Busy Life

     Hello all, it's been a while. I've started my new job and I'm definitely getting used to the new schedule. Emma-pup is sad that she can't go in with me so I'm trying to spend extra time running with her and taking her on lots of walks. I'm sad that I will only be able to see Mort in the daylight on weekends and that my new job doesn't put me near the barn on my commute. But, I'm very happy with the new work environment, pay, benefits, distance from home, etc. It'll all be worth the change but it's definitely an adjustment.

     Steven and I have finally gotten the land we're looking at surveyed. It's just about exactly 20 acres. It's got blacktop road frontage. It's got about 8 acres of woods. It's got a small pond and an adorable little creek. We're very excited to get started clearing and knocking down brush to hopefully start building in the spring. Lots of work ahead of us there, but we couldn't be more excited.

     Mort has been better on the ulcerguard. This is great news to know what is bothering him and that it's a very fixable issue. It sucks that fixing uclers is so expensive. It also sucks that my poor guy had a tummy ache for the last month. It's been overall good to have my normal sassy boy back and we'll get him fixed up in no time. I'll also be talking to my vet for future management changes that will hopefully prevent some future issues.

     He got a bath yesterday and today he's getting another trace clip as so much of his hair has grown back. He's a fuzzy beast. It's been ridiculously warm for this time of year, but it's looking like next week we'll finally be getting real winter weather. Good thing Mort has a lot of blankets to keep him warm.

     This post has been all over the place, as has my brain lately but overall we've got some good things on the horizons!

Updates

     Hello again all. It's been a minute. I am no longer working at my previous job and I don't start my new one until after Thanksgiving (I gave a vacation to myself) so I've not been on the computer lately. Mort is still struggling with being his normal self. We've done a couple of light lunge and bareback hack sessions. I don't want to really work him until we get whatever is bothering him figured out. Our next route is ulcers since his little head bob went away.

     Ulcers makes sense since studies have shown that about 80% of competition horses have them. Mort is on an ulcer supplement, but obviously most of those don't really have scientific studies behind them. We started noticing his changes soon after our show in the beginning of October, which could have been the trigger. Who knows?

     I've got a couple of tubes of Gastrogard on order. We'll give him a quarter of a tube/day. If his behavior goes back to normal with that masking the symptoms we'll have a good idea that ulcers are bothering him. Then I'll dish out a million dollars for a full treatment and research management for helping prevent future troubles.

     Other than that Mort is living the life of a spoiled pony. He gets cookies and love more than anything else. I've been super enjoying my time off with lots of pup and pony and TV time.

The Search Continues

     So I had our vet out to take a look at Mort. She gave him the once-over looking at his legs, vitals, listening to his lungs--all the good things. She didn't see (or hear) anything too troubling so we pulled some blood. Blood work came back looking great. All wonderful and great and my horse is still acting weird. She did suggest that he could have ulcers causing some performance issues which is a totally viable possibility. He is on an oral supplement but most of those don't really have a lot of scientific studies behind them.

     We also discussed the possibility of the cold weather causing some flare-ups in his wonky legs. It would explain the not laying down and performance issues if he hurts just a little bit. I've definitely felt him being not his normal self under saddle, but I haven't felt any specific lameness. He's definitely not been head bobbing. After feeling his legs, and finding no heat or swelling, and saying that I haven't noticed any lameness we decided to just do the blood work and not a lameness exam (for now). Fam, don't do that--if the vet is there you should just do all of the things.

     Out of my own curiosity I threw him on the lunge after the vet left. We started tracking left and while he started out short/stiff on the front end he did work out of it after some trot and a little canter. That's totally not unusual for him. I switched directions and we picked up the trot. He was moving better than when we started but there was a bobble. It only presented itself when he was going downhill on the very slight slope outside. It only presented itself while tracking right. It was a small and inconsistent enough bobble that I even had another boarder come out to watch and make sure I wasn't imagining things; I wasn't. Shit.

     So yesterday he had the slightest of bobbles while tracking right. He did run around like a madman in turnout this weekend because there was some shifting of turnout pairs. It's entirely possible that this happened then and he'll work out of it in a day or two. It's also entirely possible that it was minor enough that I was compensating for it in our riding and only felt it as "meh" effort rather than an actual lameness. I 100% never saw or felt a head bob while riding, but I do think that it's so minor that I could have covered it up accidentally.

     I told the vet and she suggested doing a Bute test--giving him Bute to see if it goes away while on pain meds. It's a pretty simple and inexpensive way to find out if pain is the issue. I'm going to see what he looks like on the lunge today. Wednesday are his days off. We'll take another look on Thursday. Could be a tweak from being a dummy. Could be that it's time for some joint injections. Could be that those suspensories are angry.

     If Mort isn't feeling better by Thursday, I'll definitely put in another call to the vet. We may also end up going to the vet school for further diagnostics/injections. Eventually we'll get my boy figured out.

When to Call a Vet

     Horse friends are the best friends. I had people reach out to me about my blog post yesterday. I also reached out to horse friends (and my mom because you're never too old to ask you mom for advice). It's good to have friends tell you to trust your gut and you're not just a crazy overprotective horse-mom. I really appreciate all of the advice and encouragement to my second-guessing. It can be really hard to know when it's time to look further into things that are "not quite right".

     In the end, I do know my horse. The BM knows my horse. We both agree that he's not his normal self. So it's time to have the vet out. We'll start with simple things like blood work, a chem test to check some organs, and a fecal. Best case scenario everything will come back normal and he'll get back to normal on his own soon. Worst case scenario we'll find something serious, but I'd rather find something serious before it's showing serious symptoms.

     Trust your friends. Trust your gut. Trust your horse. Then hope they're all wrong and everything is OK.

The Struggle of "Not Quite Right"

     So Mort has a strange lump where his foreleg meets his chest. It popped up about 3 weeks ago. It's not the first time this has happened and he has a lot of scar tissue in the area so I usually chock it up to that being an issue. About a week after it popped up he started to be reactive about it and acted like it was painful Since that was a new thing I went ahead and had the vet look at him. She wasn't too worried about it, but one of her theories was that since he has so much scar tissue there that his lymph nodes in that area may swell more than normal when he's fighting a bug.

     I'm leaning more and more toward the idea that Mort has some sort of bug. His eyes have been watery and a little angry in spite of it being winter and we haven't been having any fly issues for a bit. The BM has heard him take some deep breaths when he's been sleeping/dozing that are unusual. He also usually stinks up his stable clothing in the winter from lying in his pee at night and none of his clothes stink--pointing to him not laying down (or he learned how to avoid his pee but that's less likely). Our rides have also just been so-so lately. He's not been terrible by any means but we've been struggling with things that haven't really been issues for a while.

     I could totally be making things up in my mind. His lump has gone down a tiny bit (I think, it's hard when you inspect it every day). We gave him a 1/2 tab of Bute a couple days ago and I've been putting ointment in his eyes. They're still runny, but less angry. He's got a great appetite and is drinking fine.

     I'm going to try and give him a few more days and see how things go. I'm going to back even further off on our riding and not really ask him for anything. I want to check his temp, but I imagine it'll be normal. He's most likely totally fine and is maybe just adjusting to winter hitting us quickly. Or the painful lump is just scar tissue that he's uncomfortable with enough to affect riding and laying down but not enough to be unsound. Or he's fighting a little bug. If I still have suspicions next week (or he develops actual symptoms) I'll give the vet another call. It would sure be nice if they could talk to us.   

Be a Tortoise

     Last night had some good and bad moments. Overall he wasn't that bad--fairly good in the connection and he's getting better about straightness now that I haven't been forgetting that it's a thing. He's gotten a fun habit of leaning on my inside leg on the far side of a circle or corner--by far side I mean side that is furthest from the barn. Obviously he's just cutting in some because barn = life. It's not a huge thing and it's certainly not an unusual thing. He only barely does it. But annoying.

     I think I'm going to try to set up some cones or poles to play with some square exercises. I'll most likely also spiral in and leg yield out because it's a real winner as well. I like that four cones can be a square or a circle depending on what you need. Not having to set-up a bunch of crap is always a win. I am also going to experiment with dropping him down a gait (or two) on the far corner. I can make him do it at the walk. I can usually make him do it at the trot. I cannot make him do it at the canter. I think if I just drop him down a couple times he'll understand it in "easier" gaits and hopefully it'll translate.

