Time to Go

 There’s always that moment when you’re getting ready for horse show and you stop and wonder ‘this is a lot of work. Why am I even doing this?’ 

But it’s too late. The horses are bathed, the truck and trailer are packed. I’ll have fun once I’m there. 

Why yes I have packed like FIVE saddle pads

It’s time to do the thing. 

Answering Questions

 One thing I love about my lessons is taking what I learned and seeing how well I apply it when working on my own. Having a rapidly approaching show also lends a little motivation.  Last week lessons were cancelled so my friend Tanya and I decided to work together. She came to my place and gave me her observations and coaching on Carmen and I then went to her place and did the same. It was a lot of fun and very useful.  

Riding with a loose rein was a game changer. However, Carmen came into heat last week and that made her more challenging. It quickly became apparent that she was taking total advantage of my loose rein to careen around and blow off any half-halt. I decided to take up my outside rein and give the inside when I can and, as she settled into the work, giving both.  When I explained it to Jane at our lesson this week she agreed with me and said 'you need to ride the horse you have not the horse you had yesterday'. 

pretty girl standing almost square

I really like how Stacy Westfall talks about horse training. She doesn't use terms like disobedience or resistance. Instead she likes to frame it in terms of horses asking questions. What I like about this approach is that it helps me to reframe my response from 'winning' to finding the answer for the horse. I'm not sure if that makes sense so let me give an example:

Today in my ride Quaid was definitely bending to the outside and resisted my attempts to bend hin. I could definitely use my rein but that really just moves the neck/head. His body was staying pretty hard against my leg. When I put my inside leg on he simply went faster. So I wondered if he really wasn't understanding that one leg means 'move away' and two legs are 'go forward'. He wasn't being disobedient, he was giving me the response he thought was correct.  I did some work on the circle and it was better but still felt like I wasn't explaining it well. So I went to a walk leg yield. After our 3rd one I could feel him go 'ooooh, I get it now'.  Not that I think we're done with that lesson but I like to get something better and then leave it. 

his trot is really coming

Carmen asks lots of questions, lol.  In our lesson yesterday we focussed on half-halts and getting her off the inside leg (the theme for this summer I believe). Jane helped us by having us do lots of leg yields that are more sideways then forward. Then when we were on the rail she would tell me to do a small leg yield and I felt Carmen shift right over. 

I had one ride where Quaid was quite spooky at one corner. Like 'nope not going there' spooky. I almost dismounted but realised that was because I was worried about him acting like Carmen 5 years ago. He's not like that. Instead he was just telling me that something there made him uncertain and do we really have to go there? So I took a breath and just did what I know: work elsewhere, use that to rest and gradually get to work in that corner. The next day you wouldn't know that there was even a problem there. I was glad to work though it because at our show I'm sure that he'll have a few worries.  

I didn't canter on the spooky day but did the next because he felt far more ready. I love this video (thanks Julia) because he's just so soft and trying so hard. 

Carmen and I worked really hard in our lesson on Friday. She was feeling less challenging but still a bit spicy. Nothing too horrible but our half-halt in the canter was non-existent. Which really impacted our counter canter. Jane was having us ride a 3 loop serpentine with the middle loop being counter canter. I realised that I had to half-halt strongly as we went across otherwise she would get heavy and pull on the forehand.  After a few on the right we went to the left and it was effortless. Unfortunately my phone ran out of battery power but I did get some footage of some earlier work. 

To be completely truthful I am a little worried about showing 2 horses next weekend over 2 days. But Julia will be helping me.  For Quaid I am just looking to get hin in the ring and answer his questions as he learns about his job. We can definitely do the two intro tests (which are just walk/trot in the small dressage court). What is new is the location not the work. I fully expect that thee will be bobbles and will be happy if I can give him a positive experience. 

 I will happily take a last place ribbon because it means we answered all the questions. 

Look Ma, No Hands

 Summer is speeding along and the weather has been mostly nice. Ed and I went away for a week to Newfoundland. It was a great trip, I highly recommend everyone go. We ate a lot and hiked a lot and explored. It was lovely to get away just the two of us. 

