Tuesday Kiki and I had a lesson with my riding buddy Leorah. She has been in Montana for a month so she hasn't seen me ride the mare yet! I was hoping things would go smoothly for us! Kiki was excited to see me and we got right down to business. I knew Leorah would be tacked up in no time anxious to ride after a month off! No real issues getting ready save for my putting on her girth backwards...silly.
She was a acting a bit nutty in the arena because one of her lady friends was riding and then left us, but she recovered pretty well. Then, the grey filly in the herd called to her and she called back and the proceeded to leap on top of me...grrrr. Oh well, I got on anyway, which she was great for. I have started riding her with a crop from the very beginning of her ride so she doesn't associate it with a particular element of riding. I rarely use it save for a reminder smack on her should her and there to stay with me. She can be quite stubborn about listening the to aids, so we go like this...squeeze, squeeze, kick, kick, kick, smack...if she moves on the first squeeze then there is no need to keep reminding her. She doesn't respond to tough riding, so constant small reminders help her stay in the game. B told me I need to be annoying to her, so I don't get stiff when I am asking for something, and so she knows I won't give in to her defiance. When I was asking for leg yields she would lean into my leg (ugh), so B told me to give lots of little kicks to ask for the yield so she'll move away from the leg. Eventually it will take less and less exaggerated aids to get her to comply. During my lesson last week B had me hold my hands uncomfortably high (and probably in a proper dressage position) so I could help lift her off her forehand...with my hands higher she is forced to stay light in the bridle, moved forward from behind, and become more supple. She had been leaning on my hands a bit before. We did lots of lateral work in our lesson and we had a few "a-ha" moments. We also worked on freewalk and medium walk (actually walking might be her toughest gait). She stretches nicely into a freewalk but has a tough time getting her energy back for the medium walk.
Then, we did it...our canter. I wanted to go first because I didn't need any added pressure (or time to freak myself out), so we just went for it on her good lead. A bit of a mess the first time, but I kept after her and she got into it cantering around happily. Then we tried again, trot, trot, trot, CANTER! A beautiful departure! Only a few steps of trot to get the transition! We cantered around and I was ear to ear smiles. I did a nice down transition and trotted her around a couple of times to keep her thinking about moving forward and we called it a day. She stood patiently and quietly while Leorah completed her canter and she was fantastic while I untacked her, toweled her off and turned her out. Hooray!
I feel like a bit part of my anxiety came from not knowing what her canter was like, would she feel balanced, and if she acted up, could I stay with her? I know feel pretty confident by what she can give out (at least indoors). She hasn't done anything totally crazy yet under saddle...to be honest, she's much more frightening on the ground where she HAS pulled some acrobatics. But seeing her do any of that without me on her is a reminder to be aware that she IS capable of pulling silly maneuvers when she wants to.
Tomorrow I have a private half hour lesson with her, so I may hop on her early and have her nice and warmed up before our lesson time so we can work on more canter stuff! I am coming down with some sort of plague so I hope I can keep it together enough to ride and have a good lesson tomorrow!
ps. Leorah was excited to see her go and said we looked great together...if only she saw the horse I started with!
4.29.2010
4.25.2010
more boring video
I got a little video device this week and wanted to test it out. Mostly, I want to document my rides and progression with Kiki. So eventually the video clips will be a LITTLE more interesting.
I went to her pasture to give her a post-ride treat (part of our routine) and she made me walk ALL the way around to the side she was closest to...jerk.
I went to her pasture to give her a post-ride treat (part of our routine) and she made me walk ALL the way around to the side she was closest to...jerk.
herd bound
Two more rides in on Ms. Kiki and she is progressing nicely. We have been working on leg aids to help improve her balance and bending. She's still really stiff tracking right, but it's getting MUCH better. I know that these posts seem a bit trite and boring, but training a young horse is tough, so small moments of progress, like standing still for mounting, or not needing to be long-lined are huge. Thursday she was completely over stimulated by the activity at the barn. There were 4 lessons back to back, including one with some of her herd mates. She was acting pretty nuts by the time I brought her in and we had to play musical stalls for a bit before I could start grooming her. I helped out around the barn to get things organized and finally got on her after 2 hours! She nearly ran me over when I was moving her to a different stall to get to a little grey filly from her herd. She was stomping and pawing the ground and I swore she must be heading into heat. She settled and I took her in to get on and she was a champ...walking off and getting right to work. L left us alone and shut the two of us in the indoor ALONE...dun, dun, dunnnn... she whinnied, she spooked, she looked out the window, she snorted, she refused to move forward...it was a bit terrifying. Then, one of the students wanted to come in and grab the mount block, so she parked her mare just out of Kiki's sight, and she freaked out. I mean, she never did anything that would get me off, she just acted crazy, like at any minute she could explode. I tried my best to keep her moving and focused but it was really hard and unnerving. We ended things on a good note, I hopped off and un-tacked her only to have her remind me of her alpha status when I turned her out...she bolted and reared with me at the end of the lead rope...ugh.
