Monday BEFORE I left, I never got to write about our ride. A pony came trotting over while I was warming up so I went around the track and field at walk the the owner. She trailers in to ride, and I had ridden with her and another horse of hers two years prior, but she didn't remember that far back. She also didn't know that stb's came in "colors" because she pointed out Spyder has white on his face and legs. She also never knew "they" could move so good. His trot was lovely and HUGE she said. Oh stereotypes.
The welsh pony Spyder had never seen - at first, he was alarmed.
Tuesday, I did some jumps. Of course this was after we did w/t/c, but he was forward so we worked on jumping. I did forget that we did some trot poles where Spyder really had to think about his feet and REACH to get through all of them. We worked on forwardness through them and then slowing up and getting round after. From there, we'd circle and do the trot poles coming the other way. Since he was picking his feet up, we moved to jumping. I did another new jump because he was feeling our ride. It is what I'd call a brush box?... without brush? haha. It's just an open gate sort of jump that's in other pictures, but I forgot to snap the shot for this post. It'll come back around.
Thursday, I wanted to ride before the flight out, but I didn't want to get hurt or chance any sort of injury/soreness before the trip. That didn't work out for me because I ended up weeding the garden and was sore for a few days from all of the hard labor (sort of). It was nice of a girl at the farm that feeds to instagram a photo of Spyder and tag me in the post with "he misses you" for me to see what I was away. I had her fly spray him when I was gone because I felt guilty not being around to do it (this time of year they always seem to start up like crazy again).
I can post a brief summary of the trip if anyone cares to read it. Switzerland was the most beautiful of all the countries we visited. We got to see quite a few horses there pulling carts and a few on the menu at restaurants.
I wanted to ride 9/9 when we got back, but couldn't fit it in, and I was getting sick (still am) so he had off 2 weeks. Lucky Spyder! Even though my throat was killing me, I went back at it this past Tuesday, the 10th. Fresh air and standing up seems to help my congestion but not breathing. The BO poured cement while I was gone for the tack area/cross ties outside Spyder's stall so I had to walk across it to get my tack, and luckily, it was dry. It was REALLY hot so we did 30 minutes out in the field. There were lots of deer and a coyote, but Spyder just looked and didn't flinch... not bad for having all of that time off! I focused on flat work and making sure he remembered everything we were working on before I left.
Spyder kept moving, but the coyote is right past the fence line. Horrible picture, but it was a big one.
After I rode, I talked to a girl that feeds at the barn and found out about a horse that I got screwed over with a purchase (just before Spyder). It was a good thing I didn't end up getting him because 1) I have Spyder, but 2) he was returned to the people I was going to get him from not just the first time but a second. That story will stick with my mind in knowing that I was let down (and screwed over by people I knew my whole life), but it was totally worth it! I'll leave it at that... everything happens for a reason! :)
I hope to be able to breathe while I ride tonight and then look forward to getting in a day this weekend if all goes as planned.
I updated my last blog with a funny comment from someone taking pics at the show. Warmblood/Standardbred... same thing, right? Hahaha
Tuesday, I got to farm and I was sweating just sitting there. We've had this crazy heat wave which should bring us into the 100's today and tomorrow. Sheesh! I am still hoping to have the wedding ceremony outside next weekend so I'm hoping it cools off for a long enough period of time. We should be seeing the 80's again next week. I feel bad because Spyder is probably sweating up a storm, but I have comfort in knowing he's the boss. He'll be the one in the shed, and I've also seen him play in the water tub.
Oh, and I am not happy with how he's looking. He's definitely more fit, but that's balancing down his weight. He's not skinny by any means, but he's looking more like he did when he raced. His food is up since he's working harder and he keeps busy stomping flies all day. I'm REALLY not happy with the "rib" look. :(
I tacked up quickly to get to riding and get Spyder hosed. His feet are looking better, as the hoof isn't as contracted. I've been working on it thanks to comments from that post. I put a check for the farrier at the barn so I'm hoping he gets done this week. His over reach isn't too bad, but the flies are giving him all kinds of cracks and chips. I got on after having to fight with him over grass, and I am teaching him that it is rude to put his head down when someone is trying to get on. I used my dressage whip to remind him that he wasn't supposed to eat. I got on, and the whip was a fun item to hold because he KNEW I had it. Again, we need to work on the fact that it means "do something" vs. "speed up". Obviously a whip with racing meant FASTER so it's been a fun process!
