It's been a while since my post. I've had a few ideas but didn't actually write them. I'm a bad blogger. November has been the Novemberest November in a long time. So much rain or cold. I actually gave up on keeping the horses naked this year and put on blankets. Carmen is happy with this development but Quaid doesn't think he needs it. My problem is that there's been so much rain. Even on days that haven't called for it and they end up wet and cold.
But on Sunday I was able to have the long awaited lesson on Quaid. We started back to some light work once he was almost done with his antibiotics. He's shown zero complications from his most recent anaplasmosis infection. Our rides have been sporadic (see November comment above) but Jane understands and she's really good with working with what we present to her. I just replaced my ancient and failing iPhone 12 with 17 pro and I have to say I love the quality of the video and screen grabs. It also doesn't die half-way through my lesson which is a huge plus. This means I had video for the whole ride!
*almost* square at the halt.
Jane right away got after me to not keeping a steady contact and not using my legs effectively. I've fallen into the habit of 'nudge, nudge, nudge rather than squeezing him. I don't even know I do it. Jane was really after me to stop kicking him! And stop throwing the rein. Keep it steady, ask for straightness and squeeze with my legs to go forward.
Quaid had some feelings about this. He was generally happy about the kicking going away but had zero idea of what to do with me squeezing. And why wasn't I giving him free rein through transitions? Jane was after me to soften but not throw away the contact. Because then he falls on to his front legs and doesn't carry behind.
my handss are uneven here but not looking too bad
In watching the video of the lesson after I realised that I had been really focussed on riding him forward but not recognising when it was simply fast and falling on his front end. But on the good side, I didn't have to push him too much for energy. Now it's about balancing it.
see me kicking here? It's very light but still annoying I'm sure
As to be expected with young horses finding their balance he was would be above the vertical, behind the vertical and perfect. Above was find, behind was not because he was evading contact. The answer, as always, was to half-half and squeeze to get to follow the bit. Also to keep my outside rein steady.
sometimes I held too much and he was not happy. But, can we appreciate my seat in this? lol We had our moment, landed, and carried on.
We did a lot of sitting trot. Far more than I have done on him. It was much easier to sit this time. We practiced transitions with keeping steady contact and they really improved as the lesson progressed.
Overall, Quaid was really really good (picture above notwithstanding) but he had a couple moments where he locked his neck and tried to fling his hind end around. Fortunately, it was really short lived and the answer was to bend him, give him a sec and let him find his way back rather than escalate.
a little BTV but still really nice
I loved how the mini-meltdowns were just blips and we could carry on rather than causing the whole lesson to fall into chaos.
mini melt down. No fences were harmed lol
The progress from the first part of the lesson to the end was marked.
First part of lesson:
Near the end:
He's going to have a lovely lengthen one day. By the end of the lesson I could feel him getting tired so we quickly found a good spot and called it quits. It was one of our best lessons yet. I love how mature he's looking and he's really filled out.
I always have a little sadness when the riding time dwindles with the approach of winter. Rides will get fewer and farther between. But that doesn't mean we can't keep moving forward.
Way back in 2018 I entered Carmen in a show and we ended up scratching because I could not control her spooking. I was feeling quite down about it and when I went in to pick up my test sheets one of the office volunteers looked at me and said 'you just need to ride her with confidence and she would have been fine'. Given that I'm still remembering that off hand comment shows how much it rankled.
more on this photo in a sec
The problem is that that statement is very true and terribly false. I think we can fall into the myth of if the horse really loved me they would be fine all the time. Which is as silly as saying 'if my husband really loved me he would never be annoying or cranky etc. . You can't be around horses for long and not realise that your own energy and intention has an impact. The horse also has their own feelings and instincts.
Recently, a lot of blogs I follow have been sharing stories about successes and failures. We all worry that we're not helping our horses. Maybe we're going too slow. Or too fast. Or overfacing them. Or not asking enough.
Or, or, or. We can get lost in the ors.
There is zero question that this year saw me have a huge boost of confidence with Carmen and, in all honesty, a drop in confidence with Quaid. And how can that be if I'm me? I think it has to do with my own self-confidence and their feelings, which include trust in me.
Confidence can come from a belief that it will all go fine because it always goes fine or from having skills and knowledge.
My confidence with Carmen is strong because I've worked really hard to improve my understanding and my skill set. 99% of the time I have the answer to her questions. Jane tells me that my aids are getting clearer and my seat is improving, all of which directly impacts my confidence. I have the physical fitness sand riding skills which translates into me feeling comfortable. The other day I was riding and she gave a big spook. And my seat never moved, nor did my hands. And we just carried on. It wasn't that long ago where I would have been unbalanced. I would have recovered and carried on but this time no recovery was needed so it literally looked like a leap sideways and then forward.
