point practice was. I wasn't brave enough to try it cantering, so I stuck to walk and trot, and he cooperated by motoring around in nice big circles on a loose rein. I alternated my homework and homework for him - it was warm work despite the chill in the air. He was dampish and I was too, by the time we finished. He was more than happy to snooze by the trailer while I tacked up the next victim.

It was definitely starting to cool off by the time I got started with Thunder, so I decided to forgo the longeing part of the program and spend the extra time working on the cue for forward, alternating with asking him to give his face. As I'd thought, the initial "Huh?" period was much shorter than last time. Amazing how quickly they catch on given time to process.

When he was walking nicely off from a cluck and light stirrup bump, I checked the cinch and swung on. He stood nicely - good boy! Click! Rather than monkey with the bit and bridle, I'd snapped the reins to the sidepull rings on his rope halter, and I left his leadrope on, as well, figuring if he decided to get rambunctious I'd probably have better luck getting him to stop with the lead on the halter than using a bridle, anyway at this stage of things.

I tugged gently on the right rein, and after a second or so of resistance, Thunder swung his nose around to touch my toe. Click! Good boy! Repeat to the left. Click! And again... Okay, so that part of the lesson seemed to have percolated properly through his head... now to see if he'd walk off. Cluck, gentle nudge with the side of the stirrup and... Houston, we have ignition!

He stepped forward a bit hesitantly, but when I sat quiet, he continued on until I lifted the reins enough to for him to feel pressure, sat deep and said the W-word. And the feet stopped moving. GOOD BOY!!! Click!

One success didn't mean we'd conquered forward movement completely, though. When I asked again, he seemed a bit confused. But stepping backward didn't work, and turning his head didn't work, so after a little time to process while I continued to cluck and squeeze - being careful to keep my heels out of his sides, because Eeep! I'd forgotten that I'd been riding Sunny with nubby, round-tipped spurs and I was still wearing them - he stepped forward again. Could I direct our walk in a circle? Why yes, I could. Not a big circle and slightly wobbly, but a circle... and a figure-eight. Another whoa, and then another circle....

At one point when we stopped again, I climbed down and led him back over to the trailer so I could grab the camera. Silly maybe, but I wanted to document the occasion - not the first time I've sat on him, since I've been sitting on him bareback since he was three, but the first time we navigated anywhere under saddle and sans leader.

A couple more circles in each direction at the walk, and I called it a ride. Only about 20 minutes, but progress. The sun was sinking taking the warmth with it, and my fingers were starting to get numb, but it was definitely a good day!

Resolutions

2012-01-06T13:39:00.000-06:00

The frozen tundra that was Jan. 2011...

I was sort of afraid to look back and see what my goals for 2011 were, considering how hectic the year ended up being. But on the whole I don't think I did too badly. In 2011 I resolved I would:

Ride more
Well, that I certainly did. Not sure how many miles Sunny and I covered, but my Frequent Rider Log courtesy of the Arabian Horse Association shows a lot more hours than previous years. And that's just Sunny - it doesn't take into account the times I rode Rufus or one of the other horses at J's, or my non-Sunny lessons.
Take lessons
I'm continuing to cover that base, too - although I got started later in the year than I'd planned, I'm having a great time. I like horse homework!
Conduct a tack clean-out
C- on this one, and it's going to have to carry over to 2012. I donated some odds and ends of things in good condition to the horse rescue booth at the SD Horse Fair for their tacksale table. And I did manage to sell one saddle that I'm not using, but I acquired another one. Things look pretty decent at the moment because three of them are currently in the trailer and three are at the saddler's being oiled. And that's just the saddles.

Good marks for two out of three's not terrible. And since I'm on a roll with numbers one and two, I think I'm going to have to carry all three over into 2012. So:

Ride more: Ideally, I want to put more hours on Sunny this year than I did last year. And since I'm not spending the better part of the week 2 1/2 hours away, that's realistic.
Ride Thunder.
"Really, you're going to ride me?"
Ride Rufus.
Ride Amyra.
Lessons: Keep going with hunt seat with Sunny, and on reining with Amyra.
October - and you should see how much better we look now!
Haven't decided which direction I'd like to go with Thunder, but if I get that far, some sort of lessons with him, too.
Tack clean-out: Reduce, repurpose, recycle... Ebay.
It's going to look this good again!
However I do it, some of the surplus needs to go.
Show: At least one local show with Sunny, and -
Okay, I'm getting butterflies just thinking about this one...
At least one larger show (gulp!) with Amyra.

I think that's sufficient. Given how my plans tend to work out, I'm sure looking back on this post at the end of the year will provide some entertaining memories, at very least.

Lesson Day: Sunny, and a Bug. On the Windshield. In January. 'Nuf said.

2012-01-05T20:17:00.000-06:00

My legs feel like jello.

Eric watched without commenting much as I warmed Sunny up. I used the full arena, asking him to collect, bend deep into the corners, shoulder-in and then haunches-in down the long sides, reverse and the same routine with the addition of a spiral in/out on one end. Sunny was in fine form, ears flopping, chewing away. I think he likes the warm weather, too.

Once we we'd showed off some at the walk, earning ourselves a couple of compliments, it was up to posting trot and serpentines. So much to think about - leg position, proper bend, switch diagonals... Oi!

A break to stretch and breath, and then half pass, first left (very, very good!) and right... not so good, but it's his stiffer direction, so putting a few proper steps together in a row was an improvement, even if we couldn't get our act together for the whole way across.

From there it was back on the rail, collect, bend, and cue to canter - my nemesis. Sunny stepped off nicely, but I just wasn't able get my lower leg to stay where it should. And I have an equally tough time keeping my shoulders up and square and my back soft like I'm supposed to be doing. But Sunny's upward transitions are continuing to improve - and using the whole arena it was much easier to keep him from breaking.

Sunny is apparently doing so well that tonight

it was my turn to be tortured into better form.

Lucky me, I got to do walk, trot, canter in two-point. At one point with both arms stuck straight out to the side like a toddler playing airplane. Which worked, as it was supposed to, to make me balance. But it sure wasn't pretty.

Since I had no intention of dragging on Sunny's mouth while I floundered, he basically pattered around the ring in sort of randomly circular pattern with a huge loop in his reins. And bless him, he didn't take the opportunity to shy at any of the numerous things he could have. But I swear he was snickering. At least until he figured out that he was going to have to keep going until I managed to find my balance.

It's been a while - years - since I did anything resembling a two-point. And based on the position that Eric had me working on attaining tonight, I have a sneaking suspicion I've probably never actually done it properly anyway. I'm still not anywhere near consistent, but at least I have a better idea of how it's supposed to work. Apparently - and this just kills me - it's not supposed to be hard. Sigh. I'll believe that when I can do it without my legs wanting to fall off.

So aside from making Sunny laugh at me, keeping me doing two-point until my legs were whimpering was intended to improve a) my lower leg position, and b) my upper body/shoulder position, which will in turn help Sunny. Eric says it was working. I did feel more secure in the saddle by the time we finished, but since my homework for next week is more two-point (Sunny's is more bend, collect-soften, release and stretch), I'm hoping it gets much better - or at least easier. Quick!

*****************

On a completely different note, Eric reports Amyra is doing well. I checked in on her as I've been doing after each lesson. She was munching away at her evening hay, but left her meal to come get some attention. Her stall is roomy, and the divider on one side is such that she can visit with her neighbor. She looks glossy and happy, and I'm looking forward to getting enough reining lessons under my belt that I feel more confident about riding her. But as long as it stays this warm, Sunny's on the hot-seat.

I'm so spoiled!

2012-01-05T06:33:00.000-06:00

40 mph winds this weekend were a touch on the wild side for riding, so I'll give myself an out on that. Even J and C didn't ride, and they're pretty diehard. Monday was clear, crisp and still - with a high of 23' - but when I went out to check the horses, it was so gorgeous the cold didn't register. I probably would have ridden if I'd taken a saddle along.

I was sure I'd ride Tuesday - it was supposed to be in the high 30's, and for winter in SD, that's darn pleasant. Except I made the mistake of looking at the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday.... Solidly in the 50's! And by that I mean practically 60'.

So I wimped out on Tuesday, but I did ride yesterday. Since I have a lesson tonight and Sunny's had nearly a week off, I kept it slow and worked a lot on bending and flexing. Funny to think when I started this process a few months ago I was keeping things slow because neither of us had a lot of control and I didn't want him getting away from me. Now it's really only at the canter that we're still struggling consistently with collection. Collection at the walk is hugely better, and yesterday he was finding the sweet spot at the trot, too.

I asked him for a couple of left lead canter transitions to build some energy, and got them. They didn't come as promptly as they should, but better than they sometimes have, so...

Unfortunately, I'm still not comfortable feeling things, and I end up looking down more than I should to check my diagonals, etc. Which isn't the greatest thing for muscle memory.

Sunny still felt just short in the front right, and right bend seemed tougher for him. But he didn't seem put out or sore - he was rolling the bit around and slobbering, and his ears had that lovely floppy look to them that they get when he's relaxed and focused on what I'm asking for.

I focused on bend at the walk, with minimal trotting and no canter in that direction. After warm-up, it was probably 40 minutes of work, but since I was working on homework (bend, soften to collection, commit, release and stretch down ) and he seemed to be getting it there was plenty of "release and stretch down". Even at 57', it wasn't a sweaty workout by any means, and he barely had damp patches under the girth when I unsaddled.

Thunder napped by the trailer with no banging or fuss while I worked with Sunny, and then stood nicely to be saddled. I need to do some digging through my extra headstalls and find one that fits him better, as well as a different snaffle. At this point he's just packing it, but I don't like the way the browband on the one I've been using sits - it's way to high by his ears, and it's made so it doesn't adjust up there. And the bit squeaks. He doesn't seem to mind, but it was annoying me.

Anyway, I let him wear it while I lunged him - 5 minutes or so in each direction. Just long enough to see that he didn't have the sillies and make sure the saddle was sitting comfortably. He was quiet and attentive in both directions, so I moved on.

He needs to learn to give his face. Right now, when he hits pressure on the halter he gives immediately, but he's having a hard time with the concept of "bend". Instead of turning his head, he tends to back up. So I worked on that with the reins snapped to the sidepull rings on his rope halter, and the clicker. Which comes in very handy for reinforcing steps (or looking) in the right direction. At the point of progress - a few turns in a row to each side without the feet moving - I moved on to something else. He'll process, and next time will be better.

On to the next sticky point... forward. He's used to being led from the ground. Someone else's visible actions signal to him to walk on. And he does - but from on top, there's no visible cue. He has to walk off from a cluck and heel nudge. And right now a heel nudge means pretty much nothing except move away. So I worked on that - standing beside him. Cluck and bump gently with the stirrup, walk a few steps and "whoa". At first, the bump triggered move away sideways, since that's what he's always been asked to do. But after a couple of repetitions with the clicker, he was starting to get it.

On to mounting and dismounting. He's still thinking about it, but he stands relaxed and quiet. Once I'd gotten on and off a few times, I asked him to bend again from on top, keeping my legs very quiet and just vibrating the left or right rein. I could almost see the "click" in he head when he realized what I wanted and his nose started coming readily around to brush my boot toe.

Forward was tougher, and I'll reinforce there with more groundwork next time. But we did manage a few forward (and more sideways) steps than backwards ones this time. He's trying.

Unfortunately, the farm owner didn't realize who I was working with, and I was still on top when she let Aisha, her mini-dachshund, out. I heard the squeak of a hinge and Aisha's low-slung pudgy body exploded out of the house to the tune of her usual "hello world, you'd better get ready" barking. Thankfully, we were facing that direction, because when Aisha realized I was there she raced right over to dance around Thunder's feet. He's used to her, and wasn't too concerned, but with all her darting to and fro through the weeds and barking, I lost his complete attention. Time to stop for the day. A solid hour with him, though.

And believe it or not, I'm sore today. Not my seat bones, but my legs - must have been all that bending and flexing with Sunny. Apparently I used some unfamiliar muscles groups in a more controlled way, as well - LOL!

Happy (almost) New Year!

2011-12-31T14:18:00.000-06:00

With 2011 winding to a close I find myself on the couch today, curled up with the cats and a headache. The old year is going out grey, gloomy and chill with a gusty wind that's rattling the branches around. Maybe if it was shiny and blue outside I'd feel more like mustering up the energy to do, well... much of anything. But it's not, so my plans involve staying here, on the couch, with a cup of hot tea, a couple of books and three furry bodies snuggled up. Maybe a nap, if I'm ambitious. I sincerely doubt I'll be seeing in the New Year at midnight CST, at least not awake!

To all of you, best wishes for a very happy new year - may it bring you health, peace, and prosperity, and most of all, lots of time spent looking at the world between your ponies' ears.

Sunny's ears: my favorite frame!

None the worse for wear...

2011-12-30T12:00:00.000-06:00

But very dirty this morning. Both boys apparently took exception to being wet and rolled in the dirt last night. Surprisingly, perhaps because he was slightly less damp due to wearing the very absorbent blanket on the way home, Sunny was the less encrusted of the two. Well, that and he's never been a horse that likes to wallow - which I greatly appreciate!


Breakfast - the most important meal of the day

They were munching away at the bale when I got there, but as soon as I called Sunny whinnied back.

What's up, mom? Did you bring food?

They both moseyed over to see if by any chance there was something tasty in the works. Sorry, boys! But I take the opportunity to most of the sand brushed off.

Sunny offered his feet without fussing and didn't appear to have any residual stiffness or soreness from yesterday's workout. His hooves are short, but he really does need a trim - they both do, actually, - to get the edges rounded up and leveled out. I expect that would probably be a big help to his action, as well.

If you're sure you don't want to feed us....

I left them both contentedly munching back at the bale, but as I closed the gate behind me I was pleased to see them both trot up to the waterer. Sunny's stride looked as smooth as Thunder's, if shorter due to the comparative length of their legs.

Lesson Day: Sunny and "I don't want you to panic, but..."

2011-12-30T08:35:00.000-06:00

After a good practice session on Wednesday (nearly 50'!) during which Sunny cooperated, and I worked on mounting and dismounting with Thunder, I was pleased to see the weather forecast for Thursday showed a reduced chance for rain, with temps remaining unseasonably warm. Yowza! I'd get to take Sunny!

Morning sunshine had retreated into gloomy clouds by the time I loaded the horses, and a chilly wind was beginning to kick up - the promised 50s weren't going to materialize after all. But it wasn't too cold, I had the trailer hooked up, horses inside, and I was already dressed for hunt seat....

By the time I got to Eric's it was spitting rain. With the local schools all out for the holidays, the barn was busier than it's been since October, and he was running about half an hour behind on lessons. Since I routinely arrive early, I took my time brushing both boys and cleaning their feet, then left them to loaf by the trailer while I watched the lesson before mine.

C was on Pride, working on lead changes. She's going to be doing reining this summer as well, and she also barrel races, so tuning up her muscle memory for proper flying cues should be beneficial all the way around. It was really helpful to watch Eric coach her through getting Pride's hips properly engaged and shifted under him, first at the walk, then at the trot, and finally loping. Being able to see her work through what I need to work on, too, was a lovely perk for arriving early.

I missed the last few minutes of spins, wanting to have Sunny ready to go when Eric finished with C. The sky was still spitting a bit, but the breeze had died down, and I shed my heavy coat before I headed arena-wards. Sunny was fresh, and persisted in walking off with me as I mounted. I finally just swung on anyway. Stinker! We'll be working on that little habit more at home.

A few minutes of walk/trot transitions, most of them intentional - good grief, where did my lazy horse go! and we started. Right into a working trot, since he seemed to have energy to spare. Eric watched him go round a few times, calling reminders to me for seat and elbows, then, "I don't want to you to panic, but... you do know he's off in front, right?" Crud.

Well... I suspected he was going a little short. He's felt slightly rougher than normal the last few times I've ridden. Not to the extent of head bobbing or definite lameness, but the ground I've been practicing on is pasture - not exactly smooth, flat, or worked, so I wasn't positive. But this is the second time he's been off in front during a lesson.

Sunny's conformation is not exactly perfect. He's crooked in front, particularly on the right, which is the side he's favoring. He could have some residual stiffness or soreness from slipping or playing, or he might have a stone bruise, although given the nice, soft arena footing, that would be less likely to show. Or it could be something else entirely - Eric seems to be leaning toward the cause being more conformation and musculature-related.

In any case, I have two options - vet him and turn him out and baby him, which will either fix things, or not, or continue to ride him and work on strengthening the muscles on his right side so that he's able to carry himself better. Since he's not noticeably lame, ever, in the pasture, or even walking under saddle, and nothing seems warm, sore, swollen or otherwise off anywhere, I'm going to go with door number two for now and just keep an eye on things.

