Sweat equity: July-August goals and progress

[Tanga]

Congrats, Blob! Have any of us done a ride where we didn't think we could have done at least a few this better afterwards?

Ryeissa--I hate to post this because everyone has had such bad weather, but we're doing great here. While everyone on the west coast was baking in heat, we had a bubble of relative cool here, and it's been a cooler than normal summer. While the whole country was covered in smoke, and most of CA, we have had a bubble of relative clear.

I had a show a couple weeks ago where the girls were great and judging was eh, but whatever. I have two more the next two weekends mostly to get feedback from judges I like and trust (Osinkski and Koch) and will scribe for them the next day, so I will learn a lot. Then champs in Sept. (So glad Sabine was in he Olympics, and did magnificently, as I don't have to compete against her!)

Had some weird issues with all three horses that I think I finally had sorted. Turns out they were getting fed about 60% of normal because of miscommunication, so the ribs were not worms! And all three did not shed and had rough coats, so I scrapped all I was feeding individually and went to exactly what the vet said, which is a grass ration balancer, flax, oil, a natural sourced vitamin e (human stuff from Costco.) SUCH a relief it all seems to be resolving. Too much worrying. Besides the horses, had cat issues, and my own tooth issues. Still working on what is going on with my tooth, but a dental 3 D x-ray shows a hole in the bone between my tooth and sinus. Endodontist did a root canal and antibiotics, but won't finish until I see the ENT. I have my CAT scan Weds. Rather scared as my friend from Germany had her husband look at the endo. report--he's one of the top myofacial surgeons in the world and this is his speciality, and he says take out the tooth, a molar, because it could lead to an infection and possibly even blindness. Ah! TRYING to stay calm about it and hope for the best.

[khall]

Jingles Tanga! That sounds scary!!

[Moutaineer]

Tanga, I had a dentist drill through into my sinus cavity while doing a root canal, and not tell me.... several years and multiple awful sinus infections later, the issue was uncovered by a specialist who did some surgery and fixed me up. It wasn't an afternoon of riotous entertainment, but it wasn't the worst thing that has ever happened to me, and it all healed up very quickly.

Potters felt like a million dollars today, which he told us all about on the longe (However, he was a perfect gentleman under saddle.) Forward, through, and with some real suspension going on. Trainer is thrilled, too.

Now I just need to burnish up my mojo again, and we can make some damned progress!

[heddylamar]

How is Maia today, Heddy?

Slightly less gimpy? No real clear source of discomfort yet, and she seems a touch better to both BO and me. I'll give her a few more days before I call the lameness specialist.

[heddylamar]

Eeek, Tanga! So not cool. Glad you've got a team looking into that.

[Tanga]

Tanga, I had a dentist drill through into my sinus cavity while doing a root canal, and not tell me.... several years and multiple awful sinus infections later, the issue was uncovered by a specialist who did some surgery and fixed me up. It wasn't an afternoon of riotous entertainment, but it wasn't the worst thing that has ever happened to me, and it all healed up very quickly.

Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! What specialist? A dentist or medical doctor? The video conference pre-CAT scan with the ENT had him saying he thought it would require dental surgery. Did you do dental or medical? This IS an issue as the dental insurance is maxed out and that kind of surgery I would rather have in an actual hospital and have medical insurance take care of as I never use it and pay a fortune.. Good thing is I have not had any infections as far as I know. I am actually not worried about having to do a surgery to fix it. The thought of infections getting into the bloodstream, blindness, yeah, that does worry me!

[mari]

Odin has a trio of antibiotic-resistant bacteria growing on his penis, causing an absolutely hellish smell, and some cauliflower-looking protrusions/swelling. So this week he's practically mainlining penicillin and eating another antibiotic by what looks like the bucketful.

Aside from that, he's in regular work and just a pleasure to ride. The changes are getting better and better *happy dance*

[piedmontfields]

We cantered on the grass for a few minutes last night. That makes us both happy!

[Moutaineer]

Tanga, I had a dentist drill through into my sinus cavity while doing a root canal, and not tell me.... several years and multiple awful sinus infections later, the issue was uncovered by a specialist who did some surgery and fixed me up. It wasn't an afternoon of riotous entertainment, but it wasn't the worst thing that has ever happened to me, and it all healed up very quickly.

Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! What specialist? A dentist or medical doctor? The video conference pre-CAT scan with the ENT had him saying he thought it would require dental surgery. Did you do dental or medical? This IS an issue as the dental insurance is maxed out and that kind of surgery I would rather have in an actual hospital and have medical insurance take care of as I never use it and pay a fortune.. Good thing is I have not had any infections as far as I know. I am actually not worried about having to do a surgery to fix it. The thought of infections getting into the bloodstream, blindness, yeah, that does worry me!

