WE HAVE SHEDDING!
Massive shedding. Lots of long winter hair just falling out in great drifts.
I am happy.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
There is no sideways, only standing
Sometimes when you sit in one position too long your foot or leg or hip goes to sleep and when it "wakes" up there is an incredible tingly, almost itchy feeling.
My legs, my arms, my hands, my seat are all tingly and itchy with this intense desire and need to be in the saddle. Gabe, of course, could really care less whether I ride or not, as long as I visit him every day with peppermints and plenty of good scratching.
Actually, that might not be entirely true. When I walk out to his paddock with halter in hand he's never walked away...he always comes to me, even after watching me get out all my riding gear and put it near the hitching post. I think he enjoys our rides as much as I do.
I have also come to the conclusion that there is a rather large hole in our training that I need to fix ASAP, a problem I CAN fix on the ground (in the mud, rather) while I'm waiting for my marshy swampland to dry suitably enough for riding.
Gabe doesn't get the "move away from pressure when I tap you" concept. Yesterday I was cleaning his run-in and of course he had to be right there, head hanging over my shoulder, grabbing the manure fork and trying to wrest it from my hands or stealing my coat from his feed tub so I'd have to chase him to retrieve it.
He started getting on my nerves because he just wouldn't move enough out of the way for me to chuck the scoopful of bedding and poo out of his shed without making some rather interesting contortions while lugging 200 pounds of poo and pee-soaked shavings.
I pushed him and told him over. Nothing.
I did it again, using two fingers stiff against his side and told him over. Nothing.
I poked him in the side with the butt end of the manure fork and told him "over."
No response. I did it again. Poke.
Still nothing. He turned his head and gave me that "have you lost your bloody mind?" look and relaxed a hip.
Crap.
Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Steady. Repetitive, hopefully annoying enough to get some response from him.
Nothing.
Well, he flinched a bit with each poke and leaned into the end of the manure fork instead of away from the poking. I couldn't decide if he was being a stubborn oaf or truly not understanding what I was trying to communicate.
And I started thinking. When he's tied up I have a similar issue. He doesn't move over with a slight touch of my fingers, as he should. I have to put a shoulder into him and move him over.
This is not a good thing. This is a serious, serious oversight on my part. This lack of understanding to move away from pressure is going to put a serious crimp in any further training, and, it also explains why our leg yields, TOFs, and TOHs suck royally.
I felt like poking myself repeatedly with the manure fork to get it through MY head that I'm a great big dunce. Duh.
This is basic training stuff. How could I have overlooked it? I have a few ideas about how/why I overlooked this basic training concept, and most have to do with some other more serious issues I was dealing with such as the rearing and running backwards problem we had in the beginning as well as the spook, spin and gallop sideways for no apparent reason issue I had to deal with quick and in a hurry.
I guess we'll be taking a few great big steps backwards to fix the hole before we can start moving forwards again. Gabe is just smart enough that I don't think it will take too terribly long to get him where he should be so we can get back on track again. I need to also re-evaluate everything to be sure I haven't inadvertently left another hole somewhere along the line.
Good thing my mind kicked into gear now and made this realization before we got much further along, which could have made going backwards to fix it a more difficult issue.
My legs, my arms, my hands, my seat are all tingly and itchy with this intense desire and need to be in the saddle. Gabe, of course, could really care less whether I ride or not, as long as I visit him every day with peppermints and plenty of good scratching.
Actually, that might not be entirely true. When I walk out to his paddock with halter in hand he's never walked away...he always comes to me, even after watching me get out all my riding gear and put it near the hitching post. I think he enjoys our rides as much as I do.
I have also come to the conclusion that there is a rather large hole in our training that I need to fix ASAP, a problem I CAN fix on the ground (in the mud, rather) while I'm waiting for my marshy swampland to dry suitably enough for riding.
Gabe doesn't get the "move away from pressure when I tap you" concept. Yesterday I was cleaning his run-in and of course he had to be right there, head hanging over my shoulder, grabbing the manure fork and trying to wrest it from my hands or stealing my coat from his feed tub so I'd have to chase him to retrieve it.
He started getting on my nerves because he just wouldn't move enough out of the way for me to chuck the scoopful of bedding and poo out of his shed without making some rather interesting contortions while lugging 200 pounds of poo and pee-soaked shavings.
