Up to speed...

I was hoping to get to make a second post last week covering my lesson but I ran out of time, so let's get up to speed.

Sunday 1/20/2011: My lesson started out OK, but I was still having trouble getting Secret into her favorite corner. My trainer kept yelling at me about dropping my outside hand... I KNOW that I'm dropping it, I just don't know how to make it stop. I got really frustrated about this so we moved on to ground poles, but my whole lesson was tainted. Looking back on it now I feel like we have made ALOT of progress on two-point position and ground poles since we started on them just a few weeks ago. But, getting her on the rail and the canter, both the transition and my seat, need serious work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7OaHuDVkyA&feature=autoplay&list=UL8_4IYp9Q6jk&index=1&playnext=4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1gwr_QL6K0&feature=BF&list=UL8_4IYp9Q6jk&index=2
After my lesson I went with my trainer to her place to ride one of her horses. This horse (Kahlua) had been broke to saddle three years ago and since then has been through a stream of riders who all quit because she bucked at the trot. When I first started riding her last summer EVERY time I asked for the trot she would buck. She had NO steering. She was stiff and her feet were stuck. I finally stopped trying to ride her through it and started doing alot of ground work... Clinton Anderson style! This horse is as stubborn as they come. I've literally BEATEN her with the stick and had her look at me like, "Whatever" My arms wore out before she did more than once. But I've finally gotten her yielding pretty well. She will back nicely and lunges quite well. It's not up to Clinton's standards, but its light years from where she started! I noticed when I lunged her with the saddle that she trotted with her nose on the ground. I don't trust her enough to let her get her head down like that when I'm in the saddle and I thought maybe part of the trouble is that she needs to stretch her back. So, lately I've been lunging her to let her stretch before I get on and it seems to really be helping. I've had two rides out of her now with no bucking and she's been very willing! I'm really pleased with her so that was a good way to end the day after a very frustrating lesson.

Sunday 2/6/2011: I was really excited for this lesson. I had just decided that I wasn't going to get frustrated or pissy and I would just go with it knowing that we are making steady progress. My trainer also decided that we would try using a bit. When I first got Secret they were riding her in a plain stainless O-ring jointed snaffle. When I rode her in that she had NO brakes. Everytime she would stick her head in the air, get it between her teeth and brace. So, to get more braking power I switched to an indian bosal. That put more nose pressure on so that she had to give at the poll and stop. After I got her brakes tuned up and working well I switched to a cross-under bridle for clearer communication while working and then to a side-pull for trails. But, no we're starting to ask for more sophisticated things in the arena that each rein needs to have its own meaning, so we decided to try putting a bit back on her. I was VERY apprehensive remembering her behavior last time and knowing she's not had a bit in her mouth in three years. So, I started with a rubber jointed snaffle.
I put it in her mouth, adjusted it, and she started chewing and looking at me like, "well... ok... if this is what you want I don't care" I just walked her a bit to let her think it over, then started with bending and backing so she could get the idea. She rode really well in it. When we started the lesson we were working on her favorite corner and FINALLY started to make some progress after my trainer told me to stand in my outside stirrup and push with my inside leg. Frankly, if she had told me that outside stirrup bit two weeks ago we could have saved everyone alot of aggravation! But at least its starting to get fixed! After doing a few circles in the corners we decided to switch her to a brass, egg butt, french link snaffle. She instantly relaxed and was REALLY working well by the end of the lesson. So well in fact that we almost got into that corner at the trot!
To round things out we worked on the canter... specifically transitions into and out of and keeping my ass in the saddle. All of which are improving! One piece seems to get better every time I ride... I just may take few weeks to put all the pieces together.
Overall my seat was better today, my hands are better but need work at the canter and forcing myself to not drop my outside hand, my legs are better if I warm up with them tied and I really felt like Secret did GREAT with the bit today.
A great lesson!

More Happy Trails!

I didn't get to ride all week! That's what I get for having a job in healthcare.... alot of late hours and long weeks.

On Saturday the saddle fitter was scheduled to come out because my trainer had said she thought my saddle was too small for my horse. But, as luck would have it, the saddle fitter said it was fine and I could save my money unless I just WANTED a new saddle. Umm... thanks but I think I'll save that $1500!

After she had watched me ride in my saddle and I had paid her, a new friend at the new barn asked if I wanted to go out on the trail with her. It was a great ride. Mostly just a walk, but we explored alot more of the trails than I had been able to up until now. Secret actually broke a sweat a little!

Don't get much more free than that!

Happy Trails!

Today my husband wanted to trail ride with me! That's is highly unusual so I jump at the opportunity everytime he asks. Besides that, Secret needed to get out on the trail to avoid arena burn out.

So, I asked the girls at the barn if there was a lesson horse he could ride. "Sure!" they said, "Take Dixie, she's great!" Then I spent half an hour catching her... heffer! Then she laid her ears back and played the fool when I cinched her up. So, I decided to get on her first to make sure she wouldn't kill him as I've gotten rather attached to him. She was GREAT under saddle. I'd heard about horses like that and now I will thank god every day that I don't own one!

During all of this, my husband is laughing at me and telling me that HE is obviously the better horseman as he just walked up to Secret, put her halter on, and walked her quietly to the barn.

Well we finally got out onto the trail and my husband only walks (no cantering, no trotting), which was fine on the way out, but once they figured out we were on the way back to the barn, Secret and I had to have a moment about our speed. She calmed down pretty quickly though.

Overall it was a short but relaxing ride.

