Powering through to the end: November December Goals and Progress

[StraightForward]

Khall, sorry to hear that your mom has deteriorated to the point that she has to move. It is great that you were able to provide her a space of her own right near you for as long as you could, though.

Moutaineer, looking forward to new pics of your handsome guy!

LSP, glad to hear Lynx is taking to long reining. I ought to give that a go again this winter. I don't lunge T much because she just falls in and counterbends, but with long lining, there is more control to get a better posture when things go right.

Chisamba, ooh, a new arena drag! It really takes a horse person to understand how exciting that is

I got some video of T last night to compare pre vs post-hock injections. First, I had to have the biggest knock-down dragout we've had in awhile as she didn't think she should go forward. Once that was out of the way, she felt really nice, and I like a lot of what I'm seeing in the trot work on the video. She is more willing/able to make the T/C transitions to the left without turning into a camel or losing the bend. However, the laterality in the canter hasn't really improved. I'm also noticing some struggle with HI left, LY left, and of course HP left is more of a struggle too. It all seems to come down to not keeping the RH weighted long enough, and struggling to bend through the ribcage and lumbars to the left (she easily overbends her neck that way) so I need to figure out how to address that. If anyone is bored and wants to watch this and see what you think, I'd be interested to know if you see something else. You can also see that moment a kid almost plows through my SoloShot My instructor is here this weekend, so I'll see what sort of plan we can work out to make some improvements. https://youtu.be/jzvg6J1G5F8

Today I'm taking Annabelle over to the local winter jumping show series. We're just doing 2' and 2'3". A couple people who are interested in her will be there, so hopefully we do well!

[Moutaineer]

SF, I would say that she is looking much better.

If I were going to offer my inexpert opinion, I would say that she's still has some overall body tension which is stopping her from really letting go over her back and hind end and being more elastic and squishy. She obviously has the athletic ability, she's just not prepared to unconditionally hand it over!

FWIW, what i have observed at our barn that has helped imeasurably with this is gymnastic lateral work, on circles more than straight lines, starting at the walk, until she really starts to cross over and stretch through her hind end and release. Shoulder in, haunches in, steep leg yields across the arena, TOF. Really bending and stretching. Short sections. Lots of changes of movement and direction. But always very measured. Nothing frantic or hurried, but real work, nonetheless. Let her learn how to break up her body into distinct parts and use them separately.

What I see with horses like this is that doing long straight lines and long laterals and big sweeping circles without breaking them up doesn't work so well.

Straightness is obviously our end goal, but so is being able to have a bendy, stretchy, rubbery horse that we can access each and every body part and they are prepared to trust in their ability to comfortably offer it up to us.

Isn't it a treat to be able to still ride outside in the sunshine in a big space in November! I did it yesterday and have hopes for the early part of next week, too. Then I think the weather is going to go to hell in a handbasket quite fast.

[exvet]

SF, I agree with everything Moutaineer said. T does show a lot of improvement but like Junior she just hasn't let go of all the tension. Trying to teach a horse how it can really use itself properly and 'let go' has been one of the toughest things yet, partially because it takes so much time and almost all of it in baby steps for Junior.

[StraightForward]

Thanks Moutaineer and ExVet! Yes, I think the tension is a big part of it. Always so hard to know if it's just mental, or if it's stemming from physical pain. I was able to squeeze in a lesson today and went through my concerns with my instructor, who hasn't seen us in about a month. She felt that she is moving the best that she has, but the canter is still funky. We worked on really using her core in the up transitions, no lurching up, and slowing the T/W transition to avoid losing the left hind, and T/W/T transitions in SI with the same. After that, squares with SI, even in canter, and LY in and then yielding in both the haunches and the shoulders alternatively on the square. Challenging to say the least when each side is about three strides! There were a few moments where T really thought about stopping for an argument, but I was able to talk her out of it without giving up the standard of expectations. Looking forward to building on it tomorrow.

Annabelle was a total star at the show. I was a little wobbly navigating the 2' class, but rode much better in the 2'3" and Annabelle responded accordingly. I felt a little smug that my dressage pony didn't so much as touch a pole, much less refuse as some of the straight jumpers there did. Not sure if the people who were supposed to come see her showed up or not. A jump round goes so much faster than a dressage test, and there's lots to think about to make it go well! If the weather isn't atrocious I'll plan to do the 2'3" and 2'6" divisions next month.

[mari]

We got a 2nd place in our class yesterday, with 62%. So happy, even though we rode midday in 32C heat. More mistakes than at our previous show, but overall the marks and comments indicate improved quality, so we scored slightly higher than the previous show.

Most importantly, we managed both flying changes clean (7 for the one and 6.5 for the other).

Let's see if images will work for me today...