Saturday's ride was uneventful, but I had to tack her up quickly and get on because L was leaving for work and there was only one other person on the property riding. She was so calm I thought about getting on without L holding her, but I waited anyway...there's no point in getting too brave. We had a nice, short ride, lots of leg yields and trot work.
After my ride Thursday, L gave me a little pep talk to reassure me of our progress together. He told me that initially, he wasn't sure if it was going to be worth the effort to get this mare back in to work, but now he sees real progress and that he hopes we can get to the bottom of her and go from there. We decided it would be best to make sure she has company when I am riding her and they are going to start weaning her off the herd. Fingers crossed!
Her new martingale, saddle pad and leathers arrived Friday and I can't wait to see how they fit!
Saturday's ride was uneventful, but I had to tack her up quickly and get on because L was leaving for work and there was only one other person on the property riding. She was so calm I thought about getting on without L holding her, but I waited anyway...there's no point in getting too brave. We had a nice, short ride, lots of leg yields and trot work.
After my ride Thursday, L gave me a little pep talk to reassure me of our progress together. He told me that initially, he wasn't sure if it was going to be worth the effort to get this mare back in to work, but now he sees real progress and that he hopes we can get to the bottom of her and go from there. We decided it would be best to make sure she has company when I am riding her and they are going to start weaning her off the herd. Fingers crossed!
Her new martingale, saddle pad and leathers arrived Friday and I can't wait to see how they fit!
4.21.2010
silly video of our post-ride routine
Carrots, love, petting, ear rubs, and kisses on that velvety muzzle:
leaps and bounds (quite literally)
B and I decided to have me ride Kiki in my regular lesson yesterday. One of the other girls that rides there has her mare in bootcamp with B so she rode with me. Kiki seems to thrive when she has some company and it really worked out in the end. I helped with evening chores a bit so I could feed Kiki before I rode and so we were running behind schedule for our lesson. I brought her in to the indoor hoping to long-line her for a few minutes before I got on (this usually works out any kinks), but she seemed really solid so B suggested I just hop on. She was great! She stood quietly at the mount block and walked off like she had been doing it forever. She was a bit up, so I got her to work trotting around so she could warm up. We did lots of trot/bending work and leg yields at the walk. The lateral work was really hard for her but she started to connect the dots and began moving off my leg...and of course she got loads of praise. Toward the end of our lesson, the next group of riders came in and I felt a pit of dread in my stomach. B asked us to canter around in both directions and I got all worked up before I even started. Kiki was not listening to me as I asked her to leave the other horses and I suspected that she would dive in toward the other horses (she did), but we tried our best. After a couple of failed attempts, we finally got our right lead canter and circled around the arena, phew. The left lead was a disaster and I felt myself falling apart. For the first time B was really hollering at me to get it together. I could feel myself welling up with tears and I told B that I felt defeated. She reminded me of the past hour and all of the positives we had just experienced together, to channel that energy and try again. We did...we finally got a few steps of canter, continued around at a nice trot and B let us end that exercise. We finished up the lesson with some trot work over poles. Kiki made it the whole hour without incident! Hooray!
After I finished up with Kiki I got a chance to talk more with Beth about my lesson. She really helped me to understand why she is pushing me so hard with this horse. She explained that she wants to be sure that I can handle ANYTHING that this horse can offer me, and then she will let us plateau and focus on certain things. I am quite self-analytical and so having this kind of discussion post-lesson (especially a tough one) is really useful for me. I need to figure out a way to go easier on myself and try to focus on the positive moments. After all, it was only a few weeks ago that I was dealing with a wild animal that you couldn't get near with a brush! We have made huge progress, and there are going to be setbacks...
She and I are really bonding these days and I think she loves the attention (not to mention having a job to do). I am daydreaming about showing her in the fall!!!! I am totally in love with this little chestnut mare!
