Many of you may remember a few years ago when I called upon the Lead Fairy to come down and pay Johnny a visit, which said fairy so generously did when Johnny suddenly began picking up his right lead canter. The same Lead Fairy must have paid Cool a visit over the past week because
WE DID FLYING LEAD CHANGES TONIGHT!
The left to right change wasn't very clean, but the right to left was almost perfect! I was SO proud of him!! This is the first time that I have ever really asked him for a flying change, lately it has just been simple lead changes. He was awfully fresh tonight, so I can only assume that this helped him a lot, but I was just SO pleased and amazed by him! We did a single canter pole, a 4 stride line of canter poles and then a set of 9ft bounce poles, followed by a small vertical on the diagonal before working on the lead changes. After riding, I fed him TONS of cookies and took him out for grass. After grooming him back off, I linimented his legs and bandaged them all just to be safe. His hind leg swelling has gone back to normal with a little bute, turnout, liniment, ice and stable bandages. I want to make sure that it stays this way! I didn't give Cool any bute today, so I am curious to hack him early tomorrow morning (before heading to the show again to groom) and see how he feels without the bute in his system. I'm wondering if he was so good today because he still had the bute in his system? I'll be curious to see...I think that he really need to see a chiropractor and get his back adjusted.
I didn't get to ride Emmy today, but that's alright because she was a LOON when I rode her the other night. Which is wonderful, because it means that my old lady is still feeling good, but she actually considered bucking me off! (Cool also threw a couple bucks in after jumping today...he was just full of himself!) I'm glad she feels so good, I can't wait to ride them tomorrow morning. I'm really trying to get back in riding shape...I used to ride so well and now my equitation is really terrible...and I haven't jumped anything of a reasonable size in FOREVER.
I keep taking my camera to the barn and then forgetting to use it...I wish I would have gotten a video today :(
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Showing posts with label jumping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jumping. Show all posts
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
A Little Johnny Update
Warning: This is a mildly depressing post.
Johnny got his shoes put back on this morning, so I was told. I am hoping that the potential leaser can come try him Sunday or Monday, but we will have to see. Everyone keep your fingers crossed that we can figure out a way to work this out....I don't even know if the lease will really work. Still taking donations for the Johnny fund!
The good news is that I got called back for a second "work" interview at he vet clinic! Hopefully it goes well and I can pick that up as a part time job (at least it's something, right?) I know that if I had Johnny half leased with the leaser also taking lessons from me, that Johnny would actually cover his own boarding expenses...the problem comes in if I lose the lease. This is why I had to send him away to begin with :( I know that hind sight is always 20/20, but I wish I would have not been so freaked out about the finances and so hasty to find someone else to pay his bills. I would have never put myself in this situation where he keeps getting bounced around from person to person...and I'm far too attached to him to just let him go. Stupid me :(
I found this photo on my phone yesterday while going through my camera roll...I honestly can't believe that it was 2 years ago when I took Johnny to the CVPHA Classic and stabled him with the big hunter barn. This was the last summer that I got to call him mine :(
He's so freaking gorgeous. What did I do?
Peace.Love.Ponies.
P.S. Another little tid-bit of good news (because I really do try to be a "glass half full" kind of person, although I struggle sometimes) is that I did put Emmy back under saddle yesterday! She seemed happy to be groomed and not unhappy to be saddled, however she did clench her teeth a little for the bit. She was also sound! I didn't do much with her, just some light trotting interspersed with lots of walking and a canter each direction. Hopefully she is still sound today! I put her and Cool back on an MSM supplement, maybe it is helping? They are currently getting the loading dose, which is double the normal amount (20,000 mg versus 10,000 mg) Cool is also back on his Anihist. He hates it but if I mix it in beet pulp he eats it! It does seem to be helping with his breathing.
Johnny got his shoes put back on this morning, so I was told. I am hoping that the potential leaser can come try him Sunday or Monday, but we will have to see. Everyone keep your fingers crossed that we can figure out a way to work this out....I don't even know if the lease will really work. Still taking donations for the Johnny fund!
The good news is that I got called back for a second "work" interview at he vet clinic! Hopefully it goes well and I can pick that up as a part time job (at least it's something, right?) I know that if I had Johnny half leased with the leaser also taking lessons from me, that Johnny would actually cover his own boarding expenses...the problem comes in if I lose the lease. This is why I had to send him away to begin with :( I know that hind sight is always 20/20, but I wish I would have not been so freaked out about the finances and so hasty to find someone else to pay his bills. I would have never put myself in this situation where he keeps getting bounced around from person to person...and I'm far too attached to him to just let him go. Stupid me :(
I found this photo on my phone yesterday while going through my camera roll...I honestly can't believe that it was 2 years ago when I took Johnny to the CVPHA Classic and stabled him with the big hunter barn. This was the last summer that I got to call him mine :(
He's so freaking gorgeous. What did I do?
Peace.Love.Ponies.
P.S. Another little tid-bit of good news (because I really do try to be a "glass half full" kind of person, although I struggle sometimes) is that I did put Emmy back under saddle yesterday! She seemed happy to be groomed and not unhappy to be saddled, however she did clench her teeth a little for the bit. She was also sound! I didn't do much with her, just some light trotting interspersed with lots of walking and a canter each direction. Hopefully she is still sound today! I put her and Cool back on an MSM supplement, maybe it is helping? They are currently getting the loading dose, which is double the normal amount (20,000 mg versus 10,000 mg) Cool is also back on his Anihist. He hates it but if I mix it in beet pulp he eats it! It does seem to be helping with his breathing.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Food (and photos!) for thought
After a drought of a summer here in Ohio, Mother Nature has graced us with a pretty rainy fall...which is great for the plants, but bad for my riding! I managed to get Emmy and Cool both out for light walk/trot hack yesterday despite the rain. Cool was a ball of energy since the pasture was under water and he didn't get his usual 8 hour turnout...I really can't wait to have an arena to ride them in again! Emmy was perfect (as usual) although I have noticed that she's getting a bit sulky in her old age. I wish I had the money to inject her hocks and fetlocks so that she could feel young again! As soon as I get myself pinned down with a "real job" that's making decent money that's one of the first things on my list of "horse spoiling." She's never had any work done on her in the past 10 years that I've owned her, save for a massage once, and I can't even imagine how amazing she would be with some maintenance. I mean, come on. The horse can still easily jump a 2'9" oxer...can you imagine what she would do with new hocks? Buck me off that's probably what!
I'm seriously itching to get started working on Cool this winter. He puzzles me so much with his movement, body type and mindset. When you first look at him you instantly think "good gracious...that is the most nonathletic horse known to man kind." He's at inch too short in his legs and his back is 8 miles too long. He's over at the knee and his pasterns are too upright. Riding him only confirms that first impression...he walks so stiffly that there is zero swing in his back. World's best equitation horse right? Haha! But seriously...he's got no shoulder movement, no sweep to his walk and no swing. It's really weird to sit on. But then you turn him out and watch him let loose and play in the pasture and you go "holy crap! why can't he do that under saddle!?!" It's all a big ploy...that horse can go from a stand still to a dead gallop, barrel race through the corner and come back to a lope, LOPE across the paddock and do a perfect flying change, then run full speed again down the long side for a sliding stop right up to the pasture gate, where he will stand for a moment, then roll back 180 on his haunches and take off in a medium canter and let out a buck that could clear a working hunter fence. I'm not joking...that horse gets vertical (thank god he doesn't do THAT under saddle...) It's breath taking to watch.
Last winter, when I did get him going a little bit, I took him for an over fences lesson with a local A circuit hunter trainer who really liked him (despite his laziness). He's not ultra correct in his jump, but my absolute favorite things about him are that a) he's not scared and b) his canter is SUPER consistent. He had only jumped maybe 3 times ever and we did canter bounce poles, bounce cross rails and then made a little course of 4 jumps (bounce on the long side to a diagonal vertical, roll back to the opposite diagonal vertical) and he never even blinked. I have a feeling that there is greatness deeeeeeeeep down inside him...we just need to fight his halter Quarter Horse breeding and figure out how to unlock it! He's tough like Johnny was, but in a totally different way. Cool is bullheaded and belligerent, but in a strange, sweet kind of way. Johnny tried his heart out but just didn't always understand.
