Lots of good riding in November. I rode 55 times. Dawn and I had 19 rides, Pie and I had 19 rides and Red and I had 17 rides, 7 of which were walking rides only.
Dawn and Pie and I all made very good progress in our work this month. Red had his soundness issues, but has been working well at the walk.
The most significant improvement Dawn and I made was being to get more consistent relaxation and softness, and also better/softer bend in corners and on circles. Adding small circle work to our warm ups has been very beneficial for both of us. Dawn's canter work is also much more consistent now.
Pie and I made big improvements this month. Adding small circle work to our warm up has really helped, and my correcting my tendency to ride the bend the horse is doing rather than the bend I want - I particularly have to work on "riding right" and making sure my own right bend is there so I can offer it to him. Pie's canter work made big strides this month - he can now consistently canter in the indoor, his corners are much better, he circles well rather than bulging out, his canter departures are coming along and the consistency of softness at the canter is increasing. We also did more outdoor pasture riding for variety.
Red's rehab had what I hope is just a blip. He was probably working too much, and on too many consecutive days, in the first half of the month, and got sore again, although not as bad as he'd been. He had 4 days completely off, with some bute in the first few days, and then we've been walking under saddle, including some short pasture expeditions. He was improved, but not 100%, when I lunged him the day after Thanksgiving, and when I lunged him today, he was significantly better - sound when trotting to the left and only slightly short-striding when trotting to the right. We've also been doing some remedial in hand and leading work - he's a horse who's always testing boundaries, and tends to want to be mouthy, and I need to be very clear and consistent with him, while always offering him a soft spot to be, to make sure there's no erosion of his manners. I also decided to give him another low-dose depo provera shot to help him with his "studiness" - hyperalertness and distractability as well as his pushing on boundaries. He's a horse who benefits from working hard, and if he'd been in regular work the shot likely wouldn't have been needed.
Next week Red and I will continue our walking work under saddle, doing as much work as we can - poles, patterns, some obstacles and also some pasture walks. We'll lunge again next Friday to see how he's coming, and we may also do some long-lining in the pastures for fun. We won't be trotting under saddle until he's sound on the lunge first. As long as he continues to improve, I'm not going to worry too much about it.
All three horses are consistently softer and more responsive at every moment, which is delightful.
All in all, it was a very good month with my three wonderful horses!
(P.S. - sorry for adding the "prove you're not a robot" word verification to comments - I was getting a huge amount of spam. The only alternative was to eliminate anonymous comments, which I decided not to do as once in a while someone (real person rather than spammer) has to comment anonymously.)
Friday, November 30, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Pictures of Pie's Half-Brother
I sent the old man I bought Pie from in the late fall of 2010 an update on how well he's doing. In return, he sent me a picture of him with his new project - Pie's half-brother (his name is Stubby!). When I got Pie, his old man told me he was done starting young horses, but I guess he changed his mind. Stubby looks to be a long yearling, and I'm guessing he has the same sire but a different dam, since Pie's dam has passed away. There's quite a family resemblance - he looks like he's going to be a very nice horse!
Pie's Canter Just Keeps Getting Better, and the Boys Show Their Smarts
Pie and I continue to work on our canter together. We don't work on it long each day - less than 10 minutes as most of our work is in walk and trot, which is carrying over to the canter - but it's really coming along. He's really starting to find what I'm offering him in terms of a soft place and how to carry himself. On the left lead, the consistency of his softness and correct carriage is really increasing - he sustains it for long periods of cantering - and his corners and circles are really good as well. On the right lead, we're getting some good moments of softness, and my "riding the right lead" - where I ride the feel as if he's travelling from the left hind to right front and bending correctly around corners and turns - is really helping him - he's starting to balance up under me and carry himself without leaning or dropping his inside shoulder. As with everything we do, I'm trying to just offer him the feel of what I want and then let him find it. A sign that we're progressing is also that his canter is starting to slow down and be more relaxed - no rushing - and that his departures are improving both in terms of timing and having him lift instead of fall into canter - this means he's "reading" my offer of a change of rhythm more accurately. What a good Pie!
