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Ponichiwa

Y'all, finally finished "Team of Rivals". Victory is mine, and it is sweet(ish). Celebrated by buying far too many books again. I'm taking the last two weeks of the year off work, and am looking forward to some honest-to-goodness reading time. On my list: "Running with Sherman" -...

Ponichiwa

texsuze-- I recently re-read "A Tale of Two Cities" and loved it. I hit most of the classics in grade school/high school and I can say, 20+ years later, they're a much different read! I appreciate them much more now than I did then. I read "Vanity Fair" many years after hating h...

Ponichiwa

We all learn in different ways. I saw a pretty good quote from Kyra Kyrklund about getting the horse in front of the leg-- mentally replace "capture the shoulder" or whatever you want and it stays the same: “In front of the leg is a bit hard to explain. It’s a bit like God – everyone has h...

Ponichiwa

SF-- you and I might have similar taste in books. If you like The Poison Squad, give "Stiff" a try! Also, "I Contain Multitudes" (Ed Yong)-- a really interesting (to me, not a biologist) look at the microbes in our lives and how this strange symbiosis came to be. And if you're mo...

Ponichiwa

Queso sustained an injury to his girth area about a week ago, so saddling up for riding has been out of the picture. But I have been toodling around the trails bareback and yesterday even got some decent work in. I'm so glad Queso's such a good-hearted little guy: he's game for whatever even if the ...

Ponichiwa

What's the issue with the indoor arena? Footing/jumps/other? You can do a lot of quality work with jumps "in the way"-- it's a good way to practice quasi-show conditions (i.e. man I could really use a circle to regroup and rebalance but that darn xrail is in the way, better figure out a di...

Ponichiwa

HI Everyone! SO READY to be done with 2020!! Bravo and I are trying to find our two tempis. Right now I get some to the easy side, an occasional one to the "harder" direction, and today got a string of 4 YAY! HOWEVER, they are often late or together behind.... since I know this could beco...

Ponichiwa

HI Everyone! SO READY to be done with 2020!! Bravo and I are trying to find our two tempis. Right now I get some to the easy side, an occasional one to the "harder" direction, and today got a string of 4 YAY! HOWEVER, they are often late or together behind.... since I know this could beco...

Ponichiwa

I am absolutely shocked at how the horse market has responded to the COVID economy. Would have expected the low-end side of the horse market to be more or less on sale to reduce boarding cost exposure; instead, what used to be a $5k horse is now selling at $10 - 15k and the higher brackets are even ...

Ponichiwa

In high level theory I agree that maybe all you need is to ride a good straight line and a good circle. But I don't think most riders are capable of that. At least I know I'm not. If my horse is leaning on the left side, for example, it's often not enough for me to address that just through a strai...

Ponichiwa

Ideally, yes, this is something we'd just be able to do on a 20m circle. However, I've found exercises like trot 20m/turn on the haunches in the walk/trot off and the like (with lots of changes of direction) help him connect the dots. "Oooh that's what you meant when you gave a half-halt on a s...

Ponichiwa

Congrats on the big step!

Ponichiwa

I too loved "The Emperor of All Maladies" and "Stiff". On a similar science-is-interesting theme but less dense than Emperor are Sam Kean's books ("The Violinist's Thumb", "The Disappearing Spoon", although some of the anecdotes and fun facts make their appear...

Ponichiwa

Flight wrote:Is it still going? I'm so bad at watching the news.

For sure. This is the election that will never end. Basically started in 2016 and it's still going.

Ponichiwa

Again, Obama did not have a supermajority in the Senate and the rules re: confirmations had not yet shifted to the "nuclear option" aka simple majority in 2011. While Obama did enjoy a healthy majority (56 D - 42 R - 2 I) in the first half of his first term, by 2011 the Senate was split 51...

Ponichiwa

I'm on a high training motivation phase with The Melty Cheese. Queso has surprised me over the last 4ish months with how much training he's soaked up. Like a sponge! Speaking of, here's the golden boy looking pensively out on the horizon at a schooling show last month: https://scontent.fcxo1-1.fna.f...

Ponichiwa

Welcome to the board! I am a sucker for a palomino.

Ponichiwa

Outcome anxiety aside, I'm really enjoying Politico's interactive maps/graphics: https://www.politico.com/2020-election/results/president/ Selecting any state gives the county-by-county breakdown: https://www.politico.com/2020-election/results/michigan/ I'm also obsessively refreshing this: https://...

