Being a part of the team

Last year, it became clear that I am not going to be a competing member of my team.  I'm just not.  I don't really have it in me.  I'll do stadium and dressage, but it's going to take some time for me to do the whole cross country thing.  But I can't stand not being a part of the group.  I have always been the picture taker, starting with the yearbook in high school, historian for my fraternity in college, and photographer when I was the ground crew chief of the banner tow company.  So, I tried to be the photographer, but it's really hard with just a point and shoot, which is what I had.  I have now upgraded, and will work on becoming proficient at that, but at the time, it just wasn't enough.  I wanted to do something else.

So I decided I would volunteer.  I had volunteered as a security guard at WEG2010 in Kentucky (first time ever seeing eventing in person OMG), and thought I might like to volunteer in Canada in 2018, but wanted to do something around the horses this time.  To do that, I need experience.  Why not volunteer at Rocking Horse, since we are there so much anyway (this was before we moved there), and I liked the people.  I actually helped with jump crew a few times in the schooling shows if I was there watching anyway.  What can I say, I'm a helper.

Buck and Reggie over fence 19 at WEG2010

Becky Holder and Courageous Comet battle the coffin complex WEG2010

So I started volunteering as a jump judge, because that's where they needed people.  I drive in in the dark on Saturday mornings, volunteer, maybe get a lesson in, or dinner with the team, and head back home.  Maybe once a year I do two days, but mostly just the one, since Florida season is also financial reporting busy season.  So far I've only been able to do RH rated shows, but maybe this year I'll move on to do some at the Florida Horse Park.  Or maybe I'll volunteer at Red Hills.  Chatahoochee?  Southern Pines?  If I had all the time in the world, I would volunteer at all the things.

Buck and Petite Flower in the Advanced in 2015

I've had Buck Davidson say thank you when he ended up standing next to my truck to watch his wife ride one of her horses.  I've had Clayton Frederick jokingly argue with me about if he could get back on and finish since he landed on his feet (no, because he was going Prelim), and I've had another up and coming advanced rider get angry with me because I wanted her to stay and wait for the golf cart to come get her after a fall.  But mostly it's an opportunity to watch the best of the best do something that I will never do.  

Red Hills 2014.  Maybe someday I'll volunteer for this one!

I pay attention to the rides that come through and let Trainer know if there are sticky spots, or anything is riding funny, so she can use that information if she needs it.  It's my one contribution to the team.

TBT - The time I rode in a clinic

Two years ago last weekend, I got the opportunity to ride in a clinic with my trainer and another rider in Aiken SC at Kate Brown's farm.  The clinician was Will Coleman, who Trainer knows.  As a birthday present to myself, I was just going to go and audit the clinic.  But at the last minute, I thought "what the hell" and asked if we could add Violet in.

 At the time, I had a lot of fear.  Mucho terror.  I was constantly afraid Violet was going to run off with me.  Everything felt like it was out of control.  In retrospect, it wasn't but that was how I felt.  The only reason I did the clinic was that there was no cross country, and there was an elementary/BN division.  Since I had already done a 2'6" stadium class, and was regularly schooling a little higher single fences at home, there was no real issue.

However, whenever Violet and I got anywhere, I was convinced she was awful.  It started when she was a baby (remember, I've been riding her since she was 3).  I could not get her to stand still by the ring without someone standing there stroking her the whole time.  She would dance around, and we walked thousands of little circles.  She would crow hop when being led into the ring.  Again, looking back at this, I'm sure she was picking up on this from me.

Anyway, we got there, got all checked in.

Pony looks pony-like

Kate has a fantastic property and had just purchased the farm and was still setting it up, but did a great job hosting everyone.  We took the horses out for a hack on the hills, Violet bringing up the rear as usual (just can't keep up with those long OTTB legs).  Violet does not understand hills.  She is a Florida born and raised girl that has no concept of "terrain".  She couldn't figure out if she should sidle sideways down the big hill, or bolt headlong down it.

Non-nom

So much grass

The next morning I got up and watched part of the first group of riders.  Then it was our turn.  I was in a group with two other riders who were probably...12?  Whatever.  Violet's neck became about 3 inches long in the flatwork.  Will asked what I do when she does that, or gets nervous.  I told her what I do.  I kick my feet out of the stirrups and ride without them.  It centers me and she calms.  He is big into no stirrup work, so that made him happy.  We did some light fence work, working on individual lines.  I don't think we had to repeat a single exercise, because we just seemed to get it.  Oh, other than the 2 stride.  Had to do that one twice, because we chipped in an extra stride.

