Got another quick ride in at 9am this morning. We didn't do much, just trotting around and doing some changes of direction around the cones that someone had set out. I did canter a couple of times around the ring but the first lesson was coming up to the outdoor then so I had to stop. He was good, if tired and lazy. I got to the barn before he got to finish all of his breakfast so I'm sure that didn't help. (He gets fed very early on show days so I don't have to deal with a grumpy and hungry horse!)
Everyone came out to the barn today and rode, had a lesson and then we all had a big BBQ at 2. It was a great time, but even with several applications of sunscreen I still managed to get too much sun and will have some red cheeks tomorrow. It was good to see everyone at the barn again, probably the first time everyone has been out since the Christmas party and even then we weren't all trying to work horses!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
We survived and Lucas got passed by a pleasure horse!
Well I was still a little tired this morning when I went to the barn but decided to ride anyways. I was absolutely fantastic out at about 14 degrees, and the sun was shining.
Lucas was a dink to start out with he didn't want to do anything so I had to put the feet to him (still not wearing spurs) but we rode with 2 other horses and he was really good with passing them and then having them pass him. D thinks that I might be keeping my upper body to far back when I ask him to move foreword and its sending a mixed message to him and Im stopping his movement with my hips.
We did some jog/trot circles that we made smaller and smaller until we stopped did a turn on the haunch and at first totted off of. Once we had all done that a couple of times we worked on cantering out of the haunch turn. We started off with Lucas bad way and I was worried but D talked me though it, hes great at letting me figure it out but right at the point where I run out of options in my head he steps in with just the right information.
We ended up getting the right lead about 1/2 of the time but we did have a couple of times where I managed to get him 'right' and I felt that it was right, before I got to ask for the lead, and he got the correct one. Its the fact that my left lower side of the body is so much stronger than my right I find it hard to keep the bend correct though his body for the lead to be right. Our good direction was good but he fought a bit with his head when we first got going. Just out of practice I think, he got better as we went on but we were both very tired when we were done. However we did get passed by the pleasure bred horse in the ring and managed to not pass anyone. But I was having to kick him almost every stride to keep him going! I need to find a happy medium between having to keep spurs off for the first part of the ride then adding back part way into the ring. I might ride tomorrow if my back stays good.
Lucas got a quick bath to finish off with, and the people spent some time out in the sun to relax. The grass is slowly starting to grow again so Lucas can start his 'gardening' program hopefully soon again. I love taking him for walks so he can enjoy the grass. :)
Lucas was a dink to start out with he didn't want to do anything so I had to put the feet to him (still not wearing spurs) but we rode with 2 other horses and he was really good with passing them and then having them pass him. D thinks that I might be keeping my upper body to far back when I ask him to move foreword and its sending a mixed message to him and Im stopping his movement with my hips.
We did some jog/trot circles that we made smaller and smaller until we stopped did a turn on the haunch and at first totted off of. Once we had all done that a couple of times we worked on cantering out of the haunch turn. We started off with Lucas bad way and I was worried but D talked me though it, hes great at letting me figure it out but right at the point where I run out of options in my head he steps in with just the right information.
We ended up getting the right lead about 1/2 of the time but we did have a couple of times where I managed to get him 'right' and I felt that it was right, before I got to ask for the lead, and he got the correct one. Its the fact that my left lower side of the body is so much stronger than my right I find it hard to keep the bend correct though his body for the lead to be right. Our good direction was good but he fought a bit with his head when we first got going. Just out of practice I think, he got better as we went on but we were both very tired when we were done. However we did get passed by the pleasure bred horse in the ring and managed to not pass anyone. But I was having to kick him almost every stride to keep him going! I need to find a happy medium between having to keep spurs off for the first part of the ride then adding back part way into the ring. I might ride tomorrow if my back stays good.
