The Mushy Center

 It is ironic that in the winter bloggers write very little because very little is happening. In the warmer months, they also write less because they are very busy with all the things happening.  Or maybe that is just me.  Anyway, I am behind updating you on all that is happening with the horses. 

Carmen: you should go check that out Quaid. I'm 
right behind you. 

Last week I had two lessons with Jane. She's been very busy and, with one thing and another, I haven't had many lessons so far. Fortunately, she was able to accommodate me have back to back lessons on Quaid and Carmen on Friday the 16th.  Spoiler alert: both were excellent. It was a warm day with a mix of ominous clouds and blue sky. 

With Quaid, Jane was very pleased with our progress. She zeroed right in on me collapsing through the middle and not giving him enough support. In trying to be soft and fluid, I ended up collapsing my centre and not providing him enough stability to find his balance underneath of me. We did a lot of transitions at all three gaits and I was to be like a tree trunk not (my words not hers) 'a sack of mashed potatoes'. 

It was great to feel how stabilising myself allowed me to be clearer in my aids. Unfortunately, I had set the Pivo up wrong and I had zero video. You'll have to settle for this photo of a warm and tired Quaid: 

oh that face. 

Then it was Carmen's turn. And she came out loaded for bear. I was stupid, contact was stupid, half-halts were stupid and Jane could go to hell. Now, in all honesty, at some point every spring Carmen gets like this. What part is due to hormones and what part is due to being on grass I'm not sure. In previous years that usually meant spooks, spins,  bolts and generally intimidating behaviours. But I'm a better/stronger rider now so those I shut down pretty damn fast (the mantra's come in handy too). 

when the sky and the mare's mood match

Jane's approach was to keep my rein and half-halts and not let her pull the reins out of my hands or duck behind the contact. She told me don't try to make her light. Not because she didn't want Carmen to be light, (that is the ultimate goal) but because it was false. She wasn't taking the contact she was hiding and then couldn't really be in balance or on her hind legs.  I remember when I realised that a horse could be slow and behind the leg and also fast and behind the leg. I'm realising it's the same with contact. A horse can be heavy and not accepting contact, and light and not accepting contact. I don't know if this makes sense to anyone but me but there you have it.  

But it's a struggle for me. Because a heavy contact feels really wrong and like I'm being harsh. Yet when I looked at the video it didn't look like I was wrestling her or that she was in distress. Pissed, yes. Distressed, no. I was disappointed to see how collapsed I was in my middle so I've been trying to sit up better in my rides.  

This was a hard lesson. Physically I mean. I, again, found myself, collapsing through my middle and trying to hold with my hands. Which is not correct. I needed to take some firmness in my core and then I'm not just relying on my arms (hello centred riding).  It was also great timing for the lesson because it stopped me from backing off and instead we worked through it to have some really amazing work at the end.  Jane said that it was some of the best canter we have done. From there we worked on walk-canter-walk transitions that were actually half-decent.  And Carmen was no longer in a rage but actually working. 

leg actually reaching under and not just sprawling forward

I've been trying to get a video clip to upload but my iPhone is being really contrary so I gave up. Just trust me. It was great. Since those lessons, I've been trying to stay aware of what my core is doing and not let it be mushy. 

Karate Crone

 I've been pretty open on this blog about my fitness journey and how beneficial I've been finding it for my riding and for just feeling pretty good. I belong to the local Rec Centre and the membership is really inexpensive for what you get, especially for a seniors membership. We can skate (I don't skate), the pool and all the group fitness classes. 

This January there were some new classes to choose from. One of them was called Bodukan. When I read the description I realised it was a karate class.  I always wanted to try a martial art and since this was included I signed up.  I like trying new things and I have strong feelings that people (especially women) should have some self-defence.  (note: the karate is Goju Ryu which is a Okinawan traditional karate and not a sport). 

Here's a photo of Cordelia 'helping' me in the 
kitchen to break up the wall of text. 

So I totally expected to like it. What caught me off guard was how much I liked it. I bought a Gi (for a steal off of FB marketplace) and was excited for every class.  I think it has to do with how much I like to move and use my body. But I believe that the main reason is that I found it so relatable to horse riding. And I am not kidding. There are so many similarities between riding and karate. 