     I've just been having more meh rides than great rides on Mort lately. We'll have good and bad (and obviously I focus on the bad because my mind is my enemy) moments. We'll work through some stuff. It just isn't coming as easy as it was a couple months ago. I'm certain it's a combination of colder weather and not being as consistent with our rides. I've been riding about as often, but we've had a lot more rides with less dressage focus. It's not a bad thing as I wanted to give him a bit of a break after our show. I think it just means I need to be a little slower bringing him back than I wanted to.

     It's so much more mental for him (and me) than it is physical at this point. Slow and steady. Soft hands. Encourage a longer neck. Aka--more basics less second level. I get it dressage gods; it's not supposed to be easy.

Weekend Recap

     Mort and I had a fairly good weekend. Friday blew in with a 40 degree drop in temperatures. The wind was biting and the sky was cloudy. In spite of this, Mort and I were going for a ride. We started in the indoor for the beginning of our walk warm-up. It was significantly less windy in there so it gave us a chance to get the blood flowing before heading out into the wind. We did some more walking out there--focusing a lot on getting better leg yields.

     Our trot work slowly improved throughout the rough week last week and he was fairly good on Friday. We did a lot of changes of direction and leg yields; I really tried to focus on straightening him out before asking for a new bend. He was a touch more animated than normal and still sorta stiff to the left, but it was cold and I really do think he was doing his best to listen.

     I threw in some canter work. I tried to focus on some counter canter and some square turns to really get him more even in the reins. Straightness has definitely been the name of the game lately. We did a few canter sets each direction before letting him have a long rein walk break. I think he was finally really warm and starting to think. I decided to work on our walk/canter transitions since he was so happy and forward thinking.

     He's really starting to get these. We're not really show-ready; especially since second one asks for so many in a row in the three loop serpentine, but they're happening. He struggles more with the right lead than the left. He picks it up and almost gets stuck in a shuffle for a stride before he really gets going in a canter. He is very good at going from right lead to left lead with not much walking in between.

     He was feeling so good with that that one of the times that I was on the right lead and we were counter-cantering on a straight side, I switched my seat bones and lightly asked for a flying change. I honestly just wanted to see what he did. He felt uphill and light and definitely was giving me a good quality canter. He swapped over with absolutely zero drama. He wavered a bit but mostly stayed straight. I was very happy with him. I admit that I'm not sure I could get it to happen again so easily, but it's good to know he listens to my seat (and that I haven't forgotten to use it sometimes). I don't plan on really putting his changes on until next winter, but every once in a while it'll be fun to throw one in.

     We did a few more walk/canter and a little more counter canter because I don't want a horse to have auto changes out of the counter canter. I know one change won't do it to him but I'm going to really, really make sure that he knows to wait for me. I also finally got a good left lead canter to trot transition. He'd been tense in these all day and finally relaxed into it--which I immediately rewarded with some stretchy trot. Two strides of happy left bend after canter definitely warranted the end of the hard work. We did some more stretchy trot. I've been touching on haunches-in at the walk in every ride, so we played with those some too. He's getting them now, but he does still think that they're pretty hard (which they are). We did our final cool-down walking inside out of the wind before fully calling it a day.

     Saturday was even frostier than Friday, but with much less wind. I opted for a bareback ride to help keep me cozy. We started out with a walk along the fence line wrapped in a cooler. The pasture horses were all running around so Mort was a bit bouncy, but he stayed under control for me. We mainly worked in the trot and he was really good. When I did canter his trot after was amazing and bouncy in the best sort of way. He was really good and just flowing through transitions in bend and gait like it was second nature.

     After a particularly good trot set all of the horses started bolting from the back of their turnouts toward us so I just opted to hop off and call it a day. He wouldn't have taken off, but he would have required some more work to get him back to me, and since he had been good so far I didn't think it was necessary.

     He got Sunday off because I had other life things to do. Hopefully he's good today for our lesson in spite of it. The weather is crappy and misty (again) so we may be stuck inside anyway.

Unorganized Thoughts

     Yesterday was a gorgeous day. We had that perfect sunny and 75 with a breeze. That breeze was blowing in cold temperatures for today, but I chose to ignore that fact. After helping with some barn chores and grooming a somewhat muddy Mort it was time to get going.

     He started a bit behind my leg. Even in his loose rein walk he was pokey. Since we've been struggling a lot with straightness I wanted to play a lot with leg yield in a stair step pattern. Essentially, I'd ask for leg yield for a couple strides then straighten for a couple strides, then leg yield again and so on. He started off very sticky and tense so I did my best to reward the small efforts. It's sometimes (oftentimes) hard for me to drop my expectations to match the ride but Mort is teaching me that if I do that at the beginning of the ride and just slowly chip away at things we'll end those rides better than we would have if I rode like a drill sergeant.

     With our straightness struggles we've been having more issues with uneven contact and head tilting. I did my absolute best to almost ignore his head and just focus on what his legs were doing. I definitely have the tendency to get too busy with my hands trying to fix the symptom instead of the underlying problem. He kept trying to bend left instead of cross his hind legs for me while asking for him to move off my left leg. It wasn't a bad answer since we've been working on bend so much lately, but apparently I broke the sideways while doing that. We'll have to spend a few more rides working on those leg yields.

     After getting some mediocre (but mostly relaxed and non-explosive) work at the walk and trot I started adding walk/trot/walk transitions into our lateral work. I'd sometimes ask within the leg yield and sometimes I'd ask at the beginning or end to let him go forward for a stride or three before asking to yield again. He did a lot better in the upward transitions than in the down. There is still a part of him who thinks "legs on" means forward. I think I've let him train me (for the worse in this case) on that too.

     I got two awesome canter transitions and cantered about a circle each direction. The canter was decent and our walk and trot were still meh, so I left the canter for another day. I threw in lots of figure eights and some shoulder-in off the rail in our walk/trot work as well. By the end of the ride he had improved a lot. Still not our best day but I was glad we could work through some things and the ride mostly got better and better as we went. Small victories.

     I'm not sure why, but the days when it feels like he's reverted back so far in our training really frustrate me as a human. I know logically that horse training is not a linear progression. I know we have to enjoy the journey. I know bad days will happen and that I need to brush them off. I know this is something I really need to work on as a rider. Yet, I still find myself getting frustrated on some of these days (like on Tuesday).

     After a really bad, frustrating ride I always ride the next ride better. I come out with the slowest and most methodical approach. I can ignore the "bad" stuff and just work on improving it. In spite of this, there are still days where I accidentally allow myself to get frustrated. I need to look at the bad days as a learning opportunity because they usually highlight our problem areas wonderfully. I can't skip over something that is just OK. Hopefully the more aware I get the less I will let frustration into my rides; I'm sure Mort feels the same way.

     This is probably my biggest struggle as a rider; I'm crooked and have uneven hands but frustration only makes it all worse. Got to fix my problem and then work on any remaining symptoms. 

Purple Breeches

      I haven't bought new schooling breeches in a minute. Two weeks ago I hand-sewed the crotch seam of a pair of old Pipers. I'm not sure how long that my handiwork will hold up (I am not known for my sewing). I had to order a set of replacement clipper blades and Smartpak has that thing where if you spend enough money you get free shipping. And I've been wanting to try their Mid-Rise Pipers since they came out. Do I really need more reasons? This is definitely when I envy the tack whores and their ability to justify purchases with much less effort.

     Anyway, I bought a pair of the Piper Mid-Rise. They're purple. They came in last night and I'm in love already. Obviously I have yet to try them on a horse but does that really matter when purple breeches are involved? So pretty.

     In other news Mort and I got to ride outside last night (in the terrible wind). I was excited to be out there but Mort was less than pleased to be put back to some real work. Cold + two weeks of light riding = a rough ride.  Hopefully we worked through some stuff (like sometimes stopping is an option) so that tomorrow's ride will be better. It's at least supposed to be warm and sunny so that won't hurt.