Endodontist, but a professor and noted specialist in the field--I got lucky, he'd just moved back to town. This was about 15 years ago, so a somewhat more casual approach to such matters than nowadays. It was done under local anesthetic in the chair in his surgery.

[Sue B]

Jingles Tanga, I hope you find a solution to your dental/sinus problem very soon!

Jingles for Maia for her swollen knee and to Odin for his stinky prepuce!

A huge CONGRATULATIONS to Blob and MM for another successful ride at 3rd level! (And jingles for RP)

Mountaineer, happy that Potters is doing so well...just think of the amazing abs you are developing by riding his big gaits

I snuck a ride in on Saturday despite my back vehemently objecting, and I am so glad I did. Even though it hurt to ride, I was able to maintain core strength AND flexibility on both horses, resulting in a happier back the next morning. Rudy felt sooo good in trot and canter, I am so happy I sprang for that new saddle. It took a few fittings to get the flocking just right, but he is so much freer under saddle now and I no longer have to fight for my seat. Never, in a million years, would I have guessed that a Trilogy would work for us. While I couldn't work up the desire to canter Tio on Saturday, I did work on developing some collection in the trot and more longitudinal elasticity. Tio struggled to comply at first but seemed quite pleased with himself when he finally understood where I was going. I swear he strutted past Rudy at the end of our ride...like "Hey, look at me! I can do dressage too!" I thin I just have way too much fun with my guys.

[Moutaineer]

Glad you are doing better with your back, Sue B!

I was thinking about you the other day as I was pondering County Fair entries, you must be about to get started on all that. Let's hope it stays a bit cooler!

I've always loved my Trilogy saddles. However, Potters told me very distinctly that they are too long in the panel for his Arab-influenced back, so I've got one I need to sell now. I must list it in the classifieds here.

[Ryeissa]

Glad you are doing better with your back, Sue B!

I was thinking about you the other day as I was pondering County Fair entries, you must be about to get started on all that. Let's hope it stays a bit cooler!

I've always loved my Trilogy saddles. However, Potters told me very distinctly that they are too long in the panel for his Arab-influenced back, so I've got one I need to sell now. I must list it in the classifieds here.

I think you got a new saddle???? but I really like how my Custom sits on my half arab. Good luck selling it

[Moutaineer]

Rye, yes I bought a Bliss Loxley. I like it a lot. So does he.

[heddylamar]

Maia's down to just a poofy knee — no more lameness!

Ouch! Poor Odin. That sounds terribly painful.

[Aleuronx]

First of all, Blob you get it!! Bronze medal is a huge accomplishment (at least it was for me) so mega congrats on your achievement!!

Heartfelt jingles to those down and out at the moment. Just remember it's only a moment, I had a whole winter of struggle and can hardly remember not riding now.

Super pleased with the decision to do back to back lessons the past two days. It was as I expected helpful to dig into something on the first day and then improve upon it on the second. Kora is improving in leaps and bounds and it was definitely worth the price of admission to do so at this point.

We worked shoulder out to the left slightly off the wall to encourage the right hind to travel underneath and engage. I need to keep on top of my left side not crushing through the rib cage and connecting my right elbow to my side and not letting it wing out to the side. Second exercise for the right hind was going to the right in trot make a transition to walk on a circle on a slight shoulder in, keeping the right hind stepping underneath. Continue walk until we get a few good steps with that right hind under and then straight off into trot. And wow! The trot just zings after that.

Trainer agreed with sitting trot to support and that canter has improved enough to just leave it alone for now. Friend came to video, which if you're at all interested in some clips with hilarious commentary I can post but here's a couple of pics from the second day.

Canter.jpg (150.01 KiB) Viewed 16302 times

Big girl trot.jpg (173.96 KiB) Viewed 16302 times

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Gorgeous photos Aleuronx!

Heddylamar, glad Maia is getting better! Hopefully the swelling will be gone soon.

Lynx gets PRP in his stifle today. The vet did not think it as super necessary thing but said it would probably be helpful in the healing so we are trying it. Fingers crossed!!

I also kind of did a trial at a new job last night. In some ways I liked it but management was also very dysfunctional which always kind of really bothers me. I'm doing one more day before deciding if I'm going to take the job or not. I am lucky to work part-time only for now so it's not a real heavy decision.

