Author: Amanda

dressage · training board

Training Board

Amanda2 Comments

About a week and a half ago, I emailed the barn’s main trainer, who was now back from Florida. My work schedule is ramping up to a truly ridiculous degree, and will stay at that fever pitch through late June. I’d had a few evenings in which I went to the barn prepared to ride – and could not flog my brain through the basics of dressage. Input/output was broken. I wasn’t reacting fast enough, I wasn’t processing at all, and I was not riding well.

I asked: in light of my upcoming work schedule, can we talk about partial training board? We talked. I was thrilled with what she outlined. I said yes.

On Wednesday, Tristan had his first proper training ride in many years. It was great in many ways: first, he did not magically become an amazing dressage horse. Whew! So I wasn’t riding him all that poorly.

Second, I was able to see pretty clear progress from start to finish, and watch as the trainer’s assistant trainer/barn manager M. did things that I would’ve had trouble doing easily, quickly, and cleanly and moved Tristan through his usual evasions and trouble spots.

Third, she enjoyed riding him! She pegged him right away: stubborn, smart, not terribly supple but with a good understanding of the basics. It was a pleasure to watch Tristan go, to know he was getting a great ride, and to chat with the trainer, who had come to watch.

I’m going to watch a training ride again tonight, and then he’ll be on his own riding schedule 2x a week with M. We talked through my goals for him, and what a realistic outcome of six weeks was, and I’m happy all around.

I’ll continue to do fitness rides, hill work, hacking out – the stuff that I don’t need to engage higher thinking for. Fun stuff, for me. He’ll have someone else doing the calculus with him, and I may play around occasionally but it is a huge weight off my mind to know that I don’t have to.

I’ll try to get pictures tonight – I’m excited to see what his next ride brings!

bathing · spring · trailering

In Vermont, May is still practically winter…

AmandaLeave a comment

Sunday: gorgeous sunny day, blue sky, light breeze. We went for a 2 mile hack up and down the road with a friend who’s conditioning her new horse. I thought about going up and down the hayfield hill for some additional work, but the trainer was showing a sales horse in the outdoor arena and a galloping mustang probably would’ve been more excitement than they really needed.

So I untacked and decided to do a bath. I rinsed, and I shampooed, and I rinsed, and I did conditioner, and I rinsed…and then realized I had been scrubbing and bathing for a solid hour and poor Tristan was shivering a little bit.

I promptly felt like the world’s worst mom: cold well water, a wash stall in the shade outside, a light breeze, and his flanks were quivering on and off. I scraped off all the excess water and brought him out into the sunshine. He stopped shivering and was perfectly happy to handgraze.

I spent the next two hours worrying about my stupid decision, because that’s what I do. When he wasn’t drying off as fast as I wanted in the sunshine – which kept going and coming as clouds passed over – I started layering coolers: irish knit on the bottom with a wool dress sheet/cooler on the top. Then I pulled the irish knit and we went back out into the sun for a while. Then I swapped the wool cooler for his rattier fleece cooler, cinched it around his stomach, threw him all the hay he could eat, and checked in with the trainer’s barn manager.

“Yeah, I thought you were being really brave!” she said. “It’s still pretty cool!”

Sigh. When I finally left, he had a strip down his belly that was still damp, and his legs were still slightly damp. His core had warmed up considerably, chest and sides were once again warm to the touch, and he was happily eating, drinking, and pooping. He’s fine today.  HORSES.

In the in-between of everything, I hauled all the various storage things back up the hill to my trailer from where they’d been stored in my truck, in our apartment, in my other car…really a bit of everywhere. It was nice to get the trailer really swept out after the winter, go through all the bins and pull things that needed to be cleaned, discarded, or gone through. It looks great in there – and if I ever have time off and energy, we’re ready to go somewhere exciting!

rescue · soapbox

Soapbox Moment: Train Your Horses!

Amanda8 Comments

Lauren at She Moved to Texas wrote a really excellent post about the glut of free horses on the market – and on the people looking for those free horses. Spoiler alert: unrealistic expectations abound.

I’ve worked at several different horse rescues over the years. The last one I was most involved in was the place where I got Tristan. He wasn’t really a free horses – but he is pretty darn close. I paid a discounted $150 adoption fee for him after working there for 3.5 months. He was no picnic – but he was a far more straightforward case than many horses at the rescue.

Here’s what I have to say. *pulls up soapbox*

The #1 best thing you can do for your horse, to ensure his longterm success and happiness, is to train him.

I don’t necessarily mean every horse should be a steady eddy packer cleaning up the ribbons. I do mean that every horse should have basic manners, basic skills, and a decent outlook and disposition. They should consent to be handled by a variety of people, and they should be accepting of bridle, saddle, and basic aids.

Will your horse go better for you, or for a talented rider? Sure. Almost certainly. But can you put a middling rider up on them and have them at least go okay? Can you hand his lead rope off to someone with minimal horse experience and trust that he will more or less behave?