Carmen has a ton more trust in me these days. See that photo above? I've owned Carmen (or bene her servant) since February 2015. In all that time she has refused to come near the electric fence. Irish and Quaid come right up to it when I'm walking because I often have treats in my pocket. Carmen would look but never come within 10 feet. I stopped trying to entice her years ago. This summer she started coming up to the fence for her treat (see photo above). Or a pat on the nose. If something goes wrong she comes to me to fix it. Like a few weeks ago when a loose pony came to visit. When Carmen saw me she came running up to me 'you have to fix this! She shouldn't be here!' Meanwhile Quaid was all 'hai new friend!' and sad when we caught her and returned her.
screen grab from my lesson to break up the wall of text
I think that an attitude of 'it will all be fine' can get us so far. But at some point, if. we don't have the knowledge or skills to back it up, things will fall apart. It's only skin deep. With Quaid everything went so well at first I didn't realise that they could go bad. So when they did I was not prepared with how to deal. Since then I've taken. step back and worked on rebuilding. And it's going well. How well? Not sure yet. But he's feeling better so I'm planning to start working him lightly this week.
He's feeling bored
For me, riding is a balance of relationship and skill set. Sometimes we need to focus on one more than the other. I really need both to enjoy my horses to the fullest. I know that not everyone is this way and I am not judging them at all.
Lack of confidence is not a failure. It's information. Rather than pretending it's all fine (something I've been really good at!), we should stop and think about the why. What is going wrong? Or what do we fear is going to happen? And what do we need to feel better about it? Sometimes just seeing someone else succeed on your horse when you're struggling is enough to feel confident that we can do it. Other times we need to take a step back. Or do something challenging. There is no growth without discomfort.
Thank you everyone for your comments and well-wishes for Quaid. Within a few days of starting on his antibiotics his appetite returned and he's back to his normal self.
happily grazing
You wouldn't know anything was wrong at all, except that I keep shoving a syringe in his mouth twice a day. Quaid will not eat meds in his feed no matter how I disguise it. And I've tried everything to make it palatable (even in a syringe): apple sauce, molasses, sugar, maple syrup, etc. All it does it make us a sticky mess so I now just dissolve the antibiotic in a small bolus of warm water and squirt it to the back of his troat.
prepping the drugs
I find that dosing syringes can be really hard to press the plunger at times so I use a little oil on the plunger end first and it slides no problem.
locked and loaded, lol
Quaid is really good about me administering his drugs. He clearly doesn't like it and yet he still accepts that I'm doing it. I'm not sure where Carmen and I'd be by now. I don't even need a halter. I try to do it fast and matter of factly and not make a big deal out of it. I find that usually makes things worse.
One thing I've really learned with Quaid is drug administration. And how to take a temperature. Poor guy. He's had to have a course of medication every year since he turned two. Hopefully at some point this won't happen anymore.
I've been having some great rides on Quaid. it seems that the holes we identified earlier were getting filled in nicely. Case in point: here we are enjoying Cordelia having a blast in puddles:
I had my lesson last on Carmen so this weekend it was going to be his turn. Unfortunately, this was not to be. It all started with Quaid not being too enthused about eating his grain. He was fine with his hay and he always finished, it just seemed to take a bit.
Then Wednesday morning I noticed he hadn't eaten all his night feed (I feed 3 times a day). I gave him hay and he dove in. Hmm. Then at supper he was refusing to eat his grain but not his hay. I took his temperature and it was 38.8. So up a little. His heart and respiration was normal. His eye was bright and alert. I gave him 10 ccs of Flunixin paste (banamine) and decided to monitor him overnight and call the vet in the morning.
The next morning his temp was 37 (normal) but he had no interest in his grain. I called the vet and she came out. We both were pretty sure we knew what it was. Her exam showed normal temperature (a little higher then when I had taken it), heart, respiration and jaundiced gums. She drew some blood and we talked about a plan. In the exam she found 2 ticks on him.
While she wanted to run tests on the blood but we decided that it was likely anaplasmosis (possibly Lyme). So we decided to start him on the treatment and she would run the bloodwork back at the clinic. When she called it was positive that he was fighting an infection. He was showing increased bilirubin but no other liver signs (juandice is a sign of anaplasmosis).
He's been on meds for 24 hours and his appetite is markedly improved.
If you're thinking, hey didn't he have anaplasmosis last year? You would be correct. Pretty much 12 months ago he was sick with it. I know that immunity doesn't last forever but it's typically 2+ years. Le sigh. Any advice for boosting his immune system is welcome.
I'd prefer him to a chick magnet instead of a tick magnet.
Carmen remains totally fine. Which I'm grateful for (especially for my bank account). I joke that the ticks wouldn't dare. And now she's on deck for the lesson this weekend. It is nice to have the option. I'm sure she's thrilled as well.