4.19.2010
4.18.2010
Hugo and Kiki meet (well, kinda)
Today Hugo and I participated in a dog walk to raise money for the SPCA in South Jersey. The women registering me were surprised to hear I came all the way from Philadelphia (well, little do they know I was in SJ to ride). Hugo (my rescued Boxer) was on sensory overload. We had been in the car for almost an hour and there were about a hundred dogs barking and going crazy so he was freaking out a bit, even trying to bite a friend's dog:( Once we got going he was great and fell right in to the pack, making his best buddy a little white maltese named Tucker. It was a really beautiful day, a touch on the cold side, but just gorgeous otherwise. We walked for about an hour and a half, got our goodie bags, and headed back to the farm. The 4-H girls were having a meeting and going on a trail ride, and I was scheduled to work with Kiki, even though I was short on time and had Hugo with me. He was content to hang in the car (windows down of course) with his blanket, favorite toy, and a treat bone.
I got right to work (skipping lunch) and grabbed the mare from her field. We took a different route back to the barn cutting through the outdoor riding area (I say 'area' because it's not fenced in and it's gigantic) and she circled around me in front of the new colts and acted a bit nutty, but I corrected her quickly and she settled. It's really neat working with her so consistently now because I see all the little progressions that she makes. For instance, now when I go to grab her from her paddock, she investigates my hands and pockets, let's me halter her, and then lets out a heavy sigh...in the past she would play chase, finally relent, and then snort and puff the entire way to the barn totally on edge. I think she is starting to understand that I am part of her herd now...of course, underneath her to some degree.
We didn't do much today, just regular grooming, tacking, and I long-lining her for about 10 minutes before hopping on. She was pretty hot while I long-lined her, but I think she got out her nerves pretty quickly. Once she's focused and listening, I can get on her without much fuss. It's really amazing to the transformation while she settles in. We did some trot work with lots of bending and transitions. She tripped on some soft footing, spooked, and caught herself on the martingale, freaking herself out for a millisecond. Silly girl. One of her herd came in and she started to get goofy, but I kept her focused and moving and we even followed the other mare just to challenge her. B commented on how nice she was going and how relaxed she looked. We ended on a good note!
One thing that was cute this morning was the 4-H girls (most of which have seen Kiki since she was a foal!) asking me all about Kiki and how she's doing! A few of them have seen me ride her and one said that she seems really relaxed with me, and that we have bonded! Woo hoo!
I got right to work (skipping lunch) and grabbed the mare from her field. We took a different route back to the barn cutting through the outdoor riding area (I say 'area' because it's not fenced in and it's gigantic) and she circled around me in front of the new colts and acted a bit nutty, but I corrected her quickly and she settled. It's really neat working with her so consistently now because I see all the little progressions that she makes. For instance, now when I go to grab her from her paddock, she investigates my hands and pockets, let's me halter her, and then lets out a heavy sigh...in the past she would play chase, finally relent, and then snort and puff the entire way to the barn totally on edge. I think she is starting to understand that I am part of her herd now...of course, underneath her to some degree.
We didn't do much today, just regular grooming, tacking, and I long-lining her for about 10 minutes before hopping on. She was pretty hot while I long-lined her, but I think she got out her nerves pretty quickly. Once she's focused and listening, I can get on her without much fuss. It's really amazing to the transformation while she settles in. We did some trot work with lots of bending and transitions. She tripped on some soft footing, spooked, and caught herself on the martingale, freaking herself out for a millisecond. Silly girl. One of her herd came in and she started to get goofy, but I kept her focused and moving and we even followed the other mare just to challenge her. B commented on how nice she was going and how relaxed she looked. We ended on a good note!
One thing that was cute this morning was the 4-H girls (most of which have seen Kiki since she was a foal!) asking me all about Kiki and how she's doing! A few of them have seen me ride her and one said that she seems really relaxed with me, and that we have bonded! Woo hoo!
4.17.2010
stiffness!
Kiki is learning that seeing me means lots of nice things...treats, petting, grooming...she still ran away for a second, but curious, she came over in investigate what I was carrying (a macintosh apple). I helped with some barn chores, including moving the two new colts inside, when we went to get them they were both completely asleep in the field, super cute!
We got to our regular grooming routine, and I removed another pound of hair with the shedding blade! Now that Kiki has her own saddle, we tacked up, with no halter under the bridle, no racing yoke, no racing bridle with draw reins. She's a big girl now! Just a full cheek bridle, and standing martingale, and a pretty jumping saddle! We long-lined her for a bit to get her moving out and just to see if she had any objections to the new saddle (she didn't), she did protest a little with some mini meltdowns, but I got after her quickly for those antics. It was REALLY windy today and with some of the indoor's windows open there were all kinds of distractions, but she settled in and it was time to get on! She did fantastic again with the mount block and L led me for a few steps and away we went. Straight to work is the best way for her. She felt great! Her gaits are just beautiful.
