Greta Vidder 5-8-10

Critique and advice is always appreciated.

Goals for 2010:

1. Do one nice Intro level test
2. Training Level schooling goals

• Develop a nice, controlled canter (getting there, as you can see in the video!)
• Enough of the wither-riding hands!
• Maintain a nice, steady trot with consistent aids
• Calm attitude
• Work on the halt!!

She has been a total sweetheart lately, always wants to snuggle and check on me in the tack room, and we just keep progressing every ride. We got a comment from our trainer Thursday after seeing her canter, saying, "Wow! And this used to be the horse that used to run for the roses?" We both agree, Greta and I have come quite a ways.

Today I rode her bareback, did a nice trot, and gave cantering a go. First time cantering on her bareback. Ever. Very wonky, but at least I didn't fall off, right?

Not much else to type about. It's been the same old, same old. We will have another Wolfgang Clinic on the 16th. I believe Greta has just come out of a little heat, and if not, then I feel confident I'll handle things well. The one she was in a month ago, when we had to cancel on the last Wolfgang clinic, she was definitely in a breeding heat. The girl wanted to have babies. Don't get ahead of yourself, Greta....

Bony seat bones and playing soccer in dressage?

Yeah, so this is a bunch of stuff you guys probably learned a long time ago, but bear with me, I get excited easily and I just feel so awesome that my girl and I's bond is flourishing! Flourishing!!

This past week has been eventful. I had prom, an art exhibit premier that one of my works was included in, and Greta and I had a ride that felt the closest to Training Level than I've ever ridden before on her!

Yeah, that was supposed to be a circle....

So, a quick little summary: the last three rides last week (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) Greta was acting like a little twit going to the right on any circle, no matter how large. She wasn't stiff, she wasn't sore, she was just very looky going to the right and constantly had her eye someplace, completely going out of focus, and just trotting towards whatever it was, and I (quite incorrectly and quite unconsciously) had a very loose outside rein and an inside rein so tight where I was trying to pull her in that my right hand was actually further back than my left. I realized this, and was kicking myself for it. A solution had to be found.

Dusting off ancient books and learning super-cool riding skillz like a scene from the bad spin-off Indiana Jones and the Quest for the Training Pyramid

I went home, dug up my copy of Centered Riding by Sally Swift (The analogies and illustrations make it super easy for a visual learner like myself to understand, and it goes step by step to where it all adds up in the end) and looked through to see if I could figure out what I was doing wrong. What I found, combined with the recent article I put on here by Jennifer and Beth Baumert in Dressage Today, has led to a little crash course in having a far more efficient seat. I think Greta did this on purpose. She was tire of me inadvertently using my hands to steer and less of my seat. Well, so I like to think....

I have heard my instructor drill me about using my seat and legs to support her when she becomes unbalanced and/or wants to go wherever, especially coming down the centerline (oh, the dreaded centerline and halt at X, heck, the halt in general...) but I never really fully grasped the concept. While I am no expert now, I believe I have grasped the concept.

And it's GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLL!

Firstly, I needed to center my seat. I feel quite fortunate to have a non-existent butt and thus little fat to cushion my pelvic bones, which means I can feel my seat bones really well. I noticed as soon as I put even pressure on both seat bones, Greta seemed to come up beneath me and reach for the bit a bit more (no pun intended). Yay, step one down!

Step two: consistent contact with the outside rein, keep it still and don't mess around with it unless the contact becomes loose, and give and release on the inside. I needed to keep my hands evenly apart on either side of her withers. Greta didn't want to comply at first, but after a while she seemed to work her way into taking contact.

And thirdly, using my seat by pretending my abdomen is a flashlight. I needed to point it in the direction I wanted to go but still keep my seat pressure even, even at the posting trot. Along with this, light contact with my legs, which needed to be prepared to "tap" her back into position in conjunction with my seat. It almost seemed like I was dribbling a soccer ball: when she wanted to drift to the left, I lightly pushed her back onto the circle with my left leg and directed my seat left, and if she drifted to the right I corrected her with my right leg, but still kept my seat consistent. I think this crash course will help me indefinitely as far as making good circles and straight lines! Thank you instructor and Sally Swift!!

Greta, could you please direct your attention to the front of the class?

Now, where the Dressage Today article came in was keeping my aids consistent even if Greta became distracted. We may not look perfect, but by keeping my aids consistent I feel like I'm focusing more on the ride instead of whatever is distracting her, and in turn she seems to kind of blow it off because I'm blowing it off. That's not the case every time, but it's been working most of the time.

And the ride Sunday!

Sunday felt like the best ride i have ever had on her. I read and hear that self-carriage feels like just a light weight on the reins, and that's certainly what Greta felt like almost the entire time. My aids stayed consistent, our circles were practically perfect, my hands felt perfect, my seat and legs felt coordinated, she was quite attentive, and we were even able to do a decent (far from perfect, but much better than previous attempts) trot down the centerline, halt, and pick up a trot again. She didn't halt square, but she came to a halt coolly and picked up the trot again without taking off. It was awesome. In fact, they were switching around trailers and bringing in a new horse during most of the ride, did I tell you that?

