Holiday Horse Show - Part 1

What could be better than meeting a fellow blogger in person?
Running into them by accident an a horse show!!


There I was waiting around for my turn to ride the Fancy Pony in the 2'6" hunter division, and a fellow comtetitior came up and said, "Pardon me, what is your horse's name?"
Of course, I had to list them off:
Whisper
RSA Talk ofthe Street
She interjected, "I read your blog!"

No way!  Did I actually just meet someone in our blogging circle?
I was, indeed, talking with A Gift Horse!

I wanted to squeal and jump up and down!

Same place, same time!  PROOF!!

Not that Fancy Pony would approve of such shenanigans...  She is way more sophistocated than that...

So sophisticated...

Of course, it's not real on the internet unless there are pictures...
I'm looking forward to getting together with her again.  You know...  On purpose...
I'm thinking I might need to sway her to the dark side...
I mean, cross-country schooling is a great excuse for a get-together, right??

Opportunities

When coach said, "I want you to come ride this horse!", I couldn't refuse.
Well, I guess I could have, but I sure wouldn't want to!

I understand that JoJo is established at 2nd level dressage and schooling most of the 3rd level movements.
I suddenly felt like I didn't know how to ride...

JoJo - Fancy TB dressage horse

JoJo is responsive.  He is also very forgiving.

I walked a bit as I tried to help him relax...  He didn't like the rain hitting one side of the indoor arena...

Finally, I felt ready to find my place in the trot.  Constantly Coach yells at me: "Get your lower leg forward!  You're kicking him in the flank!"

I insist that I was fighting against the saddle...  So, I tried to feel like I was "waterskiing".  And it helped, sometimes.

 

We explored shoulder-fore, where I was able to find the easy bend.

We explored shoulder-in, where I could easily put too much angle in because JoJo is so responsive!

Once shoulder-in started getting consistent, I got to explore completely foreign land: HALF-PASS!

 

Putting theory into practice is never as easy as you think it should be.

I got a few decent steps at a time, but I always dropped his inside shoulder, which I'm sure JoJo didn't appreciate.  That leg kept creeping back, and I would think I was asking for half-pass, but instead would get a canter transition...

 

In the cold, I worked up a sweat trotting around in the indoor arena!  This was seriously hard work!

And I loved every moment!  What a priviledge to get to ride this horse!!

 

We wrapped up with some canter (on purpose, this time), then cooled out.  We were both toast.

 

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But, the fun didn't stop there...

 

Next, I had the opportunity to ride Ultaire, a dutch warmblood who used to own the hunter ring!

He needed to hop over a few fences, and his owner ran out of time, so I dared not refuse when offered the ride!!

 

I was told he is a "kick ride."

In fact, I would need my spurs (well, someone's spurs, anyway).

His nickname is The Grumpy Slug.

Oh, boy!



Ultaire - The fanciest slug I have ever met!

We warmed up with lots of walk.  He was scared to death of the water coming from the hose as Coach dampened down the arena.  So, of course, I insisted that we get ever closer to it!

 

We trotted, and I found out how hard I was going to have to work!

He leaned on my left leg. The entire time!!

 

But, going through the jumps, he was as "point and shoot" as they come!  His demeanor never changed, wether we came in at the right spot or not.  He just shrugged and made it happen.  I could focus on me!  What a treat!

We were both too tired to actually get one of those automatic changes Coach had mentioned, so we accepted the simple change and moved on to cooling out.

 

When I voiced rhetorically, "Why does it feel like I don't know how to ride whenever I get on a new horse these days?"

Coach actually replied, "Because you don't get to ride different horses every day."

 

Hmm.  Good point, Coach!

Something should be done about that!!

 

Here's to more catch ride opportunities!  Never turn it down!

Raising the Bar a Little Further

The Fancy Pony has shown us that she really does like to jump.  When I let others ride her, she will try to take them over the jumps (against their will!) on her own accord.

Actually, it is rather amusing to see the panic on a beginners face when their mount wants to quietly trot over a 12" elevated pole...

So, we asked her to show us what she's got!