Links in case they don't load (and also, a tutorial on what I'm doing wrong...)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5gArQ2MEGL1E4xX69
https://photos.app.goo.gl/KLdhDUVkDgp4kJSb9

[StraightForward]

Mari - from your links, I had to click on the photos again, and then right click on them and choose "copy image address", and then paste that in between the [img] tags here to make them show up. Glad you had a successful show; your spotty boy is gorgeous as always. There was a very loud black and white appaloosa at the jumping show yesterday. Annabelle was really giving it the side-eye every time he got close.

[Moutaineer]

Congratulations, Mari!

Looking as splendid as ever on that spotty boy!

[Chisamba]

Mari gid you salute with your left hand or did the photo invert itself??

He looks very posh. Congrats on your scores.

StraightForward, I have another opposite and different suggestion to Moutaineer. A lot of the exercises designed to help horses are designed for horses with grand 3 beat canter with jump, because all those grand professionals don't waste their time on horses that are not blessed with the three basic gaits. I felt you ride her in a very consistent flexion and frame for a long time. I would try to vary that and move her body through a range of posture to help her create elasticity without fatigue.

FOR supple rib cage, When riding, stop being so fabulous in your hand placement. When going left take your inside hand wide, way away from her body to the inside without pulling back, but hold her to your track with the inside leg so that her bend is from the leg and drawn back past the wither to the ribcage. By which I mean she learns to displace her ribcage a bit to the outside, not just her shoulder.

Alternately use more effective outside rein to straighten her and I mean literally straighten her posture. Shorten theboutsudevrein so that so that her bend straightens from longitudinal to over the top. (like a cobra, up and over)

Shorten her stride and keep her forward slowly alternated with the rhythm you have there to develop back to front elasticity. Do you do piaffe in hand? Or any form of hind leg step activity? Will she let you practice slow slow slow followed by go go go?

In my experience the real cure for canter without jump or lateral tendency is straight into equal contact and transitions in length of stride. For example medium canter on the shorts side ( or any version of gallop) followed by three half halts on the long side, each bringing the horse back to a shorter stride (or any version of a slow slow canter if true collection is out of your range, ) the point being not to break gait.


In general I think you have progressed through her difficulties so much that perhaps it's time to challenge the areas you have learned to avoid to appease her. I say this because it's where I am with Saiph. I know she is going to fall back on her old favorite resistances but I have enough faith in her and me that I don't avoid them but work through.

I hope you can find a modicum of help in my suggestions.

[Chisamba]

Khall, my clients are not those with dementia, but those with long term developmental differences. However there is something that is true of both populations. Staff have a lot more training and supervision in how to make the life of these people easier than families do. Families have busy exhausting lives and attempting to add to that the responsibility of an aging parent does not benefit either. A good home with assisted living and trained supervised support is often better for both. I hope you can find this for your mother and not feel stressed or guilty or upset that it is time to give her the benefit of a life catered to her current needs.

I feel a lot of compassion and my well wishes to you and all with aging parents.

[mari]

Mari - from your links, I had to click on the photos again, and then right click on them and choose "copy image address", and then paste that in between the [img] tags here to make them show up. Glad you had a successful show; your spotty boy is gorgeous as always. There was a very loud black and white appaloosa at the jumping show yesterday. Annabelle was really giving it the side-eye every time he got close.

SF I did the "copy image address" thing in my post, and it shows up perfectly on "Preview" and when I first submit it. And then it goes broken. So weird...

It's very funny how other horses can have a proper look at the Appaloosas. Odie is not spotty enough to get the side-eye, thank goodness

[mari]

Mari gid you salute with your left hand or did the photo invert itself??

I did salute with my left hand. Both halts No comments from the judge though

[khall]

Thanks all for your well wishes. Right now for the next 6 months we are keeping mom home with 3 very experienced caregivers and hospice. Mom is way past AL and even memory care now. She’s needing assistance for everything and we are probably looking at being bed ridden in the not so distant future. My sister and I are looking at facilities for just in case but we are talking skilled nursing care facilities. Im meeting with financial advisor to see what we can plan out where we might have to make different choices because of finances. 24/7 care is not cheap. The one facility we did visit was an absolute no. Looking at another tomorrow.

I do know and hospice agrees that keeping her home now is in her best interest with one on one care. Facilities just cannot provide that level of care. I also know I cannot be caregiver. The first year of Covid I was more support staff. Helping with meds and lunch and dinner. Heck she was still walking to the barn and cleaning stalls and sweeping during good weather. Have some great pictures of her at the barn with me and my animals. Her abilities have just slowly eroded away. Memory too.

