Back to regular working hours, I've been running like a nut in the mornings. Tackling projects, conquering unknown territory, functioning like the mad scientist. About four hours of that chaos, and I'm exhausted. A co-worker cautioned me to "not overdo it", and I'm finding that difficult. When I arrived home Tuesday, I found myself postponing my extra-set of assisting eyes, and asked Jen if we could reschedule. Frustrating, as I felt like I should be on-task.
I dressed to longe (i.e. teeshirt, shorts), and grabbed Harley. I saddled him up Western, because the neck stretcher just works better attached to his saddle cinch. Off to the arena we went. Fortunately, I grabbed my helmet too, because I ended up using it.
I free-longed him, no neck stretcher, for about fifteen minutes, maybe less. Harley was moving as lazy as I felt, a sign that either the new weather conditions we were having either wore him down, or he could feel me through the line, not really caring about a serious day. Either way, I had to push him forward at the trot, and he had no intentions on keeping the canter for more than a circle or two. His movement at the canter was cadenced, and delightful. It looked quite pretty, and gave me hope that he can relax his neck at the canter, and move along at a steady three-beat gait, without looking close to a gallop. Pretty baby H!
Deciding I needed a goof-off day, and Harley needed some proof my trust in him is like his trust in me - growing, I bitted him and hopped on. We didn't work on halts, we didn't work on big forward walk, we just rode. As long as his feet were moving at a steady walk, I let him go anywhere in the arena he wanted to. It tickled me that, out of the whole arena, he chose trying to stop at the back-back corner, farthest away from the house, the barn, the gate, the mounting block, and the pond. We were in the BACK of the pasture almost. I directed some of his steps, to keep him moving in different places in the arena, over a couple ground poles, around a few cones, and close to the rail all around a little. It was relaxing, completely loose rein, no pressure to "do it right", just take me somewhere, so my mind can be anywhere but on how tired I feel.
After maybe fifteen minutes, we were both kinda bored, and Harley showed me so by stumbling and tripping, as if the arena was suddenly so irregular he couldn't lift his feet high enough. I asked for a few halts, got them steady and stayed. Good deal. I flexed him left and right, and got results much like Sunday - good right, iffy left. Things to work on.
I thought a while about what else we could do that would be low-key, low-energy, but perhaps teaching. I stopped him, and rubbed all over, everywhere my body could reach. Up his neck, between his ears, along the bridle browband, all over his toosh, legs swishing along his sides. Harley yawned, lowered his head, and cocked a back leg. Alrighty, then. Body desensitizing under saddle, complete.
Then, I asked for turns on the forehand. Just barely disengage your hindquarters, Harley. Yup, that's it! Two steps, each direction, with barely any effort on my part. I asked for turns on the haunches. Ew, a little stickie. He might've had one cross-over step or two in there, but most were shuffles. With minor protest, and some wiggles, he did do it, demonstrating he learned the lesson on the ground, and just needs to translate it to saddle. As he got just a slight bit antsy on his halts, inching his butt to one side or the other, I asked for a few walk/halt/walk/halt, and got quiet stops.
A total of a whopping 35 minutes in the arena. I didn't ask for hard work. Harley hadn't even broke a sweat when we were done, and he was dozing while I unsaddled him. He's still the baby, and while I need to remember that, I think the occasional "trust me, and just relax" rides are good for both of us.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
4/10/11 Bending in the Middle
I warmed Harley up in the standard fashion - ten minutes or so on the line, another ten or so with the neck stretcher. I think it's near time to shorten that again, since he's found loose/relaxed, either from stretching the elastic out, or found a slight release without being 100% correct. Time to Up the Difficulty!
I hopped aboard with a game plan, again. Fortunately, Harley consented to the game plan. The wind was HOWLING out of the SE, 30+mph gusts - yay Texas Spring (NOT). We went through our standard walk/halt/walk/halt routine. I settled into some good steady-eddy halts, and flexed him side to side to side, repeatedly. He's flexing slow but light heading right, but that left leaves just a few inches short without me fussing at him.
Then I made the game more interesting. I walked him in a rather tight circle, holding only the inside rein, adding outside leg. When he bent in his middle at the ribs, and flexed his head at the poll, nose in and towards me, I'd release and walk straight a few steps. We did this three or four times left, three or four times right, then I'd ask for both reins collected, and head straight. When I got a handful of solid steps accepting the pressure, I'd release.