I'm seriously itching to get started working on Cool this winter. He puzzles me so much with his movement, body type and mindset. When you first look at him you instantly think "good gracious...that is the most nonathletic horse known to man kind." He's at inch too short in his legs and his back is 8 miles too long. He's over at the knee and his pasterns are too upright. Riding him only confirms that first impression...he walks so stiffly that there is zero swing in his back. World's best equitation horse right? Haha! But seriously...he's got no shoulder movement, no sweep to his walk and no swing. It's really weird to sit on. But then you turn him out and watch him let loose and play in the pasture and you go "holy crap! why can't he do that under saddle!?!" It's all a big ploy...that horse can go from a stand still to a dead gallop, barrel race through the corner and come back to a lope, LOPE across the paddock and do a perfect flying change, then run full speed again down the long side for a sliding stop right up to the pasture gate, where he will stand for a moment, then roll back 180 on his haunches and take off in a medium canter and let out a buck that could clear a working hunter fence. I'm not joking...that horse gets vertical (thank god he doesn't do THAT under saddle...) It's breath taking to watch.
Last winter, when I did get him going a little bit, I took him for an over fences lesson with a local A circuit hunter trainer who really liked him (despite his laziness). He's not ultra correct in his jump, but my absolute favorite things about him are that a) he's not scared and b) his canter is SUPER consistent. He had only jumped maybe 3 times ever and we did canter bounce poles, bounce cross rails and then made a little course of 4 jumps (bounce on the long side to a diagonal vertical, roll back to the opposite diagonal vertical) and he never even blinked. I have a feeling that there is greatness deeeeeeeeep down inside him...we just need to fight his halter Quarter Horse breeding and figure out how to unlock it! He's tough like Johnny was, but in a totally different way. Cool is bullheaded and belligerent, but in a strange, sweet kind of way. Johnny tried his heart out but just didn't always understand.
Probably the best that I ever got him to look under saddle last winter...and this was inconsistent at best.
The one time that we free jumped him...this was his first time really jumping anything. He's not naturally very tight up front, but neither was Johnny at first - I had to teach him to pick his legs up. At some point in my life I am just going to have to accept that Emmy is a freak and 99% of all other horses do not jump like her! Not too bad for (literally) a first attempt though.
One of Johnny's first "real" jumps. No, I am not riding him and no, I do not advocate jumping without a helmet. This was a friend of mine who wanted to jump him. I remember watching him jump and thinking that he was dangerous with his front legs.
Johnny - Six months later (yes this one is me)
Johnny - 1 year later (also me) He always had a hard time getting that right ankle to tuck. He's got a big osselet or something on the outside of that fetlock...never really had it check out, but it limited his mobility in that ankle.
Johnny - Two years later. These legs are a little more "tucked" and not quite so "up" as I would have liked, but if I remember correctly, the height of this jump caught him off guard a little and I got jumped out of the tack a little (Johnny is the only horse to this day that has literally almost jumped me off his back. He was like pogo stick sometimes!)
Recent photo of Johnny giving a lesson in his new home. See? His front legs got better! There IS hope for Coolio! On a side note: check out that right ankle? His new owner injected his right navicular bursae and suddenly he jumps square...apparently that was what he really needed all along!
...compared with Emmy's freak jump. This was taken in June, so yes, she is 25 years old in this picture and the jump is 2'6". Not too shabby for an old lady!
More tomorrow.
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Back again...and trying to stay that way!
Here I am, back again with an update following the end of summer and they start of fall. I hope this time to come back to this blog more consistently now that I have some time on my hands.
I got Johnny back for about 3 weeks this summer when the people who had taken him on loan decided that they couldn't keep him. It was a glorious three weeks and it made me realize just how much I really did miss him! Unfortunately, sometimes money confines what it is that we really want...and with Emmy's expenses being totally covered by me (no more half lease) I just couldn't afford to keep him.
My boyfriend put a stall up in our barn basically overnight in order to give Johnny a place to stay, at least for a little while. It would be one thing if our horses could just live here at home year round, but our barn is no where near ready for winter (we brought the horses here this spring and before then the barn was never made to house horses) seeing as that we still have hoses run out to it from the house for water (no water line) and really no good place to store enough hay or bedding. The other problem is that BF refuses to drive his truck in the winter on the salted roads. His baby (the truck) came from South Carolina originally so there isn't a spot of rust on it and he wants to keep it that way. Geez...boys. So that would mean that we would need to get shavings and bedding delivered...which our driveway isn't entirely conducive for either. See? It's kind of a mess.
BF and I had previously decided that we would solve this problem by just boarding the horses out at a local farm November through May, just to make our lives easier and give us an actual place to ride. If we could keep the horses at home, Johnny could have stayed here forever, but I can't afford to board him and Emmy and neither can BF. I toyed with the idea of leasing one of them out, and then advertised both him and Emmy for half lease, but we live so far from my college (my main pool of horseback riders!) that no one wanted to drive almost 40 minutes to go ride a horse. During that time, a woman with a little lesson barn contacted me, having seen one of my ads for Johnny, and asked if she could try him.
I rode Johnny twice before he left, enjoying the feeling of being back on his back again. Cool warmed up to him eventually, but Johnny and Emmy's relationship was never quite the same. They used to be inseparable, but with Cool in the equation now, Emmy barely wanted anything to do with John. It was really a little sad.
My best friend and I dropped Johnny off at his new home late at night on a Thursday for a two week trial. I kept in touch with the woman every day, drove down there twice myself (announced and unannounced) to check on him. He actually settled right in and seemed happy as a clam! They started him in lessons the second week he was there and he took to it immediately! The barn owner updates her facebook almost every day with pictures and videos of him taking young riders around the arena over jumps. They have promised to never jump him higher than 2'3." I stop at the barn to see him once a week while I'm out that way doing my internship for school. He seems to really be content and I'm super happy with the care he's been getting!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
I got Johnny back for about 3 weeks this summer when the people who had taken him on loan decided that they couldn't keep him. It was a glorious three weeks and it made me realize just how much I really did miss him! Unfortunately, sometimes money confines what it is that we really want...and with Emmy's expenses being totally covered by me (no more half lease) I just couldn't afford to keep him.
My boyfriend put a stall up in our barn basically overnight in order to give Johnny a place to stay, at least for a little while. It would be one thing if our horses could just live here at home year round, but our barn is no where near ready for winter (we brought the horses here this spring and before then the barn was never made to house horses) seeing as that we still have hoses run out to it from the house for water (no water line) and really no good place to store enough hay or bedding. The other problem is that BF refuses to drive his truck in the winter on the salted roads. His baby (the truck) came from South Carolina originally so there isn't a spot of rust on it and he wants to keep it that way. Geez...boys. So that would mean that we would need to get shavings and bedding delivered...which our driveway isn't entirely conducive for either. See? It's kind of a mess.
BF and I had previously decided that we would solve this problem by just boarding the horses out at a local farm November through May, just to make our lives easier and give us an actual place to ride. If we could keep the horses at home, Johnny could have stayed here forever, but I can't afford to board him and Emmy and neither can BF. I toyed with the idea of leasing one of them out, and then advertised both him and Emmy for half lease, but we live so far from my college (my main pool of horseback riders!) that no one wanted to drive almost 40 minutes to go ride a horse. During that time, a woman with a little lesson barn contacted me, having seen one of my ads for Johnny, and asked if she could try him.
I rode Johnny twice before he left, enjoying the feeling of being back on his back again. Cool warmed up to him eventually, but Johnny and Emmy's relationship was never quite the same. They used to be inseparable, but with Cool in the equation now, Emmy barely wanted anything to do with John. It was really a little sad.
My best friend and I dropped Johnny off at his new home late at night on a Thursday for a two week trial. I kept in touch with the woman every day, drove down there twice myself (announced and unannounced) to check on him. He actually settled right in and seemed happy as a clam! They started him in lessons the second week he was there and he took to it immediately! The barn owner updates her facebook almost every day with pictures and videos of him taking young riders around the arena over jumps. They have promised to never jump him higher than 2'3." I stop at the barn to see him once a week while I'm out that way doing my internship for school. He seems to really be content and I'm super happy with the care he's been getting!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Johnny at his new home.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
A Photo Update
So I started riding Cool english the other day because I finally went out and bought an english saddle that fits him. He seems to really like it and so far he's been smart enough to differentiate between trotting and jogging with the different tack. We jumped him a little bit too over a TEENY cross-rail. He didn't really "jump" it per say, but he did go over it every time and he never stopped!
