Good Lesson day

 Today....today was a good day! I honestly wasn't expecting that. Ha! Sad, but true. 

I got to my lesson and got Dan tacked up. I was running a little late but managed to do a teensy bit of pillar work before Rana got there. Although he was distracted and not really releasing. So she asked how it was going and I was like... "Well, it's a good thing I like foxhunting!". Doh! I basically told her that his tongue won't stay in.... about how Kelli mentioned it's a game for him now.... and how I wasn't sure if I was doing anything right... if he was doing what he was supposed to be doing.... 

So, rather than her getting on and starting him, she had me get on so she could see what we were doing. We started out walking and we were doing okay. But I had a few epiphanies or breakthroughs I guess. :) And, with the bit raised up higher in his mouth, he only stuck his tongue out twice the whole lesson! yay! So, I have to remember to keep the walk slow. I get distracted with focusing on other things and forget. He uses speed as a form of avoidance. We also talked about the connection. She kept telling me to lower my hands and I asked her what she meant. Because I felt like when I lowered my hands (ie, dropped them closer to the withers) that it was creating a straightness in my elbow and minimizing my suppleness. And... she explained it, but I'm still not entirely sure I get what she means, but she did help me with the feel so I think I got it. Basically... It's the whole elastic connection. Which duh! I mean, I know I know this, but I am not entirely sure I've even gotten that correct feel. It's hard too because Dan bounces around so much in the connection. So I know to ride from my elbows and my shoulder blades, not my hands. I know to keep an elastic feel. I even know that if he ducks behind the connection, I need to bring my hands back. But I didn't quite appreciate how LIGHT that can be. Basically... just enough connection to keep the slack out of the reins. And that's it. No more than that. I mean, that's the goal. Obviously it won't be like that instantly. So, I played with that... I played with keeping the connection soft and focused on feeling what he was giving me vs what I was asking. In other words, I used the reins more as a listening device than as a directing device. And I think Dan liked it. He felt much softer and lighter in the connection. Cool beans! It also made it apparently how much he hangs on that outside/left rein and how much I hang back. So that was a neat "epiphany" today. 

Then we went to the trot and she reminded me not to use my spur or my heel, but my seat and core and flap my legs if needed and get out. Which is a hard habit to break, but I worked on it. She also had me ride haunches right(in) on the figure 8 without changing the haunches right even when we changed direction. And that was more done with my seat and weight aids than my leg aids. We also worked on getting a nice slow trot and keeping him unlocked. Oh, and even in the walk, she said that when he braces...  don't go to his head to fix it. Fix it using lateral suppleness, so... leg yield in, leg yield out, shoulder in, or any other lateral things. So we worked on that. And then we worked on a half halt in the trot. So she had me walk then trot then walk fairly quickly to get him hot to the aids and also to start the half halt thought. Then I kept the trot and thought halt but kept going and we got some good half halts. I could feel him staying round and through and lifting and using the hind end. I told her that while I couldn't tell when he was collapsing in his thoracic sling/withers by feeling for that, but I could tell when he was rocked back and under and bouncier. I told her it almost felt piaffe-y. I know it's nowhere near a real piaffe, but in my world, it felt like it was going towards that. So she said that it is what I want to be feeling... that engagement of the hind end and the quick hind end. So we did a bit more trotting and had some nice work. 
 
He also started blowing and snorting at one point and was snatching the reins out of my hands. She told me that when he gets rooty and snatchy, NOT to yank him back.. and definitely not to throw the reins away and let him stretch, because then I'm rewarding bad behavior. She told me to kick him on. So I must remember to do that. 

But yeah.. we quit with a short stint of trot tracking left because I was worried he was getting fatigued and he was super good. We actually got some nice "piaffey trot" in that last circle or two. Yay.

 

I then let him graze some as a reward. And it's interesting, because in general (not always and there are moments where he's back to full crankysaurus) he seems to be a bit more interested in engaging with me and a bit less cranky. He still made faces at Rana, and especially Freddie tonight, but... he seems to be less cranky with me and even almost initiates interaction some. So that makes my heart happy!

