Jack is trotting!

Long time-No Blog. The biggest news has to be that Jack has started trotting under saddle. The first attempts were done lose in the paddock, but given his easily distracted nature it’s proven to be easier and more productive to stick him back on the longe line. The amount of circles he’s done around Tom, vs the amount of time he’s been ridden by me is like comparing your life span to the combined lifespan of your ancestors. So, Jack sees it more as work and less of an opportunity to turn his neck and bite my toes (which didn’t happen today, by the way).

Look at those trot steps!

Ami is going BN at a show in Deary, Idaho next month. We’re going beginner novice, max height 2’7”. So, the height is not an issue, but time might be an issue in the speedy-sense. You’re score goes down for going too fast. Getting her to slow down and respect the need to go slow is difficult, at least if her attitude going schooling is any indicator. I hope we can at least get down in pace a little bit.

Other than that, it’s hot and stuff. Both Tom and Deb will be gone for a few days, each doing different stuff, so I’ll have the farm to myself for four days. I’m also getting down to my last eighteen days on the farm. Where did summer go?!?

Rebecca Farm Event, XC Schooling, and the horrible Longe Line Exercise.

Jessi and I made it to Rebecca Farm, located in Kalispell, Montana, just fine. We had lots of fun watching the horses go, hanging out, playing around and got back safe in the old brown car much to the surprise of my friend Gabi.

Some quick things:

-Wow, Montana is really hot.

-We were given a one person tent when we asked for, and thought, we were getting a two person tent. Jessi kindly let me sleep in it, and took the back seat of the car the first night. We were very tired and had a hard time falling asleep. Then, at 2:30am, it started pouring and there was thunder and lightning. I know how to count how far away lightning is, and I knew Jessi would tell me if I should get in the car or not. As it turns out, I was sleeping through it by the time it got to be seven miles away, and Jessi never had to call me in. All was fine, and this is story is also known as “That one time I slept in a tent with my dog in a thunderstorm.” Luckily the family we were staying with lent us really big tent, and we slept comfortably in it for the rest of the trip.

-Advanced, 3***, CCI/CIC fences are really big. Intermediate fences are big. Some training fences look like they command some respect.

On to the rest of life, and not just fun vacation times. 

Cooper has gone home. His sales video is made so hopefully his owner can move him along quickly. I had fun riding him while he was here. By the way, I totally put a Ratatat song in his video. Matches his trot perfectly. 

Ami went XC schooling at Stanton. We’ll be doing a beginner novice event there next month so we went to see the fences and school them. She was very happy and excited! Tom put verticals up in the water, one going in, one going out, and Ami seemed to really like that and have fun with it. Every time we went down to the water she seemed get more enthusiastic.

We had a good ride today, she was nice and soft, but the exercise was hard. Tom snapped a longe line to my inside stirrup, stood in one place, and I got to practice riding truly round circles. It’s harder than it looks, especially at the end of a big arena with no markers. I felt like my thighs were steering her more than my calves, which was interesting. I almost wish I could have tried at the canter, but walk and trot was hard enough.

Tommy and Jack are going well. Tommy gets a bit cantankerous about growing up and developing a work ethic, but basically every ride he gets better faster. It’s been nice learning the intricacies of inside vs outside leg on him, because it really matters with him. And those aids really are intricate. Jack has been being ridden off the line in the small pen, and today went in a much larger pen back on the longe line. He is learning where his feet are more, and feels more balanced underneath me. He is three and already my leg can’t really wrap around his barrel.

Just a few of the advanced/3*** fences I was talking about

Played around in the Palouse River, going to MT tomorrow!

It was supposed to get up to 97’ today, so we (Tom included!) all took Runoff, Dolly, and Ami down to the Palouse River. Around here it runs parallel to Idaho 6, which is what Tom’s driveway connects to. It involved riding down the hill, through some cow pastures (more on that later), and some exploring, but the river was really fun. I saw fish in it, which admittedly is not that exciting, but I enjoyed it none the less. 

First off, the cows. Ami has seen cows once, and it involved her sort of calmly spinning and running away with me back in 2007 at Lincoln Creek. I was actually laughing at this, because she was sort of like “Don’t worry, I got this, we’re going to be safe.” So, as we were going through the woods and all three horses stopped and starred at some trees suspiciously, we figured what was up. Dolly and Jessi, solid as a rock, lead Ami past the cattle with little skittering. Runoff wasn’t as easily as convinced that the cows meant no harm, but took some solace as she walked towards one and it ran away.

