M-Mares

Yes I haven't posted the L post yet but I'm behind like crazy with this challenge and this one was easy to write!!!!

 

I’ve always wanted a gelding, I figured they were more laid back and I think a lot of times that’s sort of a correct stereotype, but not always.  Mares are pretty smart though, not that geldings aren’t, but since mares tend to be the leaders of a herd they have a different mentality that can be interesting to work with at times....yeah interesting, let's use that word!  At times they can be challenging  because they will let you know their opinion of what ever it is you are doing!

I’ve noticed more tail swishing with mares, more foot stomping and head shaking.  I’ve also noticed a lot of willing attitudes that they seem to step up to the plate and work hard once they understand what you want.  It could also just be the mares I’ve ridden recently.  Divine will work hard but has some sass at times, so does my girl.  Dani certainly has sass and will definitely tell you her opinions and frustrations but she truly understands her reward and will then go on willingly once she is secure with her task at hand. 

Dani is also higher in the herd rank, she’s not the top so she also has more of an opinion about being told what to do.  Perhaps that's the key, since I think a higher ranking gelding would have the same type of "attitude".  Dani's not blindly compliant; getting her to see that you are the leader and the one to trust in all situations is the important point in working with her.  It’s a work in progress because I need to be confident in myself to truly be the leader.

Mares like to try and eat cell phones!

I’ve still got a lot of ground work to do with Dani and now that the round pen is thawed out I’ll hopefully get some more work with her.  I will most likely start over with the Clinton round penning and get her cantering out instead of just trotting.  Her attitude certainly showed up during the round penning but I don’t know if it necessarily is related to her mare-ness just her wanting to be the top mare.  She’s had lots of relaxed time in her life and here I am suddenly asking her to do something!! 

My opinions on mares have changed since I first started riding again, I used to be biased about geldings and thought that I would only search for geldings when the time came to purchase.  I don’t see a big difference, it more comes down to personality and I think where the horse usually ranks in a herd.  Mares minds may have developed to be more diverse in thoughts than the male horse mind; they lead the herd, raise a baby etc etc.  Either way mares and geldings both make great mounts. 

Let’s see how Dani is during estrus though…I could change my tune!

Thanks for the Adventure, 2012!!

I wanted to do a year end review sooner but my busy end of the year overlapped into the beginning of this new year, so here I am January 8th, 2013 looking back at my horsie year. I have to say that all in all it was a good year! I mean come on! I finally got a pony!

January

I began the year frustrated with schedules and not feeling like I had enough time to see horses (I think that’s still an issue at times!). Nothing was able to be done really, my instructor had time constraints and that just didn’t mesh with my time availability. It happens. I filled my time with new horse magazines and enjoyed a fire horse museum at a meeting location for my work.

February

I fell in love with Vantage Point Farms, it became my top choice for boarding facilities. It had a nice outdoor arena, no fence, nice indoor, large paddock for geldings, and good sized paddocks for mares with run in sheds. No round pen but there was easy access to trails right off the property.

March

Quinntessential Arabians had a client get together where we made horse treats and talked about….uh, horses! Uschi tried to play match maker and have me buy the cute chestnut mare of Amy’s. I wasn’t in a position to buy but found it fun to dream.

Steve and I attended the Rocky Mountain horse Expo in Denver. We really enjoyed Julie Goodnight! I also posted an article by a gal from Tampa that wrote in her local paper about being 40 when she got her first horse. I can relate! Then during a lesson Divine reached around after I dismounted and got the stirrup caught in her mouth!! Crazy! I went to another instructor and rode a really big Arabian named Ramses. I liked the lesson but just didn’t feel we clicked. I wasn’t sure what direction I was going with horses at the time.

 

 April

This month I did some canter work with Divine and felt I made a few good steps forward! On a sad note a couple mares, Gretchen and Cleo at Fawor Foundation Arabian Rescue, whom I had wanted to meet for so long were adopted. I never got the chance to meet them but glad they found homes.

July

In late June and early July I was consumed with my job 24/7 for two weeks. We were dealing with the Waldo Canyon Fire here and I was activated in the Emergency Operations Centers. It was a busy time! Later that month I saw Esprit, while she was a beautiful little mare she wasn’t the right horse for me. Then I left with hubby to Cancun!!

August

I began my horse shopping in earnest! My first horse was a skinny Arab named Khan. I ended up calling the humane society and apparently he was already a case. So sad, I wished I could have taken him to a better home but hopefully he will be taken care of.

I viewed Whispering Winds Farm and placed it at the top of my list. I loved the large fields for my future horse!

August had some traumatic instances for me. I had three falls. First one was riding Divine and my foot got caught in the railing, Divine spooked and I went overboard. The next one was really horrible; I tried out a horse for purchase, Desperados Storm. He spooked under a tree and raced into the barn; I went flying into a stall door and landed hard on my rear on a cinder block or something in the aisle way. Ouch. Needless to say I didn’t buy him. Then I wanted a calm lesson on Divine, we were walking around the arena, we got to close to the wall post (the railings had since been taken down). I tensed and sort of freaked having my knee up to the post again, not sure how I guided Divine that direction. She spooked at my tenseness and trotted off and since I was so freaked out I ended up on the ground again. I fell REALLY hard and knocked the wind out of me. Never have done that before and it was SCARY!!!

