The Ides of March

The fault dear Brutus, is not in our stars/ 

but in ourselves~ Shakespeare (Julius Caesar). 

It has been a mild March so far and I've been trying to make the most of it. Carmen's mood has been a bit mercurial, although largely good. We've had days when her tail was on fire and one ride where she was so quiet that I couldn't get her to move forward. Both are challenging but I confess to being completely unsure when she was so quiet. I didn't want to get after her because that seemed to punish her for going too far in the direction I wanted. 

Most rides, though are inbetween the tail-on-fire ride and the let's-nap-now-m'kay ride.  Which puts us light years ahead of where we started last March.

Work has been a bit crazy this month too which impacts on riding time. When Shanea offered a lesson to me last thursday I decided to take her up on it, even though it was tight getting back from a meetings in the city and organized for the lesson.

Carmen, probably

Carmen will not be rushed so I decided to take my time anyway in getting ready.  In hindsight I should have taken more time with her because I didn't get to do the long slow walk warm up that works for us.

All that said, she wasn't really bad at all. Just a few moments of spooking at shit and then shaking it off.

nope nope nope

But on a good note, there was no bolting. Just a few scoots, tension and counter flexing. What is becoming clear to me is that off-balance Carmen is far more likely to lose her shit and become reactive. So when she sees something of concern and gets tight and reactive. When I get her straight she calms down markedly. Although it's sometimes a battle to get her straight, I need to persevere.

well okay then

Shanea was having me build in half-halts to get Carmen off of hanging on the bit. I don't know if I'm describing it right but Carmen can get bargey and she puts her weight on the bit and then uses that leverage to run away on. Pulling on the reins is my instinct, but surprisingly not helpful. 

We started with walk-trot-walk transitions and then just half-transitions and right back to trot. I could feel Carmen really starting to understand about moving her weight back. Here's a short video so you can see how much of a work in progress we are:

The lesson ended on a good note though and I was quite pleased with her. Shanea was complimentary of both of us, although I could feel my habit of creeping forward coming back. 

I'm straight, she's light and stepping under. Perhaps there is hope for us

Friday Julia came and we able to go on a hack in the woods. Carmen was more in the groove but still worried about the grass by the ring.  I wasn't too worried.

Saturday was ridiculously windy so I spent it doing chores. Like cleaning out the thawing poop and hay in the paddock. Ugh. I hate this job but I will be happy when it's done.

We also bought one of these multi-cookers. We are excited - hopefully I don't blow up the house

Today was a lot better and I was excited to ride again. Carmen was so good, despite us being all alone. I was super impressed with her and my ability to be supportive for her without getting frustrated. 

Now the world is shutting down with the Covid-19 virus. It's finally hit here and the whole province is shutting down. I don't know what's going to happen in terms of work but whatever we need to do as a population to protect the vulnerable we will do. I am impressed with how we are dealing with the issue- within days test sites were set up along with a screening process so that only those who need to get tested are. As the situation develops things are updated. Right now schools, daycares and nursing homes are shut down. I hope things are going well in your area. 

Carmen: not sure that you have enough social distance between us....

Present Tense

Normally I spend winter fretting about not riding and feeling bored.  This year feels different. Not that I'm not anxiously waiting to get back to regular schooling. I totally am.

Not as cold as it looks, but still winter

But I'm also using this time to work on myself and my goal of controlling/choosing my emotions.

I've been diving into videos, reading and podcasts. I'm finding them all very helpful. In the past I think I would have dismissed it as being a bit wack-a-doodle. Not completely, but it made me uncomfortable. I cannot remember who said it (I think it was Stacy Westfal's podcast but can't swear to it) that you can view riding as 'transactional' or 'relational'. And that made a lot of sense to me.

Anyway, one of the things I've been really working on is being 'present'. It's not easy. My mind tends to wander, even in the saddle. I find myself thinking about what happened during the day or what might happen tomorrow.

I have been practising and failing a lot. But I've also been succeeding.

The other thing I've been working on is choosing to be positive with the horses (and others). That is working really well. I find myself truly enjoying the time I spend doing chores. The horses are really responding.

hard to take photos when she wants to be close.
But look at that adorable nose...

The trick is, of course, is whether this translates to work under saddle. In the past I would have worried about it. Now I'm curious. After a deep freeze that left the ring treacherous with ice we had some snow and then a warmer temps. This dissolved the ice under the snow and made the ring good for riding again.

