A Little Self-Loathing

     Well Mort and I have officially spent a year together.  We celebrated by SO and I going home to visit with my parents (and the old lady pups) and Mort enjoyed a weekend with no work.  We drove back on Monday and I did go out and ride my boy just enough to call it a workout, but nothing special or long. He deserves a trail ride as he's been working really hard for me in the arena lately.

     In the last couple of weeks I have been trying to be very focused in our work.  I feel like we are almost to a breakthrough moment.  Our transitions are getting better and much more consistent--less hollowing out and head tossing.  He is starting to leg yield at the trot.  We're working on lengthening and shortening his stride in the trot.  I am trying to get better control of that outside shoulder in the canter (which is pretty hard stuff).  He has definitely been putting in his all lately.  I love a horse with a good work ethic and Mort has that in spades.

     Yesterday (in the extreme heat and humidity) Mort and I took a short adventure to Leah's arena.  Her husband (thanks Myles!) took several pictures of us working our horses--and those pictures made me sad.  Mort is definitely looking good and we are getting less and less pictures of awkward moments than we used to.  (Please excuse the hobo appearance; it was hot and I didn't feel like tucking my shirt in and wearing a belt...or wearing sleeves)

Lots and lots of trot pictures like this; not so many with his head up in the air

But looking at my position I am concerned and confused at how Mort puts up with me on his back.  I originally learned to ride huntseat, so when I made the switch to full dressage it was a very hard habit to break.  Even when I was schooling and showing some of the upper level stuff I had to think about keeping my upper body back and not going into 'chair seat'.  But several years of thinking of those bad habits and working on not letting myself do them had fixed a lot of it.  I was never perfect (and never will be), but I could look at pictures and videos of myself and not hate what was happening on top of the horse.

I could go on for days about the things that I dislike

     A year of re-training Mort in a cross country saddle has brought all of my bad habits back with a vengeance.  I go into chair seat without even noticing that it should feel wrong.  I fold my upper body into fetal position as soon as any little thing goes wrong.  If I focus on anything other than sitting back (like where Mort is putting his shoulders, if he's tense, if I want him to move off of my leg, etc.) I crumple.  It makes me an ugly rider--but more importantly it means that I am much less effective, balanced, and consistent than I could be.  How do I expect Mort to be balanced and consistent if I'm not doing that for him?  Frustrating.  I need someone to come out and yell at me.  I need no stirrup work.  I need lunge lessons.  I need to focus while I'm riding and not let myself fall into old, crappy habits.

No more slouching

Leaning and looking down only serves to throw us out of balance

     New goal added to our summer list:
          Learn to ride dressage again        

Wish me luck!

     Dressage saddle is officially up for sale.  I like the way it fits Mort; I think that I would love the way that it fits Mort if I got it re-flocked.  I definitely need a 17" seat and not a 16.5.  In a year (or whenever) when I start sitting trot I think it'll be a real problem.  I think it doesn't let me move enough at the canter--not enough swing.  .
     So if anyone is looking:
          16.5" County Competitor with a #4 fit
     If anyone is selling:
          17" County with a #4 fit

The Injury Post

     It has been a while folks.  Mort had some vague and mysterious lameness (always the best kind).  He had a couple weeks off in total.  I had the chiro out as well as the farrier.  Mort now is rocking some new kicks as I decided to put front shoes on him.  I've been back on him for over a week now and he is sound and going well.  During that week back to work, I have been trying out the new dressage saddle!  It fits Mort fairly well; and I think it will fit him very well after a re-flock.  It is a teeny bit too small for me, but I think that it will work for now.

     Last night I typed up my final update for New Vocations.  On July 4th, I will have had Mort for one full year and he will officially be mine.  It is really fun to look back and see how far we have come in our training and how much more fun I get to have with him now that we know each other better.  

Mort's update picture:  I'd love a few more pounds on him (he's on a hay buffet, lots of grain, beet pulp, and alfalfa pellets)

     Since we have no really new and exciting stories I am making the the injury post.  Last October Mort came in from turnout one morning with hamburger meat for legs.  So if you enjoy watching ugly injuries progress then this is the post for you.  If you don't like gross pictures you probably shouldn't continue to read.  

