1-2 ft of snow predictions.
2 in. an hour.
-11 temps tomorrow.
WHAAAAAAT THE EFF?!
HOw I am going to get out to the barn to put an extra blanket on for Yankee if snow is coming down that hard?
I'm afraid to put the thick one on now since its in the 30s but its going to drop fast.
Suggestions?
Put it on tonight in anticipation of impending snowstorm of death and hope he doesn't sweat to death or hope I can get out to the barn in all the snow and hope he wont freeze if I don't make it?
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Change of Plans
Instead of easing back into dressage/jump training I think I will have some fun and switch it up totally and run some barrels with Yanks. I used to run in 4H and it was wicked fun. Yankee was never any good at it but my pony Spirit ran like the wind and could turn on a dime so we always won! I think it'll be a fun switch up for us and we can get out of the doldrums of winter training.
That is all.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Boots!
Albigears asked me what kind of boots I like, since I confessed I have a major hoarding problem with horse boots.
But first thing is first. We need to take a break from riding I think. Everyone else agrees to, or to an extent of that. A week or 2 off will do us good. I am pretty sick, so right now doing anything but HW is out of the question. I will go out and groom him and such, I still love my pony :) After a break we will start back up with some trick training, he gets really excited to learn new things. Gotta find my clicker now...
Then we will ease back into work. I need to MAKE time to get outside. I usually have to ride in the arena since I have class till 4pm and the barn gets fed at 4 so riding right afterwards can't happen. What I need to do is ask the employee feeding to just give him hay and I will give grain. I tried to vary stuff with lunging, long lining, dressage work and jumping but I think it all happening in the arena was too much for him.
So boots. I have about 20 pairs I think. Polos, open front, woof boots, woof boots with hard plastic on the tendon, bell boots etc!
Ok, these are awesome boots- SMB Pro Medicine Boots II. I have the navy blue colored ones. One of the things I like about these boots is the loop hook that goes under the ankle, I feel like this adds a little bit extra support and I usually do my gallop sets in these boots. Some people are concerned abut heat in the legs when using boots, but I haven't noticed much heat in his legs after use. Even though they are all material, they seem to ventilate pretty well. :)
I have a pair like this but in white. I bought them off ebay and I use them exclusively for show jumping rounds in competitions. Not a fan of the fleece but they get the job done. I am more worried about heat in these boots than any other, but he wears them for all of 20 minutes usually.
Ok drumroll please...........WOOF BOOTS! These are my all time favorite lightweight sport boots besides the Roma boots down below. They are light, breathable, moldable, easy to put on and come in tons of colors. I have more pairs of these boots than any other. I think I have 7 pairs. 2 for competition, and all the others for schooling. I have one pair with wool fleecey-ness as the liner instead of neoprene and it has a big circle brushing pad on the ankle. These are nice for galloping. I have a front pair that has a peice of hard molded plastic on the tendon; I like these for XC or jumping since Yanks tends to overreach and I feel comfortable he won't hurt himself. I have several pairs like the one in the picture for schooling. I seriously heart these boots big time.
These are Dover Pro Fleece boots. I use them for everyday schooling, especially dressage. They are easy and quick to put on with only 2 straps and they mold very well to legs after a few uses. I dislike that stuff gets in them pretty easily, esp. if used outside. Grass seeds and whatnot get into them pretty easily so I tend to just use them in arenas. They don't work well in cold though, the plastic gets stiff so I only use them in summer.
These are my MOST favorite boots and I originally bought them for shows, but I loved them so much that I use them for schooling as well. For those of you concerned with heat, I recommend these boots for sure! They were inexpensive, are easy to put on, mold to the leg and dissipate heat very well. I love where they sit on the leg and they allow for a lot of freedom of movement. The liner almost feel jelly inside.