The next morning, I was ready.  We started out flatting in a different part of the field, mostly on our own.  Then he brought us together and had us do kind of a flat test, like a class.  This was done both with and without stirrups.

Look ma, no stirrups

When we were done, he said to me, where everyone could hear, that I was a much better rider without stirrups than with them.  He's right.  I'm much more calm without them.  Strange, I know.  Then we started out doing a figure 8 over a cross rail, with simple changes if our ponies didn't give the leads.  Violet was a superstar at that.

Figure 8 cross rail?  No problem

After warm up, we headed to the course.  Will decided I should go first, since we had been so stellar in the warm-up.  Ok, great, the overstimulated older woman is expected to remember all those fences.  Will had a rule.  If you forgot your course, you had to do laps of the field with no stirrups while the next rider did it.  Well, I asked him to repeat it twice, and he did.

Explaining the course

Explaining the course to Violet, because I obviously didn't get it

The third time he refused and just told me to get on with it.  I started out and, even though spectators were trying to tell me where to go, I just couldn't get it.  He gave me a do-over.  I did it again.  At that point, he told me to stand in the middle of the ring and watch, since he knew riding without stirrups would not be a punishment.  That was way more embarrassing.  After that, I got it.  I did the course twice, and did a good job, I think.  Afterward, he said I needed to get my brain out of the way, but other than that, I did a good job, and my pony was obviously well cared for.

I watched the other riders, and Will had only complimentary things to say about Trainer and her students, and the horses care.  He actually told another rider that she needed to take lessons from Trainer, as she knew what she was doing as far as horse care and turnout was concerned.

On the way home in the truck, we were talking and I told them how I had been so scared, and that I realized over fences I tend to fetal and I now recognize it and will work on it.  Trainer asked me what I was so afraid of.  I told her.  She then stated that I needed to get over that.  Violet has never done anything to me to warrant that fear.  She reacts to things, but not in a mean way.  She is a good girl, and I need to treat her like one, and learn to trust her, or else she'll never trust me.  THAT is what this clinic did for me.  I had a true lightbulb moment, and from that point forward, I don't let the fear get to me, and I really try hard to trust the pony (except for cross country, where she has proven to be just a little dirty).  Kate hosted again last year, but we couldn't make it.  I would love to ride with Will again so he could see the progress I've made, and see that I'm no longer that timid scared little woman in the fetal position on my pony.

Whoopsies

I guess I had my head in the clouds on the way home from work last night.  Or maybe I was looking forward to mopping the kitchen floor (yeah right).  Whatever.  Major whoopsie when pulling into the driveway.

This would be after I picked up the dangling taillight.

The culprit.  Who in their right mind would put a palm tree a foot and a half off the end of the driveway? Yes, that is my taillight stuck in the tree. I back in, obviously.

So I nicely lined the plastic pieces up on the counter, grabbed an adult beverage and toasted my ability to back into a tree in my own yard.  At least the light still works.

The SO comes home and sees the plastic on the counter and is NOT SURPRISED when I tell him what happened.  On inspection, the dent in the bed can be popped out (he did most of it in the rain last night) and there is no real paint damage.  Yep, we can buff that out.  Can I say how happy I am that Ford makes their trucks out of real metal and not plastic?  The only real damage is the light, so I'll have to order one of those.

Blurry picture of what I did this morning to hold the taillight on.  Like I said, all lights work (reverse, parking and blinker), so it's not actually a driving hazard.  And electrical tape is good for more than just cross country boots.

And of course I only have 4 more payments on her until she's paid off.  Ugh.

What to do, what to do

Sorry, took a slight hiatus there.  Because of Violet's injury to herself (something she is not actually known for), she was only up for walking on Saturday.  I was not up for driving 4+ hours to go on a walk, partially because I had a house that I needed to finish painting and cleaning because I got renters that move in tomorrow (yay, income!)  So I stayed home.  So far, the blog that I started to go over training needs of the pony is not working out so well, since I moved her away from me.  I did get this picture from trainer on Saturday, though, and pony-girl has now fully recovered.

She does love a good dirt nap.

She usually goes out at night, but trainer was giving her some wandering time during the day to make sure she was OK.