Rainy Days and Motivation

     It's been a slow week.  I got on Mort a few times and we worked a lot on straightness and relaxing.  Nothing too exciting after his time off, but important none-the-less.  I had some non-horse plans Friday so he enjoyed a day off (well I assume he enjoyed it).  Saturday was supposed to be the last warm day for a while so Mort got a bath and a trace clip. 

     Sunday brought in the sort of rainy and cool weather that makes me want to stay on the couch all day.  Alas, instead of that I put a pot of chili on the stove and headed to the barn.  I'm glad I did, because we got enough rain that the ponies were all stuck inside for the day.  The good news is that Mort stayed clean after his bath at least.  If he'd been outside he would have for sure turned into a mud demon. 

     After a quick brushing I hopped on him bareback and we took a walk along the gravel road.  It was almost misty, but luckily my timing let us take a decent walk.  There is a house that always has loose dogs that we have to turn around at, which is super annoying, but other than that Mort and I enjoyed a relaxing walk.  I spent a few minutes in the indoor getting him to connect and straighten between my aids at the walk and called it a day. 

     Mort and I have had a fairly unfocused couple of weeks.  He definitely does better in regular work as far as our dressage goes, but I am happy to have a horse I can hop on bareback on a cool day and trust him to take care of us.  Hopefully the weather will dry out some so we can get back to work outside soon. 

     There is a schooling show next weekend at one of our favorite venues.  I'm on the fence right now as to whether I'm going or not.  Mort hasn't had a lot of dressage work lately so I don't feel good making the jump to second level like I was considering trying a month or so ago.  This definitely isn't the end of the world and putting in another show at first level won't be bad for us either.  I am well aware that I still don't have him figured out in a show environment.  I need to look into when the entries are due I guess!

Questions for a Potential Boarding Barn

     Throughout my time blogging I've read of several other bloggers who have had to find new barns--either for moving, changing priorities, or they just don't like where they were.  There are a lot of reasons people change, and it's not usually a fun process.  You may forget to ask important questions, only to realize later that you're going to have to compromise or move (again).  I've tried to come up with a list of important questions. 

• What is included in board and what is the cost? 
• Blanketing/Fans
• Holding for vet/farrier
• Getting dressed for turnout (bell boots/fly masks/etc.)
• Extras (clipping, bathing, grooming, etc.)
• Feeding
• Schedule/How many times per day
• Grain type/amount
• Hay type/amount/storage
• Turnout 
• Schedule
• Fencing
• Number of horses in group
• Mares/geldings
• Plan for horses who don't fit the mold
• Need a different amount of turnout time
• Don't get along with others
• Only go outside when it's 72 and sunny with a slight breeze--they need to have an idea of what to do with the oddballs 
• Run-in sheds/bad weather options
• Water heaters in winter 
• Stalls
• Size
• Flooring
• Bedding type
• Amount
• Extra costs for extra bedding
• Number of stalls
• How many are boarders
• Personal horses
• How many empty
• Ventilation 
• Open fronts/windows/etc. 
• Amenities 
• Space for tack/equipment
• Security
• Heat/AC
• Bathroom
• Wash rack
• Hot and cold water
• Arena
• Indoor/outdoor
• Size
• Footing
• Maintenance (frequency of dragging/watering/etc.)
• Lights
• Trails/hacking areas
• Farrier
• Idea of cost
• Who (if you're moving locally)
• Hot or cold shoeing 
• Specialty shoeing if applicable 
• Can you bring in an outside person?
• Vet Services
• Regular vet 
• How far from barn
• Imaging offered?
• Specialties?
• Chiro/Acupuncture/Massage/etc.
• Emergency vet
• Distance
• Surgery practice 
• Dental
• Required vaccinations and frequency
• De-worming schedule/type
• Barn Rules
• Riding during lessons
• Dog friendly
• Barn hours/closed any days
• Allow outside instructors
• Discipline-specific barn
• Staff
• Does someone live on site
• Experienced staff or teenagers
• Who handles the horses
• What is your experience?
• Do you offer lessons? Cost?
• Do you offer full or partial training? Cost?

     I think I've got most things covered that are important to me, but I'm sure there are a few other questions out there that others would find necessary.  Remember that if you're moving to a new area not to fall in love with the first barn you try.  The horse world is all about building connections and relationships, and you may find a perfect fit six months after you move.  Network with local tack shops/feed stores; get to know the local farriers and vets.  

     Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself and your horse.  Just because something may be the norm in your new area doesn't mean you have to accept it if you don't want to.  As a dressage rider I want a good base and a couple inches of fluffy footing in my arena but a western rider may prefer something a good bit deeper.  Neither is necessarily wrong, but it will become an issue if I board at a reining barn.  In all honesty, no barn may be 100% perfect, and some compromise is expected, but there is a barn out there where you and your horse can be happy.  Happy searching!    

Perfect Fall Day

     We've finally got a long stretch of that perfect fall weather.  Cool, crisp mornings followed by sunny afternoons.  It's perfect.  Since Mort had so much time off last week I decided to ease him back into things yesterday with a ride along the gravel road. 

     He, Emma and I trekked out.  The weather was wonderful and it was a fun and relaxing ride.  We did have a run-in with some crazy dogs (and children) that Mort found upsetting, but no problems other than that.  I spent a few minutes at the end of our ride playing with some baby lateral work at the walk.  I just wanted to let him work on contact and think about dressage for a little bit before he got put away. 

     Emma and I enjoyed an easy 3-mile run when we got home.  We had leftovers, so there wasn't any cooking to do.  It was a good evening enjoying the weather and relaxing.  If only every day worked out so well.  I need to clip Mort this week sometime.  We're supposed to hit the mid-seventies in the afternoons and I prefer to clip him when it's a bit warmer.  I'm going back and forth on what type of clip I'll do on him this year.  Our first year I just did a small bib/chaser clip.  Last year I did a full blanket clip.  I may just do a trace clip or a bigger chaser clip this year.  We'll find out once I start clipping I guess! 

   

My Non-Horsey Weekend

     Mort had the easiest week ever last week.  He got Monday off due to the show and all that.  It rained Tuesday and Wednesday so the ponies were stuck inside.  I hopped on him bareback for an easy ride Tuesday and let him run around in the indoor then lunged him on Wednesday.  My sister, Jess, was on her way down from Chicago so I quickly rushed home to clean my darn house. 

     I took a half day on Thursday (and took all of Friday off) and spent time hanging with the sister.  She did hop on him Friday afternoon for a walk about the property and he was a perfect pony.  She met Mort about a month or so after I first got him and was really surprised at how much he has relaxed and become such a calm boy.  Always good news coming from a person who hasn't seen him in a while. 

     Jess and I killed our half marathon on Saturday.  It was fairly warm and humid, but we ran every step.  Emma even joined us at mile three to run the next ten miles.  I think she had it in her to run the whole thing, but I was worried all of the crowds at the beginning would be stressful for her.  According to Steven, when we ran off and left her that was stressful too.  She got lots of compliments and came in first dog place (only pup running).  After our run we grabbed some local brews and a slice of pizza in downtown Columbia.  After a shower and a nap at home we spent time grilling, eating, and enjoying conversation. 

     Sunday morning started with no alarms and sleeping in.  It was wonderful as Steven and I haven't gotten a chance to do that in a couple of weekends.  We spent the morning eating breakfast at the local bakery and just relaxing.  It was a very non-horse weekend but I'm sure Mort enjoyed his time off and I get to check off another year's goal.  Spending time with family is never a bad thing.   

SLADS Day Two

     Another early morning, this time colder.  Mort seemed fine again today, though he did a touch more dancing when it came to braiding.  We got another breakfast from Panera and spent some time watching the morning rides.  I didn't ride until 9:44.  It was fun watching the other rides and explaining stuff to Steven.  I think he picked up on a lot this weekend. 

     Anyway, we got all dressed and tacked up for me to get on a little after 9:00.  I was thinking of using a similar warm-up to the one I used Saturday afternoon.  If you'll remember, I did admit that Mort just came out of his stall ready to go and I wasn't sure whether it was really my warm-up that got him going well or not.  It wasn't my warm-up.  Mort was an unhappy camper.  He was touchy with that left rein and didn't give me much relaxation over the topline.  I did a lot of our regular stuff and got him going OK.  He'd stay steady for me until I asked for something new, but then came back for the most part.  The left lead canter never really got where I wanted and our transitions were wild but the warm-up isn't the time or place to school the crap out of something. 