September

I went to Kenlyn to check out two mares. Linda was very kind to me and I explained by recent falls and subsequent lack of confidence. The first mare I tried started to move off and I panicked a little. Linda jumped off her horse and grabbed the mare and had me get off and mount the other. She made me feel okay for being fearful and let me try out the other horse at my own pace. I was grateful to her kindness and understanding. The mares were fabulous but not for me.

Then I met Heidi the cute as a button, neighs when you dismount, Haflinger mare. She was too short and I looked ridiculous on her otherwise I would have probably taken her home! Next I met Brio a dark bay Arab and really liked him. I wasn’t entirely sure but he had potential. He got sick with a cough before Laurie could evaluate him....

Of course I ended up going to see a chestnut Morgan mare and there was just something about her, she was the one, I knew it. I liked her attitude her mannerisms and felt she was very kind and forgiving but not a push over. I made an offer and began setting up veterinary exams and had my trainer come out. This little mare had something special about her!

October

Vet exams went well and Dani moved to her new home, after training with Laurie for loading on the trailer. Dani has issues with trailers so I knew it would be an ongoing thing to train her but I felt she was worth that effort. The beginning weeks I worked with Dani on grooming, standing while tied and facing her fears of the wash rack which is much like an enclosed trailer. She even encountered a flapping flag and a Bobcat hauling huge hay bales quickly and loudly down the aisle of the barn! She seemed easy to teach and began looking to me for guidance. Laurie also hosted a “clinic” with a couple of us students, I don’t think I posted about it but it was a great clinic talking about communication and trying to be positive but not looking through “rose colored glasses” when it comes to working with horses. The three students each rode Divine through some simple exercises and while I was VERY fearful to get back on her I knew the fear was a bit exaggerated. The support from Laurie and the other riders during this clinic was awesome!

Dani got injured the night before I left to see my newborn nephew. Her left hind swelled up and the vet came out. She was bandaged for a couple weeks and stall bound. I couldn’t even do groundwork until the week of Thanksgiving!

November

Dani healed and when finally able to be back in her paddock raced off with tail high! I worked on getting her used to the indoor arena that was pretty scary and new to her. I also was selling items at home to start my saddle fund since I didn’t have one to fit her. Dani had her teeth floated (and man she needed it!) and her hooves trimmed for the first time under my ownership. The time change and then the beginning of friend and family visits reduced my time to spend with Dani. This is the reason she is on pasture 100%, I know she’s happy and content even if I can’t get out to visit her. I finally did buy a saddle and worked on finding the right girth and then found out my one bridle was way too big! LOL. And so it goes!

December

I did finally get the tack situated and rode Dani for the first time since I bought her. The ride went well for the most part and wasn’t complicated. Serpentines and changes of direction to calm me down and work Dani’s mind a bit. I got my cowboy hat that I love wearing, keeps my hair out of my face when not wearing a helmet and it looks cute! I also dealt with snowballs forming on Dani’s unshod feet and my hubby finally replaced his car that died in July with a nice GMC Sierra 2500!! The trucks name is Buddy and he should be a good trailer hauler! Most of December we had Steve’s parents back again in our house so it was fun to spend time with them, Cierra Steve’s daughter came for a week at Christmas. Dani got hurt again; her blanket butt bungee snapped and cut her leg. Another vet bill and some antibiotics for a few days, I got really good at giving her the pills turned to paste. At least this time the injury didn’t require too much maintenance. With lack of time and the injury I really couldn’t do much with Dani so I just visited her when I could to groom and hug her then it was off to family fun!

So....

This year was a whirlwind towards the end. I dove into the deep end of the pool of horse ownership and have loved every minute! I look forward to spending more time with Dani and getting a little closer to our goals of riding trails together. I’m so happy to have met Dani and that she’s my first horse, she’s a great first horse, challenging but not too challenging and cuteness galore!! Happy belated New Year!!

Shattered confidence

I write this blog with a heavy heart.  My love is horses and the past couple months have created instances that have made me question whether horses make sense in my life.  But rest assured those thoughts were fleating, I cannot so easily turn my back on horses.  If I ever get fearful enough I can just stay on the ground, buy a mini or just do driving instead of riding.  Lost of options but I'm not near that now.

In late June I rode Divine and had quite a nice lesson that ended on a horrific scary note.  We were riding a nice cadenced trot down the main side of the arena when I think my right foot fell out of my stirrup bumped her and she shied, either that or she shied and my foot fell out.  It all happened so fast.  The left foot got pushed into the railing on the side of indoor and got caught.  I think Divine spun as I pulled on the reins in panic at having my fear of the railing come to fruition and then I landed hip and head into the sand.  Ouch.  I was dizzy and really shaky.  My right hip still has some pain even now, I had whiplash for weeks and I still have a bump below my ankle bone. 

