Better Balance Clinic Recap

 The clinic weekend is over and Sunday night I was too tired to write anything. 

First of all the clinic was a great success (from my perspective anyway). There were a variety of riders and horses and everyone learned something new or got clarity on things. What I love about Centered Riding is how it focuses on increasing your awareness of your body and how to make small (and large) adjustments to help your horse. 

was surprised about how tiring it can be to host and ride in a clinic. Even a relatively easy one like this where everyone was friendly and easy going. I was able to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones. With COVID-19 we had precautions and the clinic was basically split between my place and Krista's. 

What I love about Karen is that each lesson was different while all were on the same principals. I saw some big changes in horses and riders over the weekend. I don't like to talk about others because I want to respect their privacy. So I thought I'd share what I learned over the weekend. 

Friday night we all got together and Karen reviewed the principles of CR:

•  soft eyes- a hard gaze increases tension and the horses can feel it. 
•  anatomy of the rider with a focus on the pelvis. We all talked about the imaginary ball of energy (or the center) in the pelvis that we can spin or rotate to help the horse. I've always struggled with this concept in terms of putting it into practice but more on that later. 
• Center, ground and grow: the idea is to balance yourself physically and mentally so that you are able to influence the horse. 
•  energy and mental states: energy and mental states can be positive or negative and will create a different 'state' that must be recognized and then dealt with. We also talked about how our horses also can be in the different quadrants and how that can affect our rides. 

We had wine (well most of us) and got on our yoga  mats to try exercises. There was a lot more detail (obviously but that's the bare bones).  Part way through it started to rain (we were out on the deck) so we moved into the loft of the garage to carry on. Then we had cupcakes. Frankly I think every clinic should start with wine and cupcakes, right? 

Paula brought Georgie, her beautiful warmblood mare. This created a lot of excitement in both horses and Irish turned into a major level creeper. He would just stare and stare at her. If she or Carmen wen in he would lose his mind. 

Full on Creeper 

Saturday was cool and breezy- there was a definite feeling of fall in the air. I had put myself first in the schedule so that I could then be available to host. Carmen was definitely up. In terms of energy she was in the high energy/negative state which leads to her being spooky, reactive and ready to fight me. I was probably there too (but not as high as Carmen) because i was tired, worried it wasn't to go well and wanting everything to be perfect. I was up 30 minutes before to do groundwork and lunge. 

tension anyone? tight neck and back, short steps

She was much better when I got on but still felt a bit like a powder keg. Karen had me a do a lot of centering (finding my ball and having a neutral pelvis - not tipped forward like I do when I'm worried), grounding through a deep breath and growing (lengthening my spine and stabilizing my core). It worked really well to bring Carmen back to me and keep her underneath. As the lesson progressed I began to feel more in control of myself and, therefore, in control of her. Carmen likes to drop out her hind end and then fling her shoulders to get away. She may not be big but she's pretty powerful. The key is to use my seat/core to keep her under and stay balanced. Here's a video of her doing a pretty big spook and us recovering. 

I didn't know what set her off and then I saw Willow cutting across the ring with a rodent in her mouth. Well that's what I saw. Carmen maintains it was a grey tiger carrying the carcass of a horse. We agreed to disagree on that. However, I was impressed with how quickly we were able to recover and carry on. 

Getting on our listening ears

Julia rode Irish in the clinic and he was really good. Julia did a great job keeping him on task and listening to her. Georgie was really good for Paula too. She is a big strong mare and there's a lot of distractions at my place (and one creepy, staring horse). But she was listening and responsive. They looked stunning. 

We had a quick lunch and then I drove everyone to Krista's for the second half. It was fun to sit and watch the others take in what Karen was teaching and I saw a lot of good work and happy horses. One horse and rider opted to do an in-hand session and that was fascinating to watch Karen teach and then the rider apply the strategies. I filed what I saw away for future use. A half-sister to Steele was in the clinic too. She is a lovely half-andalusian black mare and I was so excited to see her go. There was an adorable 'medicine hat' paint mare and Krista's horse was adorable. He was a rescue and the hypothesis is that he's a draft/paint cross. He has beautiful feathers and looks a bit like a gypsy vanner. He looked fun to ride. 

