Mid-week Update

I have to say that apparently it’s just going straight to winter in Ohio this year. The last two days we’ve had 20-40 mph wind gusts almost non-stop and the temperature has been hanging in the low 40’s during the day. Not really “winter” by Ohio standards but the fact that we seem to have completely skipped over the season of fall this year has left me a little salty to be quite honest. The only good thing I can say about the wind is that it DID help tremendously in drying out the ground, in fact, today my sand ring was dry enough to take Cool for a little spin. We didn’t do much, as chilly windy weather tends to make Cool significantly more “spookable” that usual, but I did get him saddle up, out on the lunge line for a bit, and then worked on some much needed ground work followed by lateral work in the saddle, which he was really good for. I’ve been trying very hard to improve my position and overall horsemanship with Cool. It’s amazing the difference in his responses under saddle when I’ve appropriately done my homework.
 I was planning to take Johnny for a walk initially, but decided against it because a) he was COVERED in mud and I didn’t have that kind of time, and b) the farrier is coming tomorrow to trim and re-evaluate where we are with his feet, so I figured what’s one more day of waiting?

In the end, I spent Ki’s nap time riding instead of doing barn work (which meant that I was cleaning stalls at 10pm) but it was worth it!

Ki is an extra good barn helper (most days)

Emmy (she’s 31 now!) and Cool - that one time the sun came out

Coolie today before our ride, looking skeptically at the bushes blowing in the wind

More after tomorrow’s farrier visit!

Peace.Love.Ponies 

✌🏼❤️🐴

Progress

Back to back rides on Coolie yesterday and today. Hubs was home early which gave me an opportunity to ride today that I probably wouldn’t have had otherwise. The forecast is also calling for rain the next few days as Hurricane Florence makes its way to our state (which is crazy in itself because I live in OHIO) so I figured that I had better take any chance that I had to get some ride time in on Coolie. Not only does my sanity require adequate horse time, but I’m also working really hard at getting his mind and body healthy. The only way to fix his feet is to ride in his pads and stimulate the parts of his feet that he normally wouldn’t use. The only way to fix his brain for him to realize that riding doesn’t cause pain. And the only way to fix his body is for his brain to stop going into overload and shutting down when he thinks he can’t do something because he’s sore. So really, it all comes back to riding. The more pain free, positive riding experiences we can have, the sooner he can begin to heal.

It was already starting to sprinkle rain drops so I quickly got Cool saddled and booted and headed out to the arena. My plan today was to give Cool a break from going ‘round and ‘round in circles and scatter some poles around the arena to ride like a “jump course.” I really am trying to get better about not boring him to death with “arena work” because it seems like he really gets sour of flatting all the time. Since he’s a pain in the ass about walking with me while I set poles, I tied the reins of his hackamore up over his head and let him trim the grass on the edge of the ring while I went to work setting. I used my four freshly (spray)painted jumper poles and set up a single on the quarter line, a diagonal one stride and a diagonal single. My ring is fairly small, so it’s pretty hard to set poles at much more than three/four strides or so in any given direction. I figured that today I would keep the poles all fairly close towards the center of the ring and give Cool lots of room to turn and make his approach since I was just planning on trotting this “course” today anyway.

We warmed up fairly quickly since Cool had just come in from turnout and therefore was already pretty loose at the walk. He was a little behind my leg to start but felt sound, and once he realized that we were doing pole work he brightened right up and off he went! We trotted a few single poles to start off and then I put together a little course both directions. As soon as he realized that we were turning these single poles into something that resembled a jump course, Cool was READY to go! He ended up rushing at a couple of the poles and taking a little jump over them to land in canter on the backside. Some people might think that undesirable in a horse but I was pleased as hell that Cool was feeling good enough and happy enough that he WANTED to jump and canter. I worked very hard on keeping with the rhythm of his trot on approach and just going with whatever decision he made, whether it be trot or canter on the backside. This required that I kept my leg soft and that I stayed down in my heel - something that I’ve really been sucking with as of late. Today was better though, so I’m pleased with that! I also made sure to keep my hand low and forward during our ride. I have a terrible habit of raising my hand and pulling a couple strides out. It’s a habit that’s literlly plagued me my whole life but seems exponentially worse when I ride Cool. Overall though, I was really pleased with our ride and after a couple little “courses” and a nice stretchy trot I called it a day and took Cool for a walk over to the apple tree to pick out his post-workout treat 😂 Stupid I know, but it gets him out of the arena and keeps him happy so I’m ok with it. I like to think of it as our little bonding time after working.

So far, the rain has held off so I’ll be headed back outside shortly (the baby is napping YAY) to let the ponies back outside to stretch and walk and enjoy the (MUCH) cooler temps today.

The Coolie today after his rockstar ride 

Until next time!

Peace.Love.Ponies.

Simplicity

After trying several times without success yesterday, I FINALLY got both horses ridden today.

