It Must be in the Water

I don't know what it is but Holly was great again tonight. I'd love to know what has changed so much that she is happy and relaxed under saddle now. I rode her in my saddle tonight and she was still the same as she has been for the past week. I used a Cashel lollipop pad to raise the cantle up and make the saddle more level, that did seem to help my balance. I think she's back in season now so that is even more amazing. Oh well, I guess I need to stop questioning it and just keep enjoying it!

Hey, That's a Thought, Actually RIDE the Horse!

Get ready, this is a long one since I have so much to tell! It's all about Holly today. So... after our last unhappy bareback ride I decided to wait until Holly was not in season to ride her again. I wanted to see how much of a difference that made in her behavior. However, I did not rule out the saddle and my riding as potential causes to her swiftness.

Last week a friend offered to let me try her saddle, which is a medium tree. She came down on Thursday and I had her get on first to see if there was a big difference. The transformation was astounding! Holly was super relaxed, even lazy! When I got on she was the same. The biggest difference I noticed with the saddle was my riding. My saddle is SO flat and actually sits uphill on her back so it is very difficult to stay balanced. My friend's saddle is much better balanced and sits level on Holly. It has a deeper seat and is so easy to sit in even though it has no blocks or rolls under the flap. I was so happy I can not even describe it! "I've finally found the problem!" I thought, at last. However, when I was untacking her I realized that she seemed more mellow than normal. Not depressed or unhappy, just utterly relaxed. It was a hot and sticky night so maybe that was why she was so good. My friend left her saddle with me for the weekend so I could try it again.

On Friday morning Holly was still in the same mood (it was again very hot and muggy) so I put my saddle on to see if there was a difference in her. Oddly, she was just the same as she had been with the other saddle. Hmmm. I put my friend's saddle back on and that's when I finally found half of the problem. You see, every horse reacts to things differently. Some of them are very predictable in the way they react. Henry, for example, backs up when he doesn't like something. Mojo spins away, and Holly...you guessed it...she just runs over anything she doesn't like. Even though I rode her for five minutes in my saddle, she thought she was finished for the day and was going to get treats and go back to munching hay. When I put a saddle back on her she gave me a bewildered stare. When I led her back to the mounting block she looked incredulous. When I got on her for the second time she was downright indignant, and when I finally asked her to trot she expressed her displeasure with a swift departure.

What is funny is that she really did not want to work at all and so she kept trying to walk. I would squeeze her forward and, annoyed, she would speed off again. It was actually really amusing. At last, I realized that this is just her way of expressing when she feels anything other than happy, relaxed, and ready to work. Since this is obviously her personality I am going to have to figure out a way to keep her listening to me even when she doesn't feel like it. On to the second half of the problem....

I started to concentrate on my riding and very quickly realized that I had stopped "riding" Holly a long time ago. I had become a passenger and Holly had been taking advantage. I have some ideas as to why I was riding that way, but no matter. As soon as I realized what was going on I became more engaged. I noticed that she speeds up in specific areas around the field, and she tries to walk in different areas. First we addressed the steering. I held my ground and made her trot where I wanted her to trot, instead of following the paths she usually likes to take. That was easy enough. Next, I tackled our pace. Just before a speed zone I actually did what so many have tried to tell me...I sat up. I know, totally crazy right?! This was not sitting up like before. Before I would just bring my shoulders back. I finally realized that I had to act, with my whole body, like I was going to ask her to walk and then just refrained from sitting and saying "walk". She actually slowed down. Let me repeat, she actually SLOWED DOWN! If anyone had watched me at that moment they would have seen the brightest damn light bulb over my head. Not only did I finally employ a proper "sit up", but I also redirected her before the speed zones so that she didn't know where we were going. In one area that meant making a smallish turn back up the hill whence we came, and then making a large circle past another speed zone. It was like a figure eight but more like an actual written eight, where the top hole is smaller than the bottom. The last thing to address was the slowing down, which was part of the pace adjustment. In between circling and sitting up I really pushed her forward. The result? I think we held a fairly even pace on a loose rein and Holly for the first time started to wait and listen to me. She tried to have her own way a bit but by the end she was waiting for me to tell her what to do. It was the best ride I'd had on her since the first day I jumped her!

We did a little cantering that morning but not much. It wasn't bad either but we didn't spend very much time on it. I gave her Saturday off and then rode her Sunday afternoon. To date I think Sunday's ride was the best I've ever ridden her. She was relaxed, happy, we went around on a loose rein and I used the "sit up" whenever she got a little quick, which was barely at all. What made the ride spectacular though was that we cantered around the whole field on a loose rein! We've NEVER done that before. She was listening and happy, and I was ecstatic. A trick I used was that I asked her to canter out of nowhere with no buildup and fairly soon into the ride. She wasn't expecting it and so didn't have time to anticipate it. She came back to the trot just as happy and relaxed as she had been before. She seemed to like that better than trotting for a while and cantering near the end of the ride.

