I shouted that it was only his second lesson because it was SO AWESOME! :)
I again ended up taking Sweetie - I had not had a chance to practice loading with Rocky, and he wasn't bad, just planted his feet and refused at the end of the trailer (how I sometimes miss my ramp!). And as soon as Sweetie was on the trailer, he walked right on.
Once we got there, both horses settled quickly at the side of the trailer for a good grooming, and then we put Sweetie in a run (this time she could see Rocky - and Rocky could see her!) That turned out to be a bad move - so she ended up in the barn in a stall, out of sight again, so Rocky would focus. I'm not yet sure if it was the Sweetie issue, or if watching other horses in the ring canter and jump at different directions (there were 3-4 other horses in the ring) just was too much for his brain at the time. :) I don't think he'd ever seen that before.
I lunged Rocky a second time after we put Sweetie up while most of the riders finished up in the ring - when I hopped back on, there was only one rider left, and Rocky seemed fine.
You know - another thing that Rocky probably felt - I hadn't thought of this until just now - I was riding in Kim's saddle - which isn't a big deal, it is a beautiful, well-fitting saddle. But her stirrups are tiny! :) (She has small feet) and every time I put my feet in them I felt nervous that my feet would end up stuck in them if I fell - and after we switched stirrups (yet another "issue" to deal with today) - I felt so much more comfortable - and Rocky also was significantly calmer. I'll bet he could feel the difference. DUH!!!
He still had quite a bit of energy, and we trotted lots of circles to get his attention, figure 8's, that sort of thing. And then we finally cantered - both ways - at least once around! WOW that was awesome!
Finally, it was time to Jump on Rocky! (Yay! My favorite!) We started off with a little X, but Rocky wasn't really using himself and was pretty lazy - so Kim changed it to a vertical (that means the pole is the same height all the way across) and Rocky picked up his knees and jumped over it! It was only 18" or so - but he did it! :) I was so proud! We did it several times and then Kim asked me if I wanted to do the little "gate". Now, the gate might have been an inch or two higher, but it looked more solid, and it had ground poles at the base of the fence on either side, so he would have to do more than just ho hum over it. I was a little nervous, but not that much, really, and Rocky went right over it and really jumped! Not a huge movement for me in the saddle, but I could feel him pick his knees up over it and really use himself! Kim commented how cute he looked over the fence! (Which hopefully means he has good form over fences!)
We trotted each way over the fence and then Kim said, "Now, next week, I will ask you to canter after the fence - you don't have to today since it is the first time jumping like this, but next week, we'll practice it." Well, I got that in my head and kept my leg on him over the fence, and we cantered after it each way beautifully! WOWZERZ! I had NO idea I would end up doing that today - but I'm so excited that we did it! And it is only our SECOND lesson! :) Yay!
I have other things to work on - little things like keeping his nose turned in slightly so he's not always bent to the outside (he was looking at everything today!) and making sure that I keep asking him to move forward over the fences - I was getting him to the fence and then kindof relaxing to let him do his thing - but I really need to keep my leg on him all the way over the fence - and cantering afterwards requires it!
Although it is a bit of a hassle to trailer him for the lessons, it is a billion times worth it! Look at all that we accomplish! :) I'm so proud!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sunday's Ride
I rode Rocky again on Sunday - and he was really wonderful. I did not lunge him prior, and he was laid back and well behaved. We walked and trotted, circled, and even cantered here at home! He makes it all the way down the long side, but has a little trouble with balance still on the corners (my ring is 60' by 180' - I thought I would be getting into dressage when it was built... oh well :) ) So we cantered both directions, and then trotted over a little X several times. He was just so good, we kept it short and sweet - and it was a beautiful, wonderful morning to be riding!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
PROGRESS!!!
What an awesome lesson today! I finally took Mr. Rock Star ("Rocky" - show name "Visions of Fame") over for a lesson. We had a rough start getting on the trailer - I had built in a little extra time into the schedule just in case of that sort of thing, but I was not planning on 45 minutes to get him to load! I finally got his Momma, Sweetie (22yo TB mare) out of the barn and got her on first, and wouldn't you know it, Rocky walked right on after her... *rolling eyes*.... So, I wasn't taking any chances, and since I had two young children who were very impatient by that point in the truck - off we went, both horses on the trailer! Once there, Rocky was excited and hollering a bit, and we put Sweetie in a stall while I started by lunging Rocky in the roundpen. He finally paid attention to me instead of worrying about his mom - she certainly wasn't worried about him - there were plenty of other horses in the barn to keep her attention. We walked, trotted, and cantered both directions in the roundpen - with no kicking out or bucking at all! Yay! Although it took a lot of coaxing to get him to canter all the way around just one time. :) Lazy boy!
