Here's a list of questions to ponder:
1. How do you make decisions about what to say yes or no to?
2. What are the rules and priorities that govern your life today?
3. Where do you struggle in your life now?
4. What's most important to you?
5. What do you give your energies to? Might you give some of these things up?
6. Does what you do reflect the person you wish to be? Is your day an accurate reflection of how you want to live your life?
7. Where do you long for order?
8. What is the cornerstone of your life?
9. Do you put the most important things first?
10. What are you waiting to claim about your life - that, if you don't claim it, you might later regret?
11. What clear and demanding questions might you need to ask about your life?
12. Where are you merely visiting life?
and, a last question:
13. What is it you need to know, be assured of, be relieved of, be helped out of or into, to be quenched or quelled, without which you don't know how you could go on?
(I didn't create these questions - they come from the Brothers of the Society of St. John the Evangelist near Boston, from their series about how to write a rule (not rules) of life.)
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Red Shows Off His Soccer Skills
This afternoon the vet was coming . . . and we all know how that is . . . the vet was late . . . We were having Coggins, and the first vaccination - three way: Eastern and Western encephalitis and tetanus, and the boys were going to have their manly bits cleaned. (Since all three horses have had EPM, and Pie has also had Lyme, we spread vaccinations out and don't do the 5-way or 7-way. I have stopped doing strangles and Potomoc vaccinations, and my vet agreed that this made sense in our location and circumstances.)
But that worked out well, since Red and I had some time for a nice bareback ride - Dawn and I had ridden in the morning. There had been a pony camp at the barn that afternoon - about 8 girls between the ages of 8 and 12 - lots of screaming and running. The camp was about over, but Red decided to show the girls how soccer is played. We had the big ball out, and I was riding bareback. Red went all over the ring, kicking the ball with his front legs as we went - sometimes he trotted to the ball. The girls thought that was great, and had to come up and say hi to him - he really enjoyed that - he loves people. Even though there were some occasions when the girls were running, he stayed calm and happy. Even the moms said hi to him - he was the king of the day!
After all the admirers left, we had a very nice walk and trot ride bareback. He's moving very well - the 7 days a week riding schedule seems to make a real difference. I just love riding him bareback - it feels so natural to me and he seems to enjoy it. And this was after yesterday's ride, which is probably the best ride I've ever had on Red - he was forward, and soft, and just plain wonderful.
Finally, the vet arrived. All horses were excellent, and complemented on their manners. Pie took a bit of extra sedation - he had a very large bean - and several smaller ones - which must have been very uncomfortable - and he was very dirty. We'll keep him on a 6-month schedule for cleaning until we decide he doesn't need it. Red didn't have any beans, and was much cleaner overall. Pie is slightly heavier than we'd like - he has no serious fat deposits but his ribs should be more easily felt - Red is about right, and Dawn is thin but that's OK considering her leg issues - less weight is good.
While the vet was there, I had her take a look at Dawn - I think she might be in the early stages of Cushings, due to her difficulties in holding condition over the winter, and we'll probably do some blood tests to see - and she's also at risk of developing desmitis, due to her long sloping hind pasterns and straight hocks. So far, so good - the vet found no evidence of sensitivity in the suspensory area, or thickening, but said to keep a good eye on it. She agreed that regular work to keep her fit, and to keep her weight down, is a good idea, and also agreed that we should avoid strenuous maneuvers, like lead changes. It's hard to believe, but Dawn, who we've had since she was 4, and who is about to turn 16, is starting to age.
I was pleased that the vet didn't have any problem with the other providers I use - Mike Fragale for dentistry - he actually refers horses to their vet clinic who have serious dental issues he can't deal with - and also our chiropractor Dr. Marold, who is also very good at endocrine matters, and who was the one who picked up the EPM and Lyme. My vet said that the custom chromium/selenium/magnesium/vitamin E supplement Dr. Marold uses is a good idea for a suspect insulin resistant horse like Dawn.
Then, since the boys had been sedated, and their hay had been removed from their stalls, I hung around for a while to do some chores. The boys perked up, I gave them their hay and headed for home. Another wonderful day with horses - you can't ask for better than that!
