The Heat is ON: July/August Goals and Progress

[Kyras_Mom]

demi…continued virtual hugs. I am glad you have Besa and that you are able to get good lessons. Yes, learn to ride what you have at the level she is. How exciting.
Exvet…so glad Junior’s hocks are in good working order. Now, just to figure out the recipe to get the work done without the effusions.
Khall, we got some rain last night…it didn’t help it just made things steamy. Us ‘dry heaters’ aren’t used to the humidity .
Chisamba, love your take on tension.

Speaking of tension…Kyra has been winding up with negative tension again. I haven’t figured out why. Ride before this one, we just worked transitions and especially to the left, she would push off OK first stride then get this little brace in her mouth and under neck. I was finally able to schmooze her into a proper transition by adding some SI into and out of transitions. That was a short session. I gave blood on Tuesday and in this heat, my get up and go got up and went.

Yesterday was solely a my pretty pony session as I washed her tail and had her hang out on her Surefoot pads. SF…gosh, your girls are spoilt and that is OK.

Today started out well then I lost her mentally and the negative tension set in and well…yuck. Her canter was just heavy in the hand and ground pounding. She was also anticipating horridly. I was cantering a 20m circle and at the rail made a 10m circle then tried to gather her to do a walk transition and she would get 6 feet from the rail and just stop. She just knew what I wanted and she was going to do it on her own despite my legs saying NO. Stopping in a heap is the last thing I want. I finally realized that I was trying to muscle her through the tension and yeah, that is going to work…NOT. So, I decided to stop the insanity and cool her down and threw in some nice haunches in on the circle and alternating sides in HI on the center line. Trying to at least break through some of the tension in her lumbar area. Her over tempo walk improved in tempo and relaxation then we went for our ride up the hill and she was perfect there. She doesn’t palpate sore anywhere under the saddle.
I think she is as tired of the heat as I am. However, when and if we ever get a decent break in the high nineties to 100, I am most likely going to have a fairly fit fire breathing dragon on my hands.

Tomorrow is another (hot) day. Supposed to be at least 100 which will break the record for most 100 degree days in a summer. Whoopee . I may take her on a trail ride depending on how hot it is when I get to the barn.
Monday, she will have off and Tuesday, the body worker is coming and Kyra enjoys her work immensely. She can drill down and find any hitchy places.

Susan

[exvet]

Exvet…so glad Junior’s hocks are in good working order. Now, just to figure out the recipe to get the work done without the effusions.

Well, the effusions are likely due to a combination of increased stress load and heat. They popped up late June/early July which coincides with the new coach and disgusting heat. I think the effusions will stay. On another note, since horses are what they are, I think he's developing a sarcoid in his girth spot...................if it ain't one thing it's another. Still he loves to work and seeks attention so we're going to try to stay the course.

Not sure if it affects Kyra but high heat and humidity are the sole source of negative tension with Junior. Trail rides are one place I am able to practice and not get the middle hoof despite the less than hospitable weather. Hope it works for you.

[Kyras_Mom]

Exvet, the trails accessible from the barn are quite challenging. There is not a lot of areas I have seen thus far where I am going to do anything but walk. Due to heavy spring and early summer rain, most are quite rutted and takes some concentration to navigate. I am hoping that in the fall, I might find someone to ride with and haul out to some flatter better trails or roads. And maybe, just maybe, the weather will have cooled off at least some. I am going to Yellowstone for a quickie get away in early September.

Susan

[StraightForward]

Well, I am back from my show and pretty happy with the results.

Yesterday my brain short-circuited and I rode a wrong diagonal in both of my tests for a 2 point deduction. I'm always a little tentative with how A is going to handle the show environment, especially in the first test, so we took it a little easy and ended up with a 62.5 in First-3 including the error. For 2-1, the error cost us hitting the 60% mark and we ended with 59.6%. Today I pushed things in the warmup and the rides a little more, and managed to ride my diagonals correctly, so we ended up with a 65.8% in First-3 (including a 7.5 for stretchy circle and 7 for rider position) and 61% in 2-1. We also got a pretty high point ribbon for second level, though I'm pretty sure we were the only ones in the running. That didn't stop me from pinning it up on Annabelle's stall though.

The judging seemed fair, the judge just wanted to see more bend, and more impulsion. She wasn't buying what Annabelle was selling as a medium trot, so those got 5's. I already have some homework for that from my last few lessons that I've kind of kept tucked away to not rock the boat too much until after this show. Like ExVet, I'm worried about some hock effusion, so I think I might take A to the vet and just get a general assessment of whether she is good to continue with developing the collected work.

My husband came today and videoed 1-3, then he wandered off and missed most of my 2-1 test but the bit I did see, he didn't zoom at all, so we look like an ant scurrying along with the sun in the back. So I'll leave it with this pic a kind stranger took for me yesterday:

[exvet]

Congratulations Straightforward! Sounds like a very successful outing. Love the picture too.

[Kyras_Mom]

SF . Those second day scores are very nice. As usual, I am out of the loop of all things shows but I would have come videoed had I known.
Keep up the good work.

Susan

[khall]

Congratulations SF!!

[demi]

Nice work SF. And I love the picture!

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Demi, continued thoughts your way. I know this is such a tough time but I'm amazed at your strength to keep going with Besa. I'm so glad you have her in your life.

SF, wow! That sounds like a great show. What good scores the next day. I love the photo, you guys look good. Thank you for sharing.

Yesterday we FINALLY used our horse trailer in some fashion. My husband ended up needing to redo the wiring for all the lights and that took a bit since he's so busy. But my Sister in law hauled her horse with it to my barn so we could ride together. Trailer worked great.