Another rider and pony came over to the farm for schooling jumps and xc so we rode in the big ring with them for a bit. Spyder was excited and acted up in the dressage ring, but I kept him focused and put him right back on task. I was proud of how I handled his attitude. All he wanted to do was look at the pony. We did w/t/c in dressage ring, and the canter to the right is still unbalanced which makes it less than enjoyable and not easy for either of us. I don't know what we're going to do to work on it, but I need a plan. We did some w/t/c in field, and worked over jumps. There were a lot of ground poles set up so we worked on a "course" which was basically making sure we could steer to all of the obstacles. There was a decent cross rail set up, and we did the wishing well. Spyder gets bored with jumps easily so we'll have to work them up higher. I just get lazy once I'm already on and don't like getting off to set jumps. Good horse! He got a hosing session which he's come to really enjoy with this heat.
This show was so fun, but as always, they take forever! English was in the morning and western in the afternoon, but they ran late as expected. I did 3 classes because I missed the jackpot (oops - I was glad 3 kids got some cash to get something for themselves), didn't want to do showmanship since I pulled Spyder out of the field and put him right on the trailer, and opted out of a course. The 18" crossrails were enough for me after arguing with him all morning! I REALLY want to get some western tack/clothes, but I should probably ride in my dressage saddle first. We got there around 8am so I had to feed him prior to tacking up. I thought about showmanship, but he was behaving and I didn't want to get him all worked up in the ring before getting on. I tacked up and had all of my show gear on, and I could not believe they were making us wear jackets. Of course, half way through my second class, they said we could take them off. I was SO happy I drove an hour and a half to buy a short sleeve shirt - THANK GOD! It was only in the 80's and we got a light rain for part of the day, but the humidity was awful.
Lucky #13
Our warm up went well, and he had one "moment" which was a hop/squirm/rear buck thing. It was small and harmless, and I rode through it like nothing. We just worked in our circles before going into the ring. [UPDATE]In the warm up ring, someone was like, "OMG, is that a warmblood?" I was like, "Well, he certainly doesn't move like one, but that's the best compliment you can give a Standardbred!" She said, "Yeah, I thought it was just a warmblood with a bigger head!" LOL, I let her know that Stb's are known for that! Too funny!
English equitation made me nervous, but I was assured by the judge that I had my heels down. The judge was very nice and gave everyone criticism to let you know how and why you placed where you did. SITTING TROT killed me. 1) Spyder is NOT comfortable even at a post 2) We go much too fast to sit the trot 3) We NEVER practice for reasons 1 & 2! She let me know that she had a standardbred that did everything: english/jumping/and western. She liked Spyder, but that sitting trot... Yeah, we'll have to work on that... maybe. "You never know when a judge will throw that in there." Oh, shush.
-English Equitation - 3/4
English Pleasure went well, but we weren't in enough contact. I went with the "look relaxed" look rather than the "cranked in and on the bit" look which is what the judge was looking for. She let me know that she saw Spyder do it, and knew that he knew how. I guess I didn't know how to show in that class! This is how we warmed up and what we've been working on so it would have been nice to show off!
-English Pleasure - 2/3
Hunter Hack was a lot of fun! We started in the ring with w/t and then lined up for our jumps. We've only jumped in this ring once, but the 18" crossrails weren't much to take on. We trotted up to the first and then cantered. OOPS! We were only in a w/t classes. I tried to bring him back down to a trot, but the excitement of the second jump left us with a pace. I was SO proud that he didn't flinch, and he was super happy to be in the ring jumping. He's super willing and has yet to let me down at a jump. We don't jump too often because our flat work and listening needs help so it was fun knowing he's down for anything. His halt at the cone at the end was amazing, and the judge let me know I need to sit right back down after the jump to reinforce the "slow down to trot." I was asking him with my hands and not following through with my seat.
