After our promising start to summer, and our disappointing continuation, it seems that Sofie is coming back.
We’ve resumed cantering in our rides. At first, when I asked for the canter there were some fireworks. Early on Sofie was literally hopping mad, stomping her front feet into the ground, getting all angry and eventually plunging into the gait for just one stride before breaking back to a clumsy, still somewhat ouchy trot. I picked up a whip for the first time in a while, which helped when I needed a correction. What helped the most was not being afraid. If I can just keep riding, we can eventually get through anything.
It took several rides, but Sofie became more willing. Her soundness improved, and I knew we had gotten somewhere when we got through a ride with no bucking! She still has moments when she rushes and her ears go back, but overall she seems pretty content to work. I think we are both happy to be cantering again. To the left, she’s pitch perfect - she picks up the canter from my aid with no objection, and her departs are feather-light. She’s well balanced, and we’re working up to longer intervals. To the right, things are a little more rough. She’s showing some weakness on that side, and needs bending work (but not too much). Sometimes she gets upset about being asked to canter to the right, and she will not take the right lead. She’ll only give me the left lead, even when I’m just free schooling her in the indoor. I’ve been doing some canter work to the right, and pretty much ignoring the lead. At this point I think it is a soundness issue, and it requires a long-term fix. I don’t know if I will ever be able to fix it fully, especially if we continue on this cycle of lameness and recovery. It’s not ideal, but the most important thing is that we do what we can and have fun together. I can’t always canter her, so when I can I will, no matter if it’s not perfect.
We had our last ride at Judy’s on Saturday. It was hot already at ten in the morning, but the bugs were merciful as we rode out in the yard. She was nice and willing with only a few deviations, and we walked, trotted and cantered away.
I will miss Judy’s. Judy makes the place seem like home, and her home is always open to her boarders. I know there aren’t many places like that. It’s convenient, and it’s a nice place. It’s been good to us, and we’ve learned a lot there. Grown a lot there. Judy’s is where I became confident, where I began to stop limiting myself. Judy’s is where Sofie and I bonded. I will miss the barn, the nice, large turnout areas where Sofie is happy with her small mare herd. I will miss the yard (even the scary corner), the Big Field and the cozy tack room. I will miss a lot of things about that place, but there are a lot of good things about this new place, too. Maybe not the same things, but still. It remains to be seen if it will be better or worse. It will be different, I know. But the most important thing is Sofie, and this barn will enable me to better afford her. The facilities will make it easier to exercise her even when she is in a flare-up. She’ll have more turnout and we’ll have more opportunities for growth. I think it will be a good thing. It’s just a big change, and a little nerve-wracking.
We move tomorrow.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Changes
Life continues along with the lack of updates. Summer rolls along, and the time that is gone has been productive in some ways and not in others. We’re still limping our way back to how it was in early June. That’s the hope.
We haven’t gotten there yet. We’ve had some good days, some good rides, and some bad, frustrating, painful days. I didn’t ask Sofie to canter for six weeks, and we did what we could. She got fat and I felt like we had lost everything I’d worked for. We did have our small accomplishments, like riding bareback successfully, in the indoor arena and even outside. Sofie didn’t seem to resent it like she had the only other time I’d tried it. I am a nervous bareback rider but she took care of me and I gained confidence. I rode bareback several times in a row in early July and had fun with it. Sofie and I dubiously enjoyed playing with the soccer ball until it got broken (not by us; Sofie is careful with her toys).
We had some bad rides, when occasionally I became frustrated or couldn’t get out of the dressage rider perfectionist mindset. When I failed to account for lameness and did too much bending work. The crabbiness resurfaced, worse than it had been in a long time. Months. It was disheartening.
Riding a horse with arthritis that flares up is not necessarily fun. It does provide opportunities for learning. I learned that sometimes it takes a while for her to warm up, and she warms up best if we just go on a trail ride. I learned that neither of us is happy in the long run if I get sucked into a grim, overly critical training mindset with no rewards, only scrutiny.
Training is a balance. It is absolutely a balance, and it is easy to screw up that balance. In the beginning I didn’t ask much of her, for a long time. We were getting to know each other, and she was healing. I was a little too soft, a little too passive. I became intimidated. It took a while to get over that. To take charge.
This year I feel we’ve really gotten somewhere, both in our relationship and in our training. We know each other well, and it feels easy between us. I can deal with her, and she really tries for me. But I still haven’t always found the balance. I’ve been all correction and no reward. At times I’ve been snippy and hypercritical. Recently I feel like I found the balance, although there will always be deviations from it.
Sofie does need corrections. She does need training. She needs to move as correctly as possible and develop both sides of her body. Sometimes I do need to be firm with her. I can correct her when I need to, but I also need to reward. An enthusiastic reward when she does something right, when she answers my correction, is so important. It really helps, especially when she’s cranky. It helps both of our moods.
I didn’t buy Sofie because I wanted to compete, I wanted to learn and I wanted to build a relationship. I bought the right horse. This summer has been frustrating and a bit discouraging, but I’m not ready to move on. There is that possibility in my mind, the possibility that she might never be sound and keep getting lamer, but for now we are still moving forward. We owe it to ourselves to keep going and explore new situations. Have new experiences.