Not that I think he's going to be a hunter or a jumper, but hey, its fun to do something different every now and then!
Not that I think he's going to be a hunter or a jumper, but hey, its fun to do something different every now and then!
Coolio in his new english saddle! Yeah...bf looks like a hillbilly, but whatever. LOL
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Best of Friends
So I didn't take pictures of Johnny's legs as promised, but I do have something even better. I think it's the cutest picture of my two horses ever!!
Johnny is sporting his barrel racing gear (did I mention we're running barrels at a show in August? lol this horse is sooo multi-talented!) and Emmy is ready for Heather to ride her!
Can you believe that Johnny is a 17 year old Standardbred and Emmy is a 23 year old Thoroughbred? These two are the BEST of friends!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Johnny is sporting his barrel racing gear (did I mention we're running barrels at a show in August? lol this horse is sooo multi-talented!) and Emmy is ready for Heather to ride her!
Can you believe that Johnny is a 17 year old Standardbred and Emmy is a 23 year old Thoroughbred? These two are the BEST of friends!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Over, Under or Through
Here are some photos of Johnny jumping the other day!
He's looking pretty good I think!
Saturday I am taking John over to the CVPHA Horse Show...I'm soooo nervous! Today I schooled him over fences for the last time before the show (tomorrow I think I'm going to lunge him in the side reins a bit) I made the fences a little bigger, the oxers wider (toe to toe), and put "scary" things on and underneath them (such as logs, saddle blankets, coolers, stall guards, etc.) Last year at this show, Johnny was SO preoccupied by the people watching and all of the activity going on (its an outdoor show) that we didn't make it around a single course. This year, I wanted him better prepped, so I put out the things that I knew he hated to jump (coolers and saddle blankets) and made him jump them all. We had one stop the first time to a jump with a yellow western saddle blanket draped over it where he did a drive by. Luckily I had my stick with me and so I swatted him good right on the flank, walked him a few strides back away from the fence and as soon as I turned him around he took off and LEAPED over the jump. He jumped everything after that but he was definitely in a bit of "jumper mode" for the rest of the ride. It's alright with me though...my only goal for this weekend is to get around the course! A trainer of mine once said that you're only job sometimes is just to get the job done...whether you go over, under or through the fence, you MUST get to the other side. That's my philosophy for this weekend! WISH US LUCK!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
He's looking pretty good I think!
Saturday I am taking John over to the CVPHA Horse Show...I'm soooo nervous! Today I schooled him over fences for the last time before the show (tomorrow I think I'm going to lunge him in the side reins a bit) I made the fences a little bigger, the oxers wider (toe to toe), and put "scary" things on and underneath them (such as logs, saddle blankets, coolers, stall guards, etc.) Last year at this show, Johnny was SO preoccupied by the people watching and all of the activity going on (its an outdoor show) that we didn't make it around a single course. This year, I wanted him better prepped, so I put out the things that I knew he hated to jump (coolers and saddle blankets) and made him jump them all. We had one stop the first time to a jump with a yellow western saddle blanket draped over it where he did a drive by. Luckily I had my stick with me and so I swatted him good right on the flank, walked him a few strides back away from the fence and as soon as I turned him around he took off and LEAPED over the jump. He jumped everything after that but he was definitely in a bit of "jumper mode" for the rest of the ride. It's alright with me though...my only goal for this weekend is to get around the course! A trainer of mine once said that you're only job sometimes is just to get the job done...whether you go over, under or through the fence, you MUST get to the other side. That's my philosophy for this weekend! WISH US LUCK!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Three, Two, One...JUMP!
This is a SUPER short update because it's late and I'm tired, but I just wanted to let everyone know that Johnny did something fantastic tonight...
HE JUMPED 2'9"!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was working him over some low fences to practice striding (riding the lines in the forward numbers and then in the add) and I also had a single set at 2'3" in prep for the upcoming CVPHA Horse Show next weekend. Johnny was jumping pretty well, so I put the 2'3" fence up to 2'6" just for fun...he jumped THAT so well that I though "hmmm...why not try?" and put the jump up to 2'9."
The first time to it I totally missed on the distance, but Johnny jumped anyway and snapped his feet up without even so much as tapping the rail. After that we jumped 2 more times with the correct distances. He was literally jumping me out of the tack he was jumping so well! wootttt!!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
HE JUMPED 2'9"!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was working him over some low fences to practice striding (riding the lines in the forward numbers and then in the add) and I also had a single set at 2'3" in prep for the upcoming CVPHA Horse Show next weekend. Johnny was jumping pretty well, so I put the 2'3" fence up to 2'6" just for fun...he jumped THAT so well that I though "hmmm...why not try?" and put the jump up to 2'9."
The first time to it I totally missed on the distance, but Johnny jumped anyway and snapped his feet up without even so much as tapping the rail. After that we jumped 2 more times with the correct distances. He was literally jumping me out of the tack he was jumping so well! wootttt!!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
A Long Week...and a LONG Post!
(This is a SUPER long post...but bear with me...it's a good one)
I started back up at work this week and it's been an overall long week. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job, but there is no real easy way to ease back into the hype of a national level hunter show barn...it's like a river, you just have to jump back in and hope that the current doesn't sweep you away!
This morning I was up at 4:00am to head over Chagrin for the horse show. We've had 10 horses gone all week, but yesterday we shipped out 8 more ponies to add to those ten which were already at the show and so an extra hand was needed! Last year, I spent the entire summer on the road grooming, but this year I've stayed behind to help out at home. There are pros and cons to all of this really, I LOVE having set hours to my work day at home, and I get to ride more, but I really also love the atmosphere of horse shows! I love watching everyone, I love getting the horses ready, I love setting fences and polishing boots...when people ask me why on earth I would want to be a show groom (its so much work!) I tell them that a) it pays well, b) I get to meet all sorts of amazing people and professionals in the industry and c) I just really love horse shows! Most of the time it doesn't feel like a job!
Today was just a tiring end to a long week. By the days end, I had cleaned 22 stalls, groomed/unwrapped 17 horses, ridden two ponies, set feed and fed dinner. Whew! The stalls was what really got me, I don't mind cleaning them at all, but at Chagrin, the manure pit is allllllll the way outside the other end of the barn (and it's a BIG barn) The worst part (and the most time consuming) was just walking there! Not to mention the fact that it was POURING rain and horribly windy (up to 70 mile and hour gusts at times!) Chagrin is usually all indoors (like I said, its a MASSIVE facility) but for the rated shows the fill up the indoor warm up and arena with stalls and show in three big outdoor rings, which are fabulous on a nice sunny spring day. Unfortunately, today was not that day. The show rings themselves weren't too bad, but the hunter warm up ring was under water and we almost scratched all of our entries until we got clearance to school with the jumpers. The jumper warm up is on higher ground and isn't nearly as wet. Because of the winds though, the entire show became a little bit about "survival of the fittest" or in other terms, who can get around the jumps without their horse freaking out as the flower boxes blow over. All of the pony classes got canceled and moved to tomorrow. As wise decision really...our ponies are great but we really didn't want any of our short stirrup riders dying!
In other news, Emmy and Johnny have both been really good this week! Johnny was HORRIBLE the first time I rode him after we got home from school and I layed into him pretty bad. It wasn't even that he was bad to be ridden...he was just FREAKING out about everything (not in a scared way...in an I-don't-want-to-leave-my-friends kind of way). I brought him in from the pasture to ride him and he was screaming his head off and trying to spin around in the cross ties (to go where, I don't know...) I don't mind him whinnying and I tried to be nice at first and soothe his frazzled nerves, but the situation eventually went from ruffled feathers to down right rude and dangerous. When I went to lay his baby pad on his back he REARED in the cross ties while whinnying to Emmy (who wasn't helping because she was whinnying back) and then tried to spin in circles again. When he couldn't because of the cross ties, he reared again! WHAT THE HECK? He's never EVER been like this before! I barely got him saddled before he CHARGED out of the barn, nearly knocking me down, and then I had to practically do a running mount onto his back because he was rearing at the mounting block. I took him on trail and thought that he might calm down once he was away from everyone, and he did stop whinnying, but he was jigging something awful so I let him trot almost immediately and before I knew it we were full out running down the back drive. I let him do it, thinking that we would run once and be done, but nooooo way....I held on while that horse for half an hour back and forth until he was quiet, brought him back to the barn dripping with sweat, only to have him start the same stuff once we were back by the other horses. Trying to hose him off was a nightmare...he was trampling me and spinning in circles some more. He was completely ignoring me...he could have cared less that I was mad at him. I finally just gave up and took him for a walk out on the trails. When we got into the field behind the woods he practically ripped the lead rope out of my hand diving for grass. I yanked his head back up, shanked him and backed him up and then made him stand until I let him go, and then I just sat down and cried.
