Here's a little update on Dublin's progress.
Dublin is doing very well. I have decided to put the dressage lessons on hold for the winter due to weather and time constraints, and to use the time to focus on his trailering issues since that was adding considerable stress to our weekly lessons. I also want to focus on our Parelli work, and getting him solid in Levels 2 and 3 since dressage really falls into the realm of Level 4.
After reviewing the assessment criteria for Levels 2 and 3, my goal is to have him able to pass a Level 2 assessment by the end of the year, and a Level 3 assessment by the end of April. I'm working with my coach Julia via video. Here are the videos we did yesterday showing our work on On-Line and Freestyle. It got a little exciting when a great blue heron landed in the next pasture in search of gophers! Dublin was curious but not fearful, which was great, because that could have been a disaster when the bird took off soaring across the field!
https://youtu.be/rijoevqMylM
https://youtu.be/fE_wIwpCfkQ
https://youtu.be/IvNRXmIld6k
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Making Great Progress--In the Ring and On The Trail
It seems like not much progress is being made, and then you look back to the last time you posted and realize that LOTS of progress has been made!
A new approach to foot care has had Dublin sound through the last 2 trims. That has made progress much easier since we are no longer dealing with sporadic lameness. Also resulting in a much happier horse!
Our lessons have been on-and-off for the last couple months as my riding instructor moved to a new facility and also to a new residence and of course it takes some time to get settled in both places. My riding has also been on-and-off because of stretches of REALLY hot weather, a few home projects that took priority, and the usual life-in-general distraction. But Cowboy, at 19, is developing worsening arthritis and, while he's not ready for retirement, it is adding some urgency to getting Dublin on the trail to give Cowboy some relief.
So my neighbor and another friend packed up 3 horses and headed out to the local regional park, Ragle Ranch. It's a pretty small park but does have a 2-mile perimeter trail. It's flat and easy but it does have some challenges--several narrow bridges to cross, narrow trails with high tree and shrub growth on the sides, making several stretches very tunnel-like, and it's popular with dog-walkers, families out for a bike ride, and people pushing baby strollers.
Dublin took the trailer ride perfectly (not always the case!), stood quietly to be tacked up even though there were quite a few people milling around the parking area, and then we were off. He does need a little work on standing still when I mount! Never noticed because at home in the arena, he's in a corner with a fence in front of him. But he does walk off when he isn't restrained.
Turns out that any concerns I had about Dublin's abilities as a trail horse are unfounded. He was sure-footed and took all the tourists, dogs, bikes, and bridges with aplomb. He was a little unsure about the first bridge, but when Cowboy marched confidently across it, so did he. Thank goodness that Cowboy came through for us! I've been riding Cowboy on the trail for 10 years now, and for the first 3 I think I had to lead him across every bridge.
As a matter of fact, Dublin is a much more confident and calm trail horse than Cowboy. After 10 years on the trail, Cowboy is now a superstar, but it wasn't always that way. I spent a lot of time leading him the first few years and even now, he can get me to dismount when things get a little hairy.
Since Ragle went so well, he and Cowboy got loaded up in my trailer (he needs to get over his little kicking and scrambling issue before he's welcome in someone else's trailer), and last week we headed over the hills to Pt Reyes National Seashore. This has been our favorite riding spot for years, but it is a challenging road to get there with a trailer. With Cowboy along, Dublin rode perfectly to the park. And he was once again a superstar on the trail. There is a large cattle pasture on this trailer with a lot of Black Angus cows and calves in one part and the bull pasture on the other side. While Dublin is amazingly calm most of the time, the cattle were a new experience! They look, act, and smell weird. I did get in quite a bit of walking time through that part. On the way back, though, they were a lot less scary and I'm sure in another ride or two, they will just be part of the scenery. Dublin did so well that we even opened one of the many gates on the trail. It wasn't exactly elegant, but we got the job done.
The ride back home did not go as smoothly. On the curviest, hilliest part of the road, going downhill, he lost it and started scrambling. It's not a great place to pull over and I probably kept driving a little longer than I should have. By the time I found a spot I deemed safe, he had stopped scrambling, but it was a long ride home after that while I imagined the worst when I unloaded him. Fortunately, he just had some scrapes and a couple small cuts on one pastern. My trailer got the worst of it as he ripped up the mat on the wall between the tack compartment and the horse's area. Cowboy came through unscathed, probably wondering what was wrong with that black horse.
We've also made progress in our dressage journey. We've had our ups and downs and I hadn't been particularly happy with our first lesson at the new facility. But then I had a couple revelations. I occasionally do yoga, and my video ends with a seated meditation that I usually skip. One morning recently I did the meditation, which walks you through a balanced and relaxed posture, and it occurred to me that this is the posture and attitude I need on horseback. Head over shoulders, shoulders over hips, elbows hanging at sides, and body symmetrical. Excited, I wrote down my "discovery". I've also been reading Dominique Barbier's excellent horsemanship book "Alchemy of Lightness" and picked that up immediately after jotting my notes. And there on the next page was his description of riding as a meditation on horseback. The books also suggests presenting an image to the horse of what you want to do. On my next ride, I was mindful of my "meditation posture", and when I attempted another canter depart (still a sticky point for us), I tried giving Dublin an image of a graceful canter depart--and we did it! Between the posture mindfulness and the imagery, it's helping me to keep my weight distributed correctly, my hands on either side of the horse (I tend to cross one hand over), and stopped me from leaning forward. Must have worked because at our last lesson, Anne was floored by our improvement.