At the end of the month Sofie will be moving. We have been so happy at Judy’s barn. We’ve grown a lot here and done a lot of things. But between unfortunate financial realities, and the realization that I don’t think we can continue to grow here, we made the decision to move Sofie. It was a difficult decision, because I know how happy Sofie is here and I know how much she loves her little mare herd. But it wasn’t feasible anymore.
We will be moving to one of the fancy barns in the area. The Land Of Dressage Queens, as I’ve referred to it here before. I knew and liked it mostly for the huge indoor arena, with mirrors and nice footing that is well maintained. I’ll still be able to ride year-round, which is very important to me. I’ll also have far more space to work in, and more opportunity for straight line work.
Sofie will be outside 24 hours a day, which I’m very happy about. I know Sofie will be unhappy for a while, at least until she adjusts to it. She likes her stall. A lot. But it’s better for her to be outside, and everything I’ve read says that more turnout helps with arthritis. There is plenty of shelter, and pasture board is more affordable than stall board.
Unless she doesn’t get along with the herd, she’ll be in with the “fat mare group”, a herd of seven or so mares who are easy keepers. None of them are overly large, and I’m hoping she’ll find a friend. The field is nice and big, with sparse grass. All the mares look in good weight and appear happy.
One thing I had not seen firsthand was the trail system. O.M.G. I went on a hike with a boarder who showed me some of the trails. From the first ten feet, I was sold. Groomed trails with nice footing, mostly flat with some hills, through all kinds of woods. All on-site. They go on for miles. I cannot wait to ride them with Sofie. I think she’ll love them. And we need more trails, especially for the times when she can’t do dressage. Then we can just ride. She can go straight, no turning, and be outside. It’s going to be wonderful.
I also enjoy myself at this barn. I get along with the people there, and it’s nice to talk to people about horses. There are dressage riders there, as well as people who just trail ride, and everyone I’ve talked to has been extremely welcoming. It will be nice to have people to ride with. It remains to be seen how we’ll settle in, but I think it’ll be a good fit.
We haven’t gotten there yet. We’ve had some good days, some good rides, and some bad, frustrating, painful days. I didn’t ask Sofie to canter for six weeks, and we did what we could. She got fat and I felt like we had lost everything I’d worked for. We did have our small accomplishments, like riding bareback successfully, in the indoor arena and even outside. Sofie didn’t seem to resent it like she had the only other time I’d tried it. I am a nervous bareback rider but she took care of me and I gained confidence. I rode bareback several times in a row in early July and had fun with it. Sofie and I dubiously enjoyed playing with the soccer ball until it got broken (not by us; Sofie is careful with her toys).
We had some bad rides, when occasionally I became frustrated or couldn’t get out of the dressage rider perfectionist mindset. When I failed to account for lameness and did too much bending work. The crabbiness resurfaced, worse than it had been in a long time. Months. It was disheartening.
Riding a horse with arthritis that flares up is not necessarily fun. It does provide opportunities for learning. I learned that sometimes it takes a while for her to warm up, and she warms up best if we just go on a trail ride. I learned that neither of us is happy in the long run if I get sucked into a grim, overly critical training mindset with no rewards, only scrutiny.
Training is a balance. It is absolutely a balance, and it is easy to screw up that balance. In the beginning I didn’t ask much of her, for a long time. We were getting to know each other, and she was healing. I was a little too soft, a little too passive. I became intimidated. It took a while to get over that. To take charge.
This year I feel we’ve really gotten somewhere, both in our relationship and in our training. We know each other well, and it feels easy between us. I can deal with her, and she really tries for me. But I still haven’t always found the balance. I’ve been all correction and no reward. At times I’ve been snippy and hypercritical. Recently I feel like I found the balance, although there will always be deviations from it.
Sofie does need corrections. She does need training. She needs to move as correctly as possible and develop both sides of her body. Sometimes I do need to be firm with her. I can correct her when I need to, but I also need to reward. An enthusiastic reward when she does something right, when she answers my correction, is so important. It really helps, especially when she’s cranky. It helps both of our moods.
I didn’t buy Sofie because I wanted to compete, I wanted to learn and I wanted to build a relationship. I bought the right horse. This summer has been frustrating and a bit discouraging, but I’m not ready to move on. There is that possibility in my mind, the possibility that she might never be sound and keep getting lamer, but for now we are still moving forward. We owe it to ourselves to keep going and explore new situations. Have new experiences.
At the end of the month Sofie will be moving. We have been so happy at Judy’s barn. We’ve grown a lot here and done a lot of things. But between unfortunate financial realities, and the realization that I don’t think we can continue to grow here, we made the decision to move Sofie. It was a difficult decision, because I know how happy Sofie is here and I know how much she loves her little mare herd. But it wasn’t feasible anymore.
We will be moving to one of the fancy barns in the area. The Land Of Dressage Queens, as I’ve referred to it here before. I knew and liked it mostly for the huge indoor arena, with mirrors and nice footing that is well maintained. I’ll still be able to ride year-round, which is very important to me. I’ll also have far more space to work in, and more opportunity for straight line work.
Sofie will be outside 24 hours a day, which I’m very happy about. I know Sofie will be unhappy for a while, at least until she adjusts to it. She likes her stall. A lot. But it’s better for her to be outside, and everything I’ve read says that more turnout helps with arthritis. There is plenty of shelter, and pasture board is more affordable than stall board.
Unless she doesn’t get along with the herd, she’ll be in with the “fat mare group”, a herd of seven or so mares who are easy keepers. None of them are overly large, and I’m hoping she’ll find a friend. The field is nice and big, with sparse grass. All the mares look in good weight and appear happy.