But of course she does it when there's no video camera or anyone to comfirm her awesomeness. You'll just have to take my word for it this time.

And the super cute picture of her peeking into the tack room...

YAY! The end.

Sweet 13!

Not me! Greta! (This blog is about her, after all. Who cares about the horse's human slave?)

Sadly, I was not able to get any pictures. I was a total fail as far as going through with the little party I had planned. No "My Little Pony" hats, no carrot cake, no people and horsey friends getting together. Oops. It was Saturday, I had a portfolio review, yadda-yadda-yadda, excuses, excuses.

But because she had been inside for a few days during her birthday due to the MORE rain we've been getting (I really don't mind it at all, it means hay prices will go down next year which will mean a lot of horse-related prices might go down too!) so she enjoyed getting out and about. The ground was almost dry, so we did do some schooling outside the covered arena, which she always likes! My new riding crusade is to NOT ride so much from my hands. I read, and it has worked, to keep your seat centered, your leg contact consistent, outside rein steady and following, and give and take with the inside rein. Don't force the horse onto the bit, let them figure it out. Greta's been figuring it out, although because she's used to being ridden more from the hands tries to take this to her advantage by not going the extra mile and just bringing her head up and counterflexed with the outside rein pressure. Yeah, nice try, honey :) But it's just trial and error, it won't happen overnight. But nonetheless, we are still making progress!

Also, Saturday: when I brought her out, she was walking fine, chipper as usual. I go to clean out her back feet and I notice that her legs had filled up just above the fetlock to around mid-cannon. My heart began to race, I feel the mild swelling. No heat, no pain, nothing. I put some liniment gel on it, I thought "I'll see how she is after a extra long walk warm-up." And her legs went down to cool and tight. Still uneasy, I asked the BM and she said "She was probably tying up from being in for a few days." Wow, I'm smart.

I keep checking in on them everyday and they have not seemed to be causing her any problems, nor have they swelled up again. So that was weird. And then I brushed her teeth today (yes, I do that twice a month because it'll keep her chompers around for a longer time) and there was something like a raw spot above one of her inscisors. I pressed on it, no pain, no pus nothing. She's been eating fine, taking the bit fine. But I'm still keeping an eye on it, making sure it doesn't swell or become infected or anything. Perhaps I am just a worrywart?

AND Greta and I have moved to the team tack room. Getting my stuff in and out is so much more easier and it gives me an excuse to make her a tack trunk to put in front of her stall. I feel so fancy :)

I would like to think Greta feels the same, but she could probably care less. I do love how she'll stick her head into the tack room (it's like a walk-in closet) to just watch me. Today she let me ride her in from the other side of the pasture to the gate with just a halter and seat aids. And then she let me groom her and tack her up while not being tied to anything. Yes, I break the rules here and there, but the point is that the trust between the two of us is flattering!

Here is the tack trunk so far, all it needs now is the protective coats sprayed on all over the outside and insid. It's actually a 50-year-old army footlocker. If you look closely on the bottom of the lid, it reads the locker's serial number and "US ARMY". Stamped on the top was "U.S." but... we painted over that. Greta wouldn't last a DAY in the army :)

Interesting input on "spooky" horses

From Jennifer and Beth Baumert in Dressage Today:

Problem 2: A Horse that is Afraid or Distracted
Riding the Symptom: While your horse is worrying about a tractor or his friend whinnying in a paddock, it's easy to get distracted yourself. The tractor and the whinnying are totally out of your control. You can't force your horse to be attentive. Instead, change your focus and notice the real problem.

The underlying issue: Concentrate on the elements of the problem you do have control over, which is your horse's lack of suppleness and that fact that he's no longer on your aids. He has undoubtedly stiffened his body, probably lost his bend and might not be round anymore. If you focus on putting him on your aids in a supple way, you will automatically start solving your problem.

Think of the unbelievable distractions that horses manage to deal with at the Olympics and other high-level competitions. It's not that these horses are braver and quieter or that the riders are stronger, but those horses have been trained t focus on the rider instead of on the distraction. Those horses have learned to trust their riders and have confidence because the rider has never punished them for what amounts to being a horse.

When I first got my best Grand Prix partner, Weltgraf, I couldn't even ride him outside. But, at the end of our career together, I could have ridden him in the Macy's Day Parade. My problem with Graf was not solved in a day or even a year. It was a long-term project. He didn't become brave because he was older. He's still as hot as he ever was, but he learned to trust me and turn to me as his partner. When I asked him to go on the aids, he found his balance physically and mentally.

If you're having this problem, and something is spooky at one end of the ring, it's not a failure to stay in the safe area of the ring. The point is that you want your horse to go more on your aids. You may get to the scary area today, or it may take longer. You'll never get it by alienating your horse or forcing him. I don't believe in facing the horse with his fears. Don't tackle anything unless you're going to be successful.

