Dawn and I did more "headless" horse this morning. We did two exercises using the "headless" technique - I'm trying to turn it into a habit instead of just something I have to actively think about to do. Dawn and I did "go there" and "fast and slow". "Go there" involves my sending us to a particular spot, or object, somewhere in the ring, by using only my eyes and focus and "sending" "our" hind legs there, by treating them as if they were my own legs and feeling them. The effect, if successful, is that the horse does what you're thinking as if it were his/her own idea. Dawn and I did things like "Hind legs, take us to the coffee cup on the windowsill of the viewing room (and touch the cup with your nose)". When she got there, she actually touched the cup (which was at about the height of her ears) with her nose! "Hind legs, take us to the blue barrel in the corner." When we got there, Dawn asked me "now, why are we at this blue barrel?" "Hind legs, take us to the cone I'm looking at." It was really less like my telling the hind legs to do something than like my using Dawn's hind legs as my own. We had a lot of fun with that.
"Fast and slow" is the same sort of thing. Dawn and I did transitions and shortening/lengthening within a gait, just by my thinking and feeling the hind legs into a different gait, or taking shorter or longer strides. I was able to vary our stride length at the trot, at any point in the ring, or after any particular number of steps, just by thinking/feeling "our" hind legs doing it. Dawn was very forward and energetic, and this was a great exercise to maintain our connection and feel as we worked.
Red had a much better day today - no lungeing going on. Part of the ride we were by ourselves, and part we were with one other rider on her mare. We did headless horse, and as I expected, we found it easy to do together. "Go there" was no problem, and he also found "fast/slow" to be fairly easy, although we didn't too much of that as most of our work was steady medium trot and some canter. His soundness seems to be improving, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed about that.
Pie and I also had a very good ride. We had the arena to ourselves, which improves my concentration. We struggled a bit with "go there" - Pie's aim isn't always quite where I'm trying to have him go, but I expect we'll improve as we do more of it. He's very good at "fast and slow", although we need to work some more on the softness of the changes. His bending into corners today was excellent - I think headless horse is helping us a lot with that, mainly because my posture is upright and focus up and out, and I'm actively thinking about how the hind legs are stepping into and through the corners. And his canter work just gets better and better - his departures were very nice, he was balancing well around the corners and we even did some large circles without bulging or falling out of canter.
Headless horse is a great way to gauge the degree to which the horse and I are connected by live feel, so we can act as one. I only use aids - reins, leg or seat - to give the horse guidance if the feel alone doesn't do the trick. I'm hoping headless horse will become our usual, continuous way of working together. Headless horse does a good job of correcting my errors of posture and focus and keeps me thinking about the feel, all the time.
All horses were lavishly praised, and they seemed to feel pretty pleased with themselves. It was a very good day with horses.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Red Loses It (for a Little While), and Pie is Perfect
Dawn had the day off. I rode both Red and Pie in the afternoon. Red and I faced some challenges. When we went into the arena, both big door were open to the outside - it was a beautiful winter day, with temperatures in the low 30sF, no wind, and bright sun. Red did a very nice walk warm up, and I focussed on "riding a headless horse" as described in my last post - it worked like a charm with him - we did turns, figures, and even walk pirouettes just with my eyes and focus up and my horse hind legs. At one point he was very alert about something outside the doors - I didn't see anything - and was both attracted to the doors and wanting to move away when we got there. We just kept working and eased up on the doors - that worked well.
Then two other boarders came into the ring and started lungeing/doing groundwork with their horses at both ends of the ring. That left us very little space to work in, as our arena is quite small. I'm not generally comfortable passing on my horse along the wall with a horse being lunged so close that there's almost no room to pass, particularly if the horse isn't under complete control. One boarder was vigorously snapping a lunge whip to get her horse to go, and the other was using a lariet rope to slap on her leg to get her horse to move - I guess their horses needed that in order to move out. Red, I expect due to some bad experiences in his past, gets extremely worried - even frightened - when whips or ropes are loudly snapped or slapped - he isn't yet able to distinguish between someone doing that to another horse and doing it to him. He was quite concerned, and we parked ourselves in a corner since there was really no where else to go. We stood there for a bit, and, although he was trying so hard to hold it together for me, his anxiety level got to the point that he gave a mini-rear - the reins were not tight - to tell me that he just couldn't cope any more. I dismounted and stood there for a moment, but that didn't reduce his anxiety - he started swinging around me and although he didn't run into me, he was very upset. If I'd had somewhere to keep him moving under saddle - doing circles or small figures to keep his mind occupied - he might have been OK, although maybe not. With our small arena, it just wasn't an option.