One thing I had not seen firsthand was the trail system. O.M.G. I went on a hike with a boarder who showed me some of the trails. From the first ten feet, I was sold. Groomed trails with nice footing, mostly flat with some hills, through all kinds of woods. All on-site. They go on for miles. I cannot wait to ride them with Sofie. I think she’ll love them. And we need more trails, especially for the times when she can’t do dressage. Then we can just ride. She can go straight, no turning, and be outside. It’s going to be wonderful.
I also enjoy myself at this barn. I get along with the people there, and it’s nice to talk to people about horses. There are dressage riders there, as well as people who just trail ride, and everyone I’ve talked to has been extremely welcoming. It will be nice to have people to ride with. It remains to be seen how we’ll settle in, but I think it’ll be a good fit.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
June, Interrupted
After our splendid beginning of the month, June became rather unproductive on the Sofie front. Perhaps due to all the cantering and good work we did, Sofie wound up having a flare-up. She wasn't miserable or anything, but she was ouchy and it became clear that she needed some time off. So she had two weeks off, with just ground work, and improved somewhat. I rode again on Sunday, and she was really quite good. We mostly walked but we did some trotting and even a little bending work near the end. She paid attention very well despite a rousing game of horseshoes happening in the neighbor's yard (so random guys were wandering around, and occasionally there was a nice resounding CLANK and then an "Oh, SNAP!" or something to that effect). I figured she would be weird about it, but at least we'd be able to practice working with distractions. But she was pretty much unbothered by it. We finished up the ride working on bending both ways at a trot, with our nose actually NOT stuck waaay out, and she focused really well even when we rode right by the distracting yard. What a good girl.
She's still ouchy, so last ride we pretty much just walked. It was a windy, slightly weird day, but she was totally happy to walk around. We did some hills, she had energy in her walk, she was relaxed, and she even listened to my hands. For the most part she reached into the contact, so we had a nice elastic feel going. I did test her in the trot, both directions, but she most definitely did not want to trot and was very hesitant and slightly upset, so once she trotted a few steps I had her walk again, and went "Okay, we'll just walk for now, then." I know that was her communicating something, as there was no earthly reason for her to be going around perfectly happily and then not want to trot unless she was in some pain. So, if we need to, we'll just walk for now, since at least we can get something productive done at the walk, and get her exercised.
After that I did ride her on the road, and she was not terribly good but we managed. The wind, which had been NBD in the yard, was OMG all of a sudden. But we practiced being nervous and just going forward anyway, and not acting dangerously, and it worked out. Near the end, when I was about to turn her around, she suddenly noticed a terrifying real or imagined Something, and stopped and stared. Then she backed up, like "No, I cannot go near that real or imagined Something." So I was all grrrr, since I just wanted to turn around and now I had to get her over this before I could turn around. It was kind of a tense moment, so I had her step forward, and then I carefully turned her around, letting her know in no uncertain terms that she was not to take off (there's always that danger when a terrifying real or imagined Something is behind you). Fortunately she did not take off or do anything too stupid on the way home, although when we were about ten feet from the barn driveway she suddenly decided to be all OMG. So I kept her going across the driveway and slightly down the other side of the road, then stopped and dismounted with her right by the road. Then I ran up my stirrups and made her stand and NOT throw her head into my space or step towards me. When we had success we went back to the barn.
In other news, while our rides may not be super high octane right now, we are excelling in other areas of work. A boarder bought a biiiiig soccer ball for their horse to play with, and they left it at the barn for other people to use as well. I was interested to see what Sofie thought of it, and the only time she spooked at it was when she first saw it (I led her out of the barn, turned a corner, and there was the guy blowing it up. She jumped. Rather dramatically.). When we got our turn to play with it Sofie was mildly interested and nibbled on it a little, but she did not understand the concept of playing soccer. When I led her up to the ball she would deftly swerve it, like "Are you honestly TRYING to run me into this big-ass ball? Are you nuts?" The only way I could get her to kick it on was to hold her lead right by her halter and just walk her into it. So we weren't all that good at soccer, although it was fun to mess around with it.
But I got the bright idea to try some other stuff, basically to see what she would tolerate. So I dropped her lead on the ground, made her stay, and bounced the ball on the ground next to her. No reaction. I bounced the ball lightly off her side. Didn't care. So then I went "Hey, let's REALLY test this," and I lifted the ball up over my head. She kind of looked at me with slight nervousness and suspicion (probably thinking I was up to no good and/or losing my mind) and I set the ball on her back. Her head came up, and she was still looking at me strangely, but she did not move her feet. I rolled the ball back and forth and then let it roll off her rump, and she stood through all of that. So I did it on the other side, too, with similar success. Then the other day I had her stand, and I picked up the ball, climbed on the three-step mounting block, and did the same thing. I'm sure she thinks I'm nuts, but she obviously trusts me enough to go along with it. Which is all good.
She's still ouchy, so last ride we pretty much just walked. It was a windy, slightly weird day, but she was totally happy to walk around. We did some hills, she had energy in her walk, she was relaxed, and she even listened to my hands. For the most part she reached into the contact, so we had a nice elastic feel going. I did test her in the trot, both directions, but she most definitely did not want to trot and was very hesitant and slightly upset, so once she trotted a few steps I had her walk again, and went "Okay, we'll just walk for now, then." I know that was her communicating something, as there was no earthly reason for her to be going around perfectly happily and then not want to trot unless she was in some pain. So, if we need to, we'll just walk for now, since at least we can get something productive done at the walk, and get her exercised.