Next I hopped on and we went into the ring and walked all the way around. Something to remember here - Rocky has never been to this location before, and it has been about 3 years since he has been off the property for anything besides a vet visit. (That was a great trail ride through cow fields). Before that, his only other trips have been cross-country from VA to OR and OR to TX. And the last time he was at a big "barn" where there was a nice ring, etc., was in OR in 2000. SOOOoooo... it was absolutely amazing how calm he was! He looked around at everything in the ring - the only jump that looked weird to him was the green rolltop. Everything else he totally took in stride and was laid back and calm about. I was amazed! Then we trotted around the ring - and again - he was great! He had the perfect cadence, not excited at all, and circled easily and listened really well. So the next test was - the canter. I had told Kim how I had figured out that Rocky's kicking out was him acting out - not wanting to work. And she rightfully suggested that I probably had let him get away with it by stopping what I was doing and he had learned that if he acted out, we didn't do any work. Therefore, it was important for me to push through it and keep pestering him until he did what I asked - canter. I'll have to say, it was kind of nerve wracking. But I also remembered my trick that I use to get him to trot sometimes by flipping the end of the reins back and forth over his withers - so I tried that - and after some coaxing, it worked! Our first canter was about 10 strides, and then we tried again and got more than that, and finally, ALL THE WAY AROUND THE RING! It is a BIG ring, too! About 200'x250' - huge! And we also went The Other Direction all the way around the ring!!! :) On the correct lead (after a couple of tries)! Oh, I was so proud!
So, since he was being so good, why not trot him over a little crossrail? I have been trotting him over poles on the ground at home no trouble. So we trotted back and forth over a small X probably a dozen times - and Kim raised it up a little about half way through. Rocky even picked up his knees a few times to get over it. I couldn't believe it! All of this progress in just one lesson! FINALLY! Getting him over there, to a big ring, and he was so well behaved and we accomplished so much! Man, it was SO worth the hassle of trailering him over there - and I'm so glad I didn't give up this morning while loading.
For a second, I might consider wishing I had taken him over there sooner, but you know what, I don't think it would have worked out this well. 1) Rocky is in better shape because I have been riding and lunging him regularly for several weeks now and 2) I am in better shape, and riding really well compared to a year ago. I needed to be in better shape to ride Rocky's bigger, suspending strides, and Rocky wouldn't have been willing to do so well if he was out of shape. It all worked out just perfectly today. I am so thankful and so proud!
Most of all, I am reminded of what a smart, awesome horse Rocky is. In a new situation, he was totally well behaved, and he picked up on the canter and jumping so quickly. He was like this when I started him as a 3yo, and then we had that LONG 10-year break over moving and kids and... geepers. I'm so glad we're finally getting going!
Next I hopped on and we went into the ring and walked all the way around. Something to remember here - Rocky has never been to this location before, and it has been about 3 years since he has been off the property for anything besides a vet visit. (That was a great trail ride through cow fields). Before that, his only other trips have been cross-country from VA to OR and OR to TX. And the last time he was at a big "barn" where there was a nice ring, etc., was in OR in 2000. SOOOoooo... it was absolutely amazing how calm he was! He looked around at everything in the ring - the only jump that looked weird to him was the green rolltop. Everything else he totally took in stride and was laid back and calm about. I was amazed! Then we trotted around the ring - and again - he was great! He had the perfect cadence, not excited at all, and circled easily and listened really well. So the next test was - the canter. I had told Kim how I had figured out that Rocky's kicking out was him acting out - not wanting to work. And she rightfully suggested that I probably had let him get away with it by stopping what I was doing and he had learned that if he acted out, we didn't do any work. Therefore, it was important for me to push through it and keep pestering him until he did what I asked - canter. I'll have to say, it was kind of nerve wracking. But I also remembered my trick that I use to get him to trot sometimes by flipping the end of the reins back and forth over his withers - so I tried that - and after some coaxing, it worked! Our first canter was about 10 strides, and then we tried again and got more than that, and finally, ALL THE WAY AROUND THE RING! It is a BIG ring, too! About 200'x250' - huge! And we also went The Other Direction all the way around the ring!!! :) On the correct lead (after a couple of tries)! Oh, I was so proud!
