cross country with Peanut!!!!

Guys. This horse, guys. I reeeeeeally like this horse. She is just the neatest little mare - and exactly my type of ride. That doesn't necessarily mean that I ride her well... but wow, I just love every moment of it. And it was such a TREAT to school cross country with her during our lesson at OF. 

The weather was gorgeous - high 70s with a clear sky and strong sun. The grass has suddenly come in and the ground is dry. Perfect conditions for our first xc outing of the year. I'm sad that Isabel isn't ready yet - but honestly it's perhaps a blessing in disguise to have access to Peanut in the meantime. This horse... she's cool. I am more than happy to ride her for a couple weeks while Isabel gets back into shape. 

Trainer P said Peanut hasn't gone xc schooling in maybe 5-6 years, and you would *never* guess by looking at or riding her. Not a single green step or hesitation or anything. Absolute perfection. (plus, I took Isabel's old wintec along to use. it's not great but I'm comfortable in it, it fits the horse, and it's miles better than the mess I rode in last week)

We jumped a lot of stuff that I've done before (and a lot of it was actually still in place from our first horse trial at OF last September), but we tried new and bigger stuff too. P recently changed up the lesson groupings and my new group mates are a bit more advanced and know the drill. Plus there were only four of us and all horse/rider pairs were doing well, so things moved along at a nice clip. 

 BN ramp is the brown one closest to the fence

One new obstacle we jumped is a BN ramp (above) that has always looked huge to me. I'm pretty sure Isabel could handle it no problem... but there was zero question with Peanut. She just sailed right over. It's in the video - but kinda from a distance. Still tho - it was awesome. 

We also played around in the water a bit. Peanut walked right in and only hesitated to take a few sips. Isabel, bless her desert horse heart, is NOT a fan of the water - so it was a nice change of pace to be on a horse who couldn't care less. We trotted and cantered through a few times, going up the lowest bank, then back down the lowest and middle banks. 

baby up banks aren't even worth a canter - just a big ol' trot

The drop down the middle isn't on video (boo), but it was easy peasy for Ms. Peanut. Our ground crew joked about my facial expression too - saying it looked like I was trying not to laugh lol. 

We also did the scary green roll top that nearly made me lose my nerve on the course walk last year. I kinda stayed in the back seat for it (have I ever mentioned how much I dislike roll tops? bc I really strongly dislike them lol), but all was well - and we cantered away with a huge grin on my face... 

 cantering away from the roll top - dis my happy face :)

Another nice perk of riding with a more advanced group was that we got to string fences together a lot more than we usually do (as opposed to everyone just jumping one fence at a time then moving along). I guess this is bc P trusted that we wouldn't need her right *at* each fence coaching us every time.  

My favorite 'mini courses' were when we did the brown ramp then cantered allllll the way across the field to a hanging log thingy that I jumped last year, and later when we rode up a bank out of the water, up a hill to a log (below). The video doesn't capture the water bit, but it was awesome all the same. Our event last year ended with the water (without the bank) up the same hill to a coop, so it was cool to do something similar but more technically challenging - and to do a better job of it this time. 

Really, tho - I was just cheesin the entire ride. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE Isabel and am nowhere near finished with her. She's been a huge factor in rehabilitating my confidence, and the time I spend with her is incredibly rewarding. 

But she's also never been the kind of horse I would choose for myself. She's not quiiiite my style of ride. Close - but not quite. And it makes a difference in what I feel ready to do with her. 

Peanut, on the other hand, is pretty much the definition of my type of ride. I mean, c'mon - this was my second time riding her and I jumped around stuff that would still make me hesitate with Isabel... That's kind of saying something, right? 

video here

It's all just food for thought tho - my situation with Isabel isn't changing any time soon. And Isabel and I WILL keep moving onward and upward - just probably slower than I would go with a horse like Peanut. And that's fine, really truly. But getting to ride Peanut for now is just so totally awesome :D

FCE blog hop: favorite ribbon / prize / award?

I'm gonna give this whole blog hop thing a try. Other bloggers have come up with a whole world of interesting questions to ask, and I've enjoyed playing along - hope you do too! 

So, without further ado, here's my question for y'all:

What is your favorite ribbon / prize / award that you've won in relation to horses? Is there a story behind it? Or was it a bucket list prize you'd been chasing for ages? It doesn't have to be from a traditional horse show, and ribbons that are the favorite bc they are the prettiest are just as awesome as awards with a great story. 

I was pretty active with a local h/j show barn while away at college in Rochester. They hosted and participated in all kinds of schooling shows designed specifically for lesson students and riders who didn't own horses. And playing around in the adult divisions at these shows left me with mountains of satin. Really, it's not too hard when you're competing in divisions where 4 makes a big class. 

