The South Dakota Horse Fair is in Sioux Falls Friday through Sunday this week. Eric's headed over, which meant lessons got juggled. My lesson ended up on Wednesday rather than Thursday.
The weather's holding beautifully, and since I'd have my lesson on Buddy I figured I'd get Sunny in prior to. It's good to have goals.
Horse 1: Sunny was in the mood to be a pill today, but I persevered. It took him half the time I had to ride to finally settle, but once he decided I wasn't going to put up with nonsense he gave up and behaved. Unfortunately, I spent longer on him than I'd planned, which left me with no time to work with Thunder before I had to pack up and head for my lesson, so he ended up a lick and a promise brushing and tomorrow I'll start with him. Sunny can go second. And hopefully he'll have his mind on business.
Horse 2: Eric had the farrier there when I got to his place. Luckily Buddy got shoes two weeks ago, so he was good to go - but there was a steady stream of horses in and out of the cross-ties, and it did make for an interesting time in the aisleway. What with one thing and another, Eric was running behind on his horses, so he was just heading out to the arena with Pride when I arrived. He asked me if I wanted to long-trot Pete for him again after my lesson. So not a problem! I collected Buddy, brushed him off and tacked him up and headed out to meet Eric coming back in to answer a question for the farrier. He wanted to warm Buddy up, so we hung out and enjoyed the spring sun while we waited.
Horse 3: When Eric reappeared from the barn he still had Pride in tow. He's gearing the stallion up for open reining this season. He had me hop on and walk him around while he started Buddy off. It wasn't a long ride, but it was fun to see where I could steer him with just my legs. I did my best to keep Pride's nose pointed in Buddy's direction so that I could watch what Eric was doing. Buddy appeared to have taken the same caffeine pill as Sunny, because he didn't want to settle and behave, either. But after a few high-stepping, snorty rounds, he decided cooperating was less work, and Eric and I traded.
Horse 2: Back on Buddy, we started off at a walk, working on collecting and keeping a cadenced walk without dashing off in all directions. Forward momentum is so NOT going to be a problem. Eric worked Pride and called directions at me - mostly reminders to pulse my inside heel and remember to release as soon as Buddy rounded and stretched into the bit. We were getting along quite nicely when Eric headed in to swap horses. I offered Buddy a break to stretch, then did some more collected walk.
When Eric came back he had me step up into the trot... Buddy rounded up for me, but it felt odd in back. He was off on his left rear. We changed directions and tried circling right, and he was still off.... He hadn't looked sore with Eric on him, and we hadn't done anything but walk.... But his trot was noticeably funky feeling, so, that was it for him for the day. Back in the barn I checked hooves and legs, and didn't find rocks or anything warm or swollen. Eric'll check him and give him a day or so off if he needs it.
Horse 4: Since Pete and I would be long-trotting, Eric said I'd be fine to use my saddle on Pete and I could work on my two-point. Whimper. We warmed up with some bending and spiral in/out, then settled into a nice loose-rein trot on the rail.
Eric headed in to swap horses again. Pete and I chugged along. Although he rolls his eyes so that the white shows and looks sort of big-eyed on the ground, once you're on top Pete feels nice and solid and not spooky at all. Even with the dog charging hither and yon and the wind rattling and flapping things, Pete was unfazed and I was comfortable with my relaxed reins. He did one bounce-and-dive spook at something only he could see midway through our ride, but since he didn't add a bolt to the end of it, I just went with him and sent him back to the rail again.
Pete has a really looooong neck, but very little throatlatch. His head is just sort of stuck there, which gives him a kind of different look, to say the least. My goal was just to keep him moving along evenly in a semi-round frame. I wasn't asking for any kind of collection, but I did want him driving from behind and moving around the corners without dropping his inside shoulder, so I kept just enough contact that I could supplement inside leg with a little "rein"-forcement if I needed it.
While he bobbed along, I alternated two-point and working trot, doing my best to catch my diagonals, interspersing walk-breaks when they felt right. When we'd worked for 40 minutes or so, Eric had me do some collected walk before I let Pete relax and cool out. Pete's a Country English horse, so it was head in my lap time - he may not have a throatlatch, but he certainly does get TALL when he's collected.
So I didn't get a lesson, but I did get to ride four horses - which was fun, but I can definitely feel my legs tonight.
Showing posts with label Pete. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pete. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Lesson Day: Sunny canters, meet Buddy, and a bonus ride on Pete
Despite the strong north wind, I really wanted to get a ride in on Sunny today. Yesterday was cold and icky, but today it was sunny and bright and the ground was quiet underfoot for a change. Sunny was also bright and not so quiet, but given the wind I expected as much.
I switched it up a bit, and after walking some spiral in/outs to warm up, sent him off into a sitting trot and then cued him for a left lead canter departure. He surprised me by stepping right up into it and rocking around really nicely. I didn't push for more collection than he gave me, just kept my hands nice and quiet and my legs on. Four rounds without breaking, and without flattening out or bracing - I think it's a record!
We went left twice more just as nicely, then switched directions and tried right on for size. It was rockier, but far from the worst it's been. He only broke once, and didn't try running out or throwing his head which is definitely progress. After that we did some collected walk/trot transitions, I practiced two-point on a loose rein trot, and we finished up with some half-passing. He was fabulous, and I couldn't be happier.
With Sunny brushed and turned back out, I headed over to Eric's for my lesson. I've been waiting for today all week - I was finally going to get to ride Buddy.