It all seems like baby steps, but when you look back on it, you realize how far you have come.
A new approach to foot care has had Dublin sound through the last 2 trims. That has made progress much easier since we are no longer dealing with sporadic lameness. Also resulting in a much happier horse!
Our lessons have been on-and-off for the last couple months as my riding instructor moved to a new facility and also to a new residence and of course it takes some time to get settled in both places. My riding has also been on-and-off because of stretches of REALLY hot weather, a few home projects that took priority, and the usual life-in-general distraction. But Cowboy, at 19, is developing worsening arthritis and, while he's not ready for retirement, it is adding some urgency to getting Dublin on the trail to give Cowboy some relief.
So my neighbor and another friend packed up 3 horses and headed out to the local regional park, Ragle Ranch. It's a pretty small park but does have a 2-mile perimeter trail. It's flat and easy but it does have some challenges--several narrow bridges to cross, narrow trails with high tree and shrub growth on the sides, making several stretches very tunnel-like, and it's popular with dog-walkers, families out for a bike ride, and people pushing baby strollers.
Dublin took the trailer ride perfectly (not always the case!), stood quietly to be tacked up even though there were quite a few people milling around the parking area, and then we were off. He does need a little work on standing still when I mount! Never noticed because at home in the arena, he's in a corner with a fence in front of him. But he does walk off when he isn't restrained.
Turns out that any concerns I had about Dublin's abilities as a trail horse are unfounded. He was sure-footed and took all the tourists, dogs, bikes, and bridges with aplomb. He was a little unsure about the first bridge, but when Cowboy marched confidently across it, so did he. Thank goodness that Cowboy came through for us! I've been riding Cowboy on the trail for 10 years now, and for the first 3 I think I had to lead him across every bridge.
As a matter of fact, Dublin is a much more confident and calm trail horse than Cowboy. After 10 years on the trail, Cowboy is now a superstar, but it wasn't always that way. I spent a lot of time leading him the first few years and even now, he can get me to dismount when things get a little hairy.
Since Ragle went so well, he and Cowboy got loaded up in my trailer (he needs to get over his little kicking and scrambling issue before he's welcome in someone else's trailer), and last week we headed over the hills to Pt Reyes National Seashore. This has been our favorite riding spot for years, but it is a challenging road to get there with a trailer. With Cowboy along, Dublin rode perfectly to the park. And he was once again a superstar on the trail. There is a large cattle pasture on this trailer with a lot of Black Angus cows and calves in one part and the bull pasture on the other side. While Dublin is amazingly calm most of the time, the cattle were a new experience! They look, act, and smell weird. I did get in quite a bit of walking time through that part. On the way back, though, they were a lot less scary and I'm sure in another ride or two, they will just be part of the scenery. Dublin did so well that we even opened one of the many gates on the trail. It wasn't exactly elegant, but we got the job done.
The ride back home did not go as smoothly. On the curviest, hilliest part of the road, going downhill, he lost it and started scrambling. It's not a great place to pull over and I probably kept driving a little longer than I should have. By the time I found a spot I deemed safe, he had stopped scrambling, but it was a long ride home after that while I imagined the worst when I unloaded him. Fortunately, he just had some scrapes and a couple small cuts on one pastern. My trailer got the worst of it as he ripped up the mat on the wall between the tack compartment and the horse's area. Cowboy came through unscathed, probably wondering what was wrong with that black horse.
We've also made progress in our dressage journey. We've had our ups and downs and I hadn't been particularly happy with our first lesson at the new facility. But then I had a couple revelations. I occasionally do yoga, and my video ends with a seated meditation that I usually skip. One morning recently I did the meditation, which walks you through a balanced and relaxed posture, and it occurred to me that this is the posture and attitude I need on horseback. Head over shoulders, shoulders over hips, elbows hanging at sides, and body symmetrical. Excited, I wrote down my "discovery". I've also been reading Dominique Barbier's excellent horsemanship book "Alchemy of Lightness" and picked that up immediately after jotting my notes. And there on the next page was his description of riding as a meditation on horseback. The books also suggests presenting an image to the horse of what you want to do. On my next ride, I was mindful of my "meditation posture", and when I attempted another canter depart (still a sticky point for us), I tried giving Dublin an image of a graceful canter depart--and we did it! Between the posture mindfulness and the imagery, it's helping me to keep my weight distributed correctly, my hands on either side of the horse (I tend to cross one hand over), and stopped me from leaning forward. Must have worked because at our last lesson, Anne was floored by our improvement.
