It seems as though the new weather is to her liking and subsequently she has been eager to come in to be worked. As a herd bound alpha mare she struggled with leaving the others behind (even though there is a clear 2nd alpha in the group) and calls for them when they are out of sight -- specifically in the indoor. It doesn't help that they call back!
This week, since I hadn't seen her in 6 days (I doubled up on lessons last week) and was out of commission this week due to issues with my cervix, she needed to remind me once again where I stood in her herd. After she had breakfast and some hay I walked out into the pasture to grab her, she lifted her head from the hay, heard my voice, and took off cantering and hopping across the field. Quite full of herself. I got close to her, and she turned (I kept my distance since she has a track record for good aim with kicks) and she ran off to heard the other mares and sent them galloping around the field too. Thanks Kiki, really helpful. She trotted back over to her hay pile only to be caught with NO protest moments later. I snapped the lead line on and said "let's go". She was fantastic for grooming and I even combed out her mane and tail without an issue. She still has some grumpiness with her feet, but we do as much as we can without turning in to a big conversation. For now there are more important things to worry about. Her frogs seemed a bit sensitive, but that could just be due to lack of handling. L had me tack her up this week -- same order as last week -- and since another green horse was being lunged in the indoor we thought she could hang out for awhile with her tack munching on hay. She even allowed me to adjust the training saddle a couple of times since it was super loose. We had some trouble with the bridle, but she has face issues. Here's the thing...she LOVES to have her face rubbed, brushed, have her ears massaged, anything, but the second you start messing with a bridle, or even a halter, her head turns in to a wrecking ball of madness. I am quite used to some protest in this realm and the best thing to do is to be patient. You can't stop what you are doing, or give up, because that's what she is hoping for, so we go slow, she protests, I don't move, she stops moving, I continue. It's simple and she's smart, so she gets it pretty quickly. She does need a fairly firm hand as she tests constantly. We walked out to the indoor and B reminded me to relax, as I was holding my arm stick straight and tense to deal with her antics -- she becomes increasingly difficult to work with once she's all tacked.
Once inside, L and I got her geared up for long lining and he started her up, a huge improvement from the prior week, with little protest and a bit of spunk. He handed the lines over to me and I took her around a few obstacles with B's supervision, which she was fantastic about. She's not a spooky horse in the slightest. She lost focus several times looking out the windows to her herd but I was quick to correct her with a shake of the line that we were working...she conceded.
20 minutes later, she worked up a nice sweat and ended on a good note. We finished the day with some light grooming and some carrots. She's kind of a pig, so maybe I can bribe her in to liking me??? Hahaha!
*I should take some confirmation photos of her this week because she's so out of shape -- she seriously looks like a brood mare. I can't wait to document her progress!
**I DID make some horse cookies tonight since I am going to Spring Camp on Wednesday to take some pictures and maybe hop on a horse to play some games!
***I hadn't ridden in over a week so Trudy let me ride alone around Pegasus on non other than Sergio, my main man! We did some simple bending exercises and lots of cantering in 2 point. The small stirrups on his saddle just kill my ankles, must do something about that!
3.29.2010
3.21.2010
Introducing Ms. Kiki
Here she is, in all of her baby-faced glory:
Our weekend together was somewhat trying, but much better than last week. The other mares in her turnout were all in heat last weekend (which we discovered after her meltdown) and with a Stallion in the barn in training it was quite hectic. One of our goals for Kiki is to discover if her attitude is seasonal or if it comes with her heat cycle...So we are tracking every interaction on a 1-5 scale (5 being totally nuts). Last we qualified her at a 5+...this weekend she was much different. Saturday I went out in the afternoon to groom her and do a little ground work. She was fantastic for the grooming and we actually played a little game where she had to join up with me to get any more attention. As it turns out the diva looooves being groomed. B left me alone to work with her in a very quiet barn which allowed us some real one on one time. We were initially distrustful of each other and the second I put a shank on her she freaked a bit snorting and pawing the ground, so off it came, and then back on, and off again, and so forth. She has developed some pretty bad behaviors with her head and she uses it like a cannonball when you try to put her halter, bridle, lead rope, anything on her. It's just a small protest, but it could be a dangerous one if she does it with the wrong person, or if she catches you off guard. We went for a little walk, I hand grazed her, brought her in to the indoor where she proceeded to have a temper tantrum and a battle of wits with me, then we went back to the barn for more grooming and bonding time. I finished the day by taking some photos around the property including a portrait of "flashdance -- aka. Nikki" and Munchie (the most perfect shetland pony ever!
