The Riding/Training - Prima's Walk About

Prima's Walk About

Prima got her walk about on 11/12.   The picture above was taken when she was drying off afterward.  She was pretty grumpy about being saddled and her energy was a bit low on the walk.  I think you can see, even under the cooler, that she is losing weight, though.  And she was sound, so we are heading in the right direction. 

The Riding/Training - Evergreen Clinic Day Two

Evergreen Clinic Day Two

My rides were at 9:00 and 2:00.  I rode Gus first and I had the most amazing experience of discovering a new way to "talk" to him with my fingers.  I got a new way of establishing and mainataining contact through the reins.  I think I have generally had hands that are too busy when I ride.  Gus learned long ago to use that to my disadvantage.   But when I make them too still, he gets worried.  Just talking to him with my fingers seems to be a good compromise.  I have to keep the conversation going when he wants to change the subject... or ignore me ... or keep doing something that is not acceptable.  It was so successful during my clinic ride that I can't wait to see how it plays at home, where things are more laid back and more subtle.   It was good to ride him first.  It became an extension of the lesson the day before.  He got a bit difficult at the end when he was tiring: we were tiring.  But it was a good ride and I think I learned something important. 

Elvis was second.  He about came apart when he heard the P.A. come on, so we worked without it.  (I should plan to go back up there some time and just work on habituating him to that.)  We worked on mounting, walking, trotting in circles and serpentines.  The serpentines were more difficult for him there, because the arena is shorter than at home.  We worked on canter in both directions: 20 meter canter circles with 12 strides between transitions.  I was given a way of establishing contact with him that is persistent, but not heavy handed and it began to yield results even in this session.  We worked on leg yields at the walk and trot.  I was really tired, so we stopped a bit early.  I have good homework to do!

I have to add here that everyone made me feel like Elvis was the star of the clinic.  I had been nervous about bringing him because he is so green.  But everyone, from the clinician to the guy taking care of him at the barn, made a fuss over him and went out of their way to tell me what a nice horse he was.   The clinician even said, "I don't think you realize what a high quality horse this is!"  So I am feeling very luck to have found him and I am confident that he can become bilingual and do whatever we ask of him.   

The Riding/Training - Evergreen Clinic Day One

The Evergreen Clinic

The weather was damp and cooling off when I left home Saturday morning.  The horses had stayed clean and were still in their stalls when I arrived.  The clinic had begun.  I decided to ride Elvis first, as he was more likely to roll in the mud once he was outside and he is much harder to clean off. 

He looks a little afraid of what might happen next in the picture above, taken just before we went up to the arena.  This was his first time in polo wraps, first time in a half blanket, second time in a wash bay, first time in a clinic.  So he was doing alright, I'd say!  It had been trying to snow on and off for hours, but now it was really going to come down in earnest, of course. 
Our ride went really well, I thought.  We did walk and trot work and I got some good instructions on how to negotiate his taking some contact.  He was a bit alarmed when hard popcorn snow started to hit the roof of the arena and make a weird sound.  Then the P.A. system went on and it was really hard for him to understand.  The clinician was very patient with him, talking continuously to get him used to the sound of  her voice, but every time we went by a different speaker (There were six or eight around the periphery, up at the ceiling level.) the sound would be slightly different and he just couldn't relax around it.  So we ended there and I thought he did a nice job of trying to accept all this new information and a new way of being ridden with patience and grace.  I had not really tried to get him to accept contact before this day.  I put his turnout sheet on him and put him outside, leaving the cleaning for tomorrow. 

My ride on Gus was at 4:15.  He had been out in the snow for several hours by then in his turnout sheet.  He had the good sense to stay under the shed roof and not roll, however, so he was clean and ready to go. 

 I walked him up to the arena with his cooler over his tack and the snow coming down at a pretty good clip.  It wasn't sticking to the ground much because the ground was still so warm.  Our ride went pretty well.  He was tighter and less relaxed and willing than he had been the day before, but he was still better than he had been in previous clinics and I was feeling pretty good about everything until the moment came when we were asked for a rein back.  Now, we had been practicing these at home, because he had gotten phenominally bad at them for reasons that I do not understand.  At home, he had been doing them quite nicely.  But not on this day!  He planted his feet and swung his head around and was not going to do it!  The clinician even tried to back him up from the ground and I thought he was going to step on her.  It was bad.  When I got off she asked me to back him up from the ground, and he was willing to comply with that.  I have my suspicions about what happened, but will have to add that at a later time.

Back down to the barn in the snow we went with the agreement that I would ride him first tomorrow.

Warm blankets under turnout sheets, grain, cookies and hay all around, and then I was off to shower. 

