tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11475432393683691022024-02-19T09:49:27.776-05:00Dancing the Waltz With Henry the HorseI decided to create this blog as a way to keep track of my training goals and notes with my 12 year old QH gelding, Henry. He's a great guy, and I'm doing my best to make him the best darn dressage horse I can - on a limited budget, with limited time, and with the best combination of patience and dedication that I can muster.Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-59463150913214652312009-02-03T13:46:00.004-05:002009-02-03T14:42:59.938-05:00Lessons, Lessons, Lessons (& Clydesdales!)<span style="font-family:verdana;">After work yesterday I microwaved some leftovers, changed clothes, and headed for the barn. I got there about 5:15 and got ready to ride. There were surprisingly few people there at that time, which was nice, since I prefer to have some room in the ring and to not block the aisle for everyone!<br /><br />Henry was great, although not as steady in the contact at first. We worked on a lot of bending, circles, etc and then did several trot-halt-trot transitions. After a break we worked on leg-yields, shoulder-in, then haunches & half-pass. Still not quite right but it is amazing how well he will "sit" and slow down when I am asking him for lateral stuff. I had a really hard time using my right leg for this stuff. It almost feels like the inside of my right thigh is thicker or something? I end up turning my toe out just to be able to get a good feel on his side, which is troubling. I have theorized in the past that this might be because of driving, and using my right leg for gas/ breaks (therefore that leg's muscles get worked more, and so are bulkier) but I might be a little nuts to think that.<br /><br />We took another break and worked a little in sitting trot, again with the trot-halt-trot transitions and then into a rising stretchy trot. At this point, people had started to come in and tack up for a 6:30 lesson taught by the BO, and she came out and saw some of my ride. She commented that she was very pleased with the stretching work and that we had come a long way in the past couple of months with it, which is true, and thank GOODNESS I have finally learned to PUSH him at the stretchy trot and hold his front end up so he doesn't fall all over himself. She then said that my trainer (her daughter) had commented on how nice of a horse he was, which combined with a similar comment from the farrier (relayed to me via another instructor/boarder yesterday) made me all warm and fuzzy inside :)<br /><br />I gave Henry another walk break and then we did one or two canters each way, concentrating on uphill, steady slow pace, BENDING etc, but by this point riders were starting to bring in their schoolies for the 6:30, and Henry was getting tired (even broke once or twice) so I finished with one more stretchy trot around the arena - and he was so tired I had to push him to keep the trot! Normally if I go large with a stretchy he will prick his ears and *ahem* extend the trot unasked for...<br /><br />I took his tack off and decided to take him out into the arena for a walk, to see if he would roll, even though he wasn't warm. He dug around a couple of times like he was going to roll, sniffed around for that perfect spot, but in the end decided that watching the lesson get started was more interesting! There were six riders in the lesson and not all of them felt like giving Henry any space to potentially roll, so after a couple laps we went back to his stall. By this point, two boarders had added their horsies to the already circus-like ring, so I was REALLY glad I had gotten there early! I cleaned his bucket and gave him some warm water, started to put his stuff away, and then when I went to groom him saw that he had taken half a flake of his hay and STUFFED it in the bucket, and was proceeding to take dainty little bites. Whatever makes you happy, buddy!<br /><br />Two of my 7:30 college lesson riders (Fashion Boots Rusty Rider and Medieval History Practical Horseman - see Jan 27 <a href="http://dancingwithhenry.blogspot.com/2009/01/long-day-late-night.html">post</a> for more info) showed up while the 6:30 was still in progress, so I had them go into the barn to start grooming their schoolies. They were very eager to be able to ride which is awesome. They really are great students. The three other riders (Finance Major Linebacker, No Gloves International Relations Major, and Quiet Architecture Major) came right on time and all had matching gloves! Evidence, they said, of their dedication to the sport ;)<br /><br />We got two more horses groomed and tacked, and I borrowed one from the 6:30 lesson, and once everyone was finally out in the ring I showed everyone how to mount. All of the guys in this lesson went from never been on a horse to steering, stopping & starting, and decent position in about a half hour. I was impressed. The best part was, the QAM had asked last week if he could wear cowboy boots to ride in (sure, why not...) and HE DID! Granted, he had a wicked chair seat, but those boots looked good :D<br /><br />During the lesson, MHPH asked how much horses weigh. I gave him approximate weights for several of the horses in the ring. Then - "What about Clydesdales?" This guy is OBSESSED! He asked if we had any last week, to which I replied that no, we didn't, but there is another local college that has some. He asked if they would let him ride them. Umm... probably not. In honor of MHPH and his zeal for learning and love of Clydes, I give you the following Super Bowl Ads:<br /><br />"Generations"<br /><br /><object height="296" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/oLBHopgzFwvY-fMTDFEeGw/0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/oLBHopgzFwvY-fMTDFEeGw/0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="296" width="512"></embed></object><br /><br />"Stick"<br /><br /><object height="296" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/V4zOoPHmXzwUp2KE0iiNaQ/0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/V4zOoPHmXzwUp2KE0iiNaQ/0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="296" width="512"></embed></object><br /><br />and my favorite of the night (seriously made me tear up a little!)<br />"Circus"<br /><br /><object height="296" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/qYJz9uPjRk5Hk8T8PMpkmg/0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/qYJz9uPjRk5Hk8T8PMpkmg/0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="296" width="512"></embed></object><br /><br />With that, I am off to prepare for my 5:30 lesson with my trainer, and try to think of some interesting things to work on with my 6:30 BegInterVanced college lesson. I'm starting to look forward to Spring Break!<br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-31751541880065322172009-02-02T11:59:00.005-05:002009-02-02T12:38:33.649-05:00Recapping the end of January<span style="font-family: verdana;">HAPPY GROUNDHOGS DAY! Unfortunately for those in the wintry north, we ALWAYS have six (or eight, or twelve) more weeks of winter. Even though it was in the <span style="font-style: italic;">40s </span>this weekend, it's going back to single digits this week. Sigh...<br /><br />When we left off...<br /><br />It was Wednesday, and I was feeling lazy. No, I didn't make it to the gym (in fact, I never made it out there at all last week). I got some rest, but probably not enough!<br /><br />Thursday I had planned a night out for myself, my boyfriend, and several of my friends (I had a super-sneaky plan to play matchmaker), but before I could get there, I had to go out to the barn to teach a lesson for one of the girls who works at the barn, as she was not feeling well. It was a 7:30 pm lesson so I lunged Henry before they got there. He was obedient to my voice commands, not too hot and gave some very nice canters. Good boy! The lesson was five beginners who actually did a very good job of getting their horses tacked up, we all got on, and worked on position, steering, 2 point and footfalls (distinguishing when the outside fore went forward, etc) at the walk. I am thinking these are modest people, because compared to MY beginner lessons, these guys and gals were ready for the WEG!<br /><br />After all the horses were put away and Henry had this blankets, I changed at the barn and picked up a friend who lives out that way. We met another friend in town and headed over to the bar for some trivia with my boyfriend and his friend. I finally had some dinner, we got probably 3 out of 15 trivia questions right, and my boyfriend's friend suggested to me (later on) that my friend might like another of our friends and they should meet. So much for my matchmaking skills!<br /><br />Friday night, I went to the barn not knowing if my beginner lesson was going to show up at all. The last word I had from the Barn Owner was that they wanted to switch to a new time but weren't sure what that time would be. However, the BO had not told me they weren't coming on Friday at 6 (the original time), so I went out just in case. I wasn't dressed to ride, because my boyfriend and I were supposed to meet his dad for dinner later on and I thought I might only have to be there for ten minutes or so to clean out Henry's water bucket. I asked around to see if anyone knew if my lesson was planning on showing up, but no one knew for sure. I called one of the girls in the lesson and they said they were on their way. Just my luck : /<br /><br />I lunged Henry for a few minutes until they got there, and then did my best to teach. These girls (there was another one there tonight, whose Drop form I had signed last week, who decided that maybe she would show up after all!) are not confident. They are not used to animals. It takes f o r e v e r to teach them. They don't feel comfortable on their own, so I had to basically give three mini-private lessons in 45 minutes (they were late, too). Sigh! I went over grooming, tacking up, and actually went fifteen minutes over so that I could at least show them how to mount and dismount, and then hold each horse while they practiced. My boyfriend is nothing if not patient, as he had to wait in the tack room the whole time (although since it was tuned to E! he learned some very useful facts about Jessica Simpson). He also got some entertainment from three girls who board at the barn who decided to "free lunge" one girl's horse. By this, they meant "chase the poor thing who doesn't get turnout EVER with a lunge whip so that all the horses in the barn are white-eyed wondering WTF is going on... 'to get some extra energy out because he has a show coming up'". DOUBLE SIGH because while this was going on, I was holding a horse in the aisle trying to keep it from trampling my timid beginners.<br /><br />At the end of the lesson as they were leaving, I said to the girls, "So, you're going to keep this lesson time then?" They conferred in Japanese, asked to see the lesson schedule, and looked confused when I reminded them that they had already heard all their options from both me and the BO. Silence. Then, "well........ yeah then I guess we'll keep this time", to which the other instructor in the tack room muttered "wow, should not have been that hard". I concur.<br /><br />Saturday and yesterday I rode Henry in the afternoons, working on really getting a good feel in the outside rein, moving straight and forward, doing trot-halt-trot transitions and getting really good canters. I admit I have been slacking off a little on the lateral work. I did a little bit each way on both days, but ring traffic is usually an issue on the weekends so I don't have a lot of long straightaways to work on this stuff (yeah, that's it... not because it's tough or anything lol), but I will definitely work on it tonight before my 7:30 lesson.<br /><br />I also met with two women from my GMO on Saturday to take the reins for the annual silent auction that we hold at our awards dinner. I got some interesting new perspectives on the BOD for our club (not all positive, unfortunately), but hopefully the goings-on will become more transparent this year so that members will be more in the loop. Maybe I will even be able to plant a seed for getting some more social activities (read: for those who might not have a horse of their own, or want all the activities to revolve around who's got the best ride in town, etc). I'm talking conformation clinics, lectures, movie nights, potluck dinners, bowling, whatever! Anything that can bring a little more "warm and fuzzy" to our club would be a great addition! I wonder if other clubs have had similar situations?<br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-29766719100375714652009-01-28T15:16:00.002-05:002009-01-28T15:43:27.696-05:00Long Day, Late Night (Lather, Rinse, Repeat)<span style="font-family: verdana;">Last night was another killer, as directly after work I rushed out to the barn to be ready for my 5:30 lesson with my trainer, and then had a college lesson to teach at 6:30. I got home earlier than on Monday (around 9 this time instead of 11) but I was still pooped and fell asleep quite easily. Waking up this morning... not so much!