Friday was absolutely full on. Susan was all set to be my taxi driver for the day (a morning trip to the barn, a midday trip to the ferry and a late night collection from the ferry). Lana was getting ready to leave for a ride as I made breakfast, so I cancelled Susan's first pick-up just before she left home. Phew!
I took Fon out for some groundwork. She has done a LOT of work over the past week so I thought she deserved a nice easy day. I focussed on exercises while she was standing still, some one and two line walking with various equal and opposing presses, and one transition to trot (in hand) in each direction. I did quite a bit of cheek press and also some Ttouch and massage round her right ear which was relatively tense. She did not toss her head once during the whole session: a real change from the beginning when she would toss if I so much as thought about taking a snug connection on the halter.
The horses were turned out just before everyone arrived for The Great Barn Clean Up. Susan brought party hats ( ha, ha!). We discussed, stuff got sorted, tidied, binned, cleaned and moved around. Everyone got a fair share of space and there was even space leftover for the communal items (and/or for Jill's tack). Susan's best purchase of the day was some plastic storage containers for "seldomly used" items on the top shelf: she came back with a colourful array of boxes, so the top shelf has a touch of cheeriness :)
I left the others to their sorting at 11.00 to bring Sully in for groundwork. My plan was to do some slow one-step work over a pole as well as some crossing (front and hind feet) as it will help his lateral movements. It was a great example of dealing with the horse you have on the day: after the one-step work over the pole, his poor brain was overloaded and he needed to move. I got some lovely in-hand trot transitions from him and called it a day.
Lana took me home after running some errands. I showered and ate lunch quickly as Jenny was kindly taking me to the ferry, saving Susan from taxi trip #2 (she was very happy about that one!). Jenny lives on Bainbridge and rode Gruella after the tack room tidy, which was perfect timing for me to get out of my grubby barn clothes and scoff some food.
The sky was bright and Mt Ranier was clearly visible for most of the ferry crossing: absolutely beautiful. I called my (second?) cousin Jason as we were docking to say I would wander up to Pike Place market until he was finished work. We had planned to do the Seattle Underground tour then see a show of a radio duo he liked to listen to in the evening.
Pike Place market was fascinating. It's sort of a cross between a flea market (there are all sorts of odds and sods being sold) and a farmers' market. There are kitschy things and beautiful things, food, fish, flowers, and everything else in between. The fruit and vegetable stalls are, quite simply, vibrant, as are the flower stalls.
The Seattle Underground tour was also cool. It's quite a quirky take on a very unique piece of history. I definitely recommend it for anyone who comes to Seattle.
The show was up at the Paramount theatre: the perfect setting, seeing I'd just had a small dose of history (the theatre is an example of a well-cared-for historic building). The live show was done by RadioLab (you can find out more about them here: http://www.radiolab.org/series/podcasts/). It featured a performing arts group called Pilobolus (more here: http://www.pilobolus.com/home.jsp) and a singer/band combination who I did not get the names of. The show was great, and the only downside was the duration (we got out 5 minutes before the 10.05pm ferry, meaning I had to wait for the 10.55pm ferry... an 11.45pm pickup at the other end and 12.30am arrival in bed!).
Peggy had been at the barn in the evening as Sully had a minor bout of colic, so she collected me from the ferry so Susan avoided taxi trip #3 (we laughed about that the next day). Sully is fine but we are paying careful attention to him.
Saturday morning started bright and early with a 7.30am collection, in order to make the 8.45am ferry (with various other people to coordinate on our way. I met Jill, finally, and she definitely lives up to everyone's rave reviews: yet another reminder of how good this community is. We met Susan's neice, her hubby and their daughter in Seattle.
First up was the King Tut exhibit at the Pacific Science centre. It was a great exhibit, though not something I would have done on my own. Following that, we ate lunch at a little Greek place before heading in to see the new Chihuly exhibition.
All I can say about Chihuly is WOW! I absolutely LOVED it. I have always appreciated the beauty of blown glass, but this blew my mind. It was gorgeous.
The sculptures are all intricately linked pieces of large glass. The bowls, vases and other objects are exquisitely crafted. Chihuly has an incredible vision and talent. Some of the sculptures had been in other places before, others had never been exhibited. If they travel, they are taken apart and never end up put back together in exactly the same way, so each installation is unique. The second room we walked through had myriad pieces of coloured glass on the roof and was lit from the top, creating coloured light through the room. There was also an outdoor section and, given the fabulous weather, the pieces were glittering and shining as they caught and reflected the light.
I took many, many photos of the various displays and will upload them soon.
Following Chihuly we walked through Pike Place market again, before heading up some stairs for a drink at a Spanish bar, then making our way over to a fabulous Italian restaurant for dinner (another recommendation from me: The Pink Door, in Post Alley). It is the most delicious meal I've had at a restaurant in a very long time: the food was simply to die for. If you are EVER in Seattle, do make your way there for dinner. http://thepinkdoor.net/
All in all, I had a great two days in Seattle. We were on the 9.45pm ferry home and dropped Susan home to feed Josie while we went back to the barn to check on Sully (and I got to meet the three new arrivals, very briefly). It did mean another late night, as I was dropped back at Lana's at 11.30pm.
This morning was another early start, 7.35am pick up in order to leave in time to get over to a Bainbridge location for lessons starting at 10.00am. Peggy had 4 lessons booked, one of which turned into two lessons (a couple), so I have been out in the sun most of the day. I got my hands on all the horses at some point, most often to walk them while Peggy was discussing an idea with them, or to lead the horse while the rider focused on the new ideas about their position.
Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs and ribs (yummmmmmmm) at friends of Lana and Ron's. Lana and I finished a game of SkipBo we started the other day (she left it out because she thought she had a good chance of winning: a fatal error when I was on my last card meant she didn't!).
It is way past the early bed time I had planned, but you have been entertained and updated, all is well, and I can bid you good night!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Brain overload
My poor brain is in overload, but so is my body! Despite the amounts of physical work, groundwork and riding I've been doing, it is amazing to see what I *haven't* been doing, when I find a new "good" place and work at it.
Wednesday was a huge day. I went to the barn mid-morning to ride Chico before Peggy arrived, as the last Feldy session I will make it to in the US was in the afternoon and I didn't want to miss it.
I tacked Chico up and got on at the barn - no groundwork! I asked him for a little walk, then halted and asked for variations of legs moving around (rotated in, with either outside or inside leg asking, and then rotated out, inside or outside leg asking). After a little more walk, I did some trot, more walk, more trot, canter to the left, trot right, canter right... It was super fun. I had my place, I found my froggy legs and my wiggle, he moved himself in rhythm... we popped over a couple of trot poles to two crosspoles set as a bounce, at a boingy trot, to get a canter transition over the second cross. He did a good amount of decent trot after the canter then I called it a day.
I have to remember my froggy legs, feet position, torso being up and open, alternating rhythm in my elbows (a long stretch, slow give on the reins) and wobbling him to get his engine going.
Fon and Sully were groomed when Peggy arrived. In the arena, I lunged Sully to warm him up. He was nice, with some good walk-trot and trot-walk transitions. Ridden, it was more of the same: find and activate his hind legs, some lateral work, finding the key to get his trot transition under saddle (his right hind is sticky, but get that and wobble and he's trotting!), then work to keep him trotting with his base up, hind legs engaged and head and neck stretching. Combing is a great support for him, and at this point is easier for me to remember than the long stretch, slow give.
The day was a LOT of work for my newly re-discovered froggy legs. Feldy was all about loosening the ribs (and it's appendages). Consequently, in bed, my legs felt like I'd run a marathon (ok, not a marathon... maybe 5kms... haha!).
Today was a late start. I traced copies of the saddle stand pattern so Susan could send it off to some of their peeps, had lunch then got picked up.
Sully was essentially more of the same, with me really able to feel my legs and the work they've done! I need to find some way to keep this up and build fitness... oh, wait, I have two horses at home, practically begging for bootcamp ;)
Sully was distracted and not as present in the arena as he had been. I did a lot of slow, quiet equal & opposing to start, incl heart girth (one and two arms) and some gentle zig-zag rubbing over his ribs as he was SUPER tight there and under the girth, then some one and two line walking (he was heavy on the inside line, but taking the outside line resulted in him twisting his head). Peggy advised me to find the rhythm in the lines and to really ask him for a definite OUT then a definite in.
Side note: I must sound like a broken record... I swear the horses and I have progressed over the past 6 weeks! This is all about building layers. We forget the things the horses couldn't do. For example, Sully simply couldn't stand still while I did caterpillar at the beginning. Today, he was lapping it up, as well as the V, counter caterpillar and cheek press, all while standing still. He accepts more work away from his head and neck while walking (such as hip press), without crabbing sideways or bulging his cheek at me... So, it is simply building layers, with degrees of success and finesse coming in as time progresses.
In any case, once I had the rhythm in the lines, a simple tap with the wand was all that was required for a lovely, fluid transition to trot, and his head stayed down. Woohoo!
Ridden was more of the same things I've been doing. Find the hind legs and use them! His back (and base) is much more up at the start of a ride. He is stretching more with his neck and keeping a steady, soft contact on the bit. My major breakthrough today was finding my froggy legs and using them to my advantage (woohoo!). I also had an easier time finding the rhythm on the reins/with my elbows, as well as using my wobble without him falling into a rushy, fast trot. It was a good ride and I ended on a nice note as I could REALLY feel my legs.
Peggy backed off on Fon who has been a little flat over the past two days. As such, nice easy lunging to start with variations on out and in. Then a short ride, lots of walk, some trot (more to left). Fon is starting to get some really nice releases from left-right and also within the gaits (if she loses herself, she is readily listening to Peggy's rhythm and comes back into a better place).
Tomorrow is Tack Room Clean Up day. I am going to the barn early in the morning to get the horses out of the way before everyone arrives to discuss the tack room organisation. I will come home for lunch and a shower then head over to Seattle for some sightseeing and a live show with mum's cousin's son, Jason (2 years older than me, if I remember correctly), who lives north of Seattle.
Jill also arrives at some point tomorrow tomorrow, with her Lusos and Peggy's daughter Lindsay's horse in tow. I am really looking forward to meeting Jill. She has had a long drive across the country, from the East coast.
In case I don't get back to the blog for a bit...
On Saturday we are all going over to Seattle for a play day, including checking out the King Tut exhibit at the museum.
Sunday is (most likely) lessons with a person on Bainbridge Island.