Cool came out of his stall still somewhat sour looking, but seemed to have a much better attitude once he realized that I was going to put his hoof boots on him. I really do think that he likes his special Dr. Schols!
Killian sat ringside in the Pack-N-Play while I rode Cool. He cried for a little while but finally just gave up and sat there playing with some toys and occasionally standing up to watch me. As far as riding goes with Killian awake, I would say it went pretty well!

I had set some trot poles earlier in the morning for my rides - a single pole on the quarter line on one long side of the ring and three trot poles (spaced about 4ft apart) on the other long side quarter line. My plan was to work both horses over them but in reality, I didn't do any thing more then walk over them.

Cool felt good coming out of his stall and he trotted off pretty dang sound in his boots. He was quite lazy at first, which sometimes can be an indication of pain for him, so I warmed up nice and slow with him and was careful not to pull on his face or clamp my legs on his sides (both things he hates and things that I'm working on!) I've been riding him in the hackamore lately and I really think that its been a good thing for him. I will probably continue to ride in it for most of the fall/winter, especially for jumping. We just did a very easy ride today; walk and trot with a few canters each direction (mainly just down the long sides.) To the left today, he did throw the wrong lead then first time I asked him to canter, but then did not give me any trouble again. His canter to the right however was GLORIOUS. Reading back through this blog has really inspired me to re-connect with my equitation roots and be a better, more effective and less obstructive, rider. Lately, I've been working really hard at keeping my leg down and soft around Cool's side. He's so often behind the leg that I've gotten in a terrible habit or raking my heel up against his side and turning my toe out way to far. Its a problem that I've been working in earnest to remedy and I think that Cool is appreciative because he's been much happier under saddle. For the first time in a very long time today I was able to really sit and stay with his canter to the right. It was uphill and energetic! The left lead will require more work since its Cool's bad direction, but I have no doubt that it will iron itself out.

My hoof pad combination is still a solid win as far as Coolie is concerned. He seems pretty happy in his boots and pads! The farrier is coming Thursday to see everyone again for a trim.

After my ride on Cool I took Emmy for a quick spin. She was a little wild for an old lady and most DEFINITELY HATES the hackamore. Guess its just the plain ol' bit for Emmy these days!

Everyone is spending tonight out in the pasture. The daytime temps have been in the upper eightys/low nineties (PLUS mega humidity) this past week - its been miserable for my poor ponies and not conducive to much riding for me. I've decided that I am for sure scratching Sweetwater's Combined Test off our schedule for the end of this month. Cool hasn't jumped in forever and with his recent lameness issues I'd rather not push it. Instead, we are taking this month and half of next month to get back to the simple basics of riding. And I'll tell you what, I really feel good doing it.

Peace.Love.Ponies.

Magic "Shoes"

Yesterday I dragged Killian and Cool over to a local boarding barn to give Cool a proper test ride in his new "shoes." My childhood best friend C met me at the barn. She was going to put a ride on another horse in the stable while I rode Cool. We rolled out of our farm ahead of schedule for once, jumped on the highway and made the 25 minute drive (I know, right? Yes that's "local" around here) over to the barn that I boarded Johnny and Emmy at while I was in college.

Cool unloaded surprisingly well. He lived at this barn for a couple years when we first bought him and I periodically haul him there for indoor riding or wash stall use when the weather is bad, but Coolie being Coolie...you just never know what kind of horse is going to unload of the trailer. Hes that horse at horse shows. You know, the one that gets of the trailer screaming and come blowing into the arena to hand walk like he just got shot out of a cannon. The one that's practicing his levade while other horses are quietly loping around on lunge lines. It never fails that at least one person (usually whoever dares to come near him) either makes some type of comment ("Really feeling his oats this morning, eh?") or asks me if I'd like to borrow a lunge line. I just shake my head and laugh and keep levading around the arena. After about 15 minutes of stupid, the Lipizzaner tires himself out and Cool goes back to the trailer for his mid-morning snooze. Its been like this since the beginning of time with him - its just who he is.

Needless to say, I was both pleased and surprised to un-load a lazy horse at the barn yesterday. I turned him out in the arena while I unloaded Killian and my tack, and Cool promptly hung his head over the fence and went to sleep. C arrived shortly after and got a friend's horse ready to ride.

In general one-year-old fashion, Killian refused to sit quietly for anyone but me, so in the end, with daylight fading fast, I took the reins from C's horse and just had her jump on Cool. It seemed like a good idea for me to watch him go anyway, and to have a fresh set of eyes on his back to tell me how it felt in the saddle.

C put him through his paces at the trot both directions of the ring, making a couple nice wide circles and sweeping turns. Cool took a couple bad steps here and there, but overall...dare I say it...he looked pretty damn sound. I was beyond pleased! After a few laps of trot in each direction and darkness creeping over the outdoor arena, I waved C back over to the gate and told her that it was fine to get off. I'm so thrilled with the fact that Cool is sound! And yet terrified to ask too much of him and push him too hard at the same time.