Just in case that didn't work, see it here:
Fancy Pony free jumps 3'6"

She also made is laugh as she demonstrated her understanding that "forward is always the right answer:


And, in case that doesn't work:
http://youtu.be/vzfQLkRHukQ

Another Taste of Our Driving Adventures - video!

Our workouts have begun to look like this:

What would I do without willing minions?
I feel like I should post an add:

Seeking MINIONS!

Flexible hours!

Excellent benefits!

No experience required!

Will train!

Translation: Come get exercise for free while walking for hours dragging my horse cart!

How many takers do you think I would get?

Of course, wherever we may go on our adventures, we must always return home...

And in the hell that is WINTER after the end of DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME, we face dusk way too early...


In case you can't watch that, try viewing it here:
http://youtu.be/RA4J7hbOLDc

It isn't very exciting, but I think it's bridging the gap between ground driving and hitching up quite well!

Driving Adventures

We are still working at it!

 

So, I finally determined beyond a shadow of any doubt in my mind that the crupper (when pulled by the harness surcingle) is what initiated the bucking fir that led to our cart wreck early this year.

 

Luckily, no one was hurt.

 

I have not given up...

See my determination...

 I took a page from Jane Savoie's instruction manual, and I broke the process down into more abby steps....

 

I put a crupper on my saddle and let her buck it out on the lungeline...

This was quite impressive, as she pointed her feet to the sky and let them hang there while she continued to trot on her front legs....  It looked like a game of "wheelbarrow" where God was holding her back legs...

 

I also picked up a training cart.

after removing the shafts...

And decided to refinish it!

Point A...

So, I sanded...

sanded on the left...

And I primed...

primed...

And I painted...

painted!

And I sanded and stained...

Yay for stain!

In the meantime, I continued my "baby steps" approach...

 

Step 1: bang stuff against sides and legs...

 

Step 2: Add a load...

Now, we're following the cart around and walking next to it until it doesn't bother her wherever it goes or whatever noises it makes.  I think we're getting there!!

 

Who is up for driving?

Wordless Wednesday (kinda)

Take care of your body. It's the onlt place you have to live.  -Jim Rohn

 

Kinda hits home, doesn't it?

I'm doing my best to take care of my body in such a manner that I can ride for as many years as possible! 

A Ray of Sunshine!

Recall Cricket.  This chestnut mare came to play with me for a few months.  She learned some things and got stronger and braver.  Then, she began to improve asymmetrically…  Most notably, in the trot, the push from behind stagnated on one side while it continued to improve on the other side.  She began to drag her toes just a little bit.  She continued to struggle to hold her canter leads on her own.  But she continued to be enthusiastic about jumping!

 

I talked with her owners, and we agreed the vet should do a lameness evaluation. 

The week after we took her through her first horse trial (where she took 3^rd place in Starter!), the initial diagnosis came back most likely neurological, and blood was drawn to test for EPM.

 

The test for SAG 2,3,4 came back positive, and treatment for EPM was recommended.  As we delved into our research, however, we found that the test for SAG 1,5,6 may turn up more accurate results.  So, the vet humored us and drew blood to be sent off for the second test.  Those results indicated low counts and suggested that maybe we weren’t dealing with EPM, and there was a push for the spinal draw.

 

Before pulling spinal fluid, the owner decided to try a course of Levamisole.  As it was explained to me, the drug is designed to boost the immune system…  At the end of the 10 days, we didn’t really see any difference.  However, about a week after that, we had one happy, forward-thinking horse!

 

Then, in the very next ride, as we were all trotting around in 2-point, Cricket tripped and appeared to barely save herself from literally falling on her face!! 

At wits end, the owner finally dropped her off at the vet’s office and said, “Keep her until you know what is wrong with her.”

 

 They started all over from the top.  They determined that she couldn’t hold her canter and swapped behind in both directions.  She bunny-hops in the canter.  She steps short behind, and sometimes drags her toes.  Recommendation was a full lameness exam with nerve blocks.  So, they went blocking the nerves, and suddenly, after blocking the stifle, she was much better!

 

After all of the diagnostics, Cricket received a stifle injection and sent home to recuperate for a day then begin returning to work over the rest of the week.

We are so cautiously optimistic right now!