These are wicked cool! They are called petal boots and I can't find them anywhere now. I bought them years ago when I had Spirit (see previous horses on top bar under header)and I had just started eventing. Neat thing is that you can interchange colors! I have blue and white petal boots. Sad thing is that they are wicked expensive and to interchange colors you have to buy 2 pairs. But, you get 4 bell boots and if you need to replace a petal or the strap you can. I used these in lower levels since they flap at the canter/gallop and won't guarantee coverage/protection once you get into the higher levels. I swear, my petal boots got more attention at events than me or my horse did, lol!
Now, for events and schooling I use these bad boys. Weaver double-lock velcro bell boots. These are the nicest velcro bell boots I have found, and on ebay they are like $5. Sometimes I use ankle fleece lined ones for schooling dressage. When he was younger, Yankee had to wear bell boots 24/7/365 and I used the pull on ribbed bell boots but those are too hard to get on and off for competitions. I usually don't use bell boots in stadium since he is more careful without them but they are a must for XC!
Polos- I use these for hardcore dressage training since I feel they give more support than regular boots. Only problem is that they are really hot.
To wrap up, I recommend woof boots, roma open front and the weaver bell boots.
But first thing is first. We need to take a break from riding I think. Everyone else agrees to, or to an extent of that. A week or 2 off will do us good. I am pretty sick, so right now doing anything but HW is out of the question. I will go out and groom him and such, I still love my pony :) After a break we will start back up with some trick training, he gets really excited to learn new things. Gotta find my clicker now...
Then we will ease back into work. I need to MAKE time to get outside. I usually have to ride in the arena since I have class till 4pm and the barn gets fed at 4 so riding right afterwards can't happen. What I need to do is ask the employee feeding to just give him hay and I will give grain. I tried to vary stuff with lunging, long lining, dressage work and jumping but I think it all happening in the arena was too much for him.
So boots. I have about 20 pairs I think. Polos, open front, woof boots, woof boots with hard plastic on the tendon, bell boots etc!
Ok, these are awesome boots- SMB Pro Medicine Boots II. I have the navy blue colored ones. One of the things I like about these boots is the loop hook that goes under the ankle, I feel like this adds a little bit extra support and I usually do my gallop sets in these boots. Some people are concerned abut heat in the legs when using boots, but I haven't noticed much heat in his legs after use. Even though they are all material, they seem to ventilate pretty well. :)
I have a pair like this but in white. I bought them off ebay and I use them exclusively for show jumping rounds in competitions. Not a fan of the fleece but they get the job done. I am more worried about heat in these boots than any other, but he wears them for all of 20 minutes usually.
Ok drumroll please...........WOOF BOOTS! These are my all time favorite lightweight sport boots besides the Roma boots down below. They are light, breathable, moldable, easy to put on and come in tons of colors. I have more pairs of these boots than any other. I think I have 7 pairs. 2 for competition, and all the others for schooling. I have one pair with wool fleecey-ness as the liner instead of neoprene and it has a big circle brushing pad on the ankle. These are nice for galloping. I have a front pair that has a peice of hard molded plastic on the tendon; I like these for XC or jumping since Yanks tends to overreach and I feel comfortable he won't hurt himself. I have several pairs like the one in the picture for schooling. I seriously heart these boots big time.
These are Dover Pro Fleece boots. I use them for everyday schooling, especially dressage. They are easy and quick to put on with only 2 straps and they mold very well to legs after a few uses. I dislike that stuff gets in them pretty easily, esp. if used outside. Grass seeds and whatnot get into them pretty easily so I tend to just use them in arenas. They don't work well in cold though, the plastic gets stiff so I only use them in summer.
These are my MOST favorite boots and I originally bought them for shows, but I loved them so much that I use them for schooling as well. For those of you concerned with heat, I recommend these boots for sure! They were inexpensive, are easy to put on, mold to the leg and dissipate heat very well. I love where they sit on the leg and they allow for a lot of freedom of movement. The liner almost feel jelly inside.
These are wicked cool! They are called petal boots and I can't find them anywhere now. I bought them years ago when I had Spirit (see previous horses on top bar under header)and I had just started eventing. Neat thing is that you can interchange colors! I have blue and white petal boots. Sad thing is that they are wicked expensive and to interchange colors you have to buy 2 pairs. But, you get 4 bell boots and if you need to replace a petal or the strap you can. I used these in lower levels since they flap at the canter/gallop and won't guarantee coverage/protection once you get into the higher levels. I swear, my petal boots got more attention at events than me or my horse did, lol!
