More Observations...

Continuing on my "A" show observations...I, naturally, look at movement while the horses are going through their tests. Not only do I watch the horses, I watch the riders.

Out of the twelve or so Dressage tests I watched, more then half of the horses were "off." This "offness" ranged from very subtle to pretty blatant.

"Very subtle" was a minor uneveness in the gait, which was generally most noticeable at the walk.
"Pretty blatant" was marked -what I would call- lameness where the horse was highly irregular at ALL gaits.
Another observation of "offness" was tail-swishing. If nothing else, tail-swishing is indicative of tension, which usually masks some form of pain.

I saw several SchoolMasters packing around less experienced riders. These horse are WONDERFUL for teaching a learning rider the correct "feel" of movement when cued in a correct manner. However, there is a time when these horses just need to be retired. Of the three I watched, only one looked comfortable. He had no irregularities in his gait and his expression was very pleasant. He was packing his rider a bit, but she was doing well. Of the others, it was clearly unpleasant for the horse. These good old boys still packed their riders, but barely. How much can a rider learn from a painful horse?? The answers the horse gives the rider are pain-based, so they are not "correct" movements, leaving the learning rider with a wrong interpretation of the correct movement. They were clearly in pain...an observation that should be made by the trainer/owner. An observation that should lead to the decision to retire these faithful horses.

I guess my point is...PAY ATTENTION!! Note the physical movments your horse makes when you ask for different moves or gaits. Then try to analyze what you feel or see. Maybe you don't feel anything...If you don't, you should. That something to think about. Maybe you don't feel anything wrong. Great! But think about having someone watch you ride and point out things they see. Experienced eyes on the ground are always good. Then you can ask...Was that a head twist? Or did it come from the hindend?? Why did my horse pop-up when I asked for the canter transisiton? Is it me? Is it him/her? Does he/she understand exactly what I want?? Learn the BIO-MECHANICS of CORRECT MOVEMENT.

It's not just for Dressage horses anymore!

Correct Bio-Mechanics applies to every discipline of riding...Because when your horse moves correctly, he/she is comfortable. Comfort encourages relaxation. Relaxation encourages learning. And learning is our goal.

Observation is a great way to learn...

Spent Friday afternoon at Devonwood watching the Championships (there was "Open", too) for the "A" level Dressage of the Oregon Dressage Society.

The thing I really enjoy about Dressage shows is the quiet atmosphere. I comment on it often. There is pleasant music and a relaxed atmosphere...Ideal for showing... since RELAXATION should be STAPLE in EVERYDAY RIDING!!! And particularly emphasized at horse shows.

So, ask yourself...how often do you offer a relaxed attitude for your horse? Too often we have a limited time in which to squeeze in a ride. We throw the tack on, hop on the horse, send him/her through the paces, hop off, and throw him/her back to where he/she came from. The horse begans and ends his/her interaction with we humans, in an uptight, hurried manner that WE PROVIDE!!!! How much fun is that???

Interactions with our horses should be pleasant for all involved, especially the horse.

Do an experiment the next time you go to play with your horse. Take all the time in the world that the horse needs to have a moment to breathe.

Meaning: Put his/her halter on and WAIT for a SIGN of RELAXATION. It may be a big sigh, a head shake, a quiet stance, or, most preferred, the "chew."

Then expect the horse to stand quietly while being groomed. To often, we humans miss the subtlties of horse behavior when we allow them to walk all over the top of us! and be generally rude to our requests. All that fidgety behavior is...is an expression of the horse's dominance over us. That crap is NOT OK. We should be ALPHA, no matter what. Having the expectation of your horse behaving gives him/her the parameters of HOW TO BEHAVE. Another form to allow relaxation. The horse knows what to expect.

Now comes the hard part. After your horse is tacked up and waiting to be ridden... have him/her wait some more...and YOU wait, again, for that sign of relaxation...

This is a skill that may take a while to learn. Only because we ourselves, humans, don't know how to relax and be in the moment with our selves, let alone our horses.

And hopefully, this is whhere th AHA! moment appears. Only by changing what we do as a humans, can we influence what our horses do as equines. That is where the true learning and training begins...with ourselves...making it better for our horses and building what we really want...a deep and close relationship with our favorite friends.

A year of thinking

I know, I know...It has been a long-ass time since I have been on this blog.
But. It has been a year of learning, modifying, and expanding.

Horses keep us on the upside all the time. I have finally realized that Trevor knows when my game is not up to snuff. He calls me out when I DO NOT ride well. It doesn't mean that he is always perfect...it means that he is more attune to my body then I am.

It does make sense. Horses have to be tuned into body language because that is how they communicate. We humans just don't realize HOW attune they are. I always say that a horse knows what you are thinking from 20 yards away...Well...maybe it's forty.

We need to be on our games to have a great ride. We need to listen more acutely to them when we ride. That is our problem. We don't listen well enough and then we get mad when they call us on it.