Since he was so upset, I took him out of the arena and we walked up and down the barn aisle with the big door to the arena closed. Just getting close to the door when the whip and rope were snapping, even with the door closed, made him so nervous that we had to go back down the aisle again. Once the boarders were done making noises, I took him back into the arena and remounted. He was nervous for a while but was able to stay with me and work, and his focus improved as we went. We did our usual canter straightline work and then moved on to trot - he was very forward and engaged and worked well. I told him what a good boy he was and put him away. (Later, after I rode Pie, I took Red back into the arena and hand-walked him around - his eyes were big but he was very good, and I hope it reassured him somewhat.) I felt bad that I'd allowed him to be put into a situation that was too much for him to cope with - this is the first melt-down he's had in almost a year, and a first at the new barn - but I was very pleased with how he recovered from it. His trust in me at this point is strong, but it still will only take him so far, particularly if I have no way to direct him while allowing him to move his body - we were basically trapped in a corner.
Neither of the other boarders seemed to notice that we'd had a problem, or if they noticed, to care, despite Red's visible agitation. That was a little discouraging, but I guess they had their own agendas and were going to pursue them no matter what. I'll just have to be sure to look out for my horse and my own safety without assuming that others will be look out for me and my horse - that's useful learning for me, even if a bit sad.
Then I rode Pie. Neither of the boarders who'd caused Red and I problems were in the ring any more. Pie was very, very good. I again worked on riding the headless horse. Pie's trot work was excellent - forward, with good bend and impulsion - and his canter work was outstanding. On both leads, we had the best departures from trot we've ever had - he just stepped easily into canter the instant I thought it - and he sustained the canter on both leads around and around the ring, stepping deeply into the corners with no real effort on my part - he made an excellent headless horse. After that ride, I felt a bit better - tomorrow is another day . . .
Then two other boarders came into the ring and started lungeing/doing groundwork with their horses at both ends of the ring. That left us very little space to work in, as our arena is quite small. I'm not generally comfortable passing on my horse along the wall with a horse being lunged so close that there's almost no room to pass, particularly if the horse isn't under complete control. One boarder was vigorously snapping a lunge whip to get her horse to go, and the other was using a lariet rope to slap on her leg to get her horse to move - I guess their horses needed that in order to move out. Red, I expect due to some bad experiences in his past, gets extremely worried - even frightened - when whips or ropes are loudly snapped or slapped - he isn't yet able to distinguish between someone doing that to another horse and doing it to him. He was quite concerned, and we parked ourselves in a corner since there was really no where else to go. We stood there for a bit, and, although he was trying so hard to hold it together for me, his anxiety level got to the point that he gave a mini-rear - the reins were not tight - to tell me that he just couldn't cope any more. I dismounted and stood there for a moment, but that didn't reduce his anxiety - he started swinging around me and although he didn't run into me, he was very upset. If I'd had somewhere to keep him moving under saddle - doing circles or small figures to keep his mind occupied - he might have been OK, although maybe not. With our small arena, it just wasn't an option.
Since he was so upset, I took him out of the arena and we walked up and down the barn aisle with the big door to the arena closed. Just getting close to the door when the whip and rope were snapping, even with the door closed, made him so nervous that we had to go back down the aisle again. Once the boarders were done making noises, I took him back into the arena and remounted. He was nervous for a while but was able to stay with me and work, and his focus improved as we went. We did our usual canter straightline work and then moved on to trot - he was very forward and engaged and worked well. I told him what a good boy he was and put him away. (Later, after I rode Pie, I took Red back into the arena and hand-walked him around - his eyes were big but he was very good, and I hope it reassured him somewhat.) I felt bad that I'd allowed him to be put into a situation that was too much for him to cope with - this is the first melt-down he's had in almost a year, and a first at the new barn - but I was very pleased with how he recovered from it. His trust in me at this point is strong, but it still will only take him so far, particularly if I have no way to direct him while allowing him to move his body - we were basically trapped in a corner.
Neither of the other boarders seemed to notice that we'd had a problem, or if they noticed, to care, despite Red's visible agitation. That was a little discouraging, but I guess they had their own agendas and were going to pursue them no matter what. I'll just have to be sure to look out for my horse and my own safety without assuming that others will be look out for me and my horse - that's useful learning for me, even if a bit sad.
Then I rode Pie. Neither of the boarders who'd caused Red and I problems were in the ring any more. Pie was very, very good. I again worked on riding the headless horse. Pie's trot work was excellent - forward, with good bend and impulsion - and his canter work was outstanding. On both leads, we had the best departures from trot we've ever had - he just stepped easily into canter the instant I thought it - and he sustained the canter on both leads around and around the ring, stepping deeply into the corners with no real effort on my part - he made an excellent headless horse. After that ride, I felt a bit better - tomorrow is another day . . .