It took quite a while (a solid twenty minutes), and I got a bit dizzy trying to watch him, and where we were going, turning in those tiny circles, but he seemed to be getting the idea. Clinton Anderson does this bending exercise at the trot, but it always looks to me like it's forward disengaging hind quarters, rather than bending at the ribs, and positioning the neck/head correctly. I concentrated at the walk on Harley's back, and felt the correct back-lifting when he moved correctly on the bending circles. We're getting there. It's slow, but we're getting there.
I hopped aboard with a game plan, again. Fortunately, Harley consented to the game plan. The wind was HOWLING out of the SE, 30+mph gusts - yay Texas Spring (NOT). We went through our standard walk/halt/walk/halt routine. I settled into some good steady-eddy halts, and flexed him side to side to side, repeatedly. He's flexing slow but light heading right, but that left leaves just a few inches short without me fussing at him.
Then I made the game more interesting. I walked him in a rather tight circle, holding only the inside rein, adding outside leg. When he bent in his middle at the ribs, and flexed his head at the poll, nose in and towards me, I'd release and walk straight a few steps. We did this three or four times left, three or four times right, then I'd ask for both reins collected, and head straight. When I got a handful of solid steps accepting the pressure, I'd release.
It took quite a while (a solid twenty minutes), and I got a bit dizzy trying to watch him, and where we were going, turning in those tiny circles, but he seemed to be getting the idea. Clinton Anderson does this bending exercise at the trot, but it always looks to me like it's forward disengaging hind quarters, rather than bending at the ribs, and positioning the neck/head correctly. I concentrated at the walk on Harley's back, and felt the correct back-lifting when he moved correctly on the bending circles. We're getting there. It's slow, but we're getting there.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
4/9/11 Wiggly Wobblies?
Harley and I again got our game plan together, and headed to the arena dressed to ride. He longed out in warmup, and complied rather well with the neck stretcher. A good solid 25 minutes of warmup, with a few wimpy bucks in to get the boogers off. It's funny when his little toosh hops up in the air, and he tries very hard to get a break to stand still. I push forward with a swoosh of my outside hand and a little kissing sound, and frustrated, he marches on forward.
I hopped on, again with that game plan of walking, halting, and perhaps some trot if I got what I needed at the halt. Almost defiant, Harley proved he either learned from the last ride lesson, or he just had the wigglies previous that were gone today. He stopped square, and still, without moving. A few times his feet were off square, but he stopped, and stood there. The only movement in his rear end? His back leg relaxing, and cocking forward in ease. Baby Baby...
Delighted with these new stops, I decided to begin introducing walk on contact. I would shorten my reins just a smidge, and if I got any kind of relaxing response from Harley, I was going to release rein pressure. (See that.. Was Going To). Harley decided this was new, felt like work, and he would have no part of it. Rather than relax, he pushed his nose out further, twisted his head around, and did anything other than relax. I believe he gave to the pressure a total of three times. Each of those came with a huge release. Four or more efforts following each of those came with resistance, though. He wasn't learning the lesson.
I ended our 45 minutes of work with a good relax to the contact, and a huge release. He wasn't wiggly wobbly in his halts, but he sure didn't want to pick up the new lessons.
I hopped on, again with that game plan of walking, halting, and perhaps some trot if I got what I needed at the halt. Almost defiant, Harley proved he either learned from the last ride lesson, or he just had the wigglies previous that were gone today. He stopped square, and still, without moving. A few times his feet were off square, but he stopped, and stood there. The only movement in his rear end? His back leg relaxing, and cocking forward in ease. Baby Baby...
Delighted with these new stops, I decided to begin introducing walk on contact. I would shorten my reins just a smidge, and if I got any kind of relaxing response from Harley, I was going to release rein pressure. (See that.. Was Going To). Harley decided this was new, felt like work, and he would have no part of it. Rather than relax, he pushed his nose out further, twisted his head around, and did anything other than relax. I believe he gave to the pressure a total of three times. Each of those came with a huge release. Four or more efforts following each of those came with resistance, though. He wasn't learning the lesson.
I ended our 45 minutes of work with a good relax to the contact, and a huge release. He wasn't wiggly wobbly in his halts, but he sure didn't want to pick up the new lessons.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
4/7/11 Change of Plans
I had a mental game plan in my head. We were going to bend and flex, and make a huge number of bending turns, then settle straight a step or two to halt. I figured if I made the turning a challenge, then standing still square would be a vacation.