Monday will be packing day, as on Tuesday we are all off to Oregon, with saddle stands and Miss Fonteyn in the trailer. Someone has to be in Portland in the morning to collect Trisha from the airport, then we'll be at Joan's in Brownsville for the night. I haven't posted about Oregon on the blog but it's been a very talked-about event. I am very privileged and honoured to be invited to assist, as I'll gain a huge amount from the training. Not to mention I'll get to catch up with the very good bunch of people I met at the last Oregon clinic.
Wednesday is course set up at Lori's, near Eugene. I'll be staying with Lori while Peggy, Susan, Jill and Trisha commute back to Joan's. I will update the blog while I'm away, if I have the energy.
Thursday is the first of six days of the CRT 103 course.
We return to Poulsbo the following Wednesday... then I fly home on Friday! Time has raced past and I can't really believe it.
Wednesday was a huge day. I went to the barn mid-morning to ride Chico before Peggy arrived, as the last Feldy session I will make it to in the US was in the afternoon and I didn't want to miss it.
I tacked Chico up and got on at the barn - no groundwork! I asked him for a little walk, then halted and asked for variations of legs moving around (rotated in, with either outside or inside leg asking, and then rotated out, inside or outside leg asking). After a little more walk, I did some trot, more walk, more trot, canter to the left, trot right, canter right... It was super fun. I had my place, I found my froggy legs and my wiggle, he moved himself in rhythm... we popped over a couple of trot poles to two crosspoles set as a bounce, at a boingy trot, to get a canter transition over the second cross. He did a good amount of decent trot after the canter then I called it a day.
I have to remember my froggy legs, feet position, torso being up and open, alternating rhythm in my elbows (a long stretch, slow give on the reins) and wobbling him to get his engine going.
Fon and Sully were groomed when Peggy arrived. In the arena, I lunged Sully to warm him up. He was nice, with some good walk-trot and trot-walk transitions. Ridden, it was more of the same: find and activate his hind legs, some lateral work, finding the key to get his trot transition under saddle (his right hind is sticky, but get that and wobble and he's trotting!), then work to keep him trotting with his base up, hind legs engaged and head and neck stretching. Combing is a great support for him, and at this point is easier for me to remember than the long stretch, slow give.
The day was a LOT of work for my newly re-discovered froggy legs. Feldy was all about loosening the ribs (and it's appendages). Consequently, in bed, my legs felt like I'd run a marathon (ok, not a marathon... maybe 5kms... haha!).
Today was a late start. I traced copies of the saddle stand pattern so Susan could send it off to some of their peeps, had lunch then got picked up.
Sully was essentially more of the same, with me really able to feel my legs and the work they've done! I need to find some way to keep this up and build fitness... oh, wait, I have two horses at home, practically begging for bootcamp ;)
Sully was distracted and not as present in the arena as he had been. I did a lot of slow, quiet equal & opposing to start, incl heart girth (one and two arms) and some gentle zig-zag rubbing over his ribs as he was SUPER tight there and under the girth, then some one and two line walking (he was heavy on the inside line, but taking the outside line resulted in him twisting his head). Peggy advised me to find the rhythm in the lines and to really ask him for a definite OUT then a definite in.
Side note: I must sound like a broken record... I swear the horses and I have progressed over the past 6 weeks! This is all about building layers. We forget the things the horses couldn't do. For example, Sully simply couldn't stand still while I did caterpillar at the beginning. Today, he was lapping it up, as well as the V, counter caterpillar and cheek press, all while standing still. He accepts more work away from his head and neck while walking (such as hip press), without crabbing sideways or bulging his cheek at me... So, it is simply building layers, with degrees of success and finesse coming in as time progresses.
In any case, once I had the rhythm in the lines, a simple tap with the wand was all that was required for a lovely, fluid transition to trot, and his head stayed down. Woohoo!
Ridden was more of the same things I've been doing. Find the hind legs and use them! His back (and base) is much more up at the start of a ride. He is stretching more with his neck and keeping a steady, soft contact on the bit. My major breakthrough today was finding my froggy legs and using them to my advantage (woohoo!). I also had an easier time finding the rhythm on the reins/with my elbows, as well as using my wobble without him falling into a rushy, fast trot. It was a good ride and I ended on a nice note as I could REALLY feel my legs.
Peggy backed off on Fon who has been a little flat over the past two days. As such, nice easy lunging to start with variations on out and in. Then a short ride, lots of walk, some trot (more to left). Fon is starting to get some really nice releases from left-right and also within the gaits (if she loses herself, she is readily listening to Peggy's rhythm and comes back into a better place).
Tomorrow is Tack Room Clean Up day. I am going to the barn early in the morning to get the horses out of the way before everyone arrives to discuss the tack room organisation. I will come home for lunch and a shower then head over to Seattle for some sightseeing and a live show with mum's cousin's son, Jason (2 years older than me, if I remember correctly), who lives north of Seattle.
Jill also arrives at some point tomorrow tomorrow, with her Lusos and Peggy's daughter Lindsay's horse in tow. I am really looking forward to meeting Jill. She has had a long drive across the country, from the East coast.
In case I don't get back to the blog for a bit...
On Saturday we are all going over to Seattle for a play day, including checking out the King Tut exhibit at the museum.
Sunday is (most likely) lessons with a person on Bainbridge Island.
Monday will be packing day, as on Tuesday we are all off to Oregon, with saddle stands and Miss Fonteyn in the trailer. Someone has to be in Portland in the morning to collect Trisha from the airport, then we'll be at Joan's in Brownsville for the night. I haven't posted about Oregon on the blog but it's been a very talked-about event. I am very privileged and honoured to be invited to assist, as I'll gain a huge amount from the training. Not to mention I'll get to catch up with the very good bunch of people I met at the last Oregon clinic.
Wednesday is course set up at Lori's, near Eugene. I'll be staying with Lori while Peggy, Susan, Jill and Trisha commute back to Joan's. I will update the blog while I'm away, if I have the energy.
Thursday is the first of six days of the CRT 103 course.
We return to Poulsbo the following Wednesday... then I fly home on Friday! Time has raced past and I can't really believe it.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Finding my rhythm
Yesterday, due to phonecalls and other office work, Peggy dropped me at the barn after 11.30am to start Sully, but only came out to the barn herself at 1.30pm. The three of us had a "formal" catch up in the morning, so they could check in on where I was at, what I needed from them now/before I leave and what the plans are for the rest of my stay.
One major thread for me is the change from doing the Connected stuff *for me*, to doing it *as part of the Connected community,* with a view to how I can continue it. The PIT clinic in Oregon really cemented the feeling of being in a community. I know we have a great bunch of people at home, so it was lovely to see another couple of small groups within the larger picture. It's that feeling of being within a large family, as opposed to out on your own, doing your own thing. What I take from it is my ability to help and support others, whether that's the friends I have made through going to lessons and clinics, or Trisha, or Peggy, or new people.
At the barn, Sully got a little groundwork in his halter before going out to move on the lunge. He is coming along nicely. He started with a better rhythm and was more responsive to my voice (he is learning the vocal cues and remembering he has ears on the top of his head). Essentially I work with a repetition of out, in, on to keep him balanced and moving well. Today I also did a couple of walk-trot transitions, with focus on preparing him to do those transitions smoothly and without head going up too much.
Chico and Fon were nearly groomed when Peggy arrived. We tacked them up and went down to the arena. Karen was riding Bracken, who was particularly low energy. Peggy got on Bracken to work him through some things and unstick him somewhat, through asking him to be more responsive to her leg and rotation and to move his hind feet more actively (thus, engaging his hindquarters), which resulted in him being able to stretch his head and neck rather than curl (his habit). Karen took Bracken out onto the trail to practice those things and came back beaming. A significant point was that, although Bracken requires time to warm up (he is 20), it is not helpful for him if he is allowed to drag himself around with low energy. The exercises Peggy did took perhaps 30 minutes; on a really sluggish day, you could be totally happy with the place he ended up at, and put him away. On a day with more energy, you could ask for more from him.
Chico gave me some things I haven't had from him before. He was quite stuck through his shoulders. Peggy demonstrated some lateral work which unstuck the left shoulder. I picked him up and immediately had to unstick the right (I think both were stuck to start, with the left more stuck). Once on, I got a feeling of wiggliness (to borrow a phrase from a friend, he was like a "jelly snake"!) and rushiness. He was overbending his neck to the inside but every time I so much as touched the outside rein, he'd change direction. He was also gawking at the old peacock cage (that has not had peacocks in it for quite some time), perhaps contributing to his inability to focus and listen to my directions. It was frustrating, to say the least, but a lesson in riding the horse you have today. In between fussing, I did get one canter from him, though the depart was not super, I got up out of the saddle to find my boingy roly poly legs which gave him enough rhythm to sort himself out for two strides before coming back to the trot. I was aiming to get him more responsive in the trot to canter again (and/or in the other direction), through repeated out/in and spirals (sending him in and out on the circle, from both inwards and outwards rotation - 4 combinations).
Meanwhile Peggy was riding Fon, who was doing very well (though not quite as well as Saturday, she tried her heart out). She was listening to Peggy's rhythm, which helped Fon get back into balance if she lost it. She gave some lovely stretchy trot to the left.
By that time we were both toasted so turned horses out and went home! Dinner was one of my creations while Peggy and Susan weeded the garden... Pan-fried chicken breast, seasoned with a mix of chilli, paprika, salt & pepper, served with salad that had tomato, avocado, red onion, capsicum and fresh corn, cut off the cob. Followed by Pie a la Joan (blackberry and peach). Susan then dropped me and my ridiculous amounts of stuff (poorly packed, hence the requirement for my backpack, laptop bag, small - borrowed - suitcase, super large suitcase, small cooler with frozen food items, cardboard box with other food items and two shopping bags with a few small purchases for the kitchen at home) to Lana's, where I stayed at the start of my trip.
Today was a late barn start which meant a slight sleep in (tomorrow will be the same, yay). Lana and Ron dropped me off at the barn on their way out to the beach with Selena. It is the first time I've been able to catch up on chores like mucking out in two weeks (though feed and tack cleaning has never suffered, mucking out in the intense heat was not ideal).
Sully was up first. We did a little groundwork including some leg stretches, which he was very generous with and held for quite some time (most horses move their legs back very quickly after you let go). I lunged him briefly to see where he was at while Peggy helped Karen out for a bit. He is really changing this week, physically and mentally. His walk and trot were good rhythm, he wasn't rushing around and he listened to my voice commands. Peggy rode him until it looked like the heavens were about to open, and she wanted me to feel what he was offering so I got on. The focus was four corners, specifically the parts that are going to get haunches in and turn on the haunches (the 'next' thing I really wanted to learn). The threatening rain had backed off and though it didn't feel like a long time, we'd had him down in the arena for over an hour and a half, but he was great and I even did a little trot, finding my rhythm and his rhythm to get his base up.