Ponichiwa

Twice a month is perfectly fine for lessons. That's the schedule I had when I took my big guy from 2nd to GP (over the course of years here; I'm definitely not a prodigy no matter what college-me thought at the time). I've also lived the not-quite-ideal boarding life. If the outdoor arena where you ...

Ponichiwa

Thematically, the people who advance in the dressage world are: - Consistent. You need to be in the saddle actively working on improving the work regularly. Easy to say "I'll just take a field ride" or "he can have one more day off" or "I'm just going to take it easy this we...

Ponichiwa

My only cry setting is "ugly cry", so I feel you there, Dresseur. Congratulations on your big success! Such an achievement getting your own horse from baby to strong FEI results. Congratulations!

Ponichiwa

You'd have to have a pretty wide definition of "unsound" to capture all the reasons why horses prefer one side to another, including things like strength and pasture/grazing habits. And at that point, your definition of "unsound" would be so wide as to be not helpful. I'd like to...

Ponichiwa

I've been sitting a bit on the sidelines this thread but love all the updates. Such progress! Speaking of... I took Queso to a schooling show this weekend to get a sanity check on the health of our work. We rode 1-3 and 2-1, which is a bit of a leap since our first show this year at T-1 back in Janu...

Ponichiwa

No advice, but tons of commiseration. I'm sorry you're going through more turmoil in a year of disruption, and I hope you can continue to find solace and peace at the barn. You can indeed sell tools/equipment with a home. Been there, done that (instead of moving various bits and bobs across multiple...

Ponichiwa

you do realize if the already sick Saint RBG had retired during Obama's presidency she could have guaranteed a replacement was chosen that supported her ideals. but no, she insisted, no one could be better than her. despite having 4 cancers. Could she have? I submit for your review the case of Merr...

Ponichiwa

when I think of Good quarter horses, I admit I'm thinking of working ranch bed horses, not the halter types. the ddbb last who died dressage and Western on her quarter horses would be an excellent person to ask Chisamba, I was thinking the same. The halter types haven't been bred for rideability/br...

Ponichiwa

My most recent horse purchase is not maybe the path for everyone. I saw an ad for a palomino 5yo unbroke QH stallion on my local craigslist. Went out to visit, and he'd been in a stall long enough that he wasn't fit enough to canter more than 5 steps in the roundpen. But the price was right, and he ...

Ponichiwa

Chancellor, As many here know, but may have conveniently forgotten. Trump was called by many on the left and I would be willing to bet some on the right, a racist, zinphob or however it is spelled, and other choice words. I have a friend who is currently living in Australia, and about the same time...

Ponichiwa

RBG passing away < 60d prior to the election is the most 2020 thing to happen so far this year. Thank you for fighting as long as you did, RBG. Here's hoping the Senate doesn't confirm the right-wing figurehead woman. Politico did a good article on this president's use of women. Strategic, but what ...

Ponichiwa

Ponichiwa I don’t think of it as a party trick at all. When I was talking about this with Cedar who btw does show and is successful at GP uses RB piaffe for a particular horse that wanted to triangulate in the piaffe. So she used the exercise to address a certain issue. I really appreciate that abo...

Ponichiwa

You can use RB to clarify the piaffe posture-- horses seem to connect the dots a bit better with RB, halt, piaffe steps, halt, RB = piaffe has to really sit-- but it comes at the risk of the piaffe taking actual backwards steps. Hugely penalized if you show. If you don't show, piaffe/backwards piaff...

Ponichiwa

Well, I tried starting from the ground but I've got to confess: I'm terrible at managing long lines + whip + treats. Queso was all kitted out in a surcingle and sidereins because I thought that'd be the best way to approach it, but I haven't longed the guy in almost 2 years (he's not one that needs ...

Ponichiwa

Thanks for starting this thread, khall, and thanks all for participating. I'm thinking about starting half-steps for real (instead of the trot/almost halt/trot work that we have been doing) with Queso in the next several weeks. I get the feeling he's the type of horse that needs to really sit before...

Ponichiwa

Lots of good updates! We're really in the thick of exhausting summer heat here. I think even my sweat is sweating. And just when I'd gotten back on track after my pull-start-weedeater-related back injury (not proud of that...), Queso somehow bit the heck out of his tongue. So we're taking it easy an...