So my quandary is, what do I do?  SO actually came out with "I actually think you having her there works out good for us, because then I don't feel guilty when I am slaving at work during the weekend."  Trainer made noises about possibly having room for her to stay after the beginning of December, which is when she is scheduled to leave.  Rocking Horse gets really full and actually has a waiting list starting in December, due to everyone coming down from up north.  At the same time, time is changing this weekend, and it will be much more difficult for me to actually ride her during the week, because work also picks up.

So I started making lists, because that is what I do.

Pro
1.  Violet is in good hands
2.  I don't have to feel guilty if I can't get there during the week due to work requirements
3.  She will get ridden during the Darkness
4.  She likes it
5.  More time for me at home during the week

Cons
1.  She won't be close to me
2.  I will only get to ride once or twice a week
3. 4+ hour drive (round trip)
4.  Lose place in current barn
5.  Having requirements to get there every weekend

The cost is about the same.  Maybe a bit less at RH because I get charged what she actually eats, which isn't much.  The big issue for me is losing my place where she is now.  I can't really move her anywhere else in town, or else I lose my trainer.  She is only training me in Jacksonville.  Everyone else has to go to her.  I do not have a trailer or truck, nor am I currently in a position to get one, so I can't trailer in for lessons.  At the same time, the place where I have her here is not the best situation.  The barn manager has done a good job with what she has, but she has a problem so many other trainers have.  She cannot say no.  As a result, the property is overpopulated, primarily with ponies.  She should really only have 10 horses or so, and that is what was there when I moved there, but she had about 17 when I left.  Violet cannot have private turnout, which I think she does better in, and the barn is dusty and makes her cough if she has to stay in.  There is also nowhere to ride other than the ring.  Everywhere else I have been, we could at least ride around the fields or paddocks after a lesson, and there I can't even do that.  Violet struggles to not be ring bound as it is.  But it is close and easy to get to, and they don't mind if I have a different trainer.  So I don't know.  I'm just not sure what I should do.

Anyone have any thoughts?

Putting clothes on a cat

No, I am not actually putting clothes on a cat.  Actually, my perfect kitty died in 2013, and she didn't wear clothes.

Not my cat

But don't worry, I'll get there.

I got a text from my trainer yesterday afternoon that said "Not sure exactly what the little miss did to herself overnight, but to me, it looks as id she cast herself under the fence.  Walked in fine and normal.  Took her out to groom and both front legs are swollen.  Icing and wrapping her and giving her some bute, will keep you posted."  Just what I want to hear at work.

Violet has an issue with laying actually underneath fence boards.  Here she is napping with her old boyfriend, Basil.

She actually has her back legs under the fence.  When she stands up, she scrapes herself.  Usually no big deal.  I think we've only had her be ouchy on one leg once, although she continually has boo-boos.  The next text I get?  "Of course, she thinks the wraps are killing her, but told her she has no choice in the matter".  This is where the putting clothes on a cat thing comes in.  I would put a gif of a cat falling down after being put in clothes, but I'm just not that tech savvy.  Anyone who has ever done this knows, most cats simply lay down and refuse to move until the offending article is removed.  Violet is like that with her front legs.

Once upon a time, we stable wrapped her after shows because she would stay in at night.  She was fine.  She also lived in bell boots on the front when turned out because she had new shoes, and that's what you do with a horse with shoes, right?  Then one day, when riding, the bell boot must have rubbed her hair the wrong way.  Nope, no more bell boots.

The expensive, beautiful leather open front CWD jumping boots?  Mm-m.  She will walk in them.  As soon as you go to trot...lame.  And gets worse if you try to ride her through it.  Take the boots off?  Perfectly sound.  We've tried a couple of times over the years and it's always the same.  It makes trainer laugh.

Stable wraps?  She will tolerate the back ones just fine.  And she used top be fine with all four.  Then there was a day the groom pulled her out of her stall and she was crippled.  He called the trainer in a panic who laughed and told him to take off the wraps and put her back in her stall.  When she got there?  Perfectly sound.

One day in a lesson, the footing was a bit wet and sloppy.  She was fine, trotting along.  Then all of a sudden, she started to lurch around like a drunken sailor.  Trainer has me pull up, scrapes some mud out of her foot with her finger, and amazingly she's sound again.  Was there a rock, I ask?  Nope, just mud.  I have found the only pony in the world who goes lame if she gets dirt in her feet...

I asked one day if we should just force her to wear wraps or something until she gets over it, and trainer says no.  We should be happy she's that sensitive, because it means she doesn't like to hit the fences either.  So we tolerate the quirks and just don't wrap her.

Amazingly enough, she doesn't mind the Woof brushing boots or bell boots we wear on cross country.  She is peculiar, that one...