Well after this incident I did not get another chance to ride.  The Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs broke out and my Emergency Preparedness Team for Public Health was activated in the emergency operations center.  After the 2 weeks or so of constant running I left for a week for a conference in L.A.  Then I came back and left with my husband for a vacation in Cancun!  Divine is always overly sensitive in my opinion, if the stirrup did indeed bump her and cause her to shy into the fence then that's just par for the course.  I'm overly sensitive too, and react in a way that just aggravates the situation.  I see all these clinicians that desensitize horses, how about desensitizing humans so we stay calm when a horse shies or moves suddenly.

Last week I rode a horse for a trial, Desparados Storm.  He seemed sweet and the owner rode him around a bit.   Then we put the saddle on him for me to ride.  I walked him in a small circle in the driveway area of the property, when we approached an overhanging tree Storm started and then raced off towards the barn.  Only one door was open and I was afraid I would be scraped off.  We made it into the barn with all its junk and pieces lying about in the aisle.  Storm stopped and turned left quickly and I flew into the side of the stall door.  There was a tree stump, some bricks, other machinery....thank goodness no circular saw!  I hit the stall door hard and scraped my back along the bolt.  Not sure what I landed on but the aisleway was hard even though it was dirt.  Below is the picture of my rear, a cutout of course.  The largest part is about 7.5 inches across!

Just this Saturday I had arranged to have a lesson on Divine, I told Laurie I wanted to stay at the walk.  That sounded perfectly fine.  I arrived a few minutes early and watched Megan on Divine.  As Divine trotted by the entrance in which I was standing she shied away.  Crap.  What the?  Then Megan worked on the canter with Divine and she raced around the arena.  Laurie kept telling Megan to sit back and relax, it took Divine a while to finally canter nicely.

Next I got on and we did sepertines and some leg yielding at the walk.  One time we got near the wall and I was frustrated why do I always end up putting Divine into the wall (it no longer has the fencing since Laurie removed all that after my accident, but there are still the posts that hold up the roofing).  We went around a few more times changing which way I leg yielded her down the center of the arena. 

We then turned right and headed to the wall.  This time my knee was right at that post, like it had gravitated to it!  I pulled my leg up a bit and reached my hand out to the post to brace...that's when Divine lurched to the right away from the wall and bolted (actually I'm told she only trotted but when you are unsteady and freaked out does it really mater?) off 20 feet with me flailing about trying to control any of my movements and failing terribly.  I ended up flying off the far side of the horse, the left stirrup lay across the saddle when I finally saw it again.  I hit the ground with a big grunt and then, I couldn't breathe. I have never had the wind knocked out of me before but it is a very scary thing.  You make such a horrible sound of grunting and groaning as you are trying to get your temporarily paralyzed diaphragm to work.  My eyes must have been wide as saucers as I stared at the ceiling and I vaguely remember seeing Laurie above me telling me to look at her. I'd hit my right hip, same one I'd fallen back in June but the shock of the fall hurt my whole pelvis since only three days before I'd fallen hard on the other side while falling from Storm.  I eventually came to and was able to breathe, my ribcage hurt my hips and pelvis hurt. 

 I started crying in frustration, why does this keep happening?  I was ready to give up completely and wished for the days of easy riding with Willy.  Divine has always been hard and my fears have become more apparent with her, almost to the point where I don't feel I can deal with those fears with Divine.  I'm so afraid of the speed and I tense up and she tenses up and goes faster.  We feed off each other in a very negative way and I feel like I've lost trust in her.  I am afraid to be afraid and then that just makes me more afraid and tense.  Of course from the horses side I'm sure she's lost trust in me too!  That's just the way it goes.

Can I find a horse that is laid back enough that when I tense it doesn't bother them as much as it does Divine and therefore allows me to more easily relax?  I only had one bad incidence with Willy, I was cantering in an open area and he just got too excited and started running.  My big fault was trying to grab his bridle therefore unseating myself.  I should have just stayed with the run and slowly alternated the reins.  Other times I've been tense and he has been fine.  Steve has even suggested me buying him but he's 22 years old and I'm not sure I want to go that old even though I love Willy.  Plus there are some training issues that I would rather not work on in an older horse, a younger one yes but of course I don't want to go too young either.  I just need to heal up right now....



I CANTERED!!!!!!!

When I arrived Thursday evening to see Laurie for a lesson she was already in the barn throwning haybales in the storage area.  The smell of fresh hay is always a welcome scent!

Divine and the other horses were in the stable since it had been sort of raining in the area, more so in town.  Laurie had me tack up Divine in the arena since Gadiel was in and having a mare standing in the aisle in front of him would be just too much for the poor guy to take!

I haven't been riding since before the Quintessential Arabians Get-Together in March.  I have yet to go back to Cloverleaf farm for another lesson, honestly I don't want to pay for two sets of lessons, one with Laurie and one with this other gal.  I'd like to just stay going out to see Laurie for now.  Once I get my own horse I'll have to see what happens since I still won't be able to trailer in for a lesson.

