Fleck and I were both tired. Me more so than him. I almost didn't ride but Peri wanted company so we met up and went for a light hack. We did finish in the XC field and did a few hills but really, neither of us was feeling it. But it was still good to get out and stretch our legs.
And I decided that I should probably be a bit more persistent about him being round, or at least not inverted, during trail rides. I asked Peri how to do it going downhill and she mentioned that you have to lean back and kick your feet forward but also keep a light seat. Aha.. that soft crotch theory again. But it works! Of course lateral suppling (leg yield left and then leg yield right) down the hill helps too.
So a nice relaxing ride. We'll own up to being slackers. But at least we rode. :)
Team Awesome: Follow me and my goofy horse on our adventures in Awesomeness!
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Monday, August 10, 2015
Flecky's getting his groove back!! Dressage success
Whooo hooo! Turns out clinics are a lot more fun when you don't have a migraine. :)
Today was Fleck's turn at the Sandra Hotz clinic. I slept in just a little so I missed Cindy's and Taylor's rides. I watched Christine and Guardian and then gave Fleck a bath and braided him. He was so funny. He was more nervous/anxious about being in the stall than Dan was. And he was clearly looking for Dan. Or Sunny. But he chilled while I watched Zanne's ride and then had lunch. Yummy! Greg made grilled cheese and grilled brie cheese sandwiches. It was tasty. Then I watched Alex and Ti and then I went and got Fleck tacked up. We went for a 30 minute hack around the fields to limber him up. And he managed to get both canter leads twice! Whoo hooo! :)
So then we headed in for the clinic. I told Sandy that I wanted to work on basics because we were hoping to ride more therapeutically. So we started off and she wanted him more round and over his back. She gave us some tricks to help us get him that way.
She had me leg yield him off the rail and then back onto the rail. Repeatedly. (I think I remember Liz suggesting that. ;) ) But it works! He got quite nice and I didn't wiggle his head down. It was seat and leg aids. With a little bit of suppling rein aids. So that was super helpful. And any time he got a little stiff and inverted, it was back to leg yielding on and off the rail.
So then we did some shoulder in, which she said was another way to help get him supple. She said that halting and backing does it too, but with his arthritis, this is the easier way for him. The shoulder in also gets him lighter on his front end, but I have to encourage that balance with my core and upper body. So we did some 10 meter circles to prepare. I really need to soften the outside rein a little to allow the bend and really use that inside leg to get it. He almost has to go deeper at first. So then we did the shoulder in out of the 10 meter circle. And I was so proud because I asked if our shoulder ins were correct and she said yes. We had the correct bend and angle and weren't overbent. She laughed and said overbending of the neck was her pet peeve and she would have said something to me about it if I was. :) Yay us! We then did the shoulder in on the centerline, with ten meter circles left and right and continuing down the centerline. Fleck drifted a bit and Sandy said to make sure that my weight was evenly in my legs. And it wasn't. I was shifting to the outside, thus pulling his butt to the outside. Once I sat more evenly, I could keep him from shifting. Yay!
We also worked on turn on the haunches. Sigh... Doh! He actually did it better than we usually do, but she said that he was pivoting on his hind end rather than sitting and moving his feet. She said that by doing it by pivoting, he was avoiding the supplying effects. So... she said that most people get stuck and only use one leg or freeze and take both off. Ugh.. I definitely kept taking my inside off. But she said to use both legs. The inside leg had to create the bend and the outside leg had to push the haunches in a bit and ask for the turn. So she said to alternate them. Aha!! It really worked! We got a much more respectable turn on the haunches. Whooo hooo.
We finished up with lengthening on half of the circle and then going back to the working trot. She wanted me to lift him up in the lengthen and sit lighter. I think I accomplished it. :) Oh, and then we finished with the canter to walk transitions. She had me canter on a 20 meter circle and then add in a 10 meter circle or two, really getting him to sit on his butt, and then ask for the walk. Our first one to the left was okay. He stayed supple but added a few walk steps. But the one to the right was awesome!! He just airplaned down to the walk and stayed supple. Well... until I dropped the reins to pat him. Doh! But that will eventually go away.