Unfortunately her horse is struggling with the heat this year, so we did a walk only ride. But it was relaxing to ride and chit chat. Lynx was really excited and intrigued to meet his "cousin."

He gets Prostride on Wednesday. I reached out to two different vets and that was the strongest recommendation. He's had a light week work wise and interestingly I think the stifle looks worse than ever. Which is something I've always suspected throughout this year. The more work, the better. But we will see what the vet thinks on Wednesday.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

So adorable

[Ponichiwa]

Congratulations on the successful weekend, Straightforward! You and A look great -- glad the judge agreed!

LSP88-- Lynx is such a cutie. And I love the crown on your bridle-- what is it?

I'm trying a new (to me) thing-- signed up for a western dressage clinic with Lynn Palm. Which means 2 things: 1) cram sessions in new-to-us tack to make sure that we're ready, and 2) so much shopping and accessorizing. I've taken a read through the tests and it's pretty clear that the test writers for WDAA ride QHs-- it's like they wrote the patterns for Queso, with lots of changes in direction and gaits very close together.

[chantal]

Congrats on your weekend SF!

Love the pics LSP.

Sorry to hear of the troubles Kyra's Mom, I don't have any helpful input but I know tension is frustrating. I agree with Chisamba and have to work extra hard not to induce it in my boy and then laugh when he shows it but shows it by amping up the suspension.

Have fun Ponichiwa with your clinic.

exvet-I don't know anything about effusions, so um, hoping for the best for you.

Flight, you will be able to do GP. You work so hard. It takes time as does everything. Cheering you on from way over here!

And more hugs for you Demi!

[Lipsmackerpony88]

It's a Passier Blu Spirit bridle. Pretty happy with it. I got it for a great deal from a German place.

Super excited to hear how the Western Dressage adventure goes! I had a judge tell me that while Lynx was a cute dressage horse, he'd be a champion in the western dressage ring. I'd imagine Queso will do so wonderfully! Enjoy!

[Kyras_Mom]

Well, calm obedient Kyra was back today. Yeah. I just need to learn that to keep trying to accomplish anything with that amount of tension won’t work. I need to go back to walk and search for it there without the “speed” of trot or canter compounding the issue. I know that but sometimes I feel I can do it. She doesn’t work that way and hasn’t for the 16 years she has been under saddle. Somebody needs to learn for sure and it isn’t the horse.

I had a really nice ride before the body worker got there. Canter was quite nice and we were able to lengthen and shorten at will. The lengthening was quite nice and “wheeeee” worthy but she was obedient to return to working canter and stay there. We also worked on SI to 10m circle to HI and I threw in a half pass each way. They went but did not flow as well as the other day but you could call them a half pass.

The body worker did not find anything saddle related so we will continue with the Prestige. It is pretty comfortable and secure…even riding up the hill. An incentive to keep my weight down . Today was the first time that she was able to release through the shoulder and totally straighten her front leg. She has always retained some bend in the knee. She had some minor soreness in the sacrum and her lower ribs were tight but she was able to get her to release all those places.

Kyra would look quite fetching for Western dressage. She looks quite spiffy in a western saddle. Sadly, I don’t own one any more. Speaking of western, I put a curb bit on her the other day (a LTJ roller bit). I am searching for something that is more comfortable for us trail riding. The bitless bridle she lays on, the PeeWee bugs her cheeks if she gets tense which she usually does on the way home and downhill…it shows big time in her mouth so I thought I would try the LTJ bit. #1, it weighs a ton but overall she did accept it. Of course I had to be very light with it but when I took her on the road around the property, she did organize herself much better on the downhill portions and seemed relaxed. She did actually use the roller a bit. That is why I bought it in the first place thinking that would give her an outlet for the mouth tension. The previous times I tried it on her, she didn’t use the roller at all. I thought I would put it on her once a week or so and then try it on the next trail ride. My riding buddy is going on vacation for 3 weeks so will try it when she gets back.

Susan

[exvet]

Susan, I can say that I absolutely love my Prestige. I really never thought I would ever buy one but it's been the best gamble on Junior. Now having said that I also love my old Passier. It at least for now fits Brandon like a glove. I also love my barrel (western) saddle. It's a Tesky custom. The key to all of them is that they each fit the horse they were purchased for and have a narrow enough twist to make me happy. I love albions when they fit the horse and are an SL, Style, SLK or other similar model (for me) .........glad the body worker didn't find anything saddle related.

[StraightForward]

LSP, that bridle looks great on Lynx!

Ponichiwa - the WD sounds like fun. You and Queso will be star students, I'm sure. I've thought of transitioning Annabelle to WD, but there doesn't seem to be much of it going on around here; it just hasn't really caught on as far as I can tell. If I did, I'd probably try to get a saddle made by Mike Corcoran since he was responsible for some of the best Black Country designs, then came back to the US and making bespoke western saddles.

Susan, Kyra is keeping you on your toes with her multiple personalities!

Yesterday morning I brought Tesla to the haul-in arena and was so happy with her the entire time. She self loaded and unloaded quietly. I turned her loose in the indoor while I paid and brought my tack in, and she was so chill that I just saddled up and hopped on without lunging. She went right to work like we were at home. With the larger FLAT arena, I got probably the best canter ever out of her. She is starting to slow down and listen to me - finding the middle between stopping and charging off. I think the penny is starting to drop that she is understanding that she can balance more on her hind legs, and I was able to start riding the canter more up and out. That went so well I opened up the gate, rode her across the parking lot and schooled in both big outdoor arenas. She never put a foot wrong, even when she spied the mules in the pasture, and when a big rig came in and started unloading horses. I'm feeling a lot better about our chances of having a productive first off-campus clinic in two weeks. This week my regular instructor will be here, so I'll have lessons Friday and Sunday. Looking forward to that as the end of our last lesson turned into one of those ride-or-die sessions when T decided left lead canter was canceled.

