Revelations on riding a horse that knows more than I do...

I'm priviledged to ride Monkee while C is away, and since he is trained to PSG in dressage, he is a real treat to ride. We headed out to the field this morning since the ring was a bit crunchy from the temps last night, and I warmed up with a nice big walk on a loose rein. So far, so good.

But wait, a truck hath passed and made a terrible noise. He starts jigging. I reach forward to gather the reins and the jigging worsens. Hey dumb lady, put your leg on. Oh, okay. Problem solved. Now to try trotting. Soften that jaw, Monkee...maybe you'll soften if we do some circles. Hmm...not bending through ribcage. Duh. Your hands are all wiggly and your leg is just sitting there. Crap, you're right. Ok, put leg on, move you over into my outside hand...why aren't you moving over? Because you have no outside rein, moron. Oh, maybe this dressage whip will help! *kick buck kick* MONKEE! *desperately tries to recover reins and said whip* *kick buck kick* Okay, fine, you don't like the whip. I don't like the whip when you use it for no reason and have nothing to back it up with. Let's just try to get a rhythm in this trot and then we'll work on softening. Well if you would post with some rhythm.... Ok, this is better. Good boy! Back to the circle...I know you know how to bend, Monkee... You're right, I do. But I'm not going to do it until you ask properly. I don't speak moron language. Hmm, ok, deep breath, little leg yield right, soften hands and leg on. YES! SOFT LEFT JAW!!! Ho hum, I like trotting this way...

Canter time! Best canter I have ever ridden...quite easy to get lost in it and forget that I'm riding. Here we go...*buck* Crap..oh, my flopping hands have activated the whip which has hit Monkee for no reason. Hands be still! Now sit up...relax...hey, this is pretty fabulous!! Counter-canter...the only reason I'm even staying in the canter right now is because I feel sorry for you, and I like cantering...but next time, you're going to get me breaking to a rushy trot because you forgot to RIDE the counter-canter.

Basically, he humbles the crap out of me, but man...after we walked home and my thighs were crying, all I could think of was how much I love this horse and how much I love riding. :)

Why yes, we do still exist!

So basically, blogging is one of those things I'm not too dedicated to...plus I only have one reader, Kateoh, and I can tell her things without having to blog. Nevertheless, she blogged for me, so I must blog for her...plus I had such a blessed day that I feel the need to write it out :)

This winter has been a rough one (albeit not as rough as last winter in Louisville, but then again, we don't have indoor arenas here). Aidyn's work schedule has consisted mostly of as much turnout time as the weather will allow, and as much work in the Pessoa rig as the ring will allow. The before and after in the rig is amazing. He started out tripping and stepping on himself and falling all over the place and now he not only SWINGS behind but he steps confidently into the contact and really lets go in his back. Surprise surprise, this carries over to our undersaddle work as well! I've only ridden him a handful of times this month but each time has been a "wow!" moment...for the first time, I don't have to hold him up...I don't have to gallump his sides with spurs and whip at the same time...I don't have the constant fear of bolting because my dog was in the bushes...it's like he finally grew up and realized where all four of his legs are at the same time. He's so much softer and more forward, although I still have to work on him, especially when he's tired. We have been trying to establish the forward in all three gaits but especially the walk, he's not allowed to stop marching even during breaks. He's just such a laid back guy and would rather chill out then be in a rush...a quality that I have come to appreciate after riding racehorses for so long! And his feet...oh goodness, what a long road that has been, but we are REALLY getting somewhere!! My farrier is a godsend and works his butt off to make sure Aidyn's feet are in tiptop shape...and Aidynlou has really adjusted to his bar shoes with the funky wire pads and Equithane. At first he looked like his feet were attached to blocks of concrete, but slowly he's realized they're not that bad after all. We also have had him on a great supplement for two months (Steadfast, by Arenus) and it has allowed me to take him off all his other supplements...we were worried for a while about hocks, but they seem to be fine now. I have no idea if that bad puncture from last spring did internal damage but he hasn't had problems since we put him on this supplement, so fingers crossed!