 

And then this afternoon, after I turned him out and he rolled and rolled and rolled... later he and Funny were galloping around and playing. He just seemed happy today. :) So I'm hoping that this means we're doing the right things. 

Riding with Kelli

Ugh.... Dan and I rode today and tried to do our homework. But his stupid tongue would NOT stay in his mouth. We did our homework despite it and then went for a short hack. When we got back I asked Kelli to look and we ended up raising the bit up in his mouth a hole on each side. She also noted that when she touched his bars, he was reactive and tried to stick his tongue out. So.... she mentioned that maybe I should pay extra attention to how I was asking for contact.. ie, not by pulling down. So, I hopped back on bareback after our ride to try and before I could even pick up the reins, his tongue came out. UGHHHH.... So then we tried Marvin's bit on him and it was the same. I'm so sad and frustrated. Even if I can fix his shoulder issue and get him back to third level, now I won't be able to show because of his stupid tongue. And I can't even event like that. I mean, I can, but... the dressage will suck there too. Sigh..

We did come to the conclusion that perhaps it's a habit now and just a fun game for him. Which.... yay that it's not stress or discomfort anymore (I mean, he did it on the trail on the buckle while totally relaxed and he did it before I even picked up the contact), so... the plan is to keep the bit up high, keep the flash on, and... hope he forgets and gives up. While also doing all the other things to keep him happy and comfy and not stressed. Kelli is also going to bring me another bit to try to see if that helps with his tongue too.  

Homework Ride

 I managed to sneak in a little ride today to practice our homework. They were still working on the arena, so I stayed down by the round pen. Dan was a little bit up, but not bad. Funny was nickering and occasionally running, but Dan didn't really seem to be bothered by it. 

We basically walked and did our slow walk work. I tried my best to get him listening to my core and not having to rely on the reins. He did seem softer in the connection today most of the time. But his tongue was out for most of it. I ignored it and it settled down and was mostly in by the end of our ride. We did a tiny bit of turn on the haunches and leg yielding and... practiced our "leads" while we turned. We did a tiny bit of trotting, trying our best to keep him using his sling and uphill and then coming down to a walk before we lost it. He tried hard. And at one point, the dump truck was leaving and he almost spun me off, but... he didn't. Once he faced it, he was brave. :) So afterwards he got to graze on the clover by the trailer as a treat. :) 

I messaged Rana and she sent me this to help remind me. :) 

Lots of "this is my seat saying whoa" and "this is my seat saying go". Big praise when he gives you a whoa or go off your seat! Remember to use your hauches in/out and shoulder in to help you engage his topline especially when he tries to play tug of war. Eventually, he'll let you hold and balance him with your seat and allow you to let go in the rein. The goal is that you can start to allow and encourage him to stretch down and lengthen his topline without changing his speed and balance. You may only get a couple of steps before it falls apart again and that's OK. Just keep at it, ignore his negative comments. You're totally capable! Believe in yourself! You're his physical therapist right now and no one likes physical therapy. Maybe even mix it up with some tight cavaletti to encourage lift! But don't let him run

Rana Ride

So... we had a lesson today and Rana rode him. She thinks that if we do one month of just rehab riding to move his energy ball back underneath him, instead of in front of him, we can get back on track. (I feel like we said this last month too, but... we also didn't quite do the rehab riding like we should have because I was still gathering information and my wits). 

She rode and worked on small counted steps. One foot at a time. Slow it down Dan... stay balanced. She's teaching him a half halt essentially, which will rock his balance back. Sigh.... I hate that I have to keep starting over. I feel like I've been starting over all the freaking time... when will I get to start over, do it right, and be able to keep going? Don't answer that... sigh. I know. 

But... after I turned him out tonight and tossed hay, he walked back up to the gate to snuggle for a minute. Which is so unlike him. I think he was saying "thanks for hearing me and trying to fix me". I hope so anyways. Granted, he also wanted his butt scratched but he snuggled for a minute or two first, so.. legit snuggles. :) 

Ahhh, I just love him so much!

Pine Top Fun!

 Ahhhh, today was a good day. Today, we forgot about thoracic slings, random lameness's, third level goals, etc. Today, we just had fun. And Dan had fun too! We went XC schooling at Pine Top with Jacel and Laura and had so much fun. It was a gorgeous day for it. 