[Aleuronx]

Well done SF! Here's my slightly delayed show report because honestly hit the horse show hangover HARD when I got back due to it being 92 and humid everyday there and then a long extended 5 hour drive home due to traffic.

Overall the show was a mixed bag for many reasons but our main objectives were still met as I was using this as a fact finding mission for Regionals next month and wanted to get her around the rings. I'll keep this to highlights and lowlights as 4 days at a show is just way too much to type!

Lowlights:
-Grabbed hay from the farm that was just brought in and unknown at the time but unfortunately for us, not edible. That resulted in a very grumpy hungry horse and a frustrated and annoyed me having to drive out to find hay at several grain stores.
-Friday during the start of my warmup I rode by my number on the ground and it took the ring stewards quite some time to figure out how to retrieve resulting in my warm-up time disappearing and once I got said number reattached I did one canter circle and off into the ring.
-Definitely more unsettled overall in the stall but she does live outside 24/7 so I recognize the hard transition. Regionals I will not put her on the outside stall with window (or will close up the doors like I ended up doing and that helped) and there will be more horses for her to see across the aisles, they spread everyone way out for this show.

Highlights:
-Thank goodness I had brought a half bag of Hi-Fiber chopped hay as that is all she ate from Thurs/Friday
-Rode in 3 separate rings and she went around the whole test each time, even the 2 rings with the judges program going on in between.
-Saturday's test came together and was very representative of the work minus not getting her pow-pow trot lengthening. This is because I finally got her hay and she ate enough.
-Sunday's warmup was great and she felt super fab hitting all the marks. (Test? well, the ring was then 15 mins behind not to my knowledge and then the electronic scoring broke so it was a good 20+ minutes past our ride time and she was completely out of puff)
-Good photo TBD?

Here's our test from Saturday:
https://youtu.be/LGGGLEYEvJE

[exvet]

Well done SF! Here's my slightly delayed show report because honestly hit the horse show hangover HARD when I got back due to it being 92 and humid everyday there and then a long extended 5 hour drive home due to traffic.

Overall the show was a mixed bag for many reasons but our main objectives were still met as I was using this as a fact finding mission for Regionals next month and wanted to get her around the rings. I'll keep this to highlights and lowlights as 4 days at a show is just way too much to type!

Lowlights:
-Grabbed hay from the farm that was just brought in and unknown at the time but unfortunately for us, not edible. That resulted in a very grumpy hungry horse and a frustrated and annoyed me having to drive out to find hay at several grain stores.
-Friday during the start of my warmup I rode by my number on the ground and it took the ring stewards quite some time to figure out how to retrieve resulting in my warm-up time disappearing and once I got said number reattached I did one canter circle and off into the ring.
-Definitely more unsettled overall in the stall but she does live outside 24/7 so I recognize the hard transition. Regionals I will not put her on the outside stall with window (or will close up the doors like I ended up doing and that helped) and there will be more horses for her to see across the aisles, they spread everyone way out for this show.

Highlights:
-Thank goodness I had brought a half bag of Hi-Fiber chopped hay as that is all she ate from Thurs/Friday
-Rode in 3 separate rings and she went around the whole test each time, even the 2 rings with the judges program going on in between.
-Saturday's test came together and was very representative of the work minus not getting her pow-pow trot lengthening. This is because I finally got her hay and she ate enough.
-Sunday's warmup was great and she felt super fab hitting all the marks. (Test? well, the ring was then 15 mins behind not to my knowledge and then the electronic scoring broke so it was a good 20+ minutes past our ride time and she was completely out of puff)
-Good photo TBD?

Here's our test from Saturday:
https://youtu.be/LGGGLEYEvJE

Nice Job! Thanks for the report and video.

My two definitely have a challenge adjusting to being stalled for a whole show since they're also used to being out 24/7 with the exception of being brought in to eat their ration balancer which lasts all of 15-20 minutes. Not too surprising in that Junior takes it in stride a bit better but by the third day he's always a bit grumpier and of course tired. It does seem to help to keep hay in front of them the entire time and for Brandon to hang a stall toy.

[StraightForward]

Sounds like an overall good show with some challenges overcome. Thanks for sharing your video; you and Kora make a nice pair!

[chantal]

Nice test Alueronx, sounds like challenging circumstances for a show and good for you for rising to the occasion.

[Aleuronx]

Exvet, thanks for your insight from another with equines out 24/7. The hay situation will surely be rectified for Regionals which will help immensely and I'm also investigating sourcing a couple bales of candy-like 2nd cut to bring along. I'll check out some stall toys for sure!

To be fair now that the dust has settled a bit and I feel more human I can reflect that I've competed quite a bit this year and had a completely smooth time up until this show. So I was due some rocks in the river and quite happy to get those out of the way prior to the real deal of Regionals. Not that I expect to place or anything as the Northeast class for AA 1st level will likely run all day with competitors but my goal is to be top half come the end.

I did however pull my lower back muscles being a hero and lifting to load my tack trunk by myself into the trailer for the drive home. No matter as they are mostly recovered now and happy for Kora to have most of the week off anyway. Tomorrow I will swing by for a lunge in the rope and see how I feel aboutpopping a leg over on Sunday.