Now, for events and schooling I use these bad boys. Weaver double-lock velcro bell boots. These are the nicest velcro bell boots I have found, and on ebay they are like $5. Sometimes I use ankle fleece lined ones for schooling dressage. When he was younger, Yankee had to wear bell boots 24/7/365 and I used the pull on ribbed bell boots but those are too hard to get on and off for competitions. I usually don't use bell boots in stadium since he is more careful without them but they are a must for XC!
Polos- I use these for hardcore dressage training since I feel they give more support than regular boots. Only problem is that they are really hot.
To wrap up, I recommend woof boots, roma open front and the weaver bell boots.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Riding Angst
Riding was a no go today.
I think I am getting sick, sore throat, coughing, sneezing & achy...yeeahhh. So I slept a bunch after class. Till like 8 om...then played WOW (world of warcraft) like a nerd, lol. Brandon got me playing a few days ago and it is the most addictive game ever...anyways.
I feel like a failure this week :(
Jump refusals. Dressage resistance. Bucking fits. And not being able to make it out to ride as often as I would like. Class is really kicking my lilly white ass right now. I feel like I am drowning in homework, not to mention bill-time-of-the month is right around the corner
With all of that loveliness I feel all this anxiety about Yankee and I's progression right now...
Like its nonexistent and we are going backwards. I get such high's some days, but IMMEDIATELY after we have a week of hatefullness. It is most discouraging.
The way we are going I feel like I will never even finish an event this summer, let alone do well and place well in chance of AEC's. We both have major issues with stadium after last summer....(successfully crashed through 3 courses consecutively-3 separate events. Crashing meaning every fence knocked over or run through and having to withdraw or live with a horrid score going to XC) and it is most difficult to stop being anxious..
As for dressage, some days are glorious, brilliant collection, extensions, transitions, side passes, flying changes and not even 2 days later we can't hold ourselves together enough to execute a nice canter transition.
Do any of you have blah days (or weeks) in my case and feel you will never get out of this rut? What do you do? Take more lessons? Take a break? School even more?
I'm at a loss right now.
So I bought some bell boots on Ebay.
I have a wicked hoarding problem with boots. Woof boots, polos, galloping boots, open-front boots, bell boots, etc. I have a vast collection (consisting of more or less, 20 pairs) for Yankee and he rarely wears the same pair in a week. It's bad. I need help.
I think I am getting sick, sore throat, coughing, sneezing & achy...yeeahhh. So I slept a bunch after class. Till like 8 om...then played WOW (world of warcraft) like a nerd, lol. Brandon got me playing a few days ago and it is the most addictive game ever...anyways.
I feel like a failure this week :(
Jump refusals. Dressage resistance. Bucking fits. And not being able to make it out to ride as often as I would like. Class is really kicking my lilly white ass right now. I feel like I am drowning in homework, not to mention bill-time-of-the month is right around the corner
With all of that loveliness I feel all this anxiety about Yankee and I's progression right now...
Like its nonexistent and we are going backwards. I get such high's some days, but IMMEDIATELY after we have a week of hatefullness. It is most discouraging.
The way we are going I feel like I will never even finish an event this summer, let alone do well and place well in chance of AEC's. We both have major issues with stadium after last summer....(successfully crashed through 3 courses consecutively-3 separate events. Crashing meaning every fence knocked over or run through and having to withdraw or live with a horrid score going to XC) and it is most difficult to stop being anxious..
As for dressage, some days are glorious, brilliant collection, extensions, transitions, side passes, flying changes and not even 2 days later we can't hold ourselves together enough to execute a nice canter transition.
Do any of you have blah days (or weeks) in my case and feel you will never get out of this rut? What do you do? Take more lessons? Take a break? School even more?
I'm at a loss right now.
So I bought some bell boots on Ebay.