It all seems like baby steps, but when you look back on it, you realize how far you have come.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Step Backward, Step Forward!
Life with Dublin is never very consistent. After the last glowing post, we got to take a step backward when Dublin went quite lame after a trim. That was immediately his being sore-backed after a lesson and getting a week off. So about 10 days of rehabbing with no work. Meanwhile, I ordered a stunning new bridle for him, which arrived about the time I pronounced him sound enough to ride. Got one short ride in the day before the bridle arrived, and when I unsaddled him I discovered that he had scraped the hide off his back in a strip along his spine, and the pad had re-scraped it raw again. Hey, he's tall, I didn't notice the owie along the top of his spine when I saddled him! So back to ground work again until the back healed. Cowboy has been going to lessons with me (he's such a sport!). And since sometimes the lesson is the only horse time I can fit in, Dublin has been leading quite the life of Riley, lounging around and healing. The horse has a gift for coming up with injuries that render him un-rideable.
But today I did squeeze in some Dublin time. His back is pretty well healed, and I threw a quilted pad under the felt pad under the regular pad. I feel like the Princess and the Pea when perched atop all that padding. It makes shimming the saddle pad an interesting exercise.
One thing my instructor Anne has been working with me on is canter departs. For some reason, I seem to think I need to assist the horse in this by doing my own exaggerated canter depart. I've been doing it for so long that I don't even know I'm doing it, and it's been a bit of work on her part to get me to stop. Cowboy is kind of used to it, but it just confuses Dublin and gets him off balance, and we don't get a canter. We get some sort of crazed out-of-control high-headed trot instead. It's tough to ride and probably contributed to his sore back. So I have been getting longed on top of Cowboy and learning to get a canter by doing a whole lot less work myself.
Since today was my first time back on Dublin in a long time, I hadn't really planned on try to canter him, but we had such a good ride that I decided I would try it. If I didn't get it right away, the plan was to stop immediately. But hallelujah! We got the right lead on the very first try, and then did a couple very nice controlled canters around the arena. Never knowing when to stop, I tried him on the left lead, which is often harder for him, and got that one on the first attempt too! And then we stopped.
Pics of his snazzy new bridle! Note the amethyst rhinestones on the browband. Gotta have some bling!
But today I did squeeze in some Dublin time. His back is pretty well healed, and I threw a quilted pad under the felt pad under the regular pad. I feel like the Princess and the Pea when perched atop all that padding. It makes shimming the saddle pad an interesting exercise.
One thing my instructor Anne has been working with me on is canter departs. For some reason, I seem to think I need to assist the horse in this by doing my own exaggerated canter depart. I've been doing it for so long that I don't even know I'm doing it, and it's been a bit of work on her part to get me to stop. Cowboy is kind of used to it, but it just confuses Dublin and gets him off balance, and we don't get a canter. We get some sort of crazed out-of-control high-headed trot instead. It's tough to ride and probably contributed to his sore back. So I have been getting longed on top of Cowboy and learning to get a canter by doing a whole lot less work myself.Since today was my first time back on Dublin in a long time, I hadn't really planned on try to canter him, but we had such a good ride that I decided I would try it. If I didn't get it right away, the plan was to stop immediately. But hallelujah! We got the right lead on the very first try, and then did a couple very nice controlled canters around the arena. Never knowing when to stop, I tried him on the left lead, which is often harder for him, and got that one on the first attempt too! And then we stopped.
Pics of his snazzy new bridle! Note the amethyst rhinestones on the browband. Gotta have some bling!
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
A Good Day and Great Progress!
So many good things happening in a short time!
My distance coaching sessions with Julia Bell have recommenced after her maternity break (congratulations on the arrival of Rance Bell!), and since I'm taking riding lessons from Anne-Severine Douard Palmer, Julia and I are focusing on non-riding issues, in particular the trailering problem and also his cranky attitude about being groomed and handled.
Dublin does not like being groomed, especially from the neck to the flank. He likes his head being brushed and doesn't mind his rear end being groomed. Anything in between is likely to trigger flashing teeth, pinned ears, and pawing. He doesn't seem particularly painful, just territorial. Julia's thoughts are that, because he is tied for grooming, he probably feels a bit trapped, and if he's just been out on pasture, also like he's been rudely interrupted. Kind of like me if you try to get me to do work before I've had coffee. Solution: don't pull him out of pasture or his stall, tie him up, and immediately proceed to groom him. As she notes, the horse really doesn't care if he's groomed or not. I should try playing with him a bit before grooming him, establishing leadership through playing on the ground, and then groom him without tying him. If he gets cranky, go back to grooming an area he doesn't mind. And slow down. I'm usually on a mission to get the horse groomed and tacked up, and for an introverted horse that doesn't necessarily want to jump right into things (again, like me before coffee), it probably feels offensive. So we have been trying those tips with good results. The real key seems to be in slowing down the grooming process. I tend to brush him like I'm scrubbing the bathroom tile (who am I kidding, I never do that, mainly because I don't have tile in the bathroom). Once I slowed the brush down to a speed that was more like a gentle stroke instead of a brisk scrub, the horse relaxed considerably. So we're making strides.