[Kyras_Mom]

Lots of challenges Alex. I would have freaked out about the food situation. I am glad you were able to mash it up and make it work. Watching all you busy beavers showing has me thinking that maybe next year, we can get in the ring…pick up where we left off 9 years ago at 1st and 2nd. .

I had a lovely work today. She had some bracing and bit fussiness but I was always able to convince her she could be soft if she tried…and she mostly agreed. I just love dressage for all the infinite exercises and I try not to be boring. We warmed up with LY zigzags about 10 feet from the rail then back out to the 10m then a 10m 1/2 circle then start the exercise again. By the end, she was really keen to the leg and really flowing in the exercise. After her trot warm up, for canter, I used the snowman…large circle in canter, at the “top” of the circle, transition to trot and change rein on the 10m circle then change rein and back to the large circle and canter. That also flowed really nicely. We finished with 4-3 loop serpentines in canter with a simple change across X. That revealed something that I really need to work on before I try any flying changes. Going from right lead to left, she picks up the canter then falls left then her balance is disturbed and our geometry is shot to heck. I really need to work on asking for the LL canter and keep her straight. I am pretty sure a lot of that is me (surprise…NOT).

We even had a brief audience today. A bus for one of the local assisted living facilities slowed down then stopped to watch her work. I waved at everybody and they waved back.

Susan

[mari]

Alueronx - Thanks for posting the video, you and your horse look very harmonious.

I had a playing-around kind of lesson yesterday morning, that turned out to be great fun. Kathy Johnson (sp) posted an exercise of passade (also sp?) into renvers. We tried it in the walk, and then, just to see what would happen, in the trot. It was fabulous! Just really showed how much stronger Odin has gotten in the collected work.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Aleuronx, I was very impressed with your test. Great riding. I'm sorry there was some major challenges at the show but it sounds like you guys got through all that! Good job!

Lynx got Prostride on Wednesday so he will be hanging out for a few days. We are going to adjust his work for awhile but my vet was very optimistic.

[Kyras_Mom]

LSP…jingles the Prostride mojo is strong and it does it’s thing.

I bought this goofy little phone stand that you can wrap around the fence. I have had it for awhile but never got around to playing with it as to where to put it, what the field was, etc. So, today I just lunged her a bit and played with videos. A PIVO is just not in my budget in the near future. Anyway, I can get a good 20m circle going and of course, I can stick it on the end and get some lateral work video.

Here is a little clip of a couple attempts at half steps. I though the second was a little better. The first one she had just a hint of her stamping ants (aka tension) half steps.
The second had a bit more sit and better tempo. I don’t use any special equipment as you can see. My lunge line becomes a long rein and I clip it to her halter (Susan, the lazy horseperson ).
https://youtu.be/YsRbHpeP7Gk

[StraightForward]

Kyra is so cute I need to do that with Annabelle, but I would need to put her in side reins (the horror!).

Tesla did her first flying change by accident in our lesson this morning. We got a touch off course and had to negotiate one of the poles forming the edge of our redneck dressage court. https://youtu.be/n8X9Okox3oA

[Kyras_Mom]

SF—No horror with side reins. I haven’t been able to find mine since I moved her plus she is kind of in between. The smaller ones only work for her on the last hole and normal sized ones are way too big. I need to make my own. I usually just long rein her in her bridle and with the surcingle but like I say…I am lazy. Any more time tacking her up means 5 degrees hotter . Yeah…she isn’t your long legged elastic WB but I love her just the same .

T’s change was very clean .

Susan

[Moutaineer]

We have spent the week getting used to the new footing in the outdoor, and getting it settled in. Monday it felt pretty good, but by Tuesday it had got a bit deep and loose, even though they worked it before I rode (I'm generally tail end Charlie on morning lessons, so I often get the ring redragged and watered just for me, which is rather luxurious!) Potters wasn't entirely happy about moving out in it, and may have been a little muscle sore after Monday, so we didn't do a lot.

Wednesday they hit it with a vibrating roller and harrowed and watered just before I rode, and it felt really good. You could hear that little thud of hoofbeats as you rode and it obviously felt much more stable to the horses. It was pretty good yesterday. I think they need to use the roller a few more times to really get a solid bottom to it. It'll probably be about perfect by the time we move inside for the winter.

Its a mixture of silica sand and Premier footing that looks like recycled carpet scraps. Stinks to high heaven at the moment when its watered. I'm hoping that goes off pretty quick. Its going to be pretty unpleasant in the indoor when they do that.

Now we are back outdoors and have lots of lovely space, I'm trying to perfect my flying change technique so he doesn't anticipate and I don't choke him... I want them no big deal by the time Mette comes in a few weeks, so she can find something else to pick on

[exvet]

Well, we're diligently working over fences, in hand, conditioning sets on the trail and the many exercises that I was given to complete while Molly was in Lamplight riding her six-year-old test. I watched her go both times live (so cool that it was livestreaming, and the time difference worked for me for a change). I must say that though I've seen her ride before and this horse (she owns it) go, I am so happy that she took me on as a student. I felt of all the 6 year olds (all beautiful horses) hers had the most correct bearing and way of going. He didn't have his 'second' trot but that's because he's only been under saddle for 9 months after a one-year rehab for a pasture injury. He was tired today and she ended up 9th out of 14 after both tests but you can tell he truly trusts and adores her. While I'm not a huge fan of the FEI tests for horses so young, hers did not appear pushed or move in any way like he's going to be all used up in another year. Any concerns (minor) I had regarding whether or not she's the right one to help me with my two were dismissed this weekend.