Today, Cool had the day off to rest, but tomorrow my other friend S and I are having a "pony date," and shes offered to video Cool for me. I will try to get some before and after videos posted!

As for me, I'm exhausted and off to bed.

Peace.Love.Ponies.

New Beginnings

Rock bottom will teach you lessons that mountain tops never will.
[Word  Porn]

Two days ago, I sat quietly in the barn, late at night, sobbing silently into the neck of my oldest, most cherished friend Emmy.

It had been a week from hell. Between lame horses, a non-stop crabbing, crying baby, and feeling like a single mother in the face of my husband working long, late hours, I'd had enough.

Yep, you read that right. I said "baby."
______________________________

Three years ago I sat down and wrote my last post regarding my barefoot journey with both Cool and Johnny. Since then, both horses have come back to fairly successful soundness. Its been a never ending journey with its fair share of ups and downs. Some days are better than others for Cool, but somehow, I do still manage to ride a little.

Two years ago Johnny moved 1.5 miles down the road to my neighbors house. She's loved and trail ridden him ever since then, but just last week, her world came crashing down a little, and there is now a very distinct possibility that Johnny will be coming back to our farm in the next several months. When/if he does, it will be for good this time. I'm never letting him leave again <3 p="">
Two years ago, my husband and I also found out that we were expecting our first child. Killian was born in June 2017 and just celebrated his first birthday a few months ago.
_______________________________

Anyway, there I was, crying into the neck of thirty-one year old Emmy just like I had done so many times before in our relationship. Cool was in the stall next to her, he stuck his head over the divider wall and lipped at my hair, breathing warm muffled breaths into my ear. It was like being surrounded by the arms of my best friends. And in that moment, I suddenly thought about Johnny and I suddenly thought about this blog.

After a while, I wiped the tears away, fed my horses cookies and went back into the house. Killian was sleeping peacefully in his crib and I crept into his room, sat down in the arm chair in the corner and pulled out my phone. I found this blog on the internet and started at the beginning.

It took me two days to read the blog from start to finish. Part of me can't believe that its been almost TEN years since I first put finger tips to computer keys and began documenting my horse journey. I sat up late into the night and read about Johnny, about my college days, my horse shows and IHSA, I laughed. I cried. I cringed a couple times at my own childish stupidity.

But it was exactly what I needed. A trip down memory lane...a reconnection to my past...I'm not exactly sure, but it healed my heart in a way that I can't quiet explain.

Tonight, I put my baby to bed, went out into the barn and hugged and kissed both of my horses. This past year has been all about getting back to the simplicity of what brought me to this point in my life to begin with: my love of horses, but what I really needed, I think, was a swift kick in the pants. I needed my own words to steer me out of the darkness and back into the light.

Sometimes, life gets us down. And that's okay. The most important thing is getting back up. So here I am, picking myself back up off the ground, and looking to the sky. And part of that, is getting back to writing again. So I'm cracking my fingers, shaking off the dust, and getting back at it.

As always,

Peace.Love.Ponies.

The Barefoot Journey

First of all, what an eventful weekend it has been...

Yesterday was a long day of shopping with one of my best friend's M. After a morning at the barn, we drove down to one of our favorite tack stores for their annual holiday sale. Although there wasn't anything SUPER awesome on closeout, we did par-take in the BOGO clipper blades (a tradition and a favorite! yay body clipping!) and I finally got a breast collar for Cool/Johnny. This one came from the racing tack section, but I love it all the same. For only $36, I took home a soft, well oiled breast collar. I used it today on both Cool and Johnny, they both look smashing in it.

It was 65 degrees today (woohoo springtime in the winter!) so I worked all of my horses today...well, all except for Emmy, who decided to choke and make me call the vet, but that's another story.

I've been doing lots of research on conditioning and barefoot conditioning/hoof health. This has become an interest of mine since deciding to venture down the road of barefoot rehabilitation with my two "crippled" horses. Both Cool and Johnny have significant, yet similar issues. Both have been diagnosed with navicular and ring bone (my main concern with Cool) and Johnny has significant DJD in his stifles which causes him more pain on some days than others. Cool has never had his hock x-rayed, but I'm sure that trouble is brewing back there as well.

I used to be of the mindset that the whole "natural barefoot hoof trimming" movement was all a bunch of crap...and honestly, there are some "natural barefoot" farriers who I think ARE full of crap. I wouldn't let them trim my finger nails, let alone my horses feet. Perhaps this is because I'm from an area full of quarter million dollar show hunters who would never dream of going barefoot...the shoeless horses are yahoos just like the shoeless children running around!