     I did some stretchy trot and a couple trot/walk/trot transitions while we trotted around the outside of the court before the bell.  The idea in my head was that they would relax him and help me have a good half-halt.  It was a hopeful thought.  Our trot work actually wasn't that bad.  He definitely didn't ever give me his topline well but he did stay with me for the most part.  We had reasonable scores for the most part other than his lengthens and stretchy (let's not talk about coefficients).  His walk work is usually a good spot for us and he did pull a 7 for that free walk.  I can almost always count on Mort to give me a good free walk.

     Our canter work left a lot to be desired.  Like maybe a semblance of relaxing or giving or being something other than a solid board.  Test two starts with the left lead canter at A followed by a 15-meter circle on the long side.  He started as a giraffe.  I thought that he'd come back to me on the circle.  I spent some time lifting my hands in the half-halt then letting go a bit to let him feel like he could stretch down.  I tried not lengthening and adding too much.  I then tried lengthening a little to see if that could un-stick him.  Eventually I realized that I was just along for the ride.  I kept trying little half-halts and releases to no avail.  Our right lead canter was better, but by then I was so nervous to ask for much expression so we just stuck with mediocre scores. 

     We pulled a 54.8% in that test.  It was definitely deserved.  As much as I wasn't happy with the ride, it could have been much worse.  He did all of the things I asked, he just said that he couldn't do them and relax at the same time.  I don't know if he was cold, sore, tired, too energetic from being inside, or whatever else, but it's good to know I haven't found the magic routine to make him a relaxed Mort at shows....yet.

     Mort and I had a while to recover from that ride.  I didn't ride until 1:36 that afternoon so we spent some time relaxing and eating.  I got on about 1:00 and got the same Mort that I had Saturday afternoon.  He still had some tension issues, but getting him to connect and change was just so much easier from the moment that I got on.  Good boy, but I am frustrated to not really knowing how to get him to relax and let go for me.  Just still something to keep on working on. 

     Our second ride of the day went really well.  We got a 64.8%.  He did get away from me a couple times but I was able to get him right back--quite the opposite from the morning.  Our trot work was good and he did really well on his leg yields.  I think he finally learned what centerlines were all about this weekend.  We've struggled with them in the past--wavering and having poor halts.  This weekend he was straight and ready to halt (Test Three on Saturday he actually halted too early because we halt at G and he was confused).  I can't wait for him to figure out those trot extensions on the diagonals. 

     Overall my boy was good this weekend.  I think every experience was a good one as I never let his tension escalate into a fight.  If he wasn't good I just quietly tried again. Hopefully all of these experiences will lead to a Mort who can relax and have happy rides more and more often.     

SLADS Day One

     Steven, Emma, and I woke up dark and early Saturday to head to the NEC.  My first ride time wasn't until 9:31, but I had never braided Mort before (and hadn't braided in a couple years), and I wanted to give us plenty of time for all of the morning's activities.  I shouldn't have worried; we had everything accomplished by about 7:00.  So we took a trip to Panera for breakfast bagels and relaxed sitting in front of Mort's stall for a while.  Eventually it was time to get dressed and tacked and head to warm-up.

     I wanted about 35-40 minutes of warm-up.  I spent about ten minutes walking both on a loose rein and working on some lateral work.  Our warm-up was much the same as the warm-up I've been doing in my everyday riding.  Of course there was some traffic that we had to plan around that we don't in our regular life, but with it being such a small show the whole weekend wasn't bad at all on that aspect.  He felt OK.  He wasn't 100% steady in the contact.  He was really touchy about the left rein in our left lead canter.  But he also wasn't terrible and he had a half-halt.  They were ready for me a little early and I went for it. 

     I definitely struggled with connection in this test.  He was a bit tense and wanted to lift and retract that neck.  I did nothing.  Well, that's not entirely true but I somehow forgot that sometimes lifting my hands was a thing.  I did a lot of half-halts and booted him around a couple of times.  I did some more half-halts and forgot to release my hands after them.  It wasn't a terrible test by any means.  We got a 62.12%.  We did all of the things; we just did all of the things with tension. 

     I had a plan for the second warm-up to be a touch shorter and a little more demanding.  When I say demanding, I definitely don't mean demanding from me.  Mort doesn't do well being forced into anything.  But if I make the work more demanding he often comes around to a better connection on his own.  That was my goal this time.

     We started the same with a lot of walk and I could tell that he was working better already in spite of it being no different from the morning's warm-up thus far.  We started with a lot of lateral work and changes of direction in the trot.  I didn't spend too much time there before asking for canter.  Almost immediately I asked for counter canter.  He gave it to me really well.  He was working so much better in the contact and was better moving off of my aids.  However, I honestly don't think it was the changed warm-up.  I think he just came out of the stall that way because he started well pretty much immediately and the beginning of our warm-up was the same in the walk.  I'm not sure if the warmer temperatures did it, or if he just had to have the edge taken off in the morning's ride, but he felt a lot better in any case. 

     First Three went so much smoother.  I was burned a bit from our morning ride being so tense so I kept our lengthens ultra conservative.  Looking back, I wish that I hadn't because he stayed with me really well throughout the entire test.  We had a couple of transitions that were touchy but he'd immediately come right back to work for me.  We ended up with a 65.44% and I was really happy with him.  He was just really pleasant to ride.  Good boy for sure. 

     I felt confident going into Sunday thinking that we had overcome some of our tension issues since the second test was so much easier than the first (cue dramatic foreshadowing).  We spent the afternoon relaxing and took Mort on a long walk with lots of grazing.  After his dinner we left him with all of the hay and water and went home to do laundry and sleep to come back at it again the next day. 

Musings After a Horse Show

     Ah, the Monday after a horse show.  It's a time to reflect and reassess.  It's a time where I spend way too much time looking at pictures and watching videos instead of doing laundry and putting horse show things away.  It's a time when I can really realize how lucky I am to be able to ride and show dressage.  I can appreciate how awesome my horse is even when he's not perfect.  So let's reflect on how lucky I am. 

     Let me start by thanking my support team.  I had friends and family show up to support me in person and in spirit.  You all are amazing and appreciated beyond measure.  Grace, you were an amazing groom and photographer and I cannot wait to share some of those pictures.  Steven earned some major husband points by being with me literally every step of the way from Friday morning helping me bathe Mort and load the trailer, to Sunday evening making me dinner because I was too tired.  He's officially joined the ranks of Horse Show Husbands. 

     Now let's talk about Mort.  I couldn't be more proud of how he handled the weekend.  He always travels well, but this was our first trip for a full weekend.  He wasn't spooky about anything and I could have trusted Steven to hand walk, bathe, groom, etc.  He took everything in stride and was a happy, albeit sometimes bored, camper.  Thank you racehorse world for creating good travelers. 

     I'm not going to lie and say we put down perfect tests all weekend.  We sometimes struggle with tension at home, so finding it had followed us to the show was no surprise.  I'll do a full recap this week, but it's safe to say that both show mornings started out with some tension and trouble connecting him back-to-front.  Both afternoons showed dramatic improvements in scores and relaxation in spite of being technically harder tests.  Saturday we went from a 62% to a 65% and Sunday we went from a 56% to a 64%.  Both afternoons I left the arena proud and satisfied. 

     Mort's afternoon rides were a real pleasure.  I lost him a couple of times but each time he came back to me.  This is tremendous for us--especially in a show environment.  He stayed connected and listened to my half-halts.  I could lift him up to bring him back then release a bit to help him relax.  If I can find that horse more and more often we'll really be able to start laying down some fun tests.  I'm proud of being the one who has trained him thus far.  In spite of all of our shortcomings we're learning to have fun together at home and at shows. 

     All-in-all it was a great weekend.  Mort earned some time off while I try to prep for my half-marathon this Saturday.  We may not have been technically perfect and we certainly didn't earn any high-point awards, but I have a fun horse and wonderful friends who make life great and that's what really counts in the long-run. 

