A Bit of Baby Grid Work

The Boy and I escaped for a few days to celebrate our anniversary (!!) this past weekend which was fabulous and relaxing and wonderful, but meant that we were away from the girls for a few days.  I'd speak more to the fabulous whirlwind of our first year of marriage, but I'll leave that to another blog (someday).

Friday I had my vet out for some bodywork and while Prairie is looking great (yay!) Pia is toeing out her RF more than usual so we have a quick follow up scheduled to see if that is continuing or if some adjustments took care of it.

Prairie's update is that she's no longer cheating and holding so much in her right shoulder and neck.  That's huge and means we've been doing our job with her training and work.  But (there's always a "but" with mares...) her triceps were really tight, leading us to believe that she's cheating with them instead of opting to really lift her back.  Argh.  So, we still have work to do, but at least we're unlocking the puzzle...

The girls ended up with both Sunday and Monday off (I think they were celebrating our anniversary too). Which meant I was greeted by two very perky, very fresh ladies this am.  Pia was in her stall because one of the grooms noticed her RH was puffy (damn scratches).  I thanked him for noticing, but then threw her back outside.

Prairie still had some of the small hives on her neck that I had noticed on Friday, but further inspected made me realize that it's not hives, it's f#@$%ing fungus.  She rolls So much, in such gross mud, all the time that Prairie has literally given herself scratches on her neck.  filthy.

Vowing to break out the anti-fungals after my ride we tacked up, lunged for a second then got to work.

S set a small grid for us (placing pole, big X, bounce to a big X, placing pole).  We worked through it as poles on the ground first, and after some oddly balanced trips through both ways we put the rails up.

Prairie tends to be lazy over the jumps and drops her right shoulder.  I think this partially has to do with the rein-lameness tension, and partially just because she doesn't have to try over the height we jump.

Exhibit A:

yep

again.

and again.

and...again!

Comedic a little, right?

It's not horrid, but it's not straight either and it impacts our landing, balance and certainly isn't doing us any favors with our changes.

So, for the grid, my entire focus was getting the mare into the grid straight, and keeping her there.

Easier said than done. 

To the mare's credit (and not to sound like a broken record), two months ago we couldn't quietly canter 4 poles, let alone in and out of a small line.  So it's a testament that we're nitpicking straightness as an issue instead of just trying to install some brakes.  (celebrate the small victories).

The line was set closer to one end of the ring than the other, which meant that coming in on the right lead I had more time to get her straight going in, but she anticipating a quick turn when we landed and really wanted to drop that right shoulder and zoom around the corner.

To the left - we had the opposite problem.  I had only two strides coming out of the corner to get straight and try to keep us from drifting left to right as we went.  Prairie is inherently straighter to the left, so that made it a bit easier but it did change the exercise slightly.

To the right, What finally got us a bit straighter was widening my hands, and opening her stride a bit.  That seemed to give me some energy to funnel.  Also, I focused on a square turn out of the corner and really catching her shoulder then supporting with some inside leg.

Right lead, longer approach, but notice the dropped shoulder:


 Right lead, slightly better, less rotation:


To the left, a bigger stride led to worse drifting and me losing her outside shoulder in the shorter approach.  I felt less "rotation" of a dropped shoulder, but also more drift.

Oddly, this seemed to be improved with a smaller, bunched up stride with a more upright frame.  I focused on almost no release with my outside rein and keeping firm support. 


All in all - productive.  Even if we didn't fix anything, it was a good exercise in me adapting to what Prairie needs over fences and adjusting my support for her.  I reiterate that I was thrilled at how calm and balanced she was through the exercise and how we never (ever) scooted as we landed from the fences.

It must be too cold for the gerbils.  Maybe they are hibernating??

and because I had fun watching it again and because it seems like I shouldn't totally ignore a first anniversary, here's the 6min "movie trailer" from the wedding.  Really!? it's been a year!??


Carie + Eric from Aaron Horton on Vimeo.

2013 Goals (or at least some wishful thinking)

Bah.  Goals.  It's been so long since I actually committed to any (hmm... 2011 maybe?) that I've almost forgotten how to be accountable.

However, I think I've been with both mares long enough for me to have some idea of reasonable expectations and I think I'm still competent enough to organize them (at least a little).

