Trail ride and a few steps back

A week ago Drifter and I had a good, but really intense ride. We worked on walk/canter transitions and simple change of lead. She still has trouble with her right lead, but I wanted to get in several good canter departs. The first right lead depart was probably her best ever. I thought about quitting with that perfect depart, but I didn't. I pushed. She did several nice left and right departs. She began to fatigue and began stopping in the middle of the ring. We finished with one more good one to the left and called it a day.

On Friday she had her feet trimmed before our ride. I started with a new saddle pad and new footing in the arena. As soon as a got on Drifter she stopped and planted her feet. I got off and trotted her in hand and she looked sound. I changed her saddle pad. I got back on and as soon as she felt my leg aids she stopped and balked- no backwards, but no forward either. It took the "pony club kick" to get her to walk and she stopped several times in the first 10 minutes. We finally got some forward at walk and trot to the left. When ever I changed to the right bend she would stop. Wash, rinse, repeat until she will trot a circle to the right. I wonder if she is body sore from the cantering on Tuesday or if it really just overwhelmed her. We trotted in the outdoor ring and the dressage ring to reinstall forward in all three riding areas. To end I figured we would walk out to the field/trail and back. She was totally relaxed and forward when walking out to the trail, so we just kept walking. We did our first trail ride, alone, around the field/trail that's closest to the barn. She was so brave and good. She did one little spook in place, but then moved right along. I didn't know whether to focus on the ring issues or the trail success.

Today we just continued to focus on trotting forward in both directions. I started her on the lunge line and she was unable to pick up the right canter lead on the lunge, but I didn't drill her about it. I got on and rode and only one or two little hesitations at the trot when I put my leg on.

I learned an important lesson about how hard/far I can push her.

Still getting better

It's been almost a year since Drifter had her foal. She has come so far. We worked in the dressage ring (no fence) and focused on being straight. She still bulges a little towards the barn, but I am able to rider her through the twists and turns and keep her straight. We took a short jaunt over to the jump ring (fence) to work on our canter. She departs so nicely to the left now with a great canter. She still gets a little deep, but she is balanced and responsive. To the right, she is now getting the right lead 75% of the time and I can actually feel her bending and working to pick up the right lead. It's awesome. She will do a few flying lead changes from right to left, but actually changed back from left to right today. What a good girl.

Lastly, we are working on pre-trail riding skills. I walk her to the back of the property alone after our rides. I am working on walking on a loose rein. She stops a few times and looks and I wait for her to feel confident to walk forward with minimal leg aids. I don't want her to feel pressured, but rather to feel interested about exploring new areas.

I am so impressed at how well she is doing and just a bit proud of the fact that I have helped her learn it all.

Turn on the forehand

Drifter learned turn on the forehand today.  It was much easier for her to do a turn on the haunches.  I attribute this to her Quarter Horse bloodlines- that girl can spin.  However, asking her to keep her shoulders stationary and move her haunches was a total enigma for her.  I ended up dismounting and doing a little ground work.  I used a dressage whip to apply an aid where my leg would be and backed it up with a tap on the hock.  When she was reliably moving off the whip aid on the ground I remounted and worked on it from "up top".  She still had trouble with the concept and it required several tries in both directions.  I stood her facing the arena wall and asked for a 90 degree turn on the forehand.  When she moved her haunches at all I stopped the aid.  We repeated both left and right sides.  She had more trouble moving off my left leg and often stepped into the leg aid the first three or four attempts.  Once it clicked it really seemed to made sense to her.

I also lunged her before riding and she had a nice canter on the lunge.  I think I will have her canter on the lunge again a few more times before reintroducing it under saddle.  She has been so much more relaxed since I have backed off on cantering under saddle.  Today was a really good schooling ride!

Still waiting

Still waiting for Drifter's results from the PSSM DNA test. 

On Friday we were able to work outside a litle bit.  Kim (barn staff) told me that she looked really stiff in the field and was reluctant to go though the gate near the other horses.  When I brought her in, she was reluctant to walk up to the gate, but I wasn't sure if it was stiffness or leaving the other horses.  I noticed that her ilicus muscle was taut and hard.  I figured I would start with lunging and take it easy.  We did 15-20 minutes of walking on the lunge with a few half circles of trotting.  I got on and rode after she relaxed and lengthened her stride and rode for 20 minutes, also mostly at the walk.  She stayed nicely relaxed during our time outside.