[MsM]

Still trying to progress mostly on my own. My instructor used to come back to CT from Fla monthly. Covid threw a wrench into that and I have had 3 lessons in the last 15 months! I am the only semi-serious dressage rider at my barn, so getting someone in for me and maybe one other rider has proven impossible. Eventually I would like to do some clinics but it is a bit of a production to line up the BO (who pulls a 4h gooseneck!)

So in order to get some feedback, I entered a virtual show since I got a new video camera that lets me upload to my computer. The outdoor arena is too uneven in footing ( and the neighbor likes to start up noisy equipment if he sees a horse in the ring). I measured out a small arena in the indoor. I decided to try First 2 because I could squeeze it in the smaller space. It was an interesting experience as things change when you start working on a test instead of just training! BO manned the camera. I didn't like my effort on the first day, so we tried again and I got one that I thought was decent.

Judge liked it pretty well. Lengthenings weren't great and the transition back in canter was barely noticeable. Other than that, we got 8s on our centerlines and 7.5s on our leg yields. He didn't feel like stretching in the circle, which is usually a strength. Needs to sit more and lift those shoulders - not a surprise. Ended up with just over 71% May do a coaching session with one of the judges for more feedback. Just tough to figure out how to do some of the tests in a smaller arena!

[piedmontfields]

First, a few cheers and remarks:
Ms, I hope you saw that virtual test as good encouragement for your work! I know the pandemic has thrown many wrenches in plans...Cora looks lovely and *fun*. Happy for you A.! Glad Maia's knee is less puffy and fingers crossed. I'm delighted to hear that Moutaineer has seen some really good stuff in her lovely Potters and is excited to explore Odin, please get better so Mari can enjoy you even more Sue, your commitment to your boys always impresses me, as your weather is both great and extreme and you are so busy, too. Susan, I'm glad to hear that our ballerina "twin" (Emi would be the chunky one) is well. Best wishes for next arrangements/settings. Excellent insights and update ExVet with the saddle change ++! I am always blown away by what they tolerant vs. what they need. I am crossing my fingers for RP + Blob.

Today my incredibly simple report is having several informed people at my barn go "wow---Emi looks very, very sound." Can't tell you how validating that is. For all who have been through re-hab, you know how much we question ourselves and what we feel. To me, she still feels weak---but frankly, all horses are weak relative to a particular level of demand. She is a weak 1st level horse now. Not so bad for a 19 yr old recovering from a front suspensory.

[Kyra's Mom]

Jingles for all that need it.

Kyra and I are just....I am still frustrated at the lack of a rideable area. I couldn't use the track for about 10 days because the owner was re-roofing their house (right next to the track). Oh, I guess I could have tried. I went over there one day, thinking they weren't working on the roof and the roofers let loose with their nail gun...I am sure I could have worked her through the excitement but damned...it was hot and I didn't feel like ending up on my butt.

The main outdoor got too chopped up for my desire to work a horse in it. Prior to this year, they were pretty good about working it once a week which is fine for the kind of traffic it gets but I think it has been about 3 now. The weather doesn't help. We had some monsoon rains last weekend and it turned the outdoor into a goo pit. Continue with the hot temps and it is now not only chopped up but set up like cement. It desperately needs to be re-done as most of the sand is broken down to very fine stuff but I don't anticipate that ever happening.

I worked her on the lunge in the indoor a couple days. I watered it with the crappy overhead sprinklers they have so we wouldn't suffocate in the dust and by the the second work session 2 days after the 1st, it was set up hard too.

I went out today...still no arenas worked. So we trucked over to the track which was hard but at least it was flat and smooth because not many people ride on it. She was a bit on her toes as it was windy...nice hot SE wind which made it 100 by 2:30pm .

So, we are not getting any kind of under saddle aerobic work done. On the lunge I worked her w/o side reins one day and with sliding SR the next time. Overall, she worked fairly well. On the day I put the sliding SR on her, she was stretching down and out in them well but left lead canter was kind of a disaster.
As long as I have had her, some days, left lead canter on the lunge is just a throw your head up and run day. Of course, I don't let her. I have never figured out what the trigger is for that. It happens about one time out of every 12-15 sessions and she never tries that under saddle . Well, in the sliding SR, she flipped her head up and of course slammed on the brakes when she hit the bit. At first, I would bring her back and have her walk to relax and ask again. After about 5 tries of throw my head up to canter and slam on the brakes, I pushed her on and told her to figure it out. She did. It was a bit tense for sure but she smoothed things out and we were able to end on a good note. Our ride today was just walking. She was too on her toes due to the wind and the massive cornstalks in the field next to the track but I was able to hold her attention. We just worked on our lateral work, some SI, some LY zigzags, some HP zigzags and a few TOH. On the way back we did our rein back sets on a slight slope. We wandered back across the road and did our hill work ( --the bank behind the indoor--5 steps up the bank and 5 steps down) and called it a day.

