Lesson 10!

This is a great photo of Simon with another rider up.

Wow! It seems hard to believe I just had my 10th lesson! It was another great ride on Simon. It started a little funny though. I left his girth plenty loose to mount up, and for the first time in at least a month, he wasn't "girthy" when I got on. We went in the ring and he seemed happy - and we walked and trotted, and then suddenly, I he bucked/kicked hard! I screamed a blood-curdling scream at the top of my lungs and everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the crazy re-rider who was still sitting on top of her horse to see what had happened. How embarassing! I couldn't control my own scream - it came out of nowhere, and I was totally fine. So Kim came over to check out my girth, and it was way loose, so she tightened it 3 holes! And Simon was fine after that (thank goodness)!

We had a great round over fences, a few close spots here and there, but overall, very nice. Kim said I have a great eye... I like to hear that. I'm not perfect, but it sure is nice to hear. (But if I have a great eye, it makes me wonder what other people ride like... :) hehe) We did a full course - 5 lines, 7 fences. And then next week they will have the course set up for the show - next weekend!!! Yikes! I am so excited!

Simon's show name is "Aim to Please" - seems perfect to me. I can't wait for the show! :)

Rocky's Canter!

On Monday, I rode Rocky (17hh DWBx Gelding) at the walk and trot. I was itching to attempt the canter, but thought better of it. I just wanted to ride and have fun, and did not lunge him that day. He was great at the trot - and I felt great, too.

Today, I lunged him first - we did walk/trot/canter both directions. He went into the canter easily on the right lead to the right, and bucked slightly the first time I asked to the left. So I am still wondering if there is something going on with his back and have been reading about stretches I can do to help him limber up. We'll try those next time, for sure.

When I mounted up after lunging, Rocky was ready to go! He had an exhuberant trot today which is so much fun to ride! Well, that is except that I chose to wear my show britches today to see how they fit (they didn't used to fit!) and they fit fine, but the seat was rather slippery in comparison to my normal riding britches. Rocky felt so powerful today. And I had the courage to ask him to canter - I did it to the right first since that seemed to be the way he was easier on, and we cantered a few strides, he came back to the trot, then I asked for the canter again, then he came back to the trot, and I asked again. He got the correct lead each time! I was delighted and considered stopping there, since it was the first time I had cantered on his back in 8 YEARS! Oh, how embarassing it is that he is 12 and still green at the canter... *sigh*... Back to the ride: I decided I had to canter both directions to keep it even. So off to the left we went, and he sort of jumped into the canter on the left lead. I wouldn't call it a buck, but it was more vertical than you would want for a nice departure. He cantered a few strides, then came back to the trot, and I asked again, and we again got the correct lead and cantered around the end of the ring and I lavished praise all over him for not being crazy and dumping me :). He was so good, and what an accomplishment for me! I have had fears about cantering on him for some time now, and I'm just now back in shape enough to give it a whirl. (Having kids kept me out of shape for the last 5 years). I am so looking forward to rides to come with Rocky - cantering around the ring.

Oh, and the latest purchase - my dad bought me some 10' PVC pipes for poles to use with my standards (that he built for me in 1996!) so I can actually set up 2 fences in my ring! I have not jumped at home... well, ever since we have been in Texas! I can't wait to get out there and set them up!

Charlie's Great Day

I rode Charlie this morning - she was the only one that missed out on attention yesterday! :) We have been working on picking up her back feet every time I groom her, and today was her best yet. I put a rope around her pastern, and then say "FOOT" while pulling on the rope, and today she responded really well just to my voice, and I did not have to pull hard on the rope before she lifted her back feet up really well. My goal is to have her safe enough for us to trim her while sedated. She did that a few years ago while she was in training without any trouble, but we have not had much success since then.