The view from a hike just outside St. John's

About a week before we were to leave I saw a juvenile rooster at the end of our driveway. I suspect he was dumped. I started leaving food out for him and set out a live trap but he was too canny for that and every night he would disappear into the ditch. I tried to find his roosting spot at night but was unsuccessful. Everyday he spent a little more time with the girls. Right before we were to leave I spied him with them in the run and I quickly and stealthily snuck up and shut the door. I had the farm sitter leave them locked up for a few days so he got used to his new home.  I have to say he's settled in quite nicely and appears to be particularly fond of Thelma. We never wanted a rooster but what can you do? 

From left to right: Henry, Natasha and Thelma

When we got back the horses and I picked right up where we left off.  After such a successful clinic I decided to take the plunge and entered Quaid into the show at the end of the month. We're signed up for Intro A & B, which are walk-trot tests in the small ring (20x40). I am okay to scratch if things feel like too much but I think we can do it. I'm not fussed about the score or satin, it's really just to show him his job. 

Last Sunday I was able to sign up both horses for a lesson with Jane. We started with Quaid and it was amazing. I don't have media because my phone only has enough juice for about 90 minutes recording so I decided to save it for Carmen's. 

Jane was clear that I tend to freeze when I ride Quaid. And she's right, I worry so much about doing the wrong thing that I do nothing. Which isn't, surprisingly enough, helpful. Jane had me ride Quaid forward. Which was a lot faster than I thought. Our trot felt really fast but it wasn't.  Jane was on me to use my feel so when I ask him to go forward I don't push too much. I, of course, screwed that up a few times but Jane just had us roll with it. We did a lot of canter and, because he was forward int he trot,  it felt more balanced than it has.  I was in a light seat and kept my hands down and it felt good. I was actually sorry that I didn't have video. 

the best boy

Then it was Carmen's turn. This lesson blew my mind a little. Jane wanted me to ride with little contact and use my seat and legs to bend her. It was hard to not take the inside rein. Like impossible. I don't know why Jane doesn't get really frustrated with me but she just keeps reminding me. At one point I actually dropped the reins to prevent myself. But Jane told me not to do that, I needed to have the reins and keep my hands forward. 

look at her carrying herself with a loose rein

Carmen was really intrigued by this lesson and was really good. I doubt we could have done this last year and definitely not two years ago. She'd have taken the loose rein as permission to dodge all over the place.  Transitions were to be without pressure on the reins.  in the photo below we were coming from canter to trot with the loose rein. Look at her going forward and reaching under. 

Here are some videos if you want to see:

I get such a kick out of Jane's triumphant 'HA' when Carmen just gives these lovely transitions.  Once again we jump forward in our work and it feels so good. 

Riding Away: Carmen the Magnificent Edition

 Fortunately Carmen is not too annoyed for not telling you about her brilliant performance yet. I told her that I needed to go through all the video first.  

What is interesting about Carmen is how great a traveller she has become. She hesitated going in the barn yard first bit otherwise self-loaded and was happy in her new stall. Once she chewed everything out first. And that all translated into her rides. My lesson was shortly after we arrived. 

Initially I thought that the purpose of our lesson was to get off the outside rein. But I realized that was incorrect- it was to get on the outside rein. Hear me out- I can ( at least in theory) let go of the inside rein but that doesn’t mean that has contact on the outside. We could just be prancing around on 2 loose reins. 

Jane was very committed that I was to get her to take contact on the outside rein and then ask her to flex or bend to the inside. She explained that when Carmen’s head tilted it was because she wasn’t through to the outside. 

Honestly, it was exactly the precise lesson I needed. At first Carmen would simply bend to the outside. Turns out I had to use my leg to help her, but even if she didn’t bend, I was not allowed to take the inside until I had her on the outside. Up at the far end were sone stacks of hay.  I put on my outside rein and she went ‘ooh snacks!’ And grabbed a mouthful. I burst out laughing. 

Carmen: how come our ring doesn’t have a buffet?

As the lesson progressed I began to understand how important this work is. And Carmen began to understand about the outside rein as well. And she began reaching for the bit. 

Love this capture of Jane, us and the other clinic participants. It takes a

This work resulted in Carmen becoming soft and, well the only word I can think of is pliable. Or transitions became so fluid. Our canter was soft and balanced. You could barely hear her footfalls. 