I was all about the horse shoes...the wedges and the pads (pour-in's only please on my horses!) in fact, Emmy competed for YEARS successfully with just that package. We pulled her shoes one time in the winter and she was crippled as fuck. She didn't walk a sound step until I put her shoes back on in the spring time. I loved my farrier then (I still do) and I accepted the fact that my tender Thoroughbred just wasn't meant to walk without Prada's.

And then I moved out to the boondocks with (at the time) future hubby and the hunt was on for a new farrier. I went through 6 of them that first year...SIX. Every 8 weeks someone new came out to shoe my horses. I was ready to rip my hair out. How hard could it be to trim correctly and nail four shoes to some hooves? If you've never owned a horse, you just can't even being to understand the woes of finding either a new farrier or a new vet. Its like finding a new dentist....its just impossible.

We finally found R, a reasonably priced farrier who did good work and was (bonus!) from my home town area. We knew many of the same people and I found out that he actually shoed for many of my friends back home. We had lots to talk about, and I insisted that he not change a single thing on Emmy's feet. She was hard to shoe, I told him. Just keep her like she is.

Of course, he didn't. He took her out of her wedge shoe on our third appointment together. Emmy instantly went lame. I called him back, bitched him out, and told him to put her back in it. She HAS to have her wedges I told him. He complied, came back out and changed her shoes. Emmy was sound. A few more appointments later, I picked up her feet one day and realized that, once again, she didn't have a wedge shoe on. Except that this time, I hadn't even noticed that it was gone, and Emmy didn't seem to mind either. The longer he shod my horses, the more "crap" he took off them. I began to understand what he was trying to convey to me the first time he'd pulled the Prada's off my girl. R's philosophy is to grow a better hoof, not just Band-Aid a crappy one together. The problem is that growing better hooves takes time, and no one wants to wait for that.

Last winter, we pulled shoes on all of our horses. The temperatures were sub-zero, we had no indoor to ride in, and I was sick of popping ice balls out of my horses feet. R pulled shoes on everyone except Gus....and miraculously, Emmy never walked a lame step.

In fact, she's never worn shoes again.

In the years that it took him to sculpt my horses feet, what he did was make her foot grow to a better, stronger shape. When I decided to pull her shoes, it didn't matter, because the internal and external structures of her foot were strong and correct. She's never taken an sore step in a solid year without shoes.

I noticed also, that Cool, who has been plagued by mysterious lameness all summer, was also suddenly sound. In fact, when we x-rayed him the following spring and found his navicular, he really hadn't even been lame.

Of course, the vets gave me a regiment of shoeing changes for him. One told me eggbars, one told me wedges and another told me to roll his toe for the ringbone. We compromised with an aluminum shoe and a small wedge. I mean, we had to do something right?

Cool was sound for like 1 week, and then went completely lame.

Never blocks, Isox, Osphos injections and one more shoeing change....hundreds of dollars later I had a horse that was barely sound at the walk, let alone the trot. The Osphos did seem to help him, but the more we messed with his feet, the worse he got. After an entire summer of zero progress, I was frustrated and ready to give up. The farrier came back to trim him and I told him that I was done.

Pull the shoe I said to him I'm not putting another dime into this horses feet.

And miraculously, he got better.

And then I began to think. And I realized, that Cool has been at his most sound point over the winter and into the early spring, WITHOUT the shoes. It was only after nailing pieces of metal back to his feet that we really began to see lameness again. I started researching barefoot navicular horses on my lunch breaks at work, and what I found, really made me think.

To read the website that really inspired me, visit http://www.barehoofcare.com/why.html

I think you'll find it worth your time to read. I'll elaborate more in my next post! Until then, do your research my friends!

Until next time

Peace.Love.Ponies.

Sunday Funday

Pretty good Sunday today.

I had to work yesterday, so the ponies just got a full day of turnout, which they desperately needed. The weather this weekend has been amazingly warm, so everyone has gone blanket-less all weekend. I think that the horses must have rolled 6 times a piece out in the snow...they were so itchy!

This morning, the hubby and I sat on the couch and had coffee and donuts for breakfast (my favorite!) and then I let the horses out again until about 1:00pm or so.

I did get everyone worked today, which was great! I started with Gus, first on the lunge line and then under saddle. It was my first time back in the saddle since my unexpected departure from Cool's back a week and a half ago. I was so happy that my knee didn't bother me at all, even though the bruising on my shin and knee joint is still pretty impressive. Gus was so great! He even offered to stretch down with me!

After that, I took Emmy for a hack in the snow, mainly just walk/trot out on the trails. I didn't do a ton with her because a) shes old, and b) trotting through hock deep snow is enough of a workout. I stayed on her until she walked herself back to the barn and stood at the door as if to say ok, that's enough of that.