<br /><br />I was nervous getting ready to ride because of Henry's antics on Monday night. Part of it was me being frustrated at the people in the ring, I'm sure, but his mindset of forward = FAST and slow = sideways was getting old fast. I tacked up and got on while the woman before me was still in her lesson, and my trainer told me it would be a little while since this woman's horse was acting up a bit. No problem, we could use the extra warm-up! I did some easy, forward trot circles and worked on that darn right bend, and by the time my lesson started he was feeling great - loose, calm, and listening to me.<br /><br />We worked on a little bit of the lateral movements, which are getting better every day. His leg-yields are great, especially when I can get myself into the correct position. His half-pass is still coming but my biggest challenge with that and the haunches-in is keeping the bend in the correct direction. After a break we did some canter work, keeping him upright and BENDING. His canter was, as usual, lovely, but for some reason he started to goof around when we got to the corner between H-C. He would pop into the inside and break to the trot, and it seemed like he was giving a half-hearted spook maybe? Nothing tremendous, just a break in concentration that, coupled with my inability to really keep him off my inside leg, caused some trouble. After two or three of these episodes I was able to push him through that corner with a bend, but then he wanted to speed up again. He really likes the uphill canter, I think, but it's definitely hard for him to stay there for long stretches of time.<br /><br />After another break we worked on some trot-halt-trot transitions, getting him really off my seat and getting him to rock back on his haunches and sort of launch himself into the trot transitions. We also did some trot-canter-trot-walk transitions so that he would start to learn to differentiate between when I was asking for a full stop, a down transition, and just a balancing half-halt (his tendency is to just STOP - think reining horse lol). This is something we will have to keep working on. From there we did a few lengthenings, which are really coming along nicely.<br /><br />My main homework for this week, since we have most of what we want and are waiting for his muscles to come along to provide the carrying power he needs is as follows:<br /><br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">bending, and getting his stomach loose enough to be able to move it when and where I want it<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">keep finessing lateral work</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">get him more steady in his contact, especially with the outside rein (he tends to float in between the reins in a sort of no-mans-land)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">trot-halt-trot transitions to encourage him to really sit and use his hind end for transitions</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;">"We'll be here for a while" still holding strong with us, for now.<br /><br />My college lesson went pretty smoothly, with the two Rusty Riders showing up early enough to catch the last few minutes of my lesson. Everyone tacked up and got on easily, and I actually think all my stressing last week about how to run the lesson and what to work on was good, since it gave me a sort of plan of attack for this week.<br /><br />We worked on getting the schoolies to listen to the least possible amount of aid that was necessary to get a prompt and appropriate reaction. We worked on walk, halt, trot transitions, throwing in circles when they felt comfortable. I really tried to emphasize that you want to use a whisper of an aid first, then escalate if that's not effective, but then the next time you ask start from a whisper again, and we also worked on position - keeping their upper bodies tall with shoulders back was a lot better than last week, but some still need help with heels down, legs back stuff. I told them to imagine the magician's trick of sawing someone in half and to try to separate their bodies from the belly button. Everything above the belly button stretches up, everything below stretches down. We also worked on keeping steady, quiet, forward hands and keeping a straight line from the elbow to the bit by pulling back with the shoulders instead of the hands when going for a "whoa" aid.<br /><br />After a walk break I had them all line up and do a couple of canters in each direction, and had them concentrate on their position, keeping a hold of the outside rein (the more the schoolie gets to drift in to the middle, the shorter the distance they will have to canter to get back to the end of the line!), and keeping the canter until the RIDER asked for a down transition. Most of them were great. The Ten Rides In girls needed more help, as one was bouncing around a lot, and the other couldn't (or wouldn't) get her pony to canter. Her hands are a big problem, as the minute her pony would pick up a trot and start to go faster, she would flail around and yank on his mouth. When I suggested grabbing a handful of his mane to help her stay balanced her steering went out the window. Maybe next week I will get her on another horse that she feels more stable on and that is more responsive to the aids, but she's going to have to learn to keep her hands a lot quieter.<br /><br />Most of the horses weren't even warm, but I had them all walk them around the arena to cool out anyway, and one of them (the first horse I ever trained) took a nice long roll. He's such a big chunk of love, and he definitely enjoyed himself :)<br /><br />Today there is a winter storm warning in effect until 10pm, and I am very tired, so I am skipping the barn tonight. If my friend is free we might hit the gym, but I don't know if I'll be motivated enough to go without her! A nap might be more what the doctor ordered...<br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-7418068770285916152009-01-27T10:24:00.003-05:002009-01-27T10:49:24.250-05:00Long Day, Late Night<span style="font-family: verdana;">Oh wow am I tired. Long day at work yesterday, then straight home to eat some leftover pizza while changing into riding attire (which in the depths of bleakest mid-winter) includes pantyhose, thermal shirts, wool sweaters, and my new fleecy vest. Out to the barn to ride Henry, who was uptight and more sideways than forward (but not always in the good way). College lesson with 4 total newbies and a rusty rider who wants to brush up on her skills. Over to my parent's house to pick up the rest of my laundry from their (free) dryer. Home at 11, shower, fall asleep and have weird dreams about puppies (huh?).<br /><br />When I got Henry out into the ring we started with lots of leg-yields at the walk. Center line to the wall. Quarter line to the wall. Quarter line to the opposite wall. Wall to center line. Quarter line to center line, back to quarter line. It was getting pretty good. Then two people came in to lunge their horses (one after the other, not both at the same time), so I took the far end of the ring (by the open door, not by the barn). We picked up a trot and tried to keep him up in his shoulders and at a reasonable pace, without me tipping forward, and keeping my hands forward. I don't know if it was because of our warm up not being warm enough for him, the other horse in the ring, or what, but he was tense. When Henry is tense he GOES. Despite my best half-halt attempts we never got a consistently nice pace for the whole night.<br /><br />Every time I tried to slow him down, his shoulders would pop out to the inside or the outside. If I tried to keep a better hold on the reins he would tense up his neck and curl up, or stick his nose in the air. It felt like he was paddling around, so I would try to focus his energy into going forward to the bit without going slower. Did. Not. Work. I did trot-halt and trot-walk transitions to make sure he was listening to my whoa aids. Those were okay, but as soon as we got back into the trot for more than a few strides it felt like he wanted to take off again.<br /><br />Then there was a lesson of 5 or 6 riders that came into the ring. The instructor (also happened to be the Barn Owner) asked them to stay in the short arena/ not go past F and K. Apparently one of them thought this meant to stay on the OTHER side of F and K, where I was struggling to contain my wild man. Great. She couldn't steer, either. Her horse kept drifting in and out from the track so it was almost impossible to work around her. Then another boarder brought her horse down to the circle I was on with this lesson horse. Yikes. I tried a couple of canters each way, but I knew they wouldn't be pretty. I concentrated on keeping him relatively slow, and responsive when I asked for the walk, and then I got the heck out of that ring! I had just walked him back to his stall when I saw two college-aged kids wandering into the barn, 25 minutes early for their lesson. *Sigh*<br /><br />I untacked Henry and we all went into the tack room to wait for the rest of the lesson to show up. Got their liability releases signed, etc, went over rules, and learned a little about each of them. There are four guys and one girl. As I said the girl has ridden before and wants to refresh her skills. She also told me who she thought she should ride and that the last time she was at the barn they had switched her around a lot so that they could find the perfect horse for her. She didn't like mares and she couldn't ride one that was too short, because she has long legs (carefully outfitted with the most ridiculous fashion boots I have ever seen). She was a no-show last week because it was a holiday.<br /><br />The guys seem very nice, if a bit clueless. One is a finance major (looks like a linebacker), one is international relations (forgot to bring gloves), and one is an architecture major (very quiet). The fourth is a piece of work. He wants to know everything there is to know about the practical aspects of riding. He's very interested in medieval history, so obviously becoming an accomplished equestrian is paramount to his learning experience. He was disappointed that we didn't have any Clydesdales, and wants to know if he can take several lessons a week. He also made a point to tell me that he was the captain of the fencing team.<br /><br />We went over how to act around horses, how to safely maneuver around them in the stall, and grooming. Parts of the saddle and bridle, how to tack up. Then each of them picked a schoolie to groom and tack up. By this point it was already 8:30 (i.e. end of the lesson) and the Medieval Dude and Refresher Rider were more than a little disappointed that they couldn't ride. Hey guys, it's horsie bedtime! They told me they would be sure to get there early next week so that they could have a full hour to ride.<br /><br />After they left, it was blankie time for Henry, lights out, doors locked, and go. The best (?) part is... I get to do it all again tonight! <br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-52798092865393581902009-01-25T19:38:00.003-05:002009-01-25T20:01:16.177-05:00Drumroll please...<span style="font-family: verdana;">After a summer's worth of hard work, volunteering, and sweating it out, last night Henry and I were announced 2008 Year End Schooling Show Training Level Dressage Champions, with an averaged score of 65.77%!!! We got a lovely ribbon and a custom 8x10 picture frame that I will put up next to my ribbon rack (which my awesome boyfriend made for me last year). Winners of the Recognized Show Year End Awards got gorgeous embroidered coolers, and there were also plaques and crystal prizes for Rider Achievement (cumulative) awards. Maybe this summer I will make it to some recognized shows, but I had better start saving and schooling now!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anyway, I went to the event early to help set up for the silent auction. There were lots of donations from local trainers, artists, and businesses, and we ended up actually making some money back on it! I bid on and won a fleecy Ariat vest and a custom painted Breyer horse model - soon I will have a miniature Henry! He will probably live on my desk at work :)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />The awards dinner was delicious. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I ended up sitting at a table full of people who ride at my barn - both boarders and trailer-in riders, which was neat because we all sort of knew each other. My boyfriend dutifully came with me to the dinner - poor guy, had to eat all that delicious food!</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> It was also great to see everyone get their awards for their achievements. I especially love seeing JR/YRs getting awards, it's great that they are getting involved in our GMO (volunteer hours are a pre-requisite for awards). One of my former trainers and the woman who owned the barn I was at last year won Member of the Year awards, which is awesome. They did a lot of work for the club this year, organizing a weekend Symposium with George Williams that was really cool, educational, and definitely something I could envision myself doing in the future.<br /><br />I just got an email from the woman who helped coordinate the auction this year, and she will not be able to do it again next year... She asked if I would be interested in the position! I do love volunteering for the GMO, but I am going to take a couple of days to think about it, since it was pretty hectic last night! Hmm...<br /><br />Back to work tomorrow (weekends are way too short), and hopefully tomorrow night my college lesson will actually show up!