I wrote in an earlier post that I change my mind a lot. Well, I did it again!
Last post, I said I wasn't going to canter Chocolate at my riding lesson any more. Next lesson I cantered him. Don't say I didn't warn you, lol .
The lesson was going well. It was cool and Chocolate had some spring in his step ... well, as much spring as he can muster. He's a pretty laid back horse. Part of his charm. I was feeling extra confident--I decided to do it. At first, he cantered a couple of strides and then broke into a trot. Lumber wagon thing big time!!! But, I wasn't willing to give up. I tried a few more times, fine tuned my cues, got better able to catch him before he slowed down, and he managed to canter the whole way around the arena. You may think this is no big deal, but on Chocolate, it is. I've cantered a lot in my life, but I don't think I have ever been more proud of myself for riding a canter.
At my lesson last evening I rode Drifter, who is a barn favorite. I've seen him being ridden by others, but this was my first time on him. He is a saddlebred. He's very well trained, responsive, and is what I would call an over achiever. He was so willing and compliant. He was a very easy ride. He would occasionally bend to the outside and get his body out of whack a bit like many horses do in an arena or change his way of going a little bit, but he was so easy to correct. He operates in the "how may I serve you?" mode. His trot is delightful--smooth and cadenced. Cantering him was interesting. Being a saddlebred, he has been ridden ultra collected with a high headset. He needs to be in that position to canter. Once the rider starts taking up the reins and collecting him, he knows what is coming and pretty much steps into a canter with the slightest cue. (I told you he was an over achiever.) I cantered him quite a bit last evening. I noticed I was using different muscles than other gaits. It was good for me physically to do a sustained canter like that to build better balance and strength. As part of his over-achieving ways, when we were waiting in the center of the ring with others while each horse was cantering individually, he always had this look and feel of a horse wanting to do something. Chocolate? He falls asleep or entertains himself by watching whatever is going on and has no interest in getting out there to work. I don't think you could find two horses more different from each other.
As much as I loved Drifter's gaits and willingness, I have to admit I missed my boy Chocolate who makes me work for everything he gives me. It's such a feeling of satisfaction to get Chocolate to get out of his sluggish ways and do things he doesn't really want to do--things that take some energy and concentration. He's all for conserving energy and he loves to gawk at anything going on. So, when things come together riding Chocolate, it's a very big deal and feels as great as if I did something really big--like climbed Mt. Everest (and sometimes it feels that way from all the energy I have to use).
I've been thinking about which horse I'd rather ride. My answer is both. They each have gifts to offer. Drifter is a easy horse who wants to please, is super responsive, and has nice gaits. He is great when I just want to work on my position and relax more about what the horse is doing. I don't have to stay on top of him every minute. I kind of set him in a gait and forget about it ... well maybe a little reminder here and there, but he really is super easy to ride. Chocolate is a "good old boy" type of horse who is a sweetie but he really doesn't want to do any more than he has to and wants to make sure you really mean what you ask for. This makes me stretch to use every bit of skill I have in my riding arsenal. Not that I'm all that skilled of a rider, but I definitely have to use the tricks and skills I do have to bring out the best in him. And when he responds to that and I see the results, it is a great feeling of accomplishment.
So, riding is going well. My body is holding up. I feel like my legs, especially, are getting stronger. Yay!! I'm SO glad I decided to try it again.
Rosie, Jerry, and Babe are all doing well. Babe still has scratches/mud fever on one pastern, but I think I may be on to something. I found a new sulfur-based cream called Nu-Stock
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/pierces-nu-stock
It says to apply it every three days, but I've been doing touch ups every day to keep the product on the bad spots. Tonight the scabs came off super easy with gentle scraping with my fingers. It was more like just rubbing the scabs off. Things look better after just a few days of treatment. Fingers and toes crossed this works because I'm running out of options. The lime sulfur dip I got from the vet worked wonders the past couple of years, but this year all it is doing is keeping it from spreading. I've tried so many products through the years that I've kept the tack shops and feed stores in business.