I'm trying to be patient waiting to get hind shoes on Brandon. As luck would have it, he'll get his new feet the day before our next schooling show. I do think that the shoes will help my challenges with him though it might not be obvious at the show. In the meantime, I confirmed what his breeder's desire and plans were initially - HE CAN JUMP! He's got great form over fences and is in no way shy of them. I've been jumping both boys. While Junior is neater and tidier over the fences with his forehand, he needs to be reminded occasionally to tuck his hind legs more which gymnastics have helped in this regard. I don't see that being an issue with Brandon. I think the jumping is actually helping Junior's piaffe - it's becoming more clear and stronger. Both boys have been challenged with another exercise to help with their respective crookedness - straddling poles. I was instructed to walk (Brandon especially) in hand and ask him to straddle a pole, building on the length as he figures out how to keep both right feet right and both left feet left. It's been a definite challenge for both boys; but we've moved up to being able to manage for 24 feet without crossing over Cantering right for Brandon is starting to sort out a bit. Junior is really starting to better understand the mechanics of a good flying change in both directions. Hopefully I'll have what I think is incremental improvement with each confirmed in my next lessons on them.

Ace who is really my SO's mount, was happy to start getting back out on the trail. My SO has been threatened by his doctor that he must get back into a real exercise routine. Not too surprising as a former marathoner, he chose jogging. Ace has been happy to jog right alongside of him for the 4 miles with me as his rider. He is like riding a rocking chair. He has such wonderful suspension and ease of movement it's a shame that he thinks dressage in a metered court is a useless way to expend energy. He is so attached to my SO as much as any dog would be and fortunately, we're finally cooling off a little at night at least; so, both grumpy old men can start to get back into shape.

[StraightForward]

Wow ExVet, you are doing a lot given the kind of heat you must be getting down there!

We finally got a little reprieve from the heat this weekend, though it's going to climb back over 100 in the next couple days.

I had good lessons Friday and this morning. I only rode Tesla on Friday, and then both girls today. I think Annabelle was feeling a little better after five days off. I'm thinking I'll try to give her maybe 3 days off in a row every 3 weeks or so. We are working her a little deeper in the canter to to build more of a bascule and hopefully get her sitting and folding her hind legs a little more. Towards the end we agreed that she gave her best canter yet. If I can start producing that as her normal working canter, I think we'll be well on our way to producing more of the longitudinal suppleness to get the forward and back between medium and collected. We also touched on some trot HP, then straight forward in SI or HI, and LY away, and then at the end some work on getting the hinds under in trot/halt transitions to have a better spot to start the RB.

With Tesla, just trying to keep her forward and loosened up a bit using SI and then SF and LY in the canter, playing with some counter flexion. Also working towards a more true travers - asking for travers, and then changing it to LY at and angle and then bending again. She has some bug bites right on her girth line, so I'm going to give her a few days off to hopefully allow them to heal up.

The clinic I was signed up for next weekend was canceled due to flight costs. The organizer didn't bother to tell me until I messed her yesterday. Oh well. My regular instructor will be back in about two weeks, so it just might be for the best, though I was looking forward to trying out the fancy footing at the host facility.

[Dqwannabe]

Hi, everybody!
This is going to seem like a bit of a fly by. I haven't read anybody's updates and haven't been on the site in over a month (but I'm about to try catching up on the last couple pages here once I submit my post)
Rescue mare Razzy is a challenge. As the rescue warned me, she tends more toward fight than flight. Even freaking lunging, we still have "discussions", lol. But, I've religiously continued with my weekly lessons since I started this spring and my instructor has been SO helpful with all these bad habits I've amassed over the years - collapsing to the inside, holding my breath, uneven weighting of my seat bones, dropping my head down... the saintly lesson ponies expose something new every week, lol!
But, back to the fight/flight thing? As I become more aware of and try to correct some of these bad habits, there really IS no fight. Razzy responds to correct influence. I can't really claim that she responds to "cues" other than "leg on means go''". But, we get consistent shoulder fore and baby leg yield if I ask correctly with my body. One of the things I love the most about mares is their sense of fairness. If my body tells her something, she responds, there's no need for "correction" and I get to gush over her. As an aside, she doesn't particularly care if mom gushes over her or not, pleasing humans isn't even on her radar. But, we get to have a ride with praise and no arguments.
I do have a question for anyone who may have read this far... we've had a handful of rides where Razz has been rather bitchy, didn't want to trot, sometimes I even had to tap with the whip to move from halt to walk (which results in the swishing tail, sometimes a warning buck or two)... and once we're finished and untacking, she just can't hold it any longer and has to pee in the cross ties. I feel so bad every time - I really don't think she was being naughty, she just had to pee! Anyone have advice on signs she may be giving me that I'm missing BEFORE getting on? Maybe I could groom her and pop her back in her stall for 10-15 min before tacking up? I just haven't run into this with mares before (I've had many a gelding that would just refuse to move and proceed to pee then we'd go on our merry way. I'd be more than happy to accommodate her, she just doesn't tell me she needs to go).
So, yeah, that's my biggest issue of late. I appreciate that I should be counting my blessings!
Hope everybody is having a great summer! I'm gonna go catch up on posts from the last week or so. Have a great week!

