Oliver 4-9-2012

Video from lesson on Monday. Ollie is drastically different from riding Butters, and I like it. He does not have a smooth round jump, and would rather rush fences versus sputter to a halt or straight out refuse them. Keeping him consistent to the fence is key, and staying with that jump is very good too! I re-learned about the magical world of mane-grabbing... it saved my butt and Ollie's mouth. The first few fences (NOT shown in the video haha!) on him were probably the worst I've ever done: I got horribly left behind and popped him in the mouth, poor guy! Thankfully it was reversed by the end of the lesson. He is also much more forgiving and tries a lot harder than Butters. Don't get me wrong, I like them both... but if I had to choose favorites, well, y'know....

I love learning on different ponies!

Greta has been quite well lately, still not too happy about the lack of a real job ("MOM walking around is NOT work!" If only more people shared the same mindset!) but happy enough nonetheless.

Let's critique each other!

I have got to take a break from studying for two midterms tomorrow. I'm reaching the point where I'm just re-reading sentences and nothing is processing. No bueno. I'm also trying to suppress my excitement for The Hunger Games. I'm trying, I really am!

So, what to do as a quick break besides eat stuff?

CRITIQUE MY RIDING! I mean, how self-centered does one have to be? Oh, well!

Also, I got a hold of this article in Practical Horseman and felt I could definitely use those tips. But which ones, which ones? Let's see....



The Pogues FTW :)

#2... I have gotten much better on keeping my shoulders back and my chest open. It's so much easier in dressage... or if I didn't have the torso of a spider monkey. Well, the body of a spider monkey, really. There was a couple of jumps during this ride that I actually kept a no-tension ideal over a fence! Definitely a lot of core control to move forward with the horse's body, and not necessarily release with your arms (which causes my entire upper body to collapse) but more with my torso, if you get what I'm sayin'.

#3... used to be a problem, and I only did it once on the second fence of the outside line combination, and it felt so bad. That's how I knew I've just about made it a habit to sit up and not truck around like a vulture towards a jump. It's hard, and it's not perfect, but it's getting there.

#8... I kind of have a problem with this, but mainly because my stirrups were a hole or two too long (they were actually two holes shorter, but felt too short, and now they look too long in this video), Butters does not have a lot of barrel to stabilize against (small horses are good in that they can scramble out of a bad situation better than a large horse can, but they don't give you much leeway as far as staying on if you're a taller rider), and this saddle obviously is not forward enough for my Sasquatch thighs. Seriously, if ever I get a jumping saddle, those flaps better be long and FOR-WARD. That's going to be fun trying to find!

#10... I surprised myself here. In dressage mode, my heels usually sink so far down that they will slip from my stirrup. The balls of my foot are just barely touching them! I really could have them pulled out from under me and I'd be fine! Jumping? hahahahaha... no. Totally different balance and set of muscles. This might also once again have to do with having my stirrups just a touch too long. And Pam Baker did bring up a good point in keeping your horse's shoulders in front of you. That is VERY hard to do on Butters. He can do lovely dressage, but getting him to that point is way too hard. Possible, but hard. And he has a lovely tendency to duck out at the last minute on fences (happened several times during this ride, I stayed on, but they were some icky stops) if he doesn't feel confident. It's not always telltale several strides before the fence either. So sometimes in my defensive riding and steering his shoulders to the fence, he will get behind me. And I draw my heel up to urge him on when calf pressure doesn't work. BAM PROBLEM SOLVED. And it's really not that bad, but I can do better.

Also, I still get left behind sometimes. I think that has a lot to do with core control and just becoming more comfortable with the movement and timing of a jump. And I still obviously don't have enough balance in a jumping saddle, so I revert to ancient habits of balancing with my hands, which would probably account for the pumping.

I AM SO USED TO DRESSAGE STUFFZ!

What do you guys think? What are you riding faults you want to work on?

Butters Video 2-27-2012 + Greta update

Enjoy another fun bop-around on Butters. He's SO CUTE! And by the way, for all you South Park fans, his show name is now officially Professor Chaos haha!

