The Results!

We got the results from the pace, and we won for our division! The win isn't so much having earned anything being that it's luck, but I CAN say that Spyder and I EARNED trust. He's so brave, and I stuck with him. For that, we are winners! We trotted as much of the course as we could while giving them room to catch their breath, and we even stopped for some chatting and photos. Had we gone a tad faster, we would have gotten the fastest time, too! The person that rode the course did it quickly as the time was 1 hour and 11 minutes!

 Below are photos the organizers took of the day.

Some shots from last week's show from the photographer.

Getting this one printed!

Our First Hunter Pace

Omg, was it fun! Spyder trailred on a slant load in the back and was perfectly happy munching his hay the 20 minute ride there (Yes, it's close enough to go back.. often!). He tied to the trailer like a champ, and he didn't get the hay bag thing. He kept taking it from the top and stuffing his face in there to get more (and getting stuck). Hello, silly, there's a hole in the front! I tacked up after getting registered and they had such a great setup of treats included in the package. Spyder got carrots, treats, and mints.. and after the pace, he even got an apple! Mr. Piggy would glady do it again for those rewards! There was frost on the ground when we got there, but it warmed up quickly and ended up being a BEAUTIFUL day! After the pace, I headed to the animal shelter to adopt a puppy (more to follow)!

I ended up riding with another horse instead of Tobi that we had worked with because he is recovering from rain rot where the saddle goes. The nice girl that trailered me had a horse for my teammate to borrow, and I was happy to find out he was a seasoned 22 year old gem that doesn't spook at a thing! We got tacked up, and were told we could go first! We let two gaited horses (walkers?) in front of us because I was worried about Spyder being first, but we ended up passing them on the first part of the ride. First? Me, and Spyder? He was beyond brave, and he was dragging me through the trails... ears up, game on.

The first few times he saw trees that were down and cut, he was NOT ok. He did spook a few times, but he got over it, and I kept on him to move forward. His spooks are just quick hops and he spreads out all fours. It's very easy to deal with, and the hops became moving to the opposite side of the trail as the logs in no time! He was so happy to be in front and set the pace for my teammate. He didn't mind being the leader or following, but he was giving me an attitude about some of the turns when he had to do them first (and he felt like he had to go when the other horse didn't... LAZY). This goes back to the show and having to do patterns on our own without the group. Spyder knows they aren't moving so why does he have to go? Again, we REALLY need to work on that!

The ride was beautiful with the leaves changing and falling, and there are a lot of old buildings and foundations to look at in the park. Spyder didn't spook at things like tall reeds blowing in the wind, birds popping out of no where, or walking over water on what is like a bridge of dirt. He looked, but didn't spool. There were huge concrete walls and stumps that were fallen over from the storms we have had, but of course, cut logs were the worst! I'm glad we made it through, and I hope one of the teams in our group wins! The costumes throughout the ride were great, and Spyder wasn't scared of them, either (We didn't have time to get anything together). I want to do paces all the time, and I think Spyder would agree! He seemed to really enjoy himself and didn't even break a sweat like all of the other horses. He's made for endurance so we're going to look into it! This ride was just 6 miles, and he was ready for more!

He looks the same after as he did before, a little girth sweat is all!

Sunday's Schooling Show

Sunday's show was a ton of fun! I was up bright and early to get to the barn and get my car packed with tack. The BO trailered me over in the last load, and it was something like 18 horses from the barn at the show. It was a BEAUTIFUL day, and I'm really hoping it's not one of the last nice days before winter. I need sunny and warm again! I have freckles on the bottom half of my face again and sunburn on my lips.

Waiting for our class. His tail is way too long.

