Author: Amanda

2014 goals

March Goals

Amanda2 Comments

For reference: 2014 Outline & 2014 Goals

So, March!

March 

Spring shots & teeth. Get the trailer registered and potentially taken out to get inspected/repaired. Re-up my US Rider 

Continue topline & fitness, but we should be well on our way by now: capable of a full 60 minute lesson without too much exhaustion on either part.

We’re just about capable of that 60 minute lesson already, but we have some more fitness work to do. I’ll also add to this: get my saddles fit at the end of the month. Which means I am in for some expenses – sigh.

stupid human tricks · trailering · winter

Fail again, fail faster, fail better

Amanda1 Comment

The theme of this week might be something like I get knocked down – but I get up again. (Sorry for the ear worm…)

Sunday was good! Quiet afternoon chores, in the middle of which I did a really nice longe session with Tristan. Then I hopped on bareback with a quarter sheet and we attempted to go for a bit of a hack through the snow, which he was having none of. The snow was well over his knees and he took about three steps and decided it was way too much work, eff you, lady and spun right back around for the road. I tried again at a different entry point and we didn’t even get three steps, so I relented and we walked up and down the road for a bit.

Monday was not easy. I stepped up to do morning chores, though my hand was not quite up to physical labor, and it was a solid, exhausting six hours in temperatures that never went above 5, and whenever the wind picked up were easily double digits below zero. Most of the paths were too icy to get to regular turnouts, so we rotated the horses for shorter periods through the accessible turnouts, and cleaned stalls as best we could. Every piece of manure made a clinking sound as it hit the wheelbarrow, and every water bucket was so frozen it took me three, four, five stomps of my boot to break through the top, pour what little water was remaining onto the manure pile, and then tip the buckets over in the sun to help dislodge the icy rims. Most of the buckets had an inch or more of ice all through the insides, clinging to the bucket walls.

Needless to say, too cold for riding or working, and on top of that Tristan had once again – somehow – irritated his eye. I flushed it with saline, which was an adventure, and gave him a gram of bute and another gram with dinner. It was dripping clear thin tears, he was acting totally normally, and there wasn’t a hint of anything different about the eye itself. Plus, it was clearing up slowly through the day. So I worried, of course, but held off on the vet. Will check in later this afternoon and see what he looks like, and vet out tomorrow if it hasn’t cleared up.

Today has gone downhill: after a plan to get my truck inspected and ready for summer, I have discovered that a) the battery died during the recent cold snaps, and b) I somehow lost the freaking registration after renewing it in January. Why why whyyyyy can’t I keep on top of things this winter? So, back to the drawing board: new copy of the registration tomorrow, will get the trailer updated while I’m there, and hopefully back on track in general. It’ll be my daily driver for the summer, and I hope to do quite a bit more hauling in general, so it needs to be in top shape.

My hand has been alternately aching and stinging all day, as I almost certainly opened the cut up doing chores yesterday. It is supposed to get up to a high of 18 today, but considering at noon it had just edged above zero, I find that unlikely. So I am stuck inside, cleaning and making lists of things to get ready before we have a house full of weekend ski guests and oh man, the apartment is something else after three weeks of me not able to do a whole lot of intensive cleaning.

Sigh. Chop wood, carry water, etc. /whine

ground work · safety · stupid human tricks

What are your barn rules?

Amanda7 Comments

A few nights ago, I had to grab something quickly from inside the barn that I’d forgotten. I was in a hurry, and frustrated that I’d been forgetful, and I had a length of barn aisle to go get it. I sped up and jogged one, two steps.

And then I stopped and went back to a fast walk. I realized in that moment that “no running in the barn” is a rule that has been physically ingrained into me. I cannot take more than one step of jog anywhere near the barn – not even out near turnout, not even on the driveway. Can’t do it. At some impressionable point in my past, an instructor imprinted that rule deeply into my brain.

Then I got to thinking: what other unconscious rules do people have for the barn? What is so anathema to you that you can’t even imagine doing it?

Many of these are rooted in safety and common sense, I’m sure, but there are plenty of other rules I break without thinking about it, especially around Tristan. So why did these stick so firmly?

Here are a few more of mine.

Wearing sandals in the barn. Can’t do it. No way, no how. I get nervous just thinking about it. Tender toes and horse hooves do not mix.

Wear a helmet every time, every ride. I have mounted exactly twice without a helmet in my life and both times within a few strides felt a strange disorientation, like I’d never been on a horse before, or like Tristan had suddenly changed size or shape. It was the absent weight and feel on my head.

Always use gloves to handle horses. I can remember the precise moment I learned this one, and the incredible pain from all the rope burn blisters. Now, I never, ever, ever, EVER hold a rope or a rein that’s attached to a horse bare-handed. NEVER.

2014 goals

February Goals Wrap Up

Amanda1 Comment
For reference: 2014 Outline & 2014 Goals
So, February goals were:

February 

Ditto January: Stick to a consistent schedule; build topline & fitness; take a few lessons.  

If all goes well, try a few jumps under saddle at the end of the month.

How did we do?

So-so. First week was great; second week was wiped out due to work, weather, and illness; third and fourth weeks were free-longeing due to injuring my hand.

I took two lessons, both of which were hugely helpful. He definitely has gained both topline and fitness.

Jumping did not happen, but I suspected it might not. The saddle-fitter came out at the beginning of last week and that was too early for me.