Greta is doing fantastically by the way. I was freaking out a bit yesterday and today during our ride because her trot felt very discombobulated (yes, that's a word) and it has for the past few weeks, but it was especially noticeable yesterday. So I was concerned that I was trotting around a lame horse and not fully realizing it. Her problem?

She too out of shape to make her hind end connect with her front end. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, it took us a long while to get her into that shape. DUH. Poor pony, what with me being a helicopter mom and all. But I guess being a helicopter mom is not so bad when you're in a careful rehabbing program ;)

Another Butters Video (don't get jealous Greta...)

I'd just thought I'd post this up before I add some updates posts on Greta, the Micklem bridle, and... I'll get around to that Traditional Dress post part 2 one of these days (still trying to think of how to put it, bear with me). School begins again in two days, so I'm milking these last couple days of freedom. Granted, I feel a lot freer in college than I ever did in public school. My schedule, even though I got screwed over a bit but I'm a freshman with the min amount of hours so I was expecting that, is quite accommodating for riding and doing other things. Anyway, enjoy some Butters action from yesterday. My eq has a lot left to be desired, mainly I'm popping up a bit over fences (still getting used to the feeling of a jump) and I'm rounding my back in two-point and over fences, that's mainly from lack of core muscles (well, a different set than what's needed in dressage). At least I'm anchoring my heels more! Enough of that, enjoy Butterball the wonder horse.

Lesson on Butters 12/28/2011

Isn't he the cutest?! Little QH gelding bred for reining and cutting but thankfully Laura saw the potential in him as a little English critter. Don't let the video fool you: he is quite hard to ride! You have to really convince him that, yes, he can jump it and, no, he won't mess up. He's also kind of lazy heehee. Thankfully riding Greta has taught me a thing or two on boosting a horse's confidence, and now Laura is helping me translate that to over fences. The big guy I rode last week, her other horse Chase, went mysteriously lame over the weekend and then had a salmonella scare. Just a bit bothersome. I have a lot of respect for Chase: he's confident, gentle, and patient and a great confidence booster unless you're learning how to sit the trot (he has an unnaturally bouncy trot, like riding a perverted carousel, you have no idea how bad it is until you actually ride it, but if you can get through that and get him to really come together, it's lovely! But indeed a challenge!) but he was definitely willing to be the benevolent leader during our lesson last week when we went after some 2.5' verticals when he needed to be, bless him! So, yes, definitely worried about the Big Boy Chase.

Butters on the other hand, once you get him going, he's pretty satisfied with himself haha! And darn cute about it, too! Especially when he goes into "dressage pony" mode (will get video of that haha!)

The bit of him refusing was A) me cutting the corner too early and taking him to a really awkward spot and B) not really convincing him to jump it. Oops! He doesn't do bending lines like been-there-jumped-that Chase!

What was NOT caught on camera was Butters saving my bum as I proceeded to almost land in a fail pile. It was his first time going over the black and white vertical on the bounce line, and he OVERJUMPED it, and I did not go with it like I should have, was just about jumped out of the saddle, was halfway down his neck with my chest hanging over his head as he was about to go over the ground poles. He made a last minute decision to not jump the ground poles, thankfully, and reared up enough for me to get myself back in the saddle and yell out "SAVED!" and Laura to start laughing. It was pretty pathetic but would have made for some awesome/funny TV to show you guys haha!

Man, I never get my REALLY bad moments on camera, do I?!

A new years resolution: get as many fails on video as I can to match all the decent-to-stellar moments I get on video!

And Greta got a major makeover today by me and the fam. She doesn't like to roll and she hates mud, but she still got a good deal on her legs and chunks in her tail. Now her tail is all braided up and out of the way of mud and she's white again! Let's see how it holds! She has her no-or-go to trot evaluation next week. Yay!

Riding Texas

One of the boarders at the barn has graciously let me help in the long-term rehab process of 9 yo Dutch WB x TB named Texas :)

He is huge, and his gaits feel huge to me because I'm so used to wittle Greta girl (who, by the way, is having a blast in her new paddock making the boys in the paddocks around her fall stupidly in love with her and finally being queen of her own domain.) He is also a big sweetie, and not hard to love.