I have a wicked hoarding problem with boots. Woof boots, polos, galloping boots, open-front boots, bell boots, etc. I have a vast collection (consisting of more or less, 20 pairs) for Yankee and he rarely wears the same pair in a week. It's bad. I need help.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The Somewhat Good and the Very Bad
Ok so today sucked big ones. I was super excited to get out and jump today since I had the day off, got out of school early-ish and didnt have much HW. Buuuuut it turned out to be atrocious all around. We warmed up outside in the snow, which was ok but he tried to buck me off about every 3 seconds. Some pics were pretty good except my position in some but I blame that on bracing for bucks. Still though, no excuse. I was still extra sore in my core and....well it was just bad.
.....And onto some malarky
Yeah and that was just a small selection of about 20 pictures of him bucking and hopping like a tard.
....And a refusal...
Which is 1 of about 30 pictures like that. Yeah I have no idea what the problem was today. Could have been that Hannah and pronto were in the arena too, or that I was a little off today too position wise, or that he simply just hates stadium jumps and jumping in the arena or that he hates having to jump correctly instead of flying around like an idiot, or he was just off or cold, or some other of about 100 reasons it could be. I lowered it to 1ft. and he still refused. It was so stupid and I am still upset.
I mean seriously this is not my usual horse....he can jump the moon and more...(see "I was bad but my horse was good post" down the page). I must figure out what went wrong today
.....And onto some malarky
Yeah and that was just a small selection of about 20 pictures of him bucking and hopping like a tard.
....And a refusal...
Which is 1 of about 30 pictures like that. Yeah I have no idea what the problem was today. Could have been that Hannah and pronto were in the arena too, or that I was a little off today too position wise, or that he simply just hates stadium jumps and jumping in the arena or that he hates having to jump correctly instead of flying around like an idiot, or he was just off or cold, or some other of about 100 reasons it could be. I lowered it to 1ft. and he still refused. It was so stupid and I am still upset.
I mean seriously this is not my usual horse....he can jump the moon and more...(see "I was bad but my horse was good post" down the page). I must figure out what went wrong today
Monday, January 24, 2011
Lunge/Piaffe Lesson
Yesterday I was wicked sore from working out like a beast at the gym so I lunged Yanks and practiced more piaffe training with him. Got some pretty neat video stills for you to enjoy from our lesson yesterday. To start off with ....
.... a very bad pony. And moving on to good pony....
Some trot work before the harder stuff began. He enjoys the new technique I am using with the lunge line running through the bit to circingle. Really enables him to stretch through the contact and be active. I am taking more of a liking to this lunging technique over the attach to bit and I will continue to use this. I had switched to free lunging him in the arena with sidereins to allow him to be freer ( I thought the lunge line was restrictive) and he enjoyed it for about 2 weeks then got lazy since I had no direct control of his head, even though I had control via voice and body placement.
Some nice canter work too. I LOVE that reach with the hind end. He is epically light in this photo. I feel we are making massive improvement on the lunge. I hope to use these muscles we develop on the line towards in saddle movements.
This is his easiest direction to collect and use his quarters more. His legs aren't as active but he does collect quite well. However after just 2 steps or so he tends to pop up in his hindquarters, but we are slowly and steadily gaining strength.
A little pop up in the hind end. Notice the hock placement difference in this photo versus the previous. The 1st photo he has his hocks underneath him where in this photo they are almost behind him. The step is more active but there is virtually no lowering here of the quarters. I would rather have collection, since activity will come from that as we school this more.
More active this way with the steps but not as collected. Again, hocks are 'out' rather than 'in' or 'under'.
This photo is much better for this direction. His hocks are significantly more under himself and quarters lowered (than previous photo). Very active hind end too.
Example of a 'popped' hind end.
I don't know if you all can see the difference, but I can since I study the photos intensely and he is my horse so I know him pretty well. Cool to see his progress though. I hope in the next 6 months we can get 5 steps in each direction and even more collection and activity. But I'm not pushing. This is just a fun thing to teach him, like bowing (and after last time-where I about broke my ankle from us both losing our balance, I am afraid to keep doing that one for now...).