We got to the River and the ponies splashed around happily. Jessi had a laugh when I stopped Ami, because she immediately rested a back leg and lowered her neck, relaxed. I described riding in the Puget Sound to her, and had a laugh as I saw Ami realized it wasn’t salt water she was standing in, and thought about taking a drink.

By this time a larger herd of cattle had worked their way into the field we had crossed. Ami and Dolly easily pushed them back, giving Runoff ample room to pass. At one point a steer was trying to get more acquainted with Dolly, who pinned her ears aggressively and spun around at it. Ami was much more confident than earlier, also noticing that when she went towards the cattle that they moved back. She even volunteered a few steps towards the inquisitive #71, probably to sniff noses and declare herself as herd boss.

Side note: it’s fun being a Natural Resources major and riding horses on trail rides. I can sound all sorts of intelligent as I say “Oh look, cheat grass. It’s invasive and a good sign of disturbance to an area” and similar stuff I learned in school this past year.

In other horse news, Jack has been ridden twice now off the longe line. The pen I am riding him is pretty small, and getting him forward is just a bit easier than doing a U-turn in a Bravada on a two lane road (ask me how I know). He’s pretty slow and happy to stand still at this point, and requires a lot of motivation to keep his feet stepping. He hasn’t gotten pissy about the amount of kicking he gets, which is funny thinking of the ponies I’ve helped back, which are much more forward-thinking and would take protest to that style of riding.

He’ll get the next couple of days off, as will all the other horses, as everyone but Deb will be gone doing various things in Montana. Can’t wait to go the event at Rebecca Farm! 

Guess who is going to Rebecca Farm? This girl.

 Well, Tom and Deb were both gone this past weekend at a horse show on Whidbey Island. They got back late last night, apparently everything went well. Tom is leaving this Thursday for the weekend, and Jessi and I are taking off for a brief road trip to Montana that same morning.

Riding instructions were pretty clear when Tom was gone. Basically, try to not ride anyone in the arena, because horses are happier when ridden out of the arena. True story.

Siblings Ami and Tommy were the happy ones. Ami went on rides in the woods, including an epic trail ride with Dolly. It’s really fun to have a horse that doesn’t know it’s going above and beyond when faced with all sorts of things: really steep hills, brush, odd logs, creeks, etc. She goes along on a loose rein, picks her way over things, around things, past things, etc. There were a few moments, as Ami walked up or down a steep hill, under something or over something, or I thought the logging road was ending (apparently they never do) that I realized wouldn’t want to be riding any other horse given the circumstances.

Trail riding with Jessi makes me painfully aware that I didn’t grow up in Idaho. She knows her way around things, and the things around so intuitively. Both of us are lucky that Ami and Dolly are so game and chill, because otherwise we’d probably get ourselves into trouble out there. I’ve found some adventuresome trails on Vashon, and I am sure Jessi would laugh at them and just bush whack it, probably scaring the pants off anyone who asked to join us.

When Tom got back Ami and I had a flat lesson. Tom basically always incorporates at least two caveletti in his flat lessons. Today they were on the center line and I was counting steps in walk, trot, and canter between the rails on the ground, then after them riding straight, and at each end riding a sort of tear drop shape components of bending, straightness, and leg yielding. It’s a very different style, but it’s nice in a very basic way because you feel the horse get more consistent, or you don’t. No need to talk about how much or little it’s there. I feel like it’s a way of going about things that you would have to do consistently to see benefit from; just once or twice when you need a fresh idea for a horse wouldn’t quite cut it.

Tommy was ridden in the woods with Runoff as a trail buddy, and it was more like Tommy was Runoff’s steady trail buddy. Still, it was fun, and he enjoyed it. He used to have a hard time walking down a hill with me on his back because he hurt so badly, and now that’s a thing of the past. We did a little lesson today, just at walk, and he felt much more positive when we started, I assume because of the trail riding.

Cooper was ridden in the arena. His owner wants to sell him and wants me to ride him in the video, and I felt like the video would look better if I rode him in the ring a bit so we could get a feel for each other. I like how the video turned out. It’s not how I want to ride for the rest of my life, or how Cooper should go for the rest of his life, but for now it’ll do. He’s getting much better already. I should be able to have him be more forward and softer by next week.