Our first class was equitation on the flat. We HAD 1st (the judge told me even though she shouldn't have.. it was at the end and no one was around - she LOVED Spyder), but Spyder decided to canter the last part of our pattern. OOPS! We did the w/t only division "older and bolder." Haha. We ended up with a 4th because of that. First, we did the flat portion, and when it's a show, my eq is ON! I'm glad I could prove that to the judge. For the pattern, we went second to last, and we walked to cone A (3 cones in a line). We had to do a sitting trot to B (we had a sitting pace/running walk which I could actually sit - his/our? sitting trot is awful). The judge said that she gave me extra points for sitting whatever gait he did. That helped us make out 4th with our fight of a circle to the right. He didn't want to move! We got back to cone B and circled to the left (towards the judge) where Spyder wanted to canter... and DID (only one stride and we came back down which was better than before, too)! We trotted from B to C, and his halt was PERFECT. Backing 4 steps was not the easiest, but now, I have some things to work on. I thought it went perfectly!

Heels down, eyes up. Wish we didn't canter for the w/t division!

Hunter under saddle, we got another 4th. I had Spyder too far into the bit, and I should have let him go more. He does laps around all the other "normal horses" so I was holding him back which is the ONLY reason the judge said I didn't get 1st, again. This time, it was my fault! I need to get better at giving Spyder control as he's not going anywhere, but I held him back from lapping the horses. Next time, we'll do laps!

Cute baby horse.

Pleasure on the flat, we got 2nd. Yes, SECOND! Spyder, pleasure? What? He was so calm and relaxed and was stretching into the bit like he was showing off. This was too much for me because this is not something I get when he's so excited and ready to go. Mr. Lazy (he was ALL day, but got excited at moments) performed like a champ. He got himself that second for finally calming down a bit. I guess that canter stride was too much work!

The brand that no one can figure out the breed from.

Hunter hack, we had a flat portion, and I let him have his face and pushed him forward. It was what the judge was looking for in the hunter under saddle which I didn't give her. Spyder was moving great, and he wasn't in his doing laps mode. He was calm, but moving forward and going towards the bit (instead of me forcing him into it). We did have a jumping pattern at the end where we had to walk towards a cone from our line up, trot at it and over two cross rails, and then end at that cone, halt, and let the reins down. Spyder didn't want to MOVE at the cone because we went away from all of the other horses. He bulged into my leg, RUDE, and made it so the judge had to call out how to handle the situation. I knew, but she was trying to help. I got him moving, did the first jump, paced a step, brought him back to trot (our fault last hunter hack class - he cantered in between), then had a few steps of pace, and I got him back to a trot before the perfect halt and let the reins down. It was WAY better than I could have imagined as my mind was on not cantering like last time. We accomplished that so I was thrilled! At the end of this class (and my last), everyone that I showed with all day was like, "what is he?" They had no idea he was a gaited horse until they saw that move and they all were interested. It goes to show they are no different (and pacers CAN trot).

My parents came with their dog for the first class I did, and my dad got some pictures which was nice. My dad didn't think that I had won anything because they called my married name (I figured I'd switch it up and write that even though it's not officially changed). He was happy to realize that it was me that got 4th! They watched the equitation course, and my dad even said to my mom, "They broke gait." Pretty good for a guy that didn't really know what I was supposed to be doing. I was happy that he came to meet Spyder because he hadn't in the two years I've owned him, and he's the reason I've been into horses my whole life. Their dog was SO scared of Spyder that she was shaking so she got to wait in the car for my class they watched. Spyder loves dogs, but Lily probably would have bit him if I let him sniff her. It's the little ones that are sneaky!

Need to fix his horrible mane job I did. I let him eat grass while I chopped away.

I also learned that Spyder is afraid of wheelchairs! For a horse, it must be, "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!?!?!" We walked towards it, but he was so worked up so I decided to make him stop and stand while "it" (a person with a broken foot in a wheelchair.. the it is the wheelchair, not the person) moved towards us. He was OK with it, and I'm glad it got past us without the typical fire breathing dragon sounds. I was so happy that he kept himself hydrated with an entire bucket of water throughout the day. I was wondering when he'd ever pee because he had so much, and for the first time in two years, I've seen Spyder pee (weird, I know). It was with me on his back, too. Spyder was so well behaved and everyone kept asking about his brand...he showed everyone just how awesome and versatile the breed is. I'm so excited for our hunter pace this weekend. I should have more pictures from the show, but a lot are on Facebook so find me!