The trailering issue is more complex. Previous blog posts have described in detail the nature of the problem--not wanting to load, pawing, kicking, coming out of the trailer dripping in sweat. It sounds pretty straightforward--he's claustrophobic--but he's only hard to load if he's just been trailered. In between actual rides, he hops quite happily in the trailer, doesn't mind the divider and door being closed, and stands quietly. I can also move the trailer back and forth in the driveway without any drama. So the fact that he ends trailer rides dripping sweat indicates that the problem is fear, not dominance, but what is he afraid of? It doesn't seem to be the trailer. It doesn't even seem to be a moving trailer. I tried bringing Cowboy along once but that was a disaster (read earlier post). I doubt it was a disaster because Cowboy was along, but on the other hand, it didn't make things better. So it doesn't seem to be separation anxiety. We thought it might be fear of leaving home, so I tried walking him around the block, but that made him quite happy. The poor guy is probably ready for a change of scenery. So not much clarification on what the fear issue is, but meanwhile, I've been loading him in the trailer, asking for a bit more enthusiasm (yes Ma'am!), and then leaving him standing in there for as long as possible, noting when he shows signs of anxiety. The first time, he pawed after five minutes, I told him to knock it off, and he did. I left him another few minutes until I got bored, and let him out. No problem. Yesterday I tried it again and he loaded nicely and stood quietly. Enter Cowboy, the drama queen, who realized that his pasture buddy was out of sight and clearly the world was about to end. He started streaking up and down the fenceline, shrieking at the top of his lungs. All this was in close proximity to where Dublin was standing in the trailer, and Dublin stood like a rock. No signs of anxiety. After about 15 minutes, I moved the trailer up and down the driveway. This time he started pawing, and I tapped the breaks to bump him a bit and interrupt the pattern. That worked nicely.
Today was lesson time, and I got him in the trailer and off we went. He started pawing, I bumped the brakes a bit, he quit. We had a nice quiet ride over to the lesson and while he was a bit damp, he was certainly not dripping like he did in the past. We haven't gotten perfection yet, but we sure have a heck of a lot of improvement.
On to riding. There is nothing like taking up a new discipline to make you feel like a rank beginner and idiot. Even though I've been riding for more years than I care to admit, I have never taken a dressage lesson. I've been drooling over all that beautiful, fluid movement for years (hence, the dressage lessons), but have never pursued lessons, largely because I couldn't find an instructor whose philosophy I liked. I have found that instructor in Anne-Severine Douard Palmer. So now I am finally learning how to make that beautiful movement possible, and let's just say it is not by riding the way I've been riding all these years. All those mistakes that I smugly thought I wasn't making--turns out I've been making all of them and just haven't been aware of it. There is nothing like an instructor and a video camera to make this obvious. So it has been a frustrating and painful un-learning experience, but we are getting results. My main boo-boos are that I lean too far forward and am not still enough. In my head, I am sitting up correctly and don't have any superfluous movement going on, but video cameras and the horse don't lie. I think the horses are quite happy that I am taking lessons!
Dublin's main issue when being ridden is that he just doesn't want to move. Resistance is his middle name, and when asked for forward motion, he's likely to ask "why should I?". Why indeed? And I tend to resort to nagging, which is spectacularly ineffective. I was referred to a Parelli video on the topic recently and picked up some tips, which were quite effective and quite simple, and without too much ado, Dublin finally threw in the towel and has started moving out nicely. We also put boots on his front feet (he's barefoot, and can be a bit tender), and that has probably helped as well--although he was pretty resistant with the boots on for a bit. He's been on California Trace Minerals for a couple months now and his feet have shown some marked improvement. Anyway, it all came together and today he was moving very happily and energetically forward. Anne even decided we should do a bit of cantering. Dublin has a pretty big canter, especially compared to Cowboy the Quarter Horse, and even though it is lovely and delightful to ride, it is still a little intimidating to me. So I've been going into it tense and timid, and that's where the leaning forward and moving too much have really been hampering our progress. Dublin starts to go into a canter, and then wonders what the heck I'm doing up there and stops. So I'm getting some good instruction and mustering up some gumption, and we got a couple lovely, lovely canters today. Gosh, it really isn't the horse's fault.
All in all, some really great progress being made here, and Dublin is turning into the dream horse I had hoped he would be! He is also looking pretty spectacular and I had hoped to get some photos, but of course he rolled before I could get my camera and was not very excited about getting prettied up. Photo shoot is on tomorrow's agenda!
My distance coaching sessions with Julia Bell have recommenced after her maternity break (congratulations on the arrival of Rance Bell!), and since I'm taking riding lessons from Anne-Severine Douard Palmer, Julia and I are focusing on non-riding issues, in particular the trailering problem and also his cranky attitude about being groomed and handled.
