I discovered runmap.me and I’m hopelessly hooked- I can map my trail rides and measure how far we rode. I’m sure I could do the same thing with a smartphone, but that would require me to get a smartphone (I’m stubbornly avoiding it).
On Saturday, Wizard and I rode for 4.68 miles. We rode past the log cabin, out the side field, and trotted up the “bowling pin” hill. Wizard was so fresh and happy to be out that he was purring/”truffling” LOUDLY- he was so snorty it made me laugh. He sounded like the racehorses when they step out on the track for a morning jog. We rode across the fields in a serpentine pattern as a schooling exercise. When I crossed my own path, I could feel Wizard nudging me to head back to the barn. He listened, though, when I told him to go on. He was very good when we rode through the Horse Park, and spooked once for good reason when some clumsy creature crashed through the treeline. Wizard was able to hold his trot on a variety of terrains without breaking to a canter. He stumbled a few times in the beginning of the ride, but as he warmed up, he felt more surefooted. When we returned to the barn, he was sweaty under the saddle, but cool otherwise. I cleaned my tack while he enjoyed some fresh spring grass. His weight looks just about perfect now- the grass really filled him out nicely.
Sunday, 5/19/13
Kris and I took a walk in the Assunpink for about 1.8 miles, followed by a short ride in the outdoor arena. I only had about 12 minutes to ride in the arena, so we did some trot, walk, canter transitions. After a few attempts, we actually got something pretty nice at the canter. I brought him right back down to a trot, and we took a tiny cross rail a few times at a walk and trot, followed by a leg yield to the rail. When he tried to rush it at the trot, we walked to it. For a quickie ride, we got some nice work accomplished.
After work, Wizard and I went for a ride in the Assunpink for about an hour. I focused on “equitating” during the ride, keeping contact instead of dropping it, and being more aware of my seat and hands. We did little trot sets for a few minutes at a time, and even got brave and walked through the edge of the Horse Park again. Wizard was a little looky, but behaved throughout the ride. When we returned, I rode him in the arena for about 20 minutes, doing a little canter work and working on our bending exercises in preparation for Friday’s lesson.
The slow turn from spring to summer seems to be starting here in New Jersey. The grass in the fields is springing up, and the TICKS are out in full force. Baby rabbits are everywhere, and the twilight lasts just a bit longer each day.
Friday, 5/17/13
Before work, Wizard and I had a lesson with Lisa. I had him warmed up at a marching walk when Lisa arrived, and we picked up contact and began our work.
All my homework of bending my elbows and sitting in the saddle instead of hovering seemed to help, because Lisa did not have to remind me about either of them much during the lesson. We started out where we left off in our first lesson on about half the ring, establishing a rhythm in the trot and asking for softness with the inside rein while keeping the outside rein steady for him. Once we got some moments of good bend and contact, we opened up the trot work to the entire arena a few times, keeping our 20-meter bend around the entire ring, followed by walk-trot transitions. When we transitioned to a walk, Lisa was clear that we should go “forward into a walk,” in order not to fall into that bad habit of sort of slumping from a working trot into a lazy walk. We also worked on the walk-to-trot transitions, oozing up into a trot instead of jolting out of balance.
We did a few smaller circles at a trot in each direction, transitioning to a walk when we reached the rail at the end of the circle. The transitions got Wizard engaging his hind end more, and took him a little off his forehand. In the beginning of the ride, he tripped once or twice, but I felt nothing clumsy for the second half of the lesson as he got more supple and balanced.
When our trot work was looking good, Lisa asked us to do a canter transition. We did the left lead first, and it was not pretty. All the nice bend and engagement that we had at the trot flew out the window. Wizard reverted to his nervous habit of curling behind the bit and slinging his neck downward. I sat up, continued my conversation with my inside rein while using my inside leg to get him back into some sort of bend. Lisa was more interested in the transitions, and not as much in cantering around the arena a zillion times. We picked up the right lead on the second attempt, and although it was less pretty than the left lead, I had a plan, and was able to keep him together a little better. When we transitioned to the trot, Lisa had us do a circle at the trot. All the little pieces and patterns helped both me and Wizard. We were not just floundering around the ring aimlessly. We had transitions to keep us balanced, circles to keep the shape, and the tools to work on this cantering stuff.