Horses end up in bad situations for an endless, depressing, variety of reasons. Horses get out of bad situations, often, because they are good citizens. If you’re looking at the rank, untrained 20 year old horse lined up next to the relatively chill 20 year old who’s had basic training…guess which horse is going to get adopted? pulled out of the feed lot? spoken up for by someone trying to place them?

So take your time. Take the extra 5 minutes when handling your horse to make sure that they have the basics down. Ask a friend to handle or ride your horse just to make sure he will be okay with it. Try him out in a lesson or two with a stranger. The more you can expand his mind and add to his experiences, the better off he’ll be in case something happens to you.

(soapbox corollary: have a plan for your animals if something happens to you! but that is the subject of another blog post entirely.)

bathing · grooming

What do you use for shampoo?

Amanda8 Comments

It’s that time of year again! Sometime in the next week or two, Tristan will be getting a bath to dig in and get rid of the winter grime that’s worked its way in to his coat. I’m only waiting for the right conditions: enough time to properly bathe him, and enough sun to dry him out.

Some pony haaaaaates baths.

I did a brief inventory of my bathing tools last night. Big sponge, check. Sweat scraper, check. Small bucket, check.

One of my favorite scrubbing tools is a basic jelly scrubber. I have small hands, so when I can find a child size I buy that. I think it does the best job of scrubbing in the shampoo and massaging the skin.

I also have two bottles of conditioner. I am of the camp that believes in conditioning every time I bathe; shampooing removes natural oils and can leave the skin dry. Tristan isn’t nearly as sensitive as many other horses, but I love the soft shine he gets after a good conditioning. Part of my bathing routine is also to work conditioner fully into his mane and tail and let them set for quite a while, then rinse out, picking out snarls. It makes a huge difference.
Here’s the big gaping hole in my kit: shampoo. Last year, I ran out of the most recent bottle I’d bought: Cowboy Magic Rosewater Shampoo. 
It’s on the expensive side – usually around $8 a bottle – and while I’m perfectly happy to spend money on things that make a difference, I’m not really sure that this did. In the past I’ve used whatever’s on sale at Walmart or the grocery store: Suave, V05, whatever’s around $1 a bottle. I’ve noticed a difference in quality of conditioner – both for him and for me! – but never in quality of shampoo.
Before I buy a new bottle of something, I thought I’d put the question out there. What do you use? Do you think it really makes a difference? Do you go cheap & generic, or do you have a particular brand you swear by that costs more? Do you have a multi-step system? Seeking all opinions!

grooming · puppy

Summer Shine

AmandaLeave a comment

I had a massively long, stressful, and busy day at work yesterday. When it was over, I stood outside my truck and for several long seconds stared at my truck key, wondering how exactly to put it in the lock. I put it in the lock. I turned it right. I pulled on the door handle and then stared, dumbfounded, when it didn’t open. Then I put it back in the lock and turned it left, which is the way you actually unlock a door.

It was around that moment when I first thought about not riding after all. I’d put on my breeches and t-shirt by rote, following the one foot in front of the other mantra that had gotten me through the day. Now that we’ve worked out the puppy schedule, Friday is a barn day for me, and I didn’t want to give that up.

By the time I got to the barn and three people in a row commented on how tired I was, I had officially decided: no riding for me. I’ve learned over the years that when I’m clearly not making good decisions about basic human things, getting on a horse never ends well. I can’t flog my brain to analyze and react appropriately to things under saddle, and often end up frustrated and riding poorly.

I got out my grooming box and clippers and curried, curried, curried. Then I worked for a long time with the shedding blade, then the stiff brush. By the end of it, some of Tristan’s summer shine was coming through: a glint here, a shimmer there. I’m pleased to see it back. Something about the long dull fuzziness of his winter coat contributes to my general malaise over the weather and the season of hibernation. He still feels fuzzy, and is still shedding quite a bit, but for the first time his hair is approaching summer length – across his shoulders, on the top of his back, patches on his neck and flanks.

I got out the clippers and tidied up his bridle path, and debated cleaning his fetlocks. I ultimately decided against because his winter coat is still clinging to his legs, and I didn’t want an awful mishmash of clip/shed going on. A few more weeks and I’ll get there. Then we headed out to handgraze for a while as I used fingers to rough up the winter fuzz along his throatlatch and jaw, mostly white with not much red.

The boyfriend brought Arya by for her second visit to the barn, and she did wonderfully: wanted to explore, chase birds, and was very wary around horses. I’ve introduced a fair number of dogs to Tristan, and he can be counted on to stand quietly and mostly roll his eyes, even when my parents’ dog as a puppy launched herself right at him, planted her front feet on his shoulder, and tried very hard to lap his face.

Arya was mostly very timid, and did a minimum of bouncing & yowling. (We’re pretty sure she’s hound-y: her default is not a bark but more of a yowl, a bell-like voiced howl. It’s ridiculous and adorable.) She got lots of praise when approaching him while quiet, and seemed to take his example and spent a few seconds grazing right alongside him. (Weirdo.) Then I put Tris back in his stall and lured her over with a treat to touch noses with him for a second, and gave them each a treat and called it a day. She bounded over to me when I whistled, even calling off some of the interesting scents around, and in general I was very happy with her!