This is the big guy that I fell off of a few weeks back. It was also reeeeeealy windy Tuesday and cold, and I didn't think anything of it until Texman spooked at a mockingbird on the ground that flew away, proceeded to spin lightly and bolt, and I would've stayed on had he not made a 360 turn away from an upcoming tree that I was not excepting (we felt like we were going the OTHER way around the tree). Bless his heart, he waited for me to come get him, with that same old worried look on his face like he did something wrong, and I once again assured him that he did nothing I was going to punish him for.

All of my falls off Greta have been lame, uneventful ones. All the exciting ones happen off of geldings. They're always keeping on my toes. Or on my butt, whichever lands first.

Anyway, since this is my second fall on my head, my helmet needs replacing :( Anyway, here is the other reason why I need to replace my helmet, plus a cute crack on the inside. Yay helmets! Observe the aftermath, aka The Tear of Doom:

But hey, that could have been my scalp. That would take scalping to a whole new level. As for the crack... well, another reason to always wear a helmet. That crack could have been my noggin and not my helmet ;)

Jumping video AND update

This is the day before her vet appointment to figure out some stiffness in her back and hips. Jumping and poles always seem to help her loosen WAY up, but after the vet appointment I felt like an A$$ for doing that, as much fun as we both had! I need to remember that she tries so hard that she'll chug through anything!

Firstly, the vet remarked about how great she looked for her age, no arthritis or joint problems, and both the vet and the tech loved her adorable attitude and good manners (that's my girl!) BUT she had some ever-so-slight lameness, and was clean on the flex test UNTIL her LH fetlock was flexed, and then she was really ouchy. Thankfully it wasn't on the other fetlock. She also noticed her fetlock sunk down a bit at the walk, and was worried about her suspensories being strained. Her ever-so-slight back and hip stiffness was very likely from compensating for that sore LH.

We talked a bit and she asked how much she had been ridden, and I realized and told her "Oh my goodness, I've been riding her almost every day with only a break once a week since a month before summer started!" Nothing hard, but still, yikes! I felt pretty bad!

So the prognosis right now is to give Miss Greta two weeks off to giver her a break, a ten minute walk around the arena twice a week or so, but just let her chill for the most part. She'll be checked again in exactly two weeks, and if that LH is not better then there will be an examination of her suspensory. Worrisome, but I will just be happy to see Greta happy and comfy.

Overall, the vet said she's not BAD or REALLY lame, just probably strained something from all that hard work this summer!

So now I get to another point: give your horses a break! Give them a week off, do some work on the longe line to save their back, etc. Especially the super-pleasers like Greta!

I feel SO bad! I know better than that! Bless Greta's big ole heart!

Greta August 2011

Couldn't get video of her trotting up and down the rocky gravel road today like it was nothing! Woop-woop rock-cruncher feet!

2011 - Stuart Horse Trials - Socks' Helmet Cam with Commentary

Doug Payne riding Rivertown Lad at the 2011 Stuart HT at prelim where "Socks" finished 8th. It was fun to listen to the commentary. I thought I heard him drop a potty-mouth word towards the end coming down the curve on the hill, but I probably would have too haha! Socks runs like Greta: they get so into the gallop and focused on what's ahead, they get really strong and your seat has to become an anchor so they'll slow up and refocus a bit! A half-halt at full gallop lol!

Lesson 7-11-2011

2 Years of a Sunny, Funny Face

So, our two year anniversary was actually May 19 lol BUT I just could not come up with anything suitable for such an amazing horse that I have been blessed to have. Re-watched Funny Face with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire a month ago, and realized the title song was the perfect song for Miss Greta.

Here's to many more years of fun, my dear!

"Jumping" 7-3-2011

Who knew one needed to canter over ground poles like that? hahaha Yeah, excuse my eq, it's been a while, but it's getting there. I need to actually, you know, get OUT of the saddle over a jump! I've had a jumping lesson recently, and it helped a lot, but I didn't realize how unwilling I was/am to give a bit on the reins and to stay in two-point all the way over a jump haha. I also need to work on not roaching my back. Granted, I have seen worse, but I still need to work on it. This will be wonderful for my core!