But that worked out well, since Red and I had some time for a nice bareback ride - Dawn and I had ridden in the morning. There had been a pony camp at the barn that afternoon - about 8 girls between the ages of 8 and 12 - lots of screaming and running. The camp was about over, but Red decided to show the girls how soccer is played. We had the big ball out, and I was riding bareback. Red went all over the ring, kicking the ball with his front legs as we went - sometimes he trotted to the ball. The girls thought that was great, and had to come up and say hi to him - he really enjoyed that - he loves people. Even though there were some occasions when the girls were running, he stayed calm and happy. Even the moms said hi to him - he was the king of the day!
After all the admirers left, we had a very nice walk and trot ride bareback. He's moving very well - the 7 days a week riding schedule seems to make a real difference. I just love riding him bareback - it feels so natural to me and he seems to enjoy it. And this was after yesterday's ride, which is probably the best ride I've ever had on Red - he was forward, and soft, and just plain wonderful.
Finally, the vet arrived. All horses were excellent, and complemented on their manners. Pie took a bit of extra sedation - he had a very large bean - and several smaller ones - which must have been very uncomfortable - and he was very dirty. We'll keep him on a 6-month schedule for cleaning until we decide he doesn't need it. Red didn't have any beans, and was much cleaner overall. Pie is slightly heavier than we'd like - he has no serious fat deposits but his ribs should be more easily felt - Red is about right, and Dawn is thin but that's OK considering her leg issues - less weight is good.
While the vet was there, I had her take a look at Dawn - I think she might be in the early stages of Cushings, due to her difficulties in holding condition over the winter, and we'll probably do some blood tests to see - and she's also at risk of developing desmitis, due to her long sloping hind pasterns and straight hocks. So far, so good - the vet found no evidence of sensitivity in the suspensory area, or thickening, but said to keep a good eye on it. She agreed that regular work to keep her fit, and to keep her weight down, is a good idea, and also agreed that we should avoid strenuous maneuvers, like lead changes. It's hard to believe, but Dawn, who we've had since she was 4, and who is about to turn 16, is starting to age.
I was pleased that the vet didn't have any problem with the other providers I use - Mike Fragale for dentistry - he actually refers horses to their vet clinic who have serious dental issues he can't deal with - and also our chiropractor Dr. Marold, who is also very good at endocrine matters, and who was the one who picked up the EPM and Lyme. My vet said that the custom chromium/selenium/magnesium/vitamin E supplement Dr. Marold uses is a good idea for a suspect insulin resistant horse like Dawn.
Then, since the boys had been sedated, and their hay had been removed from their stalls, I hung around for a while to do some chores. The boys perked up, I gave them their hay and headed for home. Another wonderful day with horses - you can't ask for better than that!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Wash Stall Training Progress
Tuesday, I was somewhat short of time but wanted to get in short rides on both of the boys in the afternoon, so Red and I didn't work on the wash stall (see previous post on this), even though his legs and feet were nasty with mud. There was no point in working on it when I might feel time pressure - that wasn't the right atmosphere for this sort of thing - it would hold to another day.
Yesterday, I did have time, so we worked on the wash stall again. As I had suspected, the progress we'd made held well - breaks like this sometimes advace the training more than just keeping on working on it actively - it gives the horse time to process. After one brief hesitation on the first try - I had to tap him on the side with the lead only a couple of times - he was taking nice steps, one at a time, backing a step or two at my ask and then leading forward again. We led in and stood for a bit, then led in and I ran the water. All was good. I put him away for a while, and groomed Pie.
When we came out again, the moment of hesitation on first coming to the wash stall was even briefer - all I did was move towards his side and he stepped forward - no need to tap with the lead rope - you could almost hear him saying, "alright, alright, I get it". After than he led right in, stopped and stood with the water running, and led out just about perfectly. Ho hum - that's how it should be. The next time I led in, and had him standing there, I started hosing his legs as if it was no deal. He stood there on a loose lead, relaxed, and we completed the hosing. Back to his stall as a reward.