That is all for now. Jump sesh tomorrow :D It has been to long!
.... a very bad pony. And moving on to good pony....
Some trot work before the harder stuff began. He enjoys the new technique I am using with the lunge line running through the bit to circingle. Really enables him to stretch through the contact and be active. I am taking more of a liking to this lunging technique over the attach to bit and I will continue to use this. I had switched to free lunging him in the arena with sidereins to allow him to be freer ( I thought the lunge line was restrictive) and he enjoyed it for about 2 weeks then got lazy since I had no direct control of his head, even though I had control via voice and body placement.
Some nice canter work too. I LOVE that reach with the hind end. He is epically light in this photo. I feel we are making massive improvement on the lunge. I hope to use these muscles we develop on the line towards in saddle movements.
This is his easiest direction to collect and use his quarters more. His legs aren't as active but he does collect quite well. However after just 2 steps or so he tends to pop up in his hindquarters, but we are slowly and steadily gaining strength.
A little pop up in the hind end. Notice the hock placement difference in this photo versus the previous. The 1st photo he has his hocks underneath him where in this photo they are almost behind him. The step is more active but there is virtually no lowering here of the quarters. I would rather have collection, since activity will come from that as we school this more.
More active this way with the steps but not as collected. Again, hocks are 'out' rather than 'in' or 'under'.
This photo is much better for this direction. His hocks are significantly more under himself and quarters lowered (than previous photo). Very active hind end too.
Example of a 'popped' hind end.
I don't know if you all can see the difference, but I can since I study the photos intensely and he is my horse so I know him pretty well. Cool to see his progress though. I hope in the next 6 months we can get 5 steps in each direction and even more collection and activity. But I'm not pushing. This is just a fun thing to teach him, like bowing (and after last time-where I about broke my ankle from us both losing our balance, I am afraid to keep doing that one for now...).
That is all for now. Jump sesh tomorrow :D It has been to long!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
New Obession.
"o hay, i am yankee thee horse. i very cute. cute enuff to get foods. feed me some treet foods and i will luv you fore-evers. see? luk at mah cute tong? I steek it out fer treat foods."
[Disclaimer: This post is about to be epically extensive with several photos and explanations of thus. This is my last day before the clusterF of work-college-riding juggle begins and I may not be able to ride or post as often as I would like. Catch it....22.]
VIDEO STILLS!
Why didn't I think of this before? Instead of making someone suffer at the end of the camera that a) is crappy and doesn't take very good pictures and b) is very tempermental and won't zoom in or out well, I can just take video in small segments and then take video still from that! HOT damn I've done it. I am so smart, I mean no one has thought of this before me and I am intellectually superior than others :P
Anyways, this has proved to be a irreplaceable training tool. I used vid stills for Yankee free jumping the other day and today I took some from his lunging sesh and our workout. They can be grainy, but I am not looking to put them in a frame on the wall, merely to use as a training tool.
I got an amazing b-day present from my old (not in age :P) dressage instructor, Connie, to help me out with MY position in relation to Yankee's training. It is a book called "Centered Riding 2" which plays on a riders balance and how it affects the horse and how they move.
The first chapter was all about realizing your center/balance and reeeeally feeling where your body is on the horse. That's all I did today too (espechially since I haven't ridden in over 6 days). I felt exactly where my seatbones were and how much weight was on each. I felt the weight and placement of my feet in the stirrups. I was exceptionally conscious of where my head and hands were as well as if I was correctly aligned. I have an awful habit of pushing my feet out in front of me and sucking back in the hips. This was my defense against Yankee being a retard baby off the track. But now since he is grown and *perfect* I need to ditch this in a bad way. We worked on it :)
My barn slave, Brandon (and Mr. Goofins himself). He cleans stalls, tosses hay, sweeps aisles, dumps manure, moves jumps, feeds horses, measures supplements, takes countless videos/pics and grooms my horse!! He is awesome. You should get a Brandon, they are very helpful.