So, since he was being so good, why not trot him over a little crossrail? I have been trotting him over poles on the ground at home no trouble. So we trotted back and forth over a small X probably a dozen times - and Kim raised it up a little about half way through. Rocky even picked up his knees a few times to get over it. I couldn't believe it! All of this progress in just one lesson! FINALLY! Getting him over there, to a big ring, and he was so well behaved and we accomplished so much! Man, it was SO worth the hassle of trailering him over there - and I'm so glad I didn't give up this morning while loading.
For a second, I might consider wishing I had taken him over there sooner, but you know what, I don't think it would have worked out this well. 1) Rocky is in better shape because I have been riding and lunging him regularly for several weeks now and 2) I am in better shape, and riding really well compared to a year ago. I needed to be in better shape to ride Rocky's bigger, suspending strides, and Rocky wouldn't have been willing to do so well if he was out of shape. It all worked out just perfectly today. I am so thankful and so proud!
Most of all, I am reminded of what a smart, awesome horse Rocky is. In a new situation, he was totally well behaved, and he picked up on the canter and jumping so quickly. He was like this when I started him as a 3yo, and then we had that LONG 10-year break over moving and kids and... geepers. I'm so glad we're finally getting going!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Open-gate-itis
I don't know what got in to me today, but I managed to leave two gates open! Thankfully, one was into the yard where there is green grass (mmmm!) and the other is to the ring where there are more sprigs of green grass coming up... I just find it crazy that I did them both on the same day.
I rode Rocky today - and we are really great at the trot, doing circles, etc., trotting over a pole no trouble. And at the canter, well, we did about 5 strides 3 or 4 times. But I think Rocky is 1) still not in shape yet and 2) not sure what to think of me being in 2point. It's hard - if I'm lunging him and I get after him to go faster when he's about to break tot he trot, he kicks out/bucks - and I really don't want to ride that! And then the other issue is that when I ask him to go forward by squeezing - if I squeeze harder, he just gets irritated and stops. Squeezing/kicking does NOT make him go faster. That can only be my fault, of course, but now I have to work through it (preferably not at the canter). When I ask him to go into the trot, I squeeze very lightly and cluck to him, but if I kick/squeeze hard, he just stops and says "you can't make me." So when I ask him to canter, I have to do it just so - almost like just letting it happen. If I move around too much squeezing/sitting/asking him to canter with both legs he just gets irritated/confused and stops.
So, rather than me getting irritated, I hopped off and put him on the lunge line to get a canter both directions. He gets winded after cantering a bit, so I got back on him to walk him out - in the field - and opened the gate from the ring to the field before I got back on (Open-gate-itis #1).
After cooling him out and doing another (more) thorough grooming, I noticed a spot of "dirt" near his elbow that I had missed before - and it turned out to be a small scab - which I pulled off to find a dot in the middle where it was deeper - a small puncture. I put him in his stall to get my nolvassan ointment from the truck - and I left the gate to the yard open (open-gate-itis #2). I put some ointment on and let the horses out for the afternoon. As soon as I let the last one out I heard some trotting and looked out the barn window to see that Charlie and Sweetie had found gate #2 open and had gone straight to the green patch in the yard. I managed to out-run Rocky and got there in time to close the gate, and then calmly went and got the two girls back into the field.
This afternoon, Harlan went into our bedroom (where there is another window that overlooks the barn area) and hollered that the whole herd was in the ring (open gate #1) and could I please go get them out before they broke down a bunch of boards. The horses were happily munching on the few sprigs of green grass, not rambunctious at all, so I took a few minutes to set up the barn and brought them in for an early dinner. No harm done - and I got all horses into the barn without having to chase down a single one :).
So, hopefully that is enough excitement for today! But I had a great time riding, and I am going to plan on taking Rocky over for a lesson this week. Hopefully, Kim will be able to give me some ideas about getting Rocky to canter for longer than 5 strides without bucking me off :).
I rode Rocky today - and we are really great at the trot, doing circles, etc., trotting over a pole no trouble. And at the canter, well, we did about 5 strides 3 or 4 times. But I think Rocky is 1) still not in shape yet and 2) not sure what to think of me being in 2point. It's hard - if I'm lunging him and I get after him to go faster when he's about to break tot he trot, he kicks out/bucks - and I really don't want to ride that! And then the other issue is that when I ask him to go forward by squeezing - if I squeeze harder, he just gets irritated and stops. Squeezing/kicking does NOT make him go faster. That can only be my fault, of course, but now I have to work through it (preferably not at the canter). When I ask him to go into the trot, I squeeze very lightly and cluck to him, but if I kick/squeeze hard, he just stops and says "you can't make me." So when I ask him to canter, I have to do it just so - almost like just letting it happen. If I move around too much squeezing/sitting/asking him to canter with both legs he just gets irritated/confused and stops.