We all warmed up and then Dan and I jumped two fences and then Jacel told us to carry on over the table. It might have been a modified table! Dan took a flyer and holy moly he had to superman. But we made it. Jacel was like... "that was an aggressive spot". Ha ha. Dude!! I know! I didn't ask! She laughed and said it was great, because a year ago he was wimping out and adding. So then we did a bendy line coop to a brush. We started with the novice line... then did the training line. And then I did the modified line. At least we think it was the modified line. Maybe it was training. He was spot on! Then I mentioned that the pimple jump looked fun. It was definitely prelim. But because of the question it wasn't huge. Except.. it was bigger than we were prepared for, especially with the massive drop on landing. Dan came up and slid into it. He was confused. We tried again and again, he stopped. Jacel said to not stress.. he just didn't understand and it was bigger than I thought and that it wasn't a big deal. He just wasn't prepared in his education for it yet. Whoops! We went and jumped something else and he was totally fine so yay for no meltdowns or shutdowns! Then we jumped the corner and he was super. 

Then we noticed a friend who had been eliminated at the bank last weekend who was schooling it today. Her trainer was yelling and growling and Dan was like "what the heck? That's a monster over there!" ha ha. But he settled quickly. I asked Jacel and Laura if they cared if I offered a lead and they said nope. So I asked Dan to head over there and he picked up this easy cowboy lope almost on the buckle and loped right up. I swear he said hi to that horse in his best cowboy drawl... "what's up son? Need a hand?". ha ha. I asked if we could help and they agreed. I told them I couldn't promise Dan would do the drop but I thought he would and of course he walked right off like it was nothing. Her horse still didn't come down so I walked Dan up to him, and we were basically underneath them. He reached up and sniffed his nose was like "Come on down Dude, the waters' fine"!. hee hee. So we went back down it two more times and finally her horse followed us. We did it one more time as a lead and then her horse did it on his own. Dan was so proud and strutted back to the girls. Like "Did you see what I did? I'm a rockstar". Yes you are son, yes you are. So then we jumped a huge table car thing... and a big roll top brush. Then we did the half coffins, which were quite wimpy to be honest. Then we went to the water. And Dan sat for awhile while they did the water so then I picked him up and asked him to jump a small table and he totally ran out. Um... what?! Jacel said he thought he was done and I needed to get his hind feet moving again, so... I did. We did that jump... through the water, out over the logs and then went to the drop fence a few strides before the next water and he stopped. It wasn't that impressive but Jacel said it was confusing to the horses so I had to ride harder and almost think of holding his head up a little. So I did and he was brave and went. Then we jumped the roll top IN the water. But it was a little sticky, so we circled and did the big drop fence to the water, then the rolltop in the water again and he was awesome! Then I almost kept going to the trakehner, but chickened out. We did the novice faux trakehner first and then circled back to the training one and he just soared over it! Yahooo!!

We quit with that. It was tempting to do more, but he worked hard and had fun. And so did I. Yay!

Adventuring with Sissy

 I gave Dan Sat off because it was a Mike day and... I figured it wouldn't hurt. I did let them out in the dog field after we moved all the tractor implements and they had shenanigans. Then Funny went into raging heat and was obsessed with Dan! Like chewing on his hocks, his flank... bouncing into him...chewing on his face. And of course he was all stallion like and kept Fleck away. Sigh...But they're all settled back to normal now again.

Anyways, so Sunday we went trail riding with Sis. They were great! We had fun. Dan splashed in the lake. Funny rolled in the lake AND the water complex. Fun was had. It was a great glorious day in the sun and we all enjoyed it. Except for maybe Fleck. He was sad and lonely. But maybe he was grateful for a little peace. ;) 

Info gathering

 And the emotional roller coaster continues. 

I talked to Rana today and she made some suggestions and had some great thoughts. And also discussed leaving Dan with her for a week. Like camp! Ack! The stress and anxiety that gives me.... he's my baby! And I get it, I know intellectually the benefits... but the thought of having to deal with Fleck trying to kill him when he comes back, Funny missing him, me missing him, him potentially stressing, .... it's a lot. So I told her I'd think about it, but... couldn't promise I could do it. 