This meant that I got some fancy year end awards - including having my name engraved on a big trophy that travels around from barn to barn, some nice long tri-colors, mugs galore, medals, and these weird but neat embroidered tartan lap blankets. 

(yes those are half chaps...gotta do what ya gotta do sometimes lol)

I definitely enjoyed all the swag (who wouldn't?) - but no one element from those experiences really stands out as an exceptional or defining moment. 

But, as a whole - my time in Rochester CAN be summed up by a show I rode in about two years ago, long after I had already moved away. 

I usually visit Rochester once a year and schedule a lesson while I'm up there. A few years back tho, the weekend of my trip was a show weekend so trainer A would be at the show rather than teaching. In a moment of bravery impulsive recklessness, I told her, 'what the hell, I'll just ride in the show then. Pick my horse and division and tell me when to show up!'

Ha. Never mind that I had only just started riding again after a 4 year hiatus and hadn't really done 2'6" coursework since I left Rochester... 

I can't remember exactly how many classes were in the division, but I *think* it was two flat classes and three over fences. And the best detail? The only other rider in my division was a former barn mate that I had always lessoned with - and she was riding my main Rochester squeeze Lad. So definitely a pretty friendly class haha. 

My horse on the flat - Rosa - was one I used to ride pretty regularly in lessons and was a very smooth ride. We won our first flat class but flubbed a lead in the next for second place. 

My jumping horse was Indy, who I had ridden once in a lesson on a different Rochester visit a year or so prior. Pretty straight forward and forgiving ride. He was fabulous, but my eye sucked and I added in almost all the lines, tho not consistently. All in all, pretty mediocre - and we were 2nd in all three rounds.

But ooooh boy did I have fun - and it was like the most awesome reunion, with my former trainer and barn mates and favorite horses all there, and the added bonus of a sweet reserve champion ribbon and sparkly green crop as a prize. Woo hoo for small classes!

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alignment follow up: better posture

Last week I wrote about ordering the Shoulders Back gadget to help with my posture, and Hawk from No Long Fiction commented with a link to a Fitness Blender video on quick stretches and exercises to help with this exact same issue. 

I'm not generally an exercise video kind of gal... but I watched this one (only 17min) while at work - shh don't tell my boss - and thought, hm this looks like something I might actually do! So thanks for the recommendation!

All the stretches are just better, more formal versions of the little things I already do to relieve stress and tension from my neck and shoulders. 

So I figured if I'm asking Isabel to stretch and use her body more correctly, it's only fair that I give it a try myself. And whadya know - following along with the video was actually not too bad! The stretches at the beginning and end definitely felt good (snap crackle pop!). The stuff in the middle... well the best I can say about it was that it was short haha.But seriously tho, the stretches/exercises are all aimed exactly at the areas that suffer from slouching - and the relief is immediate. Repetition over time is necessary for lasting effects probably... but I liked it enough to highlight the video again for anyone who didn't see Hawk's comment. 

I'm still pretty excited about this little gadget - and will write about it once I've used it. But in the meantime, I'm going to run through those stretches regularly too. I mean, it's kinda like dressage, right? Gadgets can help - but won't make a bit of a difference if the muscles themselves aren't properly conditioned and in working order ... What about you - do you have any go-to routines for getting ready to ride? Or surviving the 9-5, 40hr/wk desk job drill?

werk that line, mare!

So remember that thing that has been on my to-do list for ages and ages - since December, actually? You win a cookie if you guessed long lining! 

(Wait, you mean nobody remembered that??)

Well it finally happened! Yay!! The weather was glorious and my horse isn't quiiite ready for working under saddle... but she *can* start light light light work - so. What more of a reason did I need? Plus, when I asked barn mate N (our resident long lining aficionado) if I could borrow her lines, she actually volunteered to show me the ropes (hee hee). I was actually quite impressed with Isabel too - she showed right up with her thinking cap firmly in place. It's not known if she's ever done this before, but no matter, she was very very good. I can't exactly say she wasn't braced or tense, bc she was. But it wasn't about resistance or the 'I don't wannas.' Rather, we were asking her to move in a new and different (and, coincidentally, more correct) manner and it was a little difficult for her. (Have I mentioned just how crooked this horse is? Bc she's pretty crooked...)

I let N kick things off with the lines since she actually knows what she's doing. Meanwhile I asked approximately 8 million questions (and took just as many pictures... do zillions of pics make walking on a circle for an hour look interesting?? bc... there's that many in this post and they all pretty much look exactly the same haha).