We ended the lesson with trot work, trying to get Wizard to open up his throatlatch and soften his trot, like he did in the beginning of the lesson. Often times, it’s tempting for a rider to end with the “exciting” stuff, like cantering or jumping, but it’s helpful for a horse like Wizard to have a cooldown period to get back into the happy trot work and then cool down from the ride. He wanted to ride behind the bit, but I used my leg to push him up and forward, and gave a little flick of the outside rein when he slung his neck down. Stretching into the bit is good, but when he slings his neck down or swings his haunches to the inside, he pushes through the aids. It took a few minutes, but he softened and we ended the lesson with a nice trot.
Our homework: Work on the transitions at all gaits. At the trot, go “forward into a walk” for four steps, and ooze back up into a trot. Use the circles to work on bending. Keep tackling the canter work in small pieces as movements and components, like a dressage test. Do the excellent exercise of a leg yield at a trot and transition into a canter when we reach the rail (great way to get the horse on the inside leg and outside rein). Incorporate jump and pole work into our rides. Trot a cross rail, and then leg yield after the jump. Don’t let him get into the mode of ’round and ’round the arena. Use the exercises to keep Wizard keen and balanced. Work toward being light and lifting the withers. In the words of the great Walter Zettl, ride up into heaven, not down into hell.
Wizard wore his Back on Track mesh sheet for about an hour and a half before our ride tonight. I turned him loose in the indoor arena to let him loosen up, and he free-longed like a pro, changing gaits on command and using almost the entire arena while never getting “stuck” in any corners.
During our grooming session, he was almost good. He snapped once, and I had a hold of the lead rope so I could correct him. After that, he was an angel. He was really good for saddling, too. Hopefully my quick thinking kept this from becoming a habit.
Under saddle, Wizard was almost good. He was traveling like a sewing machine, with a lot of knee action and not a lot of engagement through his back and hind end. But there was less kicking and ear pinning. We rode in the indoor arena, and I had a bunch of trot poles set up for a change of scenery. I rode very complicated patterns, using shoulder in, leg yield, trotting over poles and around other poles, and doing some transitions. We did just a little canter work as part of our patterns, and his left lead was actually decent. He kicked out at the canter to the right once, but was perfect the second time. My plan is to have the chiropractor look at him 30 days after his last adjustment, and see if she finds any new changes since he has been lightly ridden since her last visit. Also, the farrier is due on the 16th, and I’m hoping the continued changes help him.
Wednesday, 9/21/11 For the first time in a few weeks (months?), I longed Wizard. I did not have a lot of time at the barn, but wanted him to get out and exercise a little. He was a really, really good at all three gaits in both directions.
Thursday, 9/22/11
Thursday’s ride was a little Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde. Thankfully, it ended really well! In the beginning of the ride, Wizard was a little resistant to the aids, hollow through his back, and a little quick at the trot. But as we warmed up, the Awesome Wizard showed up. At the trot, I asked a few more times for him to reach forward instead of his little “typewriter trot”, and he lengthened. I popped him over a few cross rails, and he began to use himself more. By the end of the ride, he was using himself, and was very balanced and relaxed, happily purring as we trotted and cantered around the arena. Did the jumps improve his mood? Whatever switch flipped was a great one. We did a slow, meandering course of cross rails, with the final jump being the hay bales, turned on the taller side (see photo). I got a little ahead of him, but he looks so game! He’s such a fun horse.
Before our ride, I also led him over a little black pipe jump- it’s probably about 2 feet tall. He hesitated a few times, and then hopped over. Perhaps we’ll jump it soon :^)
Saturday, 9/24/11
Kris and I took a relaxing trail ride, walking the whole way. We rode the short loop behind the barn, and when it was too short, we took the trail across the street as well. Both Wizard and Sunny were their usual wonderful selves.