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Riding a Headless Horse
Today I rode a headless horse . . .
Now that might take some explanation . . .
I know that one of my worst riding faults has been staring at my horse's head as I ride - this puts my focus and weight down on the horse's forehand, making it hard for the the horse to carry itself properly. It also means that I'm not looking where I'm intending to go, which makes it hard for me to give the horse direction and hard for the horse to figure out what I want. It tends to result in riding too much with my hands, which is a fault of its own. Looking at my horse's head is a fault I've been working very hard to correct, and fixing my posture and focus to achieve this is something I work on during every ride. It takes a long time to establish new habits, particularly when you're trying to break an old habit of long standing.
Today, in addition to working on keeping my posture open and erect, with my chin and focus up, I tried something in addition - riding a headless horse. Dawn and I worked on this during our early-morning ride (the boys are having a well-deserved day off). (Dawn walked away from me when I went to bring her in, so that's back to normal.) To do this, I imagined that I was moving around the arena, using her hind legs as my legs, and with my eyes and focus being her eyes and focus. So all she had was hind legs - no head. This was very much a matter of thinking about, and feeling, only what her hind legs were doing and paying little or no attention to the front half of the horse and especially paying no attention at all to the head. All I did with my hands and shoulders was to provide a stable place for her to find a soft contact, and to give direction if any was needed in addition to the moving we were doing with "our" hind legs, guided by "our" eyes and focus. If I were a creature composed of her hind legs and my eyes and focus, I certainly wouldn't be able to look down - I'd have to look where I was going or else I was going to trip and fall down.
The exercise was remarkably successful. All I had to do was change my focus and send "our" legs somewhere, and there they went. All I had to do to change speed within a gait or change gaits was to bring up my energy and take "our" legs into the new speed or gait. This worked even for halting, or for staying halted. Most remarkably - I was surprised by this - it worked for backing, on a completely loose rein, and with no change of my posture and no cues - I just thought about "our" legs stepping backwards, and backwards they went.
It was a pretty magical experience. Now I have to try riding a "headless" Red and a "headless" Pie . . .
Now that might take some explanation . . .
I know that one of my worst riding faults has been staring at my horse's head as I ride - this puts my focus and weight down on the horse's forehand, making it hard for the the horse to carry itself properly. It also means that I'm not looking where I'm intending to go, which makes it hard for me to give the horse direction and hard for the horse to figure out what I want. It tends to result in riding too much with my hands, which is a fault of its own. Looking at my horse's head is a fault I've been working very hard to correct, and fixing my posture and focus to achieve this is something I work on during every ride. It takes a long time to establish new habits, particularly when you're trying to break an old habit of long standing.
Today, in addition to working on keeping my posture open and erect, with my chin and focus up, I tried something in addition - riding a headless horse. Dawn and I worked on this during our early-morning ride (the boys are having a well-deserved day off). (Dawn walked away from me when I went to bring her in, so that's back to normal.) To do this, I imagined that I was moving around the arena, using her hind legs as my legs, and with my eyes and focus being her eyes and focus. So all she had was hind legs - no head. This was very much a matter of thinking about, and feeling, only what her hind legs were doing and paying little or no attention to the front half of the horse and especially paying no attention at all to the head. All I did with my hands and shoulders was to provide a stable place for her to find a soft contact, and to give direction if any was needed in addition to the moving we were doing with "our" hind legs, guided by "our" eyes and focus. If I were a creature composed of her hind legs and my eyes and focus, I certainly wouldn't be able to look down - I'd have to look where I was going or else I was going to trip and fall down.
The exercise was remarkably successful. All I had to do was change my focus and send "our" legs somewhere, and there they went. All I had to do to change speed within a gait or change gaits was to bring up my energy and take "our" legs into the new speed or gait. This worked even for halting, or for staying halted. Most remarkably - I was surprised by this - it worked for backing, on a completely loose rein, and with no change of my posture and no cues - I just thought about "our" legs stepping backwards, and backwards they went.
It was a pretty magical experience. Now I have to try riding a "headless" Red and a "headless" Pie . . .