We went out to the ring and I started playing the "friendly" game with her, but Charlie was more interested in lunging to show me she knew what to do. We walked and trotted both directions - with Charlie picking a point where she wanted to stop and go the other way on her own. (I try to walk a fine line between making a horse do what I want and combining it with their natural desires, so long as they are not harmful or outright disobedient). Charlie was very laid back at the walk and trot, and did not want to lunge for a long time today. So I mounted up, and she felt very energetic at the walk - like she was excited to have me up, and wanted to show me what she could do! I let her move up into the trot and she seemed delighted to be trotting under saddle. I made sure to ask her to halt before we got all the way around to be sure she was listening, and she was, and then we walked and went back into the trot - this time at my request. It seemed that her "power steering" kicked in today. She listened really well to me asking her to turn - sometimes too well, and I had to be sure not to over correct her when I was working on keeping her straight along the outside of the ring. She likes the side close to the barn better than the other side for some reason. We had a few times around the "open" end of the ring where I had to use a little bit more muscle to steer her, but mostly she was so much better than we started just a few rides ago!

We trotted quite a bit today, and at the end her reward was to walk outside of the ring in the pasture - but then she turned the manual steering back on. :) She just wanted to go back to the barn, and it took some strongarming her to go the other direction. She listened, and finally gave in and understood she had to listen to me. We did some circles in the field both directions, then walked back into the ring to dismount. (Have to make sure she never gets the idea that she can go back to the barn and get out of work!) It overall was a fantastic, fun ride on Charlie. I hope to see Harlan riding her soon!

Friday's Rides

Yesterday I got up early and decided it was time to figure out more about Rocky's bucking into the canter departure. I needed to know if it was really soreness or otherwise. His mouth was probably still a little sore from the dentist, so I lunged him in just a halter, with no intention of riding him.

We started off at the walk and trot each direction, no trouble at all. And then I asked for the canter. My error probably was working in an arena that wasn't closed off - but we'll have that fixed soon. (We took down a few boards for the bulldozer to be able to level the arena). When he took off (after being very well behaved at the trot) he took off out the end of the arena and bucked/kicked. And then he calmed down, and we went back to work without fanfare, but I did make him do canter transitions several times both directions. It turns out that the bucking fit was not about any soreness, but rather, an escape mechanism - he just doesn't want to work harder, and he has gotten away with it a few times. We finally got correct leads both directions and quit with that. I will lunge him a few times more before I try doing a canter with me riding him. He needs to be consistent about not bucking - as he was once we were past the first canter departure!

Next, I rode Sweetie, my first horse. And she was wonderful, of course. I think it and she makes it happen. Although she seemed lazy at the walk, as soon as I asked for the trot, she jumped right into it! Ditto for the canter - it was a lot of fun!

Kiley was 3rd (I got to spend more time riding today thanks to my wonderful parents & sister babysitting). We walked and trotted both directions - and she is getting much better about going to the right. But one time she came trotting right towards me, which was too fast, and I lifted the carrot stick quickly to say no, and it scared her. I wanted her to feel like she could get away from me, and I ended up giving her more line than I intended, and she ran off out the open arena around the barn with the line trailing her. She did come back to me and let me catch her, but the level of trust was not there anymore. We went back to the arena and walked/trotted both directions really well, and then quit with that. She didn't come in to me after her escapade. Usually, she goes out on the circle, and then comes in and checks in with me regularly. But after she got free that one time, she did not do that again. I groomed her in the crossties afterwards, but quickly put her back in her stall so that she would have a chance to relax as a reward. We will keep plugging away at her trust issues, and I'll do my best to continue to be calm and unthreatening.

Next we went and got all the kiddos out and groomed Arthur, and then we groomed and rode Penny. Penny was great for Jackson, but she decided that she really didn't like Corey walking along side her while Miley was up. We had to cut Miley's ride a little short because we weren't sure what was bothering Penny, and safety is rule 1. I need to take Penny back to the vet to re-xray her head to see if the tumor in her nose has grown or gotten smaller since last year - if it is starting to affect her demeanor, well, I really don't want to think about that right now. But safety for the kiddos is the most important thing.

It has been great to have Corey here with Jackson and Miley to keep us company - the kids have had a blast, and both of her kids have had a wonderful time around the horses.

Charlie & Sweetie

This morning I rode Charlie & Sweetie. Rocky has a day or two off to recover from his dental appointment yesterday.