Today, she was turned out and she definitely recognized me when I went to catch her. She was much better than yesterday, no snorting or panicked look on her face, and we had a really nice time grooming. Afterward, L worked with us and he taught me how to long line her. She was pretty full of herself and it was nice to see the way he handles her antics, he mentioned that he is the ONLY person Kiki fears...she is after all the alpha mare. The long lining was really fun and it was a neat way to get a feel for her without being on her back. We agreed that 20 minutes is about her attention span for this kind of work and she had gotten herself nice and sweaty. We gave a quick bath and ended on a good note. L and I are going to try to work as much as we can together so I get really comfortable with her and he suggested I keep a notebook of everything we accomplish during our sessions with Kiki.
Our weekend together was somewhat trying, but much better than last week. The other mares in her turnout were all in heat last weekend (which we discovered after her meltdown) and with a Stallion in the barn in training it was quite hectic. One of our goals for Kiki is to discover if her attitude is seasonal or if it comes with her heat cycle...So we are tracking every interaction on a 1-5 scale (5 being totally nuts). Last we qualified her at a 5+...this weekend she was much different. Saturday I went out in the afternoon to groom her and do a little ground work. She was fantastic for the grooming and we actually played a little game where she had to join up with me to get any more attention. As it turns out the diva looooves being groomed. B left me alone to work with her in a very quiet barn which allowed us some real one on one time. We were initially distrustful of each other and the second I put a shank on her she freaked a bit snorting and pawing the ground, so off it came, and then back on, and off again, and so forth. She has developed some pretty bad behaviors with her head and she uses it like a cannonball when you try to put her halter, bridle, lead rope, anything on her. It's just a small protest, but it could be a dangerous one if she does it with the wrong person, or if she catches you off guard. We went for a little walk, I hand grazed her, brought her in to the indoor where she proceeded to have a temper tantrum and a battle of wits with me, then we went back to the barn for more grooming and bonding time. I finished the day by taking some photos around the property including a portrait of "flashdance -- aka. Nikki" and Munchie (the most perfect shetland pony ever!
Today, she was turned out and she definitely recognized me when I went to catch her. She was much better than yesterday, no snorting or panicked look on her face, and we had a really nice time grooming. Afterward, L worked with us and he taught me how to long line her. She was pretty full of herself and it was nice to see the way he handles her antics, he mentioned that he is the ONLY person Kiki fears...she is after all the alpha mare. The long lining was really fun and it was a neat way to get a feel for her without being on her back. We agreed that 20 minutes is about her attention span for this kind of work and she had gotten herself nice and sweaty. We gave a quick bath and ended on a good note. L and I are going to try to work as much as we can together so I get really comfortable with her and he suggested I keep a notebook of everything we accomplish during our sessions with Kiki.
3.20.2010
an old horse CAN teach you new tricks
Yesterday I had a lesson with my riding partner and her mother (who was a great rider, btw). I was scheduled to ride a pony named Texas but came up a bit lame so since the most of the other horses were being used that day B had me ride one of the retired thoroughbreds named Nikki. I have nicknamed this horse flashdance because she wears a fleece covered cribbing collar and she looks ready to start dancing! I wasn't sure what to expect out of this mare who hasn't been ridden in ages but she seemed excited to be pulled out of her pasture to be groomed -- and, wait, you're getting tack for me too??? That was the look on her face! She was thrilled. She's only 21 but she hasn't aged very well and subsequently acts much older than that in many ways.
We made our way to the arena to get used to our new mounts for a few minutes, my riding partner was on one of my instructor's personal horses, a 6-yr old green thoroughbred, and of course her Mom was on a brand new horse. The weather here has been unseasonably warm (which I will gladly take over hurricane like weather we've been having and the wicked snow storms we got this winter) so we headed to the huge outdoor to work - hooray!