Cool was next, and I have to admit that I was apprehensive to get back in the saddle on him. He's just been so unpredictable lately, a trait that is so NOT him. I've decided to go back to basics with him for a while, working on the lunge line with side reins, which is exactly what I did today. I tacked him up fully and then added side reins. I never start off lunging with the side reins on, I think its important for the horse to stretch out before being asked to collect and work. Cool didn't want to go forward at first, but eventually he did comply. He has a nasty habit of cutting into the middle of the lunging circle, although today the snow was so deep that he was very content to stay on the path that Gus had made for him. This really worked out to my advantage, because I didn't have to fumble with making him stay out like I normally do. After he was warmed up I added the side reins and immediately he got bug-eyed and tried to avoid them by putting his head sky high in the air. It took a couple of laps for him to finally give in. We worked on voice commands while getting him to relax down into the bridle. He was really good! I got him to do upward and downward transitions just with voice commands, and then ended with a canter-to-trot transition and then straight to a "woah," I was so happy when he tucked his butt and went right to a halt. I'm going to keep working him like that for a while, it will especially help since I want to do the equitation classes with him this year. I'm hoping that going back to the basics will help get his brain back.

So, in closing, I had a really good Sunday :) Now it's time to feed the ponies dinner and make some scrumptious spaghetti for the hubby and I.

'Til next time,

Peace.Love.Ponies.
(below are some pictures for your viewing enjoyment)

 Emmy after our ride today (above)

Emmy and Gus playing Wednesday in the snow (photos below)

Riding Gussie today (below)

Our barn cat Oliver likes to horseback ride too! (below)

Wild Thing

So, I took a pretty spectacular tumble off Cool the other day.

And by "tumble" I mean that he bucked me the hell off, which was truly about as pleasant as it sounds.

Of course I was wearing my nice (and newly monogrammed...thanks Personally Preppy!) Charles Owen helmet and Tailored Sportsman breeches and (since I have no indoor arena) I was riding outside and therefore landed on the ice and snow. But whose counting anyway, right?

The worst part of the entire ordeal (aside from the fact that Cool legitimately tried to get me off his back, which is not okay with me) is how sore I am in the aftermath of it all. I swear, when I was a kid I used to splat off horses all the time and I just kind of shook myself off and got back on. I might have been a little sore the next day, but nothing like this.

But let me back up to how this all started to begin with, that is, how I ended up in this sad state of bruises and swelling and muscles so sore that I can barely get out of bed in the morning.

I've been trying to get Cool out ever other day or so on the lunge line to work him a little in an attempt to get him back into some semblance of "shape." Show season comes early around here, and since I have some major show plans for the fall and no place to ride all winter, I need all the help that I can get. While most people's horses are ready for show season in May, I'm still at home watching the weather and praying for drought so that the arena dries up. When I sat down at the start of the year to line out my plan (...which I actually never shared on here come to think of it...) I knew that I couldn't spend all summer getting the horse fit and then hope that everything works out at our biggest show of the year in October. I was going to need to go into May's first rated show with a horse that wasn't a sloppy mess of jello and googly, wild, I-haven't-been-ridden-in-4-months bug eyes. So, as the weather and footing continues to deteriorate, I've turned to lunging to help keep my horse at least half fit.

Or at least I thought.

I've been careful with Cool for months. He went mysteriously lame last June, something that has baffled the vets, farriers, and anyone else that I have look at him. There isn't particularly anything obviously wrong with him. He jogs dead lame one day and totally sound the next. In fact, the last time the vet performed flexion tests on him, he got sounder as we went on. By the end of the lameness exam, my grade 3-4 lame horse was suddenly, completely sound.

Yeah, explain that one.

I've tried all routes of treatment: stall rest, hand walking, icing, Bute, Previcox...you name it. Nothing particularly makes him better (well, except the Previcox...but that's not a solution.) When weeks of icing, wrapping and babying didn't work, I said to hell with it all and just turned him out. For 30 solid days, he did nothing but go out and eat grass, and then come back into the stall. On our first ride after that month, he trotted two sound laps around the arena before he started limping again. He wasn't any worse than before, but he certainly wasn't any better. So the question became, what do I do? What do you do with a horse who doesn't get better with rest, and doesn't get worse with turnout? After hundreds of dollars in vet bills and no answers, my solution was nothing. Nothing. I was going to let him sit around for the rest of the year and do nothing. My wedding was quickly approaching, and my coffers for the Cool Vet Fund were empty.

So, after almost 7 months with no answers, he finally seems to be doing better. My new job at the vet office has it's perks, I get a pretty solid discount on products, procedures and diagnostics. I have plans to fully x-ray his legs in February (something that we didn't do before because we couldn't keep him consistently lame enough to block, and therefore had no idea where to even begin x-raying.) but in the mean time, he seems to be pretty sound (knocks on wood.) I've been extra slow to bring him back into work, and extra cautious to take care of his legs afterwards.