I have been looking for a new barn but damned...there seems to be nothing available. Of the three I contacted that are about the same distance as I drive now. 1 had no spots and a long waiting list. Owners a bit younger than the current barn but they are looking to downsize their property in the next few years. 1 barn is private and only takes a few boarders. BO said she would let the BM know when she got back in town...BM never contacted me. The other barn is not taking any new boarders due to drought and issues with their hay suppliers. There are lots of barns in Eagle but I would be in the car 45-1hr ONE WAY .
If my current BO decides to retire I might be putting her in my garage . Land is disappearing at light speed around here so I guess I stay put and put up with the crappy footing.

OK, I have vented now. Thank you for listening. All in all, Kyra has survived the hot weather better than me. I am sure that is where a great deal of my crabbiness and frustration is coming from. It has just been a blistering summer and what gets to me the most is that it isn't cooling off at night. Our low one day...due to a little stray freak storm was 91 degrees...at 7AM . Due to the monsoon storms we had last weekend, our humidity was around 75%. Normal summer is a dry heat ...like 15% . What is happening We are supposed to get some relief temperature wise by Friday. Mid to upper 80's and low 60's at night. Maybe that will adjust my attitude.

Susan

[exvet]

First, a few cheers and remarks:

Today my incredibly simple report is having several informed people at my barn go "wow---Emi looks very, very sound." Can't tell you how validating that is. For all who have been through re-hab, you know how much we question ourselves and what we feel. To me, she still feels weak---but frankly, all horses are weak relative to a particular level of demand. She is a weak 1st level horse now. Not so bad for a 19 yr old recovering from a front suspensory.

I would be over the moon with this. It means that slow and steady is paying off. Suspensory injuries in my opinion can be the darn worst to deal with because there are so many factors environmentally that can set the healing process back that you have no control over but it sounds like Emi is certainly getting there.

It's back to being disgustingly hot but I hope to ride everyone at least a little this morning. I have a friend/colleague coming over at noon to float teeth; so, soon Brandon will have absolutely no excuses, nor will I

[Moutaineer]

Very happy to hear this Piedmont!

Potters is one happy and relaxed boy now he doesn't hurt. Frankly, it's a shame no-one in his life has investigated thoroughly before and treated, rather than slapping a bandaid on the problem and pushing him through it. I'd be reactive if someone did that to me. I just hope this all lasts a reasonable amount of time.

We had a lovely lesson yesterday and I couldn't be happier. He's soft, round, light and naturally on the bit. There's work to do now on rebuilding the correct muscling and a topline, but now he's comfortable and moving through, that should be fairly straightforward. He's walking with about an 8" overtrack now--bell boots essential as he hasn't entirely mastered the art of getting the front feet out of the way yet.

Now, if I could persuade him to stop hacking chunks out of his delicate little chestnut self rolling or whatever else the heck he's doing, that would be good. He's got quite the patchwork of gorilla tape on his hocks and hips and pointy bits at the moment! I think, though, once he's got some better muscling and more meat on his bones, the pointy bits won't be quite so pointy, and he'll find getting up and down a bit easier.

Hot and very windy from the west here today, the air is really thick with smoke from the CA wildfires. I'm uncomfortable breathing it, so it may well be a non-riding day unless it settles down a bit this afternoon.

[exvet]

My friend/colleague came out to float teeth on all 3 (fortunately my stinker pony who is on loan to another colleague already had his done) boys. She's pretty darn good and a lot younger than I. When she got here she leapt out of her truck to announce that she just hired an associate which has her ecstatic (cautiously so) and has her stomach tied up in knots (for many reasons). She knows my business background so she asked if I would help her navigate the waters for the next 3-6 months monitoring her books. Then she asked if I wanted to barter my equipment. I told her I didn't know if she would want any of my [dental] equipment which is about a decade old. She informed me that her new associate wants to specialize in dentistry so she needs to purchase a boat load of equipment that spans the extreme of needs. I showed her my stuff and she giggled with delight. Fortunately I've always kept my equipment in good shape and my blades were relatively new. What legitimately should have cost me $900 or so in vet bills was bartered away, as she drove off after finishing, with my relatively extensive collection of hand floats and other tools of the trade. She hesitated only briefly to ask me if I was sure I wanted to let the stuff go. I told her that I turn 58 in a week and I do NOT see myself EVER floating teeth again, at least not willingly.