 

View isn't too bad from this angle....

 

But here it gets worse....

 

And then worse:  full hamburger meat

 

Lower leg flap

 

Pony had to be knocked out for stitches 

 

Top stitches didn't hold, but the bottom ones looked good

 

These pictures were a few days after injury I believe

 

Swollen upper legs; we used standing wraps and removed them for his hand-walking

 

Stall rest--lots of stall rest

 

Lots of dying stuff--he was on antibiotics and biozide gel (made into a spray for easier application) 

 

These pictures were probably between about a week into injurgy

 

Further into healing--less swelling but more upset flesh

 

Wound was washed twice a day and he was on two times a day hand walking and grazing

 

Still a lot of dying flesh around the wound, but the wounds themselves looking better

 

This is what was under the standing wraps to keep the flap in place

 

Gross stuff

 

Finally granulation tissue!

 

Bottom flap stuck, but we lost the top

 

These stitches didn't keep either--too much dying flesh around the wounds

 

Things are slowly looking better

 

All of the dead flesh is gone and his flesh is up to good stuff

 

The dark stuff is biozide.  Starting to think about proud flesh prevention

 

Tinier

 

So much smaller.  At this point he was going out for small amounts of time in a small, individual turnout

Our proud flesh treatment.  I have used it once before and I highly recommend it (Equiade http://www.equaide.com/ )

 

Sorry for the poor quality

 

Almost there

 

His little, lonely turnout--and his cute face

 

Started very light riding--power walking to work on keeping scar tissue stretching  

 

At this point I would massage his scar tissue daily and we would do our power walks

 

Small scar, but zero proud flesh issues

     Overall things turned out really well.  Luckily Mort didn't hit anything too vital or long-term.  It took about 2 or 3 months for everything to get back to good.  It also took daily care (and twice daily at the beginning) and lots of patience and of course money because these creatures are not cheap.  I am glad that my boy is back to being completely sound with zero complications from this injury.  Unfortunately horses are injury-prone and things like pain meds and stall rest often lead to more problems.  Fortunately, Mort had a dedicated owner and we had a dedicated barn manager--two things that make injuries a bit easier on the horse.  

     I didn't go too deeply into the care and treatment--if anyone has questions feel free to reach out!  I love brainstorming and sharing what did and didn't work for us. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exciting Happenings (and Late Night Ramblings)

     Hello all,  I actually do have some cool stuff to write about this week.  BUT it's getting late (9:09 to be exact) and I'm tired.  So this post will be some quick and exciting things and someday I may actually do more than that.  No promises though people (or maybe 'person' since it's possible only my mom reads this). 

     First off, I bought a saddle this week! It's a used County Connection.  It seems to be in really good condition and it fit another woman's OTTB, so I went for it.  I honestly got it for such a low price that I think that I could convince the ever-loving husband to let me drop some more cash on re-flocking it to be a little more "custom fitted" for my pony.  I should get it sometime this week and we'll see how Mort feels about it.  I'm excited at least.

     Second exciting thing is that Mort and I went on another adventure this week.  On Tuesday we went to what will be semi-regular dressage lessons for the summer.  I am partially using it as an excuse to school Mort in a new place regularly, but it is also really nice to have someone reminding me about all of the things that I am letting slide.  I think she said something about me not having to perch off of his back at least three times (but he's just come off the track...oh, it's been almost a year now since I've had him).  Also something along the lines of "if you don't ride him like an ex-racehorse he won't act like one".  We also got a good exercise involving yielding out during transitions to help with his tenseness during them.  That was a fun one to play with this week and we had several really good transitions during yesterday's ride because of it (yay Mort!). 

We enjoy right bend a whole lot

 

I enjoy looking down a whole lot (Mort might change colors).  

 

Maintaining connection in both reins is an ongoing project.

 

The face of concentration is strong.   

Smiling faces happen too.  