I'm a sucker for very smart horses - they've always been my favorites. Now, all horses are smarter than a lot of people give them credit for. But there's a range of intelligence (poor Maisie, who's now retired, certainly came out on the low end of the intelligence handout - sweet but not the brightest bulb), and all three of my horses are really, really smart - that's probably one reason I like them all so well. Dawn is very sharp - like a razor if you're not careful, but like a skilled sword if you do take care. She's one of those horses whose eyes positively glitter with intelligence. The boys were also showing off how smart they are yesterday.
The horses start coming in from turnout at around 2 p.m. and are all in by 3 or so - they go out very early in the morning. They usually start crowding around the gates around 2, and everybody's usually at the gate by 2:30. Yesterday I was watching the bring-in and noticed that Red and Pie were nowhere to be seen, even once almost all the horses were in. No, there they were - way off at the top of the hill more than a hundred yards away. Pie and Red each had a bale of hay, and were chowing down. Guess they figured they might as well maximize eating time - why waste time standing at the gate? I called them - heads popped up but they went back to eating. I walked out there, and when I was close, Pie came up to me and I started leading him in - Red caught up to us and I haltered him too and in we went. We led through the arena to our end of the barn. There's a very narrow door from the arena into the barn aisle. I just looped Pie's lead over his back, and sent him ahead - he marched right into his stall and started eating his dinner and Red and I followed. Smart boys indeed!
I'm a sucker for very smart horses - they've always been my favorites. Now, all horses are smarter than a lot of people give them credit for. But there's a range of intelligence (poor Maisie, who's now retired, certainly came out on the low end of the intelligence handout - sweet but not the brightest bulb), and all three of my horses are really, really smart - that's probably one reason I like them all so well. Dawn is very sharp - like a razor if you're not careful, but like a skilled sword if you do take care. She's one of those horses whose eyes positively glitter with intelligence. The boys were also showing off how smart they are yesterday.
The horses start coming in from turnout at around 2 p.m. and are all in by 3 or so - they go out very early in the morning. They usually start crowding around the gates around 2, and everybody's usually at the gate by 2:30. Yesterday I was watching the bring-in and noticed that Red and Pie were nowhere to be seen, even once almost all the horses were in. No, there they were - way off at the top of the hill more than a hundred yards away. Pie and Red each had a bale of hay, and were chowing down. Guess they figured they might as well maximize eating time - why waste time standing at the gate? I called them - heads popped up but they went back to eating. I walked out there, and when I was close, Pie came up to me and I started leading him in - Red caught up to us and I haltered him too and in we went. We led through the arena to our end of the barn. There's a very narrow door from the arena into the barn aisle. I just looped Pie's lead over his back, and sent him ahead - he marched right into his stall and started eating his dinner and Red and I followed. Smart boys indeed!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Cold, with Distractions
It was very cold today - the high was about 32F, with a wind chill in the 20sF, but this morning when I went to the barn to ride Dawn, the temperature was in the high teens F, with a wind chill of about 10F. It was a little bit warmer yesterday, but not much. We're supposed to be up in the 50sF by the weekend . . .
All three horses had to deal with various distractions yesterday and today, in addition to the cold. Yesterday, Dawn dealt very well with the Snake of Doom - one of the barn guys was spraying down the arena before dragging it, and was pulling the hose here and there and squirting various areas of the arena. Dawn and I just kept on working, and she settled well and worked willingly - for some reason she finds crossing a hose much less worrying than going over a pole - she has "polephobia", I think due to some very bad prior experiences with jumping. Today, it was very, very cold and there were many distractions - horses coming and going and various pieces of equipment entering and leaving the ring. It took a while for her to relax, but we got there and by the end of our ride she was trotting around, relaxed, on a loose rein.
Yesterday, I rode Pie earlier than usual, which meant we were riding when horses were coming in from turnout. (All three horses were in paddocks early - I had blood drawn for selenium tests - our part of the world produces low-selenium hay, but with the hay shortage, our barn is getting hay from all over, and my horses get a supplement with selenium, so best to check - selenium overdose is not something any of us want to deal with.) Our barn has an unusual configuration - all the pastures open off the indoor arena, and horses have to lead through it to get to their stalls. So Pie had to cope with that - new to him - and then had to stand in the barn aisle and watch the drag go around and groom the arena - big eyes but he dealt well with that. Today we had doors opening and closing and lots of activity - again he did very well. He also had a rabies shot yesterday, with some Banamine (to ward off inflammation due to his prior EPM), and a bit more Banamine today. Our ride today was not to hard - perhaps 30 minutes of walk and trot work. He did very well, and I worked hard at "bending right" myself to help him, which made a big difference.