Rainy Days

     We're getting some much needed rain in Missouri right now.  I can't truly complain as the ground was about as hard as concrete and the grass was about dead.  Hopefully this rain can stretch out fall grazing just a little longer.  Grass is so much better than hay for Mr. Mort's appetite.  But, lots of rain also means lots of mud in Missouri (especially on a new construction barn), so the ponies were left inside yesterday and today.  While it's appreciated that BM takes into account all of the mud/shoes/potential injuries in bad footing, it's not ideal.  It's what I would have done as well for sure, but it's probably not what the ponies would have picked. 

     Anyway, with them being inside all day yesterday, Mort's legs were a bit stocky.  He's just not used to standing around all day.  I did a light lunge with a ton of walk (about ten minutes of it at the end was me just waiting for the rain to let up some so I could walk from the indoor to the barn without taking a shower).  His legs were happy by the end.  He was quiet and obedient and attentive.  He gave me a swingy, stretchy trot almost the entire time.  He had a couple of exuberant canter transitions, but they were prompt and correct.  In spite of being stuck inside and the loud rain on the roof he was 98% foot perfect. 

     I spent some time cleaning my bridle after his lunge since it was shorter than riding.  I need to figure out when I want to clean his girth and saddle.  I may end up doing it at the show depending on when my ride times are.  Today I plan on a short work ride with hopefully a good amount of walk.  It'll be great if it's not raining and I can take him along the fence line, but we'll just have to see.  I'll pack up the trailer with most of the items we'll need this weekend and hopefully not forget anything.  I need to fit in a run as well since I'll most likely miss out on my Saturday run.  I plan on taking tomorrow off of work so I'll have ample time to run, shower, bathe Mort, and finish any packing that I don't get done tonight.   

Pre-Show Prep

     I had another lesson last night.  I am really enjoying having a set of educated eyes on the ground to keep Mort and me on the right track.  I have been focusing so much on my outside rein while tracking left to keep his shoulder from falling out I've actually been restricting him.  I knew that I was feeling something sticky and I kept playing with things to fix it but I hadn't gotten around to fully figuring it out yet.  A suggestion to let go more with my outside rein while taking a more consistent feel of the inside (left) enabled Mort to bend really well.  He did want to drop some in the front end, but that was fairly fixable.  I was so worried about losing his outside shoulder since that has traditionally been the problem that I was actually restricting him with our troubled left bend.  Fun stuff--it's always the rider's fault.

     We worked a lot on trying to get Mort to keep his feet on the ground a little longer.  He likes to use his legs like pogo-sticks.  This is efficient for moving quickly like a thoroughbred but not so much the ideal for dressage.  We played around with trying to slow him with marginal success.  We next tried to stretch his strides while maintaining a slower post and that worked fairly well.  Doing some bend/counter-bend loosened the shoulders.  He gave me some really fun and light trot with all of this. 

     Next was getting a canter where he had that hesitation and really folded his hind legs.  I think this was easier for me to feel but physically harder for him to accomplish.  He broke to trot a couple times to figure it out but we did get some really good moments of this as well.  He just needs me to play more and more with it to strengthen that hind end and fully understand what I'm asking.  Definitely a winter project to get his gaits more adjustable (also a forever and ever continuing goal). 

     We touched on 10-meter circles and leg yield.  Both rode better in the sitting trot.  I imagine I'll ride all of Test 3 sitting (other than stretchy trot) and some of Test 2.  With my more supple outside rein the left bend in the 10-meter trot circle was a lot easier to establish. 

     We also experimented some with Mort's lengthens.  He can get a bit uneven still so we played with me pushing for a few strides and re-adjusting often.  I had to make sure that I was getting his hind-end moving before letting go some with my reins all while still trying to keep him uphill.  This is fairly difficult for us still, but if I back him down to less than max throttle we're starting to get places.  He's started to learn about just flipping his legs and not using his hind-end, which can be fun but it isn't the end goal.  More strength and more half-halts. 

     We essentially spent the lesson touching on some of my problem areas for this weekend.  We discussed a sort-of plan for what to play with on Friday in the better footing to see what I can ask for in the tests.  I am really looking forward to seeing how we do this weekend.  It's a fairly small show (our regionals were last weekend so a lot of people aren't opting to show two weekends in a row), so hopefully that will just add to Mort feeling relaxed and happy.  He gets today off.  He'll have fairly easy days Wednesday and Thursday where we just touch on things like in our lesson yesterday.     

Weekend Re-Cap

     Mort and I had a fairly good ride on Friday.  It was honestly much the same as Thursday, except that Mort was a lot more relaxed to begin with.  We rode about 45 minutes and didn't work on anything particularly new or exciting.  I am definitely a human who tries to keep life easy the week or two before a show.  Anything that Mort doesn't know now he won't know then.  I have been trying to add a few more trot to halt transitions in during each ride just to make them quieter and they're becoming more of a habit for him. 

     I gave Mort the day off on Saturday.  Emma and I did a 6 mile trail run over some rough terrain (maybe too rough as my achilles tendon on my left foot has been complaining ever sense).  Steven and I had tickets to Roots 'n Blues 'n BBQ festival so we spent the afternoon and evening eating terribly delicious food, listening to some great artists, and hanging with friends.  The weather was perfect and I'm sure Mort didn't mind an extra day just grazing in the pasture. 

     Sunday was a busy day at the barn; five horses were going to a local Western and Saddleseat show.  I was planning on getting to the barn a little after eight and they all were planning on heading out at eight so I just asked BM to throw Mort a flake of hay and leave him inside for me.  He was definitely a little upset about being left inside, but only showed it via some dancing in the cross ties.  It was chilly, so I opted for a bareback ride.

     Mort was definitely ready to do something and gave me a huge walk that felt like it was on the verge of falling into a trot.  We spent a lot of time at the walk.  Then spent a lot of time doing trot/walk transitions and lateral work.  I only did a little canter but made sure he gave me clean transitions--bad canter transitions while bareback are dumb. 

     I mainly focused on improving his left bend while trying to keep him adjustable in the neck.  We've mainly got the left bend = falling out on the right shoulder fixed, but now he's learned that if he retracts his neck and just bends in the neck he can avoid me.  It's always fun when ponies come up with new ways to avoid working hard.  So I would switch between asking for bend and asking for leg yield.  Just about every time he would relax I'd let him stretch his head and neck down for a couple strides to let him know that left bend is easy and happy and totally the best-est.  Hopefully we can get the retracted neck bend situation under wraps (and then have him come up with something else for me to figure out).   

Goal Hierarchy

     I am not gonna lie, I was nervous about my ride yesterday.  I didn't want another disaster like Tuesday's ride.  I think Mort definitely remembered Tuesday's when we started, but in the end it worked out OK.  Let's get started on another ride re-cap because that is what this blog is all about. 

     He had a nice, swinging walk to start and we did our normal walk about the property on a loose rein.  When we got back to the outdoor I spent a lot of time at the walk.  The first time I picked up my reins he hollowed out and got stuck in a shuffled walk.  I had a moment of panic that I had somehow broken my horse and he didn't like contact and could never relax again.  I was determined to not have the same ride as Tuesday.  I came up with a plan to be as soft and as patient and as slow as I could possibly be.  I was going to do some walk work and try trot but if it was bad I was going to quit and walk the fence line.  I was in the mode to succeed quietly and calmly or quit while I was ahead. 

     I'd pick him up and let him back down as soon as he asked to stretch.  He picked up on this quickly and was soon pushing into the contact nicely.  We were just walking straight lines on the inside track.  After several happy times of me picking up the reins I decided to try some lateral work and bending, still focusing on trying to keep him stretching into a lower frame.   Leg yields were OK with him.  Bend and counter-bend went OK.  I did have some struggles getting the left bend, so I tried some shoulder-in.  He tried getting tight and retracting his neck.  I did a few small figure eights playing with bend/counter-bend.  I did some more stretching.  He eventually gave it to me happily enough.  It was time to try trot. 

     I started with the same method as I did in the walk.  I'd ask for trot and when he relaxed his topline and wanted to stretch we'd go back to walk.  I did this several times, shortening the walk time to just a couple of strides.  He was doing really well.  He only was giving me a little baby trot but I wasn't worried about it (yet).  I moved onto our lateral work and bending exercises.  We had some of the same issues tracking left where he wanted to retract his neck and hide from my hands instead of bending.  I worked on it by starting a small circle to the left to essentially force his bend (but not me being the one telling him to do it with too much hand/leg/seat) and when he gave me the bend I wanted I'd let him stretch down and go back to a walk.  This was fairly successful. 

