May-June: Don't be afraid to set some goals and make it better

[heddylamar]

Those were happy smiling faces

Lol. That's fitting!

[Moutaineer]

So, Potters bathed, tack cleaned, boots polished... excited to be riding with Mette Rosencrantz this weekend! We are ready!

[Sue B]

Moutaineer, can't wait for your clinic report. So excited for you and Potters

I have now ridden a whole 2 days in a row despite the heat. DH happened by and watched me ride Rudy for a bit. When I told him my left leg always feels wonky, he took a closer look and noted that my left stirrup was 1 hole shorter than the ride. Fixed that and Presto! no more wonky leg Both horses are simply a joy to ride right now and I look forward to having more time to do so. I couldn't ride Rabbit because I don't want to stress my neck throwing my western saddle on her and have it get all cranky again. maybe this weekend.

[Tanga]

Have fun with Mette, Mountaineer. I like her. She's been a solid rider and trainer for so long. I can't afford to ride with her, but have audited some clinics. She and so many other talented riders here are why I decided to stay AA, so I don't have to compete against her in the championships!

It's been hot here (though nothing compared to most of the rest of the whole west) so between that, resting from the show, and me still having affects from whatever happened on Saturday, probably heat stroke, I really haven't been riding. I didn't feel so weak yesterday and actually did my exercise class and wasn't dragging walking the horses back to pasture, so hoping I am recovered.

I don't know how you guys handle it where it's actually hot!

[StraightForward]

I don't know how you guys handle it where it's actually hot!

It's no AZ hot here, but we're looking at highs of 100 or close to it most of this week, so I'm getting things arranged to start getting up at 5 and riding before work. Luckily I'm working from home, so I can go straight from the barn to my desk all sweaty and horse-smelling.

Moutaineer, hope you have a great clinic!

Today I rode Tesla while all her friends were being turned out in the pasture. In her book, this is a much bigger offense than being taken away from food. I used the extra energy to get some canter mileage on the lunge line and send her over a couple cavaletti. Got on and just walked and trotted and she didn't do anything naughty, just rather ADD. Once she started focusing on me we just did about 5 minutes of work and then I took her straight out to the pasture. I have 20 meter circles set up with cones and she is getting the idea of riding more definite lines through the cones instead of just meandering wherever.

Hauled A out to ride at a larger indoor yesterday. She was totally perfect, I was able to tack up and get right on; no spooking or leaping and we even had a nice cooldown walk in the big outdoor arena that can be scary since there are mules in a pasture on one end, and one of the long sides has a solid 10' high hedge of pines with birds flapping around in there doing bird things. Next trip I will see if we can manage to do our schooling session out there.

[Ryeissa]

I lost a good week and a half due to intense heat, but all good to go. Pony got clipped and is all ready for lessons, clinics and shows this week.
No specific goals per say, but riding 2:1 again and I would like to improve the 10m canter circles.

[exvet]

I just got back last night to the sweltering heat. Horses seemed to be hanging in there though not thrilled with the heat. I got up at 4:30 so that I could get everything done and start riding before 7 am. I limited to the very basics for each of the 3 and was done before it hit 92. Everyone got hosed off and left to deal with the day. This time of the year we're doing good just to maintain what we've learned. Last night at 9 pm it was still in the low 90s. I'm not sure if I'm going to get much done in the next two days after work; but, maybe some in hand work after 9 pm. Fortunately my neighbors are pretty tolerant of my arena lights being on that late.

[heddylamar]

Cats in trees have officially joined the ranks of plastic bags and tarps on Maia's "oh shit" list. Maia attempted to deposit my butt in the sand for the second time in 4 months. She failed.

Heddy: 1 / Maia: 1

I'll have her totally desensitized to the tree climbing cat — like she's been to tarps, balloons, and bags for several years now — in a few weeks.

[Chisamba]

the barn car Pop likes riding, she loves to lie in the indoor when u am riding and she plays with sunbeams . it turns out to be useful desensitizer

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Congratulations on the successful shows, Tanga and Blob.

And Demi, love those photos of Rocky.


I can't wait to hear how the clinic goes with Potter's, Mountaineer!

I actually had CSU, the nearest hospital, out for a second opinion on Lynx. I've never regretted getting a second opinion and I thought the first exam wasn't actually a complete lameness exam... Although I will say the price reflected that too I guess.

CSU thought he was overall footsore (which me and the trainer had been noticing in the last week walking over the hard ground...) I have front hoof boots for him but just walking on the hard ground around here 24/7 is a no-go for him right now. So on Saturday he got set of full shoes. Hoping that and some magic cushion will get him comfy again. Going from the extreme mud to extreme dry and hot temperatures really did a number on his white hooves.