     Third exciting this is that Mort had his first chiro appointment this week.  He had several ribs out and apparently very messed up withers.  He also was out in his right stifle and his right hock (maybe because racehorses only run one way or something like that).  He had some sore muscles the next couple days so we had a day of walking in the field and he had a day off.  But yesterday we had a wonderful ride with really great right lead canter work.  I don't know if it was the chiro or just a really good ride, but I'll take it either way. 

     Mort also had some ground training yesterday.  He is rather particular about when it's time to clip him.  Sometimes he doesn't even twitch an ear at the process.  Heck, he pretty much fell asleep when I did his chaser clip this past winter.  Yesterday I set up to just trim his bridle path--something we've definitely done before with zero problems in the past. I plugged in and turned on the clippers.  No problem.  I went and grabbed the step stool (which I have used with him before) and we freaked out.  He pulled back and said buh-bye new leather halter; it was nice knowing you.  At least it was the halter and not the cross ties this time--better to break something of mine instead of the barn's. 

     So I took this opportunity to actually work with him on clipper (and step stool) manners.  He has always been weird about his left ear being clipped (aka he does not keep still to let it happen).  I pulled out my cordless crappy ones and some treats and went to town.  At first I set the clippers nearby while running and just offered him a treat when his head was low and he was allowing me to rub his ear area (it took a few minutes to let this happen of course).  By the end of the session he was allowing me to hold the clippers and his ear with my right hand while I rubbed his forehead with my left.  I never actually applied the clippers to his ear, but I was very happy with our progress (and he was very happy with his cookies).  I left my cordless out there to keep working on this regularly until it is a non-issue.

      He has a really strong personality.  If the people around him are acting like something is a big deal it will turn into a big deal.  But if the people around him act like it is no big thing he'll be really brave and accepting (or at least try his very best).  Luckily I tend to fall more into the second category.  I am not a nervous or high-pressure horse person.  I tend to laugh at his 'race trot and fall into canter' transitions instead of getting flustered.  When he spooks I'll just smile and move right along.  Of course this trust in him developed over the last eleven months and will continue to develop during our time together. 
    
     The moral of the story with Mort is that you simply cannot take anything too seriously.  It is the only way to really get along with him.  I remember at our previous barn during his injury recovery the barn owner was telling me how horrible he behaved for cold hosing (along with everything else) and that I would need at least one other person to help me.  I listened to her, but after I had walked and grazed him there was no one immediately available, so I decided to just see how he was if I attempted it alone (other people were on the property, just feeding and riding and such).  I had zero problems.  Yes, he tossed his head and wanted to bite and play at the water.  Yes, those things aren't super polite.  However, if I let him play in the water he never moved his feet.  If I let him have a small outlet instead of trying to control everything, he was happy and more than willing to oblige standing there for fifteen boring minutes.  She wasn't willing to let him have his head so it became a fight every time.  And the more she tried to control him the more he got upset and wanted to get out of there. 

     I'm not saying she was wrong in trying to correct his semi-rude behavior, but that wasn't working for Mort.  You gotta pick your battles and I guess I just care less if he tosses his head some and splashes me a bit.  He's definitely a happier horse because of it (and isn't that the point?).  

     This blog post turned out to be a bit of a rambling of random thoughts.  Maybe you liked it, maybe you didn't.  Now it's much, much later and it is long past time for me to sleep.  I'd say goodnight, but I have no idea when you'll be reading this so...good night, good morning, good afternoon, good day!

Catching Up

Sorry to the five people who read my blog!  I definitely got caught up in the wedding/honeymoon and even though I've been back since Tuesday I have been trying to catch up and this is the first time I've been on my computer since about the 12th.  Today I'll give you all a brief catch-up.

Mort enjoyed his time off so much that the day after I was back he developed a small mysterious lump.  While he wasn't actually lame he also wasn't 100%.  So he enjoyed some cold hosing and lots of extra grazing the last few days.  Yesterday when I went out to see him the swelling was all gone, but the lump has sort of spread out.  I know that doesn't make much sense, but you'd just have to feel it.  Luckily his "off-ness" seems to have gone away with the swelling so today I plan on seeing how a light ride will go.  I'll try to update you sooner than two weeks from now!