<br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-24682300986354092722009-01-24T15:02:00.004-05:002009-01-24T15:17:40.845-05:00Okay, going to TRY to keep this brief!<span style="font-family: verdana;">Let's see..<br /><br />Wednesday night, I spent in the gym. Cardio on a killer elliptical, about 45 minutes of strength/ weight training, and then a yoga class. Good times :)<br /><br />Thursday night, I went out to the barn kind of late, around 7pm, because I had taken my time with dinner lol. Henry was a peach as I lunged first, then got on to work on my homework (yes I did everything on the list!). Then I spent some quality time cleaning his stall, scrubbed out his water bucket and put some warm water in, etc. By the time I left it was 9:30!<br /><br />Last night I taught another college lesson. Out of four originally expected students, one had dropped the class, and another never showed. This was an ABSOLUTE beginner class, which was easy to tell when the first comment in the barn was "Oh! It smells in here!" They were sweet though. We worked on grooming and learning how to tack up, as well as general rules for the barn and how to act around equines. They suggested at the end of the lesson that they'd like to switch to Wednesday nights, which would be nice so that I could teach M, T, W and then have the rest of the week to myself. I will have to check with the barn owner to make sure that's ok. My boyfriend, who comes home on the weekends from school, decided he wanted to clean Henry's stall (!!!) and so I let him do it while I scrubbed the water bucket. He's a keeper ;)<br /><br />Today I went to the barn and rode Henry, really working on leg-yields from the wall, quarter lines, and center line, as well as getting that awesome uphill canter more consistently. He got his lead (true or counter) every time except once, and by the end of the ride was holding himself up for longer and longer stretches.<br /><br />Unfortunately I was witness to some nasty bad-mouthing at the barn today; I hate to even be around that sort of drama but as we all know it is unavoidable. It was a woman who was actually sh*t talking the barn owner! Who is a glorious and wonderful older woman, and deserves to be sainted. I was shocked by this boarder's negative comments, but even more shocked that she would just spout it in the tack room with plenty of people around. That's <span style="font-weight: bold;">bold</span>. I left the tack room as quick as I could.<br /><br />Also unfortunate is that our resident farrier seems to have forgotten about Henry. I have been using his bell boots during rides lately because he's getting pretty long, and I have heard him step on himself more than once. I think the next time I see my trainer I will ask her advice on this. The last thing I want is another episode like I had two years ago, when Henry got a sole bruise because his angles were off. Six weeks of handwalking in the middle of summer is frustrating, but it was worse since that was preventable. Hmmm...<br /><br />Tonight I am attending and helping out at our GMO's annual Awards Dinner & Silent Auction. Last year I ended up spending about $100 on auction items... I might have to leave the checkbook at home this time! I also won a year-end championship last year, so keep your fingers crossed for a repeat for me and Henry!!!<br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-89974829456742097682009-01-23T09:34:00.007-05:002009-01-23T10:39:54.652-05:00Where was I? Oh yes, Tuesday night... My BegInterVanced Class!<span style="font-family: verdana;">[Traveling back in time to Tuesday night...]<br /><br />So after my pretty good lesson with Henry, I brought him back to his stall to untack and prepare for my college lesson, which I thought would be starting in about 15 minutes. As soon as I got back into the main barn aisle, though, one of the boarders told me my students were already there. Whoops! I saw two girls checking out the horses and figured that must be them, and told them I would be ready as soon as I could. I took of Henry's saddle and bridle and put him back in his stall, and then nervously went over to talk to them.<br /><br />I cracked a few dumb jokes and to my shock, they laughed! Something about how I had always dreamed of a "tall, dark, and handsome horse" but ended up with "short, chunky, and red", which is true but doesn't make me love my horse any less of course! As much as I told myself what my dream horse would look like the three horses I have spent the longest time riding have all been chestnuts with 'tude! Anyway I gave them a quick tour of the barn, and then we waited in the (gloriously warm) tack room for about ten minutes because there were still three more students we were waiting for. We talked about majors, the weather, and riding experience, and when the rest of the group came in we went over barn rules. The three that came in later (they were on time, the first two were early) had all ridden at our barn last semester. One of them has been riding for a while and is working at Training Level. The other two have ONLY ridden for one semester... about ten rides. The first two girls have ridden for a few years (one dressage, one hunters), but not recently so they are a little rusty. Well, okay then.<br /><br />The three girls who have ridden at our barn last semester all wanted to stick with the same horses that they had been riding. Fair enough! The other two girls got matched up with an old Morgan mare who makes a lot of faces but who is generally a willing ride, and an old cow horse that was the first horse I ever trained :) He's ADORABLE and a total sweetheart, and also a bit of a chunk. Love that horse. The first test I ever rode on him was at a schooling show at our barn. We entered at A, trotted down the center line, halted at X, and... he started SCREAMING for his friends. Poor little guy! He did the test very well, hollering the whole way, and afterwards the judge commented that I had kept my composure much better than he had.<br /><br />It took a little while to get everyone tacked up, and I was lucky that the three girls had already ridden at this barn since they knew where everything was and could get ready independantly. I did have to help out with bridling for most of them, which is understandable since schoolies have a knack for getting their heads *just* high enough to be impossible to reach. We got everyone on safely and adjusted stirrups, though it seemed like everyone wanted their stirrups a lot shorter than I would have put them... it's been a while since I taught lessons. Once everyone was walking at a good pace and warming up I blabbed on for a while about position, and how I tend to talk a lot, and how I am happy to answer any questions about anything. I asked what each of the girls had been working on when they rode last.<br /><br />Girl 1 - Rusty Hunter: "Well I was jumping. And working on my position, and trot diagonals"<br /><br />Girl 2 - Rusty Dressage: "Sitting well at the trot"<br /><br />Girl 3 - Ten Rides In: "We were doing some cantering"<br /><br />Girl 4 - Also Ten Rides In: "Well in trot, we would like, not sit and stand but just stand" Umm... 2-point? "Yeah"<br /><br />Girl 5 - Obviously, Relatively, Advanced: "Connection, and doing Training Level tests"<br /><br />Oh boy. Two beginners, two intermediate riders, and one (relatively - relative to her co-students) advanced rider. Now I have to walk the line between keeping things interesting for the more experienced riders, keeping things achievable for the less experienced riders, and keeping everything <span style="font-weight: bold;">safe for everyone</span>.<br /><br />Then I asked them what they wanted to get out of this semester, if there was anything they wanted to learn, any specific goals they wanted to accomplish, etc... Blank stares. Oops, forgot this is supposed to be a fun PE credit! I guess I will alo have to walk the line between keeping things laid back and actually teaching important equestrian skills!<br /><br />I had them work on circles, showing them the size of a 20 and 10 meter circle at the walk. I had them do a 20 meter figure 8 at the walk, emphasizing the lovely round quality that a circle should have. I had them do a serpentine at the walk, again, trying to tell them that they should keep the half circles rounded. We'll be working on that a lot more, looks like. Then we picked up the trot. Or rather, the Obviously Relatively Advanced girl did. She was awesome. Sort of did her thing, steered away from any impending pile-ups, did circles, worked on getting a nice contact with her horse. Ten Rides In 1 and 2 were bouncing around with heels up, hands either in her lap (1) or up in the air by her face (2). Rusty Hunter and Rusty Dressage were trying to keep the old schoolies on the wall and in a trot, and were a little tipped forward, but no major flaws. Sigh...<br /><br />After a few minutes of posting trot, working on diagonals a lot, I asked them to sit the trot for a few minutes. Ten Rides In 1 seemed very confused... "Don't we always post?" We gave the horses a long rein walk break for a few minutes and then when we shortened them up to get them ready for work again, I tried to re-emphasize the aids. How you should use only as much as was necessary, but enough to get what you asked. I tried to re-emphasize position. How you should keep your shoulders back and down, and push your butt into the saddle (by this point, I was FREEZING, despite my pantyhose + breeches + jeans and my t-shirt + 2 long sleeved thermal shirts + sweatshirt).<br /><br />We picked up some trot again and I asked them to do some 20 meter circles at the trot, either at A or at C. There were some very near traffic incidents, but everyone survived. Then I asked them to all come down to C and do a FULL 20 meter circle at the trot, keeping them going at a nice pace and working on keeping the circles round. ORA did a beautiful circle. TRI 1 & 2 gave some nice efforts. RH and RD couldn't keep their ponies at the trot the whole way around their first couple of tries, but were determined to get it right, and soon did. Then we all cooled out, which took a lot longer than I thought it would. After 20 minutes of trotting two of the horses were sweaty, the furry beasts! We got everyone put up cool and dry and I thanked the girls, they said see you next week, and I finished putting my tack away.<br /><br />By this point it was about 8:30, and I was exhausted. I didn't pick Henry's stall - I like to clean it at night when I can to make it easier for the barn crew in the morning, and so that he doesn't lay in as much poop; I did get him some nice warm water and his blanket though. After my first BegInterVanced lesson I think I know what we'll work on next week:<br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">position- without this foundation, you can't work on anything else; this is also a safety issue (heels down, eyes up, etc)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">working on the aids to get prompt transitions and keeping your horse listening</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">keeping tabs on the schoolies' temps - no way do I want to get them sweaty again</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">trot diagonals<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">mmmmaybe some cantering, if they're ready and express interest</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I actually couldn't sleep Wednesday night because I was planning out what next Tuesday's lesson would consist of, how crazy is that? I did ride Henry last night but I will post about it later. I warned my students that I talk too much sometimes... guess it applies here too! </span><br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-83182484109946526302009-01-22T11:28:00.003-05:002009-01-22T12:09:23.008-05:002 Lessons in 1 Night = Exhausting!<span style="font-family: verdana;">Well, Tuesday night was more than a little nerve wracking for me. I got to the barn a little before five and got ready for my lesson on Henry. Of course, after so many years of practice it only takes about ten minutes to tack up, so I had some time to kill before my lesson started. I had thought ahead and brought a Kyra Kyrklund book with me to see if it offered any insights on that baffling half-pass that I knew I would be working on in my lesson, but also to see if there was a simple concept I could use to focus the lesson I would be teaching at 6:30. Suffice it to say that my nerves, combined with the vague tone of the book (I loved reading it the first few times but it does have a sort of "you had to be there" feeling) and I ended up blanking out on all the words. Oh well.<br /><br />I did get a chance to talk to some of the girls who work and ride at the barn who have taught these college lessons before. They suggested some horses to use and some tips, and regaled me with stories about good looking college men (sorry, already taken!) and students who are studying abroad here (most are from Asian countries, for some reason). These stories were too funny because looking back to Monday night, there are four guy names on my list (one girl asked if they had "hot names"... um... WHAT?) and on Friday, all the names in my lesson are distinctly Asian... hopefully there won't be too much of a culture/ language barrier. I'm worried though, it's tough enough to try to explain all the parts of a bridle and a horse's anatomy to someone who is a native English speaker!