That evening I had a bit of stress moment. Ed had dinner ready for when we arrived but the horses needed the stalls done and to be fed, I had to drag the ring and the water pump for the barn decided to conk out. I thought that the well was dry (the barn has a dug well). And I also needed to make dessert. I felt a little overwhelmed and snapped at Ed when he came to tell me supper was done. I then went in the house and vented with my friends who then stepped up and helped get dinner on the table (Ed ws dealing with the pump) and threw dessert together. After a good meal I felt a little better. So next time I will plan a bit better. 

I had a better sleep Saturday night and Sunday was nice and sunny. I did groundwork with Carmen and then some in hand work while I practiced my centering and grounding. It was interesting to see how that worked on the ground as well as in the saddle. 

When Karen arrived I told her that I wanted to practice centering, grounding and growing at all three gaits so I can learn how to use it to control her speed/tension.  I also played a lot with my 'center/ball'. It was fascinating to see that visualizing the ball turning left or right resulted in Carmen turning left and right without me using leg or rein (at least not conciously). We were able to stay light in the contact throughout the whole ride with only a few times of her leaning.  

I was holding Irish while Julia practiced using her core 
to prevent being pulled forward in the saddle. Those lines are
Irish's whiskers because he kept photo bombing. FYI, that was
a great exercise 

From the trail clinic a few weeks ago I began to visualize our path as being on a 2 foot wide balance beam so that we wouldn't fall in. I find that visualization worked really well for both of us. But I struggled to keep both the ball and the track in my head at the same time. Then I started visualizing a marble track to combine the two and that worked really well for me. I said excitedly 'I got it! It's a mable track!' Which I then had to explain to Karen. She humoured me about this but honestly it went well. The idea is that my center was a marble running along a track. I suppose a bobsled track would be a similar idea. 

Looking much better

Here's a video of using centering, grounding and growing at the trot and walk to keep her from speeding up. I can definitely see a change in her coming back to me. This will really help us with our lengthens. 

And canter...

In this video I am asking her to come back to me and not speed off across the center line using my core. It's not perfect but it's so much better. 

And here I'm using my core to guide her on a smaller canter circle and then transition:

I was really happy with this lesson. I felt like I had developed some skills and made some progress. Plus I had a lot of fun with horse people. I will definitely do this again. 

Being Cut by Occam's Razor

A few weeks ago I was contemplating calling the vet to do an evaluation on Carmen. Our rides were deteriorating and bolting/ resisting was becoming more frequent. I couldn't figure out why. 

Then I headed to the Obstacle clinic and she was absolutely perfect. For example, on sunday we were standing beside another horse when a loud and strange noise happened outside the arena. The horse beside her began to freak out, she looked at him, blinked and then went back to standing with one leg cocked. 

Two days before she lost her shit over a sparrow outside the ring. I was sure it was something physical and I had numerous theories:

•  ulcers, even though treating for these wasn't working
• sore stifles- even though she wasn't lame and was able to spin on a dime
• tumour on her ovaries

But her behaviour that weekend put all these theories out of my head. 

Clearly the issue was me. 

I was so worried that she was hurting that I was too tentative in my asks and backed down when she protested. From this she learned to use her behaviour to get out of work. For the past two weeks I've been making sure that I'm very clear on what I'm asking and reward when she's trying. When she engages in her  negative behaviour I increase the pressure and don't back down until she softens. 

That lead to ride we had, frankly, a brawl. It was not pretty. 

But since that time we've been steadily improving. 

Nice and soft here, no sign of the brawling Carmen

Our rides consist of me being super clear and honest and having expectations that she will respond. In stead of worrying about her  tension I use it as a 'tell' and ask her to do something (usually bend). If she spooks we work hard in that area and, when she softens we move on. 

When things are good we stop and have a break. But even the break has a rule- we stay in the same spot until I pick up the reins and ask her to move. If she moves on her own I put her back, however many times it takes to get her to stand. 

You can't tell here but we're standing on a long rein. Last week she could no more stand here than I could stand on my head. Of course the heat wave has helped her to enjoy the shade. 

Shanea is very supportive of this and doesn't object when I stop and drop the rein as a reward. She's seeing how well Carmen is responding to this. 