But while they thought one time maybe he had a minor injury in his stifle perhaps, they truly were not concerned. I asked them if they wanted to do any x-rays or ultrasounds and they really thought it was overkill. Especially if he was practically footsore all over.

The second saddle fitter is supposed to come on July 1st. I hope he's feeling much better then! Trying to be patient. It's definitely frustrating but this is just one of those things that is kind of circumstantial... Horses!!

[MsM]

My instructor finally ventured North and I got my first lessons since November! My horse, Alfie, didnt seem as thrilled with the idea since he tried a couple of ways to avoid them. First, about 10 days before he came in from turnout with a small cut on his hind leg but definite swelling so that the tendons were not visible on the inside. Treated in consultation with the vet and he remained sound as the swelling came down in two days. Got in one ride and then he threw a shoe. He wears wedges so it is a bigger deal for him. Naturally it was the Saturday of a holiday weekend. My wonderful farrier came out and fixed the shoe on Sunday! Finally we had clear sailing and were able to take 2 lessons the next weekend.

It is always interesting to get a lesson after a long break and see if we are doing what I believed we were doing. Mostly yes, but of course some corrections. Needed to slow the tempo of his walk (even though it was 86 degrees!) I hadn't done much with his walk both for fear of messing it up and because he really doesn't like walking in the winter He does well with the shoulder in and I usually can sit and aid correctly. Haunches-in still seems to blow my mind and I cant seem to keep my inside leg on and weight correctly. We actually do a bit better turning it into a halfpass and correcting by leg yielding in the opposite direction, then return. Lots of forward and back in the trot to get him sitting more on the hind legs.
In canter we also worked on adjustability and then a little counter-canter. Need more practice there as he is still concerned about his balance around the short side. I was quite proud of him when the instructor asked me to strike off in counter canter and he did even though it was the first time I had asked for that!

Now I have some feedback and direction with exercises to work with until I can manage another lesson.

I have toyed with going to a schooling show. I am not sure if that is something I will enjoy any more. And I have not ridden the boy off the property yet! In fact, he has been mostly in the indoor. The outdoor footing is not great and the neighbor likes to rev up chainsaws and other loud machinery if he sees horses in the ring (neighborhood feud). So we have only wandered a bit around the property and a little path with a couple of quick turns around the outside ring. We shall see...

Show or not, I am just enjoying working with my horse. The vet did an evaluation this Spring and declared him sound. I had shoeing radiographs done with the farrier present to get the balance just right. They also showed no deterioration of bony structured compareto two years ago. Counting my blessings.

[blob]

great to hear everyone's updates.
LS, hope the shoes fix the issue--foot soreness can make a big difference!

Work, thunderstorms, and life have been getting in the way of consistent riding the last week or so and it's looking like i won't get out to ride today either (I am grumpy about it!). But I've been thinking a lot about overall horse fitness. I'd love to get MM's stamina and fitness up. but not sure thte best way to do it. Ideally I'd have a large space for hand galloping and/or hills. to work on. But without either I'm thinking through the best way to get her heart rate up in a way that does not feel tedious to her.

[heddylamar]

the barn car Pop likes riding, she loves to lie in the indoor when u am riding and she plays with sunbeams . it turns out to be useful desensitizer

We used to have a barn kitty like that. The current two are mostly bums and nap in the sun on the roof of the shavings shed. It's the neighborhood tom cat who helpfully climbs the tree. Fortunately, he's been doing a lot of it, so I'm taking advantage.

Dogs are no problem. The neighbor's dogs, and another boarder's dogs like to run through the fields surrounding the arena, then rip up the hill, jump into the arena, dash through, and out the other side.

[Moutaineer]

Puddy, our barn cat, is about a thousand years old and getting rather senile, we think. He also looks like hell, but he enjoys his food, still bothers to lick his paws, and spends a lot of time sleeping in his basket on a chair next to the arena. He does have an unfortunate habit of wandering into the ring to talk to you while you are lunging, and he tends to just flop where he wishes, which can be a bit disconcerting when right in front of moving horses! We think this is probably his last summer, but he's been a fixture for years and years.

LS, fingers crossed that shoes all round does the trick--it should work quite quickly, too. It's what I had to do the Potters, if you remember, and it made ALL the difference.

So... clinic report! A very good weekend of learning and lots of homework to think about.

All back to basics stuff. Nothing earthshattering, except of course getting that stuff right always is!