Lana had taken Chico for a ride so left him tacked up. After a quick bite to eat (I was ravenous, looking at the clock thinking "it can't be 4.00pm, but it's sure not 12.20pm" at least three times before realising it was, indeed, late afternoon). I used the mounting block near the tack room and rode him to the arena. I asked for his hind legs with various rotation (from a halt), then a bit of walk with my wiggle to activate each hind leg as required, and trot, with spirals in and out from both inwards and outwards rotation, also the "waterski" exercise to really find my boing. His hind legs were present today, as was his brain, so we had some super trot. I also asked for canter: in each direction, I thought I had his hind legs but the first canter request ended up with racey unbalanced trot. However, I really made sure his hind legs were there before asking again and had some SUPER canter from him. Peggy noticed a fair bit from her vantage point in Fon's stall and called out a lot of encouragement. I am very pleased he gave me that today, after his bullish-ness yesterday.
Peggy did quiet work and a very little lunging with Fon while I sorted tack and turned the other horses out into the large field, then it was home time. I scoffed some leftovers for dinner and have pretty much crashed after a nice shower. The weather was cooler today but some hot patches, though supposed to get cold tomorrow and Thursday, before fining up for the weekend, when we'll be in Seattle.
One major thread for me is the change from doing the Connected stuff *for me*, to doing it *as part of the Connected community,* with a view to how I can continue it. The PIT clinic in Oregon really cemented the feeling of being in a community. I know we have a great bunch of people at home, so it was lovely to see another couple of small groups within the larger picture. It's that feeling of being within a large family, as opposed to out on your own, doing your own thing. What I take from it is my ability to help and support others, whether that's the friends I have made through going to lessons and clinics, or Trisha, or Peggy, or new people.
At the barn, Sully got a little groundwork in his halter before going out to move on the lunge. He is coming along nicely. He started with a better rhythm and was more responsive to my voice (he is learning the vocal cues and remembering he has ears on the top of his head). Essentially I work with a repetition of out, in, on to keep him balanced and moving well. Today I also did a couple of walk-trot transitions, with focus on preparing him to do those transitions smoothly and without head going up too much.
Chico and Fon were nearly groomed when Peggy arrived. We tacked them up and went down to the arena. Karen was riding Bracken, who was particularly low energy. Peggy got on Bracken to work him through some things and unstick him somewhat, through asking him to be more responsive to her leg and rotation and to move his hind feet more actively (thus, engaging his hindquarters), which resulted in him being able to stretch his head and neck rather than curl (his habit). Karen took Bracken out onto the trail to practice those things and came back beaming. A significant point was that, although Bracken requires time to warm up (he is 20), it is not helpful for him if he is allowed to drag himself around with low energy. The exercises Peggy did took perhaps 30 minutes; on a really sluggish day, you could be totally happy with the place he ended up at, and put him away. On a day with more energy, you could ask for more from him.
Chico gave me some things I haven't had from him before. He was quite stuck through his shoulders. Peggy demonstrated some lateral work which unstuck the left shoulder. I picked him up and immediately had to unstick the right (I think both were stuck to start, with the left more stuck). Once on, I got a feeling of wiggliness (to borrow a phrase from a friend, he was like a "jelly snake"!) and rushiness. He was overbending his neck to the inside but every time I so much as touched the outside rein, he'd change direction. He was also gawking at the old peacock cage (that has not had peacocks in it for quite some time), perhaps contributing to his inability to focus and listen to my directions. It was frustrating, to say the least, but a lesson in riding the horse you have today. In between fussing, I did get one canter from him, though the depart was not super, I got up out of the saddle to find my boingy roly poly legs which gave him enough rhythm to sort himself out for two strides before coming back to the trot. I was aiming to get him more responsive in the trot to canter again (and/or in the other direction), through repeated out/in and spirals (sending him in and out on the circle, from both inwards and outwards rotation - 4 combinations).
Meanwhile Peggy was riding Fon, who was doing very well (though not quite as well as Saturday, she tried her heart out). She was listening to Peggy's rhythm, which helped Fon get back into balance if she lost it. She gave some lovely stretchy trot to the left.
By that time we were both toasted so turned horses out and went home! Dinner was one of my creations while Peggy and Susan weeded the garden... Pan-fried chicken breast, seasoned with a mix of chilli, paprika, salt & pepper, served with salad that had tomato, avocado, red onion, capsicum and fresh corn, cut off the cob. Followed by Pie a la Joan (blackberry and peach). Susan then dropped me and my ridiculous amounts of stuff (poorly packed, hence the requirement for my backpack, laptop bag, small - borrowed - suitcase, super large suitcase, small cooler with frozen food items, cardboard box with other food items and two shopping bags with a few small purchases for the kitchen at home) to Lana's, where I stayed at the start of my trip.
Today was a late barn start which meant a slight sleep in (tomorrow will be the same, yay). Lana and Ron dropped me off at the barn on their way out to the beach with Selena. It is the first time I've been able to catch up on chores like mucking out in two weeks (though feed and tack cleaning has never suffered, mucking out in the intense heat was not ideal).
Sully was up first. We did a little groundwork including some leg stretches, which he was very generous with and held for quite some time (most horses move their legs back very quickly after you let go). I lunged him briefly to see where he was at while Peggy helped Karen out for a bit. He is really changing this week, physically and mentally. His walk and trot were good rhythm, he wasn't rushing around and he listened to my voice commands. Peggy rode him until it looked like the heavens were about to open, and she wanted me to feel what he was offering so I got on. The focus was four corners, specifically the parts that are going to get haunches in and turn on the haunches (the 'next' thing I really wanted to learn). The threatening rain had backed off and though it didn't feel like a long time, we'd had him down in the arena for over an hour and a half, but he was great and I even did a little trot, finding my rhythm and his rhythm to get his base up.
Lana had taken Chico for a ride so left him tacked up. After a quick bite to eat (I was ravenous, looking at the clock thinking "it can't be 4.00pm, but it's sure not 12.20pm" at least three times before realising it was, indeed, late afternoon). I used the mounting block near the tack room and rode him to the arena. I asked for his hind legs with various rotation (from a halt), then a bit of walk with my wiggle to activate each hind leg as required, and trot, with spirals in and out from both inwards and outwards rotation, also the "waterski" exercise to really find my boing. His hind legs were present today, as was his brain, so we had some super trot. I also asked for canter: in each direction, I thought I had his hind legs but the first canter request ended up with racey unbalanced trot. However, I really made sure his hind legs were there before asking again and had some SUPER canter from him. Peggy noticed a fair bit from her vantage point in Fon's stall and called out a lot of encouragement. I am very pleased he gave me that today, after his bullish-ness yesterday.
Peggy did quiet work and a very little lunging with Fon while I sorted tack and turned the other horses out into the large field, then it was home time. I scoffed some leftovers for dinner and have pretty much crashed after a nice shower. The weather was cooler today but some hot patches, though supposed to get cold tomorrow and Thursday, before fining up for the weekend, when we'll be in Seattle.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Photo update
Out for a walk, with Josie.
Boats in the bay
Josie, pre-haircut appointment
Post haircut
Just for fun... Squirrels!
Post haircut
Just for fun... Squirrels!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Breakthroughs
The past couple of days have included a lot of breakthroughs. Hence, I've been a little slack at writing another blog post (I have kept up with my journal, or I'd have no hope of remembering the details, but it is nice to go over what I've written and keep it fresh in my mind). *However* it is now Sunday evening and I've been writing - and procrastinating - about this blog post since Friday... I am currently sitting in bed eating fresh blackberries while I finish what I started!
On Thursday night, after a spot of shopping in the afternoon and grabbing something to eat, Peggy and I went out to the barn. It was about 8.00pm but still light. The horses had been bought in; we groomed Chico and Fonteyn and took them to the arena for some groundwork and a ride.
Chico is in a really good place. He requires very little unsticking, so I don't have to do much groundwork before I have all his legs present and accounted for. With the fading light, that was a good thing. We didn't ride for long. I had enough time to walk for 15 minutes and practice the "waterskiing" exercise at the trot for another 5 or 10 minutes, with some nice boing-y trot after that. Peggy got some fabulous walk and trot out of Fonteyn.
Side note: I love how easy the boingy trot becomes - it feels effortless - but then you realise your thighs are burning and you have to stop! I foresee a lot of this kind of thing in the future to build up core strength. It is something that will really help Indy, who has been a lot stuck: not interested in going forwards. I knew it was something I was doing (or not doing) but these exercises will really help me get her through and moving to her full potential.
Friday morning was already quite hot by 8.45am, when we got to the barn. I had Chico groomed and about to be tacked up when Lana arrived for a ride, so we changed plans and Karen quickly got Bracken down to the arena. I took the camera. Peggy took Karen through a more thorough lesson, than Chico and I (following Lana's ride), due to their increased knowledge and fitness. The basic process was the same. We warmed up with a little groundwork then Peggy lunged the horse and rider, so the rider could work on various exercises. We worked mostly in trot.
For me, this meant work on opening myself: knees, thighs, hips, collarbones/shoulders. The Feldy lesson on Wednesday was very helpful - we did rotation of the arms and shoulders. Peggy got me into a place where I felt I was leaning back (I wasn't!), where I had to find the 'roly poly' feeling in my legs to get the boing-y-ness going.
The exercises were circling hands in font of belly (similar sensation to holding a ball to the belly to find neutral/your core), mimicing climbing a rope (similar to hugging your hands to your chest/shoulders), and extending arms out (very similar to the Feldy lesson!!). All of these things had a rhythm and were done with rotation and boingy boingy, roly poly legs. As required, we rotated out if the outside hind leg wasn't active, or the horse was drifting.
The last exercise was grabbing a chunk of mane about halfway up the neck, standing up somewhat in the stirrups, putting hips forward and finding the boing in the trot. When you have it, it feels effortless... until about 3 circles later your thighs begin to burn with the work. Oh dear, not as 'ride fit' as I thought I was!
Peggy then did groundwork with Fon and rode her (4 corners and everything else she's been working on). I lunged Sully to get him moving, including trot to canter transitions. Our ride was essentially the same focus that we've had over the past couple of days: get the four corners. Peggy has been walking me through the beginnings of haunches in and turn on the haunches, an exercise that is super helpful for Sully.
Unfortunately it took us far too long at the barn on Friday so we set out earlier on Saturday (there at 8.00am). The weather cooled off a lot overnight: it was overcast with some fog hanging around over the bay.
Chico was up first. I groundworked then rode him, with the same focus as on the lunge yesterday (though not all of the exercises are possible without someone keeping track of the horse, I could still do the really boingy trot one to practice my roly poly legs). I started to ask Chico for haunches in and some shoulder fore.