The Riding/Training - Elvis & Gus - 11/9

The Riding /Training 11/9

I got everything laundered and packed and got the horses loaded by 10:00.  It was a beautiful warm day in the upper 60's.  It's hard to believe that it will be in the single digits by tomorrow night.  Because of that I have had to pack stable sheets, turnout sheets, coolers, half blankets, and warm stable blankets for each horse.  That's more clothes than I'm taking!  The boys will have a stall tonight but tomorrow, when the other riders arrive, they will go out into a shed row. 

We made good time on an uneventful drive up to Evergreen.  I unloaded, had some lunch and then got down to exercising the horses in this less familiar environment.  Elvis was aftaid to step in the shavings ... I guess he has never seen them before... although he was in a stall up here at least once before, so I'm not sure what his problem was. 

Elvis

I lunged him in the outdoor before taking him in the indoor arena.  He had a bit of pent up energy to run off, but he was good, if a little vocal while outside.  Indoors we rode: simple walk. trot, canter.  He was good but a little tight and we thought he looked a bit off on that left front, again.  I kept it light and simple and decided not to give him bute but to wait and see how he looks tomorrow.  My ride times are at 11:00 and 4:15.  I think I will ride Elvis first when I am not tired. 

Gus

I rode Gus briefly as well.  He was really very relaxed, but he has been to this place many times before.  Walk/trot/canter: no muss no fuss.  His transitions were smooth and his attitude was great.  It makes me a little nervous.  You know what they say about dress rehearsals!

I put the boys to bed, fed them, loaded the dirty tack into the truck, unhitched the trailer and headed for home. 

 

The Riding /Training - Prima, Gus and Elvis 11/8

The Riding/Training - 11/8

Prima

 

 

 

 

 

I was off today because of portfolio conferences at school so I was able to work three horses!  Prima was first.  She has lost some weight.  I'm not sure you can see it in the picture, yet, but I could definitely see it in her girth.  AND she is sound today!   So I think we are moving things in the right direction.  I lunged her briefly and then we did the one hour march around the  farm.  She was cheerful and uphill and had a good wet blanket by the end.  I worked her in the English cross-country tack.

Elvis

Elvis was next.  He was also sound today. We did turns on the forhand and turns on the haunches and leg yields in both directions down the center line.  Then we trotted the full arena with 20 meter circles at the ends and in the middle in both directions.  Then we did canter laps in sets of three in both directions.  He was a good boy and also had a wet blanket by the end.   I worked him in the English cross-country tack.

Gus

I also rode Gus in the English cross-sountry tack.  We did some walk/trot/canter work in the arena: transitions and 10 meter circles.  He was VERY good.  He warmed up quickly and went right to work.  No messing around.  His transitions were smooth and undramatic.  So we also went out around the farm a bit and enjoyed the warm afternoon.

Then Gus and Elvis got their spa treatment in preparation for the clinic in Evergreen.  I will be driving them up tomorrow and working them up there.  The clinic will be Saturday and Sunday.  Of course, the sun went away and they each got a bit shivery during their cold bath.  They got trimmed and conditioned and dried in coolers in the barn.  They stayed in for the night to keep clean and I set about loading the trailer. 

 

The Riding/Training - Gus and Elvis

Elvis

I rode Elvis first this afternoon.  I lunged him at the trot and canter for about 15 minutes.  There were a few wrong leads but no cross-firing.  Then I rode him.  He was sound on the lunge and under saddle.  YAY!!

We worked on: turns on the forehand, turns on the haunches, halt transitions and rein back.  We worked on leg yields in both directions down the center line.  We did a lot of trotting: 20 meter circles and whole arena.  He was forward and very unemotional: steady and even cadenced. 

"A wet blanket is the best thing for a young horse."

Gus

I rode Gus second.  It was getting dark, but he was really good.  We worked on turns on the forehand, turns on the haunches, and rein back.  We worked on the shoulder-in to renvers transitions in both directions.  We did a lot of canter work. We cantered 20 meter circles, and three loop serpentines with a simple lead changes through the walk at the rail.  We worked on leg yields in both directions from the quarter line to the rail.  He was really nice and relaxed and his transitions were dreamy.  It seemed like I just had to think them.  I didn't want to stop, but it got too dark.  He could probably see, but I couldn't. 

I wonder how hard or expensive it would  be to put some flood lights up on the pole by the arena....

The Riding/Training - Gus and Prima

Gus and Prima do Hill Work

Today, Gus and Prima did hill work around the farm.  Prima did a brisk walk for an hour.  Gus did some walk/trot hill work and canter work in the arena.  It was a beautiiful, warm day at home: cloudy and dry.  We worked them in the English cross-country saddles.  Prima was very sound at the walk, up and down hill.  I gave Elvis the day off as he was reportedly tired yesterday and still a little off in front.  Moving about the pasture he looks sound today.