<br /><br />I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Getting back to my lessons, though...<br /><br />I warmed up with a nice easy walk while I waited for my trainer to finish the lesson before mine. It's so awesome to be able to walk around on the buckle and not worry that my horse will do something spooky or dumb. We started with some leg-yields, and quickly moved into shoulder-in and haunches-in, and from there tried a couple of half-passes. Going to the left, he gave me a really good effort and so we gave him a walk break. After that we tried to get some good ones to the right, but we are finding he has a hard time bending well to the right. It's partially me as well, as I tend to let him work his own way through the corners and don't support his shoulders as much as I should through the bend. That will change!<br /><br />We went back to the leg-yield to the right to try to work some more on bending, but it will be a long road. This is something that will start to show itself more and more, and so I will need to work on getting him to bend all the way through to the right. Another disconcerting quirk that is showing itself is that when I ask for something challenging, as he is thinking Henry tends to click his teeth together. He's not gnashing them or fighting the contact, just playing with the jaw and click-click-clicking through the movement. It is a sign of tension but I have been assured that it will go away when he becomes more comfortable with what is being asked of him. I purposely keep his noseband one hole looser than most would, because after reading horror stories on COTH and sustainabledressage.com, I want to make sure I am doing what I can to understand the biomechanics of my horse and make him more comfortable. I'm also going to put in a call to the vet to have her come check his teeth and see if there are any shots that need updating.<br /><br />Anyway, after another break we did some counter-canter-walk-canter transitions. Let me tell you, his canters feel awesome, but it's also tough because I need to be there to keep his shoulders up if he starts to tip in (especially to the right), half-halt before he can flatten out, and push him into the bend, all while staying upright. Someday his balance will be such that I can just sit back and enjoy the gait, but for now I am more than willing to lend a helping hand (and leg, and seat, and upper body...). We finished with some lengthenings at the trot, emphasizing a prompt transition back down to the more collected (not actually collected, more like working) trot, and then a stretchy circle, focusing on encouraging him to stretch down and OUT, not down and towards his chest. He's getting there :)<br /><br />So homework for this week is:<br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">keep plugging away at getting precise control of his shoulders, haunches, and sideways to improve each of the elements of half-pass<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">keep working on getting a deep, through bend to the right</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">leg-yields on center line and from the track to center line so that he's not leaning on the wall as a crutch or anticipating the movement</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">prompt transitions within the trot to lengthening and back down</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />The tough part is, as my trainer says, "we're going to be here for a while". Henry is such a quick learner and a hard worker, that it sort of feels strange when he struggles with something. I gave him last night off (and spent almost three hours at the gym between cardio, weight training, and a yoga class!) and will work sparingly but diligently on our homework. I <span style="font-weight: bold;">really</span> wish the weather was better so that I could give him a trail ride mental break. He's always in work mode, which might be how he likes it, but I do get nervous that he'll resent all the concentrated effort on these tough new moves!<br /><br />Hmm... think I'll save my tale of the college lesson for the next post. This one's long enough ;)<br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-56549226201909193432009-01-19T21:06:00.003-05:002009-01-19T21:45:38.484-05:00Half-Pass is umm... hard.<span style="font-family: verdana;">Well, after riding yesterday AND today, I am befuddled. I feel bad that I can't get the hang of half-pass, especially because I could do them pretty well eight or nine years ago! I have totally forgotten the feel of it and as a result, I'm making it confusing for poor Henry! Hopefully in my lesson tomorrow I can get some more clarification on the aids and my position in this tricky move. I concentrated on doing really good leg-yield, haunches-in, and shoulder-in today and didn't work too hard on the half-pass. We also got some awesome trot lengthenings (though for some reason I always want to sit two strides at the beginning and end up on the wrong diagonal), and worked on getting prompt down transitions from trot and canter.<br /><br />I had the day off today, and I hit the gym for some cardio this afternoon and then had a healthy lunch. It feels GOOD to work out and get my muscles going. I even love the medieval looking ab-crunch machine. I can also tell it is helping my position and my riding, although I bet it would be a lot easier to tell if it weren't so darned cold up here in Siberia, New York. Ugh, and the worst part is, this week feels like t-shirt weather compared to last week, because even though it is only reaching the mid-20s this week, at least we're on the right side of zero!<br /><br />I was supposed to be teaching a lesson tonight, but none of my five students showed up! I don't know if it was the weather, if they got lost, or if they thought there was no lesson because of the holiday, but I guess we'll just make it up later on. This is one of three lessons a week I will be teaching this semester, a PE class that a local college offers. Should be pretty fun, but I am a bit nervous as I don't want to disappoint anyone! I will be sure to post about those as soon as I get some students!<br /><br />In sadder news, one of the mares I took many years of lessons on was euthanized yesterday afternoon. She was in her late 20s, probably around 28, and had been losing strength and balance over the past few days. She was born and raised at the barn, never left it, and lived a great life. I know I spoiled her rotten when I rode her, and she was bought by a guy who took really great care of her. She had the most beautiful tail you could imagine, thanks to his careful grooming. She was comfortable up until her final days, thanks to his meticulous feeding and supplements; he even gave her injections for her joints, even though she wasn't being ridden. She got to graze every day (during the warmer months, obvs) and as she passed, he asked her if she could see all the pastures with all the green grass. I know she will be missed.<br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-27423291113835118852009-01-16T09:18:00.006-05:002009-01-16T10:10:13.373-05:00Ok so the blogging resolution has fallen a bit by the wayside...<span style="font-family: verdana;">I have good reasons though... Last weekend I was in Florida visiting my grandfather. He turns 85 next Wednesday and he is a wonderful guy. Of course, I didn't have internet access at his house. My internet has been wacky at work as well, and I have been super busy pretty much every night. But enough with the excuses!<br /><br />I rode last Friday, after working with Henry all week on our shoulder-in and haunches-in, and we finished up with some very nice ones in trot! I was so excited for him because he learns so quickly and it's so nice to not have to do things over and over. It also lets me know that he is understanding what I want from him.<br /><br />Over the weekend Henry got treats from some friends, and apparently "looked like he missed" me. I bet he wasn't too upset to not have to work all weekend ;)<br /><br />I came back on Monday night around 7 so there was no way I had enough energy to make it to the barn before they closed up for the night. I went a little early on Tuesday for my lesson, just to make sure he wasn't covered in mud or missing a shoe or anything (he wasn't). It was cold, but the rest of the week has been much colder (as I write it is 7 degrees with a windchill of -11) - quite a difference from 75 and sunny in Florida!<br /><br />I got on a little early as well, to warm up slowly while the woman whose lesson is before mine was finishing up. I tried to watch what she was doing but had a hard time seeing what my trainer was seeing. As soon as I picked up a trot Henry was amazing - soft, supple, bending through his ribcage, and best of all he stayed in a light contact and not behind the bit! It was a very promising start.<br /><br />We worked on some shoulder-in and leg-yields both ways, and tried some haunches-in at the trot. He was a little rusty at first, but quickly picked up what I was asking (especially when I made sure my position was correct). I came around the end of the ring where my trainer was sitting at C and she said "and down the next long side you're going to do a half-pass". Just like that. Now, the last time I did a half-pass was probably ten years ago (and I told her so), so we went over the basic mechanics, I asked, and... Henry was AWESOME! He didn't hesitate for a second. I was so amazed! Here is this chunky little 15 hand QH who I never thought would get past training level, DOING A HALF-PASS the <span style="font-weight: bold;">first</span> time he is asked. I was in heaven. We did a couple more, though I still need to get clear on the precise aids and what to expect, and gave him a well deserved break. What a guy!<br /><br />Next we worked on going from counter-canter to walk to canter to walk, repeating all the way around the ring. I got some really great canter and it forced Henry to really come up under himself. He got his leads 90% of the time and his counter-canter is to die for. It's so balanced and light that sometimes I don't want to ask for a down transition! This will definitely improve his canter as well as improving his other gaits. After a few times around the ring both ways we did a trot stretchy circle and I think it was the best one he has given me so far. As long as I regulate his trot with my seat and give my hands forward before I give the reins, he's okay. If I forget to move my hands closer to his mouth before I give the reins, he stretches his neck out beautifully, but ends up with his nose in towards his chest. A simple fix that I definitely need to remember!<br /><br />After another break we did some lengthenings at the trot, which became much more fluid and easy when my trainer reminded me about the "back door" metaphor. By closing my legs but not moving my hands, I "close his back door", meaning bringing his hind end down and his hind legs up and under. Then, I either half-halt at the front end to collect and get him round, or give him a bit of extra encouragement to go forward, which got me some beautiful lengthenings. I have to engage his hind end first, and then the front does what I ask, bringing the trot either bigger or smaller. After two or three of these, they were great. My trainer commented, "boy, he's smart!"<br /><br />We quit soon after that. He gives a lot so we are careful not to overwork him. My trainer said, and I quote, that "if he were a man, you'd marry him". Smart, laid back (she had asked earlier if he ever did anything like take off or buck... nope!), gives his all, and learns quickly? Yeah, that does sound like a great guy! "I don't know if I'd call him handsome though... cute definitely, but handsome?" My reply: "maybe if he was a bit taller, then he'd be handsome, but he sure is cute."<br /><br />On that note I bundled him up in a blanket and a sheet, and took off for the GYM. I went with a friend who I have known since 4th grade. She is definitely the person who has stuck by me through the years, even when we were in college 500 miles apart. We work out at a YMCA that is a little out of the way for us, but is one of the nicest and most affordable gyms I have ever seen. Love it there, except that the awesome yoga instructor is no longer there... We did a half hour on the ellipticals, then I learned how to use a bunch of weight machines, and we finished up with 15 minutes on the treadmill. Nothing too strenuous, but enough to get me on the wagon again. We went Wednesday night as well, but I had to work late last night and she has to work late tonight. Bummer.<br /><br />I tried to get out to the barn last night after I got out of work; I showed up around 7:30 but no one was there and the door was locked. Guess they thought no one would want to come out in the sub-zero weather! Hopefully I will get out there tonight, even just to clean his stall and bucket and walk him around a bit. I definitely think it's too cold to ride. My baby is keeping his blankies ON! Maybe this weekend will warm up a bit, at least enough to get on and practice those half-passes :D<br /><br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-78700770363537296492009-01-07T09:18:00.003-05:002009-01-07T10:06:22.207-05:00Setting the goals is the easy part!