On Tuesday, I rode her for another 20 minutes.  She was mostly willing and relaxed.  She handled the snow falling off the roof and the dogs playing in the indoor with a slow down or a stop.  She was soft through her neck and willing to bend in both directions.  She got her rabies vaccination and a coggins drawn, so I wasn't sure how she would be.  I wanted her to stay relaxed and go forward.  We accomplished most of this and looking in the mirror at the end of the ride, she looked good.  She was up in front, round and tracking up.  Great way to end our session before the snow!

This is my 100th post!

Drifter has been doing well, although we are still working on 100% resolution of the scratches. She has remained sound despite the swelling. I have been focusing on cantering and her canter depart (or lack thereof). We cantered for the first time with another horse in the ring the other day.

As she moves a bit further along under saddle she is trying some evasions. Her favorite one after cantering is to go behind the vertical. This is a very bad fault and I have been working on bending her and using leg to send her forward at the walk after cantering. This helps her stay in front of the vertical, but hasn't solved the issue. She gets very tense about the canter depart, so I think there is some connection between her tenseness and her going BTV. Every now and then she will come above the bit, but it's minimal and easily fixed with bending. She continues to fall in to the right, but only on one side of the arena, so I don't think it's structural, more a habit or a combination of my left sided tightness and her drifting to the middle. Overall, things are going well and I can easily pass 45 minutes riding and working on straightness, forwardness and getting that canter depart.

Hopefully, we'll take part in the upcoming jump schools! Also, AQHA has made dressage an official sport for points.

Have I mentioned lately...

that I love my horse?

She is so fantastic. We cantered yesterday for the first time since the move. She was very gracious about it. I have to do some body work on her to help her with the right lead- that's her hard side. Her left lead was quite nice and she has a fabulous canter. It's great that she is getting back into work again- now I just have to stay consistent.

Moving Success!

Drifter was a rockstar!

She loaded up in the trailer after stepping up and down about 12 times. This was the first time loading in my newer two horse straight load. It's pretty roomy with a bright white interior, but it had a metal floor. I think she was trying to figure out if the floor was solid and safe for her. Once she loaded she stood rock solid while I put up the butt bar and closed the door. She gets a bit antsy when she is first loaded. but was calm by the time we arrived at Toy Box.

I will be traveling mostly by myself, so I need Drifter to behave well while I open the back door to get her out of the trailer. I didn't want her to fly out backwards. No fear in that. She stood perfectly while I went up with her and asked her to back out. She stepped out with one foot and thought I was backing her over a cliff. I let her regain her composure and then asked a few more times. She backed out and stood there sniffing. It was like she was trying to remember.

I put her inside Fritz' stall and went to clean and park the trailer. She ate most of his hay by the time I got back. I groomed her and tacked her up- she seemed fine with it, but I felt a bit anxious. I walked her over to the indoor (which has been expanded by 33% and updated). I walked her around once on the ground to let her see it and tighten up her girth. Mounted at the block and went in with two unknown horses and riders.

Drifter was so good! She will need a long warm-up at shows. She was a little inverted, but her gait and body was calm. We walked, trotted and did some leg yielding with the two other horses in the ring and she was soo good. She was calm, attentive and cooperative. I couldn't have asked for more.

I am so happy to have my horse back.

Canter work

Alright gentle readers... I need your advice from greenie land.

We have been working on the canter and the left lead is coming along nicely. The right lead is still a big challenge. Even with an inside leg aid, Drifter still falls to the inside and falls into the canter. I am working hard on my position to stay back and balanced, but she usually ends up four inches to the right of my seat by the time she is actually cantering. She gets 5-7 strides, pops the left shoulder and breaks to the trot. We need help...




This is a picture of newly weaned Zee with her buddy Charlie- thanks Kim for the great picture.

Tonight

Went out and rode Drifter tonight. I wasn't really enthusiastic because it was really cold out. She seemed game to go and was cooperative and forward. She is really getting the lateral work thing, which is a blessing and a trick, because she tried it as an evasion a few time tonight. She really engages herself when asked to do lateral work (leg-yield and turn on haunches) at this point. We did some walk/trot transitions on a loose rein and asked for a few trot lengthenings. She is really progressing in her trot work and hopefully we will get some more canter work in again soon.