-Hunter Hack - 3/3
Since I was pleased, I skipped the course being that we never did one (even though he would have been fine), and my arms hurt from him being so strong all day. I should have packed the Kimberwick, but we haven't gone back to that in quite some time. His excitement gets the best of my muscles! All in all, it was a great day. The prizes were wonderful as they got a lot of donations, too! Each time you got a ribbon, you could pick an item from a bucket that they filled. I got a new grooming mit, a hoof pick, and a lead rope. The memorial show also got a check from someone so it can continue on for the next few years. Hopefully I'll be able to support them next year, as well!
So Friday was a great ride. It was a bit warm, but we had the perfect breeze. Spyder wasn't in the mood for a ride, but he perked up quickly and was easy to handle. We started with w/t and got balance going. From there, we picked up the canter. It was AMAZINGLY easy to pick it up (to the left, of course). Once we trotted to the right, I was having trouble getting him off my leg. It took a few circles, but FINALLY, he started listening. Since he was moving over, I pushed up into the canter which was also very easy for whatever reason. He can hold it longer because he's finding his balance, and he's starting to get moving off my leg at the canter, as well. Whoo, maybe soon we can do BIGGER circles.
On to the Danny lesson yesterday - OH BOY! We walked over to the indoor very bravely, and he was just a bit perky/excited/nervous. It was100% my fault because I was nervous, but the heat made me realize that he wouldn't be moving anywhere too quickly. It was 95 degrees, and I had a 2:45 lesson. Had I known it would have been so hot, I may have not signed up, but I sucked it up because he doesn't come too often. The indoor was nice because we got out of the sun, and the ceiling fans were going which helped with air flow a bit. I'll have to go over to the indoor on days when it's really hot if I want to ride without the sun. Normally I wouldn't have ridden on such a hot day, but we had things to accomplish.
To start the lesson off, Danny asked me what I would like to work on. I had to think about it, because I'm not sure where we left off with our other two lessons. I remembered - the first was w/t/STOP because stop wasn't working... and the second was w/t/STEER because we worked on my posture, but steering was not an option. I decided to ask to work on rhythm and balance because I let him know we get a running walk or a pace when he's off balance (but it's also a laziness issue). We started off with a quick trot warm up in both directions around the indoor. Danny could see that I've been working with him as the trot was a lot better than prior lessons. It was great to hear I did something right since the last time he saw him move.
We worked on a circle around Danny while moving the shoulder out. I used a dressage whip to push his shoulder out when he wouldn't listen to my leg. At first, he kept speeding up with the whip in which case my outside rein had to dictate the pace. He kept trying to trot off which was frustrating so I had to keep bringing him back down. Danny let me know I let my horse get away with murder... bad habit, I know. Once he got over that the whip didn't mean SPEED UP, it means MOVE OVER, we were looking great. Danny was pleased with his form in the walk so we moved up to trot... failure. We looked like a sloppy mess, and he let me know it. Then I got asked, "why can you do it at the walk and not the trot?" Good question? It's because I was too busy flopping around. So lesson #1: Outside rein to set the pace, inside rein to pull in his nose for the bend. Easier said than done so we worked at the walk again. I had to keep my outside rein and hand at the saddle and close my inside hand until we got the bend.
Keeping my hands steady at the walk was easy, but the trot they were all over the place which was the problem. We then moved back up to trot once I got my hands under control. This time we got it, but Spyder was picking the pace. We worked on slower, slower, slower, and Danny assured me that there is no rhythm issue. Once he is balanced, his rhythm is great. I just had to learn how to keep him there and to keep his shoulder out. Spyder was getting frustrated on the one half of the circle and pulled a little angry/rear/hop up stunt, but I rode through it well (oh no, being asked to get off my leg is SOOO terrible). I am so happy that he pulled the act just once and that I could keep riding him like it never happened. We took a walk break, and I needed it! It was so hot, and I was bright red/feeling like I could pass out. Whew, summer is killing me.
I wanted to switch to the left because that's my stronger leg and the easier direction. So when Danny asked me to grab my reins to start up the same exercise, I said, "Same direction?" He said, "Of course, you think I'd let you do the easy way? I remember that the right is the weaker side!". I thought I could catch a break, but he let me know the once a month or so was not enough time to work on the "easy side". We were doing so well on the "hard side" so I got to switch direction at the trot. I had to keep using my weak right leg which was now the outside leg since he gets it so easily to the left. I knew I'd be sore the next day (but it's not as bad as expected). We kept switching back to the right since the "bad side" was getting to be so easy.