Here’s a brief clip: 

We’d been doing shoulder in off and on through the lesson.  It always feels like it requires lots of support. At the end of the lesson we did ones that gave me goosebumps. They felt perfect. Unfortunately, my Pivo quit videoing by then so I have zero proof. But Jane thought they were good enough for us to end on. So there’s that. 

Carmen enjoyed her hose off and I turned them both out to enjoy some grass  in the barn Carmen was being admired by cute gelding  she accepted his admiration as her due but let him know she was tolerating his presence  when he left she was annoyed  ‘Hey, I wasn’t done being pissy with you!’ 

So much mare face

Julia rode Carmen the next day.  I realized that somewhere along the line she is becoming a schoolmaster. She was really good through the whole lesson and didn’t pull any stunts like she has in the past with her.  I was so proud of both of them.  

Riding Away (Baby Genius Edition)

 Last weekend Carmen, Quaid and I went to a dressage clinic with Coach Jane.  It was a 3 day clinic but we only did 2 of the days. I bathed both of them on Friday and packed up the truck and trailer. In the morning we left early, right after feeding (and morning coffee because that makes it better for everyone). It was zero trouble to load by myself. The clinic was about 45 minutes away an easy commute. When I arrived I had help to unload which was much appreciated. Carmen was a bit uncertain to come into the barn at first but then she decided she owned the place so it was all fine. Quaid followed along like the good boy he is. 

Quaid: well this is new
(sort of, he was  here last September)

 I rode both horses on Saturday and just Quaid on Sunday.  I'm going to break this up for both horses and thought it would be fun to start with the baby genius.  Quaid's first lesson was in the afternoon at 2:00.  I got him ready and walked him down by the ring to hang out before we went in.  As we got closer and he could hear Jane over the speaker the noise of Suzi & Tanya working in the ring he got very excited. Like tail over the back snorting like a dragon excited. Well, it might just be a lunge lesson.... I thought. 

There's a grass ring outside the arena and I worked him there until we had a bit of a brain and he remembered that he was a horse not a kite (note: I never run a horse off its legs but sometimes you have to balance the focus with letting them move their feet).  Soon enough it was time for us to go in. By then he had settled a lot and we did a little work in the arena before I got on. I didn't set up my Pico for this lesson because I had left my phone in the barn and just didn't want to add that to my already busy brain. So there is no media for this lesson. 

so here's a cute photo of him and his bff Archie

The ride was very exciting for both of us but probably not for anyone else. He was super excited and very forward which is not how we are at home so we hadn't schooled the slowing down too much. Turns out that simply hauling on the reins is not the answer to that. Letting him go forward and using my voice, seat and outside rein is the way. Oh and relax things, don't be so tight. Breathing is also good.  But honestly he did so well. I could feel him working really hard to hold it together. But he did hold it together as did I and by the end we were walking and trotting and not looking like an octopus being ridden by a crab.  I hosed him off and put him and Carmen out into a small grass paddock to relax.  I'm pretty sure by then he mentally and physically tired and was over this idea of working for a living.  But I was happy to note that the stress hives did not appear. 

That evening we all had a potluck dinner with lots of great food, laughter and chatter. I drove home, leaving the horses at the barn and was sound asleep before 10:00. 

The next day our lesson was at 10:00 a.m. Quaid looked quite happy and he was eating everything.  I got him ready and walked him down to the ring to hang out again. He was a completely different horse. Still a bit excited but not overwhelmed. We stood outside the ring relaxing and he got to see Tanya and Suzi go around. He even had a pee while we waited, which made me laugh. This time I did set up the Pivo so there's media.  

In the interest of honesty, I'm going to share some media from the lesson. I know there's a lot I need to fix. My habit of tightening my arms and raising my hands took over. I realise that this from my own tension. When you're riding a green horse (and not a professional) it feels really vulnerable. I am reasonably sure I know what he's going to do but I'm not completely confident that he won't 'blow'. That and the fact that a green horse feels different every stride has made me ride more defensively. As an AA I will own that and simply say that I'm working on it. And probably will until I die or stop riding (whichever comes first). #ridingishard

Quaid was fascinated with the mirrors in a really adorable way. On Saturday he wanted to put his nose on the mirror and blow on his reflection. You could see him trying to figure out who this horse was. 

mounting while he checked himself out

The lesson was a continuation from Saturday with Jane being much more honed in on me using my aids correctly and not just calming me down (which makes me sound like I was a wreck on Saturday which I don't think I was, but in all honesty I don't remember a lot of the ride Saturday so....*shrug*). 