We had a fun WE clinic this weekend. Pretty packed full with a wide range of horse and riders. Stellar weather Friday with rain overnight leading to a sloppy arena Saturday. Joplin got some puddle training:). She was so good and I can definitely see the benefits of using the obstacles to help her in her dressage. In fact the I1 open dressage finals winner also uses WE to help her mount get better especially at FCs. Great stories coming out about finals horses.

SF if you can teach T then diagonalize in the walk that is a great help in teaching a correct engaged posture. Cedar teaches it first one diagonal then the other. Asking inside hind to step as the outside fore leaves the ground then switch sides and do the same. Once the horse understands this exercise you add energy for piaffe.

Busy week this week not sure how much riding I’ll get done but still hoping to go to the show locally with the covers and huge stadium arenas. Just to school.

Happy riding all!

[StraightForward]

Thanks Chisamba. You are right that I can now push more on spots that weren't really available before, and I tend to forget that. My lesson yesterday incorporated a lot of what you suggest - we ended on doing 12is meter canter circles changing lead through trot and really trying to keep the connection and change up the bend. Also being more picky about having her step through in the WT transitions and not hoist with her shoulders. In and out of the transitions, I'm seeing more flexion in the hind joints. At the very beginning of the ride, she was definitely having thoughts of going to the dark side, but I was able to quash them and she was pretty cooperative after that. I have not started piaffe in hand with her yet, but it's in my plan for this winter. It is looking like the weather will hold through next weekend, so I'm going to try hard to video all of my rides and really sort out what is going on, and what is happening in the moments when the canter is better.

Annabelle was so cute, we did a little baby piaffe at the end. My video only got it from the back, hoping my instructor will send the one she took with her phone. For A, the lesson was about not leaving her hind end trailing, being ready to launch up and forward from a walk or halt. Jumping up into medium canter and then coming back equally promptly.

[blob]

Mari gid you salute with your left hand or did the photo invert itself??

I did salute with my left hand. Both halts No comments from the judge though

I always salute with my left hand! And have never heard anything. I'm not sure there is an official rule? Or if there is one, it's definitely not reinforced. I will have to go look it up now.

ETA: official rules say you can salute with either hand as long as it's not the one holding the whip!

[Chisamba]

Ja, I know the left handed salute is legal, I just don't know why. No one should lose points for a salute unless it is not immobile and not releasing a rein, but then who bother to actually have a salute? Why call it a salute? . But even the navy, which allows left handed salutes only does so if the right hand is impossible and the traditions of riding competition is after all military. Never mind my old fashioned comment

[Aleuronx]

SF - I can share my own experience working with a lateral tendency canter and what has helped us. First was never staying in the same canter for very long at all but the forward has to be in balance, not rushing away. Forward and back, on circles and straight like every 3-4 strides a change. Once that is progressing then counterflexion or counter position and back to true with canter on the quarterline to give her space to hold herself up either in true or counter canter as you progress. Lastly is something I do more often in winter to warm-up is posting at the canter, feels weird at first but can help the flow from the hind end.

I watched your video and the good news is her best canter is the first 2-3 strides, you can build on that. It's a great winter project. And gotta love a baby piaffe video, I'm still grinning from Kora's first attempts.

If anyone saw some of the videos/pics from Finals last week it can be firmly said we are far from our military roots. Checkerboard horses and all.

[blob]

Chisamba, no--I don't think it's an old fashioned comment--an interesting one given the history of what a 'salute' is, etc. Just something I hadn't thought up and had to go look it up. I know the reason I always salute with my left hand is that with MM during tests I would always carry my whip in the right hand (where I'd need it more), and so got in the habit of the left hand salute. So even when I ride RP (usually with no whip), that's now just my muscle memory!

Watching finals live streams and posts was fun, but also made me very nostalgic thinking about being there 2 years and and how far it seems from RP and I ever being back with all his canter problems.

Speaking of canter problems:

SF and Aleuronx, another thing that i have found helps with other horses is doing LY off the outside leg for a few strides.

[Chisamba]

I carry my whip in my right hand too but when I salute with the right hand, I simply put the whip with the reins into the left hand so my hand is free to salute open handed. Then as I gather my reins i gather the whip too.

How is the pony doing Blob?

[Tanga]

Mari gid you salute with your left hand or did the photo invert itself??

I did salute with my left hand. Both halts No comments from the judge though

I always salute with my left hand! And have never heard anything. I'm not sure there is an official rule? Or if there is one, it's definitely not reinforced. I will have to go look it up now.

ETA: official rules say you can salute with either hand as long as it's not the one holding the whip!

You can salute with either hand, the one without the whip in that. You just need reins in one hand. The only real criteria is 3 seconds, but that doesn't always happen.

[blob]

How is the pony doing Blob?