Peggy rode Fonteyn while I was on Chico. She said it was the best ride she has ever had. Fon was responsive, willing, and present. If she got a little stuck, she let Peggy's rhythm bring her back into balance, instead of having a meltdown as she has in the past. So, we took them both on a trail ride and practised everything we have been doing in the safety of confined spaces: shoulder fore, haunches in, leg yeilding, extreme rotation and everything else that we needed to navigate the twisty, turny trails and avoid the long blackberry tendrils extending over the trail. It was such a neat way to put everything into a new environment.
Sully got a short groundwork session to consolidate everything we have been doing, then it was home time. I looked after Josie for the evening. Peggy and Susan went over to Redmond to a Norah Jones concert. The funniest thing was noticing the squirrels in the apple tree: they move around, sampling apples, knocking apples down and rustling the branches as they go. Very cute to watch. Hard to photograph (I tried!). Josie is not a fan of squirrels, and, really, they are just super cute, way less aggressive possums... I do enjoy the novelty of new animals.
Today was a day off for the horses and for me, though Susan and Peggy have been hard at work with their practitioner training courses, including planning for the upcoming CRT 103 in Oregon. After brunch (scrambled eggs and turkey bacon, yum) Susan and I went to Silverdale. She had to look for some towels and return a shirt (then find a replacement in the right size). There are a couple of really neat outlet/clearance stores, TJ Maxx and Ross. She also took me through the relatively sedate Kitsap Mall, and the shops JC Penneys, Macy's and Kohl's. I enjoy browsing through the kitchen departments (thankfully I have limited funds and even more limited suitcase space) to see what is available here, that I can't get in NZ. Whirlwind tour completed, shirt sourced, we travelled home via Central for tomatoes and peaches. It was Josie's haircut appointment day and she was (mistakenly) shaved too short, so she looks quite hilarious compared to her previously very-fluffy 'do.'
Blackberries and blog finished, it's definitely time for bed. Tomorrow is pie and pesto day, if Peggy can finish her bookwork and we get done at the barn in a timely manner. Send us some good luck vibes!
On Thursday night, after a spot of shopping in the afternoon and grabbing something to eat, Peggy and I went out to the barn. It was about 8.00pm but still light. The horses had been bought in; we groomed Chico and Fonteyn and took them to the arena for some groundwork and a ride.
Chico is in a really good place. He requires very little unsticking, so I don't have to do much groundwork before I have all his legs present and accounted for. With the fading light, that was a good thing. We didn't ride for long. I had enough time to walk for 15 minutes and practice the "waterskiing" exercise at the trot for another 5 or 10 minutes, with some nice boing-y trot after that. Peggy got some fabulous walk and trot out of Fonteyn.
Side note: I love how easy the boingy trot becomes - it feels effortless - but then you realise your thighs are burning and you have to stop! I foresee a lot of this kind of thing in the future to build up core strength. It is something that will really help Indy, who has been a lot stuck: not interested in going forwards. I knew it was something I was doing (or not doing) but these exercises will really help me get her through and moving to her full potential.
Friday morning was already quite hot by 8.45am, when we got to the barn. I had Chico groomed and about to be tacked up when Lana arrived for a ride, so we changed plans and Karen quickly got Bracken down to the arena. I took the camera. Peggy took Karen through a more thorough lesson, than Chico and I (following Lana's ride), due to their increased knowledge and fitness. The basic process was the same. We warmed up with a little groundwork then Peggy lunged the horse and rider, so the rider could work on various exercises. We worked mostly in trot.
For me, this meant work on opening myself: knees, thighs, hips, collarbones/shoulders. The Feldy lesson on Wednesday was very helpful - we did rotation of the arms and shoulders. Peggy got me into a place where I felt I was leaning back (I wasn't!), where I had to find the 'roly poly' feeling in my legs to get the boing-y-ness going.
The exercises were circling hands in font of belly (similar sensation to holding a ball to the belly to find neutral/your core), mimicing climbing a rope (similar to hugging your hands to your chest/shoulders), and extending arms out (very similar to the Feldy lesson!!). All of these things had a rhythm and were done with rotation and boingy boingy, roly poly legs. As required, we rotated out if the outside hind leg wasn't active, or the horse was drifting.
The last exercise was grabbing a chunk of mane about halfway up the neck, standing up somewhat in the stirrups, putting hips forward and finding the boing in the trot. When you have it, it feels effortless... until about 3 circles later your thighs begin to burn with the work. Oh dear, not as 'ride fit' as I thought I was!
Peggy then did groundwork with Fon and rode her (4 corners and everything else she's been working on). I lunged Sully to get him moving, including trot to canter transitions. Our ride was essentially the same focus that we've had over the past couple of days: get the four corners. Peggy has been walking me through the beginnings of haunches in and turn on the haunches, an exercise that is super helpful for Sully.
Unfortunately it took us far too long at the barn on Friday so we set out earlier on Saturday (there at 8.00am). The weather cooled off a lot overnight: it was overcast with some fog hanging around over the bay.
Chico was up first. I groundworked then rode him, with the same focus as on the lunge yesterday (though not all of the exercises are possible without someone keeping track of the horse, I could still do the really boingy trot one to practice my roly poly legs). I started to ask Chico for haunches in and some shoulder fore.
Peggy rode Fonteyn while I was on Chico. She said it was the best ride she has ever had. Fon was responsive, willing, and present. If she got a little stuck, she let Peggy's rhythm bring her back into balance, instead of having a meltdown as she has in the past. So, we took them both on a trail ride and practised everything we have been doing in the safety of confined spaces: shoulder fore, haunches in, leg yeilding, extreme rotation and everything else that we needed to navigate the twisty, turny trails and avoid the long blackberry tendrils extending over the trail. It was such a neat way to put everything into a new environment.
Sully got a short groundwork session to consolidate everything we have been doing, then it was home time. I looked after Josie for the evening. Peggy and Susan went over to Redmond to a Norah Jones concert. The funniest thing was noticing the squirrels in the apple tree: they move around, sampling apples, knocking apples down and rustling the branches as they go. Very cute to watch. Hard to photograph (I tried!). Josie is not a fan of squirrels, and, really, they are just super cute, way less aggressive possums... I do enjoy the novelty of new animals.
Today was a day off for the horses and for me, though Susan and Peggy have been hard at work with their practitioner training courses, including planning for the upcoming CRT 103 in Oregon. After brunch (scrambled eggs and turkey bacon, yum) Susan and I went to Silverdale. She had to look for some towels and return a shirt (then find a replacement in the right size). There are a couple of really neat outlet/clearance stores, TJ Maxx and Ross. She also took me through the relatively sedate Kitsap Mall, and the shops JC Penneys, Macy's and Kohl's. I enjoy browsing through the kitchen departments (thankfully I have limited funds and even more limited suitcase space) to see what is available here, that I can't get in NZ. Whirlwind tour completed, shirt sourced, we travelled home via Central for tomatoes and peaches. It was Josie's haircut appointment day and she was (mistakenly) shaved too short, so she looks quite hilarious compared to her previously very-fluffy 'do.'
Blackberries and blog finished, it's definitely time for bed. Tomorrow is pie and pesto day, if Peggy can finish her bookwork and we get done at the barn in a timely manner. Send us some good luck vibes!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Hotter than snot!
Susan can often be heard saying "it is hotter than snot!" on the really hot days, of which we've had two in a row. Yesterday, the temperature was about 29 degrees Celcius. As such, I was completely fried after spending 10am through nearly 2pm at the barn, working the horses in the sun. Thankfully, due to lack of Ozone hole on this side of the world, going without sunblock for more than 10 minutes doesn't mean you get burnt to a crisp. Even so, it was HOT and we were all running on empty in the afternoon/evening.
At the barn in the morning, Peggy started The Great Tack Room Clean Up, the remainder of which has been scheduled for this week (with Karen and Lana). The motivator for the clean up is Jill, who arrives next week with three horses (and their belongings!), so the tack room will go from 4 owners/5 horses to 5 owners/8 horses. We ended up with a pile of stuff to bring home and store and several empty saddle racks and bridle hooks.
While she got stuck into the tack room, I gave rems, turned horses out, bought Sully in, groomed him and tacked up. Sully had a wee doze until we were ready to go. He gave some really nice responses during groundwork: I did a lot of slow stuff on his head and neck. He is really coming into his own now and showing a lot more of his processing. He is less inclined to move off when you start exercises, takes more 'calculated' or collected steps and is easier to stop when he does move off. It's really nice to see his progress.
Peggy then got on and demonstrated asking for the four corners under saddle. The process goes one step further than I am used to, as she also asked the horse to be in counter bend (rather than having "only" counter rotation of the rider, or the horse's head looking out and in but their body in a true, not counter, bend). it was a little mind blowing, especially in the heat, so I need to go over it with her again to be sure I understand the process. Sully was a great example of why we need to ask for various exercises, even if the horse cannot do them yet... How else do you start to prepare (or, train) the horse to give these things, if you don't start asking? In that respect, it is like teaching the horse to take one step at a time. Initially, they may take fifteen steps, then ten, then three, and then they can offer *just one* step. He softened and offered more each time she repeated the parts of the exercise. I got on and felt his back was more lifted, his head and neck were softer and he was more responsive - so that I could then ask for some of the things, and GET THEM (oh, to have Peggy get on my horses every day and warm them up for me!!!), which was really cool.
Peggy continued tidying and I took Fon down to move her. I did a tiny bit of groundwork on the walk between the pasture and the field, then sent her out on the lunge, to the right (her more difficult side). She is in a GREAT space at the moment and her hind legs are pretty much "there" at the beginning of each session. I asked for a few minutes of walk (with out/in to both move her within the circle, and do tighter and looser "corners"), before asking for trot. Normally she is quite rushy to the right and holds her head higher than to the left, but she found her slow trot button and allowed her head to be significantly lower than usual. I am still over the moon about the way she moved (considering I haven't put her out on one line or the lunge for about a week). She was as good to the left and I put her away with a few bits of carrot - VERY happy!
I went to the barn early this morning to move/groundwork before it got too hot (the forecast said today was supposed to be hotter than yesterday, and boy, it is! Up to 32 degrees C at 2.00pm (though I've been getting distracted so it's already 3.00pm).
Fon gave me the same deal as yesterday: we were both pleased as punch. She likes to be told she is a good girl! I spent about 40 minutes with her as I wanted to start doing more trot to help build muscle, now that she's releasing more.