We can now work on actual dressage things. Like trot to square halt transition.

and half-pass

The change in bit is helping too. She's more responsive and less likely to lean. 

She's becoming more focussed on what is happening inside the ring and less worried about outside. 

It's not perfect but it's much better. 

I should probably bummed that I was so wrong and made this so complicated. But I'm not. In fact I'm relieved. I've learned some important things about myself and Carmen. I've changed my mind set of Carmen being a 'spooky' horse to one of her being a sensitive and somewhat dominant mare. I've learned that I can actually sit her antics and make her work through them. I definitely couldn't do that before. 

Unless I'm completely wrong again. But what are the odds of that? 

Carmen: don't worry, I'll let you know when you're wrong. 

Me: Thanks. I think......

Summer Lovin': Lesson Recap

I had a lesson booked for early Saturday morning. Shanea came for dinner Friday night and and stayed over so we could have an early start.  It was nice to have time to chat and catch up. I brought her up to speed on the clinic and what we'd been working on. She was in agreement that I needed to be more clear and that Carmen's issues were behavioural and not physical.

Saturday dawned with blue skies and warm sun with the promise of heat later in the day. I was happy to be riding early. Truth be told, morning rides are my favourite anyway.

Carmen was pretty chill in the barn getting ready. This has been the case since we were away- she's quiet and not being at all pushy. I went through my groundwork checklist and then did some lunging. The task is simple- she's to stay in the gait I set for her and I leave her alone unless she breaks. Carmen has caught on to this pretty quickly. This time, at the canter she started to break and then was 'oh right, keep going' and then self-corrected. That made me happy.

I mounted and, you guys, she was so soft and easy.

screen shot from video

Shanea even commented that she'd never seen her start so soft before. I have to say that Carmen seems to be really liking this new bit. I find I can be a lot more refined in my cues. Also, interestingly, she's not opening her mouth or gaping. Look at how soft and happy she is here.

The lesson itself was nothing earth shattering but it was soooo nice to be working with a forward, happy horse rather than a bolting, spooking mess. Not that she wasn't tense at times- she was, but everything was so much easier.

remember when Carmen couldn't go in this corner without bolting or rearing?
yeah, me neither. Carmen has no idea what I'm talking about....

We made sure to give her breaks and rewards for when she was really good and kept working when she was resistant. She's definitely figuring that out. 

Shanea focussed on me keeping her underneath of me and stepping from behind. She definitely

felt less heavy. And she wasn't leaning on my hands and trying to steamroll around the ring. 

so could I stop leaning forward? but at least my hands are soft....

We did lots of trotting and walking. I didn't hear a lot of Shanea telling me to let go of the inside rein, so that's good. I also found that I was able to not be so heavy in the stirrups. 

yup, this corner is good too

It is amazing how much better you can ride when you are not worrying about being lawn darted into the ground.  

I just love this photo, everything looks so soft and happy. 

We worked on some leg yields with me keeping her on the outside rein. It was fun, even though it was starting to get hot. 

We finished up with some canter work. Carmen was starting to tire and began to demonstrate it by being a bit spooky at B. I know that this means she wants a break but I can't give her one for this behaviour. So we worked through it and then gave her a break. 

I was so happy with this lesson. It was awesome to be able to go to work and learn things without arguments. I know Shanea was happy and I'm pretty sure that Carmen is too. 

I know I have to continue being diligent but it feels wonderful to be on this path. 

reaching under with her hind leg and I'm actually sitting up. 

Intention, Expectation and the Road to Hell

It's been really warm the past few days with high humidity.

how to tell if it's humid out......

Carmen and I took Monday off. I used that day to catch up on a ton of chores: emptying the manure cart, cleaning tack, playing with Guinness (clearly the most important thing).

so much joy cannot be contained

I also spent time thinking about the clinic and my conversations with Nikki and Mike. My main take aways were that I needed to be really clear in what I was asking Carmen to do. I couldn't be distracted by other things. Which is easy when you are going over a narrow bridge. When I'm riding in the ring it's easy for my thoughts to wander. 