Day 1 we had real trouble with the "forward" button. He has a tendency to get behind the leg anyway, and it was very hot and quite humid for us, and I realize that I've been dumbing him down for me, which is boring for him.

So, our focus was on moving freely forward, listening to me, and "go means go." I realize that I have been using far too much inside rein and that is also diffusing the forward and the "through" because he's able to evade getting his hind end underneath him. (Laddie always had his own motor so it was never an issue with him, this is a very different ride.) I don't really have (or want to use) a lot more leg, so he's got to learn (or, I suspect, re-learn) to respect light aids, and I have to stop treating him "like a porcelain tea cup," in Mette's words

Day 2, I did not lunge him before I got on--this was a first for us, but I wanted to make sure I hadn't depleted his energy supplies unnecessarily before we started. I rode far better and with a much greater spirit of determination and it paid off. So, our focus switched to straightness, throughness and correct bend. That darned outside connection and my errant left hand that always want to be doing something whether it should or not.

I realize watching the videos that our greatest challenge is throughness. He's quite resistant to the concept unless I'm absolutely correct in asking for it. I have to have him really moving freely forward, be more subtle but demanding in my aids, and I think he needs to build up a lot more carrying muscle on his top line and develop his inner Hanoverian.

But I also need to enjoy that he is an exacting task master in these things and expects to be asked correctly. This is how I will learn.

The weekend was also a terrific confidence builder. He started out on Saturday doing the "I'm not going down that end of the ring" thing, but we worked him through that and he got over it quite quickly and without unmanageable drama--I think he finds it an interesting test of new human interaction.

Yesterday, he was really pretty co-operative--we had one major losing of the plot when apparently he caught sight of a dust devil being blown through the open arena door as we were cantering by it down the long side--he was in the middle of a flying change at the time so it was all just too much for him. It caused a collective sharp intake of breath from the auditors (and a serious discussion from my husband over dinner about updating our wills) but he got over it quickly and moved right along.

So, all in all, a success. We got to know each other a lot better (bear in mind that I probably have about 15 rides on him so far!) and got a lot to work on.

I need to lose another 10lbs, too.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Wonderful clinic report!!

[demi]

Yes! Nice clinic report, Mounaineer. Thanks for posting.

[Sue B]

Great clinic report, Moutaineer! Sounds like Potters is going to bring you to a whole nother level of rider

[Aleuronx]

MsM, sometimes just enjoying the horse is all we need!
Moutaineer congrats on a successful clinic! It's crazy to think you've had such limited rides on Potters and I can't wait to see how your bond grows as you get more saddle time.

Get ready for some picture spam! We had a positive, confidence building time at the Mountain Trail Clinic even though there was as expected shenanigans. This was an intro based clinic that the instructor said she typically keeps to 4 to 8 pairs. Well... We get there and there are 14 others

So it was a bit inevitable that there was going to be some overwhelmed/naughty horses and a bit of a cluster trying to work through obstacles but nobody died although one person clocked in the face and jumped on ended up with a bloody nose and left for the day. We worked them in hand at first and then mounted. I chose not to do any of the moving platforms or teeter-totter thing as they were large and I thought a bit much and unfair to ask of Kora. We did do the suspension/swing bridge and that was enough movement for her. But we had a blast with all the other obstacles and loved trotting/passaging in the knee deep water.

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[Aleuronx]

Water pics of the little fish girl Kora

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[khall]

Mountaineer congratulations on a successful clinic! Good sticking to the oops.

Aleuronx that looks like fun! Obstacles are great for building a horse’s confidence.

Very rainy here and picked up 650 bales of hay just before all the rain hit. A couple of days reprieve before more rain.

[demi]

Very nice work with Kora! It looks like she is trusting you and is working for you. I’m glad to see that.

I guess I’m getting too old for the Texas heat. I started June by getting up at 5:30 and riding/working both Rocky and Emma before 8:30. I managed 4/5 days a week for both until this week. Sunday was manageable but every morning since has been 160+ heat index (temp +humidity). This is unusually high humidity for us. If the humidity drops I’ll start riding agian but for now, we are taking a break. We have big pasture with lots of shade and they can come in to the barn with fans it they want. They are all a little short tempered with each other which is an indication that they are stressed. Normally they get along really well.

[Chisamba]

Did you have a fabulous clinic Khall?

I to had a clinic this weekend. Andrea Velas came again. I am coming it really useful to use the same person, and developing on a consistent framework to build on.

we were introduced to some preliminary exercises for the tempi, and for Kimba, who is still.mind blown by changes, we started developing for pirouette because it helped improve the quality of her canter.

all my students who chose to participate looked great.