I turned out the other horses (Sully needs to go out so he can pee before he is expected to work) and took Chico down to the field in the serreta for some movement. I unfortunately haven't done anything with him for several days due to the way the schedule has worked, so I was pleasantly surprised to see him almost all there in the "Bringing In" stakes. He is a little rushier than Fon; his conformation and years spent using the wrong muscles mean he a good measure of whether you can bring a horse through, or not. In saying that, his trot was fairly rhythmical, a reasonable speed, he listened to me and I got some good trot, nice trot-canter transitions, balanced canter without him falling down to trot, and good walk to finish.
Sully got some a very short session in his halter. I asked him to start moving his feet one at a time. At this stage, he can't take "just one" step - he takes at least two, if not five. However, after a couple of attempts, he was picking up and placing his feet much more carefully and deliberately, which is exactly what we want!
I must have been more fried than I expected as it's taken me at least 90 minutes to write this, between talking to Susan, or Peggy, or getting distracted by emails and the forum and facebook! Oops! Peggy and Susan are currently working on the 101 course, then we're heading over to Silverdale to shop (groceries and clothes) before dinner and time at the barn when it's cooler (Fon needs a ride, as does Chico).
PS. Mum sent me a couple of emails to update me on Ollie's catches - he's brought in 3 rabbits over the past three days. Good cat!
At the barn in the morning, Peggy started The Great Tack Room Clean Up, the remainder of which has been scheduled for this week (with Karen and Lana). The motivator for the clean up is Jill, who arrives next week with three horses (and their belongings!), so the tack room will go from 4 owners/5 horses to 5 owners/8 horses. We ended up with a pile of stuff to bring home and store and several empty saddle racks and bridle hooks.
While she got stuck into the tack room, I gave rems, turned horses out, bought Sully in, groomed him and tacked up. Sully had a wee doze until we were ready to go. He gave some really nice responses during groundwork: I did a lot of slow stuff on his head and neck. He is really coming into his own now and showing a lot more of his processing. He is less inclined to move off when you start exercises, takes more 'calculated' or collected steps and is easier to stop when he does move off. It's really nice to see his progress.
Peggy then got on and demonstrated asking for the four corners under saddle. The process goes one step further than I am used to, as she also asked the horse to be in counter bend (rather than having "only" counter rotation of the rider, or the horse's head looking out and in but their body in a true, not counter, bend). it was a little mind blowing, especially in the heat, so I need to go over it with her again to be sure I understand the process. Sully was a great example of why we need to ask for various exercises, even if the horse cannot do them yet... How else do you start to prepare (or, train) the horse to give these things, if you don't start asking? In that respect, it is like teaching the horse to take one step at a time. Initially, they may take fifteen steps, then ten, then three, and then they can offer *just one* step. He softened and offered more each time she repeated the parts of the exercise. I got on and felt his back was more lifted, his head and neck were softer and he was more responsive - so that I could then ask for some of the things, and GET THEM (oh, to have Peggy get on my horses every day and warm them up for me!!!), which was really cool.
Peggy continued tidying and I took Fon down to move her. I did a tiny bit of groundwork on the walk between the pasture and the field, then sent her out on the lunge, to the right (her more difficult side). She is in a GREAT space at the moment and her hind legs are pretty much "there" at the beginning of each session. I asked for a few minutes of walk (with out/in to both move her within the circle, and do tighter and looser "corners"), before asking for trot. Normally she is quite rushy to the right and holds her head higher than to the left, but she found her slow trot button and allowed her head to be significantly lower than usual. I am still over the moon about the way she moved (considering I haven't put her out on one line or the lunge for about a week). She was as good to the left and I put her away with a few bits of carrot - VERY happy!
I went to the barn early this morning to move/groundwork before it got too hot (the forecast said today was supposed to be hotter than yesterday, and boy, it is! Up to 32 degrees C at 2.00pm (though I've been getting distracted so it's already 3.00pm).
Fon gave me the same deal as yesterday: we were both pleased as punch. She likes to be told she is a good girl! I spent about 40 minutes with her as I wanted to start doing more trot to help build muscle, now that she's releasing more.
I turned out the other horses (Sully needs to go out so he can pee before he is expected to work) and took Chico down to the field in the serreta for some movement. I unfortunately haven't done anything with him for several days due to the way the schedule has worked, so I was pleasantly surprised to see him almost all there in the "Bringing In" stakes. He is a little rushier than Fon; his conformation and years spent using the wrong muscles mean he a good measure of whether you can bring a horse through, or not. In saying that, his trot was fairly rhythmical, a reasonable speed, he listened to me and I got some good trot, nice trot-canter transitions, balanced canter without him falling down to trot, and good walk to finish.
Sully got some a very short session in his halter. I asked him to start moving his feet one at a time. At this stage, he can't take "just one" step - he takes at least two, if not five. However, after a couple of attempts, he was picking up and placing his feet much more carefully and deliberately, which is exactly what we want!
I must have been more fried than I expected as it's taken me at least 90 minutes to write this, between talking to Susan, or Peggy, or getting distracted by emails and the forum and facebook! Oops! Peggy and Susan are currently working on the 101 course, then we're heading over to Silverdale to shop (groceries and clothes) before dinner and time at the barn when it's cooler (Fon needs a ride, as does Chico).
PS. Mum sent me a couple of emails to update me on Ollie's catches - he's brought in 3 rabbits over the past three days. Good cat!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Peggy is home!
Peggy and Susan arrived last night. I collected them at the ferry terminal after taking Josie to the last dog training class of this term. Josie, by the way, did really well at class, and her "no jumping on people" is going so well she didn't even see Peggy and Susan right in front of her (she was so busy staying at proper dog level - I had to move her head up so she saw who was in front of her). So cute!
Their return did mean I didn't have a poodle on my bed for the first time in a week - not that I mind her but I do love the extra foot-stretching space ;)
Today started a little slowly, as always after trips away and lots of travelling. I ended up heading to the barn to give rems, turn out the horses, mix feeds and bring a saddle back to plonk on the saddle stand.
Yep, you guessed it - I got balanced! I love being balanced... each time brings a new awareness of something you are (or aren't) doing. I have been hanging out for a balancing since I got here.
Peggy ran through some checks and talked about various things to be aware of. She checked my right leg, moved to my left and did a sequence of meeting and melting there, then played around with a certain tight spot on my left foot. She also got me lengthening my lower back (a tough spot for me). Back at my right leg and voila! It too was a lot softer than at the start, despite all the "work" being done on the LEFT. It was a great "Feldy moment" ;)
I have to focus on widening my hips and thighs more than I have been, allowing my hips (as in, the ball) to glide and be mobile, allowing my lower back to expand, expanding from my hip to my armpit (so, not collapsing my ribs), and keeping my sternum up and collarbones open.
We ate lunch and Susan drove us to the barn so she'd have the car for her errands. Still in her PJs. I laughed and said she should go past WalMart on her way home, ha ha ha.
First up was Sully. I caught him in the interest of not changing tack around a million times: he and Fon are sharing the same bit and it was still on his bridle.
Karen arrived at the same time we did so also came down to watch groundwork. I ran through the things I'd been working on with Sully in his halter. He was SUPER today. His eye has started softening over the past two or three days and he is really coming into himself. His head and neck were softer and lower. His high place isn't as high as it was. He needs less frequent, smaller reminders (though still a LOT compared to a horse like Fon) about where to keep his head and that his neck must release.
I was able to mount from the right (the "wrong" side) today, which he couldn't achieve yesterday.
Under saddle he gave me the same feeling: more consistent and better quality than the past few days. His changes of direction were smoother and he was more contained.
I still need to remember to think wide between my hips (a LOT more than I think is necessary) to allow my thighs to move in a subtle way.
I like that he gives a better connection to the rein: he trusts the bit more and searches for a stretch, as opposed to Fon who gives me the sensation that if I so much as touch the rein, she'll immediately go hollow.
His hind legs are more active. He is building muscle on his topline. His hocks are folding more and his front legs are not so "stabby" in their movement. Peggy asked me to trot him both directions to see where he was at. His movement was surprisingly mincey and short, though fairly active. Again, wide through hips and thighs, slow elbows, find the rhythm in my elbows and then ask for outside hind, inside hind. Rinse and repeat.
Fon came in next. She ended up wearing Sully's bridle (fair's fair - he wears her saddle!). It actually suits her better than her one, which would look good on Sully. I sense a tack reorganisation coming on...
I was happy with her groundwork in the bridle, especially considering I have had her halter on her for the past week. I went to hip press this week which really helps her release her head and neck into a great stretch, as well as improve the placement of her inside hind leg (her hinds legs are very 'present' at the moment anyway). Picking up the outside rein as well helps her get a better 'out' on the circle.
Under saddle, I didn't really know what to expect as I have been feeling she needs the rope, rather than the bit/rein. She surprised me and her initial walk was much less rushy than I expected. Peggy took me through the same drill, in a much more subtle way: Fon is all about finesse. I have to think open with the knee to allow the turn/circle. Think open through the hips to allow a wiggle and find the rhythm in the legs and elbows. She had me starting counter bend (I rotate out, horse looks out, I ask with outside leg for horse to travel in; I rotate in, horse looks in, I ask with inside leg for horse to travel out, THEN a change of direction first and change of head from out to in next). That sounds like a lot, and it is! Especially when you're trying to sort out what to do with your various body parts in sequence.
All in all, it was a great day in the afternoon sun.
At home we prepared turkey burgers and a salad, swept the deck and picked up all the apples that have fallen from the totally overloaded tree. Miss Josie couldn't understand what we were doing with her toys (she has been bringing apples inside, one by one). Dinner was followed by the remains of the second blackberry pie, served with yoghurt. Yum!
Now, it is well and truly time for bed... good night!
Their return did mean I didn't have a poodle on my bed for the first time in a week - not that I mind her but I do love the extra foot-stretching space ;)
Today started a little slowly, as always after trips away and lots of travelling. I ended up heading to the barn to give rems, turn out the horses, mix feeds and bring a saddle back to plonk on the saddle stand.
Yep, you guessed it - I got balanced! I love being balanced... each time brings a new awareness of something you are (or aren't) doing. I have been hanging out for a balancing since I got here.
Peggy ran through some checks and talked about various things to be aware of. She checked my right leg, moved to my left and did a sequence of meeting and melting there, then played around with a certain tight spot on my left foot. She also got me lengthening my lower back (a tough spot for me). Back at my right leg and voila! It too was a lot softer than at the start, despite all the "work" being done on the LEFT. It was a great "Feldy moment" ;)
I have to focus on widening my hips and thighs more than I have been, allowing my hips (as in, the ball) to glide and be mobile, allowing my lower back to expand, expanding from my hip to my armpit (so, not collapsing my ribs), and keeping my sternum up and collarbones open.