Tuesday morning I rode her again but only for a very short time because I was trying out a brand new saddle. She was very lazy and I had to use a fair amount of leg to keep her going. The saddle didn't work out, it puts me too far forward, but I loved the ride.

Well that brings us up to date. I hope to ride her again today if I can get home with enough time. Hopefully I can keep up the good work. I'm hunting for a new saddle, one that is better balanced. In the meantime I'm going to try my saddle with a variety of pads to see if I can make it sit level. Wish me luck!

Not so Fast

Well I guess I got ahead of myself. I rode That Mare (Holly) on Saturday and it did not go as well as I hoped it would. Now, I don't know if it was my fault, or if it is because Holly and Maybe are both badly in season. I am leaning towards the latter but I believe that my riding contributed to the awfulness. She was much too forward and seemed bouncier than usual which made it hard for me to sit quietly. My bouncing in turn, I am sure, contributed more to her swiftness and it was just a vicious cycle. I did use the gag bit but it really did not seem to help. We cantered even though the trotting had not been pleasant. Happliy the canter was much better. She was not relaxed but at least didn't rocket off like at the trot. When I first got on she wanted to go visit Maybe and did not want to go into the field. During the ride she kept pulling towards the gate whenever we neared it and that is not normal for her. As soon as we were done and exited the field she nickered at Maybe and beelined straight for her. That was my clue. They are in love with each other when they are in season, which is every three weeks. I will ride her again soon to see if I can determine if that is what's making her so fussy at times.

Till next time.

Progress!

The last two days I have been riding the leftover glow of what turned out to be a wonderful weekend. Not only did I manage to get aboard a horse, I rode three times! I finally managed to get on Maybe, the old mare, and she was fun. I hopped on her bareback on Saturday night for just a few minutes. She was very comfortable but is just as pushy under saddle as she is on the ground. I rode her again with a saddle on Sunday before letting my niece get on her. Unfortunately even that small amount of riding made her sore. She has arthritic hocks and needs to be on injections. She hasn't had them for months and I needed to get syringes so I could start her back on them. That has been done now so hopefully she will not be sore next time.

I also managed to ride the Princess once or twice, also bareback, and she was brilliant! I couldn't have been happier with her. She was relaxed and happy and we were even able to canter calmly. We haven't cantered on purpose in a long while so this is great progress. I only hope she will continue to be this wonderful. I am sure if I keep riding bareback for a while I will be able to keep my balance and ride much more confidently under saddle, which should make her Highness happy. I have picked a date for a local show I would like to take Holly to at the end of June. If all keeps going well [fingers crossed] then I think we will be able to do it!

Had a short morning ride today!!! It was a last minute decision made when I was about to get dressed for work. I should do this more often, my thighs were burning! Why is Holly better bareback with halter and lead ropes than saddle and bridle? We trotted slower and longer than we have under saddle in a looong time. She did get quick but was easily slowed down. Is it my saddle? The bridle or bit? Or is it because she knows she is not going to have to do much when we ride bareback? Something for me to ponder, but in the meantime... I'm SO happy I rode!!!

Catch Up

I must confess I have been riding and not writing. To be sure, it was not too many times, but still...I have ridden and did not write about it. Let me now divulge the details. It all started weeks ago when I put in a request for information about lessons at Rose Mount Farm in Spotsylvania. Ms. Garnett called me and we set up a lesson. That first Monday morning I drove out to the immaculate show facility that is Rose Mount and drooled all over their barn. Not really, but I am sure I at least walked around with my mouth gaped open like an idiot. I had only seen facilities like those in magazines before. Jealousy is not even an option. There is only awe. Anyway, the horse I rode that day was wonderful. He is a pretty bay, similar in size to Henry, although more muscled and rounder. He is afraid of pigeons and the arena doorway. I was nervous of course but not for long. After I mounted and began to warm up I realized that I am still a good enough rider not to make a complete fool of myself, and that this horse was no school horse so he was going to do what I asked. Fortunately for me he did not require too much leg at the trot and was actually more forward but not too speedy. The canter was very smooth although he did need a bit of work to stay balanced and in control. It all fell apart, of course, at the jumping. I was supposed to quietly trot up to the fence and canter off on landing. Unlike The Lady Holly, this horse seemed to have an off button that came into effect three strides before the fence. It was like the end of the ride on those mechanical horseys outside of the grocery store. I squeezed his sides in vain but was able to at least keep him going over the jump and even managed to keep trotting after the jump. It took three more tries before I was able to convince the old boy to canter after the jump. Score one for me.

