Adventuring with Sissy again

 Today we took Sissy to Ashland for another hack. Plus Dan and I probably needed to not stress over dressage for the third ride in a row. :) We had a good time. Funny sat on the trailer while I tacked up Dan, in preparation of getting her to stay on the trailer while Dan and I work. Then we hacked out and had fun. We saw a coyote (or maybe a fox.. it was far away) and some deer. We jumped a few little tiny jumps. And Funny actually jumped! We trotted. We snacked. It was a good day. 

And when the wind wasn't blowing it was quite nice out! The sun was shining and even the frogs were going crazy on one section of the trail!

Chilly day, but we did it

 wind chills high of 30, 10-20 mph winds. but sunny

good ride. in arena mostly because the wind froze my face and ears and teeth

worked on transitions and attempting changes. no real changes but some very nice simples with only 1 walk step or so. my aids are the inside leg at the girth. which is why he kept swapping or breaking on the left lead.. because my right leg keeps tapping him. ooops

kiss challenge video. He DOES love me :) 

And new jammies

Chaos and Changes

Sigh.. it's been a week. So go figure that my lesson today was a little chaotic. 

Luckily Dan is an eventer and wasn't fazed by anything. They are still doing construction in the arena so there were saws buzzing and boards being nailed up. And the arena felt a tiny bit frozen (oddly) and had tracks from them driving through it, so a few lumpy spots. And in the corner there was a glob of concrete that had spilled and concreted. And there was a van parked in another corner. So... it was quite the adventure. But honestly, Dan didn't care. It just meant we had to ride around the hazards, which we do at home all the time in the arena with the jumps and deep spots. :) 

I had told Rana that I was getting frustrated and feeling like we wanted to get the change so we could get our bronze. So I had asked that we come up with a plan to make showing 3rd level in the Spring happen, or at least accept the fact that it wouldn't happen if she didn't think we were ready. So that's what we did today. I asked if she wanted to ride and she said she'd let me start and see what happened. 

We warmed up briefly and then went to the canter. She said that watching what he did during transitions and counter canter would tell us what his "go to move" during the change would be. And his is to brace with his under neck and hollow his back, thus inactivating his hind end. So I have to be very cognizant of the bend to keep him from getting hollow and stiff. For him, he has to almost be too deep and what I would consider too much bend, because when he gets straight. he can brace and invert. It has to be real bend though, not just me cranking his head in. So we picked up the canter and then she asked us to show her the counter canter but she had us do it by doing it on a figure 8 vs the 3 loop. So that threw us off, especially with the "hazards" in the arena. (okay, maybe that's an excuse!). It's so aggravating because we've been practicing the counter canter... we can do a fairly decent 3 loop... we have even been practicing our counter canter haunches in serpentine... but today, we couldn't hold the counter canter to save our lives. We tried a few different ways and he kept breaking or swapping. So then she laughed and said "okay, let's just skip 2nd level then" and move on. So then we tried multiple different methods of getting a change. We tried a 10 meter canter circle, serpentine figure 8 to a 20 meter counter canter and then as we came back to true canter, swap to the true lead and stay on the cirlce. We then tried that exercise but instead of staying on the circle, swap to the other counter canter. We tried picking up the counter canter and going down centerline and doing a change to true lead as we made the turn on the short side. We tried figure 8/serpentine changes. We tried simples with taking away the walk steps. And poor Dan. My brain was so frazzled with trying to keep my aids correct, hold the counter canter, process whether I was supposed to be counter cantering or true cantering and which direction she wanted me to turn...  and then Dan got frazzled and we were all over the place. We managed to get a few changes.. maybe one or two clean ones but mostly in front and really late behind, or through a simple with trot or walk. And none of them were technically on the aids. And quite honestly, I was so flustered I'm not sure I was even attempting to ask and I know I wasn't asking correctly. It didn't help that the barn workers had sat at the rail to watch. Why?!?! Clearly this isn't going to go well. Sigh.. .

So yeah. It was a hot mess. And by the end I couldn't even get Dan to hold the canter on the left lead. He kept breaking ot the trot and attempting to canter again on either lead. So I tried to atleast just finish with a nice trot and nice normal canter. And his trot was pretty freakin' nice and we got a much more collected rocked back canter. But the rest of it was a hot mess. The good is that Rana said his upwards had gotten better, and his trot and canter in general were better. She said he CAN do a change, because he clearly did a bunch today, even if they weren't correct or on the aids. She said the trick with him is going to be getting him to do them on the aids vs just doing them to do them or because of where we are in the arena. In other words... not letting him take charge and doing what he thinks is best. Sigh.. I was kind of hoping that would work to my favor! Ha! 