It was great being around Divine and she was a pretty good girl, not too fussy standing tied.  I still have issues bridling, she put her head right down for me but the mouth did not open and then I think she got impatient with my hands all tickling her muzzle.  Eventually with Laurie there to work with me we got the bridle on.  I gotta tell you if I find a horse that isn't difficult to bridle all this practice with patience and time spent working with a mare who is picky about the process with pay off since it will be a breeze!

We worked on turning at the trot and going down the center line straight but also making the nice curved turns on each end.  See diagram.  Divine is great at turning left but turning right she just falls apart!

So here's what Divine and I should have been able to do.  Nice smooth curves (forgive the drawing) with easy turns and a perfect line down the center between the green and purple cones.  One time we would turn left the next we would turn right.

Well....here is what we ended up doing!  LOL.  I didn't turn Divine soon enough going right so we nearly rammed into the wall of the arena.  The other turn on the near end of the arena had us going way off course that we had no chance of getting in between the two middle cones!

So then when we were done with that part of the lesson Laurie said "let's work on canter".  I'm glad she didn't say that until then, I would have been tense the whole darn lesson!  No lungeline to be had so it was just me and Divine.  Apparently Laurie has been working with Divine since at the canter she would be on different leads on the front and back and change the back every few strides.  Something odd like that but she's been doing more work with her and Divine has been going pretty well.

So we got Divine going nicely at a trot in a circle around Laurie, to the left, Divine's best side.  As I kept going round and round in the circle Laurie would say okay she's ready, and then I still wouldn't ask Divine to canter....I was almost about to say, I'm not ready but I didn't.  I swallowed those butterflies that were creeping up from my stomach and went for it.  When she was nice and collected I moved my outside leg back, nudged and made a kiss sound at the same time to get her up into a canter.  We went around the circle halfway, maybe even less.  I didn't lose a stirrup and felt pretty good!  Yipee!!!

Laurie had me go a couple more times, each time the transition was better and I didn't bop her in the mouth with the bit, I followed her pretty well with my hands and I think with my seat....especially for being so tense.  I have to say I was delighted for the short canters we accomplished, Divine didn't spook from a stirrup hitting her elbow, I didn't feel out of control and most importantly, I stayed in the saddle.  All in all that's a win in my book!  Hahahaha!

I think that was a big step, getting over the fear of cantering on her, seeing that her canter wasn't going to be a terrible thing and wasn't going to be mad crazy out of control either.  I was very happy!  After the lesson I cleaned Divine up and gave her a couple treats (I forgot to bring the ones we all had made last month!).  Pstar was ever cute in her stall, that's pretty much par for course.  I said goodbye to everyone and then headed home. 

What a great ride!  Not perfect by any means but a nice relaxed canter....at least more relaxed than I have done before.  I'll get there, this was one hurdle to get over, now it's just a matter of getting even more comfortable with Divine and cantering for longer and really relaxing/moving with her.  Hopefully I can get out for another lesson soon!

Yielding Circles

Saturdays have been really busy for me lately but this week I got an email from Laurie saying "there was an opening at 9am and would I like it?".  I replied back right away "I'm there!".  Pstar is usually the first horse to greet me at the gate, she's such a sweetheart.  In another few years perhaps I would feel I'm at the level to take on a young untrained horse.  I love her dearly!  Several times I have a cuddle session with her in the paddock before getting Divine.  I wish she could be just as calm with me when we were alone away from the herd.

Today it was Divine who came right up to see me and get haltered.  Hmm.  Did the stirrup incident create a bond with us that wasn't there before?  Nah, couldn't be that.  Maybe we are just getting into the work groove together or maybe she was just having a lovie moment.  Either way I loved on her and stroked her silken mane. 

Since coming out to ride has been inconsistent it seems everytime I do come out I forget to bring Lauries Christmas present....and here it's March.  On the homefront I never did get around to sending out Christmas cards to my family and friends...it's just been one of those years!  Uge.  I had Lauries present with me today so I was very happy.  Hope she likes it, I got her colored cones....don't worry she's already opened them so this isn't a spoiler post!

Divine and I walk to the barn and I get her "cross tied".  Laurie had showed me a trick where we have her cross tied on the one side but just loop the other lead line onto the adjacent stall to make her think she's cross tied.  The door isn't sturdy enough to use as an actual cross tie post but it gives the same general feel and a bit more control of the mare.  It seems to work but she still is antsy during grooming and tacking up.  She paws her front feet and wiggles forwards and back but I've gotten used to her antics, persistantly moving her back in position.  When the saddle is on and I'm trying to straighten it out before tightening the girth it can get quite annoying to have the mare move back and forth.

Bridling was quite easy today!  I lowered her head a couple times and held the bit as stable as I could against her lips and just held it for a moment.  Then I proceeded to wiggle my thumb in her mouth and it didn't take much to get the bit into place and the bridle settled over her ears.  I was very happy and praised her.  Of course I did better not being so fumbly, I'm so not coordinated so it takes a very patient horse to deal with that but I want to become more coordinated bridling anyways!