After that I did ride her on the road, and she was not terribly good but we managed. The wind, which had been NBD in the yard, was OMG all of a sudden. But we practiced being nervous and just going forward anyway, and not acting dangerously, and it worked out. Near the end, when I was about to turn her around, she suddenly noticed a terrifying real or imagined Something, and stopped and stared. Then she backed up, like "No, I cannot go near that real or imagined Something." So I was all grrrr, since I just wanted to turn around and now I had to get her over this before I could turn around. It was kind of a tense moment, so I had her step forward, and then I carefully turned her around, letting her know in no uncertain terms that she was not to take off (there's always that danger when a terrifying real or imagined Something is behind you). Fortunately she did not take off or do anything too stupid on the way home, although when we were about ten feet from the barn driveway she suddenly decided to be all OMG. So I kept her going across the driveway and slightly down the other side of the road, then stopped and dismounted with her right by the road. Then I ran up my stirrups and made her stand and NOT throw her head into my space or step towards me. When we had success we went back to the barn.
In other news, while our rides may not be super high octane right now, we are excelling in other areas of work. A boarder bought a biiiiig soccer ball for their horse to play with, and they left it at the barn for other people to use as well. I was interested to see what Sofie thought of it, and the only time she spooked at it was when she first saw it (I led her out of the barn, turned a corner, and there was the guy blowing it up. She jumped. Rather dramatically.). When we got our turn to play with it Sofie was mildly interested and nibbled on it a little, but she did not understand the concept of playing soccer. When I led her up to the ball she would deftly swerve it, like "Are you honestly TRYING to run me into this big-ass ball? Are you nuts?" The only way I could get her to kick it on was to hold her lead right by her halter and just walk her into it. So we weren't all that good at soccer, although it was fun to mess around with it.
But I got the bright idea to try some other stuff, basically to see what she would tolerate. So I dropped her lead on the ground, made her stay, and bounced the ball on the ground next to her. No reaction. I bounced the ball lightly off her side. Didn't care. So then I went "Hey, let's REALLY test this," and I lifted the ball up over my head. She kind of looked at me with slight nervousness and suspicion (probably thinking I was up to no good and/or losing my mind) and I set the ball on her back. Her head came up, and she was still looking at me strangely, but she did not move her feet. I rolled the ball back and forth and then let it roll off her rump, and she stood through all of that. So I did it on the other side, too, with similar success. Then the other day I had her stand, and I picked up the ball, climbed on the three-step mounting block, and did the same thing. I'm sure she thinks I'm nuts, but she obviously trusts me enough to go along with it. Which is all good.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
A Perfect Ride
Last week we rode in the gelding field for the first time this year. I love riding in that field and Sofie seems to love it too. It was a hot, buggy day, so much so that the horses were brought in early. I didn’t even know if I would ride, but then the air cooled off. When I got to the barn the temperature had dropped and although the flies were still out in abundance, it was definitely riding weather.
I pulled Sofie from her stall and brushed her, then free schooled her for a bit so she wouldn’t be quite as fresh when we headed out to the field. She was a bit fidgety in the aisle because of all the flies, but she managed to stay in “park” relatively well while I got us ready. Then we went to the indoor, where I opened the gate to the field and mounted up. We went straight out from there.
Sofie brightened up and was looking around as we headed out of the run-in shed and into the field. She was drifting around, wanting to see everything, but she was totally calm. I walked her around the edge of the entire field to warm up and check the footing. One low-lying area was muddy but the rest of the field was in great shape. After our walk-around period I asked Sofie to trot. She went forward willingly, with energy but no craziness. She didn’t start drifting or getting strong. When I asked her to walk she made the transition nicely. I was already very pleased with how things were going.
I trotted her to the far end of the field where I asked her to canter along the fence line. She went right into it quite eagerly, no resentment. She did take the left lead where the right one was called for, of course, but we were going straight so I wasn’t worried about it. She cantered pretty fast (for her) but nicely balanced and she came back to a trot before the corner when I asked. I turned her around and cantered her the other way and she was excellent. She didn’t veer off toward the barn or worry about the woods outside of the fence. She just went.
We went all over the field, and she did everything right. We went down the “bad” fence line and she stayed much straighter. Then we turned around and I asked her to canter facing the barn, which she was quite happy to do, of course. She really flew, but I never felt like I was out of control and she came back to the trot easily. I walked her past the barn and decided to canter her away from the barn. This was a definite test, since I was going to ask for the canter in an area where she’d been really sticky and resistant in the past (Sofie has her “I want to CANTER now!” places as her “You want me to trot? How DARE you!” places).
I got her trotting without an issue, and I just thought about asking for the canter when she went into it. She cantered beautifully, straight ahead, and she kept going when I asked. It was so exhilarating to be able to just have her canter wherever, no restrictions. No limitations. It’s such a basic thing, but for quite a while I have limited myself in various ways, and Sofie has helped me lose my limitations.
After that last canter I patted her a bunch and then tried one more experiment. I started her trotting toward the barn, with minimal rein contact, and then I applied my seat. She went back to the walk with just seat aids. I was thrilled. I gave her a long rein and rode for just a few more minutes. We went past the barn without drifting too obnoxiously, did an awesome rein-back and one more trot transition and then we were done.