So yep, Fleck felt amazing and was really trying!! And sure, he didn't hold the roundness and throughness the whole time, but it was there much more consistently than before. I felt like I was riding well too. Sandy even said something along the lines of "If you ride like this in your test, you'll kick some butt". :) Yay!! I'm just so glad he's feeling good and that we're back to work. And he's trying! And I'm learning. And I think it's going to be a very good thing for us both. :)
Afterwards I rinsed him off, fed him a ton of carrots, and then let him loose in the roundpen while I watched one more ride before leaving. He was THRILLED and immediately became orange. :) But he earned it. :)
Today was Fleck's turn at the Sandra Hotz clinic. I slept in just a little so I missed Cindy's and Taylor's rides. I watched Christine and Guardian and then gave Fleck a bath and braided him. He was so funny. He was more nervous/anxious about being in the stall than Dan was. And he was clearly looking for Dan. Or Sunny. But he chilled while I watched Zanne's ride and then had lunch. Yummy! Greg made grilled cheese and grilled brie cheese sandwiches. It was tasty. Then I watched Alex and Ti and then I went and got Fleck tacked up. We went for a 30 minute hack around the fields to limber him up. And he managed to get both canter leads twice! Whoo hooo! :)
So then we headed in for the clinic. I told Sandy that I wanted to work on basics because we were hoping to ride more therapeutically. So we started off and she wanted him more round and over his back. She gave us some tricks to help us get him that way.
She had me leg yield him off the rail and then back onto the rail. Repeatedly. (I think I remember Liz suggesting that. ;) ) But it works! He got quite nice and I didn't wiggle his head down. It was seat and leg aids. With a little bit of suppling rein aids. So that was super helpful. And any time he got a little stiff and inverted, it was back to leg yielding on and off the rail.
So then we did some shoulder in, which she said was another way to help get him supple. She said that halting and backing does it too, but with his arthritis, this is the easier way for him. The shoulder in also gets him lighter on his front end, but I have to encourage that balance with my core and upper body. So we did some 10 meter circles to prepare. I really need to soften the outside rein a little to allow the bend and really use that inside leg to get it. He almost has to go deeper at first. So then we did the shoulder in out of the 10 meter circle. And I was so proud because I asked if our shoulder ins were correct and she said yes. We had the correct bend and angle and weren't overbent. She laughed and said overbending of the neck was her pet peeve and she would have said something to me about it if I was. :) Yay us! We then did the shoulder in on the centerline, with ten meter circles left and right and continuing down the centerline. Fleck drifted a bit and Sandy said to make sure that my weight was evenly in my legs. And it wasn't. I was shifting to the outside, thus pulling his butt to the outside. Once I sat more evenly, I could keep him from shifting. Yay!
We also worked on turn on the haunches. Sigh... Doh! He actually did it better than we usually do, but she said that he was pivoting on his hind end rather than sitting and moving his feet. She said that by doing it by pivoting, he was avoiding the supplying effects. So... she said that most people get stuck and only use one leg or freeze and take both off. Ugh.. I definitely kept taking my inside off. But she said to use both legs. The inside leg had to create the bend and the outside leg had to push the haunches in a bit and ask for the turn. So she said to alternate them. Aha!! It really worked! We got a much more respectable turn on the haunches. Whooo hooo.
We finished up with lengthening on half of the circle and then going back to the working trot. She wanted me to lift him up in the lengthen and sit lighter. I think I accomplished it. :) Oh, and then we finished with the canter to walk transitions. She had me canter on a 20 meter circle and then add in a 10 meter circle or two, really getting him to sit on his butt, and then ask for the walk. Our first one to the left was okay. He stayed supple but added a few walk steps. But the one to the right was awesome!! He just airplaned down to the walk and stayed supple. Well... until I dropped the reins to pat him. Doh! But that will eventually go away.
So yep, Fleck felt amazing and was really trying!! And sure, he didn't hold the roundness and throughness the whole time, but it was there much more consistently than before. I felt like I was riding well too. Sandy even said something along the lines of "If you ride like this in your test, you'll kick some butt". :) Yay!! I'm just so glad he's feeling good and that we're back to work. And he's trying! And I'm learning. And I think it's going to be a very good thing for us both. :)
Afterwards I rinsed him off, fed him a ton of carrots, and then let him loose in the roundpen while I watched one more ride before leaving. He was THRILLED and immediately became orange. :) But he earned it. :)
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Jumping Success.... I love this new ride
This week was a light week because of work. Tuesday was our dressage lesson and I think we just worked on more of the same. But he felt pretty good. Oh wait!!! Cindy did tell me to think about riding his cheek bones in line with his scapulas. It really helped. I need to straighten Fleck so that he's not overbent. Which feels like counterbent, but it's not. It's straight.