So, with the intent of improving those right-side and back muscles in mind, we finished out the rest of the lesson with an emphasis on encouraging him to carry himself better - in essence, teaching him engage his back, stretch out in front and step under in the rear. Which in practice meant asking for an inside bend first at the walk, then trotting - once he would lighten and soften into it and stay committed for a few strides, then giving him an opportunity to stretch. If he popped right back up and hollowed out, he wasn't actually collected and using his back properly. At which point I was to go right back to asking him to bend and step under. If he stretched down instead of popping up, then he got to relax and go forward for a half-circuit or so.

We also worked some on canter transitions, but only to the left.

On that front at least, my practice paid off - not only did Sunny stay cantering without breaking to a trot much more consistently, but he's also lifting his shoulders more. Transitions up are still not exactly pretty, but they're coming more readily - and part of the problem is me as much as it is him. I have a horrible time remembering not to lean forward and collapse my shoulders when I ask. Downward transitions are getting much, much better, at least when I remember to use my whole body rather than forgetting I have legs.

I suspect he would have been much less soggy post-lesson than after our indoor sessions, but unfortunately it started to pour midway through. We were both soaked topside by the time quits was called, but his back under the saddle and his belly were dry, so I don't think he was too terribly warm. I rubbed him down as best I could despite the rain, then blanketed him for the ride home so that he wouldn't get chilled cooling down.

Homework: lots of inside bend, soften, commit, release, to help him build his back muscles, collect, stretch and lighten. And more of whatever I've been doing that's improved his canter. Fingers crossed the warm spell lasts, and the exercises help!

Sunny with wind

2011-12-27T09:15:00.001-06:00

If it seems like weather is a frequent topic in my posts lately, that's because it feels as if SD has moved south for the season. With the sole exception of today, highs for this week will be in the 50's. 2011 has definitely been an interesting year weather-wise.

Yesterday's high was 54' and I couldn't NOT ride. I should have gotten an earlier start, though. When I headed out to the farm at around 1 PM is the clouds were high and gauzy, and there was just enough breeze to ruffle the dust a bit. Sunny and Thunder were pleased to see me until I collected them both and tied them to the trailer.

By the time I had both of them brushed, 8 hooves cleaned, the breeze was stronger. Enough to make me glad I'd layered my puffy vest over my sweatshirt.

I saddled Sunny - western - stretched him, buckled on my spurs, and and swapped halter for bridle. As much as I liked riding with the bitless bridle, it's comforting to see that he's taking the bit easily now that I'm back to riding with contact.

For warm-up we walked various-sized circles working on bending and haunches in, then trotted large, easy circles on a loose rein, gradually adding contact and spiraling in, then back out. After that I wanted to work on canter departures (thus the spurs). Collect, bend on the circle, bump outside leg, kiss, and if he didn't canter off, roll my heel to cue with spur.... Once cantering, my goal was to keep him from falling out of gait for at least three full circles before intentionally asking for a downward transition.

The departures improved dramatically. Getting him not to break back to a trot... needs more work. But on the whole, he's getting much more balanced and less heavy on the forehand. And he's dropping his shoulders and diving around the corners less. I was doing my best to help him out, keeping my head up, my back soft, my shoulders square, and my weight in my outside seatbone where it was supposed to be. Riding Alisha the last couple of weeks and feeling how big a difference a simple weight shift can make has really been helpful. I'm less nervous about going faster, so I have more room in my head to think - LOL!

As usual, there were monsters in the cedar trees on the house-edge of the pasture. Invariably he wants to scoot past that section when we're going left. About the fourth whoosh forward I had an epiphany: rather than stiffen up and hold him, I tried softening into the saddle and slowing my hips. It worked - although I could still feel his stride lengthening somewhat through that section of the circle, rather than fighting him for the next third of the way around, he was rating back to me much more quickly.

We finished up the "work" portion of the ride with some half-passes and a side-pass or two, and some loose rein circles. For as much cantering as we did, he was barely damp. But he'd been working - and cooperating - for an hour, and that was enough for the day.

Back at the trailer I untacked and brushed him off, then collected a cone, longe line and whip, and Thunder. He'd been waiting with less than his usual patience - pawing and the occasional bang of a hoof on the running board punctuated Sunny's ride. By this point the breeze was a gusty wind, and Thunder let me know he was feeling good with several snorts and some head-flipping.

I made sure I had my gloves on before I sent him out, anticipating a repeat of his run-outs to the right from the other day, but he surprised me - although he was definitely feeling good - more snorting and lots of flying snot - he stayed light on the line in both directions. He did swing out and try to stop and face me a couple of times to the right, but a step toward his hip and a cluck sent him off again with no hesitation. "Whoa" worked every time, and he came back to an easy walk when asked even when he was flying around at a pretty good clip.

By the time I finished currying the now-dried sweaty marks off of Sunny and rubbing Thunder's itchy spots as a reward for good behavior, the wind had increased to the point of swirling grit and leaf-laden dust-devils down the driveway. Random banging and sheep bouncing and zooming about in their lots had both horses dancing, and with one in each hand, I was grateful yet again that they lead so lightly. Once back inside the top lot with the gate secured they settled and hung out for a few more scritches around the ears after I took their halters off. What a marvelous way to spend an afternoon!

Christmas Day Ride

2011-12-26T11:29:00.000-06:00

I have the urge to make the post title all caps - J, C and I rode 6 miles in bright sunshine. It was nearly 50'!!!

What a fabulous way to spend Christmas afternoon. Granted, it was a tad chilly the last two miles into the light breeze, but no one was stupid enough to complain. We'd probably have ridden longer, but unlike Thanksgiving, where the turkey could be trusted to oven-roast itself for a couple of hours, Christmas dinner was lamb, and it had to go in the oven post-ride so as to avoid baking to the consistency of shoe-leather.

Rufus, always listening for monsters overtaking from the rear

In the interest of time, I rode Rufus - he was a pleased to be out as we were, I think. He stepped out as prettily as he's ever done, not a spook or a tense muscle to be felt although it's been a while since I rode him last. I didn't take too many pictures, though, as I'd forgotten that Rufus isn't quite as indifferent to shutter noise as Sunny. Whirring, beeping and clicking make him dance, and while I'm all for getting him used to unfamiliar things, I was enjoying relaxing too much to want to deal with a learning-about-the-camera-session.

We detoured cross country the first mile through a series of rough-harvested corn and close-cropped wheat fields, letting the horses lope through the latter where the footing was good. He caught his leads promptly and sallied merrily along, in front or not, as easy as pie. None of the sideways bouncing and diving he pulls on occasion, and he wasn't tripping over his front feet, either. I think pulling his shoes and giving him a break agreed with him.

Happy faces all around!

The only bad spot we had, and it was all of us, not just Rufus and me, was unexpectedly encountering a dirt-bike rider. He gunned it out of a driveway just ahead and came straight at us down the gravel, spitting rocks and popping wheelies. All three horses spooked and spun. Given Rufus' penchant for ditch-diving getaways without a glance at what might be underfoot, and the proximity of a nasty old barbwire fence on that side, I hopped off to hold him. The other two were more confident and kept their seats.

Thankfully, the dirt-biker spotted us after a few seconds and cut his speed and tricks, and headed off road into the cornfield to pass us relatively slowly. The horses all stared suspiciously, but were willing to stand once he stopped revving and slinging gravel.

Safe back at home we gave them all a good brushing, then hopped on bareback with just halters and leads to ride them the two pastures down to where the rest of the herd was waiting.

Eyore appeared immediately to see what we were up to.

Do those ears not just scream "rub me"?

Rufus - "We're done now, right?"

I ran over to check on the boys - they were enjoying a late afternoon nap in the sun. We did our annual Christmas ritual in which I attempt to feed them chunks of apple in the spirit of giving and they make faces and accuse me of poisoning them, after which I give up and find them each a handful or so of grain. Then I left them to their naps and scooted for home to get cleaned up and the oven heating. C, C and J weren't too far behind me.

In T's honor we did a semi-Mediterranean theme this year - the aforementioned lamb (for which I had to go digging in boxes to locate a meat thermometer), spicy couscous with raisins and sweet peppers, naan (which was fabulously easy and incredibly yummy), and just to muddle things nicely, roasted red potatoes and C's amazing green bean casserole. Oh, and homemade cranberry relish/salad. We were too full to even contemplate the pie that was supposed to finish the meal, so they're coming back over to help polish off the leftovers - and hopefully we'll make it to the pie - tonight.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T09:07:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas, one and all!

Thunder on the line

2011-12-23T15:50:00.000-06:00

The boys haven't had it entirely easy this week. As I mentioned, I practiced with Sunny, and spent some time working with Thunder, as well.

I so wish I had access to a round pen, as free longeing him would be fantastic. But since D's is currently occupied by some mules from the sale barn that he acquired recently and is quarantining, I'm out of luck on that front. So for now I'm making the best of a long line and good footing.

He's steadier to the left than to the right - maybe because from all the ponying, he's used to direction from the left? At any rate, the only bobbles we had were going right, so I guess we'll be doing more laps in that direction until he gets the hang of things.

As you can see, I lacked a spare set of hands to run the camera - on my wishlist is one of those tripod-thingies that wraps around whatever is handy and sticks there.

I worked with him for half an hour or so - long enough to reinforce the groundwork laid the other day, and for my fingers to get cold. And Sunny had his turn at loafing by the trailer, which he didn't mind at all.

Today I weight-taped them both and wormed them. Amazingly, Thunder tapes heavier than Sunny, for all that he's not as round. Must be those extra inches of height. They're definitely taking advantage of free access to the round bale - warmer temps so far this winter mean they're not burning as many calories staying warm, and it's easy to tell!

Lesson Day: Alisha, Take Two

2011-12-23T10:13:00.000-06:00

Debated and debated over whether to take Sunny, but ultimately climbed into the Blazer rather than hook the trailer up. Arrived at Eric's with the sun still shining and no breeze - a balmy 32'. He asked if I wanted to ride outside. Glad I threw a heavier jacket in the car!

Alisha again - and this time I got to go collect her myself while Eric finished putting away his previous mount. She's outside with eight or ten other horses (and a couple of Eyore's cousins) in a big lot. Okay, first test: could I find the right horse? Catching one certainly wouldn't be a problem, as they all collect for their share of rubs and pats as soon as they see you coming - but haltering the right one might be a trick. I wended my way through, looking for a smallish, chestnut mare with one front stocking, and a blaze face perched on a long, upright neck... amid a corral full of chestnuts, bays and grays. Well, at least I could rule out the bays, grays, and the donkeys!

I haltered the horse that matched my best recollection of Alisha's build and markings, making sure to check underneath for the proper equipment - bringing in a gelding sure wouldn't get me any points for swiftness! I was fighting with the gate latch when Eric appeared to check on my progress. Happily for me, I had the right horse.

Saddled, bridled and booted all around, we headed out into the big arena for "show day" practice. Three small orange cones on the long side divided the arena into thirds - the middle was the center point, and a cone on each end about 10 feet off the short side denoted where I was to pretend the arena stopped.

After a brief warm-up we went straight into an easy left-lead lope, concentrating on cadence. My goal was to keep her steady and solidly on a big circle encompassing about half the arena - the center being that middle orange cone. All changes of rate were to happen at the exact center on a straight mid-line.

After I'd successfully circled the arena several times, being coached on relaxing deep into my seat and not dropping my shoulders, and oh, by the way, she doesn't like the greenhouse at that end, so be sure to work to keep her round... Eric had me collect her up and ask her for fast, large circles. As we sped around the arena, concentrating on maintaining cadence and circularity (no egg-shapes, please!) he explained the small slow circle that we'd transition to next.

The small slow circle begins on the same imaginary mid-line as the large, fast circle, but it's smaller (duh!). The goal is to show the largest difference possible between the rate of the large fast and small slow - but cadence, roundness and smoothness trump all.

When I asked for slow, I unintentionally shifted my weight - and got a huge bounce right - note to self: Alisha changes leads on the fly really(!) fast - as she misinterpreted my seat adjustment as a signal to switch directions. Oops. Misplaced cues aside, we managed a series of size and rate changes fairly well, although I suspect there was lots of room for improvement. Still, for a first effort I don't think it was too bad.

Following circles to the left we paused to allow Alisha (and me) to air up again, then repeated the exercise to the right at the other end of the arena. This time, a clearer ideas of what was expected things went more smoothly, so we didn't work in that direction quite as long.

Another pause for breathing during which Eric demonstrated flying lead changes. The smaller indoor doesn't have enough space for practicing those, so although my circles could probably have used more work on roundness and definitely on rate, the daylight was starting to trickle away, taking with it any lingering warmth - we moved on to make the most of the unusual-for-this-time-of-year gift of outdoor space.

Hopefully this makes sense - it does in my head, but once it's passed through my fingers, all bets are off! Eric's intent in training is that a horse will maintain it's rate and direction on the circle with the lightest possible guidance from the rider. Because the horses quickly learn the patterns and to respond to shifts of weight and leg position lightly and promptly (witness Alisha's quick bounce anticipating a lead change when I shifted my hips), it's important to cue them clearly and consistently when a change is actually coming. Well, all the time, actually, but you get the idea.

So. On a normal circle left with no change planned, my legs should be steady, maintaining light to non-existent support, only bumping if Alisha's rate changes or she moves off the circle. On a left circle preparing for a change, rounding the curve just prior to the center, I should add right (outside) leg behind the cinch, reinforcing a haunches-in. At the center I should change to a cue for the right lead. I should be looking up and to the center of the new circle. My weight should shift from my right to left hip, and my right leg should move forward to hold her barrel, with my left leg sliding back behind the cinch to move her left hip over, while my right hand lifts to tip her nose in, cuing a bend into the curve of the new circle.

She should change smoothly, not bolting forward into the new direction - which she had a tendency to do. But that's mostly a sign that I haven't quite gotten the hang of how much emphasis (not much) I need to cue her. I'm still shouting, or at least asking loudly; I need to learn to whisper.

A couple of changes in both directions provided plenty of food for thought. As the daylight was fading more quickly, we finished up with another run at spinning properly. Lo and behold! My slow, thoughtful body-part-by-body-part practice on Sunny paid off. I wouldn't say the spins were fantastic, but they were much better. And I was able to focus more successfully on Aisha, enough to tell when she was correctly stepping over to the right in front, or incorrectly stepping under. I'm not sure how big my grin was, but I know I was wearing one!

We called it a ride with that - a very successful lesson on multiple counts. I made it through without being uncomfortably nervous at the speed we were traveling much of the time, AND I managed to successfully and intentionally cue for flying changes. As a bonus, the spins have improved.

I may feel guilty for cheating on Sunny, but it is nice to have the opportunity to learn without splitting my attention between what I'm doing and what he should be doing but isn't. And I was doubly grateful I hadn't brought him when, after walking Alisha mostly cool and brushing her to the point of barely damp, Eric decided that she should spend the night in the barn were it was warmer, rather then going back out into the increasingly chilly night temps.

In which it's 55'!

2011-12-18T22:57:00.000-06:00

Dec. 18th... 7 days until Christmas

What a gift! An absolutely perfect day for riding. J, C and I rode a10 mile loop. The only thing not perfect? My pony.

Sunny

See those ears? He was feeling good. And naughty, the stinker.

It might have been two years, rather than two weeks since he's been seriously ridden - he spooked at a pheasant and almost lost me (Thunder, bless his heart, stopped dead when I dropped his lead), decided the railroad tracks were scary, and every lope he wanted to turn into a full out gallop. And he wanted to trot - I thought he'd settle after the first mile, but he was feeling more energetic than I was, apparently.

J finally took Thunder so I could focus on making Sunny work, and after some bending and flexing he was a bit better, but I can definitely feel my legs and lower back tonight.

The rest of the herd - that's Rufus with the wide blaze behind the donkey and the fencepost. They haven't been missing any meals, that's for sure.

I'm loving the weather - but I sure hope we don't pay for it with feet of snow down the way. Regardless, it was wonderful day to be out and in the saddle. Hope you all had some of the same!

Lesson Day: Alisha

2011-12-17T14:28:00.001-06:00

Thursday afternoon it was again too cold for me to want to haul Sunny. I layered on long underwear under my boots and jeans and headed over to Eric's to see who he'd have me ride. No choice this time - when I arrived sans-pony, he informed me we were going to work on reinforcing muscle memory from last week.

But instead of riding Pride, who was going to make me work for everything, he put me on Alisha. Alisha, like many of Eric's horses, has competed successfully on a national level. In her case, in several disciplines, including saddleseat and reining. A very sweet mare, he described her as an over-achiever. If I was clear about what I wanted, she'd be spot on - if not, she was going to get anxious. She has an upright build and a long, elegant neck - instead of having to work on elevation and getting lightness in front like I do with Sunny and had to with Pride, I'd have to work on solid cues and keeping her collected.

He had me warm up hunt, with trotting transitions (and if that wasn't just a barrel full of monkeys in a western saddle!), haunches in/out and then we worked on walk/lope transitions, stops and rollbacks. Transitions were MUCH easier - primarily because she's so light and forward that I could almost think her into a lope. But she'd also happily pick up the wrong lead, so it was pretty clear if I was asking correctly or not.