Sunday was warmer and I brought Carmen up to the ring to do some ground work and possibly ride. I stayed with her mentally and she responded really well. It then started to rain but I still mounted. We rode exactly two circles, I dismounted and leaving the reins over her neck I said 'coming?'  and walked to the gate with her ambling behind me. 

Monday was a holiday for us and the weather was even warmer. So warm I pulled the blankets off the horses and let them soak up the sun. 

clearly Carmen is wintering well. But look at Irish- he's looking great. 

Julia came out to ride as well. I started with groundwork but I didn't need long to see that she was right with me. I settled into the saddle and she marched off a bit grumpily. I brought her to a halt and dropped the reins until she settled. My goal for the ride was to have her soft and bendy and for me to stay present in the moment.

While the ride was nothing for anyone to watch, I noticed a few things. First of all, every time my mind wandered she became tense. When I brought my mind back she immediately settled. Our spooks were mere flinches and there was only two. One was her almost halting in response to something she saw in the trees. After the stutter-step, Carmen walked forward to the tree and I dropped the rein. She looked at it warily while I breathed and then she released her breath and dropped her head to relax. 

As we continued to work Carmen began to settle in and enjoy herself. In fact, after a while, when I would soften the rein she would pick up a trot (not that I was holding). Not that she was heavy in the bridle or taking over. More like she was enjoying it and wanted to go. So I let her.

At the end of our ride we were standing at the far end just relaxing on a long rein. Carmen looked towards the woods and I could feel her question.  No,  I said we can't go in the woods, there's still too much ice. She sighed and then reached around and nudged my toe with her nose. Okay then, it must be time for carrots. Feel free to hop off. 


For me those were the big things. The other pieces: leg yields, transitions, circles were the chorus not the main bits. I hope that this doesn't sound too hippy-dippy. Because that is not me.  I was also working on making my seat and hand following,  keeping my balance even and my aids clear. But go ahead and consider me out in left field. I don't care. This feels good to me and Carmen is clearly responding. 

leaving the hay to come and say 'hi'. Also, no, she's not pregnant.....

Styling

I never really used to think much about how everything looked on my horses. As long as they were economical and functional I was happy. 

Then I bought a gray mare and a whole world of fashion possibilities opened up. I find myself looking at things and going 'ooh that would be pretty'. 

When I first started showing Carmen I had a plain black bonnet. It went well because her mane and tale were still quite dark. 

from back in 2017

Carmen is much lighter this year and the black looked a bit stark. At the test riding clinic Libby shared that judges don't like bonnets that contrast too much, it's distracting and can really emphasize if the horse is tilting their head. 

That gave me the push I needed and I decided to order a bonnet for Carmen. I contacted  Fun Bonnets via FB and ordered a new bonnet. I cannot recommend this person enough. She helped me figure out the colours and design (there are so many options).  I opted for silver gray with black cord flanked by two smaller white cords. 

She also explained that there was a ton of orders and there would be wait. I contacted her a couple weeks ago and whined asked if it could be ready in time for the August show. She responded right away and promised I would have it. 

And it's perfect. 

could only get one ear up for the photo

It blends in but ads a bit of contrast. The material is so soft too. I love how it goes with her browband. 

absolutely refusing to put ears up, no matter what. 

And from a distance it's great:

I now want to get more to match some saddle pads.......

If you are looking for a quality bonnet at a good price I would definitely recommend FUN Bonnets!

Also, on another note, my friend Cindy had a few clips of my last ride on Sunday. I was able to put them together to show the last half of the test:

The No Goal Show Recap

I was going to write this post tomorrow but it turns out that I cannot sleep (thanks menopause) so I thought that it might settle my whirling brain if I put some of these thoughts out of my head and onto my blog.

Good Lord Woman, do you ever stop? 

Friday:
The trip was easy and I settled Carmen into her stall. Her neighbour, Suzi was instantly in love. Unfortunately Carmen did not have the same thoughts.

Suzi: but I'm lovable, everyone says so
Carmen: no. you are not. GO AWAY

I had arranged a lesson with Shanea in the show ring (you can pay for 30 minute intervals). Carmen was really really good. She settled into work and it was a great lesson. A couple bobbles (let's face it- it is us after all) but nothing major and we had some really solid work. 

Saturday:

I didn't ride until mid afternoon which gives lots of time to fret. 

Except I didn't fret at all. Instead I walked Carmen around to let her move, watched some beautiful horses and their riders do some tests and chatted with friends. It felt a lot like camping. About an hour before my ride I took Carmen into the warm up ring and she kind of lost her mind. There were a couple spots she was freaking out about. One was a partially open door, except it wasn't the door. There was a gatorade bottle on the ledge by the door shining in the light. Another spot was this small window that was open on the side of the indoor ring. Carmen was so freaked out by this window that I asked someone to close it for me. Someone also moved the water bottle. Things were better but not great. 