I pushed him and told him over. Nothing.
I did it again, using two fingers stiff against his side and told him over. Nothing.
I poked him in the side with the butt end of the manure fork and told him "over."
No response. I did it again. Poke.
Still nothing. He turned his head and gave me that "have you lost your bloody mind?" look and relaxed a hip.
Crap.
Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Steady. Repetitive, hopefully annoying enough to get some response from him.
Nothing.
Well, he flinched a bit with each poke and leaned into the end of the manure fork instead of away from the poking. I couldn't decide if he was being a stubborn oaf or truly not understanding what I was trying to communicate.
And I started thinking. When he's tied up I have a similar issue. He doesn't move over with a slight touch of my fingers, as he should. I have to put a shoulder into him and move him over.
This is not a good thing. This is a serious, serious oversight on my part. This lack of understanding to move away from pressure is going to put a serious crimp in any further training, and, it also explains why our leg yields, TOFs, and TOHs suck royally.
I felt like poking myself repeatedly with the manure fork to get it through MY head that I'm a great big dunce. Duh.
This is basic training stuff. How could I have overlooked it? I have a few ideas about how/why I overlooked this basic training concept, and most have to do with some other more serious issues I was dealing with such as the rearing and running backwards problem we had in the beginning as well as the spook, spin and gallop sideways for no apparent reason issue I had to deal with quick and in a hurry.
I guess we'll be taking a few great big steps backwards to fix the hole before we can start moving forwards again. Gabe is just smart enough that I don't think it will take too terribly long to get him where he should be so we can get back on track again. I need to also re-evaluate everything to be sure I haven't inadvertently left another hole somewhere along the line.
Good thing my mind kicked into gear now and made this realization before we got much further along, which could have made going backwards to fix it a more difficult issue.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
He is...
He is a great big dork sometimes. (Okay, most of the time.)
He is always a trouble-maker and the root cause of great mischief.
He is an eater of anything that doesn't eat him first. He's the horse you have to keep the pastures poisonous-plant free for. He will eat it, even if it tastes nasty.
He eats John Deere seats and gnaws on steering wheels.
He dribbles his meals down my arm every day. I own no barn coats without Gabe slobber and bits of grain stuck to the sleeve.
He steals tools and has been known to run off with drills. He does not make sinking a post into concrete perfectly perpendicular to the ground an easy task.
He is sneaky and wily, especially when he's playing face wars with Chief. Or when he thinks I'm not giving him enough attention.
He is certainly forgetful. Whether that is on purpose, in defiance or merely a result of his Thoroughbred brain, I don't know, but sometimes, halt and stand still is a complete mystery to him.
He is playful and curious.
He is wonderful and fun and gorgeous and the horse of a lifetime.
He is my buddy, my secret-keeper, my tear-absorber and my psychologist.
He makes me forget every worry in the world and laugh at the wind.
And it's good to know the trailer training he received as a racehorse stuck in his brain.
Because I now have one parked in my driveway and I'm more thrilled than I can ever fully express.
Oh, the places we will go!
He is always a trouble-maker and the root cause of great mischief.
He is an eater of anything that doesn't eat him first. He's the horse you have to keep the pastures poisonous-plant free for. He will eat it, even if it tastes nasty.
He eats John Deere seats and gnaws on steering wheels.
He dribbles his meals down my arm every day. I own no barn coats without Gabe slobber and bits of grain stuck to the sleeve.
He steals tools and has been known to run off with drills. He does not make sinking a post into concrete perfectly perpendicular to the ground an easy task.
He is sneaky and wily, especially when he's playing face wars with Chief. Or when he thinks I'm not giving him enough attention.
He is certainly forgetful. Whether that is on purpose, in defiance or merely a result of his Thoroughbred brain, I don't know, but sometimes, halt and stand still is a complete mystery to him.
He is playful and curious.
He is wonderful and fun and gorgeous and the horse of a lifetime.
He is my buddy, my secret-keeper, my tear-absorber and my psychologist.
He makes me forget every worry in the world and laugh at the wind.
And it's good to know the trailer training he received as a racehorse stuck in his brain.
Because I now have one parked in my driveway and I'm more thrilled than I can ever fully express.
Oh, the places we will go!