So, rather than me getting irritated, I hopped off and put him on the lunge line to get a canter both directions. He gets winded after cantering a bit, so I got back on him to walk him out - in the field - and opened the gate from the ring to the field before I got back on (Open-gate-itis #1).
After cooling him out and doing another (more) thorough grooming, I noticed a spot of "dirt" near his elbow that I had missed before - and it turned out to be a small scab - which I pulled off to find a dot in the middle where it was deeper - a small puncture. I put him in his stall to get my nolvassan ointment from the truck - and I left the gate to the yard open (open-gate-itis #2). I put some ointment on and let the horses out for the afternoon. As soon as I let the last one out I heard some trotting and looked out the barn window to see that Charlie and Sweetie had found gate #2 open and had gone straight to the green patch in the yard. I managed to out-run Rocky and got there in time to close the gate, and then calmly went and got the two girls back into the field.
This afternoon, Harlan went into our bedroom (where there is another window that overlooks the barn area) and hollered that the whole herd was in the ring (open gate #1) and could I please go get them out before they broke down a bunch of boards. The horses were happily munching on the few sprigs of green grass, not rambunctious at all, so I took a few minutes to set up the barn and brought them in for an early dinner. No harm done - and I got all horses into the barn without having to chase down a single one :).
So, hopefully that is enough excitement for today! But I had a great time riding, and I am going to plan on taking Rocky over for a lesson this week. Hopefully, Kim will be able to give me some ideas about getting Rocky to canter for longer than 5 strides without bucking me off :).
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Jinxed!
Geepers Creepers! What's a girl to do?
I got to my lesson early and found Simon in his stall - but looking thinner and then noticed a shaved spot on his neck where an IV had been... it turns out he colicked again a few days after last week's lesson, and they took him in to find a small impaction - and Simon was also apparently pretty dehydrated, and got a lot of fluids. He's been home for 3-4 days, but I couldn't possibly ride a horse just coming off of a hospital stay. No surgery or anything, but still...
So today I got to ride "Archie" - a 16h bay warmblood. His nose reminded me of Aurora a little... it took a lot to get him moving forward, but we finally had an understanding and he moved well at the trot and canter for me. But when it comes to jumping, he is even worse than Simon if you don't squeeze every stride. Simon will slow down just a little if you take your leg off - Archie will down right come to a stop in one stride if you don't keep after him. :) So I kept after him, and we did a small course of about 5 fences and although we added in one of the lines, it was otherwise pretty nice. We tried that one line 4 or 5 times and no matter how I tried, I could not get him to lengthen to get the correct striding. So we quit on a nice final fence.
As soon as I dismounted, Archie started pawing. I thought to myself - naw, couldn't be a colic - he probably just wants a treat. But as I was brushing him, I offered him a carrot, and he lethargically put his lips on it but was not really interested in eating it... Kim gave him another treat which he took hesitatingly... and he pawed again - but didn't want a treat.
I said, "Kim, I hate to say this, but I think I'm experiencing the same thing we went through with Simon last week - he's just not right and doesn't want any treats." So we took him for a walk outside to some green grass, and low and behold he is pawing again, and not interested in the grass. And I am beyond belief - as a friend of mine said recently, "Whiskey Tango Fox?!!!"
Archie also got a shot of banamine and it seemed to settle him for the time being. I'm praying that he's okay. But GEEZ. What luck! I know we didn't do anything unusual in the lesson, and I can't imagine anything else I did that would have caused it. I even brought carrots this time instead of the apple treats I normally do... anyways. I feel so Jinxed!
So, I think this is my clear sign from above - it is time for me to take Rocky over for my lessons. Then if MY horse colics, well, although I will think I am jinxed forever, at least I won't feel so guilty about someone else's horse colicing after I rode them!
