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.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Monday, October 30, 2017
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.
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.
Friday, October 27, 2017
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.
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.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
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.
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.
Monday, October 23, 2017
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!
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!
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
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!
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!
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