Overall: I’m actually ok with where we are. He’s in a good place mentally, and he’s building strength. My fitness could be better, but I’m gaining skills as a rider and feel generally on track.

winter

You win some, you lose some, or: everyone gets stuck in a snowbank eventually

Amanda8 Comments

Thursday was awesome! Thursday started out with about 15 minutes of longeing in the chambon and surcingle, and he was forward and soft and lifting his back and all good things. Then I tacked him up in the ring and we rode and zoooooooooom pony. I had a forward, sensitive horse with a warmed up back who had a few glorious strides of a higher self=carriage than he’s yet achieved.

I tested the waters with some shoulder-in and haunches-in and it quickly became apparent that wasn’t the ride I had to do. Instead, we worked on half-halts and using them to collect, not kill the motor. We did leg yields one step at a time, half-halting on the straight parts, and rode every step of the shoulders through circles.

We finished with just a few circles at the canter, and he was more maneuverable and balanced than he’s been in months. Whooooo! I’m not thrilled he had two weeks of just free-longeing but they actually seemed to have done him some good both mentally and physically. I think we’ve finally reached a tipping point for his muscle development, in that we’re layering good on top of good and now that there’s definition it will only increase.

My hand was pretty much fine; right now it only hurts if I bump the cut or make a tight fist. Just a little while longer and it will be all healed.

Even better: HOUSTON, WE HAVE SHEDDING!

Then, there was Friday. Friday was an insane sprint at work from start to finish and I was so much in the zone that as soon as breathing space appeared, I packed up, changed into barn clothes, and headed to the barn, only a little bit later than I’d hoped for.

Then I stepped outside my car, sniffed the air, and realized crap, it’s really cold. Checked my phone: yep, 8 degrees. No riding for me. So I thought: I’ll make the most of it! I did Tristan’s topline exercises, did carrot stretches, fussed over him generally, and then started to get excited about the prospect of a quiet night of getting home early and maybe watching a movie and getting to bed at a reasonable hour, something that hadn’t happened in two weeks.

Got in the car, headed up the driveway, and put my hat down on the passenger seat. I glanced down to see where I was putting it for just a split second and as I did that, I could feel the right front wheel of the car catch in slightly deeper snow and then a split second later…

And then I swore a lot and pounded the steering wheel, and tried to back out: no dice. I got out front and walked around the car and attempted to dig the wheel out, then back out: no dice. Working student arrived over the hill to grain and tried to help me push it out: no dice. Kindly farmer stopped and saw us struggling, helped dig the wheel out and helped push…well, you get the idea. I had popped just enough off the road that the undercarriage of the car was beached on the snowbank and the right wheel was in mid-air over the drainage ditch.
So I called AAA, grabbed a book, went in to give Tristan more kisses, and sat in the tack room practically on top of the heater. An hour later, the tow truck arrived and hauled it out, and an hour after that, I was home in my pajamas eating pizza. Sigh.

longeing

Progress

Amanda2 Comments

Some small pieces of progress!

My hand is still healing but I’ve downgraded the type of bandage I’m using and I am slowly regaining mobility. Should be able to ride by the end of this week. I’m scheduled for barn chores this weekend.

In the meantime, still free longeing. Last night I got back to work after a few days out of town visiting family, and Tris was fresh and raring to go. He bucked and farted and galloped around and was generally naughty for quite a while once I asked for a trot.

We did some work on discipline issues: if you’re going to spin around and let fly with your hind end and generally give me the middle finger, then you are going to keep moving, no matter what. I would test him occasionally in asking him to turn or waaaaaaalk, and when I got an immediate, obedient response he was allowed to walk again. If not, back to the big forward trot for him!

I’m actually really liking what the free longeing is doing for him: it allows me to really focus on his hind end engagement and get him moving forward and through. Without the added complication of the longe line that’s all we’re doing – and since he’s free longeing, I don’t have to worry as much about torquing his joints and/or overdoing it. He’s basically going ’round and ’round the arena in exactly the same way he would under saddle.

So he has to have a big forward walk and trot and use his back for the entirety of the work, which is doing great things, I think. He’s still clearly gaining muscle through his back and neck and hindquarters. It’s so nice to see the progression! Last night, some of his big forward fancy trot had a ton of suspension (caveat: for him); his front feet were practically floating off the ground for a few strides at the time as he sat back on his hind end and really engaged his hocks.

It also lets me really see any imbalances. For example, right now his right hind is tracking…maybe 1/2″ shorter than his right hind. So we worked to the right and through transitions to get him to step under more, to flex that hock more. It didn’t say to me pain or problem, just stiff and a bit uneven.

longeing

Free Longeing Some More

Amanda4 Comments

Against all odds, I made it to the barn last night for about 1.5 hours in the middle of a 14 hour workday. I even beat evening grain, which doesn’t always happen!

We free-longed again and he is getting even better. We had one or two incidents early on, and near-ish to the end when he was getting bored and sick of me he let fly with his hind end in my direction and took off, but he regretted it. (You want to run, pony? Go ahead, keep running!)

I like free longeing right now; even though I still can’t grip a longe line, I can get and keep him moving, and he travels the entire circumference of the indoor, so it’s easier on his joints. I can control his stride and keep him forward, and praise when he stretches down. It’s even a little bit of exercise for me as I jog alongside him in the trot. And it’s great for our communication: by the end of the session he was adjusting his gait and position by my body language alone, and his response to voice commands had sharpened up considerably.

We did 10 minutes of walk each direction, 5 minutes of trot each direction, 2.5 minutes of walk-trot transitions both directions, and then a few minutes of trot-canter transitions; I didn’t time those. I basically ran him through a few until I felt he was responsive and had a smoother transition and then called it quits. I wanted to drill the walk-trot more for muscle-building purposes.

Tonight, hopefully more of the same, and then out of town for four days – of course, four of the nicest days we’ve had in months. It might even hit 40!