Mostly, we worked on lengthening and shortening strides in between a series of ground poles...easy enough, but a worthwhile exercise in preparation for jumping. Nikki was a total champ and with some piloting got right into a soft frame and showed me that she knew exactly what I was asking for and collected and lengthened beautifully. My instructor commented on how gorgeous she was moving and I agreed, she felt lovely. We decided it would be fun to hop over a few fences and B warned me that Nikki would get "amped" up. And boy did she! trotting in to a small flower box she broke in to a canter 2 strides out, jumped the fence with glee, and cantered off feeling very full of herself! What a fun horse! We continued working over this fence concentrating on keeping her steady to the fence -- she rides like a experienced show jumper, picking her head up to look at the fence and not allowing much contact with her so she can set herself up -- I didn't have to ride her to the fence, she took me there...it was pretty awesome. It was very cool to ride a horse that's truly been around the block, and after riding Major on Tuesday, it was a joy to have a horse that was eager to get to the bottom of the fence rather than sucking back a stride out and then over jumping! She reminded me so much of a horse I fell in love with when I was 16 in Southern Pines...he was an ex-race horse named Tix and just the most fabulous jumper. We had a real connection and we trusted each other endlessly. If only Nikki were 10 years younger!!!!!
Today I am going to the farm to work with Kiki. They are putting a new roof on one of the buildings on the property so B suggested I wait until the afternoon to come -- after last week's attempt at working with her during a thunderstorm, I agreed. I am also bringing my camera so I can get some photos of the horses! Hooray!
We made our way to the arena to get used to our new mounts for a few minutes, my riding partner was on one of my instructor's personal horses, a 6-yr old green thoroughbred, and of course her Mom was on a brand new horse. The weather here has been unseasonably warm (which I will gladly take over hurricane like weather we've been having and the wicked snow storms we got this winter) so we headed to the huge outdoor to work - hooray!
Mostly, we worked on lengthening and shortening strides in between a series of ground poles...easy enough, but a worthwhile exercise in preparation for jumping. Nikki was a total champ and with some piloting got right into a soft frame and showed me that she knew exactly what I was asking for and collected and lengthened beautifully. My instructor commented on how gorgeous she was moving and I agreed, she felt lovely. We decided it would be fun to hop over a few fences and B warned me that Nikki would get "amped" up. And boy did she! trotting in to a small flower box she broke in to a canter 2 strides out, jumped the fence with glee, and cantered off feeling very full of herself! What a fun horse! We continued working over this fence concentrating on keeping her steady to the fence -- she rides like a experienced show jumper, picking her head up to look at the fence and not allowing much contact with her so she can set herself up -- I didn't have to ride her to the fence, she took me there...it was pretty awesome. It was very cool to ride a horse that's truly been around the block, and after riding Major on Tuesday, it was a joy to have a horse that was eager to get to the bottom of the fence rather than sucking back a stride out and then over jumping! She reminded me so much of a horse I fell in love with when I was 16 in Southern Pines...he was an ex-race horse named Tix and just the most fabulous jumper. We had a real connection and we trusted each other endlessly. If only Nikki were 10 years younger!!!!!
Today I am going to the farm to work with Kiki. They are putting a new roof on one of the buildings on the property so B suggested I wait until the afternoon to come -- after last week's attempt at working with her during a thunderstorm, I agreed. I am also bringing my camera so I can get some photos of the horses! Hooray!
3.18.2010
Lesson 3.16.10
I think posting about my current progress (outside of Kiki -- I won't be riding her until April) will make for a well rounded horse blog. So here goes:
Tuesday, I rode Major. He is a draft cross and just as cute as can be. The girl who leases him squealed with delight the first time she saw me on him. He's a bit of a sensitive flower as I like to say, and he found his way to B after he failed as a hunt mount -- his heart wasn't in it and he thinks too much -- not a good combo for fast speed and jumps that don't move. This was the third time I've ridden him and I decided it would be fun (and good for my body) to take the lesson bareback. He's incredibly comfortable since he's part draft, with a nice wide, flat back. He is in the process of shedding pretty seriously and so I could hardly grip without sliding against the hair coming off! I wound up with his fur in all sorts of unsightly places.