But let's get to the stiffness...ugh...is she stiff tracking right. She falls in completely, diving around her corners and since she isn't listening to my inside leg aids (or she just doesn't know what they mean) I am struggling with getting her to bend in that direction. We did lots of turns, lots of circles, lots of changes in direction, to keep her thinking about what might be coming next. After 20 minutes or so of trot work L returned and asked me to canter her (yikes). We started tracking left, and she got right into the canter and we circled around a few times before turning to the right. It was a disaster. I was using every aid I could and she just trotted bigger and more crazy. I brought her back, started over...again we tried...nope. Another 6-7 times we tried, and I was fearing that L was getting tired of us, we finally got a canter on the right lead, and it fell apart when she started sucking back and hopping up and down...ugh. We tried a few more times and we just couldn't get it so I asked for a crop...A magic stick! I basically flapped it in front of her eye and she got the message, she still acted willful about getting into the canter, but a quick smack on her right shoulder and we had it!!!! Tah-Dah! We cantered around and I broke us into a nice forward trot. We were done for the day!
The thing that was hard to learn today was figuring out how to ride her when she starts sucking back and acting nutty. My experience of having to ride tough horses has led me to leaning forward and riding aggressively, which doesn't work with her. Riding that much on the forehand is going to send me into the dirt when she acts up. I need to just sit up and ride her through it!
More tomorrow!
We got to our regular grooming routine, and I removed another pound of hair with the shedding blade! Now that Kiki has her own saddle, we tacked up, with no halter under the bridle, no racing yoke, no racing bridle with draw reins. She's a big girl now! Just a full cheek bridle, and standing martingale, and a pretty jumping saddle! We long-lined her for a bit to get her moving out and just to see if she had any objections to the new saddle (she didn't), she did protest a little with some mini meltdowns, but I got after her quickly for those antics. It was REALLY windy today and with some of the indoor's windows open there were all kinds of distractions, but she settled in and it was time to get on! She did fantastic again with the mount block and L led me for a few steps and away we went. Straight to work is the best way for her. She felt great! Her gaits are just beautiful.
But let's get to the stiffness...ugh...is she stiff tracking right. She falls in completely, diving around her corners and since she isn't listening to my inside leg aids (or she just doesn't know what they mean) I am struggling with getting her to bend in that direction. We did lots of turns, lots of circles, lots of changes in direction, to keep her thinking about what might be coming next. After 20 minutes or so of trot work L returned and asked me to canter her (yikes). We started tracking left, and she got right into the canter and we circled around a few times before turning to the right. It was a disaster. I was using every aid I could and she just trotted bigger and more crazy. I brought her back, started over...again we tried...nope. Another 6-7 times we tried, and I was fearing that L was getting tired of us, we finally got a canter on the right lead, and it fell apart when she started sucking back and hopping up and down...ugh. We tried a few more times and we just couldn't get it so I asked for a crop...A magic stick! I basically flapped it in front of her eye and she got the message, she still acted willful about getting into the canter, but a quick smack on her right shoulder and we had it!!!! Tah-Dah! We cantered around and I broke us into a nice forward trot. We were done for the day!
The thing that was hard to learn today was figuring out how to ride her when she starts sucking back and acting nutty. My experience of having to ride tough horses has led me to leaning forward and riding aggressively, which doesn't work with her. Riding that much on the forehand is going to send me into the dirt when she acts up. I need to just sit up and ride her through it!
More tomorrow!
4.14.2010
ups and downs
Well, the mare was her usual self tonight...running away from me when I tried to catch her, even though I was carrying a feed bucket -- it's possible she knew it didn't have feed in it. I dropped the bucket outside the paddock and returned with a handful of lush grass and she came over to investigate and I grabbed her! Things were going well until her pasture mate, a 3 year old filly, came galloping across the field at us! Agh! The barn was a bit chaotic and I had to play musical stalls to get her situated, but she stood quietly and let me get to her with the shedding blade. For 15 minutes I shed her scruffy coat! Another mare from her herd came in for a lesson and Kiki just about lost her mind! She started whinnying, pawing and kicking, reeling around the stall still connected to the wall. Grrrr. Not the same horse that was resting her legs a few minutes before!