We ate lunch and Susan drove us to the barn so she'd have the car for her errands. Still in her PJs. I laughed and said she should go past WalMart on her way home, ha ha ha.
First up was Sully. I caught him in the interest of not changing tack around a million times: he and Fon are sharing the same bit and it was still on his bridle.
Karen arrived at the same time we did so also came down to watch groundwork. I ran through the things I'd been working on with Sully in his halter. He was SUPER today. His eye has started softening over the past two or three days and he is really coming into himself. His head and neck were softer and lower. His high place isn't as high as it was. He needs less frequent, smaller reminders (though still a LOT compared to a horse like Fon) about where to keep his head and that his neck must release.
I was able to mount from the right (the "wrong" side) today, which he couldn't achieve yesterday.
Under saddle he gave me the same feeling: more consistent and better quality than the past few days. His changes of direction were smoother and he was more contained.
I still need to remember to think wide between my hips (a LOT more than I think is necessary) to allow my thighs to move in a subtle way.
I like that he gives a better connection to the rein: he trusts the bit more and searches for a stretch, as opposed to Fon who gives me the sensation that if I so much as touch the rein, she'll immediately go hollow.
His hind legs are more active. He is building muscle on his topline. His hocks are folding more and his front legs are not so "stabby" in their movement. Peggy asked me to trot him both directions to see where he was at. His movement was surprisingly mincey and short, though fairly active. Again, wide through hips and thighs, slow elbows, find the rhythm in my elbows and then ask for outside hind, inside hind. Rinse and repeat.
Fon came in next. She ended up wearing Sully's bridle (fair's fair - he wears her saddle!). It actually suits her better than her one, which would look good on Sully. I sense a tack reorganisation coming on...
I was happy with her groundwork in the bridle, especially considering I have had her halter on her for the past week. I went to hip press this week which really helps her release her head and neck into a great stretch, as well as improve the placement of her inside hind leg (her hinds legs are very 'present' at the moment anyway). Picking up the outside rein as well helps her get a better 'out' on the circle.
Under saddle, I didn't really know what to expect as I have been feeling she needs the rope, rather than the bit/rein. She surprised me and her initial walk was much less rushy than I expected. Peggy took me through the same drill, in a much more subtle way: Fon is all about finesse. I have to think open with the knee to allow the turn/circle. Think open through the hips to allow a wiggle and find the rhythm in the legs and elbows. She had me starting counter bend (I rotate out, horse looks out, I ask with outside leg for horse to travel in; I rotate in, horse looks in, I ask with inside leg for horse to travel out, THEN a change of direction first and change of head from out to in next). That sounds like a lot, and it is! Especially when you're trying to sort out what to do with your various body parts in sequence.
All in all, it was a great day in the afternoon sun.
At home we prepared turkey burgers and a salad, swept the deck and picked up all the apples that have fallen from the totally overloaded tree. Miss Josie couldn't understand what we were doing with her toys (she has been bringing apples inside, one by one). Dinner was followed by the remains of the second blackberry pie, served with yoghurt. Yum!
Now, it is well and truly time for bed... good night!
Monday, August 13, 2012
Learning lessons
Sunday was a day of learning... I had all sorts of plans but the day really fell apart. Lesson #1, don't assume!
I planned to head down for coffee with Lana and a friend. I had driven by the cafe several times and knew where it was, so set out 10 minutes before I was to meet them with Josie on a leash. It only really takes 5 minutes to walk down.
We got to town and I couldn't for the life of me find the place. I tried to ring Lana (she must have been driving as didn't answer) so walked around for a bit hoping I'd stumble across the cafe... No such luck. 25 mins after I left home I decided to leave town. About 3 minutes from home, Lana replied to my "done something wrong, can't find the place" text to say it was on the far side of town. About 100 metres from where I'd been just minutes before.
By that stage, Josie was starting to get restless on the leash so I opted to keep going home. I left Josie in the front yard while I went inside to get changed and put my pre-made lunch in the cooler. Time to get in the car and poodle-head is bouncing around in that way only puppies can do... everywhere EXCEPT close to me. Food didn't matter, toy didn't matter, I didn't matter, C.O.M.E. didn't work (it's not reliable, yet, as she's only 8 months old)... 15 minutes later after I threatened to go inside, I managed to get her and bundled her into the car.
All the horses were waiting patiently at the barn. Usually, Sundays are very quiet. Yesterday, the hay guy arrived with a trailer load of hay (I'd guess a ton?). So it was all go for horses to be moved out of the stalls in the large barn (the tidy-up must have happened the day before). It took me 15 minutes to groom and tack Fon, then I started groundwork out in the bottom field. She was quite good: a little sticky in her left shoulder but worked out of it and was responsive to the quiet work I did. She stood well for mounting though was a little rushy through all of her ridden work. She wouldn't quite give me her eye in either direction and although she was trying, I kept getting the feeling that she was merely 90% there, as opposed to 100%. Given the way this week has been, I couldn't really understand why she wasn't giving me that little smidge more... And of course, I started wondering what on earth I was (or wasn't!) doing that was causing it. Taking that feeling a little too personally, I was totally overwhelmed which stressed me out more, so sent Susan an S.O.S. text: "Having a tough day, feel like I've lost something and I can't get what I want from the horses." Peggy called me straight back. She pointed out that it might not be ME who was "not there" today: maybe Fon needed a day off, some more processing time. She also suggested *I* might need a day off (though I felt like I'd had a great balance of barn days and non-barn days this week, I hadn't actually taken a day for myself) and that if I wasn't getting the feeling I wanted under saddle, it was OK for me to get off and find it on the ground.
Of course, nothing I didn't know, but I'd forgotten to remember it. I did 2 mins on the ground with Fon then put her away, said goodbye to Sully and went home for lunch and a cold shower.
Susan called to check in on me (lovely). Gave me a pat on the back for telling them I was having a tough day, so that they could support me. She also sympathised with me about puppy antics and my assumptions of how the day would go. She is a life coach (when she's not organising Connected things) so a very good person to talk to when you're 'stuck' in some way. Lesson #2, don't take it personally; lesson #3, it is OK to have a bad day; lesson #4 it is OK to take a day off!
In the afternoon, Barbara (mum's cousin Robert's wife) picked me up and we drove around the Bainbridge Island Studio Tour. It's basically several studios of various types of art, each with several artists exhibiting. I thought it was sort of like a very spread-out farmers' market without the produce. The heat was INSANE and I felt like I was melting all afternoon.
Following that, Barbara and Robert took me to their favourite Mexican place for dinner. I had a steak enchilada which was served with melted cheese, tomatoes, rice, beans and a delicious pureed avocado sauce. On the way home we picked up some vanilla ice cream from Mora's (the most amazing "Iced Creamery" - there's one in Poulsbo, too) to serve with my blackberry pie. I needn't have worried about the pie, it was DELICIOUS! I also collected my parcel of Skip Bo cards and cast iron Dutch oven (I've been so excited about this pot since I ordered it!) before they took me home. I let Josie out to say hello before they left. It was nice to see her responding well to complete strangers.
I pretty much threw on some washing, did a little tidying and fell into bed at 9.30pm.
Today was better from the get go. I slept in a little, checked email, make coffee, cooked eggs for breakfast, fixed lunch (yoghurt and fresh blackberries, a peach, some crackers and cheese), fed Josie and got to the barn two minutes before I was due to hold Gruella for the farrier. Phew... I'd forgotten!!!
I decided to work and ride Fonteyn first. She is turning into a lovely mannered horse: I think all the input she's received is finally pulling together and she's feeling a lot better than she has before. She was great to groundwork (halter + roller bit). I practised various equal and opposing presses with her on a short line (cheek press, 1,2,3,4, shoulder press, hip press), also out/in and wand energy directed at different parts of her (mostly shoulder and inside hind leg) and walking in connection. She was softer and her head lower with the roller bit.
Under saddle I reminded myself to start simple. I asked her for a bunch of changes of direction and circles, gradually asking for more and more push from behind. I dropped the rein and rode off the rope - and, voila! I found the softness and rhythm I was missing yesterday. So we cruised, doing Ss and circles around the rough ground and trees at the far end of the field. All in all, a very nice ride.
Karen came down to watch me work Sully. I put the halter and roller bit on him. He was OK to start but then started twisting his head and crab-walking sideways rather than on the circle I was asking for. Karen stepped in to give some support to his inside shoulder and hind leg while I played with presses on his neck and cheek. After a bit she moved to the outside, which helped him immensely. I took off the roller bit and we continued. He settled well so his bridle went on, as did I. He was better than the other day: softer in his mouth, not "stabby" with the left front leg, more bendy and listing well. He occasionally fell out through his outside shoulder but could cope with my rotation (both true and counter) much better. I also asked for one step of turn on the forehand in each direction before I got off.
In about an hour, I have dog school with Josie then I am collecting Peggy and Susan from the ferry. There is pie for dessert when we all get back to the house. I guess that means it's time for me to make something for dinner!
I planned to head down for coffee with Lana and a friend. I had driven by the cafe several times and knew where it was, so set out 10 minutes before I was to meet them with Josie on a leash. It only really takes 5 minutes to walk down.
We got to town and I couldn't for the life of me find the place. I tried to ring Lana (she must have been driving as didn't answer) so walked around for a bit hoping I'd stumble across the cafe... No such luck. 25 mins after I left home I decided to leave town. About 3 minutes from home, Lana replied to my "done something wrong, can't find the place" text to say it was on the far side of town. About 100 metres from where I'd been just minutes before.
By that stage, Josie was starting to get restless on the leash so I opted to keep going home. I left Josie in the front yard while I went inside to get changed and put my pre-made lunch in the cooler. Time to get in the car and poodle-head is bouncing around in that way only puppies can do... everywhere EXCEPT close to me. Food didn't matter, toy didn't matter, I didn't matter, C.O.M.E. didn't work (it's not reliable, yet, as she's only 8 months old)... 15 minutes later after I threatened to go inside, I managed to get her and bundled her into the car.