Dublin does not like being groomed, especially from the neck to the flank. He likes his head being brushed and doesn't mind his rear end being groomed. Anything in between is likely to trigger flashing teeth, pinned ears, and pawing. He doesn't seem particularly painful, just territorial. Julia's thoughts are that, because he is tied for grooming, he probably feels a bit trapped, and if he's just been out on pasture, also like he's been rudely interrupted. Kind of like me if you try to get me to do work before I've had coffee. Solution: don't pull him out of pasture or his stall, tie him up, and immediately proceed to groom him. As she notes, the horse really doesn't care if he's groomed or not. I should try playing with him a bit before grooming him, establishing leadership through playing on the ground, and then groom him without tying him. If he gets cranky, go back to grooming an area he doesn't mind. And slow down. I'm usually on a mission to get the horse groomed and tacked up, and for an introverted horse that doesn't necessarily want to jump right into things (again, like me before coffee), it probably feels offensive. So we have been trying those tips with good results. The real key seems to be in slowing down the grooming process. I tend to brush him like I'm scrubbing the bathroom tile (who am I kidding, I never do that, mainly because I don't have tile in the bathroom). Once I slowed the brush down to a speed that was more like a gentle stroke instead of a brisk scrub, the horse relaxed considerably. So we're making strides.
The trailering issue is more complex. Previous blog posts have described in detail the nature of the problem--not wanting to load, pawing, kicking, coming out of the trailer dripping in sweat. It sounds pretty straightforward--he's claustrophobic--but he's only hard to load if he's just been trailered. In between actual rides, he hops quite happily in the trailer, doesn't mind the divider and door being closed, and stands quietly. I can also move the trailer back and forth in the driveway without any drama. So the fact that he ends trailer rides dripping sweat indicates that the problem is fear, not dominance, but what is he afraid of? It doesn't seem to be the trailer. It doesn't even seem to be a moving trailer. I tried bringing Cowboy along once but that was a disaster (read earlier post). I doubt it was a disaster because Cowboy was along, but on the other hand, it didn't make things better. So it doesn't seem to be separation anxiety. We thought it might be fear of leaving home, so I tried walking him around the block, but that made him quite happy. The poor guy is probably ready for a change of scenery. So not much clarification on what the fear issue is, but meanwhile, I've been loading him in the trailer, asking for a bit more enthusiasm (yes Ma'am!), and then leaving him standing in there for as long as possible, noting when he shows signs of anxiety. The first time, he pawed after five minutes, I told him to knock it off, and he did. I left him another few minutes until I got bored, and let him out. No problem. Yesterday I tried it again and he loaded nicely and stood quietly. Enter Cowboy, the drama queen, who realized that his pasture buddy was out of sight and clearly the world was about to end. He started streaking up and down the fenceline, shrieking at the top of his lungs. All this was in close proximity to where Dublin was standing in the trailer, and Dublin stood like a rock. No signs of anxiety. After about 15 minutes, I moved the trailer up and down the driveway. This time he started pawing, and I tapped the breaks to bump him a bit and interrupt the pattern. That worked nicely.
Today was lesson time, and I got him in the trailer and off we went. He started pawing, I bumped the brakes a bit, he quit. We had a nice quiet ride over to the lesson and while he was a bit damp, he was certainly not dripping like he did in the past. We haven't gotten perfection yet, but we sure have a heck of a lot of improvement.
On to riding. There is nothing like taking up a new discipline to make you feel like a rank beginner and idiot. Even though I've been riding for more years than I care to admit, I have never taken a dressage lesson. I've been drooling over all that beautiful, fluid movement for years (hence, the dressage lessons), but have never pursued lessons, largely because I couldn't find an instructor whose philosophy I liked. I have found that instructor in Anne-Severine Douard Palmer. So now I am finally learning how to make that beautiful movement possible, and let's just say it is not by riding the way I've been riding all these years. All those mistakes that I smugly thought I wasn't making--turns out I've been making all of them and just haven't been aware of it. There is nothing like an instructor and a video camera to make this obvious. So it has been a frustrating and painful un-learning experience, but we are getting results. My main boo-boos are that I lean too far forward and am not still enough. In my head, I am sitting up correctly and don't have any superfluous movement going on, but video cameras and the horse don't lie. I think the horses are quite happy that I am taking lessons!