Yankee's AMAZING tail that I obsess over and make sure it is always lush & gorgeous. I bag it in the winter (sometimes summer if he is on day turnout) and apply cowboy magic/ wash it as much as possible. I wash it every 2 weeks in summer with human shampoo (less harsh & expensive) and apply cowboy magic every other day. I rarely brush it since that pulls out hairs. Just look at that tail :)
I tried a new technique today I have seen Cheryl use on her babies. After running the lunge line through his inner bit ring, I clipped it to his girth ring so that when his head is perpendicular with the ground, the line will be straight. It barely has an effect on his mouth when he is stretching long and low, since it is free to slide through the bit ring but gives him just enough incentive, along with the loose side reins, to be soft through his back. And look at the results! Stretching down and forward, stretch & impulsion evident in all 4 of his legs, freedom of shoulder, and ROUND back (look behind the saddle pad)
I like him to warm up long& low since it stretches out that topline and frees up his muscles everywhere. I think he likes it, and it is evident in the pictures. His ears are listening, his poll is soft and he is stretching forward (even in the canter!), his haunches/back legs are engaged, his shoulders are swinging, and his back is round. Yanks goes better to the left for obvious reasons (OTTB), so I rarely warm him up more than 10 min on this side.
OK so this pic is from when I asked him to "trot ON". This is what he gives me and holy beans is that nice! I wish we could get this amount of relaxation& impulsion, all in one package, in the saddle. He is not stretching forward or down but to me that is a-ok. Those legs are worthy of Totilas (ok maybe not thaaat much, but hey) and he remains relaxed through the back, actively engaged and on the bit with barely any contact. Look closely at the lunge line and side reins-slack!
Again! Same as before, slack reins all around and that front foot is miles in front of his nose. His haunches are lowered even. You can see his shoulder muscle ripple, and that back end is so active! Proud :)
He looks angry in this still shot but I promise he isn't. Since the vid still is grainy, his ears are just too pixalated and are missing, lol. All I can say about this pic is, what a rounded back you have my dear. All the better for building muscle! His back is so round I can almost see the saddle getting pushed up. Still relaxed too, just not as much impulsion as I would like, but I'll take a round back any day.
Same thing here as before in all the pics. I am super proud since this is his stiff direction on the lunge.
In my attempt to keep my hands in the straight line line-elbow-to-bit (SLETB), I have raised them 2 inches too high. Otherwise I think I look pretty ok. However, he is on light contact and actively walking. This was one of his better walks we have ever had, wish ya'll could see the video. I always wish his back was more round, but after a year or so off, he lacks the muscling to do it as much as he can without me adding weight. We will get there :)
nailed it in this picture, all around. Yankee looks fantastic. Round back (eeeee!), on the bit, actively swinging and pushing. I am perfectly SLETB, shoulders back, eyes up, and have a straight line from ear to elbow to hip to heel (EEHH). Textbook :)
Love his tail, lol. Oddly, he is stiffer this direction in the saddle, even though he is looser and more relaxed on the lunge the other way. Hard to see my position but I look a little off center. Could be my clothes, his gait, or that I am. He looks just as good as the previous pic.
Sadly, you can't see much of anything in this....blurry. But from what I can see, I look straight EEHH, and he looks active, relaxed and free flowing. We were doing a 20m. circle at the trot.
This is how he reacts to a reminder from the whip to stay engaged. Really picks up that inside hind, which is good, thats what I was going for. At the same time though, he looks angry. He does manage to stay on the bit & round over his back which is good. Typical Yankee wanting to get out of work and scoffing at being reminded to carry himself. I have stayed straight EEHH and bit to mouth & am not looking down at all! All the concentration is paying off!
Yay canter! Since this is coming off his 'up' stride, I look like I am leaning ahead, but really I am just going with the canter motion. I studied the videos and truly this is all it is. Yankee looks great, as he has been. Continously round, soft and active.
I think I will continue to have my barn slave, er, Brandon, my tape sessions for us as it allows in hopes of furthering our progress! Mine and his. Once again thanks to Connie for the book, it is already helping!
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