     After I had him working well both directions I started to ask him for a more powerful trot.  Tracking right he was happy to start to push with his hind-end.  He was still a bit sticky to the left but I didn't make it an issue.  I know that his trot improves dramatically after canter, so I threw that in.  With him being in a baby trot the first couple of transitions were a bit stiff and he sorta launched into canter instead of stepping into it.  As long as he was obedient, I didn't make an issue of that either at this point.  We did a few canter transitions and worked on straightness and bend.  His trot did improve both directions.  His canter transitions improved with his better trot. 

     At this point we'd only probably been riding 35-40 minutes.  I had gotten bend and lateral work each direction in each gait.  I had gotten good up and down transitions (including a few trot-to-halt which is something we struggle with).  He was pushing from behind and maintaining a strong topline with a soft mouth and flexible frame.  I let him have some stretchy trot each direction and we went for a ride along the fence line with Emma. 

     We didn't work on anything new yesterday.  We didn't really work on our problem areas.  I certainly didn't work on anything from our tests.  I did overcome a tense and retracted Mort with calm, patient, quiet, steady work.  He was a pleasure to ride for the majority of our ride.

     I 100% do not think that bad rides are in our rear view mirror.  I will definitely struggle with myself and my frustration during those bad rides.  I hope that someday that will be in the rear view.  Mort isn't a horse that can be forced into doing what I want.  If he's having an off day I have to adjust my riding, attitude, and goals for that ride.  I believe that the more that I do that, the more he'll trust me, the more he'll relax, the less bad days we'll have, etc.  That's the goal at least--and it has to be more important than any other goal.       

Your Perfect Horse

Taking this blog from the $900 Facebook Pony.  Let's build me a perfect horse.

     I'm going to go with a warmblood/thoroughbred cross.  Ideally it would have the lofty movement and pretty gaits of a warmblood with the athleticism and try of a TB.  I've worked with a lot of thoroughbreds and thoroughbred crosses and I just love their work ethic and personalities.  I'm also drawn to a more "all around" type horse and I think a cross of this nature is perfect for that.

     Obviously I want a horse capable of going all the way up to Grand Prix in dressage.  It doesn't have to be international quality, but it would be awesome to earn all of my medals.  If it's a perfect horse, why wouldn't it be able to do Grand Prix?  But the perfect horse can't just get away with being wonderfully talented in dressage.  I want a horse who can school tempis on Friday and hop in the trailer for a trail ride on Saturday.  Maybe the next weekend I take him to a hunter pace.  I am a human who wants to be able to 'play' with my horse while working on my dressage goals.  Lots of dressage talent with a sense of humor to take all the other stuff I'd throw at him.

     I used to say that I wanted a really red chestnut with lots of chrome, but I'm easier to please these days.  I just want a color that can have a lot of shine with a little chrome.  He could be bay, brown, or chestnut.  I think black gets sun bleached too easily and dapple grays fade with age.  I'm not a huge fan of colorful horses either.  Size could be anywhere from 15.2hh to 16.3hh; I'm short and I don't need something huge that I can't get my leg around.  Overall type would be somewhat compact, balanced, and athletic.  I like them a bit on the leggier side, but with solid bone that will equate to the horse never being lame (obviously).  Imagine a heavier event horse or a light dressage horse and that'll paint a good picture for you.

     Good ground manners are a must.  I want a horse that Steven could take care of if needed.  The horse should enjoy lots of turnout but have no stall vices when stalling is necessary.  Should enjoy being with people and come to the gate.  Should have no problems traveling alone or with company and be able to tie to the trailer (with hay and water) for several hours with zero issues.

     I can't decide whether I want a 3 or 4 year-old with only very basic training.  I'd enjoy bringing him along myself and being able to really watch him grow and develop.  But I also realize that for all of the above ground manners to be possible he'd probably have to be closer to 5-7 and have traveled some showing 1st/2nd level.  Either would be a ton of fun.  As long as I get to bring him up the levels myself and have plenty of time to enjoy experimenting with other disciplines as well.  I doubt I'd want a real baby because I totally appreciate being able to jump on and know that there are at least the basics of not bucking, go forward, stop, etc.

     I think I've referred to this unicorn as a he or him enough times that you all can gather I want a gelding.  I'm not prejudiced against mares by any means, but Mort can't go out with mares so I might as well make my fake horse get along well with my real one.

     It's fun to imagine what the "perfect horse" would be.  It's also fun to see other people's being wildly different.  I also think that if we all were honest, most of us wouldn't trade our horses in for a "perfect horse" even if we were given the opportunity.  I know I'm a sap for taking an imperfect horse and improving him to be the best that we can be together. 


Let's see how Mort stacks up.

Breed:  Full TB and not super lofty

Activities:  Probably peter out around the mid/upper levels.  Can totally take him trail riding, but anything jumping or too rough and tumble is out with his front legs.

Size/type:  Good, shiny color with a little chome.  Leggy.  Too long of a back and full TB takes away from the dressage-hybrid of my dreams.  16hh

Manners:  Travels well and ties to the trailer fairly well.  Not terrible ground manners but could be better.  Friendly but doesn't enjoy grooming.  No stall vices.  Does well in turnout as long as it's not buggy. 

Age/Training:  He's 8 and showing 1st, schooling 2nd.  I got him at 6 with the basic basics from New Vocations.

Sex:  Gelding who sometimes thinks he is a stud


     So Mort isn't the perfect horse, but he's a lot of fun and I enjoy him.  He is also real, which counts for most of it.  I think his ground manners have improved a lot and will continue to do so.  I fully believe that Steven could feed/groom/lead him if needed, but I wouldn't trust him (yet) if he were clipping/vaccinating/dealing with something scary.  His confirmation isn't perfect but he is athletic with a good canter.  And again, he's real.

Frustration

     Sunday was a great ride.  Monday Mort had a spa day and a light lunge.  Yesterday I planned on a ride focusing a lot on lateral work.  Yesterday was a good ten degrees cooler and breezy.  This, combined with a need to work on his head tilt and a steeper leg yield, was what made me choose lateral work.  It helps unlock his topline.  With his added energy, we could potentially get some really good quality gaits.  Finally, the lateral work helps keep him focused and engaged in the ride rather than looking around at the other ponies on the property.  It seemed like a good plan to me.

     I put on my spurs and hopped on.  He had a lot of energy and gave me a huge walk.  I'm never mad about that, but it was noted.  I spent a good amount of time at the walk trying to establish a quiet response to moving off of my leg.  He had a couple of really tense/upside-down moments.  He does a really fun thing when he feels like there is too much pressure when he drops out his back, flings his head in the air, and shuffles his feet in a strange way.  My response is usually to drop the pressure of whatever we're working on but to up the "go forward" pressure.  He does it less than he used to but he did it a lot yesterday.  Keep in mind that I wasn't asking for anything new or extremely difficult, but his mind was just not in the right place. 

     Now, with what I just said, I should have gotten some decent walk work, and taken him on a ride along the fence line.  I'm not that smart of a rider or human.  I get sucked into trying "one more thing" to get him to relax.  I think it stems from him not being that bad.  He feels so close to letting go with his topline.  It's like we're on the verge of something good but just can't quite figure it out.  I also get frustrated and get sucked into trying to find that moment of soft connection to end on. 

     I really need to get over this on days like yesterday.  I am not sure why it's so hard for me mentally, but I just keep trying instead of sticking with making Mort a happy dressage pony and realizing not every day will be great.  It's so easy to end early on the good days and it's so hard (for me) to not keep trying on the bad days.  I just have that personality where I don't like to quit.  It can be great sometimes--like for my distance running--but it's really not fair for Mort.  I am not 100% sure how to get myself over it, but hopefully the more aware of it that I am the more likely that I'll leave the situation.  Ugh. 