I REALLY enjoy Danny lessons because he's tough, and you get a lot accomplished in just one hour. You're always getting questioned and ideas handed to you that make you think. He's always asking you things over and over again so they stick. The next ride, you know EXACTLY what to do because you repeat what you're doing throughout the lesson out loud. It's a great way to teach because you can't forget unless you are not participating in which case he lets you know it. You might get asked (which I did), "Now what are you doing wrong?"... when you're puzzled because you're doing things right (so you think). The point is, you think, "What am I doing wrong?". Well, nothing. The answers are sometimes complex and usually simple, but you don't think to say, "Umm, I'm doing everything right." It's positive reinforcement to remind you that you know what you're doing while you're doing it.
I had to repeat to Danny (out loud) "this is the hard side" a few times while we went around to the right in a perfect circle to remind myself that we accomplished what we were looking to do. Also, "outside rein sets the pace, inside rein turns his nose" must have been repeated ten times. Then I got asked, "and what else are you doing?" I also had to add "if the inside rein doesn't make him move out his shoulder, then push him out with the inside leg." Saying this over and over again is going to help my next rides immensely. I'm looking forward to the next lesson because we were looking like a dressage team! The trainer/BO took a video of us once we got through the rough spots and changing direction. It's hard to see the difference between either side because he was so good in both directions! :)
[I updated last post with pictures for further opinions!]
Wednesday was another hot one, and when I say hot, I mean hotter than usual. Usually it's much warmer this time of year. We've been getting so much rain which has really screwed up my riding schedule as well as my mood! We did w/t/c, but he didn't want to go to the right at the canter. UGH, Spyder. I know it's hot, but it was my goal to get him to canter to the right even if it was just for a few steps. We finally got it after a lot of fussing!
Since it was so hot, we worked on our square which was walking to a halt on the corner and pushing his hind end over to turn in the next direction. We worked on the track by the ring so we could see the lines, and I was happy he behaved. He thought he was going back to his paddock or stall to eat, but we worked for a bit longer on those "buttons". I hosed him down after the ride, and you could tell he appreciated it!
Thursday it cooled off a lot because there was a storm coming (surprise, surprise) and tornado warnings. The wind was AWESOME for a ride considering it's been so hot. He was a lot happier to work with than the day prior!
We did some w/t/c canter in field, and used a much larger area than usual. Again, we had a hard time to the right, but it was easier than last time. Even with the commotion in the woods (mowing of the trails), he was such a well behaved horse! The wind was blowing like crazy, and nothing seemed to phase him. I finally feel like we're both more trusting as things are getting easier.
I went out on track and trotted because they were feeding so we took a few laps up and down the area we've walked on for a while. I have yet to turn the corner where you can't see the barn, but hopefully we'll get there soon. I went over to his stall area and worked on moving his front end without the hind end. How fun! It took him just 2 days of working on it, and we can do a full circle like we're some sort of western reining team. OK, it's not that fast, but it's still exciting.
He ate and I hosed him down since he worked up quite a sweat from our lovely canter out in the open! :)
I had a nice ride Friday where I got to work on moving over, getting on the bit, and getting Spyder over the fear of the folding chair... AHH! When I walked into the ring, he noticed the only thing that changed, and that was a folding chair at the end of the dressage ring. We rode off like it was nothing and did our circles to work on bending getting closer and closer to the scary chair. Eventually. he got over it, and I was happy we worked through it. We got to canter past it, and he was so well behaved that I did one whole jump! Oh, the joys of having a horse that you have to train. He jumped the small vertical like it was 2'3", but he cantered off like it was nothing so we ended the ride with cooling down and riding quietly down the track.
Oh, I almost forgot to point out the reason for the title. On the way out to the ride, Spyder pooped along the track. Pushing and prodding to get him to move (keep walking). He continued to walk as he went to the bathroom which always used to be on the cross ties, but now, I feel like it's a "stop" tactic. He acts like he can't walk and do it at the same time to get out of work (we're working on it). Well, on the way back in to the barn, he kept putting his head lower and lower as we got closer to his pile of manure. He just HAD to stop and smell it. What is he, a dog? This happens fairly often with his own mess. Is it another "I can't walk any further" trick?