She started by walking alongside Isabel in big sweeping circles while Isabel sorted out what in the fresh hell it was we wanted her to do now. Once the 'go' button and steering worked, N drew it into a fairly small-ish circle, maybe 10m, and stayed stationary in the center. She said it's ok for the horse to go as slow as it needs to - and it CAN sputter to a stop, then you just ask it to start walking again. No racing here.

She explained the general mechanics of what she was doing. The inside line should always be straight and taut, with that hand anchored at your side. The outside line (which goes behind the horse's legs) can give or take and that hand is mobile. So when the inside line goes slack you increase tension on the outside. When the inside line is taut you give with the outside. 

And it's ok for the horse to be counterbent (Isabel was, actually, for most of it) as that's a sign that they have some unevenness in their pelvis that they need to level out. We're just supposed to focus on the lines.

It's actually very similar to holding the reins while riding, and when it was my turn I had the same exact issues I always have haha. Like floating my inside elbow forward when it was supposed to remain steadily in place. And not getting the timing quite right with giving the reins... Plus oddly enough I could feel myself collapsing through my core on one side or the other the same as I do while riding too... inneresting. 

N also told me a bit about what she looks for in the horses while they go - different muscle groups letting go of tension and relaxing.She learned all this from our bio-mechanics trainer, with whom she's been riding for many years - so it was actually a mini lesson for me. N couldn't quite describe how the muscles change when they're relaxed (tho she knows it when she sees it), but did say that 'jiggling is good.'But really, Isabel was quite good and settled into a slow but seriously engaged and over-tracking rhythmic walk. N didn't have any preference about starting on good side v. bad, and randomly chose to track left - the easier side. She spent a good while letting Isabel sort herself out before handing the lines to me. I didn't make too much of a muddle of it, and got pretty close to the 'objective' of having Isabel travel a couple laps with the inside line remaining evenly taut (we got about 3/4 of a lap. close enuff). So I passed the lines back to N so she could show me how to turn the horse around (not actually very complicated) and get started on Isabel's tougher direction.Going right was definitely more difficult for Princess and N pointed out that she really wants to fall in more (you don't say!). So I let them sort it out and when they achieved a better degree of relaxation over Isabel's back, we let it be done with that. Isabel was in an excellent mental state the whole time - really trying and processing and thinking. I didn't want to mess that up by giving her a rougher go in her tough direction relative to how N handled her. So N ended on a relaxed note, with Isabel coming to a soft, round, and shockingly-close-to-square halt all on her very own.So I think we'll try this again. All in all we spent about an hour doing it, and Isabel never threw a fit or got bored or too distracted (just once - the earlier pic w her head straight up when some deer ran by). Plus, by the end her whole body was nice and warm, but not hot or sweaty, and she wasn't breathing very heavily and hadn't coughed once. N recommended that we start tracking right next time tho - and that we should really focus on getting more relaxation through Isabel's back in that direction. By the end, Isabel had moments, but nothing consistent. The idea is that the more you do it, the better the horse understands what you're doing, and the easier it becomes to find that relaxation and looseness. Have you ever long lined your horse? Or do you use other ground work methods for similar results? Lunging, side reins, etc?

getting reacquainted

I finally got to spend some quality time with Isabel that WASN'T related to her flu. We're planning to start back under saddle this weekend, and it seemed in my best interest to assess whether she'd gone feral or not during her 3 weeks off. 

'mebbe. feral is fun' - isabel

Also, I had some new cool tack to try out. The gullet plate in my Bates dressage saddle needed switching and I opted to take it to our local saddler so he could do it right (and also show me how). Obvi I had to browse the consignment section too... esp since they have a great rewards system and I'd amassed quite a few points buying the saddle in the first place.

Turns out they happened to have a nice Horseware dressage bridle AND another Herm Sprenger KK Ultra loose ring that would be entirely covered by my rewards points. The only catch? The bridle is pony sized lol.

I took it for a trial anyway, and whadya know - it mostly fits! The throatlatch isn't quite what I would like, and the browband will need replacing... but the rest is actually ok. It's in nice condition too - plus I snagged some black webbed full size reins, so we're just gonna roll with it. Yay for free tack!!

Meanwhile, back to getting reacquainted... Isabel WAS actually kinda rude at first. It didn't help that all the fresh grass was practically perfuming the air and she was dizzied by it all... But mostly she was ok - nothing crazy, but definitely ready to run all over me if I let her. 

She hand grazed while I got as much loose hair off her as possible (with a quick vacuum break), then headed down to the arena. You can see in the pic above that there were lots of ground poles all over the place, and we walked around all of them, plus a raised cavaletti, plus generally just seeing if she'd stop when I stop and go when I go and follow me around without hesitation. 

The verdict? Brain still very much intact. Good girl. 