Then Thursday I rode Fleck while waiting on Kelli. We did 15 minutes of walking, finding as many hills as we could. Then we did 30 minutes of trotting and cantering, again finding as many hills as we could. I trotted up hills as I thought that would work his butt better than cantering up hills. Then we did 15 minutes of trotting up the hills and walking down the hills. Then we met up with Kelli and went for a little hack.
Friday I went to the Sandra clinic in the morning to watch and then adjusted 8 horses at Halliea's farm. So definitely no riding. But Saturday, it was on. :) Liz and I were planning to ride but she ended up only bringing Party because King got kicked. So... I rode Fleck first and did our hill work and then she met us out there to watch us jump. We did 15 minutes of walking hills, then 30 minutes of trotting and cantering hills, finishing a few laps in the XC field. I think we did at least 500 strides of canter. Not really sure what that relates too, but.. I counted. It was super humid and muggy and Fleck was breathing pretty heavy. So we chilled in the shade and then went to the lake for a minute.
Then Liz showed up. She had me jump over a few and said that I was compressing him. But not in a good way. I was just shutting him down and shortening him. So she had me jump over the log a few times and ride him like Devon. She wanted me to sit very lightly, but sit, and then to keep my reins slightly longer and let him have his head. But to balance him, I was supposed to sit up with my chest and keep my shoulders up and back. No tipping forward. And it was nice! Suddenly I didn't feel so lost and off my game. I could find the distance because the canter was balanced. And it felt right! :) So then we made up a course. And it wasn't great. I lost it a few times and kept tipping forward and running him flat. Or shutting him down. BUT... I did circle and mostly fix it.
Then at the end, Liz reminded me to balance with my body, keep my hands aligned with his cheekbones and scapula and my elbows, and to just ride him like dressage. E cube it. :) She also said his gallop was awful. It was inverted and hollow and scrambly. I agree. So she wants me to essentially stay more upright (which feels like a dressage seat almost to me, but I know it's not) and balance him that way. So we jumped over the coop and I channeled my inner Devon and it was lovely. Then he didn't bolt on landing and we galloped on. I stayed upright but not sitting and he was happy. We balanced in the corner and then headed to the roll top line. I balanced and lifted my shoulders and core, kept my crotch soft, and.... he nailed it! And then the most crazy thing happened. I didn't touch his face. I just stayed balanced in my upper body and..... good gravy!! It was like I was suddenly riding Dan. Fleck dropped a gear and opened up, but it was a real gallop!! A real prelim gallop. He was stretching his stride out instead of getting quick and choppy. And he ate up that line and nailed the second fence. It was awesome!
Jumping machine
So...that's my new way to ride Fleck. I think it's going to help him and his soundness. :) I hope I can keep it up.
Then Thursday I rode Fleck while waiting on Kelli. We did 15 minutes of walking, finding as many hills as we could. Then we did 30 minutes of trotting and cantering, again finding as many hills as we could. I trotted up hills as I thought that would work his butt better than cantering up hills. Then we did 15 minutes of trotting up the hills and walking down the hills. Then we met up with Kelli and went for a little hack.
Friday I went to the Sandra clinic in the morning to watch and then adjusted 8 horses at Halliea's farm. So definitely no riding. But Saturday, it was on. :) Liz and I were planning to ride but she ended up only bringing Party because King got kicked. So... I rode Fleck first and did our hill work and then she met us out there to watch us jump. We did 15 minutes of walking hills, then 30 minutes of trotting and cantering hills, finishing a few laps in the XC field. I think we did at least 500 strides of canter. Not really sure what that relates too, but.. I counted. It was super humid and muggy and Fleck was breathing pretty heavy. So we chilled in the shade and then went to the lake for a minute.
Jumping machine
So...that's my new way to ride Fleck. I think it's going to help him and his soundness. :) I hope I can keep it up.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Getting our Groove Back!
Whooo hooooo!! Today was the second day on bute for the "bute test". And it was either that, or the fact that Fleck was showing off for his friends, but he felt GREAT!