Stopping was tougher - Alisha doesn't have sliders on, so the effect was a harder stop since all forward motion ceased immediately rather than continuing on into the slide as it did with Pride. I managed to sit one decent stop - the last one, but overall had a really hard time not automatically bracing my lower back rather than melting down into my seat. Just like with the spins last week, sitting the stop was much easier if I remembered to look up, rather than down. Just rocking my head and shoulders back let Alisha lift her front end and tuck her butt properly. And kept me from imitating a lawn dart.

Spins... still figuring those out. Alisha has a club foot on the left front. Shorter tendon/ligament? Eric explained and I didn't retain the technicalities. Suffice it to say that she's trimmed well, and it doesn't affect her moving, except when she spins - because it's harder for her to go right, if she's not moving slightly forward when she starts, she'll step under rather than over in front. Since she spins like she does everything else - fast, I had trouble keeping up with her to the left. But to the right because of her conformational defect, she's just a little slower.

From my point of view, that was not a bad thing - it was relatively speaking easier for me to at least try to get all my bits properly organized going right. I'm almost getting the proper cluck-then-bump rhythm down...almost, but not quite. But it's coming.

I actually practiced spinning very slowly, bareback, on Sunny yesterday, thinking about getting each of both of our body parts to move when I wanted them to. Not that he had much of a clue, or that it would have resembled a spin to anyone watching us, but I think it helped me at least, and he's a trooper. It's going to take some work - this is going to be another one of those maneuvers like the half-pass that should be simple, but where I get my rights and lefts all discombobulated.

Is that not a patient face?

Riding the Slide

2011-12-09T07:47:00.000-06:00

Lesson day yesterday, but it was just too cold to get Sunny all sweaty again. He'll get his turn this weekend, outside in the sunshine on the trail.

I had my choice when I arrived - since this is a down period for lessons (apparently not too many people are interested in riding in the cold... go figure!) and the wind-up for show season hasn't started yet, the barn is pretty quiet. I could pick: hunt seat, English pleasure, western pleasure, or a reiner. English pleasure is so far out of my arena that I wouldn't know where to begin - I opted for a reiner.

Eric had me get Pride out. He's a cute little bay Arab; fine-boned and delicate with a compact build. Very catty and light on his feet. And very narrow after Sunny's barrel-shape.

Tacking up was western, of course. A simple O-ring snaffle and blue leg wraps. Eric demonstrated the proper method on the fronts, and had me do the rears. Something I've always wanted to learn, but have been afraid to try on my own for fear of screwing it up. Very cool.

From memory, so hopefully right - I'm going to have to practice!

Wrap to the inside.

The roll should unwrap counterclockwise,

or the velcro fastener will be backwards when you finish the wrap.

It should be snug, but not tight, with no wrinkles.

Start just below the knee on the cannon bone and wrap downwards,

lapping about halfway down each time.

At the bottom of the cannon,

take a wrap down under the bulb of the fetlock,

around once, and then back down

under the bulb once more.

The wrap should have a small V in the middle/front

of the leg if done properly.

Then wrap back up to the top of the cannon bone again

to finish the where it started.

Once Pride was dressed, Eric put us through the usual warm-up exercises, which also served as an opportunity to get connected. Riding a finished horse, it's amazing the difference in balance and cadence - and lightness. He was a bit fresh to start with, but forward is good, and he was cooperative about it, so no worries there. Is it comforting, or disheartening to know that I can consistently muck up a sidepass on a horse that actually knows what he's doing? Sigh...

So. Other than the saddle, there are a few definite differences between hunt seat and reining. In a nutshell:

Hunt: lots of trotting - sitting and posting
Reining: no trotting. It's either walking, loping or galloping
Hunt: seat is centered or forward.
Reining: seat is deep and balanced, but never forward.
Hunt: stop is round, collected, and legs stay on through the entire downward transition, only coming off when the stop is complete.
Reining: stop is round, collected, and the stop comes through your seat - when your leg comes off their sides and forward, the horse stops. And when you're preparing for a stop, you go faster.

I'm sure there are lots of others that will become clear as time passes. And for showing, there would be differences in the headstall, as well. But pretty much all of Eric's horses work in a plain O-ring or D-ring snaffle for day-to-day, so that wasn't any different. Cues for shoulder-in/out, haunches-in/out, canter/lope, sidepass, halfpass, etc. are the same as what I've been working on with Sunny. Which sadly didn't necessarily make them any easier to get right.

Oddly, although I struggled as usual with lope departures, stopping that hard felt fairly natural. Other than forgetting to say "whoa" a couple of times, and getting slightly stiff and rocking forward once, sitting deep, relaxed, and pushing my feet forward into the slide felt fine. Unlike riding Sunny, where I struggle just to keep him from breaking back to a trot, and whose balance on a circle is still developing, Pride patters neatly around. Asking him to speed up is as simple as moving your hands forward and driving with your hips, leg and seat. Want to slow down? Slow the rate of your hips. Stop? Take your legs off and remember to say, "Whoa!"

Loping off was a challenge, though. Ideally, from a collected walk with the horse bent slightly on the circle, I would cue for the lope by tipping his nose in and sliding my outside leg back, then squeezing with both legs and kissing. And he should step nicely up into a lope. Except not... or at least not consistently. Ultimately, we determined that I was being too busy with my hands and legs in preparing for the transition. If I kept everything crisp and clear, he'd step up. If I monkeyed with trying to get him perfectly in frame and moving forward, he was getting so many signals he just ignored me. I suspect I've been doing the same thing with Sunny. And believe me, I was making mental notes!

Spinning... Do you get dizzy easily? Here again, right and left were not my friends, but I managed to successfully coordinate myself to get a couple of decent efforts. And actually, I learned as much from doing things wrong - I was having a horrible time to the left. Until I shifted my weight back and suddenly Pride was spinning. With my weight off his shoulders he was able to rock back on his hindquarters properly.

It didn't feel as if I worked as hard as I usually do with Sunny, and Pride certainly wasn't as sweaty, but I'm pleasantly sore this morning in some interesting places. Different muscles at work, quite definitely! And I'm looking forward to using them again!

The "Broke" Horse, why, how, and where we're going next

2011-12-06T16:20:00.000-06:00

Last week at my lesson with Eric as Sunny and I circled the indoor in a collected, properly-bent-on-the-circle, nice, round sitting trot, our combined efforts resulted in Eric's somewhat surprised sounding, "Way to go Sunny, we'll get you broke yet."

Hmmm... In my dictionary, broke is when the horse I'm riding goes where I point it, at something approximating the speed I ask for, stops promptly when signaled, doesn't scrape me off against handy trees and fence posts, doesn't bite, kick, rear or do other uncivil things, and in general respects my space. Throw in easy to catch, picks up feet on request, loads, and goes down the trail without having a cow when it sees a... well, a cow, and there you have it: a broke horse.

And by that definition, Sunny already qualifies.

In Eric's dictionary, broke carries a lot more baggage.

So why, if I already have a broke (for me) horse am I taking hunt seat lessons? From a philosophical perspective, I just plain like learning, especially from a good teacher, and I'm definitely doing that. And a big part of it's practical. If you've read this blog for a while, you know that for several years I tried without much success to fix a horse that trotted with his nose in the air and his back hollow. Not good for him. Not comfortable for me. We're finally working through that.

A second practical issue was just being a better rider in general. Part three was having more confidence riding. I'm getting both those places - not always quickly, and not without backsliding occasionally, but I'm getting there.

So do I care if Sunny's "broke" to Eric's standards... er... well... no. Sure, I'd like us to be able to pass muster, I guess. But it's because ultimately, I want to know how to get the results myself - and because I want Sunny to learn to carry himself properly. NOT because I'm intending to go tear up the show ring on a push-button mount. Good thing, too! Sunny, bless his adorable, fuzzy, square little body, doesn't have the conformation needed to show at the upper levels - something Eric's been (kindly) clear about.

If I was really interested in showing him, I might actually care that we'll never make a splash in the show ring. But dressing up to go in circles has never been something I've aspired to. Oh, we might do a couple of local shows this summer just for fun, since I'll have the time this year. But if I had to pick something for the two of us to compete at, I'd go with competitive trail or one of those cowboy-challenge-type things - something a bit less circular in nature.

T's Amyra is apparently a different kettle of show-ring fish, though. As I cooled Sunny out the other night we were talking about her and what we - T and I, that is - intend to do with her. (Show ring, cow horse, trail horse, pasture ornament, brood mare - Okay, so not that last!)

One of Eric's questions was how competitive am I (not very), because he thinks she has huge natural potential. Translated, I think that means he's decided he can show her and win. My response was that successful showing to me is doing better than I did the time before whether I place accordingly or not - I'm not in it to beat everybody else, because I don't have any control over them.

Not exactly the answer he was hoping for, I think. But... it might be fun to see where Amyra can get to. Still mulling it over, because it's a big commitment. I hate to admit it, but I'm kind of tempted....

Photoshoot - FAIL

2011-12-04T08:53:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon despite cold, wind and general weather bleh-ness, I decided to get some Christmas pictures of the boys. I must have been high on sugar from all the cookies.

Horse-torture by any other name...

I'm continually amazed at what they put up with.

Antlers, even with jingle bells on were no big deal. But I kept ending up with one nose or the other plastered to the camera lens.

I finally resorted to haltering them and wrapping their leadropes around the bale feeder (they're not tied fast). Which worked... sort of.

At least they're both looking in the right direction...

I'd thought - silly me - that the bow, especially the streamers, would catch their attention. Nope. Not at all.

Getting both of them looking at me at the same time was so not happening.

Eventually they decided to nap.

Cropped and cleaned up, the best of a bad lot.

Amazingly moose-like


There's a treat in this for me, right?


Are we done yet?

I'll try again another day -

preferably one with some sun, less wind,

and more cooperative critters!

Cookies!

2011-12-03T11:12:00.000-06:00

Not the horse kind, either. Although the day is young yet...

Yesterday I made my annual batch of fruitcake. Don't hate - my family likes it! I have an ancient Betty Crocker cookbook I inherited from one of my grandmothers, and it has a whole page of fruitcake recipes. I always use the base recipe, but depending on what a) sounds good at the moment, and b) what I have handy... I end up with something different every year.

This year I went dark.

In addition to the traditional
citron, candied cherries and pineapple pieces,

walnuts and golden raisins, this year's batch has:

coffee, molasses, dried cranberries,

cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, and cloves, and

for "tart" jelly I used whole-berry cranberry sauce.

It bakes in a slow oven,

so the house smelled wonderful

all yesterday afternoon and into the evening.

While the first batch was in the oven I tackled the package of gingerbread marshmallows someone thought I would know what to do with. I'm not sure what exactly you'd call the result, but they're tasty...

Cinnamon Cereal Ginger-People Bars

1 package gingerbread marshmallow people

2 cups mini-marshmallows

1/4 cup butter

6 cups cinnamon squares ceral

1 cup mini-chocolate chips

Make them as you would Rice Crispie treats, stirring the chocolate chips in with the cereal and pressing them into a 13x9" pan while they're still warm. They're weirdly addictive.

This morning I managed to ignore the cats bouncing off me until 5:30 - hey, it's the weekend, I can sleep in a little, right? But once I was up and coffee was on, I figured why not get some more of the Christmas baking done.

These macaroons are C's favorites, and they'll be filling an exam care-package shortly.

Almond Joy Macaroons

1 package shredded coconut

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

1/2 package (or so) mini-chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped almonds

350' oven for 8-10 minutes

**The secret to these is parchment paper

and letting them cool on the pan for 1-2 minutes.

DO NOT

make them without parchment paper

unless you LIKE swearing... a lot.

Chocolate chip cookies, just because I like them... well that, and I had all the ingredients.

Milk & dark chocolate chips
with big chunks of walnut - YUM

I use the recipe off either the Baker's

or Ghirardelli's chocolate chips.
This time it was Baker',

but they're both good.

I should probably title this post "Thank you, Sunbeam"

The next ones are for my sister. I've been sending these to her for Christmas for a number of years now. Not long after she was married I sent her her traditional tin. Her husband, who apparently couldn't remember if he'd had them before asked her if he liked them...

Her answer, "No, you don't." - LOL!

Cookie Jar Ginger Snaps

Pretty, aren't they? They taste darn good, too!

Now I have to scramble if I want to get everything mailed.

Input needed...

2011-12-02T17:20:00.000-06:00

Yesterday's lesson was good. It was cold and breezy but at least the sun was out. Riding inside was pretty much a given. I remembered to grab both the girth and Sunny's bridle out of the trailer when I hooked up, so both were nice and warm by the time I pulled in at Eric's.

While I still tacked up outside, I led Sunny in with his halter on, leaving my heavy jacket, hat and ear band, along with my heavy gloves in the truck were they'd stay warm. When my lesson was done, I cross-tied him - yet another new experience - and was able to untack and brush him off and put his cooler on inside where it was warmer. He's still a bit big-eyed at the indoor experience, especially with horses coming and going in the aisles and calling to one another, but I'm amazed at how calmly he's accepting everything. Cross-tying, for example - he didn't fuss or fidget at all.

Warm-up was bending and small circles, moving his hip in and out, but on a loose rein. We moved on to more half-passing. I think I'm finally getting the hang of it - and when I manage to ask properly, Sunny was responding correctly. I'm supposed to channel my inner dressage rider (do I have one?), turn my outside toe out and roll my heel up. And remember that Sunny's nose and hip need to be toward the way we're moving. So if we're traveling clockwise, and halfpass diagonally across the circle to the right, my right hand is still the inside hand, and my left leg should be asking his left hip to move over while my right leg holds his shoulder. Says the dyslexic... ai-yi-yi!

From there we moved on to collected trot sitting to rising transitions. Sunny was just slightly off on his right front - not enough for a head bob, but enough that he felt just slightly uneven. Nothing was swollen or warm, but he might have either a stone bruise or some soreness somewhere from kiting around the pasture in all the wind we've had. But he didn't warm up out of it, so we kept the canter work short and only asked him for the direction that would put less stress on that side.

Even with the easier workout, he was still good and sweaty when we finished, but I walked him until his neck, shoulders and flanks were dry, and curried him afterwards until only his girth-line was damp. Snugged in his cooler, he was 99% dry by the time I unloaded him at the farm. Still....

Here's where I need some advice...

This is the first winter where I've had the luxury of riding inside. But the horses live outside - they don't have a nice warm barn to stay in. I'd like to keep taking Sunny over for lessons as long as the roads stay good, but the temps are getting lower and lower, and he's getting fuzzier. Always before when I've ridden in the winter it's been outside, and I didn't generally have to worry about a sweaty horse when I finished. Now I not only have a warm, semi-damp horse, but I'm hauling him 20+ miles home in a drafty trailer. It was 17' when I parked the truck last night. I can't blanket him where he is - there're too many tree-branches and what-not for a blanket to get caught on. And I can't clip him, because without a blanket he'd be cold.

I didn't sleep very well last night mulling things over, and was up early this morning to drive out and check on them. They were both fine - Sunny hollered at me as soon as he saw me walking down the alley, and they both came trotting up to meet me at the pasture gate. No shivers in sight, both of them fully fluffed against the cold.

I know some of you have dealt with this type of winter-riding dilemma, what's your approach?

The neighbors make themselves heard

2011-11-29T16:06:00.000-06:00

Sunny was not in a cooperative mood last night. Happy enough to be caught, he then objected to being tied up at the top of the lot without Thunder (who was quite content to watch us from down by the loafing tree). He danced his way through brushing, and tried to sashay himself out from under the saddle. Tough luck, Sunny! He got brushed and saddled anyway.

Rather than go back down through the lot and out, I walked him around to our normal practicing field by way of the driveway. Which takes us out of sight of the lot - at which point Thunder stirred himself to whinny and trot down the fenceline. Sunny pranced along next to me, but quieted down once we were back in sight of his buddy.

I bridled him, ditching his halter in the center of the pasture to use as a spiral in/out marker, checked the girth he's gained weight and hopped on. He promptly walked off. Backed up, stepped down and tried that again. He finally stood still on mount three.

It took probably half an hour of work to get him nice and round - he wanted badly to go over to the north fence by Thunder. And there was something moving across the tree grove on the south side by the lines of round bales which wasn't helping matters any. I persevered, and eventually he settled down, although he persisted in wanting to drop his shoulder and dive across the circle on the south side. Occasional banging and engine noise signalled something was going on over there, but I couldn't tell what. Eventually the what was explained by gunfire - apparently some folks at the pheasant place were sighting in on the range out back. They must have been setting up new targets, thus the banging. The shooting triggered the appearance of a little spike-horn buck who trotted out of the trees, bounced over the pasture fence and proceeded on across toward the north tree grove. He must have been eating/resting in among the hay bales, and decided it was time to move to safer territory. Although he didn't seem to concerned about a) the noise, b) the horses, or c) me.