Red is continuing his walk work under saddle - 25 minutes yesterday and 30 minutes today. Yesterday, he cantered in well from the pasture, down the big hill - on the right lead, no less, which means he wasn't protecting his left hind. Today, he and Pie came trotting together up to the gate at bring in time, and there was no visible unsoundness. I'm thinking he's probably fine at the trot, but I'm waiting until the end of the week to try him out on the lunge. Despite the cold today and yesterday, he did his walk work like a champ, and after initial distractions of doors opening and closing, and horses coming and going - he was very worried by this at first - he worked well at the walk. Red is much more distractable that the average horse, and also can be somewhat "studdy", although less so with mares than with other geldings. We gave him a depo provera shot (low dose - many people use much higher doses but my vet/chiro doesn't feel that's safe or justified in most cases) last May to help his transition to group turnout - it dampens adrenal action, leading to less reactivity and aggressiveness, and yesterday he had another shot. If he had been in regular heavy work, this might not have been necessary, but we think it may help him cope as he comes back into work and not be so worried and nervous. If he can get back into regular work and stay sound, it may be that he'll not need another shot - in fact I prefer his feisty personality when he's working hard. It hasn't really taken effect yet, and his work was very good despite that.
Considering the cold, and the many distractions, I was delighted with all three horses and told them so!
All three horses had to deal with various distractions yesterday and today, in addition to the cold. Yesterday, Dawn dealt very well with the Snake of Doom - one of the barn guys was spraying down the arena before dragging it, and was pulling the hose here and there and squirting various areas of the arena. Dawn and I just kept on working, and she settled well and worked willingly - for some reason she finds crossing a hose much less worrying than going over a pole - she has "polephobia", I think due to some very bad prior experiences with jumping. Today, it was very, very cold and there were many distractions - horses coming and going and various pieces of equipment entering and leaving the ring. It took a while for her to relax, but we got there and by the end of our ride she was trotting around, relaxed, on a loose rein.
Yesterday, I rode Pie earlier than usual, which meant we were riding when horses were coming in from turnout. (All three horses were in paddocks early - I had blood drawn for selenium tests - our part of the world produces low-selenium hay, but with the hay shortage, our barn is getting hay from all over, and my horses get a supplement with selenium, so best to check - selenium overdose is not something any of us want to deal with.) Our barn has an unusual configuration - all the pastures open off the indoor arena, and horses have to lead through it to get to their stalls. So Pie had to cope with that - new to him - and then had to stand in the barn aisle and watch the drag go around and groom the arena - big eyes but he dealt well with that. Today we had doors opening and closing and lots of activity - again he did very well. He also had a rabies shot yesterday, with some Banamine (to ward off inflammation due to his prior EPM), and a bit more Banamine today. Our ride today was not to hard - perhaps 30 minutes of walk and trot work. He did very well, and I worked hard at "bending right" myself to help him, which made a big difference.
Red is continuing his walk work under saddle - 25 minutes yesterday and 30 minutes today. Yesterday, he cantered in well from the pasture, down the big hill - on the right lead, no less, which means he wasn't protecting his left hind. Today, he and Pie came trotting together up to the gate at bring in time, and there was no visible unsoundness. I'm thinking he's probably fine at the trot, but I'm waiting until the end of the week to try him out on the lunge. Despite the cold today and yesterday, he did his walk work like a champ, and after initial distractions of doors opening and closing, and horses coming and going - he was very worried by this at first - he worked well at the walk. Red is much more distractable that the average horse, and also can be somewhat "studdy", although less so with mares than with other geldings. We gave him a depo provera shot (low dose - many people use much higher doses but my vet/chiro doesn't feel that's safe or justified in most cases) last May to help his transition to group turnout - it dampens adrenal action, leading to less reactivity and aggressiveness, and yesterday he had another shot. If he had been in regular heavy work, this might not have been necessary, but we think it may help him cope as he comes back into work and not be so worried and nervous. If he can get back into regular work and stay sound, it may be that he'll not need another shot - in fact I prefer his feisty personality when he's working hard. It hasn't really taken effect yet, and his work was very good despite that.