And clearly, he's feeling well enough to spook and buck, because that's exactly what he did when he threw me off. I lunged him lightly before riding him, which was uneventful. In fact, he seemed lazy. Eager to work, but he offered nothing to me on the lunge line. In fact, our first few minutes of riding were very uneventful. He put his head down once for a little hopping thing, but that was all. His trot work, though limited, was beautiful, with his head stretching down and his neck arched. He was pushing forward and reaching through the bridle. I  was just starting a celebration in my mind, dancing around in my head and rejoicing, thinking to myself my god he remembers!! 

And then it happened. So quickly that by the time I realized what was starting, there was no stopping it. We trotted through a corner to the left (having already trotted and cantered to the right)  and I asked for canter. He went once stride and his head suddenly cocked to the outside, I saw the white of his right eyeball, and thought oh shit.

He EXPLODED. One huge buck which almost unseated me. He never bucks, not with his hind legs actually. His usual M.O. is to drop his head all the way to the ground and leap up and down in the air with his shoulders, but in all reality, the hind legs never really come up. This time, they did. He bucked so high that he almost unseated me, but that wasn't the bad part. When his hind legs came back down to the ground, he dug in like a racehorse and bolted. Not a scoot, not a spook, a bolt. A flat out, head down, dead run back for the barn. I dug my heels down and pulled up against the reins. It was like pulling against a rock, I had absolutely nothing. I pulled the left rein in an attempt to circle him...nothing. It was probably one of the scariest two seconds of my life, because I literally had no control of him and he was headed straight for the small pathway that runs between the barn and the semi-trailer that we store our hay in. I had a split second where I thought to myself, jesus christ...this is going to be bad.
As we neared the edge of the arena I made one final feeble attempt to pull him up, hailing back on his mouth as hard as I could. Cool, in response, threw his head down and leapt into a series of bucks that would make a rodeo bronc proud, front legs leaping off the ground and then hind legs extending in a buck that rippled through his body like a wave, tossing you backwards first, and then snapping you forward towards his neck. I think that I sat threw at least three of them, each time finding it harder and harder to keep myself in the tack. I was clinging to the side of him, only two more strides from the corner of the barn.

It's amazing how fast the human brain can work. How, in a split second, you can assess a situation and make a decision about it. Thinking back on it, I remember seeing the barn wall approaching and knowing that there was no way I was going to stay on this horse. The way I saw it, I had two options, try to hold on, and fall off into the hard barn siding, or accept fate, and let go.
I chose the latter.

It seemed like it took forever to hit the ground, but when I did, it was knee first, followed by my elbow, shoulder and lastly my head (thank god for my helmet!) I had so much momentum coming down that I actually had to try and stop myself from sliding and rolling over. The very first thought I had as my body impacted into the snow was how much I had underestimated the firmness of the ground. Riding in circles over the snow covered ground had packed it down to a near ice like state. It was hard as concrete, and as I looked up to see Cool bucking across the arena, reins dangling around his neck, I was instantly aware of how much pain was radiating from my leg. It was instant pain, something that I've never felt falling off a horse before. By now, Cool had stopped his escapade and was standing in the middle of the arena looking at me. I scraped myself off the ground slowly, testing my leg to make sure that I could actually stand on it. I could, but from the hip down my entire leg was shaking uncontrollably, and I was on the verge of tears.

I'll spare you the rest of the details, as it would make for a very long post, but I did manage to get back on and trot and canter again, and then I promptly put Cool back on the lunge line where he played rodeo horse again, running and bucking like an idiot. I have no idea what's gotten into him lately, he's been so wild, so uncharacteristic of himself. I lamented over it with my husband last night, telling him that I just don't even know what to do with him anymore. I can barely ride him, and I sure as heck am not going to get majorly hurt over it. I was lucky that my fall wasn't worse, because, thinking back on it, it could have been. What if he would have slipped and fallen down with me? What if I would have held on, only to have him barrel down into the barn and throw me into the barn wall? Or even worse, throw me into the semi-trailer? My husband (who is by no means a competent horse person, but sticks like glue and has legs long enough to wrap around a horse's belly) says that he will get on Cool and ride him before I do again, but I'm still worried.

What happened to my horse that needed a firecracker to make him canter? I know that he's been out of work for a while, but shouldn't he be unfit and lazy like he was when we first got him? The horse that laid down with me on his back when he decided that he was too hot and tired to work anymore? Where is that horse?

It seems like we have a long way to go, and a short time to get there :(

'Til next time,

Peace.Love.Ponies.

George Morris: 15 Riding Tips

George Morris (aka: the all-knowing and powerful guru of hunter/jumper land) puts on a Horsemastership Training Session in Wellington, Florida each year. If you are one of the lucky participants, it's the opportunity of a lifetime. If you're in the area, it's a must-see to audit. If you are, however, like the vast majority of rest of us though, you wait around for 5 days in January, scouring the internet for video, audio and text clips of wisdom from "the master" of modern hunt seat riding.