Tonight, I really felt the baby flutter after we did our work. I was rubbing her belly and could really feel the foal moving. It was so cool. I think it is the size of a beagle right now- moving quickly towards the size of a goat. Drifter seems to have accommodated to the riding and foal now or the baby has moved, because she doesn't need to stop and pee so much and she looks like she is carrying it differently. I was almost worried until I felt the activity in there tonight. We are just past the half way point in her pregnancy.

Progress

I got one ride over the weekend, which went well. We continued to work on grading the speed and step length at walk and trot. She has been very slow at the walk without impulsion. She also gets to a point where she likes to stop (after about 30 minutes), which generally means she has to pee!

Last night, we had a great ride! We didn't do any more cantering. We spent 20 minutes at the walk. I introduced some lateral work- asking her to do a simple leg yield. She had nice engagement and impulsion. By the time we got to the trot, she was working nicely and ready to go. Her trot was very nice and forward for the first time in awhile. He leg yield at the trot was a bit rushed and unbalanced, but I could really feel her engage her engine a few time. When she got "sloggy" around the time she generally has to pee I switched to walk/trot transitions. This went really well and her transitions were often forward and light. She is a real joy to ride.

This week

I wasn't able to get out over the weekend, due to having a workshop to assist at work.

On Sunday I stopped by after work and brought Drifter in from the far corner of the field. Apparently when the herd of horses travels out to the far field they often don't come in for days. I cleaned her up and dealt with some tick bites she had. I didn't feel it fair to ask her to carry me after having several days off, so I worked her on the lunge in side reins. She did some really nice work at WTC. I would like to see her taking a more consistent contact with the side reins on, but really that was probably the first time I have used them with her in a bridle. I used them once or twice previously with the cavesson, but the alignment wasn't good, so I stopped using it. She carries herself pretty nicely and moves out well. I worked on some transitions into canter to help her make them smoother and less rushed. She still squirts off into a running trot then breaks or falls into the canter. At least she is trying though.

Today, I rode Drifter in the outdoor ring. I focused on maintaining the trot and some canter work in a bigger space. It went well overall. She gets sweaty pretty quickly, letting me know that she is working very hard with some light riding. She is 5 months along now with a pretty big belly and I think the canter work with me on her is pretty challenging. She does give it a good try though when asked.

Riding skills improving

Yesterday I rode Drifter in the indoor ring. I lunged her first, just to work her harded then she is going under staddle at this point. We worked at W-T-C, she continues to have difficulty with the right lead canter, but it is improving. Then I got on her. I mounted from the right, which startled her a little again. So, I dismounted and remounted from the left to give her a good experience.



We worked on steering and some speed/gait control. This time we got to TROT! Hooray. She went nicely into the trot with good speed control and balance. She stayed pretty round throughout the transition, only loosing forward momentum on the downward transition.



After trotting in both directions, I dismounted and took her outside. I remounted from a mouting block for the first time. Then I rode her from the indoor ring to the barn. We were outside without a fence or any boundaries and she did great. There were no differences between her affect inside or outside.

On Saturday, I rode with two other horses in the ring! She was very good with the first horse at the walk and trot, both coming towards her and up behind her. However, when the second horse entered the ring- she was puffed up, nickering and not paying attention. She was paying attention to her pasturemate in the ring with her! I worked to keep her walking and paying attention to me. I did have to dismount one time when she got her tongue over the bit. I remounted in the ring on the right side and she startled a little bit, but the two other horses were both moving around at the same time. I hope to have better experiences with riding her with other horses in the coming days. She did really well with one horse that she didn't know, but two horses (one her pasture mate) was a real challenge.

She is really coming along under saddle at this point though. She is moving off my leg aids, moving away from my leg aids and her sterring is improving.

Progress

Today we did some long lining at the trot. She was great! It is nice to see her improving at the trot and with several changes of direction she was become more supple. She is still more stiff to the right, but I know this will improve with more work. I should probably add in some massage and stretching.

She has been goon on the cross ties and with picking her feet.

On Tuesday I lunged her outside with side reins. I really don't have the right configuration for them, so I think I may delay using them much more. Plus, one got caught on the gate as we were leaving and she bent the snap trying to get away. She also bit my thumb when I was giving her a bath and trying to hold onto the treat to delay the reward. It really hurt and now it hurts to shake someone hand who squeezes hard! It was really my fault though! I think I have gotten comfortable in expecting that things will be "fine" with her and have overestimated her understanding and maturity in less then two months.