Buddy is an elegantly put together seven-year-old, copper-penny-red-chestnut Arabian gelding with a wide white blaze and two high, white front stockings. He has a sweet disposition to go along with his height. Yes, it's true - Buddy has both the height and the long, curvacious neck that Sunny lacks. And he's mine for the show season.
For today we stuck with walk and trot. Buddy hasn't been shown (or ridden much) in two years, and he's a) out of shape, and b) still flashing the strut and snort that made him competitive as a Country English junior horse. Eric got on him first, not because Buddy was hot and apt to be silly (he actually seems fairly laid back in spite of his forward way of going), but because he wanted to demonstrate how he's been asking Buddy to change his frame. And it's a pretty big change from really upright and reachy to the rounder, lower hunt seat carriage.
What's also crystal clear is that Eric likes this horse a LOT, so I'm doubly flattered to have been offered the chance to not only ride, but show him. And based on today's lesson, I think Buddy and I are going to get along just fine. I'll be working at first on building up his topline - he needs conditioning in general, and he also needs to develop the muscles in his neck differently than he did for his former discipline.
I've already learned that with Buddy the challenge isn't to keep him from going hollow, it's in asking him to bring his shoulders up. He needs to learn to roll over more toward the middle of his neck, rather than just breaking at the poll. He, like Sunny, needs to be encouraged to find his own balance, that spot where he carry himself rather than hanging on my hands for balance. And it's my job to help him do that, which means I have to be able to feel when he's right and reward him for being there. We spent a lot of time on rate and feel.
Buddy has a BIG stride, and unlike Sunny I don't have to work for forward. The challenge is more in rating the impulsion down. The two of them are going to be a nice juxtaposition - and, since Sunny's a half-Arab and Buddy's full, they won't end up in the same classes if they happen to end up at the same shows. :)
Pictures of Buddy to follow - I'm supposed to give him a bath on Saturday, which I'm sure will be entertaining... But it should provide a better opportunity to take my camera.
Eric only had two horses left to ride when my lesson was done - one of them, Pete, the saddleseat gelding I rode once previously, just needed a conditioning ride (basically, long-trotting), and Eric asked if I wanted to do that while he schooled the other gelding he had left western pleasure. Gee, I don't know... twist my arm - LOL! I used the opportunity to practice my two-point and watch what Eric was doing.
All in all, a great riding day - hope everyone else had a chance to get out for some pony-time, too!
I switched it up a bit, and after walking some spiral in/outs to warm up, sent him off into a sitting trot and then cued him for a left lead canter departure. He surprised me by stepping right up into it and rocking around really nicely. I didn't push for more collection than he gave me, just kept my hands nice and quiet and my legs on. Four rounds without breaking, and without flattening out or bracing - I think it's a record!
We went left twice more just as nicely, then switched directions and tried right on for size. It was rockier, but far from the worst it's been. He only broke once, and didn't try running out or throwing his head which is definitely progress. After that we did some collected walk/trot transitions, I practiced two-point on a loose rein trot, and we finished up with some half-passing. He was fabulous, and I couldn't be happier.
With Sunny brushed and turned back out, I headed over to Eric's for my lesson. I've been waiting for today all week - I was finally going to get to ride Buddy.
Buddy is an elegantly put together seven-year-old, copper-penny-red-chestnut Arabian gelding with a wide white blaze and two high, white front stockings. He has a sweet disposition to go along with his height. Yes, it's true - Buddy has both the height and the long, curvacious neck that Sunny lacks. And he's mine for the show season.
For today we stuck with walk and trot. Buddy hasn't been shown (or ridden much) in two years, and he's a) out of shape, and b) still flashing the strut and snort that made him competitive as a Country English junior horse. Eric got on him first, not because Buddy was hot and apt to be silly (he actually seems fairly laid back in spite of his forward way of going), but because he wanted to demonstrate how he's been asking Buddy to change his frame. And it's a pretty big change from really upright and reachy to the rounder, lower hunt seat carriage.
What's also crystal clear is that Eric likes this horse a LOT, so I'm doubly flattered to have been offered the chance to not only ride, but show him. And based on today's lesson, I think Buddy and I are going to get along just fine. I'll be working at first on building up his topline - he needs conditioning in general, and he also needs to develop the muscles in his neck differently than he did for his former discipline.
I've already learned that with Buddy the challenge isn't to keep him from going hollow, it's in asking him to bring his shoulders up. He needs to learn to roll over more toward the middle of his neck, rather than just breaking at the poll. He, like Sunny, needs to be encouraged to find his own balance, that spot where he carry himself rather than hanging on my hands for balance. And it's my job to help him do that, which means I have to be able to feel when he's right and reward him for being there. We spent a lot of time on rate and feel.
Buddy has a BIG stride, and unlike Sunny I don't have to work for forward. The challenge is more in rating the impulsion down. The two of them are going to be a nice juxtaposition - and, since Sunny's a half-Arab and Buddy's full, they won't end up in the same classes if they happen to end up at the same shows. :)
Pictures of Buddy to follow - I'm supposed to give him a bath on Saturday, which I'm sure will be entertaining... But it should provide a better opportunity to take my camera.
Eric only had two horses left to ride when my lesson was done - one of them, Pete, the saddleseat gelding I rode once previously, just needed a conditioning ride (basically, long-trotting), and Eric asked if I wanted to do that while he schooled the other gelding he had left western pleasure. Gee, I don't know... twist my arm - LOL! I used the opportunity to practice my two-point and watch what Eric was doing.
All in all, a great riding day - hope everyone else had a chance to get out for some pony-time, too!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Lesson Day: Pete, Saddleseat, and Snowy Noses
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.
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.
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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? |
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.
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