<span style="font-family: verdana;">I even used a free calendar to write down what I should do each day to maintain my progress on my 2009 goals. Sundays, ride. Mondays, yoga or pilates. Tuesdays, lesson. Wednesdays, run. Thursdays, yoga or pilates. Fridays, ride. Saturdays, ride AND run. So far, so good. I even did a yoga podcast Monday night in my apartment. We'll see how good it is when I try to motivate myself to get to the gym to run (since it's sleeting/ freezing raining outside)...<br /><br />After the <a href="http://dancingwithhenry.blogspot.com/2008/12/merry-christmas-now-back-to-work.html">boot debacle</a> two weeks ago, I tried to muster the motivation to ride, but with the holidays and general craziness I did not get on Henry until last Friday. I rode Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and had a lesson last night. He wasn't too bad, considering his time off. We worked on keeping him forward even in halts and down transitions, and using this forward momentum to keep his withers higher than his butt, so that he doesn't fall apart on the down transition. These are UGLY exercises, but they will help build his strength so that he can carry himself through all the time, not just when we're going along at a constant pace.<br /><br />We also worked more on shoulder-in, leg-yield, and haunches-in. These weren't great, but as long as I keep my upper body UP and maintain my half-halt (while remembering to keep my hands closer to his mouth than to my belly) he gets that I'm asking him to move his body around, not GOGOGO! My trainer says I need to be much more picky about these movements if I want them to be useful, and I definitely agree. I had some success last week doing them down center line so that there was no wall to tempt him, so I will try that again this week.<br /><br />Homework!<br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Canter-walk transitions, keeping him forward and UP in the shoulder/wither/neck area</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Meticulous practice of leg-yield, shoulder-in, and haunches-in, holding my half-halt position to help keep him slow and focused</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Trot lengthenings keeping his front end UP so as to avoid sprawling</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Halts with clucking (yes, clucking him into a halt) to keep his forward momentum and trot promptly out of the halt (should work as long as he was forward into the halt!)<br /></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />We also got a delivery from Dover, which included new bell boots (so I could throw out the three on his stall - the green without any velcro straps, the red with only one velcro strap, and the black that was thisclose to being torn in two), Thrush Buster, Healthy Hair Care moisturizer, and a brand new BRIGHT YELLOW bucket. I love this bucket. My boyfriend thinks this is HILARIOUS. He has never heard anyone be so excited about a bucket in his life. I think it's great. The color makes it easy to see when Henry's water is gross (although it is a pretty safe bet that it will be disgusting at any given time, as he is a "dunker"), it is actually still bucket shaped, and it's sturdy. LOVE this bucket.<br /><br />And I still get to shop Dover for another generous $25 thanks to Stacey of <a href="http://behindthebit.blogspot.com/">Behind the Bit</a>! I'm not sure what I'll get yet, but I will be sure to post when I figure it out. <br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-28365243772646648012009-01-01T15:39:00.005-05:002009-01-01T16:07:24.343-05:00New Year, New Goals!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.nbp.org/nbp/images/support/fundraising_thermometer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 318px;" src="http://www.nbp.org/nbp/images/support/fundraising_thermometer.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >HAPPY NEW YEAR! </span><br /><br />There are many people who started off this year with resolutions. I tend to think that resolutions are too tough to keep because they aren't specific enough. "I want to be a better rider" for example, is vague and unaccomplishable, because there's no way to measure your success - how do you determine when you've become a better rider? I have found that in order to be successful, you need to have something concrete to work towards. I like to have goals, not resolutions. That way I can have a measurable achievement in mind, and I can break it down into smaller steps to help me towards success! It has been thoroughly documented that in making your goals measurable and realistic (i.e. no matter how much I'd <span style="font-style: italic;">love</span> to earn all my USDF medals before age 30, I sincerely doubt that's realistic) you can increase the chances that you will accomplish them.<br /><br />That said, I wanted to give a shout-out to a woman who has just started blogging, with a measurable goal in mind. Her name is Christie and her goal is to lose 100 pounds and start riding dressage again. Check out her blog <a href="http://flyingchangesweightloss.blogspot.com/">here</a>. I first read about her goal on COTH and I think she's doing great so far. I know I will be following along with her journey and wishing her the best of luck.<br /><br />As for myself, I have about 20 goals for various parts of my life, including running at least 2 5K races this year, creating a $1,000 emergency savings fund, paying off at least 50% of my credit card debt, and keeping track of everyone's birthdays. I want to make sure my resume is updated every 3 months, deep clean my apartment once a month and keep it tidy and uncluttered all the time, and take some business classes. The ones that are more pertinent here, though, are as follows:<br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">I want to maintain and improve this blog, by posting at least 2 times a week and by expanding my posting topics</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">I want to be at the barn at least 3 times a week, riding each time unless the weather or some other serious circumstance prevents me (knocking on lots of wood right now)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">I want to </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">show at First Level</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and take Henry to at least one recognized show this year (and compete, not just watch!)<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">I want to continue taking regular lessons (which means making and putting away the money for it!)<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">I want to create a musical freestyle (probably only for fun at a schooling show since I don't have the scores to do one at a recognized show)</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;">It looks like a lot, now that I've written it out, but goals are supposed to be aspirational, after all! I can also break these down into smaller goals and work towards them a little each day. I am a visual learner, so I will probably be creating posters with those little thermometers on them that people use for fundraisers so that I can mark off my progress as I go! I will post them around the apartment for motivation :)<br /><br />Good luck to all of you on your 2009 goals!<br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-70536759451446324652008-12-29T10:28:00.004-05:002008-12-29T11:07:42.755-05:00Hooray and THANK YOU! to BTB!<span style="font-family:verdana;">My blog was chosen as winner of the Behind the Bit Anniversary contest! Yay! Stacey, author of BTB, provides TONS of useful informational posts, drool-worthy videos, and updates about her young Hanoverian Riley. If you have never read her blog I highly recommend it! Check it out here: <a href="http://behindthebit.blogspot.com/">Behind the</a><a href="http://behindthebit.blogspot.com/"> Bit</a>.<br /><br />Thanks again Stacey!<br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-52882976694235520862008-12-26T14:22:00.004-05:002008-12-26T14:54:23.127-05:00Merry Christmas, now back to work!<span style="font-family: verdana;">This week has been a busy one, with several church services, lots of delicious food, and a motivating lesson on Tuesday. I was motivated by Henry's progress to look towards the future and some shows, and I was motivated to stimulate the economy thanks to a broken boot zipper! <br /><br />First off, Merry Christmas to those who celebrated yesterday. My day was full of cookies, chili, and a much appreciated plane ticket so that I can go visit my grandfather in Florida. I am very lucky to have friends, family, and loved ones in my life! </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I also got a gift certificate to Dover Saddlery, which I will be using for a new bright yellow bucket, some Healthy Hair Care Moisturizer, some Thrush Buster, and a new pair of bell boots. Nothing too glamorous, but there are some things I have my eye on for the future, which will be especially useful if, as my trainer mentioned, I will be going to my first recognized shows this year! She said that her boot zippers have broken TWICE at the same show on two separate occasions, and that it might have been related to the fact that her tack stall was #13. When I asked if she ever brought other horses than her own to those shows, she said that she did and that Henry would definitely be ready this year.<br /><br />I am SUPER excited at that prospect and so of course have been drooling over new boots (mine are field boots since I like the ability to lace up around the ankles), a new coat (yup, been riding in the same old black HUNT COAT since I was a pre-teen), and white show gloves (although maybe we'll wait on these to make sure I have the hands to do it right!). It is also dangerous to leave me alone with a credit card and a tack catalogue (I would end up with soooo many sets of polo wraps...), so I will keep my purchases under $100 for the time being, and start a piggy bank for the spring. </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />I had a lesson on Tuesday that I endured with my busted boot zipper (booooooo). It broke right before I got on, unfortunately. I dropped it off at the repair shop on Wednesday, only to be asked for the other (non-broken) boot as well, which my boyfriend dropped off this morning. I guess I should appreciate the dedication of the zipper-repairwoman, who wants to match the zippers on my boots. Unfortunately she said she would probably not be able to finish the job until next week, prompting a mild how-will-I-ride shopping spree this morning. I found paddock boots and half chaps online for a whopping $45 total, and hopefully they will get to me before next Tuesday. If not, I will probably just cancel my lesson and use the extra week for some more practice time, since I did not ride Wednesday or yesterday.<br /><br />During our lesson, we worked on transitions, and holding my half-halt aids until Henry was *actually* traveling at the pace I wanted. This did a lot to help our trot-halt and canter-walk transitions. We worked more on trot lengthening and he gave me an amazing result across the diagonal towards the end of the lesson. We also introduced haunches-in, asking him to swing his back end in at the walk, and reinforcing it with a couple of steps of turn on the forehand. I think he will pick it up quickly, and he is doing a lot better about listening to my half halts when previously, he would have scooted when introduced to new things.<br /><br />My trainer is pleased at how easy it is to get things done with Henry. Many horses will just be settling in to work halfway through the lesson, whereas as soon as I shorten the reins, Henry is ready to work. However, this tends to make it easier for him to become mentally tired towards the end of the lesson. At first I was worried that he was really unfit, but this makes a lot of sense. He is a thinker, and after working on things that he has to think about to accomplish, he gets mentally worn out. It definitely doesn't help that the weather keeps us in the arena every time I go to the barn, but at least he has daily turnout with buddies. I can't wait until we can get out on the trails!<br /><br />So, my homework for this week (and probably next week, too) is to:<br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">keep working on getting the gaits I want and that I know Henry can give me</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">work on lengthening and shortening the stride in trot</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">work on shoulder-in and introducing & reinforcing haunches-in</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">keep his shoulders up at the canter, especially to the right, as he tends to tip in towards the center going that direction</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">trot-halt and canter-walk transitions, including collecting the walk, cantering 3 strides, and walking again</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">making sure Henry has mental stimulation as well as breaking up the routine to keep him happy and interested</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;">I hope everyone is having a great holiday season, and I will be working on my New Year's resolutions this weekend. I'm pretty sure those will have something to do with the huge pile of chocolates and cookies at home...<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-15086073612408987002008-12-22T09:55:00.004-05:002008-12-22T10:39:19.468-05:00A pretty good week, but hectic!