At that point the wind kicked up, and between that and the continued shooting and voices from across the way I pretty much lost my horse attention. I'd been riding for almost an hour at the point anyway and it was starting to get dark, so I finished up with some stationary bending and stretching exercises and called it a night.

Today was just too chilly to face riding - I have new long-underwear coming, though, and as long as the snow keeps holding off....

Nu-nu thinks it's chilly, too

Made the bed when I got up this morning, and went back in to find Nu-nu had made herself a nest in what remained of my warm spot. She poked her head out when she heard me come back with the camera, but initially all that was visible was the tip of her tail. I actually was reaching to yank the covers flat again when I realized the rumple in the covers was something under there!

On the plus side, it's soup weather again. I love soup, but it just isn't warm weather food.

The last of the turkey

No more leftovers - I made turkey soup of the last of Tom today. The plan was turkey-barley, but I must have used the last of the barley in something else, so I dumped in a half cup of steel cut oats. Hadn't tried that before, but I didn't think there was any reason it wouldn't work - and the result is pretty tasty.

The only bad thing is that I didn't get around to turkey enchiladas this year, and they're one of my favorite leftover turkey meals. Oh well, maybe Christmas...

The ears have it

2011-11-28T09:14:00.000-06:00

After the wind on Saturday, Sunday was cool, bright and still. Hard to believe it's almost December. I debated over riding - with sunshine pouring in the south windows on the house it felt deceptively warm - but ultimately decided to wait until the temps climbed back up on Monday. Checking on the boys in the afternoon I did end up hopping on Sunny for a few circuits around the pasture, though. He and Thunder were dozing in the sun when I got to the farm, and I just couldn't resist all that warm pony fuzziness.

He was perfectly content to wander here and there wherever I pointed his nose, and we even showed off (although nobody was watching) with a few sidepasses and a couple of almost perfectly circular 360' turns on the haunches in both directions. I won't call them spins, but those back feet were definitely staying planted. Sunny's wonderfully comfortable bareback, smooth and steady - somehow the withers that are completely non-existent under saddle are just perfect for sitting behind. And he's not so tall that the ground is a worrying distance away, either!

Thunder observed from the top of the hill, content to keep loafing. When I finished with Sunny, I laid across his back a few times to his complete lack of concern. They were back to nibbling their way across the pasture as I left.

Thanksgiving week re-cap

2011-11-26T09:15:00.000-06:00

Sunny: "Hey - did you hear that?"

It was a beautiful week weather-wise, and with C home from college for Thanksgiving break, I actually had company riding. Tuesday evening we rode an 8 mile loop with Caspar and Buddy. I'd intended to ride Rufus, but it was later than we'd planned to leave before she was ready. Fading daylight meant a fast pace to finish before dark. I had the farrier pull Rufus's shoes for the winter already, and barefoot he gets sore feet too easily to make a quick loop something I wanted to do with him. so C volunteered Buddy. We finished up just as the sun was setting, and by the time we turned them out it was black.

Wednesday afternoon I tacked up English at the farm, working on my homework with Sunny: collection and transitions, side-passing and bending. He was the most responsive and willing he's been at home. Since he was so good, I rewarded him by not making him work for quite as long. Afterwards I bridled Thunder (no reins) and let him carry the bit while I lunged him. He wasn't thrilled about the bit, but did a lot of chewing which was good. And he was light and responsive on the line. Both directions at the walk and trot for about 20 minutes total. Then I added reins and worked on getting him to drop his nose and give his face. Small steps.

Thursday after I popped the turkey in the oven I collected the boys and spent a wonderful couple hours riding with C and J. An absolutely beautiful day - shirtsleeve temps, lots of sunshine, and just enough breeze to ruffle manes. So different from last year, when I believe the high for the day was 16'.

Friday C and I rode again - Rufus finally got his turn. We started early enough to mosey, and keeping him on the shoulder where the footing was soft worked out well. He's a kick to ride. Ears pricked, stride long and forward... I could tell he was happy to be out. He's very looky and much more the stereotypical Arab than Sunny. Large rocks, clumps of differently colored grass and weeds, culverts, stumps... potential horse-eaters, all of them, but mostly he just eyes them suspiciously and keeps moving. Although thanks to some gigantic squirrels (amazing how big dead leaves make them sound) and a few wild turkeys he and Caspar both took a couple of sideways bounces.

Today, unfortunately, seasonal weather returned. We have winds gusting to 50+ mph and temps in the 30's. Not good riding weather, but given the rest of the week I can't complain.

For all the little things...

2011-11-24T07:02:00.000-06:00

For naps...

My pies are baked, the cranberry relish is set, and the eggs are deviled.

The peels are off the potatoes, and the turkey's lounging in the pan.

I even have most of "work" cleaned off the kitchen table.

and dirt...

And I'm thankful for that.

I'm also thankful for what promises to be a beautiful day...

for riding, and just because...

For the friends who'll be joining me later,

For country roads...

and for family and friends around the globe,

who are safe and sound

- may they stay that way! -

enjoying their own Thanksgivings.

and sunshine...

For the critters,

even the one that woke me up at 3 a.m.

to inform me that it would be morning soon,

- if my typing is odd, it's because she's draped over my arm supervising this post -

and for all of the things that I forget to say "thank you" for

each and every day.

sunrises, and sunsets....

To all of you out there,

may your day be as peaceful or as exciting as you choose,

filled with good food, family, and friends on two feet and four.

And may you always have plenty to say "thank you" for.

For pony ears... and all the other bits, too!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Reining, Cutting and Working Cow @ the Ranch of Cherry Creek

2011-11-20T12:18:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was an education.

In a good way!

Apparently, Eric (who I've been taking lessons from) periodically arranges some sort of field-trip or clinic for his students. His goal is an opportunity to spend the day learning about an aspect of the horse or show world most of us didn't have much experience with. Eric's students include a lot of young riders (and a few of their parents), and most of his younger students ride and show hunt seat or English pleasure, so this particular excursion really was a brand new experience for the majority, including me - and it was a huge treat.

Don Ulmer, long-time reining, cutting and working cow-horse trainer and sometime judge generously volunteered his time and expertise (and facility) for a demonstration and hands-on learning opportunity. Not so much a clinic, exactly, as an introduction to the world of reining, working cow and cutting horse competitions.

His audience was initially supposed to be about 40 strong, but inclement weather unfortunately - or fortunately, depending on how you look at it - cut the number by about half. About 10 youth riders of various ages and their parents, and assorted others of us beyond our teens made the trek up to the Ranch of Cherry Creek in spite of blowing snow, wind, and some of the coldest temps we've seen yet this winter. Thankfully, the barn was heated, and the huge - 150'x300' - indoor arena while not exactly warm, was comfortable as long as I was moving or wrapped around my coffee mug.

The facility itself is gorgeous and practical - a barn runs along the outside of the arena wall down one full side. 30+ (I didn't count) 12'x12' box stalls line both sides of the wide aisle, with offices, a kitchenette, bathrooms and a tack room facing a row of stalls on one end. It's all very light, airy and open feeling, helped out because the stalls are bars on all sides from about counter-height up. A couple of us wandered the barn aisle oohing and aahing over the lovely brass plates identifying each resident, the stalls themselves, how comfortable and content all the horses looked, and how clean and neat everything was. It's not a boarding/lesson barn, it's a one-owner training facility, and it was definitely an impressive operation.

The day started at 10 AM (although since I rode up with Eric and a couple of others and he hauled the horses, it actually started a lot earlier) with Don and his daughter and fellow trainer Elise demonstrating the basics of their warm-up, what the elements of a reining pattern consist of and how they can be combined, riding for training purposes and a couple of "show" patterns, followed by an explanation of how the pattern would be scored. After that they gave us a cutting demo (on a very fresh pen of cows) and a scoring explanation, and then showed us the after-the-box portion of a working cow horse run, again with an explanation of scoring.

Along the way, Don explained what makes each event different, how they prepare, what makes a good, better, best run, and how and why the horses need to carry themselves the way they're encouraged to. His explanations were very thorough - we didn't have too many questions, but it was a shade chilly sitting still, so perhaps we were all just slightly frozen....

After lunch (broasted chicken, potatoes, macaroni salad, cookies and lots of hot coffee) the hands on portion of the program started.

Along the way...
Don's philosophy of training and horsemanship encompasses several things. I'm going to paraphrase wildly here, since I wasn't taking notes, so these are a few of the statements that stuck with me at least as I interpreted them.

It isn't possible to MAKE a horse do anything, at least not productively, for very long.
You need to ride the horse, the horse shouldn't ride you. Elaborating on this point, he explained that every step the horse takes when you're on him should be intentional on your part.
Correction isn't about making something painful - horses remember pain and it makes them stiffen up. A stiff horse isn't a fluid, flexible horse.
Find the job that suits the horse, and your life - and theirs - will be much easier.
What suits the horse isn't necessarily going to be what he/she was bred for.
A horse has five parts - head, neck, shoulders, barrel/ribcage and hip. You have to be able to move them all where you want to when you want to, or you aren't riding the whole horse.
You have to ride the whole horse - if you only depend on your reins to control your horse, and your hand is halfway up his neck, you're only riding 10% of him. (And if you can win while riding 10% of the horse, he'll buy him, because when the other 90% of the horse gets involved, he'll be a universe-beater - lol!)
At some point you have to trust your horse. If you can't, you may need to find a horse you can trust.

On to the hands-on portion of the day:
After lunch they saddled six or seven horses along with another two that Eric brought along. These were their show horses, and not just any old show horses, either - check out the Winner's Circle page. Current national and reserve national champions Dakota Wolf, RCC Reinman, Quintessa, and Short and Smart, along with past multi-time champion and reserve champions Traddition and a couple of others whose "official" names I didn't catch. Since not as many of us as originally planned were there, everyone who wanted to got a chance to try cutting one or two cows while Don and Elise turned back and coached. For the most part, it appeared to be a matter of not overriding. Those horses knew their jobs, and the riders that sat tight and stayed out of their way did better than the ones that tried to do too much of the thinking.

For anyone who doesn't know - which until yesterday, included me, if you take your hand off your horse's neck when you're cutting a cow, you lose points. So the idea is to let your horse work the cow, and only provide an miniscule amount of guidance needed with by shifting weight, and using your seat and legs. Lifting your hand cues your horse that you're done. Meaning that if the horse doesn't really want to work a cow, you're in deep digested-by-cow-already product.

Then they set up the flag. On a pulley system strung from one end of the arena to the other across the short end of the arena, it's set up at cow height, and stands in for a cow for practice purposes. We all had a chance to try that - again, once locked on to the flag, no hand lifting involved, and you always cue the horse with the leg closest to the flag/cow. So if you want your horse to turn left, you kick with the left heel - which seems counter-intuitive, but that's how they're trained.

Eric had me riding Aslan, one of his horses, an ex-junior reining champion. Aslan hasn't been finished in the bridle, so he's still in two reins (which I'm fine with) and he's never seen cows. But he's extremely solid on all of the maneuvers Eric's had me working on with Sunny, so I had an excellent opportunity to practice those. The arena was so big that those of us waiting our turn still had a normal arena-sized area to ride in while the action was going on on the other end. We could either watch or ride - I really wanted to watch, but I also didn't want to freeze, since I'd shed my heavy jacket to ride. So I'd watch until I got chilly, then practice some more with Aslan until I was warm again.

Since Aslan hadn't seen cows before - although he was definitely interested, not spooked - I didn't try cutting. But I did get to try spinning, which was a lot of fun. And later on I switched horses and tried chasing the flag, which was absolutely cool on a stick. For the most part I managed to remember to keep my hand down, and I kept my seat on the catty gelding I was on pretty well. Remembering (and finding a chance) to breathe was definitely a challenge, though!

What I walked away with:

I can safely say that working cow horse is probably NOT in my future. I'm not the adrenaline junkie that sport's need-for-speed enthusiasts seem to be. Reining... there's a lot of speed there, too, but since ease and control are the primary focus, I'm thinking I could maybe work up to that. Cutting has always looked like fun, and yesterday was no exception. But I'd need a different horse, as Sunny doesn't seem to have a lot of interest in cows, so for the time being that's probably out.

A better appreciation for why western horses' head carriage is low. But this is getting long, so more on that later.

Overall it was a fantastic day, and the Ulmers get my whole-hearted thanks for hosting us and sharing their time, horses, and knowledge.

It didn't feel like I did a whole lot beside listen and absorb, but when I finally got home yesterday evening I heated up a bowl of left-over chilli, and managed a whole half-hour on the couch with the cats before I fell asleep. I woke up when the program I wasn't watching ended, brushed my teeth, and crawled into bed at 8:35 PM. Proving yet again that learning IS exhausting - lol!

Lesson Day

2011-11-17T21:55:00.000-06:00

Windy and brisk - the sun was trying, but not having much luck. I think it might have crept into the 40's, just, but it was already dipping into the 30's when I headed for the farm.

Tonight was our first indoor lesson. I warmed up (relatively speaking) in the outdoor arena, but at lesson time Eric stuck his head out of the barn and asked if I wanted to ride inside.

The indoor arena is about 1/3 the side of the outdoor, and Sunny's been under a roof about three times in his whole life. He hesitated at the big sliding door of the barn when Eric slid it back for us, but stepped up onto the concrete when I asked him. We proceeded down the aisle, with him eyeballing the horses in their stalls on either side and waiting for the ceiling to fall on him. He wasn't any too sure about shadows we cast along the walls in the indoor at first, either, but I walked him once around to check out the corners and he settled right down.

This week we tried something new - haunches in. And after a few odd fits and starts, we got the hang of it. Poor Sunny - he tries really hard, but half the time I'm still sending the wrong signals, so things turn into a giant muddle more often than not. So from haunches in, I was supposed to cue him to canter - which he was supposed to pick up. Sigh...

You'd think we'd be getting it by now, but what a mess - after several sprawly, ugly departures and dropped-inside-shoulder, corner-cutting circles, Eric found me a dressage whip to tap him on the butt with. That worked a bit better, but once he was moving I kept worrying about him charging out of the indoor and down the barn aisle - which I don't honestly think he wanted to do, he just wanted to keep looking in that direction in case there was something out there that might attack him - so I kept unintentionally shutting him down.

It doesn't help that all of the bad habits I'm finally getting fixed at the walk and trot resurface with a vengence as soon as I think about cantering. I get stiff, forget to breathe, drop my inside shoulder, give away my hands and automatically start leaning forward. Once I finally managed to sit back, keep my hands quiet, and started trusting him NOT to tear off down the barn aisle, he stopped flattening and leaning so much - go figure. We stopped on a good effort - by which point in the warmer air Sunny was good and sweaty.

Wrap-up was more half-pass practice. I'm still screwing that up as well, but at least I'm finally figuring out where my legs go - now if I could just get them both in the right place at the right time!

All things considered, it wasn't much worse than a few of our outside attempts, but at some point we need to get this canter thing clicking.

It's occasionally discouraging to watch Eric on a horse he's ridden a handful of times that's already sidepassing and loping around in lovely, easy circles - but considering Sunny's learning right along with me, we're making good progress.

By the time I'd walked him for half an hour or so he was starting to dry (and I was getting dizzy). Outside it was dark, but the temps were holding steady at just south of 40' and the wind had completely died down. I was pleased - no, make that thrilled - to find Thunder a) still tied to the trailer, b) no scuffs on horse or trailer, and c) no big hole from pawing. In fact, his halter wasn't even pulled tight. Good boy! I unsaddled, snugged Sunny into his new cooler, picked out his feet, and loaded them up.

It was an uneventful haul home this week, at least - and the cooler worked a treat - back at the farm Sunny was dry underneath but for a damp strip behind his front legs where the girth runs. Rubber curry to rub out the last of the sweaty bits, a good brushing everywhere else, and he was almost back to completely fluffy. Definitely a good investment.

Dress-up & circles

2011-11-11T20:41:00.000-06:00

Too bad it didn't get here earlier in the day yesterday!

Sunny - more fun to dress up than Barbie - lol!

It was too warm (61'!) to need it today, and I could have used some anti-static spray to keep the zappies down.


Think he has a career as a sports model ahead of him?

Nah. Still, I think it fits him pretty well.

Dress-up time over, I tacked him up and started working on those big round circles. Loose rein, nice easy posting trot same as yesterday. It was breezy and there were hunters wending their blaze-orange pheasant-seeking way through the fields next door and across the road. But in spite of the distractions he did pretty well. One lovely canter transition to the left and a not-so-great one or two to the right. Spiral, spiral, spiral.

All told, about an hour's ride. I brushed him down, then let him graze under the trees where the grass is still greenish. No work with Thunder today, but tomorrow it's his turn.

Lesson Day

2011-11-11T20:19:00.000-06:00

This week's lesson day was much more pleasant than last!

Nu-nu thinks so, too

It was in the 50's again, sunny and almost no wind. Instead of trying not to blow away and scooting away from plastic monsters, I was pushing up my sleeves and Sunny was actually sweating.

