Today Katie ended up not having to teach skiing so she and I both went to the barn. I decided to ride Bestie for my lesson so that Katie could ride Dude down the road. I had ridden Bestie last night and she was really good in the indoor. Today, when I entered the indoor, Emma warned me about the roof shedding. The temps today got up into the mid 30s for the first time in weeks, so the snow on the indoor roof was sliding off periodically. The last time I was in there and it happened, I had Bestie on the lunge line and she freaked out. Needless to say, Emma's warning did not make me feel too warm and fuzzy about the lesson!
To make a long story short, Bestie was awesome! We warmed up at the walk for quite a bit, and then practiced walk/halt transitions. Emma had been riding her horse Berry and kept the mare in the indoor, so Bestie wasn't alone, which was probably good. We moved on to walk/trot/halt transitions on a circle half the size of the indoor. Again, she was good. Not perfect, but well-behaved even with occasional swooshes of snow falling off the roof. She got better and better at the walk/trot transition, and Emma showed me a way to signal to her to slow down with little repeated half halts. The first time I wasn't consistent enough, but the second and third circles she was much better. And the good thing is that the repeated small half halts don't make her all cranky. Once she gets all worked up, I might as well get off. She loses focus.
All in all it was a really good lesson and gave me some things to work on with her. Three rides this week; nice! We had planned to ride in the field, but by the time my lesson got over and Katie returned from her road trip with Dude, we decided to bag the walk in the field and just put them away. All the other horses were coming in for dinner time -- good timing for Dude and Bestie to just hang out.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Lesson nirvana
Ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it was a FUN lesson. Dude's so awesome; I've only ridden him once since we got back from Florida on the 25th, but I hopped right on and he was fine. He's just so "whatever" under saddle. I used the wool quarter sheet today since it was cold and rode him at the walk for about 15 minutes to warm him up as the lesson prior to mine was finishing up. That horse was being longlined and Dude was fascinated with the whole thing.
Emma had set up ground poles and a little pole maze, so we combined doing those with some walking and trotting. Dude is still fighting me about staying on the wall, and that gets a bit old. But he was pretty responsive once we got going at the trot, and it was fun going through the maze. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it--he tried to veer back into it once when we trotted past it later on. It was a good workout for him and me. By the time we were done after about 45 minutes and I rode him down the path a little ways, then jumped off, my legs were tired. There seems to be nothing that works the same muscles, and the bottom line is that I need to get my act together and ride more. It's been hard with the cold and work demands.
Bestie got to hang out with her buddies all day. I was going to lunge her but ran short on time since I needed to get the car back home for Maddie's use. They introduced a new mare into her field today, which I was nervous about. It went well though. The new mare seems to be pretty passive and anxious not to cause any problems, so they all survived the day just fine. Now that there's four in the group they're going to be moved to a bigger field. No other horses had been in their field before yesterday, so they've all gotten a workout walking around in two feet of undisturbed snow. Bestie's ankles had been a little heavy the night before when I saw her, but today with the snowpack on her all day, her "cankles" were gone.
Emma had set up ground poles and a little pole maze, so we combined doing those with some walking and trotting. Dude is still fighting me about staying on the wall, and that gets a bit old. But he was pretty responsive once we got going at the trot, and it was fun going through the maze. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it--he tried to veer back into it once when we trotted past it later on. It was a good workout for him and me. By the time we were done after about 45 minutes and I rode him down the path a little ways, then jumped off, my legs were tired. There seems to be nothing that works the same muscles, and the bottom line is that I need to get my act together and ride more. It's been hard with the cold and work demands.
Bestie got to hang out with her buddies all day. I was going to lunge her but ran short on time since I needed to get the car back home for Maddie's use. They introduced a new mare into her field today, which I was nervous about. It went well though. The new mare seems to be pretty passive and anxious not to cause any problems, so they all survived the day just fine. Now that there's four in the group they're going to be moved to a bigger field. No other horses had been in their field before yesterday, so they've all gotten a workout walking around in two feet of undisturbed snow. Bestie's ankles had been a little heavy the night before when I saw her, but today with the snowpack on her all day, her "cankles" were gone.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Horse Moms unite!