For the sake of moderate organization I'm breaking them down into Goals for Me, Goals for Prairie and Goals for Pia.  


Let's start with Prairie since her goals are a bit more tangible than Pia's and I don't want to do mine yet:

- Attend at least one recognized dressage show in 2013.
We stayed at the unrated shows in 2012 but since atmosphere doesn't seem to phase the mare a ton I think we'd be ok to try our hand at the fancier shows.  I don't really plan on chasing qualifying rides, but I do actually own a dressage coat and white breeches again.  Seems a shame to keep them locked in the closet. 


- Break 70% at Training Level and 65% at First Level.  Also, show First Level 3
I am reasonably confident that Prairie could smash Training Level on an average day now that we have our canter figured out a bit more, but we have some work to do on First Level and I'm scared of FL3 :)


- Get our changes 80% of the time 
I don't expect Prairie's changes to be "auto" this year, or even 100%, or even respectable in a Dressage court, but I would like her to get them often enough that we're competitive in the Hunter Ring.  This means that swapping the front first totally counts :)

Our Best "Hunter Impression" in 2012.. And it's only getting better...

- Attend at least FOUR overnight Hunter Shows. 
Admittedly this falls on my shoulders not Prairie's, but this year is a great year for us to really get out.  No weddings or other major life events to get in the way, so let's make hay while the sun shines.


- Move Up to 3' Adult Hunters
Really I want to show the 3'3" Amateur Owners, or the 3'3" Adults- but to be conservative, I'm setting the Goal at 3'.  Prairie does better over bigger fences, and realistically I give her a better ride to them.  We just need those damn changes.... I'll save the 4' divisions for later...

Loved 2012 with this mare...

 Now for Miss Pia:


- Safe and Consistent W/T/C without Bucks
I would say that she's 90% there, but she still has the odd kick out to outside leg and throws minor tantrums.  I think they are diminishing, but they need to be 99% gone.  I feel like her regular routine will get us closer.

A happier, more relaxed start to 2013...

-Get Back on the Trail
Committing to out of arena work is something I want to do for P1.  I think it helps her brain and I want to stretch her mental flexibility as much as possible. Trips back to Summer Camp or down to a Mountain Trail Clinic would be ideal.


-Attend TWO Schooling Shows
Not for the ribbons, but to get her out and in new places.  I don't care if they are H/J or Dressage I just want her out.

- Passably Perform First Level Tests at Home
Pia's lateral work is already coming along without the stress or tension it had in 2010.  I know she can physically do everything in first level at this point, it's just the focus and consistency of being able to string it all together for 5 minutes straight.  That's the sticky wicket there.

We have thankfully, seen NONE of this recently, a reminder of how far we have come...

And finally, the obnoxious goals for self -


- SHORTER REINS
If there's one thing I don't need a trainer for, it's to be told to shorten my reins.  They are long, they are always long. They are long almost immediately after I shorten them.  They are long over fences, they are long on the flat they are long even when I'm not riding because they are in a perpetual state of too damn long.  This year I will shorten my reins and then staple them to my hands in the appropriate place (so help me god).


- Lighten My Seat
I don't want an ineffective "perch," but my go-to defensive move is to sit deep, lean back and drive, drive drive.  I need another tool.  Namely one that doesn't totally freak out both my mares. :)


- Continue My Dressage Education
I am SO happy with S.  So, so, so happy.  I trust her, I like how she rides, I like how my horses react to her, I like how I react to her as well.  But I also know that I am getting sucked into the H/J vortex like a moth to a flame.  I missed jumping. I know that now and I'm having so much fun getting back into it (even without cross country).  But I can already tell I'm getting less committed to my Dressage work and I don't want to lose ground.  Prairie has more levels in her and I will need to up my game to get us there.  There are two trainers in the area who I really enjoy and I need to average hauling out at least once a month to see them.  




We're well underway on all these goals, and even if the path deviates a little (or a lot) I'm really looking forward to lots more time with both these ladies this year.  Yeehaw. 

Twin Beaks

One of my favorite pictures of Pia was taken by Supermom back in September of 2010.  You wouldn't know it was Pia unless you spent a lot of your afternoons kissing her muzzle, since the shot was just of her cute little beak - but there's something about it that I love.  It's been the wallpaper on my phone ever since. 