And then... my plan was to ride like she suggested. But then I had a moment of anxiety about putting him back in the german and it just wasn't as nice and pleasant of a ride. And to be honest, I'm tired of fighting with my horse. I'm tired of feeling guilty. But she had some good arguments about why her plan was a good one. And I did have some worries that by riding him on the buckle, while he wasn't braced, maybe he also wasn't helping himself either. So Kelli and I chatted about it. And she offered to take some video. We decided we were gathering information and using it to help me decide my path. 

So I started with some ground work. Pillar 1 and 2 and I suppose even a bit of 3, which maybe now today (a day later) I realize we're not there yet. But.... this is so new. Then I got on and walked on the buckle. And we did figure 8's and turns. And I tried to keep him soft in his underneck and I tried to keep his DSP's straight, even on turns. And I tried to keep his center of balance back underneath him instead of in front of him. And then we trotted. And I even cantered a little bit although I remembered now that Rana said maybe not to canter yet. And I picked up the contact a little bit. And I never got a connection, but I had less floppy reins. And Kelli got some video. 

Then, I went and put the german back on and watched Kelli ride for a bit and let Dan rest and chill. Then I got back on and started to ride. Kelli said that I should go back to riding exactly how I rode earlier so that the german was the only variable. okay, except.. that's not exactly what I was going for, but I got her point. So I did. And then I picked him up a bit too. And she videoed. And then she told me to slow his pace a bit, which I honestly had been trying to do, but maybe I tried a little harder. 

And overall... todays ride was not bad. He stayed mostly soft. Aside from the constant ADD distractions of looking into the distance. And at the end, he even felt good. I wouldn't say great, but he felt good. But watching the videos... I do still see a bit of lameness, although I could NOT feel it. So I'm not sure what that means... that it's not a true lameness and more of a head bob from lack of contact/not enough strength to hold himself consistent. Does it mean it's a legit lameness but so subtle that I could only feel it through the reins? Is it a legit "rein lameness"? Is that even a thing? 

So... still percolating. And still learning more about the pillars and that technique. And still undecided how I want to go about attacking this. 

On the buckle

 So... today was a good day! I think Dan is grateful that I heard him and realizes I'm trying. And he's trying. I swear he seems happier and less anxious already. 

We had a lesson with Jacel. I almost cancelled to keep doing what I was doing, but I honestly wanted her opinion and technically I had already scheduled one last week that got rained out... and then Sat got "winded" out... so I ketp todays. And I'm so glad I did. 

I met Kelli early and while she lunged and rode a bit, I did some groundwork. Pillar 1 stuff. He was super distracted because random noises kept going off in the distance. BUT... we did get some good work and he was licking and chewing, so yay. After that we went and hung out while I waited for Kelli to finish up so we could hack. I did a little bit of abduction work with him... I have no idea if that's recommended or not, but they kept saying how abduction was great for building up those muscles to protect the nerve bundle, so we did some lateral work at the walk and some turn on the haunches but.. modified. Not a true dressage version, but a phsyio version. In my opinion anyways. Then we went for a walk. We ran out of time so basically just went to the lake and back. 

Then it was time for my lesson. I basically told Jacel all the thoughts I had in my head and she agreed but also discussed that he has to use his hind end to. And reminded me that in order to free up his hind end and back he has to unlock his barrel. Yes.... I agree. She had us start off at the walk. And she watched a minute. I was on a loose rein but was trying to keep him unbraced. She asked me to leg yield in and out and noticed immediately that my arms got tight (my arm veins bulged! ha) and that I immediately went to his face. Even on a loose rein. So she told me to not get tense but instead widen my hands. If he hollowed, just widen my hands and turn my thumbs out to unlock his jaw and he immediately softened. Okay... so she reminded me again to not ride his head. Then she told me to drop the reins entirely. She said that I was too busy doing his job for him. I didn't let him figure it out on his own. So on the buckle... she had me turn to her.. then turn the other way. Basically we did figure 8's. Off my seat and leg aids. And it made me move my shoulders and upper body too. It was tough at first. It's hard not to go to my hands. But it was a great exercise. And duh.. one I had been doing for a bit. Not exactly the same way or for the same reasons, but for awhile there I was "practicing for bridleless riding" by riding on the buckle in my warm up. And noted that it helped my focus on my position. And my seat and leg aids. Duh. So yeah... The other great thing was that it got me riding off my leg position too. Like... for some reason I was clamping down both legs asking for a leg yield.. basically shutting the door. If I opened/softened my leg, I allowed room for his barrel to move over. And then, we progressed to turns and for whatever stupid reason.. it finally dawned on me how to get him to bend around my inside leg. And it was like all the little lightbulbs... because when I moved him around my inside leg, and used my upper outside leg to move the shoulder, and turned my shoulders, he flowed around the turn. And he stayed on the "correct lead".... he didn't tip or motorcyle.. his dorsal spinous processes stayed upright. OHHHHHHH... this is nice. And he agreed. He became more forward and energetic and started moving those hind legs instead of just dragging his toes. 