We met Kelli and Judy and went for a nice relaxing hack. Then we played in the field a little. Fleck felt pretty darn good. I only noticed the right front about 4 separate steps, mostly in the downward transition or down hills. But that was really it. So yay! That makes me happy. And know what else makes me happy? I thought about lifting my shoulder, and I fixed the right lead canter. The first time we tried I missed it because I was still overthinking it. But then I just thought, bend and lift my shoulder, and we were on the right lead. Whoo hooo.
So then they went to go video Cash and I stayed and did some hills. Fleck was soooo mad that they left him. He kept bolting and galloping. Wheee!! I didn't mind. I'm glad he feels good. So we did some trotting and cantering on the hills. Then they came back. I wanted to see what they thought so I jumped a bit. We jumped three of the little stadium fences that Ann had set up and then I let him jump the prelim cabin. And then we continued up the hill to the two prelim roll tops. He wasn't jumping beautifully, but I wasn't helping him at all. And it wasn't horrible. We just didn't quite have our timing down. And I wasn't really making him sit and use himself. Still, he felt like he was jumping decently. He wasn't rolling over his shoulder. He just wasn't as balanced as he could have been. And my eye is so off. We chipped one and took a flyer to another. So then I turned and we did the two training coops, which he jumped quite nicely. Then we trotted down the hill and then I picked up the canter and jumped the two cabins again. Again, one flyer and one chip. Doh! I could hear Fleck thinking "Get it together mom, jeesh". But Kelli said it wasn't too bad. She said his rhythm was nice and he wasn't rolling over his shoulder, but that he was a little flat. So then I decided to jump the cabin once more but focus on balance. And man... I'm rusty. We got nice and balanced and rocked back but I left a little bit too much leg off so we crossed the line to under-energized. So he had to heave a little bit. But, he was nice and rocked back on his hocks and he cleared it effortlessly, despite his Agassi sound effects. And it felt quite nice. So... we just need to work out the rust.
But YAY!!! It felt soooooo good to be jumping my guy again. And galloping. And he felt GOOD. He kept picking up the trot and canter on his own. And I didn't feel anything funky behind. And only those few steps of the right front. So whooo hooo. Maybe training at Wind Ridge in a few weeks will work. Plus he's looking so fit and lean right now. :) Dr. Bob's fitness protocol is freakin' tough, but it's a good prep for a horse trial. So... win win.
Yay! Guess we'll see how he feels tomorrow. He was iced and then arnica'd. And he seemed happy as a clam.
But YAY!!! It felt soooooo good to be jumping my guy again. And galloping. And he felt GOOD. He kept picking up the trot and canter on his own. And I didn't feel anything funky behind. And only those few steps of the right front. So whooo hooo. Maybe training at Wind Ridge in a few weeks will work. Plus he's looking so fit and lean right now. :) Dr. Bob's fitness protocol is freakin' tough, but it's a good prep for a horse trial. So... win win.
Yay! Guess we'll see how he feels tomorrow. He was iced and then arnica'd. And he seemed happy as a clam.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Hills, Hills, and more hills
I changed it up today. I can't do another day of up and down the XC field hill. And I'm pretty sure that Fleck couldn't either. It was a pretty day today though. Not too hot, not too humid, although not as nice as yesterday. Although we got sprinkled on when we were starting.
We hit the trails. We did 15 minutes of walking, always aiming uphill. Then we did 30 minutes of straight trotting and cantering. We trotted up all the hills, always aiming uphill, but cantered on the flat places, and trotted down the hills. Then we spent 10 minutes in the lake chilling. Then we did another 15 minutes uphills either walking or trotting. And then we headed to the stadium ring. I wanted to fix the canter transition.
I am still not able to get the right lead. Even on the trails. So in the ring I tried again. And I paid attention to what I was doing and what Fleck was doing. He would almost get it but at the last second he was throwing his shoulders to the right and forced to pick up the left. When I didn't try as hard, and focused more on just getting the bend and then closing my leg, he would get it. Sigh... I think that by thinking of lifting my hip, I'm actually driving my left hip down. Sigh. So then we sort of gave up and I just asked for it by bending right and closing my leg and we got it a few times.
And then... I couldn't help it. I had given him bute for the "bute test" so I wanted to jump. I hopped over a jump or two that was set up at beginner novice level. He was good. He wasn't bolting or scurrying. And then, I couldn't help it. The training level vertical was still up, so I jumped it. It sort of surprised him the first time, especially since we had to angle it because the fence 3 strides out was knocked down and the pole was in the landing area. So he "oofed" over it, but did. We came again and it was nice. So then I decided "screw it... let's do this!" so I got off and set the roll top oxer up so we could jump the line. And we did. The first time he jumped the roll top oxer he landed way left, but jumped the vertical just fine. So the second time I closed my left leg and he jumped it nice and straight and clean. And he landed happily and didn't bolt or scurry or seem anxious. Yay!!!