It was one of those rides that shows me how lucky I am. Everything came together for us that evening. The field was free, and the weather changed from hot to cool, with the finest mist in the air. Sofie did everything I asked, and we felt like a team. We were both happy, and everything was smooth, easy and wonderful. We’ve worked so hard to get to this point, and it is so rewarding when things work out like that.
I could really feel our recent progress in that ride. Our field outings were always fun, but they were usually a bit of a wild ride, with Sofie taking off in canter, zipping around and getting strong. She sometimes reminded me of a racehorse. I kind of enjoyed her craziness, but there’s something wonderful about controlled energy. I could keep her in the trot with half halts, just by bracing my back and controlling my posting when she started to speed up. She drifted less, and there was much less of a magnetic pull toward the barn. She had energy, but it was controllable. She let me direct her. There was no irritability, no swishing or balking, no head flinging or other resistance. She never once cantered without my asking. For us, it was a perfect ride. Even though it’s not always like that, I could not be happier with my horse. I love my Sofa.
I pulled Sofie from her stall and brushed her, then free schooled her for a bit so she wouldn’t be quite as fresh when we headed out to the field. She was a bit fidgety in the aisle because of all the flies, but she managed to stay in “park” relatively well while I got us ready. Then we went to the indoor, where I opened the gate to the field and mounted up. We went straight out from there.
Sofie brightened up and was looking around as we headed out of the run-in shed and into the field. She was drifting around, wanting to see everything, but she was totally calm. I walked her around the edge of the entire field to warm up and check the footing. One low-lying area was muddy but the rest of the field was in great shape. After our walk-around period I asked Sofie to trot. She went forward willingly, with energy but no craziness. She didn’t start drifting or getting strong. When I asked her to walk she made the transition nicely. I was already very pleased with how things were going.
I trotted her to the far end of the field where I asked her to canter along the fence line. She went right into it quite eagerly, no resentment. She did take the left lead where the right one was called for, of course, but we were going straight so I wasn’t worried about it. She cantered pretty fast (for her) but nicely balanced and she came back to a trot before the corner when I asked. I turned her around and cantered her the other way and she was excellent. She didn’t veer off toward the barn or worry about the woods outside of the fence. She just went.
We went all over the field, and she did everything right. We went down the “bad” fence line and she stayed much straighter. Then we turned around and I asked her to canter facing the barn, which she was quite happy to do, of course. She really flew, but I never felt like I was out of control and she came back to the trot easily. I walked her past the barn and decided to canter her away from the barn. This was a definite test, since I was going to ask for the canter in an area where she’d been really sticky and resistant in the past (Sofie has her “I want to CANTER now!” places as her “You want me to trot? How DARE you!” places).
I got her trotting without an issue, and I just thought about asking for the canter when she went into it. She cantered beautifully, straight ahead, and she kept going when I asked. It was so exhilarating to be able to just have her canter wherever, no restrictions. No limitations. It’s such a basic thing, but for quite a while I have limited myself in various ways, and Sofie has helped me lose my limitations.
After that last canter I patted her a bunch and then tried one more experiment. I started her trotting toward the barn, with minimal rein contact, and then I applied my seat. She went back to the walk with just seat aids. I was thrilled. I gave her a long rein and rode for just a few more minutes. We went past the barn without drifting too obnoxiously, did an awesome rein-back and one more trot transition and then we were done.
It was one of those rides that shows me how lucky I am. Everything came together for us that evening. The field was free, and the weather changed from hot to cool, with the finest mist in the air. Sofie did everything I asked, and we felt like a team. We were both happy, and everything was smooth, easy and wonderful. We’ve worked so hard to get to this point, and it is so rewarding when things work out like that.
I could really feel our recent progress in that ride. Our field outings were always fun, but they were usually a bit of a wild ride, with Sofie taking off in canter, zipping around and getting strong. She sometimes reminded me of a racehorse. I kind of enjoyed her craziness, but there’s something wonderful about controlled energy. I could keep her in the trot with half halts, just by bracing my back and controlling my posting when she started to speed up. She drifted less, and there was much less of a magnetic pull toward the barn. She had energy, but it was controllable. She let me direct her. There was no irritability, no swishing or balking, no head flinging or other resistance. She never once cantered without my asking. For us, it was a perfect ride. Even though it’s not always like that, I could not be happier with my horse. I love my Sofa.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Riding Photos
Showing off our bending.
An "interesting" moment...I think she is preparing to do a canter depart here. This is how she elevates her front end. ;) But look at that engagement!
Inviting her to stretch down.
Nice "open" frame with nose stuck out!
I like this picture. Nice bend, the angle almost makes it look like she's in half pass!
Cute pony counter canter!
I absolutely love how she looks here. She's never been that round in the canter!
Nice straight line from bit to elbow...and nice fetlock hair.
Yes, we're still on the wrong lead.