Considering the cold, and the many distractions, I was delighted with all three horses and told them so!
Monday, November 26, 2012
Best Canter Work Yet From Pie and Me
Pie and I have been really working together on our canter. Saturday and Sunday, due to the Thanksgiving weekend, we were able to have the indoor arena to ourselves, and some very good work got done by both of us. His walk and trot work are now consistently soft, and he's able to track up and bend well to both right and left, which means we can do good circles and corners.
After a good bit of very nice canter work on Saturday, our canter work on Sunday was the best we've ever done. On the left lead, he was offering softness for long stretches, and bending well and carrying himself around the corners and around large circles. On the right lead, he still tends to invert his head and neck and pop his shoulder to the inside - essentially maintaining a left bend - but we worked hard on getting him to bend into corners and on circles to the right, and we got some good softness at various points. Now we need to get that going consistently - I need to do more massage on the left side of his neck, which tends to get tight, to help him with the bending to the right. I also need to improve my breathing and thinking light footfalls, to help him lift and engage from the hind end. And most importantly, I have to ride him the way I want him to go. But what does that mean? In this case, on his right lead, I need to continue to offer him the feel of cantering correctly with a right bend and softness. This means I have to carry myself as if that is what he were doing - so, instead of following with my own body his tendency to drop his inside shoulder and bend left, I need to position my seat, legs and shoulders as if he were bending right and offer him softness when he gets there.
This is one small example of riding the horse the way you want him to go - it has application to everything we do together and really comes down to offering the horse the feel you want, mentally and physically, and allowing the horse to find and stay in that soft spot. A part of this involves ignoring the things you don't want - if you focus on that, you've taken your eye off the ball - and focussing on offerting and getting what you do want. Easier said than done, of course . . .
Pie's and my warm up at walk and trot, doing small circles with good tracking up and bend, as well as some leg yield work, made a big difference to the canter work. Pie was right with me at every moment - while we were halted, resting, we did some lovely sidepass, turn on the haunches and turn on the forehand work - he was like butter and there was no hesitation - everything was soft and delightful.
We finished with some figure 8s at canter, with a simple change in the middle - he's not quite ready for a flying change but we're close, and then some sitting, collected trot serpentines. Just plain wonderful - that's my Pie!
After a good bit of very nice canter work on Saturday, our canter work on Sunday was the best we've ever done. On the left lead, he was offering softness for long stretches, and bending well and carrying himself around the corners and around large circles. On the right lead, he still tends to invert his head and neck and pop his shoulder to the inside - essentially maintaining a left bend - but we worked hard on getting him to bend into corners and on circles to the right, and we got some good softness at various points. Now we need to get that going consistently - I need to do more massage on the left side of his neck, which tends to get tight, to help him with the bending to the right. I also need to improve my breathing and thinking light footfalls, to help him lift and engage from the hind end. And most importantly, I have to ride him the way I want him to go. But what does that mean? In this case, on his right lead, I need to continue to offer him the feel of cantering correctly with a right bend and softness. This means I have to carry myself as if that is what he were doing - so, instead of following with my own body his tendency to drop his inside shoulder and bend left, I need to position my seat, legs and shoulders as if he were bending right and offer him softness when he gets there.
This is one small example of riding the horse the way you want him to go - it has application to everything we do together and really comes down to offering the horse the feel you want, mentally and physically, and allowing the horse to find and stay in that soft spot. A part of this involves ignoring the things you don't want - if you focus on that, you've taken your eye off the ball - and focussing on offerting and getting what you do want. Easier said than done, of course . . .
Pie's and my warm up at walk and trot, doing small circles with good tracking up and bend, as well as some leg yield work, made a big difference to the canter work. Pie was right with me at every moment - while we were halted, resting, we did some lovely sidepass, turn on the haunches and turn on the forehand work - he was like butter and there was no hesitation - everything was soft and delightful.