Last night I saw my friend Mary at a New Year's party. We commiserated, as we do whenever we meet, on our horses. Her daughter left for college this fall also, and Mary is taking care of equine kid Jacob, who is boarded near their home at a small backyard barn. She was telling me how she has her routine with him when she gets home from work; how she goes over with some apples or carrots and grooms him, and how everything else just fall away when she does that. It's apparent that she enjoys her time taking care of him, and that it's a responsibility she's gladly assumed because Jacob became a member of the family through the years. We're both in the same place with that, and it's always great talking to her ... a little Horse Mom support session.
Catching up on the last two weeks
Over two weeks without a post. Some of that time was spent in Florida celebrating my parents' 50th anniversary. Had to get the horse care and the dog care squared away prior to departure. The dogs were able to stay in the house rather than go to the kennel, thanks to the assistance of a couple good friends. The ponies were tended by the usual barn folk, and Dude's neighbor's owner picked out their feet daily. All weathered our absence just fine. By Day 3 in Florida, I stopped asking Kris, "Any messages from the barn?"
A couple of days after our return, Dude and Bestie had a farrier appointment, which was good because their feet were looking a little beat up. While I was gone, Dude had somehow managed to pull the top layer off his back right hind hoof, about a half inch up almost all the way around the hoof. With the trim, it's a lot more narrow, but still noticeable, kind of like the top layer peeled off. Very strange looking, but no ill effects. Bestie just had a bunch of little chinks and rough spots on her feet. So now they are shipshape.
I lunged her tonight and she seemed a little stiff, but then again, I haven't had time to do much with them over the last two weeks and it has been cold. They were in for a couple of days right after we got back; the fields and walkway to the fields had gotten icy. We've had snow this week and are expecting more, which is good. The fields look so clean with the new snow, and it seems the horses are eating more hay out there because it lays on top of the snow and doesn't get ground into the mud.
I increased Dude's grain to a full scoop twice a day. He was getting a half a scoop but has started looking ribby in the last few weeks. I think part of it is that he doesn't get hay before going out, and when they go out the thrown hay is shared by all the horses in the field, so it's hard to know how much he's getting. Plus they're outside all day burning calories in the cold. Hopefully the extra senior feed will do the trick. I'll have to watch him and see how he does. And we might be able to cut him back once the fields get some grass in the spring/summer.
Bestie's been wearing her new midweight from Smith Brothers; it's an Open Range blanket and I love the way it fits her. It's navy with silver webbing and she just looks so darn cute in it. And that's what's important, right?! I've been doing a lot of blanket and turnout sheet washing since we got back. For some reason everything had gotten really messy and I just couldn't stand it. It's a logistical challenge washing stuff and trying to have enough at the barn to keep them warm and dry.
Hoping to ride Dude tomorrow. Would be nice to ride outside since it's not too cold, but will have to see how much snow is falling. We're supposed to get 3-5 inches tomorrow!
A couple of days after our return, Dude and Bestie had a farrier appointment, which was good because their feet were looking a little beat up. While I was gone, Dude had somehow managed to pull the top layer off his back right hind hoof, about a half inch up almost all the way around the hoof. With the trim, it's a lot more narrow, but still noticeable, kind of like the top layer peeled off. Very strange looking, but no ill effects. Bestie just had a bunch of little chinks and rough spots on her feet. So now they are shipshape.
I lunged her tonight and she seemed a little stiff, but then again, I haven't had time to do much with them over the last two weeks and it has been cold. They were in for a couple of days right after we got back; the fields and walkway to the fields had gotten icy. We've had snow this week and are expecting more, which is good. The fields look so clean with the new snow, and it seems the horses are eating more hay out there because it lays on top of the snow and doesn't get ground into the mud.