So then we trotted. And... he immediately hollowed into it and then shut down. She asked why I was gripping with my knees. Well... because I'm trying to turn my heels out and look dressage pretty. She said not to. She actually had me open my knees (ACKKKK... my brain rebelled at first, but... fine...) and then sit deep. And holy smokes... I may have looked stupid as all get out, but... I could actually sit my seat in the saddle without clenching my cheeks and Dan was able to move forward! Ahhhhhh... okay. I can dig this. It's probably not pretty and I might cry if I saw photos or videos but... if my horse is happy, I'll go with it. Maybe it's a stepping stone. Maybe once I figure out my seat (even if it means knees out) then after I get comfy there, I can start getting my legs drapier and a more "proper" dressage position. So we did that and we turned and did figure 8's and I didn't need my reins. And Dan stayed soft and happy and I'm pretty certain he never once braced in the underneck. Partially because he couldn't... I had no contact for him to lean on. 

Then we went into the canter. And.. it was a decent canter! He took a few strides to settle but then he breathed and blew and stretched down and was soft and happy and round. Jacel said his tail had lifted up a bit (in a good relaxed his back is moving way) and I felt that. I mean, I felt that his back was happy and relaxed. And he was flowing. He fell out of it a few times, but it's okay. Strength training buddy, strength training. So then, she had me pick the canter back up and take my reins up an inch. No change. Then we took them up another inch or two. No bad changes, but he started to shorten his body just a hair and collect up just a hair. NICE!!! This is cool. Then we took the reins up a bit more. Still not "on the bit" or with any real contact, but... he rounded right up and I swear it was the most flowy and back moving and round and nice canter we've had in a while. So... that was really kind of exciting. 

She was like... see?! He just needs you to stop riding his face. Essentially. She might have said it nicer. But I had to stop micromanaging and holding him up and fighting him. She said some of his inconsistency was him looking for me to tell him what to do and where to be. Nope, sorry dude. You have to hold yourself up now. And he was figuring it out. And I think he liked it better! It was definitely MUCH less stressful. And not once did his tongue come out. And not once did he snatch at his shoulder other than the very beginning when I wasn't truly letting go. 

So... that's the plan. Ride like that for a bit. Keep doing the pillar work. And see what happens. And yes... I do wonder if he was still on the forehand some.... in the sense that he felt "quick" but not necessarily in an unbalanced on the forehand quick. Really... not the same feeling as I've had before when I said he felt like he was running onto the forehand and I was having to hold him up. He just felt... faster. But perhaps that was forward and not just fast/running. And maybe the super slow pace I was having to go to to get him to bring his balance back to his center.... was only because of the heavy contact in his mouth? I don't know. Maybe today was still a bit to "on the forehand" but I do think it was better and we can't expect him to carry himself in a third level rocked back on the haunches frame immediately. So.... we shall see. I'm optimistic and he's happier, so... yay for that! 

So.. remember... 

on the buckle. he must carry himself. no rigid arms...wide arms if I need to get him to let go again. Turn the thumbs out to "unlock" the jaw if needed. Ride the turns around my inside leg and guide with the outside leg. Keep him on all four table legs/upright. turn my knees out to soften my butt cheeks and sit up and back. 

:)