The Physical: 

It was very early in the classes when I began to hear things like 'keep your elbows at your sides'.  Other gems include: 

• breathe with everything. if you stop breathing it not only tires you out but it keeps you from thinking
• align your shoulders and your hips
• ground yourself physically
• You may need to be tight in one part of your body (e.g., arms) but you need to be relaxed in the others
• look up
• focus and don't get distracted by what others are doing (or not doing). Hello warm up ring! 
• Don't overthink. Let your body do what it knows
• Repetition is essential. Honestly, the first time our Sensei said this "I know we're doing things over and over but don't get frustrated. it's how we get better".  Me "repetition is my jam!"
• As you gain proficiency pay attention to the details. 

The Metaphysical: 

The philosophical overlap is somewhat scary: 

• everyone is on their own journey so don't compare
• we do the movements and katas striving for perfection knowing we won't every achieve it. 
• the learning is in the doing
• respect for your teachers and coaches
• no matter how advanced you are you will always practice the basics
• We don't train to start fights, we train to not lose 

Today I tested (successfully) for my yellow belt.  It is the first one but I am still quite proud of it. To pass you have to show what you have learned. Tell me if this sounds familiar: 

When it was my turn I went I into the middle of the Dojo, bowed to the Sensei. Then went through my chosen Kata, A kata  (in case you don't know) is a series of hits and blocks usually taking 1-2 minutes to complete.  You are judged on your accuracy and form. If you mess up the Sensei may stop you and have you start again or wait until you are done. When you are done you wait until (in this case) he acknowledges you and then you bow and leave. 

As I go up the levels it gets more complicated and harder.  I honestly don't know how far I'll get as a person starting karate at the age of 60! But I don't care. I'm really enjoying it and I made some friends too.  Our class is small and the core group consists of four older women and one woman's daughter.  We support and encourage each other. I also suspect that there's far more giggling than is typical in a dojo. 

The lesson I take from all of this is that things are more connected than they may first appear. I know that Mark Rashid talks about Akido and relates it to horsemanship. I think I'll do a deeper dive into his writings on that. And the other lesson is try something new because you never know what will resonate. 

Spring Maintenance

 Spring for horse owners is an expensive time. This year got a little extra expensive with my horse trailer needing some minor repairs and two new tires.  But now the horse's bus is as good as new. Which was good because this year I had to trailer the horses to their vet appointment.  With the vet shortage it was the only option if I wanted them to be seen before the end of June.  The downside was that I had to miss a clinic that was (of course) on the same day. 

Carmen: well this is new
Quaid: where are my snacks? 

It wasn't too bad really. The horses self-loaded and the ride was pretty easy. I'm glad I went when I did because they both had some sharp edges that needed to be treated. Quaid also had a wolf tooth that she popped out pretty easily. 

So stoned post dental work

I noticed he's much less fussy in the mouth since it was done. He did react to the vaccines again but much less than last year. Just a little off his feed the next day. I gave him some banamine and he was okay by the day after. I'm hoping that as he ages his reaction will get a lot less. Carmen, of course, reacted to nothing and was herself the next day. 

I've been able to ride pretty steadily over the past few weeks and I'm seeing some real changes.  Quaid is better every ride and his canter is getting easier. There's no shenanigans in picking it up but he still struggles a little with balance and maintaining a steady rhythm. All of which makes sense. What I am loving is that he tries so hard to do what I ask. I'm not getting any of the questions or balking I had before. 

Carmen is doing really well in lots of ways too. I've been honing in on our half-halts these days. She has a habit of simply bearing down and powering through them, especially at a canter. I've been trying to keep my plan and be really clear with my ask. If she blows through my half-halt I will put her in a 10 metre circle, rebalance and carry on. This is working and I'll be curious to get Jane's input when I have a lesson later this week.  I realised that I have let he blow off the half-halts for a long time so now I need to go back and fix my mistake. But when she does come back and rebalance I can feel everything shift to her hind leg. 

Honestly, riding is a series of doing the thing, then realising that you should have been doing it differently/better/more consistently and then doing that. Until you get the next bit of learning. Or maybe that's just me... 