I also need to have expectations that Carmen listen to my aids and follow through. I'm pretty sure that I have been accepting of sloppy answers, which would make everything negotiable. 

also gardening- my hollyhocks have started blooming

Tuesday I wanted to ride early to beat the heat. It was still hot but not as much as it was going to be later.  I wanted to use some of the advice I had from the weekend. AS always, I started with groundwork and she was so soft and quiet in every spot of the ring. I mounted and she was fine again. We walked around and I made sure that I was being clear with my aids and to have a strong vision in my mind about what I wanted to do (walk the quarter line, bend through a 10 m circle etc). 

At the walk all was good. She had one spook in an area and I followed the advice to make that spot a work spot and when she began to try/listen reward and move on. Carmen was clearly a bit unsure about this but it went fine. Then I asked for a slow trot and the wheels began to come off. I won't bore you with the blow by blow but she began to ask me all sort of questions about my intent and whether it was reasonable. 

I stayed on task and she began to escalate. I found myself in a full on bolt. She was not scared, nor was she running from anything. I think she was doing what normally works to get me to back off except this time I didn't. It was actually a bit frightening- I had zero control and she was just leaning on the bit and going.  Since getting off was not an option I sat up and put my leg on steering her in a circle. I don't know how many circles we did (5? 10? 732?) but finally I pulled her up. I almost hopped off but didn't. 

I took a deep breath and went back to work.  It was, frankly, a bit of a shit show but I gritted my teeth and was clear that this was what I wanted and that was not the correct answer. The tricky part was to reward when did soften. And over the ride she began to soften again. When Ed asked me how my ride was I said 'great in the beginning, sucky in the middle and great at the end'. Which was accurate. 

That night I changed out the bit to one that is a bit thinner although still a broken snaffle with a peanut in the middle. I just need something with a bit more leverage because clearly she has no respect for the Stubben golden wing.  

Today I headed out early again. There was a plane circling around us for the whole ride (they were looking for an escaped fugitive but that's a different story. 2020 I am so fucking over you).  I started with groundwork, except this time instead of focussing on getting her relaxed I focussed on her working. I wondered if the groundwork was not translating to under saddle because the GW was all about relaxation and the riding was about work. So I asked her to work. Nothing major- just if I put you on a trot or canter on the lunge keep going until I say stop. 

tuesday's entertainment

This time mounted I felt much more focussed and aware of what I was doing. I made it crystal clear when it was what I wanted and when it wasn't. Listening led to a break (standing with a long rein). If she moved when I asked her to whoa I simply put her back. And then back. And back again until she would stand. 

Here's the interesting part- she spooked at nothing. I was paying particular attention to her signals that a spook might be coming and reacted immediately. I'm sure you wondering how I reacted? It depended- it usually starts with a stiffening so I asked her to bend and would not give up until she did. As soon as she bent a teeny bit I released. Timing of the release is so critical.  I visualized the straight line I wanted and made sure I got it. 

It was a completely different ride. I also noticed that she responded well to the new bit too. If I asked for a downward transition she was much more respectful of it. I was standing at G after doing a walk half-pass giving her a break on a long rein. We heard some children shouting next door and she tensed and lifted her head. I simply picked up the rein lightly and she immediately dropped her head and softened. With that I hopped off and gave her a pat. 

Clearly I have been too wishy-washy. Which I forgive myself for because I was worried that there was a physical issue. But now that I know that there is not I need to work on myself. 

I didn't take a photo during the ride but she could
have cared less bout the plane circling overhead- even
when it came quite low over top of us 

Clinic Report or Things That Make Me Go HMMMM

Last weekend I loaded up my trailer and Carmen and I headed off to a Trail Clinic with Mike and Nikki Porter. I've done one of these every year and LOVED them. Each time I go I leave with some new insights and confidence.

This time was going to be special because my two amazing friends, Paula and Karen, were also coming. I was looking forward to getting some insight into Carmen and what was going on. I was also worried that her behaviour would be off the charts. But I figured that it would be a great time to get their help.

The format of this clinic is pretty straightforward. We all meet early Saturday morning and talk about our horses and our goals. Then we are broken into the two groups. In the morning we all do groundwork. In the afternoon we practice the obstacles in hand and ride if we're ready. Sunday is a mix of in-hand and riding over the obstacles. Everyone gets attention from either Mike or Nikki. I have to say that it's totally worth the money. Not that it's expensive- it's not. Lunch is also provided.