Oh, and Spyder was on the trailer going back with the mini - terrifying! He was looking over the divider to see him and was not happy. I'm not sure what his thing is with mini's, but he loves to stare at them like they are going to kill him, and there were a few at the show. Once the mini got out at Barn 1, Spyder had to ride solo to Barn 2 (two doors down) and was apparently upset that Eddie the mini left. Does he look at them with fear? or excitement? Hahaha

Group Ride Wednesday

I did the treat trick again to save my boots from the mud. It look 1 minute and 30 seconds to get Spyder walking from the back corner to the gate... not bad. I'll take the little wait for the clean shoes!

I rushed to the barn to tack up since I had plans to ride with one of the girls that trailers in (the one I talked about prior that also feeds most nights) I ended up riding with the 2 K's at the barn: the other that I'm doing the pace with. We're all going to the hunter pace so it was great to ride together. We had another little girl from the other farm ride over with the K that trailered in to the farm next door. We rode out to the big ring to get in some riding time, and it was a ton of fun!

At first, it was like a circus. We didn't have rhythm and we were just riding all over the field. We were all jumping different jumps and turning towards each other so it made for some paying attention. What better practice for the show this weekend? Spyder and I did some of the jumps that we don't normally do since we were in the company of others - the stone wall jumps that are beat up (and are missing the top so they are extra scary), the wishing well, a bunch of cross rails, and the brush box thing without the brush. Spyder had no idea what was going on as we don't ride with anyone rather than 3 other horses, and he behaved so well!

Spyder's behavior was so great so K that feeds decided to get on him. She always wanted to ride a stb, and I got on Sassy, the pony she rides (last post talk). Sassy is a fun little pony, but I'm not really sure how K deals with her feisty attitude and endless need to canter everywhere. Her trot is so cute, but she tosses her head a lot. You almost feel like she might rear she gets it up and back so far. K is brave for jumping a pony like that! Her "going round" is backing up to no end. I do think she'll do that all day before she gives to the bit. They are going to get her teeth checked because she's not into the bit AT ALL! She loves riding her so much, and you really get used to the horse you are on.. this was proof! I then traded ponies with the girl that followed K over to get on the one I used to lease/lesson on in college and right before I found Spyder. He's AMAZING and I cantered him for a circle just to be on a "normal" horse.

Pony I used to lease with his owner & the brush/box jump

K that feeds

K on my hunter pace team

Once we got through jumping and trading ponies, we headed back, and Spyder was so happy to eat. For once, he didn't act out in rage because everyone else was getting fed. Again, no spurs called for some great riding, and K even got him to canter for her (and jump a cross rail). I'm excited to be getting my happy horse back. :) The hubby and I picked up the trailer last night, but either the wiring is wrong, the bulbs, or something is up with the truck. The parking lights stay on, but we drove 1.5-2 hours without blinkers and brake lights (through some rain), and it was not fun at all! I'm glad that it's home safe for us to work on the lights, and I think that we might fix the one part that could be reinforced to know it's over with and 100% safe. I can't wait to use it!

Rain Dance

I know we need the rain, but I'm dreading it! I got in another quick ride Wednesday before it came (and it's raining now and will for a few days), and it literally started the second I started untacking! I headed out to the xc field where we started with w/t. It was consistent, calm, and he wasn't arguing so I picked up the speed. It was windy since the "tropical storm" was coming (so far, it's just showers and patches of rain), and he had a lot more go than usual which was NICE! He was super looky, but he kept his cool even with the "new and scary" plastic chair... ahhh. We worked on transitions with NO SPURS! Spyder was happier and peppy, and I was super excited. He's getting the canter cue without question now.