The lesson was again leg yielding on a circle at the walk and then trot.  The trot was harder but eventually we made some headway.  We took a step back and trotted down the center of the ring and worked on the lateral movement here instead of on the circle...more space to work with.  We achieved success a little bit at a time.  There is so much to think about!  Laurie always cracks me up when she tries to show how the horse should move using her body as a demo.  Human bodies are not horse bodies but the mental image I gain from her demonstrations always seems to help me visualize what I need to do.

After the lesson Uschi was up next.  She switched out to ride in her own saddle and hopped up on Divine.  I couldn't stay since Steve and I were having friends over at the house at noon, bummer.  I still would love to see a lesson with Uschi and her beautiful chestnut mare Orchid.  I have enjoyed watching lessons of Uschi's...you learn even from just watching others.  I gave Laurie a hug, kissed Divines soft gray muzzle and headed home. 

Hopefully I can ride again soon but uge....schedules....I'm going to the Denver Horse Expo this coming weekend so Thursdy-Sunday I'll be in Denver.  Expect several posts on this event!!!

The Stirrup

I had a lesson a few weeks ago that was all walking but working on lateral transitions, on the round and on the straight.  I circled Divine and then would move her off my left leg and press with my right seat to get her to move sideways.  Obviously there are opposite cues to leg yield her to the other direction.  When she's collected and soft it feels like we are ice skating in the arena!

It was a cool lesson with lots of hard concentration.  Even though it was only walk I was tired after from the mind work and then the leg pressing.  The next interesting thing that occurred at the end of the lesson involved the far side stirrup.

Then I dismounted, ran the stirrup up on one side and started to walk around the front of Divine.  She swung her head to the far side, like she had an itch or something.  Then she pulled away in a freak out moment, her mouth was caught on her stirrup!!  She pulled back with her head up trying to free herself.  I called for Laurie and tried to calm Divine.  She stood still as Laurie came over and then gasped a little at what she saw.  What in the world!!! 

We pulled Divines neck over to the far side, her training in sideways flexing majorly payed off and she remained calm as Laurie unbuckled the stirrup so we could release it from the mares mouth.  After she was freed we both looked at each other in amazement.  I've never heard of this and neither has Laurie.  It happened so fast that I don't even know how it happened!  Laurie inspected her mouth, luckily no teeth or major injuries occurred.  Her lower lip had a cut on it and was bleeding slightly but nothing to call the vet over at least.

Standing in the arena after all was done and calm again I could feel the surge of adrenaline in my veins.  What a crazy feeling!  I was just standing there and all of the sudden felt a wave come over me and my body began feeling very shaky.  That was scary!  Divine was such a good girlthough, I was very amazed.  She and I have had our differences, she can be a little reactive to silly things but this instance really impressed me.  Such a good girl!  I was so glad it all turned out well.  Phew!  You never know what can happen when you are around horses!

Swing that Butt!!

So there are bad days riding and good days riding.  Still any day at the stable is a good day overall.  I have of late felt down on the riding, I’ve had a few bumps in the road with fears that I still have to deal with but I know in time I can get there.

Pstar and Brownie in the pasture

The last riding lesson I had was Monday Nov. 28^th after work.  The day temperatures were nice and sunny, of course when I left work at 4pm the sun was already setting behind the mountains as per this time of year.  When I got out to the stable I turned on the lights as I made my way back to the tacking area.  I still had my clothes on from work so quickly changed into my jods, boots, shirt etc.  Then I opened the garage bay door to head out to the field and get Divine.

The wind was horrendous!  Divine didn’t seem to bothered that I was bringing her inside since she probably knew it would be nicer in there.  Grooming and tacking her up in the relatively warm barn was difficult as usual.  Divine has the habit of not staying put where she’s tied.  She swinging her body into the barn aisle and I had to keep backing her up, around the corner tie and into place.  She was driving me nuts!  On a lighter note though I had a slightly better bridling experience with her.  She lowered her head and didn’t fight as much.  Only issue was when she opened her mouth at the same time she also swung her muzzle away from my hand that was supporting the bit about to go in her mouth.  It took a couple tries but eventually she was bridled.

Not so clean Eksodus nose...it was chilly so I'm sure my nose
wasn't too dry either!

The riding lesson itself was off the lungeline.  I was surprised since I felt like we’d do some canter try outs again but perhaps Laurie is wanting me to not get frustrated, throw in a few lessons where I feel more comfortable so they aren’t all “tiring, facing my fear” type of lessons!  Anything that is difficult it is best to take in little steps and not thoroughly concentrate on the task 100% of every lesson so I wasn’t disappointed.  I did trot work and circles on Divine.  I worked with her on her trouble areas where she fought to go through the door out of the arena back to the barn and where she tried to stop or walk in the corners instead of keeping her bend and circling like I was trying to ask.  It was a lot of work for me too trying to keep her impulsion up and then either posting or sitting the trot correctly and balanced.  It felt good and little successes made me happy

Next we worked on a serpentine at the trot and then the walk.  The walk serpentine had an extra task of moving her hindquarters, yielding them, around the turn.  It was fun and took a lot of concentration to keep her in the path I wanted.  If I didn’t let up with one leg or keep a wall with the other, or keep the right amount of pressure on the bit at the right time Divine would walk through my aids and side step down the arena instead of getting back on track with the serpentine.  I was worn out.