I've got all the patience in the world for horses...I'm never mean or aggressive unless I have to be, but never in all my 12 years of riding have I ever felt as frustrated and angry as I was that night. I cried until Johnny was dry and the sky was turning dark, then I took him back to the barn, fed him a cookie and groomed him until his coat was glossy, told him he was rotten, but apologized anyway for being mad at him, put him away and went home, deflated, dejected and in a terrible mood. What do I do? Make both of our lives easier and just not ride him when the other horses are out? What is that teaching him though? That he can get away with being bad, right? But trying to work him when he's in a tizzy gets us no where either...what a double edged sword this one is, huh?
The next day the weather-man was calling for storms. The rain held off all day, but by the time I got home from work, the dark clouds were gathering and thunder was starting to rumble off in the distance. M was in the barn mixing feed for dinner and I told her to hold Johnny's because we had some unfinished business. I brushed him down as quick as I could, wrapped his legs and put on his surcingle. We went up to the top part of the field where the ground is flattest and the footing is the best. The air was thick and heavy with the approaching rain but I Johnny and I had to work this out. He took off trotting before I even had my lunge line organize. After a few warm up laps in each direction, I stopped him, attached his side reins and sent him off again. I've always kept his side reins pretty loose to avoid making him feel trapped (I knew a girl who put side reins on her horse for the first time and didn't adjust them properly. Her horse hit the end of them, freaked out, reared and flipped over into the arena wall (which was cinder block) hit his head and was instantly neurological. He lived for three days.) since working on the contact is still fairly new to him. For the first time ever, he got mad when he felt the side reins, he took off bucking and leaping for a lap before stretching into them. We lunged both directions for almost 30 minutes (wayyy longer then I ever do) until the first streaks of lightning shot across the sky. When he wanted to stop I drove him on...it was essentially round-penning on a lunge line. When I dropped the line he turned to face me, ears pricked, nostrils blowing.
He's been a perfect angel ever since.
The next day I rode him again and this time set up a jump to work some more of his energy out and to let him do something he really enjoys. The second he saw it he wanted to charge at it, but I made him wait when he wanted to go long the first time. I set the warm up fence as a small cross rail, but finally got off and made it a vertical, probably around 2'3". He jumped it perfect every time! (See my previous post titled "When In Doubt") It seems that our problems are behind us for the moment. I gave him yesterday off and the rain has unfortunately kept up all day today, so he might be super fresh tomorrow...we will see!
Yesterday I did the same exercise with Emmy. She was also raring to go and was FLYING over the jumps! I love riding her because she and I have had so much time to build a relationship that we are just so in tune with one another...I can get whatever distance I want on that horse; short, long, perfect...whatever I tell her she will do. It's such an amazing feeling! The thing people have trouble with on her, is the fact that you HAVE to tell her where the distance is, otherwise she makes up her own (especially when she's fresh like she was yesterday) and it's not always very pretty. I'm sure that, if she were jumping loose without a rider, her distance would look beautiful and her form would be perfect no matter where she chose to leave the ground from, but it's us riders that screw her up. We make our horses jobs harder!
Tomorrow is Mother's Day and I've got the day off work...but not really. Lol. I still have to get up and change my horses blankets before they go out in the morning, then come back later and clean stalls and hopefully take Johnny for a hack if it's not too muddy? For now though, it's time for bed!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
I started back up at work this week and it's been an overall long week. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job, but there is no real easy way to ease back into the hype of a national level hunter show barn...it's like a river, you just have to jump back in and hope that the current doesn't sweep you away!
This morning I was up at 4:00am to head over Chagrin for the horse show. We've had 10 horses gone all week, but yesterday we shipped out 8 more ponies to add to those ten which were already at the show and so an extra hand was needed! Last year, I spent the entire summer on the road grooming, but this year I've stayed behind to help out at home. There are pros and cons to all of this really, I LOVE having set hours to my work day at home, and I get to ride more, but I really also love the atmosphere of horse shows! I love watching everyone, I love getting the horses ready, I love setting fences and polishing boots...when people ask me why on earth I would want to be a show groom (its so much work!) I tell them that a) it pays well, b) I get to meet all sorts of amazing people and professionals in the industry and c) I just really love horse shows! Most of the time it doesn't feel like a job!
Today was just a tiring end to a long week. By the days end, I had cleaned 22 stalls, groomed/unwrapped 17 horses, ridden two ponies, set feed and fed dinner. Whew! The stalls was what really got me, I don't mind cleaning them at all, but at Chagrin, the manure pit is allllllll the way outside the other end of the barn (and it's a BIG barn) The worst part (and the most time consuming) was just walking there! Not to mention the fact that it was POURING rain and horribly windy (up to 70 mile and hour gusts at times!) Chagrin is usually all indoors (like I said, its a MASSIVE facility) but for the rated shows the fill up the indoor warm up and arena with stalls and show in three big outdoor rings, which are fabulous on a nice sunny spring day. Unfortunately, today was not that day. The show rings themselves weren't too bad, but the hunter warm up ring was under water and we almost scratched all of our entries until we got clearance to school with the jumpers. The jumper warm up is on higher ground and isn't nearly as wet. Because of the winds though, the entire show became a little bit about "survival of the fittest" or in other terms, who can get around the jumps without their horse freaking out as the flower boxes blow over. All of the pony classes got canceled and moved to tomorrow. As wise decision really...our ponies are great but we really didn't want any of our short stirrup riders dying!
In other news, Emmy and Johnny have both been really good this week! Johnny was HORRIBLE the first time I rode him after we got home from school and I layed into him pretty bad. It wasn't even that he was bad to be ridden...he was just FREAKING out about everything (not in a scared way...in an I-don't-want-to-leave-my-friends kind of way). I brought him in from the pasture to ride him and he was screaming his head off and trying to spin around in the cross ties (to go where, I don't know...) I don't mind him whinnying and I tried to be nice at first and soothe his frazzled nerves, but the situation eventually went from ruffled feathers to down right rude and dangerous. When I went to lay his baby pad on his back he REARED in the cross ties while whinnying to Emmy (who wasn't helping because she was whinnying back) and then tried to spin in circles again. When he couldn't because of the cross ties, he reared again! WHAT THE HECK? He's never EVER been like this before! I barely got him saddled before he CHARGED out of the barn, nearly knocking me down, and then I had to practically do a running mount onto his back because he was rearing at the mounting block. I took him on trail and thought that he might calm down once he was away from everyone, and he did stop whinnying, but he was jigging something awful so I let him trot almost immediately and before I knew it we were full out running down the back drive. I let him do it, thinking that we would run once and be done, but nooooo way....I held on while that horse for half an hour back and forth until he was quiet, brought him back to the barn dripping with sweat, only to have him start the same stuff once we were back by the other horses. Trying to hose him off was a nightmare...he was trampling me and spinning in circles some more. He was completely ignoring me...he could have cared less that I was mad at him. I finally just gave up and took him for a walk out on the trails. When we got into the field behind the woods he practically ripped the lead rope out of my hand diving for grass. I yanked his head back up, shanked him and backed him up and then made him stand until I let him go, and then I just sat down and cried.
I've got all the patience in the world for horses...I'm never mean or aggressive unless I have to be, but never in all my 12 years of riding have I ever felt as frustrated and angry as I was that night. I cried until Johnny was dry and the sky was turning dark, then I took him back to the barn, fed him a cookie and groomed him until his coat was glossy, told him he was rotten, but apologized anyway for being mad at him, put him away and went home, deflated, dejected and in a terrible mood. What do I do? Make both of our lives easier and just not ride him when the other horses are out? What is that teaching him though? That he can get away with being bad, right? But trying to work him when he's in a tizzy gets us no where either...what a double edged sword this one is, huh?