We started the lesson with some reading material from 101 Jumping Exercises (one of the reasons I love my instructor so much is that she really encourages us to read/learn outside of our lessons). She challenged us to begin warming up as though we had 20 minutes before our jumping instructor arrived so she could see what we might do to get the horses ready for fence work. I stuck to some transitions and lateral work. I feel as though having my horse listening to my leg aids (every time) is super important for jump work, especially with a horse like Major who need to be RIDDEN to every fence. He began moving into his gaits well, he can be a slow poke sometimes, and was bending quite nicely through a series of circles in varying size so he didn't know what was coming next. Then we worked on some walk/canter and canter/walk transitions. We worked on a 20 meter circle asking for the canter in front of B, riding the circle, and then asking for the walk at B again. If there were any trot steps, she simply asked us to stop and start over. All of these horses can canter from a walk, so she wanted us to send a clear message to our mounts, that we were asking for the canter, with our leg, ONLY our leg. MY riding partner has a much stronger Dressage background than I do and I often feel intimidated by her during our lessons, but doing this exercise helped show us both a few things. For one thing, she has a tendency to cluck, use words, and drive her seat, way before applying her leg. I never noticed before because we are usually cantering at the same time. So it was a challenge for her to drop all of the other aids and just use the leg. For me, I have a habit of going right back to the days when I rode bad ponies and I lift my seat and push my body forward when I'm not getting what I am asking and that's not helping either of us. We then practiced a few simple exercises over small jumps coming in over 4 trot poles and then either hitting a jump on the right or the left placed diagonally and continuing around the arena on the correct lead canter. Strangely, Major ran out of two jumps! Remember how I said he has to be RIDDEN to every fence? Only for a second did I change my leg pressure, and there he goes, ducking out! We finished the lesson by doing the same exercise...trot poles, over a jump to the left, pick up right lead canter over fence and continue to larger vertical on the long side of the arena. The first time we did this everything went well, except Major saw the vertical, decided it was a 4 foot oxer and jumped it that way! I felt like I was launched through the air holding onto a piece of mane with my feet flailing behind me! I stayed on (at this point, it should be noted, I did put his saddle on without the stirrups before the jumping portion of our lesson)...After doing this a few times, he settled in and we found our way to the spot a little better, but it took me pushing him to the base of the jump, holding his hand (hoof) the whole way!
What I learned:
*Some horses you have to really ride to the jump -- until their front feet take off! Had we been schooling over bigger fences at higher speed I may have come off today. A good lesson for someone who is just getting back into jumping!
*All the voice and seat aids in the world won't help a horse who is ignoring your leg.
*I have good balance and can stay on despite a giant OVER jump -- without catching my horse in the mouth (hooray for a good crest release)
*Doing some of these exercises in a small indoor is more challenging that it seems. Though I would love to be outside riding a course in the huge outdoor, there is much to be learned from small jumps with technical transitions!
I am taking a fun lesson tomorrow as my riding partner and her Mom want to ride together and they thought it would be fun for me to join in. B asked me if I want to ride a pony (duh, of course I do)! It's one of the best parts about being a small adult (I'm not that small, but 5'6" and 130lb), I can ride ponies and big drafts alike!
Tuesday, I rode Major. He is a draft cross and just as cute as can be. The girl who leases him squealed with delight the first time she saw me on him. He's a bit of a sensitive flower as I like to say, and he found his way to B after he failed as a hunt mount -- his heart wasn't in it and he thinks too much -- not a good combo for fast speed and jumps that don't move. This was the third time I've ridden him and I decided it would be fun (and good for my body) to take the lesson bareback. He's incredibly comfortable since he's part draft, with a nice wide, flat back. He is in the process of shedding pretty seriously and so I could hardly grip without sliding against the hair coming off! I wound up with his fur in all sorts of unsightly places.
We started the lesson with some reading material from 101 Jumping Exercises (one of the reasons I love my instructor so much is that she really encourages us to read/learn outside of our lessons). She challenged us to begin warming up as though we had 20 minutes before our jumping instructor arrived so she could see what we might do to get the horses ready for fence work. I stuck to some transitions and lateral work. I feel as though having my horse listening to my leg aids (every time) is super important for jump work, especially with a horse like Major who need to be RIDDEN to every fence. He began moving into his gaits well, he can be a slow poke sometimes, and was bending quite nicely through a series of circles in varying size so he didn't know what was coming next. Then we worked on some walk/canter and canter/walk transitions. We worked on a 20 meter circle asking for the canter in front of B, riding the circle, and then asking for the walk at B again. If there were any trot steps, she simply asked us to stop and start over. All of these horses can canter from a walk, so she wanted us to send a clear message to our mounts, that we were asking for the canter, with our leg, ONLY our leg. MY riding partner has a much stronger Dressage background than I do and I often feel intimidated by her during our lessons, but doing this exercise helped show us both a few things. For one thing, she has a tendency to cluck, use words, and drive her seat, way before applying her leg. I never noticed before because we are usually cantering at the same time. So it was a challenge for her to drop all of the other aids and just use the leg. For me, I have a habit of going right back to the days when I rode bad ponies and I lift my seat and push my body forward when I'm not getting what I am asking and that's not helping either of us. We then practiced a few simple exercises over small jumps coming in over 4 trot poles and then either hitting a jump on the right or the left placed diagonally and continuing around the arena on the correct lead canter. Strangely, Major ran out of two jumps! Remember how I said he has to be RIDDEN to every fence? Only for a second did I change my leg pressure, and there he goes, ducking out! We finished the lesson by doing the same exercise...trot poles, over a jump to the left, pick up right lead canter over fence and continue to larger vertical on the long side of the arena. The first time we did this everything went well, except Major saw the vertical, decided it was a 4 foot oxer and jumped it that way! I felt like I was launched through the air holding onto a piece of mane with my feet flailing behind me! I stayed on (at this point, it should be noted, I did put his saddle on without the stirrups before the jumping portion of our lesson)...After doing this a few times, he settled in and we found our way to the spot a little better, but it took me pushing him to the base of the jump, holding his hand (hoof) the whole way!