Anyways, since he had yesterday off, I just did the Pessoa today and had him trot over a ground pole to remind him to pick up his feet. I will (God willing) ride him tomorrow and practice our homework while C is away :)

I cherish this time when I get to ride all the horses while C is in FL...each of these guys is so, so special and they are such joys to ride. We did trot sets today and each of them was just so quiet and relaxed. They're all special in their own ways...D is so lazy and ho-hum until he spooks, and then I have the best energy underneath me and he really has all the buttons. Then there's A who is still young and sometimes unfocused but everything is so darn easy for him that even when he's not perfect, he still FEELS that way ;) and then my sweet Monkee, my little hack winner who literally gives 110% in everything he does...he is probably my favorite boy in the whole barn and every second on his back is a true priviledge. then finally Guppy who is a close second in the favorites category, I feel like we have finally figured him out and he's just such a blast once you unlock all his gears...and such a handsome boy, too :)

Ok, kateoh, I hope that was satisfactory! I think I'm going to go take the hottest shower I can stand...I'm so unfit and my back is reminding me of that at this moment! <3

Melting

The heat has been nearly unbearable for the last two weeks. Aidyn comes in sweaty every single night, and for the last few nights we haven't even been able to ride because of the heat and humidity. Luckily for Aidyn, I take pity on him and bring him in each day for a shower and for dinner. His dinner is even more fun now....he gets a half scoop of sweet feed mixed with the "organic mix", which is alfalfa pellets/beet pulp/oats. He thinks it's quite delicious.

He also enjoys his showers, although he won't admit it. He then goes straight to the dirtiest part of his pasture and rolls. The aftermath:



















Gross. Back to work for him tomorrow evening, weather permitting. A light ride in the paddock to get him ready for a weekend full of riding :D

Also thought Aidyn wouldn't mind sharing his blog with the four geldings I am caring for for a very kind lady. The gang consists of Bailey, a gray Rocky Mountain Horse; Undertaker, a black RMH; Rusty, a chestnut QH; and Otto, a Friesian who is obviously black. Today was so hot that I felt baths were in order for all of them. Bailey was a bit unsure of the hose and the way water just spurts out of it at random intervals...he stood like a statue though. I think he secretly enjoyed getting all clean and shiny. Undertaker was a bit more antsy but he seemed happy to be getting the attention. Rusty is the king of Seperation Anxiety Issues, so when he was taken away from Otto to get his bath I had to keep his attention on me at all times so he wouldn't call for Otto or dance around. He was a good boy...that is, until I had to take Otto away for his bath. He screamed the entire time, tried to tear the stall door off (literally....) and generally acted a fool. Otto stood quietly and ignored him like a good man. When they were reunited, Otto was like "Um yeah dude...enough." We're going to be working on being seperated a bit more each time, I think...after all, how am I going to ride Otto if Rusty has to be with him?

Undertaker after his bath, feeling pretty sexy:



















Silly boys. Can't wait to get back on my Baby TB tomorrow.
God Bless!

Engaging the inside hind...

...is hard. Really, really hard. Especially for a Baby Thoroughbred who frequently forgets that his hind end exists. We are constantly in an uphill battle for that hind end to swing-swing-swing (like the rhythm of my heart)...and not fall to the inside, and not collapse, etc. This is especially the case tracking right. Especially in the corners of the arena. Sometimes I feel like his entire body splits up into two separate horses...the one in front of his hips and the one behind them. The one in front is moving forward, seeking contact and attempting an inside flexion. The one behind is either running or barely shuffling, and likes to dive inside at even the mention of a turn. The trick, it would seem, is to find a way to "speak" to both ends.