I did not have to be in the office until 5pm (thank you, Keeneland September Sale), so I rode in the early afternoon before work. It was warm and buggy, but comfortable enough for what we were doing. I warmed Wizard up at a walk in the indoor arena, but took the ride outdoors because the arena was watered but not yet dragged. We then tried riding in the dressage court outside, but it was a little wet from the overnight downpours. We ended up in the big arena. The footing was wet but secure enough for trot and canter work.
My three mantras are: Tempo, Contact, and Clarity. Keep the tempo the same. Don’t let Wizard rush. When we go from a walk to a trot, he likes to bounce into a quick little trot. I made sure not to let him run into a trot, and it worked better. For the first five minutes of trotting, his neck was tight and his topline was a little tense. We kept going. We worked on contact. I have gotten much better about not feeding the reins through my fingers. I keep contact. Interestingly, I was wearing a very old pair of gloves that are not very grippy. The lack of grippiness almost helped because it made me actually close my hands on the reins. As we worked on contact, I also focused on my clarity of signals. I’m using the top inside of my calf for leg aids instead of cheating and bumping him with my heel. Wizard is light enough on the aids that he responds. I keep the signals clear, and I am serious about them. As I focused on all of these things, Wizard softened. He took the bit. His back loosened. His stride lengthened, and we slowed to a nice “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” tempo. We serpentined and did large circles, and trotted over two tiny crossrails. After the second crossrail, he cantered and I kept the canter going. I sat lightly in the saddle and worked on contact. I avoided driving with my seat. When Wizard rushed, I half-halted for one stride, and released for the next stride. On both leads, we got a nice “La Isla Bonita” canter tempo. Maybe Wizard can pick a hipper song next time :^P
I’m continuing my work to avoid over-thinking my canter signal, and just roll into it. It’s working, with practice!
The weather was not as sunny/muggy as Saturday, and there were not nearly as many creepy, nasty bugs. Kris and I went out for a quick afternoon trail ride before I had to get to work (Keeneland sale = late shift for me).
We rode a similar loop to the ride we did on Saturday, but in the opposite direction. Our Jackson, NJ safari began with a deer sighting. Sunny the Mustang led the way in the beginning of the ride, and it was a riot to see her change from her laid-back, placid self when she’s walking behind the leader to the alert, boss-mare trail leader when she’s in front. Her ears are up, and she has a purposeful walk as she marches along the trail. It’s so nice to ride with an adjustable horse like her. We rode through the puddles on the old training track, and crossed the street to the lovely flat cantering lane. Kris said she was ready for her first trail canter with Sunny, so Wizard and I led the way and he leapt into a canter from a trot with little urging. And I waited to hear Sunny’s strides change… but all I heard was a ground-covering trot! It turns out that Sunny has a seriously efficient extended trail trot, and was able to keep up with Wizard’s canter the whole time. We walked the last leg of the trail ride (video linked above), and got back to the barn in time for me to be only a little late for work :^P
Before I rode, I attended the Helping Hearts Equine Rescue tack sale. Got some GREAT deals, and took pictures of some of their beautiful adoptables, including pretty Laila, who looked like THIS at Camelot Auction a few months ago…
And now looks like THIS…
Although it was a sunny day, the air was still and there were quite a few flies around at the barn. Wizard and I headed out on the trails with Lily, Zeke, and Sunny. Kris had a citronella fly repellent noseband for her bridle for Sunny- the jury is still out as to how effective it was, but it seems like a good idea.
We rode around the longer trail loop and took the whole route in reverse from our usual direction. The entire ride took about an hour, and we had a nice group trot when we reached a long, level path. There were several puddles along the old training track path by a farm, and we used the opportunity for schooling the horses. Sunny showed off her trail skills by handling the water like a pro, and Lily and Wizard were wonderful as always. Zeke was not thrilled about the water- it looks like he will need some schooling with water in the future.
