My Horse is Back!

back to normal that is, evil twin has gone and Whin is back to her normal self!

Tuesday I got there and no one else was in the arena so I let Whin run around, I think she enjoyed it!

She was ok but I think I had backed off the leg too much while she was crazy, and she had gotten on the forehand from lounging. So she was behind my leg and on the forehand.

But after 2 days of working on it we ended yesterday on a really good note she was sitting on her haunches and forward. we finally got to work on shoulder in on the circle. She was still a little low on the circle but then when I went down the long side she really came up and started to sit more.

Today she was really good again we worked on canter transitions, canter, trot, counter canter, and so forth.  It went well. transitions are not something I can work her with too much she gets really hot and strong, and stops thinking.  I need to just sprinkle them in my work out rather than work on them specifically.  This is making it hard to teach the flying change, as good transitions are the key.

I still need to work on them as she tends to fall on the forehand in downward transitions. but I will just need to be clever about it to keep her from getting stressed.

On another note, whin suddenly understands halfsteps. She offered some steps fairly quickly, but for a long time I only got 2 or three. Last Tuesday she suddenly decided she could do it for much longer. Hopefully this means that she is getting stronger!

A friend made me this lovely saddle cover to match our pink outfit! 

I tell people I didn't have a pony when I was a little girl so now my poor redhead has to wear pink to make up for it. (At least Whin is a mare!)

All King Edwards Horses Can Make Best Friends

Back on Track

I finally had a work out that was worth mentioning!

Getting ready to be ridden.

So the past 2 days have been cut short due to me trying not to be killed. Thursday I had to squash my rides in between some baby race horses.  So we worked on the rein back and that was about it. Friday I lounged. She got her crazy out on the lounge and then was too tiered to do proper work. And people were breaking there pony to a cart. the Pony was not real happy about it so leaving was my best option.

Today I lounged again because my plan to go early and avoid every one was foiled by every one thinking the same thing.  she only had one tiny kick out as a horse ran away next to her on the lounge.  On the lounge I try to switch directions and gaits often so that she starts to focus on me.

The routine goes something like walk both ways no side reins. Then the side reins go on and she does walk trot transitions both ways until she will walk with just my voice aid. Then we do walk canter transitions until she is listening to my voice aid. by this time she is usually is focused on me and ready to be ridden.

The only problem with lounging is that she gets into this stretch down (fall on the forehand) mode so the first half of my ride is taken up with me getting her to sit back on her haunches with lots of transitions and some upwards half halts.

After that we worked on canter/medium canter transitions. this worked really well to help her come up in the fore hand.

My goals for Monday:

If there is no one there I will not lounge, but I will do the shoulder in on a serpentine exercise to get her supple and stepping under herself. I also want to start shoulder in at the canter.

All King Edwards Horses Can Make Best Friends

Snowed in

 I am too chicken to trailer in the snow, so today Whin just got treats, snuggles and had a photo shoot.

 The dressage diva in all her natural beauty. (after finding a yucky spot to roll in)

the cats were kind enough to venture into the snow to say hi and pose for some photos. but they were unsure about the clicking noise coming from my phone.

Victory

whin and I finally had a ride when I didn't want to send her off to the funny farm.

! She was very well behaved. We started off with serpintines  and transitions to get her up off the forehand and bending then we worked on canter walk and to the right she really started stepping under herself and going forward right away.  Then we worked on se half steps that she did promptly. Also I  am learning how wonderful halting upward in stead of back is it helps her to come off the forehand. 

And we finished just before the baby race horses to came.

Winter blues

I have the winter blues, my mare has gone crazy. But now the holidays are over fewer people should be riding and the arena will be open more so Whin and I can ride 6 days a week again. Which her brain apparently needs. 

 In between bucking fits we got some nice work done . I saw an exercise where the rider did shoulder in on a serpentine. I modified it to just circles since the arena was crazy busy. But Whin had been stiff to the right In last weeks lesson so I was hoping this would help. It sure did when I finished up she was doing shoulder in to haunches out beautifully. 

I did have to keep up with her on the shoulder in circle To the right because she wanted to slow down and not step under. I gave her a tap with the inside leg to keep her active. I will  do this exercise  again.

I also got to practice anticipating bucks, because once she got going it was all I could do to stay on let alone curb her bad behavior, but the last  two times she wanted to explode I shut it down pretty quickly. If I were a better rider I would catch her before the rocket launch and go on with our dressage work.

All King Edwards Horses Call Me Blessed Fool 

Riding in 2014

OK sorry for totally abandoning this blog for several months. However  I have some good news I now have a way to take pictures, so my blog posts can have pics of Whin!

Some things worth mentioning are that Whin got a haircut which saves me soooo much time. I ride at a heated public arena. She had a woolly mamoth coat and then would sweat buckets, so the hair had to go. I wanted a nice trace clip but Whin is very ticklish, so it ended up being somewhat of a modified Irish clip. And the weather got cold snowy and slick so with it went turnout and Whin's brain.

The thing that really gets Whin is other horses, I have mostly been in barns that were very small and usually Whin and I had the whole thing to ourselves... now I ride in a public arena.

Today the arena looked like this ^^  trailers and horses every where! And  to top it off some were breaking  race horses O: From the moment I pulled up I knew it wasn't going to be my day.

Whin Modeling her pink outfit.

I gave it my best shot we made it through the warm up walk before the fireworks started at least.  Whin is very tricky about it too, She will go around perfectly round very nicely and wham  all 4 feet in the air. And of course every one is looking at me like holy cow get a grip, girl.

I am pretty sure this is how we looked today.
At least this is how it felt.
what happened to my dressage horse???

 Maybe one day I will be one of those riders that can magically feel before the buck/rear/leap happens and stop it, but not today.  So I did my best, and to my defense I did stop a few rocket launches, and was feeling pretty good about it. When I was quickly humbled. I put Whin into I nice shoulder in when suddenly It was as if I was riding a Pegasus. Lift off was so forceful I made a very unflattering Hurrgghh and then we sailed through the air (I flew slightly higher than Whin) I think I flailed around a bit trying to find something to hold on to. we landed together fortunately, and went back to shoulder in.

I did this a bit more and called it quits. I don't think I was going to win today so I stopped on a good note.

Hacking out after riding

Whin and I went for a nice hack (all by are lonesomes) to end the bad ride, I think we both needed it. But I think I am getting old because even when I stay on these bucks it makes my back terribly soar.

All King Edwards Horses Call Me Blessed Fool

p.s. will some one please tell Whin that she is not a Lipizzaner and "airs above the ground" are not required.

In Memory of Clifford

A little over a month ago my sweet dog died, Clifford.

I didn't blog about it sooner because if was just too hard.  

 Clifford was just about the perfect dog, accept he wouldn't come... but other than that pretty much perfect.

I wish I was a better writer so that I could tell about Clifford better, but that is not my strong point so I will post pictures.

Clifford's favorite activity was eating (he is a lab), his second favorite activity, sleeping. 

Preferably on people beds.

Clifford was very snuggly and loved every one!

He was also my best model for drawing (because of his natural good looks and second favorite activity)

Did I mention Clifford was always hungry, Always

Thanks for remembering Clifford with me.

All King Edwards Horses Can Make Best Friends