[chantal]

Hi Dqw, good to hear from you. My guy will act out if he has to pee and doesn't like to pee in the arena so I always put his boots on and saddle on and then put him back in his stall so he can pee and poop. He doesn't always pee but poops most of the time. We've gotten into quite the routine. He's apparently the best hydrated horse in the barn the staff likes to say so, uh, yeah. He also pees immediately after I ride so I put him back right after I untack as well. So I would just make it part of your routine and she may get the idea. I've seen people whistle while their horse pees to teach them to do it on command, just a low tone. So you could try that as well.

[Chisamba]

I have a mare who pees after she is ridden every time. I But I had a crazy scary incident with Saiph yesterday. After a seeming normal groom tack up and warm up she suddenly started to sway behind . I jumped off and she didn't seem to know where her back legs were. I barely managed to get the tack off and walked her . I had my assistant walk here so I could video it for the vet. See video https://youtu.be/f6uVBm0kMcA

Now forgive my assistant she was so freaked out it took me ten minutes to get her to calm down so we could gently walk the mare. Anyway long story short she was ovulating. Yes Ms drama queen had a giant follicle and was ready to be bred.

I do not know if it was that the ride coincided completely worth the hormonal surge because I have ridden mares more than geldings and never had that happen before.

I guess I'm saying that it's much less likely to be bladder and much more likely to be hormonal.

[blob]

I agree with Chisamba that with a mare it's likely to be hormonally linked. Is it a lot of pee or smaller amounts?

Having said that, my gelding--RP--frequently does the same thing pees like crazy the minute I get off, even sometimes when I've seen him pee not too long before I got on.

I would encourage you to get a vet involved if you can, even just to test blood levels and make sure kidney functions look ok. There are horses who pee too much because they can't concentrate their urines and others who just drink too much water and in RP's case it seems to be triggered by riding (and alfalfa).

[Chisamba]

I ).

Just quoting to get your attention. Happy birthday to you

[blob]

thank you, Chisamba!

[StraightForward]

Oh gosh Chisamba, that looks scary! Glad Saiph is OK. It seems like no matter how long we're around horses they come up with new ways to surprise us. I saw a FB post yesterday of a gelding who had sucked the leg strap from his blanket straight up his sheath.

Hauled Annabelle out to school this morning and had a really nice ride. The indoor was freshly groomed and we had it all to ourselves. We were able to stay a little lower and deeper from the trot through the canter transitions and back down, and also accomplished some pretty fair CC loops. I got to observe our attempt at medium in the big mirrors and can see that it will be there if I can just get her sitting a little more in back.

In a moment of hubris I signed Tesla up for Intro B & C at a little schooling ODE at the end of September. It will be good to at least have one under her girth before hopefully showing "for real" next year.

[Moutaineer]

Happy Birthday, Blob!

Good Lord, they do find some creative ways to get our heart rates up, don't they, Chisamba?

We have a ritual. I always bring Potters in from his turnout and put him straight in his stall, then I get all my stuff out and set up, then I bring him out to groom and tack up. He knows the drill and nearly always pees and poops in his stall before I pull him out. He also always poops on the cross ties once I take his saddle off. If I'm quick enough I can have a scoop in place to save shoveling...

You know how you sometimes get a ride where you just can't both get it together, and it sucks? We had one of those yesterday. My timing was off, he was unfocussed and bobbling on and off the contact, and the two of us had apparently forgotten how to leg yield, let alone manage a clean flying change. It was just Ugh and thoroughly depressing. Neither of us could take the entire blame for the situation, it was beastly hot and humid, too, but I was utterly exhausted and ready to go home and take up knitting.

however, today the angels blew their golden trumpets, and we were in sync and connected and forward and straight right from the start, and things just worked as they should. We even managed a lovely clean line of "uncounted tempis." (Now we are ready to start counting them, I'm told.)

It all goes back to the good old "ride your horse forward and straight" mantra.

But in addition to that, my trainer dropped a little nugget on me today, as we were working on shoulder in and haunches in, about maintaining a conversation and keeping him interested and mentally engaged with me in what we are doing, as well as physically.

Yet another thing to work on.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Happy birthday Blob!

Chisamba, that video was crazy! I'm glad she's okay, but how dramatic!

It sounds like everyone is working hard and through things.
Lynx was supposed to get back to work today starting with a saddle fit check. But he got kicked yesterday. We think he's okay, my vet actually thought I could handle it without her but I was paranoid as he was kind of dragging his toe. But he got kicked in his forearm so it just hurts to extend his leg, which is expected. So he will get a few more days off with a bandage on it. Horses!

[exvet]

All three of my geldings will urinate immediately after dismounting. Sometimes with Ace it's a challenge so you don't get splashed because he doesn't always wait until you're fully dismounted. Junior will often urinate just before I bring him in to be saddled if he sees it's his tack being pulled out.

Chisamba, I had a petite Arabian mare who would do the same thing when she was ovulating. What was amazing to me is that often she wouldn't do this until after I got on and tried to ride. It would usually start with a grumpy mare in the cross ties and after I saddled up and mounted, she'd start kicking out on the side she was ovulating on. When I would dismount her movement was much the same. The first time it happened I thought I 'broke' her. My son's Arabian mare (different breeding entirely) would also be 'funky' when she was ovulating. We used to call her the pole dancer because she'd throw her haunches into a panel of fencing and sway back and forth and literally squall during her dance and I finally figured out she was ovulating during these 'shows'. Of course I've had other mares who were either on such an even keel no matter their cycle that without palpating I couldn't tell if they were ovulating or not (yes, the ones I made efforts to breed were always the silent heat cycle gals) or mild 'in heat' signs that didn't affect riding or movement whether they were ovulating or not though to be honest and thinking back these were my boss mares who were always VERY stoic with everything.