I increased Dude's grain to a full scoop twice a day. He was getting a half a scoop but has started looking ribby in the last few weeks. I think part of it is that he doesn't get hay before going out, and when they go out the thrown hay is shared by all the horses in the field, so it's hard to know how much he's getting. Plus they're outside all day burning calories in the cold. Hopefully the extra senior feed will do the trick. I'll have to watch him and see how he does. And we might be able to cut him back once the fields get some grass in the spring/summer.
Bestie's been wearing her new midweight from Smith Brothers; it's an Open Range blanket and I love the way it fits her. It's navy with silver webbing and she just looks so darn cute in it. And that's what's important, right?! I've been doing a lot of blanket and turnout sheet washing since we got back. For some reason everything had gotten really messy and I just couldn't stand it. It's a logistical challenge washing stuff and trying to have enough at the barn to keep them warm and dry.
Hoping to ride Dude tomorrow. Would be nice to ride outside since it's not too cold, but will have to see how much snow is falling. We're supposed to get 3-5 inches tomorrow!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Horse ailments and lessons
I so wanted to come home and write last Friday, when I had another lesson on Dude and we trotted figure eights. That sounds like a very small achievement, but really, it was so exciting! I told Emma that it was probably the best ride I'd had on him in ages. He had a week off because it seemed he had an abscess, so we were basically starting over since I had only two lessons on him previously at this barn. He takes forever to warm up and kind of passively fights me on the smallest things, like staying on the wall, but eventually last week he seemed to resign himself to the lesson format and that was when we actually trotted a few big figure eights. I rode him tonight at the walk and we just practiced steering and bending. Unfortunately I can't have a lesson this Friday because we're going down to pick up Maddie from school. No continuity with my lesson program :).
The whole abscess thing was very strange. I arrived one night, a Thursday, to find him very sore on his right front foot; he was standing with it cocked or stuck out in front of him with little weight on him. I soaked him that night and left it unwrapped, and put him on bute two times per day. It was bad enough that first night that someone actually called me later from the barn to let me know he was standing funny. I soaked him and buted him for four days, and wrapped him at night. I left him unwrapped during the day to air it out, and since I was coming twice a day his stall was staying pretty clean. During that time, he would not pick up the opposite foot for me to pick it out; I guess the inflamed foot hurt so much that he didn't want to put weight on it.
I stopped the bute on Sunday night just so I could check him out Monday and call the vet if necessary. He seemed a bit better, and ended up staying in through Tuesday. On Tuesday night, he let me pick up his other front foot for the first time. I kept him in on Wednesday just to be safe, because it was still kind of messy out in the paddocks. The ground got harder Wednesday night into Thursday, so he went out. And he's been going out and looking fine since. Well, looking fine except for the bald spot right above his tail where someone bit him today. I'm scrubbing out his feet with Betadine every other day just to keep them dried out.
On the Friday that Dude was lame, I rode Bestie in a lesson. Lunged her first and she was very well-behaved on the line. When I got on her I could still feel how "up" she was, though. Not surprising at all when you consider that I hadn't been on her since August because of her injury. We ended up just working at the walk and I could feel her settling down. She can get herself so worked up. Emma said that I need to be Bestie's rock; that she needs to be reassured that everything is ok. It's like starting all over with both horses at this point, but fun to be back on them both.
The whole abscess thing was very strange. I arrived one night, a Thursday, to find him very sore on his right front foot; he was standing with it cocked or stuck out in front of him with little weight on him. I soaked him that night and left it unwrapped, and put him on bute two times per day. It was bad enough that first night that someone actually called me later from the barn to let me know he was standing funny. I soaked him and buted him for four days, and wrapped him at night. I left him unwrapped during the day to air it out, and since I was coming twice a day his stall was staying pretty clean. During that time, he would not pick up the opposite foot for me to pick it out; I guess the inflamed foot hurt so much that he didn't want to put weight on it.