I started again by lunging Charlie, and today I asked her to trot for a longer period - about 5 minutes. And it made her work! She's so out of shape, and the trot work is good for her to work off some of that belly. I rode her around the ring and she was much more responsive to me asking her for turns at the walk, so I decided to trot while riding her, too! We went around the ring one time each direction at the trot, and she did a great job. I'm really proud of her and that she remembered everything we have done so far. My dad came out to watch me as I was finishing up with Charlie. He said, "You look like you are having way too much fun!" And I have to agree, I was.

Next, I rode Sweetie - and Dad stayed out to watch. Sweetie was so funny today - she did not want to work one iota more than what I asked her do. If I wasn't actively asking her to move forward, she would stop in her tracks and wait until I was serious. She also knows that when I talk to someone (my Dad) that we usually stand still. We walked & trotted both directions, then I asked her to canter around the ring once each way. I love riding Sweetie so much - she knows exactly what I mean when I ask her to do something - it's like I think it and it happens. When I asked her for the canter departure, I wasn't sure if she would do it from the walk, but I asked, and zoom! Off we went! I almost got left behind she took such a strong canter stride at the beginning. I giggled and I think my Dad enjoyed watching us ride. He used to watch us at all of our horse shows 13 years ago - one of my favorite pictures is from behind my dad with him looking over his shoulder, and 3 blue ribbons hanging out of his back pockets. :) That was a good day! Today Dad said that buying Sweetie for me was either the best or the worst decision he ever made for me. Well, it seems awfully clear to me that it was definitely the best! I'd probably have more spending money if I didn't have horses, but I don't think I'd ever be this happy. Money can't buy that, for sure.

Lesson 9 - Riding between the raindrops

We had our 9th lesson yesterday! I wasn't sure if we would or not due to the weather - it had rained hard between my house and the barn, and I couldn't say for sure which way the rain would go. But I chanced it, and tacked up Simon. I have to say his greeting nicker was more gleeful than it has been before when he first heard my voice. I think we both look forward to working together. And the rain stopped, just in time for my lesson, and it stayed dry until my lesson was over!

After working out our "girthy" issues, we had a really wonderful ride. We did a course of 4 fences (two single lines, and then a line with two fences) several times. I remembered last week and asked Simon to move forward towards the jump and let him take me the perfect spot, and we had such a much better ride than last week! And the other trainer in the ring started raising the fences for her student, and we ended up jumping a fence that was 2'9"! I was a little nervous and moved him up to it and he ended up taking a huge, long jump over the fence! It was insane! Kim called me on it and we did it again, she reminded me that he's done the 3' courses, and he could get me out of a close spot, and to keep the cadence instead of speeding up to the fence. We re-did that one fence and it was perfect - and I was gleeful! It feels so good to be jumping - and all the riding I'm doing at home is really helping me be a better rider overall.

Kim commented that Simon's mom was fine with me showing him on Sept. 6 - and it looks like we will do the Adult Equitation and Open Hunter Divisions at 2'6". Wow! I am so excited and looking forward to my first show!

Morning Rides...

So, the barn was officially done Friday afternoon, and all of the horses have finally taken to it quite nicely. This morning they finally got the clue about where breakfast was, and I caught them before they went to the other side of the house to the normal feeding spot, and they all came to the barn instead.

I blogged about Saturday's rides, and I have since also ridden Sunday and Monday!

Sunday I rode Charlie - Harlan's 17hh Belgian/TB mare who had 60 days training. He hasn't ridden her in about a year at least, so I had to take my time. We lunged walk & trot both directions, and then I went to mount up. She started to move the first time I started to mount - surprised that I was really going to ride her! So I stopped, and took my time leaning on her to make sure she knew what I was up to. When I finally mounted, she stood perfectly. My goal was simply to work on steering. Charlie is a very big, very strong horse and she *knows* it. So steering a horse that thinks she should have no trouble muscling her way wherever she wants to go takes a bit of muscle yourself. I was very careful to release every time she turned her head the way I asked, but it took a good 20 minutes of walking and asking for turns before it finally started to get easier. When we finally did a nice trip around the ring without any "bullying" on her part, I stopped immediately to reward her for being so good. I'm hoping she will continue progressing.

