charlie's secret "GO" button??

Charlie and I have been going through the same sorta cycle ever since he came home back in 2016. Basically, the horse just kinda doesn't go. Unless he's going. In which case, he GOES.

 

tree blossom season!

It honestly sometimes feels really really bipolar. Like I'll spend the first half of a ride chasing the horse along, nag-nag-nagging. And then the second half of the ride trying to stuff the genie back in the bottle. 

oooh and opportunistic cavaletti schooling! a friend set this up just as we were finishing and i figured, what the hell, let's take a few passes! charlie was perfect obvi <3 <3 <3

This is actually one big reason why I've converted to riding almost entirely in the hackamore for everything other than jump lessons. Charlie stiffens and leans into a snaffle in a way that he just.... doesn't with the hackamore. So I never really feel like I need to ride around with the e-brake half on, ya know?

getting back into incorporating long walks before or after every ride

But that still leaves me with the first half of the problem: just getting this friggin horse going. I swear I get so tired of kickin him on. And will find a million reasons to think, "OMG he's probably dying I should probably start digging the hole now!" Ahem, cough cough. 

forsythia is my favorite <3 <3 <3

Spending a winter "kinda giving up on dressage" really helped, tho, I think. I've spent the past months just sorta working on allowing forward, not interfering negatively with the horse's balance (tho possibly not necessarily influencing him positively either), and just working on some of my own position habits. 

Namely: detaching my clingy friggin heels and lower legs from my poor horse's rib cage. And everyone likes that better now haha.

blurry but kinda watercolor-esque?

It's springtime in earnest around these parts tho. And, to be perfectly honest, it's way past time to get serious about each other's fitness. Our baselines are ok -- but they're just that: baselines. It's time for more. 

Charlie's got fresh joint oil, his feet look good. He's been acupunctured and chiro'd and all the things. It's TIME.

death alley is much less spooky now that construction's about wrapped. that sky tho!

But. How to really get his ass 'in gear' for our rides without falling back into the same nagging habits?? I *think* I may have sorta accidentally discovered a neat trick this week. 

See.... Charlie has always been somewhat of an idiot savant when it comes to counter canter. Well -- let's be real, canter is his strongest gait anyway. And the counter canter just... honestly comes kinda easily to him. I've been told up and down and all around that it's also a fabulous strengthening exercise. 

finished rebuilt shed, plus older attached lean-to

So this week I reintroduced it to our rides. Basically, I ride giant sweeping figures of 8 around our roughly 30x70m dressage court. Just a few (maybe 3ish) on each lead, which works out to about 2min* per lead. 

(*Recall: I keep an interval timer app going on my phone that dings every 2min. I don't necessarily heed every ding, but it's a useful gauge for tracking time). 

just love those beautiful crazy post-storm spring skies!

Wouldn't ya know it. Something about counter canter just naturally improves Charlie in his overall lateral and longitudinal balance. It sorta gently realigns his whole posture so that his hind legs come up underneath --- almost like he remembers "OMG wow! I *do* have a hind end after all!" And suddenly it's like all his pipes open and he snorts a whole bunch and then... we're all clear!

After which, from that point on in the ride, Charlie switches effortlessly from slug-mode to... actually going forward haha. But without all the tension that is sometimes introduced with other "jazz-up" exercises like rapid-fire transitions. Funny how that works! 

The last couple times we've done it there have been little cavaletti set up in the dressage court that I've used as kinda a reward/proof of concept after the counter canter work. Obvi it's a small sample set but seems like Charlie really nailed it. 

So. Maybe this is the secret 'go' switch I've been looking for in my warm up all these years? Does anybody else spend a lot of time in counter canter? Does it have the same effect on your horse? Or are there other exercises you use to get the horse moving up and in front of your leg? 

creating a NEW new plan!!

I reminisced a couple weeks ago about how great it was for my confidence to take two jumping lessons each week back in 2015. Ideally, that's the direction I'd like to get back to. In the meantime, tho, realistically I'll settle for even just more saddle time, independent of whether we jump or not. 

Y'all don't need me to tell you that life with Charlie requires many many starts and stops. The casual reader might be forgiven for thinking we're perpetually in the "getting started again / legging back up" phase of work, let's be real.

charlie is the best at making new barnyard friends <3 isn't Bess adorable tho??

To be perfectly honest, I've often considered (at times, very seriously) whether I might actually be able to swing two horses -- just to always have a back up for ye olde King of the Dings, Charles. 