Ponichiwa

Have had a wilting week-- first, brutal heat; second, allergies that I was worried might be COVID (turns out, no, still allergies); third, tweaked my back a bit when trying and failing to pull-start my weedeater. So Queso has had a bit of a light work week and is now approximately balloon-shaped. I ...

Ponichiwa

Gulf coast Texas over here. The last month has been > 95F, 60-90% humidity. There's a reason Houston is the most air-conditioned city in the world, and it's that it's miserable outside for 4 months of the year. You don't so much get used to it as accept that you're going to sweat every time you step...

Ponichiwa

Not new (apparently it came out 3 yrs ago... jeez time flies)-- but for a feel-good no-drama horse movie, I loved Down The Fence:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6277748/

Ponichiwa

RosieB-- you and Bliss look great! I can't believe how grown-up he looks. The next two months are going to be a test of my fortitude. Texas summers are no joke. I'm already dreaming of fall. Time to get used to sweating as soon as you step outside, and multiple changes of clothes per day. Queso goal...

Ponichiwa

Kelo-- Congratulations! That's such an accomplishment. Matt looks pretty nonplussed in his ribbon photo-- it's hard being that good all the time. Ironbessflint-- lovely photos. I'm such a sucker for the blonde horses. End-of-session wrap up (as always, just a little bit late): Here's where we're hea...

Ponichiwa

If the past 4 years have taught us nothing else, it's pretty clear people don't "believe it when [they] see it." But my point is they don't believe because they do NOT see it . safe sport is quite secretive. I am not for or against it but there is a huge problem when they are not naming n...

Ponichiwa

Blob-- Show riding is a whole skillset of its own and it just takes time to develop. There's a good book by Kyra Kyrklund that talks about her path to GP. She said you've got to go through 1000 GP tests in order to feel comfortable at GP... but there's no rule that says you've got to physically ride...

Ponichiwa

Rob Gage and George Morris' victims have stood up and said NO MORE in very public forums. They were numerous, and it's heartbreaking that they saw the need to make their stories known. That's the lifetime-SS-ban precedent: multiple decades of abuse. I don't need to know anything more about McDonald'...

Ponichiwa

Predators like this know how to cover their tracks. That's why they're able to have multi-decade sexual abuse careers. So on the one hand, it's not surprising that their friends/family don't see the signs-- they're purposefully hidden! But we do a disservice to the survivors by asserting that becaus...

Ponichiwa

I had a gelding that did this. Best practice with him (which may or may not be practical depending on your barn setup) was to pull him in from the pasture and stick him in a stall for 10-15 min. I'd busy myself cleaning tack or wrapping polo wraps, and he'd use the time to pee. Fresh shavings appear...

Ponichiwa

In the Dressage News article it does make it sound like there is one person and one allegation. I think he is doing the right thing by requesting an Independent Arbitrator especially if he is 100% innocent. If I was accused of something I didn't do, I would stand my ground too. I'm staying neutral ...

Ponichiwa

^ Queso has a yearling brother for sale! I know the feeling well, peidmontfields. Currently I'm resisting the urge to buy another one. Do I need one? Absolutely not. But... In fun and exciting news, Queso offered 2 nearly-clean flying changes last ride. We're still in the reward-any-attempt phase of...

Ponichiwa

The only party presenting the timeline of events as "one time 47 years ago" is the accused. Same move as Rob Gage and George Morris, actually. And then lo and behold it's not just one time 47 yrs ago, it's actually a pattern of predatory behavior.

Ponichiwa

Moutaineer wrote:It's been snowing here in Utah. Dampens the spirits somewhat.

On average, you and I are having a pretty decent riding weather kind of day. Individually, not so much.

Ponichiwa

I have seen more honest questioning of peoples' own stances this time around (as compared to the '14-15 Ferguson and related BLM movements), which gives me hope for change instead of status quo. I do worry that how we're arming our police forces looks more like a branch of the military than the keep...

Ponichiwa

LSP88-- so sorry to hear about the bad vet news! Stick around in this sport long enough and you get a load of heartbreak. And yes, it's usually all at once instead of distributed around. Hoping for the best outcome for your guy, and hang in there.

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