Lesson Day: Buddy, and Sunny gets some arena time

I gave Sunny the night off last night, but Thunder and I did the tree weaving thing again.  We even ventured out into the road a ways and checked out the mailbox.  He would have continued quite happily down the gravel, but I chickened out.  I'd started having visions of him suddenly realizing he was all by himself and deciding to head for home.  Maybe one day soon I'll catch D going by on the pretty black and white paint he's starting, and fall in with him.

Sunny stood on the hill and watched me hook the trailer up this morning.  When I walked out to catch them, he very deliberated turned and walked about twenty steps the other direction, glancing over his shoulder to check if I was really serious about collecting him.  Then he heaved a big sigh, turned around and waited for me.  Silly.

Getting them fly-sprayed and loaded up was the usual non-event.  Every time I watch someone deal with a poor loader I say a little thank you that it's not an exciting part of my riding day!

Arriving at Eric's, I unloaded, made sure they were both securely fastened, and went in to get Buddy ready.  There was a big palamino gelding raising a ruckus in the indoor when I cross-tied him.  Not a restful horse.  He'd back off from the gate twenty feet or so, then run at it sliding to a stop an the last second letting his nose or chin bang against the gate and setting it rattling. Thud-a-da-thud-a-da, thump! clang! bang! SNORT! followed by spin and kick whang! 

Buddy was not amused, and wanted to crane around in the direction of all the activity, shaking his head and dancing accompaniment.  Thankfully, O swapped out horses before I got to the point of polo wraps, and the next horse wasn't nearly as energetic.  Once the palamino was gone, Buddy stopped fidgeting. 

Slightly cooler temps and a nice breeze, not to mention an earlier start, made for a more energetic horse, and Buddy was definitely alive underneath me as soon as I settled into the saddle.  Eric had me working on channeling all that extra horse into getting Buddy's shoulders lifted and his back up.  We had a few moments today that felt close to brilliant. :)

Moving on to sitting trot, I focused hard on keeping my lower leg solid and not bouncing all over the place.  Sitting trot is usually not a problem, but Sunny is a lot less bouncy than Buddy!  Eventually we made a sufficiently good round of it and Eric asked for working trot.  Hooray for posting! 

During Saturday's lesson I spent a lot of time working my outside hand, attempting to shake Buddy off of it.  He'll hang and get heavy or run through you if you let him.  Today, however, the spirit of cooperation appeared to be at work and he was willing to carry his head and balance himself without too many reminders from me.  Maybe I'm getting better at catching him before he pops up, too...  At any rate, after some working trot/sitting trot transitions, it was up to the canter.

That was far and away better than Saturday.  And hand gallop didn't make me feel quite so hung out on the edge of a cliff today, either.  I know what the problem is - I lose my lower leg, and then it's 'Hello, cliff!' But I think I'm improving - I wore jeans again, rather than breeches and half-chaps, and my leg stayed pretty much where it was supposed to despite having less grip than the half-chaps provide.

After a breather for Buddy - and me - we switched directions and tackled the same program to the right.  Right was better then left.  Woo-hoo!

Buddy got a rinse-down in lukewarm water and a cookie - not sure which he enjoyed more, and then I watched the last half of Eric's next lesson while I tacked Sunny up.  A rodeo junior queen contestant with a roping horse and a reining pattern to do as part of the queening contest next week... Let's just say "GO!" will not be a problem.  Neither will stopping.  But finding the lope in the middle?   Pony was initially frustrated and confused, and by the time they finished up the little gal was very red in the face, but his ears had started to come forward and he was getting the hang of the program. 

Eric had her doing what was basically a half-halt and release as soon as the gelding hesitated and slowed even a smidge.  They were both trying really hard, so hopefully they'll get things sorted before their deadline.

A lot of go is definitely not a concern with Sunny - thankfully I remembered my spurs!  We warmed up at a walk in both directions with bending, leg yields and some counter-bending, then started walking a big circle to the right; his good direction. 

He rolled over at the poll and I could feel his back come up under me.  Sweet.  We made several circles at a walk then moved on to trot and eventually canter.  Transitions to the right were steady and solid.  He stayed relatively light and didn't try to poke his nose out too often - but I didn't want to get too excited, because we hadn't gone left yet. 