Fitness

I hate this post, but it's one I need to make, for myself more than anything else.

I am fat.

I'm not a little chunky.  I'm not a big boned (although I do carry a lot of muscle).  I am fat.

In the past, I have been heavier than I am right now, yes.  But even though I was heavier, I was fitter.  Right now, I am fat, and I am not fit.  At.  All.

I am a fat adult rider of a pony, who would appreciate having a little thin person ride her, and who is very grateful right now to have a break from having me bouncing around on her almost every day.  And I feel really bad about that.

This weekend as we completed flat work prior to jumping, and as I was working on that canter, and turning purple, all I could think was that I am not jumping fit.  Not even close.

I have plenty of excuses.  I was doing better last year and earlier this year, as a woman I work with and I were going to the gym we have at work after hours and getting at least a good 30 minute walk in three days a week.  And I was riding two or three days a week on top of that, so I was holding my own.

Receiving my 5 year clock at work March 2015.  Not too shabby.

Then Violet moved 2 hours away, so that cut it down to one or two rides a week.  Then I started with the foot issues, so that cut out the elliptical (literally days after I bought one, of course) and treadmill.  No biggie, about that time, Violet moved back and I was riding 5 to 6 days a week.  Then injury to the pony happened, followed by rain.  And then this happened.

left boot for 7 weeks, Dex injection in the right that didn't work and requires surgery

So that killed that.  Now, Violet's back where she can get her exercise and I am without.  Oh, and throw in there that I quit smoking.  And got engaged and had a man move in that totally changed all my food habits.  So I've gained about 10 pounds in the last two months and I am not at all happy about that.

Now, as I said before, I've been heavier.  I actually did a science fair project when I was in 5th grade on childhood obesity wherein I did my first diet.  It was successful, but started my lifelong fight.  I've done Weight Watchers 3 times, and almost gotten to goal once.  But goal weight for me according to all the charts is not attainable.  I carry too much muscle.  It would make me a size 2, and even my doctor agrees that isn't reasonable for me.  So we set my goal at 175.  I'm 5'3".  That would still put me at between a size 10 and 12.  It would still make me between 10 and 25 pounds heavier than my fiance, but I can't worry about that, since he doesn't seem to.

Here's a few pictures that show the more recent ups and downs.

First show with Violet.  Walk-trot.  February 2009 (she was not quite 4)

Me as groom at Marshall & Sterling finals in NY Sept 2009.  And yes, I learned how to properly pinwheel a tail braid

Me showing my trainer at the time's horse Wolf to my cousin's kids.  Apr 2010

The benefit show we put on to raise money after my trainer had a brain aneurysm (she died the next week). June 2010

Old barn get together during WW try #3 (I'd lost about 45 pounds)  May 2011

Violet and I doing WT crossrails May 2012.  This was the lowest weight I've been since I started riding as an adult.

When I decided to start riding as an adult, I was very honest.  I sent emails to all the Jacksonville barns I could find, explaining that I was extremely overweight, but wanted to start riding again.  There was exactly one person who responded to the 20+ emails I sent.  I think that first month, I lost 15 pounds, just because I was doing something besides sitting at a desk, living in hotels as an auditor.  I just wanted to do something that got me away from it all, and get back into a life sport.  I couldn't get through a 30 minute lesson without taking breaks every 5 minutes.  My trainer would hug the rail and tell people I was ok during my classes, I hadn't reached the right shade of purple yet.  After a year or so (2009), I could make it through an entire hour lesson.  By 2013, I could do a whole lesson with no stirrups.  Granted, that was mostly sitting the trot, but still.  Now I'm back to needing a break after a 15 minute flat warm-up.  And I don't think we jumped for more than 15 minutes.  I'm just disappointed in myself, and not quite sure what to do, since all the aerobic stuff involves the ball of your foot, which is out for me right now.

So that is the end of the rant from this fat rider.  I must find a way to lose weight.  I must find a way to become more fit, both for me and for Violet.  And I must get this damned foot fixed.

Jumping jumping jumping

Now don't get me wrong, I like dressage, Violet likes the jumping, at least stadium.  If you do too much dressage without at least going over a cross rail, she is not happy.  She will spend the entire time you are in the ring looking for the fence you are not going to go over.  I have not had a real jump school with her since the end of July.  That's two and a half months.  I have taken her over fences on my own exactly twice, and the last time was not fun, simply because we were both...scattered.  And that last time was 8" cross rails.  Basically poles.  So I was excited to watch a lesson on Saturday for a ship in student that is at my level (BN) to see what we might be doing.