Now to more dressage related stuff (sort of) - Ace is a typical mustang of 10 year of age so teeth were hard with few issues other than points needing to be filed down including incisors. He almost collapsed with the 'light tranq' he was given further giving evidence to the suspicion that there is a lot of draft blood in his mustang background. It also explains why he has such nice rolling gaits. Junior, on the other hand, has his mother's mouth. He had points going laterally, teeth overgrown with gum tissue and his canines had terrible enamel wear and micro fractures. Fortunately the canines are still intact and not going anywhere; but, I was a bit embarrassed as to the degree his mouth had deteriorated since I last did his teeth 1.5 years ago and yet he's been such a trooper. I scratched my head trying to figure out what he could have possibly done to his canines. My colleague knows I've owned this guy since birth and other than a laceration at 4 months that developed significant proud flesh he's had no other major issues. She was shocked because she knows the relative success I've had with him and claimed that the canines and the 'quiet' pony do not add up at all. It turns out my cheeky little chap has always, always chewed on lead ropes, fly masks, dog toys AND those durable rubber feed pans. He, since teething, has always grabbed onto the feed pans, picking them up and getting them as far back in his mouth as is physically possible and just chewed on the rubber. He's been known to do this for 30-45 minutes at a time. It's this practice that caused the wear of enamel off of his canines. Horses usually have few means to relieve the pressure of teething in this area and when canines erupt are often the cause of young mouth bitting/training issues. Well my little chubby buddy found a way to get through that giving me relatively stress-free rides but now I have a welsh cob that will require dental work every 6 months as we watch to see if there is anymore damage or disease to his canines.....horses or should I say WELSH COBS! Teagan, my friend, warned me that he might be sore for a day or two so I trail rode the big stinker yesterday morning and he acted like nothing ever happened. I'm not really planning on changing anything and hope to see this morning when I school in the arena that nothing has changed for the worse but he does defy logic in more ways than one.

Brandon on the other hand had the typical 4 year old mouth needing lots of points taken off but to my surprise this guy does NOT have a fat tongue, does NOT have a flat palate and has perfect alignment. Now he did appreciate having his TMJ released which I now plan to do a few times a week. His only conformational challenge with his mouth or arcades is that his jaw is very narrow. So I have a Morgan with a high arched palate, relatively normal tongue, decent alignment of his teeth and is still uber fussy in the bridle. He no longer sticks his tongue out with the rubber mullen or the happy bomber mullen but he's still constantly chomping the bit building up foam instead of thin saliva (ie, not swallowing). I rode him very up and open yesterday morning which resulted in a nicer ride overall; but, still not satisfied that I've figured out the bit issue. Again, horses! He does seem to prefer a thicker bit. I'm going into the deep back vault of the tack collection and see if I have any of my older, thicker pony snaffles from days gone by - they're all tight 5 inch bits (meaning no forgiveness or extra room width-wise) and thicker barrels. Not sure what else to do other than persevere with the two mullens as I get Brandon stronger and more solid in his balance. Despite the fussing and at times fighting with the bit his canter is quite lovely. He's got the walk and the canter........now if I can just get him to sign up to the challenge of dressage

[khall]

Exvet Rip broke one of his canines and had to have it removed a couple years ago. No idea how he did it but he’s always been a mouthy one.

I went back to the tactio with Joplin and she seems to like it better than the bomber bit. I bought a myler comfort snaffle but am a bit hesitant to try it. It’s a pretty extreme mouthpiece. There are other myler with less extreme shapes. The tactio works mostly on the tongue I believe with it’s action. The bomber had more bar action. She got very mouthy with the bomber. Gapping badly.

Heading home from a weeks vacation. It’s cooled off at home so hoping to get back to riding soon. Have some grass to mow and celebrate DS 21st tomorrow

Stay cool all!

[Chisamba]

The mare and I hit our second show in our " getting to know you, getting to know all about you" summer.

[blob]

congrats, Chisamba! looks like a very successful second outing for you and Saiph

[exvet]

Chisamba congratulations! The relationship obviously is working very well.

[StraightForward]

Well done Chisamba!

My instructor was here this weekend. Yesterday was a tough lesson on Annabelle. Our ride was at 3 and it was much hotter than forecast, with zero breeze, so we were both melting from the start. However, I got some good tips on test riding, and some strategies for how to keep A from getting so strong/heavy, which she was in spades during what she thought was siesta time. We did end on some pretty good SI/HI work, where I got my seat and legs making her a little quicker and more lively. Thankfully, we decided to reschedule Tesla's ride to this morning, and I rode both girls starting at 7. Annabelle was much better, and we worked her through a nice stretchy, suppling warmup with forward and back into canter, some canter LY and counter canter, as well as working on keeping some connection and roundness in the canter lengthening.