Dublin's main issue when being ridden is that he just doesn't want to move. Resistance is his middle name, and when asked for forward motion, he's likely to ask "why should I?". Why indeed? And I tend to resort to nagging, which is spectacularly ineffective. I was referred to a Parelli video on the topic recently and picked up some tips, which were quite effective and quite simple, and without too much ado, Dublin finally threw in the towel and has started moving out nicely. We also put boots on his front feet (he's barefoot, and can be a bit tender), and that has probably helped as well--although he was pretty resistant with the boots on for a bit. He's been on California Trace Minerals for a couple months now and his feet have shown some marked improvement. Anyway, it all came together and today he was moving very happily and energetically forward. Anne even decided we should do a bit of cantering. Dublin has a pretty big canter, especially compared to Cowboy the Quarter Horse, and even though it is lovely and delightful to ride, it is still a little intimidating to me. So I've been going into it tense and timid, and that's where the leaning forward and moving too much have really been hampering our progress. Dublin starts to go into a canter, and then wonders what the heck I'm doing up there and stops. So I'm getting some good instruction and mustering up some gumption, and we got a couple lovely, lovely canters today. Gosh, it really isn't the horse's fault.
All in all, some really great progress being made here, and Dublin is turning into the dream horse I had hoped he would be! He is also looking pretty spectacular and I had hoped to get some photos, but of course he rolled before I could get my camera and was not very excited about getting prettied up. Photo shoot is on tomorrow's agenda!
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Dublin is making nice progress under saddle (and I'm making some progress IN the saddle). Still working on trailer issues. He now hops in the trailer pretty fearlessly and is willing to hang out inside. Once he's really comfy in there, then I'll start up the truck and just move it around in the driveway until he's quiet. But it's tax season and time is in short supply.
Meanwhile, the lessons are alternating between Anne coming here and I get a lesson on Dublin, or I trailer Cowboy over to her place for the lesson. Cowboy is willing to play at dressage a bit.
I got to ride Dublin a bit today and he did quite well. He's been fitted for front boots since he is still a bit tender and that went well. And we accomplished a major milestone today. At least, around here it counts as a milestone. When he poops in the arena, I can now ride him over to the manure fork, scoop up the poop while still mounted, and ride him over to the fence and dump it outside the arena. Yes, a silly little local tradition, but it sure saves time if you don't have to get off to do this. And a nice test of how steady your horse is. After all, to them it must seem like that manure fork is chasing them wherever they go when you do this.
Here's to little triumphs!
Meanwhile, the lessons are alternating between Anne coming here and I get a lesson on Dublin, or I trailer Cowboy over to her place for the lesson. Cowboy is willing to play at dressage a bit.
I got to ride Dublin a bit today and he did quite well. He's been fitted for front boots since he is still a bit tender and that went well. And we accomplished a major milestone today. At least, around here it counts as a milestone. When he poops in the arena, I can now ride him over to the manure fork, scoop up the poop while still mounted, and ride him over to the fence and dump it outside the arena. Yes, a silly little local tradition, but it sure saves time if you don't have to get off to do this. And a nice test of how steady your horse is. After all, to them it must seem like that manure fork is chasing them wherever they go when you do this.
Here's to little triumphs!
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Trailer Progress
We're making progress on the trailer issue. For the past couple days, I've opened up the trailer, thrown a bit of grass inside, and then just parked Dublin outside the trailer and brushed him, cleaned his feet, moved him around, etc. When he got curious about the grass, I let him explore. Of course, he's big, and he can really lean inside that 2-horse trailer and get a lot of the grass without putting a foot inside! But that's OK. Eventually I got inside and from there, asked him to back up, come forward, yield his hindquarters and forequarters sideways, and finally asked him to put a foot in the trailer. Which he did, and then the other front foot. For that, he got a treat and was allowed to just stand that way. Then I asked him to back out, and he did, nice and quiet. We repeated one more time and quit. Today, we did pretty much the same, then I did a little "driving" around the driveway (I don't mean in the trailer, I mean I drove him from his hindquarters!). Eventually I drove him up to the trailer and again asked him to put a foot in. He dodged a bit, which was actually fine--then the correction wasn't about going in the trailer, it was about not ducking away from me. Then he put both front feet in and stood there. I asked him to back out and we called it a day.
I did some groundwork and riding first and we had a little photo session. Here's a couple pics. I'll try for some video next time (now that I have figured out how to set the camera for video).
I did some groundwork and riding first and we had a little photo session. Here's a couple pics. I'll try for some video next time (now that I have figured out how to set the camera for video).
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Good, Bad and Just Plain Ugly
We're a couple months into dressage lessons on Dublin and have been pretty consistent. The pesky work thing continues to eat into my time and there hasn't been as much riding in between lessons as I would like, but we're making progress and I actually rode Dublin twice before today's lesson. Anne videotaped our lesson last week, which has been very helpful in identifying areas for improvement. I've found that Anne will instruct me to not do a certain thing, and I will wonder what she is talking about because, of course, I am certain I am not doing that thing. But video doesn't lie, and sure enough, I nag with my leg and pull on the reins. Plus my hands keep creeping forward as Dublin's nose creeps forward. So I was able to watch for those things and work on improvement.
Dublin continues to have issues in the trailer. I was certain that he would get more relaxed over time, given that he was getting a short easy ride every week, but he has proved me wrong yet again by getting increasingly anxious with each ride. The kicking in the trailer has escalated to the point that my trailer is getting soundly pummeled every ride, and is now showing dents on the outside from the kicks being delivered on the inside. And this is a double-walled trailer.