I love the smell of hay!

Later after the lesson and Divine was all groomed up and untacked she got a nice meal of hay in a warm stall.  I love the sound of horses munching on hay!  Glad to have a good lesson again!  Perhaps next time I’ll have some confidence to go with the canter again, we’ll see what Laurie has planned!

Coiled Like a Spring

I had a lesson the day after Thanksgiving. I was tense. Really tense. Laurie had me on the lungeline and the thought was to try the canter out. I guess the thought of it had me really tense.


Sometimes I wonder if I just have issues trusting Divine and she certainly picks up on those feelings. She tends to be reactive to everything I do wrong. I lose a stirrup, it bumps her, she’ll jump. She “shies” at something I’m not even sure of what! It’s hard sometimes, I lose confidence on her when she gets upset because I am not leaning the right way or I’m tense. I have to admit it gets frustrating! On the other side of the coin though the challenge of Divine is that she will tell me what I’m doing wrong…and theoretically I should know what I’m doing wrong and fix it. It’s a lot of pressure thinking about it you know?

Eksodus mug shot!

She’s a pretty good horse for learning on but I think at this stage in my life I enjoy a horse that I can relax around a little more. Sometimes I really feel about of control with her. Grooming and tacking up she still doesn’t stay still, I have to keep moving her back to where she needs to stand. It’s exhausting! But I guess she’s good to learn on, it will give me patience and small problems that occur with my future horse might not seem as big. It can just be pretty frustrating to learn on a very sensitive horse. I have good days and then I have bad.


Towards the end of the lesson at least I started to relax more and Divine was going better. I can be a sensitive person, I think a good match for me would be a horse that is easy going and not so sensitive. I don’t want anyone to think bad of Divine, she’s just a touchy type of horse.  Some riders really dig a sensitive horse, most top horses tend to be.  If I can ride her and ride her well I think I’ll be well on my way to being able to ride a lot of different types of horses.

Serpentines

It was a chilly day when I arrived to ride Divine. I had not been out in a while so I wasn’t sure what type of lesson to expect. Divine was a lot more fuzzy, I think horses look so cute when they get their winter woolies. I was running late for my lesson but a young girl, I honestly don’t remember her name, had her lesson before me but was still there with Divine.

Stay pony!

Since Divine had just been groomed I did a slow light grooming, flicking out dirt and loose hairs. Hoof picking is a little challenge with her front legs, she always tries to pull out of my hand so it takes twice as long to do a hoof! She was also watching as I started to bridle Divine since she was waiting for her father to get a jump for his car. I have a hard enough time figuring out how to get Divine compliant without having an audience but I knew she wasn’t hanging around for any reason other than to be around a horse. Eventually Divine was bridled and Laurie showed up so we headed to the arena.

Getting ready to bridle....uge

I was off the lungeline, which was fine. I enjoy those lessons a lot and feel that I’ve become steadier at the trot. I used to have my hand on the saddle for sitting trot on the lungeline and now I don’t think I do that barely at all! Today we worked on a serpentine so it was a constant change of direction at the trot. The goal was to keep Divine’s impulsion, collection and make the turns smoothly. I had a few issues with Divine trying to go left when I wanted her to go right. I need to become more aware of my weight distribution. I think I was leaning left those times and needed to give a clear leg and rein cue.

It was a tough lesson that wore me out. I went home to nap the rest of the afternoon! LOL.

Time goes by and lessons continue on...my seat grows steadier

My riding lessons have progressed quite nicely. Laurie is keeping me on the lungeline and I'm quite happy with that for now. It's really helping me isolate my seat in my thoughts so I've been able to really sink down, work harder at following the saddle and keeping my legs long.

The last couple of rides have been very satisfying. I do get frustrated at myself easily so it's great when I can relax and let myself revel in the simple accomplishments. Eventually I'll go off the lungeline again and incorporate the hands etc., the the point of lungelining is to get the muscle memory so when a new element is added my seat doesn't suddenly fall apart.

With all my falls and mishaps I am very happy to take a step back and work on this. I know I'll take a step back in a sense when I get my new horse since there will be holes in training that need to be worked on. How will I work that and keep up with my training? Perhaps one Divine lesson and one trailer in lesson? We'll cross that bridge!

I am so looking forward to having my own horse. I've perused the rescues lately and have seen several potential canidates. I've also looked at craigslist and some of the "down on their luck" people trying to just find a good home for their horse. I even inquired about a nice ranch horse but he wasa 14 years old and I really want to stay fairly young so I have plenty years of hard trail riding/endurance to share with my first horse.