She settled down and I got her tacked up without too much trouble, but I was already worried about how she was going to be under saddle based on this behavior...We tried out the bridle we made for her a few weeks ago and a standing martingale (which was a relief from the draw reins and crazy racing bridle). She protested quite a bit, but we decided that maybe she needs her teeth done so she was avoiding the bit and fussing, but she settled in for some long-lining and we decided it was time for me to get on.
No Andrew warm-up today!
She was quiet enough that we decided to use the mounting block and she stood patiently while I got on -- and I made a graceful landing (which I am not always the best at)...she walked on just fine, she quickly remembered me, and we got straight to work. Trotting, trotting, and more trotting. The grey filly came in and I half expected Kiki to start acting stupid, and she did, a little, but we kept on trucking. B asked me to canter her, and we made our best attempt. It was quite silly. I felt like I was all over the place, and having an audience of B, L, Andrew, and two students made me pretty flustered. That, and I couldn't balance in the stirrups on the saddle I was riding in (I have a major issue with small stirrups -- my ankles just buckle). I felt bad because I kept pulling her up when I lost balance, and I think B thought I was giving up. We did get one really good right lead canter all the way around, and then we did more trot work in the other direction. I felt stiff asking for the canter, I suppose I was worried about what she would do, how it would feel, if she would buck or take off (which I know now she won't) and I kept getting in her way with my hands...something I usually never do (I consider my hands one of the strongest points of my riding). But asking for a canter on a green horse who doesn't fully under stand the cue while posting the trot into it was a bit messy. It will get better, I know for sure.
I explained to B a little more about the stirrups and since we found a saddle that would fit Kiki, she said I could pick a set that would work (YAY). I talked with L a little after about this and he said that he could tell I wasn't feeling balanced in that saddle. He also reminded me not to feel self conscious about my riding on Kiki and that I am doing as well as anyone could at this point in her training. Phew!
I am so worried about letting them down or messing up this horse!
Things in the barn were insane when we finished and I had to walk her around for awhile until some horses were moved around, she trampled me a couple of times when another horse started spooking, but we got through it. B helped me turn her out and I followed along with the grey filly. The two took off and exchanged notes about their exercise for the day!
I cleaned and oiled Kiki's new saddle and went back to her field to have some quality time with her. She really enjoys being pet and loved on!
I am riding on Saturday with just L, so we'll see how that goes!
She settled down and I got her tacked up without too much trouble, but I was already worried about how she was going to be under saddle based on this behavior...We tried out the bridle we made for her a few weeks ago and a standing martingale (which was a relief from the draw reins and crazy racing bridle). She protested quite a bit, but we decided that maybe she needs her teeth done so she was avoiding the bit and fussing, but she settled in for some long-lining and we decided it was time for me to get on.
No Andrew warm-up today!
She was quiet enough that we decided to use the mounting block and she stood patiently while I got on -- and I made a graceful landing (which I am not always the best at)...she walked on just fine, she quickly remembered me, and we got straight to work. Trotting, trotting, and more trotting. The grey filly came in and I half expected Kiki to start acting stupid, and she did, a little, but we kept on trucking. B asked me to canter her, and we made our best attempt. It was quite silly. I felt like I was all over the place, and having an audience of B, L, Andrew, and two students made me pretty flustered. That, and I couldn't balance in the stirrups on the saddle I was riding in (I have a major issue with small stirrups -- my ankles just buckle). I felt bad because I kept pulling her up when I lost balance, and I think B thought I was giving up. We did get one really good right lead canter all the way around, and then we did more trot work in the other direction. I felt stiff asking for the canter, I suppose I was worried about what she would do, how it would feel, if she would buck or take off (which I know now she won't) and I kept getting in her way with my hands...something I usually never do (I consider my hands one of the strongest points of my riding). But asking for a canter on a green horse who doesn't fully under stand the cue while posting the trot into it was a bit messy. It will get better, I know for sure.
I explained to B a little more about the stirrups and since we found a saddle that would fit Kiki, she said I could pick a set that would work (YAY). I talked with L a little after about this and he said that he could tell I wasn't feeling balanced in that saddle. He also reminded me not to feel self conscious about my riding on Kiki and that I am doing as well as anyone could at this point in her training. Phew!
I am so worried about letting them down or messing up this horse!
Things in the barn were insane when we finished and I had to walk her around for awhile until some horses were moved around, she trampled me a couple of times when another horse started spooking, but we got through it. B helped me turn her out and I followed along with the grey filly. The two took off and exchanged notes about their exercise for the day!
I cleaned and oiled Kiki's new saddle and went back to her field to have some quality time with her. She really enjoys being pet and loved on!