Friday, February 22, 2013
Dawn Comes to Me, and Three Great Horses on Friday
We had a few inches of snow last night, and the horses enjoyed it - it make the footing just a little bit better. When I got to the barn in the early morning, and went to get Dawn, I saw Dawn and a couple of other mares galloping across the pasture. As I walked out, the mares stopped, and Dawn turned and walked towards me, and kept on coming, passing a hay bale on the way. She stopped a couple of yards away from me, ears up, and waited for me to come up to her and put her halter on. This was pretty unusual - Dawn usually ignores me, and sometimes walks off when I approach, and occasionally is grumpy enough that she will snap in my direction as I put on her halter. Today she seemed happy to see me. We then made our usual detour to the water tank and she had a nice drink - I always do this when I get her from the pasture in case she's thirsty before our ride.
We went on to have an outstanding ride - Dawn had the day off yesterday. We did lots of trot work, including shortening and lengthening, and series of small circles up the long sides of the arena. I tried to give her my best position - eyes up and posture erect, minimal posting and keeping my elbows back and close to my body. At the end of our ride, she gave me some of the most engaged, soft medium trot we've ever had down one long side. When we reached the end of the arena, we walked and then halted and I got right off and thanked her for working so hard.
In the afternoon, Red and Pie both gave me their best too. Red and I did our usual walk warm up, and then I let him choose how long we did our up-the-middle canter warm ups. He opted to canter the length of the arena about five times and then he continued around the corner in trot - he was ready to trot. This was quicker than usual, and his trot work was the easiest it has been for him in a while - he stretched out fairly quickly. His medium trot after he warmed up felt very good - lots of elevation and drive - and we also did some canter work that was good as well. We did a number of sets of canter as well as trot. There was no head shaking, and he was soft and engaged throughout. I told him what an excellent Red he was.
Pie and I mostly had the arena to ourselves today, except for one person who was lungeing for a while. I worked on my posture and keeping my eyes up - when I did this consistently he stayed soft, and forward, and bent well into the corners. His canter work was as good as the trot. There was one patch of snow in the ground just inside one of the arena doors that worried him for a while, but I ignored it and we kept working closer and closer to it without forcing the issue and by the end of our ride he could have cared less about it - I just let him figure it out for himself. At the end of our ride, we worked on shortening and lengthening the trot, just off my energy level. He did very well on this, once he stopped doing more than I asked and walking or halting instead of just shortening the trot. Pie is extremely smart, and is prone to anticipating what we're going to do next if I establish any pattern - he wants to please so much. When he starts anticipating, it's usually a sign that I've been doing things in the same order or making turns or transitions at the same places. We worked on him not getting ahead of me, and staying with me and waiting for my direction - or maybe we worked on my staying ahead of him and giving him leadership. I mixed up the patterns - when we cantered or trotted, whether we shortened or lengthened in a particular spot, where we turned. He did very, very well, and I told him so, and the fact that we were by ourselves in the ring helped me keep my focus.
Both Red and Pie will follow me at my direction, or stop and stand and wait for me - I just hold my hand up and ask them to wait - to do something in the arena - I'm pleased with their attentiveness and willingness.
Another fine day with three great horses!
We went on to have an outstanding ride - Dawn had the day off yesterday. We did lots of trot work, including shortening and lengthening, and series of small circles up the long sides of the arena. I tried to give her my best position - eyes up and posture erect, minimal posting and keeping my elbows back and close to my body. At the end of our ride, she gave me some of the most engaged, soft medium trot we've ever had down one long side. When we reached the end of the arena, we walked and then halted and I got right off and thanked her for working so hard.
In the afternoon, Red and Pie both gave me their best too. Red and I did our usual walk warm up, and then I let him choose how long we did our up-the-middle canter warm ups. He opted to canter the length of the arena about five times and then he continued around the corner in trot - he was ready to trot. This was quicker than usual, and his trot work was the easiest it has been for him in a while - he stretched out fairly quickly. His medium trot after he warmed up felt very good - lots of elevation and drive - and we also did some canter work that was good as well. We did a number of sets of canter as well as trot. There was no head shaking, and he was soft and engaged throughout. I told him what an excellent Red he was.
Pie and I mostly had the arena to ourselves today, except for one person who was lungeing for a while. I worked on my posture and keeping my eyes up - when I did this consistently he stayed soft, and forward, and bent well into the corners. His canter work was as good as the trot. There was one patch of snow in the ground just inside one of the arena doors that worried him for a while, but I ignored it and we kept working closer and closer to it without forcing the issue and by the end of our ride he could have cared less about it - I just let him figure it out for himself. At the end of our ride, we worked on shortening and lengthening the trot, just off my energy level. He did very well on this, once he stopped doing more than I asked and walking or halting instead of just shortening the trot. Pie is extremely smart, and is prone to anticipating what we're going to do next if I establish any pattern - he wants to please so much. When he starts anticipating, it's usually a sign that I've been doing things in the same order or making turns or transitions at the same places. We worked on him not getting ahead of me, and staying with me and waiting for my direction - or maybe we worked on my staying ahead of him and giving him leadership. I mixed up the patterns - when we cantered or trotted, whether we shortened or lengthened in a particular spot, where we turned. He did very, very well, and I told him so, and the fact that we were by ourselves in the ring helped me keep my focus.