I have several more posts in the que so to speak, time has just flown by and I haven't stopped to write on my blog.  It's like my life and all is going light speed and I cannot slow it down.  The sand in the timer is nearing it's end and I feel panicky almost!  I need a good long trail ride!  I'll post more soon

Coming up: Client Appreciation Day at Quintessential Arabians, Dover Saddlery!!!, Divine and Serpentines!!!

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A Sinking Feeling

I rode a lesson on a Tuesday, first time I've done that and it worked out pretty well.  I know Laurie is having a hard time with dance lessons for her girls and arranging lessons.  Things will get easier when I get my own horse since I can bring them to the lessons on a Saturday and not worry about how many "slots" Laurie has on her schedule.  Divine can only do so many lessons!



Legs' stall and the hay area, Laurie still has plans
for putting wall in and a bigger aisle door



The horses were out in the big field when I arrived so I hiked out to the very far corner where they all were grazing.  Eksodus came up to me, a little too much actually, he really gets into my space and I end up pushing him back with mixed results.  He still does the occasional try at a nip.  When I went to get Divine she moved off and around so I let her settle and then walked to her again but she then took off at a gallop, taking the rest of the herd with her.  I trudged back to the gate of the field and finally captured the "wild mare". 



Legs' stall

Laurie  had me on the lunge line again to work on my seat and balance.  It was still scary at first and I still have to keep one hand lightly, although sometimes not so lightly, on the pommel of the saddle for security. I definitely felt a difference of my weight sinking more into and through my horse.  I just had trouble keeping all the parts doing what they need to!

Gadiel came over for a pat so I took some pictures of him,
only problem was he was too close to get a good shot!

I would get that sinking feeling in my seat but end up pointing my toes down or out.  It helped more with my toes thinking about just my heel.  "Heels down!  Stretch the back of the calf."  That got me in a better leg position and brought my toe into a better place.  The heel is heavier so perhaps thinking about that is what helped me get a sinking feeling in all my parts.

Pstar grazing in the field

I still tensed at moments but felt I had better control at relaxing my legs on cue instead of the usual death grip!!  Other exercises Laurie had me do was pointing one hand towards Divine's ears and then doing slow circles back towards her tail.  This changed the dynamic a bit and made it harder to relax but eventually I got my seat to an acceptable state.  Then Laurie had me do transitions to trot with my legs completely lifted off the saddle with only my seat and crotch balancing...I felt like one of those Russian nesting doll balancing on a ball, on mono cycle pedaling on a tight rope!!  So begins my circus career!!

Divine intently listening to sounds outside the arena

Happy riding!

Circles, figure eights, seat bones and balance

I've started to ride more consistently with Laurie again....the summer excitement has slowly ended and I think I have my weekly and weekend routine back.  Oh but wait, there's a Red Cross drill this Saturday, an exercise the Friday before and an Emergency Preparedness night at Sky Sox this Friday.  There goes that idea!  But I am going out to ride on Tuesday at least!

Divine...the shocked look

 

Laurie's indoor arena

My last couple of lessons have been hard.  I can't put it in any other way.  I did free work, meaning off the lunge line while working with Divine on circles and figure eights.  I had issues getting her into the corners the way I wanted to but eventually succeeded, albeit with an ugly "opening rein" to get the mare to listen. 

Gadiel's stall Laurie and Dan have been building for a while

The last lesson was a lesson in tolerance for my derriere.  Sitting trot no stirrups and working on having my leg way back and sitting on my crotch more to accomplish that.  That laid back Aussie saddle is looking better and better!  I know I have a lot of work to do on my balance, I tense up and accentuate my chances of falling off.  Should I look for a older horse then?  Perhaps my husbands future horse?  A horse that is rock solid?  Am I being a wus?  I think some of my falls have created more fear than I realized.  I'm going to try to work with Laurie twice a week for a bit to get this balance thing worked on but I gotta say, the legs way back and crotch sitting feel so foreign and quite uncomfortable!

Stalls that were already existent in the barn

I do have to realize I'm not in this to look great riding.  Balance is one thing, perfect position while related to the balance is another.  I don't have to be perfect.  There are tons of riders that aren't perfect and do just fine safely riding.  I try not too beat myself up with thoughts of "damn it why can't you do this!", "chill out and relax you ninny!" or "it's a saddle not a slip n' slide!".  I have to have patience and tolerance of my weaknesses.

Divine..."oh no you're gonna ride me again!"

Eksodus in the field with the mares

And lastly I have to remember why I ride, to be near my favorite animal...the horse.  Equitation and collection aside, riding up a winding path with a warm and happy horse beneath me and the grand blue sky above me.

Hello little Psylk!

Close your eyes

I went out on July 22nd to Laurie's for a lesson.  It has been WAY too long!  Riding Divine again was so nice, she has such a nice gait, and well I'm kinda partial to the Arabian so it was nice to see the beauties again.

Laurie had me on the lungeline since it had been so long, I would have suggested that anyways!  We worked on the sitting trot, two point, posting trot and also did various stretching exercises with my arms and twisting my body...good balance exercises.