The neatest part about working with Charlie is that later in the day, she was seeking out human interaction, approaching the fenceline for pats and with perked curious ears. She hasn't done that much the last year since she hasn't had a lot of work, but that's going to change!

I also pulled out Penny to work with her, and we lunged a little both directions. Penny seemed a bit stiff - doing a very slow "jog" that QH's are known for. She seemd a little sore, so we didn't push it. She's also a tad overweight, so I'll keep working on getting her weight down so she will feel lighter on her feet.

This morning I rode Rocky - and he was great! He felt completely sound to me this morning - the mysterious lameness no more. I guess it's helping to get in shape! Going down the long side of the ring, Rocky had that huge suspending trot that brings pure joy to me. Some may find it hard to believe, but when he does that, I actually giggle out loud because it is so fun to ride. We did lots of circles and serpentines, working on maintaining the trot throughout. Next time I ride, I'll have to lunge him and see what he thinks about the canter again. We need to get past the bucking in the transition so I can ride him at the canter! THAT will be an accomplishment that I haven't done in 8 years! :) Can't wait to get him going in the show ring someday!

I think one of my favorite moments in the barn so far was walking down the aisle, and all 5 horses (and 1 pony!) with their heads out of their stalls looking at me, ears pricked forward, hoping I would pick them to work next. :) That made me giggle, too. I'm just having so much fun out there!

What a difference a Barn makes!

Check out photos of the barn at http://beverlyranch.blogspot.com !

This morning was the first morning I could use the barn! I used it last night and the horses were a little unsure about it, but this morning they knew what it was all about and were fine. Got everyone into their stalls - Kiley even remembered which one was hers!

Then the fun began! I rode Rocky, then Sweetie, then worked with Kiley!

Rocky has such a big floaty stride - it was a lot of fun. There are a few deep spots in the ring and I could feel him use his muscles over it. We trotted both directions, did serpentines, walked, trotted some more - oh, did I mention we did that in the ring? ! And Rocky was very well behaved - because everyone else was right there in the barn! Yay!

Sweetie was also awesome - we walked and trotted serpentines and around, and then we even cantered around the ring once each direction! And Sweetie was her typical showhorse laid back and calm for the whole thing! She could see everyone in the barn and had nothing to worry about... ahhhh.. that's the way it should be!

Lastly, I worked with Kiley. I wasn't sure if she would let me cross tie her, so I started with just one side, but she was a bit wiggly, so I went ahead and put the other side on - and she stood perfectly still for grooming, let me pick all four feet with no trouble (slight hesitation with the RH that she had been funny about with the farrier). It's just so amazing to see her around me with zero fear - totally calm and not concerned. And then when the farrier or the vet are around, she's always worried. I gave her a good currying and brushed her off, and then we went to the ring to practice lunging. She remembered the last time we did this, and she was perfect to the left - we walked and trotted, and I used my voice commands and she responded well to them! And then to the right, she again was not really comfortable going that way. She'd go to the right for about 1/4 to 1/2 of a circle, then come in. That's okay, I'm patient, and rub her forehead every time, and then ask again. We finally got it all the way around the circle to the right and we quit with that. Cross tied her again in the barn and groomed her again - she loves that and the apple treats! I'm really looking forward to working with her!

So, this morning I headed out to the barn at sunrise - about 7am, picked out stalls from yesterday's meal (was late for dinner or I would've done it then), then set up panels for the paddock on one side of the barn for Penny who was still afraid of the barn last night. I moved the water trough around, and grabbed my mounting block, too - and I was out playing with the horses until 9:30! I think I started riding just before 8, and gave each horse about 30 minutes of attention. Can you believe it?! I know I won't be able to do it that long every morning (Saturdays Harlan stays home), but I should be able to go out, feed the horses, and work at least one horse every day! YAY! I can't wait!

And tonight, a huge dark storm loomed on the horizon, and for the first time since we moved here, I got to go put the horses in the barn to keep them out of the rain! :) THAT was cool! It was almost dinner time anyways, and they're still out there, munching away on their hay totally relaxed in the gorgeous dry barn. :)

Can you tell I'm having fun? :)

Lesson 8 - Simon's back!