Somewhat serendipitously, tho, an even better situation just popped up. You see, the owners at Charlie's farm have long felt like something's been missing. And they've been casually looking for a new barnyard resident. Finally, they found her: Bess. And guys, Bess ticks all the right boxes. 

she's really the friendliest tho

She's obviously super cute. But also super friendly, gentle, and people-oriented. Only issue is that she's still kinda young and doesn't have a ton of mileage yet. She's not ready for "prime time" in the school program yet, if ya know what I mean. 

So -- we ended up working out a win-win solution for everyone involved. I get a solution for filling the gap in my saddle time, giving me the opportunity to increase my fitness (and grow my skillset in new and different ways). And Bess gets the attention and experience she needs to be a productive member of the farm's society. 

haven't found a bridle that fits her yet (plus, omg, so downhill!) so it's a real test of my balance lol

And honestly, so far everything's been going pretty smoothly! She's obviously a very different ride from what I'm used to -- not even considering the conformation changes. 

And, lol, somewhat embarrassingly, she's already got a bigger better engine than retired racehorse Charlie.... Which honestly is a nice change of pace for me (lol puns) not feeling like I have to kick kick kick her along every step. Tho, uh, the lack of steering and downhill way of going has meant for some slightly dicey moments at times -- esp out in the open fields!

but she's got hops!! good 'nuff for me <3 <3 <3

Honestly, tho, Bess is SUPER fun. She's brave and game and so far has shown a shocking aptitude and talent for her new job. Idk how long the lease will last, to be honest, bc some of the more advanced lesson kiddos are already itching to get their chance with her too. 

But for now, I'm just taking my time and making sure we both get a lot of good positive experiences. So! There ya have it -- my new exciting partner in crime, with our lease starting today, April 1!! :)

a show for every audience

I can always tell when it's spring around here bc suddenly my weekends end up double, triple, or quadruple booked. Like, for real, I wish I could give up the 9-5/M-F lifestyle and just like... live for the weekends LOL.

 

hard to tell but there's a bebe shetland back there watching charlie suffer through ice cold spot cleaning....

Anyway, tho, as is always Charlie's generous habit, he graciously volunteered to make my life easier and lighten my load by striking at least one plan from the agenda. In this case: his spring shots-induced fever meant we did end up scratching from our barn's little schooling CT this weekend. 

On one hand.... I'd already been kinda noncommittal about doing it and was maybe looking for an excuse. On the other hand.... Eh, it probably would have been fun to do. 

tadpole is best pole <3

As it was, tho, spending the day working the warm-up and in-gate had its own advantages. Like, just look at these friggin adorable kiddos?!? Local schooling shows aren't the most glamourous thing in the world. But these are essential points of access for kids (and adults!) who don't own horses to still get that experience and reap the benefits of all horses have to offer. 

They can't happen in a vacuum tho. Even tho it was a "small" "schooling" show, it still took a not-insignificant number of (wo)man-hours to make it happen. Coordinating entries and times. Dragging the arenas. Setting the courses, including carting additional standards and poles into a designated warm up area. Plus there still needs to be judges and stewards. 

It takes a village, ya know? And is honestly a great way to spend a Saturday <3

 

watching the pros warm up is pretty cool too

Tho, lol, back to the "double/triple/quadruple booking" situation... Apparently I was feeling much more ambitious in the cold wintry darkness of January -- when I signed up for all sorts of volunteer roles at recognized HTs throughout 2021. Including, Morven's spring event this past weekend. 

Guys. Morven is a haul for me, esp early in the morning, bleh. And esp esp on days when it's forecast to downpour all day... Luckily, tho, we got lucky with the weather and only saw sprinkles a few times throughout the day. 

Less luckily, those few moments happened to be when literally THIRTY FIVE (3-5-OMG) horses showed up in the Novice Show Jump warm up at the exact same time, and literally all wanted to know how many minutes til their round, and how many horses ahead of them, etc etc etc at the exact same moment. Omg. And my order of go (with all my notes) got all soggy and the pen was ripping through the paper... 

Lord, that was madness. Like, guys. If you are warming up with 30+ horses, each horse needing to jump, and each round taking ~2min.... Yea. It might be a few minutes before you go LOL. Esp when there are pros with multiple rides and coaching responsibilities who are guaranteed to show up and cut in line anyway.....

lol i love how charlie looks like an absolute gangster here --- but the real story is him standing back watching the ENTIRE HERD put on a show of their own

We worked it out tho and everyone jumped that wanted to jump. It was a hairy few minutes tho -- but also kinda sorta secretly exactly the blast of show ring adrenaline I live for -- that is, when *I*, personally, do not have to ride haha...