The next day the weather-man was calling for storms. The rain held off all day, but by the time I got home from work, the dark clouds were gathering and thunder was starting to rumble off in the distance. M was in the barn mixing feed for dinner and I told her to hold Johnny's because we had some unfinished business. I brushed him down as quick as I could, wrapped his legs and put on his surcingle. We went up to the top part of the field where the ground is flattest and the footing is the best. The air was thick and heavy with the approaching rain but I Johnny and I had to work this out. He took off trotting before I even had my lunge line organize. After a few warm up laps in each direction, I stopped him, attached his side reins and sent him off again. I've always kept his side reins pretty loose to avoid making him feel trapped (I knew a girl who put side reins on her horse for the first time and didn't adjust them properly. Her horse hit the end of them, freaked out, reared and flipped over into the arena wall (which was cinder block) hit his head and was instantly neurological. He lived for three days.) since working on the contact is still fairly new to him. For the first time ever, he got mad when he felt the side reins, he took off bucking and leaping for a lap before stretching into them. We lunged both directions for almost 30 minutes (wayyy longer then I ever do) until the first streaks of lightning shot across the sky. When he wanted to stop I drove him on...it was essentially round-penning on a lunge line. When I dropped the line he turned to face me, ears pricked, nostrils blowing.
He's been a perfect angel ever since.
The next day I rode him again and this time set up a jump to work some more of his energy out and to let him do something he really enjoys. The second he saw it he wanted to charge at it, but I made him wait when he wanted to go long the first time. I set the warm up fence as a small cross rail, but finally got off and made it a vertical, probably around 2'3". He jumped it perfect every time! (See my previous post titled "When In Doubt") It seems that our problems are behind us for the moment. I gave him yesterday off and the rain has unfortunately kept up all day today, so he might be super fresh tomorrow...we will see!
Yesterday I did the same exercise with Emmy. She was also raring to go and was FLYING over the jumps! I love riding her because she and I have had so much time to build a relationship that we are just so in tune with one another...I can get whatever distance I want on that horse; short, long, perfect...whatever I tell her she will do. It's such an amazing feeling! The thing people have trouble with on her, is the fact that you HAVE to tell her where the distance is, otherwise she makes up her own (especially when she's fresh like she was yesterday) and it's not always very pretty. I'm sure that, if she were jumping loose without a rider, her distance would look beautiful and her form would be perfect no matter where she chose to leave the ground from, but it's us riders that screw her up. We make our horses jobs harder!
Tomorrow is Mother's Day and I've got the day off work...but not really. Lol. I still have to get up and change my horses blankets before they go out in the morning, then come back later and clean stalls and hopefully take Johnny for a hack if it's not too muddy? For now though, it's time for bed!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
South Farm Photos
As promised, here are some photos from the South Farm show. Unfortunately, I only have dressage pictures because C had to go get her horse ready during my Stadium round :(
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Heading Home
The semester here at college is finally over! I'm in the process of packing up myself and my horses to ship home Saturday morning :)) Poor Johnny though will have to turn around Sunday afternoon and ship out again for a horse show, but I'm sure he's gone through worse traveling in his life as a race horse so I'm not super worried. I checked online today and got our ride times. Dressage is at 1:42pm and stadium is from 2:30-4:00. The good news is that we don't have to get up super early and rush around to get there...the bad news is that the forecast is calling for A LOT of rain...and of course, the show is held outdoors :( I guess that in bad weather they open up the indoor for warm ups, but the show rings are still outside. C and I were debating about what we were going to wear for the show. I'm DEFINITELY not wearing my show clothes in bad weather, but all of my rain coats have hoods and that's frowned upon as a safety hazard. Might be heading to Walmart tomorrow to try and find a hoodless rain coat. Some slightly better news is that the footing in both the dressage and jumper rings is really good, so even if the weather is less than perfect, at least we won't be slipping. I was going to use my nice new Roma boots for stadium but I think I may forgo that if the weather is bad. I want more protection for his legs so it will probably be the SMB's on the hind and my brushing boots and bell boots on the front. I'll update again after the show! Wish us luck!!!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Horse Show Videos!
Here are a couple videos from the hunter schooling show E and I attended at Chagrin Valley Farms!
This is one of Johnny's trips in the 2ft hunters. He was such a good boy! This is the first time we've completed a "real" hunter course with flowers, bushes, boxes and gates :) He didn't look at anything and we even cantered two consecutive lines, although his jump on the out of the first outside line is pretty wonky...he was cross-cantering though so that would be why it got so ugly! We (unbelievable) got 8th out of 10 horses...I have NO idea how that happened since we technically broke gait and trotted, but it was a schooling show and we weren't the only ones who trotted fences so maybe he just trotted them better? lol I have no idea!
This next video is E and my lovely 23 year old hunter mare Emmy (reg. USHJA as "In Vogue") in their Adult Equitation class. They got 2nd with this round and were Reserve Champion of the day :))
Peace.Love.Ponies.
This is one of Johnny's trips in the 2ft hunters. He was such a good boy! This is the first time we've completed a "real" hunter course with flowers, bushes, boxes and gates :) He didn't look at anything and we even cantered two consecutive lines, although his jump on the out of the first outside line is pretty wonky...he was cross-cantering though so that would be why it got so ugly! We (unbelievable) got 8th out of 10 horses...I have NO idea how that happened since we technically broke gait and trotted, but it was a schooling show and we weren't the only ones who trotted fences so maybe he just trotted them better? lol I have no idea!
This next video is E and my lovely 23 year old hunter mare Emmy (reg. USHJA as "In Vogue") in their Adult Equitation class. They got 2nd with this round and were Reserve Champion of the day :))
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
An Apology
So I have to admit that the reason I haven't updated is because I seemed to have misplace (not LOST...just misplaced...lol) my digital camera, meaning that I have no new videos or photos to update with, which is SUCH a bummer because Johnny and Emmy were so amazingly good today in our over-fences schooling. E and I kept the jumps low, just some cross rails, but Johnny was landing his right lead EVERY time he needed too, even when we did a tight roll back and jumped a little off the diagonal. He feels so much more comfortable on it now! We even cantered a small cross rail off the right lead. It wasn't super pretty, but he got over it safely and continued to land in right lead canter on the back side. Over all, he was quiet before and after the jumps, bouncy and comfortable in his canter and he held a really great pace the whole time, plus we landed ALL of our leads, which is definitely the biggest accomplishment for the day.
Sunday, my best friend C and I went conditioning down at a park near my barn up here. Both Johnny and Abbie were very good, although Johnny and I did have a little debacle over a water crossing. It's not that he doesn't like water, he LOVES water, he just hates the step down into the creek and freaks out when he has to make that step. I have to admit that I layed into him pretty hard, which I'm not super proud of, but he deserved it (rearing and spinning is NOT okay with me...I don't care what he's got to do...plus it was like a 6 inch step down....) and after 15 minutes I finally got him in. Of course, he splashed around like a little freak and had the time of his life once he was in. We crossed two more creeks after that without a problem and today I found him drinking out of the pond in the pasture with Emmy and Romeo. Hopefully our water problem is solved?
I wish I could find my camera because I would post all of the pictures I took last Thursday down at Equine Affaire. My dad and I drove down for the day and had a blast watching clinics and SHOPPING. Two pictures of Johnny, one of just his face and one of me riding him, were on display at the SPHO Ohio booth, so that was really exciting to see! I ordered an SPHO polo shirt which should be coming in the mail soon! I can't wait to wear it and show my support for the organization...I love my Standie :) We also watched two Linda Allen clinics, one which focused on schooling the novice or green horse over fences. I got some really great exercises for Johnny out of and I took pictures of all the jumps set up and videos of the riders riding through them...if only I could find my camera! I did make some very nice purchases though. A new dressage bit for Johnny, nice Roma brand open front and ankle jumping boots (with fuzzy insides!), a new leather stable halter to replace his nasty blue nylon one (I really hate nylon halters...I'm just a traditional freak lol), new black polo wraps, a new helmet for me (finally one that fits my head!) and some new riding gloves, since my old ones ALSO seemed to walk off...what is it with me and losing things? Overall it was a super awesome trip!
In other news, I'm working on getting Johnny hauled over to school either tomorrow or next week so that I can ride him in my dressage class. Our trainer is a local professional who is also a judge and I would love to hear what she has to say about him. Unfortunately, the girl who is going to trailer him told me today that she might be having truck problems, so tomorrow might turn into next week. Either way, I just really want a dressage lesson on him!