Both Red and Pie will follow me at my direction, or stop and stand and wait for me - I just hold my hand up and ask them to wait - to do something in the arena - I'm pleased with their attentiveness and willingness.
Another fine day with three great horses!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
On Listening to Horses, and More Fun with the Boys
I had another really nice day with my horses. This morning, Dawn got the morning off, since I was busy in the early morning when I usually ride her - I try to ride her then when there are few or no horses in the arena, as she can be very aggressive towards the other horses, attempting to kick them if they get anywhere near - and her personal "bubble" is quite large, which makes it hard to ride with others in the small indoor arena.
I did stop by the barn in the late morning to check on her - she was standing grumpily by the fence, not eating hay. I wondered what was up. I went out to check on her, and she right away showed me what the problem was - as I approached, she bit the blanket on her left shoulder a couple of times. I checked it out, fending off her attempts to bite me, and there was indeed a problem. Her fleece, which was on under her blanket, had slid back and twisted and was too tight across her shoulder. I put a halter on her and led her to the fence to take the fleece off. This involved taking off her blanket first, then the fleece. The neckline of the fleece had left a big ridge along her shoulder, which I rubbed until she told me it felt better. Then I put her blanket back on - she really didn't need the extra fleece layer today - and let her go, and she happily marched off to eat hay. Poor girl - glad I was there to make it better.
When I was walking through the indoor, one boarder was there doing some groundwork with her horse. She said that he had recently started shaking his head and asked if I had any idea what that could be about. I said I didn't know, but that it could be that he was trying to release a cramp or tightness in his neck somewhere. I started feeling around on his neck, and sure enough he had a number of very tight, sore places. I started rubbing and massaging and next thing we knew he was yawning, lolling his tongue, stretching out his neck and body and just enjoying the whole thing. He had some very sore spots that I had to be careful with. Then he demanded that I massage his shoulders, ribcage and hip area - he continued to yawn and stretch - he was clearly really enjoying the whole thing. When he said he'd had enough, he shook out his neck and head and seemed to feel better. Now my knowledge of equine massage is pretty limited - I just rub and apply pressure where the horse seems to want it - this horse was pretty demonstrative about what he wanted. It was really fun to see him respond, and it'll be interesting to see if the head shaking improves.
In the afternoon, Red and Pie and I had a good time together. I was there at bring in time, and got to see the horses carefully and slowly picking their way across the frozen, chopped up ground - not much moving around possible out there.
Red and I had a very fine ride, and after our usual vigorous 15-minute walk warm up. We had the ring to ourselves for most of our ride. He was very forward, having lots of pent-up energy. This time, as we started our faster work, I let him make some decisions about how we would warm up. His choice was to turn down the center line of the arena, and canter to the end and then come back to trot and then walk before he had to turn - he clearly wanted to warm up on a straight line and I told him that was fine with me. We did a number of repetitions of this, and he choose to mostly use the left lead, although he did some right lead canter as well. After a number of lengths, he felt comfortable continuing in trot around the turn. Today, in contrast to yesterday, he was stiffer tracking left - I expect the soreness in each hock varies from day to day. He did some really excellent trot and canter work, and I only got one head-shake on the first right lead canter departure. His trot work at medium trot was very good - lots of drive and power and very good softness - I try to make sure he's using himself correctly and not inverting and falling on the forehand. His canter work had a lot of elevation and power. He had more difficulty doing a slower, more collected trot, but by the end of our ride he was more comfortable and able to do it without going "flat" - flatness of gaits can be an indication of hock discomfort - and also did some nice medium trot work stretching down on a longer rein. I told him what an excellent horse he was, many times.
Pie and I also had an excellent ride under less than ideal conditions. There were at least 4 other riders at all times, including one young rider on a pony jumping a small figure 8 course, and then doing canter work - in our very small arena, that's a lot of people. At the end of our ride, someone came in and started lungeing a feisty little mare at one end. Pie was nervous with all the traffic, but listened well to me and kept right on trucking. He was very forward as well, and did some very nice trot and canter work. As he relaxed, we were able to do some loose rein work, and he started to offer some good softness and engagement. We ended with some slower sitting trot work, where he was able to stay relaxed and soft. He also was told many times what a good boy he was.
You can't ask for better than that!