I did feed before I rode, but he wasn't that grump coming out of the field so I figured I could push for the canter a bit. Once we would pick it up, I pushed through him wanting to stop. Our next step is going to be the "forward and go" as he doesn't want to hold it. This isn't because he can't, it's because he chooses not to. I decided to see what would happen if I changed directions with him, and I was spot on. He HAS to swap his lead because he can't be wrong. It was a very interesting swap with a head toss, but he tried his heart out. After his head toss, he did two steps of trot and was right back to canter, good horse! We did lots of cantering with no kicking out, AND he did everything I asked him to do! Since our transitions were awesome, I did the xc log jump and then trotted around the farm before cooling out.

I decided to reward Spyder with some grazing while I put my tack away, and I grabbed his treats. He is so focused on food so I can let him hang out and eat in peace while I clean up. I had to record this because he KNOWS the sound of the plastic they are in, and e looks at me, looks away, stuffs his face with as much grass as possible. He decides to come over to me because he's ready for them, in which case he chews on them WITH his mouth full of grass. I wish I could canter with a treat in front of his face, he'd keep going all day!

Wild Things

Spyder's not the wild one (except for that fall last ride, but he's over it). Oh, well maybe he is. He stepped on the girl's foot that feeds and would not get off then broke his halter in his stall while eating. The breakaway had stretched so far that the leather snapped so I punched another hole in it (with a screw because it's all I could find to use!). I did buy 2 new pieces of leather, but of course, they are no where to be found. Moving still has me unorganized and scrambling to find things at times. I'll have to rip apart the garage later.

Our ride on Sunday was GREAT! I was exhausted and my back and feet hurt, but I knew I needed to get to the barn because it always makes things better. In the near future, I won't be able to rider as often, and it'll only get worse with the hours of daylight disappearing. There were deer on the way out, there was one about 15 feet away that didn't run, and Spyder was perfectly OK with it even though he was looky. With about 20 deer (and some big bucks - male deer haha) you'd think one would be bound to scare him, but one saved that for later in the ride.

He's thrilled, but his halter is fixed, and that's my new tack trunk in the back.

BIG butt.

When we got out to the field, the deer were grazing and I noticed a HUGE red tailed hawk on the skinny jump. We got about 25 feet away from it, and it flew when tried I to get picture. I was expecting to see a coyote since I'd seen all other kinds of wild things, but none came out of the woods. We worked on w/t  and keeping our pace as we went past deer that ran, jumps that moved, and other "scary" things. He did so well that I decided to move on.

We cantered, and he didn't kick out . BUT he got his feet trimmed on Friday so I always take it easy on him since he gets cut pretty short (for his overreach issue). We did two of the x-rails and then headed back to the barn. It was feeding time, and the horses were all excited and looking at something next to Spyder's field. Once I got closer coming down the track, I noticed a deer on the side of the run in. I was hoping that he wouldn't spook being that we were headed towards the barn during feeding time. The deer took off for the woods about 20 feet away from us, and all Spyder had was a jump and spreading out all fours. He came back to calm and cool moment after, and we continued towards the barn. I think he passed the trail test x2!

"Little" feet. He got a pedi!

I was disappointed because I didn't have time to get everything into my new tack trunk. Chris dropped it off on Friday for me, and I can't wait to get everything organized and in there. It almost has my new initials on it as there is "J.O.J" painted on the side, and I am "J.A.J." The person that I share the tack space with thought that I had my own box that someone got for me and personalized it. It was Chris's grandmother's that passed away and I learned that someone had given it to her father, and it was that owner's initials. It would have been pretty neat if they were exactly mine!

The Transitions

Thursday: Warming up, Spyder was a bit bored. He didn't want to move out, up, or off my leg so we moved on to something that might beabout a bit more exciting... transitions! The trot was slow and steady so the transitions were bound to lift him up. We started one direction with 5 steps of walk, 10 steps of trot, and 15 of canter then came back down with 10 steps of trot and 5 steps of walk to start back up again. I went around about 3 times with that pattern before giving him a break and switching to the harder side.