Still I felt pretty ready going into to do my test. And in the show ring Carmen was way better and we laid down a pretty solid test (for us). A couple errors but still, the most consistent we've been. 

I do not recall my score and I'm too lazy to get it out of the truck right now but it was in the low 60's (I think around 64). I thought it felt a bit like a train wreck but other people assured me that it looked good and after watching the video I see a lot that I like. (however, stay tuned for the train wreck). 

I let her have a small break in her stall and then took her back out the warm up. There were still a few freaky spots for her but we worked through them and put in our next test that felt more consistent to me. We scored about the same. 

I will likely review the tests in detail later on this blog (or maybe not) but the judges comments were positive and very encouraging. My favourite was 'tactfully ridden' for one of my 10 m circles. 

That night a bunch of us from the show went out to dinner and had a grand time talking about horses, the show, more horses, cats, horses etc. There may have even been a bit of dancing to a local band. Carmen's antics in the warm up ring were bugging me though so I asked Shanea if she could give me a  lesson the next morning in the warm up ring. I wanted Carmen to realize that she needed to work there and then just let her rest until it was time for the test. 

Sunday:

The next morning was much like the one before except that I had a lesson booked in the morning. I'm so glad I did that because it was so good. Shanea really helped me to figure out how to keep Carmen on task and not kill any other riders. Which was the thing really getting me tense- I didn't care about her antics. I'm used to them. But I didn't want to careen into another rider or freak out their horse when they are trying to get ready for their show. This time there was a coffee cup on the ledge (the horror!) that had her freaked out. Someone moved it but honestly, it could have been anything. Sometimes she's tense and looking for something to fixate on. AT the start of the lesson she was for sale for about $10. At the end she had raised in value to about $40. After about 40 minutes I put Carmen away feeling satisfied that we had worked through her things. 

Shanea and I agreed that a 30 minute warm up before my first test in the morning should be fine given the work she did in the morning. That turned out to be a mistake. Carmen came into the warm up ring and had, apparently, forgotten all the work of the morning. She was spooky in the same spots and doing her spontaneous canter pirouettes. Before I knew it they were calling us to the ring. 

I went in hoping for the best and fearing the worst. 

IWhen we came in she was tense and looking around. She saw spectators in the blue bleachers and kind of lost her mind over them. The judge gave me a little time to show her that they were fine and then rang the bell. 

t was a total and utter train wreck. 

The fun starts at about the 2:25 mark. There's a table she's looking at just outside the ring. It had been there every other time she went in but either she saw it or decided that it was now acting suspiciously.  Then at about 2:59 she spiralled in an and tried to run away from the people in the bleachers. I circled her back and we dealt with that. I am proud that I stayed sitting up and then got her back to canter to carry on. We survived the rest of the test but I knew that it was basically about getting to the end. We scored in the low 50's.

I thought about scratching the next test.

Instead I took her back to the warm up ring and spent the 45 minutes before my next test riding my horse. And I mean riding. I was taking no guff from her at this point. Jane was also in riding her warm up (you may recall that Jane is my Yoda, often appearing when I need her the most to give some words of wisdom). This time Jane say Carmen sucking back behind the contact and getting tighter and tighter. 'make her heavy' she said. What she meant was to push Carmen into the contact so I had something to work with. It really helped. Every time Carmen sucked back I booted her forward.

Honestly, letting her suck back seems to be the root of a lot of my problems. I don't mind letting her hesitate if there there is something worrying her, but at some point we need to move forward.

I went in determined to school the crap of out my final test. I didn't care if I fell off. I do not think that there is video (if I find some I will share it). But I did exactly what I intended. I kept a short rein and my legs on. They never came off. She tried one deke but I took a firmer hold of the outside rein and booted her back. For our last canter lengthen I sat up through the corner and put my leg on. let's go I said, we'll worry about the corner when we get there. Carmen pinned her ears but went.  It felt like we did a hand gallop down the side.

She was a hot mess and tense and broke a few times but our score was a 60. Again the judges comments were encouraging and she wrote to not get discouraged, just keep working away.