I am riding on Saturday with just L, so we'll see how that goes!
Day two
After a humbling lesson, where I felt like I completely forgot how to ride, I rode Kiki for the second time yesterday. My lesson was on a great school horse named Bucky (a small black thoroughbred) who I have ridden once before, but sort of forgot how he moves, and it took almost the whole lesson for us to figure each other out. We worked on transitions in between a line of fences...Easier said than done when your head is in the clouds. I was all over the place. We did have a couple of really nice walk-canter transitions and a few good passes on the three fences. I definitely prefer taking him over something substantial as he jumped every crossrail like it was a 4 foot oxer. Nerd. After last week's fantastic ride on Finnegan (doing my first full jump course in years and in the outside arena) I was a bit disappointed with my performance this week. You can't win them all. I came away with some very sore legs, as B had me stand in my stirrups, straight up for the first 15 minutes of my lesson to help me lengthen my body and use my core. I also feel really secure about my half halts in 2 point again.
Back to Kiki...she came in at the end of our lesson and although I was bummed I didn't get to groom or tack her I WAS excited to ride her! She hadn't been worked since our ride on Saturday and my anxiety was all over my face. B took one look at me and said, "oh, there's that face again, like Niamh's going to throw up"...I laughed because she totally has my number. This woman who I have known for just a few months almost has me completely figured out! Now, in the past that anxiety would have manifested itself into something awful, burying itself deep and not letting go until I probably DID throw up, but I have really mastered my anxiety. A big part of this transformation has to do with my relationship with B and L. I trust them and they know me well enough not to push me beyond my abilities, but I rely on them to encourage me to stretch a little further each time I ride. I need to be challenged to stay ahead of any anxiety that may creep in. So I hopped off Bucky, grabbed his saddle and put it on Kiki who was dancing around like a maniac. B gave me a leg up and off I went, with Andrew leading me for a few steps and then unclipping. She felt great, she remembered me and felt relaxed (or as relaxed as a green horse can feel). B had me trot her around for 20 minutes with lots of change of direction. She protested a little calling to her herd and not quite understanding why the two other horses in the arena got to just stand there while she worked, but overall she was great. We even had a couple of really nice moments where she dropped her neck down and stretched into the bridle all the while moving forward in her beautiful floaty trot. I congratulated her thoroughly during our ride and she responds really well to praise. B commented that Kiki really likes me much better than her exercise rider (he's a race horse rider) and that our bond is quite apparent. She trusts me. Finally.
She still pulled some dumb maneuvers on the ground, but she's getting better. Since all the stalls were full for the night I had her stand at a cross tie station (not actually tied) attached a lead rope and ground tied her while we untacked etc. She was great! Little by little everything seems to get easier for us. She got a carrot and was turned out with the herd for dinner! Happy little mare!
Tonight, I will be riding her without having Andrew warming her up. I am crossing my fingers that she's not too amped up, and I think we will long-line her first to get her in the right mindset.
I really have a get a photo of the two us soon. Two fiery red heads!
Back to Kiki...she came in at the end of our lesson and although I was bummed I didn't get to groom or tack her I WAS excited to ride her! She hadn't been worked since our ride on Saturday and my anxiety was all over my face. B took one look at me and said, "oh, there's that face again, like Niamh's going to throw up"...I laughed because she totally has my number. This woman who I have known for just a few months almost has me completely figured out! Now, in the past that anxiety would have manifested itself into something awful, burying itself deep and not letting go until I probably DID throw up, but I have really mastered my anxiety. A big part of this transformation has to do with my relationship with B and L. I trust them and they know me well enough not to push me beyond my abilities, but I rely on them to encourage me to stretch a little further each time I ride. I need to be challenged to stay ahead of any anxiety that may creep in. So I hopped off Bucky, grabbed his saddle and put it on Kiki who was dancing around like a maniac. B gave me a leg up and off I went, with Andrew leading me for a few steps and then unclipping. She felt great, she remembered me and felt relaxed (or as relaxed as a green horse can feel). B had me trot her around for 20 minutes with lots of change of direction. She protested a little calling to her herd and not quite understanding why the two other horses in the arena got to just stand there while she worked, but overall she was great. We even had a couple of really nice moments where she dropped her neck down and stretched into the bridle all the while moving forward in her beautiful floaty trot. I congratulated her thoroughly during our ride and she responds really well to praise. B commented that Kiki really likes me much better than her exercise rider (he's a race horse rider) and that our bond is quite apparent. She trusts me. Finally.