On the tougher side, we did 10 steps walk, 10 steps trot, 5 steps canter, 10 steps trot, 10 steps walk, and we did this just twice. He was an angel and anticipated each new speed, but I wasn't asking soon enough. Going from walk to trot he wanted to canter, but I was able to slow him to a trot. His canter to trot is a little tough, but it'll get better. Each time we did a transition, it got easier the next time around so I know it was working.

I plan on having a lesson with Danny on Sunday which always seems to help us move along further than I ever thought possible. I hope this one goes as well as the others, and I hope to not get too anxious or nervous! Dom from other posts (and this blog) put me in touch with another rider of a standardbred from SRF. It turns out that her horse and Spyder are related per grandfather (I think? - No Nukes)! She's going to drive down to my house Sunday to head over to the barn for my lesson to see Spyder go. In the beginning of my training, I was right where she is now so it'll be good for both of us to chat and have support for the struggles! :)

Oh, and there was talk on a board on Facebook about bloodlines. I posted a little bit of Spyder's, and Dom let me know this: "Western Paradise is a very famous standardbred sire. No Nukes had a nasty temper but was a brilliant racing stallion. Many of his grandsons make excellent riding horses. His mother comes from Tyler B and Laag lines, both of which are very well bred. Abercrombie was one of the founding sires in the breed." 

There is a book out there that talks about the breed as a sport horse and looks into the lines which I might have to look into getting to read more about the breed. In the near future, I plan to get the links to all of Spyder's lines to see if there are photos available and/or breeding information. I know I came across TB and Morgan when I did a few quick clicks! 

Someone on Facebook told me that grays run on his mother's side... She said, "you have some really good names there -- Albatross, Meadow Skipper, Most Happy Fella, Abercrombie -- Laag is a great gray producer -- and YAY! we're related! Tyler B is my boy's grandsire on his mare's side!" Me, "his mom, "little red light" is called "RED" for short.. but she's 100% gray now!" Her, "well, Arcane Hanover is a Bay and Painted Night is a Roan, which might explain "Red."

Jump, Jump!

After working over jumps Wednesday, I decided to get back on and go at it yesterday. Spyder LOVES it, and it's what I grew up doing (and love to do, as well as missed like crazy).  I didn't feel like I had the best control for it, but I decided to tackle the control issue, make him slow down, and make him steer so we can both enjoy the work together. Now that we move off of leg and have a decent halt, we can bring more into the mix. The steering has come along great with the help of all of the bending and shoulder work.

The flies really aggravate him!

I got out to the field to work on a quick w/t, added the canter, then did our bending move along the fence line. Once we get the bend to the left, we go to the right, and once that looks good, we go back left. He's getting A LOT easier to steer and handle which makes taking the next steps a lot better! The canter is more consistent and we can move around the field quite a bit. The cue isn't just in the spot where we learned to pick it up, and it works all over the place.

It was showering when I got on, but that didn't stop me. I stopped to try to get a picture of the partial rainbow which shows the jumps, too. We worked on our "S" again with the jumps - look up, sit back, find the next jump, come back to a trot (then repeat). Oh, and give him his head! It's a lot to think about, but we had so much fun. We did the line both ways and added in a few extra jumps. We did the newly tackled white gate, the same old x-rail, the x-rail with the gap, the x-rail on the far end of the ring that we've done, and the wishing well.

The 2 x-rails, wishing well, and a rainbow

The x-rail with the gap

Around and around and around,  the canter was lovely! :) I tried to keep the trot between each fence, but if he wanted to canter, I wasn't going to stop him. He just gets a bit confused if he is cantering up to a jump as he doesn't know what to do with his feet. Either way the strides are huge so getting to the next fence is a tough squeeze if either of us falls apart. He was so happy and excited to be moving, it was wonderful. I filmed us going back to the barn down the track, and the flies were really getting to him. Even without the flies, he insists that his forelock and mane are biting.