My friends and fellow competitors were so encouraging to me that they kept me going. By now a few things are clear to me:

• Carmen is consistently difficult on the third day of a show or clinic. I think it's because of not being turned out and an excess of energy. 
• Carmen needs an hour warm up. There's no point in trying to 'conserve' her at this point in her training. I need to work her and, hopefully, with time she'll understand the job better. 
• Things can go to crap and I am still sitting up. This is huge for me. 
• Carmen still believes that submission is a thing to be negotiated. And I don't mind being tactful but she doesn't get to say no. Can someone explain that to her please? Thanks. 

Despite how it all ended, I did have a lot of fun at the show. I think it would have been worse had I set goals because I wouldn't have met them. Instead, I dealt with what I had.

keep calm and canter on
 (photo from saturday, PC J. Scrimger)

Nothing to Prove

You may recall that, this spring, I was complaining bitterly of the weather. It seemed that we had never ending rain and cold. Then in July it became hot and we've have very little rain. The pastures are dry. But we're finally getting some rain thanks to Tropical Storm Erin.

I was a little worried that it would make trailering to the show nasty, but it's supposed to blow over by early Friday. This morning the sky was an eerie orange colour. Just before I let the horses out the heavens opened with a torrential downpour. At which point, both horses decided that they were fair weather horses and I was cruel to open the door and expose them to the elements.
Me: okay, off you go to frolic in the fields. 
Irish: In this hurricane? 
Me: um, it's just rain. Summer rain.
Carmen: this is ridiculous. I cannot endure such conditions. I demand hay in my stall. 
Me: But your ancestors roamed the plains in weather much worse than this. 
Irish: um I was born on a cattle farm.....
Carmen: *ahem* I believe you will find that I am descended from the noble baroque horses who roamed the deserts. 
Me: You were born in Virginia...
Carmen: you're the one who brought up ancestry 
Me: well yes...bu-
Carmen: and I was simply pointing out the flaw in your reasoning.
Me: *sigh* yes. you are right. 
Carmen: *looking smug*
Me: Fine. But I'm not putting hay in your stalls so you will have to decide- shelter or food. 
Irish: she's getting mean in her old age.

fields empty of horses

Of course they went out and I'm pleased to report that no one dissolved in the rain. 

Mid-Morning the rain stopped and I was able to pack the trailer and bathe Carmen.  I always reach a point in show prep where I wonder what I'm doing and why. I realized that it has more to do with the work involved in getting ready then about the show itself. 

I also realized that I am looking forward to the show. 

I also have a long standing history of setting goals for a show. So as I puttered I tried to think of what I wanted to accomplish. It's not like there weren't lots of options. I thought of scores, nailing our lengthens, being accurate in my tests etc.

But I couldn't settle on any of them. That's when I realized that I really didn't feel a need to set a goal.

Summer is almost over and we've worked really hard. There have been ups and downs and even some sideways.

But I no longer feel the need to prove anything- to myself or others. Not that anyone every gave me the impression that they were judging me (well except the judge of course). Everyone has always been very supportive and kind.

So we will go to the show and we will have fun. I will connect with my friends at the show. Carmen will be good. Or she'll be dramatic. I will deal with whatever happens and I will count myself lucky to have such a great weekend.

Actually, I lied. I do have one goal:

Please stay clean tonight Carmen.
Pretty please.....

A Week in the Life of a Mare Servant

This has been quite the week on the farm. I figured I should pull it together to show the ups and downs of a mare.

Monday was the mondayest of Mondays. It started with a flat tire on my way to work. Fortunately I hear right as I left the driveway so I was able to turn around and switch vehicles. While Ed dealt with the tire drama (the benefits of working from home) I had a busy day at work. After I tacked Carmen up to ride and she was in full dragon mode.

I swear she actually breathed fire

Everything was an argument. And I mean everything. Standing, moving, bending, not bending. As well there was lots of spooking at birds, leaves, air..... I survived and once she sort-of settled I didn't dismount but then worked on some transitions from light aids as opposed to heavy hands and/or kicking. We were both sweaty and tired at the end.

Tuesday I took off from riding so I could do other chores around the farm.

Wednesday I had arranged for an early morning (before work) lesson from Shanea.

And it was amazing.

Julia came out to ride at the same time. When she arrived we decided to go for a hack first and then go in the ring. Carmen led most of the way. She was a bit bemused about going into the ring after the hack but she settled right in.

Through out the whole lesson Carmen was right there listening and trying. Shanea and I were able to get into some of the nitty gritty of keeping her balanced and straight.

smooth and flowing

I told Shanea that we had been struggling with the First Level Test 3 move of leg yield into the middle and then the 10 metre circle. Of course Carmen flowed into it really well. But Shanea was able to point out that I wasn't preparing her for the circle at the end. I needed to start the bend a few strides out.