I did a lot better letting go of the inside rein and being comfortable asking him to walk forward. When he broke to trot I was to let him and ride him forward. If he got fast I need to slow my posting. Which, like I KNOW but totally forgot I knew. 

I love this, I'm giving and he's reaching

There were a couple steering failures. Once I tried to trot him across the diagonal away from the in-gate and he did not want to go that way. It caught me off guard because we trot across the diagonal all the time but we regrouped and carried on.  The video below is some of our good work. 

Jane had us going in a nice trot and then told me that when I was ready to ask for canter. Which he got excited and I got defensive and we had a total communication break down. 

Quaid: LET GO OF ME
Me: STOP CAREENING 

But do you know what was great? We had our. moment, went back to trot and he settled right down and forgave me. Here's a video if you want a giggle. It felt a lot more 'eeek' then it looked: 

Which honestly was my takeaway from watching the video. In the moment of riding it felt largely unbalanced and I felt like I was awful. When I watch it he's actually pretty steady and his focus is phenomenal.  Especially when I remember that he's just 4 and this is like our 46th ride. 

I told Jane that I didn't think I was feeling confident enough to canter this weekend. She told me not to worry and she was working with me. Which I knew. I know she wasn't trying to push me too far out of our comfort zone and I totally trust her. I'm glad we tried it. I was just giving feedback on how I'm feeling. 

At the end of the lesson Jane said that we need to remember that riding a youngster makes us feel and look less skilled then when we ride a schooled horse.  Riders need a ton of experience on backing horses to look balanced and fully competent (not that she was calling me incompetent. At least I don't think so, lol) Which is 100% true. It has been a real experience having a baby again. I doubt I'll do it again but don't think I regret Quaid. I absolutely do not. I'm loving this experience with him.  I can see the horse he's going to mature to be and it's amazing. I all ready feel safer on him than I did on Carmen even 2 years ago. He tries so hard and is a kind horse. It was good to take him away and see how he amped he can get and work thought it with him. I think it's good for him to keep getting these experiences so he has confidence in himself.  Like I said, this time he never showed any hives and never stopped eating. Which tells me he's less stressed by going places. 

Quaid holding court

No End in Sight

 Way back when I first started riding with Jane I made a comment in this blog along the lines of 'I know I'll plateau at some point but for now I'm enjoying the progress'. 

Jane told me after that I was not going to plateau, not on her watch. And she has not been wrong. I've been riding with her now since 2021 and I don't want it to end.  Honestly, it seems that every lesson I have I say 'that was the best gait or movement yet'.  According to Jane, if you continue to show up and do the work there is no plateau, there is only moving ahead. 

This weekend I have a 2 day clinic with Jane at Krista's place (about 40 minutes away) and both horses are going in it. I'm excited because: 

1. I'll be riding with friends

2. Having 2 days in a row helps move things ahead

3. Quaid will have lessons away. 

I had to write out my goals for the clinic for both horses and here's what I wrote: 

Carmen: Continue to work on forward, straightness and self-carriage.  Julia will be riding Carmen on Sunday but I'll have her on Saturday. 

Quaid: be able to work in anew location, straightness and rhythm, improve walk-trot transitions, canter work. 

two horses getting ready for work but 
with very different feelings about it

Of course, once you write down goals it's impossible to not think about them in the rides leading up to the clinic.  Quaid continues to impress me with his basic ridableness (new word but I like it. If it irritates you maybe ridability is a better word. Spellcheck doesn't recognise either one).  I can ride him with Carmen or alone and he's fine. It's not that he's not sensitive. He is, I would argue, as sensitive as Carmen. But his reaction differs. While Carmen tends to do the big spook/spin/bolt his are more a quick splay of the legs or small scoot and then back to work.  The other day Julia was riding Carmen and she had lots of feelings to express. Quaid reacted to none of it. Even when she did a big spook/bolt he barely flicked an ear. He does worry about going by her in the ring but that's just it- he worries and then does the thing.  At one point I said to Julia, would you like to trade horses and ride the easier one?  Which is hilarious given that she's 14 and he's 4. 