I tacked up - sans spurs - and had the arena to myself for about 15 minutes while Eric put away the horse he'd been working with when I got there and collected his next victim. (I don't mind at all if he rides while he teaches. It's really helpful to be able to have a visual demonstration when I'm not getting the hang of something.) His mount this time was a finished reiner, so he showed me some slides, as well - bonus! :)

This time he had me go straight from warming up into a series of really round figure eights, loose rein, just picking up the inside rein and cuing bend with my legs. Good practice finding my diagonals, and the beginning of working toward asking for flying lead changes. But for now, just working on even, round circles and proper bend without either of us dropping our shoulders.

Gradually he had me ask for more collection - I can definitely feel that Sunny's getting lighter on his front end and being able to carry himself in a more balanced way. Practicing with spurs did help - but I didn't miss them during the lesson at all except for canter right. Eh... straggly, rough, and stiff - he wanted to canter completely flat, stick his nose to the outside, and turn his body into a board. But we worked through it and eventually managed a not-completely-sucky departure and decent downward transition when I asked for it as opposed to when he wanted to slow down.

We finished by working some more on half-passing, and a revisit to that exercise Eric showed me a couple of weeks ago. The one where I ask him to spiral in until he's sort of snail-shaped, then unwind him by rocking him from the forehand to a reverse spiral on the haunches and out- which makes about as much sense when I try to explain it as it was when I tried to ask Sunny to do it. With some coaching as to hand was "inside" and therefore needed to be raised and which heel I needed to be pushing which hip over with, Sunny was doing the whole thing beautifully. Which was fabulous - but when I tried to do it by myself today, dyslexia kicked in again and I'm all muddled. I can tell he's trying to do what I'm asking for - it's just that I'm not asking him right. Sigh...

Anyway, it was chilly and getting along to dark by the time I managed to get him dry enough to put in the trailer - of course the cooler I ordered arrived today. But I'm sure there'll be plenty more opportunities to use it before winter kicks in.

Homework: Trotting lots of big round figure-eights. No cutting across on the diagonals, he wants two ROUND circles stuck together. Spiral in and outs, and more side-passing along the fence. (I don't think he trusts me to work on half-passing without him there to coach me on right/left bend - can't say I blame him!)

It was a great lesson, but the most exciting moment of the day? Turning the last corner half a mile from the farm and hearing this completely awful, horrible, no-good, very bad screeching noise start behind me. I was going really slowly anyway, so I tapped the brakes to see if something was sticking and I could unstick it. No dice. Movement = squealing. I stopped completely, put it in park and made a quick loop around - other than the boys shifting around, no tires hot, low or smoking....

I could see headlights coming, so not being parked in the middle of the road seemed like a good idea. I was actually on the phone (bluetooth earpiece - love that handsfree!) with my mom. She called to my dad to pick up the extension - he's the go-to guy in the family when anything starts making scary noises. The consensus was since nothing seemed to be visibly wrong and I had less than a 1/4 mile to go, I might as well get there, get the horses unloaded and then try to figure out the shrieking.

The boys didn't seem to be unduly alarmed which was good, so I got them unloaded and tucked up for the night. Re-checked tires, etc. Still nothing hot or smoking, and nothing loose or wiggly. It really sounded like brakes - the engine sounded fine until I put it in drive and took my foot off the brake. SCHREEAAK-sqeeeSSShriek. But impossible to tell from the cab if it was the truck or trailer making the noise. The advice from several states away was try reverse - lo and behold, no noise going backwards. And when I put it in drive again, silence - or at least normal noise, no squealing. The most likely explanation was a rock wedged somewhere it wasn't supposed to be - that corner is really washboarded, and it would be easy to kick something up. No shrieking all the way home, and no weird noises today, either, so hopefully that's all it was. Sure did wake me up, though!

Spurs

2011-11-08T18:38:00.000-06:00

I'm going to stop trusting the weather forecasts if this doesn't keep up - not that I'm complaining, mind - but the last two times we've had a "chance of snow/rain" it's been beautiful, sunny and perfect.

It wasn't exactly balmy, but the high was near 50' rather than the measly 43' that was predicted - and I'm not going to complain about that, either!

It was about as warm as it was going to get by 2 pm, so I dug around in various bins and containers of tack until I eventually unearthed my spurs, hitched up the horse trailer and headed for the farm. The boys were loafing under their tree. They stuck their heads into the halters without any hesitation, although I have to say Thunder was a lot more eager to walk down the driveway to the trailer!

After cleaning hooves and a cursory brush to loosen some dust - they're both clean and fluffy in their new winter coats - I saddled Sunny, who was not thrilled but also not prepared to make an issue of it. In the western saddle, just in case things got... well, western. Then I let him stand and deflate while I opened the pasture gate and set a cone out in the center so I'd have a visual marker other than "tall generic weed" to spiral in and out on. Then I warmed up his bit for a minute or so and bridled him.

Confession time... I've never actually ridden him with spurs. He's usually got more than enough go for my taste when we're trail riding. And I don't know if D used them on him when he trained him or not. My guess would be not, as he doesn't tend to use either a bat or spurs unless he gets one that refuses to move out forward, and that's never been an issue with Sunny.

Now Eric's instructions were clear - nubby, knob-ended spurs. But those aren't exactly thick on the ground around here. I ended up having to order some, and they haven't arrived yet. The ones I have do have a rowel, but it's small, blunt, and very non-aggressive, so I figured I'd give them a shot and see how it went.

And actually, all things considered it went well. Once he realized that I had something pointy attached to my heel, transitions were much more prompt. And for the most part he stayed cantering until I asked for a downward transition, rather than falling out on his own. Not to say he wasn't still poking his nose out trotting, but it felt a lot better than last week's Thursday ride. So perfect, no - but improved respect yes. And I was doing my best to cue, bump, then tap with a spur, not just go straight for the gusto.

Other than a few rounds of canter for improved energy both directions, I stuck to low & slow and lots of bending again, doing my best to keep my shoulders back and my elbows locked at my sides - not sure how successful that was, but at least I remembered to keep checking on it.

Sidepassing down the fence was a shade better, too. He's getting the idea well to the right, not so much to the left, which is also the direction he has a harder time counter-bending to reverse in, so that wasn't a big surprise.

All told about an hour's riding.

After I had Sunny unsaddled and the sweaty spots curried, I saddled Thunder. With my saddle this time, rather than the light one I've been using on him. Not that mine is all that much heavier, but it is longer and it has a back cinch. I left that on the loose side, snapped some reins onto the rings on his rope halter, and walked him out into the field.

I worked on getting him to give his head to both sides for a while, and then on putting weight in both stirrups. He was fine with that, so I got brave and laid across his back. No problems there, either. I probably could have sat on him, but at that point brave seemed to be shading into stupid territory, so I called it an afternoon. Maybe once his wolf teeth are out, and he's actually aware of what giving to the bit means. And following some ground driving. And not when no one's home.

Anyway, that was my day - and I'm going to consider it a success. Happy Tuesday!

The Lesson

2011-11-05T06:55:00.000-05:00

It was windier than all get-out yesterday - anybody know the roots of that saying? I'm having visions of a whole bunch of hyper-active rugrats racing in and out of the house banging the door and letting huge gusts of air in....

Aaanyway - the gusts were topping 30 mph, and it's so dry that there were dust/leaf devils swirling around everywhere. Nights have been down near freezing or below, so it was chilly, and I was crossing my fingers that it was going to get into the 50's as promised by my 4 pm lesson.

I pulled in at the farm, caught the boys - Sunny whinnied when he saw me, then turned around and walked about 10 steps the other direction while I was putting Thunder's halter on. He didn't go so far as to play catch-me, but his opinion of the whole enterprise was clear.

I'd left plenty early, wanting to be able to take my time getting ready. But it actually didn't take that long before I had him tacked up and ready to go.

It was just warm enough that well-layered, it wasn't bad to be out - except for all the dirt we were eating. The arena had monsters - surrounding it. Flapping plastic on some poles outside one end, ditto on the greenhouse on the other end. And more yet on the sawdust bales stacked along the middle. Sigh... of course, the flapping was only scary when Sunny had to work. Stretchy walk on a loose rein and he'd stride right by.

I wish I'd been able to be in two places at once and watch us - apparently Sunny is getting less heavy in front. Walk/collected walk is much improved. Sitting trot (me) is improving, but posting trot I kept missing my diagonals. When I did get them, I'm pretty sure it was luck. Anybody know any good tricks getting them right more often?

For quite a few laps it was "Lift your left hand to your right shoulder and get his nose in, half-halt with the right hand! Don't let him look at that, or think about it - make him focus on you. Good - now don't release that much. Sit up, use your weight and make him balance. More right leg - don't let him drop his shoulder. Right hand! Tip his nose - Good!" Eventually we were getting circles that were more circle and less trapezoid.

Through all of this, we were still working on transitions - walk, ask for more collection, sitting trot, back to walk, sitting trot, posting trot (missed diagonal - fix it!), sitting trot, down to walk, more collection... you get the idea.

Once we'd worked through the worst of the "monsters are gonna get me" reactions, we did do some canter work. For a change, he actually had me asking for a bit of roundness, rather than it being just about my body position, so maybe that's getting better? And I don't think Eric had to remind me to look up near as often.

My homework for next week - work on sidepassing down the fence without bulging, and on not releasing with my whole arm, just my pinkies. I'm also supposed to find a pair of nubby English spurs to reinforce my leg - I'm asking properly, but Sunny's ignoring me. Especially on the right - I've been ponying Thunder a lot, and I think Sunny's just getting used to ignoring any bumping that goes on over there.

Good points: Eric was complementary on Sunny's condition - Sunny may be round, and he was definitely warm - damp along his neck and back legs, and under the saddle - but he wasn't running sweat or puffing at all after a full hour's lesson. He's starting to slobber nicely, and to carry the bit better. And on that note, Eric repeated again he's impressed with how much improvement he's seeing in only a handful of lessons from where we started at. From a bitless bridle and absolutely no contact to actually having a "great few strides there" I think is what he said a time or two - now it's just a matter of getting them strung a bit closer together until they make up a whole lap!

Made it back to the farm still in the daylight, which was nice. Unloaded and turned the boys out with a couple handfuls of the ewe's alfalfa in their tire feeder for a treat. (And I do mean handfuls - no sense in giving Sunny too many extra calories!)

Lesson day today

2011-11-04T12:06:00.000-05:00

And I sincerely hope it goes better than my ride yesterday. Oh, nothing went disastrously wrong, but nothing went particularly right, either.

Somehow Sunny is managing to get rounder. He's terribly pumpkin shaped, even though the hay isn't out yet. There's still enough green left in the pasture grass that they just aren't interested in hay, even though they could reach the calf hay if they wanted to. When I talked to G, he said he's waiting to put a bale out for them until they start being interested in sharing with the calves. Which makes sense.

Anyway, back to my ride. It started out with Sunny standing on my foot, and didn't get much better from there. Two words: hollow and stiff. Nasty bulgy/flat-sided circles. Ugh. I finally gave up on trotting and just focused on getting him to bend and yield at the walk. Which eventually did work - he finally gave a big sigh and I could feel him start to focus. But it took about 45 minutes.

Yes, it was windy, and yes there was construction noise from the other side of the house - but that's nothing new, really. I'm sure I was a big part of the problem, since I was trying to feel what I was doing wrong rather than having someone hollering reminders at me.

I didn't push too much beyond where things started to feel better, wanting to end on an up note, at least. There wasn't any cooling out to be done, but since Thunder'd been a good boy tied at the trailer the whole time, I collected him and we went for a short mosey down the road a ways. I would have gone further since they were both giving every evidence of enjoying themselves, but I could see cars pulled off up ahead along the tree grove - probably hunters - and in the other direction it was starting to be busy with 5 pm traffic, so I turned around.

Crossing my fingers that stiff and hollow don't reappear this afternoon!

New tarp, old habits

2011-11-02T06:41:00.000-05:00

Maybe this is why the blanket wasn't an issue with the boys?

What are your wearing?

It's been a while - at least a year - since I did much with a tarp. I used one a lot when Sunny was younger, mostly spread out on the ground for him to walk across, but he wore it a few times, as well. In fact, it was something I worked on with all of the mares and Thunder, too.

But I stopped when the game got to be so old hat they whickered at the sight of the tarp coming out. My tarp was getting kind of brittle with age and I started to worry about one of them putting a hole in it, catching a hoof, and panicking. Not exactly the lesson I was looking for!

Yesterday I was wandering through Menards in search of something I'd forgotten to write on my list - and still can't remember - when I passed the wall of tarps. For under $3.00, I could have a brand new 6'x8' tarp. Cool. (This is why Menards is such a dangerous place to send men, isn't it?)

Sunny models while Thunder waits his turn

I spread my new purchase out on the ground in the lot, weighted the corners with rocks, and called the boys. Sunny remembered immediately - one sniff to verify, and he walked right across and stopped four square in front of me, ears pricked waiting expectantly to hear the click that meant he'd get paid. Good boy!

Thunder took a minute or so to snuffle around the edges and test the solidity underneath by pawing, but it wasn't long before he was walking back and forth with no hesitation, either.

I really had planned on that taking more than 5 minutes - including set-up time.

Time for stage 2 - I rolled the rocks off the edges, gathered up the tarp and folded it in half. Sunny immediately sidled around so that his left side was facing me. Too funny! He knew exactly what was coming. I let the tarp flop over his back - feet stayed still. Click. I flipped it on and dragged it off from both sides a couple of times, while Thunder looked on.

Then it was his turn. As with the ground stage, I could tell he was a bit more anxious. He wasn't worried enough to back away, but he was concerned when I lifted it toward his back, so at first I just rested the semi-folded tarp against his shoulder. Feet stayed still - click, corn. Hmmm.... this wasn't so scary after all.

So stylish

As you can see, neither of them was wearing a halter, although I did have one handy just in case one or the other got too obnoxious and pushy. My original intent had been to work with one at a time like I did with the blanket the other day, but since they were paying attention and being respectful without fussing at each other, I didn't bother.

I like working with them loose, because if they want to shy or move away, they can without feeling trapped. And both of them did scoot out from under a time or two. They just don't get clicked. And they come right back. I just switch to the other horse, and let the one that moved watch the other one get rewarded for doing it right.

I wasn't making any effort to keep the tarp quiet, or really to keep it from lifting and blowing in the breeze when I pulled it off. I let it loft when I tossed it over them, and made sure that the loose ends flopped around their legs, as well. Although as you can see from the pictures, I did stay close enough to hold it in case a big gust came through - my goal definitely wasn't to scare them silly.

When both horses would stand quietly with the tarp unfolded completely across them up to their ears and back to their tails, and I could shake it out without their eyes getting big, I called it a day. Which took probably half an hour and a pocket full of corn dispensed 5-10 kernels at a time. After that I just hung out for a while, scritching itchy spots and enjoying that lovely horse smell.

The weatherman says rain/snow mix today.... I guess fall is slowly creeping toward winter. How I hate to see it go!

New old duds

2011-10-30T22:04:00.000-05:00

I may have ridden another horse this weekend, but Sunny and Thunder didn't get left out of the fun completely. I've been window-shopping for a cooler for Sunny.

I have a good turnout, but I've never actually had an opportunity to use it - the horses' coats are thick and wooly enough that they never seem cold, even when it's really bitter. But If I'm going to keep taking lessons, I don't want to haul him damp, therefore the cooler.

Before I actually order one, though I wanted to do two things: 1) re-measure for size, and 2) make sure he remembered how to wear a blanket without flipping out.


Got anything else you want me to wear?

I shouldn't have worried.

He was completely unflapped.

I'd forgotten about this old wool stable blanket, but when I ran across it looking for something else this morning, I figured it was perfect for a refresher course. Not much is going to hurt it. And actually, ugly as it is it's still really solid and if fits both boys well. Slightly moth-eaten in a couple of spots, but nothing a patch or two won't cure.

Thunder takes a turn

Once Sunny'd been a good Monkey-See, I let Thunder have a go at being Monkey-do. And he did a great job. Having a heavy, flapping thing draped on top of him didn't seem to worry him in the slightest. After a few test flops, I buckled him in and walked him around. The wind was gusting and flapping things, G had the skid loader running in the farmyard... not a snort out of him. Which is pretty darn good, all things considered.

Next time I take along the turnout - it's fiber-filled, puffy, and rustly. That should make things more interesting.

Not Sunny!

2011-10-30T21:41:00.000-05:00

Not Thunder, either.

Buddy & Caspar

J and his wife went to KS this weekend for a visit with C and some K-state football. Before they left he asked me for a "really big favor" - I was thinking he wanted me to check the cows' waterer or maybe feed the cats. Nope, ride the horses. He's going West River for hunting season again with both of these two, and he doesn't want them losing condition. Since he worked late much of the week, he'd only gotten in a couple of rides, and he didn't want them missing any more miles.