The things I would emphasize that work for me: breaking it down into very small steps and being very specific about the exact thing you want at each stage; offering the horse choices and then rewarding the choice you want; timing releases of pressure the instant you get a response you want - the foot stepping forward, not the foot reaching the ground, for example - you're rewarding the try, not the completion of the action and can shape and perfect the response as you go; lots, and lots, and lots of praise at each small increment of progress; not trying to get everything done at once, or have things perfect; taking lots of breaks after short work sessions - if you're doing something in the arena, for example, just taking a walk around for a few minutes can be a break. I'm always amazed how people ask horses to do something - there was a horse in the arena yesterday that wouldn't go in one corner, and the person riding never gave the horse a break, or any praise, but just kept asking for more, and more and more - I've seen people do this with trailer loading - the horse eventually gave in but the horse wasn't happy and never got the opportunity to make a choice. I'm not even sure the horse understood what the rider wanted, since there were never any releases or rewards.
It isn't about getting the horse in the wash stall, it's about how the horse gets in the wash stall, how the horse stands in the wash stall, how the horse gets out of the wash stall, and most importantly, how the horse feels about things at every step of the way.
I wouldn't start work like this with a horse until basic leading and your personal space were well-established, and the horse knows how to respond to soft pressure by moving away from it. Working in close with a horse that doesn't understand these things can be dangerous. I would also caution that a horse that is afraid, or nervous/anxious close to fear, would likely require somewhat different handling - I've had very good success with clicker training in these cases (clicker can be useful for other things too - I started my work with Red on hoof handling using clicker - his behavior when having his feet handled when I got him was dangerous - clicker is a quick way to convince the horse that maybe paying attention to something you want is a good idea). Too many people assume a horse is just saying "no" when the horse is fearful or anxious - that's where many of the "make them do it" "training" techniques come from.
Yesterday, I did have time, so we worked on the wash stall again. As I had suspected, the progress we'd made held well - breaks like this sometimes advace the training more than just keeping on working on it actively - it gives the horse time to process. After one brief hesitation on the first try - I had to tap him on the side with the lead only a couple of times - he was taking nice steps, one at a time, backing a step or two at my ask and then leading forward again. We led in and stood for a bit, then led in and I ran the water. All was good. I put him away for a while, and groomed Pie.
When we came out again, the moment of hesitation on first coming to the wash stall was even briefer - all I did was move towards his side and he stepped forward - no need to tap with the lead rope - you could almost hear him saying, "alright, alright, I get it". After than he led right in, stopped and stood with the water running, and led out just about perfectly. Ho hum - that's how it should be. The next time I led in, and had him standing there, I started hosing his legs as if it was no deal. He stood there on a loose lead, relaxed, and we completed the hosing. Back to his stall as a reward.
The things I would emphasize that work for me: breaking it down into very small steps and being very specific about the exact thing you want at each stage; offering the horse choices and then rewarding the choice you want; timing releases of pressure the instant you get a response you want - the foot stepping forward, not the foot reaching the ground, for example - you're rewarding the try, not the completion of the action and can shape and perfect the response as you go; lots, and lots, and lots of praise at each small increment of progress; not trying to get everything done at once, or have things perfect; taking lots of breaks after short work sessions - if you're doing something in the arena, for example, just taking a walk around for a few minutes can be a break. I'm always amazed how people ask horses to do something - there was a horse in the arena yesterday that wouldn't go in one corner, and the person riding never gave the horse a break, or any praise, but just kept asking for more, and more and more - I've seen people do this with trailer loading - the horse eventually gave in but the horse wasn't happy and never got the opportunity to make a choice. I'm not even sure the horse understood what the rider wanted, since there were never any releases or rewards.
It isn't about getting the horse in the wash stall, it's about how the horse gets in the wash stall, how the horse stands in the wash stall, how the horse gets out of the wash stall, and most importantly, how the horse feels about things at every step of the way.