And we're off!!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Full Speed Ahead
May was a hard month for a while there. The weather shifted constantly from hot to wet to cold and never really segued into summer. We dealt with a couple potential flare-ups that fortunately didn’t require too much time off. And there were a couple really bad rides when Sofie was unable to bend or do what I wanted and I was unfair to her. I somehow lost sight of everything I’d learned, and I overcorrected with my hands and tried to correct everything at once. I wasn’t kind to her, and I felt sick about it afterward. The next time I saw her she was lame, which made me feel awful. I had hoped that I was the only one still feeling the consequences of my actions, but she was too, and that really wasn’t fair. It’s fine to be ambitious and try to improve my horse, but training is only beneficial if I pay attention to how she’s feeling and respect her when she tells me she can’t. I lost sight of that for two rides, and she paid for it. There wasn’t anything I could do but give her a massage, cry into her neck for a while and do better in the future.
Thankfully I did start to do better. I limited sugar in my diet, which helped me level out and not be such a psycho bitch to the ones I love. Sofie’s lameness went away quickly and within a few days she was rideable again. I started out with some light rides, just going down the road one day and then starting to work in the yard again. She responded to light rein aids and didn’t get worried. She forgave me and trusted me. Our bond didn’t fracture; it held. One day I went out to the mare’s turnout area and Sofie was lying in a sandpit. I had to put a fly mask on one of the other mares so I went to do that. In minute or two Sofie came hurrying over. She stopped and pivoted to face me, making sure I didn’t take the wrong horse. It’s so cute when she lets on that she likes me. She’s been walking toward me more often than not when I go to catch her, and I love it.
Our rides have been awesome. She may look a bit off when I free school her, and she may start out feeling a little stiff or slow but she has been doing everything I ask. I haven’t been carrying a whip as she seems to anticipate and get chargey when I have one. She’s been listening extremely well it. I’ve really stepped up and am giving her more confident direction, and she’s paying attention. I don’t always have flexion or bend, but if she’s steady and I have a connection with her mouth I don’t worry about it. We’ve been emphasizing “forward” lately.
The most exciting thing is that I have a canter cue. I have half halts. Basically, I have so much more control than I used to. I can now trot her through all the places she used to like to canter in, and I can keep her from charging or taking off. She still picks up the canter on her own sometimes, maybe once every other ride or so, but the majority of our canters are my decision. The last three rides she cantered from my leg alone, no whip, without bucking. She will canter away from the barn, straight and forward, and I can’t even describe how awesome that is. I’ve always loved cantering her, and I feel like all our work is coming together. It’s exciting. I’m not afraid anymore. I’m not afraid to go fast, I’m not afraid of her reactions, I’m not afraid to take charge. I’m not afraid, and she’s not crazy. It feels like we are working together now.
I have been mostly riding in the yard, but I did ride down the road one day the “other” way. We had only been that way once before and Sofie was very relaxed. She only got a little nervous at the very end (we hadn’t gone that far the previous time).
We still have a lot to learn and work toward, which is exciting in a way. I’m trying to learn turn on the haunches (or at least some version of it). I want to continue our road work. Each ride I work on eliminating her drifting, and our bending always needs work. I haven’t been able to get her to pick up the canter on a bend yet, or canter a full circle. And the right lead remains elusive for us. I haven’t really worked on it yet as I think she needs to be fitter (and very sound) before I attempt to correct it, as I think it will take quite a few canter departs for us to get it right. As it is, she’s very adept at counter canter, and I don’t really mind. She prefers to take the left lead both ways when free schooling also. I did get her to take the right lead once while free schooling recently, and I also got her to change onto it twice. I also might have gotten her to change onto it while riding, but I’m not sure. I will need eyes on the ground when I do attempt to correct her lead preference issue.
There will always be improvements to be made, but we’ve both come a really long way and I’m really proud of that. I’m happy.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Road Work Ahead
Continuing my plan to make road riding a smaller deal, I rode Sofie out late in the afternoon last week. The weather was being mildly threatening so I walked her a tiny bit in the yard and then went past the mailbox and onto the road. She seemed quite calm, so I figured we could get right to it before possibly being rained on.
There was no activity on the road, and we were both pretty relaxed and nonchalant. We got to the end of the road with no issues, and I decided to push it a little and take the next step on our road work improvement plan. I kept her going and turned onto the next road, which is just a short, straight road before the highway. I had avoided it because the shoulder looked pretty much nonexistent, and I don’t like the sensation of riding on pavement. It’s just a less inviting road than the one we usually ride on. But I was ready to try it.
I discovered, pleasantly enough, that the shoulder was actually sufficient enough to ride on (it helps that Sofie’s base narrow). We didn’t really have wiggle room, but at least we weren’t on pavement. I could tell that Sofie was nervous, but she was really being good for me.
We got a good way down the road before she started to get really edgy. It wasn’t so much being within sight of the highway that bothered her (she gave it a look, but it didn’t stop her in her tracks or anything). The houses are closer together (and closer to the road) on this road, and I think that was a little intimidating for her. She started giving the houses a hard look, and then she went into her “stop and stare” routine. I got her to go forward a little at a time, but she was really rigid and preoccupied with something ahead. I realized there were two kids playing in their yard (throwing a Frisbee and shrieking). Sofie doesn’t really approve of kids, and she definitely does not approve of people in yards (that’s our main issue, not traffic or anything). So I sat there on her, trying to figure out the best way to handle this. I decided not to try to get her past the house with the kids (possibly leading to a major freakout), so, satisfied that she had at least paid attention to me and gone further than she wanted to, I carefully turned her around. Of course, she immediately got really anxious and tried to rush home, so I had to pull quite a bit on the outside rein to keep her from taking off. It was a little tense getting back down that road, but fortunately she did listen to my (shall we say “pronounced”) rein aids and she did not go faster than a jiggy trot/walk. I released when I could but I had to hold her back most of the way. Fortunately she’s gotten more comfortable with contact and I can actually hold her back when I need to without her getting angry.