<span style="font-family: verdana;">I am looking forward to two things:<br /><br />1. When I have more time to sit down, decompress, and blog<br />2. When this ARCTIC weather passes (it's currently 15 degrees out)<br /><br />I have been running around quite a bit this past week, hence my lack of posts since my lesson last Tuesday. However, I have been at the barn almost every day since then. On Wednesday, I decided to longe (lunge?) Henry as it had been a while since we had worked on his voice commands, ground manners, etc. He is muscling up really nicely, but he does have a LOT of energy... He was quite good in walk/trot/halt both directions, and then... sort of exploded in the canter :X He wasn't trying to be bad, I don't think; just a lot of energy and feeling fresh. He took off around the circle a couple of times and then stopped short, after which I sent him forward into a walk or trot. After each little outburst he was on his best behavior (for a few minutes), and I even got some very nice canters when I asked. Aside from his bout of spunkiness, he was a peach.<br /><br />I didn't make it out to the barn on Thursday, and then Friday a BIG STORM came. Yeah, the same one that dumped snow on Las Vegas. I was let out of work early and headed straight to the barn, because I knew that I wouldn't get out there later at night. I knew the temps were supposed to be dropping well under the freezing mark, so I pulled out Henry's *clean* blanket and I'm sure he appreciates it. If the temperature ever gets back to the mid-30s I will let him go without since his coat is nice and thick, but these bitter cold days with snow and wind are a bit much.<br /><br />Saturday there was a holiday party at the barn, so my boyfriend (who is on break from school) came with to eat cookies while I rode. Henry was awesome. I used a quarter sheet to warm up with and I can definitely appreciate when he is warm and loose. His trot was great right off the bat. We worked on everything from our last lesson, including turn on the haunches and trot lengthenings. He was a very good boy :)<br /><br />Yesterday we worked on the same things, as well as trying to get some good canter-walk transitions, but I was sort of distracted the whole ride, so it was tough going. There were two other riders in the ring, and one of them gives running commentary on her ride. She talks to her horse, saying things like, "Come on, pick yourself up a bit! That's good, good balance, keep it together..." etc etc ETC. It gets very old, very fast. It's also tough to concentrate when you are looking over your shoulder all the time to avoid head-on collisions with other riders, who don't seem to think it's their responsibility to do the same. It's frustrating but a good learning experience, I suppose. Trying to keep your composure, turn on a dime, and really practice your transitions (i.e. WHOOPS we need to HALT NOW!) keeps you and your horse sharp!<br /><br />Tonight I am working late, so Henry will get the night off. FHOTD wrote that she never rides when temps are this low, and I think that's a good standard. If I could get out to the barn I would probably give Henry a good grooming and some hand walking. Hopefully things will be warm enough tomorrow night for my lesson...<br /><br />Aside from all the usual work and barn trips, I am trying to catch up on some volunteer work for my local GMO, write and send holiday cards, and I have been making chocolate covered pretzels for holiday gifts. There's not a lot of extra money this year, so a homemade delicious gift is the best I could do, and so far the reviews have been great!<br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-24528905744916494342008-12-16T20:03:00.003-05:002008-12-16T21:27:06.352-05:00Icy outside, but very cool in the ring!<span style="font-family: verdana;">What can I say? I am so lucky to have such a great horse. As I was mucking his stall post-lesson tonight, I kept hearing Martina McBride singing "Blessed" in my head (cheesy, yes, but oh well!).<br /><br />When I got to the barn, there were some younger girls in the tack room (they help out with the barn chores, sometimes teach lessons, etc and board their horses there). As one exclaimed, "I love these boots, they were $75!!!" I figured it would be a frustrating night. The woman whose lesson is right before mine has a beautiful upper level horse, who gets all the fanciest gear you could imagine. I heard the two girls mocking her for using a quarter sheet - "It's just a little piece of fleece, it's not going to keep him warm!" "So and so has one too" "Yeah she has a PINK ONE! *snort*" (the last comment made right before one girl pulled a HOT PINK brush out of her tack box, which the other girl complimented...) - and then put them out of my mind as I brought out MY quarter sheet and started grooming Henry.<br /><br />He was a little upset (again) that I was disturbing him right when he should be forehead deep in hay, and once again, the 4pm lesson mom put carrots in his feed bin without asking. I sighed, brushed out his mane and put his saddle on. We warmed up walking and trotting a bit before my trainer was finished with the other lesson, and when she was ready to start we picked up a trot and worked on leg yields, shoulder-in, and small circles for a few minutes. The trot he gave me, right off the bat (with the quarter sheet on) was amazing. It's like he KNOWS when we're about to have a lesson and just turns on the charm. I worked on bending his ribcage with my inside leg, fingers, and leg, and worked on something I read on some blog or forum somewhere - stepping into my inside stirrup and lengthening <span style="font-style: italic;">my</span> body on the outside (from hip to shoulder) to help <span style="font-style: italic;">him</span> lengthen on the outside. He was phenomenal.<br /><br />After a walk break, we did some collected walk-canter-walk transitions. He is getting better every day and his canter is so uphill, floating, and light I feel like we're not even touching the ground. Down transitions still need work, but he is building his strength and stamina every ride. A few times he picked up a counter canter but hey, nobody's perfect, and his counter canter is super comfy! He's going to dominate at 2nd level... erm... someday!<br /><br />After what was perhaps one or two circles too many, we took another walk break. My trainer and I agreed that we have to be careful not to work him too hard, which is difficult because he tries so hard that it's almost impossible to know when he's getting tired. He will go until he just can't hold himself together, instead of gradually trying to tell me 'Oh hey, I'll be getting tired soon... hmm, I'm sort of tired... still only kind of tired, check back later... okay I guess I'm tired now'. Plus his canter is so cool to ride (and watch, apparently - my trainer dropped the T word - THIRD level quality) that it's tempting to savor it. However, the reason it's so great is because he tries with all he's got every time I ask, and then suddenly he realizes, 'Oof, I actually <span style="font-weight: bold;">need</span> to take a break!' so I will be extra vigilant not to do too much. He's a quick learner too, so drilling is boring and counter productive. Lucky me :) Anyway she said that with this quality of canter, and striving towards 2nd/ 3rd level movements, it would get me great scores at 1st level, and would keep his mind engaged. He needs work, wants to work for me, and this type of horse would get cranky if I didn't challenge him.<br /><br />After the walk we took a large circle in the trot and worked on shortening and lengthening his stride - not by much, but enough to get him started thinking about lengthenings. My trainer explained that I should treat them like transitions, not gradual changes, and expect an immediate response from him. What that got me was quite a few lovely canter transitions, and several almost-halts, but hey, I can't blame him for trying to do what he thought I wanted! So this week I will be working on this more. My trainer said to expect similar results for the next few months, but we'll see ;)<br /><br />So, homework:<br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"> still working on my position! ("much better" this week but I'm not going to get complacent!)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">1st & 2nd level movements (shoulder-in, leg-yield, and new! turn on the haunches) with an emphasis on <span style="font-weight: bold;">good</span> bending through his ribcage</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">trot shortening (gathering energy) and lengthening (a few strides) and working on<span style="font-weight: bold;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">prompt</span></span> responses - treating them like transitions</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">working a little bit on collected walk-canter-collected walk transitions, always maintaining the lovely<span style="font-weight: bold;"> uphill </span>canter that we know he can do (and LOVES to do) to build strength<br /></span></li></ul> <span style="font-family: verdana;">I think this week I will also try to do one fun/cross-train day, like grooming, ground manners, & longing, or working over ground poles and crossrails or something, just so that he knows sometimes we can loosen up and not worry about all the hard work we've been doing in the ring. The weather will probably not cooperate enough to get us outside any time soon (like, in the next 4-5 months) so I'll try to find something we can do indoors. Not even snarky teenagers or mountains of manure can change the deep-down grateful feeling I get when I'm working with Henry. I really have been blessed! </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-1397063176453884292008-12-16T11:58:00.003-05:002008-12-16T12:33:02.723-05:00Here comes the flood!<span style="font-family: verdana;">Yesterday the weather was quite warm, into the mid 50s I believe. This meant that I wouldn't have to deal with Henry's scooty-OMG it's cold attitude. Yay! However, there was also a great deal of precipitation yesterday. Hmm...<br /><br />When I got to the barn there was a jumping lesson again. I heard the trainer talking to the boarder afterward and she's a lot younger than I thought! She's looking for high schools! It's hard to tell when some young riders are so dedicated, and so quiet, but I suppose I was like that when I was her age as well (only sans horse).<br /><br />Henry made some faces at me as I was tacking up, probably because it was shortly after he had been fed and he wanted to keep eating his hay. Oh well. My limited schedule becomes your inconvenience, buddy! There was another boarder there whose horse is in the stall next to Henry and she too was tacking up, but got into the ring before me (I waited until the jumping lesson was over, so as not to get in the way of the HUGE WB careening around and hurdling over things.<br /><br />As I was getting ready to get on, I noticed something shiny in the ring footing - turns out it was someone's pocketknife (thankfully closed)!!! Then I started to walk around on the buckle and hmmm... what's that noise? Above the din of the rain on the metal roof, I heard an engine. I looked out the end door and there was a tractor, lights on, idling in the mud. Apparently there would have been a deluge followed by a very muddy ring if not for the impromptu ditches being dug. Henry was a little wary of all these shenanigans but after a couple of laps around the ring he settled down quite a bit. The only thing left to deal with was my neighbor-boarder, who apparently thought it was quite alright to practically run into Henry on her way around the ring. Um, what? Good thing he's not a kicker!<br /><br />I warmed up with some shoulder-in at the walk, as well as some small circles and halts. His trot work was pretty great, though halfway into my ride there was another lesson starting (2 riders) so I mainly stayed on a large 20(ish) meter circle at A. Thankfully the instructor of that lesson made a point of asking neighbor-boarder not to follow too closely, saving me the trouble. I tried to work on some canter-walk transitions when I had a clear path, which was a little difficult, but towards the end we were doing quite a bit better than last week.<br /><br />I hate sitting at a desk all day, and I really need to get back to the gym, because my position is one of the most important things I need to work on. How can I expect Henry to work and be his best when I'm tipping forward or being inconsistent with my aids? I'm not being fair. It's just so tempting to sleep as late as I can in the morning, hit the barn right after work, and not even think about the gym, but the consequences are *ahem* starting to show. I'm REALLY not a morning person but I might have to try to muster the motivation to get up and work out BEFORE work, because there's really no other time in the day I have free, but winter weather makes it oh-so-nice to stay under all my blankets when I wake up...