The white gate/fence jump

For those of you that know my horse, you know he's push, push push. His pace back to the barn was the same as it was OUT to the field. I think someone is starting to like his job! Also, you'll notice that he *tries* to sneak some grass. We're working on that, but he'll pull any kind of stunt to get to it. In this case, "Ahh, the flies! Oh, grass!" He'll have an "itch" in which he finds his way to grass, too.

Questions and Concerns

Barn 2 is the "adult barn"... it's a place where people have "pets" and not the hobby of horseback riding. OK... that's not true for EVERYONE there, but it is for the most part. It's nice, but I'm not there just to chat all the time. Again, it's not 100% true that all they do is hang out, but they definitely don't ride much. Those that ride are on a different schedule so I never see too many people at the farm.

The few that ride when I do are people that I wouldn't trust on a trail to react in a safe manner in the event something happened. Again, this is not everyone, but a general assumption. There are a few kinds of people: the ones that I wouldn't trail ride out with, the ones that won't trail ride, and the ones that don't even ride. That about sums it up. This really doesn't help with switching up Spyder's routine or getting him used to being in the ring with other horses. He's always been behaved at shows, but he gets bored there just as much as he is getting at the farm.

Now how could he be bored? Well, it's me. I won't go on a trail alone, and I very rarely ride over to the "kid's barn" where the indoor is located. The jumps over there are always smaller, but I've been too lazy or not had enough time to get over there. There is SO much to do all over, though - trails, water, track, rings, dressage, jumps, cross country, etc. Any barn closer (or further for that matter) doesn't have nearly the amount of amenities that we have at our disposal. This price is also hard to beat for less things to do. A huge factor is safety. I'm not going to ride out and get hurt and then hope someone finds me or I am OK. Am I scared or just cautious? Not sure.

The problem? The lack of people to ride with. It gets SO boring riding on your own over and over again. I don't try new things for fear of getting hurt and being alone when it happens, if it happens. Do i get a trailer? If I got one, would I use it enough? Would not having a truck limit me? This is debatable because my dad has an extra, in-laws have an extra, and brother-in-law has one; however, they are all within 25 - 45 minutes away - with another 25 minutes to an hour from each location I borrowed a truck. If I had a trailer, where would I go and who would I go with? Is there even a point to getting one?

There is a farm in my development. Yes, I could walk there, BUT it's $100 more and it's just an outdoor ring and an indoor. The place has heat/air conditioning for the indoor, stalls, and tack area, but you are so limited. It's a huge lesson barn, and where you can ride depends on the schedule. Another fault, they only do 1/2 day turn out. While each horse gets their own stall, they can only be turned out for 12 hours because there is limited field space. I think Spyder would go crazy which in turn, would make me go crazy.

So, there leaves the dilemma, and I need a plan for the big picture and the smaller one. Where should we be? What do I want to be doing with my horse? Can that be done in the current situation? What are my smaller goals and how can I gear training towards them? I feel like we've lost this touch and I don't know what to do. Good think I have a honeymoon to go on. I'll have a lot of time to think about it.

Thursday Ride

I quickly forget what we did on a particular ride if I don't take noted right away so I'm probably missing a ton. Anyways, I got the farm and I wasn't feeling 100%. There were two boarders that I usually talk to that wanted to hear all about the wedding. I was happy to relax and talk to them for a bit because I was feeling better by the time I got tacked up. I got on Spyder a bit later than I was expecting to, but we had a very short ride because it was perfect.

We headed out to the big field where we worked on our trot and bending and quickly moved to canter because he was so good. On the way out, Spyder stopped and WOULD NOT move which was frustrating, but it was feeding time so I figured this was his new tactic. He just had to go to the bathroom... hahaha. After that, he was all for continuing on. Our figure 8 is helping with the command, but the horse of habit is getting the hang of the spots in the field where we pick up the lead and go. I've been thinking about how we can get strong at the canter, but the habits are going to get in the way so we'll need to change things up.