In the summer it felt like we were making some progress with canter issues. But then as work got busy and riding got inconsistent, the canter issues have really backslid again. This makes me think I have't fully cracked the heart of the problem. I truly believe that if I am able to identify he right way to rehab/ride the issue and am able to dedicate time to that, we will come out of this mess. But I don't think I've identified the right approach. When I canter him long and low the quality of the gait is there. But doing ONLY long and low doesn't seem to help build the strength to pick him up. If anything it makes it harder.

I have next week off work and I am thinking I might spend some time on the lunge with him several times during the week then. Not only because lunging might help me work through things without my own interference, but also because often lunging helps me better understand the problem.

I have been working with a new trainer (old trainer moved) and she has only seen the bad canter. She has said that she hasn't quite figured out what we need to do to fix it, but that we should keep chipping away at it. I shared with her video the other day of his canter when it was normal and she was quite surprised. I think she didn't quite believe me when I said his right lead canter used to be GOOD. But I think her seeing that might help her help me find the right path.

[Chisamba]

Ok. So! ( now I sound very Zambian) lol.

Shark fin withers are a natural occurring phenomenon, but can be minimized by building the muscles there. I've been researching and is course everyone who talks about it has this vested interest in you buying what they are selling.

Have any of you successfully focus on and muscled up a shark fin.

Obvs saddle fit and nutrition have been thoroughly addressed.

Thx.

[Srhorselady]

I had a very sharkfinned OTTT. I inherited him from my uncle at19. He had been a successful racehorse then became a successful jumper. He did mini prixs and won in Southern Cal rated shows. He also took a junior to equitation championships, so very talented. When I inherited him he had been on pasture retirement for two years. His sharfinned withers were very noticeable and very long and laid back. My trainer started riding him dressage. Within two years he was doing third level dressage at age 21. He was still shark finned but his top line was beautiful. No particular exercises but continuously working to keep his back up. He did like to do the giraffe and hollow. I rode him until he died at 30. His back did drop more as he aged and he did look more and more shark finned. He was a wonderful horse.

[blob]

I've seen a shark fin wither improve, but I've never see one truly stop being classifiable as a 'shark fin'--even when the horse is performing well at a high level.

[Moutaineer]

You can certainly build the back and shoulder muscles and minimize the look, but wither conformation is wither conformation (unless you are Potters. who would have quite the sharkfin if he still had the top of his withers intact but now has a slope and a crater, like a cross section through a volcano.) Shark fins do take a lot more muscling to look like a good topline than propane tanks.



On another topic... My farrier uses voice to text. About two hours before he was supposed to be there on Monday, we had the following exchange:

Him: "Amanda, I had to shoot two horses that I thought were only going to get shoes pulled and trimmed for winter. I won't be there until 4pm."

Me: "That seems a bit harsh. Did you have to bury them, as well?"

Him: Silence. Followed by hysterical laughter.

[StraightForward]

Moutaineer, funny!

The way Obie looks now, he is kind of shark-finned. Never had it when he was younger/working. Now it's like everything has sagged and he doesn't carry much topline muscle.

I had a really encouraging ride on T last night. No video since I wasn't able to get out before dark, but a) she did not shut down and stop though I felt her thinking about it when we started, b) got a few pretty good T/C transitions in SI, a few strides more s-l-o-w in the canter and then a civilized down transition and c) rode some trot voltes where I really felt like she was being shaped by the outside aids with just a bit of inside leg. We even ventured some 10-12m circles in canter to the left with a good result, no swapping leads behind. Decided not to try it to the right and end on a good note rather than risk flubbing things up.

[Flight]

Mari, lovely photos and congrats on good scores especially the flying changes. It's getting hot here too, there's one comp I could go to, but my little black horse especially doesn't do well in the heat.

Norsey has a sharkfin wither. Yes, he could build up more muscle but I dont think he's ever going to have the same shape as the others (barrels).
He does have a tendency to drop his back away rather than lift up. He's gone through a few saddles trying to find as best fit as possible, but it is something in my riding that I have to try and achieve too.

[Tanga]

Interesting discussion on shark fins. Sora was like that a little, and Quinn is like that. Quilla is not--I very much noticed she is an inch less than she should be because those whithers never grew. I could be doing something very wrong with Quinn in why she just won't develop much there, but I think I've been pretty successful, and I'm pretty sure she's going to be better at GP than Quilla. And of the two, Quilla is better at dropping and getting away from you. The saddle doesn't seem to make a difference. She does just as well in the super flat Barnsby with padding and the Albion, which is narrower and needs less padding.

[Chisamba]

I spent this week on very basic work with all the upper level.horses. by basic work I mean evaluating and conforming the 3 main responses to the action of the inside rein without pulling back. By which I means first, bend without turning until reaches into but not pulling throught the outside rein, bend and turn ( following inside rein with release of inside l eg,) reaching into outside rein, and the much abused and derided rein yield .