I did stop by the barn in the late morning to check on her - she was standing grumpily by the fence, not eating hay. I wondered what was up. I went out to check on her, and she right away showed me what the problem was - as I approached, she bit the blanket on her left shoulder a couple of times. I checked it out, fending off her attempts to bite me, and there was indeed a problem. Her fleece, which was on under her blanket, had slid back and twisted and was too tight across her shoulder. I put a halter on her and led her to the fence to take the fleece off. This involved taking off her blanket first, then the fleece. The neckline of the fleece had left a big ridge along her shoulder, which I rubbed until she told me it felt better. Then I put her blanket back on - she really didn't need the extra fleece layer today - and let her go, and she happily marched off to eat hay. Poor girl - glad I was there to make it better.
When I was walking through the indoor, one boarder was there doing some groundwork with her horse. She said that he had recently started shaking his head and asked if I had any idea what that could be about. I said I didn't know, but that it could be that he was trying to release a cramp or tightness in his neck somewhere. I started feeling around on his neck, and sure enough he had a number of very tight, sore places. I started rubbing and massaging and next thing we knew he was yawning, lolling his tongue, stretching out his neck and body and just enjoying the whole thing. He had some very sore spots that I had to be careful with. Then he demanded that I massage his shoulders, ribcage and hip area - he continued to yawn and stretch - he was clearly really enjoying the whole thing. When he said he'd had enough, he shook out his neck and head and seemed to feel better. Now my knowledge of equine massage is pretty limited - I just rub and apply pressure where the horse seems to want it - this horse was pretty demonstrative about what he wanted. It was really fun to see him respond, and it'll be interesting to see if the head shaking improves.
In the afternoon, Red and Pie and I had a good time together. I was there at bring in time, and got to see the horses carefully and slowly picking their way across the frozen, chopped up ground - not much moving around possible out there.
Red and I had a very fine ride, and after our usual vigorous 15-minute walk warm up. We had the ring to ourselves for most of our ride. He was very forward, having lots of pent-up energy. This time, as we started our faster work, I let him make some decisions about how we would warm up. His choice was to turn down the center line of the arena, and canter to the end and then come back to trot and then walk before he had to turn - he clearly wanted to warm up on a straight line and I told him that was fine with me. We did a number of repetitions of this, and he choose to mostly use the left lead, although he did some right lead canter as well. After a number of lengths, he felt comfortable continuing in trot around the turn. Today, in contrast to yesterday, he was stiffer tracking left - I expect the soreness in each hock varies from day to day. He did some really excellent trot and canter work, and I only got one head-shake on the first right lead canter departure. His trot work at medium trot was very good - lots of drive and power and very good softness - I try to make sure he's using himself correctly and not inverting and falling on the forehand. His canter work had a lot of elevation and power. He had more difficulty doing a slower, more collected trot, but by the end of our ride he was more comfortable and able to do it without going "flat" - flatness of gaits can be an indication of hock discomfort - and also did some nice medium trot work stretching down on a longer rein. I told him what an excellent horse he was, many times.
Pie and I also had an excellent ride under less than ideal conditions. There were at least 4 other riders at all times, including one young rider on a pony jumping a small figure 8 course, and then doing canter work - in our very small arena, that's a lot of people. At the end of our ride, someone came in and started lungeing a feisty little mare at one end. Pie was nervous with all the traffic, but listened well to me and kept right on trucking. He was very forward as well, and did some very nice trot and canter work. As he relaxed, we were able to do some loose rein work, and he started to offer some good softness and engagement. We ended with some slower sitting trot work, where he was able to stay relaxed and soft. He also was told many times what a good boy he was.
You can't ask for better than that!
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Dawn is Golden and the Boys Calm Down
Today was a very good three-horse day.
The last time I rode Dawn was a week ago today. First I tweaked my back, then she was very sore from her trim. So today, we finally rode again. It was very cold this morning - wind chills below zero - but the horrible wind from yesterday had mostly died down and the sun was shining brightly. I retrieved Dawn from turnout - she was coping well with the cold - funny how that happens the day after she's been stuck inside - and brought her inside. It was just barely 20F in the indoor - about at my limit for riding.
I wasn't at all sure how Dawn would be today - she'd had 6 days off, it was very cold and the horses haven't really been able to move around much in turnout due to the ice and hard-frozen, chopped up ground. So just to be safe, I put her on the lunge line first. Dawn and I have a deal about lungeing and other groundwork - if she's a maniac or there's bucking and kicking out, we work until she can listen to me, relax a bit and nicely do what I ask in terms of transitions - but if she's calm and listens to me, we can stop. Although Dawn can certainly have her moments, today she was golden. She walked nicely until I asked for trot and stopped trotting and halted as soon as I stopped - I don't stand still in the middle when I lunge but move with the horse to convey the level of energy I want. Same thing in the other direction. It might as well have been 80 degrees as far as her behavior went. She was simply telling me that no lungeing was necessary. What a good mare!