Babe is also prone to rain rot once her winter coat starts coming in and then she gets wet. I bought her a new rain sheet that covers everything other than her head. It's also in *her* color--teal, so she looks especially pretty. It was on sale and I hesitated to take a chance on it being waterproof, but I took the plunge. Seems OK so far. This is the one I bought her.
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/jeffers-combo-neck-rain-sheet?via=5338848b9fa2600f00000196%2F5338848f9fa2600f000001ea%2F533884909fa2600f000001f0%2F57fd030ef2131d2b520000c0
My only complaint is that it runs a little small. I bought her the usual 78, but I think an 81 would have fit better. This isn't a good sheet for horses that are hard on their clothing or in a pasture with a lot of things to poke holes in it, since it's only 600 denier, but Babe is easy on her clothes so I think it will work fine. For $59, I think it's a steal of a deal.
I'm enjoying my horsey world. Riding has given me back a huge part of what I enjoy most in life. It's such a gift. I love the mini's and retired Babe. Life is good.
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Friday, October 12, 2018
A week off work for horse time!!!
I've had this week off work. It has been SO nice. I can't wait until I can retire, but that's going to be a few years. I am trying to focus on the positives of my job--flexible time off, no mandatory over time, no schedule changes unless it's my choice, security, good pension plan ... gee, it's starting to sound pretty good. So why do I complain? I'm like everyone else who wants to do whatever they want, whenever they want to do it--that is my definition of retirement and heaven on earth. Plus, as I get older, I just don't like dealing with the work place politics and crap. I work for the state government and there is always crap going on. I swear they go around trying to fix what ain't broke so much that it becomes the new normal for management. Oh well ... I will just focus on the things I love about my life outside of work. Retirement will come some day.
I've been working with Rosie quite a bit this week. It started off hot and humid, totally unseasonable for upstate NY. The mini's have a pretty heavy winter coat already and they were so hot. I couldn't work with Rosie Sunday or Monday, but then the humidity dropped and Tuesday and Wednesday were tolerable. She was wonderful. I say this all the time ... but I just love that pony!! She has a bit of an attitude (OK, more than a bit), but she will do ANYTHING I ask her to do. Well, unless it involves pain or discomfort--the vet!--then she has no tolerance at all. She just loves doing training work. I worked her pretty hard Wednesday hitched to the cart. It was still pretty warm and I'm sure not ideal for a hairy mini. She was near perfect and never showed any sign of wanting to quit. She was just happy we were doing things together. What a girl!!!
I still haven't gotten in the cart and some people have told me she is ready. Everything I do with Rosie comes from gut feeling. My gut is telling me to do more ground driving, more complex things with the empty cart so she is even more solid than she appears now. She trusts me and I don't want to rush things to make her doubt that trust. Trust is the reason she is so willing to try new things and lets me do so many crazy things to her without batting an eye.
Wednesday I worked on trotting her pulling the cart. She wasn't quite sure about that. I don't think it's the noise because that kind of thing doesn't bother her at all. I had her drag six plastic milk jugs in front of the cart basket right in back of her legs and that doesn't even faze her. I think it was that the shafts in the harness had a different feel. She trotted a little here and there but was reluctant to keep going. Just kept giving me the "Mom, I'm not so sure" look. So I want her comfortable with that. I also want her to pull the cart outside of our safe 1/2 acre paddock I've been working in--the big pasture. I know driving people won't agree with me for ground driving her hitched in that situation, but my gut tells me this is the way to go with her. If she becomes unsure, I can quickly go up to her head to give her reassurance. I also want to set up some cones and drive her around them. She is already doing great turns--she is learning to kind of side step into the shafts and can make some pretty tight turns. Ideally, I would prefer to have wider shafts that Patty's Pony Place in Canada makes to add to existing carts, but Kelly, the builder, is backed up, and I have to work with what I have for now. It's OK, but not what I would consider ideal. Most drivers wouldn't think anything needed to change. I'm just picky, I guess. I think Rosie would feel better if she had more room to move within the shafts. She's a wide mini with a big butt especially. She needs more room to move and groove.