I wouldn't start work like this with a horse until basic leading and your personal space were well-established, and the horse knows how to respond to soft pressure by moving away from it. Working in close with a horse that doesn't understand these things can be dangerous. I would also caution that a horse that is afraid, or nervous/anxious close to fear, would likely require somewhat different handling - I've had very good success with clicker training in these cases (clicker can be useful for other things too - I started my work with Red on hoof handling using clicker - his behavior when having his feet handled when I got him was dangerous - clicker is a quick way to convince the horse that maybe paying attention to something you want is a good idea). Too many people assume a horse is just saying "no" when the horse is fearful or anxious - that's where many of the "make them do it" "training" techniques come from.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
On Not Letting Things Slip: Impromptu (Wash Stall) Training
You know how sometimes you are doing something with your horse, and it becomes apparent that there's a hole or deficiency in their training? Or you've got something you need to get done with the horse, and you just get it done, but it's not soft - it's not how it should be? Sometimes these issues just evaporate on their own as the rest of the training, and the development of your relationship with the horse, builds in around it, but sometimes they don't or they're too important to ignore. For me, this is a sign that I need to take a step back and fill in where the deficiency is, and make sure that we get to where we need to be - I have to know what that is first - by breaking it down and working it through until we're there. Skipping over problems and issues can really come back to bite you later.
Red reminded me of this important point yesterday. It's been very muddy outside lately and the horses have been coming in every day with mud caked on their feet and lower legs. So as part of our afternoon routine, I've been taking each horse to the wash stall and hosing off their legs before I ride. Pie and Dawn do this with ease - we lead into the wash stall on a relaxed lead line, they go on crossties, we hose legs, they go back to their stalls - simple, right? In Red's case, not so simple. Now, at our end of the barn, you actually lead through the wash stall to get to the arena and then the turnout pastures - odd arrangement but there you go. So all three horses are very used to walking through the wash stall, including over the metal plate that covers the drain. Red leads through as easily as the others.
But he doesn't like going in the wash stall to have his legs rinsed off. For the past week or so, I've been getting the job done with Red, but it hasn't been soft. He stops and braces, I pull, he stops again, I urge him forwards by twirling the lead at his hindquarters, he goes in but tries to leave, etc., etc. I was getting his legs rinsed every day, but he wasn't happy about it and there was still a lot of bracing on both our parts - he'd offer a brace and then I'd join in and pull - not the answer. Sometimes these things just get better with practice and time, and sometimes they don't. When I first got Red, his reaction to everything was to say no and to brace - and man, can he brace - in fact he used to move into instead of away from pressure. He didn't trailer load, for example - it took the people I bought him from over two hours to get him in the trailer when he came to me - I wasn't there when he was picked up - and the only reason he got on was that he finally decided he was bored with the whole thing and just got on.
We did a lot of give to pressure training when he got to me, and a lot of leading/personal space and trailer loading practice. He was down to about 30 seconds to load - there was still that last shred of resistance - the last time I loaded him, about 9 months ago. (More trailer loading work is on our agenda.) He no longer automatically pushes into pressure, or fusses when he's asked to give to pressure - when I got him he used to do things like bite or even strike when asked to back in hand, for example, or shoulder right into you when leading - this wasn't mean but was just him (dangerously) acting out his anxiety, frustration and "no". That stuff's all long gone, but when he's worried or distracted or gets the idea that there's something he wants to do or resist, the bracing can come back. We found this when he was in training up in Wisconsin last spring - each thing we asked him to do provoked the brace until we worked it through, and then the brace would reappear with the next thing we did, and so on - that's why he ended up spending three months up there. As he gained confidence in himself and us, each bracing session was shorter, and the key was always to offer him a soft solution rather than upping the pressure or bracing against his brace. But the small residue of the bracing impulse, while now mostly absent, is still there in certain cases - the wash stall is a case in point. Interestingly enough, we'd just over the past week pretty much eliminated his tendency to brace on the first upwards walk/trot transition - we've had at least four days in a row with a perfect first transition, which likely means that brace is gone for good, and the solution was the same - offering him a soft way to be and not bracing against his brace. At the wash stall, it was clear that he was just saying no - he's not scared of the wash stall although he may not have liked it much, rather he just didn't want to do it, and it was time to work on this. (I'd work differently with a horse who was scared of something or clearly very anxious, or who didn't understand what was being asked.) The work we did also applies to trailer loading, so it'll have multiple benefits.