Monday, February 14, 2011
A greater maturity (ahahahaha!!!)
Gabe will be six on Thursday. Which technically means he should start growing a brain and not behave like a silly, naughty little juvenile quite so often.
One can always dream, right? I don't think he'll EVER grow out of that wonderfully curious, into everything, can I help?, nosy, playful personality and I'm glad for that.
SIX! Wow. I feel like we should be so much further along than we are. I had expected to have hunted him at least one season by now, maybe started popping over some 3' fences at the very least and become at least moderately consistent in our dressage work.
Nope. Seems that time gets away from me faster than I imagined it could.
But somehow, that's okay. We're rolling up quickly into regular riding season again and I'm going to (once again) attempt to keep some semblance of a riding/training journal. The last time I tried I managed to record my riding sessions a grand total of three times. It would be so helpful to know exactly how each ride went, what worked, what didn't and what we really need to focus on for the next ride. I'm getting older, and with it, my brain, which means as much as I could count on remembering the details of the last ride a few years ago, I think I really need to write it down as a reference from now on.
Goals for this year:
• Work on Gabe's sensitivity...something I never imagined I'd say with a Thoroughbred! He can be infuriatingly dead-sided when he just doesn't feel like doing it. Which leads naturally to:
• Forwardness and energy
• Better, steady rhythm at the trot and canter
• Circles!
• Lateral movement/shoulder-in/shoulder-out
• Jumping higher than a paltry 18" on a course/ditches/small drops/spreads
• Simple lead changes
• More out and alone rides to build the confidence
• Greater adjustability within each gait
Seems like a short enough list, but knowing Gabe like I know him, this will be one gargantuan task! I'm planning to ride at least four days a week, preferably five, and not every ride a "work" ride, but plenty of just out and about trail rides. I will have to really tighten up my work/school/farm/home schedule to fit those rides in, but I'll figure it out, even if I have to get up at 4 a.m. to beat the afternoon heat and ride with a headlamp.
I've been working on improving my own fitness all winter (since I haven't been in the saddle much), and I've not only gotten stronger and more flexible, but I've also managed to lose 37 pounds (so far!) with a few more to go. Before you know it, Gabe and I will BOTH be fit and sexy.
One can always dream, right? I don't think he'll EVER grow out of that wonderfully curious, into everything, can I help?, nosy, playful personality and I'm glad for that.
SIX! Wow. I feel like we should be so much further along than we are. I had expected to have hunted him at least one season by now, maybe started popping over some 3' fences at the very least and become at least moderately consistent in our dressage work.
Nope. Seems that time gets away from me faster than I imagined it could.
But somehow, that's okay. We're rolling up quickly into regular riding season again and I'm going to (once again) attempt to keep some semblance of a riding/training journal. The last time I tried I managed to record my riding sessions a grand total of three times. It would be so helpful to know exactly how each ride went, what worked, what didn't and what we really need to focus on for the next ride. I'm getting older, and with it, my brain, which means as much as I could count on remembering the details of the last ride a few years ago, I think I really need to write it down as a reference from now on.
Goals for this year:
• Work on Gabe's sensitivity...something I never imagined I'd say with a Thoroughbred! He can be infuriatingly dead-sided when he just doesn't feel like doing it. Which leads naturally to:
• Forwardness and energy
• Better, steady rhythm at the trot and canter
• Circles!
• Lateral movement/shoulder-in/shoulder-out
• Jumping higher than a paltry 18" on a course/ditches/small drops/spreads
• Simple lead changes
• More out and alone rides to build the confidence
• Greater adjustability within each gait
Seems like a short enough list, but knowing Gabe like I know him, this will be one gargantuan task! I'm planning to ride at least four days a week, preferably five, and not every ride a "work" ride, but plenty of just out and about trail rides. I will have to really tighten up my work/school/farm/home schedule to fit those rides in, but I'll figure it out, even if I have to get up at 4 a.m. to beat the afternoon heat and ride with a headlamp.
I've been working on improving my own fitness all winter (since I haven't been in the saddle much), and I've not only gotten stronger and more flexible, but I've also managed to lose 37 pounds (so far!) with a few more to go. Before you know it, Gabe and I will BOTH be fit and sexy.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Oh, hunting I want to go!