Steady Eddy

 It seems that Spring has decided to stick around and that's it made it much easier to be consistent in training.  At first it was  exhausting keeping two horses in work. But it feels like I've found a rhythm with it. I ride both of them 3-4 days a week and other days just one horse. I do try to take one day off.  Those days in the gym have really paid off.  

with spring starts the weaning onto the back pasture. 

I've been tackling my goals and working towards getting ready for our first show. Earlier this week I sent in the entries for the first show. *gulp*  I signed Quaid up for Training Level 1 and 2. Carmen will be doing 2nd level again. I'm hoping by the end of this year we'll be ready to move up. 

With my last lesson on Quaid showing me how tentative I'm being with him I've been trying to improve that. Rather than canter being a big thing I've been working on it being no big deal.  To do that I've been asking for it early in our ride as part of the warm up. The first time I did it the left went fine but the right was a struggle. He showed some signs of wanting to bounce, rather than pull on the reins I sat up and urged him forward. I even gave him a tap with the whip.  Now each time it's better and not so emotional.  I'm trying to keep my arms steady and stay balanced in the tack. Not that I'm perfect, heaven knows. 

That dot is Cordelia lounging about 
while we work

What is really striking to me is how steady he's being with me. Even when things don't go as planned.  Earlier this week I was riding Quaid and was trying to decide if we were done. Then I heard a rumble in the field next door and a young person riding a lawn mower popped up over the hill in the field next door. We looked and she waved at us. Quaid was curious but fine so I decided that it was a good time to finish.  When we were walking back in the barn a barn swallow dive bombed him and he jumped 10 feet. 

That's when I realised that he's much more confident being ridden. I'm assuming that it's because of all the work that's been done, starting with the early work I did, then the training Mike and Nikki did last year and then what I've done (with so much support from Jane) over the past year. When he spooks he's asking for direction, not looking to escape. When I can answer his question of 'what do I do?!' he takes a deep breath and carries on.  

Today when I was riding we were doing really well.  At the beginning I realised I had brought up Carmen's bridle instead of his. I left him unhaltered and ran down to get his bridle. I was sure he'd wander to eat the grass in the ring. But he never moved. 

Quaid: is this a test or did you just 
abandon me? 

 I was working through some of the TL test: 20 m circle at A picking up the canter the first quarter of the circle and then going down the long side.  The first time was not that great but he really tried. By the third try it was much better so I let it be and we went on to do other work.  Near the end I decided to do some walk work as part of our cool down.  We've been doing leg yields so this time I decided to play with that a bit. We walked down the rail and I asked him to bend to the outside and leg yield in a few steps and then switch bend and leg yield back. 

As always, the first time he was like wait, what? I'm pretty sure that this is wrong.  Fortunately, unlike Carmen when he doesn't understand he doesn't get annoyed, just curious. Then after a couple tries he understood and it was felt pretty good. So then I wanted to work on shoulder fore. It feels pretty easy with him TBH. Then he began to be distracted and acting worried about the brush. I figured it was the birds fluttering about and that he was getting tired so more easily distracted.  Then he began to balk at going forward. So I made sure I had the outside rein consistent and my inside leg on. 

Then suddenly a cat came streaking from behind him with Cordelia hot on its heels! Not one of my cats but a neighbour cat that's been hanging around. Why it came so close with Cordelia there I don't understand.  But anyway...  As the cat and Cordelia went streaking by us (pretty much under his head) we came to a screeching halt. The cat disappeared into the brush and Quaid stood there stock still with huge eyes I TOLD YOU THERE WAS SOMETHING THERE! 

 I was busy calling Cordelia and then I realised that Quaid hadn't moved a muscle. I quickly hopped off because I was worried Cordelia would run onto the road.  I was trying to figure out if I should leave Quaid to follow when she came bounding back looking very proud of herself I chased off the intruder! I'm the best dog ever! 

I was super impressed with how Quaid handled the ruckus. It would have been completely understandable if he had taken off but instead he waited for direction.  I have zero idea if we'll be 'show ready' but if I keep riding we'll be okay.