Last week's lesson on Lilly really made me appreciate how great Simon is! It was so good to see him - I opened his stall door and he nickered at me and came right over for me to get him. He is so easy to tack up - stands so still while I do everything, and loves the treats! The bitemark on his back was healing nicely and wasn't really swollen anymore.

He warmed up great with no problems - a little spooky at the help that was watering the plants, but otherwise fine. We trotted over a few fences and then cantered a whole course! I had to do the last 3 fences over a few times to get good spots - we weren't quite as in sync as we had been last time I rode him. But that could be because I woke up at 4am thinking about Aurora and couldn't get back to sleep... But we finally got it. I have to let Simon do his job - he knows it - if I just leave him alone, he'll get me to the right spot every time. I just have to relax and let him do it for me. :) And that is such a treat!

"My Alibi" aka "Aurora" 1986-2008

I said goodbye to Aurora yesterday. She's been with us since 1995. When I first met her, I swore I would never buy a horse with her conformation - she was so straight in the hind end. And then I rode her... I had to prepare her to be shown for sale. She was so powerful, and would jump the moon! I think I jumped a few 3'6" fences within the first few days of meeting her, and within the year jumped one or two fences that were at least 4' high! It was terrifying and exhilarating, and obviously I bought her. She was supposed to be a project while Sweetie was pregnant - and I was supposed to sell her later that year after showing her. But you know how things go - she gave me so much confidence over fences, and we did several hunter shows, and even won our first 3' jumper class.

After an amazing year, she started to go lame. The vets couldn't really identify it - but years later I learned it was the onset of DSLD - http://dsldequine.info/ . It is a progressive disease that systemically attacks connective tissue throughout the body - often shown in the rear legs with dropped fetlocks.

Aurora taught my husband to ride, and we went on many memorable trail rides together, most notably to the beach on the Oregon coastline. She was always the babysitter that guests could ride, and when Christopher was born, we (perhaps not very smartly) let him ride with us - in a backpack once, in a frontpack, and just in my husband's lap. Thankfully no harm done. :)

I first recognized that I might need to put her down about 8 years ago when I had the horses in a small 1 acre paddock - the lack of movement made her so stiff and the lameness seem worse. Thankfully, we moved to 23 acres within a few months, and that gave her 8 more years of happiness with us. I firmly believe that turnout is the best thing you can do for these guys to keep them comfortable.

Last week, Aurora started hanging back from the herd - waiting until they were out of sight before trying to catch up with them. And her LH seemed to be bothering her more significantly - she was always resting it. I wanted to make sure she went with dignity, before something catastrophic happened out in the field.

Yesterday afternoon she crossed over peacefully, eating all the treats she wanted, with me at her head, thanking her for all she has done for me and my family. I will miss her dearly, but am so thankful she is no longer in pain.

I know she will say hi to Kelsey for me, and maybe even pin her ears at her like she always did. (Aurora would make the nastiest faces and then suddenly perk her ears and look at you attentively like, "who, me?") Gosh, I learned so much from her. Rest in peace.

Great Horsey Morning!

This morning was my "reward" for helping prepare for the party this weekend, so I got up at 8am, woke up Harlan, and went straight out to play with the horses!

I started with Rocky, my 12 yo 17hh DWB/TB gelding. I lunged him last night and the mysterious lameness appeared gone going to the left, and barely there to the right, so I'm not sure what is going on with him, but a little walk couldn't hurt. We started off in the new ring, much to Rocky's chagrin - he really didn't want to be that far away from the herd (can't wait to solve that with the barn next week!!!!). But we did a lot of serpentines, trotted the length of the ring a few times, and then walked out in the pasture for a bit. We've gotta get back into shape. He was great and such a sweet horse.