I stopped the bute on Sunday night just so I could check him out Monday and call the vet if necessary. He seemed a bit better, and ended up staying in through Tuesday. On Tuesday night, he let me pick up his other front foot for the first time. I kept him in on Wednesday just to be safe, because it was still kind of messy out in the paddocks. The ground got harder Wednesday night into Thursday, so he went out. And he's been going out and looking fine since. Well, looking fine except for the bald spot right above his tail where someone bit him today. I'm scrubbing out his feet with Betadine every other day just to keep them dried out.
On the Friday that Dude was lame, I rode Bestie in a lesson. Lunged her first and she was very well-behaved on the line. When I got on her I could still feel how "up" she was, though. Not surprising at all when you consider that I hadn't been on her since August because of her injury. We ended up just working at the walk and I could feel her settling down. She can get herself so worked up. Emma said that I need to be Bestie's rock; that she needs to be reassured that everything is ok. It's like starting all over with both horses at this point, but fun to be back on them both.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Of "bubbling springs" and other cool lesson-related topics
I've had three lessons on Dude on Monday evenings. This week we are switching the time to Friday at around noon, so tonight I rode him for "fun." The horses didn't go out today because we've had so much rain recently, so when I got to the barn I ran him out for about 10 minutes to graze and then did Bestie. I feel bad that they're in, but really, the fields are such a mess it's just as well. Yesterday they did go out, but I brought Dude and Bestie in before I left to take Maddie back to school. Didn't want to take any chances that either might slip at turn-in time, when tensions run high. As Dude walked toward me I could hear that telltale sucking squelchy sound of deep mud at every step.
Tonight I tried to work on various things that Emma and I have been working on in lessons. Sitting up tall yet relaxed in the saddle, being firm with my commands (ask, then tap/tap with the crop if no response), and transitions. Last week we had talked about positioning and it was pretty cool because she had me ride without stirrups and with my eyes closed as she moved Dude around on the lunge line. I found my whole body shifting and realized how much I use my hands to balance, which means I probably exert a lot of pressure on the bit even when I don't mean to. I also place more weight in my left foot than my right. No surprise there; my left leg is definitely my dominant leg when I skate, too.
It is really interesting to me how philosophies float between different disciplines. For instance, she talked about grounding and using your foot placement in the saddle to ground yourself. Very yoga-like. The "bubbling spring" is that place on your foot that grounds you. My probably simplistic interpretation of Emma's explanation is that it is a tai chi philosophy and you find the spot by tapping on the bottom of the foot and identifying where the sensation of tapping feels different.
The odd thing was that when she tapped my foot, the spot that I identified as feeling different (more resonant) is the exact spot where my foot naturally shifts to after I've had my feet in the stirrups a while. I've always been instructed not to have my feet too deep in the stirrups, so that is how I place them. But after I've ridden for a while, my foot migrates forward and the stirrup ends up right behind the ball of my foot, not quite at the arch. And that is apparently my bubbling spring :). I look forward to the lessons and Dude seems to enjoy them, too. It's good for him to be "working" again; he's definitely happier.
Tonight I tried to work on various things that Emma and I have been working on in lessons. Sitting up tall yet relaxed in the saddle, being firm with my commands (ask, then tap/tap with the crop if no response), and transitions. Last week we had talked about positioning and it was pretty cool because she had me ride without stirrups and with my eyes closed as she moved Dude around on the lunge line. I found my whole body shifting and realized how much I use my hands to balance, which means I probably exert a lot of pressure on the bit even when I don't mean to. I also place more weight in my left foot than my right. No surprise there; my left leg is definitely my dominant leg when I skate, too.
