Working On It

So after a nice soft end to our Saturday ride, the red horse was a giant ass on Monday. I made the mistake of trying to not freeze my ass off be nice and ride in the indoor.

Bailey is the devil in the indoor.

I hate her in the indoor.

We had no canter transitions, no relaxation except for 2 steps at the same point in the circle where she was furthest from the doors and not looking directly at them and honestly, I felt like I was sitting on a time bomb. She was forward without being responsive, she was hanging on my hands while also being super sensitive and throwing said face in my face, and was generally... an asshole.

When I finally cut my losses and went outside, we magikally had canter transitions again and even got some dressage moments I'd actually want in my test at shows. That's it, I am moving to somewhere where I can ride outside year round so Bailey doesn't kill me. That, or she's going on Smartcalm Ultra next year. CHILL OUT, WOMAN.

I didn't ride yesterday. I should have, but it's been a stressful week, and my fiance (that doesn't get old) was taking a break from the weeks of studying he's been doing and I decided that sitting on the couch and watching Doctor Who with the man I love is better than going to the barn. I'll ride tonight, and hopefully set something fun up this weekend for jumping purposes.

I'm still trying to decide if I want to try a new bit; the snaffle has been ok (minus the blisters from Saturday) but I still feel like I need something new. Different. Something. It would be nice to have a legit emergency brake on that horse, but alas. Bits are what we get instead. I'm a little mad that I want to solve my problems with metal, but it's so crazy frustrating to feel her turn off her mouth and ignore me. Especially when yanking doesn't do much of anything except make her lighter in the front end while also continuing to be basically impossible to stop or steer. With Foxie, it was easy - she liked heavy things, and went in a pelham until I got her light enough to go in the cheltenham, which was a great compromise. We had some steering issues (why didn't I realize they make a full cheek version?) but once those were resolved, I had brakes, I had power to pull her back onto her haunches and it wasn't so much she mentally pissed herself.

I guess I have options:

- Try new cheeks(full cheek or dee)
- Try a new mouthpiece (stabilized waterford, slow twist)
- Try leverage.

I don't think I like leverage on this horse; she's already too light in the front and tends to go up. Her face is also really good at nearly breaking my nose. I could add a new option instead of leverage called "try a new noseband" but so far, I either want a PS of Sweden High Jump Revolution (so cool) or Micklem, or I have been thinking about a lever noseband or kineton.

But all of these options involve spending money... and I just don't know if I can bring myself to do it.

In other news, Amazon Prime has bits.Wonder of wonders.

Anyone want to loan me their bit collection?

Epiphanies

I got some unconventional help this weekend; from a cowboy who stood and watched me try to handle my red diva in a full on diva rage while hand grazing his beloved, well polished quarter horse.

You see, I seem to have forgotten how to jump properly. Our first few rounds were awful, legitimately. And then J commented that B looked like she needed more in her mouth. I've been toying with more bit, and have been putting a martingale on for damage control, but I still didn't have control up to the fence, and had a horse who was shoving her face down between her knees and toodling off in a "are you bucking or celebrating?" questionable way. AKA going on to the next fence was... less than successful.

And seeing as we have to jump a course in a little over 4 weeks, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

But I actually listened to the rail coaching cowboy, and worked on getting my horse soft in my hands. we did lots of circles before and after fences, and we didn't get to jump until she was soft and focused.

And boom, my leg was back on track. BOOM my releases made a lot more sense (instead of throwing one's body after a horse who is taking a "what the hell" distance) BOOM my horse was jumping with a tight, pleasant form and WASNT TAKING OFF WITH ME AFTER.

Guys, it was awesome. I mean, I rubbed two lovely blisters into my ring fingers because I forgot my gloves, but Bailey jumped like a normal, quiet hunter pony... and it was great.

Project for the next week (pending rain):

- Ask for soft in the bridle all the time. Ask and ask and ask and let her know what is good.
- Work on soft in the bridle at the canter, which was the trickiest gait on Saturday.
- Jump more, soft in the bridle, and work on focus and softness on approach at the canter.

and since the weather looks like wind and rain and cold sadness, I am probably sticking the horses back in their sheets. Blech.