Greta loves jumpies and dressagies. What a good girl!

CHOCO!!!

Grampy's pony, Miss Choco! We've actually had her for almost a year now haha, I've just been so Greta-centric I suppose. Boo :(

But isn't she a cutie? Her AQHA name is Hot Chocolate Sundae, and she's by Zips Chocolate Chip. She's a bit lazy, but Grampy has taken her a long way. She's such a good girl. She also stretches very nicely when you post the trot lol. My legs were like jelly, so I felt it would not be fair to try and post the trot on her without stirrups haha!

And excuse the chair seat, my legs are a bit long on her :)

Lesson 6-20-2011 WHEE BITLESS

"Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air, because I know I can count on you. Sometimes I feel like saying, 'Lord, I just don't care,' but you got the love I need to see me through."

It's not that Greta has a problem with the bit, but this really forces me to use my seat, because I can really get "handy". I like it :)

We're looking more and more like a legit dressage duo every ride!

THAT'S MY GIRL!

Lesson 6-13-2011

Warmed up in the pasture, really worked on her stretching for the bit (she has had some issues with that the past few days, but when she stretches she can STRETCH) and then did some baby leg yields. Only got video of the ones at the trot, we did a lot at the walk and trot, and while none of them were spot-on, she was really trying hard to figure it out and get it right... she was like "Wait.... you want me to go forward AND sideways? What the HECK?"

I told her I would love for her to be like a Willy Wonka elevator. Those can go forward and sideways!

But poor thing, I have a tough time opening up my seat for her. I tend to sit more on the side of the direction she's traveling in, which is definitely not opening things up for her lol! I also have a tough time slowing her shoulders so she is straight and not just going in a diagonal with her neck bent. She also loves to really overbend from the withers, even when my inside rein is absolutely slack. Silly girl! She's only doing what she thinks is right!

She has an easier time leg-yielding to the right, because she likes to stand up on that shoulder! Which is why cantering to the left is easier for her than the right. She gets a bit counterflexed going to the right and thus ends up being a bit unbalanced and strung out lol. But MUCH better than what she was 6 months ago. And goodness knows we look better than we did 2 years ago haha!

And her canter has come such a long ways! I love her canter. She's got a big, beautiful canter and walk. She could stretch even more at the trot, but that's pretty easy to fix. And fix it we shall!

Fun stuff. What a doll :)

Greta is a saint :)

Greta helps me give lil bro a mini lesson :)

Seriously, she loves taking care of the little guys - granted, he's not a little kid, but Greta is always very gentle with all the little lesson kiddos that come to the barn, whether she's in the stall or getting groomed and tacked up. They can feed her treats and she won't get nippy and she'll let them pet her all over, just absolutely relaxed (I don't think she's ever gotten nippy in the two years I've owned her, nor kicked out or even put an ear wrong.... other horses, not so much!)

Oh, and in honor of National Helmet Awareness Day (and to protect lil bro's brains!) I made him wear my helmet on my CRAZY pony!

AND I have loved this song for four years now. Just so... chill.

Steffen Peters: Improving The Uphill Balance in The Canter

One of my favorite riders! If you're new to the blog, you can scroll down a bit and on the side is a picture I took with him at one of his clinics at Valhalla Stables in the DFW area! Wonderful clinician! Anyway, a interesting vid from a video series he's been doing on the USDF's YouTube channel (USDFORG) and relative to some things I'm working on right now (the bare basics of it, anyway). Sorry the sound's a bit shoddy, it's like that on all of the videos.

Bareback work 1-26-2011

I love my pony :)

Firstly, she's learning turns on the forehand and haunches. All of these clips are just us schooling turns on the haunches. Also, she's hollow on her R side, so when we back up she likes to curve to the right. Thus, all this turns and lateral work will help to balance her. YAY balance! So, no, they're not perfect, but she gets an A+ for effort!

Secondly, my saddle is out of comission indefinitely. Prolly will need a new one, hopefully not. Saddles kind of cost an arm and a leg, y'know? BUT it does present an extraordinary opportunity to ride bareback! We've had two bareback lessons so far (today's went REALLY well!) and just lots of bareback schooling. It's good for us, good for my position, and good for Miss Greta because I can feel things better and correct them far more quickly.