Sunday: cleaning out the trailer, going through stored supplies, and a hack with friends.

dressage

Outside!

Amanda2 Comments

Ever have one of those rides where you start out and you think “holy shit, I have no idea what I’m sitting on, but if I can get through this it’s going to be awesome”?

That was last night. I tacked up and we walked the field for a while to loosen up, and then we did our first real school in the outdoor arena. Tristan was UP, and I couldn’t blame him: first ride outside, a bit cool, quite windy, and I’d led him out of the barn just as the other horses were being grained.

I was keeping our goal of consistency in mind, and worked hard on getting him supple and focused. Lateral work took some time, as did bend: he was too busy powering around and looking at everything. Then he wanted to canter every time I put my leg on; in the canter, he wanted to ramp up and up until he was hand galloping around and blowing through aids in order to lean back toward the barn.

Lots of patience, keeping him straight, and using his safe word: “eeeeeeeasy.” I taught it to him sort of by accident years ago, and it’s his cue to chill the fuck out, already. Often, it comes with the side effect of making him too quiet, but usually I can then work him back up again. Last night, it just calmed him down. After about 30  minutes of a “limbs, limbs, everywhere” kind of ride I got my first glimmer of consistent softness, and then shortly after that brilliance: deep, round, powering up behind, accepting my half-halts. Gorgeous, gorgeous trot.

It didn’t translate to the canter, but then it never does. (Side note: I made arrangements before mounting for the trainer’s barn manager/assistant trainer to sit on Tristan in the next week or so and help me figure out the canter. Will report back with pictures.) Canter was still productive, though, and had some nicer moments.

After a break, the trot picked up even better, and we were done. It was too cold and windy for him to be sweaty, but he’d gone rounder and better than he has in months – possibly years. It’s going to be a good summer!

blog hop

Horse Owning Bucket List

Amanda6 Comments

Stole this from A Gift Horse, ’cause I kind of love it.

What horses would I like to own someday?

Let us start this post by saying that Tristan will live forever and ever, amen. This list will come into play when I get my own land and have space for more horses.

1. Morgan Gelding

I freaking love these horses. They have personality to spare, they can do anything, they are built like bricks, they are energetic but sensible, and they are gorgeous. For the purposes of this list, let’s say a Lippitt line – something old blood, with TONS of bone, that has the build to go all-around, not just the saddleseat stuff.

Mmmmmmmm.
2. Gotland Pony
This is my eventual child’s pony. They are adorable, they can be genuinely fancy, they are a heritage breed, and they hail from the same part of Sweden as the BF’s family. In my ideal world, I have a pony that will serve for kids, but that I can also drive. Combined driving might be in the top 5 of my equestrian bucket list. Plus, sleighing in the winter!
Seeing a theme? I might have a thing for chunky horses.

3. Haflinger

The very first barn I took lessons at had a whole herd of Haflingers. They were all named things like Hans and Franz and Gunnar. They were extremely difficult to tell apart, especially for a ten year old kid. I hardly ever got to ride them – I was already very tall even as a kid. I still love them, though, and would not kick that face out of the barn!

Or maybe three?

4. Rescue Pasture Ornament

Really and truly one of the first things I do when I get land will be to put the word out to friends that I’d like a pasture ornament horse, something that can’t be ridden anymore, to live out its days with me and keep Tristan company. I’d love to always have something living with me that just needs a home and hay and love. I know from experience working at rescues that these horses are so tough to place – but so deserving of love.

5. Mustang

I may have ended up with my first mustang by accident, but I’d like to have one at all times. They are such special horses. Their intelligence, sense of self, toughness, and personality are all second to none.

If I ever win the lottery, this is what my backyard will look like.

puppy

Training the Barn Dog

Amanda9 Comments

Arya starts obedience classes this week, and one of my fond hopes is that she’ll become a well-behaved-enough dog to start coming to the barn regularly. It would make life easier and happier if I could just scoop her up after work and head to the barn with her, or bring her on weekends. Right now I feel rotten about crating her beyond when I’m actually at work, so I don’t have the heart to come home and then leave her again.

So snuggly.

So, I ask: have you ever trained your dog to come to the barn? Have you had success with it? What strategies have you used? What skills/training tools are important to have?

I know that barns are often free zones for dogs, and my barn is welcoming to dogs as long as they’re well-behaved. I also know that Arya is only six months old and though sweet and smart, very puppy-ish. If she doesn’t have the chops to be a good barn dog, so be it, but I think she could handle it beautifully.

I did bring Arya by briefly last week just for a taste of it. She loved sniffing around, she ate one or two manure balls, and she was mildly curious and very wary of the horses. She mostly liked the BM’s dog (who is very large and solid and can be intimidating, plus has a loud pseudo-aggressive manner to new dogs). In all, I think it was a good success.

The barn manager’s dog has a command that sends him to sleep on the bench in the ring while she’s riding or working with horses. That would be ideal, I think. Hannah has provided some excellent suggestions for reading and training materials, especially in regards to the “place” command, which I think would adapt itself well to this.