For real tho. If you rode in the Novice at Morven this past weekend, sorry if you felt a bit delayed getting through warm up!!! We kept the division on time (often running early, actually), at least, tho individual riders got a bit juggled off their slated times. 

Ahem. Anyway. 

dutifully recorded for your video viewing pleasure

I ended up not riding at all this weekend bc I was just plain old too worn out from being out in the sun on my bum ankle all day Saturday, then dealing with driving and being at Morven all day Sunday. 

You'd think that might mean a boring media landscape.... But Lo! Charlie's herd had the Spring Sillies in no uncertain terms, oh.my.fucking.god. 

I turned Charlie out after a little TLC on Saturday afternoon, at which point he was immediately chased clear across his field by the God of Mischief, little gray pony pictured in the above thumbnail. Then the entire herd of retired racehorses (plus, again, mischief pony) raced around and around and AROUND for literally three full minutes of bucking and squealing and farting and Bentley actually wiping the fuck out bc obviously. 

My favorite part of the video is obviously how Charlie and his best bud Iggy resolutely refused to demean their dignified selves by participating in the pandemonium LOL. Keep an eye out for the two bays holding their ground on the crest of the hill, hahaha.

 

shout-out to my editor in chief!

Omg. Again. Madness LOL!!!

I swear, no horses (or ponies!) were injured in the making of this film. But holy crap it's hilarious to watch --- even my cats thought so HAHA! 

So there ya have it. An eventful weekend in its own right, lol.... Tho. Ya know. Hopefully Charlie will be getting back to more of a leading role asap! 

Friday DIY: Classy Cat Bridle Hooks

Happy Friday, everyone! Earlier this week it rained absolutely cats and dogs, on actually the same day Charlie got all his spring shots and such. 

pictured: the pinnacle of neat + tidy organization

I figured he might as well get a day off from work -- but still wanted to go out and check on him, take off his rain sheet, and maybe putter around the tack locker a little bit. 

sir was feeling feverish after his spring shots and didn't finish his food***
(***except it turns out they put his food directly on top of manure that was in the bucket, what the actual fuck people why are you so fucking bad at this?!? gahh)

And.... I'm glad I did, bc poor pony was feverish and very very sad. Skipped his dinner*** and everything. Apparently a couple horses were having more of a reaction -- maybe bc of the downpour all day? -- so the vet suggested I give Charlie a couple (12) CCs of banamine and check his temp again in the morning. 

got a little medical assistance to bring him down from 102.4*

This was actually the first time I even used this bottle of banamine after buying it last summer during Charlie's anaplasmosis episode. The medicine comes in a couple different formulas -- and was recommended that I get the injectable version bc even if I myself don't ever plan on injecting IV, you can still squirt the stuff directly into the horse's mouth. So that's what I did!

onto today's story: those poor overworked plastic white hooks never stood a chance

So I fussed on Charlie a little bit, dried off the rain soaked areas of his coat, fluffed up his hay nets, and basically left him alone to chill while I tinkered around and kept an eye on him. 

disassembling the carnage. keep track of the fasteners tho bc they can be reused!

And the focus of my tinkering??? The poor abused plastic coat hooks presumably installed in my tack locker before the dawn of time, when dinosaurs roamed earth. These hooks carried a mammoth load with all my hoarding and whatnot, and finally gave up the ghost last week.

not gonna lie -- this whole fandango was pretty friggin heavy...

Bc, ahem, turns out --- I may or may not have a silly number of bridles for my one single horse LOL. Only two of which are even in regular rotation right now.... 

Plus I'd gotten lazy about hanging all other sorts of odds and ends on hooks too. So ya know. Not super surprising they'd finally succumb to gravity. 

wait a second, is that..... what i think it is??

Anyway. I like to consider myself somewhat "resourceful." Possibly you might find other alternate word choices springing to mind LOL, but my blog, my vocabulary. 

playing around with different configurations. this is highly precise stuff, guys

And as I sat around ruminating on what sort of hardware should replace those hooks --- I remembered reading way back a long time ago about people using tuna cans or pet chow cans as hooks. 

bzzt bzzzt!!!