Sunday I rode early as it was going to get hotter than it has been. We had to work on excitement for this ride. Spyder didn't want to move or do anything (even though he had eaten breakfast). I did a brain exercise that was walk, trot, halt, trot, halt, trot... just to get him thinking. This made him angry at first because I went from asking to telling with my spurs, but it made his reaction time a lot better working through the pattern. Next, we worked on moving over the hind end. This was so easy! We did a few circles in which he didn't even move his front feet much. We worked on a square which was walk to halt at the corner, then pushing the hind end to continue walking down the next side of the square. This is something we'll move to the trot with, but for now, the walk is going to have to be the speed where we practice because he chose to ignore me a few times. I did try it at the walk (rather than halting at the corner) to push the hind over to turn while moving, but it wasn't all that graceful. We'll get there.
Next step: front movement. At first, Spyder thought that the pressure in front of the girth meant move over the hind end, but he got a few front steps. His hind still moves, and he did back up a few times, but this is where we were when we started the hind end exercise. I worked through it until we got a full circle, but he does still move his hind end a lot. We took breaks with trot circles to get his mind clear in between the frustration of learning something new. To end the ride, I worked on the canter a little and we cooled out for a while. We even got about 10 feet away from the scary chair where he spooked before. Oh, horses.
Yesterday was the first day that NJ got above 90 degrees. I love hot weather so I am not complaining! Of course I had planned to ride so I didn't let that stop me. The breeze was nice, but it was not cool enough for Spyder. I was sweating tacking up! Oh boy, this was going to be a fun ride.
At first, I stuck to w/t and worked on that bit pressure business. I think Spyder is starting to catch on... you give, I give. What's so difficult to understand? He got a lot of walking time out in the field, and we worked on the canter for just a few strides in each direction. UGH! When it is hot, I know he is lazy, BUT we needed to at least pick it up. He didn't want to go, but I hadn't ridden since Monday and I spend a lot of time and money on this horse. He needs to listen (if only they could understand).
And so I kicked and kicked and kissed and kissed, and Mr. Grump has his ears back. I used my spurs, but 90 wasn't making him move. I'll have to use a crop when I ask him do so something that he doesn't want to do because we don't need to get in the habit of not doing something that's being asked. Once he picked it up (finally), I brought him back down to a walk. Hopefully he'll start to get that if he at least tries, he won't have to work that hard. We're going to go when I tell him to and stop before he feels like stopping on his own free will (his favorite move). I hate riding with a crop, but when it's hot, we'll save us both the trouble of getting hotter and more tired than we need to.
We walked back to the barn where I hopped off, and he was DEAD. He didn't move while I untacked, and I put him in his stall while I put everything away. I was so surprised that he didn't even move to check his grain bucket like he always does. He waited a few minutes and checked like I knew he would! If he didn't, something would have been VERY wrong.
I took him over to the outside wash stall to hose him down because he was so miserable and sweaty. He stood perfectly like he always does, but the bugs really get to him so he was aggravated. I made sure that I got every inch of him and he looked like he was so happy to be getting wet. He is REALLY loving this new hose trick, and he makes faces when he wants a drink. I put it near his face and he learned to put the end in his mouth to get more water! He used to just put his nose through the water or stick his tongue out to try to get it, but he's learned that biting the end of the hose, the water goes right in. I wish I had a video because it was too funny, but I didn't want to ruin my phone at the farm.. again.. for the third time.
I walked him back towards the barn to get my phone in the event he did something else cute and hilarious. I was about 10 feet away from it, and I felt a tug. I look behind me to see why he stopped. HE SAT DOWN... like a dog... butt on the ground and front feet on the ground still straight! This is the second time I've seen him do this, but I never thought it would be on the lead! He was in such "distress" from his relaxing/easy ride in the heat and his hose that he HAD to sit, lay, then roll in the grass while on the lead! I have a big dog. I was laughing, but REALLY? I had the shank on him (just because he can't help but help himself to grass the entire walk to/from anywhere) so I tried to get him up, but nothing was stopping him from rolling all over the clover. Hey, at least it wasn't dirt. It's just too bad I was [ this ] close to having that on camera.