Equisearch.com (one of my favorite websites) published an article recently reflecting on 15 of George Morris's top riding tips that he highlighted during his clinic. To read the full article, click here.

If you aren't in the mood to read the whole thing, here are George's highlighted 15 tips of riding. I've added text to some of the bullets where I think that clarification of George's point may be necessary. This text is taken directly from the article listed above.

1. Create Impulsion - “The hind leg is where it starts,” he said. A rider breaks up resistance in the horse by encouraging his hind legs to come forward and under his body. When that happens, the horse’s croup starts to drop. Then the base of the neck, where it attaches to the shoulder, comes up. As a consequence, the horse’s head drops and he starts to round.
2. Keep Him Straight - There are two types of straightness, he explained. The first is the bottom line of the horse. Does his left hind hoof fall into the print of his left fore and his right hind into the print of his right fore? Most horses naturally go in a little haunches-in. The second type of straightness is the horse’s topline, from the dock of the tail to his poll. On a straight line, the horse needs to be tracking straight, and on a circle, he must be bent in accordance with the curved line. Many riders overbend their horses, making them crooked, he said. He also reminded riders that to be straight, they first must feel a forward quality in their horses’ gaits.
3. Carry the Hand - George taught this method to the riders throughout the week. For example, when one rider’s horse resisted, he told her to raise her hands, close her fingers and push with her leg. “You have to resist the horse’s resistance so the horse starts to accept contact.” When the horse softened in the mouth, George told the rider to be sure to give with her hands as a reward. He explained that many riders are taught to lower their hands if they feel resistance, “but that is rewarding the horse for disobedience.” 
4. Make Every Transition Count
5. Establish Rhythm with Cavaletti
6. Supple with Lateral Work
7. Spiral In and Out - To continue to supple the horses throughout their bodies, George had the riders spiral in on three circles at the canter. They used their outside legs to displace the horses’ haunches in while bending them around the inside legs. If a horse resisted, the rider could use a leading inside rein and an outside neck rein. When the horses relaxed a little, George said the riders could give slightly with their inside reins while the outside reins remained more solid. 
8. Counter-canter to collect and Balance - “Self-carriage is where a horse holds himself, maintaining his own balance and impulsion,” George explained.
9. Stay Straight on Flying Changes
10. Lighten Up - Any time the riders asked for pace, such as when they were galloping or jumping, George encouraged them to be light on their horses’ backs with their hip angles closed and their upper bodies forward about 30 degrees. This allowed for a smoother and softer ride and kept them from disturbing their horses’ self-carriage.  
11. Ride with Pace to the Base [of a jump]
12. Practice What is Difficult
13. Let Go out of the Turn - If you do this, he said, you’ll “measure the fence infinitely better.” If the horse is not listening to the half-halt or is cross-cantering by the time he reaches the turn’s apex, a rider needs to return home and practice—“that’s homework,” George said.  
14. Keep Riding to a Difficult [Jump] Distance
15. Stay Positive - When some horses had trouble and refused on the final day’s jumping course, George reminded the riders not to be tentative because a horse will sense that and question whether or not he should jump. “The relationship between horse and rider is closer than any two beings, even if you’re married,” he said, adding, “When a horse gets tentative, you don’t get tentative. That’s the kiss of death. … You get positive." 

Happy riding my friends :)

Peace.Love.Ponies.

A new year with a new focus

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some people turn up their sleeves, some people turn up their noses, and some people don't turn up at all."

I saw this on quote on an Instagram post by @officalaqha today while scrolling through the endless internet pages of photos of people riding their horses. I love Instagram, not so much for my abilities to gain followers and post photos, but for the inspiration that I gain from the photos of others chasing their dreams and doing what they love.

As a grown woman who is now graduated, married and working a "real" job, I've found myself in an endless struggle to balance my new role as wife, homemaker and equestrian. It's a struggle that I'm sure I am not the first, nor the last, to traverse alone. The ongoing question remains though: how do I do it?

I've spent my whole life "gearing up" for the next big thing; the next horse show, the next job, the next big life hurdle to tackle. Of course, previous to tying the knot with my husband, the only person that I really had to worry about was myself. Now, I have dishes to wash, dinner to make, and a house to clean. I have a job that I spent 9 hours a day at, working 8am-6pm at a vet clinic. At the end of the day, I find myself dreading even having to clean my horses stalls, let alone find the time to saddle them up and ride them.

While sitting on my lunch break today, I was on my cell phone, chatting with my friend S, lamenting over this very subject. S is getting ready to graduate from college, has two horses and works her tail off to pay her way in this world. Although she's still "independent" of a significant other, she still struggles with the same challenges that I find myself faced with: how do we excel with our horses and find the time to commit to aspiring to our dreams amidst the daily chaos of every day life?