In warm up at the walk, then transition to trot. The goal being to get the horse to stretch into the outside rein at any length of rein, which encourages reach through the base of the neck .

I find the most common " evasion" is when the horse arches the 2/3 of the neck closest to the poll and doesn't reach out of the wither / topline. Of course equal focus in each direction.

I want the horse to trust the riders hand and bit, and I want the rider to trust the horses mouth. Then we go on to more complicated exercises, but return to the bend, turn yield circle ( or string of pearls) any time it appears the trust is lost.

In all three gaits.

Some horses had this reaffirmed in ten to fifteen minutes of warm up, and one in particular had to go back to it again and again through the hour lesson.

The advantage was that my horses and students with naturally camel necked horses had really super reach over the topline, did not drop their back and lift their neck in the transitions and used their stride from behind very well.

I love it when the competition season winds downand the goal is to ride better as opposed to score well. Of close it should always be both both I like being able to shift the priority.

Also it's poles season for me to I spend an hour or so on my overnight researching or designing seasonal pole grids ( stars, Christmas trees, turkey tails )

I'm putting up a turkey tail for this weekend.

[Chisamba]

Thank you for your responses about the shark fin withers. I ride around singing that Meghan Traynor song " it's all about that base, that base) to remind myself how important the base of the neck is in riding back to front.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Mountaineer, that commy had me laughing out loud I have the same type of humor.

I'm definitely seeing improvement in Lynx and his topline. He doesn't look like he did when he was in for work, but he's had 8 months off and only been doing light ground work since being injected in his back.

He had gotten a pretty big dip in front of his sacrum. Clear muscle atrophy and bad posture. Even though he has a long way to go on his top line, I am seeing clear improvement in that muscle atrophy by his sacrum.

He got prostride yesterday and has a week off and back to real work, slowly off course but steadily.

I'm feeling helpful and kind of excited that we might be able to make real progress. I'm sure the back was not helping to stifles and vice versa.

Happy to report that the vet found zero back soreness yesterday. Yay! Let's hope we can hold it under ridden work!

[blob]

Thank you for your responses about the shark fin withers. I ride around singing that Meghan Traynor song " it's all about that base, that base) to remind myself how important the base of the neck is in riding back to front.

I've been thinking a lot about the base of the neck as well....I currently board at an eventing barn, which I adore. And it is filled with many great riders and trainers. But one really big difference I've noticed between the the muscling of the event horses at this barn compared to my 2 dressage horses and other dressage horses i've been around is in the base of the neck. The eventing horses here do not have muscle coming up like a triangle from the base of the neck. Instead I would say the neck around the withers is fairly flat/unmuscled and then there is muscle in the middle of the neck. My horses on the other hand are widest/most muscled at the base of the neck, rather than the middle. I think this likely comes from years of dressage instructors teaching me to ride the horse back to front/ride the hind end and back of the horse and the rounding of the neck will be an outcome of correct work. Versus, riding to prioritize the roundness of the neck.

[khall]

Well hauled Joplin to the big stadium arena and she had no issues with working in there though she did spook a couple of times when horses were coming directly at her. Not your typical dressage warmup but a mix of western, little tykes, saddle seat Arabs ( she really did not like that one!) and local riders who do rail classes. Not our normal arena company.

Just love this mare who I can pull off the trailer have a walk around then saddle up and go!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/VUvLEy ... tid=WC7FNe

[StraightForward]

Well Annabelle has been feeling punky and we don't know why. Thursday night I noticed she wasn't eating and was standing kind of awkwardly. Her temp was up (as it turned out, probably over-blanketed on a warm day), so I gave her some banamine. She pooped, had gut sounds and wasn't acting colicky. She went out in her pen and hung her head down and did some yawning/jaw crossing stuff. Then about 20 minutes after the Banamine, went in and started picking at her hay. Later that night, she'd eaten about half the hay and her temp was down to 100.9. Yesterday she seemed OK, if just a bit lackluster (didn't ride, just put her on the lunge for a few minutes to see). Today she was eating alfalfa, but not grass hay or her grain. She is usually a little piggy and scarfs everything down. I soaked some timothy/alfalfa cubes for her, which she had mild interest in. I was out at the barn all afternoon and checking on her periodically - eventually she went in and started picking at her leftover hay. I found a bale that was more soft and leafy, and she started eating that. Attitude is OK, she is interested in things, and if I didn't know her so well, I probably wouldn't think anything is amiss, but she is just not quite as perky as usual. Of course someone was supposed to come try her tomorrow so I had to cancel that. Told the BO she must have over heard us talking about selling her. Ha. BO thinks maybe a viral thing, I am wondering if she got some abrasion in her esophagus from rough hay or something. If she's not better by Monday, I'll call the vet, who I'd hoped to avoid for a few months after 8 straight weeks of visits.