Once it became clear that we needed to work on this, I dropped my agenda for the afternoon - I ended up coming back later that evening to ride Red and Pie. I was going to take whatever time it took, right then, to get to a better place with Red and the wash stall - not necessarily all the way there in one session, but better. It wasn't critical that I wash his legs that day - what was critical was to make progress on eliminating this brace.
So we worked on it in three short sessions. After each session, where we'd made some progress, I put him back in his stall for a while to let him chill and process while I did some other chores. We started by my leading him to the wash stall and then asking him to follow me in. Planted feet, offering the brace. As soon as I felt any tension on the line - I didn't pull back as that would have just made me part of the brace - I moved to his left side, keeping my left hand on the lead, showing him where I wanted him to go but not using any pressure, and tapped him repeatedly on the side with the end of the lead about where your leg would go if you were riding. The taps were gentle but insistent - just irritating enough to be something he would want me to stop doing - the point was not to drive him into the wash stall, but rather have him chose to move forwards to cause the irritation to stop. The instant he started to take a step forward, I immediately stopped tapping and praised him. If he moved towards me instead of towards the wash stall, I redirected him with my left hand and kept tapping until he started to step toward the wash stall. Every bit of progress got lots of praise and rubs. If he started to move backwards, I went with him without pulling on him and kept right on tapping his side until he started to move forward again. (That's why I love the 10 foot cotton leads I use - they're long enough to work for this sort of thing and they have a nice large, heavier but soft end that swings or taps well.) After a few forward steps, one at a time, in response to tapping, I'd ask him to lead in again - if there was any resistance we went back to working from his side with the tapping.
(I should note that I would not have been able to do this in this way when I first got him. The worst thing he did yesterday was to swish his tail in irritation a few times during the tapping. In the old days, I could have gotten attempted biting of my hand, barging into me to get away or even striking with a front leg. He's come a very long way. That said, any work on the ground on issues like this, including things like trailer loading, that close in to a horse should be done with extreme care for your safety.)
The first time we did it, I got him halfway in - then I asked him to back out and did it again. Then we got all the way into the wash stall, facing the back. We stood there for a bit with a lot of praise. I had to work with him then to get him to turn around nicely and slowly without trying to back out. As soon as he turned properly rather than trying to back out (we had to go back in the wash stall a number of times to get to this point) I led him right back out and put him away. About 15 minutes later we had another session, with the objective of him turning and standing still on a loose lead at the back of the wash stall, and then standing on a loose lead in the cross tied position (but not on cross ties) for a good long pause before we led out. Lots of praise at each small step of progress. We repeated that a few times. Back to the stall for another break. On the third session, I turned the water on and let it run (no water on him) while he was standing still on a loose lead in the cross-tied position, but still not cross tied. Again lots and lots of praise. We did that a couple of times then called it a day. During all this, the leading in wasn't perfect - there were still moments when I had to move to his side and "load" him with taps, but they were fewer and much shorter. I got some nice sighs near the end, which were a good sign.
Today we'll try more and see where we are - it doesn't matter if his legs get washed today either - but I'll bet things are easier already.
Red reminded me of this important point yesterday. It's been very muddy outside lately and the horses have been coming in every day with mud caked on their feet and lower legs. So as part of our afternoon routine, I've been taking each horse to the wash stall and hosing off their legs before I ride. Pie and Dawn do this with ease - we lead into the wash stall on a relaxed lead line, they go on crossties, we hose legs, they go back to their stalls - simple, right? In Red's case, not so simple. Now, at our end of the barn, you actually lead through the wash stall to get to the arena and then the turnout pastures - odd arrangement but there you go. So all three horses are very used to walking through the wash stall, including over the metal plate that covers the drain. Red leads through as easily as the others.