They worked on rideability.  Starting over a large cross rail, then moving to an exercise that is to canter a small vertical, down to the trot to go over 4 trot poles, up to three strides canter back over a small vertical.  It is supposed to teach the rider how to rate their horse.  If you can't get the first transition down to trot, then halt.  Even if you are in the middle of the trot poles when you stop, you should be able to pick up trot and then canter to the last fence.  Stopping on a straight line after, of course.  From their, they moved to a canter exercise that was to do two canter poles, small vertical, 4 canter poles, small vertical, one canter pole.  This, of course, is a shitload of poles when looking at it down the line.

Loooots of poles

Then they alternated back and forth between the two.  It looked like fun.

Jump to my lesson on Sunday morning.  We did a decent warm up, concentrating mostly on getting her into the outside rein at the canter.  Then moved to jumping.  We started with the trot poles by themselves.  Back and forth.  In the past, trot poles could make Violet a little rushy, because she doesn't want to lengthen.  This time, it was nice and even and not rushy at all.  We did those both directions in kind of an hourglass pattern, concentrating on pushing to the left to turn to the left and vice versa (basically pushing her into the outside rein to turn).  Then popped the cross rail a couple of times to get my timing back.  I have never had a very good eye, and I get so worried about being left behind and hitting the pony in the mouth that I go early, and that makes her chip in, since it's so much weight on her forehand.  So we did that until I could stay back and wait for the jump.  Then we moved on to the vertical, poles, vertical exercise.

Vertical, trot poles, vertical

The first time was a little bit of a struggle to stop, but I did it correctly.  I asked, she said "huh?", I asked harder and she said "What the heck do you want?", so I asked even harder with raised hands a third time and she said "Oh, all right, jeez" without throwing her head in the air.  Which means I asked with tact.  Tact is something I lack in most things, so this is good.  Then we trotted the poles, clucked for canter to the out, stopped and patted.  Then did it back the other way.  She was really quite good about it.  You could tell she had been through the exercise already with my trainer on Friday, because she didn't question it at all.  I was steeling myself up for the canter poles exercise, but I think everyone knows I'm not ready for that yet, so we went from the canter, trot, canter, right turn to another large crossrail to a four stride right bend to another crossrail.

First crossrail on left, second to the right of the mounting block.  No, we did not go over the Prelim oxer, lol.

Right is not a natural lead for Violet, so that required a simple change, which was actually perfect because she thought we were halting after the second vertical, lol.  Then we did the same exercise the other direction, starting with the crossrail bending line to the canter, trot, canter.  Violet was perfect.  We did each of those once and called it a day.  Then we went on a walkabout on the cross country field.

A view of our favorite cross country fence while cooling out.  

Because I had to get home by noon to do some work, my lesson was at 8.  My lesson was short due to my inability to keep up stamina wise, so I was done with my cool out, had Violet bathed and in her stall, all tack cleaned, and was in my truck on the way out of the property by 10.

I was able to get home by noon and run my reports.  System purge is being done, and I had to make sure the numbers didn't change.  Then I headed to the old house to finish getting it ready for rental.  Good news, we have a renter!  Bad news, they way to do final walkthrough this weekend so they can move in next week.  We have a ton to do still to get it ready.  I do not have the attitude of "it's just a rental" so I'm having trouble just doing the minimum.  But it's my house.  It was my first house, and I worked hard to pay it off.  I want it to be someone else's special place, and can't just slap some white paint on it, clean the carpets and floors and call it done.  It needs some TLC.  And of course the place looks tons better than it did the whole 15 years I lived there.  Anyway, I headed over to the house where the boy was cleaning the carpets and painting the last bedroom.

Speed painter

I did some cleaning and planning.  This whole week I will be heading over after work to complete tasks.  Neither of us can wait until Sunday, which is our next planned day off.

Feeling the rhythm

I had an early lesson on Saturday.  Since Rocking Horse is two hours away from home, that means I had to leave home no later than 7.  Since the boy had to be up early for work, I got up, and was on my way a bit early.  After my normal stop at Dunkin Donuts (coffee and egg white flatbread, I am trying to at least hold steady in my weight), I was on the road.  I was there by 9, which was perfect.  One of the other students has a young daughter that I was watching while she takes her lesson.  E is starting up/down lessons and loves Violet, so she will get the opportunity to help cool Violet out after I take lessons.  While Es mom takes her lesson, E stayed behind to help get V ready.  She brushed legs, brushed her tail, helped pick hooves.  When she doesn't have an attitude, she's a big help.  And my pony is a saint.  She loves the little kids.  E is a bit much at times, but V just takes it.