Friday night I wanted to ride. I was a bit worried because the ring can be quite spooky. The far end is covered with a tarp and there is plastic covering windows that also have holes in them. Karen helped me and Carmen to stay on task but I was really tense which was not helping. I have to say that my self-confidence was at a low ebb.

Saturday morning and Carmen was feeling pretty

In the morning 'chat' I shared that I had been having some challenges with Carmen's behaviour and I was looking for insight. We then started our work in hand. I made sure to be at the far 'spooky' end. My groundwork skills are basically solid. Nikki gave me some good pointers to clean things up, which I really appreciated. We were asked to do this one exercise that I absolutely loved: 

Mike drew a rectangle about 8-10 feet away from each of us. The goal was to move the horse to that rectangle and have them stand there. Easy enough when you can lead the horse there. But we weren't allowed to change our position. It really made you focus on what you were asking and adjust the cues. It took a few minutes but then TA-DAH!

look at her- like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth
 (also you can see what  I mean about the far end being a spooky place) 

Carmen was soft and easy. Not completely but, really she was a doll. 

And that was how she was all weekend. Not a hoof out of place. No big explosions, no bolting, no balking. 

See: 

Standing in the water box:
Carmen: my toes are getting wet and this water is dirty
Me: just stand here, K?
Carmen: okay.
Mike: are you sure that this is the mare you described? 

celebrating a good day's work on Saturday. 

Sunday she was even better than Saturday. Perhaps I was too- definitely my confidence was up. 

Here's a video of us riding part of the pattern. 

Clearly her issues are not physical- if they were then it would also be present at the clinic. I spent some time over the weekend trying to explain what I was dealing with at home. They listened to me carefully. What they hypothesized is that Carmen is using this behaviour to escape work. And that I should make her work harder where she acts up. 

I also think that perhaps my intention is not always clear. 

Armed with this knowledge I feel that I can move forward. It's always a worry when you think you are making horse work when they are in pain. Now that that is off the list I can move ahead. I'm also on 2 weeks vacation so I can take as much time as it takes to work through our stuff. 

So, yay. 

I think. 

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

First of all I want to thank all of you who reached out to provide support.

And the reality check that things cannot always be unicorns and rainbows.

I've been riding since my last post and also, some days, just lunging. Goals for the rides have largely been:
1. working towards helping her relax while not backing down from my ask. Which is what I used to do. I would assume I was doing it 'wrong' and maybe I was but really it just taught her to be escalate (not that i did that all the time but should we talk about intermittent reinforcement schedules? Nah, let's just say we did).
2. Being careful with my aids so that I reward when she responds and that I don't nag with my aids or hang with my hands.
3. oh yeah, and work on adjustability in her stride and transitions off my seat.  You know, dressage sutff.

And it seems to be working. I am very black and white- this is acceptable. this is not. Some rides it takes a long time for to sigh and then just relax into the work. There is a lot of praise for that. Yesterday she was cranky from the get go and really wanted to hang on the rein and pull me along. We did a lot of  'follow the rein' and 'no, I'm not going to fight'. It becomes like a switch- one minute she's rampaging around and the next minute she gives this big sigh, drops her head and everything relaxes.

turns out you can order this on Amazon. Or buy it life size like I did.....

Sigh. Mares are hard.

The key is very similar to raising teenage girls. Don't get sucked into the drama and do not agree that that bush  is highly suspicious. Stay calm and relaxed. Which is easy to say but harder when you are riding 1100+ pounds of mare who's telegraphing that she's about to launch into the next county.  But doing so keeps the pot on a simmer and not a roiling boil. And training is often just putting in the miles and on task.

Today I rode and she started tight but was trying really hard to listen. We had some great work at teh walk so we headed out to hack. At first she was tight again but soon was on the buckle. Of course Irish led the whole way. For those who think I should hack more, I'd love to but I only do it with someone. I don't have wide open spaces to deal with a bolt- instead I would be in a tree or down a gully and I don't fancy that. 

I think I just need to persevere.  I suspect hormones are causing some problems. I don't think it's ulcers because A. I work hard on prevention and B. she gets better in the ride not worse.

Starting tomorrow I'm on 2 weeks vacation which will be wonderful. I am headed off to a trail clinic this weekend and I'm looking forward to getting Mike and Nikki's perspective too.