R arrived after a long day, and said, "Hey baby, look in the back of my truck." Surprise! Ten used railroad tie posts, which were gently laid down to form the new floor surface for the cross-tie posts. Knowing that lifting those was going to be IMPOSSIBLE, I left him to his doing, and retreated to the arena.
Harley and I longed out, free and neck stretcher, for about 35 minutes. I was distracted by some chest pain, and a gigantic lack of energy. This was too close to the end of a long week, and without some extra rest, I didn't see myself lifting a saddle, or myself into the tack. He complied, and did pretty well.
As Harley ate his supper, the last of the RR ties were placed in their order. I interrupted his supper, and said, "Hey Monster. We need you a minute to see if these are all in the right place. C'mon, let's go try this. Since Big Brother is still in Hoof Camp, we can't use him today."
Like they'd been there his whole life, and he'd walked across them every single day, Harley sniffed the RRties, and walked up onto them without hesitation. I asked him to halt, and he stood there completely still. After a little while measuring and evaluating, we decided one post up front needed moved to the back. I asked Harley to walk off the front just like he'd stepped up on them, and again, he shocked us with his courage.
Good Job Harley Monster!
R arrived after a long day, and said, "Hey baby, look in the back of my truck." Surprise! Ten used railroad tie posts, which were gently laid down to form the new floor surface for the cross-tie posts. Knowing that lifting those was going to be IMPOSSIBLE, I left him to his doing, and retreated to the arena.
Harley and I longed out, free and neck stretcher, for about 35 minutes. I was distracted by some chest pain, and a gigantic lack of energy. This was too close to the end of a long week, and without some extra rest, I didn't see myself lifting a saddle, or myself into the tack. He complied, and did pretty well.
As Harley ate his supper, the last of the RR ties were placed in their order. I interrupted his supper, and said, "Hey Monster. We need you a minute to see if these are all in the right place. C'mon, let's go try this. Since Big Brother is still in Hoof Camp, we can't use him today."
Like they'd been there his whole life, and he'd walked across them every single day, Harley sniffed the RRties, and walked up onto them without hesitation. I asked him to halt, and he stood there completely still. After a little while measuring and evaluating, we decided one post up front needed moved to the back. I asked Harley to walk off the front just like he'd stepped up on them, and again, he shocked us with his courage.
Good Job Harley Monster!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
4/5/11 Stop, and Stay Stopped
Harley and I headed out to the arena, where he had a pretty good longe and neck stretching warmup. He gave a few half hearted bucks in his warmup canter work, but I believe it was more a "I don't want to go in a circle", rather than any sort of extra energy. Boredom,, Monster! His neck stretcher work has improved, as he's now learning where the release is at both the trot and the canter. Delightful warmup!
I hopped aboard, and we got down to business. I was hoping for a good portion of walk and trot work, and seriously hoping to begin introducing walk on contact. I have a routine: We walk a while to get him moving forward and his feet unstuck. Then we halt, and we walk, and we halt, and we walk, and we halt. When I'm completely convinced he will halt and wait a few seconds, then I will move up into trot. If I don't have his mind at the walk, increasing the speed is asking for disaster.
Harley decided halting wasn't going to be fun. Instead, he'd stop his front end, and shift his rear end at least one solid step left or right. Frustrated, I started to focus on my seat, legs, and hands. Nope, nothing there is saying, "Stop and turn". I set up a pole-tunnel, a pair of them parallel to each other, about 3' apart. Two on each side. I walked him through it, and tried to focus on straightness. He was delightfully straight through the poles. I asked for halt directly after the poles, but got more of the same wiggly wobblies. I came back to the tunnel and halted inside it. Harley stopped completely square, and stayed still. Hrmmm.. maybe it was my posture. I asked for a halt away from the tunnel, and remembered to keep every part of me still, not leaning one way or another, and keeping my upper body still. Wiggle Wobble. Grr!
I repeated this for at least fifteen minutes, and ended with him halted in the tunnel, stopped square and still. NOT how I wanted to end the ride, but since nothing I tried prevented the wiggly wobbles, still and square anywhere had to be the ending point.
We worked total for at least an hour. Back to the drawing board and a few days to think about what we did, and how we're going to fix it.
I hopped aboard, and we got down to business. I was hoping for a good portion of walk and trot work, and seriously hoping to begin introducing walk on contact. I have a routine: We walk a while to get him moving forward and his feet unstuck. Then we halt, and we walk, and we halt, and we walk, and we halt. When I'm completely convinced he will halt and wait a few seconds, then I will move up into trot. If I don't have his mind at the walk, increasing the speed is asking for disaster.