She still pulled some dumb maneuvers on the ground, but she's getting better. Since all the stalls were full for the night I had her stand at a cross tie station (not actually tied) attached a lead rope and ground tied her while we untacked etc. She was great! Little by little everything seems to get easier for us. She got a carrot and was turned out with the herd for dinner! Happy little mare!
Tonight, I will be riding her without having Andrew warming her up. I am crossing my fingers that she's not too amped up, and I think we will long-line her first to get her in the right mindset.
I really have a get a photo of the two us soon. Two fiery red heads!
4.10.2010
harder, better, faster, stronger
Today I rode Kiki!
I was having a strong feeling Thursday that little Ms. Kiki was going to be ready for B or me soon, and lo and behold, L told me as I was tacking the little mare up for her exercise ride that I would be riding her TOO!!!!!! Agh!
She was a complete angel today, overcoming screaming children, leaving the herd (apparently she spent much of the morning making other horses impossible to catch), and standing quietly for grooming. I got there extra early so we could have some quality time together, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. I had tied up some hay in her stall (which usually helps her stay focused while I am grooming/tacking) but she was content to stand there while I groomed her for almost an hour...she even relaxed enough to rest of of her hind legs...hooray! As I was tacking her up (which she was fantastic for -- even dropping her head for the bridle), L informed me that I would be riding her and then he left for almost a half hour. Just Kiki and I to soak it all in. She was super quiet even for tacking...I think she gets the fact that I am NOT going to torture her. So I spent the half hour or so, hugging her and stroking her chest. I whispered to her that "today was our day". I think she knew.
I long lined her for maybe 20 minutes before her exercise rider showed up and she was fantastic. No moments of crazy protest, just happy to be working, focused on me and going happily. I help Andrew mount and away she went! I finally got to see her under saddle! Her only vice so far is that she is reluctant to move forward, but once she does...whoa! The most beautiful gaits!
We switched saddles (this would be her first time wearing something other than a training saddle in ages) and then I would get on her! B was reasonably concerned that the saddle switch would freak her out...but she took it in stride and accepted me on her back easily. L walked us around once or twice and set us free! I was riding her! She was listening and she felt fantastic! We trotted around happily and other than having to keep her moving forward, she was wonderful. Her steering is pretty awful and she falls in tracking right, but that can all be improved in time. Another young horse came in (he has been ridden maybe 10 times) and we led them around at a trot with lots of changes in direction to get him accustomed to going forward. L made a comment that we would be hitting the hunter circuit this fall -- ha, imagine that???
A short walk out and bath later and she was off squealing with her herd.
What a wonderful day!
I am going to get confirmation photos of this week so we have some great before and after photos! She looks like a fuzzy broodmare right now!
I was having a strong feeling Thursday that little Ms. Kiki was going to be ready for B or me soon, and lo and behold, L told me as I was tacking the little mare up for her exercise ride that I would be riding her TOO!!!!!! Agh!
She was a complete angel today, overcoming screaming children, leaving the herd (apparently she spent much of the morning making other horses impossible to catch), and standing quietly for grooming. I got there extra early so we could have some quality time together, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. I had tied up some hay in her stall (which usually helps her stay focused while I am grooming/tacking) but she was content to stand there while I groomed her for almost an hour...she even relaxed enough to rest of of her hind legs...hooray! As I was tacking her up (which she was fantastic for -- even dropping her head for the bridle), L informed me that I would be riding her and then he left for almost a half hour. Just Kiki and I to soak it all in. She was super quiet even for tacking...I think she gets the fact that I am NOT going to torture her. So I spent the half hour or so, hugging her and stroking her chest. I whispered to her that "today was our day". I think she knew.
I long lined her for maybe 20 minutes before her exercise rider showed up and she was fantastic. No moments of crazy protest, just happy to be working, focused on me and going happily. I help Andrew mount and away she went! I finally got to see her under saddle! Her only vice so far is that she is reluctant to move forward, but once she does...whoa! The most beautiful gaits!
We switched saddles (this would be her first time wearing something other than a training saddle in ages) and then I would get on her! B was reasonably concerned that the saddle switch would freak her out...but she took it in stride and accepted me on her back easily. L walked us around once or twice and set us free! I was riding her! She was listening and she felt fantastic! We trotted around happily and other than having to keep her moving forward, she was wonderful. Her steering is pretty awful and she falls in tracking right, but that can all be improved in time. Another young horse came in (he has been ridden maybe 10 times) and we led them around at a trot with lots of changes in direction to get him accustomed to going forward. L made a comment that we would be hitting the hunter circuit this fall -- ha, imagine that???