I miss foxhunting. Very badly. It is a thrill like no other I can even begin to describe. I grew up foxhunting with my mom and my first hunts were with the Ft. Leavenworth Hunt in Kansas. So much fun on a naughty, naughty (but very game) pony.
I was hoping to be able to hunt Gabe this season, but that hasn't quite panned out the way I'd hoped.
Natalie at Retired Racehorse Today posted this video (along with a few others) and I watched it a couple of times with goose bumps of thrills breaking out on my skin, my heart racing and my legs aching to be on a horse riding with that pack! I admit, I am a bit of a horseback adrenalin junkie...and this is my drug of choice. I need a fix!
This is video of the Scarteen Hunters in Ireland...ooohhh...FUN!! They say if you want a truly thrilling hunt, find an Irish pack. No fear.
I spent way too much time watching YouTube videos of foxhunts and all it managed to do was make me want to go hunting even more badly! Most of the videos I watched are of hunts in Ireland and England. One was of a pack of bloodhounds that track human "quarry" instead of fox, since that country outlawed hunting an actual fox. Still, too much fun! I totally live in the wrong country.
I was hoping to be able to hunt Gabe this season, but that hasn't quite panned out the way I'd hoped.
Natalie at Retired Racehorse Today posted this video (along with a few others) and I watched it a couple of times with goose bumps of thrills breaking out on my skin, my heart racing and my legs aching to be on a horse riding with that pack! I admit, I am a bit of a horseback adrenalin junkie...and this is my drug of choice. I need a fix!
This is video of the Scarteen Hunters in Ireland...ooohhh...FUN!! They say if you want a truly thrilling hunt, find an Irish pack. No fear.
I spent way too much time watching YouTube videos of foxhunts and all it managed to do was make me want to go hunting even more badly! Most of the videos I watched are of hunts in Ireland and England. One was of a pack of bloodhounds that track human "quarry" instead of fox, since that country outlawed hunting an actual fox. Still, too much fun! I totally live in the wrong country.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Frozen
Once upon a time, a long, long time ago I was called a "fair weather rider." By my own mother. I don't remember why or what prompted the comment, but it's one of those things that has stuck with me all these years because that's the last thing I ever thought I'd be.
I've never considered myself a fair weather rider. I'd get out there and ride in the rain, the snow, the fog, the cold, the middle of winter in the middle of the night under a full moon...any time, any where. If there was time to ride, the homework and chores done, I was on my horse. And I'd make fun of friends who wouldn't ride unless the skies were blue, the temperature moderate and the bugs at a minimum. Most of us were "all weather" riders, but a few, not so much.
But, I find that the older I get, the less likely I am to bundle up and ride when that thermometer drops below 20. I just don't want to. I remember how much I LOVE riding in the snow, and the crisp, brisk air smacking my cheeks, reddening my nose and start thinking about pulling on silk long underwear, breeches, a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt, sweatshirt, coat, gloves, hat, two pairs of socks, ear muffs...and it just seems like way too much effort.
Then I remember cold thighs, wind-induced tears frozen to my cheeks, numb fingers, frozen snot and feet that feel like they are going to shatter into a million frozen shards when you hit the ground on the dismount after being in the saddle for an hour or so.
And I skip it. I look out to the pasture and see Gabe gallivanting around in the snow, so happy and full of energy and boisterousness that I really, really want to get out there and ride and laugh.
But I don't want to freeze my ass off doing it, either.
There, I said it. I'm approaching "fair weather rider" status. Yikes! I hope this doesn't become a downward slide for me and I find myself only willing to ride when the weather is perfect. I never wanted to be one of "those riders."
I like riding in the rain. I LOVE riding in the fog and mist. Even the heat is tolerable.
But the cold. I just can't justify the bitter, biting, frigid, horrible, soul-sucking cold.
Hurry up spring! I need you!
I've never considered myself a fair weather rider. I'd get out there and ride in the rain, the snow, the fog, the cold, the middle of winter in the middle of the night under a full moon...any time, any where. If there was time to ride, the homework and chores done, I was on my horse. And I'd make fun of friends who wouldn't ride unless the skies were blue, the temperature moderate and the bugs at a minimum. Most of us were "all weather" riders, but a few, not so much.