I was waiting at least another week to get Rocky in a bit better shape before going over there with him - but I don't know if I can delay it any longer!!! :) My butt has officially been kicked in gear in that regard. :)
I got to my lesson early and found Simon in his stall - but looking thinner and then noticed a shaved spot on his neck where an IV had been... it turns out he colicked again a few days after last week's lesson, and they took him in to find a small impaction - and Simon was also apparently pretty dehydrated, and got a lot of fluids. He's been home for 3-4 days, but I couldn't possibly ride a horse just coming off of a hospital stay. No surgery or anything, but still...
So today I got to ride "Archie" - a 16h bay warmblood. His nose reminded me of Aurora a little... it took a lot to get him moving forward, but we finally had an understanding and he moved well at the trot and canter for me. But when it comes to jumping, he is even worse than Simon if you don't squeeze every stride. Simon will slow down just a little if you take your leg off - Archie will down right come to a stop in one stride if you don't keep after him. :) So I kept after him, and we did a small course of about 5 fences and although we added in one of the lines, it was otherwise pretty nice. We tried that one line 4 or 5 times and no matter how I tried, I could not get him to lengthen to get the correct striding. So we quit on a nice final fence.
As soon as I dismounted, Archie started pawing. I thought to myself - naw, couldn't be a colic - he probably just wants a treat. But as I was brushing him, I offered him a carrot, and he lethargically put his lips on it but was not really interested in eating it... Kim gave him another treat which he took hesitatingly... and he pawed again - but didn't want a treat.
I said, "Kim, I hate to say this, but I think I'm experiencing the same thing we went through with Simon last week - he's just not right and doesn't want any treats." So we took him for a walk outside to some green grass, and low and behold he is pawing again, and not interested in the grass. And I am beyond belief - as a friend of mine said recently, "Whiskey Tango Fox?!!!"
Archie also got a shot of banamine and it seemed to settle him for the time being. I'm praying that he's okay. But GEEZ. What luck! I know we didn't do anything unusual in the lesson, and I can't imagine anything else I did that would have caused it. I even brought carrots this time instead of the apple treats I normally do... anyways. I feel so Jinxed!
So, I think this is my clear sign from above - it is time for me to take Rocky over for my lessons. Then if MY horse colics, well, although I will think I am jinxed forever, at least I won't feel so guilty about someone else's horse colicing after I rode them!
I was waiting at least another week to get Rocky in a bit better shape before going over there with him - but I don't know if I can delay it any longer!!! :) My butt has officially been kicked in gear in that regard. :)
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Rocky update
I lunged Rocky again last night! I am so proud of him! Last night, we had NO bucking or kicking out at all, and we had at least two nice canter departures each direction, on the correct leads no less! I also set up the pole higher on the outside using a standard to give him something he had to think about and pick up his feet over. It actually worked out beautifully - he "jumped" instead of just broken trotting over it, and even went into the canter nicely one time. He also went over it at the canter twice, and took it right in stride. Yay!
This morning, I my wonderful husband was home to watch the munchkins and I got to ride Rocky! I did not lunge him first, and he was energetic! We did a lot of trotting, and even went into the canter twice for a few strides - quietly! Rocky is funny - you have to "ask" him to do something - or make it his idea - because if you insist, he gets mad and kicks out. It's just part of his wonderful personality. Even just asking him to trot - if you squeeze with no response and then start squeezing harder/kicking, he gets mad and kicks out.
He has always been so protective of me. Any time he feels me get a little off balance he always stops to make sure I'm okay - I've learned that if I feel him stopping I can squeeze and keep him going - thank goodness! He's also very particular about everything on his body - sensitive skin, I think. And he only tolerates the saddle/bridle for so long before they start to drive him crazy. Of course, he's always been that way. I remember once I tried a different saddle pad that had a little bit of a strange texture to it, and Rocky HATED it. He was kicking and bucking around the lunge line until I changed it. His normal pad fixed everything. Not that I spoil my horses or anything. :) But seriously, we had fun today - I'm still deciding whether or not to take him to my lesson this week. :) I guess you have to start somewhere!!!
This morning, I my wonderful husband was home to watch the munchkins and I got to ride Rocky! I did not lunge him first, and he was energetic! We did a lot of trotting, and even went into the canter twice for a few strides - quietly! Rocky is funny - you have to "ask" him to do something - or make it his idea - because if you insist, he gets mad and kicks out. It's just part of his wonderful personality. Even just asking him to trot - if you squeeze with no response and then start squeezing harder/kicking, he gets mad and kicks out.