Speaking of that... I probably need to have a clean sheet for the horse trial. I have to pack for the horse trial. OMG!

Dressagin'

I'm starting to get pretty solidly into Otter Creek prep, and last night was no exception. We toodled out right after dinner and went right to work. Bailey put in some lovely trot work and was very willing and even when she lifted her head to look, obediently dropped down into the bridle with only a small reminder. I worked hard on keeping my hands up, my reins short and my contact solid, and (shocker!) if I hold up my end of the deal, she does pretty darn well with hers.

Lets not do this at a show again, hmm?

Canter work was less forward than I would like, and she did come up through the transitions down, so that's something to work on. Halts were so-so - it takes a few reminders to get her to not use my hands as an emergency brake. She didn't attempt to back, which was nice since I totally taught her to do that without thinking this winter. Whoops.

We got a lot better at dressage by the end of last season.

We schooled the short canter transitions in the Starter Intro C test and I continue to cement my hatred of that test - I'm actually excited to move up! The canter transitions are after A, through the corner, since you are supposed to begin a circle at A, and through the first 1/4 of the circle, develop your canter. And before A again, you should be working trot, rising. For Bailey, that means we get like... 5-6 strides of canter before we have a downward again.

So dressagewise, goals are:

1. Prompt canter transitions
2. Continue to work on quality canter
3. Continue to work on keeping the brain in the box, especially at the trot.
4. Downward transitions that don't suck/involve flinging oneself around
5. Steady halts with no backing.

I need to:

1. Keep fixing my hands until they stay fixed.
2. Not let my leg get too far back
3. Half halt through every corner and ramp up > half halt > transition for successful upwards transitions
4. Memorize my dang test.

(Another) Monday Morning Catch-Up

Another week has come and past, and once again, I sucked at keeping things updated.

A lot of things have happened this week:

1. Andrew and I have decided to look at buying a (cheap) truck to use for hauling. YEE!

Due to the majorly disappointing response from both Facebook and TCCT (so much for Minnesota Nice / Generosity) I don't currently have a ride to Otter Creek, which is now a little over 4 weeks away. I'd like to change that, and also regain the independence that I so love having - having to deal with another (usually disorganized) person's timelines, plus loading B into an unfamiliar trailer seems to me to be more stress than it would ever be worth.

2. Bailey and I did lots of dressage.

Much to BB's delight (sarcasm) we had a meh dressage ride in the indoor on Wednesday which involved better work but still hating her for the misbehavior due to the indoor. Friday, we had a surprisingly lovely ride after Princess B decided that the door blowing open and closed on the barn was suddenly VERY SCARY and sat back, repeatedly and hard. She broke the chin buckle on her halter, so she didn't learn she could break halters, but she did bang herself up a bit thrashing side to side trying to break the damn thing and even banged her right front up enough that I looked down mid ride and noticed some blood. Our ride, in contrast, involved some buckling down and she did some good work - prompt transitions, insisting on straight, focused work and not getting soft and throwing my reins away when she gets fussy.

3. We jumped on Saturday!

Bailey was pretty toned down on Saturday, but perked up nicely under saddle. She stood very still (especially for her) to be groomed and tacked - all while tied exactly where she was the previous day. We had a nice warm up and popped over a baby Xrail a few times. Seeing that she was sound and agreeable, I set up a version of the Lucinda Green run-and-jump, with 2 3' fences off the rail midway down the long sides of the arena. Bailey finally got on her game after a few awkward, looky fences, and took some awesome long distances to these fences to gallop them out of stride with plenty of forward. I tried to focus on my leg, but I think it still needs some major work. After our short jump school, we cantered down the road and I was very happy that she had ceased to be crazy looky and let me kick her on when she started to fixate/blow at "scary" grass/mailboxes/etc.

4. The Foxmonster got ridden on Saturday, too.

Fox was a good girl for me and was nice and soft - I kept my curb nice and loopy, and was very happy with her. She actually got an almost real buck or two in (which I take as feeling pretty darn good for an old lady) before settling down. Her canter work, as always, was lovely (though she was very convinced I wanted to do lots of flying changes) and she stayed soft in the trot, though it's hard to enjoy her lack luster trot when you just got off the flying redhead.