<br /><br />These time (and motivtion) limitations will certainly be exacerbated next month, when I will be taking a class (or two) at the community college, working full-time, trying to move my horse up to 1st level & taking lessons, and teaching a lesson at the barn... the BO asked me if I would be interested in teaching a beginner level weekly night lesson - um, YES!?! I taught a few private lessons there before I left for college, usually small kids getting acclimated before joining a group lesson. The lesson I would be teaching next month would be a beginner-level group lesson of college students (they get a PE credit - how cool is that?) and would involve teaching grooming, tack, anatomy, safety, basic riding technique, position, etc; a lot of what I've done at summer camp in years past, only with people whose attention span is longer than 15 minutes. I'm excited to hone my skills and I am finding more and more how much I love meeting new people, so hooray!<br /><br />I have my own lesson tonight, and I can't wait to find out what we'll be working on. I will be using my quarter sheet to warm up with (I am keeping it in my locker, under my saddle as I read on <a href="http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=180104">COTH</a> that the wooden rack could damage the flocking) because it has suddenly gone from 55 yesterday to... 30 degrees out today. Blech.<br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-37770788323078624882008-12-15T10:32:00.003-05:002008-12-15T10:48:17.106-05:00I haven't been a good blogger, but I have been riding!<span style="font-family: verdana;">It is a busy, busy time of year. I have been riding, I just haven't been good about posting afterwards. To recap my week:<br /><br /> Monday - rode in the cold; Henry was a little all over the place<br /> Tuesday - amazing lesson, trying to work on position and down transitions<br /> Thursday - Henry was a little scooty in the trot, but his canter work was awesome<br /> Saturday - cold again! with a fleece quarter sheet though, Henry was more comfortable and warmed up quickly and easily (he is not clipped) trot work was super, canter-walk transitions are going to take a while!<br /><br />So my week in riding was pretty eventful. I feel like we are progressing in leaps and bounds (mostly figurative), and I can't wait to see how the rest of the winter pans out. The last barn I was at had a couple of boarders who liked to show at the local/ schooling shows, and there were a couple of trailers on site. I'm not sure if there are many boarders at this barn who do show, and many of them ride purely for the fun of it (which is awesome). I DO like to show, so we'll see if there are any opportunities that come up in the spring. Our USDF GMO sponsors several shows, clinics, and "show and tell" events, and I have enjoyed going to shows hosted by other organizations and barns in years past. I'll start saving now for entry fees...<br /><br />My week in life was somewhat eventful as well. We got a tree and my boyfriend trimmed it... well, the top half anyway. I am also planning on doing some serious soul searching to figure out what my next career steps will be. I am hoping to take one or two business classes at a local college in the spring, to see if it's something I could stomach. I've never envisioned myself going into business but... who knows?<br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-81318886149998688972008-12-10T10:05:00.007-05:002008-12-10T10:30:32.785-05:00Yeah, Monday was just too cold.<span style="font-family: verdana;">Another week, another amazing, enlightening lesson with my trainer. I am dumbfounded at her ability to turn simple exercises, periodic reminders, and visualized metaphors into amazing results in my horse. I am LOVING these lessons.<br /><br />I was nervous that Henry might still be a little wild as he had been on Monday, or that worse, the weather might not have been the only reason for his acting up. What if his back was hurting? What if his mouth was hurting? Thankfully, he plodded around on the buckle to warm up for a few laps, even though we were in the trainer's ring (which he has only been in once before).<br /><br />We started with some trot, asking for a bit of an over-bend, to get his body loosened up. I worked on keeping my shoulders back and sitting up, not pulling back with my hands, and keeping my legs on. Every now and then his head would pop up or he would try to pick up the pace, but my trainer said that every time he does that, I should sit up and hold my half halt until he relaxes. It works! I got him so that he was going around with his shoulders up, neck relaxed, mouth light but steady, and bending nicely, with a steady tempo. Where was this when I needed it on Monday???<br /><br />We did a few shoulder-in to 10 meter circles, making sure both of my legs were on to support him when I asked his body to move around. We did a couple of leg-yields to reaffirm my half-halt (so that he would move over nicely instead of throwing his shoulder to the outside and squirting over to the wall). We gave him a walk break and then when we picked him up, did some work at the walk.<br /><br />The walk is the hardest gait for me. He is so willing, so eager to please, that his walk can end up looking very tense and way too fast. We worked on "halving" his walk - reducing the speed and stride by half (two or three times!) to get him into a calm, collected walk. As my trainer said, I'm fighting against his nature, so I will have to teach him how to walk differently, and that this new, s l o w e r walk is really awesome and definitely what I want.<br /><br />From the walk we did some canter transitions, and from canter back to walk, emphasizing my upper body balancing his tendency to tip on to the forehand. Then we did a figure 8 exercise where we cantered a 15 meter circle in one direction, (tried) to walk on center line, and then cantered a 15 meter circle in the other direction, and so on. After a little while his canter-walk transitions were getting a lot closer; my trainer explained that since he has such a nice big stride, it took him longer to get organized to be able to walk. After three or four of those figure 8s, his canter was amazing! It was uphill, rolling, rhythmic, and so light... I hope I can get that again this week!<br /><br />My trainer complimented the canter, and then his personality in general. I love the feeling of validation that I'm getting from these lessons, since my last trainer kept telling me that if I really wanted to be serious about dressage, I would need a new (read: expensive) horse (read: warmblood). Nuts to that. Henry is AWESOME.<br /><br />So, homework for this week:</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">position, position, position! (I am "sitting twice as well as last week", but I "still need to sit up more" - yup!)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">keeping my upper body up to help balance him<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">holding my half-halts until he is willing to stay at the tempo I want<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">keeping the bend and a feel on the outside (pushing him into the outside rein)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">keeping Henry's body "under my saddle", not strung out in front or dragging behind (not that the latter is EVER an issue - he's got too much motor, if anything)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">keeping the walk calm, collected, and s l o w</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">canter-walk transitions to increase his confidence in my asking for down transitions, and his ability to organize himself at the canter<br /></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-54342441571379373622008-12-09T11:57:00.004-05:002008-12-09T12:13:27.289-05:00Should have seen this coming!<span style="font-family: verdana;">Well, I was so busy this past week/ weekend I left Henry to his own devices for four days. There was a pretty bad snow squall/ deep freeze Sunday to Monday, so when I went out to the barn last night, I expected to spend a little longer on warming up, but boy oh boy I was surprised at him!<br /><br />I had to wait about 15 minutes to actually put his tack on and get out in the ring because there were three horses already out there - and one was doing a jumping lesson. I had an interesting discussion in the tack room with two other boarders about various H/J trainers we knew and had worked with (or in my case, worked for). It is a teeny tiny small world up here. Yikes. I had better keep things like that in mind and keep working on spreading good karma!<br /><br />When I got into the ring he was totally subdued; he stood like a statue while I got on, and then we walked around on the buckle and he put his head down. I did some light trot work to get him warmed up quicker, and then when I tried to put him together he got antsy. I was still trying hard to work on keeping my position, which includes keeping my leg on. We still haven't gotten to the point where my legs can stay on and he'll listen to my seat and upper body to stay slow and relaxed. He got a little upset and picked up the canter a couple of times - I swear I could have done some lovely pirouettes with that canter! He wasn't going anywhere fast, just didn't think I wanted a slow trot.<br /><br />Then things got interesting. He was getting worried because of my legs. I kept trying to push my shoulders back and put my hands forward. He can go BIG when he feels like it, but when I tried to hold him back, and actually make turns, he started to pogo-trot. I worked on transitions - trot-walk, walk-halt, halt-trot, trot-halt. That was okay. We took a short break. Back into the trot and when I tried to sit and slow him down, he actually let out a few (tiny) bucks and into canter. Okay then!<br /><br />Apparently I should have longed for a while before I got on, but I was already strapped for time. We worked on some more transitions and I mainly stuck to posting the trot, and he gave me some nice moments towards the end of our almost hour-long ride. Hopefully since it is about 35-40 today, instead of 15-20 like last night, this won't be the sort of ride I have for my lesson tonight.<br /><br />I was also having a really hard time with my right seat bone. For the life of me, I can't seem to keep it where I want it. Maybe this has something to do with driving a lot - using my right leg more to step on the pedals? I need to get back to the gym more often and do yoga and pilates at home, as I have done in the past. The weather and shortness of days make me loathe to do much more than curl up with a good book, and I usually don't get to the barn and the gym on the same day. Given the choice, I would go out to the barn. But, it looks like I need to dedicate some more time to working on MY body, before I ask Henry to work on his. Hopefully by springtime we will both have much more toned bums!<br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-12029552239679502722008-12-04T11:22:00.002-05:002008-12-04T11:43:47.761-05:00"Boy, Henry looks like he's got a lot of energy tonight!"<span style="font-family: verdana;">Truer words were never spoken. If I put some logo stickers on him you would've sworn you were at a NASCAR race. Jeez. Last night I tried to do all those position adjustments my trainer mandated on Tuesday. Shoulders back, butt in the saddle, hands forward, and LEGS ON. I tried, despite Henry taking that to mean "ok, let's GO!"<br /><br />I worked a little bit on shoulder-in, leg-yield (one or two each way) but mostly concentrated on rhythm and tempo while maintaining a better position. It's hard to do that when I've let him get away with not dealing with a consistent leg aid for so long. It's all my fault and I stayed as calm as possible (while avoiding crashing into the two other riders in the ring) so that he would stay calm too.<br /><br />We finished up with some counter canter, which was a lot easier for him going to the right. I had a hard time getting him to pick up the lead going left. We'll get there!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have to work tonight so Henry will get the day off, lucky thing! I am starting to think about what he needs for the holidays, too</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(well... he doesn't really NEED anything, but all those horsey catalogues are tempting)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">...</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">new Himalayan salt lick (he really, REALLY loves that thing)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">bell boots that won't fall apart</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">new water bucket (and a new scrub brush for me)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">saddle repair (needs to be re-sewn around the pommel, and maybe replace billet straps?)</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;">What's on your horse's wish list?</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-75860109137890077832008-12-03T16:36:00.003-05:002008-12-03T16:53:27.663-05:00"Take all the backward out of him, and take all the forward out of you"<span style="font-family:verdana;">The reason I was out at the barn early enough last night to catch these 4:00 lesson people feeding and petting my horse (horrors!) was that I had a lesson at 5:30. Before we even started, I asked my trainer if there was anything I could be doing with my position that was making it harder for Henry to get those darn leg-yields down. She pointed out that he's just not that great at them yet, but said she'd watch for it. We ended up working a lot on getting me to sit up and keep my hands forward, which would help him be able to come higher in his withers (he's a little "butt high") and on keeping him forward, even when I was asking for down transitions and halts.