He has always been so protective of me. Any time he feels me get a little off balance he always stops to make sure I'm okay - I've learned that if I feel him stopping I can squeeze and keep him going - thank goodness! He's also very particular about everything on his body - sensitive skin, I think. And he only tolerates the saddle/bridle for so long before they start to drive him crazy. Of course, he's always been that way. I remember once I tried a different saddle pad that had a little bit of a strange texture to it, and Rocky HATED it. He was kicking and bucking around the lunge line until I changed it. His normal pad fixed everything. Not that I spoil my horses or anything. :) But seriously, we had fun today - I'm still deciding whether or not to take him to my lesson this week. :) I guess you have to start somewhere!!!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Lunging Rocky - Day 2
I lunged Rocky again this morning! I have come to the conclusion that Rocky bucking is his way of acting out. I put a pole on the ground at the end of the ring where Rocky would have to go over it each time around the circle :) (anything I can do to prepare him for learning to jump! :) ) We walked and trotted both ways calmly. And he even went into the canter on his own once to chase after Rockster - but he didn't buck! In fact, he only bucked once or twice the whole time! The one that I can remember was when he was cantering and starting to slow down and I clucked to him to ask him to move forward - I probably also lifted the lunge whip (although I don't hit him with it, lifting it has been enough of a signal) and he got mad that I was asking for more and put his head down and kicked out to the side a little.
We did have a mini-episode when I was trying to get Rockster (our stray black lab we took in) out of the ring - and I ended up letting go of the lead rope. Rocky wasn't sure who I was growling at, and cantered down to the other end of the ring. But the lunge line got caught under Rocky's tail, and so he took off bucking (kicking up high with both rear legs every stride). I had to laugh, but was also disappointed since our goal is to quit the bucking. Thankfully, he has never done anything quite that dramatic when asking him to canter - it is more of a crow-hop, I guess. Whatever it is, at 17 hands, it is no minor movement! :) He stopped after a few strides, and I calmly caught him and took him back to our lunging area.
We had quite a few nice canter transitions, but we still need to work on our leads. :) He did change his lead in the front a few times over the pole on the ground (to the correct lead), but didn't get the hind end change. We quit after getting a quiet transition each direction on the correct lead.
But the best part is - definite improvement! I can tell that it is just a matter of time and effort to get this part down. I wonder if we will be ready to go to Kim's next week for that lesson. :)
Oh - and the other best part is that Rocky finds me much more interesting - every time he sees me he perks his ears and looks at me brightly like "What are we going to do now, Mom? Do you have a treat for me? :)"
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Lesson, Colic, and Lunging
(And yes, I do believe the correct spelling is "longing" but I just can't get past the phonetics there and will stick with "lunging" until a professional corrects me :) )
Today I had a great lesson with Simon. We had a nice warm-up (and I didn't feel so out of shape!) We started over a small 18' vertical and it always makes me laugh when Simon barely exerts any energy getting over it. You hardly notice him going over the fence at all as he maintains his slow and steady cadence over the tiny fence. So Kim had us move up to a different fence that was a little higher to warm up over. He seemed awake, and so we went down a bending line in 9 strides the first time (should have been 8, of course!) He just didn't have enough energy into the first fence to get it (and I thought I counted 10 strides, but Kim said it was 9 and I'd rather believe her! :) ) The next time over no trouble at all - easy 8 strides, nice spots, and then around the corner to a wall on the diagonal. We did that a couple of times to perfection, then trotted in and cantered out a 5 line on a different diagonal. The first fence was about 2'3" and the second looked almost 2'9", so I get excited about those. (The closer I get to 3' the more excited/nervous I get). We did it easily, and around the corner to the left over another outside line that was an easy 5. We got it right the first time, and then the second we added - my fault. I didn't keep my leg on him the whole time. Although, theoretically, he probably could have taken off extra far away, but I'm so glad Simon picks the safe route more than not. We put it all together and had a beautiful ride and quit on that. It really felt so good to be riding so well! :)
Of course, then I took Simon on our normal after-lesson stroll and poop (he poops, not me, and I can almost plant a bullseye on the ground to tell you right where he'll stop and lift his tail). He wanted to turn around quicker than usual, and when I dismounted he still seemed out of breath - which seemed abnormal to me. He normally cools out easily. Watching him, his ears looked like he was uncomfortable, and then I knew for sure something was wrong when I was grooming him and he had no interest in the treats. Simon had a mild colic going on. We didn't over work him at all - everything else about the ride was normal. But he just suddenly wasn't quite right. His respiration stayed up, and he seemed not as bright, so I went back to the ring and got Kim. We put him in his stall/run to see what he would do, and he started pawing and wanted to lay down, so Simon got a shot of banamine (IV) which worked its miracle - he relaxed almost immediately after the shot and I watched him for at least 30 minutes and he just relaxed in his run, snoozing, in no discomfort anymore. They have people there all day to keep their eyes on him, so I'm sure he'll be fine.