But he doesn't like going in the wash stall to have his legs rinsed off. For the past week or so, I've been getting the job done with Red, but it hasn't been soft. He stops and braces, I pull, he stops again, I urge him forwards by twirling the lead at his hindquarters, he goes in but tries to leave, etc., etc. I was getting his legs rinsed every day, but he wasn't happy about it and there was still a lot of bracing on both our parts - he'd offer a brace and then I'd join in and pull - not the answer. Sometimes these things just get better with practice and time, and sometimes they don't. When I first got Red, his reaction to everything was to say no and to brace - and man, can he brace - in fact he used to move into instead of away from pressure. He didn't trailer load, for example - it took the people I bought him from over two hours to get him in the trailer when he came to me - I wasn't there when he was picked up - and the only reason he got on was that he finally decided he was bored with the whole thing and just got on.
We did a lot of give to pressure training when he got to me, and a lot of leading/personal space and trailer loading practice. He was down to about 30 seconds to load - there was still that last shred of resistance - the last time I loaded him, about 9 months ago. (More trailer loading work is on our agenda.) He no longer automatically pushes into pressure, or fusses when he's asked to give to pressure - when I got him he used to do things like bite or even strike when asked to back in hand, for example, or shoulder right into you when leading - this wasn't mean but was just him (dangerously) acting out his anxiety, frustration and "no". That stuff's all long gone, but when he's worried or distracted or gets the idea that there's something he wants to do or resist, the bracing can come back. We found this when he was in training up in Wisconsin last spring - each thing we asked him to do provoked the brace until we worked it through, and then the brace would reappear with the next thing we did, and so on - that's why he ended up spending three months up there. As he gained confidence in himself and us, each bracing session was shorter, and the key was always to offer him a soft solution rather than upping the pressure or bracing against his brace. But the small residue of the bracing impulse, while now mostly absent, is still there in certain cases - the wash stall is a case in point. Interestingly enough, we'd just over the past week pretty much eliminated his tendency to brace on the first upwards walk/trot transition - we've had at least four days in a row with a perfect first transition, which likely means that brace is gone for good, and the solution was the same - offering him a soft way to be and not bracing against his brace. At the wash stall, it was clear that he was just saying no - he's not scared of the wash stall although he may not have liked it much, rather he just didn't want to do it, and it was time to work on this. (I'd work differently with a horse who was scared of something or clearly very anxious, or who didn't understand what was being asked.) The work we did also applies to trailer loading, so it'll have multiple benefits.
Once it became clear that we needed to work on this, I dropped my agenda for the afternoon - I ended up coming back later that evening to ride Red and Pie. I was going to take whatever time it took, right then, to get to a better place with Red and the wash stall - not necessarily all the way there in one session, but better. It wasn't critical that I wash his legs that day - what was critical was to make progress on eliminating this brace.
So we worked on it in three short sessions. After each session, where we'd made some progress, I put him back in his stall for a while to let him chill and process while I did some other chores. We started by my leading him to the wash stall and then asking him to follow me in. Planted feet, offering the brace. As soon as I felt any tension on the line - I didn't pull back as that would have just made me part of the brace - I moved to his left side, keeping my left hand on the lead, showing him where I wanted him to go but not using any pressure, and tapped him repeatedly on the side with the end of the lead about where your leg would go if you were riding. The taps were gentle but insistent - just irritating enough to be something he would want me to stop doing - the point was not to drive him into the wash stall, but rather have him chose to move forwards to cause the irritation to stop. The instant he started to take a step forward, I immediately stopped tapping and praised him. If he moved towards me instead of towards the wash stall, I redirected him with my left hand and kept tapping until he started to step toward the wash stall. Every bit of progress got lots of praise and rubs. If he started to move backwards, I went with him without pulling on him and kept right on tapping his side until he started to move forward again. (That's why I love the 10 foot cotton leads I use - they're long enough to work for this sort of thing and they have a nice large, heavier but soft end that swings or taps well.) After a few forward steps, one at a time, in response to tapping, I'd ask him to lead in again - if there was any resistance we went back to working from his side with the tapping.