So.. my homework is to work on canter to walk to canters. Til I'm bored to tears. And while we do them he needs to stay round and supple and through and bent. No straightening and propping. Then we also have to work on the counter canter and keeping him soft and balanced and through. And working on changes within the gait to keep him from bracing when anything changes. And then... if I heard/remembered correctly, she said to play with it at home and see how it goes. Without the pressure and chaos, I can feel and focus better and maybe get some better results. I need to really focus on making my aids VERY OBVIOUS! So really bring my outside leg back. I need to make sure that my right leg doesn't slide back like a ninja without my knowledge and inadvertently confuse him. My inside leg needs to come off as I ask for the change. She also suggested that as I do my downwards and go to change direction... change the bend first.. then change my seat and leg aids as I do the transition. We do NOT want to teach him to change off the change of bend/rein aids. 

Ugh... I almost cried. And I'm not entirely sure why. Mostly because it was just so confusing maybe. I mean, he tried.. we got some changes, maybe even one or two clean ones. But mostly I think I'm just so over this week and being stressed and then you add in the mental stress and confusion in my lesson today.. add in the pressure of wanting to get this and do it right... I really just wanted to cry. 

Hopefully we can play with it some this weekend. In the windchill of 12 degrees on Saturday. :) Doh! Oh, and... she reminded me... that even if he's late behind... even very late... or essentially only swaps in front... as long as there is some sort of attempt to do something different on my aids..reward him! Which, I knew not to punish, but I wasn't actually sure that he should be rewarded unless it was a full change. But duh.. makes sense. Reward the effort.. make a big fuss... tell him he's amazing... so that he'll start seeking it and hopefully we'll figure it out sooner rather than later. 

I really think I just need a nap and some chocolate. 

Jump Lesson

 Legs first, then hand. Need to use inside leg to get the barrel to bend, which allows the shoulders and withers to come up and the hind end to engage. Then must also add the outside rein to hold him because now he's actually bending and drifting slightly out. 

jumped some courses worked on bendy lines and paying attention... two verticals to related vertical then two verticals to bendy line (instead of finishing the straight line fence), some roll backs...

good things... he didn't hold a grudge. I didn't always go to my leg quick enough, but I stopped going to my hand first. A few times we had an icky distance because the distance was icky (It can still do the despite a good canter) but because the canter was good and I didn't collapse, we got through it without him rolling over his shoulder. his downwards were much more engaged and air plane landy. we got mostly clean changes today (i didn't ask, but still). 

quick hack to lake. a little bit of a lazy bum today 

sunset photos

oh, and.... dan smooched Jacel and got her all frothy

Sun Bathing and Evening Rides

My birthday

sunbathing dan... trying to wake up a teenager.. funny tried to help

then rode dressage this evening. worked on sitting and slowing the tempo. Got a bit sassy at the end and a little too quick at the trot. Worked on my pelvis twist at the canter and unlocking his barrel and softening that neck. Got a few good steps. 

decent half pass at canter and used mirrors and got really good crossing at trot half passes

good halts and some really good downward transitions today

Dang weather!

 I'm better now but I was still cranky this morning. Still kind of cranky now. It's getting annoying, but I can't seem to shake it. I didn't sleep well, despite the animals actually letting me sleep in til 8:30. It was still super cold too. And last night we had more snow flurries. Nothing stuck, but it did drop below freezing so there were threats of icy roads. 

Anyways, Dan had an appointment with Kathleen this afternoon for his massage and I desperately wanted to ride. But I also had to spread poop and get dog and cat food and Mike's mom is coming tomorrow to take us to lunch for our birthdays, so.. the house needs to be cleaned. So... I got rolling and fed animals and then went and got dog and cat food. Then I came home and spread poop and finished cleaning the stalls. My plan was to then go to Ashland, dressage, then hack, then go to Taylors to meet Kathleen. Good deal!

 

I grab Dan, pull clothes off the other two as it's actually starting to warm up in the sunshine, and load Dan up. We get about 3 minutes down the road and Lucy texted and said the arena's were way to sloppy to ride. Ugh.... At this point.. it's too late to just hack and get to Kathleen as her first horse (rather than the second) and it's going to be a really long hack if I just hack. Oh well. Maybe the jump arena is open. And luckily, it was. Still not ideal, as I can dressage around jumps at home. Although my arena is still soup too. 