Happy Birthday Blob!

[StraightForward]

I went out to do a little jump day with Annabelle and a) too many people riding, and b) realized I'd left my helmet in the trailer. So time to close out.

Self
Continue running 1x per week and gym 2x per week - Yes. I noticed comparing video shots from a couple months ago vs. now I'm looking more trim, even though I haven't lost weight. So hopefully I've traded some fat for muscle.
Feldenkrais and/or yoga 2x per week - Fail. I did yoga here and there, have done zero Feldenkrais.
Lose the stirrups for part of a ride 1x per week - Fail. Only did this about twice.

Tesla
Well, she is lame as of today, but hoping she'll be back to work next week so: She was actually out for three weeks and it took some doing to get her back into cooperative work mode, so July was kind of a loss
Improved contact and straightness in transitions. Yes
Cantering on smaller circles. Yes, we've even cantered in the little indoor.
Baby counter canter. Yes, we've done a fair bit of counter canter
Jump crossrails.We have cantered over some ground poles and did hop over some tiny x-rails.
Continue suppling with SI and HI, ToH. Yes, the SI is getting quite nice and she is figuring out HI.
EXTRA CREDIT: have successfully hauled out for lessons and solo schooling.

Annabelle
Quickening up the hind end Yes, but always a work in progress
Riding in the double A is pretty used to the double at this point, but I've gotten a little more finesse with the snaffle now, and only use the double if I feel like she is not staying mobile in the jaw.
Lots of canter transitions getting the canter more through and collectible Yes, also a definite WIP. Getting in and out of medium canter leaves a lot to be desired.
Yielding the haunches out and in on a circle to get the hind legs more under Yes, still lots to do.
Hopefully show August 20thYes, we got our best score yet at first, and managed to not embarrass ourselves at 2-1, so I now have two scores towards bronze.

[Kyras_Mom]

[quote="Kyras_Mom"]Me…continue to work on the diet. Cut out more processed food and stay hydrated. I am still having issues with my left hip…tendonitis and/or bursitis.
I have had 2 steroid shots. They definitely help but not for long (4-ish weeks). I don’t want to just keep doing steroid shots so on the 12th I
am getting PRP in the bursa and the gluteal tendons. I am really over this…it has been bothering me more on than off since last September. I want it gone before my vacation next May.
Still working on this. Fitness is still crappy as it is still hard to do things without hip pain (oddly except riding). Warming her up posting trot gets my HR usually between 130-150! And ‘they’ say riding is not exercise. PRP maybe improved things about 20% but not enough that I am going to shell out of pocket for more. MRI scheduled for Sept 10th to see if it is anything actually fixable or if more steroids are in the future.
Kyra…continue on basics. Get her more even in the contact and continue to seek relaxation. She is much improved from 2 months ago but she could be mellower and more responsive to me vs her environment. Canter is feeling much closer to a ‘working’ canter where we can start doing some counter canter and simple lead changes.
check on everything. Connection is much better but I do have to be diligent, especially with straightness as it is so easy for her to fall back into her mouthy habits. I have only had one ride where I lost her attention and couldn’t recover it (distraction = tension). That is pretty good. Canter has been pretty good. Still working mostly on basics, changes of stride length within the gait. I have done some CC work and need to incorporate more. It has been so blasted hot that our work sessions are pretty short and it is hard to work everything in.
Get her up the hill and onto some trails. We need a babysitter for that and my main buddy for this has COVID so I need to wait until she recovers or I may be able to get the BO to babysit us up the hill.
Done x 3! Riding buddy is gone until mid-September but that is OK. Hades is still visiting and I will gladly wait and hope the weather cools off.
Susan

[Chisamba]

In assessing my past two months.

Saiph. Showed fourth ,rated show. Got my fourth level scores. Felt I could have done better. Tried a new clinician. Really liked her eye but less excited about the method.

Kimba, stepped up and showed second and got a 70. Can only like that.

Caliburn. Showed second. Know I need more warm up for that level.

Me. What the eff. Gained weight . Absolutely gave myself a talking to about eating. Started Noom again.

So that's my summary.

[Aleuronx]

Chisamba that video was shocking, poor Saiph but as I watched I was nodding as I've seen Kora press her sides/hindquarters into posts and the side of the shed and kick out. Thank goodness the extended release hormone shots are doing her well. Not so good for my wallet but hey ho.

Closing this out and while I have sympathy for those in hotter climes I am sad to be saying goodbye to summer. There's never a guarantee for riding once winter comes here hard and long in the Northeast.

Section Goals:
-Rider fitness of some variety (yoga? bike? weights?) We did some biking! Not as much as I should and still trying to work this in more.
-Pip the 70% barrier at 1st 3. Trainer says good and reasonable goal to have so putting it to 'paper' No, but I'm also not sad about this. We had the best test for a middling score and a garbo test for the same. Judging is like that and I'm still over the moon from that kickass test.
-Going 'lite' on lessons as we will be here there and everywhere. 3x to trainers Only 2 lessons but we added in a new field trip place so I'd call this good.
-Keep rolling with the Sunday Funday's of either polework or field play Resounding checked box, we rode and blasted around the fields a ton and had some polework days spattering in as well.

[exvet]

My goals are much of the same of what they've been, just building more on to what we've been doing:

Junior
Continue to work the canter so that it's supple and the same canter on both leads
Hopefully we'll be ready for consistently clean flying changes towards the end of this challenge but we'll see
Build stamina in Junior's second trot and medium trot
Do a little more jumping

I think we hit all of our goals but the true test will be my lesson a little later this morning. Hocks were found clean. Teeth were done; so, I think we're ready for the next steps in our journey.