You can see in the video how tuned in and cooperative she's feeling. I love lessons where we're working on the details rather than keeping her attention. Our canter work was nice too. She was getting a bit tense in the corner but still it's way better than before. Julia finished her ride and left with Irish and, while Carmen noticed, she didn't worry about it too much.

airborne

Thursday Cynthia came to ride Irish (they came to NS for their daughter's wedding and a vacation). It was hot and humid. I had a long day of mental work and wasn't feeling the need to really work too hard in the saddle. I told Carmen to not pick any fights because I wasn't in the mood. And she didn't. She did think about being a bit distracted and spooky but it never escalated. Likely because I wasn't putting any real pressure on her and was just toodling around.

Carmen did give on spook when a gust of wind blew Fernando over (I decided on this name from the ABBA song).

he fainted

Carmen came to sudden and rigid halt staring at the bull.

Carmen: OMG what attacked the bull?

Me: The wind blew it over

Carmen: It was the trolls. I KNEW THEY WERE REAL. 

ME: No it was-

Carmen: Who's the foolish one now? Huh? 

Me: look, it just fell over. 

Carmen: I am suspicious. You are never careful enough. And after all I do to keep us safe....

We stood there staring for a bit and then she decided to walk up and give him a sniff. 

Carmen: he dead. 

Me: no, he's just resting

After sniffing him she was fine to carry on around the ring, occasionally keeping a close eye in case Fernando leapt up and charged. We carried on working a bit and then went for a hack. It was a nice way to end the week. 

Friday was also hot and humid and I've decided to not ride. I did some ring maintenance and decided to put the bull away. I carefully put Fernando into the tractor bucket and carried him down to the shed. Carmen and Irish watched us go by and I'm pretty sure that I heard Carmen say I told you he was dead. 

so very very true

Definition Debate

Me: Hi, Carmen do you have minute to chat? 

Carmen: That depends, do you have carrots? 

Me: Of course. I wanted to chat with you about the 'free walk'

Carmen: *munch, munch*  I'm listening....

Me: I don't think that it means what you think it means. You see-

Carmen: Oh, I'm pretty sure I understand it

Me: Weeeell,, by 'free' it doesn't mean 'do whatever you want'

Carmen:  I beg to differ. According to the OED: 

adjective

1. 1.

   not under the control or in the power of another; able to act or be done as one wishes.

   
   

   "I have no ambitions other than to have a happy life and be free"

   • 
     
   • 
     
   • 
     
2. 2.

   not physically restrained, obstructed, or fixed; unimpeded.

   
   

   "she lifted the cat free"

   synonyms:

   unimpeded, unobstructed, unrestricted, unhampered, clear, open, unblocked "the free flow of water"

Me:  But..hey wait- where did you find a dictionary? 

Carmen: Honestly, you are so easily distracted!  And I'm considered the 'spooky one'. It doesn't matter. However, your argument is invalid, QED. 

Me: (muttering to self- and now she knows latin?). Yes, you are correct, that is the techincal definition of 'free' but in dressage 'free walk' has an entirely different meaning.

Carmen: *skeptical face* 

Me: *speaking quickly*  you see, in the test it says "reach and ground cover of the free walk allowing complete freedom to stretch the neck forward and downward; straightness, willing, clear tranisitions."

Carmen: ......

Me: Soooo, that means staying straight on the diagonal stretching over your back. It does not mean 'lifting up head and running off in the opposite direction'

Carmen: hmmm, I think that I prefer my definition. We can agree to disagree. 

Me: Well, we can both agree that when you take things into your own hooves you don't always make good decisions. 

Carmen: I beg to differ. Just the other day I saved our lives with my initiative and lightening reflexes. 

Me: Umm, that was a 3 ounce sparrow trying to find some food (and, no they don't eat horses). 

Carmen: What about that time that the two yellow birds banged right into us? 

Me: Oh that- two goldfinches were in a spat over territory and didn't see us. They didn't hurt, it was just suprising. 

But to get back to the topic....I really think it would be better if you trusted me even though the reins are long.  I promise that I'm there and will keep you safe. 

Carmen: I shall take it  under advisement. Now where are the rest of the carrots?

Me: I guess that will have to do....