Driving back out the driveway and looking back at the pony dots in the distance

Then Laurie had me sit the walk but with my eyes closed and just feel the horse beneath me.  We did a few stops during the walk as well, just to shake things up.  I have to say it was a little scary at times but it made me realize that my eyes fool me into thinking I don't need my seat as much as I really do.  I think that if I see that evil thing that's going to scare my horse or cause a quick change in pace, seeing it will keep me safe...or so I think!  Nope, seeing it will often make me tense and actually prevent me from relaxing and moving with my horse.  Towards the end I was beginning to feel myself trust my seat and the horse beneath it, I let my body move with her through the speed ups and halts. 

Clouds rolling in as I drive home from Falcon

I think that with some of my recent set backs with falls, spooks etc. going back to basics is a very good thing for me, I'm sure Laurie would agree.  My seat is pretty good in the walk but I tense up in the trot.  Once I got into the canter with Willy I would relax again, only to tense up again if he picked up speed or suddenly something didn't go the way I wanted.  The transitions, the quickening of pace, the sudden movements cause me to lose my steady seat and tense up like a log.  Hmm, maybe I should take some cutting lessons on a horse!  That would really teach me to move with the horse and balance with my seat!  LOL. 

Well this Friday I have another lesson with Laurie.  I can't wait to go out again and see her and the horses.  I know my frustration with my lease will melt away!

Heels down, toes in and SHA-WING those hips!

I had a great lesson on Divine today.  I was on the lungeline again and Laurie had me work on my leg position again.  Keeping my toes in, REALLY in is very hard, I feel like I'm twisting my legs!!  Then as I posted it seemed to help when Laurie said that as I rise to "push" down with my heels.  Alright, I can do that!  But the toes invariably would point out a little as I asked for more trot or squeezed to keep Divine in the trot.  All in all the lesson went quite well and Laurie and I high fived!

Afterwards I groomed Divine down.  She is starting to shed majorly....tons of white hairs, clumps from the curry comb littered the matt below her.  I gave her some carrots and giggled are her cute muzzle.  She has the softest and smallest little muzzle.  It's a nice gray color, no pink from markings, and perhaps that's what makes it too so soft.  It's like silver velvet!

I led her back to the arena to finish her hay breakfast.  Laurie said if I wished I could groom Pstar.  I jumped at the chance.  I wasn't officially leasing her but any time I can spend time with her I was happy about!

I got Pstar out of her stall and put her in the cross ties.  I curried her, tons of hair in clumps showed up all over her coat, you can see them in the pictures since I had not stiff brushed her yet so the clumps were still where they lay.  I used the shedding tool that Laurie has, a very useful tool indeed!

Then I started on her front near foot to begin picking her hooves...that's when all went to &@*#&!!!!  She kept pulling her hoof away from me even though I was supporting it properly and telling her she was a good girl.  As I kept trying to gain access to her hoof, I tried the other side as well things just got progressively worse.  Pstar bulldozed me by taking several steps forward as I leaned down to get her hoof.  Many times I was afraid I would get conked in the head with her back hoof.  I kept trying and trying....I took a few breaks to chill out and stroke her neck while talking with her.  Still nothing worked.

I got frustrated and ended up putting her back in her stall as Laurie's daughter came out to put Psylk in the arena.  I certainly didn't want to get angry with Pstar since that wouldn't help but I'm sure she sensed my irritation and frustration.  I have no idea what I did wrong or why she was being so testy.  She stood stock still while I groomed her, even Divine isn't completely still while I groom her!

I left hurt and dejected.  I didn't want to bother Laurie, so I figured I'd email her later.  I didn't know if this was something I could get past or even why it was happening.  I felt like a complete failure and questioned whether I could take on a young horse like Pstar.  After Laurie responded to my email I felt much better.  She mentioned it was a young horse thing and a new person thing.  Though Pstar knows me she doesn't really trust me just yet and that would come in time.  I guess my question is how can I work on the lungeline without picking her hooves?  Couldn't that injure her if there is a rock and I haven't been able to work with her hoof to get it out?  I'll just have to see how Pstar is the next time I'm out there.  The lease is for 6 months and in that time it will be great that Laurie will be right there with me to coach me as I work with Pstar and build the relationship.

I need to be patient with myself and not so hard on myself.  I'll try to be patient with Pstar, that's a little easier to do I think than with myself.  I'm constantly thinking I'm doing something wrong and thinking "Why can't you do this?  What's wrong with you!?"  That's not a fun way to be with myself.  I've been like that a lot at work, very hard on myself if I don't immediately know how to do something or how to handle a situation.  I'm out of my comfort zone both in work and with a young horse like Pstar....I have to realize what that really means and give myself a break!  Anyhow, I will continue on.  Hooves...that can get worked on.  Pstar is sweet and responsive on the lungeline.  She doesn't nip or anything like that, I have to keep it in perspective!  Throughout the 25-30 years I would know her if I buy her she and I will have many disagreements and off days, that's just how relationships are.