     Needless to say, yesterday Mort and I did a ton of things.  I tried bend/counter-bend.  We did shoulder-in and leg yields.  I did a bunch of transitions.  I tried stretchy trot.  I tried letting him canter on a loose rein for a little bit.  I took him for a short walk about the property.  I tried half seat at the trot.  None of that worked fully.  We had some ok moments; the shoulder-in was most helpful, but throughout the ride I never got that topline unlocked and I never fully got him pushing from his hind-end into the bridle.  I still ended the ride with a great, swinging walk so he wasn't ruined by all of the crap I was doing, but he sure wasn't the better for it either.

     I should know better.  I'm not a novice rider.  I know that nagging and pushing a horse when it's not mentally there is stupid and a waste of time (at best).  Logically I know what happened was dumb.  But in the moment I cannot seem to remember that being more important than trying "one more time".  Poor Mort did get some extra hand grazing because I needed that mentally.  I'm sure all he was worried about was his dinner and turnout.  Moral of the story:  I'm frustrated with myself today. 

Playing Catch-up

     If any of you live in the Midwest you haven't missed out on the fact that it's not fall at all, but rather second summer.  It's been hot and miserable.  On top of that, Mort cut up his front legs running around in turnout last Tuesday.  All things considered, he had a pretty easy week last week.  I did a bareback ride that was 90% walk.  I did a walk along the fence line with a little trot and canter in the grass at the end.  He had a couple days off.  Yesterday morning, I got out there early (I do chores at the barn Sunday mornings), so I got to fit in a ride that had a little bit of actual work.  

     I was prepared for a kinda rough ride with all of his time off and lazy rides, but he was a super good boy.  I started with a ton of lateral work at the walk.  We did bend and counter-bend, leg yields, shoulder-in, etc.  His first couple of trots were a bit tense and upside down, but we did more of the same lateral work and he loosened up quite quickly.  I threw in some counter-canter pretty early in the ride and he handled it wonderfully.  He wanted to stretch but was still happy to collect as well.  He was just a really good boy.  

     It was unfortunately still fairly hot, even at 9:30 in the morning, so Mort was leaning toward being lazy.  He's started to develop a head tilt sometimes instead of bending.  It's been happening the last couple months.  Luckily, as long as I notice it and apply some inside leg he steps up and bends properly.  Definitely something that I need to keep in mind, especially when it's hot and he's feeling lazy.  

     With him being wonderful and it being hot we kept it short and sweet.  I played with a few things and ended the ride fairly early.  A fellow barn-mate was riding and I invited him to "trail ride" the fence line with me so we all got to enjoy a nice, easy walk.  Mort got a cool hose-off and I left him to enjoy his hay in his stall.  

First Level Test Three In Pictures

Pictures from our test this past weekend.  All photos by Leah Strid Photography (Confessions of a Dressage Barbie).

Now I just need to sit correctly and lift up those hands.....

First centerline

Going into first trot lengthen

After first trot lengthen 

Leg yield 

End of leg yield

10-meter circle right

10-meter circle left

15-meter canter circle

End of first counter-canter loop

Canter lengthen

Beginning of second counter-canter loop 

End of second trot lengthen 

Final centerline

Halt/Salute

Our true selves

Show Re-Cap

     Well, it was hot Saturday.  Luckily I rode in the morning, but poor Mort definitely had a soaking saddle pad by the end of our second test, and I was none-too-fresh either.  Let's get started on the recap.  

      The people who were volunteering and running this show were helpful, friendly, and wonderful.  I didn't see unhappy people the whole time I was there--a real accomplishment at a hot horse show.  I want to issue a huge thank you to the people who put on small schooling shows.  They're valued by many in the industry as they enable more people to show who can't afford (or don't want) to always be going to recognized shows.  

 

     It was not a fancy show facility.  The show was on grass (something that is fine with me and they kept it somewhat long to help with any slippery-ness that can happen with grass).  Mort handled the grass well.  The small dressage court had a small slope.  The large dressage court had a rather significant slope on one end.  That's definitely not something that Mort and I are used to dealing with.  He's ok on hills on the trails but keeping him balanced while dressage-ing was interesting.  

     Let's start with the warm-up.  I did get on about ten minutes after planned, but still felt mostly ok about how much time we had.  I started with about ten minutes of walking.  We were able to walk around the outside of the dressage court so he was able to check out any potentially scary things.  I tried to warm-up as closely as I could to what we've been doing at home.  Obviously Mort was a lot more energized out in the public eye, but he was still listening fairly well and I was pretty happy with him.  We fit in a little of everything and had time to walk for a bit before our first ride.  

     The first test was a disaster (we're talking a 56% disaster).  I went in asking Mort to be a powerful dressage horse--I wanted to "go for it".  It was a bad choice.  Mort didn't have a good half-halt.  That first trot lengthening was on the downhill and he said no.  I got after him a bit and I think that just made him angry.  Poor guy was just really off balance.  I'd say we need to practice on more hills to get over this, but it's not a common problem in the dressage world.  Instead I just had to come up with a plan for the second test.

     Between the two tests I switched to sitting trot and did several trot/walk/trot and trot/canter/trot transitions in a row to REALLY get that half-halt.  I also brought the power and intensity levels down in his gaits.  He was clearly not ready to maintain that balance over all those changes in terrain, so I backed down the difficulty factor.  

     The second test was a lot better.  Mort stayed with me and fairly relaxed throughout the test.  I asked for smaller gaits and he was happy to oblige.  I started coming back from the (very conservative) lengthens before the downhill and he came back well enough.  It wasn't a fancy test but he wasn't tense and resisting.  It felt really consistent throughout and I was happy that I could adjust our game plan and execute it well.  We got a 61% in this test which was a fair overall score for how conservatively I rode it.

     Mort cooled out well and was a perfect gentleman for the rest of the day.  Since another gal from the barn came with us he had to stand tied to the trailer for a few hours.  He happily munched his hay while I spent time volunteering as ring steward.  He loaded up well and got an hour or so of turnout when we got home.  He had yesterday off and I'm sure he enjoyed every minute of it because we finally got some much-needed rain.   

Bad Days

     Since Tuesday was one of our best rides ever, it is only fair that yesterday left me wanting.  Mort wasn't awful by any means but I couldn't consistently get him to use his haunches and really push into the bit.  It was fairly warm and Mort is really lazy in the heat.  I don't blame him, but when I tried to get him a bit more forward he just got hollow and crappy.  Instead of giving me a good bend he just kept trying to throw his shoulder out or head tilt.

     It was hot and frustrating.  I did a lot of transitions and tried bend/counter-bend.  I tried to throw in some trot/halt/trot.  He did stretch down fairly well for me--something the heat usually helps with--but still wanted to throw out his shoulders instead of bending.  I eventually took a walk with him, did a little stretchy trot and quit.

     I was disappointed that I never really got him working the way that I wanted but I didn't think we were ever going to get there.  Mort and I are really progressing as a team and these bad days are all part of training.  I just need to get off, give him a good brushing and ear rub, and try again the next day.

     Tomorrow is a small, local schooling show.  Today I'll give Mort and stretchy and easy ride.  I'll bathe him and clean my tack.  We'll load up early in the morning and see which Mort I mount up on.  Hopefully he'll be energetic but responsive.  If not, I'll do the best with what I'm given.  Shows and the week before a show aren't the time to train hard or pick fights.  In the end, as long as Mort has a fairly happy and relaxing experience that's what matters.  Every trip is an opportunity to set us up for success down the road.

Warm-ups

     Mort has been killing it lately.  I've had really successful and fun rides and that's awesome.  Friday Mort and I took it easy with a bareback ride.  We wandered the pasture looking for his fly mask then spent some time playing around in the grass.  I gave him Saturday off as I had plans with friends after my run.  Sunday morning I hopped on after chores with spurs and Mort was forward, soft, and supple.  He earned a super easy lunge day Monday.

     Last night was cool and breezy and Mort was definitely animated.  While we were on breaks he was very 'looky' but as soon as I'd pick up my reins to get back to work he'd come right back to me with full focus.  The extra energy just translated to some really fun trot work.  Even without my spurs he was soft and responsive to lateral work.  He got a couple stretch breaks and one long walk about the property and came back immediately.  Seriously a good boy and one of those rides where everything clicks.