A short walk out and bath later and she was off squealing with her herd.
What a wonderful day!
I am going to get confirmation photos of this week so we have some great before and after photos! She looks like a fuzzy broodmare right now!
4.09.2010
One week off and still sane!
Kiki has over a week off due to spring camp at the farm. I got to see her a couple of times, but I didn't have a chance to handle her. She got her vaccinations a few days ago, so she was feeling pretty frisky when I grabbed her from the paddock yesterday. She didn't start a game of chase this time and was happy to see me -- the mare loves attention (secretly) and we walked quietly to the barn so she could have dinner and settle a bit. Of course, she needed to remind me of her status and gave my arm a good chomp on the walk in, it was entirely my fault as I let my guard down for .09876 of a second. Bad behavior will not be tolerated and she was reprimanded with a quick smack on the muzzle with the lead rope. L was in a bit of a hurry last night, so I skipped grooming her and got right to tacking her up. Now, for a horse that has been started three times, she really acts nutty about getting tacked (*I found out why a little later). The trick with this horse is to do everything in a predictable way, so there are no surprises for her. She did not have a hay net to much on which she was tied today and she was reeling around the stall a bit, but she got over herself and realized that I wasn't going to back down when she starts protesting. She kicks her back feet a lot while the saddle is going on (again, this will come up later) but the trick is to just continue what you're doing and let her work it out on her own. Our new routine is to get her ready (sans bridle) and let her hang out for about 15 minutes to get used to the saddle, etc. She was a perfect angel for the bridle (generally this involves a wrestling match with her cannonball like head) and was quite ready to get to work. I brought her into the indoor where two girls were having a dressage lesson (I am sure they really appreciated me bringing in this hot, silly horse), but we walked around for a few minutes until she settled down. B commented that we looked good together and that she seemed relaxed (or more so than usual - and reminded me that she's has a week off). She is always a bit spastic when we are getting her ready for long-lining and it's certainly a 2 person job to get her set up. Though I know she respects L tremendously, she's also afraid of him and so she climbs all over me to get away from him! He started her, just for a second and then immediately had me take over. Long-lining in a circle is incredibly difficult when you have a horse that needs to assert herself and keeps crowding you, but I got the hang of it, and reminded myself to stay still and pivot and not to chase her. We spent the rest of the lesson walking around the arena doing lots of turns and keeping her focused on me. I have never met a horse that the second you take your mind off of them, they take advantage of it...she is quick to remind you of this. I am getting a really good feel for what she will be like once I ride her. She is a bit stubborn and protests, but nothing big or scary. She's not spooky at all, just hot...I think that will all level out with time and training. I really felt like I could have hopped on her and walked around today. By the end of our session, she was relaxed, chewing the bit, and really focused on me. I am building confidence with her every time we get to work together. I felt completely fine sponging her off without help and she even relaxed enough to hand graze while I did so. I turned her out with her herd and although I had been warned of her antics at the gate, I felt like I could handle her like any other horse (mistake). I unclipped the halter (still needing to pull it over her head) she broke away from me and went straight up into a giant rear. I stood still holding the very end of the lead rope until she put her feet back down, where she cowardly walked towards me knowing she screwed up, dropped her head and let me pull the halter off. She tore off squealing. Silly horse.
*So the issue with saddle? Well, B told me that she has major anxiety about the saddle because during one of her previous starts she was being girthed in her stall and she freaked out (maybe it was too much tightening too fast?) and flipped over, scaring herself. I am a big believer in tightening the girth away from the barn anyway, but she is incredibly sensitive about the saddle, so little by little she'll get used to it, and that it's not going to strangle her.
I stayed late to watch some friends ride and hung out by her paddock where she came over for some love. She is a super affectionate horse and I really enjoy that she loves having her face rubbed...every inch of it, even her ears! So we finished the day on a good note and I have to say, I think she likes me...At least I hope so.
*So the issue with saddle? Well, B told me that she has major anxiety about the saddle because during one of her previous starts she was being girthed in her stall and she freaked out (maybe it was too much tightening too fast?) and flipped over, scaring herself. I am a big believer in tightening the girth away from the barn anyway, but she is incredibly sensitive about the saddle, so little by little she'll get used to it, and that it's not going to strangle her.
I stayed late to watch some friends ride and hung out by her paddock where she came over for some love. She is a super affectionate horse and I really enjoy that she loves having her face rubbed...every inch of it, even her ears! So we finished the day on a good note and I have to say, I think she likes me...At least I hope so.
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