After a pause to air up, I revered him and we started left.  Nice round walk, check.  Working trot with an inside bend, check.  Canter transition... right lead. Darn it! 

I dropped him to trot, waited for a corner, made sure my hands were correct and his hip was pushed in, and... right (wrong) again.  The third or fourth time he took the left lead and stayed in it until I asked him to trot.  A break to air up again, and I asked him for left lead again.  No dice. 

So.... Either he's sore again, although he seemed perfectly willing to flex his neck in either direction, and his back didn't seem ouchie when I pressed on him post-ride, or I'm doing something wrong (always a possibility), or... who knows.  He is taking both leads on the lunge line, and since he's willing to bend for me, I don't think he's as sore as he was before, so that's something at least.

Video: Sunny

 

I'm still having some issues with uploading video - unfortunately, the longer clips are too big, and they're the ones that show the most.  

Kellie asked if I thought the adjustment had helped Sunny - I think so.  He's definitely taking both leads out running  loose.  And even though he's still not taking the left lead as readily under saddle, that's always been his stiffer side.  If I remember to be deliberate and consistent with how I cue him he's taking the left lead correctly again.  And he's back to flexing his neck both ways and stepping across underneath himself easily, so... on the whole I'd have to say, yes :)

Lesson Day: Buddy, and are my legs ever tired!

I had company yesterday for my lesson - my mom came along, and took lots of pictures and some high def video that my laptop doesn't like.  We picked up the horse trailer and the boys on the way, all of us already sweaty at 11 AM in 90' heat.  The wind, gusting past 30 mph, kept it tolerable but the flies were sticking and biting, and it felt like storm coming in.

We arrived early at Eric's with plenty of time to get the horses out and fly spray reapplied.  I left the boys tied in the shade of the trailer, and we wandered over to watch the remainder of the lesson before mine.  One of Eric's junior riders... maybe someday I'll grow up to ride as well as she does! 

We chatted through tacking up, and then it was my turn with Buddy.   I decided to try using the Thinline halfpad on Buddy too, right under the riser pad I usually use - not sure how much good it will do, but it's at least some extra cushion and not enough thickness to make a discernible difference in terms of saddle fit/girth length.
 

No spurs required

I could really tell I'd had some time off, and not in a good way. And I discovered as I attempted to get my foot level with the stirrup to mount that I'd worn jeans with no stretch.  Stretchy is much better, especially when your pants are already sticking to you.

Yee-haw

Overall, I'd rate my riding this lesson a C+. It was a good lesson work-wise, but I was struggling to keep Buddy round and consistently rated.  On the positive side of the column, my canter transitions were felt good and were apparently some of my best yet, so at least that was something.  With the heat, I wasn't sorry to have a slightly shorter lesson than normal.  Buddy was sweaty, I was sweaty, and we were both ready for a break when we agreed that I was starting to run out of horse. 

The shade and the fans in the barn felt wonderful.  Buddy got a lukewarm rinse-down, which he thoroughly enjoyed.  I got at least my arms wet, which felt pretty darn good. 

Then it was Sunny's turn - Eric had a break between lessons for lunch, so I had the arena to myself.  I decided to go ahead and use the all-purpose saddle with the Thinline halfpad.  He's too fat to try stuffing any more padding underneath there.  

Can't you just see the enthusiasm rolling off him?

Once more into the saddle muttering at the denim stuck to me.  It wasn't until I was on that I realized I'd neglected to add spurs to my outfit, but I wasn't getting off again.  Which is why practically every picture my mom took has shows my heels rolling up into Sunny's sides.

I really want my spurs!

He was not overly energetic.  But he did find lots of things along the edges of the arena to look at.

A very scary orange cone

We did the usual warm-up stuff - bending and moving hips and shoulders in and out in each direction, small circles, some spirals at walk and trot.  Then right lead canter, which he of course nailed.  Then we reversed and tried left.

Success!

Hooray!  I'm still having to be really deliberate about setting him up for the left lead, but he's taking it.  I think he may still be anticipating it hurting, so hopefully it will get better. 

Both directions a couple of times, and that was that.  We packed up, loaded up and headed for home. 

I may have some video to post later - I can't seem to get it to load at the moment.  Maybe I'll have better luck later.

We have left! Left lead, that is.