I think we all finished inspired

[StraightForward]

Chisamba, glad you had a great clinic!

Demi, 160 heat index is definitely the type of weather where it makes sense to pause on training, no matter what your age. The horses appreciate it I'm sure.

It is supposed to hit about 105 here every day this week. Still not seeing in the long-range forecast when the heat is supposed to break. I'm aiming to have my butt in the saddle at 6am Monday, Wednesday and Friday, get the horses hosed and under fans.

Tesla's chest is just about healed up. There's about a 1/2" of granulated tissue that is rapidly knitting together, which is good since we are just starting to get flies. I tried her this morning with the martingale and it didn't seem to bother her at all. Got some really nice bending to the right, and she is getting the hang of LY in both directions. Right lead still isn't quite there, but she did really respond to my forward aids with some big trot, which is a big improvement over sucking back and blocking me out. Left lead canter is coming along, and we are starting to ride some simple figures. Using trot poles every ride is turning out to be crucial for getting her freed up in her back.

Annabelle is continuing to do well, we are just chipping away at the ton of work and development that is involved in second level. Right now counter canter is on the menu. She is overall getting much easier to ride, which is allowing me to chip away at my own position issues as well.

Stay cool everyone!

[khall]

Chisamba I did! From the previous page where I had reported on the Cedar clinic

Well the clinic had some hiccups ( lame clinic horse when she got here rider deciding to not show up grr) but for all of us who got to ride we all had excellent lessons each day. Keep pushing for the next step.

So Cedar and I shared the riding duties with Joplin this time with bit of us doing some new lateral work Joplin’s first HI at the trot and Cedar asking for more with some trot HP and going from counter SI to HI at the trot Joplin is really stepping up to the more demanding work. She has a very good work ethic. Canter is her most difficult issue right now trying to get a better balance with that big old stride she has. Once she gets the strength to carry it she is going to have a very elevated and animated canter.

Then we did a thing this afternoon. It was just Cedar and I left at the farm and I wanted to get Joplin out a second time to work her in hand. I asked Cedar to push her a bit to see if she would give us piaffe steps. Well my mare has the skills!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQJAp18pE5_ ... =copy_link

I just throughly enjoyed the clinic and all of my rides on Joplin! She’s such a pleasure

Gaila is coming along well too. She had a bit of push back after the energizing Cedar did in hand but we did some nice work to show her how not to get braced and nappy and she took the work well. Her canter is coming along nicely. All in all a very successful clinic with some wonderful fun people too


I agree about having the consistency of one instructor who gives good information on how to progress. That is how I feel about Cedar. I really enjoy watching her work my horses in hand. Her timing is just so good to get the reaction she wants from them. I learn by watching almost as much as I do from doing the work myself.

Joplin continues to be such a joy! Lateral work is a breeze for her in the trot. With just having done HI a handful of times US at the trot it’s solid. The HP is coming quickly too. I’m having to be very careful to not drill her in this work because she has no stop to her. So I do just a bit then walk and intersperse with stretching at the trot. Her canter is a bit behind the trot work in development but is beginning to catch up. She has a large rolling canter that is balanced but steering was questionable there for awhile. Getting better and better though.

[blob]

MM:
*work on 3 changes on a diagonal line
*HP, HP, HP
*trailer training
*schooling show in June? (dependent on trailer training...)
*poles or jumping 1x a week
*ground work 1x a week

RP:
*LYs & SI (really need to get more lateral action going)
*More uphill trot lengthening
*poles 1x a week
*Show end of May (hopefully at first level?)

Me:
*try to get in better shape and stick to a workout schedule

Time to close out!

MM: worked on and made progress on most of these goals, esp the trailer training and HP. Didn't make it to a show, but that's ok. And did limited change work, but that's also ok.

RP: with the exception of weekly poles, made progress on all these goals, including a first level debut. Need to keep working on all of it though!

Me: meh, inconsistent with the working out.

And just for fun, a picture of MM jumping this weekend

[exvet]

My goals are pretty straight forward. Junior - third level is our focus. Brandon - training level is our focus. Ace - just have fun and enjoy trail riding until it gets too hot. Looking even further forward though, we close on our property up in the higher elevations next week. While the house and barn will take another year to be built, we can at least haul up there to trail ride and get out of the heat. I hope to continue to work out 4-5 times a week, (real) work permitting.