Carmen and I walking towards certain death

Flowin' in the Wind

Last weekend my lesson was cancelled because of others. We had rebooked for Saturday but that ended up rebooked because of rain. However, the temperatures plummeted overnight and when I got up the next day not only was it frigid but it was blowing  a gale. I texted Shanea and said that there was no point in having a lesson in these conditions. The weather was forecast to improve and Shanea was flexible enough to come for a 5:30 lesson (as opposed to noon). The temperatures were still cool but the wind was more calm (as an aside, WTF Mother Nature? Are you drunk?).

I started Carmen on the lunge and then mounted. Carmen gave one rather large spin/spook just before Shanea arrived. I gave her the update on how things were going. Shanea asked what I wanted to work on and I said 'since she's quite tight and tense, can we work on how to warm up through that? I might be dealing with that at the show and I'd like a plan'.

Not that I don't have a plan but I wanted to see how Shanea would tackle it.

here is super-tight and tense Carmen, really wanting to run away from
all the scary green stuff blowing in the wind. 

Shanea likes to have the horse relaxed and soft at the walk before moving on and she doesn't really care how long that takes. The goal was to walk around the whole ring and change directions. Carmen was allowed to notice things but needed to understand that she was expected to stay on task. When she came off the aids I was to correct it (well ideally I was to prevent that from happening but then there's reality). It was interesting to feel how my correcting now gives Carmen confidence rather than a reason to argue. It probably helps that I am much less reactive.

so much better

We then picked up the trot and it was pretty good from the beginning. Once Carmen was really relaxed and stretched over the back and then was startled by a bird and gave a huge spook. Shanea explained that that is always a risk when the horse starts to relax. She talked about making sure that my legs are on so that she knows what is expected. I went back and tried keeping my leg on and she did really feel more with me. 

we can sometimes pull it all together

As Carmen started to trot she began to sneeze and it kept going. I think with the wind and the pollen it had gone up into her nasal passages. She has no discharge or any other signs. We gave her lots of walk breaks and she didn't seemed winded in anyway. After a few sneezes she settled down.  She really getting lots of reach in her trot and it's getting so much steadier. Not that we don't have bobbles- we do. But before it was mostly bobbles.

One thing we struggled with was our upward transitions- they were a bit delayed and not smooth. I'm sure that I was just trying to hard. Our downward ones were great. As we carried on they really improved.

I swear that I don't realize I'm smiling when I'm riding, but
man I love when she flows

We then picked up a canter. The biggest improvement this year is in her canter- it's much straighter and balanced. Well mostly- once we were cantering down through the corner she sneezed and the wind blew and it startled her and she bolted.  I got her back though in about 20 feet and we went back to work. Shanea said that she's learning that bolting is not the right reaction. She really had been startled but I was happy that she hadn't porpoised or gone sideways.

Other than that one issue our canter work was pretty good. We practiced going across the diagonal and transitions to trot at X and it was some of our best canter-trot transitions.

While we aren't showing Test 3 of Level 1 Shanea asked me to do a counter canter loop. It was awesome. And I know that because a) I felt it and b) Shanea said 'wow that was terrific'.

We did a run through Test 1 and Shanea coached me through some of the issues: anticipating a canter transition (post so she doesn't get concerned), the half- circles (don't forget about her hind end on the turn so she doesn't fall in).

Next week is our show and I'm getting quite excited. Not that I'm thinking we'll get any great scores- I know that we can do it but it's still just about miles. But I am excited for us to go and have fun.

fancy prancy pony. 

Beating the Heat

The weather has been sunny and dry but the temperatures have been up and down. This week it has really taken a turn towards warm. Julia had planned to come on Wednesday to ride again but had to cancel at the last minute. I decided that I would ride anyway, even though it was hot.

Initially Carmen started off a bit tense but I am keeping with my plan of a slowing her walk and not reacting to her reacting. She had a small spook, then a slightly larger one and then a scoot. After the scoot I said 'you know that you are just revving yourself up don't you? Why bother?' And I swear that as soon as I said that she took a deep breath and relaxed.

After that we had one of our best rides. Not that we were super fancy but everything I asked her to do was 'yes of course' as opposed to ''why?' or 'nope'. Transitions? spot on and forward, leg yields? No big deal. She was with me 110% even though there were cars coming in the driveway, birds flying around and rustling grass. I decided that I needed to not be greedy and I stopped and hopped off. I checked my watch: 25 minutes had passed.

look at how soft her eye is after our ride

Thursday was quite hot and I had already decided to take it 'off'. Instead I took Guinness to the lake.
He LOVES going to the lake- he carries his toy there and back. it's really adorable and reminds me of me of a kid.