For Tesla, my instructor was pretty excited with how much she had changed physically in the past few months. We worked on a pretty tough set of canter departs because T still wants to be sticky, and is at a point where I often need a ground assist from someone with a whip. The BO helped me with this on Friday as well, and I don't think I'll attempt canter on my own for a while without that backup. However, she really is coming along with the trot work, offering nice LY, and even getting the idea of baby SI. I posted a video as an update in her stops and spinouts thread (and I got to enjoy revisiting that in the cantering segment of the lesson).

The Shire's owner was out this morning and asked if I'd ridden him on Friday, which I had. She said he was SO GOOD for her on Saturday, which was great to hear, because he started out as quite a turd on Friday and I worked him more than usual. For him, haunches-in right is on the menu to prepare him for getting the right lead. I tried out his canter on the left lead on Friday and, hmm, that is a different feel. Riding three wildly different horses is definitely keep me on my toes!

Gratuitous pic of Tesla trying out her big girl trot today, and the less glamorous side of getting her into canter:

[exvet]

Tesla's looking great! I bet no clinician says they can't see your leg or position with that matchy/matchy! Love it.

[blob]

Tesla looks fabulous--she has such a powerful looking trot.

re: stickiness with the canter transition: one exercise that has worked well for me in the past with horses that get sticky in the transition is to use trot poles. Basically the idea is to do 3-4 trot poles and then pick up the canter right after the pole. The poles get the horse open and forward and then you can just slip in. If you try it a few times with a ground person, it might be something you can start doing on your own because she might recognize and be set up for the transition. It becomes predictable in addition to setting up the body.

Farrier comes tomorrow, so we'll see if he finds any hidden abscess or stone bruise on RP, otherwise we go to x-ray. I'll be out of town for the last 2 weeks of august, so regardless he'll get that time off.

and finally, a few show pictures of MM:

[StraightForward]

Great pics blob. You and MM are such a nice pair.

re: stickiness with the canter transition: one exercise that has worked well for me in the past with horses that get sticky in the transition is to use trot poles. Basically the idea is to do 3-4 trot poles and then pick up the canter right after the pole. The poles get the horse open and forward and then you can just slip in. If you try it a few times with a ground person, it might be something you can start doing on your own because she might recognize and be set up for the transition. It becomes predictable in addition to setting up the body.

I've used that a few times. She is such a thinker that sometimes I can sneak in a "trick" like that a time or two and then she's like "fool me once..." and I can just feel her start grinding her gears and blocking me out. Physically, she is very able to step right up into the canter, but she will put more energy into blocking me than it would take to just go forward. Now that I have more ability to control and shape the trot, we are going with the strategy of making canter the easier option. Of course I'll take it if she offers it, but not specifically going looking for trouble without that ground support.

[Sue B]

Beautiful pictures, Blob. You two make a lovely team!

Doing back flips for you Chisamba---Awesome scores, what an exciting show for you!! CONGRATULATIONS

I was at fair all week, so no riding/horse report. They seem to be all sound and alive, that's all I know. Lol

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Chisamba, congratulations! Great score, you guys obviously are a good pair!

Straightforward I love that trot photo of Tesla! That girl can move!

Blob, lovely photos! Look at that hind end on MM! Impressive!!

[Moutaineer]

Congratulations, Chisamba!

Aleuronx, super pix, she's coming along so well!

Straightforward, I'm so sorry you couldn't find a yellow shirt

Blob, you and MM look lovely, keeping my fingers crossed for RP being something simple.

I am happy to report I have nothing to report, just boringly quiet rides

[Chisamba]

Blob you and M look superb! Congrats on your bronze. one of my students got hers and as my thank you, applied for mine for me too. I was touched.

[Tanga]

Good job Chisamba! That's a good score. 3rd level is usually so sparse, but here there are suddenly a lot of people in it! The show last weekend was full of 3rd level!

Videos for ya'll Here' is Quinn. She is a champion beautiful halter everywhere else but in this ring! Ahh! No, she is not supposed to be piaffing at the beginning! https://youtu.be/oWaBbV8lz7Y I've been working on super enegertic walk and it paid off in 7 on the collected and 7.5 i=on the pirouette. Yes.she did stick a foot in the pirouette! Scribing t next day, I noticed a lot of horses did and he gave high scores for them, too. All 7's from the pirouettes on, which got 6.5's. which I don't understand. Scribing on Sunday I saw a lot of flat, huge pirouettes getting high scores.