Yesterday

Another day on the lunge. Wearing a saddle and a lunging cavesson. We worked in the outdoor ring, she was more relaxed and less concerned about her barn mates. She however, was getting eaten by the greenhead flies. We did about 20 minutes of walk and trot. Her right side is improving and there is less difference between left and right at this point.

She stood totally still for fly spray today.

She got several doses of applesauce from the wormer syringe today. She wasn't so thrilled with me sticking the syringe in her mouth, but all four feet stayed on the ground. By the end of our time together she tolerated it pretty well.

She lifted all four feet nicely today.

I need to get more pictures of her. She is also going out on grass now. It is amazing that with as little as four hours of turnout daily she is as quiet as she is. She really is a mellow horse. I will start long lining her this week and also spending more time on the cross ties, because once she goes on pasture board, she will need to be reliable on the cross ties for grooming/tacking/etc.

I am also considering a fly sheet for her. She seems to draw the flies :-(

The process from advertisment to horse in the stall...

The story starts with Fritz. He is my 18yo hannoverian. He is perfect. I enjoy riding him, but somehow when you always know that you are going to have a good ride, it leaves me wanting more.

I have been searching for a cremello mare for months. I was considering breeding for a cremello foal, but the cost was prohibitive AND I felt I would be ultimately responsible for his/her life. So, I continued to search the classifieds. At the bottom of equine.com there was a text ad for a perlino broodmare. The price was right and the sellers seem to be in a hurry to sell. We emailed and I learned that she has been out in a broodmare band for most her whole life. I learned that she had two foals. I chose to have her vetted. The vet reported her sound and not pregnant. The vet reported that she was "a broodmare" as if that explained all I would need to know about her. I chose to go ahead and purchase her, bring her from MN on a four day trailer ride to see what I would get. It has been a great adventure.

I bougt two PMU mares a few years ago- the definition of halterbroke for them meant that someone had gotten a halter on them before running them into the trailer. I was hoping better from this mare.

She traveled for four days, while I studied and reviewed Ttouch, Tteam, Bach's flower remedies, homeopathy and John Lyons methods. I formed ideas about basic skills horses' should have and the sequence they can/should be taught in. I used Double L transport, Louie Velasco, he's a great guy and did very good with her along the way. I didn't know what the first day would bring...

Drifter came to the barn after I had left for work. She was quiet getting off the trailer. She was NOT quiet when the barn staff tried to worm her- in fact she struck and jumped on one of them. She was on the road to being booted out of the barn before I even got to meet her. Everyone was told to say away from her and I was warned that she doesn't trust people.

She was standing quietly in the stall, she was facing people. I cracked the door open and stuck in my hand while I talked to some other boarders. She sniffed me and didn't turn away. I thought this was a great sign. She stepped back and I came into the stall. She stood still and I reached for her. She tensed her neck and raised her head, but she didn't move away. I immediately began doing Ttouch on her. I did the abolone TTouch- hard to believe I even know the name of it, but that's what I did. She relaxed.

I touched her mane, her back, her neck. I got my grooming kit, dressage whip, leadrope, camera. I snapped a few shots of her dreaded mane. She stood quiet. I began to comb her mane, unravel her dreaded hair. I talked to her. I told her she was pretty. She sniffed me and stood very still. I touched her front legs and stoked her hind legs with the dressage whip. She didn't kick out, so I touched her legs. She has two HUGE scrapes on her hind legs that are swollen and infected. She let me tie up her tail, she let me clean her wounds...

I was able to back her up, turn her in her stall and asked her to move away from me. I took her out of her stall and lead her up and down the aisle. She was nervous, she stopped frequently, but moved forward from cues from the dressage whip, she was a bit bargy, but she tried.

I am smitten and she is on probation...

My plan:
lead her around the farm- this will be necessary for the staff to be able to turn her out
treat her wounds- soften those scabs, treat with homeopathic ointment (calendula)
wash her tail- it is gross and I think I can wash it in a bucket
teach her to pick up her feet
I will continue to use Ttouch to gain her trust and Tteam to teach her better leading skills.