Once we turned onto our road, she was fine, and I let out the reins and patted her a lot. We made it back and did a little sitting trot in the yard, then quit for the night. I’m proud of us for being able to go further and cope with scary eeeevil playing children (well, I’m not sure how well she coped, but she didn’t kill me so WIN!) and while we are definitely NOT ready to ride down the highway or anything, I think we’ll continue working on this.
The next time I went out it was raining, the yard was squishy, and I figured I had already made enough divots in the barn owner’s yard (as evidenced by her super tactful, way-too-nice hints to that effect). So, back to the indoor it was. Blargh. I was really not thrilled to have to put us back in the box, but it turned out to be a good opportunity to figure some stuff out. Sometimes arena rides are good for that.
Sofie was on a bit of a tear that day and even though I free schooled her she still had too much energy. As a result she wasn’t into flexing, and when I tried to move her off my leg she just went faster. I felt like I was fighting with her, and it seemed like we had absolutely nothing. The only good thing was that she picked up the canter with minimal resentment. I was getting myself into a bad place mentally when my mom showed up. I complained that I couldn’t get her to move off my leg, and she commented that I should try it in walk first. Then she left, and after I thought about it for a minute I brought Sofie down to a walk and tried to teach her how to leg yield. She got it in no time and was moving off my leg in both directions, no problem. I was delighted to have moved past negativity and actually achieved something. By the end of the ride I’d gotten Sofie to move off my leg in all three gaits.
Next time we rode the ground was still a bit too soft, and although the sun was out, the wind was brutal, so we returned to the indoor. I felt like I had been overusing my hands a bit, so I decided to keep my hands quiet and communicate more with leg aids. Sofie, being a smart mare, had really figured out the leg yielding thing, so instead of trying to mess with flexion I just turned her with leg aids and let my hands stay quiet. She did really well with this, and I worked on using leg for turning as well as moving over (both onto and off the rail). I was actually able to move her all the way from the centerline to the rail. I don’t know if we were doing a correct leg yield at any point, but I think there was some crossing over. She wasn’t quite straight, but she lead with her front end, which I think is fairly acceptable at this stage.
At the trot she was quite soft and relaxed, and moved off my leg when I asked her to. She went along in a nice, long frame, and she pretty much went to the contact. I didn’t do any canter work, I just focused on softness and leg yielding. I also was able to ride without stirrups the entire 45 minutes which pleased me. It was just a very nice, relaxed, satisfying ride.
When we ventured back out into the yard I tried to retain some of that feeling, and mainly use my legs for steering. Sofie was more inverted outside, but she wasn’t too bad. I didn’t have to use my hands overly much, and she listened well to my leg which really helped keep her drifting in check. She felt pretty straight much of the time. She seemed in a good mood that day and I really enjoyed our ride.
I asked her to canter several times, and she listened great, only needing a touch of whip once. She only bucked once and her attitude was greatly improved. She was quite responsive and willing. It was so nice! It’s great to have the confidence to ask for the canter, and she’s finally starting to let go of her bad attitude.
I had thought about chickening out and not going on the road, but when I was done in the yard I decided to ride down the road after all. But I turned right at the end of the driveway instead of left, which is the way I usually go. I thought it would be good practice to ride her in a place she’d never seen before, and I wanted to try something new. Sofie was a little apprehensive once we left the border of the yard behind and she had a brief startle (which really helped me stay calm) but we got past the first house without incident (that’s another reason I hadn’t gone that way before…another boarder had a bad experience when she rode past that house and a dog started barking and jumping against the door, but the dog didn’t make a peep when we rode past). She was really good as we went further, although I could tell she was a little like “This isn’t where we ride. Are you sure about this?”
The road wasn’t too bad to ride on, and the shoulder was decent. We went a good ways down before I elected to turn around. I could hear guys working on a car up ahead and they weren’t easily visible due to thick tree growth. What with Sofie’s propensity to wig out at people in yards, I didn’t feel like riding her through a freakout on our first time down that part of the road. In the future I know I will have to deal, but I want to get a little more road mileage first.
The ride back was uneventful. Once back in the yard I congratulated us on another accomplishment. All the variety made those rides very fulfilling and I’m glad we’ve been able to expand our trails. I hope to keep doing so. It makes our time together much more interesting, and “interesting” is kind of our thing.
There was no activity on the road, and we were both pretty relaxed and nonchalant. We got to the end of the road with no issues, and I decided to push it a little and take the next step on our road work improvement plan. I kept her going and turned onto the next road, which is just a short, straight road before the highway. I had avoided it because the shoulder looked pretty much nonexistent, and I don’t like the sensation of riding on pavement. It’s just a less inviting road than the one we usually ride on. But I was ready to try it.
I discovered, pleasantly enough, that the shoulder was actually sufficient enough to ride on (it helps that Sofie’s base narrow). We didn’t really have wiggle room, but at least we weren’t on pavement. I could tell that Sofie was nervous, but she was really being good for me.
