Bel Joeor: Life + Horses
Friday, October 4, 2013
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Lesson Boot Camp
Trainer is leaving for Florida in a week and a half, so I am hustling to use up my credits before she goes.
Last night, we had our first lesson in about six weeks, due to my work schedule and her clinic schedule and sundry other things. We focused on getting a couple simple things down and then my homework is to translate them throughout my ride.
First up: bending. We worked out a few simple exercises to start in the halt then carry through walk, trot, and canter to get him more supple R and L. He's never been the most laterally supple horse, and he lost any trace of what he once had during his time off, so this was really good for both of us.
Next, some pieces of my position. In particular, my hands. I need a stronger contact and need to focus on using my shoulders and elbows more to encourage elasticity rather than just heavy. I need to keep the reins shorter than I have been. (Always a problem for me...) I also need to keep my hands quieter (something I've been working on). I had been backing off on that because one of our bad feedback loops is to get harder and harder against each other, and I've been erring too far on the side of a soft contact, to the point that it was inconsistent.
Last but not least we worked on the canter: bending and encouraging a bit of round. We had some really, REALLY nice moments in the canter, when he would give a little to the inside and then I'd add in outside rein to keep him on a consistent circle and all of a sudden his hind legs would connect. There was a moment or two when he felt like riding a bouncy ball in comparison to his usual strung out canter. For the first time in a very long time there were also a few strides where he felt on the edge of control, like he was letting out all that energy we'd just accessed by going FAST. It took me so much by surprise that slowing him down didn't enter into my mind and we had a few good rides down some long sides before I realized that my horse, my lazy behind-the-leg horse was going too fast.
After the mechanics and riding exercises, we also talked a bit about tack. She opened up Tristan's mouth and suggested trying some different bits, with two main goals in mind: something thinner and something with more of a peanut shape than the French link he's got right now. He has a low palate and a small-ish mouth so the thickness of the bit wasn't as kind as it typically is; it was hard for him to really get his mouth closed and accept it. I knew he had a low-ish palate, hence the French link instead of a regular snaffle (which he def. doesn't like) but as she showed me his mouth and we looked at the way the bit was moving together the thickness made sense, too. A different shape to the middle link (right now it's a flat piece) will also provide a gentler bend.
Overall she praised both my seat and my general instincts - often when he had a breakthrough we both said "Good!" at the same time. My hope is always that I'm a good student - that I respond quickly, effectively, and am thoughtful about the questions I ask and the conversations I have - and I feel like our communication was good. I'd ride with her twice a week, every week, if I could, but I can't work that many hours at the barn on top of my regular job, alas.
Final note: it was such a gorgeous day that we rode on top of the hill in the jumping ring, and used a headset. I kind of loved it. Having her voice in my ear without straining to listen meant that I could react quickly, go further in the ring, and have near-constant feedback on what I was doing, which I really needed last night.
We worked hard for the full hour, and Tristan was foamy with sweat through his winter coat, so he got a long rinse and a cooler to go back in his stall, where he was clearly a bit weary.
He'll get tonight off to rest as I stay late at work to catch up, and then we have another lesson on Thursday, whew!
Last night, we had our first lesson in about six weeks, due to my work schedule and her clinic schedule and sundry other things. We focused on getting a couple simple things down and then my homework is to translate them throughout my ride.
First up: bending. We worked out a few simple exercises to start in the halt then carry through walk, trot, and canter to get him more supple R and L. He's never been the most laterally supple horse, and he lost any trace of what he once had during his time off, so this was really good for both of us.
Next, some pieces of my position. In particular, my hands. I need a stronger contact and need to focus on using my shoulders and elbows more to encourage elasticity rather than just heavy. I need to keep the reins shorter than I have been. (Always a problem for me...) I also need to keep my hands quieter (something I've been working on). I had been backing off on that because one of our bad feedback loops is to get harder and harder against each other, and I've been erring too far on the side of a soft contact, to the point that it was inconsistent.
Last but not least we worked on the canter: bending and encouraging a bit of round. We had some really, REALLY nice moments in the canter, when he would give a little to the inside and then I'd add in outside rein to keep him on a consistent circle and all of a sudden his hind legs would connect. There was a moment or two when he felt like riding a bouncy ball in comparison to his usual strung out canter. For the first time in a very long time there were also a few strides where he felt on the edge of control, like he was letting out all that energy we'd just accessed by going FAST. It took me so much by surprise that slowing him down didn't enter into my mind and we had a few good rides down some long sides before I realized that my horse, my lazy behind-the-leg horse was going too fast.
After the mechanics and riding exercises, we also talked a bit about tack. She opened up Tristan's mouth and suggested trying some different bits, with two main goals in mind: something thinner and something with more of a peanut shape than the French link he's got right now. He has a low palate and a small-ish mouth so the thickness of the bit wasn't as kind as it typically is; it was hard for him to really get his mouth closed and accept it. I knew he had a low-ish palate, hence the French link instead of a regular snaffle (which he def. doesn't like) but as she showed me his mouth and we looked at the way the bit was moving together the thickness made sense, too. A different shape to the middle link (right now it's a flat piece) will also provide a gentler bend.