I had an interesting ride on T today. I noticed that her canter gets more hurried after trot HI - I think there is something too that - it is more accentuated to the right. Looking at video, it seems the main issue is bringing the IF down too soon - tomorrow I'll focus on CC and see if that helps encourage more reach and throughness on that IF shoulder. She was pretty charged up towards the end of the ride and turned her stretchy trot into a canter. I got up in 2-point and let her gallop as much as safe in the confines of the arena, thinking it might help to open up her canter stride. We did get a pretty good change R to L changing directions. Once she had a chance to charge around a few times, I tried to keep the energy and compress it a bit. My thought is that I need to get to this point with her, and then continue to train and package that amount of energy, rather than calling it the end of the ride. Not sure I can create it in our little indoor though, so my chances might be limited this time of year.

[khall]

SF I’ve had a mild virus go through just Rip and Joplin. Both ran low grade fevers not even a day and were pretty much back to normal by the next day. Threw them off their groceries a bit and just blah. Hopefully A is back to normal!

That’s interesting about HI having an adverse reaction in T. Sounds like she’s not engaging to outside hind the collecting hind leg well enough in the movement. Is she wanting to stay on the IF in the HI? To combat that I open the outside rein to give them a place to move their shoulders out to so they can get off the IF. As for CC helping to open up the stride it definitely can especially if you counter bend in the CC on a curved line. That is an exercise Cedar has had me do with Joplin. Even just counter bending on the circle is helpful. I think Aleuronx had mentioned that as well.

With Joplin we are using the counter bending to help get her more upright in the shoulders. Counter bend back to true bend on the circle. HI at canter for engagement.

Will be a busy week this week with thanksgiving. Happy turkey day to all here in the US! And happy riding!

[Imperini]

Pal had something very similar last week also SF, it lasted about four days and now she's back to normal. I thought she was colicky at first but after spending more time with her she was eating, drinking, pooping, gut sounds, no temp but everything was a bit less enthusiastic and she just seemed down. She also laid down in her stall and let me come snuggle her which is completely outside the realm of normal Pal behavior. Hope Annabelle is feeling better.

I keep meaning to join in these threads and then before I know it the whole two months are gone. We're mostly just plodding along anyway. Hoping to go to at least a schooling show in the spring with a barn mate. Pal was going really well a few months ago and then she had a pretty scary colic episode and I was so worried when she went back to work I stopped requiring forward in the same way I was before and that was a mistake. Hopefully we can work through it without too much frustration on my part. Made some good seat breakthroughs for myself this last year too so that's been nice but it's still a struggle trying not to slip back into old habits especially when Pal is trying to do her best stubborn lazy pony impression.

[StraightForward]

Imperini, good to hear from you. Glad Pal is OK after the colic episode. Yes, stubborn lazy pony makes it difficult to work on the finer points of one's seat. I think I wrote something about that in the Leslie Morse clinic thread, but I can repeat it here if you're interested.

Thanks Khall for the reminder to counter bend in CC. We definitely have not been doing enough. I'll have to take some of the jumps down so we have more room to ride figures. I think her trot HI is pretty good, and so the IH is loaded more and she doesn't like that too much going into the canter. I did get a better transition when I was prepared and focused on not letting her rush. Definitely noticed some cheating in my video yesterday in the T/C in SI, but she is still figuring that one out, and the aids are certainly tricky! At the end of the day it's all about those hind legs in one way or another. It's currently raining, and supposed to get really windy later, so it might just a a day for touching up T's trace clip. I did get her an appointment with a bodyworker who does some adjustments; she hasn't seen her in probably a year, so it will be interesting to see what she finds.

[Moutaineer]

I hope Annabel is feeling much better, SF! (For some reason, though I've never met her, I feel rather fond of Annabel!)

Yeah on the behind-the-leg horse being entirely detrimental to the seat and position--and it's such a vicious circle, especially if one has a less than perfect seat to start with.

I had my saddle flocking tweaked on Thursday. It needed it. Potters' back muscles have popped quite a bit. Potters is happy, and everyone agrees that my position is so much better for it. (We have a bit of a peanut gallery at the barn. Everyone watches and learns from everyone else's lessons. It's all supportive and friendly and very educational.) But I'm finding it a bit of an adjustment. My SI is grumbling a bit and I couldn't re-find the leg and seat connection I'd had a lightbulb moment about and found at the start of the week.

I think the weekend off will let my body and brain regroup. I'm looking forward to a good ride tomorrow!

[Aleuronx]

Jingles that Annabell is right as rain soon. Definitely seems like a horse thing to do when a viewing/trial is coming up. For a HI struggle that really highlights the lack of lateral suppleness and flexibility. That's where I would address first, it generally never about the movements themselves but about suppleness, straightness and submission. Or in my case rider faffing about. Now that Tesla is more consistently going in the canter time to step up the separation of poll - shoulder - hind legs.