I finally had a flat lesson on Cooper! I didn’t start out that positive. He isn’t easy right now and needs to solidify a lot of the basics. His canter can be so rough I have to focus on sliding across my saddle rather than pogo sticking on his back. I was worried about sitting his trot, and Tom sort of yelled “You’re not punishing his back!!!! You’re teaching him to let you sit on him!!!!!!!” We did the same exercise as Ami did earlier. He really got better, and by the end of it I was feeling a little “Wow, look where I got this horse!” Tom could say “Turn right. Straight. Turn right. Straight, turn left. Straight. Turn left” and Cooper would stay soft through all of that, changing his bend without losing his balance. Of course, I know there is a chance I’ll get on tomorrow and feel like selling my saddles, but I’m going to hang on to that more positive feeling, and keep telling myself about how easy horses are nice, but its ones like Cooper that teach you how to ride. As much as that sucks.

(Not from my lesson, but before we shot the video)

Well, two more days of riding before Rebecca Farm! We’re taking the old brown car (the one that got a pat on the hood once I got in my driveway on Vashon) to Kallispell, Montana for three days to watch the biggest event on the west coast. Squee. I’ve heard a lot about it, but it will be nice to see it. Also seeing two of my horsey/Pullman friends, which is super exciting for me, as I’ve been in the zone of solitude as I like to call it. 

Today is the day I lost the war on having an even tan in the year 2012.

I’m not sure how I can spend maybe an hour and a half in the sun and have my chest turn as red as it is now, when it wasn’t exactly pale before. No biggie, it’ll brown in a day or so. I swear I could spend three hours bare legged in the sun and nothing would change though. Anyways, when you see me in person and laugh at my tank top tan lines, know that those happened really badly today. 

Well, it’s been a week and Tommy has worked every day of it, so dare I say he is back in work? It hasn’t been an easy week, we’ve had some pony moments, we’ve had some thoroughbred moments, but he’s been coming around, getting more consistent, and grudgingly accepting that he needs to work for a living. He was very good today, not on spectrum of good riding horses, but for where he has been the past couple of days he was fantastic. So that ride gets the gold star for today, beating out Ami and the New Guy. Tom is going out of town this weekend, so I think he’ll just get longed or hacked rather than worked in the arena.

The New Guy! His name is Cooper; he is a seven year old, 14.2ish hand, chestnut Welsh/TB cross. I’ve ridden him three times so far, all of which I enjoyed, so I’ll just go out and say I like him and hope that doesn’t bite me in the butt tomorrow. He’s been fun, that’s for sure. Also on my first jump ride he cantered to a 3ft vertical and made it happen. I didn’t doubt his abilities, but it was a “Isn’t that rushing the relationship, a bit?” moment for me. I’d be quite happy cantering new horses to much smaller fences, because I do get worried about my equitation going to crap once the fences get higher on horses I can’t yet ride 100% because of the lack of familiarity. 

Earlier in the week Ami and I were able to go in our dressage saddle TWICE. We did some lateral work, haunches in and haunches out, and also worked on stretchy circles.  Apparently when doing lateral work, the inside leg is whatever leg the horse is bending around, not necessarily the right leg if you’re tracking right, or vice versa. Tom is really getting after my tendency to pull (at least I don’t hear that dirty word “elastic” as much as I used to), and a lot of the time I have to assume that the way he is having me ride is to avoid me pulling. I’m getting better,  I assume because I hear “Give!” less, because I think I’m starting to feel when he is going to want me to give.

And today Ami taught me not to change the warm up routine and expect a not changed ride, at least changed for the better. I was feeling a bit “This horse needs to grow up and go in an open frame” so I warmed her up like that, and she was good and open and such. Then we started jumping and it was like I had no horse. Next time I change the warm up, I want it to make the ride better, not the ride worse.  Our course work could have been better, she is still over jumping some spooky jumps, but I’m glad she is going at the end of the day. I’m actually hoping I jump her again tomorrow so I can give her a better ride, I won’t be able to have a jump lesson again until next Monday, otherwise. 

"Ami, do you hear that? You need to be rideable, and give me options"

Hmm, well, I had some time off the farm. I traveled in the old brown car (it had its 168,000 mile birthday) to visit home. It got a big pat once it got me in driveway, and not a cross road sooner. I didn’t get much time off horses though; there was only one day I didn’t ride while I was back. I did some beach riding, sat on a 4yo gelding for the first time in his life, and had a few lessons on my favorite gelding, Ari. I had a great time seeing everyone on the little adventures that popped up here and there.

Grady, the 4yo, being backed. 

Not taken from my trip, but this is Ari and I jumping last winter. 

Now, it's back to work in Idaho. Jack has graduated from doing circles in the barn aisle to doing circles in a small outside pen. He adjusted well, the first day he was really thinking about the footing with a person on his back, the second day the footing and his balance was no concern. He tried to turn his head and bite my boot; hopefully he doesn’t ever succeed because I am sure he would enjoy that game!