Today I put out 3 trot poles. I hand walked and trotted him over them then did them under saddle. I expected some tripping/stepping on the poles at the trot. Instead he looked at them and was very careful with his feet. We only did a few passes over them and I let it alone. 

Carmen with some feelings over walking into contact

now she's over it

Yesterday we went out hacking with Julia and Carmen after our work. He was great, following along. Today I wanted to see if he'd let me open the gate to leave. He was unsure and once the board fell and he scooted. But then we went back and, step by step, opened the gate and stood there waiting. I looked at Julia and said 'I should be in the dirt and he should be over there' . But Quaid likes to think his way through pressure which is great.  Then he led the entire hack out. I was super impressed. 

leading is a great way to get him 
to being able to be solo

I know that Quaid's progress is a result of his basic temperament and all the work I've done. Like I've said, he's quite sensitive and could be, I think, pushed into being a hot horse. Our canter work is our biggest issue right now. Partly a balance issue and partly me letting go. I definitely need some help with it before it becomes a thing.  We may not be able to work on that at the clinic but I will book a lesson soon at home to focus on that. 

Carmen is also the result of her temperament and the hard work I've done (with so much help thank god). Last week I actually took her out on a solo hack. I have done that at times but with a feeling of taking my life in my hands which is not fun. Now I have confidence in my riding ability and her understanding to not worry overmuch. 

When I first titled this blog 'Journey with a Dancing Horse' I didn't really understand how much of a journey this really is and how exciting it is to discover what's around the bend. 

The Economy of Riding

 If you clicked on this thinking I was going to give you some wonderful wisdom about making horses and this sport affordable, you are going to be severely disappointed.  And while there are some things that save money it really is all relative and, let's face it, horses are incompatible with a life filled with fine wine, food and travel unless you have a small fortune of your own.  And you probably shouldn't control it because it will just result in more expensive horses and equine related purchases. ...

no regrets though

So, yeah, I got off on a little tangent there. Sorry. 

Anyway, this is more about riding in this heat and making training sessions short and economical in terms of training.  With the heat and humidity resulting in high temperatures I'm finding I can usually one get one ride in and for only about 30 minutes. 

Cordelia waiting for me to fill the pool

It's made me more focussed and spending much less time fussing. Instead I get on and we get on with it.  Of course Quaid still requires a few minutes of groundwork. Or I do. But whatever.  Knowing that we have limited time means that I can pick a few things to work on and so I need to prioritise. With Quaid I'm keeping the focus on forward, straight and our walk/trot transition. It is improving but it takes some concentration. He has a habit now of lifting his front and hopping into the trot rather than pushing. He does it when lunging so it's not just me causing it.  I need to make sure we have a marching walk and then ask him to pick up the trot. If he tries to do it fast he'll launch so I let him have the time to sort out his feet and not get after him to respond quicker.  The nice thing is that when I correct him he figures it out.   

Today I noticed that he was getting distracted and even spooked. I realised that I was not occupying his interest enough so I needed to be asking more. As soon as I did that he flipped his focus back to me and we carried on with a good ride. Quaid minds the heat more than Carmen. And the deer flies really bother him.  As soon as they start swarming I try to finish up pretty quickly so I'm not torturing him. I haven't put his fly sheet on because it's so hot. 

With Carmen I've been focussing on her responding to my half-halts. A lot of the time she'll completely blow them off and lean on the bit. As soon as Jane dialled in on this for us I realised how much I was letting her decide if she wanted to rebalance or not. So now I'm not and she's not always happy with me even though she's a lot more balanced.  Funnily enough, since I've been working on her rebalancing our canter-walk transitions have improved tremendously. 

After our rides I hose her off and let her graze while I put her tack away. When she's ready to go back in the field and I'm not done she'll come in and find me. 

Carmen: I have to do everything around here!

Carmen doesn't mind the heat as much as Quaid does so we sometimes finish hot and sweaty.  Which is why I typically have only ridden one of them. Today I rode both because it was cloudy. By the time I was done with Carmen I had to peel off my breeches. 

I've been enjoying the short, focussed rides a lot. No more endless walking and seeing if Carmen feels ready to trot. We walk, and then get on with it. I think she likes it better too, but it's Carmen so I'm reading between the lines here.  

How have you been dealing with the heat?