Travelling to Quebec and seeing all those lovely horses and riders was inspirational to me and I was excited to get back to riding. But I also needed to catch up on chores, which included ordering in my winter hay. The big 4 string squares can't really be moved by hand. We wrestle them on to the tractor and then put them in place. Every time Ed went by Quaid tried to grab a bite. When he missed he'd give me his sad eyes. Finally Ed stopped so he could taste.
Quaid: just a nibble
I was able to just jump back into riding and both horses were feeling the fall weather. With Carmen that makes her spicy and jumpy. Quaid is more reactive too but not as committed. With him I've been focussing on adding confidence and riding forward. It feels like things are improving.
pretty falling leaves, brisk winds and cool air. What could go wrong?
With Carmen she can get pretty heavy in the hand when she's feeling contrary. It can lead to a tug of war that I definitely don't want. It's so easy to fall into the trap of taking my legs off and bracing with my hands. So I was glad to have a lesson yesterday with Jane. It was Carmen's turn anyway but I probably would have chosen her anyway.
As an aside, I can recognise how lucky I am to have two horses to ride while I worry that I'm not advancing them as fast because I can't afford two lessons a week. Such a first world problem.
It was a cold and blustery day. Jane has been taking lessons from Janine Little and we are all benefiting from that. Jane started us walking and having me work on keeping the bit moving in her mouth and not locking my hands and giving her something to lean on. I always worry about moving the bit because I think I'm going to end up see-sawing on her mouth. But Jane explained that it's more like a vibration and keeps her from locking on the hand and keeping her neck tight and stiff.
Sharing this photo because Cordelia LOVES Dottie. Dottie is less enamoured, lol
What was neat about doing this that it kept her attention on me and not all the stuff blowing around. I love having a pivo but it struggled to keep us in the frame. I don't know if the wind was a factor or if it was trying to follow a rider dressed in gray riding a gray horse on a gray day....
lots of shots like this or with no horse lol
After we walked Jane had us move right into canter. First off, her canter is so much more balanced now. We then moved into working on counter canter. Carmen broke and switched her lead so Jane had us practice picking up the counter canter on a circle. It was really hard and I struggled to line up my aids. Carmen was adorable, she knew I was asking for the wrong lead so she just fixed it. So that will be homework. Of course I was to this while keeping the bit mobile and asking her to half-halt and not hold. And also not over-aid. As I said to Jane, my default is always to hold. So this was really good for me to focus on it.
counter canter- looks a bit wild but it really wasn't
I also can fall into the trap of trying to ride well by being too strong. It's been a real lesson for me this year (or really all years lol) is that trying harder means riding softer. But honestly it really works.
We did trot work at the end. I really liked doing the ride this way. Her trot was so loose and soft and just so flexible. No leaning on the bit or plowing on her shoulders.
having so much fun
whee, moving towards suspension
It was a great lesson and exactly what we needed. Keeping the bit mobile made a huge difference in our half-halts. They were more effective and lighter. Jane says that our flying changes are getting closer which is exciting. I'm really happy with how my riding has progressed this year.
I just got back from going to the championships in Quebec and OMG it was so much fun. I knew I would enjoy myself because 'all the pretty horses' but even I was surprised by how much fun it actually was. We left early Monday (5 a.m.) and drove for 12 hours to the venue. Jane was showing her horse and she bought M (a junior competitor) and Ilka (her mom). This gave us 3 drivers to share the load which was great. Jane was showing in the gold show and M qualified for the championship (first level). The trailer was packed tight and so was the truck. The boys traveled really well.
we'd stop to let them drop their heads and have some water. Darius (paint) and Juno (hannovarian).
We were the first ones to arrive. The facility entrance was at the end of a road in a subdivision and it really felt like it was wrong. But it turned out to be the entrance.
entrance is top left. The show rings being used were the Enertec, Simons and Equico
We rented a RV and boy was that a learning curve. It turns out that they rent these but give zero instructions. We had a few incidents that we had to call for help a few times. The last day I figured out how to empty the gray water tank because no one answered my calls and the water was backing up. (sorry not sorry).
so many laughs happened in this trailer
When we arrived the hose was leaking where it joined and making a mess. The horse's needed to be dealt with so I took over and called for help. "Hello this is Jane F calling....". Since it was rented in her name and it made sense. By the end of the week we were joking that I was Jane. Once we got the water sorted M said 'thank god we brought Teresa!' and I said jokingly 'That is not the last time you will say that!' Which became a running joke over the week. Final count was 26 in case you were wondering. lol.