We finished with some figure 8s at canter, with a simple change in the middle - he's not quite ready for a flying change but we're close, and then some sitting, collected trot serpentines. Just plain wonderful - that's my Pie!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Same Ride, Every Time
I did a post a while ago called What Do I Want From My Horses? It's one of the posts in the series in the sidebar "Where We've Been, and Where We're Going" (the links for those posts are now fixed and working). That post could have been titled "What Do My Horses Want From Me?" - because that's really what it's all about.
I don't know if anyone else is interested in, or reads, my musings, but it seems to be important to me, and helpful to me in my horse work, to think this stuff through and write it down, so I'll just keep on doing it.
One of my overall objectives is to have my horses offer me the same ride, every time. But what does that mean? And that overall objective also has some very specific parts. This means that, every time, when we start to work, the horse offers me the same feel - the same relaxation, forward, softness and responsiveness - no matter the weather, distractions, time of day or location.
This all sounds like something I expect of the horse - and I do - but it's really about what I expect of me, and what I offer the horse. It's all about the feel I offer the horse and the feel I expect the horse to offer back to me. That's where relaxation, forward and soft responsiveness come from. To get this, I have to offer the horse consistency of intention, focus and direction, and the same attention, relaxation and softness I expect from them. This is partly a matter of trust and confidence - the horse has to know that I am there providing guidance and direction - no gaps - and that they can rely on my leadership. My expectations for the horse also have to be consistent - the horse needs to have confidence in this as well.
I want all my horses to lead properly, every time, no matter the place or circumstances. This has to come from me - my consistency and the clearness of my boundaries. If something spooks them, I expect them not to run into me and to calm down and come right back to me. All three horses now do this, even Red, for whom this was huge progress - for him it was a matter of trust and feeling safe.
I want all my horses to lead properly, every time, no matter the place or circumstances. This has to come from me - my consistency and the clearness of my boundaries. If something spooks them, I expect them not to run into me and to calm down and come right back to me. All three horses now do this, even Red, for whom this was huge progress - for him it was a matter of trust and feeling safe.
I want my horses to stand for mounting on a loose rein, whether I'm using a mounting block or mounting from the ground - every single time. This comes from me - my having trained them to do it and being consistent. All my horses do this, every time - I don't get on if the horse is moving - and with Red, I have to still ask for his attention and don't always get it instantly.
I want my horses to offer me relaxation, forward and soft responsiveness from the first step. Dawn and Pie are very much there now. For Dawn this was a huge step. Red is making very good progress, although we still have a ways to go due to his natural high distractability and the interruptions in our work schedule due to his soundness issues. It sometimes takes a few minutes for him to "tune in" and get to work.
At all moments, I want the horse to be in a state of relaxed "right there", even when we're standing on a loose rein in the middle of the ring. This doesn't mean the horse doesn't get distracted, but I want them to be able to come right back to me at the slightest touch.
I want my horses to be tuned into my breathing, focus and energy level and be able to respond to those as well as physical cues.
A couple of recent examples, with all three horses.
I rode Dawn Friday and Saturday morning in the indoor, after the temperature had dropped almost 30 degrees F from Thanksgiving Day on Thursday. Dawn had had two days off, and on Friday morning the wind was howling, causing the roof to buzz very loudly and the doors to the outside to rattle and bang. Dawn was very alert, but we just went about our routine, and mounted up and went to work. Everything was the same - mounting on a loose rein, loose rein walk and trot warm up. She was superb, offering me wonderful relaxation and forward. If there were any moments where she started to rev up slightly, we just did a bit of circle/serpentine work, still on very light contact, until she settled - it only took a few steps. Saturday's ride was even better, although it was even colder. She did some exceptional canter work for me - it was probably our best ride ever. Dawn and I are very much in tune now - what a great mare she is!