Friday was hot right from the beginning. That morning in the stall I noticed that Carmen is back in heat. The good news is that means she should be over it by the show next weekend. The bad news is that I have a lesson tomorrow. I love having my horses at home so that I can know these things and make plans. I have been doing a lot of thinking and I think that most of her spookiness during her heats is because she is uncomfortable.

I decided that I would still ride her but I would see if I could make it easier on her so we don't get in a fight. I rode before it got too hot but after I let her out to graze (and move) a bit. I also started her on the lunge- not because she seemed really up but I wanted to let her warm up without me on her back. I could see that she was a bit tight and I let her find her rhythm and get herself moving. When I mounted I spent a long time at the walk giving her time to become supple. She was definitely more spooky then earlier this week but I still kept her at the walk and insisted that she be slow. Once she felt good I asked her to trot. Funnily enough I only got the slightest of resistance to trotting. I'm not sure if anyone would have noticed but me- it was kind of like a car struggling to change gears going uphill.

I asked her to bend and leg yield at the trot. She gave one big spin/spook up by troll corner and did her best to convince me that she was going to be really bad if I kept her going that way. I refused to be harsh and fight- instead I asked her to bend as hard as I needed to to make it happen and then released. I didn't clutch the reins or tighten my legs. I just rode her through. It really did take the full ride to get her fine up in that corner but honestly it wasn't horrible- I just needed to remember to ride her forward and sit up.

forward ho

Her canter is really becoming a great gait for her: forward and flowing. I've been working on canter-trot transitions trying to keep her from dumping on her forehand and speeding off after the transition. It's not easy and takes a few half-halts but I can feel her starting to get it. Even better I can feel her thinking about it rather then just reacting. I feel that her canter lengthens are more genuine than her trot ones. I am not sure if that is completely true but will get Shanea to check for me tomorrow.

At the end I worked on our free walk. That she is really starting to understand and, even better, enjoy. I played with it up in troll corner. The first time her head came up and she became tight- I shortened the rein to have her if I needed too but still gave her slack and asked her to step into it. The next time she actually did it.  I chose that as the 'good moment to stop' (although honestly there are so many of them now that it's not always an easy choice).

After I hosed her off and then dropped the lead line in the grass. Carmen grazed while I washed her tail. Remember when washing her at all, let alone her tail, was a process all on its own? I do.  Now I trust her to not run off and she trusts me behind her with a bucket of soapy water.

After my little cream puff enjoyed a lovely post ride roll:

There is something so adorable about a horse rolling in grass

Feeling the Heat

This is an up and down sort of post. Which is a bummer giving how well things have been going.

I gave Carmen two days off this week and then rode her Wednesday late afternoon. She seemed perfectly fine until about 5 minutes into the ride. She had started a bit tight and tense but that is not unusual. But over time she completely disintegrated. It started with a few spooks and that got bigger and bigger and would not settle.

I tried everything I knew but she was becoming dangerous- I was sure that she was either going to launch me or fall down rather than stop bolting. So I hopped off and trudged down to the barn. I was feeling very very frustrated. On the way down I had to get quite firm about her leading manners. Like 'get out of my personal space and you do not get to run me over' firm.

flashback to the show debacle last year

 I put on side reins and lunge line and we headed back up to the ring. I don't normally lunge her in side reins but I wanted something to stop her from flinging her head so high.  After a few times of trying to bolt and/or change direction her brain finally began to return to her head. I worked her through all the normal spooky spots just like I had in the past. Once she seemed rational I took off the lunging equipment and got back on. She still never settled but remembered her manners. We worked mostly at the walk, a little at the trot. I figured that physically she had already worked enough- I just wanted to make a point. I did not dismount until she was listening to me- not the voices in her head.

After the rides I had been having I was quite bummed. However, I did know that she had started into heat- I can always tell by the strong smell of her urine (it will make your eyes water). There was nothing new in the things that startled her but the degree of her reaction was over the top.

This morning I rode her again. I was a little wary and brought the lunging equipment with me. But I didn't need it. While she was obviously tight and The Carmen I had been riding was back. We were able to practice actual things like 'transitions' and 'leg yields' rather then 'steering' and 'brakes'.

I much prefer this ride

So I'm not sure what to think about this. Is it hormones? If it is what do I do? I've tried the supplements and they have never worked (at least not in any way I could tell). Is it behavioural? Was Mercury in retrograde? Was it one of those things? I don't care (much) if I have this ride every now and then but if it happens at a show I'm screwed.

Any suggestions?

Or wine?