Saintly pony tolerates much

So I headed off to my dressage lesson, hacking up to the ring.  We have worked really hard on getting impulsion at the walk from the first step.  We start off with no stirrups just for me to stretch down my short little legs.  It's a bit hard to do in a jump saddle with stirrups, although I've never been in a dressage saddle, so I don't know that first hand.  

Anyway, we worked on the walk, doing some yielding and bending.  Then worked into trot.  I am currently riding in draw reins, not because the pony really needs them, but because she refuses to accept when I am anything other than perfect in asking.  This way she doesn't fight me, she fights herself.  We worked on leg yields starting from quarter line, then moving to center line.  She was very good.  She tries to fake me out on the left rein, pretending to be on it when she isn't.  I can say this is the first time I've really felt the inside leg to outside rein on both sides evenly, and even in the yields.  We would yield to a circle to reestablish the outside rein.  Once we had that, we moved on to canter.

Canter is where the problems always lie for me.  Vi is always fine in the canter.  She is just a pony that wants you to be 100% correct at all times.  It's the red-headed girl in her.  She gives you one shot.  If I get off on the rhythm asking for the canter, or pull down (especially on the left rein) she does not take that well, then becomes a giraffe and we start to fight.  At the canter, that makes her get really really short strided and inverted.  We worked on getting into the outside rein, then half-halting and asking for the canter.  For the first time ever, by the end, I was not relying on my trainer telling me when to ask.  I was able to feel the timing myself.  It was a truly exciting feeling.

I know others really don't like dressage, viewing it as simply a means to an end.  Something to get through before you can get to the jumping.  I actually really like dressage.  I get a true feeling of accomplishment when I manage to improve on a movement.  And Vi needs it.  It really helps with adjustability in jumping.  It gives me a way to communicate with her where she doesn't think I'm being rude.  Because let me tell you, she will let you know if she thinks you are rude.  She's not bad, she just let's you know, usually by throwing her head in the air, getting short, and chipping. 

After a really good, productive lesson, we went for a nice walk out on the cross country field.  Then went to let E ride in the round pen.  By this time, Vi was very confused.  She thought for sure she should be done.  E is a very new beginner, and her legs don't go over the flaps of the saddle.  I figured it wouldn't be a problem, because V is so used to voice commands in the pen.  I didn't take into account the reins.  I left the bridle on, which is fine, but E is used to a dead to the world lesson pony.  When we tried to trot (with me leading), the first trot step is bigger than she is used to, she would fall back and pull on Vs mouth, which would make her stop.  So we did lots of walking over a couple of poles, practicing jumping position.  Next time we will use the halter with some reins on it.  The end game is that V will eventually be Es eventing pony if she keeps with it.  At this point, that would be maybe 5 years from now, so I have plenty of time with my girl.

We ended the day at the trainer's house, celebrating the trainer's husband's new car, and a new horse that went to one of the trainer's students.  It's so very nice to have a house we can stay at while there.  Tomorrow, I'll get to the fun part, jumping!  And more pictures.

Weekend Update

Today is my birthday, so I did what I usually do for my birthday.  In years past, I went cross country schooling.  Actually the last three years I have gone cross country schooling on my birthday, usually at Longwood.

Longwood in 10/13/2013

This year my birthday falls on a Monday, so I spent the weekend at Rocking Horse with my pony and friends.  It's a great opportunity to get two lessons in.  One dressage and one jumping.  I will get to those later.  In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures to keep you going through the day.  While I buy paint and scrub floors in my rental house.  Yes, it is going to be an exciting birthday.

Jumping exercise...LOTS of poles, but looked like fun

One of the ship in clients

Pearl

Violet looking for food

Mr Dan letting everyone know his hay net is empty

A seriously shiny Violet

Barney

Shorty

Ice boots and splints

So, as I mentioned in my last post, Violet has a splint on her left front leg.  We believe it probably happened when she wrenched her shoe off.  I can only imagine that happened because her "herd" is a matched pair that she was added to.  They have made it known that she is the lowest on the totem pole, and all hay is theirs first.

The herd

Since her shoe was found right next to where the hay was, I can only imagine there were some evasive maneuvers when they were eating.  Violet has almost always been the one picked on in the field.  Part of the reason she hasn't been turned out with another horse for several years.