I had put Cowboy in the trailer with him a few weeks ago and went around the block, hoping that having a traveling companion, one who trailers well, would reassure him. And it seemed to work. So today, Cowboy came along to the lesson. I was confident that this would be a good ride for Dublin.
Sadly, no. He pawed going down the driveway, then seemed to settle down. and then, just as I was parking the rig, he exploded into a full-blown hissy fit. By the time I turned off the truck, grabbed lead ropes and got to the trailer, he was simultaneously pawing, kicking, bucking, and trying to lay down. Cowboy, in the rear compartment, thankfully kept his head and let me unload him quietly and efficiently while Dublin continued his rant in the front compartment.
Then I had to get Dublin unloaded. By this time, he was pretty much hysterical, and a non-thinking 16-hand Thoroughbred enclosed in a metal box poses a problem. How the heck do you get him out of there? I undid the divider latch and pulled back the divider, and Dublin followed. He was, shall we say, in a state, and that did not make latching the divider open feasible as I would have to go between 1,100 pounds of crazed horse and the trailer wall to accomplish the feat. Dublin solved the problem by leaping out of the trailer and I was fortunate to grab the lead rope as it flew by.
To shorten this tale, we managed to get shipping boots off, get Cowboy situated with a bit of help, and get Dublin up to the barn. He's been OK in crossties, although I don't use them at home, but today he fought them as well as being saddled. Finally he was outfitted and I led him down the hill to the arena.
And magically, he became the perfect horse. He had the best lesson he's had in weeks. Last week he was up to every trick in the book. Today he took instruction happily and worked like a champ. Nice work in-hand, energized and flexible under saddle. He still likes to lose his roundness and pop his head in the air, but he was much faster to round his back and drop his head. Anne worked him in-hand and under saddle, and then I rode.
Dressage is something I have wanted to learn for years but that doesn't make me a natural at it. I do struggle with all the little details and with bad habits that have been enforced by years of doing things my way, which is not necessarily the right way. But every so often I get something right, and today that happened a few times. And I got the beautiful, fluid, partnership I was after, even if just for a few brief periods. But it's progress!
Back to the barn, and Dublin reverted back to his excited and unstable alter ego. We got him untacked and I got Cowboy down to the trailer, and then went back for Dublin. After a few false starts going into the trailer and coming right back out, Kristina came down from the barn and offered a hand. We got him in and got the divider latched, and he pulled the same acrobatics he had performed when I arrived. He pawed so much he actually pulled the trailer mats back--fortunately, they fell back in place. Kristina tried to calm him down while I loaded Cowboy, who miraculously went readily into the trailer with the fire-breathing dragon.
One possible contributing factor to the meltdowns was that the neighbors, about 100 feet away up a hill, were doing something with their cattle. I doubt Dublin has ever had any experience with cattle that close, and maybe that set him off. He rode back to my barn quietly, arrived in good shape, and stood nicely in the trailer while I unloaded Cowboy. He backed out of the trailer in fine style and all was well.
So my Thoroughbred, whom I really liked because he didn't act like a typical Thoroughbred, has finally discovered his heritage. He has had a couple years of mental and emotional rehab, as well as some physical rest, and is really feeling good. With that comes increased energy, and by now he feels pretty comfortable expressing himself. So it's a bit like starting over with a different horse.
I've been around horses for a long (long, long) time, but I'm the cautious type and have always been careful not to get over-matched by my horse. So my experience has length but not much breadth. Having a horse like Dublin has been my dream, and now I need to step up to the plate and get the skills and confidence to deal with whatever he dishes out. Back to the Parelli Learning Library and I'm reading up on trailering issues. It all comes down to going back to basics, in all areas, and in particular around the trailer. As the Parellis put it, "it's not about the trailer". It's about the horse trusting you and being confident. So it's back to Trailer 101, meaning that we just need to play with the trailer as just another learning aid, getting him confident going in and hanging out in the trailer willingly.
No lesson next week as the horses will be getting their dental work done, so we have a couple weeks. And if I can't get him confident by then, I may need to see if Anne can come here until we get this worked out.
Meanwhile, I'm grateful that Cowboy was such a rock today. And then I have to remind myself that Cowboy wasn't always a rock. When I brought him home, he was so anxious in the trailer that it was a white-knuckle ride from Stockton to Sebastopol. He looked like he was ready to have a stroke by the time we got home. It took a bit of work to turn him into a trailer superstar. He's smaller and doesn't have the kicking power Dublin does so he did less damage, but if Cowboy came around, I'm confident that Dublin will too. I just need to find the right formula.
My goal for Dublin is not necessarily to turn him into a dressage horse. My goal is to help him become the best and most confident all-around horse he can be, and develop my horsemanship skills in the process. So this is all just part of the journey.