All in all, we had a decent few rides. Tonight Bailey and I will do more dressage and hopefully will ride through our dressage test to see what we need to be focusing on, and before then, I need to call some truck dealerships!

Happy Easter!

Double posting? Yes I am. But I have news, of a non pony sort.


I got engaged this weekend!

Look what was waiting for me at the bottom of my Easter basket! Chocolate and diamonds... he knows me so well :)

So happy!

Monday Morning Catch Up

Catch up time, bloglings!

Last post was over a fortnight ago... and now I have to remember everything we've been up to! I'm not maintaining my training calendar like I should, and alas, it is biting me in the butt. It snowed, again, at the end of March, and the ponykins had one awful ride while snow was falling off the roof and we tried to do dressage with limited success.

Luckily, Saturday rolled around and I got in a lovely jump school in the snow. Bailey reminded me that she's quite clever (jumping holes in the snow where poles had been, reminding me that she has scope for dayz) and also reminded me that she doesn't have flying changes yet.

Much smart, jump hole in snow. 

And pinging! Cuteness. 

I worked on getting flying changes over the fences which is always a challenge since Bailey likes to look at all of the things and not pay attention to me.

Paying attention to Mahm is the worst

She was a total star over the big gate (other than taking THE closest and most conservative distances ever, which I HATE):

Hops.

On point despite being up the base's ass.

But even when she was jumping well (despite blatantly ignoring my push for the longer distances, which I mean I can be ok with in the snow, and hardly able to see because it's bright.

BIKER ALERT

 There were also SCARY SCARY PEOPLE ON BIKES OMG who were distracting us)... Moral of the story, she was a shit.

Much jump, very booty. 

Landing.

NO I MUST DANCE

TANTRUM TIME (also, bless running martingales. Bless them.)

Moral of the story: my horse is kind of an asshole about taking direction. She's been showing me a lot of disrespect lately and I feel like it's probably time for a Come To Jesus discussion of her manners. Because I shouldn't have to drag her, be dragged by her, get run over, pushed, pulled, stepped on and ignored on the ground. And all of these photos were in her loose ring snaffle - I found and swapped her up to the boucher on the flat and over fences this last week, and honestly... it's not much different.

She's still an asshole, and is still using my hands as a handbrake because leaning is easier than working. She's still flinging herself in the air and having tantrums and pulls through my half halts and is, in general, a big 'ol brat. While jumping is fun, I shouldn't have to thump her with my spurs and do this herk-jerk kick and pull stuff to get her to move forward on the bit and be an orderly, obedient pony.

I'm not saying she's not allowed to celebrate and feel good, but she also needs to remember that, you know, there are other jumps in a course and maybe she should pull her head out of her butt and go to work. If only I could tell her that we wouldn't endlessly school dressage if she would just do it right the first time.

Monday and Wednesday were dressage days, again with limited success, even in the Dr. Bristol. Saturday BB jumped again, and was lovely and forward in her warm up (we got some hand gallop!) but was laggy off my leg when I tried a leg yield for kicks, and we felt out of sync over fences. She was handy, but so distracted by horses screaming for their pasture mates (it was vet day) that I got some decent, obedient fences, and called it a day. For vet day, both mares were pretty good for the vet (minus BB's opinion of the vet getting a fecal sample the only way she could: with a glove) but Bailey WOULD.NOT.STAND to be tacked, so I walked her out of the barn, and handed her to the boyfriend. She pushed him (apparently) and he pushed back... and she stood like a freaking statue.

So I think tonight is the start of something new. For a while, I am going to have to be the bad cop and push her back and make her stand and demand that she stands at the mounting block until I say so, and that she behaves and remembers to be a polite riding horse so we can enjoy riding more and pull on each other less. I'm not a good disciplinarian, but when it came to that point with Foxie, I rode through it. I worked her booty off until she was strong and supple and rideable.

Why can't I do the same with my big red butthead?

I iz such good pon. Totes gud.