<br /><br />I love that in just 3 lessons, this trainer has already got a good feel on what's going on with me and my horse. I have sometimes felt like instructors or trainers just take a shot in the dark or spout basics over and over, without getting to the heart of real training issues. She also uses Centered Riding-like phrases and images that help me a lot. I'm definitely a visual learner, so things like "try to get his hind feet up into the rings of his bit" and "you want to make him short behind you and long in front of you, so you have more horse to work with" make a lot more sense to me than it would seem they should ;)<br /><br />I also love having homework, cheesy as it may be. I want to be the best I can be, and Henry to have all the right tools and information he needs to be a great mount. I hate feeling unmotivated to ride because I'm not sure what I should be working on. I don't want to work him too hard, but I do want to continually work on improving various aspects of our partnership and our ride time. I also realize and am REALLY looking forward to the fact that "improving various aspects" will include copious trail riding this spring. None of the barns I have been at in the past have had access to the awesome trails that this one does. I know them well, having ridden them quite a bit from ages 10-18, and I know there are lots of people at the barn who make it a point to ride those trails every week, if not more often. I can't wait!<br /><br />Until then, though, it's homework!</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">keeping my shoulders back<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">keeping my butt in the saddle (seat bones, here I come)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">keeping my hands forward ("it should feel like he's taking you by the hands - your hands are his, you say nothing with your hands"</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">keeping my legs on</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">keeping his forward momentum, even in down transitions and halts</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">keeping my left rein when cantering to the right</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">transitions, transitions, transitions</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">some shoulder-in, leg-yield, shoulder-fore to make sure I can put him where I want him </span></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />It sounds like a lot, but most of it is making sure I am sitting correctly. My trainer noticed that I'm scared to upset Henry in any way, so I perch on his back with my legs off, hands towards my stomach, and shoulders tipped forward. When I actually sat up last night and put my legs on and my hands forward, it was like he said "THANK you, jeez!" and gave me a real connection. So cool!<br /><br />I asked her at the end of my lesson if she thought I should keep him. Not in so many words; I was trying to sound casual about it. She sort of looked at me and said that I should definitely keep him, unless I couldn't (half asking, but not being too blunt about it). I mentioned that I had put him up for sale in the summer, when the plan was to go to grad school, but that since I had a job I was making ends meet. I mentioned that I had gotten a couple of offers on him, but that those who came to try him were put off by his sensitivity.<br /><br />My trainer agreed that he's "not for the average amateur" and that he's too sensitive for many riders. It would be a fight for both Henry and rider to be happy together. She also said that if it were her, she would hold on to him, because once things start to click with him (i.e. once I get my position straightened out and he realizes he can go forward in a connection and I'll only help him out) then I'll be able to get what I'm asking for with a simple shift of the hips. His sensitivity used to be a bit of a curse (and yes, I've chewed him out in my mind a few times), but more and more I know that it's a blessing and gives him the edge he needs to be a great dressage horse.<br /><br />I emailed the woman from CT to let her know what my decision was, and finally felt the courage to pull his ad from the web, knowing I'll never be considered rich in the eyes of most people, but that </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">with hard work and some luck (and maybe a green Christmas), I'll always be able to find a way to make ends meet. More importantly, though, </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">as long as I have this wonderful horse, I will always feel like a millionaire.<br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-54174417671867521612008-12-03T15:29:00.006-05:002008-12-03T16:57:27.670-05:00No, my horse isn't that chubby... YET!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.worth1000.com/entries/250000/250332PuWT_w.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 412px;" src="http://www.worth1000.com/entries/250000/250332PuWT_w.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.worth1000.com/cache/gallery/contestcache.asp?contest_id=10958&display=photoshop"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Source</span></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">First things first - Henry is getting spoiled. He moved from the far end of the barn to a stall that is across from the tack room door. When I got to the barn last night, there was a young girl stroking his neck through the grate while he was trying to eat dinner... obviously not very safe, so thank goodness he's a kind soul and not aggressive about eating. Then, as I was grooming him, a woman (I presume the mother of one of the students in a lesson that had just wrapped up) walked by his stall, told him he was a good boy, and dumped carrots in his feed bin.<br /><br />This is a little disconcerting because I believe it is common courtesy to ASK before you pet or feed someone else's horse. Maybe I'm too uptight, but I might have to follow suit with a few of the other boarders and put up signs asking people not to feed my horse. Who knows what kind of crap people might feed him? I know people who feed treats are well-intentioned, and possibly don't know any better, but I really don't like the thought of my horse getting nippy, rude about treats, or overfed. I mentioned it to another boarder and she was shocked, pointing out that it's one thing if just one person does it, but if it's five people a day thinking "oh what a lovely horse, he deserves a treat!" there is a distinct possibility that Henry might pick up some of the aggressive habits some other horses have. I didn't say anything to the girl or to the woman, as I don't want them to think I'm just mean or that I don't want my horse to have pets and treats. He IS a good boy, after all. Maybe I'll put up a sign asking not to feed him because he's watching his figure...<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">However, most of the people at the barn are great! There is a holiday party coming up and always friendly faces around. It's so nice to feel like there is a barn community again, after several teeny tiny barns with hardly any people, or REALLY stuck-up people, or whatever. I realize there is never a drama-free barn, but so far, so good with this one (this time - there was TONS of drama when I rode here pre-college)... I've got my fingers crossed and I'm knocking on wood that things will stay nice here.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-32096847632282928022008-12-01T21:12:00.007-05:002008-12-03T16:42:44.535-05:00Reeeeeally looking forward to tomorrow...<span style="font-family:verdana;">Henry was a peach tonight. Despite the two other riders in the ring who couldn't be bothered to steer - or be polite about sharing the ring (one almost ran into me twice and then muttered something about "target practice"!!!</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> - these are students, not boarders, but common courtesy at this barn is, as far as I know, to use the "short arena" space for lessons and leave at least a 20 meter circle at A for other riders... or at least pass left-to-left!)</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> he really did try.<br /><br />I was feeling a little sore and that wasn't helping, either; my shoulders got sloppy and I ended up not sitting as deeply as I should have...grrr. After a little trot warm-up, I went right in for some serious leg-yield practice. Inside track, quarter line, center line, you name it. There is SOMETHING I just don't get going to the right (that is, going left, but leg-yielding right). If I am too soft with the outside rein his shoulder pops out and he scoots over to the side. When I half-halt and take a stronger feel of the outside rein, he stops moving off my inside leg. Just goes straight ahead, and just scoots if I give him a nudge or a tap. He was also being a dork about bending left - especially at the spoooooky end door. It was a totally clear night, by the way. No rain, no snow, no horse-eating boogeymen waiting to jump out of the shadows (I don't think...). I must be doing something with my position that is too dramatic on that side, but I can't see or feel it. When I was younger, I know that I was always too strong in the right rein - maybe that's coming back, or maybe I'm overcompensating by being to weak? That nagging thought, coupled with the thoughtlessness of other riders, and a good helping of sore, tired muscles to boot (thanks, uterus!) made for a less happy than normal ride.<br /><br />HOWEVER! The Syracuse men's basketball team is 7-0 after steamrolling Colgate (I usually end up driving around in circles to get it on the radio - no TV!), I have a lesson tomorrow night wherein hopefully my leg-yield issues will get sorted out, my horse is as cute as a button, even when he's drooling in my helmet (thinks there's cookies in there - they've got to be somewhere!), my board bill was cheaper than I thought it was going to be, and now I have a hot shower and <span style="font-style: italic;">Moby Dick</span> to look forward to. It's things like this that make me happy to be alive :)<br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1147543239368369102.post-80056375723621255762008-11-30T21:49:00.004-05:002008-12-01T13:19:49.127-05:00Sleet + Laundry Day = A Sunday Without Henry<span style="font-family:verdana;">But! I did ride Saturday afternoon. When I got to the barn there must have been 9 or 10 cars in the parking lot. By the time I was tacked up the indoor ring had miraculously cleared out :)<br /><br />We warmed up with some trot circles and serpentines, as well as some trot-halt-walk transitions (trying to get him to fight his natural instincts to slide to a stop and curl up!). After a quick break, because I haven't clipped him this year, we worked on leg yields from quarter and center lines, shoulder in, and lengthening on 20 meter circles and across the diagonal. I have a tough time keeping him from overbending and throwing his shoulder at the wall when we leg-yield to the right. His shoulder in wasn't too bad, but it was better going left. Hmm...<br /><br />Then we took another quick break and started up again with a couple of canter transitions, then on to counter canter. This is a BRAND new concept for him, as I have avoided it until last week. I wanted him to always nail his leads, and feel confident that he would balance himself at the canter. When I first started to train him, I don't think Henry had ever been asked to canter on a circle. I thought a few times I would bite the dust because he would get quicker and quicker to avoid having to balance himself. He would fall in to the inside, speed up, and run through down transitions. He has gotten a million times better and his canter is actually quite comfy now. Saturday, his counter canter was spot on... well, 80% of the time.<br /><br />I have come to believe that the better I am as a rider the better able Henry (or whatever horse I'm on) will be able to understand what I'm asking and do it well. I know most horses have a "stiff" or "strong" side and that's surely a factor in all of the things Henry and I do but I am constantly trying to analyze my own position, my aids, and how I'm doing as a rider. I do have a tendency to lean just a little forward; this is probably left over from my hunter/jumper time in college (I never heard the end of the snarky "dressage seat" comments) as well as a bit of hesitancy to really sit on Henry lest he get quick and/or unbalanced. I have to GET OVER IT and keep my shoulders back! I'm crazy if I think he'll actually run off with me. He's never done anything like that, and will slow down willingly (sometimes even before I ask). I think he's less fit than he needs to be because after a 45 minute ride on Saturday, he was starting to get sweaty and strangely keen on interpreting half halts as "Stop, we're done!" Part of this is probably also that I'm asking for new and different muscles to work and for him to let me do new and different things.<br /><br />I am going to head out to the barn tonight and try to fine-tune those leg-yields before my lesson tomorrow. Hopefully he's not covered in mud...<br /></span>Amy + Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07823806516105245242noreply@blogger.com0