I rode Pie Saturday in the indoor after he'd had two days off. It was really cold - the temperature was dropping as the sun went down. He was forward and relaxed, and offered some very nice softness. We worked particularly on our small circles at trot to the right, and applied that to the corners with good results. Since we had the arena to ourselves, we did quite a bit of canter work. He's now able to carry himself around corners much better on both leads, and the softness and quality of transitions are starting to be there more consistently - we didn't make any transitions to trot unless he was soft first - our last one was just about perfect. And his biggest improvement was on canter circles, where he now can consistently follow my focus instead of bulging out or loosing the canter. But the final bit was the best and is a perfect illustration of the "motor always running", even at halt. We were standing on a loose rein in the middle of the arena for a rest. I barely had to lift the reins - there was no contact - and he softly backed. I barely moved my leg towards his side - he was on a completely loose rein - and he side passed perfectly in either direction. This is a big improvement in his responsiveness and softness from even a month ago. The whole ride was one of my best with him in our two years together. That's my Pie!
Red had a number of days off due to his lameness coming back. We've been doing massages for his hindquarters, which he seems to be really appreciating - lots of chewing and also leaning into me. He was enough better at trot on Friday when we lunged for a few minutes - not 100% but much improved - that we started walking under saddle again on Saturday, just for 15 minutes. It was very cold. I just mounted up and off we went. He was somewhat distracted at the beginning, and the connection and relaxation would come and go - when it goes, he braces - but I kept offering him what I wanted, and within a few minutes he settled to work and was soft and responsive. He did some very nice circle work and also gave me some nice stretching out at the walk. Good Red!
Working in different locations, or on the trail, is still a work in process. Pie is well down the road on this one, and Red and I have been doing some small expanding of our work area as his soundness permits. Every good ride with connection and feel that we have builds our confidence in each other - it's better than money in the bank!
What it all comes down to is what I offer the horse in terms of focus, attention, energy, leadership, and relaxation and softness - if I can offer that, it all comes right back to me as my horses learn to rely on what I offer and respond in kind. There's no better feeling in the world.
I don't know if anyone else is interested in, or reads, my musings, but it seems to be important to me, and helpful to me in my horse work, to think this stuff through and write it down, so I'll just keep on doing it.
One of my overall objectives is to have my horses offer me the same ride, every time. But what does that mean? And that overall objective also has some very specific parts. This means that, every time, when we start to work, the horse offers me the same feel - the same relaxation, forward, softness and responsiveness - no matter the weather, distractions, time of day or location.
This all sounds like something I expect of the horse - and I do - but it's really about what I expect of me, and what I offer the horse. It's all about the feel I offer the horse and the feel I expect the horse to offer back to me. That's where relaxation, forward and soft responsiveness come from. To get this, I have to offer the horse consistency of intention, focus and direction, and the same attention, relaxation and softness I expect from them. This is partly a matter of trust and confidence - the horse has to know that I am there providing guidance and direction - no gaps - and that they can rely on my leadership. My expectations for the horse also have to be consistent - the horse needs to have confidence in this as well.
I want all my horses to lead properly, every time, no matter the place or circumstances. This has to come from me - my consistency and the clearness of my boundaries. If something spooks them, I expect them not to run into me and to calm down and come right back to me. All three horses now do this, even Red, for whom this was huge progress - for him it was a matter of trust and feeling safe.
I want to be able to just get on and ride, every time - no lungeing or groundwork needed first. (Lungeing and groundwork are very important for certain specific purposes, particularly in early training, and may very well be needed from time to time as the horse is learning to "attach" to my attention and focus. I realize my approach to groundwork is at variance with what many people do - I almost never do groundwork unless I'm doing it for a special reason.) Part of this comes from management practices - my horses are on all day turn out in herds and don't get much if any grain - but a lot of it is my expectations and the connection with the horse. I can reliably do this now with all three horses, regardless of how many days off they've had, or how cold it is.
I want all my horses to lead properly, every time, no matter the place or circumstances. This has to come from me - my consistency and the clearness of my boundaries. If something spooks them, I expect them not to run into me and to calm down and come right back to me. All three horses now do this, even Red, for whom this was huge progress - for him it was a matter of trust and feeling safe.
I want my horses to stand for mounting on a loose rein, whether I'm using a mounting block or mounting from the ground - every single time. This comes from me - my having trained them to do it and being consistent. All my horses do this, every time - I don't get on if the horse is moving - and with Red, I have to still ask for his attention and don't always get it instantly.