Then we were done. He got a bath because he's getting skin funk again. Ick. It's not bad though. I think it's just the humidity. It's relentless.
Oh, but then!!! I was talking to Liz about it later and mentioned my canter problems. I told her that when I was thinking I was lifting my right hip, I knew I was dropping my left hip and throwing it to the right. So... we decided that tomorrow I'm going to try to not think of lifting my hip but instead think of lifting my right shoulder. So... we'll see if that works. :)
We hit the trails. We did 15 minutes of walking, always aiming uphill. Then we did 30 minutes of straight trotting and cantering. We trotted up all the hills, always aiming uphill, but cantered on the flat places, and trotted down the hills. Then we spent 10 minutes in the lake chilling. Then we did another 15 minutes uphills either walking or trotting. And then we headed to the stadium ring. I wanted to fix the canter transition.
And then... I couldn't help it. I had given him bute for the "bute test" so I wanted to jump. I hopped over a jump or two that was set up at beginner novice level. He was good. He wasn't bolting or scurrying. And then, I couldn't help it. The training level vertical was still up, so I jumped it. It sort of surprised him the first time, especially since we had to angle it because the fence 3 strides out was knocked down and the pole was in the landing area. So he "oofed" over it, but did. We came again and it was nice. So then I decided "screw it... let's do this!" so I got off and set the roll top oxer up so we could jump the line. And we did. The first time he jumped the roll top oxer he landed way left, but jumped the vertical just fine. So the second time I closed my left leg and he jumped it nice and straight and clean. And he landed happily and didn't bolt or scurry or seem anxious. Yay!!!
Then we were done. He got a bath because he's getting skin funk again. Ick. It's not bad though. I think it's just the humidity. It's relentless.
Harbins with Liz
Today Fleck and I met Liz at Harbins to ride with her new pony. He's super cool. He reminds me of Fleck. Such a good soul.
We had fun. We did the 6 mile loop and mostly walked so Liz and I could trot. But we did some trotting and even cantered a little bit. And guess what?! Fleck gave me a clean flying change TO THE RIGHT! Wow!
And it was such a pretty day. Really not that humid or hot out. Especially in the shade. Fleck didn't even really break a sweat. :) Which, granted, it was kind of a light day for us, only 6 miles and mostly walking. But we both deserved a light day.
After our ride I had Liz look at him. He still seems like he is off on the front right a little. We decided that when he is on the buckle, he can compensate by throwing his left hind medially a bit. When I put him "on the bit", he can't compensate as much, so the right front lameness shows up more. Sigh.... But we still haven't "treated" the right front yet.
Fleck is so goofy though. After our ride he was on high alert because of the bikers. He even stopped mid-chew to stare. hee hee. Goof!
Now off to work!
We had fun. We did the 6 mile loop and mostly walked so Liz and I could trot. But we did some trotting and even cantered a little bit. And guess what?! Fleck gave me a clean flying change TO THE RIGHT! Wow!
And it was such a pretty day. Really not that humid or hot out. Especially in the shade. Fleck didn't even really break a sweat. :) Which, granted, it was kind of a light day for us, only 6 miles and mostly walking. But we both deserved a light day.
After our ride I had Liz look at him. He still seems like he is off on the front right a little. We decided that when he is on the buckle, he can compensate by throwing his left hind medially a bit. When I put him "on the bit", he can't compensate as much, so the right front lameness shows up more. Sigh.... But we still haven't "treated" the right front yet.
Fleck is so goofy though. After our ride he was on high alert because of the bikers. He even stopped mid-chew to stare. hee hee. Goof!
Now off to work!
Sooooo humid!
But Fleck and I met Kelli this morning. We started without her so we could do our hill work. We did 15 minutes of walking hills, then 15 minutes of straight trotting hills, then 15 minutes of trotting up hills and walking down hills. It was SOOOOO hot and humid. Ugh. So then we went for a 30 minute hack and then headed to the jump ring so Kelli could jump. Fleck and I played over a fence or two. Nothing too exciting.
Just hot and muggy and gross.
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