We got a good way down the road before she started to get really edgy. It wasn’t so much being within sight of the highway that bothered her (she gave it a look, but it didn’t stop her in her tracks or anything). The houses are closer together (and closer to the road) on this road, and I think that was a little intimidating for her. She started giving the houses a hard look, and then she went into her “stop and stare” routine. I got her to go forward a little at a time, but she was really rigid and preoccupied with something ahead. I realized there were two kids playing in their yard (throwing a Frisbee and shrieking). Sofie doesn’t really approve of kids, and she definitely does not approve of people in yards (that’s our main issue, not traffic or anything). So I sat there on her, trying to figure out the best way to handle this. I decided not to try to get her past the house with the kids (possibly leading to a major freakout), so, satisfied that she had at least paid attention to me and gone further than she wanted to, I carefully turned her around. Of course, she immediately got really anxious and tried to rush home, so I had to pull quite a bit on the outside rein to keep her from taking off. It was a little tense getting back down that road, but fortunately she did listen to my (shall we say “pronounced”) rein aids and she did not go faster than a jiggy trot/walk. I released when I could but I had to hold her back most of the way. Fortunately she’s gotten more comfortable with contact and I can actually hold her back when I need to without her getting angry.
Once we turned onto our road, she was fine, and I let out the reins and patted her a lot. We made it back and did a little sitting trot in the yard, then quit for the night. I’m proud of us for being able to go further and cope with scary eeeevil playing children (well, I’m not sure how well she coped, but she didn’t kill me so WIN!) and while we are definitely NOT ready to ride down the highway or anything, I think we’ll continue working on this.
The next time I went out it was raining, the yard was squishy, and I figured I had already made enough divots in the barn owner’s yard (as evidenced by her super tactful, way-too-nice hints to that effect). So, back to the indoor it was. Blargh. I was really not thrilled to have to put us back in the box, but it turned out to be a good opportunity to figure some stuff out. Sometimes arena rides are good for that.
Sofie was on a bit of a tear that day and even though I free schooled her she still had too much energy. As a result she wasn’t into flexing, and when I tried to move her off my leg she just went faster. I felt like I was fighting with her, and it seemed like we had absolutely nothing. The only good thing was that she picked up the canter with minimal resentment. I was getting myself into a bad place mentally when my mom showed up. I complained that I couldn’t get her to move off my leg, and she commented that I should try it in walk first. Then she left, and after I thought about it for a minute I brought Sofie down to a walk and tried to teach her how to leg yield. She got it in no time and was moving off my leg in both directions, no problem. I was delighted to have moved past negativity and actually achieved something. By the end of the ride I’d gotten Sofie to move off my leg in all three gaits.
Next time we rode the ground was still a bit too soft, and although the sun was out, the wind was brutal, so we returned to the indoor. I felt like I had been overusing my hands a bit, so I decided to keep my hands quiet and communicate more with leg aids. Sofie, being a smart mare, had really figured out the leg yielding thing, so instead of trying to mess with flexion I just turned her with leg aids and let my hands stay quiet. She did really well with this, and I worked on using leg for turning as well as moving over (both onto and off the rail). I was actually able to move her all the way from the centerline to the rail. I don’t know if we were doing a correct leg yield at any point, but I think there was some crossing over. She wasn’t quite straight, but she lead with her front end, which I think is fairly acceptable at this stage.
At the trot she was quite soft and relaxed, and moved off my leg when I asked her to. She went along in a nice, long frame, and she pretty much went to the contact. I didn’t do any canter work, I just focused on softness and leg yielding. I also was able to ride without stirrups the entire 45 minutes which pleased me. It was just a very nice, relaxed, satisfying ride.
When we ventured back out into the yard I tried to retain some of that feeling, and mainly use my legs for steering. Sofie was more inverted outside, but she wasn’t too bad. I didn’t have to use my hands overly much, and she listened well to my leg which really helped keep her drifting in check. She felt pretty straight much of the time. She seemed in a good mood that day and I really enjoyed our ride.
I asked her to canter several times, and she listened great, only needing a touch of whip once. She only bucked once and her attitude was greatly improved. She was quite responsive and willing. It was so nice! It’s great to have the confidence to ask for the canter, and she’s finally starting to let go of her bad attitude.
I had thought about chickening out and not going on the road, but when I was done in the yard I decided to ride down the road after all. But I turned right at the end of the driveway instead of left, which is the way I usually go. I thought it would be good practice to ride her in a place she’d never seen before, and I wanted to try something new. Sofie was a little apprehensive once we left the border of the yard behind and she had a brief startle (which really helped me stay calm) but we got past the first house without incident (that’s another reason I hadn’t gone that way before…another boarder had a bad experience when she rode past that house and a dog started barking and jumping against the door, but the dog didn’t make a peep when we rode past). She was really good as we went further, although I could tell she was a little like “This isn’t where we ride. Are you sure about this?”
The road wasn’t too bad to ride on, and the shoulder was decent. We went a good ways down before I elected to turn around. I could hear guys working on a car up ahead and they weren’t easily visible due to thick tree growth. What with Sofie’s propensity to wig out at people in yards, I didn’t feel like riding her through a freakout on our first time down that part of the road. In the future I know I will have to deal, but I want to get a little more road mileage first.
The ride back was uneventful. Once back in the yard I congratulated us on another accomplishment. All the variety made those rides very fulfilling and I’m glad we’ve been able to expand our trails. I hope to keep doing so. It makes our time together much more interesting, and “interesting” is kind of our thing.
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