But, I find that the older I get, the less likely I am to bundle up and ride when that thermometer drops below 20. I just don't want to. I remember how much I LOVE riding in the snow, and the crisp, brisk air smacking my cheeks, reddening my nose and start thinking about pulling on silk long underwear, breeches, a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt, sweatshirt, coat, gloves, hat, two pairs of socks, ear muffs...and it just seems like way too much effort.
Then I remember cold thighs, wind-induced tears frozen to my cheeks, numb fingers, frozen snot and feet that feel like they are going to shatter into a million frozen shards when you hit the ground on the dismount after being in the saddle for an hour or so.
And I skip it. I look out to the pasture and see Gabe gallivanting around in the snow, so happy and full of energy and boisterousness that I really, really want to get out there and ride and laugh.
But I don't want to freeze my ass off doing it, either.
There, I said it. I'm approaching "fair weather rider" status. Yikes! I hope this doesn't become a downward slide for me and I find myself only willing to ride when the weather is perfect. I never wanted to be one of "those riders."
I like riding in the rain. I LOVE riding in the fog and mist. Even the heat is tolerable.
But the cold. I just can't justify the bitter, biting, frigid, horrible, soul-sucking cold.
Hurry up spring! I need you!
Monday, January 3, 2011
And my soul soars
For the first time in nearly two months the planets aligned, the mud cooperated and the sun gleamed golden in an azure sky and I was able to ride.
Oh, the feeling of pure joy attained after so long an absence, even with the silly boy antics tossed at me by the big gray guy. Emotionally and mentally I can always tell when I've gone too long without riding. I feel down in the dumps, like something in my life is missing and the weight of the world on my shoulders. One ride, good or not so good, is all it takes to lift me up again, to remind my soul that yes, I can soar with eagles when I climb astride my horse.
I only rode for about 45 minutes after lungeing the big goof ball for about 20 minutes. He performed several airs above ground, shimmied, ducked, bucked and twisted in the air, both on the line and with me in the saddle. Which, in an oddly demented way, was quite exhilarating to ride. I think I even whooped and laughed a few times as he was getting the ants out of his pants. Which I wouldn't have done if I hadn't been able to stick to the saddle and landed face-first in the frozen mud instead. I'm sure it would have been far less exciting if I had to wipe the mud off my face and catch my horse after such silliness on his part.
Life is good again. I'm ready for spring, longer days and grooming copious amounts of shedding hair from my fuzzy critters.
A video of the beasties enjoying the snow last weekend...that leap and spin performed by Gabe? Yeah, pretty sure I rode one eerily similar last night. Chief's lookin' pretty darn spry for a 25-year-old arthritic dude isn't he?
Sorry about the dang black speck in the video...there is a speck of something in the housing of my camera...a non-removable housing. I have to send it in to have it removed and I just haven't had the extra $$ laying around to get it done. :(
Oh, the feeling of pure joy attained after so long an absence, even with the silly boy antics tossed at me by the big gray guy. Emotionally and mentally I can always tell when I've gone too long without riding. I feel down in the dumps, like something in my life is missing and the weight of the world on my shoulders. One ride, good or not so good, is all it takes to lift me up again, to remind my soul that yes, I can soar with eagles when I climb astride my horse.
I only rode for about 45 minutes after lungeing the big goof ball for about 20 minutes. He performed several airs above ground, shimmied, ducked, bucked and twisted in the air, both on the line and with me in the saddle. Which, in an oddly demented way, was quite exhilarating to ride. I think I even whooped and laughed a few times as he was getting the ants out of his pants. Which I wouldn't have done if I hadn't been able to stick to the saddle and landed face-first in the frozen mud instead. I'm sure it would have been far less exciting if I had to wipe the mud off my face and catch my horse after such silliness on his part.
Life is good again. I'm ready for spring, longer days and grooming copious amounts of shedding hair from my fuzzy critters.
A video of the beasties enjoying the snow last weekend...that leap and spin performed by Gabe? Yeah, pretty sure I rode one eerily similar last night. Chief's lookin' pretty darn spry for a 25-year-old arthritic dude isn't he?
Sorry about the dang black speck in the video...there is a speck of something in the housing of my camera...a non-removable housing. I have to send it in to have it removed and I just haven't had the extra $$ laying around to get it done. :(
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