I'm going to go scope around for my camera some more...hopefully I will find it :( Keep your fingers crossed.
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Sunday, my best friend C and I went conditioning down at a park near my barn up here. Both Johnny and Abbie were very good, although Johnny and I did have a little debacle over a water crossing. It's not that he doesn't like water, he LOVES water, he just hates the step down into the creek and freaks out when he has to make that step. I have to admit that I layed into him pretty hard, which I'm not super proud of, but he deserved it (rearing and spinning is NOT okay with me...I don't care what he's got to do...plus it was like a 6 inch step down....) and after 15 minutes I finally got him in. Of course, he splashed around like a little freak and had the time of his life once he was in. We crossed two more creeks after that without a problem and today I found him drinking out of the pond in the pasture with Emmy and Romeo. Hopefully our water problem is solved?
I wish I could find my camera because I would post all of the pictures I took last Thursday down at Equine Affaire. My dad and I drove down for the day and had a blast watching clinics and SHOPPING. Two pictures of Johnny, one of just his face and one of me riding him, were on display at the SPHO Ohio booth, so that was really exciting to see! I ordered an SPHO polo shirt which should be coming in the mail soon! I can't wait to wear it and show my support for the organization...I love my Standie :) We also watched two Linda Allen clinics, one which focused on schooling the novice or green horse over fences. I got some really great exercises for Johnny out of and I took pictures of all the jumps set up and videos of the riders riding through them...if only I could find my camera! I did make some very nice purchases though. A new dressage bit for Johnny, nice Roma brand open front and ankle jumping boots (with fuzzy insides!), a new leather stable halter to replace his nasty blue nylon one (I really hate nylon halters...I'm just a traditional freak lol), new black polo wraps, a new helmet for me (finally one that fits my head!) and some new riding gloves, since my old ones ALSO seemed to walk off...what is it with me and losing things? Overall it was a super awesome trip!
In other news, I'm working on getting Johnny hauled over to school either tomorrow or next week so that I can ride him in my dressage class. Our trainer is a local professional who is also a judge and I would love to hear what she has to say about him. Unfortunately, the girl who is going to trailer him told me today that she might be having truck problems, so tomorrow might turn into next week. Either way, I just really want a dressage lesson on him!
I'm going to go scope around for my camera some more...hopefully I will find it :( Keep your fingers crossed.
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Just a Picture Update
A quick update with a few pictures that my friend sent me from last weekend's horse show.
The first two pictures are of Johnny and I in the jumpers and the rest of the pictures (the chestnut horse) are of me and the school horse I showed :)
Peace.Love.Ponies.
The first two pictures are of Johnny and I in the jumpers and the rest of the pictures (the chestnut horse) are of me and the school horse I showed :)
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Horse Show Results
Now that the crazy weekend is finally over I've got a little time to update and let everyone know how it went. Saturday at the show was a "C" rated hunter show in which I showed a school horse named Cruz. In his 7 years at the school, Cruz has never once shown in a horse show ever fences. He's kind of a spook...although he's not really afraid of the jumps so much as he just gets tense in the atmosphere of the show. He schooled FANTASTIC Friday night and Saturday morning and then we got around our first trip over fences with one stop to a single oxer (literally we just met it in a half stride...there was no distance at all.) The second trip he was super nervous going to the ring again and as we came down a diagonal someone flung open one of the doors in the corner of the ring and Cruz just had a spaz moment where he literally just stopped and spun. Completely out of the blue...one minute I was on his back and the next minute I was standing next to him holding the reins. I was mad for about 2.5 seconds until he realized what he had done and he dropped his head and his ears flopped sideways. I just had to laugh...he looked so dejected as if to say "I didn't mean it...really..." Out in the warm up ring I got back on and jumper some more jumps to set his mind straight. He was a perfect angel. M wanted to put him into another class to improve his attitude, but there was nothing else I was eligible for that was at a height he could handle (ex: the Adult Amie's were too high for him...he maxes out around 2'9" and the only other thing lower was a Limit Rider 2ft class and I'm above limit rider and not eligible to compete in that) Oh well. He did try really hard to be good...I mean, it was his FIRST horse show! It could have gone a whole lot worse!
Sunday was jumper day with Johnny. I hauled him over Saturday night after the course change and we schooled the jumps. The ring was like a mad house but it didn't seem to faze him at all. We schooled at the 2'3"-2'6" height even though we were only doing 2'. I didn't actually mean to school him that high...the jumps really didn't look that big until the next day when I was working jump crew after I showed and was moving some boxes going "Omg we JUMPED these??" Anyway, Johnny schooled like a totaly champ despite his ADD in the warm up ring. He even landed his right lead canter and kept going all the way around the ring on it...perfectly balanced! Sunday morning K hauled him over and I elected not to school him again. In hind sight, I probably should have, but I wanted to see how he would handle the whole situation. This was his first jumper show ever and his first REAL course. Like Cruz, Johnny kind of loses it in the show ring. He's super quiet and focused in schooling and then falls apart a little when he's in the ring by himself. We had stops in both rounds but he jumped on the second attempt and really did try his best! I was very pleased with him overall...the jumps were scary and there were some wicked jumper turns! At least now we know what we need to work on!
Here are a few video stills of Johnny jumping:
Not too shabby...I've got pictures of Cruz coming soon!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Sunday was jumper day with Johnny. I hauled him over Saturday night after the course change and we schooled the jumps. The ring was like a mad house but it didn't seem to faze him at all. We schooled at the 2'3"-2'6" height even though we were only doing 2'. I didn't actually mean to school him that high...the jumps really didn't look that big until the next day when I was working jump crew after I showed and was moving some boxes going "Omg we JUMPED these??" Anyway, Johnny schooled like a totaly champ despite his ADD in the warm up ring. He even landed his right lead canter and kept going all the way around the ring on it...perfectly balanced! Sunday morning K hauled him over and I elected not to school him again. In hind sight, I probably should have, but I wanted to see how he would handle the whole situation. This was his first jumper show ever and his first REAL course. Like Cruz, Johnny kind of loses it in the show ring. He's super quiet and focused in schooling and then falls apart a little when he's in the ring by himself. We had stops in both rounds but he jumped on the second attempt and really did try his best! I was very pleased with him overall...the jumps were scary and there were some wicked jumper turns! At least now we know what we need to work on!
Here are a few video stills of Johnny jumping:
Not too shabby...I've got pictures of Cruz coming soon!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Dressage and Summer Show Plans
Lately, I've been thinking that it's time to take the next step and start Johnny's dressage training for real. Last week I looked at a friends dressage saddle which she has for sale and I think I'm probably going to buy it. Of course, that transaction probably won't be going through until May because I don't have the money right now (I need to go work a horse show!) but I will in another month or so :) In the mean time, I borrowed a friend's dressage saddle and worked Johnny in it last night for the first time. It is SO much easier to get Johnny to really work correctly when I have the right tools to do it! Just having the different seat of the dressage saddle made sitting his trot a whole lot easier. We worked on some leg-yield and shoulder-in last night (he didn't like shoulder in at the trot...but was very good in the walk) and then also worked for a while on a circle with me taking up and letting out the contact. To finish, I trotted him both direction on a loose rein ans let him stretch. Can you believe that he actually kept his inside shoulder lifted? Even to the right! It was pretty exciting :) I plan on working him a little in the side reins today before doing some more dressage work.
As promised, here is our tentative spring/summer show schedule. I've picked one or two shows a month that I think will be good training and experience for Johnny AND that doesn't conflict with my grooming schedule:
(** marks a show as tentative)
~ March - LEC Jumper show**
~ April - None...lots of schooling because it's our last month up here at school with a nice indoor arena!
~ May - South Farm Combined Test (May 29-30th)
~ June - South Farm Combined Test (June 5-6th) / SCSHA Open Show**
~ July - Chagrin Valley Classic (goal is to actually just complete the course this time!)
~ August - Brecksville Horse Show (Aug.1st) / Bath Pony Club Mini Trial
~ September - South Farm Mini Trial** (Depends on my school schedule...but I REALLY want to go!)