We only lunged for a couple of minutes, and then I just got on. We then did about 20 minutes of walk/trot work - she was very alert and forward, but completely responsive. We were then interrupted for a few minutes by the arena being dragged, and I got back on for some more trot work - I don't want her to think that the drag coming is the signal that we're done working - but we didn't work long as I don't want her to get sore again and need to see how she does. I told her what an outstanding mare she was and turned her back out.
It had warmed up considerably outside by the afternoon and it actually made it over 30F in the indoor arena. I had very nice rides on both Red and Pie. Both boys were really interested in moving out, since they've got no way to do any real moving around outside. Red was very forward, and we did quite a bit of canter work, which is sometimes easier for him than trotting. We even did some continuous canter work on his right lead, which is often more difficult for him, but it felt pretty nice today. His canter on both leads had quite a bit of lift and drive today. We also did a fair amount of trotting - he was somewhat stiffer on the diagonal tracking right. There was some had shaking today at various moments - I'm not entirely sure what it means but I think it means that he's feeling feisty and excited - it's perhaps his equivalent of (and far preferable to) high-energy bucks, and since the head shaking isn't a problem for me as he keeps right on working I don't really mind. When we were done, I told him what an excellent Red man he was.
Pie was also quite forward today, although not nervous or spooky like yesterday. He did some very nice trot and canter work, including a good amount of sustained canter in both directions - he was moving very well and able to carry himself repeatedly around corners and turns without falling on the forehand/falling out of canter. His trot was also quite forward - he's never going to be a long-strided horse but he was offering what he could and it felt very nice. He also was told what a excellent Pie he was.
Even though it's still winter, and likely to be so for some time, I'll take a day like today any time.
The last time I rode Dawn was a week ago today. First I tweaked my back, then she was very sore from her trim. So today, we finally rode again. It was very cold this morning - wind chills below zero - but the horrible wind from yesterday had mostly died down and the sun was shining brightly. I retrieved Dawn from turnout - she was coping well with the cold - funny how that happens the day after she's been stuck inside - and brought her inside. It was just barely 20F in the indoor - about at my limit for riding.
I wasn't at all sure how Dawn would be today - she'd had 6 days off, it was very cold and the horses haven't really been able to move around much in turnout due to the ice and hard-frozen, chopped up ground. So just to be safe, I put her on the lunge line first. Dawn and I have a deal about lungeing and other groundwork - if she's a maniac or there's bucking and kicking out, we work until she can listen to me, relax a bit and nicely do what I ask in terms of transitions - but if she's calm and listens to me, we can stop. Although Dawn can certainly have her moments, today she was golden. She walked nicely until I asked for trot and stopped trotting and halted as soon as I stopped - I don't stand still in the middle when I lunge but move with the horse to convey the level of energy I want. Same thing in the other direction. It might as well have been 80 degrees as far as her behavior went. She was simply telling me that no lungeing was necessary. What a good mare!
We only lunged for a couple of minutes, and then I just got on. We then did about 20 minutes of walk/trot work - she was very alert and forward, but completely responsive. We were then interrupted for a few minutes by the arena being dragged, and I got back on for some more trot work - I don't want her to think that the drag coming is the signal that we're done working - but we didn't work long as I don't want her to get sore again and need to see how she does. I told her what an outstanding mare she was and turned her back out.
It had warmed up considerably outside by the afternoon and it actually made it over 30F in the indoor arena. I had very nice rides on both Red and Pie. Both boys were really interested in moving out, since they've got no way to do any real moving around outside. Red was very forward, and we did quite a bit of canter work, which is sometimes easier for him than trotting. We even did some continuous canter work on his right lead, which is often more difficult for him, but it felt pretty nice today. His canter on both leads had quite a bit of lift and drive today. We also did a fair amount of trotting - he was somewhat stiffer on the diagonal tracking right. There was some had shaking today at various moments - I'm not entirely sure what it means but I think it means that he's feeling feisty and excited - it's perhaps his equivalent of (and far preferable to) high-energy bucks, and since the head shaking isn't a problem for me as he keeps right on working I don't really mind. When we were done, I told him what an excellent Red man he was.