Harley decided halting wasn't going to be fun. Instead, he'd stop his front end, and shift his rear end at least one solid step left or right. Frustrated, I started to focus on my seat, legs, and hands. Nope, nothing there is saying, "Stop and turn". I set up a pole-tunnel, a pair of them parallel to each other, about 3' apart. Two on each side. I walked him through it, and tried to focus on straightness. He was delightfully straight through the poles. I asked for halt directly after the poles, but got more of the same wiggly wobblies. I came back to the tunnel and halted inside it. Harley stopped completely square, and stayed still. Hrmmm.. maybe it was my posture. I asked for a halt away from the tunnel, and remembered to keep every part of me still, not leaning one way or another, and keeping my upper body still. Wiggle Wobble. Grr!
I repeated this for at least fifteen minutes, and ended with him halted in the tunnel, stopped square and still. NOT how I wanted to end the ride, but since nothing I tried prevented the wiggly wobbles, still and square anywhere had to be the ending point.
We worked total for at least an hour. Back to the drawing board and a few days to think about what we did, and how we're going to fix it.
4/3/2011 Lazy Baby
Harley's good day took a vacation. Instead, on Sunday, he was almost a burden. Just on the longe line, he repeatedly knocked poles down off the rail razors, tripped over others, and either avoided them or tried very hard to avoid them. At the canter, he was changing leads without notice, and constantly trying to break gait. Lazies.
I added the neck stretcher and the bit. Lazies more. He was bending his nose in a LOT, or holding on to the bit, gnawing on it angrily. If I'd get after him, he'd get short strided, lazy more, trip over more things (even a weed or two a few times). I took him away from the poles to the center of the arena. He then started hanging on me on one side of the circle, and tearing away too close on the other side. Dragging me all over the arena, he found himself at the opposite end, and with fence to hold him around, I was better able to force a more rounded circle.
The south winds were howling, with a looming cold front on the way. Harley used this to his advantage, flaring his tail and nose up a few times in the sharp breezes. When the neighbor children began shooting their little rifle *pop Pop POP*, Harley again took off at a gallop, eyes all a-fright, boogering himself around the arena trying to find the source of the loud noises and gleeful screams. tempts me to take my .45 pistol out there and blow a few rounds into the dirt to get their attention someone's out there.
After approximately 30 minutes, he finally settled into a decent working trot. I transitioned him in and out of trot to working walk a few times (still on the neck stretcher), and then I finally gave up. A mild victory, as I insisted he keep at it until he worked properly.
On our way back to the barn, something else spooked him. He tried yanking the lead rope out of my hands, and when he hit the end of the rope on his nose and poll, he stopped, and turned to face me, about 45deg angle to my shoulder. At least he didn't carry me across the pasture, right? Better, at least he didn't turn his butt to me.
I added the neck stretcher and the bit. Lazies more. He was bending his nose in a LOT, or holding on to the bit, gnawing on it angrily. If I'd get after him, he'd get short strided, lazy more, trip over more things (even a weed or two a few times). I took him away from the poles to the center of the arena. He then started hanging on me on one side of the circle, and tearing away too close on the other side. Dragging me all over the arena, he found himself at the opposite end, and with fence to hold him around, I was better able to force a more rounded circle.
The south winds were howling, with a looming cold front on the way. Harley used this to his advantage, flaring his tail and nose up a few times in the sharp breezes. When the neighbor children began shooting their little rifle *pop Pop POP*, Harley again took off at a gallop, eyes all a-fright, boogering himself around the arena trying to find the source of the loud noises and gleeful screams. tempts me to take my .45 pistol out there and blow a few rounds into the dirt to get their attention someone's out there.
After approximately 30 minutes, he finally settled into a decent working trot. I transitioned him in and out of trot to working walk a few times (still on the neck stretcher), and then I finally gave up. A mild victory, as I insisted he keep at it until he worked properly.
On our way back to the barn, something else spooked him. He tried yanking the lead rope out of my hands, and when he hit the end of the rope on his nose and poll, he stopped, and turned to face me, about 45deg angle to my shoulder. At least he didn't carry me across the pasture, right? Better, at least he didn't turn his butt to me.
4/2/11 Comfy!