Twist my arm... lol! Especially since the pheasant place next door is crawling with hunters this weekend, and I knew I wasn't going to get a substantial ride in with Sunny.

I figured rather than dragging all my stuff out, I'd just use his saddle, since I'd ridden in it before and we ride the same length. Saturday afternoon was grey, but not windy with temps in the mid 50's. I caught both horses, intending to saddle them both and just pony Caspar. At least part of the plan went according to schedule!

I neglected to factor in two very important things: the height of Buddy and the weight of J's saddle. I'm 5'10". Buddy... let's put it this way, when I stand facing Buddy's hind end, I can't see anything but butt unless I'm looking up. Then I see sky. And J rides a roping saddle that has to weigh at 50 lbs stripped. (At least as much, if not more than the 50 lb bag of cat litter I hauled to the basement this morning!) Add the cinches, heavy-duty breastcollar, and the - full - saddlebags he'd left attached, and whoa, Nelly! I felt like the proverbial 90lb weakling at the beach getting sand kicked in my face by a big hunk of leather.

I heaved, huffed... finally paused to consider... maybe if I just took the saddlebags off? After all, I wasn't going to use them, right? That would have to help. Lighter by about 10 lbs, I tried again with slightly more success. Only slightly, because the saddle pad fell off the other side the first two times I managed to hoist the saddle all the way up.

Thank goodness for patient horses - Buddy stood like a dream and eventually I managed to him dressed - by which point I needed to shed a layer. My arms were tired. Caspar lucked out - he's shorter, but the his saddle looked just as heavy. He could go naked, because if we didn't get moving soon, it was going to be dark before we got back. Besides, I needed to conserve energy for getting that sucker back down off Buddy once we got back!

Off we went, and it only took moments for me to realize why when J ponies Thunder it always looks as if he's giving him a half-mile of lead - he is. Buddy's huge. His neck alone has to be as long as Sunny's back from mane to tail. Caspar's not short, but looked at from my new height he was down there a ways.

I've joked before that riding Buddy is like driving a Cadillac - not only is he insanely smooth, but he's incredibly responsive. He doesn't lift into a lope, he sort of glides into one. J rides him in a low port copper-mouth curb which is basically there for show, he works so well off leg cues and weight shifts. It's kind of scary.

The only fly in my ointment? Caspar is not nearly as pleasant to pony as Thunder. He walks a bit faster than Buddy, which wasn't too bad, because my plan was to hold a fairly steady jog - J's instructions were to make them sweat some. And jogging worked pretty well. Loping? Not so much. Caspar wanted his nose in front. I think my arm is about an inch longer than it was on Friday. But eventually we sorted ourselves out and had a nice ride. They both broke a light sweat, just as ordered.

Today was a repeat of Saturday with the addition of a strong NW wind. I needed my extra layer, neck gaiter and gloves, even with the bright fall sunshine. And settling into the saddle I could feel every inch of my thighs from spanning Buddy yesterday, not to mention my shoulders and arms from hoisting J's saddle.

Speaking of saddles, I wasn't doing that song & dance again. I took mine along. And realized yet again the size difference. Sunny's fat. The cinch was still a snug fit, but the latigo is long and the back cinch on the last hole was just loose enough to pass muster. Sunny's breastcollar is normally set on the fifth hole on both sides. At full extension it wouldn't reach around Buddy's chest. I swapped out for J's, and decided that wasn't going to work, either - too snug. The D-rings on my saddle sit back further, apparently.. Oh well, no hills to speak of on our route, so I was willing to risk it.

After an hour or so of tack experimentation, we were finally under way. The horses weren't exactly frisky, but the wind noise had them looking at things, and I could definitely tell they'd rather have been headed homewards. I was stiff enough, I can't say I wouldn't have felt just fine at home on the couch, too. But after the first mile, all the kinks were out and except for it being a brisk, enjoyed the rest of our ride.

Can't say I'll be unhappy to back to my usual ride, though. Comfy as Buddy is, I like Sunny's faster trot and brighter action. And the fact that the ground is MUCH closer - lol!

Randomness

2011-10-28T07:14:00.000-05:00

Eyore, playing "spot the donkey"

Buddy's efforts at disguise? Not so successful!

Rufus - isn't that face just squeezable?

Nap interrupted - sorry, Caspar!

One word: WHISKERS!

Fall Color - yes, SD actually has some :)

Needed a break yesterday a.m., so I drove out to check on all the four foots. As you can see, they were having a much more productive day than I, lol.

Feeling a bit more on track, I actually managed to get some work accomplished with the rest of my afternoon. Although actually being home to move the trailer when the road grader went by was probably the highlight of the rest of my day. (And his - he actually got to do the whole street for a change!). Of course, once all the dirt was raked up and redistributed, the surface was is loose and dry that every time a car goes by it looks like pea-soup fog out the window. So much for clean vehicles - I guess I should be thankful it's chilly enough out there that all the windows are closed!

An electrifying experience - dryer sheets explained

2011-10-26T14:09:00.000-05:00

Sarah over at Between The Fenceposts asked about the dryer sheet remark in my previous post - I was going to comment back, but then I thought, well maybe there are other solutions to what I'm pretty sure is a common problem this time of year... Why not ask and see!

Because it's definitely that time of year again - I'm zapping myself on the car doors, the cats bounce off my lap when I pet them, and the ponies' yank their noses (and assorted other spots) away when I brush them. None of which makes for a happy me: zaps hurt, cats flinging themselves off my lap leave painful skid marks, and brushing is supposed to feel pleasant not painful.

My solution, for the horses at least, is throwing a box of cheap dryer sheets*** in the grooming tote. When I pick up a brush I grab a dryer sheet and hold onto it in the same hand as the brush. I tend to keep an extra in my coat pocket, as well for when I head out to do a pasture check. Just running it over manes and tails really helps cut down on the snap, crackle, spook. And since the sheets last for more than one grooming session, it's a relatively inexpensive trick.

***One important caveat - dryer sheets are toxic to dogs (and I'm guessing other critters, too) so be careful not to drop them where they can be grabbed and swallowed, and to dispose of them properly when you're done using one.

Another option, especially if your horses wear turnout blankets, is to spray the inside with a light coat of static guard - be sure to let it dry - before you put them on. And if you don't like carrying the dryer sheets or don't like the possible dog-ingestion risk factor, you can always spray the static guard on your brushes before you groom. (I kept forgetting to bring it in with me and ending up with frozen static guard, but if you're somewhere warmer or have a heated tackroom, it's probably a better alternative.)

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's had this problem - any other solutions anyone would care to share?

Chasing Daylight

2011-10-26T08:53:00.000-05:00

Bolted out the door just before 5 last night, popped the boys in the trailer and headed for J's. The only thing I really don't like about fall? The days get so short!

By 5:30 we were saddled and trotting down the road. The temps are heading downwards this week - the 60's of this weekend are pleasant history, although there's no precip in the forecast yet. We rode through a steady north wind in the 25 mph range. Thankfully not too cold, but I was glad for my neck gaiter and gloves as the sun dipped lower.

And I was wishing I'd remembered my reflective vest! Even keeping the horses at a steady jog, we were racing the sunset to finish before dark. The traffic was much lighter than the weekend - just a few locals, all of whom are used to riders and slow down considerately. The boys don't fuss at headlights front or back, thank goodness. But I think I may invest in some reflective gear for them, as well. There are some interesting items at Caution Horses that look intriguing, and I'm pretty sure I've seen some elsewhere, too.

The deer are starting to move - or rather, since the light is fading earlier, we're riding more in their moving window. We spotted several does crossing fields or the road in front of us headed the draws and shelterbelts to bed down for the night. The combination of fading sun and fall colors made bushes and clumps of dead grass really pop along the ditches. In conjunction with the rushing and constant rustling of the wind, the fallen leaves crunched and rattled, keeping all the horses alert and on their toes. No moseying, day dreaming ride this night

I read somewhere once that the trot for a horse is the easiest gait to maintain - after last night, I believe it. Except for a pause here and there to watch the wildlife, we were jogged or medium trotted the better part of eight miles. None of the three were puffing at any point. Thunder, who I ponied unsaddled, sweated the least - his neck was barely damp midway through, and he was completely dry when we got back. Of course, he was doing the least work. Buddy was wettest of the three - he's largest, carrying the most weight, and in general sweats pretty freely anyway. Sunny was warm, too - neck and flanks, mostly. But after walking the majority of the last mile he was damp under his saddlepad and cinch, and that was it. No lathered horses here. Riding fairly regularly, along with 24/7 turnout in big pastures really makes a difference.

By the time I finished currying the saddle marks off and getting both their feet checked for rocks, Sunny was dry and fluffy enough to have static sparks stinging my fingers. Time to get out the dryer sheets, I guess. I am going to invest in a couple of coolers, though - once their winter coats come in completely, getting them dried off is going to be more challenging and I'm not a fan of hauling them damp in the cold.

And that's the riding report from this neck of the woods for yesterday.

Finding frame and frost

2011-10-24T08:24:00.001-05:00

Not too much to report this week. It's been pretty much routine around here. Hard frost meant time to get the fall worming done and bot fly eggs removed. We picked up 25 small squares and got them stacked in the barn out at the farm. Large rounds have been coming in right along, and there should be plenty of hay for another cold winter and extended "spring" of rain and mud. I'm hoping 2012 isn't a repeat of 2010 and 2011, but we're prepared, just in case.

Didn't get too much riding in, but yesterday was too gorgeous NOT to get out. I rode about 8 miles with J and a couple of his vet student interns. The wind was brisk enough to make long sleeves feel good, although the sun was out and the temps were in the high 60's. Everything's so dry and rattly that it was a mostly silent ride as far as conversation went. Unless you were almost someone's hip pocket, it was almost impossible to hear anything that wasn't yelled.

The horses had that pre-storm, on-their-toes feel to them. Not just mine, either. They were all looking twice at almost everything, from the laid-flat roadwork signs, to the same-old, same-old cows. Steady-Eddie Caspar was about as animated as I've ever seen him, foraging ahead snorting with the rest of them.

One thing they weren't though, was hunchy. Not that I'd have expected any of J's horses to be, but Thunder.... Other than one rebellious scoot and swing to get farther away from a passing tractor, he ponied along pretty as you please, though.

Of course, the tractor evasion could have been fairly dramatic - we were on the stretch of the road that runs between to rather marshy, water-logged areas with deep ditches on both sides full of algae-slimed water. When Thunder swung and hit the halter he ended up facing Sunny, who was not thrilled. Luckily I saw the shy coming, and I was already spinning Sunny around to the left. We made a tight turn against the road-edge, managing to miss falling in, pulling Thunder along as the tractor rattled past. Then we "chased" it down the road for about a 1/4 mile.

To help keep Sunny occupied and focused on me I worked on asking him to collect for short periods. I'm beginning to feel a difference when he steps up underneath himself at the walk. Trotting... well, he's still nose-poked out hollow too much of the time, but when I ask him to round up he's finding that soft spot much more quickly and maintaining it for longer. Starting to get that engagement is darn cool.

For whatever reason it seemed as if there were a lot more hunters out this weekend than last. At least pheasants are hunted with shotguns rather than rifles, so I can worry a lot less about spent bullets! We were passed by multiple trucks with men and dogs, and rode by one group of 4 or 5 guys lined up walking a field. They paused and tipped their guns to rest for us to pass, which was thoughtful of them. Not everyone is that considerate. I've more than once been out riding and had people driving towards me slam on the brakes, hop out and shoot past me. (Road hunting is legal in SD - but not within so many yards of livestock, buildings, or where it's posted.)

Back at J's Sunny and Thunder dozed on their leadropes by the trailer while the four of us stood and chatted, enjoying the sunshine. I don't know about you all, but I'm crossing my fingers this weather holds a while longer.

Opening Day

2011-10-15T16:06:00.000-05:00

Sometimes a little guilt goes a LOOONG way.

Today is opening day of East River pheasant season in SD. Straight up noon, and the shooting starts. The cars and trucks full of blaze orange-wearing occupants are out cruising the countryside much earlier, of course. And wives all over the state (and elsewhere) - me included - become hunting widows until the sun sets. Store run sales and hordes of women head for the malls and shops with credit cards and checkbooks at the ready.

I'm not much of a shopper, so I usually end up spending the day at home doing housework and making dinner while T's off tramping through the bushes having a good time. Do I play the guilt card? No, but I think he might have been feeling just a smidge guilty anyway, because when I suggested he might be available before noon, to help me out with something, he agreed.

I wanted to ride and practice my "homework". Needless to say, riding the country roads after noon this time of year is a risky proposition. But until noon? It's still quiet. I wanted T to run the video camera while I rode. Too bad I forgot to charge the battery last night.

But at least I remembered the Canon, so we made do with that.


How far over can I lean, I wonder?

He's trying really hard - too bad I keep getting in his way! It's difficult NOT to look down. And I could tell how stiff I was getting, because my feet were loose in the stirrups. Watching the video back bears out what I was feeling, but couldn't seem to correct.

I guess on the plus side, now that I'm getting the hang of what it's like when we're both working together, I can at least tell the difference when I'm wrong - now I need to start listening to that internal voice saying, "Breathe. Relax your shoulders. Sit up straight. Don't look down. Better!".

When I was through T wanted to try his hand. He and Sunny have a history of not clicking so well. And the English saddle is definitely not his thing. But today was a happier day. Sunny's ears did flick a bit at the weight difference, but he stepped off solidly enough. They did figure-eights and circles at a walk while I coached on aids and hand position and tried to explain contact. What T absorbed of Eric's lesson wasn't exactly what I recollected, but we "agreed" to attribute that to the variations between English and western aids. (I'm pretty sure I'm right, but I'll let Eric sort us out, lol!)

Combat boots and all

When T was done, I hopped back on, collected Thunder and made a few loops around with him in tow. Finally got some video of him in motion, and Blogger says it's 2mb too big. :-( Guess we'll have to try again another day.

Lesson Day: Amyra goes back to school

2011-10-14T08:45:00.001-05:00

T had Amyra ready to go when I finished up. We'd been talking about how things had gone on Tuesday, and since T will be leaving soon and I'll be responsible for keeping her going, I really wanted to see Eric ride her again so I could watch what he's doing. She's very lightsided and responsive, but seemed to get flustered so easily.... As you can clearly see, light Sunny is NOT, and his resistance is more about passive and stiff than active and energetic.

Anyway, Eric offered to ride her first. She's so athletic! But definitely more than I want to deal with until I'm clear on what the cues are. We watched and kept asking questions about how and why and what, so Eric kept riding, showing and explaining.

While he was talking, I was trying to listen and take mental notes since it was too windy for the tape to pick up well, but here's a quick look.

Amyra's not a passive, easy horse. She's very prima donna, and always has been. Wearing a saddle hasn't changed that in the slightest. Watching her ridden it was immediately apparent that she's going to be one that tests and doesn't just go along quietly. When she resists and doesn't get what she wants she has temper tantrums. If that approach doesn't work, she'll refocus and cooperate. Until the next time... With Eric she doesn't get away with it, and he's quick to give her the opportunity to get unflustered and back on track. I KNOW I'm not that sensitive, that quick, or let's face it that good.

As we watched and learned I commented to T that I would feel a lot better if she stayed at Eric's for another month. If he can keep riding her, she'll keep progressing and maybe I could take some lessons on one of Eric's reiners so that I have some clue what I'm doing and I don't royally screw her up.

When presented with our thoughts, Eric concurred - of course, it's good business for him, but I think it's what's best for Amyra, too.

Rather than T riding Amyra, Eric asked if he would be open to riding one of Eric's finished reining horses and getting the feel of what he should expect. T's never, ever had an actual riding lesson. His experience has been of the, "here's your horse - don't fall off," variety - he's learned from watching, asking questions, figuring Rufus out, and by taking in whatever information I could explain coherently.

But this is a man who will actually stop and ask directions - one of the many things I love about him and that trait translates to other arenas as well, thank goodness. I watched and shivered as it got cooler while Eric coached T through the correct way to cue for a lead, a simple, slow spin, and finally a flying lead change. The irritating part of all this? T's position is better than mine, and he retains and applies what Eric tells him better. Of course, since he doesn't have all of my years of doing-it-wrong muscle memory, I guess I can forgive him, lol!

T made me promise not to post pictures, unfortunately.

So stay tuned, I guess I'll be learning to ride a reiner.

Lesson Day: Making progress...

2011-10-14T07:49:00.000-05:00

We had more moments like this last night.

But we still had more than a few like this.

Still...

Both of us are improving. I'm finally figuring out which part of my butt I actually need to be sitting on, and I can actually feel Sunny round and give me his face when I get my chin up and my back straight.

T filmed us. I forgot to remind him to keep the segments short, so I have a bunch of four and five minute videos. Too long to post, so relax, you're all safe, lol.