Horse trailer is clean - at least the horse part.  I still have work to do on the tack area.  I put in an easy half hour on Sunny yesterday.  Ended up trying T's old western saddle on him, instead of the all-purpose.  With the weight he's put on, my western saddle is too narrow for his shoulders.  I was hoping maybe the T's saddle would work a bit better.

I had my wish for more breeze - it was a perfect day for riding.  In the 70's with a gusty, cool wind that was just enough to keep the bugs off.  Sunny was a touch amped, but we did lots of bending and trotting and bending and spirals and bending and...  you get the picture.

Eventually, when I felt like he was actually paying attention, I asked him for a left lead canter.  The first couple of times he gave me right, but third time's the charm.  A few canter transitions in both directions and he gave me correct leads each time, so the adjustment seems to have helped. I'll ride again today and hopefully tomorrow, and I have a lesson with Eric and Buddy on Friday.  I'm taking Sunny along and the plan is to just work him in the arena and see how he's going after three days of riding.

I finished up with some side-passing, turns on the haunches, and some stationary lateral flexing.  Sunny's stretching around really well in both directions again!  I called it good at half an hour or so with a much more cooperative and settled pony.

No ride for Thunder yesterday - I'd forgotten my sunblock and was starting to feel crispy.  Nobody was home, either, so rather than push my luck and my lobster-status, I settled for groundwork in the shade with him before I called it quits for the day. 

Lesson Day: Sunny and "Wow! Look at his topline!"

Eric had the show farrier, glowing forge and all, hard at work in the barn, and had just finished body-clipping some poor unsuspecting critter when I got there.  (Buddy'd already had his turn under the sheers, and looks quite elegant with the last of his winter coat buzzed off.)

I had the arena all to my self warming Sunny up while I waited for Eric to get a horse ready.  I moved his hips back and forth, asked him to shoulder in, and did circles and figure-eights of various sizes.  Just walking - I had a feeling Eric was going to make us both work, so I thought we'd both appreciate the energy conservation by the time the lesson was over.

Sunny looked cute in his black polo wraps (I figured what the heck, why not - I need the practice, and it couldn't hurt, right?) and mostly-slick summer coat.  As Eric headed our way with a big palomino half-Arab  gelding in tow, I closed my legs around Sunny and asked him to collect. 

We marched around the perimeter 1-2-3-4.  Sunny was perfectly light in my hands and round underneath me, carrying himself.  It was fantastic.  We got high marks on walk, including the "Wow!  Look at his topline!" comment, and more compliments at the trot - he's picking his knees up, too.  Wheee!  I honestly don't think Eric expected us to have made that much progress. (Of course, the pictures from the other day were a surprise to me, too, so I can't blame him.) 

The first fly in the works was the downward transition from working trot to collected walk - ack!  I'm leaning forward again.  And unfortunately, it wasn't a one-time fluke.  Homework: Lots of downward transitions - I need to think "lean back and exhale" so that I don't fold up.  I fold up and Sunny gets hollow.

Then we worked on canter departures.  Three wrong lead take-offs, and I managed to organize my hands, shoulders, legs and seat, and Sunny, and bam!  Correct lead.   A bit bracey and uncoordinated - both of us - but at least he didn't break until I asked him to trot.

We worked on canter 4-5 laps at a time, with Eric asking me to get him to collect more and more each time, and to concentrate on my downward transitions in between.  We're getting better incrementally - most of Sunny's problems derive directly from me.  When I get myself coordinated, he has an easier time staying balanced.  By the last pass I'd slowed him down and collected him up into something approximating a real canter rather than a flat-sided hand gallop, which is definitely progress.

Sunny was tired by the end of the lesson.  Not terribly sweaty - he's mostly lost his winter coat - but he was definitely working hard.  And he was SO good - even when the horse Eric was on spooked big at something right behind us, he didn't do more than speed up slightly.    At the walk and trot he's really soft and light - and canter will come. 

Eric offered the use of the arena if I want to go practice, and I think I'll take him up on that - the footing is far and away better than the pasture, and we won't even mention the concrete the gravel roads have turned into - we really need rain.  

The Handi-Riders' show is April 28th, and I'd like to have canter down a bit better by then. 

Lesson Day: Alisha, Take Two

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.