Summer Blues

I know that it's been a long time since I posted. To be honest, like many of you, I am in a bit of a funk. Partly it's simply 2020. The other part has been that there has been a regression in Carmen's behaviour. I wasn't feeling up to writing about it because you will all think I suck. But what's the point of a blog if I can't be honest? So here goes.

She's been quite difficult to ride and we've had a few 'come to jesus' moments.

It's not been fun.

As always, with horses it's a struggle to figure out if something is physical or behavioural. I began her on ulcer meds but it really didn't seem to make a difference.

I won't bore you with details of all my rides. Roughly they consist of good moments with bits that are total shit shows: retracted neck, tight body often followed by a spin and bolt.  Or balking with threats to run backwards or go up. Note: Carmen has never reared on me. She has felt light in front and I've reached forward and bopped her on her poll which put the end to that.

After a particularly frustrating ride I was pretty bummed. I did some deep thinking and I realized that I was giving Carmen power over my emotions. I wouldn't let anyone else dictate my feelings in that way. I knew that I couldn't let that continue or else we would continue in our downward spiral. Also, there has also been lots of good things in our training and I can't just focus on the negative (which is totally against my goals).

I took a step back and began to spend some time grooming her. She responded well to that so there may be a bit of pressure related. It is possible that I was focussing too much on work and not enough on relationship stuff.

the weather is getting warm so I braid her mane to help keep her cool

Shanea wanted me to try lunging her in side reins. I had been resistant because it's easy to teach a horse to lean. But what she wanted to do was to get Carmen to learn to reach for the bit without a person on her back. I tried it during a lesson so that Shanea could help me. What we realized was that as soon as the side reins went on Carmen became tight and defensive. Which makes me wonder if she had them in the past. However, we kept them quite long and with some work she began to reach for the bit.

in side reins- see the umbrella? Shanea brought it for sun shade
and it caused a kerfuffle. So we did some work with it. 

within 5 minutes she went from bolting to being bored with the whole thing.
That is one thing I know how to do with her. 

The lesson was useful because Shanea was able to see the groundwork I do and how calm Carmen is before I get on. At a spot that was perfectly fine on the ground she flatly refused to go by. I had to get quite harsh with her - pressure on until I felt her think forward and then take it off.

I tried it again today and she started the same. This time I loosened the side reins even more and she began to stretch and reach for the bit. It got me wondering if Carmen really has a good understanding of contact. Which is stupid to be wondering at this point in her training I realize but hey, better late than never.

My ride today was also really good. She had one bobble at the same spot as yesterday but i gave her a squeeze and a tap and she went forward and that was the end of it. The ride was really good and every time she retracted her neck I kept the reins out there and put my leg on (or gave her a kick) to send her to the bit. My defence mechanisms tend to kick in when she gets tight because I'm anticipating a bolt and want to stop it. One day I might be over that tendency.

it was so hot yesterday. But I love this movement- she's so light in front (in a good way)

I still don't know if we're getting through this bobble or it's just a temporary truce. But I feel better about things. To quote John Legend:

"What's going on in that beautiful mind?

I'm on your magical mystery ride
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me
But I'll be alright

My head's under water
But I'm breathing fine
You're crazy, and I'm out of my mind

How's your summer going?

Object Permanence

My rides recently have been a bit, well, mercurial.

I've had rides where she's been sweet and calm and rides where you would think her tail was on fire.

Now it's not unusual for Carmen to get a bit anxious when all the grass and leaves are in and start blowing in the breeze.

I also know that her nature is to be reactive and sensitive. I have zero expectations that one day she'll be completely zen and relaxed. To me, that is as unrealistic as expecting an person with anxiety to 'just get over it'.

from my lesson last friday- starting off tight but trying

That said, I also do not put up with her being a completely irrational during our rides. The trick, of course is to find a balance. I try to figure out where she's at and meet her there so we can work through it.

That works the majority of the time.

better

My riding has improved quite a bit- I say that without arrogance or pride, it's just a fact. So the things that would unseat me or frighten me don't so much now. Shanea tells me to keep my legs on and not back off- that's when she gets me. Carmen has a powerful neck and shoulders and she knows how to use them. It used to be impossible for me to stop her but not so much. Not that she doesn't get away but it's much shorter lived. 