 The lump

I'm hoping it continues to go away as we are supposed to be starting dressage lessons with Leah and Ruby this week.  I'm really excited to be able to take Mort out and about to more places and get him more and more used to traveling and different arenas.  I also have an ulterior motive of trying on some of the dressage saddles to see which types may fit him well.  The saddle search is becoming pretty real now that the wedding is all over and we might have money again soon (after that credit card bill is taken care of).  With the saddle search becoming more real I need to try to really sell my old one.  So if anyone is looking for a dressage or jumping saddle.....

Enjoy a few honeymoon pictures as an apology as to what took me so long to get back in gear.

Goats fighting in the road

Eilan Donan Castle 

 

 

Cliffs on the Isle of Skye

Sheep

 

Weekend/Mid-week Updates

     Ok, so I am not good with keeping a schedule as to when I post new and exciting (or less than exciting) things.  My life right now is only a bit hectic--what with getting married this Saturday (!), so I haven't had the most free time.  I'm busy, but I of course still find time to go out and play with my pony because he's cute and I won't get to see him for over a week while SO and I gallivanting around on our honeymoon in Scotland.

     Mort got to go on an adventure on Saturday to a friend's arena to test out her new footing--and because field trips with Mort are fun and good for him.  Many of the pictures I feature on this blog come from her so, thank you Leah!! (http://www.dressagebarbie.com/).  She is a wonderful photographer who I am lucky to take advantage of because we're friends.

"I has the whip now treat dispenser" 

     I still cannot get over how calm Mort is when we go to new places.  This farm had scary chickens that required a little bit of 'side-eye', and some snorting happened when her horses came running up from the back of the pasture to check out the newcomers.  But after he had his fill of looking around (maybe 5 minutes) he just wanted to graze.  We walked to the arena and after maybe 30 seconds he thought the footing looked really good...

"This footing is great--it gets all my itchy spots"

     Goofball getting dirty before our photoshoot, but at least he had a good time.  After this we went to tack up.  Mort was pretty good except for being a little more 'looky' than normal (especially at the other horses who got to graze which was so-totally not fair).  His canter was really awesome and he moved off my leg better than normal in the larger arena.  Hopefully we'll get the chance for all sorts of similar, short-distance adventures this summer.  I'm in the process of trying to get some dressage lessons because I'm slowly turning back into a hunt rider with my position and it makes me sad (sorry not sorry h/j riders).  Enjoy the following pictures:

 Someone is still shiny in spite of rolling (and someone else is in full hunter mode)

Tail swish/grump face = "Cantering slow and listening to your leg is hard"

 "Trotting is way easier; let's just do more of this"

 "Ugh, moving off leg pressure again?"

He's so pretty; but my dang position is stupid

     Last night was probably one of the best rides I've had on Mort yet.  He started the ride moving really well off of my leg.  The most exciting part was that I really had the feeling of him totally being there for me.  He was in my hand and it felt like I could shape his body and ask him to move in any direction and it would have been easy.  These are the feelings I am always looking for so it was a wonderful ride.  He even gave me some really good transitions (and some giraffe ones).  We did only a little bit of canter just to work on transitions between the gaits.  I need to start thinking about canter bootcamp....yuck.  I have a bad habit of being too focused on smoothness and relaxation and harmony that sometimes I am not very good at tackling the less fun stuff.  This is another reason I hope we can get some lessons this summer; I need someone to yell at me.  

     After our ride Mort got a hose-off and got to graze in the supervised grazing lot that the barn put up for the summer.  I really love the idea of that grazing lot.  Our ponies will be able to nom on some delicious grass and I'll be able to do other things (like clean my tack if I'm a good kid, but most likely just socialize).  He gets tonight off so that I can do some finalization of wedding stuff and start packing.  I'll go out tomorrow and that will probably be the last ride until after I'm back from the honeymoon.  I'm sure he'll enjoy that break, though he may suffer emotionally with less treats in his life.  

Someone also got a new fly sheet (because his old one was somehow destroyed)