My minor PSA to all is check when your last dental was. Another boarder organized having a vet/dentist out and I decided to be lazy and sign up instead of hauling Kora. Then I tried to find when she was done in 2022 and can't for the life of me. Oops!

We had a great lesson, playing around with the half-steps and got some legit recognizable piaffe off on our own. 3 time playing! It's nuts, and nothing I thought I'd ever be doing, let alone teaching to a horse. This was off on our own, no ground whip assist using the canter and then coming back into collected trot and then play steps. And yes, the poll is down on purpose to keep her from inverting the back and getting stuck. For now while she learns the rhythm and strength and then we can let her out and up.

Piaffe.jpg (132.77 KiB) Viewed 124341 times

[StraightForward]

Ooh, piaffe steps, how exciting! Last night a kid at my barn was getting a lesson on an old schoolmaster and he is a piaffe machine so she was getting to have a play at it. Very cute to watch.

Thanks for the jingles for Annabelle - she seemed back to normal last night - maybe just a bit tired when I lunged her, but eager to get to her grain and was eating her grass hay when I left, so that is a relief. So back to work with her tonight.

I had a great ride on T yesterday. She was charged up because it was cold and windy, and they were scraping sand into the parking lot with a skidsteer making a ruckus right outside her stall. It was a time when lunging is the better part of valor, and she got into a really powerful trot punctuated with some impressive leaping and kicking. Once I felt it was within safe parameters, I warmed up and got some pretty good work in the indoor. Definitely a huge improvement in ability to stay on the bit and engaged and forward in the smaller space, but too small for CC in there, so we went out in the wind and did some more work. The CC really highlighted how she is launching me off the saddle with her RH, so it's on me to channel the fat buddha and be an immovable object. For left lead I felt like it really helped the canter come together though. I need to see if I can find Emile Faurie's YouTube video of an exercise that I think was CC to medium down the centerline, and then turn and continue in true canter. I even ventured to do a little reinback with her, which I've avoided due to her tendency to stop or run backwards. We finished with a little HP with some really good steps, if a little uneven overall. It will be interesting to see if I have this same energy today with calmer weather and no heavy equipment work!

ETA: this is the video I was thinking of. I must have embellished a little bit, but useful to work on the forward in CC instead of always keeping it collected. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUBKEkk2nWo

[Chisamba]

Three times, 3 times, I wrote a post and every time I tried to post it, was lost by the ridiculous log in yet again icon. I just don't get it.

So I'm not going to bother to post again at this time. Except to say briefly, Aleuronix, Kora looks fab, StraightForward, in glad Annabelle is doing better, and Moutaineer, changing saddle fit can really mess with posture

[mari]

Aleuronx - such a fabulous photo!

[Chisamba]

Fourth attempt.

In the theme of Thanksgiving I laid put a turkey which leant itself to numerous ways to ride. Perhaps the most chairing was the circle through the tail in the longest stride.

It's a really fun way to test stride length, supple and response to aids.

It builds nice muscle too in an enertaining way.

[Moutaineer]

Nice, Aleuronx!

I do like your pole exercises, Chisamba. I'll bet your students love them!

Nice ride today. Blue skies and sunshine if a little chilly. One more day of this and then winter starts to rev up.

I seem to be adjusting to the new saddle fit and I don't hurt tonight. Potters thought yesterday that it would be worth a try to sneak out from under my right seat bone at the trot going to the left. Standing him up a bit more on the right side (somewhat against his better judgement to start with,) seems to have largely resolved that today.

I've worked out that I've been riding him somewhat over-tempo at the canter. If I count out the rhythm in the right tempo as I go, it's much easier for him to get himself together and jump through in the canter. We got some really good FCs from that canter today. So I guess I will be counting as I canter until it becomes second nature!

A whole lot of thinking...

[Chisamba]

have a counter on my phone that I sometimes use. I just put it in my pocket. It's called soundbrenner. It's a free app.

[Aleuronx]

Last lesson with main trainer as they leave for Florida this weekend went well but bittersweet. We were actually the last ride of 2023 at the farm, arena dragged and ready for farm equipment and boats to be brought in.

Trot work was a box checked, just make sure that Kora doesn't just position herself in the SI but make her work in that angle and engage the hind legs. The canter half-pass we worked on owning every canter stride and not just letting her zip sideways. In the changes I need to not snatch with the inside rein, ahem. That allows the changes to be way better, who would have thunk. Then w.piro starting with more collected canter on the 10m circle then spiraling down to a ~7m circle allowing the shoulders to come around. It's quite hard work to the left and highlights more work needed on that progressively more collected canter first. To the right? Well I just have to control her not doing too much it's so easy for her.