Then, last weekend, Supermom got a similar shot of Prairie's (big) beak and it turned out fabulously.

So I present to you, Twin Beaks:

So kissable.

Frozen Peas, errr P's.

Holy lord the barn is frigid.  You Idaho people will think I'm whiny, but there is something miserable about 33 degrees and slushy, sloppy snow.  It's like the weather gods think it's hysterical to makes things as cold as possible while still maintaining a bone chilling damp in the air and making sure that all the horses are muddy and damp and gross.

hate. 

As I drove to the barn this morning (work, what?) I watched carefully as the big heavy rain drops turned into semi frozen splats on my windshield before muffling into quiet snow flakes by the time I got to the barn.  Now, I still have a 12 year old's obsession with any sort of snowflake so the snow itself was totally fun and exciting, but the ensuing damp, shivering, mud covered ponies were not.

Oh, also the lights in the barn are being replaced so instead of tacking up in our aisle (with a heated tack room to escape to for a moment here or there), I had to dig all my crap out (in the dark) and lug it to the other barn aisle where the lights were still functional.  Prairie was not amused and by the time I returned with all our accoutrements, she was standing with her ears flopped out sideways and shivering while in her big puffy, medium weight blanket.  She was also dry under the blanket which means the cold damp air (and her damp neck/legs) were enough to make her just as miserable as I was in my boots that slowly leak cold mud in through the sole..

Perfect start right?

I kept Prairie covered in a fleece cooler and her quarter sheet until the very last moment when I pulled the fleece as I hopped on.  I opted to trot right off the bat and try to get her blood pumping and warmed up.

To my total surprise, Prairie was (yet again) a total gem.  The electrician was lurking at one gate to the arena making all sorts of terrible noises with terrible tools and the tractor was clunking around on the other side of the ring while stalls got cleaned.  Basically my brain was on high alert since according to the Gerbil-Terrorous Theorum:  cold + strange sounds + guys popping in and out of stalls + loud rain and snow on the roof = totally loony Prairie.

But, it never came.  I had a loop in the reins the entire time I warmed up and Prairie just jaunted along maintaining her own steady rhythm and bending softly.

I mean seriously, where did this mare come from? where are the scoots? where are the motorcycle turns? what's happening!???

S set three canter poles that we started trotting back and forth over before we moved up to the canter.  Our first canter set had us canter all the way around the arena three times prior to heading over the poles.  Mind you it is a small arena, but I still don't really let Prairie just canter.... and canter... and canter very often.  She tends to slowly build up steam as she goes and the long sides are not conducive to keeping her in a package.  Our usual MO is to canter a circle... go do something, regroup with a circle... do something. trot and start over.

But today Prairie just popped into a canter, found a nice forward pace and stayed there.  I still helped package her in the corners a little - but not much and not nearly as obviously as I have had to in the past.

So a cantering we went -  And over the poles we bounded... and no drama was to be had.   Today was the first time that
a) multiple canter poles didn't cause a gerbil-rage-blackout and
b) that Prairie could miss her distance, or scissor a pole and still recover before she was through all three poles.

loved it.

Then we opted to work some counter canter which was not super successful.  I think we've been schooling our changes so much recently that for me all of the sudden to hold Prairie on the wrong lead was confusing and she got a little stressed out.  S had us dial back the exercise to a true canter on a circle and asking to switch the bend from true to counter and back to true again.

This apparently made sense to Prairie and she obliged happily while maintaining a soft mouth and nicely balanced stride throughout.

Gem.

Then as I put P2 away S grabbed P1 and I lingered long enough to see the start of their ride.  It's interesting.  Pia is still starting out a bit sticky, and doesn't really open up her stride for about 15 minutes, but I don't think it's driven by pain.  Even when she's sticky these days her eyes and ears are soft and there's no sign of the total stress-meltdown-face that used to accompany her balks.  Our vet is coming out on Friday for bodywork and I'm eager to see if she finds any lingering issues or if Pia is still on a comfortable, happy path.

Anyway here's a quick clip.  She's still not moving out fabulously at this point and she was insistent on jumping through the poles so S was trying to keep her at a walk or trot...