This week I had a ride that was lovely and then a ride where she was a complete and utter cow. And I don't say that lightly. She was fixated on the far bushes and everything I asked was just too much. She was hanging on the bit and using that for leverage to cart me all around. I had to get quite harsh at times to get her to stop (like I'm glad there's no media harsh). 

not hanging on the bit

Before you start thinking that I was picking on a scared horse, let me stop you. Carmen has three spooks: 

#1. genuine startle and frightening. When this happens so looks to me ' OMG, what do we do?' And when I say 'just this' she settles and listening. 

#2. I'm tired and want to stop working. This happens because in the past her behaviour made me back off. It doesn't now and this rarely pops up and, when it does, we work through it pretty quickly. 

#3. Anticipatory: it's like she comes out looking to worry and then, when something happens (like a goldfinch flying by) she will give a big spook and then bolt. In this mood she can become 100% fixated on an area and becomes quite unrideable. 

#3 was what I was dealing with in that ride. I wasn't even trying to get her to go near the area of worry. I was simply riding her in a circle but she was so fixated and I had zero attention. When she couldn't spin and bolt she would hang on the bit. 

From our last lesson, working on half-halts

I picked up a canter on a 20 metre circle and every time she became strong and tried to cart me off I would turn her in a 10 metre circle. After numerous circles (omg, so dizzy) she finally breathed and softened and we could ride. 

I halted her and she waited for me to dismount. When I didn't right away she began to paw. I took my dressage whip and every time she pawed I snapped her on the leg. She stopped and then began to try to pull the reins from my hands. I bridged the reins and still sat. Finally she sighed and cocked a foot. I sat a little longer and then hopped off. 

In the barn I had her ground tied while I got the hose ready. I saw her looking out the open door. 

Go ahead I said, if you leave I'm not chasing you. You are welcome to go find someone else who will look after you better than me. 

She breathed and then said fine, I guess I'll stay. 

What I realized was that our issue was one of attention. Carmen was attending to me when she chose. When she was interested in something else I was far down the list of things to attend to. It was like I wasn't even there anymore. 

The next day I took her up to the ring to do a groundwork session. The goal was simple- to have her attend to me and, when distracted to respond to my request to me. I used her ears as my cue. If the nearest ear flicked to me when I asked I would stop my demands. If she didn't respond I upped my ask. As Tristan would say 'ask a question that deserves an answer'. 

It was pretty simple, I had her on a circle. when she fixated on something I gently lifted the whip towards her. If her ear flicked, it went back down. If it didn't I immediately stepped towards her, disengaged her hind end and then sent her back. 

It was hard work. I had to be really consistent and very very clear. I played with increasing the pressure but that seemed too gray. So I had it very simple- ask soft, ask strong, get response, stop, rest, repeat. 

Today, before I rode I repeated the work from Monday. Clearly she remembered- her shift of attention  to me was immediate and fast. When I rode I kept my crop with me so when I needed her attention I waved it and her ear flicked back immediately. The one time it didn't I disengaged her hind end and that was that. 

The nifty thing was that by the end of the ride I just had to gently squeeze a rein and her ear would flick back. Even when worried about things, by having one ear on me her tightness and stiffness was not as bad. That's because horses are not good multi-taskers. Of course neither am I. 

It's nice to know that she realizes I'm up there. 

even when watching out for  trip hazards

And one more thing: My son returned from the middle east earlier this month. He had to quarantine for 2 weeks but that was over last week. He and Ripley were reunited and it was so sweet. 

If this doesn't warm your heart you need to seek help

Hot Stuff

This week we had a heatwave roll through. The temperatures were higher than what we typically get in July. My thermometer was registering at 37 at one point (98 Fahrenheit).  I had a lesson booked for 1:00 on Friday. Shanea texted me to see if I still wanted to do it and I said yes.

I know it was super hot but in my defence, Carmen doesn't mind the heat as much as I do. We also did a lot of walk breaks. Shanea gave a lesson focussing on being precise and clear in my aids. Carmen has been a bit tight and reactive earlier in the week. I even started her back on some omeprazole and it has made an improvement. With the rain we had the week before and then the heat I think that the grass has changed.