I have had another lesson since that one and it went much the same although I did a better job of squeezing. I guess those personal training appointments are paying off after all. Yay! Sadly I have not ridden either of my horses much in the past month. The last time I rode them was sometime after the first lesson I believe. I have been working on walking in straight lines with them since reading an article by Jim Wofford in Practical Horseman over the winter. Henry loves it and snaps to attention when we start this exercise. After walking in straight lines for a while to warm up he is much more relaxed and responsive at the trot. He seems more willing to use his back as well. I did not expect that reaction from him at all. Holly is another story. She first ignores me and then becomes irritated when I do not quit trying to tell her where to walk. She seems to feel that since they are her feet I have no right to tell her where to put them. This could take some time. And since she gets irritated before we even begin to trot you can guess what it's like when/if we trot. Can we say rocket ship? Sigh. More patience, more patience, more patience... On a positive note, I just realized that today is one year anniversary of when I started blogging. Hooray!! I am making a promise to myself today that I will ride and blog more regularly in the next 12 months than I did in the last. Cheers!

Greener Pastures

The pasture one year later. It is greener than in this picture. We limed a week or two ago so we should get a lot more grass soon. Compared to last year's photo it doesn't look like we have as much grass but really there is more grass this year and less weeds. There are also less bare spots.

Extra What?

For anyone who was wondering why there is a big lump on the underside of Henry's jaw in the title picture. It was an extra tooth, or specifically an ectopic tooth. It is not an extremely rare thing but his was highly unusual. I had it removed several years ago by Dr. Hyde of the American School of Equine Dentistry. Check out the pictures here.

7yr Old Super Awesome Gelding For Sale $800

Selling a horse is hard these days. No one is buying horses unless they can afford the cream of the crop. Those of us with lower priced animals have to do everything we can to market our equines to the tiny number of people looking for a good deal. I have always looked at horse ads on CL whenever I am perusing the farm and garden section. It has never ceased to amaze me how much people don't really seem to care about how their "fine" equine appears to potential buyers. They seem to think that a blurry photo and badly worded blurb, devoid of punctuation, touting the superiority of this animal should convince people that it is worth their while to come see it in person. In some of these cases they might get more interest with no photo at all. Then at least we could be hopeful that the seller doesn't have a camera, is technologically challenged, or has some other logical excuse for not posting a pic.

Perhaps these pony peddlers just don't realize what a bad impression they are making? Surely if they took the time to find out the best way to sell their horse online they might be able to come up with a better advertisement. A quick search of "how to sell your horse online" reveals an eHow article with step by step instructions. Step number two says to "take images that enhance the good points of your horse." No one can think that means to go out in the paddock just after your horse rolled in the mud and snap a photo of "Rocket" while he looks like he just awoke from a long nap in a dirty stall. But I can see that people might need a little more instruction on how to best capture the pony on camera. Therefore I'd like to offer some pointers to would be sellers, in hopes that they might make a better first impression on potential buyers. So here goes.

Super Simple Guidelines for Selling Your Horse Online

When you are trying to sell your horse, do yourself a favor and take a brush, a curry, and some Show Sheen to your nag before you pull out the Nikon. It won't hurt to pull or trim their mane and tail or put some hoof oil on their tootsies either. And before you decide to run out to the field for the glamor shot please Please PLEASE keep in mind that potential buyers want to see the entire horse! A head on shot of the horse grazing shows absolutely NOTHING. If you are worried that your horse has poor conformation, stop worrying, there are plenty of people searching for a horse who wouldn't know good conformation if it came up and bit them.

If you really want to impress people then take two shots, one from the side with the horse standing square, and one (also from the side) of the horse trotting at the maximum point of extension. We don't want to see photos of the beast in a field with five other horses in winter blankets. We don't want to see photos of a scraggly scruffy hack, standing in muck up to their ankles while you assure us this thing is a gorgeous mover who will get lots of attention in the show ring!!! Serious buyers are not going to waste their time contacting you to try the horse if you can't be bothered to spruce the poor thing up and take a decent photo.

If you are advertising that the horse can jump, then take a picture (from the SIDE again please!) of the horse in neat form going over a jump with a decent rider. Can't get a decent rider? Take one of the horse free jumping. It is much better to see the horse jumping nicely without a rider than to see a grainy under/over exposed photo of some kid's first jumping lesson. The same goes for any other riding discipline. If you can't get a good action shot then don't include it.

The old saying is that a picture is worth a thousand words. By following these simple guidelines I am sure you can create photo whose one thousand words are complementary and result in more inquiries. When it is so easy to put your horse's best hoof forward why would you do anything else?