Obviously, as the owner of what often feels like A LOT of cats (realistically just two, but still), I happen to have unlimited access to a supply of these exact little round tins. So --- after a couple days of saving them up, I had enough (including a variety of sizes) to tinker around with various potential configurations. 

ta da!! 
also i *swear* that's not left over cat food in there -- just wood shavings. i swearrrrr lol

And. Ya know. It really couldn't be simpler. I sorta measured out the spacing. And sorta marked out the locations for each tin. But.... Also just kinda winged it. 

testing out the spacing!

The spacing isn't exactly even, and none of the tins are level with each other (whoops). But -- honestly they actually work surprisingly well. I really wasn't sure if these smaller sized tins would be ok vs the more standard tuna can size -- but actually they seem perfect!

my middle name is 'engineer'

I also used a pair of pliers to flatten down the sharp edges inside each can, tho if I manage to slice a finger open it'll be my own fault LOL.

is it just me, or does the 'rose gold' give it a certain je ne sais quoi???

The cans are surprisingly secure, and don't spin at all. Sure, the middle two are slightly close, but I can still yank bridles on and off each individual can without any others falling off in the process. 

So. Ya know. I'm gonna call that a win LOL. Tho -- uh, I also reserve the right to tear it all right back down again should a more, erm, elegant solution present itself at some future date haha. 

treating yo'self

And, obviously, by "yo'self" I am clearly referring to "yo'horse." Because why on earth would I ever indulge myself with any sort of creature comfort when those resources could be spent on my horse instead?! 

creepin on the shetland herd next to his temporary paddock

Case in point: I've been hobbling around the farm for a literal month at this point since my latest ankle calamity (in case you forgot: I dismounted directly onto a jump pole, and cckrtch'd the fuck out of my poor long-suffering ankle....). But, have I seen a doctor? Attended physical therapy?? Done literally anything other than brace the ankle, gird my loins, and carry on??? No, nope, and definitely not. 

only jusssst a little bit like that random sketchy guy hangin around the children's playground

Meanwhile, during this exact same time frame, my horse had a spa day, got his (joint) oil changed, and - as of yesterday - enjoyed some chiropractic massage and acupuncture from his favorite wellness practitioner. 

it's amazing how quickly these old buildings come down!

So. Uh.... Yea. Self care isn't exactly one of my strengths lol. Tho --- in fairness, major components of my day to day mood and mental well being are directly connected to the time I spend with my horse, and the satisfaction I get from this lifestyle. 

onto the main story: charlie getting spoiled!

In this roundabout way, I convince myself that Charlie Care -- investing in his quality of life -- thus indirectly serves my own interests too. Sorta kinda I can rationalize anything.

he luvs this attention so much tho

Lol for real, tho, for better or worse I like to take a holistic approach to Charlie's wellness. Obviously I'm a big believer in the benefits of typically invasive western medicine practices like joint injections etc. When the Shit hits the Fan, I'm calling out the DVM and shelling out for prescription grade medications. 

obvi it's always recommended to have the barn manager on hand supervising the adjustment!

For day to day maintenance, tho? I like to try out alternative therapies like massage, chiro, PEMF, acupuncture, etc. For a couple reasons: 

1) My horse fucking loves it; 2) It's a lower cost way to routinely check in on my horse's overall condition with professionals who know him well; and 3) It gives me more confidence that we're correctly distinguishing between physical issues and training issues in our regular work.

fairly standard array of pokey proddies

The practitioner I keep coming back to again and again over the years is this chiro / acupuncturist. She's a former DVM and very well known and respected throughout the region. She used to work on Isabel back in the day, and was one of the first people to meet Charlie after he came home to me. 

marinating

So, obviously this appointment had to be a key item on Charlie's Spring Tune-Up Checklist. The basic hypothesis being: we had a pretty low key winter around these parts, punted his annual maintenance from what would have been a fall appt to the springtime (a couple weeks ago now), and we're now starting to gear back up again.

more stabby jabbies -- in the neck here, and also some down on his pasterns / heel bulbs

The chiro confirmed that Charlie had more pronounced soreness in his back than we'd normally expect, and said it was more apparent on his right side. This is most likely the result of compensating for his hocks. Tho ya know, it's also possible my asymmetric style of riding lately (thanks to being #crippled again) isn't helping. 