Tommy has been ridden twice since getting a few visits to the horse chiropractor. I felt a tremendous physical change in him just in the first few steps of walking away from the barn, to arena. It’s quite something and if I doubted chiro work for horses, it would have changed my mind. The first ride to the second ride had a big change, it’s like he is starting to realize his body isn’t going to hurt and being much less defensive in his movement. He’s quite nice when he is relaxed, I hope he gets more consistent.

Ami has had some dressage/flat riding, and did some bank and ditch schooling today. After riding Ari back home I came back and was thinking of my nice ride on him and trying some of the exercises I did with him. She was a bit surprised, Ari is farther along than her, but she accepted the exercises well. Her jumping today was quite entertaining. We warmed up over some verticals with some walls underneath the rails that she thought were something to put some space between her and the fences. Tom kept on saying that Ami needs to be rideable and give me options, not get rev up and attack things. I was wondering if I was riding her too aggressively, causing her to lose some rideability, or if she was just spooking at the walls.

After the spooky verticals, we all went up and worked on the bank complex. We’ve done banks before, but not for a while. I haven’t done a lot of bank work, I know the basics, but I definitely think of them of an obstacle where if you ride a little poorly, you'll have a big problem. What’s nice about Ami is that even though she can be tugging on me when we’re cantering around, when we are going to a bank or a jump she definitely sees the upcoming obstacle, gets serious and balances herself for it. She still gets excited, but she keeps her brain, knows where her feet are, takes care of herself and keeps me safe. At one point we jumped up the bank, cantered a stride across the top, and dropped down. Ami jumped big up the bank with much enthusiasm, took her canter stride and had a “Oh, I didn’t know there was a down element here!” moment before launching down.

The ditch was fine. I had our ditch issue at the clinic in my mind, and chose to walk up to the ditch and let her jump over it, which I was told was a good plan. Ami doesn’t have enough experience cross country to know that a ditch could be coming up, and she’ll stop when she is surprised by one. The ditch was little, and I thought it would be fair to give her plenty of time to see it and jump it, and to avoid any issues. She kept walking, looked, rocked back, and jumped it just fine. We were then able to trot over it with out anyone getting worried about it. 

Fran Clinic!

Fran is the woman who taught me how to really ride. I met her when I was 15 and started working off lessons, riding her nice show ponies and my horse of questionable sanity, and almost no ridability. She and Tom trade off teaching at each other’s farms doing clinics. It was nice to meet all the other Tom-Students and hang out with them, we had 14 people at dinner! 

Nice!

The clinic here was more of a practice horse show than lessons. The morning was dressage, having groups practice components of their dressage test that they would do Sunday morning. A dressage test gives the rider the opportunity to show how well trained their horse is; at the lower levels focusing primarily on quality of the gaits, transitions between gaits, and accuracy of the ring figures. If you don’t ride you would be surprised at how hard it is to get a horse to do a round, 20 meter circle and be told it was "fairly good". The afternoon was jumping. Each group warmed up in the arena over some simple stuff, and the more advanced riders then went out to the field, XC vests zipped up, to jump some natural obstacles. Sunday was judged dressage rides (Fran is a judge, after all) and then in the afternoon each rider picked a jump course to ride, talked about how it went with Fran, and then worked on what they didn't like.

Practicing Novice level dressage 

On Saturday Fran was pleased to see where Ami was in her way of going, which meant a lot to me. For where we are at we need to pay attention to having quality gaits (not to fast, not to slow), quality transitions between gaits (think shifting a manual transmission), and accurate figures (truly round circles, straight lines, even corners). The afternoon jumping got interesting, there was a pony-mare moment involving a five-foot wide ditch and some name calling, but other than that she galloped up to things with a “I’ll jump that sucker like it’s never been jumped before!”

(This is what a normal, attitude and hormone free, effort over a ditch looks like) 

We did dressage tests on Sunday morning. Our overall scores were 35 for Novice A, and 36 for Novice B, which both fall between “satisfactory” and “fairly good,” and are good scores for the sport. She had some tense moments, but I had my own goals which were accomplished (good downward transitions, and my position), so I was happy.  Jumping in the afternoon went well; people commented on how cute Ami was and said it was fun to watch her go around. She jumped some 3ft jumps and gave them much more respect than she does to the stuff that is 2’6”. One of the other participants, Chris, was taking lots of pictures, so I'm spending some time looking at them and seeing what needs to get better.