But even here you can see how heavy Sunny is in front. Still his walk is better than it was, and he's getting a (tiny) bit less sprawly at the trot. As my position gets improves, it'll get easier for him to maintain some sort of frame - amazing how that works!

Cantering, except for transitions, is all about me right now - Eric had me holding the reins in one hand and making a windmill of the other arm. It's amazing how much that improved things, terrifying as it was to do he first time!

Eric also showed me a very simple reining exercise that involves bending into a reverse and then bending back out to help get Sunny lighter on the forehand.

By the end of the lesson it felt like things were clicking - and Sunny actually earned himself a, "You know, when he's collected and working, he's actually kind of cute," from Eric. High praise? Not yet, but we'll get there!

A.M. Check

2011-10-12T11:18:00.000-05:00

Re-connecting

We went out early this morning to check on everything at the farm. It will definitely be a few days before we turn the three of them in together. Amyra is solidly in heat - she's feeling flirty and the boys are hanging close, but no one's squealing when she's on the other side of the fence. No sense adding hormones to the equation, though.

The pasture Amyra's in is fairly well grazed down, which is okay since she's been dry lotted or in a stall this summer. We left her with hay and fresh water, and we'll probably stop by again later this evening.

She's pretty - interesting, that is...

We each have another lesson set up with Eric for tomorrow evening - separate, rather than simultaneous, so I'm should actually be able to take pictures this time.

Lesson night & Amyra comes home

2011-10-12T08:26:00.000-05:00

After much debate on the best, safest way to reintroduce the four-foots to one another, we closed off one pasture, leaving the boys with access to two and the lot. Amyra will have her own space for a few days.

And thankfully, we were smart enough to do this before we left, because it was dark when we got home.

I had a lesson scheduled, and T would work with Amyra in the other end of the arena while I rode. Thunder would stand and guard the trailer - far better than leaving him home to run the fences!

We pulled in to Eric's place early - which was fine with me, as Sunny was still sporting some mud from the other day's rain. I'd have plenty of time to get him cleaned up, let Thunder scope out his new surroundings, and maybe even catch a bit of the lesson before mine. But by the time I had Sunny saddled, the arena was empty. T and Eric were in the barn getting Amyra ready, so I even got to warm up. Not that it helped much.

I ache this morning. Even though I've been riding a lot more regularly this summer, it's a whole different ball of wax having someone calling out corrections for all your sloppy habits! On the plus side, Sunny's doing far better than last year. He's starting to collect and round his back for short periods - especially when I manage to stop flailing around and lock my elbows and release with my fingers and breathe and stop being stiff in my back and keep my shoulders back and roll my hips down and lift through my rib cage and.... you get the picture.

When we finally got to the canter portion of the lesson, left lead was fairly pretty for a change - yes, he actually picked up the left lead. And maintained it. The right was not nearly so nice, which surprised me. He'd pick it up, take about five strides, and collapse into a trot. We worked on it until I could keep him there and transition him down intentionally, but it was still pretty yucky.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the arena...

T and Amyra are still sorting one another out. She's extremely light and quick. VERY responsive, and still green enough to get flustered easily. Eric was keeping an eye on the two of them, and would occasionally call out a suggestion. While Sunny was getting a stretching break, he traded places with T and showed us both what he's been working on with her, explaining cues and what he expects from each, and what to do if she doesn't respond to the cue. He'd showed T the other night, but he wanted me to see as well. Then he had T get back on and go through the same series of exercises. T got the same litany of reminders I did, and annoyingly enough, remembered and put them into practice better - GRRRR!

Then it was my turn again. Since Sunny's stepping under behind more consistently, we worked on getting him to lift his shoulders and lighten in front. Which also involves me remembering to sit deep into my pockets and not lean forward. Engage the walk, get a nice round transition to sitting trot and maintain on a half-arena circle, and round transition down to a walk, lather, rinse, repeat... While I worked on that, he switched his attention back to T and Amyra, calling out reminders to me from time to time.

It was about two hours of work, spotted with stretching breaks for the horses while Eric explained what he was looking for and what he was seeing. It didn't take long before T and Amyra were starting to function more as a team rather than two opposing forces. The riding Sunny's been getting showed, too - even though he was working, he wasn't all that sweaty when we finished up. Amyra, on the other hand, was soaked, but I think some of that was her initial anxiety over the different rider.

Thunder spent the time relatively patiently by the trailer. Eric thought he'd make an impressive hunter if he lived up to how he's put together. -Poor Sunny - wonder what he's actually built for! LOL!

Even in the dark, all three horses were happy to load up. At the farm we turned Amyra out, and then walked the boys up to the main gate to put them in. They had a long drink and then moseyed on out - all three of them were grazing quietly when we left.. No snorting, squealing or fussing across the fence, which was a lovely bonus of two of them being tuckered out already.

Walk-About Weekend

2011-10-09T21:23:00.000-05:00

In which one of my nightmares comes true: the boys take an unscheduled excursion...

Last week the lady that owns the farm had asked if I'd be interested in driving down to Kansas City with her for the weekend. She had a family event to attend, her husband had to work, and with I-29 still closed, a 6+ hour drive becomes 9+ hours. She didn't want to make the trip by herself, and it's been a while since the two of us have had an opportunity for a road trip. Since T was also headed out of town (Manhattan for a K-State football game), I said sure, why not?

So there we were, smack in the middle of a 2 hour detour down IA-59 when her phone rang. It was her neighbor (the one about a half mile away), "Are you missing something? Your horses are in my yard. Want to come get them?" WHAT!?!?!

The neighbor'd just gotten home. It was pouring rain, blowing to beat the band, and she couldn't catch them. Her husband wasn't home.

Since I was sitting in the car, the farm owner's husband was at work and unable to leave (and doesn't do horses), and T was with J on the way to Kansas we spent a few hurried minutes comparing names and phone numbers of people we could call who a) might be available and close enough to help, and b) that we had in our phones.

It was an absolutely awful 10 minutes.

We were 4 hours away. Nothing we could do except send what help we could round up in her direction. And wait.

Thankfully she called back fairly shortly
to report that she'd finally managed to corral them safely.

Since we didn't know where or how or when they'd gotten out, and the farm owner's husband wasn't going to be home until well after dark, we asked if, if it wasn't too much trouble, the boys could possibly stay until Sunday afternoon when we'd be home to check fences. Other than being freaked out and blowing, she said they appeared to be fine - no marks on them. T and D have horses, too (it was the trainer's place they ended up at, thank goodness) so when she said they were okay, that was huge relief number two. And she said it would be fine - bless her - if the boys stayed in their round pen until I could collect them Sunday afternoon.

My other thank you sent heavenward was that we'd decided NOT to pick up Amyra late in the week. Since we were going to be out of town, I didn't want to risk it, so at least SHE wasn't in the mix, too.

So, we got home about 5:30 today, I changed, threw a saddle & bridle and two halters in the car because T (my T) was driving and the truck was still in Kansas, so I couldn't just pop them in the trailer, and headed for the trainers'. No one was home, but the boys started whinnying as soon as I stepped out of the car. They followed me along the round pen to the gate, and practically shoved their heads into their halters.

I checked them over pretty thoroughly, and other than being muddy here and there and sporting a cockleburr or two, they really weren't any worse for wear that I could tell. Saddled and pointed toward home, we covered the distance in short order at a steady working trot. The farm owner was waiting for me, and we penned them in the top lot until we'd had a chance to walk the fence - her husband swears up and down he didn't leave the gate open, and we couldn't find anything down or loose.

BUT, during the weather Friday the power was off for a while. And even though they never have, I suppose they could conceivably have jumped the (four strand, chest high) electric portion of the fence if they were spooked enough. G had had a round bale feeder tipped up on end in one of the pastures, and it was blown all the way across and tipped into another interior fence - if it suddenly started rolling in their direction, maybe it scared them?

They were happy to be home, had a good drink at the waterer and then tucked their butts to the grain bin as it started to pour again. They might not have been phased by their outing, but I think I lost a few years!

We left a nice thank you card and gift for T and D for coming to the rescue, and I'll stop by tomorrow and thank them in person.

Other than those few heart-stopping minutes in the car, it was a fun trip and I'd gladly do it again. But maybe I'll nail the boys' feet to the ground before I do!

It was a complete fluke that everyone who would ordinarily have been first on the list in case of a horse emergency was simultaneously out of town, but I suppose not completely unlikely. So what about you - how deep is the list of people you have to call in an emergency? Do you have a list? Is it in your phone?

I'm so jealous!

2011-10-04T21:54:00.000-05:00

T's having all the fun this week. I get to spend three days in meetings on the opposite side of the state, and he's moving cows AND he gets to ride Amyra first. Grrrr!

Yes, we're finally getting our horse back. Or rather, T's finally getting his horse back. You might remember several months back - in April - Amyra went off to the trainer for what was supposed to be 30 days. And life happened....

The trainer's schedule filled up with shows, clients that show and/or want their horses shown and are therefore slightly higher priority for him - no hard feelings though. I can completely understand his need to do what's long-term beneficial for his business. And we're not guiltless in her extended stay, either. In between times we had several completely unexpected changes at home, and although we've dropped in to check on Amyra throughout the summer, schedules just completely haven't meshed. Long story short, she's ended up staying with the trainer a lot longer than either party planned on. There were pluses and minuses to that.

But T is going over tomorrow to ride her, and he'll have a couple more times to do so with the trainer before we pick her up on Friday. Pictures soon, promise!

Shhh! Don't tell Mother Nature -

2011-10-02T21:41:00.000-05:00

Can't believe we're still enjoying temps in the 80's and summer-like sunshine. Crazy! Although we could really use some rain.

When the phone rang this morning with an invitation to join some friends on their year-end 4-H trail ride, I couldn't resist, even though I couldn't talk T out of watching football and into riding with me.

The ride always starts at Sunny's trainer's place just down the road 1/2 a mile or so from the farm, making it easy to just ride down and meet up with them. I took the trailer out anyway, since it was already hooked up. Didn't want to forget anything critical this time!

The actual ride goes back past the farm and winds around a section split into four quarters where the north/south/east/west mile roads cross. The ground is all owned by the pheasant hunting lodge that borders the farm to the south. It's a beautiful location to ride, especially in the fall before hunting season starts, because they mow nice wide strips that are perfect for riding - the holes are easy to spot - and you can also spread out into the long grass if you want to. The terrain rolls gently and the fields are varied: corn fields, shelter belts, grassy strips, marshy sections with cat tails... there's even a creek/stream bed to cross.

The ride was supposed to start at 1 PM, so at about ten minutes til I was trotting down the driveway with Thunder in tow. I ended up waiting fifteen minutes or so for the last riders to get mounted. Not a big deal, though - standing and waiting patiently is good for patience-building.

There were probably 25 of us riding, ranging in age from around 5 to 80+. The majority of the mounts were Quarter Horses. A couple of paints and a lone Appaloosa rounded out the group, with Sunny and Thunder being the only Arabs.

On the road the group spread out, and Sunny and Thunder walked along politely with no issues, but once we turned off things tightened up. Sunny isn't at his best in crowds, especially when all the horses are strange. And the crunchy leaves we were riding through made the other horses sound a lot closer behind us than they actually were. I maneuvered my way to a spot on the edge of the front-most clump of riders, and let Thunder serve as a buffer. With a clear escape route in front and to the right of him, Sunny settled down and quit jigging.

Thunder, bless his heart, just walked along taking everything in. All those rides with J and C have really been good for him.

After things finally spread back out

We rode for three hours, mostly at a walk. It didn't take long before I remembered why I spent a fair amount of time getting off and walking when I used to do this sort of ride more frequently - too much time in the same position at a walk, and my right foot goes to sleep. Poor Thunder - I kept stretching my leg out in front of his nose. But with two of them to juggle, I wasn't getting off to walk!

The next exciting moment came at the streambed crossing. No water, but the bottom was still a bit muddy. Only ankle deep or so, but there were a few horses that weren't enthused about crossing, so of course things packed back up again. Sunny was doing better with the crowding by this point, and both horses cocked hips and waited.

I wanted to cross where the sides were fairly low, since I didn't want Thunder jumping. Once the refuser in front of us was finally convinced he wasn't going to die if he got his feet muddy, I pointed Sunny at the bank and gave him his head. D (the one who started Sunny years back) was doing trailmaster duty on the other side. Sunny decided he didn't like the look, or the squish of his first step. He didn't suck back or jump, but we did get to the other side a LOT faster than I'd planned. Thankfully, Thunder came right along, and UP! the bank we went.

D's comment as I patted Sunny's neck, "Well he should go across that - he must have crossed it a few hundred times before!" The two of them logged a lot of miles at the pheasant ranch that summer. And Sunny and I will be back there again practicing in that streambed until he can WALK across, but as crossings go, it wasn't the worst we could have done.

D spent most of the ride shuttling back and forth between the front group where his daughter and her friends were leading us, and the later-most group where his wife was riding. It gave him a chance to visit with everyone - many of us were riding horses he's started or "adjusted" with 30 days riding. He commented on how quiet Sunny is getting to be, and also how calmly Thunder was handling everything.

Riding a combined strip through corn
destined for the Corn Palace murals

I'm still hoping Thunder's owner will finally have him started properly, and if D would be willing to take him... well, let's just say I have my fingers crossed.

Strung out on the trail

We finally wound our way back to the gravel, and back past the farm to the D's place. I hadn't brought a halter for Sunny, so after thank yous and see you soons it was back down the road through the stragglers towards home. With all the other horses headed in the other direction, Sunny was convinced we were going the wrong way. He dragged his feet until we finally passed the last of the riders, then perked up once he finally realized where we were headed.

Tired ponies

Thunder hasn't learned Sunny's trick of resting his head on his leadrope to sleep yet, but his nose was propped on the trailer.


This is why I ALWAYS check their hooves

Seven completely clean feet, and one big rock. In Sunny's off hind wedged in next to the frog. Feet clean, saddle marks brushed off, fly-spray re-applied, the boys were very happy to hit the waterer and mosey down to their tree to nap in the sun. And I was equally happy to park my behind in the truck and turn the AC on for the trip back to town.

Hope everyone had an equally wonderful weekend, pony-infused or not.

You see the oddest things at Wal-Mart...

2011-10-01T17:02:00.000-05:00

Yep, that's a duck. In Wal-mart.

Wearing a duck diaper, no less


Candy the Duck

She has her own FaceBook page, if you feel like looking her up.

We rode for about 2 1/2 hours this afternoon. J wanted to check the fence in his big alfalfa field before he turned the cows out, and then we made a 6 mile loop out and around. It was windy as all get-out, and Rufus was an absolute squirrel. He made one big lunge while T was holding Buddy (J was off fixing a low spot in the fence) that popped Buddy's reins loose. Buddy, of course, promptly decided that heading back home was the wisest course of action. But the gate was closed, so he couldn't actually get where he wanted to go, so then he decided keep-away would be fun. The three of them made a few trips back and forth before Buddy let himself be recaptured.

Between Sunny and Thunder my hands were already full, so I declined to participate in Buddy's game of chase-me. Actually, I was surprised at how well Sunny and Thunder ignored the other pair's ducking and dodging around, especially when the rest of J's horses came thundering down the other side of the fence to see what all the fuss was about.

Even once we were out on the road T and Rufus were really not having a good day. After about three miles of fussing and sashaying, combined with more tripping over his own feet, T decided that rather than risk the uncertain footing down the dead mile with Rufus being such a pill, he was going to head back. We offered to turn around, too, but he was pretty adamant we keep going, so....

J and I continued on around without any more excitement. He was riding in some longer grass, since Sunny and Thunder were occupying the track, and he almost rode right over the top of these.

Some sort of gentian?

I looked them up in the wildflower book, but since I didn't actually pick any... Anybody recognize them?

T called just as we were reaching the end of the dead mile, wondering where we were at. Riding sans companions for a while gave Rufus something to focus on besides being silly, and T ended up meeting us at the top end of the dead mile. Which made me feel a LOT better.

I got dust in my eyes and had to pause and cry into my sleeves until I could see where I was going again. The guys were already a bit ahead anyway, as we'd also stopped to inspect some potentially Arab-eating fluffy clumps of weeds and a squeaking, flopping mailbox flap.

No problems with being left. They didn't bat an eye at the very dead, extremely smelly coyote we passed, either. Sunny and Thunder were happy to wait while T and J continued on. All that leapfrogging we've been doing with some of us loping ahead , some hanging back, catching up and passing, etc. is really paying off. Even when the other horses were clear out of sight neither of them fussed, just continued on at an easy working walk.

Back at the trailer they both got a couple handfuls of grain for being such good boys.

"Better take along some glue..."

2011-09-30T20:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't ridden English all summer, but now that fall has arrived, my calendar has opened up, and show season is over - which means the trainer's calendar has cleared some, as well. I'll be starting lessons again soon, so I've been meaning to put on some riding time in breeches. Ordinarily I'd just switch to English tack half the time on the trail, but with Thunder along.... I feel a bit safer ponying him from the security of a western saddle where I can dally if I need to.