Freestyle: https://youtu.be/PlAWH271aKU I always appreciate any feedback on the music. I think I have it where I want it. I may see if I c go in and add a little more beat in the background. And yes, sigh, that is supposed be a HALT in the beginning.

[Tanga]

Quilla. I needed one more I-2 for CDS and got it. https://youtu.be/62xC21wA_1M I have been working on up, up, up and it paid off in ext. trot and canter with 7's. The passage was WAY better than any of the 8 other people doing it over the two days and was disappointed with 6's on the beginning ones, which is what other people got and you couldn't even tell they were passaging. The piaffe at home is stellar, but this was a mess. Ah! He gave me a 4 for the twos and said was a miscount, but its not! Ah! I ACTUALLY got the ones and a 7 for those. Disappointed wi 6.5 and 7 on the pirouettes as everyone else I saw was not nearly as good and everyone who saw them commented on how nice they were.

Freestyle:https://youtu.be/TZA8e076ZXc Basically 6-7's. Ugh, messed up the changes. I think I am tired by the fourth ride and anticipate too much. I am happy with the steadiness of the passage and need to get that piaffe to look like it at home--she is SO solid in piaffe at home. Appreciate any feedback on the music. I like it, but definitely need to go back in and put a very clear beat in the background.No more shows where I can ride it, so need to fix it for champs.

A show next weekend basically for "fun" doing PSG, I-1, I-2 and GP with Koch to do a last tune up. We're all qualified for everything. I ride on Saturday and scribe on Sunday again. It was interesting. I felt Osinksi got more and more and more generous through the day and on Sunday. It will be good to get her feedback.

I think this tailcoat looks much better. I got it brand new at a tack sale for $50, and with he boot cuffs, it really helps the look overall.

It was muggy and the ai quality was not so good and I sweated non stop and drank non stop water with Gatorade powder. I felt OK, but noticed when got home my pulse was fast again and would not go down until the next morning, like a triple beat. It started to get hot while scribing, and I had put ice packs on (yes, I brought them) to not feel like I was going to faint. I think I'm getting old! I don't seem to be able to deal wit getting hot at all, even when it doesn't feel bad. I did have a complete work up with the doctor and she didn't find anything. Maybe just another lovely version of hot flashes.

[blob]

Blob you and M look superb! Congrats on your bronze. one of my students got hers and as my thank you, applied for mine for me too. I was touched.

That is a lovely thank you! Congrats to your student and to you!

[Ryeissa]

you always have the best turnout blob! so fancy! good work

[Ryeissa]

It was muggy and the ai quality was not so good and I sweated non stop and drank non stop water with Gatorade powder. I felt OK, but noticed when got home my pulse was fast again and would not go down until the next morning, like a triple beat. It started to get hot while scribing, and I had put ice packs on (yes, I brought them) to not feel like I was going to faint. I think I'm getting old! I don't seem to be able to deal wit getting hot at all, even when it doesn't feel bad. I did have a complete work up with the doctor and she didn't find anything. Maybe just another lovely version of hot flashes.

did you get your iron checked?

[Tanga]

.[/quote]

did you get your iron checked?[/quote]
I had everything checked. Every test I ever have is always annoyingly in the good range. I also take over 50 multivitamins for women that have that extra iron.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Tanga, I'm sorry your dealing with not feeling your greatest. I hope you figure it out!!

I posted a little clip of Lynx at the trainer's in the veterinary forum. If anybody has rehabbed stifles before or just has a great eye for lameness I would love input. He was fighting the flies (they are horrible and he's thin skinned and dramatic.) But if you can tell anything from the little clip I would love to hear it.

I have been terribly stressed by this. Sometimes I always worry about the worst case scenario. Like the other day I left the bar
and tears because I was imagining having a pasture pet from all this.

Now after seeing the video which I do not think is great by any means I am thinking that we do just need to stay the course with the rehab. But again I would love to hear thoughts.

[Ryeissa]

I responded to the video.

[Aleuronx]

Lipsmackerpony - I watched the video in your other post but I would just say here that walking is the best. Lots and lots and lots (and lots) of walking.

We're still digging away at our dressage homework with the right hind. It's a mixed bag as it is hard work but we do have success every ride just sometimes quicker than others.

Now for the fun stuff, met up with a friend for another obstacle day. It was great fun to see the improvements in all the horses and we all had a lovely dip in the pond afterwards. It was a scorcher of a day! Kora is turning into quite the fish and I can't wait to take her to the beach this year in the off-season.

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[exvet]

Woke up to flash floods. I was hoping to get the pivo out to video Brandon in, what I think will be HIS bit, since it is supposed to be cooler today. Guess it will likely have to wait for tomorrow. Lover the photos Aleuronx. My son and I always had a blast at the obstacle clinics we attended. I think the horses always did too.