My mini-goal for the entirety of winter is keeping my spurs on for work. Last year we had to take them off for winter dramatics.

Hope all US peeps are recovering from Thanksgiving food comas and doing a bit of retail therapy today. Kora has some holiday gifts on the way, what a well working girl deserves. I enjoyed a lovely ride outside on a slightly blustery day. The wind almost blew the Pivo over! The changes are coming along and I focused on owning the strides for half-pass from our lesson. Overall very pleased with this going into hard winter season.

https://youtu.be/GvUADwjaVrg?si=Ck8mrhZsY8iAfzBw

[khall]

Damn nice work aleuronx!

[StraightForward]

Really nice seeing Kora progress! Can I ask what kind of quarter sheet you have? It looks like it stays in place nicely. I have a few and don't love any of them.

Yesterday I took T over to a bodyworker I've used periodically for several years. She just came back from a full horse dissection with Sharon May Davis at the EquiSoma facility in NC. She is thinking about starting something similar here, which would be pretty cool. But anyway, she felt that T was really bound up in her shoulders, and stuck with her pelvis down, so she got some significant adjustments. She also felt that her RH was much less developed, so something for me to keep an eye on. A barnmate and I will have her out again in a couple weeks to work on all our girls. It would be great if this is another puzzle piece clicking into place for T. Really, I've had some nice rides on her this week, so if she can improve even more I'll be thrilled. What she found in the hind end fits well with the issue of struggling in canter, especially after the HI right.

The weather forecast was pleasantly incorrect, and it was sunny and nice, so when we got back, I had a nice little play over the jump course that was set up in the outdoor with Annabelle. Once she gets going, she is so game to go, we need to work on coming back together between the jumps. Might do some gridwork tomorrow. At this time of year, every day with good footing and decent weather is a gift.

Took advantage of the Black Friday sales to enroll in a more advanced kinesiotaping course, so that will be my winter project. I also bought a western curb bridle setup for Annabelle, and think I'll work on teaching her to neck rein and ride more off the contact this winter. I used to show western pleasure, so I think I remember how lol. Also splurged on wide leathers and aluminum safety stirrups for my dressage saddle. Same setup I have on my jumping saddle, which I really like. Now to put the credit card away for awhile!

[Aleuronx]

My shower thoughts - I'm calling 2023 the catalyst year. It feels that way for how our training has progressed. Now that we are rounding out 2023 anyone else have a year title?

That's a Kentucky Horsewear exercise rug and I really like it, found it last year for decent price. It's quilted on top and super soft 'faux' rabbit fluff underneath. Because my saddle is a monoflap I just attach it to the connector loops on the ol' O-sh!t strap. (It would normally attach to the billet straps). I do like it as it's a bit more hefty/substantial that it does stay in place better, especially like this day in the wind.

[Tanga]

Those are nice changes Aleuronx. I have the same problem with half pass left--it's me. I get stuck. The big helper with me is to think of lifting up the inside shoulder and off the inside leg so the horse can mover over (gets me off my inside seat) and as soon as it feels sticky to me, I circle or leg yield to get the feel back and then go back to half pass.

Hm. I don't know what I'd call 2023 for horses. Maybe the end of an era for me. The last of what I was doing and the loss of Sora. I still haven't decided exactly what to do for 2024, but I have run Quinn through the GP and she's easier than Quilla, WAY steadier in the p/p, and can do the 15 ones, so just thinking of doing I-2 and GP so I can get the GP score for freestyle and then having a fun year. I had a long talk with someone who had a horse at the barn and has offered in many ways to do anything she can to ride my horses and get some help and maybe show. She doesn't have a lot of money, but can do some, and more importantly, can dog sit if we actually go anywhere, so we could do some part trade, and she could get her bronze in a few shows. She'd have to fall off Quilla not to, and she won't do that. I could show Quilla PSG and I-1, but this is getting hard for me to show 4 FEI rides a show, and it seems cheating to do that.

[blob]

I don't even want to give my year a name because it really has not been a good one. It's the first year in some time where I can say I've made 0 progress and am ending the year in a worse place than where I started it. I didn't make it to a single show. I spent most of the year trying to diagnose RP, trying to treat RP, and trying to rehab RP and I'm not sure I can confidently check any of those things off. I started the year with a very solid first level horse, schooling all of second level. I currently couldn't successfully do a training level test with him. MM had a decent summer breathing wise, but has had a very rough fall/early winter. So she is also in worse fitness than we started with. Add probably the hardest year I've had work-wise at my current job leading to less riding time, more stress, etc. I also lost easy access to the trainer I loved and while I have found a new one to work with, it's not quite the immediate click i had with the previous one