After we returned from our ride, I rode Wizard in the arena for about 10-15 minutes. We mostly worked on a soft, cadenced canter. I did my best not to make a production out of our transition. He rolled right into a nice canter on the right lead, but we sort of ran into the canter to the left. We popped over a little half-cross rail as a continuation of our “no big deal” training over tiny obstacles that Carole asked us to do in our last lesson.
Wizard earned a BAP with the crop, aka Mr. Spanky, when he stopped dead in the middle of the trail one too many times, diving his head down to scratch a fly bite. Itching and walking is just fine, but a dead stop out of nowhere several times in a row is not part of the program. In an emergency, it’s fine, but every time we have an itch, we don’t need to stop in our tracks. When I hosed Wizard off after our ride, I put a chain over his nose in order to avoid repeating his bathtime meltdown from a few rides ago. I did not have to do anything with the chain, and he stood like a stone while I fussed and scrubbed and trickled a little water on his face. As much as I always use a resistance-free method when training and schooling, sometimes the presence of something stronger than both of us stands as a reminder to behave and be safe.
Ahhhh, more rain. After work, I headed to the barn to ride Wizard in the indoor arena. We rode with Rachel and Lily. Our ride was pretty straightforward, working on tempo and speed. Wizard was keyed up, in control, but still pretty sharp. At the canter, he was STRONG. I was pretty tired from a long week at work, so I did not really have the energy for a full schooling session. We rode for about 45 minutes. I need more sleep, and Wizard needs more work.
Before work, I rode Wizard in the indoor arena. The horses have not spent a lot of time outside due to the rain, so Wizard was quite powerful. Our trot work was really nice, and he got himself onto the bit pretty nicely. Still lots of straightness issues, but we’re working through them. Our canter work, however, was tiring! My arms were aching by the time we were done. Wizard has a soft mouth, but he goes wayyy behind the bit when he gets revved up, so I was holding him when he tried to duck behind the bit, as well as check him when he tried to rush at the canter. The canter work is much more difficult indoors since the arena is a little smaller and the footing is harder than the outdoor ring. I don’t think Wizard was tired by the end of the ride, but I sure was!
After watching part of Kris and Sunny’s lesson, Wizard and I had a lesson with Carole. I had him warmed up before the lesson, so we got right to business. First order of business was my position and how it was affecting Wizard at the trot. The big things I had to remember for this lesson were: roll my left thigh out a bit, stop leading with my left shoulder, lift my hands and soften my elbows, and focus on the tempo of Wizard’s trot. Carole said that she asks her young riders to sing their A-B-Cs to regulate the speed of the trot, and I was worried that she was going to make me do it, ha ha! Thankfully, I just sang it in my head and it actually helped to keep Wizard at a regular pace.
I explained to Carole that Wizard and I had been struggling with canter transitions, so she really took some time to work on them. First, she asked for a walk-to-canter transition. What? But ours is terrible! Just do it, she asked. And so we did. And it was actually really good! I have not asked for one in forever because they used to be so awkward. With some careful timing and balanced riding, we got a decent one in each direction. We really worked on the leg aid being part of the walking motion, rather than an awkward tap on the side with my heel (bad me!).
At the trot, we also worked on canter departs. It turns out, I was over-thinking them and we did a lot better when I did not take half the arena waiting for the perfect trot. We did not rush, but we did not dawdle. After just one transition, Wizard began to anticipate, and after a few more, he was doing his war dance. Tempo, count the steps, ask for my trot, and influence him with my posting.
Once we were cantering, we worked on getting me to soften my hands and ask Wizard to stretch his nose out instead of curling it to his chest. Every other stride, I gave with my hands without throwing the reins away.
The plan was to do some jumping, but with all the intense flatwork that we did, we decided to jump next time. It was a very productive lesson. I always get my money’s worth with Carole! We discussed my “homework” for future rides, and I asked how I should approach jumping. Carole agreed that doing small jumps and sets of trot poles during flatwork was a good idea. Do a figure 8, trot a cross rail. Ask for a canter, hop a little jump, and keep riding. Don’t get too serious about the jumps. Let him settle and learn that they are not the most exciting things in the world.
Rock and Racehorses: Sarah K. Andrew 