I headed back after about just 30 minutes since he was a good listener and did everything we needed to easily. He didn't even flinch at the deer that were out there taunting us. I'm proud of him for being less fussy during feeding time, as well. I think my baby horse is growing up and finally starting to mature. It's been SO much easier since he's lost his "colt attitude." I did find out that they are just resting the field Spyder was in for a bit to get the grass growing and the mud dried up. I'm happy he won't be staying in the swampy field for long... although it's been dry.

I didn't get to ride this past weekend because I had a migrane Sunday when I woke up. Saturday was nice because we got a lot done around the house and went mountain biking. They took out a lot of the bridges and obstacles to discourage riding where we go, but it was still a good time on the trails. Biking helps a lot with cardio and leg which, of course, helps with riding! :) I'll have to see if Spyder is afraid of a bike because Chris said he'd come with me to try out trails if that would work out. Yesterday was sunny and warmer than usual (but still not up to par with the typical weather) so I had a pool day and relaxed. I haven't had a migrane that bad, EVER. Back to riding this week and hoping for warmer and dryer weather!

The Weather

Interesting... the local news meteorologist posted, "Pretty impressive that we're only one day into August...and the Philly International Airport has already broken the rainfall record for the wettest summer ever! (Meteorological summer is defined as the months of June, July, and August.) Over 2 feet(24.78") of rain since June 1st in South Philly...breaking the old summer rainfall record set back just a few years ago in 2011. So while we've been wet this summer here in South Jersey...it could be wetter..."

AHH! The it could be wetter part is not good! I won't be around this weekend because I have a wedding in Virginia, but I hope to get back to a better riding schedule next week. Let's hope it dries up a bit... and stays that way!

Back at it

I got to ride yesterday which was the first day back since the wedding (and the week before). I left work a bit early to make sure that I had enough time in the event he had a lot of energy or wanted to act up from sitting for a week (and I couldn't find him because he moved to the field next to his since his needs a rest and that one has a ton of grass). He did not have a case of energy. Spyder was more peppy than usual, but that lasted about 15 minutes. What a lazy horse! He listened to my leg fairly well and remembered what we had learned in our Danny lesson. We had a smooth, comfortable trot that looked really great since he was staying round and putting forth an effort.

That lasted long... we had to push through some lazy spots. The rhythm gets lost when Spyder doesn't feel like going. I know it's still hot, but it's been low humidity and lower temperatures PLUS he sat. There is no excuse! The cluck is coming in handy to keep him listening and in a steady pace. When I am posting, my voice has to set the pace and keep him going along with my leg. Hopefully we can work through lazy, and it's good switching up the routine to keep him excited.

We did a lot of circles on the bit, and worked on w/t transitions. A figure eight around a jump with walking and changing the bend in the middle before picking up the trot again got his attention. He was very quiet, and I'm glad that I have a horse that picks back up where he left off. Level headed and quiet is better than a crazy peppy one. Go Spyder! I am looking forward to riding this week (only Thursday, though). I have a wedding in Virginia this weekend so next week should become a more steady schedule. I'm excited to get back to a bit of jumping. The jumps at the "adult barn" are always set pretty high because no one changes them so I am thinking of riding next door. The lesson jumps are better. Yes, I am just as lazy as Spyder and don't want to get back on after I get off to fix the jumps. I'm guilty.

:)

Brushed his tail out

Always drinks as soon as he's put back

More Track Time

I got some time on the track this week, but this wedding is really cramping my riding and "what I want to do" schedule. This week has been a lot of what you HAVE to do vs. what you WANT to do. Anyways, I got on for a quick ride as the humidity is KILLER! It's finally cooled off into the 80's, but that doesn't stop the sticky gross air we have this time of year. Spyder was visibly miserable being tacked up so I know it'd be a fun ride.

On the track, we warmed up in our 20 meter circle. I put him into the bridle and made him work on suppleness as he had off 6 days. Moving off of my leg was too much to ask, and since he wasn't too motivated to do anything, we worked on a lot of w/t/halt. FUN... not. From there, we did get into the canter, but the sand is a lot of him to work wit. He's much harder to the right still, but we'll get there. Need to work on that balance and steering! We worked on moving parts of his body so I pushed over his shoulder and did a few spins then worked on moving over his hind end. We need to get back at riding and practice because he wasn't too responsive. We cooled out on the track since the ground was soggy.