Overall she praised both my seat and my general instincts - often when he had a breakthrough we both said "Good!" at the same time. My hope is always that I'm a good student - that I respond quickly, effectively, and am thoughtful about the questions I ask and the conversations I have - and I feel like our communication was good. I'd ride with her twice a week, every week, if I could, but I can't work that many hours at the barn on top of my regular job, alas.
Final note: it was such a gorgeous day that we rode on top of the hill in the jumping ring, and used a headset. I kind of loved it. Having her voice in my ear without straining to listen meant that I could react quickly, go further in the ring, and have near-constant feedback on what I was doing, which I really needed last night.
We worked hard for the full hour, and Tristan was foamy with sweat through his winter coat, so he got a long rinse and a cooler to go back in his stall, where he was clearly a bit weary.
He'll get tonight off to rest as I stay late at work to catch up, and then we have another lesson on Thursday, whew!
Saturday, September 28, 2013
sigh.
So Thursday night I got to the barn for Tristan's massage, and the barn manager intercepted me and said that since Tristan came in, he'd been blowing up with hives. Got to his stall and yep, wow, hives everywhere - face, legs, belly, flank, you name it. Bad spots were masses of lumps; even the good spots had big lumps at 2-3 inch intervals. What the HELL. Nothing in his life changed at all - no idea what was triggering it.
That night we gave him 2ccs of dex, and the hives came down by the evening and were fading away through Friday, when he got a fly sheet for turnout. Today, got the call that he is blowing up with them again after coming in from turnout. 2ccs of dex again, and tomorrow he'll go out in a dry lot - hopefully he's just rolling in something?
Tomorrow he'll get a full bath with some good shampoo, and hopefully we can break the cycle?
ENOUGH, already.
That night we gave him 2ccs of dex, and the hives came down by the evening and were fading away through Friday, when he got a fly sheet for turnout. Today, got the call that he is blowing up with them again after coming in from turnout. 2ccs of dex again, and tomorrow he'll go out in a dry lot - hopefully he's just rolling in something?
Tomorrow he'll get a full bath with some good shampoo, and hopefully we can break the cycle?
ENOUGH, already.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Wah
I'm about to head to the DMV for the third time this week to convince them to please let me register my trailer. Vermont has bizarre rules about registration and sales tax and I'm trying to prove that I've owned the trailer for more than three years and therefore have not bought it new and therefore do not owe them sales tax on it. (wtf, Vermont.)
In the meantime, my friends are off doing this.
Not. Fair.
In the meantime, my friends are off doing this.
Not. Fair.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Same old, same old
Not much new to report. Tris is in full work and slowly adding building blocks. Last ride we had a lovely bit of trot, coming up through his withers and forward and steady in contact. I also made the tiniest of breakthroughs in the canter, and if nothing else all the cantering about asking him to please for the love of God soften a bit is upping his fitness level.
Trainer leaves for Florida in 3 weeks so I am all of a sudden cramming to get a few more lessons in. Winter lessons will be a bit easier as there are several other very good trainers at the barn but I want to take advantage of R. while I've got her and get some more things to work on through the winter.
We did a long hack with a possible new barn buddy over the weekend, and Tris was clearly happy to be out with another horse and yet utterly chill in the face of the other horse's carrying on. Love him.
Winter is coming: his summer coat shedding is slowing down and poof, I can almost sink my hand into his fuzz. I washed the cooler and it'll be back in rotation for those days it's just a bit too hot to evaporate heat quickly yet too cold to just toss him back in a stall. Luckily he's never been a horse to run hot - I've never had to clip him over the winter, even in full work. I'd like to stick to that if possible. It has been below freezing several times overnight, especially at the barn (higher elevation than my house) and it snowed atop Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in the state.
Trainer leaves for Florida in 3 weeks so I am all of a sudden cramming to get a few more lessons in. Winter lessons will be a bit easier as there are several other very good trainers at the barn but I want to take advantage of R. while I've got her and get some more things to work on through the winter.
We did a long hack with a possible new barn buddy over the weekend, and Tris was clearly happy to be out with another horse and yet utterly chill in the face of the other horse's carrying on. Love him.
Winter is coming: his summer coat shedding is slowing down and poof, I can almost sink my hand into his fuzz. I washed the cooler and it'll be back in rotation for those days it's just a bit too hot to evaporate heat quickly yet too cold to just toss him back in a stall. Luckily he's never been a horse to run hot - I've never had to clip him over the winter, even in full work. I'd like to stick to that if possible. It has been below freezing several times overnight, especially at the barn (higher elevation than my house) and it snowed atop Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in the state.
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