Stick pony ahas

good lesson with Fleck.

Cindy had me get off and do walk pirouettes on the ground so that I could see how to move my hips. Then I had to "ride my stick pony" once I was back in the saddle. AHA! But it really helps. I'm finally realizing how locked my pelvis was. :)Fleck thought i was hilarious. :)

Cold Long Hack and then Hill Day

 Yesterday was a long hack so Kelli and I could chat and Fleck could recover from boot camp.

 Monday ended up being an errand day as Dr. Brown only had 4 horses so I decided not to drive that far and had the day free. By the time I finished errands I had enough time for Fleck but not Dan. So Fleck and I went for a ride. We did a 15 minute walk up the hills, then we trotted for a solid 20 minutes up and down the hill. Then we headed into the woods for a little hack and I was attempting to do some canter sets, but Fleck wasn't really interested in cantering today. We did two minutes along the scary path and that was it. Fleck wasn't feeling it today. Oh well. We then headed back to the arena and I did a few minutes of flat work. We got some nice stuff but our left lead canter felt AWFUL! Like... flat tire awful. Only it wasn't a lameness so much as a massive hip hike feeling or something Very odd. The trot felt great and round even and the right lead canter was fine, but the left lead was a hot mess. No one was around to look at him, so I just did some more trot work and got off. I adjusted him and he was out in the right pelvis... right SI, right ischium and right sacrum. I also adjusted a spot on his back. So... maybe that's all it was. I hope so... Because I'm optimistic for the season.

Boot camp

equicube lesson

grids

love my new saddle

More intervals and hills

So.... the 2016 show season is going to be here before I know it! So... I decided today we would do some more interval/fitness stuff. It's hard because his breathing has gotten worse but he seems happy and eager to run and not distressed. I really need to get that heart monitor battery replaced so I can feel better about it. So I played with him today and kept a close eye on him.

 We did a 15 minute walk set, up and down the big hill in the XC field. Then we went for a 20 minute trot through the woods. Unfortunately I started to hear a bit of the breathing noise even at the trot today. What?! That's a first. Which makes me wonder if it's more allergies? Or some lung infection? Argh... But again, he's happy to go and do and as soon as we walk, he's grazing. So it's not like he's gasping for air. So then we finished at the XC field and we did 3 three minute canters. I made him canter a bit faster than Monday so we upped the ante a little bit. I also included a bit of a hand gallop at the middle canter set. His respirations went from 24 after the trot set to 36 after the second and third canter/gallops. So... still not bad. And within a few seconds he was eating grass. And he even trotted off again before I asked, so... we added a little gallop stretch to the lake. 

 So... I'm still worried. I mean, he sounds pretty wretched. Like a roarer. And it's hard to say but he almost feels a bit sluggish. But then my app keeps telling me our fastest speed was about 20 mph, which is typical for him. So clearly he's not going any slower. I really just need to get the heart monitor working before I get all worked up about it. It's just... I know I keep saying it.. but ONE MORE season... just one more... now that I've got the soundness stuff pretty much squared away... I feel like I'm getting ME and my mental state squared away... And now we have respiratory issues to deal with. Sigh... But ... who knows?! Maybe it's just noise and I'm getting overly worried for nothing. 


And if I'm not being paranoid and he's not fixable or can't run prelim because of respiratory issues... well, it's not the end of the world. So I didn't get my one last successful prelim season/run/etc. in. He owes me nothing. I'm being totally greedy.

But we both had fun today!!

Yay dressage

We had a good lesson today. (Not that we usually don't, but...). Cindy dropped my stirrups a whole which was super helpful. Somehow I guess they got put up with Dan and then I thought they were long enough, but... my knee seemed to be riding over the knee roll some. So dropping my stirrups was super helpful.

We had a great ride, although for some reason Fleck has gotten into this habit of throwing his head straight up. I can't figure out what I'm doing to cause it... or if it's reaction? I'm almost wondering if his tick bite that won't heal because I won't quit riding him is bothering him... or if it's just noticeable more so now because he is actually being more supple than usual??? 

Regardless, Fleck has been much more supple and happy to work even at the start lately. For awhile, it was taking a good 20 minutes into the lesson before he would be ready to work. And I've been trying to get there early enough to hack him around and loosen him up, but still, he's going to work much quicker and more easily. Maybe it's the previcox. :) 

So we worked on lateral suppleness and doing some leg yields to shoulder in to haunches in etc. And Cindy noticed that he was supple and soft when we were in a movement but when I went to straighten him... was when he would throw his head up and invert. So... somehow when I'm trying to straighten him, I'm stiffening him. So she had me think of riding a slight shoulder fore the entire time instead of trying to straighten him. It helped. 

I also thought a lot about bending my elbows and pulling my elbow back to get bend rather than pulling down or across the neck. And pulling isn't the right word, because I know better. But I was creating bend by wrapping him around my inside leg... and to help my body do that, it helped when I thought about bending my body and bringing my elbow back a little. 

So yay! Fun day :) 

 

Getting our Fitness On

Ringing in the New Year Right!

Happy 2016

goals, plans...

ride at the horse park with Kelli and Peri

walking in the ditch and wall