A lack of communication

I was really looking forward to my lesson today... even though it's REALLY cold out for Atlanta. I got to the barn, saddled up, and lunged her to check that limp. It was there, but not as bad as Wednesday and she warmed out of it a bit. So I thought we were in for a great lesson!

Not so much... as it turns out. There were alot of great things about it! My legs are in much better position, Secret is trotting the ground poles in a much better rhythm, I'm not overthinking them and letting her figure it out, my two-point is much better, and we are finally learning to lengthen stride at the walk/trot to a more forward gait. The monkey wrench in the gears was that there was one corner that I just couldn't get her into. So my trainer tells me to stop dropping my outside hand, to push with my inside leg, and pick up my inside hand. I kinda got the last two, but I'm dropping my outside hand. AND, Secret never did get into that corner, although my trainer assures me that we got closer each time. It just frustrated me SO much! She is so good and she tries so hard that I just HATE it when I can't communicate what I want clearly. Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!

So, the things I have to work on this week: keeping my reins even, not dropping my hands around turns, and looking UP. Here we go!

Bump in the road.

Literally... that's what it felt like at the trot last night.

I went out after work to ride. I had this great plan for working on gait cadence, transitions, and freeing her movement. I get on, I ask for the trot, and she's off in the back! Poor thing.

She's had a slight limp in her back left for awhile now. I had the vet look at her and we both think its her hock, but can't really nail it down. It doesn't really seem to bother her too much. Even last night she didn't refuse to trot or canter or anything that I asked of her. But, I could feel that she was off. The vet had recommended putting front shoes on her, which I've done and that's seemed to really help alot. But, she's two weeks overdue for a new set due to some unavoidable circumstances and I think that may be contributing. I think she's also a bit sore because she hasn't been ridden this consistently in a year or so.

I gave her some bute when I put her away last night and I'm going to rest her today and tomorrow so that hopefully she will be good for our lesson on Saturday.

Sometimes you have to go through some ugly stuff to get to the good stuff.

The title is a Clinton Anderson quote and I take no credit for it!

But, I will say that its very true. After a very ugly lesson on Sunday, I was determined to work on some stuff on Monday (especially since it was a holiday!). It was pretty quiet at the barn and I had the arena to myself so I set up my ground poles then went to get my horse. After tacking up I lunged her to look for any soreness from the day before then I worked with her on side-passing again before mounting up.

During the exercise we worked on my posting, my two-point, the ground poles, tight corners, and side-passing.
--> There is not a whole of progress on the posting front, but I think my legs are slowly getting better. It's just going to be a slow process.
--> My two-point came a little easier than the day before though its still not pretty.
--> The ground-pole exercise saw alot of progress. Secret figured out alot quicker where to put her feet so she could trot through, I was able to reliquish some control and trying to micro-manage every step, I was able to keep my eyes up and ahead, and overall the two of us were looking pretty good over those poles towards the end!
--> The tight corners still need ALOT of work, I'm thinking we may have to put some cones down.
--> The side-passing surprised the hell out of me. This was the first time we'd tried it from the saddle. I took her back to the same wall where I'd asked on the ground, I put my leg on and laid the rein on her neck and, once again, that heffer side-passed like it was no big deal! Meanwhile I was jumping up and down screeching on the inside.

Once again, there remains alot to work on, but with progress and positive reinforcement like that it really motivates me to put in the extra effort to ride after work during the week. I'm actually excited about schooling my horse again and it feels great!

What happens when you don't ride between lessons.

So, along comes Sunday and my lesson and I STILL haven't ridden since the last one. My trainer calls and says she wants 6-8 ground poles in the arena to use during the lesson. Well, we had had an ice-storm the week before and the ground is still slick. So I have to move the ground poles from the outdoor arena to the covered arena. This sounds simple enough, but after I had moved four of them it proved to me alot more work than I had anticipated. There I am again, standing in the arena panting for breath trying to find the energy to groom and tack my horse. Not a good omen.

Fortunately for me, a little girl taking her lesson ahead of me arrived 30 minutes late and started her lesson 45 minutes late. So, when my trainer arrived and I wasn't ready, I blamed the 7yr old! :-) It also bought me 30 minutes to catch my breath!

When I first started taking lessons and was riding school horses I had done some ground pole work. BUT, my horse, my green horse, had never laid eyes on such before. Being the trail horse that she is, she wasn't afraid and was more than happy to walk over them. It wasn't until she had to trot over them that there turned out be a problem. Baby girl didn't know where to put her feet!

Then, with her starting and stopping and stumbling it became even harder for me to post. I also have a control problem, so my trainer was hoarse from yelling at me to look ahead and not down at the poles. As if all that weren't enough, then she wanted me to work on my two-point position. That was going OK, not great just OK, until she told me that my abdominal muscles should hold my body upright and not my spine. Ummmm... just FYI, a horse trainer should not argue muscle physiology with a muscle physiologist. God knows I love my trainer and she is a scary smart woman. She knows her horses and understands alot of the physics behind the movement. BUT, when it comes to muscle physiology I will always have a deeper understanding because I spent six years of my life getting a damn PhD! So, I get what she's trying to tell me, but in the heat of the moment I really need a better metaphor, otherwise the scientist in me rears its ugly head.

So, up-side of this lesson is that I know what two-point is supposed to fee like so I can practice it, my horse gets that she needs to figure out the poles on her own and is happily working on it, and my legs were better than last time. The down-side, I really NEED to PRACTICE two-point even though I feel silly doing it, I still need to work on my legs, and I need to make a committment to riding between lessons. Again, another successful lesson!