Transitions help, in more ways than one. After a few trot/walk/trot transitions, he is starting to push from behind and is generally straighter in his body. Our nemesis, Mr. Outside Rein, is always mocking us and reminding us that we can't truly have anything without him. This is a hard concept for me, because I tend to want to either throw away my outside contact entirely and ride off my inside rein (BAD BAD BAD) or throw away my inside rein and hang on my outside rein (BAD BAD BAD). I have to remember that the outside contact should be steady, but my inside bend isn't truly going to be there unless I use both reins...and my legs, which I sometimes genuinely forget are attached to my body.

I wish we could just ride stretchy trot all the time. Life would be so much more simple. Baby Thoroughbreds love to stretchy trot...it feels gooooood and it is so swingy and lovely. I like to use stretchy trot after a canter, not only to relax him (preventing an asthma attack) but also to encourage a more lofty trot rather than a quick, runny one (which is what we tend to get if I come back to trot and put him "together" right away). The problem with stretchy trot, then, is that after doing a lap of it, Aidyn's brain refuses to let him come back up and work for a few more minutes. That's when we start curling and running. Naturally, half halts would come into play here, but when you're me and forget you have legs (not to mention an outside rein), sometimes you...forget.

Nevertheless, I'm happy with the kid right now. He's really coming along the way I want and slowly reminding me how to ride. And I can't even blame the racetrack for my intense desire to perch up there, because I did that LONG before I started exercise riding. I guess I could blame it more on my hunter background than anything...I was darned good at perching then. ;) Have to continually remind myself to try and sit back...even if it's just a millimeter back at a time. No one wants to be perchy on cross-country, if we ever get there.

WHEN we ever get there.

So Aidyn has been diagnosed with asthma...or something similar to that. He had recently started making some noise when I was riding him, especially on hot or muggy days. Dr. J scoped him and didn't see anything too abnormal, so she thinks it's probably a lower respiratory issue, possibly something going on in his lungs. Clenbuteral was the original drug of choice, but at $130 a pop for a small bottle, we decided to go with WindAid instead, at least initially. Hopefully it will do the trick. He got his first dosing today before our ride, and unfortunately it doesn't work miracles in half an hour. He was excellent today, albeit a little lazy and unresponsive, and started making his weezy sounds near the end of the ride. I'm sure it takes several consistent doses to really make any kind of a difference, so I'm not losing hope yet. I just hope it's related to allergies and pollen and muggy weather more than a long-term problem that we will always have to battle.

Some days he is so quick and rushy and ducking behind the bit, and then, like today, he is a kick-along ride that wants to lean and get heavy on the bridle. I prefer him like that, honestly. He was good today, trying to be straight when I asked and bent when I asked, good in his transitions, excellent with his halts(yay!) and very focused on what he was doing. Considering he's had three straight days off, this was good stuff. Very proud of him. Tomorrow will be a solo ride as K and I have different schedules going on, so it will be a good test for him.

I am enjoying taking my time with this horse. He'd be easy to rush, he's got a great mind and is very tolerant, but I want a long-term mount that doesn't have holes in his training. It may take us two years to get to the show ring, but so be it. The process of getting there is the fun part, and I'd love him even if he never made it.

God Bless!

Hello, baby event horse...

I don't know where I get my ideas from, but thank goodness I have a saint of a baby Thoroughbred to always pull through for me.

It was a beautiful evening yesterday, and I had this urge to throw on our "jumping tack" and go for a nice conditioning hack in the cross-country field at SP. Katie agreed because we have been looking for opportunities to school the boys alone and away from each other...she headed to the dressage ring and I headed to the field. We picked up a trot almost immediately and he was being very good...a little tense and look-y, but behaving nonetheless. Did have a major meltdown spook at the round bales (gah), but after walking up to them and snorting at them, we were okay. Trotted all the way to the bank, which has schooling elements for several levels...I pointed him at the section where you can just trot up and down. He hesitated but went...ears pricked, enjoying himself. So I thought, what the heck, let's find something to pop over. There was a small maiden sized fence over by the paddocks, so I headed for it at a trot. He hesitated, again, but then gave me a stellar jump that was much more promising than what he's shown me before in the arena. We landed in a canter, came back to trot and headed towards it the opposite direction. He jumped much better this time, right out of his trot stride and landed smoothly and calmly. At this point the horses in the paddocks were running around snorting like goobwads, so Aidyn started getting distracted and neighing...we popped over this fence again and I got the oh-so-brilliant idea to find a 2'3" fence to jump. About two strides out I panicked and figured my baby TB had no chance...but he surprised me and jumped nice and round over it. He did misjudge the width a bit but it was a MUCH better reaction than I thought I would get! Finished up over a little helsinki and up/down the bank again before we trotted towards the barn..by this point he was worked up a bit and I needed to do some 20-meters around the ditch complex to get him calm and listening. We trotted through the water to cool off (and he loves the water), and despite being brutally attacked by Papa Goose, we headed towards Katie and Jay-R.