He looks thrilled.

I hope that it dries up a bit to get out in the field again after the wedding (Saturday) and get back to jumping. Next week promises more riding. :)

Saturday's Memorial Show

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!

Tuesday Makes x3

Oh wow, 3 days in a row! This really never happens, but I am glad it has. With the wedding approaching in a few weeks (less than 3!), I need time to get away from the planning. Still, I have yet to become a Bridezilla and no one understands! Haha... Anyways, Spyder is looking fit, and we're really learning to work together which has made me so happy. He's a MUCH happier horse when being ridden, too!

Of course my drive over to the barn was a rainy one. After I changed into my riding clothes, it was still raining, but I was hopeful it would stop. I got all of my tack out, and sure enough, it stopped while I was grooming Spyder in his stall. He was already in and finished eating when I got there which sped things up. We did another quick ride (25-30 minutes) because he's getting it. There were so many "good notes" to end on that I had trouble stopping. With 15 minutes in, I figured I should push a little harder. Since everything was wet (yet again), I worked on the track in our circle from the day befor.

We're staying in the lines... kind of.

Again, walk with the bend and trot with the bend... then on to canter. We can steer to the left, but with the open space and new area, he tends to move towards the barn and really pull to the right. We end up on the grass and cantering sideways because his body goes left, but I turn his head right. We'll have to come back down a few speeds to work on steering and position/bend a bit more because we're both not getting it in that direction. I'd hate to see what it looks like from on the ground! Again, the right was a bit pacey as he couldn't hold it as long. I'm glad we've finally got that buck/kicking out thing over with for the most part because it makes the ride a lot more pleasant for both of us.

Monday's a Drag

Monday's are always a drag, and so I went to the farm to lighten up the day and my mood.

Yesterday, my drive to the farm was into a storm. I got there at 530, and the 30% chance of thunderstorms led to a  down pour until after 6. When I left work, it was 94ish, and it was 71 after my 25 minute drive through rain. Thunder and lightening scared some of the horses out of their sheds, and I just sat in my car to watch the storm pass. I enjoy a good storm! The rain lightened up so I went to grab my tack to clean it if it didn't stop. I saw Spyder in the shelter which made me realize why he stays so clean. He was hanging out of the run in because  he heard someone coming. He didn't want to come out in the rain, but his ears got wet being so curious. He was happy to see me, but wasn't coming out to get wet.

Storm on the way to the farm

Spyder looking out at me in the rain.

I got super close to rabbit, too! I know, it's just a rabbit, but it was cute!

Cute little thing!

Since the rain stopped, I grabbed Spyder to tack up (of course, it's better than cleaning tack). I had a quick ride which was about 25-30 minutes on the track. I figured that was the least wet place since everything was saturated, and it is nice because you can see where you are working. The goal was to keep close to the same circle we started with. We worked on bending right and moving off of leg at the walk which I did without a dressage whip but not well. Up to the trot, we fell apart again, but I worked on it back at the walk and kept moving up until we got it.

Even when it rains, it's the perfect place to ride.

We were doing so well to the right, I tracked left, and again, the good side was on par. We worked up to canter and picked up a great left lead canter. To the right, he still can't hold it as well, but I cut him some slack since we were on the sand which he is not used to. I cooled out as much as I could before the crazy feeding time began where the one horse busted out of the gate (as usual), and there was another loose horse to catch. I put Spyder in the round pen to grab the one that was out, and then he ate while I put everything away. I didn't clean my tack for the benefit show on Saturday, but hopefully I will find time later this week.

Oh, and Spyder has a new tactic when he doesn't feel like doing anything. He'll turn his butt to me in his stall and put his head in the opposite corner. I have to walk over and get him! He's a smart horse which is always a challenge. Below is his "please let's not do this right now" face. :)

Attempting to "hide"