Riding lessons are going well. I'm still riding Chocolate. I have come to realize Chocolate does not like riding in the heat. I rode Tuesday early evening and he was obviously wanting to quit a lot. He was also heavy with the reins and was blowing off my attempts to use more subtle cues. He just wasn't into it. My next lesson is tomorrow--Saturday. It cooled off dramatically over night, so he will have more energy--I just hope not too much. I like that happy medium that everyone else likes as well.
I like riding Chocolate because I feel safe ... but, his gaits are rough, he's a lot of work to keep driving forward when he is having a lazy day (which is often). I cantered him for the first time a week ago and it felt like I was going to fall off! His canter is big and rough--I felt like I was being tossed around the saddle big time. Holy crap!!!! He is easy to get into a canter, but is very difficult to keep him going once he gets to the short side of the arena. I decided it's not worth it to risk falling off just to canter him down the long side of the arena. I told Rayann I would hold off cantering until another, smoother horse becomes available. I've cantered horses plenty in my life time. I don't need to canter this very minute to prove I can ride again. I know beginners get so excited when they are finally cantering in their lessons. I'm just not at that place where it's a big deal to me. I'm just grateful and excited that I can ride a horse again and still walk the next day--and then go back for more!
I posted on facebook my description of my perfect horse. Kind of like declaring to the Universe what I want so it will open up to come into my life. Of course, my horse friend enablers found me some ads. (You knew they would, huh? :-)) I contacted the seller about one by facebook messenger. I couldn't resist--she was a gorgeous palomino!!! I know, you can't ride color--but wouldn't it be great if I found my ideal horse in my ideal color! I explained my story and what I'm looking for. Does her horse fit what I'm looking for? She got snippy, started talking about that I'm scared and won't be able to find any horse that won't react to my fear ... blah, blah, blah, followed by "You need an old, old, old horse!" (Yes, *3* olds) This horse was three hours away. I'm not going to even entertain the thought of driving to try her out if she doesn't have the qualities I'm looking for. It's called screening horses before wasting everyone's time. That, of course, pissed me off. OMG--is this what I'm going to encounter over and over until I find that jewel of a horse I need? I know they are out there. I've owned a couple in the past that would be perfect for me now. I just have to weed out the frogs to find my prince (or princess).
Ideally, I would rather wait until Spring/Summer of 2019 to look seriously. I'll have more money saved up. I'll have good weather to immediately be able to start riding the new horse--I don't think it's a good idea to buy a horse now, have it sit for most of the winter, and then try to get to know it after it's sat all winter. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. But, a girl can dream. Who knows? But I'm willing to stick my neck out there to get the ball rolling.
I've been working with Rosie quite a bit this week. It started off hot and humid, totally unseasonable for upstate NY. The mini's have a pretty heavy winter coat already and they were so hot. I couldn't work with Rosie Sunday or Monday, but then the humidity dropped and Tuesday and Wednesday were tolerable. She was wonderful. I say this all the time ... but I just love that pony!! She has a bit of an attitude (OK, more than a bit), but she will do ANYTHING I ask her to do. Well, unless it involves pain or discomfort--the vet!--then she has no tolerance at all. She just loves doing training work. I worked her pretty hard Wednesday hitched to the cart. It was still pretty warm and I'm sure not ideal for a hairy mini. She was near perfect and never showed any sign of wanting to quit. She was just happy we were doing things together. What a girl!!!
I still haven't gotten in the cart and some people have told me she is ready. Everything I do with Rosie comes from gut feeling. My gut is telling me to do more ground driving, more complex things with the empty cart so she is even more solid than she appears now. She trusts me and I don't want to rush things to make her doubt that trust. Trust is the reason she is so willing to try new things and lets me do so many crazy things to her without batting an eye.