It is really interesting to me how philosophies float between different disciplines. For instance, she talked about grounding and using your foot placement in the saddle to ground yourself. Very yoga-like. The "bubbling spring" is that place on your foot that grounds you. My probably simplistic interpretation of Emma's explanation is that it is a tai chi philosophy and you find the spot by tapping on the bottom of the foot and identifying where the sensation of tapping feels different.
The odd thing was that when she tapped my foot, the spot that I identified as feeling different (more resonant) is the exact spot where my foot naturally shifts to after I've had my feet in the stirrups a while. I've always been instructed not to have my feet too deep in the stirrups, so that is how I place them. But after I've ridden for a while, my foot migrates forward and the stirrup ends up right behind the ball of my foot, not quite at the arch. And that is apparently my bubbling spring :). I look forward to the lessons and Dude seems to enjoy them, too. It's good for him to be "working" again; he's definitely happier.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Barn as retreat space
Sometimes as I drive to the barn I can't wait to get there. Usually something has happened during my day that has been upsetting or disturbing, and I just want to get to the barn and take care of the horses and either think it through or not think of anything else BUT taking care of the horses. And sometimes it's a process of thinking it through and then not thinking about it anymore.
Today was one of those days. I was concerned about something, and as I drove to the barn, I found myself looking forward to simply brushing Dude and Bestie. I had planned to lunge Bestie since I had ridden Dude in a lesson the day before, but on the way there that plan just didn't seem right any more. I knew that by the time I got to the barn they would have been fed, and it would be the time of night when a low-key activity would be really good.
The barn was unusually quiet. The two other people who were there were out riding. Despite the quiet, Dude didn't really get it. I put him on the cross ties while I mucked his stall and then brushed him, and he kept prancing around, clearly trying to tell me that he wanted me to take him outside; The Act of Grooming as Therapy was NOT on his agenda. He did make me laugh though, because he was just so singleminded in his efforts to let me know he did NOT want to be on those cross ties.
Bestie got it. I put her on the cross ties and she was quiet. I curried her and she relaxed and kind of pushed into the curry, and even when I brushed her face she didn't jerk her head around like she normally does. She seemed to welcome the attention, and I was glad to give it, so all in all I think it was a mutually satisfying little grooming session.
After I got them both done and the stalls cleaned, I went and grabbed a couple of flakes of hay to toss into their stalls, and they both started munching contentedly. I love to watch that. All is right with the world when a flake of hay is in front of you. I left the barn happy. Clean ponies tucked in for the night and happily munching. But then I got home and started complaining about my day to my husband and got myself all worked up again. Oh well. I've got to learn to carry Barn Zen with me longer.
Today was one of those days. I was concerned about something, and as I drove to the barn, I found myself looking forward to simply brushing Dude and Bestie. I had planned to lunge Bestie since I had ridden Dude in a lesson the day before, but on the way there that plan just didn't seem right any more. I knew that by the time I got to the barn they would have been fed, and it would be the time of night when a low-key activity would be really good.
The barn was unusually quiet. The two other people who were there were out riding. Despite the quiet, Dude didn't really get it. I put him on the cross ties while I mucked his stall and then brushed him, and he kept prancing around, clearly trying to tell me that he wanted me to take him outside; The Act of Grooming as Therapy was NOT on his agenda. He did make me laugh though, because he was just so singleminded in his efforts to let me know he did NOT want to be on those cross ties.
Bestie got it. I put her on the cross ties and she was quiet. I curried her and she relaxed and kind of pushed into the curry, and even when I brushed her face she didn't jerk her head around like she normally does. She seemed to welcome the attention, and I was glad to give it, so all in all I think it was a mutually satisfying little grooming session.
After I got them both done and the stalls cleaned, I went and grabbed a couple of flakes of hay to toss into their stalls, and they both started munching contentedly. I love to watch that. All is right with the world when a flake of hay is in front of you. I left the barn happy. Clean ponies tucked in for the night and happily munching. But then I got home and started complaining about my day to my husband and got myself all worked up again. Oh well. I've got to learn to carry Barn Zen with me longer.
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