Lucas got a quick bath to finish off with, and the people spent some time out in the sun to relax. The grass is slowly starting to grow again so Lucas can start his 'gardening' program hopefully soon again. I love taking him for walks so he can enjoy the grass. :)
Friday, April 13, 2012
Drugs Drugs Drugs
So I just finished my IV and I'm just about ready for bed. All my preventive measures on Wednesday night seemed to pay off. I was a bit stiff the next day but I wasn't in serious pain. I'm going to ride again tomorrow with D in a lesson. Hopefully I can ward off the 'day after' the IV stuff and survive the lesson!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Bits part 1 (kinda sort of)
So I rode Lucas in the new bit tonight and he really seemed to like it (he may have also liked the fact that I wasn't picking on him!) he was frothing at a mouth just a bit (the dressage queen in me was happy with that) and it surprised me that he really seemed to like the rollers, they kept his mind busy and kept him from imagining scary things in the corners of the arena. He really likes the bits that are broken like this, however doesnt like a french link, or even a one joint snaffle (well I dont like riding him in a snaffle, hes too much horse for me if my hands are bad, I need a back up if we get into trouble)... He seems to really want a port for the space it gives his tounge.
He was really accepting of it and it was really easy for me to work him one handed in this. We did a lot of one handed steering and horsemanship maneuvers. I know that it was a bit of me working on D's tips from our lesson last week, but it was much easier to lift his front end with this bit with only a touch of contact and leg rather than me having to really pull on him to get him to listen. Its given me a lot to think about, maybe working in some rollers might be a good idea in our English bit too......
So we did a short ride tonight with one of the kids and her mare (who Lucas was really good with and didn't pin his ears once!). And I did some streaching, drank a ton of juice and water, took a pain pill, and now have a heat pad on my back hoping to keep the pain down tomorrow. Hopefully it works!
The interactive collage http://www.showusyourhands.org/ went over 1000 pictures a couple of days ago. Our deadline for our book submissions was last week, and the editor I've been working with has been awesome. She rode when she was young but after the onset of her arthritis she had to give it up. Some days I don't realize how lucky I am to be able to still be active.
He was really accepting of it and it was really easy for me to work him one handed in this. We did a lot of one handed steering and horsemanship maneuvers. I know that it was a bit of me working on D's tips from our lesson last week, but it was much easier to lift his front end with this bit with only a touch of contact and leg rather than me having to really pull on him to get him to listen. Its given me a lot to think about, maybe working in some rollers might be a good idea in our English bit too......
So we did a short ride tonight with one of the kids and her mare (who Lucas was really good with and didn't pin his ears once!). And I did some streaching, drank a ton of juice and water, took a pain pill, and now have a heat pad on my back hoping to keep the pain down tomorrow. Hopefully it works!The interactive collage http://www.showusyourhands.org/ went over 1000 pictures a couple of days ago. Our deadline for our book submissions was last week, and the editor I've been working with has been awesome. She rode when she was young but after the onset of her arthritis she had to give it up. Some days I don't realize how lucky I am to be able to still be active.
Friday, April 6, 2012
First lesson of the year
Turned out very well actually.... D had us riding with an other lady that has her 4yo at the barn. We had some of the same issues to work out so D thought it would be a good mix. We did end up riding inside but I promised myself that I wouldn't worry and would just follow his directions and go with it. I know D would never purposefully put me or Lucas into a situation that we couldn't deal with so I just needed to show some trust.
We ended up just working on Lucas' trot/walk and his transitions in between the two. D had me really getting after Lucas and not letting him get away with anything. It was good, I was too busy keeping him going with 'bounce' in his stride that I didn't worry about the sun spots on the ground or his reaction to another horse being so close to his personal space bubble. We really worked on keeping Lucas' shoulders up, but without him thinking he needed to take his usual huge stride. That an easy trot, without being lazy was all that we wanted.
Then because both of the horses have some issues with horses passing we practiced riding next to each other at the walk and trot all around the ring. That was interesting!! Lucas has a much bigger stride but we were worried about him kicking so we wanted to keep him on the outside so I could move him away if he got a little light behind, so we just about did some trotting on the spot so that we wouldn't get too far ahead of the other horse. It was good for all 4 of us though, we were all thinking too much about keeping together that we stopped worrying about the horses being close together.
So I plan to keep up with the lessons, Its better that I'm having fun and having good rides than going to a show to only show showmanship. Pictures below are from our 'photoshoot' today for the book project and one of Lucas looking cute in his western bridle. I hope to do a bit post someday soon, the plan is to take pictures of some of them tomorrow... lets see if I get that accomplished! I finally got my grooming box/boot box cleaned out today that I've been trying to get done for weeks!