Next, I rode Sweetie! My 21yo OTTB mare, and she was great! We trotted around in the yard (the horses were too far from the ring to make that work this morning). We did lots of serpentines to keep her attention, and trotted on and off for about 10-15 minutes. Gotta get her in shape, too! But the best part is - I think I'm finally in better shape than my horses so I can outlast them! Now that is something! Well, Sweetie is the eternal TB, so I know she could outlast me for real, but her "quarter was up" before I was ready to quit today. So we did just enough to help get her back into condition and then quit. She was great.

I was going to be done for the morning, but as I let Sweetie go, there was my foster horse, Kiley, watching attentively, looking at me with eyes that said, "is it my turn now?" That's pretty hard to believe coming from Kiley! When she first got here she wouldn't even look at me! So I went back into the garage to get an appropriate sized halter (Kiley is only about 14hh, so the big TB halter would have hung around her nose, I'm sure.)

I got back out and she was waiting for me at the gate still, watching attentively! She was happy to get a few treats, and stood still while I put the halter on, and followed me into the yard. The neat thing is that Kiley was not at all herd-bound. The rest of the herd was out of sight, and she never looked for them or nickered once. She was completely attentive to what I was doing. I groomed her with a gentle curry and picked all four feet - again being deliberate, but gentle, and she gave me her feet easily and without being panicky about it. We did some Ttouches and then I grabbed the saddle pad that I had just used on Rocky and Sweetie. I let her sniff it, and then rubbed it on her neck and put it on her back. Not time to put a saddle on quite yet, but she did really well with the saddle pad! She paid attention, but had no problem with me putting it on her back. So that's a beginning. I thought about what else I could do, but decided the best thing would be to do nothing - and spend some undemanding time with her, since this was the first time she has "asked" to be worked with. We grazed in the yard for 5-10 minutes and then I let her go. And the good news is that I didn't overwhelm her with anything - when I took the halter off, she stood there rather than walking away immediately, and I gave her some more of her favorite treats.

It was a great morning!

Lesson 7: Meet Lilly

I had my 7th lesson yesterday! I got to the barn and pulled Simon out of his stall only to gawk at a huge 6" bite mark on his left side - right under where the saddle would go. And it was swollen... and knowing that Simon was girthy to start with, I showed Kim since I wasn't ready to try and ride him with that boo boo.

So today, Kim introduced me to "Lilly" (please see also: http://www.bitbybitfarms.com/horses_for_sale.htm ), a 4 yo TB/Warmblood cross. Right away I could tell how young she was - while I was tacking her up, she kept wiggling and was very nosey wanting treats as well. But I've ridden my share of green horses in the past, so I wasn't worried, but rather, enjoying the complete oppositeness from Simon. We tacked up and walked into the ring without trouble, and then when we asked for a trot I realized how much suspension she has! Simon moves very flat, and Lilly has quite the boost to the trot! Reminded me of the first time I rode Rocky after having ridden Sweetie all those years...

Lilly was very sweet and willing, and you had to pay close attention to her speed - I had to find that "spot" where you're going just fast enough to not break to a trot - because Lilly gets to a point and she says "I'm done now" and stops whether you want her to or not. Just green bean stuff. But I was impressed with my stamina as we trotted and cantered quite a bit before we jumped, and I had plenty of energy for it!

We started trotting over a crossrail, and Lilly as such a suspenseful trot that it's hard to feel when she starts to take off over a fence, so I got left behind just a little the first few times. She takes off further back from the fence than Simon would and it caught me off guard a few times. But we worked through it - and it was much easier to find my spots at the canter instead of the trot.

The other thing about Lilly is that she is still learning her flying changes, so we often had to break to the trot in a corner after a line of fences when she landed on the wrong lead. The lesson for me for the day was to make sure that we corrected the lead if necessary, and then continued cantering out of the corner. Lilly had gotten used to trotting after a fence, and wanted to break to the trot in the middle of the course. My bad, but I will do it better next time.

And yay me for riding a green bean! It was fun. Oh, and I found myself talking to her in a soothing voice almost the whole time. I'm not sure but it was complete instinct to do it on her since she's green. I don't normally do that when I'm riding Simon, but I couldn't stop myself while I was riding Lilly. She's such a sweet mare, and I don't think she minded my soliloquy a bit! Until next time...