You would think that we'd have been crowded in the camper but we really weren't. It helped that by end of day we were all exhausted. After eating and laughing over the day's happenings. Lots of silly things happened in that trailer. Including a spontaneous cabaret show by Jane and I to the tune of 'Patricia the Stripper'. We laughed so hard. In case you're curious:
sangria at end of day overlooking the rings
I was expecting to see lots of lovely horses and was not disappointed. I met a lot of lovely people as well. When I was walking between the barns I spied a gorgeous Andalusian stallion. I stopped and chatted with his handler but I never got his name or rider. oops. Later I learned he was Esparticus and being ridden by Tina Irwin. So I made sure to find his ride times and watch. He did not disappoint. I was sitting in the shade watching the ride on Saturday and an older gentleman was sitting beside me. We started chatting and I shared that I loved this horse. We talked about Andalusians and how great they are. Tina had a great ride and when she left the ring he said to her 'did you earn a margarita?' I looked at him and he said 'she gets a margarita when she wins'.
What if she loses?
She gets two!
Makes sense to me. I laughed.
I then realised something, Are you the owner? I asked. He smiled and said yes. Thank god I really liked him. Turns out that he is in his 80's and he hacks this horse out on a regular basis.
I mean LOOK AT HIM
It was fun to be a groom and general helper. Jane did really well and I'm glad I was there to harass help her in getting ready. I called myself the 'Jane Wrangler'. People would stop to talk to her and, because she's really nice, she'd talk to them even when she had to get ready. I was also nice but mostly I was very clear she had to go- I put on her jacket, tacked up the horse, got the mounting block ready and walked Juno out to get ready. Hopefully she appreciated it, lol. I also was dragging her past people so we could go see M win the 'best dressed for the jog' prize. We all helped her to dress up in the Nova Scotian Tartan.
late? Not on my watch!
I loved watching M and Jane ride. They did so well. M didn't place as well as I thought she should on the first day but did really well on the second day and won the silver medal. We were all so proud.
Loved the Photo Booth
the stalls had a NS theme as well. Note the Sou'westers!
I think there were like 130 horses there of every type (although a lot of warmbloods as you would expect) and riders too. There were a number of para riders and one was right across from my stall, Natasha James. She is on the national team and was a lovely woman. I really enjoyed getting to know her.
As expected, there were vendors there. I bought a saddle pad bag and had it embroidered at another booth for $15. I found showing two horses meant I had to lug like 6 saddle pads. I think that this will be a great help:
I also bought a pair of Cowgirl Up Green breeches. I've ridden in them three times since getting home and I love them. They have the perfect amount of stretch, support and grip. It also helps that I had to buy a size small. After years of buying large or XL there's no way I wasn't buying a size small!
Jane's dog, Dottie was our travel companion. She's such a good horse show dog. Even when she's annoyed at me for disturbing her naps or not letting her run after Jane.
watching Jane warm up
Having a kitchen really helped a lot. We ate out once for supper and I bought lunch once (poutine because we're in Quebec and you have to). The last night we were going to eat out but the cafe was closed and there weren't any restaurants open in town. So we went to the grocery store and bought some frozen Chinese and reheated leftovers and made some of the pancake batter.
perfect last night at the show food
As I said the people were very friendly. No one was like 'I have a fancy horse and am a top level rider'. Everyone was just riding and loving their horses. I made sure to watch some Second level classes and Carmen and I would have totally been competitive. Well, as long as we could deal with the multiple judges booths and all the activity..... But even thinking that I was not feeling any envy or FOMO. I truly enjoyed all the show.
We arrived late Monday and left before dawn the next Monday. The time had really flown. The drive home was uneventful (yay) and I got to my house by 8:30 that night. It was a wonderful experience. I know that this is the first time that Equestrian Canada has held dressage championships in many years. I hope that they continue to do so.
Yes I'm still alive. As are the horses. Last weekend I took both to a clinic up at Krista's. I have been wanting to write about it but I've been so busy and my brain has been busy with my takeaways.
Long story short, Carmen was brilliant. She showed up and worked her butt off. We had some real breakthroughs with her pushing off her hind leg.
Since we've been home she's been having a fierce heat and has been a bit fiery. She actually managed to surprise me with a spin/bolt and it's been a long time since that has happened. What was neat was that as she got away I was completely off balance. Instead of scrambling for purchase I stood in the stirrups until I got my balance back and then sat down and turned her into a circle that I rode until her desire to gallop/canter was done. Then we cantered a little more. Then we returned to what the original ask was.
Quaid did much better at the clinic in the past. We still can't get a reliable canter off site but our trot work was really good and I felt my confidence go forward.
He did a few dekes but I stayed on and we carried on. I'll probably have more to say on it later.
But the big news is that next week I'm heading up to the Eastern Dressage Championships. Not as a competitor but as a helper. I'm travelling with Jane and one her students. It will be at Becancour Quebec. It's a lovely facility (based on the website) and we've rented an RV on site. We leave early Monday and will be there for the week.
I'm really looking forward to the break and seeing some lovely horses/riders. It will be all the fun of showing with none of the stress of showing.