Pie was also quite forward today, although not nervous or spooky like yesterday. He did some very nice trot and canter work, including a good amount of sustained canter in both directions - he was moving very well and able to carry himself repeatedly around corners and turns without falling on the forehand/falling out of canter. His trot was also quite forward - he's never going to be a long-strided horse but he was offering what he could and it felt very nice. He also was told what a excellent Pie he was.
Even though it's still winter, and likely to be so for some time, I'll take a day like today any time.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The Boys are Feisty
The temperature nose dived from yesterday to today. Yesterday it was 47F, and the high today was about 15F with howling winds and wind chills that were at zero or below all day. I brought Dawn in fairly early in the morning - she was very cold despite having a fleece on under her heavy blanket. Red and Pie were fine and had no interest in coming in.
It made it up to the low 20s in the indoor this afternoon, so I managed to get in two good rides on Red and Pie. I rode Red briefly at the walk bareback yesterday in the warm temperatures as he was still slightly tentative on the concrete - I wouldn't have ridden him except that he was insistent - he stood at his stall door and nickered until I took him out. Pie and I had a nice ride as well yesterday. It was nice to ride with the arena doors wide open - not so claustrophobic.
With the cold and wind today - the wind was gusting to 45mph - the boys were much feistier. The wind was howling and screaming around the barn, the metal doors were banging and crashing, dirt was hitting the sides of the arena and the rafters and roof were even groaning. And the horses haven't been able to move around the pasture much in turnout - the ground is hard with icy patches and they have to pick their way through it - no running and playing possible.
Red seemed fine on the concrete today, so I rode him. He was remarkably good, considering that we hadn't had a real ride in almost a week. He took the noises in stride, although he was very alert. His trot and canter work were very good, and he was only a little bit gimpy at the trot at the start. The only sign he gave of pent-up energy was some head shaking and snaking during some of our trot work. I just ignored all that and we kept right on working and it quickly went away. We only trotted and cantered for about 15 minutes, after our 15-minute walk warm up, because I wanted to see how his hoof comfort would hold up before doing more tomorrow. I told him that he was a very good horse.
Pie was very high with energy and also somewhat spooky and worried when we came out. The noises and banging concerned him a bit. We had one pretty good dropped-butt scoot when the doors slammed behind him early in our ride, but we just kept right on working. We did lots of trot and canter work, and he was very forward. It took quite a while to get him to relax and settle, but he did once he'd been able to move and work off some of his excess energy. By the end, his head had dropped and he was much more relaxed and less worried. I told him what a fine boy he was.
It was a good horse day, although I'm a bit sore - I managed to fall on the ice in my driveway this morning when I took the dog out, and landed on my tail and lower back and hands. But I'm only a little bruised and riding didn't hurt much at all. A nice hot bath is in order, though . . .
It made it up to the low 20s in the indoor this afternoon, so I managed to get in two good rides on Red and Pie. I rode Red briefly at the walk bareback yesterday in the warm temperatures as he was still slightly tentative on the concrete - I wouldn't have ridden him except that he was insistent - he stood at his stall door and nickered until I took him out. Pie and I had a nice ride as well yesterday. It was nice to ride with the arena doors wide open - not so claustrophobic.
With the cold and wind today - the wind was gusting to 45mph - the boys were much feistier. The wind was howling and screaming around the barn, the metal doors were banging and crashing, dirt was hitting the sides of the arena and the rafters and roof were even groaning. And the horses haven't been able to move around the pasture much in turnout - the ground is hard with icy patches and they have to pick their way through it - no running and playing possible.
Red seemed fine on the concrete today, so I rode him. He was remarkably good, considering that we hadn't had a real ride in almost a week. He took the noises in stride, although he was very alert. His trot and canter work were very good, and he was only a little bit gimpy at the trot at the start. The only sign he gave of pent-up energy was some head shaking and snaking during some of our trot work. I just ignored all that and we kept right on working and it quickly went away. We only trotted and cantered for about 15 minutes, after our 15-minute walk warm up, because I wanted to see how his hoof comfort would hold up before doing more tomorrow. I told him that he was a very good horse.
Pie was very high with energy and also somewhat spooky and worried when we came out. The noises and banging concerned him a bit. We had one pretty good dropped-butt scoot when the doors slammed behind him early in our ride, but we just kept right on working. We did lots of trot and canter work, and he was very forward. It took quite a while to get him to relax and settle, but he did once he'd been able to move and work off some of his excess energy. By the end, his head had dropped and he was much more relaxed and less worried. I told him what a fine boy he was.
It was a good horse day, although I'm a bit sore - I managed to fall on the ice in my driveway this morning when I took the dog out, and landed on my tail and lower back and hands. But I'm only a little bruised and riding didn't hurt much at all. A nice hot bath is in order, though . . .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)