All the horses were waiting patiently at the barn. Usually, Sundays are very quiet. Yesterday, the hay guy arrived with a trailer load of hay (I'd guess a ton?). So it was all go for horses to be moved out of the stalls in the large barn (the tidy-up must have happened the day before). It took me 15 minutes to groom and tack Fon, then I started groundwork out in the bottom field. She was quite good: a little sticky in her left shoulder but worked out of it and was responsive to the quiet work I did. She stood well for mounting though was a little rushy through all of her ridden work. She wouldn't quite give me her eye in either direction and although she was trying, I kept getting the feeling that she was merely 90% there, as opposed to 100%. Given the way this week has been, I couldn't really understand why she wasn't giving me that little smidge more... And of course, I started wondering what on earth I was (or wasn't!) doing that was causing it. Taking that feeling a little too personally, I was totally overwhelmed which stressed me out more, so sent Susan an S.O.S. text: "Having a tough day, feel like I've lost something and I can't get what I want from the horses." Peggy called me straight back. She pointed out that it might not be ME who was "not there" today: maybe Fon needed a day off, some more processing time. She also suggested *I* might need a day off (though I felt like I'd had a great balance of barn days and non-barn days this week, I hadn't actually taken a day for myself) and that if I wasn't getting the feeling I wanted under saddle, it was OK for me to get off and find it on the ground.
Of course, nothing I didn't know, but I'd forgotten to remember it. I did 2 mins on the ground with Fon then put her away, said goodbye to Sully and went home for lunch and a cold shower.
Susan called to check in on me (lovely). Gave me a pat on the back for telling them I was having a tough day, so that they could support me. She also sympathised with me about puppy antics and my assumptions of how the day would go. She is a life coach (when she's not organising Connected things) so a very good person to talk to when you're 'stuck' in some way. Lesson #2, don't take it personally; lesson #3, it is OK to have a bad day; lesson #4 it is OK to take a day off!
In the afternoon, Barbara (mum's cousin Robert's wife) picked me up and we drove around the Bainbridge Island Studio Tour. It's basically several studios of various types of art, each with several artists exhibiting. I thought it was sort of like a very spread-out farmers' market without the produce. The heat was INSANE and I felt like I was melting all afternoon.
Following that, Barbara and Robert took me to their favourite Mexican place for dinner. I had a steak enchilada which was served with melted cheese, tomatoes, rice, beans and a delicious pureed avocado sauce. On the way home we picked up some vanilla ice cream from Mora's (the most amazing "Iced Creamery" - there's one in Poulsbo, too) to serve with my blackberry pie. I needn't have worried about the pie, it was DELICIOUS! I also collected my parcel of Skip Bo cards and cast iron Dutch oven (I've been so excited about this pot since I ordered it!) before they took me home. I let Josie out to say hello before they left. It was nice to see her responding well to complete strangers.
I pretty much threw on some washing, did a little tidying and fell into bed at 9.30pm.
Today was better from the get go. I slept in a little, checked email, make coffee, cooked eggs for breakfast, fixed lunch (yoghurt and fresh blackberries, a peach, some crackers and cheese), fed Josie and got to the barn two minutes before I was due to hold Gruella for the farrier. Phew... I'd forgotten!!!
I decided to work and ride Fonteyn first. She is turning into a lovely mannered horse: I think all the input she's received is finally pulling together and she's feeling a lot better than she has before. She was great to groundwork (halter + roller bit). I practised various equal and opposing presses with her on a short line (cheek press, 1,2,3,4, shoulder press, hip press), also out/in and wand energy directed at different parts of her (mostly shoulder and inside hind leg) and walking in connection. She was softer and her head lower with the roller bit.
Under saddle I reminded myself to start simple. I asked her for a bunch of changes of direction and circles, gradually asking for more and more push from behind. I dropped the rein and rode off the rope - and, voila! I found the softness and rhythm I was missing yesterday. So we cruised, doing Ss and circles around the rough ground and trees at the far end of the field. All in all, a very nice ride.
Karen came down to watch me work Sully. I put the halter and roller bit on him. He was OK to start but then started twisting his head and crab-walking sideways rather than on the circle I was asking for. Karen stepped in to give some support to his inside shoulder and hind leg while I played with presses on his neck and cheek. After a bit she moved to the outside, which helped him immensely. I took off the roller bit and we continued. He settled well so his bridle went on, as did I. He was better than the other day: softer in his mouth, not "stabby" with the left front leg, more bendy and listing well. He occasionally fell out through his outside shoulder but could cope with my rotation (both true and counter) much better. I also asked for one step of turn on the forehand in each direction before I got off.
In about an hour, I have dog school with Josie then I am collecting Peggy and Susan from the ferry. There is pie for dessert when we all get back to the house. I guess that means it's time for me to make something for dinner!
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Dentist day
The equine dentist came today.
First up was Bracken, who needed a little touch up to his front teeth and a couple of hooks on his molars corrected.
Gruella was next. He also needed very little work, though got lightly sedated so he didn't fight with the gag. He also had some small hooks on his back teeth and a slight asymmetry between the left and right chewing teeth.
Chico was checked but the dentist said he didn't need to do anything this time. His bite was good, the angles on his teeth were good, he didn't have any hooks to deal with.
It was about the same for Fonteyn. She had extensive work done last year after she arrived with Peggy. All of her teeth angles were incorrect (and none of them matched the rest, either) and her top front teeth were too sloped forward which meant a hook had developed on the front edge. This year, she has worn her teeth evenly, her bite is good, her angles are good, she doesn't have any hooks. The only thing the dentist commented on was the tightness in her poll, between the back edge of the mandible, the atlas and the temporal bone (sort of running along, beneath the vertebrae). There was a rope-like muscle tightness/knot, which will be contributing to her not being freely able to turn her head from side to side. He suggested some gentle exercises and massage before she is ridden. It also explains why she is so much better after CR exercises like elephant's trunk, trace the arc, and any equal and opposing stretches involving the head and neck (even the very first exercise, cheek press).
Finally, it was Sully's turn. The dentist was quite surprised as Sully's age according to me (12), as his teeth looked much older (15+). In the past, Sully has lost one of his front teeth. He will also have had extensive (perhaps overly so) work done on his teeth, which contributes to the teeth appearing older than the horse is supposed to be. As such, the dentist didn't want to do very much work, but he did have some minor corrections to make to the front teeth (especially to the bottom tooth below the missing top tooth, as there is no opposing pressure so the bottom tooth keeps erupting but does not get worn - it can grow to a large hook if not kept in line with dentistry) and the right molars, which were developing a hook on the cheek side. Sully was lightly sedated as the dentist wanted to give him a positive experience and neither of us knew what he would think of the rasping or the gag. After some initial moving around, Sully settled and stood perfectly still with his head nice and low.
I hung around until Sully was a little brighter before turning all the horses out into the field.
After lunch and catching up on emails, I made pastry for the blackberries I picked yesterday. I am somewhat hesitant about pastry as I haven't made it many times before AND I was using a gluten-free flour mix (which I have never done before). It was too wet for my liking after mixing, so I threw it back in the fridge to rest for half an hour which seems to have solved that problem. Meanwhile the blackberries look positively amazing. They are macerating in a mixture of sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and cornflour (to help thicken the juice when the pie is cooked).
For dinner I cooked the last piece of steak (it did four different meals), with some lightly fried slices of zucchini, served with a mix of some rice, about 1/3 of a cob of corn (cut off), some fresh herbs (thyme, chives and something that must be marjoram or similar) and some cottage cheese. It was really yummy!
Here's dinner. I took a pic of the corn/herbs/cottage cheese mixture by itself as it looked so pretty in the plate.
Here is the pie, as I made it. I didn't plan to make both pies today (just roll out the pastry and leave the second shell chilling for later) but the batch of blackberries I'd mixed up was way too much for the first pie alone... I should have planned to see what half looked like, but didn't, so one is FULL of fruit and the other has a scant amount. I am sure they will taste delicious, regardless!
Remember these?
They became this...
While this...
Became this!
And together...
Add some heat and voila!
I can't wait to sample the pie tomorrow.
First up was Bracken, who needed a little touch up to his front teeth and a couple of hooks on his molars corrected.
Gruella was next. He also needed very little work, though got lightly sedated so he didn't fight with the gag. He also had some small hooks on his back teeth and a slight asymmetry between the left and right chewing teeth.
Chico was checked but the dentist said he didn't need to do anything this time. His bite was good, the angles on his teeth were good, he didn't have any hooks to deal with.
It was about the same for Fonteyn. She had extensive work done last year after she arrived with Peggy. All of her teeth angles were incorrect (and none of them matched the rest, either) and her top front teeth were too sloped forward which meant a hook had developed on the front edge. This year, she has worn her teeth evenly, her bite is good, her angles are good, she doesn't have any hooks. The only thing the dentist commented on was the tightness in her poll, between the back edge of the mandible, the atlas and the temporal bone (sort of running along, beneath the vertebrae). There was a rope-like muscle tightness/knot, which will be contributing to her not being freely able to turn her head from side to side. He suggested some gentle exercises and massage before she is ridden. It also explains why she is so much better after CR exercises like elephant's trunk, trace the arc, and any equal and opposing stretches involving the head and neck (even the very first exercise, cheek press).
Finally, it was Sully's turn. The dentist was quite surprised as Sully's age according to me (12), as his teeth looked much older (15+). In the past, Sully has lost one of his front teeth. He will also have had extensive (perhaps overly so) work done on his teeth, which contributes to the teeth appearing older than the horse is supposed to be. As such, the dentist didn't want to do very much work, but he did have some minor corrections to make to the front teeth (especially to the bottom tooth below the missing top tooth, as there is no opposing pressure so the bottom tooth keeps erupting but does not get worn - it can grow to a large hook if not kept in line with dentistry) and the right molars, which were developing a hook on the cheek side. Sully was lightly sedated as the dentist wanted to give him a positive experience and neither of us knew what he would think of the rasping or the gag. After some initial moving around, Sully settled and stood perfectly still with his head nice and low.
I hung around until Sully was a little brighter before turning all the horses out into the field.
After lunch and catching up on emails, I made pastry for the blackberries I picked yesterday. I am somewhat hesitant about pastry as I haven't made it many times before AND I was using a gluten-free flour mix (which I have never done before). It was too wet for my liking after mixing, so I threw it back in the fridge to rest for half an hour which seems to have solved that problem. Meanwhile the blackberries look positively amazing. They are macerating in a mixture of sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and cornflour (to help thicken the juice when the pie is cooked).
For dinner I cooked the last piece of steak (it did four different meals), with some lightly fried slices of zucchini, served with a mix of some rice, about 1/3 of a cob of corn (cut off), some fresh herbs (thyme, chives and something that must be marjoram or similar) and some cottage cheese. It was really yummy!
Here's dinner. I took a pic of the corn/herbs/cottage cheese mixture by itself as it looked so pretty in the plate.
Here is the pie, as I made it. I didn't plan to make both pies today (just roll out the pastry and leave the second shell chilling for later) but the batch of blackberries I'd mixed up was way too much for the first pie alone... I should have planned to see what half looked like, but didn't, so one is FULL of fruit and the other has a scant amount. I am sure they will taste delicious, regardless!