It was super hot but she looked good

Anyway, the goal was to have her soft and bending and responsive to the aids. Through the ride Carmen would get tight and hard on the bit and my job was to bend and soften her. If she barged through and got hard and fast I was to half-halt and, if that didn't work, halt. A couple times she tried to spin and bolt. The spin was successful but not the bolt. It was helpful to be reminded to keep the aids fluid and not just hang on the bit in the futile hope that she would magically soften and come through.

not bad here

It was very much a bread-and-butter lesson but it was very useful. I believe that there can never be too much time on the basics. We did a lot of shoulder in. A lot. But it kept her straight on the aids and decreased the chance that she would spook. 

 One thing that has been a bit of an issue is to keep her balance through the canter-trot transition. Like many horses, the tendency is to fall on the forehand and plow through. But these are getting much better. Of course we could only do a few and then break. 

We also did a few trot half-passes. Well we tried anyway. Which is better than not trying.

not a bad reach with her front and I'm not all over the place

We finished with a little walking and then stopped. When I dismounted I realized how hot I was. Carmen enjoyed her hosing off quite a bit. The next day I rode earlier and it was a pretty good ride.

Carmen was pulling a bit of stuff but nothing major and I kept her one the aids. After the ride I hosed her and then Irish off. The poor guy was really minding the heat. Later that day I was filling the water trough and the horses were standing nearby. He looked so hot, I turned the hose on him, starting with his legs. He stood there and then turned towards me and then the other side so I could hose that off too. Carmen even let me hose her off without leaving.

The heat wave ended on sunday. I don't really want it to be that hot every day but I did enjoy sitting on the deck reading and sipping some iced tea.

Not Sloppy Seconds: Lesson Recap

If all had gone according to plan, this would be the first show of the year. Of course, this is not normal times. 

wait, what irresponsible person just lets her horse graze free?

I honestly thought I'd be more upset about it. Turns out I am okay about it. I do miss all my friends though and maybe by the time of the second show I'll feel different. For now, though, I'm enjoying working with Carmen. 

Well, sort of. 

You see, earlier this week Carmen became really spooky with all the stuff that comes with it: tension, bolting, refusing to listen. I had two very horrible rides. Both times we ended up in a, well, not exactly good place, but a better one anyway. 

I did a lot of thinking about it and realized that it might be feed related. I have had to put Carmen on a diet because she has been putting on weight. I was worried about her vitamin needs and so I put her back on the supplement I had her on earlier. I thought with the reduced intake of feed it would be okay. But it really is not. So I stopped it. 

Today I had a lesson booked and Julia came out to ride with us. We started with a hack (just like the last rides) and it was clear that Carmen was much more settled. We did the whole hack on a loose rein.  We arrived back at the ring at the same time as Shanea. I explained what we had been dealing with and then we headed out to work. 

The purpose was to keep her with me. Because she was so much better that was a lot easier than it had been. Not that we were without issues. 

In case you want to see a close up:

There were good moments too- in fact far more good than bad. Although this capture makes me laugh: 

if dressage doesn't work out maybe we could be a cutting team

Shanea had me use shoulder fore while riding serpentines and she became supple and quiet. 

It was a great feeling to have things work. 

nice halt. I'm giving her a pat for being such a good girl

We practiced our walk-canter transitions. To the right they were really good. To the left she became a bit frazzled with anticipation and worry. So I stopped and let her set her rabbits free. I then picked up the reins and we started again. After a few walk-trot transitions I asked her to canter. She would get flat and lean on the bit. Shanea had me practice cantering from the halt. It was cool to practice it and feel the lift. 

Carmen was being so good that we decided to finish up with practicing turn on the haunches. I hate to say it, but I am just not getting it. I was getting frustrated so I asked Shanea to hop up and work on it with Carmen so that she could figure it out and I could see it. 

Carmen: what is this bullshit? I thought I was done

It was good to watch Shanea work with her. I was relieved that it wasn't easy (does that make me a bad person?) but it was interesting to watch them work through and see Carmen start to understand. I took some video to study. 

It was a really enjoyable lesson and a lot of fun was had. I think I am okay if this year is all about the schooling and not showing. 

Carmen: How much schooling are you planning on?
I'm exhausted and clearly wasting away to nothing