But it does make my legs sore ;)

For Funsies :)

Actually, I didn't realise this but the video does have some symbolism here and there. Dressage is an intense journey, with moments of triumph and moments were you want to scream into a pillow! One must find that happy medium of the horse both submitting to you of their own accord and dancing with you of their own accord all at once, and in those few glimpses of that happy medium, everything feels right. And it's those moments I have to look back on when I feel as if Greta and I just have hit a wall (I realise later that it was really a rather short, as we cleared it nicely haha). I look back on those moments and I realise that we will continue to grow and progress together as we always have.

Merry Christmas

First of all, a little video to spread some holiday Greta cheer.

Now, a continuation from yesterday...

2010 has been a crazy, wonderful year for Greta and I. I feel like we have matured and grown so much together in both our riding and in other areas. At the beginning of the year, riding still deeply frustrated me, and I didn't know who to blame, nor what to do. We did a lot of things under pressure and immaturely, and I'm thankful that we were able to get out that situation, for Greta's sake. I began to see more and more what a wonderful, talented mare she is. She is beautiful!

We went through 3 trainers this year! And now, on the third, we have found somebody who truly understands Greta and I: no forcing, no complications. I feel like in these past 6 lessons that I now am just learning to ride Greta, without fear of a spook, nor a care if it does happen. She looks so relaxed and happy whenever I ride her now, it is truly amazing.

But mostly, like any partnership, I've begun to discover even more about Greta, her quirks, her personality. I am starting to tell her different expressions. I am seeing that she is an incredibly smart girl, smarter than me sometimes. It is unfathomable how fortunate I am to have a horse that has never done anything to purposely dismount me. Sure, I've taken a tumble or two, but bless her she has never run off, she always spins around and looks for me. She has never kicked out or bucked or reared. Bless her.

I rode several other horses this year: two ran off on me, one of which succeeded in dismounting me (well, I had to dismount MYSELF for safety's sake less I wanted to land beneath him because he was bucking like a bronc, and I will say that those are the WORST kinds of falls, when you have make yourself fall) and then proceeded to trot back to the barn and not even care that I was there haha! All of these other horses I rode this year were geldings, and they were very food-driven, and really could care less about me. You could say I'm something of an unfortunate ex-gelding fan? Well, I still have my geldings that I adore out at the barn, so I'm not really an ex-fan. I guess when one becomes so used to Greta's well-hidden motherly nature (but when it shows, it shows) then, well.................... but anyway.......

All these horses, including a very well-mannered QH stallion who was a dream to ride, each taught me something and I did enjoy the time I spent riding them, even with their qualms. So along with progressing extremely fast with Greta, I realized my goals in life. I want manage barns, to train horses, I want to teach students, I want to make sure not a horse or person goes through the pressuring, forceful methods I allowed myself to believe in. I want to make sure every horse I meet comes away from me a better horse. I realize that I might not always be successful, but I know now that I really want to do that as my future career. I like that kind of manual, hard work. And I know that I can still take a step further and go to vet school if I want, with my grades (thank GOD.)

And I know that through all of this in the future (even possibly going for the Texas State University IHSA hunt-seat team! Some good skills to be learned lie in wait there!) that I will have a partner beside me the entire time. Somebody I can count on and learn from. Somebody I can go to when I am far from home and it seems I can turn to nobody. Somebody that makes me not care about silly boarder or trainer quarrels and disagreements. Greta, and everything we have accomplished in two years, and really in the past two months, makes me proud.

If I come in crying, she gets those worry wrinkles and nudges me. If I give her a big pat after a job well done, I can just feel pride radiating from her (watching the videos of us jumping, you could just see it in her face and carriage, and I also realized she is a very cute jumper!) She really tries for me, I have yet to meet a person who hasn't said that about her, but she is honest and will let me know if she just can't do something or if I need to back her up.

I could go on all day, or all into next year, but I will end on this note: Greta Golightly, m'dear, I love you very much. ♥