Brandon
I've already been working on his trot-halt-trot transitions which we'll continue to work on more engagement (appropriate for his level).
Work on even better balance at the canter
Continue to work on leg yields so that the one to the right (sticky) is a mirror image of the one to the left (much better/easier)
Start true trot lengthenings
Do more cavalleti work

Again we made a diligent effort towards hitting all of our goals. I need to continue with the same.

Ace
Continue his work on the lunge at the canter
Hopefully get some trail riding in if the monsoon rains would cooperate
Thumbs up here too
Me
Continue to work out 4 days a week (my current number of days off) despite planning on taking on a bunch of extra shifts at work

[Lipsmackerpony88]

I'm having trouble coming up with many goals this time. Summer just gets extra busy for us and I feel when you have a young horse it's best to keep things realistic.

Me: keep working on my position as always. I need to sit up more, longer leg and bend my elbows. My back has been killing me but I discovered our bed frame has broken, definitely not helping me feel good. So new bed on the way.

Lynx: keep getting him in front of my leg, keep getting him to work straight and stay strong. He's at times getting a little fussy in the contact, mostly in transitions. Trainers both say they think it's just him now working harder and not so sure that he wants to do that. I do have a new bit to try but I think it's more about getting his hind end working than the bit.

I do want to ride in the field and get off property at least once. We might do a schooling show in August.

Well this summer was tough but I did experiment and make a little progress in my position. I'm also going to sign up for a fitness program that focuses on riders.

As far as Lynx, I did end up getting him a new bridle But I think the fussiness in the contact was from the stifle which I had wondered about all along. Fall will be a bit slow for us but hopefully we are on a better track now that we know more.

[blob]

Me:
Continue to eat healthy
Drink water
Do something physical on days I can't ride
Practice hauling once trailer arrives

MM
Start doing work in the arena
Continue trot and canter, working towards a 40 minute riding session
Bring in poles and small jumps to keep interest up

RP
2nd clinic with Heidmann in July, get more homework
Show? There are not many options in July/Aug so this one may not happen
Keep trotting in hills, add in canter
Start working on haunches-in in trot and canter
Continue to build strength in SI both the lateral work pieces didn't really happen in the way I planned them, but I have been working a lot on lateral aids and suppleness, just more through LY andand spirals on circle than in a traditional HI or SI

[Moutaineer]

Goals... well it will be hot here for this period and the construction at the farm will be ramping up, so not dieing will be top of list Well, I'm still here! Got a bit scraped and banged up in one incident with construction equipment, but survived.

Apart from that:

1. Continue to improve my timing for the FCs, which has got so much better but could be better still. This work in progress has greatly improved

2. Continue to work on not fiddling with my hands and using my legs more. Yes! I feel that I have made much progress here.

3. Extended gaits. Everything about them (including that not dieing thing in more ways than one!) He's good, I need to learn to go with the flow and not pinch. This is going to be my push for the next period, I think. It's better than it was, but still more to improve.

4. Still struggling to lose 5lbs. In times past, it would have melted off with the riding and heavy yard labor I've been doing in the heat so far this year, but it just isn't this year. Blah. Well I lost 3lbs, which is better than nothing.

5. Go to a show. Aiming for Estes Park in mid August. It should be much cooler up there. I might also try and go to a local (as in 10 minutes from where I board) recognized show in 3 weeks or so just to test the waters. There's some weirdness and tricky politics involved there though, so I have to check it won't freak out my trainer. This has been a total fail this year, unfortunately. Mostly through other people's problems. Oh well.

[khall]

Recap

Goals for these two months

With the heat and humidity it’s lighter work sometimes and we are gone on vacation for a week in August. But here goes

Joplin schooling CC piaffe from trot do some gallops in the field. Trot poles on lunge maybe haul to poplar place to school depending on the heat. She has a sarcoid in her ear we are dealing with. Needs injecting.

Yes except for for hauling out to school. Added in working piaffe from RB both in hand and US. Tried a bit of canter HP too. Sarcoid I think is responding to the new treatment hope vet thinks so today too.

Gaila riding in double work on CC maybe FCs? Definitely have eyes on the ground for that.
Hauling next week for US and uterine culture see what the reason was she did not catch. Looking to breed again November for October foal.

Gaila I am riding in the double some. Getting FCs even when I’m not asking at times. I do like riding her in the double. Here this past week been hauling for uterine lavage. She had pretty nasty uterine infection that hopefully we got cleaned up. Culture 9/15 to see the breed November. Have her under lights right now.

Did find a Saphiro 3 yr old palimino gelding but $35,000 is a bit out of my price range. There are young horses out there that look to have nice potential if Gaila is not able to be bred successfully. So all of this is still up in the air depending on what we find on the culture.

Me eat better. With Kevin still isolating (still tested positive) food is haphazard I also tend to be an emotional eater which between Roe and the SC other decisions Jan 6 hearings and mom whose dementia is progressing and the scare of Covid yeah the eating is not good. And I turned 55 today. Reminding myself age is just a number

Still have not gotten Covid somehow. Though I’ve been exposed known exposure twice. Eating some better and back in pilates. Not doing much else yet though will with shorter days.

I hope to be back in pilates next week and I’ve been introduced to vibrating plate and how it can help with weight loss. A friend is using it for her MS. Supposed to be good for bone density so will probably have mom use it some too because as a typical small light framed white woman that does not exercise her bone density is an issue.