Dublin continues to have issues in the trailer. I was certain that he would get more relaxed over time, given that he was getting a short easy ride every week, but he has proved me wrong yet again by getting increasingly anxious with each ride. The kicking in the trailer has escalated to the point that my trailer is getting soundly pummeled every ride, and is now showing dents on the outside from the kicks being delivered on the inside. And this is a double-walled trailer.
I had put Cowboy in the trailer with him a few weeks ago and went around the block, hoping that having a traveling companion, one who trailers well, would reassure him. And it seemed to work. So today, Cowboy came along to the lesson. I was confident that this would be a good ride for Dublin.
Sadly, no. He pawed going down the driveway, then seemed to settle down. and then, just as I was parking the rig, he exploded into a full-blown hissy fit. By the time I turned off the truck, grabbed lead ropes and got to the trailer, he was simultaneously pawing, kicking, bucking, and trying to lay down. Cowboy, in the rear compartment, thankfully kept his head and let me unload him quietly and efficiently while Dublin continued his rant in the front compartment.
Then I had to get Dublin unloaded. By this time, he was pretty much hysterical, and a non-thinking 16-hand Thoroughbred enclosed in a metal box poses a problem. How the heck do you get him out of there? I undid the divider latch and pulled back the divider, and Dublin followed. He was, shall we say, in a state, and that did not make latching the divider open feasible as I would have to go between 1,100 pounds of crazed horse and the trailer wall to accomplish the feat. Dublin solved the problem by leaping out of the trailer and I was fortunate to grab the lead rope as it flew by.
To shorten this tale, we managed to get shipping boots off, get Cowboy situated with a bit of help, and get Dublin up to the barn. He's been OK in crossties, although I don't use them at home, but today he fought them as well as being saddled. Finally he was outfitted and I led him down the hill to the arena.
And magically, he became the perfect horse. He had the best lesson he's had in weeks. Last week he was up to every trick in the book. Today he took instruction happily and worked like a champ. Nice work in-hand, energized and flexible under saddle. He still likes to lose his roundness and pop his head in the air, but he was much faster to round his back and drop his head. Anne worked him in-hand and under saddle, and then I rode.
Dressage is something I have wanted to learn for years but that doesn't make me a natural at it. I do struggle with all the little details and with bad habits that have been enforced by years of doing things my way, which is not necessarily the right way. But every so often I get something right, and today that happened a few times. And I got the beautiful, fluid, partnership I was after, even if just for a few brief periods. But it's progress!
Back to the barn, and Dublin reverted back to his excited and unstable alter ego. We got him untacked and I got Cowboy down to the trailer, and then went back for Dublin. After a few false starts going into the trailer and coming right back out, Kristina came down from the barn and offered a hand. We got him in and got the divider latched, and he pulled the same acrobatics he had performed when I arrived. He pawed so much he actually pulled the trailer mats back--fortunately, they fell back in place. Kristina tried to calm him down while I loaded Cowboy, who miraculously went readily into the trailer with the fire-breathing dragon.
One possible contributing factor to the meltdowns was that the neighbors, about 100 feet away up a hill, were doing something with their cattle. I doubt Dublin has ever had any experience with cattle that close, and maybe that set him off. He rode back to my barn quietly, arrived in good shape, and stood nicely in the trailer while I unloaded Cowboy. He backed out of the trailer in fine style and all was well.
So my Thoroughbred, whom I really liked because he didn't act like a typical Thoroughbred, has finally discovered his heritage. He has had a couple years of mental and emotional rehab, as well as some physical rest, and is really feeling good. With that comes increased energy, and by now he feels pretty comfortable expressing himself. So it's a bit like starting over with a different horse.
I've been around horses for a long (long, long) time, but I'm the cautious type and have always been careful not to get over-matched by my horse. So my experience has length but not much breadth. Having a horse like Dublin has been my dream, and now I need to step up to the plate and get the skills and confidence to deal with whatever he dishes out. Back to the Parelli Learning Library and I'm reading up on trailering issues. It all comes down to going back to basics, in all areas, and in particular around the trailer. As the Parellis put it, "it's not about the trailer". It's about the horse trusting you and being confident. So it's back to Trailer 101, meaning that we just need to play with the trailer as just another learning aid, getting him confident going in and hanging out in the trailer willingly.
No lesson next week as the horses will be getting their dental work done, so we have a couple weeks. And if I can't get him confident by then, I may need to see if Anne can come here until we get this worked out.
Meanwhile, I'm grateful that Cowboy was such a rock today. And then I have to remind myself that Cowboy wasn't always a rock. When I brought him home, he was so anxious in the trailer that it was a white-knuckle ride from Stockton to Sebastopol. He looked like he was ready to have a stroke by the time we got home. It took a bit of work to turn him into a trailer superstar. He's smaller and doesn't have the kicking power Dublin does so he did less damage, but if Cowboy came around, I'm confident that Dublin will too. I just need to find the right formula.
My goal for Dublin is not necessarily to turn him into a dressage horse. My goal is to help him become the best and most confident all-around horse he can be, and develop my horsemanship skills in the process. So this is all just part of the journey.
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