Also, I can't seem to resist standing her on that pedestal haha... It's kinda ridiculous, but whatever - she's listening to me and thinking and I derive childlike glee from it. So there. We also tried a few turns on the forehand. It's not something I've ever really worked on with her, so I tried to just get a couple good steps here and there without a lot of pressure. 

All in all tho it was some quality pony time. Isabel took quite a few deep breaths at different points - especially after walking up the steep hill back to the barn (that I practically made her crawl up at a snail's pace) - and there was exactly zero coughing. I'll take it!

alignment & a new order

At the end of March I wrote a post on thinking positively about goals, which were two-fold:

• I will sit up tall and straight through my core - with lifted belt buckle and open shoulders
• Legs (and knees!) will stay long and down - with toes pointing forward

Obviously I haven't spent much time working on these goals bc I plain old haven't spent much time actually, ya know, riding, period. 

The exception was riding Peanut last weekend (total awesomesauce!). She and Isabel are similarly sensitive and reactive - the difference is that Peanut is actually pretty trained up, dressage-wise. 

notice that my shoulders are inching up toward my ears and are very rigid

We already know that Isabel does really well when I get myself properly positioned and aligned - but this lesson made it absolutely clear that good position isn't just a matter of helping the horse succeed. No, Peanut actually could NOT get her job done - I was quite literally *blocking* her with both my seat and hands. 

The seat problem will just have to be a work in progress for now (unless you know of any magic bullets that I can throw money at to fix it! lol). But the hands thing? I have a few theories. 

um... a few things to fix here... but 'open shoulders' is definitely on the list

During the lesson P kept telling me to soften my hands, which I did to the point of pretty much losing the reins entirely. But - the videos showed it's NOT my hands causing the problem. The tension/stiffness actually originates farther up in my shoulders, which are hunching over my collapsed core. I'm compensating for the shoulder/core issue by focusing on my elbows... but the end result is still more stiffness. 

These aren't exactly new issues for me - not by any stretch. But I'm honestly getting pretty sick of looking at picture after picture and just thinking, 'for love of all things holy Emma, just SIT UP and SHOULDERS BACK!'

So I'm trying a new approach, and ordered a product that comes highly recommended by L. Williams at Viva Carlos and Jen from Cob Jockey. I read both of those reviews when they were written, and thought both times 'that product would probably help me... but eh, not gonna spend the $ on it.'

The product costs less than a riding lesson tho. So my new reasoning is: my poor position is hindering progress in lessons, and I'm paying week after week to repeatedly hear 'sit up and open your shoulders.' Therefore this might be considered an investment in maximizing lesson productivity... right? Haha I can rationalize anything...

But seriously, tho. I'm going into this with high hopes (mixed with a bit of dread about being pretty sore initially... my poor atrophied back muscles!). If all goes to plan tho, I'll be able to at least make some headway on the goals listed above. 

Starting this weekend I'll be back in the saddle with Isabel - mostly walking for the first week. My plan is to really work on myself during these rides, and try to commit a new and improved position to my muscle memory while Isabel stretches out her lungs. Wish me luck! 

baltimore's arabbers

We have street vendors in Baltimore called Arabbers - men who lead horse-drawn carts through the city selling fresh produce. The horses are mostly shaggy pony-type things and they pull red and yellow carts covered in bells that make the most distinctive and cheerful jingle as the horses walk down the road. 

pics are all a little blurry bc it was dark and rainy...

The vendors seem to cover regular routes, and can be found at most city festivals (and we actually have a quite a few!). Obviously they're not out much during the winter, but now that Spring is here they're back in action. So now they come down my street almost every night! I still get so excited when I hear them coming (even tho I've lived in this apartment for years haha), but it's usually right around dusk and too dark to get a photo. 

they usually have the sweetest black pony on this route (i've pet her before!) - but tonight was a cute chestnut that i think i've seen too

Like many things related to animals and/or city life, it's a somewhat controversial topic, with one side concerned about the welfare of the horses, and the other holding true to the history and culture behind the Arabbers. 

see the rain blanket?

I honestly don't know enough about them to pass judgement one way or another (tho I've never personally seen one of their horses in worrisome condition, and I HAVE seen vendors grooming and brushing the horses during lulls). All I know is that I love seeing them and run to my window to watch whenever I hear the telltale 'tinkle' signaling their approach. 

For various reasons, it seems like this tradition is going extinct (this article says there are only 6 left in the city)... whether bc it's not financially sustainable or there's just too much pressure to take the horses off the streets... whatever the reason it makes me a little sad.

But for now I'm still going to get excited whenever they go down my street on their way home. If you're interested in reading more about the vendors and their horses (and looking at pictures far better than my own), here's a great feature article.

What about where you live - are horses still at all involved in day-to-day life and work?