~ October - South Farm Hunter Pace** (Oct. 3rd)
(My FAVORITE hunter pace, but this all depends on what my school schedule is like)
Of course, this is all subject to change depending on my financial situation and trailering opportunities. Since I don't have my own trailer, I have to get rides with friends or call J, who usually trailers me almost anywhere. C generally likes to do the mini trials and combined tests, so I will probably try to go with her!
Thats all for now :) Hopefully getting some pictures posted later today.
Pace.Love.Ponies.
As promised, here is our tentative spring/summer show schedule. I've picked one or two shows a month that I think will be good training and experience for Johnny AND that doesn't conflict with my grooming schedule:
(** marks a show as tentative)
~ March - LEC Jumper show**
~ April - None...lots of schooling because it's our last month up here at school with a nice indoor arena!
~ May - South Farm Combined Test (May 29-30th)
~ June - South Farm Combined Test (June 5-6th) / SCSHA Open Show**
~ July - Chagrin Valley Classic (goal is to actually just complete the course this time!)
~ August - Brecksville Horse Show (Aug.1st) / Bath Pony Club Mini Trial
~ September - South Farm Mini Trial** (Depends on my school schedule...but I REALLY want to go!)
~ October - South Farm Hunter Pace** (Oct. 3rd)
(My FAVORITE hunter pace, but this all depends on what my school schedule is like)
Of course, this is all subject to change depending on my financial situation and trailering opportunities. Since I don't have my own trailer, I have to get rides with friends or call J, who usually trailers me almost anywhere. C generally likes to do the mini trials and combined tests, so I will probably try to go with her!
Thats all for now :) Hopefully getting some pictures posted later today.
Pace.Love.Ponies.
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Fast Track to Improving Your Riding
A few years ago, Practical Horseman magazine ran a very funny letter from the editor which was "written" from a horse's point of view. I tore the article out of the magazine that month and hung it on the wall in my room at home. It is still hanging there today and I re-read it often. One section of the article that I particularly like reads something like this:
" As horses, we can distinctly tell the difference between the crinkle of a carrot bag and the spooky blue grocery bag monster which will surely eat us, and we WILL react accordingly. Speaking of which, we horse's prefer that you don't refer to us as "fresh." We are not a loaf of bread. Nor are we "spooky" for we are neither ghost nor goblin. Instead, we prefer to refer to these conditions as "the fast track to improving your riding"
Today, Johnny definitely took me on that "fast track" to improvement. Let me begin by saying, that this situation we found ourselves in was 95% my fault. This past weekend was our IHSA Regional Championship (which my school hosted) and therefore neither Emmy nor Johnny had been ridden since Thursday. We ALSO had nasty spitting, misty rain ALL weekend, which meant that, on top of not getting ridden, the horses didn't get out a whole lot either. Emmy is 23 years old and could basically care less. You could not ride her for 3 months, get on again and have the exact same horse underneath you that you did when you stopped riding three months ago. Johnny, not so much. I knew he was going to be SUPER fresh because he was banging his stall door with his hoof when I came in. When lead him out of his stall, he nearly ran me down. Of course, my first thought was that he needed a date with the lunge line before we did any riding. Unfortunately, there were already 4 horses and 5 jumps in the ring once I got him tacked up. Lunging wasn't exactly a feasible option at the moment, so I thought (mistake number one) "well, I'll just get on a trot for a while and if he's really bad then I'll get off and lunge him."
I should have known when I asked to him to trot and he shook his head, squealed and leaped in the air that today's ride was going to be interesting. I actually think it's kind of funny when he's fresh. Since learning how to canter, he LOVES that he can now use his back to dolphin around and fling his legs all over the place when he's a little high.Generally speaking, I don't mind it much. He never bucks or bolts or does anything bad...it's actually really funny and kind of fun to ride because he comes through is back so well, drops his head down and has this big lofty canter. He's about the smoothest thing on 4 legs, so I just sit back, slip him the reins and ride it out until he's done playing, which is exactly what I did today. After 15 minutes of so, he seemed to quiet down, but he was looking bright eyed at all of the jumps in the ring, so I though "ehh why not?" and decided to let him jump a few.
Mistake number two. There is a grass pasture almost directly adjacent to the indoor area. The garage door at the end of the ring was open and there were three horses banging and splashing around in the mud as their owner brought them in. I pointed Johnny at a cross rail off the left, heading down towards the open garage door (mistake number three.) I admit that I lost my leg a little in the air. It's a super bad habit of mine that happens sometimes. I don't land very well in my heel when I'm not thinking actively about it. Johnny though actually jumped the fence perfectly, happy as a clam, landed his left lead and cantered about three strides away from the fence when the pipe gate to the pasture BANGED shut outside the garage door. Johnny, who has amazing control of his hind end, leaped in the air and spun left. There was suddenly no horse underneath me. This is kind of a normal thing for him...he's almost dumped me off a few times pulling the same little trick when something scares him or surprises him. Each time I manage to grab on and pull myself back into the saddle (it always come right out of the blue with no warning) but this time (with an already unstable lower leg) it was totally unexpected. I lost my left stirrup and realized that I was waaaayyy too far off to the right to save myself this time.
It's amazing how fast the human brain can process information and reason in a situation like this. At least, my brain reasons. Generally speaking (God help me...I've probably just jinxed myself forever for saying this) I don't fall off horses very often. I jokingly (but it's kind of true in all actuality...) attribute it to the fact that I just don't like dirt. Not that I'm a clean freak princess, but I literally can't stand the feel of dirt on my skin. I always wear gloves to set up or change jumps...everyone makes fun of me for it, but I really just don't like that dry, gritty feeling. Needless to say, I REALLY don't like that dry, gritty feeling all over my body. So, in most cases, I hang on for dear life the best I can. Every time I fall/almost fall, I literally weigh out the situation in my head. Like, literally. Today my thought process was "I'm not going to stay on this one. My left foot is out of the stirrup, my right foot is still in. If I don't kick it out, I'm going to land on my back under this horse's feet and I'm not going to like that."
In the matter of a split second, I kicked my right foot out of the stirrup and JUMPED off Johnny's right side. I landed on one foot, holding the reins with a very surprised Johnny standing next to me with a look on his face that said "OH MY GOD. WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?" He hasn't thrown very many people in his career as a riding horse. It always surprises and confused him when one suddenly isn't on his back anymore. The "fall" (or flying dismount...) itself was actually pretty funny. Not a big deal at all. I jumped right back on and jumped him around the entire course of jumps with out a problem.
But let me tell you, I made SURE to land in my heel after every jump. Johnny definitely took the fast track to improving my riding.
" As horses, we can distinctly tell the difference between the crinkle of a carrot bag and the spooky blue grocery bag monster which will surely eat us, and we WILL react accordingly. Speaking of which, we horse's prefer that you don't refer to us as "fresh." We are not a loaf of bread. Nor are we "spooky" for we are neither ghost nor goblin. Instead, we prefer to refer to these conditions as "the fast track to improving your riding"
Today, Johnny definitely took me on that "fast track" to improvement. Let me begin by saying, that this situation we found ourselves in was 95% my fault. This past weekend was our IHSA Regional Championship (which my school hosted) and therefore neither Emmy nor Johnny had been ridden since Thursday. We ALSO had nasty spitting, misty rain ALL weekend, which meant that, on top of not getting ridden, the horses didn't get out a whole lot either. Emmy is 23 years old and could basically care less. You could not ride her for 3 months, get on again and have the exact same horse underneath you that you did when you stopped riding three months ago. Johnny, not so much. I knew he was going to be SUPER fresh because he was banging his stall door with his hoof when I came in. When lead him out of his stall, he nearly ran me down. Of course, my first thought was that he needed a date with the lunge line before we did any riding. Unfortunately, there were already 4 horses and 5 jumps in the ring once I got him tacked up. Lunging wasn't exactly a feasible option at the moment, so I thought (mistake number one) "well, I'll just get on a trot for a while and if he's really bad then I'll get off and lunge him."
I should have known when I asked to him to trot and he shook his head, squealed and leaped in the air that today's ride was going to be interesting. I actually think it's kind of funny when he's fresh. Since learning how to canter, he LOVES that he can now use his back to dolphin around and fling his legs all over the place when he's a little high.Generally speaking, I don't mind it much. He never bucks or bolts or does anything bad...it's actually really funny and kind of fun to ride because he comes through is back so well, drops his head down and has this big lofty canter. He's about the smoothest thing on 4 legs, so I just sit back, slip him the reins and ride it out until he's done playing, which is exactly what I did today. After 15 minutes of so, he seemed to quiet down, but he was looking bright eyed at all of the jumps in the ring, so I though "ehh why not?" and decided to let him jump a few.