Lipsmacker - stick with the rehab. He just needs more time.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Aleuronx and Exvet, I saw the photo in the pond first and thought it was the flash floods that Exvet talked about lol!!
I really want to do some obstacle work like that with Lynx. I think I'd do him good.

His rides are definitely mostly walk right now with just a few minutes of trot here and there. So far it seems to be working but I do think I need to be more patient and not panic! Not panicking is the hardest part.

[Kyra's Mom]

I have gotten to ride the last 3 trips to the barn . The arena finally dried out, it finally got worked and the weather cooled off for a couple days.

Kyra has been working pretty well. Ride before last, I was riding like a sack of ....I could not stay with her at trot. Just a normal posting working trot. Ah-yi-yi.
I stopped and apologized to dear pony and tried some baby trot sitting. That I could do. I actually got some good work and good SI in the baby trot.
Canter work was fine. I don't know why I was so off that day.

Today, I could ride her working trot just fine and did some serpentine work. After our warmup, I did go back to the baby trot to canter depart. Oh, she says...that is hard. She as usual tried her best-est. We had a couple awesome canter to walk transitions. Both in trot and some of the canter work I kept getting this uncharacteristic bracing from her when she was on the right rein. Usually the bracing comes on the left rein when she leans on the left rein to avoid moving into the right rein. She was trying for me and the bracing would go away at times. Well, I think I discovered the cause while I was cooling her down. I took her over to the track to do said cool down. She was staring at something in the bushes and I decided I wanted my oh shit strap in hand since I was letting her stretch. Well, the strap got stuck under the saddle which I didn't notice when I tacked her up and the strap clip on the left side was about 3 inches under the saddle and it was stuck there. Poor horse. What she will put up with. She didn't seem tender when I took the saddle off but I will
for sure check that area before I ride next time. It might have been kind of numb by the time I got the saddle off.

I am still striking out on finding a new barn but am asking around and trolling the internet. In the meantime, we do what we can with what we have in her bright green hoof boots .

There are some mighty fine pictures being posted. Blob, M looks amazing.

Happy riding all.
Susan

[Sue B]

One time I was riding Rudy and he would. not. take the left lead, and once he did he locked his back. I finally stopped, hopped off and took a look. Somehow, I managed to tack him up with the right rear panel of his half pad folded under. Poor kid, why he didn't protest more loudly i do not know!

Packing up ds for trip off to college Monday, plus it has been upper 90's and muggy/grain dusty/smokey last 3 days. I am so over this summer! Remind me when I complain about the cold! Anyway, I haven't ridden yet, too distracted think.

[exvet]

It was very muggy here today. I rode all 3. I decided to just work on canter departs with Junior - trot-canter-trot and walk-canter-walk. As hot and muggy as it is he's just not that inspired to move forward. He did give me some good collected canter and counter canter without swapping leads. I decided to call it good. I then experimented a bit with Brandon. There is no question that my good ole fat D ring snaffle is the bit we're going to stick with for a while. I posted a video of him in the young horse forum. It's ugly in spots but I'm so much more comfortable with a horse that will at least meet the bit. Ace was a bit fresh today but that is most likely because he's covered in gnat and mosquito bites. It's hard to tell if he's also breaking out in hives but his face isn't swollen; so, I think it's just the explosion of flying insects due to our rain. All-in-all it was nice to get into the saddle.

[Chisamba]

I have been working in counter canter with both of my ladies. I seem to lose my cc once I have my changes. I don't know what I do wrong but I always seem to make that mistake.

[Kyra's Mom]

Well, the smoke has brought riding to a halt. It got horrible around here starting on Saturday. One retiree at my barn that has heaves, was having to get nebulizer treatments.
Poor guy is not tolerating the situation well.

So, I just did a short fart around liberty session in the round pen on Saturday. She did not palpate sore where the oh shit strap snap got stuck under the saddle but with the smoke situation, decided not to try riding. I am not sure how much was accomplished but she did get some interaction and she got a good roll in the sand. By the time I clean her pen and fiddle with the horse somehow (riding or groundwork), I am absolutely drained. We have had higher than normal humidity. Not Georgia humidity but I want my "dry heat" back (if I have to have heat). I am hoping the heat breaks this week like they say. Already, though, it keeps getting moved out a day...then another day...then another day. Still just trying to survive the heat. It (90's and 100's) has to end one of these days, doesn't it?

I hope to ride in the morning but will have to evaluate the smoke situation. Thursday, she is getting some body work so should like that.

Susan