     I am continuing to experiment with different warm-ups to see which one works best for him and I'm obviously really liking the results of the latest one.  I usually try to get Mort to stretch down and bend in the warm-up.  It's often only moderately successful with a little stretching and more neck bend than true bend.  I then jump into 'real' work without having really gotten him to push into the bridle well.  It ends with a cramped neck that I stretch throughout the ride instead of the other way around.  Definitely time to try something different--at least for the time being.

     The last few rides all I've been doing at the beginning is riding him "on contact".  For me this means that I pretty much let him decide where his head and neck are comfortable while I maintain a steady feel on the bit.  The only time I adjust him is if he hallows out and tries to be upside down.  Beyond that I do a ton of changes of direction and gait, especially quick ones between the walk and trot.  After about ten minutes of this he's pushing into the contact all on his own and we're really ready to rock and roll.  If I ask for him to stretch he's more than happy to oblige.

     This is definitely not a warm-up that is a go-to for me as I prefer to let a horse stretch and relax in the beginning of the ride.  I still do give him a long walk warm-up, letting him wander and loosen in that aspect before jumping into trot and canter work.  But, it looks like Mort really likes this warm-up mentally and for now that counts a lot more than whatever ideas that I have preconceived in my head.  He does start out a bit higher than I like, but if it means he pushes into contact and becomes adjustable sooner into our ride then I can't really complain.

     He and I have a schooling show this Saturday.  We're showing First 2 and 3.  I'm going to try to use this warm-up method and see how it translates in a show environment.  This is our last show before the recognized in October so hopefully this new warm-up really helps me unlock that topline in a show environment.  He gets today off.  I'll school Thursday and do an easy hack/school Friday.    

Experimenting

     Mort and I had a much better ride yesterday than we did Tuesday.  I gave Mort Monday off (because I was a lazy turd on Labor Day).  So Tuesday Mort and not only had a day off but it was also about 20 degrees cooler and quite breezy.  He was tense then I was tense because of him being tense.  I really struggled getting him to connect in the bridle which meant I really struggled with everything.  I don't think I got an easy left bend the whole ride.  I was frustrated and Mort was tense; it was not a recipe for success.

     Wednesdays are Mort's scheduled day off because I like at least one weekday where I can just go home after work and fit in a longer run.  That meant that last night was going to be another ride after a day off.  I decided to start experimenting with his rides after a day off.  He doesn't really get explosive, but he does get a tense back which makes everything else SO MUCH HARDER.  It's actually really similar to how he can get at shows so it's something that I need to figure out.

     Last night I experimented with spurs to see if I could do a ton of bend and counter-bend in our warm-up to unlock him.  With the spurs I'm able to really "ask, tell, demand".  When I tap my leg with the dressage whip it sometimes causes him tension over his topline so it's not a good solution when he's already stiff as a board.  I did use the spurs a few times throughout the ride, and it really seemed to work well.  Mort started out tense, but he worked out of it fairly quickly and we had a nice ride.  I made sure that he had a few stretchy trot moments throughout the ride and I kept it fairly short and sweet.  I want him to know that if he comes back to me from being stiff and tense that he'll get rewarded with stretches and short rides.  This isn't the first time that I've used my spurs on Mort, but it was the first time after a day off and I think I'll do it again.

     I know it's not the nicest part of training but sometimes the pony does need to listen.  If I've gone through the checklist and I know that he can physically do what I am asking and understands what I'm asking, then I "demand" that he does it.  I'd much rather make one or two good corrections than nag, nag, nag forever until he becomes dead to my leg.  I'll also say that Mort was moving off of calf pressure wonderfully for the majority of the rest of the ride.  It's so much nicer to use a soft aid instead of squeezing so tightly with my leg trying to get a response.  It makes my position better, which makes me more effective, which makes whatever I'm asking him to do easier.

     Tonight I have no real plans.  I may hop on bareback or I may throw a saddle on and work on an item or two from the First level tests.  We will spend some time wandering around the pasture because someone lost his fly mask (again).

P.S. Because it's the internet and someone may read this and think I'm an awful and abusive human:  I use soft roller ball spurs.  I also have enough leg control to know how to keep them off of his sides when they are not needed.  I had them on the whole ride and used them maybe three or four times.  I am NOT a very demanding rider--ask literally anyone who has given me a lesson because I'm always told to ask for more from my horse.

Papers

     Mort and I had a couple of good rides this weekend.  Yesterday kinda sucked, but I'm just going to blame it on the 20 degree temperature drop and wind and hope for better tomorrow.  But the exciting news today is that I got Mort's registration papers yesterday!

     New Vocations is a rescue organization that, after a year of care, the horse officially transfers to the new owner (while many other rescue organizations never give you full ownership).  Now, this means that last July was when Mort became officially mine, but I had never asked for his papers.  I didn't exactly need them for my gelding showing intro level at local schooling shows.  However, with recognized shows in our future I need to get his USDF and USEF paperwork in order, so I reached out to New Vocations a couple weeks ago.

     Getting Mort's papers is really cool to me on two levels.  They have some neat information with them--his race and travel records along with his prices when he changed hands in his life.  But the second reason is that Mort is really and truly mine now.  His papers have my name on them and that's really cool to me.  I have never owned a horse before; they have always been my parents'.  Mort is mine.  Hopefully I can live up to the responsibility.

In Defense of the Non-Warmblood

     Dear dressage/sport horse world,

     I, like many, enjoy occasionally looking at horse sale advertisements.  I get to admire some cool horses while keeping in touch with reality on prices.  The discussion today is about prices.  Just because something is a "warmblood" doesn't mean that it is necessarily worth diddly squat.

     Now, I couldn't be a real dressage rider if I had never fantasized about some big and fancy Warmblood, but I am under no impression that they are magic just because of their breed.  Some still come out with crooked legs or a terrible hind-end.  I won't even start on the discussion about how some folks think we're breeding dressage horses to have flashy movement instead of correct movement these days.  The point of this post is to point out that there are some awesome horses out there (even within our own boarders) that don't have the Warmblood stamp.

     We have all heard people complaining about the cost of a good dressage horse.  A two year-old WB prospect will easily run you $10,000 and up.  Once you get to a four or five year-old, who is probably showing First, you're easily in the mid-twenties on price.  If someone is looking for a schoolmaster you'd better just burn the mortgage (I think I'm pretty funny).

     I've seen youngsters being sold with less-than-ideal confirmation for more money than I make in a year (admittedly, I don't make that much) and I just cannot understand it.  Confirmation isn't everything, but when it doesn't have training or breeding potential, what are you actually paying for?  The old saying, "You can't ride papers" is around for a reason.

     What is the real difference between a WB and a TB or a QH?  I've ridden a QH that could just about get a 70% at First without a human on him.  He had the darn float-iest trot that would put a lot of WBs to shame.  I have piloted several TBs through a lot of levels;  I've even won sometimes.  I've also ridden some fun and talented WBs.  I've also had the same types of issues with all of these horses.  Some go around in a fake frame.  Some are tight over their topline.  Some are dull to the aids.  Most horses can be trained to be awesome dressage horses; most horses can also have issues that make them not-so-awesome dressage horses.  It's a way better investment to put your money into lessons and/or training than a big ticket price.

     Now, I want to be clear that this post is NOT to knock the warmbloods and warmblood-lovers of the horse world.  There are some really fancy WBs that I'd love to put a leg over.  People can spend their monies however they would like; that is not my issue.  The point of this post is to shake some sense into people who think that they can ONLY have a warmblood if they want to be successful in dressage.

     The average AA will never compete on the international stage.  Some of us may never compete at the FEI levels.  Some of us will forever be stuck at First Level and below.  Some of us may never show at a recognized show.  Some of us will never even show.  All of that is fine, and it's fine if these folks want to drop money on a WB.  What isn't fine is hearing these people complain about the lack of quality horses that aren't going to cost an arm and a leg.

     There are hundreds of really athletic TBs that will run you less than $1,000.  There are thousands that will run you less than $5,000 and those are the untrained ones.  You could buy a confirmed Third Level TB who also jumps 3' courses for probably $15,000.  You could find a deal on one for half that price if he had some jumping limitations, but could still show dressage happily for many years.

     Finding a good quality horse with sporty confirmation for less than $5,000 isn't that hard; you just have to not care about impressing your friends with the WB title.  It's more fun impressing them with training your grade QH cross to kick their butt anyway.