(I should note that I would not have been able to do this in this way when I first got him. The worst thing he did yesterday was to swish his tail in irritation a few times during the tapping. In the old days, I could have gotten attempted biting of my hand, barging into me to get away or even striking with a front leg. He's come a very long way. That said, any work on the ground on issues like this, including things like trailer loading, that close in to a horse should be done with extreme care for your safety.)
The first time we did it, I got him halfway in - then I asked him to back out and did it again. Then we got all the way into the wash stall, facing the back. We stood there for a bit with a lot of praise. I had to work with him then to get him to turn around nicely and slowly without trying to back out. As soon as he turned properly rather than trying to back out (we had to go back in the wash stall a number of times to get to this point) I led him right back out and put him away. About 15 minutes later we had another session, with the objective of him turning and standing still on a loose lead at the back of the wash stall, and then standing on a loose lead in the cross tied position (but not on cross ties) for a good long pause before we led out. Lots of praise at each small step of progress. We repeated that a few times. Back to the stall for another break. On the third session, I turned the water on and let it run (no water on him) while he was standing still on a loose lead in the cross-tied position, but still not cross tied. Again lots and lots of praise. We did that a couple of times then called it a day. During all this, the leading in wasn't perfect - there were still moments when I had to move to his side and "load" him with taps, but they were fewer and much shorter. I got some nice sighs near the end, which were a good sign.
Today we'll try more and see where we are - it doesn't matter if his legs get washed today either - but I'll bet things are easier already.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Work Frequency and Red Goes Bareback
I love riding bareback. I only rode bareback until I was in my late teens - I did everything bareback, including riding on the trail, riding to town along the state highway, and riding in the 4th of July parade - those last two when I was about 10 years old, bareback. I didn't have a riding lesson until I was in college. Galloping, jumping, you name it, I did it bareback. I think riding bareback is really helpful for a couple of things - balance, posture and seat - if you ride bareback a lot you really learn not to ever bounce, and hopefully become part of the horse. Bareback does nothing for your legs - I suffered from floppy lower legs for a long time after taking up riding with saddles.
I'd forgotten how much fun it is to ride bareback. My old gelding Noble, who died at age 30 in 2010, was one horse I often rode bareback - he wasn't always calm but was always responsive and obedient and you could count on him. Since I stopped riding him when he was 27 or so, I haven't ridden much bareback, except a little bit on Dawn. Red and I have done some bareback rides - Pie is too tall and too bony and I don't think he's ever been ridden without a saddle.
Part of my program with Red right now is to ride him 7 days a week - some of those rides aren't strenuous, but getting him out and moving is so important to keep his hocks working. I've noticed since I ride him every day he's a lot less sore starting out and his quality of trot is very good. If I give him a day off, he stiffens up, even though he's in all day turnout - the condition of the pastures right now means he's not moving around a lot in turnout. Dawn and Pie are on a 5 days a week riding schedule right now.
Today Red and I had a lovely bareback ride. The wind was blowing, the arena doors were banging, but we just didn't care. After our usual 15 minutes of vigorous walk warm up, we moved to trot. (I've had three days in a row - not to jinx things - where Red has moved up into trot on the first ask without any balking, or bulging, or loss of connection - I've been trying to use just my energy to ask for trot without leg aids and that seems to make a big difference to him.) We did lots of very nice trot work - maybe 15 minutes worth - and he was more even than he's been in both directions. He has the perfect back for bareback - enough wither to have a "center" but a nice broad back to sit on. His trot can get pretty elevated when he's moving well - I can feel the difference in the quality of his trot more easily bareback - but one benefit of having grown up riding bareback is that my seat is glued to the horse, even when the trot would otherwise be very boucy.
We had a lot of fun on our "light work" day!
I'd forgotten how much fun it is to ride bareback. My old gelding Noble, who died at age 30 in 2010, was one horse I often rode bareback - he wasn't always calm but was always responsive and obedient and you could count on him. Since I stopped riding him when he was 27 or so, I haven't ridden much bareback, except a little bit on Dawn. Red and I have done some bareback rides - Pie is too tall and too bony and I don't think he's ever been ridden without a saddle.