So, the next time your horse is an ass...re-think who is really being the ass...you might just learn something...

As for Breezy...

My last ride on Breezy was lovely. She was relaxed and pleasant. A real treat.

She had a quieter year. We did, however, ride in the Rose Parade!! in Portland, Oregon. The Pacific Wild Horse Club was in the parade. It is FIVE miles of crowds, max-trains, and noise. Not exactly my cup of tea...Or Breezy's. She was not impressed. We did make it through and are not planning on doing that anytime soon!

After the parade, she was back to her usual bossy form and not happy about being ridden. So! She was turned out with a cohort and had some time off. We'd pull her in occasionally to so a kid could ride her or I would give her a relaxing lunge. Either way, it was easy-peasy.

That has seemed to have helped. As I began with, my last ride was lovely.

On the TrainingSide

Despite the two gas colics, I have been slowly progressing with Trevor.

I stil take him on walks down the road and through the vineyard, as well as our lunge sessions. The lunge sessions have expanded to free lunging which allows him more freedom to make decisions and still be respectful of me.

As the "EVERYTIME lunging" before I get on and ride, Trevor has graduated to a walk around the arena in both directions. On the days he is rather fresh, I incorporate "moving away" exercises.

This decision was made for two reasons: 1) As with all horse shows, lunging is not always an option sooooooooooo we better use other ways of relaxing in new places. Don't forget to chew!!! 2) Since he is recovering and getting stronger, the need for a non-weighted warm-up becomes less of an issue.

It has been a real pleasure getting to know Trevor and see him become the confident, brillant horse I know has been hiding in there. We've been to four schooling shows this year and plan on one more come October. "A" shows here we come!!

Oh Frabjous Day!!!

Today is Septmeber 22, 2010.

I have been seeing this day in the future since the last September 22. This is the one year anniversary of Trevor's colic surgery. I wasn't sure if he was going to make this milestone.

We had one rather scary colic episode in March. He managed to eat stall pellets like they were candy before I could remove them from his stall and decide that I would NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. Even when I watered them down to soften them up, he munched. Twelve hours later, we were in full-blown colic. I called the vet out, all the while preparing myself for the fact he was going to be put down.

However! One gut palpation (gas only) and a "torbe" (a sedative) shot later, Trevor was resting comfortably. I, however, was up all night checking and re-checking Trevor's status. He recovered well.

That. Was a hard lesson.

Then, after eating wild cucumber in May, he had mild colic episode (Can ya tell he's REALLY DUMB ABOUT FOOD). Aha!! I said!! Get the Torbe!! I happened to have a shot that the vet left for me from the March colic. I called a got the OK from the vet and let 'er rip. After a mild snooze and farting, he woke up and went on with his day. The torbe allowed his system to relax and the gas to pass quietly from his system. Whew!! What a relief.

Now, I keep a shot of torbe on-hand for the possible next episode.

As he is consider a high colic risk, I still am meticulous about HOW I feed him and what I allow into his diet. I want his gut to be as stable as possible. Hopefully through consistent feeding and relaxing exercise, Trevor will maintain and thrive more and more.

My Darling Boy

Yeah, I really like and love this horse.

I began riding Trevor in February. Due to his surgery and that slicing of those ever important belly muscles, his riding is progressing slowly. I look at riding him quite differently then I ever thought I would. Most importantly, he has a large paddock to graze when the weather in rainy. Which it is...a lot. However, when the weather is beautiful, he has a good two acres on the side of a hill to run, play, and eat. He does all three. The grazing is important for his brain and his digestion. The running and playing on the side of a hill is important for is body. It only makes him stronger. The goober can canter three meter cicles when he's on a toot!

As far as riding, theses are the things I've added to our routine. First, I changed my girth from a regular leather girth to a soft fleece girth. The girth is wider and more flexible. This allows for the pressure of the girth to be spread over a larger area and greater comfort from soft form. I've also added lunging EVERY TIME before I ride. This allows for him to warm-up his back and belly area before ever having to deal with my weight.

He is a clever horse. He has learned that if he canters, his trot is more free and comfortable. I swear it was all his idea. On the lunge line, he'd offer the canter soon after the trot work began. When he asked, I allowed. Having to bring those hindlegs underneath his body in the three-beat gait, stretches his back and over his gluteals down to the semis (hamstrings). Not to mention, he has to pick that belly up, as well. In turn, with the lunging, his body and brain are warmed-up and our rides have been going well. We also began instituting leg-yields at the walk and trot. Good belly work.

I recommend lunging for any horse before riding and as a change from ALWAYS being ridden. Lunging is not to wear the horse out, but to help them figure out his/her body, as well as learn the art of relaxation while moving. Wait for that chew before you change the gait and see how your horse improves. Get the brain, change the body. It. is. BEAUTIFUL.

I am in no hurry. This year for Trevor is about strength and well-being.