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Weather Beaten

Yesterday we were hit with yet another Nor'Easter. The original forecast had it starting Weds night and being over by Thursday morning. We were supposed to get mostly rain.

It seems that Mother Nature does not like to be predictable because it started late Thursday morning and we were hammered with snow. Normally I would leave work early to avoid the worst but it was my last day before my 'use it or lose it' vacation and I had a ton of work to do. I ended up working a bit later then planned.

not fun. Winter can piss right off

Fortunately Ed was home and brought the horses in when it got bad. Not that they needed persuasion- they had been hunkered in their stalls anyway.

Upon heading entering the barn I was greeted with grumpy horses and stalls that looked like I hadn't picked them out in a week (honestly I had done them in the morning).

Irish: Thank heavens you're home. This is an OUTRAGE. I've been in my stall all afternoon. I am a TB, I need my FREEDOM. 

Me: Actually you are half QH. Plus all he did was shut the door- you were already hiding in your stall. 

Carmen: And I'm starving. I can see the hay but there's NONE in my stall. Call the SPCA. 

d'Arcy: you need to let the horses out so I can help you bring them in. 

Me: I'm pretty sure that you had hay. You ate it all. 

Irish: Don't you dare deny me my heritage. I identify as all TB thank you very much. Plus you are missing the point- the male servant took my choice away. It's fine if I decide to stay in. It's totally not cool for him to make the decision for me. 

Carmen:  Not one stalk of hay was given to me. You can see for yourself. 

d'Arcy:  that's my job after all. 

Irish: Carmen! Stay on topic- it's about us being prisoners, not you turning yourself into a hippo. 

Carmen:  HOW DARE YOU! I am Rubenesque not some scrawny thing. 

Me: Okay okay you two. Knock it off. Carmen, I will get you more hay. Irish you are in until morning. 

I brought Carmen out into the aisle and parked a wheelbarrow of hay in front of her while I cleaned her stall. 

d'Arcy:  yes, put her out. You can't bring them in without me. It's a rule. 

Carmen: this is more like it. *nom nom nom* You should put this in my stall not that horrible hay net contraption. 

Irish: Morning? Morning? Good lord woman have you lost your mind? I want to go OUTSIDE. This is UNACCEPTABLE. 

Me: Not gonna happen sunshine. It's still snowing and blowing out there. 

my woods after the storm

Carmen: Oh Irish *nom* lighten up.*nom* It's all fine now*nom*. Have you started getting our dinner ready yet? 

Guinness:  Look I found this stick. Isn't it awesome? Doesn't it just make you want to throw it again and again and again? 

Irish:  No, she's lallygagging in the stall and playing with that dog. 

someone loves the snow anyway

Me: I'm going as fast as I can. There princess your stall is clean, I've put in fresh shavings, topped up your hay and freshened your water. 

Carmen: Wait, bring that hay buffet in here! I liked it. 

I bring Irish out and park him by the wheelbarrow. He immediately knocks hay out of it and onto the floor where he picks through it like a food critic who found a hair in his creme brûlée. 

d'Arcy:  ok, leave the grey one in but bring out the brown one. I'm ready to help you. 

Irish: don't you have anything better? I'm really not sure of the quality of hay this year. It's lacking the fresh green flavour that I love. 

Me: Well there's nothing I can do about that- the grass will come in on it's own schedule. 

Irish: Excuses. You're not trying that's what I think. I want to go back in my stall. 

Me: Not yet I'm not done yet. 

Irish:  It really is awful the way you keep taking away my freedom of choice. I'm going to lodge a formal complaint. 

Guinness: Stick stick stick. THROW THE STICK. Pleeeaaassse. 

Me: Who with? 

Irish: I haven't figured that out yet. But when I do you'll be in big trouble missy. 

at least I got to snowshoe today.

Me: There, all clean. Okay Irish you can go back in your stall. 

Irish: good thing- I was just going to get feisty. 

Me: heaven forbid. 

I got their dinner ready and they both seemed much happier.  I then headed into the house to make dinner for Ed. It was his birthday and our rule is that you don't need to cook on your birthday. I had picked up some samosas and pakoras on the way home (best time to go to the grocery store is during a storm) and made a red curry. 

This morning I strapped on my snowshoes to take Guinness for a walk (d'Arcy can't handle the snow anymore). 

Guinness showing off how much faster he is in the snow

The woods were like a cathedral. I am always so grateful
for this small patch of forest that I own. 

I figure that if it had to storm it was best on the day I had to work. Now I have 11 glorious days in front of me to enjoy.

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