Anyway, the story of the pampered princess is one for another blog.

I sent my trainer a text message after spending some time looking up splints online.  I did fess up to this and acknowledged that I now know enough to ask annoying questions, such as:

• Should we call the vet?
• Do we need to wrap her legs in the stall during the day (night turnout)?
• Are we worried it will recur?
• Do I need to buy anything?

Basically, because we found this days after it happened, and it has no heat or swelling and she has never been lame, calling a vet is kind of pointless.  The pony does not really allow front standing wraps.  It's a really good opportunity for her to freak out the young women taking care of the horses, because she will come out of the stall lame until they are removed.  (And no, she won't wear open front jumping boots, either).  Not too worried about recurring, as long as we are careful.  She is getting a treatment of Surpass, and ice boots after jumping.  Other than that, just watch.

Now I have to find ice boots for when I bring her home.  Anyone have any experience with them?  I know a lot of people like the Ice Horse boots, but Violet is a large pony, and has short little legs.  She wears pony polo wraps, so I'm worried about size.  Anyone have experience on dealing with splints?  I just don't want Violet to be predisposed to injury now.

Canter transitions

First, pictures are not here of my actual riding.  I have no one to take pictures, so you get what you get.

When I got there for my lesson on Saturday, the trainer was out at the far dressage court giving another lesson.  I tacked up, struggled my way on (we need a three step mounting block BAD) and realized I didn't have time to take a stroll around the cross country field before my lesson.  The walk from the barn to the front dressage ring would do for a proper warm up.

Mare is ready to go!

When I got to the ring, trainer was just finishing up with her Prelim rider on her new horse.  First time I had gotten a look at him, and I think they will make a formidable pair.  I worked on some lateral movements at the walk around the outside of the arena while they finished up.  Just a little haunches in-straight-shoulder fore-straight at the walk to get the girl listening and loose.  She seems to go better and be less tight in the straight if I work on that a little bit in the beginning.  Trainer finished her lesson, Prelim rider and I talked a little as we switched places and trainer ran to the rest room.  When she got back we got right to it.

She stated that she was very pleased with the state that Violet was in when she got there, as far as the work goes.  She is listening well and the only thing she really had to work on with her (because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be fixed) was the canter transitions.  But she was very very pleased that she was going as well as she was, and it was obvious that I had continued what I could at the farm.  Makes me feel good to know that she could see that I had been working hard at it, and to know that I haven't broken my pony and that we are continuing to progress.  Anyway, the canter would be the issue, because it is where I have an issue myself.  You see, Violet is a pony.  And pony canter is short-strided and FAST.  I get nervous.  I don't get nervous cantering on a large strided big horse, but on the pony?  Yeah, kind of feels like she's flying, which means I try to keep her slower than she needs to go, and to do that, I drop my hands.  Especially my left.  So that is our issue.  I pull down against her when transitioning to the canter.

So we started with the trot work, and didn't do too much at that.  Trot around the ring (been a long time since we had walls and real corners!) some circles, all the time concentrating on keeping my hands UP.  I am definitely worse about it with my left hand.  Violet's right shoulder likes to bulge and she bids me into pulling down on the left to help drag her around to the left.  Anyway, working on it.  Constant work in progress.  We did some trot-walk-trot transitions.  We didn't do any lateral work this time, really.  We then went to the trot on a circle, established the bend and impulsion and then put my legs where they go when asking for canter, without actually asking.  This makes Violet tense.  She is one of those mares that wants to anticipate.  So then I have to work on holding my legs there, continuing the pressure on the reins until she relaxes.  Only then am I allowed to ask.  Of course, after you ask the first time, every time I move my legs, she wants to go into the canter.  So it takes longer to get her to settle with the legs, and I can actually move them less to get her to do what I want.  We did two transitions one direction, then she got uptight so we switched directions, then went back to the first.  At one point we had to do a couple of transitions down to walk, and a couple of tear drop changes of direction in walk and trot to get her to listen instead of trying to anticipate what I wanted.  By the end, we had a couple of really nice uphill trot canter transitions.  And we were both a sweaty mess.  Temps down there are still 85+ and Violet was starting to sweat on her neck before we were done walking.  And I start sweating while I groom.  Can't wait until it gets cooler.