Rider position: Keep your body in the shape you want the horse's body have with clear aids asking for flexion and bend. Keep your outside aids there but passive so he will want to go to them. Then you will be clear about his flexio, the positioning of his nek and the bend throughout his body. Also, be clear about his line of travel, his rhythm and his speed. Working on these qualities helps him relax and focus on you rather than on the current distraction. (See "Exercises for Problem 2" below.)

Exercises for Problem 2
For a horse that is afraid and distracted, don't just ride around. Any exercise requires you to use your aids and help him concentrate on you instead of the distraction. All exercises put him on the aids, but my favorites are the figure-of-eight and the serpentine because both require frequent changesof bend. Be sure your aids shape him in correct bend to the right, half halt before your change of direction and then shape him to the left.

The result: When the horse is correctly bent, his body will begin to relax. As he becomes more supple and on the aids, he'll start to turn to you and forget his other concerns. If you're consistent in your methods, he will, over time, turn to you sooner. He'll develop trust and confidence in you, and it will be mush easier for him to turn to you rather than turning to his distractions.

Baumert, Jennifer and Beth. "Are You Riding the Problem or the Symptom?" Dressage Today May 2010, pages 51-52

Boring 8-minute Riding Video... with music!

"Here I am, a rabbit-hearted girl, frozen in the headlights.... I must be brave, I must become the lion-hearted girl, ready for a fight...." 'Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up) by Florence + the Machine

Yeah, it's a boring 8-minute riding video. With music!

Greta is a bit iffy about the outdoor arena, so we worked in there yesterday. We had actually been walking around in there for almost thirty minutes to get her to be okay with all of the arena (see below). Then we did about twenty minutes of trotting around at that end, and then the first half of the rest of the workout is on this video. My camera didn't catch the rest :(

As for the other end, which to her is VERY scary, it was just a continuous walk to it, she's back away, we'd circle around and go a bit further, and then we'd keep doing this until we got further and further and finally right up the fence. Once she was comfortable with the fence, we walked back and forth along it, and then trotted some circles by it. After the workout in the video, we did a walk, trot, and canter once around the entire arena both ways. She was still a bit iffy about that end of the arena, but she did not try and push past my hip and leg pushing her into the corners and along the rail, and she kept the looking outside to a minimum. Patience is a virtue!

But do enjoy anyway!!

Behold!

The wild child's mane has finally been pulled! I have tried the actual pulling comb way, but she would not have it. And honestly, I don't blame her. Having your hair ripped out of your scalp doesn't sound like a fine time to me. So I hit up handy dandy Google, and I have now resorted to the SoloComb and QuicBraid. Oh yeah.

But it's actually working quite well. The QuicBraid smells like Playdough, though....

It looks uneven in the picture, but that's the angle she has her head turned. It really is even. She likes to watch me like that when I'm tacking up, because if it's not tack in my hand it's usually treats... or the hoofpick and brush. She's my cute little stalker!

Our ride today was really good. I'm hoping to get some footage of us in the outdoor arena tomorrow, just for kicks. And she surprised me when she actually hung around for a bit when I turned her out, just snuggling. Gave me that warm and fuzzy feeling :)

Don't you just love her freckles? And that big splotch of them on her barrel? I think it's adoro!

Look mom, NO HANDS!

I was wearing a helmet, right? It really started out as an self-induced exercise in the round pen to start using the "scoop" of my seat to control the pace of Greta's canter, and not so much the reins. It has definitely helped! Even though Greta is in major heat right now (aren't they supposed to be about out of that when they're almost 13?) she's still been doing very well under saddle. There are just a few scary points around the stable now, like the shaded pen with two minis in it and the shop where the tractor and flatbed are kept. Just those two places... hmm. We just work on those places on the ground, and I have a feeling she'll be less attuned to them once she's out of heat. That's the way it usually goes haha! The big thing to remember during this time of the month is to stay calm and praise and encourage a lot. You're supposed to that anyway, but still....

Anyway, so the canter exercise moved the arena and I included more seat exercises both on a loose rein (and on the few occasion without hands) on "steering" with my seat and not necessarily with my hands. So far, it's been good!

And her trot looks so much better to me than even several weeks ago. She looked a bit downhill in this video though, maybe that's just me? Give me your thoughts, as always!

Oh, and because of the whole flaming heat situation we did not go the Wolfgang Clinic Sunday, because of her flightiness towards those scary minis and tractor, and how she was last time we went and she was in heat, it would NOT be logical to go. She'd be stressed out, so I'd be stressed out, and in turn we'd just get nothing accomplished! We'll go the next one, I suppose, so long as she's up to it! When you're with horses, it's hard to be on your time: you gotta be on "horse time" sometimes. I love that scaredycat mare too much to try and push something on her when she's not ready to handle and I'm not ready to handle her when she can't handle it!

Tell me your thoughts, give me your advice! You guys are awesome!

Happy Belated Easter!

LOL That's my girl. She'll take some kisses and then she'll go "Eh... I've had enough. Okay, bye!"