We ended up just working on Lucas' trot/walk and his transitions in between the two. D had me really getting after Lucas and not letting him get away with anything. It was good, I was too busy keeping him going with 'bounce' in his stride that I didn't worry about the sun spots on the ground or his reaction to another horse being so close to his personal space bubble. We really worked on keeping Lucas' shoulders up, but without him thinking he needed to take his usual huge stride. That an easy trot, without being lazy was all that we wanted.
Then because both of the horses have some issues with horses passing we practiced riding next to each other at the walk and trot all around the ring. That was interesting!! Lucas has a much bigger stride but we were worried about him kicking so we wanted to keep him on the outside so I could move him away if he got a little light behind, so we just about did some trotting on the spot so that we wouldn't get too far ahead of the other horse. It was good for all 4 of us though, we were all thinking too much about keeping together that we stopped worrying about the horses being close together.
So I plan to keep up with the lessons, Its better that I'm having fun and having good rides than going to a show to only show showmanship. Pictures below are from our 'photoshoot' today for the book project and one of Lucas looking cute in his western bridle. I hope to do a bit post someday soon, the plan is to take pictures of some of them tomorrow... lets see if I get that accomplished! I finally got my grooming box/boot box cleaned out today that I've been trying to get done for weeks!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
We are back to walking only
I went to bed at 7:30 on Sunday night hoping to get rid of my tiredness before it took over, but I did way too much on Sunday and paid for it yesterday big time. I ended up coming home from work 2 hours early due to the huge migraine (from me clenching my jaw because my joints hurt). Slept from 3:30 until 5 when my mom woke me up for supper than I was back in bed again at 8:30.
Its time I start listening to my body when it complains so much. So Lucas and I are on 'walk only' rides for a couple of weeks. Our first show is on May 13th but is only a fun show litterly 4 min away in the trailer (and the western classes don't start until 1pm). I would like to be ready to canter by that show but I will sticking to the western saddle for more support. I'll only be doing Showmanship and Horsemanship. (which should only be a pattern then short rail work) Depending on how that goes it will make up my mind on what shows and classes I will be hitting (or not hitting). Its starting to look like I'll be lucky to ride wtc this summer, let alone get ready enough to show...
Its time I start listening to my body when it complains so much. So Lucas and I are on 'walk only' rides for a couple of weeks. Our first show is on May 13th but is only a fun show litterly 4 min away in the trailer (and the western classes don't start until 1pm). I would like to be ready to canter by that show but I will sticking to the western saddle for more support. I'll only be doing Showmanship and Horsemanship. (which should only be a pattern then short rail work) Depending on how that goes it will make up my mind on what shows and classes I will be hitting (or not hitting). Its starting to look like I'll be lucky to ride wtc this summer, let alone get ready enough to show...
Sunday, April 1, 2012
We got to ride outside!
The path to the outdoor was finally solid so we all (5 of us) got to go for a ride outside! Oh I love being able to ride outside!!! I lunged Lucas for a bit then walked/ side-passed/ two tracked for about 10 minutes, did some trot work (much easier to have a decent trot outside even when not wearing spurs) and then cantered about 3 times around the ring (the most cantering I've done since I brought Lucas home in December).
We only cantered to the right, our good way, but he was swapping hind leads on the lunge line going to the left so I didn't want to push it. He was such a good boy, even with the horses that were turned out acting foolish.
I'm paying for the ride now, but it was worth it to get to ride outside with the birds singing and the sun shinning. I didnt ride long but that is 2 rides this week! Hopefully I can get another one in this week and (crossing fingers) have a lesson on Saturday. I wanted to take lessons earlier this year but it didn't seem like a good use of money when I was too sick to ride more than 15 min. So we'll try it next weekend, hopefully the weather cooperates.
We only cantered to the right, our good way, but he was swapping hind leads on the lunge line going to the left so I didn't want to push it. He was such a good boy, even with the horses that were turned out acting foolish.
I'm paying for the ride now, but it was worth it to get to ride outside with the birds singing and the sun shinning. I didnt ride long but that is 2 rides this week! Hopefully I can get another one in this week and (crossing fingers) have a lesson on Saturday. I wanted to take lessons earlier this year but it didn't seem like a good use of money when I was too sick to ride more than 15 min. So we'll try it next weekend, hopefully the weather cooperates.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)