I took a visit back in time tonight to try and reconnect with that spark of ambition that seemed to be so abundant in my youth. By paging back through old riding journals, blog entries and computer files, I found a few things that I think are inspirational enough to either revisit, or share for the first time with the general public. Many of these things revolve around Johnny...to date, he has been the most inspirational horse that I have ever worked with.

The excerpt below is from an article called "John Cooper on Fitness." I have no idea where I originally found it, so my sincere apologies for the lack of publishing credit. I'm sure that it came from some type of online article collection, such as Equisearch.com or something similar. I've had the text copied into my computer for years. I still enjoy reading what the article has to say. This is just a small section of a six page document.

ASSESS WHAT YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH

"Not only do you have to assess your horse but you need to be realistic about your own situation. If you work full time and you are preparing for a 3DE then you may decide to work your horse twice a day instead of one long session, which is hard to fit in either before work or at the end of the day.

For the actual canter work the terrain plays a big part. Most people like a hill as it is challenging enough to the horse's heart, lungs and muscles over a shorter distance, thereby putting less strain on the horse's legs. If you live in a flat area obviously you will have to do longer distances to equal the same amount of work.

When I was living in Hay, NSW, where there is not a hill in sight I managed to get horses fit for 3DE's by riding 6 miles before work, swimming them, usually at lunchtime, and then working them on the flat or jumping after work. Where there's a will there's a way, but what I wouldn't have given for just one hill."

Nice inspiration for the working adult rider, huh? Where there's a will, there IS a way.

The next expert is from this very blog, from February 25, 2010. It's amazing to think that I wrote this almost 5 years ago. You can search to that date to find the entire post. I like what I wrote here, I think that often times, as we progress as riders, we begin to think more in terms of facts and less in terms of feeling. Many of the problems that I encountered with Johnny were problems that I've run into again in other horses. He was such a different type of ride from Emmy...and each time I read back through my own musings over his training, I realize just how much my current horses actually take after him. It's difficult to break a lifetime of riding habits, but its important to remember that, the most effective riders are those who can put their horses into a position where they can perform to the best of their abilities.

'Form=Function: Finding the "Neutral Position"  

When I came to college and started riding with a different trainer, I began to understand more of the hunter aspect of position...of what she called a "neutral position" in which the rider did not interfere with the horse's natural movement and in doing so, allowed the horse to move freely underneath the rider. This was a concept that I understood well in theory, but could never quite transfer over to my rides with Johnny. Granted, I rarely rode Johnny under the watchful eye of trainer, and although I soon learned how to best influence his trot, I could not find the same happy medium in canter and I could rarely find it to a jump, because I rarely saw a distance on him. If I micro-managed, we chipped. If got into my half seat and left him alone, we went long. There seemed to be no in between. For a long time, I attributed it to his green-ness over fences. His own inability to judge the distance to the jump, his lack of athletic ability and maybe just lack of experience to adjust his stride. In reality, that was only part of the problem. The main problem was that I couldn't find that neutral balance where I could best let him do his job.'

And here is another, even older post from October 16, 2009...six years ago. I still remember the day that I made this realization, as simple and stupid as it seems, but it was like a light bulb came on in my never-ending journey as a horsewoman.

'And as I stood there watching Erin ride, I realized that there were a lot of things in life that Johnny had also never done. When I got him, he had never been ridden. He had never cantered, he had never jumped, he had never been clipped or shown or had his mane pulled and braided...

Who was I to say that this horse could and couldn't do?' 

So, while I sat at the folding table in the breakroom today, stirring my microwave macaroni and cheese with my cell phone pressed to my ear, I thought about all of these things. I thought about all of the research that I had done...the books and magazines I had read, the hours that I had spent pouring over internet articles and reading forums and blogs as I stumbled down the path of horsemanship. I thought about the late nights and early mornings that I spent at the barn, even after a long day working on the horse show circuit, to make sure that my horses got ridden...groomed...fussed over. I though about how I borrowed arenas and equipment to prepare for competition only to have jump refusals or meltdowns in the show ring. I thought about how much I had learned from those mistakes, how it pushed me to ride better, think clearer and come up with a better strategy. I thought about how often I used to video myself, even when there was no one around to help me, just so that I could critique my days ride. I thought about the extra ten minutes that I spent before each ride stretching Johnny or rubbing him down with liniment after...I thought about how much of a difference those extra minutes had made to his overall comfort, condition, and most importantly, our bond. And mainly, I thought about Cool and Gus, about the drive and the fire that still burns in my soul to see their training through to whatever end. 

Then and there I made myself a pact, that no matter what, I am going to make this up coming show season work for them. I don't know how...but I'm going find a way to make it work. I'll spend money smarter, I'll wake up a little earlier, I'll try a littler harder. Because at the end of the day, one certainty still rings true:

The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.

Happy preparation my friends :)

Peace.Love.Ponies.