What I learned:
*Some horses you have to really ride to the jump -- until their front feet take off! Had we been schooling over bigger fences at higher speed I may have come off today. A good lesson for someone who is just getting back into jumping!
*All the voice and seat aids in the world won't help a horse who is ignoring your leg.
*I have good balance and can stay on despite a giant OVER jump -- without catching my horse in the mouth (hooray for a good crest release)
*Doing some of these exercises in a small indoor is more challenging that it seems. Though I would love to be outside riding a course in the huge outdoor, there is much to be learned from small jumps with technical transitions!
I am taking a fun lesson tomorrow as my riding partner and her Mom want to ride together and they thought it would be fun for me to join in. B asked me if I want to ride a pony (duh, of course I do)! It's one of the best parts about being a small adult (I'm not that small, but 5'6" and 130lb), I can ride ponies and big drafts alike!
This Blog...
...is not about me. It's about a beautiful 6 year old mare named Kiki. She is proudly owned by my riding instructor who bred and raised her from a foal. Her father is Magyar Dare Me Not:
A Hungarian Warmblood who typically throws great confirmation horses suited to Dressage, Eventing and Hunters. He was bred with a thoroughbred mare named Quick grant. She is a small (15.1h) chesnut with very dainty features (pictures to come soon). She is smart and incredibly athletic.
Kiki is now 6 years old and acts like a filly. She's been broken twice...well, started twice, and has three solid gaits and has jumped small crossrails and fences without a care in the world.
I started working with Beth two months ago, and I simply adore her as an instructor. She decided that Kiki and I would make a great pair and we could teach each other a thing or two. So now she is my project horse. I won't be riding her until April, so for now I am getting to know her on the ground...we are starting from scratch...with grooming, ground work and lunging. She has been able to do her own thing for so long, she needs some manners taught to her and some boundaries set.
Today was my first day actually working with her and of course there was a wicked storm complete with crazy wind, rain and thunder and lightning. I knew the circumstances weren't perfect...but hey, they're not going to be every time I see her. We spent some time playing catch in the field -- she has a very fussy face and like to headbutt (thank god she's not a biter)...and we had a battle of wills on our walk back to the barn. B showed me how she ties her in the stall and where to begin with grooming. She has developed some bad behaviors that will improve in time (ie. kicking and pawing) and she's incredibly jumpy...so you can be rubbing her with a towel and then when you grab a fresh one, she acts like she's never seen a towel before and when it hits her she practically jumps out of her skin. It made for some very silly grooming. Then the two yearling fillies that were in the barn started loosing their minds and so Kiki followed suit. We decided to leave her tied in the stall to work things out while I worked with another green horse named Charlie (He's almost 17h and a gentle giant) and B wanted to teach me her lunging technique (and hell, I can always use a refresher). He was very kind with me and didn't mess around too much, I feel like Kiki will have much more to give me!!! So after leaving her alone to figure out what she wanted to do tied in the stall, L (B's husband) decided to long line Kiki. It was really awesome to watch, and Kiki was soooo excited to have something to do, she practically jumped into her tack and pranced over to the ring! She's quite full of herself that little one, but boy is she going to be fun!
This is a wonderful opportunity for me to work with a horse several times a week and start a real connection, as close to owning a horse as I will ever get, I think.
Keep your fingers crossed that we make a good pair!
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