Something I realized this morning is that I am a little frustrated that I am riding Simon more often than Rocky it seems.... ooops! I absolutely love riding Simon, but he is not my horse - and my long term goal is to get Rocky to a horse show. It is all pleasure riding Simon, but I really want to get Rocky going! If I am going to spend money to go to a horse show, I want it to be for one of my horses. Of course, I'm sure you'll see me riding Simon in another show this year, but I'm not going to go to the expensive shows to do that.
My lack of riding Rocky has been due to doing more family stuff on the weekends, and the weather has been bad, and I don't feel comfortable riding while I'm alone with the kids. So I'm going to make it my goal to trailer Rocky to Kim's for my lesson next time, and hopefully regularly.
Today, I decided that I wouldn't feel comfortable riding Rocky while alone with the kids, but I could lunge him and not risk falling, and that only takes a few minutes in comparison. So tonight, I lunged Rocky for about 10-15 minutes - we walked and trotted both directions and then cantered a few times. I'm definitely agreeing with Kim that Rocky should be quiet at the canter transitions on the lunge line before I try it in the saddle. He has quite the buck/kick on him. But it is not every time he canters. I'm beginning to wonder if it is frustration to being out of shape (regular lunging will fix that) or a little in coordination on a circle (regular lunging will fix that) or getting the wrong lead and not liking changing (regular lunging will fix that). Hmmmm... there seems to be a theme here. :) As I was watching him tonight, I know that he really needs to be going into the canter without bucking before I take him over to Kim's. You go over there and he's going to be "up" just because we're in a new place. Add that to what he's already doing, and, well, I might as well plan on landing on my butt. But the experience of going to a new place and just being there and working at the walk and trot is a great one - but I don't need someone giving me a lesson to do that. I want help with starting him over fences, and any ideas Kim might have about the canter, but I still think regular lunging is the answer - get him to where he doesn't care about going into the canter transition and then move from there. We ended tonight with two quiet canter transitions, one each direction on the correct lead, and I think that's a good place to start.
Somewhere along the line, someone taught me to make a horse work harder if they misbehaved and bucked at the canter - but I think that line of thinking has backfired a bit with Rocky (I have done that in the past - made him go faster/work harder after bucking). I want him to be calm, and he definitely gets excited about cantering. I probably have something to do with that.
After caring for several timid foster horses, I've learned to stay calm no matter what happens. I've finally reached a point where it's much more natural for me to stay calm when working with horses - and I can thank my foster horses for that. Calmness endears trust. I look back and think of so many times where I got frustrated with a horse and reacted without calmness - and am so glad I have finally learned that getting frustrated with a horse solves absolutely nothing. Even with daily chores - and turning a horse out. Say one of them (aka Charlie) decides to come back into the barn after letting everyone out before I've managed to close the barn doors. If I get frustrated - she gets scared and is likely to bowl me over getting away from me. If I stay calm and lackadaisically walk up to her and put a lead over her neck - she stays calm, and we quietly walk out of the barn, no harm done.
So, my goal going forward is to stay calm and quiet no matter what Rocky does, and quit when we're going into the canter without bucking (which he definitely can do!). Rocky is a smart boy - he'll figure it out!