Part of my program with Red right now is to ride him 7 days a week - some of those rides aren't strenuous, but getting him out and moving is so important to keep his hocks working. I've noticed since I ride him every day he's a lot less sore starting out and his quality of trot is very good. If I give him a day off, he stiffens up, even though he's in all day turnout - the condition of the pastures right now means he's not moving around a lot in turnout. Dawn and Pie are on a 5 days a week riding schedule right now.
Today Red and I had a lovely bareback ride. The wind was blowing, the arena doors were banging, but we just didn't care. After our usual 15 minutes of vigorous walk warm up, we moved to trot. (I've had three days in a row - not to jinx things - where Red has moved up into trot on the first ask without any balking, or bulging, or loss of connection - I've been trying to use just my energy to ask for trot without leg aids and that seems to make a big difference to him.) We did lots of very nice trot work - maybe 15 minutes worth - and he was more even than he's been in both directions. He has the perfect back for bareback - enough wither to have a "center" but a nice broad back to sit on. His trot can get pretty elevated when he's moving well - I can feel the difference in the quality of his trot more easily bareback - but one benefit of having grown up riding bareback is that my seat is glued to the horse, even when the trot would otherwise be very boucy.
We had a lot of fun on our "light work" day!
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Dawn Tells Me to Tone it Down
I had three really outstanding rides yesterday. Although it was pretty cold all day - it was about 17F when I brought Dawn in to ride in the morning, and it only made it up into the 30s - the sun was shining brightly, the birds were singing and there was almost no wind - in the afternoon the arena doors were open and with the sun it was almost 40 in there - very nice for a change. Dawn was relaxed and soft, even after two days off. Red worked out of his stiffness and gave me some really nice trot work, and Pie was as good as gold and did excellent bending and corners even on a loose rein.
Early this morning Dawn and I had another very good ride, although there was one moment where she told me in no uncertain terms to tone it down. We'd done some very nice trot work, and had started doing some canter work. I don't do a lot of canter work with her to spare her hind pasterns, but we do some. We'd done some left lead laps of the arena, and then we moved on to right lead. She struggles a bit with the right lead - it may be that her left hind is a bit weaker, or a bit stiffer. We were cantering down the long side and I was using some leg and some rein contact to ask her to hold it together, when all of a sudden she gave a big kick out. It was pretty clear what had happened - I was using a bit too much leg and too much rein contact and she felt squeezed and was telling me to cut it out. I could almost hear her saying "geesh, I'm giving you the best canter I can, and don't trap me between your leg and hand!" We kept right on cantering for a few strides after the kick out, and then walked for a bit - she gave me a look back over her shoulder. Then we did a bit more right lead canter work where I backed off with my aids, and she was fine with that and gave me some nice canter.
It's good to have a mare of such strong opinions as a teacher - she never hesitates to give me a piece of her mind!
Early this morning Dawn and I had another very good ride, although there was one moment where she told me in no uncertain terms to tone it down. We'd done some very nice trot work, and had started doing some canter work. I don't do a lot of canter work with her to spare her hind pasterns, but we do some. We'd done some left lead laps of the arena, and then we moved on to right lead. She struggles a bit with the right lead - it may be that her left hind is a bit weaker, or a bit stiffer. We were cantering down the long side and I was using some leg and some rein contact to ask her to hold it together, when all of a sudden she gave a big kick out. It was pretty clear what had happened - I was using a bit too much leg and too much rein contact and she felt squeezed and was telling me to cut it out. I could almost hear her saying "geesh, I'm giving you the best canter I can, and don't trap me between your leg and hand!" We kept right on cantering for a few strides after the kick out, and then walked for a bit - she gave me a look back over her shoulder. Then we did a bit more right lead canter work where I backed off with my aids, and she was fine with that and gave me some nice canter.
It's good to have a mare of such strong opinions as a teacher - she never hesitates to give me a piece of her mind!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Extreme Norman Cuteness
Just had to share a very cute photo that I just saw from Paradigm Farms, where Lily, Maisie and Norman the pony are retired - here's Norman (on the left) hanging out with a pony friend:
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