Of course my immediate goal is to haul Brandon out to my lesson this weekend. While my lesson is on Junior, I'm going early so I can ride through the intro tests in a standard dressage arena. This will be Brandon's second time loading and hauling since I bought him. On the way home I'm stopping by my friend's place who is hosting the stinker pony. She sent me pictures and he looks wonderful. There are no palo verde trees within 10 miles of her property which is what he's allergic to so he's not on any meds and still has his full coat He and his buddy 'Clyde' are reported to be doing very well.

My next goal will be hauling up to Prescott for a schooling show the following weekend. I've entered second 3 and third 1 with Junior and Intro A & B with Brandon. I reserve the 'right' to scratch if things don't seem to be in place at least enough to get a good experience out of it; but, if everyone's calm, cool and collected (LOL), we'll give it all a try.

Gosh, the time has definitely flown by and unfortunately much less than usual was spent riding. I was able to stick to my goals though as y'all know there were some hiccoughs with the schooling show. Since then I've just schooled as planned and gone trail riding. It's turned terribly hot like most of the western US and the air quality is awful. Theses issues and my travels have caused a slow down in our progress. I purchased some barrels to give Brandon and Junior something to play with that can't be destroyed and they sub for decent jump standards; so, Junior has also begun his true jump training. .........and So far so good though I think unlike his father he considers it real work; whereas, his sire thinks jumps are a blast. Brandon's canter is very, very slowly starting to gain balance and strength but I'm afraid we aren't as far along as I had hoped. The switch to the bomber bit has definitely helped. I don't expect a ton of advancement over the next two months due to the weather but we plan to stay the course as much as possible.

[heddylamar]

Lol. Goals? I'll settle for riding again.

Met my goal!! 4-5 times a week, since I got back on Maia. Anzia's on vacation again, but we'll get back to "work" soon

[Sue B]

Great news heddy!

Sounds like Chisamba and khall both had great times at their clinics too!

So I rode something like 5 days in a row, maybe6/7 days I think so yea for me. On Saturday, friend came over with one of her horses (one she hopes to turn into an eventer) and I took her on a ride to show her a nice training track area about a mile from my house. On the way there, we rode along the railroad tracks and then into the sage brush. For some reason, both horses freaked out over a large sage brush full of young magpies, and while Jody managed to egt her horse past the brush, Tio went into total melt down mode (including making grunting noises like a pig!) and I had to hop off. Well, I didn't HAVE TO hop off, but I felt it was the wiser choice. Anyway, he immediately calmed down and we carried on with our ride, only I was leading him instead of riding. The galloping track I showed her is really a farm road that goes around a large waste/storage pond full of all manner of water birds and ringed by cattails, quite beautiful actually. Anyways, as we strolled along, we came across a large chunk of concrete that I could stand on to get back in the saddle, Tio stood perfectly still while I mounted and continued to be "a. Very. good boy." until a piece of wire leapt out of the barley field to attack Jody's horse. Bodi can be quite the twit when he wants to be, but to his credit, he only had a minor melt down with no massive bucking or bolting. Tio, meanwhile, spun away, dropping his shoulder which caused me to lose my seat and leaving me kinds half on his neck. In the past, that action would've set off a major bucking spree, but the new and improved Tio immediately halted and let me slip back into the saddle! Rest of the ride was uneventful, and I am super pleased with my bad boy, Tio.

[StraightForward]

Time to close out. It is also mid-year, so I went back and compared the video I took at New Year's to a video from this morning. Yes, big difference!

Beginning of the year: https://youtu.be/nSOSbAPicCI

This morning: https://youtu.be/bYsE_LXYPYU

This 2-month period went pretty well. I took 3 jumping lessons with Annabelle and have been doing cavaletti work weekly. We have started incorporating trot HP more frequently. Lots to work on, it's all getting more solid. We're able to move between transitions within and between gaits, lateral work, etc. more fluently and quickly.

Tesla - despite the chest sarcoid setback, she is doing pretty well. Canter to the left is working under saddle, and she's going pretty nicely through raised trot poles. To the right, she is going much better, learning to bend and not spinning out. I've been lunging her and then putting her straight to work when I get on so that I can route out any stickiness right off the bat. Did not get out to ride due to the vet stuff and now the heat.

Me: Have been keeping up with running and kettlebells a few times per week. Slacked off on the interval work, but overall I'd give myself a B on the fitness side of things.
.

[Moutaineer]

Well, I am indeed back in the saddle (a new, expensive saddle, no less) and I did ride with Mette, so those were my major goals met.

I now have much more forward, in front of the leg horse, which is making it easier to achieve a through horse, but getting that consistently is a work in progress.

Still trying to get inside his brain a little more. 4 homes in as many years makes for a very guarded horse with some very defensive habits under saddle.