Mistake number two. There is a grass pasture almost directly adjacent to the indoor area. The garage door at the end of the ring was open and there were three horses banging and splashing around in the mud as their owner brought them in. I pointed Johnny at a cross rail off the left, heading down towards the open garage door (mistake number three.) I admit that I lost my leg a little in the air. It's a super bad habit of mine that happens sometimes. I don't land very well in my heel when I'm not thinking actively about it. Johnny though actually jumped the fence perfectly, happy as a clam, landed his left lead and cantered about three strides away from the fence when the pipe gate to the pasture BANGED shut outside the garage door. Johnny, who has amazing control of his hind end, leaped in the air and spun left. There was suddenly no horse underneath me. This is kind of a normal thing for him...he's almost dumped me off a few times pulling the same little trick when something scares him or surprises him. Each time I manage to grab on and pull myself back into the saddle (it always come right out of the blue with no warning) but this time (with an already unstable lower leg) it was totally unexpected. I lost my left stirrup and realized that I was waaaayyy too far off to the right to save myself this time.
It's amazing how fast the human brain can process information and reason in a situation like this. At least, my brain reasons. Generally speaking (God help me...I've probably just jinxed myself forever for saying this) I don't fall off horses very often. I jokingly (but it's kind of true in all actuality...) attribute it to the fact that I just don't like dirt. Not that I'm a clean freak princess, but I literally can't stand the feel of dirt on my skin. I always wear gloves to set up or change jumps...everyone makes fun of me for it, but I really just don't like that dry, gritty feeling. Needless to say, I REALLY don't like that dry, gritty feeling all over my body. So, in most cases, I hang on for dear life the best I can. Every time I fall/almost fall, I literally weigh out the situation in my head. Like, literally. Today my thought process was "I'm not going to stay on this one. My left foot is out of the stirrup, my right foot is still in. If I don't kick it out, I'm going to land on my back under this horse's feet and I'm not going to like that."
In the matter of a split second, I kicked my right foot out of the stirrup and JUMPED off Johnny's right side. I landed on one foot, holding the reins with a very surprised Johnny standing next to me with a look on his face that said "OH MY GOD. WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?" He hasn't thrown very many people in his career as a riding horse. It always surprises and confused him when one suddenly isn't on his back anymore. The "fall" (or flying dismount...) itself was actually pretty funny. Not a big deal at all. I jumped right back on and jumped him around the entire course of jumps with out a problem.
But let me tell you, I made SURE to land in my heel after every jump. Johnny definitely took the fast track to improving my riding.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Another Video!
Here is another new video of Johnny! Taken today by my friend (who was also sitting on Emmy at the time) Sorry it's a little bouncy and blurry...it's hard to video while riding! Johnny's got two little bobbles...one while trotting and one at the end of the video in his last downward transition. He hates to used his hind end!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R83p72riyRk
Above is the link!
Comment!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R83p72riyRk
Above is the link!
Comment!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
New Video
I took some new (and long promised) footage today of Johnny and I schooling. Here it is!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1rFXz1m0WI
(Does anyone know how to embed videos into posts?)
Also, here are a few conformation shots from today. He's looking pretty good I think...a little ribby in the top picture but it's been a long winter and we're going home in a couple months to lots of hay and fat pasture so I'm not super worried! I bumped up his diet balancer grass formula by half a cup just to be sure though.
Peace.Love.Ponies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1rFXz1m0WI
(Does anyone know how to embed videos into posts?)
Also, here are a few conformation shots from today. He's looking pretty good I think...a little ribby in the top picture but it's been a long winter and we're going home in a couple months to lots of hay and fat pasture so I'm not super worried! I bumped up his diet balancer grass formula by half a cup just to be sure though.
Peace.Love.Ponies.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Form=Function: Finding the "Neutral Position"
Today was really a break-through ride for Johnny and I today. In preparation for the show this weekend I set up a small course of jumps to let him jump around a bit and see where we were at...he hasn't jumped a full course in a really long time and my biggest worry for this weekend is that he's just going to loose his focus.
He was quite fresh starting out. He really has only been hacked once since last Friday because I have been sick. Our ride started off with quite a bit of "dolphin-ing" and leaping in the air at the canter, but I've learned that if I just sit back and slip Johnny the reins he finishes playing much quicker when he realizes that he's allowed to. This was a big realization for me, the fact that Johnny isn't one of those horses who like to be "mirco-managed" around the ring...a big change from Emmy who needed you there for her all the time.
Anyone who rides knows that, as riders, our trainers are always stressing to us the importance of "position" on our horses. With my first trainer (whom I occasionally still take lessons from) I got the dressage aspect of position infused with her unique interest in the mechanics of horse and rider working as one. In the early stages of Johnny's training, we benefited from her lessons because Johnny had so many physical problems to overcome. My first trainer helped me to understand the use of my body as his physical therapist, helping him to balance backwards when he wanted to just throw his weight forward and fall into a running trot. For a harness horse who has only ever known to throw his weight forward into the harness, the concept of lifting the shoulder and rounding the back can be very intimidating.
When I came to college and started riding with M, 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.
That is where today's ride comes in. It was a real break through for Johnny and myself. For Johnny, he LANDED HIS RIGHT LEAD CANTER OVER THE JUMPS (over the jump on the diagonal he landed the right lead every time and he landed it once off an oxer on the quarter line, then another time landed in a cross canter and did a SIMPLE CHANGE to the right lead! WOOOHOOOO!!!!) For me, it was learning to stay out of his way. We cantered into a two stride and literally hit perfection...we got the perfect distance to the first jump, two perfect stride between, a perfect distance out and then landed in a well balanced canter on the back side which he held for two entire laps around the ring. I finally realized the true meaning of a neutral position on him where I just let him do his job. Johnny is happiest on a longer rein, with me an a three point position...not quite sitting, but not quite a half seat, with a supportive, hugging leg. From this position, we can do anything...including simple lead changes! He cantered his right lead so much today...so willingly too! It was one of our best rides to date and I think we learned a whole ton from it too!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
He was quite fresh starting out. He really has only been hacked once since last Friday because I have been sick. Our ride started off with quite a bit of "dolphin-ing" and leaping in the air at the canter, but I've learned that if I just sit back and slip Johnny the reins he finishes playing much quicker when he realizes that he's allowed to. This was a big realization for me, the fact that Johnny isn't one of those horses who like to be "mirco-managed" around the ring...a big change from Emmy who needed you there for her all the time.
Anyone who rides knows that, as riders, our trainers are always stressing to us the importance of "position" on our horses. With my first trainer (whom I occasionally still take lessons from) I got the dressage aspect of position infused with her unique interest in the mechanics of horse and rider working as one. In the early stages of Johnny's training, we benefited from her lessons because Johnny had so many physical problems to overcome. My first trainer helped me to understand the use of my body as his physical therapist, helping him to balance backwards when he wanted to just throw his weight forward and fall into a running trot. For a harness horse who has only ever known to throw his weight forward into the harness, the concept of lifting the shoulder and rounding the back can be very intimidating.
When I came to college and started riding with M, 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.
That is where today's ride comes in. It was a real break through for Johnny and myself. For Johnny, he LANDED HIS RIGHT LEAD CANTER OVER THE JUMPS (over the jump on the diagonal he landed the right lead every time and he landed it once off an oxer on the quarter line, then another time landed in a cross canter and did a SIMPLE CHANGE to the right lead! WOOOHOOOO!!!!) For me, it was learning to stay out of his way. We cantered into a two stride and literally hit perfection...we got the perfect distance to the first jump, two perfect stride between, a perfect distance out and then landed in a well balanced canter on the back side which he held for two entire laps around the ring. I finally realized the true meaning of a neutral position on him where I just let him do his job. Johnny is happiest on a longer rein, with me an a three point position...not quite sitting, but not quite a half seat, with a supportive, hugging leg. From this position, we can do anything...including simple lead changes! He cantered his right lead so much today...so willingly too! It was one of our best rides to date and I think we learned a whole ton from it too!
Peace.Love.Ponies.
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