Anyway, I decided tonight was going to be and English night. T and J were packing up shotguns to go dove hunting, and I didn't want to waste such a beautiful evening on housecleaning. I'd originally intended to just hook up the trailer, since everything I needed was in it, but J blocked the hitch when he pulled in, and I hated to make him go back and move it - it wasn't that much trouble to transfer my saddle, Sunny's bridle and a couple of brushes to the truck, after all.

"Better take some glue along!" was J's comment, seeing me in breeches. Ha, ha... Funny!

Little did he or I know exactly how prophetic that comment was going to turn out to be.

I collected the boys, set them to guarding posts, and commenced brushing. Sunny untied himself as soon as I bent over to brush Thunder's belly. I retrieved him and retied him, regretting the fact that I'd neglected to bring along the Tabasco sauce for his leadrope. And realized I'd forgotten the fly spray in the truck. Went back after it, and returned to find Sunny wandering off again.

Wound his lead around the post without knotting it - sometimes that fools him for a while - got them both fly sprayed and feet cleaned out. Then back to the truck for the saddle and bridle. Hauled it all down to where the horses were (still!) tied. And discovered that I'd forgotten one very critical piece of gear... the girth. Ooops... Guess I should have brought along that glue - LOL!

I swear by this point Sunny was laughing at me.

I did remember the bridle, though, so on it went, and I wriggled my way on. Thank goodness for short horses! But as I've learned the hard way in the past that breeches are much slipperier than jeans, the circle loping I'd planned was right out. For the first 15 or so minutes I concentrated on getting a good working walk, being very deliberate about corners. I pretended the tall weeds were cones to circle and weave through, and focused on looking ahead and hitting the marks I'd set. When he was responding nicely at a walk I picked up a jog-trot and did some big to little to big circles. Then it was back to the walk and some counter-bend reverses to both sides. Going clockwise round into a counter-bend to the left and reverse to counter-clockwise is coming along prettily. He's really starting to step under and yield his shoulder - at least from on top it feels good.

Counter-clockwise circle into a counter-bend to the right, reverse to clockwise circle needs work. So we did. He's stepping over, he's just not flexing /bending/yielding through the neck, shoulder and back. Hmmm....Possibly related to his lack of interest in picking up the left lead? I think it will be easier to reinforce the bend with a saddle, where I can really open my left leg and use my right side more effectively.

All told, about 45 minutes of work. Not nearly as long as we've been riding, but more intentional than just pointing him down the road, especially without Thunder attached. Next time though? I'll be sure to double-check for ALL the necessary bits and pieces!

When leaves attack

2011-09-29T11:50:00.001-05:00

Clean!

It wasn't the only thing I accomplished yesterday, but it was the one thing I was happiest to have done. T got the garden tilled for fall and I hosed off the trailer mats and rinsed the walls down. I stick a couple of buckets under the low edge at the back to catch the run-off, and pour it on the flowerbeds - I figure it's good fertilizer, and better than letting all that water just run down the street.

92' here yesterday. And no breeze to speak of. The cold water felt fantastic, although I needed a real shower by the time I got done.It's not pristine, but it's clean enough for now. I'll do a more thorough job when winter's a bit closer.

T had stuff he wanted to finish up, but J and I rode. It was too late to monkey with Sunny and Thunder by the time we got started, so since T wasn't going, I just rode Rufus. Rufus needs a trim and set - we rode the dead mile, and his shoes are worn enough that he was finding the grassy footing a lot slicker than either of us liked.

Had to laugh at him, though - he didn't like the long weeds catching at his tail much, and at one point he tucked his butt way under and sort of scooted forward like something was after him. I thought he'd picked up a dead stick or rattly weed, but when I turned to check it was only a fist-sized dead leaf sitting on his hind end. So silly. Good thing we weren't riding today - the way the wind is blowing he'd be inundated with leafy attackers.

Rufus is fun to ride occasionally, but I wouldn't trade Sunny for him on a regular basis. He isn't as careful about where he puts his feet for one thing, and he's not as sure-footed, either. Old shoes don't help of course, but even when he's newly shod he doesn't pay as much attention to where his feet are going, and when he gets distracted, he trips over things.

On the plus side, though, Rufus has lovely walk-lope and trot/lope transitions, and riding him more is helping me figure out where I'm going wrong with Sunny. Sunny prefers the right lead, and will pick it up nine times out of ten no matter what I think I'm asking for. And I'm figuring out that's not all his fault.

See, if I cue properly, Rufus will take the correct lead - i.e. the one I've asked for - every time. But the more I ride him, the more I'm realizing I have a tendency to muddle my left lead cues. When I get it wrong with Rufus he crossfires, scrambles into a sprawled out trot, or does his letter U imitation to the left. He's trying to do whatever it is he thinks I'm wanting him to do, which in his mind, isn't lope. So... if I practice on Rufus until I can get him to step into the left lead as automatically and sweetly as he does the right, then I'll know I'm at least being as consistent with Sunny. And that, combined with lots of left-lead circles will hopefully be a step in the right - or left - direction.

We covered about 6 miles. It was still warm enough when we left that the horses got a bit sweaty the first couple of miles, but even though we kept them at a pretty steady jog most of the way, it had cooled off enough that they were dry by the time we got home. Finishing a good ride on a beautiful fall day just fading into a spectacular sunset has to be one of the very best things ever.

On the road again

2011-09-27T20:05:00.000-05:00

BIG rusty nail - not in a good spot, either

The guys at Graham Tire patched it for us, but had us bring the spare in and swapped out the tires/rims. They said it would be okay for a spare, but not for regular use since the puncture was so close to the sidewall. Sigh...

He makes it look so easy

In the time it took me to haul the spare out of the back of the truck, roll it around, hoist it up onto the holder and re-secure it, he had the tire back on.

The boys contribution was standing at the fence whinnying at us. Apparently they thought the trailer was getting more than its fair share of attention. Sorry boys, no ride tonight - maybe tomorrow.

Dead Mile Ride

2011-09-26T14:11:00.000-05:00

We logged 10 miles last night - C was home from college for the SDBRA finals this weekend. She ran decent times in 1D and 3D and brought home a new headstall for running two identical times with Lightbulb. 15.621 - down to the thousandth of a second - what are the odds on that, I wonder?

Anyway, we rode most of the usual loop, but added on what's known as a "dead" mile - basically, it's where a mile road should be, but isn't. The state owns the right-of-way, but there's no actual road. It's fenced on both sides, but what's in between is generally just a track, at best. It was only one mile out of the ten, but a lot of fun, nevertheless.

I ponied Thunder again, so I didn't have a hand free to take pictures - too bad, because it was gorgeous. The leaves are starting to change, but there are still butterflies flitting around. We navigated a couple of downed trees and a couple of washes, tall grass and low hanging branches. Uneven footing galore. Can I just say for the record how much I love riding a sure-footed horse!

Thunder only hesitated once, at the first low limb - not low enough to hang up in, just low enough that I needed to lean down to get under it. The downed trees I just tossed the lead back over the saddle and let him follow Sunny through single file. Sunny minds his feet and picks his way through carefully, and Thunder stepped along behind him pretty as you please.

T took him for a bit after we got to the gravel so that I could lope ahead.

Love those ears!

He really needs a rider

Stopping to check out some scary equipment - rubber teeth, who knew!

I wanted to get some nice group pictures, since C won't be back home again until Thanksgiving, and T will be gone soon, too - but every time I pointed the camera at anyone head on, they ducked and I ended up with blur. Grrr!

Backsides - no faces :(

J took a turn with Thunder, as well. He's such a died in the wool QH man, but I think he's coming around.

It was a beautiful evening - we even encountered a couple out for a romantic sunset ride on a pair of well-matched palaminos. They were holding hands - the people, not the horses - it was really cute.

We got back to J's just as it was getting dark, unsaddled, brushed the horses down, picked out feet and loaded up with a minimum of fuss. I love having lights in the trailer! The only fly in the ointment? Arriving back at the farm and stepping out of the truck to a loud hissing noise... an old rusty fencing staple in one of the trailer tires. Phooey!

Luckily T had met me out at J's with his truck and followed me back over to help unload, so we could leave the whole works there for the night. Much easier to change it in the daylight!

Catting around

2011-09-24T08:59:00.000-05:00

Hung out at J's for a while last night. The boys made new friends.

Hey! Keep your nose to yourself, buddy.

Eeeuw! Horse cooties!

I'm just going to ignore you now.


It's touching me.... Remove it, please.

T worked on the trailer lights/brakes issue - the wiring harness on the truck needed a new connector clip thingy and a bit of soldering. I made myself "useful" by supervising which I'm sure he appreciated - LOL The test run was a success, so hopefully they'll be good to go now.

I've been walking pastures looking for something that Thunder could have done this on.

He has some scratches and some hide missing on his knees and over one eye, as well, but it's all surface. No blood, and nothing's puffy or sore. It looks like he tangled in some wire, but I haven't been able to find anything so far. (They're turned out in a different field until I figure out what he managed to wind himself up in.)

It's an ongoing project. The horses, cows and sheep rotate between pastures. The sheep eat the weeds the horses and cows won't touch, which is great. But they're hard on the fencing, and the cows - especially the calves - are worse. The horses aren't too bad, but if the electric is off for some reason, Sunny and Thunder will both fence crawl because the grass is always greener... So once I finish where they were supposed to be, I'll tackle where they weren't supposed to be. Sigh...

Let there be lights... please!

2011-09-21T22:53:00.000-05:00

If all had gone as planned, this would be a picture of us leading two horses back after a nice long ride. Instead, it's a picture of us walking them back after they loaded up for a brief four mile ride in the trailer.

Something's up with the truck wiring, and we could either have trailer lights or trailer brakes. Not both. Grrr... We've had a problem on and off with a clip, but this time the usual fix didn't. I think welding may be in order.

We were supposed to meet J to ride, and we were already late because I forgot a couple of things and then we had to stop for fuel. And the days are getting shorter. We could have continued the couple miles over on back roads and worked on it there. But as I saw it, our options after getting there were either a) waste riding daylight trying to get everything working, b) ride, and trust that we'd get back with enough daylight left to get home safely, c) try to fix it in the dark after riding, or d) just drop the horses back off and take the trailer back to town. I wasn't going to risk hauling the horses in the dark in a trailer with no lights. And no trailer brakes didn't seem like a fantasticly safe option, either.

After some "discussion" we decided to go back to the farm and unload Sunny and Thunder - no complaints from them - and then head to J's. T could still ride Rufus, and I'd take the empty trailer back to town. Best laid plans. T and I ended up swapping roles, so I got to ride Rufus for 6 miles, and he got to put dinner in the over :)

Rufus is getting fat (more riding needed!) but he packs on the pounds differently than Sunny. Where Sunny, round, feels a lot like saddling a 55 gallon drum, Rufus fat feels like riding the pointy end of a hard-boiled egg. We jog-trotted and loped most of the way, and I couldn't keep my calves wrapped around him. Not a comfortable feeling at all. Although I did manage one of the smoothest walk/lope right lead transitions I've had with him. Unfortunately, left was not nearly so pretty. But I'm starting to think this whole issue with getting the left lead is something I'm doing. Something else to work on.

It was dark by the time we got back. But an absolutely gorgeous night for a ride. I LOVE fall! Just can't say that enough.

~ T says still no joy with the lights, but we'll pull things apart and see what we can see in the morning.

Looking back...

2011-09-19T17:49:00.002-05:00

Going through old pictures on my computer....

I was maybe 5 or 6?
Time sure flies - it doesn't seem that long ago that picture was taken...

I think Shan and I had the same haircut!

Aside from the bangs and the weird pigtails,
it got me thinking how quickly things change...

Three years ago in September we didn't have Rufus
(far right)

Two years ago this month there were eight horses at the farm...

Last year in September there were 5...

Star and Solitaire should be driving handily as a team by now.

Now there are two. (Although Amyra will be back.)

Can't help but wonder what the next year will bring.

Of course there's no way to tell.

But one thing I am pretty sure of - the pony-esque bangs?

Not happening again! LOL

Sheep eat horses, don't they?

2011-09-15T09:33:00.000-05:00

The other night - before it turned cold and fall-like and gorgeous - the three of us were out for a ride. It was one of those hot, semi-muggy, still nights where the dust just hangs in the air. Everything was very peaceful, and we were all enjoying just moseying along watching the sun sink.

We were riding our usual 8-mile loop around the country roads, covering familiar ground. About 5 miles along on one of the corners there's a house set just back off the road on a little tree-covered hill encircled by pasture. They've had in the past the occasional small herd of cattle and a random horse or two turned out, but this year the grass has been knee-deep and undisturbed but for the occasional pheasant when we've passed.

On this particular occasion, however, there was a whole flock of knee-high fluffy white things roaming around out there, the setting sun giving their fleeces a gold-toned rosy glow.

Snort!

Buddy had spotted something - but what!? Hooves skidded to a gravel-rattling stop. Suddenly T and J were both mounted on very tall, very alert horses. Sunny and Thunder applied brakes, as well, looking around for whatever was bothering the other two.

At the sound of gravel scattering, sheep heads popped up. Baa-aaa - inquisitive sheep noises ensued and the flock advanced bouncily to about 50' away, round white bodies hopping and rustling through the long grass. Buddy and Rufus were not enthused. They danced. T and J insisted they remain to face the onslaught. Sunny and Thunder divided their attention between watching to make sure the other two horses weren't going to sidle into them and surveying the pasture for the "scary" thing.

The sheep paused.

Baaa-aaaa I couldn't resist - I baaed back at them. And apparently communicated the equivalent of, "Come and get it!" A tidal wave of sheep headed our way as fast as they could come....

T and J had their hands full with snorting, spinning horses convinced they were going to get eaten. Sunny and Thunder were looking around still trying to figure out what had the other two horses so concerned (they live with sheep, so after the initial surprise of seeing something move in a routinely empty pasture, weren't worried about anything that went baaaa). And me? I was trying not to fall off I was laughing so hard. Sigh...

The sheep were brave enough to get within about 25' of the fence before I moved Sunny toward them and they fled leaping and still baaing in the other direction around the tree grove and out of sight.

I do love my "spooky" boys - LOL!

Shoe shopping...

2011-09-14T15:51:00.000-05:00

Sunny and I have logged over 32 miles of gravel road this week. Calendar-wise, he should be about due for a trim, but....

I think he's already plenty short, if a bit ragged around the edges.

Except for the few months he was with the trainer as a three-year-old (and covering several miles of gravel road every day, with all the resulting hoof-wear), he's never needed shoes. Good feet, and he wears them pretty evenly all the way around.

Front right

Right hind

Unlike Rufus, who we've pretty much determined needs shoes to be comfortable on anything other than pasture, Sunny doesn't get sore-footed on gravel. But he is getting pretty short in the toes. Rufus will get his shoes pulled while T's gone unless I decide to ride him a lot - but I'm contemplating having shoes put on Sunny. I think it's that or invest in some barefoot boots for him, but there are so many varieties out there... Anyone have any experience with those?

Horse Cookies, Rocks, and the Boys Get a Night Off

2011-09-14T07:24:00.001-05:00

Anyone ever made your own horse treats? I have a recipe for homemade ones somewhere that was fairly well received. But apparently they come in mixes, as well - a few months back a friend found and presented me with this attractive package from Ann Clark, LTD.

Since it finally cooled off I went on a baking spree - and after poppyseed cake (b-day), banana bread (thank you) and cookies (care packages for C and one of T's service guys), I decided to tackle these.

Now I can bake pretty much anything from a recipe most of the time, but I'm generally leery of box mixes. Don't ask me why, but they never seem to turn out quite right. Still, adding applesauce, a tablespoon of oil, and some water sounded fairly hard to screw up. Bake at 300' for an hour and cool in the oven...

They were certainly pretty all cut out. And the batter smelled yummily of molasses. Good enough to eat, in fact.... Of course I had to try who can resist raw cookie dough! Not me, especially when it smells that good - LOL

No leavening, so they didn't puff up. And next morning when I opened the oven they were nice and crunchy.

I tried them out on the boys last night - broken into smaller pieces - the verdict? Sunny likes them, Thunder was not as enthusiastic.

We collected more rocks yesterday - J's pasture this time. The horses were quite baffled - rocks aren't edible...

T found this along the fenceline - which wasn't nearly as exciting as the nest of baby garter snakes we encountered unearthing the previous load. They were really cute - only about 8 inches long.

This is what we've been working on - rocking in three sides of the house. Only about one more load to go - FINALLY!

100% Mabel approved

I finished the day up with some pony beatification ~ oh, good grief - that should be "beautificaion" (they're certainly not saints, either of them! ~ time - it's been a couple of weeks since the boys saw the trailer without being loaded into it. Last night they both got a thorough grooming and lots of scritching, then I turned them back out. Couldn't have asked for a nicer day!

Ahhh!! Now that's the spot!

2011-09-14T05:00:00.002-05:00