Wednesday I worked on trotting her pulling the cart. She wasn't quite sure about that. I don't think it's the noise because that kind of thing doesn't bother her at all. I had her drag six plastic milk jugs in front of the cart basket right in back of her legs and that doesn't even faze her. I think it was that the shafts in the harness had a different feel. She trotted a little here and there but was reluctant to keep going. Just kept giving me the "Mom, I'm not so sure" look. So I want her comfortable with that. I also want her to pull the cart outside of our safe 1/2 acre paddock I've been working in--the big pasture. I know driving people won't agree with me for ground driving her hitched in that situation, but my gut tells me this is the way to go with her. If she becomes unsure, I can quickly go up to her head to give her reassurance. I also want to set up some cones and drive her around them. She is already doing great turns--she is learning to kind of side step into the shafts and can make some pretty tight turns. Ideally, I would prefer to have wider shafts that Patty's Pony Place in Canada makes to add to existing carts, but Kelly, the builder, is backed up, and I have to work with what I have for now. It's OK, but not what I would consider ideal. Most drivers wouldn't think anything needed to change. I'm just picky, I guess. I think Rosie would feel better if she had more room to move within the shafts. She's a wide mini with a big butt especially. She needs more room to move and groove.
Riding lessons are going well. I'm still riding Chocolate. I have come to realize Chocolate does not like riding in the heat. I rode Tuesday early evening and he was obviously wanting to quit a lot. He was also heavy with the reins and was blowing off my attempts to use more subtle cues. He just wasn't into it. My next lesson is tomorrow--Saturday. It cooled off dramatically over night, so he will have more energy--I just hope not too much. I like that happy medium that everyone else likes as well.
I like riding Chocolate because I feel safe ... but, his gaits are rough, he's a lot of work to keep driving forward when he is having a lazy day (which is often). I cantered him for the first time a week ago and it felt like I was going to fall off! His canter is big and rough--I felt like I was being tossed around the saddle big time. Holy crap!!!! He is easy to get into a canter, but is very difficult to keep him going once he gets to the short side of the arena. I decided it's not worth it to risk falling off just to canter him down the long side of the arena. I told Rayann I would hold off cantering until another, smoother horse becomes available. I've cantered horses plenty in my life time. I don't need to canter this very minute to prove I can ride again. I know beginners get so excited when they are finally cantering in their lessons. I'm just not at that place where it's a big deal to me. I'm just grateful and excited that I can ride a horse again and still walk the next day--and then go back for more!
I posted on facebook my description of my perfect horse. Kind of like declaring to the Universe what I want so it will open up to come into my life. Of course, my horse friend enablers found me some ads. (You knew they would, huh? :-)) I contacted the seller about one by facebook messenger. I couldn't resist--she was a gorgeous palomino!!! I know, you can't ride color--but wouldn't it be great if I found my ideal horse in my ideal color! I explained my story and what I'm looking for. Does her horse fit what I'm looking for? She got snippy, started talking about that I'm scared and won't be able to find any horse that won't react to my fear ... blah, blah, blah, followed by "You need an old, old, old horse!" (Yes, *3* olds) This horse was three hours away. I'm not going to even entertain the thought of driving to try her out if she doesn't have the qualities I'm looking for. It's called screening horses before wasting everyone's time. That, of course, pissed me off. OMG--is this what I'm going to encounter over and over until I find that jewel of a horse I need? I know they are out there. I've owned a couple in the past that would be perfect for me now. I just have to weed out the frogs to find my prince (or princess).
Ideally, I would rather wait until Spring/Summer of 2019 to look seriously. I'll have more money saved up. I'll have good weather to immediately be able to start riding the new horse--I don't think it's a good idea to buy a horse now, have it sit for most of the winter, and then try to get to know it after it's sat all winter. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. But, a girl can dream. Who knows? But I'm willing to stick my neck out there to get the ball rolling.
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