So we continued on and tacked up and went and rode in the jump arena. It wasn't too bad. Although from up there, you could see how sloppy and nasty the dressage arena's were! Dang! Doubt we'll be riding there tomorrow either. So we hopped on and warmed up and did our thing. He was actually pretty super. He started a little slow and sticky but we got his engine revved. And someone had put down four ground poles so we trotted over those. They weren't quite the same as the cavalettis' but pretty darn close. It really helped to keep going back through them throughout our ride. We worked on keeping the tempo slow, using my core and upper body to keep him halfhalted and rocked back, and... we got some good work. We are still struggling in the canter half pass (and trot half pass) left, but got some good stuff today. He seems to get stuck going sideways. Well, he can't go sideways. When we go right, he can make it across the whole arena in the length of the arena. But when we go left, he can't quite make it all the way across before we run out of arena. Which is okay.. it's strength and I'm sure I'm blocking him somehow. But we did manage to get some really good steps sideways. And he was much more rocked back and uphill, so.. maybe that's the ticket. 

 

Kelli watched some and said that was some of the best work she's seen him do! She said that our beginning counter canter loops were amazing! He was upright and straight out of his withers within his neck and round and engaged and really reaching with the hind end. She said as we did it more, he lost it a little. Which is good to know as I wasn't sure if he was too straight, so I had tried to ask for a little more counter bend, and apparently, he lost the suppleness with that. So, good to know! Keep him upright and straight and don't focus on the bend so much for now. 

Then we watched Marvin go a little bit. He looked good. Then I did a quick hack around the little lake and we headed to Kathleens. I felt so bad because apparently she didn't do the other horse because he was out in the pasture and no one else was there. So she just waited for us. OOOPS!! I could have gotten there earlier had I known! Oh well. 

 

So yes.. much less cranky. Of course when I was pulling my boots off I somehow wrenched my neck/shoulder and it's kiling me now. Like.. dude... just cause it's my birthday tomorrow and I'll be 44 years old... pulling my boots off is what undoes my shoulder?!?!? Ugh... 

Oh, and he was a good boy for his massage. He LOVES Kathleen. She said he felt great and she could tell he was doing the cavaletti work. :) She was quite pleased with him and his body. yay!

Trying out the Cavalettis

 Ugh.. today was a miserable nasty gross wet cranky day. But I sucked it up and took the kiddos out for a spin. I decided to take Dan and Funny around the neighborhood since it was so soppy. I figured that it was smarter than going to Ashland since it was starting to get late and if it really started to pour... well, I'm closer to home. So we did. They were both WILD! Right as I was about to get on something got them all riled up. They were spinning and snorting. But I got everyone settled and off we went. Dan was on the muscle and Funny even reared up! But onward we marched and they settled. There was a little bit of snorting and Dan stopped and thought about spinning and bolting when we saw some trash cans... and then again when we saw a horse trailer parked in the side of the yard. Although.... he was not thrilled and really alarmed and I was looking to see why and suddenly it was like.. the matrix shifted! It was like a ripple passed over the trailer. Creepy! But we were able to move past it, so... all good. :) 

We got back to the house and we went up to the arena and walked Funny around a bit. She saw herself in the mirror and was so curious. She was looking behind it too, like Dan did at first. And he was a little confused because... he saw the two of them and I think he was confused. I mean... do horses know what they look like? Like, maybe he pins his ears because when he sees his reflection, he doesn't know it's him. But then he saw Funny's reflection and he knows what she looks like, so... it had to have been confusing for him. Right?!?! 

Anyways, we trotted a little stretch and then I turned Funny out and got back on Dan. The cavaletti's were calling our name. It was pretty sloppy so we stayed in the non deep parts. But yay!! He cavalettied normally today! He was quite lofty! Of course he couldn't hold it once we exited the cavaletti's. Or I couldn't hold him to help him hold it. Or Both. It was also super sloppy, so... We also did a teeny bit of trot and canter and worked on sitting and faster hind feet. We got some SUPER transitions and a decent canter half pass once each way. And by then it had started legit raining and was getting cold. And the footing was sloppy. And I didn't want to push it. But oh, how I really wanted to keep riding. Oh well. We hacked home and put some warm clothes on and rewarded him for working. :)