Remember these?
While this...
Became this!
And together...
I can't wait to sample the pie tomorrow.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Three-day catch up
I planned to do a short day at the barn on Wednesday, as I knew I had to catch up with the working student before me, Devan. I ended up talking to her for a lot longer (she is great!) so changed plans to a "computer" day so I could do some work on the Working Student Program documents. Then I had the concert which consumed my evening and night.
Thursday started with a partly intentional, partly unintentional sleep in. Intentional because I didn't get to bed until 1.30am. Unintentional, because my NZ mobile, who's only function at present is to be my alarm clock, went flat without me realising, so I woke up at 8-something am when the room got light. Josie and I stayed in bed until our tummies started rumbling. She got her usual dog biscuits while I made (turkey) bacon and eggs (I don't DISlike the turkey bacon but real bacon is so much more satisfying!). We made it to the barn around 10.30am.
I took Fon into the arena with her CR halter and bridle, to start with some groundwork. She has been doing so well out in the field but I thought it was high time we went back to the arena. I practised walking in connection (she is SO much better at this now, doesn't toss her head constantly, and some days, not at all), walking with hip press (1 and 2 lines) and 2 line walking to sideways (she was great to the right, but slightly fussy to the left, which is her stickier shoulder).
Fon was absolutely fantastic under saddle. She is starting to offer a head down stretch (long/loose rein) of her own accord. Combing settles her instantly if she jigs at all. I felt she was balanced enough to ask for a trot transition to the left, which was OK (she didn't instantly go hollow or get too rushy and the transitions up and down were quite nice). We ended with a couple of walk-halt transitions which were very nice.
I need to remember to keep the rein connection steady (not too loose) - it helps if I don't wear my groundwork gloves while riding - and also focus on asking her to come up into the bridle, so to speak, by asking for her hindquarters with a wiggle while containing the front end (still letting her telescope).
Sully and I did some groundwork with him wearing his halter. I also put the roller bit on (Linda Tellington-Jones' design, very well balanced) so he had something else to think about. The roller bit can be ridden in, though I've only ever used it for groundwork (and I don't think I've ever done groundwork "from" the bit, preferring to only have the horse wear the bit while I continue to work off the halter and rope). He was a lot softer wearing the bit.
I played around with walking in connection with 1,2,3,4 presses, shoulder press, and using the wand to get two or three places at once (eg the wand's knob, my hand, and the thin end of the wand touching different areas). He does very well with the reminders of "head down" on his head, neck and shoulders.
Peggy called in the evening and was really pleased with my feedback. She suggested I try a neck ring with Fon to help give her a steady connection in the trot, and remind her to let the base of her neck go. She was also pleased about me using the roller bit as Sully needs to be taken through non-habitual processes.
Today Chico was first up. He was not QUITE as good as Tuesday. I say that because, though he was very soft and willing, I had to work to get his right shoulder unstuck. I did groundwork from his bridle incl out/in/sideways (he is better travelling to the left, due to the stickier right shoulder falling in/not moving over when travelling to the right). Before I took him out I thought I might canter him, which didn't happen in the end. I spent quite a lot of time in walk (his walk has improved so much: he is more out/down to begin, his base is higher, he isn't diving onto his forehand so much, and he can keep his head down more consistently through changes of direction). Then the same in trot. I need to remember the same things as Fon, just executed in a slightly different way: capture the hind legs, contain the front end (and my elbows!), remember my extreme rotation and wiggle wiggle to get his hind end moving up into the bridle.
Sully also came out for groundwork. He was better today than yesterday - softer, more attentive, and head lower with fewer reminders from me. I like this sort of reaction after the horses have worn the roller bit. I did the same presses as yesterday, along with hip press and holding his tail in connection.
Following a suggestion from Peggy, today I rode Sully for the first time. I kept it short (10 minutes) and sweet (nice and easy work) as I don't know him and he is not riding fit following time off.
Sully responds better to "true" rotation (rotation in the direction of travel) than counter (my rotation is opposite, or counter, to the horse's direction of travel).
Finally, Karen took Bracken and I took Fonteyn onto the trail, in-hand. Fon is not ready to be ridden out there, but that doesn't mean she can't get used to the environment and broaden her horizons. It was lovely to have the support of Karen to make the process easier on Fon. We led most of the way. She was totally chilled and completely happy, even when Bracken dropped back a little (on purpose). When we followed Bracken, she was a tiny bit more rushy in her effort to keep up with him. All in all, I am very pleased with her attitude today. It shows she is more comfortable in her own skin and progressing to a point where she can be a much more "involved" member of the CEI team.
I caved at the heat and bought ice cream on the way home. Also, I should not buy ice cream when I'm hot and tired and hungry, because I couldn't 't pass up the two for $7 special on the tubs that normally cost $5.99 (hey, any other tub would have been at least $5 and a single-serve cone or similar from the local Iced Creamery probably a similar price, and I have two whole tubs of ice cream!). In any case, I'll behave and not consume it all in one go, I promise. On the plus side, I also bought eggs (in preparation for making pie!) and coffee (I am so spoiled, because this country doesn't have drinkable instant. If I want coffee, I have to brew it. Moccona will never be the same again...).
Tonight's dinner was really good. I intended to take a photo of it on my plate but somehow it was eaten before I remembered the photo part. These will have to do! I cooked a fresh cob of corn, dauphinoise potatoes and a small piece of Black Angus steak.
After dinner Josie and I went for a walk to a spot I knew there were accessible blackberry plants (next to the road).
This is my haul (approximately 12 cups, enough for two pies!). I think tomorrow will be baking day.
Thursday started with a partly intentional, partly unintentional sleep in. Intentional because I didn't get to bed until 1.30am. Unintentional, because my NZ mobile, who's only function at present is to be my alarm clock, went flat without me realising, so I woke up at 8-something am when the room got light. Josie and I stayed in bed until our tummies started rumbling. She got her usual dog biscuits while I made (turkey) bacon and eggs (I don't DISlike the turkey bacon but real bacon is so much more satisfying!). We made it to the barn around 10.30am.
I took Fon into the arena with her CR halter and bridle, to start with some groundwork. She has been doing so well out in the field but I thought it was high time we went back to the arena. I practised walking in connection (she is SO much better at this now, doesn't toss her head constantly, and some days, not at all), walking with hip press (1 and 2 lines) and 2 line walking to sideways (she was great to the right, but slightly fussy to the left, which is her stickier shoulder).
Fon was absolutely fantastic under saddle. She is starting to offer a head down stretch (long/loose rein) of her own accord. Combing settles her instantly if she jigs at all. I felt she was balanced enough to ask for a trot transition to the left, which was OK (she didn't instantly go hollow or get too rushy and the transitions up and down were quite nice). We ended with a couple of walk-halt transitions which were very nice.
I need to remember to keep the rein connection steady (not too loose) - it helps if I don't wear my groundwork gloves while riding - and also focus on asking her to come up into the bridle, so to speak, by asking for her hindquarters with a wiggle while containing the front end (still letting her telescope).
Sully and I did some groundwork with him wearing his halter. I also put the roller bit on (Linda Tellington-Jones' design, very well balanced) so he had something else to think about. The roller bit can be ridden in, though I've only ever used it for groundwork (and I don't think I've ever done groundwork "from" the bit, preferring to only have the horse wear the bit while I continue to work off the halter and rope). He was a lot softer wearing the bit.
I played around with walking in connection with 1,2,3,4 presses, shoulder press, and using the wand to get two or three places at once (eg the wand's knob, my hand, and the thin end of the wand touching different areas). He does very well with the reminders of "head down" on his head, neck and shoulders.
Peggy called in the evening and was really pleased with my feedback. She suggested I try a neck ring with Fon to help give her a steady connection in the trot, and remind her to let the base of her neck go. She was also pleased about me using the roller bit as Sully needs to be taken through non-habitual processes.
Today Chico was first up. He was not QUITE as good as Tuesday. I say that because, though he was very soft and willing, I had to work to get his right shoulder unstuck. I did groundwork from his bridle incl out/in/sideways (he is better travelling to the left, due to the stickier right shoulder falling in/not moving over when travelling to the right). Before I took him out I thought I might canter him, which didn't happen in the end. I spent quite a lot of time in walk (his walk has improved so much: he is more out/down to begin, his base is higher, he isn't diving onto his forehand so much, and he can keep his head down more consistently through changes of direction). Then the same in trot. I need to remember the same things as Fon, just executed in a slightly different way: capture the hind legs, contain the front end (and my elbows!), remember my extreme rotation and wiggle wiggle to get his hind end moving up into the bridle.
Sully also came out for groundwork. He was better today than yesterday - softer, more attentive, and head lower with fewer reminders from me. I like this sort of reaction after the horses have worn the roller bit. I did the same presses as yesterday, along with hip press and holding his tail in connection.
Following a suggestion from Peggy, today I rode Sully for the first time. I kept it short (10 minutes) and sweet (nice and easy work) as I don't know him and he is not riding fit following time off.
Sully responds better to "true" rotation (rotation in the direction of travel) than counter (my rotation is opposite, or counter, to the horse's direction of travel).
Finally, Karen took Bracken and I took Fonteyn onto the trail, in-hand. Fon is not ready to be ridden out there, but that doesn't mean she can't get used to the environment and broaden her horizons. It was lovely to have the support of Karen to make the process easier on Fon. We led most of the way. She was totally chilled and completely happy, even when Bracken dropped back a little (on purpose). When we followed Bracken, she was a tiny bit more rushy in her effort to keep up with him. All in all, I am very pleased with her attitude today. It shows she is more comfortable in her own skin and progressing to a point where she can be a much more "involved" member of the CEI team.
I caved at the heat and bought ice cream on the way home. Also, I should not buy ice cream when I'm hot and tired and hungry, because I couldn't 't pass up the two for $7 special on the tubs that normally cost $5.99 (hey, any other tub would have been at least $5 and a single-serve cone or similar from the local Iced Creamery probably a similar price, and I have two whole tubs of ice cream!). In any case, I'll behave and not consume it all in one go, I promise. On the plus side, I also bought eggs (in preparation for making pie!) and coffee (I am so spoiled, because this country doesn't have drinkable instant. If I want coffee, I have to brew it. Moccona will never be the same again...).
Tonight's dinner was really good. I intended to take a photo of it on my plate but somehow it was eaten before I remembered the photo part. These will have to do! I cooked a fresh cob of corn, dauphinoise potatoes and a small piece of Black Angus steak.
After dinner Josie and I went for a walk to a spot I knew there were accessible blackberry plants (next to the road).
This is my haul (approximately 12 cups, enough for two pies!). I think tomorrow will be baking day.
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