Today I had a great lesson with Simon. We had a nice warm-up (and I didn't feel so out of shape!) We started over a small 18' vertical and it always makes me laugh when Simon barely exerts any energy getting over it. You hardly notice him going over the fence at all as he maintains his slow and steady cadence over the tiny fence. So Kim had us move up to a different fence that was a little higher to warm up over. He seemed awake, and so we went down a bending line in 9 strides the first time (should have been 8, of course!) He just didn't have enough energy into the first fence to get it (and I thought I counted 10 strides, but Kim said it was 9 and I'd rather believe her! :) ) The next time over no trouble at all - easy 8 strides, nice spots, and then around the corner to a wall on the diagonal. We did that a couple of times to perfection, then trotted in and cantered out a 5 line on a different diagonal. The first fence was about 2'3" and the second looked almost 2'9", so I get excited about those. (The closer I get to 3' the more excited/nervous I get). We did it easily, and around the corner to the left over another outside line that was an easy 5. We got it right the first time, and then the second we added - my fault. I didn't keep my leg on him the whole time. Although, theoretically, he probably could have taken off extra far away, but I'm so glad Simon picks the safe route more than not. We put it all together and had a beautiful ride and quit on that. It really felt so good to be riding so well! :)
Of course, then I took Simon on our normal after-lesson stroll and poop (he poops, not me, and I can almost plant a bullseye on the ground to tell you right where he'll stop and lift his tail). He wanted to turn around quicker than usual, and when I dismounted he still seemed out of breath - which seemed abnormal to me. He normally cools out easily. Watching him, his ears looked like he was uncomfortable, and then I knew for sure something was wrong when I was grooming him and he had no interest in the treats. Simon had a mild colic going on. We didn't over work him at all - everything else about the ride was normal. But he just suddenly wasn't quite right. His respiration stayed up, and he seemed not as bright, so I went back to the ring and got Kim. We put him in his stall/run to see what he would do, and he started pawing and wanted to lay down, so Simon got a shot of banamine (IV) which worked its miracle - he relaxed almost immediately after the shot and I watched him for at least 30 minutes and he just relaxed in his run, snoozing, in no discomfort anymore. They have people there all day to keep their eyes on him, so I'm sure he'll be fine.
Something I realized this morning is that I am a little frustrated that I am riding Simon more often than Rocky it seems.... ooops! I absolutely love riding Simon, but he is not my horse - and my long term goal is to get Rocky to a horse show. It is all pleasure riding Simon, but I really want to get Rocky going! If I am going to spend money to go to a horse show, I want it to be for one of my horses. Of course, I'm sure you'll see me riding Simon in another show this year, but I'm not going to go to the expensive shows to do that.
My lack of riding Rocky has been due to doing more family stuff on the weekends, and the weather has been bad, and I don't feel comfortable riding while I'm alone with the kids. So I'm going to make it my goal to trailer Rocky to Kim's for my lesson next time, and hopefully regularly.
Today, I decided that I wouldn't feel comfortable riding Rocky while alone with the kids, but I could lunge him and not risk falling, and that only takes a few minutes in comparison. So tonight, I lunged Rocky for about 10-15 minutes - we walked and trotted both directions and then cantered a few times. I'm definitely agreeing with Kim that Rocky should be quiet at the canter transitions on the lunge line before I try it in the saddle. He has quite the buck/kick on him. But it is not every time he canters. I'm beginning to wonder if it is frustration to being out of shape (regular lunging will fix that) or a little in coordination on a circle (regular lunging will fix that) or getting the wrong lead and not liking changing (regular lunging will fix that). Hmmmm... there seems to be a theme here. :) As I was watching him tonight, I know that he really needs to be going into the canter without bucking before I take him over to Kim's. You go over there and he's going to be "up" just because we're in a new place. Add that to what he's already doing, and, well, I might as well plan on landing on my butt. But the experience of going to a new place and just being there and working at the walk and trot is a great one - but I don't need someone giving me a lesson to do that. I want help with starting him over fences, and any ideas Kim might have about the canter, but I still think regular lunging is the answer - get him to where he doesn't care about going into the canter transition and then move from there. We ended tonight with two quiet canter transitions, one each direction on the correct lead, and I think that's a good place to start.
Somewhere along the line, someone taught me to make a horse work harder if they misbehaved and bucked at the canter - but I think that line of thinking has backfired a bit with Rocky (I have done that in the past - made him go faster/work harder after bucking). I want him to be calm, and he definitely gets excited about cantering. I probably have something to do with that.
After caring for several timid foster horses, I've learned to stay calm no matter what happens. I've finally reached a point where it's much more natural for me to stay calm when working with horses - and I can thank my foster horses for that. Calmness endears trust. I look back and think of so many times where I got frustrated with a horse and reacted without calmness - and am so glad I have finally learned that getting frustrated with a horse solves absolutely nothing. Even with daily chores - and turning a horse out. Say one of them (aka Charlie) decides to come back into the barn after letting everyone out before I've managed to close the barn doors. If I get frustrated - she gets scared and is likely to bowl me over getting away from me. If I stay calm and lackadaisically walk up to her and put a lead over her neck - she stays calm, and we quietly walk out of the barn, no harm done.
So, my goal going forward is to stay calm and quiet no matter what Rocky does, and quit when we're going into the canter without bucking (which he definitely can do!). Rocky is a smart boy - he'll figure it out!
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