Such a good boy. He is so brave and so willing. I feel like we might be able to do this eventing thing after all. :)

Hello, terrible twos!

Well, technically it's the terrible fours, as Aidyn is quickly approaching his fourth birthday on May 30. That combined with the spring sillies, his ever increasing fitness level, the new feed he gets at night, his new (and better fitting) saddle, and the very aggressive deworming schedule he just went through has left me with a new horse..one that runs from me in the field, runs from me under saddle, etc. Not sure who this horse is, but he's not the sluggish baby TB I brought home in August!

We've been doing a lot of riding at the Blue Barn just due to time constraints, and I've noticed Aidyn being a bit more rushy than usual...combined with lots of ducking behind the bridle. Nothing fun about flying around on a horse whose mouth you cannot feel...translate to Friday evening when we trekked over to Stone Place. We usually ride a bit through the cross-country field on our way to the outdoor, and Aidyn has recently decided that everything over there is scary...things that never bothered him before. So, naturally, he decides to take off on me for no apparent reason...he has *no* mouth when he's spooking, so thank goodness we hit a wet patch of ground and he decided it wasn't worth the effort to keep going. From that point on, he whinnied and spooked and ran forward and ducked behind the bridle and basically ignored every aid I gave him. Frustrated, I jumped off and attempted to longe him a bit...not a good idea with a particularly short longe line and an arena full of jumps. Got back on and just concentrated on getting a quiet trot around the arena. Every time I felt him start to relax, he would find something else to scoot away from. When another horse came in the arena, he mentally shut down and it's pointless to fight with him after that. Headed home with Jay-R and Katie, who had a great ride in the dressage arena. We got home, it got dark, I got a longe line (per advice from Katie who has dealt with the terrible twos before when Jay was 6) and proceded to longe him for about 20 minutes. We ended up leaving the barn quite late...but at least he finally paid attention to me and longed well.

After pondering his behavior the entire drive home, we concluded that a flash noseband might help a little bit with the control issue...and the head flipping crap that he has recently started. Longed him BEFORE our ride this time, he was quite laid back and listened to voice commands very well. Was halting quickly, which is really good considering he usually ignores the halt command as long as possible. Rode over to SP with Jay-R and another OTTB gelding named John (and his owner, of course) and things went well...got to the arena and he started neighing. Did my best to ignore it and concentrated on just relaxing my hands and posting nice and slow. Um, hello hunter horse. He stretched down and poked his nose out and trotted around like we were hacking. He was a completely different horse than the day before! Walked and trotted all over the arena, doing changes of directions, half-circles, etc...then began incorporating poles and small cross-rails into our path...just trying to get him used to stepping over things and not getting excited about it...he just trotted over everything without changing his trot rhythm at all. Then he stood and watched Jay-R for a little bit, and walked home like a gentleman.

So, I guess it's a good thing that my horse is not a psycho all of a sudden. He's just feeling good and isn't quite sure how to express himself...so for the time being we will be incorporating longing into every pre-ride ritual, and working a lot less with my hands and more with my seat. Hopefully this will encourage him to seek contact again and not run scared from my hands.

*sigh* He's such a goob.