After my lesson, I talked to trainer a bit.  She said she had only had one true flat schooling on Violet, had hacked her around the property once and done some pole work with a couple of jumps and that she was actually the best of all the horses.  And she was happy to be out hacking on the property, until she saw the cross country fences.  Trainer did take her for a cross country school and said she was good, but she does pick a fence and just decide she doesn't like it.  Usually about 5 or 6 in.  Trainer says they had a quick discussion about how she was going to go over it anyway, and then she was fine the rest of the time.  But other than that, she was great.  Driving the boys crazy as usual.  Charlie in particular is very happy to have her back.

She also told me that the first thing she did clipping wise was her ears, and that it was obvious I had been working with her with the clippers, because she did most of her ears without a twitch.  Just the tips bother her, apparently.  Oh, and by the way, did you see she popped a splint?

Wait...What?  Oh yes, first thing she saw when pulling off her shipping boots.

See the bump below her knee?  So yeah, now there's that to deal with.  Probably happened when she wrenched off that shoe.  I think she was trying to get away from the horses in her paddock, who have made it clear that she is the bottom of any kind of herd list.

So I hacked her on the cross country field, going down and up through the sunken road/bounce steps complex.  She was very chill, but ready to go back to her stall and get her bath and her apple.

Sweaty girl is ready for a bath

She's such a good girl, and I'm happy that she is back at Rocking Horse enjoying the sand.

Pretty girl

Reunited

Sorry it's been a few days.  Work has gotten a little hectic with benefit plan reports due this week and month/quarter end ongoing.  I really do enjoy my job, but there are definite crunch times.

Friday I got home to these:

It was the man's first pay day and he was very appreciative.  I can't tell you how long it's been since I got flowers from someone other than my mom or dad.  10 years?  15?  He cooked dinner.  Lemon pepper shrimp and thin cut steaks on the grill.  Then we started American Horror Story season 4 on Netflix. Anyway, it was very sweet.

I got down to see the redhead on Saturday.  I heard nothing about her really all week, so contacted trainer on Friday to make sure she was good and we could fit a lesson in on Saturday.  It will be my first real ride in something like 3-4 weeks, and Violet is just getting back into work, so I knew it wouldn't be too much.  I'll get into the ride details in tomorrow's post.

One of the other riders begged a ride down to RH on Saturday morning because she needed to pick up her truck.  She left it after AECs and needs it for hauling hay, etc, at her place.  So she met me at the house with her two dogs and left her car in the drive and we headed down at 7am.  My lesson was at 10, hers at 11.  It was a nice drive, and really nice to catch up a bit on what has been going on with her.  I connected with her fairly early on in this training group because at the time, she was on a pony as well.  I thought, well heck, if she can got Novice on her pony, who was no taller than Violet, then surely, I can do BN!  She has since moved on to a really nice redheaded OTTB who is in love with Violet (rightly so!) and is getting ready to move to Training.

We got to the barn where I was greeted by her boy, who loves for me to hold his head.  He just grabbed me like "where you been" and snugged my shoulder under his head.  It's pretty funny, but he's definitely a hugger.  Violet couldn't be bothered to leave the hay net.

I pulled her out of the stall to groom and started laughing.  First thing I see is this.

I knew the clippers would get to her first thing, and should have known it would be her tail.  Girl has a nice tush to accent with the clip job, though.

She also got her face and ears clipped and her mane pulled.  No horse/pony is in this program that does not look the part!  Her rain rot is gone, so the next step is a body clip, since she is very fuzzy.  She never gets really really hairy, but it's still 85+ degrees down there and she takes forever to dry this time of year.  Not fair to her or to the person having to ride her every day.

So it was very very nice to be back in the program.  Two of three of "the ladies", as I call them, were there.  My trainer has four of us that are kind of her main group.  One is at Prelim, one going into training, one heading into Novice after a VERY successful year at BN, and me, who is...well, I'll let you know what I am when I figure it out.  Mostly I'm having fun riding my pony, with the occasional CT, dressage test, or jumper class thrown in.  Then she has another that she trains mostly at shows I think that is moving up to Prelim and a couple of young riders that she coaches at BN.  She has others that are just entering her program (3 horses that are being brought to her this week, I believe), and still others that she gives occasional tune-ups or assists at shows, but I am not familiar with all of them because of my absence.  Right now they all know that I will be here for a couple of months and then gone again.  I will probably just bounce back and forth a while.  I just cannot commit to having Violet so far away all the time.  Although she seems very happy.  And it was really nice to see my friends.  I've missed them too.

I'll give detail about the lesson and the rest of my trip in another post.