I want my horses to offer me relaxation, forward and soft responsiveness from the first step. Dawn and Pie are very much there now. For Dawn this was a huge step. Red is making very good progress, although we still have a ways to go due to his natural high distractability and the interruptions in our work schedule due to his soundness issues. It sometimes takes a few minutes for him to "tune in" and get to work.
At all moments, I want the horse to be in a state of relaxed "right there", even when we're standing on a loose rein in the middle of the ring. This doesn't mean the horse doesn't get distracted, but I want them to be able to come right back to me at the slightest touch.
I want my horses to be tuned into my breathing, focus and energy level and be able to respond to those as well as physical cues.
A couple of recent examples, with all three horses.
I rode Dawn Friday and Saturday morning in the indoor, after the temperature had dropped almost 30 degrees F from Thanksgiving Day on Thursday. Dawn had had two days off, and on Friday morning the wind was howling, causing the roof to buzz very loudly and the doors to the outside to rattle and bang. Dawn was very alert, but we just went about our routine, and mounted up and went to work. Everything was the same - mounting on a loose rein, loose rein walk and trot warm up. She was superb, offering me wonderful relaxation and forward. If there were any moments where she started to rev up slightly, we just did a bit of circle/serpentine work, still on very light contact, until she settled - it only took a few steps. Saturday's ride was even better, although it was even colder. She did some exceptional canter work for me - it was probably our best ride ever. Dawn and I are very much in tune now - what a great mare she is!
I rode Pie Saturday in the indoor after he'd had two days off. It was really cold - the temperature was dropping as the sun went down. He was forward and relaxed, and offered some very nice softness. We worked particularly on our small circles at trot to the right, and applied that to the corners with good results. Since we had the arena to ourselves, we did quite a bit of canter work. He's now able to carry himself around corners much better on both leads, and the softness and quality of transitions are starting to be there more consistently - we didn't make any transitions to trot unless he was soft first - our last one was just about perfect. And his biggest improvement was on canter circles, where he now can consistently follow my focus instead of bulging out or loosing the canter. But the final bit was the best and is a perfect illustration of the "motor always running", even at halt. We were standing on a loose rein in the middle of the arena for a rest. I barely had to lift the reins - there was no contact - and he softly backed. I barely moved my leg towards his side - he was on a completely loose rein - and he side passed perfectly in either direction. This is a big improvement in his responsiveness and softness from even a month ago. The whole ride was one of my best with him in our two years together. That's my Pie!
Red had a number of days off due to his lameness coming back. We've been doing massages for his hindquarters, which he seems to be really appreciating - lots of chewing and also leaning into me. He was enough better at trot on Friday when we lunged for a few minutes - not 100% but much improved - that we started walking under saddle again on Saturday, just for 15 minutes. It was very cold. I just mounted up and off we went. He was somewhat distracted at the beginning, and the connection and relaxation would come and go - when it goes, he braces - but I kept offering him what I wanted, and within a few minutes he settled to work and was soft and responsive. He did some very nice circle work and also gave me some nice stretching out at the walk. Good Red!
Working in different locations, or on the trail, is still a work in process. Pie is well down the road on this one, and Red and I have been doing some small expanding of our work area as his soundness permits. Every good ride with connection and feel that we have builds our confidence in each other - it's better than money in the bank!
What it all comes down to is what I offer the horse in terms of focus, attention, energy, leadership, and relaxation and softness - if I can offer that, it all comes right back to me as my horses learn to rely on what I offer and respond in kind. There's no better feeling in the world.
Friday, November 23, 2012
In Which Pie Makes His Ears Disappear
I took a number of pictures on Thanksgiving - it was warm and sunny. Dawn was surprised to see me:
Pie was eating and looked over at me:
He decided to move to another bale, and was pretty determined to claim some space:
Momentary ears up:
Target in sight:
Still contemplating action:
Disappearing ears:
Red was on another bale and looked up to see what I was doing:
He continued eating for a moment:
But then he had to come join us:
Pretty soon, he and Pie had a bale to themselves!
Happy horses!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)