Weather was a little warm and muggy, but Harley came up for halter and grooming quietly. I became slightly brave, and saddled him dressage. Out to the arena we went, all my longing goods, and riding accessories. I felt loaded down for a day at the arena, and felt it kind of amusing I was planning on an hour work, tops.
Harley longed out on the line pretty well. He hopped over a few poles without incident. With a few successful leads at canter both ways, I eased him back to a walk, and then added bit and neck stretcher. Again, more success. Harley has gotten better about staying off the pressure, bending at neck and poll at the walk and trot. His canter on the stretcher is relaxing his neck, but he still sticks his nose out. All in good time, that should improve, too.
Bravery took over, and I took all of Harley's longing gear off, put on my helmet, added reins to the bit, held my breath a little, and mounted up. As soon as my legs were settled around him, I dismounted. And I mounted again, wiggled around, and dismounted. Finally, I took one deep breath, and mounted one last time. I wiggled, I leaned to each side a few times, I leaned forward, I leaned backwards. Another deep slow breath, and I squeezed my legs.
After not moving in the slightest for all the mounting, dismounting, wiggling and jiggling, Harley responded to my legs, and walked off. I only let him walk about twenty feet before bringing him to a halt again. With a gentle rein and squeeze my knees, he stopped. He shifted his weight underneath himself, and I squeezed him off to walk again. We repeated the walk and halt a number of times, mostly for my mind, ensuring he'd go when I asked, and more importantly stop when I asked. Many direction changes, a good dozen halts, and I asked him to trot. I didn't let him trot off much, maybe halfway around a circle, and we were back to walk. His transition from trot to walk was good as well, responding to very little pressure. I repeated this, twice, both times going right. yes, in the big picture of life, I should have done it left, too. however, this isn't big picture day, this is ride my horse a little, boost my confidence and his. At the trot, I briefly focused my post to a speed I felt comfortable with. Almost immediately, I felt Harley's motion hesitate, and then move in sync with my body. Incredible...
We worked a total of about an hour. Approximately 15 minutes of that under saddle. I can say, I have missed my dressage saddle comfort. I didn't realize how much I was missing it until I sat down in it and asked for forward. My cues can be lighter, my body can move and Harley responds. I don't need to shove my hips around to make the walk bigger, and I don't need to nearly kick him for forward. The halts are nearly as light, shifting weight and settling my body. Delightfully comfy.
Harley longed out on the line pretty well. He hopped over a few poles without incident. With a few successful leads at canter both ways, I eased him back to a walk, and then added bit and neck stretcher. Again, more success. Harley has gotten better about staying off the pressure, bending at neck and poll at the walk and trot. His canter on the stretcher is relaxing his neck, but he still sticks his nose out. All in good time, that should improve, too.
Bravery took over, and I took all of Harley's longing gear off, put on my helmet, added reins to the bit, held my breath a little, and mounted up. As soon as my legs were settled around him, I dismounted. And I mounted again, wiggled around, and dismounted. Finally, I took one deep breath, and mounted one last time. I wiggled, I leaned to each side a few times, I leaned forward, I leaned backwards. Another deep slow breath, and I squeezed my legs.
After not moving in the slightest for all the mounting, dismounting, wiggling and jiggling, Harley responded to my legs, and walked off. I only let him walk about twenty feet before bringing him to a halt again. With a gentle rein and squeeze my knees, he stopped. He shifted his weight underneath himself, and I squeezed him off to walk again. We repeated the walk and halt a number of times, mostly for my mind, ensuring he'd go when I asked, and more importantly stop when I asked. Many direction changes, a good dozen halts, and I asked him to trot. I didn't let him trot off much, maybe halfway around a circle, and we were back to walk. His transition from trot to walk was good as well, responding to very little pressure. I repeated this, twice, both times going right. yes, in the big picture of life, I should have done it left, too. however, this isn't big picture day, this is ride my horse a little, boost my confidence and his. At the trot, I briefly focused my post to a speed I felt comfortable with. Almost immediately, I felt Harley's motion hesitate, and then move in sync with my body. Incredible...
We worked a total of about an hour. Approximately 15 minutes of that under saddle. I can say, I have missed my dressage saddle comfort. I didn't realize how much I was missing it until I sat down in it and asked for forward. My cues can be lighter, my body can move and Harley responds. I don't need to shove my hips around to make the walk bigger, and I don't need to nearly kick him for forward. The halts are nearly as light, shifting weight and settling my body. Delightfully comfy.
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