deep in thought

We talked a bit about the realities of a sore back. Basically, the gist is: in horses, a sore back rarely if ever resolves itself. Rest does almost nothing for it (in most cases), mostly due to the compensating nature of their way of going. The only real solution to a sore back is to work on it -- through physical therapies, correct riding, and in more extreme cases, medical interventions like muscle relaxers. 

so focused on his favorite wellness practitioner haha

Charlie's not getting any muscle relaxers this time (much to his chagrin -- I swear Charlie is an absolute junkie), but he's getting all the rest of it. 

like a pig in clover lol

Theoretically the joint injections will correct the underlying root cause and need to compensate. The chiro should help ease everything back into alignment, and the acupuncture stimulates the nervous system and relieves pain. Or at least, that's sorta my working understanding haha. 

lol that's one way to stretch your back, charlie!

Then the rest is up to me: actually riding my horse, and riding him properly. Getting back into more normal dressage schools will be part of keeping him healthy happy and comfortable by building all those big important muscles he needs to support his bronto-self LOL. 

an right onto his next appointment -- he's a busy pony!

And just to complete the package: Charlie's first farrier appointment of spring happened to fall at the perfect time -- hopefully early enough to get in front of the crumbling hooves that will come when the grass is up. Maybe this year I'll finally be prepared lol. 

We went ahead and put leather pads up front earlier than in previous years too. Honestly Charlie is just more comfortable in the pads -- and hasn't had any issues with thrush or whatever. And I'm comfortable when Charlie's comfortable, so there ya go. 

Ooh. And. We also got the season's first stud holes drilled 'n tapped. Maybe -- jusssst maybe -- now that Charlie's getting all tuned up, I'll actually pull up my big girl britches and put this amazing thoroughbred to good use LOL.

Anyone else ticking things off the list?? Doing your own variation of spring cleaning? Treating yourself or your horse?!? Stamping out the mental gloom by sprucing up your favorite pony???

fresh open spaces

I figured it out, guys!! We found the missing puzzle piece! Having a "real" winter around these parts deprived us of our daily recommended dosage of cantering around in the fields and woods like absolute children. 

And, turns out, maybe that's why things have felt so anemic lately. Goooooo figure, lol.

no grass yet but they can definitely smell it growing

I made it our business to get out into the fields for our last couple of rides. And just.... cruise. On Sunday it was just me and Charlie, and I wanted to do a little trotting and cantering around plus get into the woods for a loop. 

death alley is spooky for a reason -- the last of the "old" outbuildings is coming down to be replaced with something nice and new! (like that new shed visible in the background!)

But nothing serious -- no timer or intervals or anything like that. And, honestly, for better or worse, not even really kicking Charlie on into his bigger better trot. Rather, we kinda just hokey-poked our way around, this way and that.

my goodness but look how square this creature can stand when he wants to

Which was.... enlightening, tbh. It's been a long time since we've done much real riding on terrain, and Charlie didn't exactly feel like a perfect picture of agility or dynamism, LOL. He was kinda dink-dink-dinking along in his own little shuffle-y way for the first few minutes. 

man it's been a LONG TIME since we went for a run through the woods

But as we coasted around -- up this big hill, down that long sweep -- he loosened up and stretched out. And, not coincidentally, re-discovered his bigger step. 

will never not love this view <3

And actually in a couple places broke into that wonderfully luxurious big rolling canter that I love so much. Not just bc it's an immensely comfortable canter to ride -- but it's just such a refreshing feeling when he's offering it up like that, vs me always kinda driving him along. 

haven't been back in this section in ages

It was an enlightening feeling for other reasons, too, tho. Ahem, cough cough. Neither of us are the picture of perfect fitness right now. Charlie was happy for frequent breaks. And I was not quite as stable or smooth in my position up and down the hills, esp as Charlie would find his bigger loftier steps. 

it's impossible to tell from these pics but there's a deep natural ditch running basically straight across the landscape here

After crisscrossing the main cross country fields, we slipped through a gate into the woods for a loop before taking the long way home out around all the summer pastures. 

Charlie knows all these trails by heart (since there are like, two total trails out there LOL) and it's actually great bc he hits a point where we're still technically moving away from "home" -- but he recognizes that we're close to the turnaround point and really picks up his pace. 

last year they got some heavy machinery stuck in that little spot that looks like a puddle. i assure you, it is *not* 'just a puddle.' it was a deep dark treacherous mess that charlie literally got stuck in like a brontosaurus in the proverbial tar pit, and scared the crap out of himself. luckily nature is reclaiming the pathway, tho, and charlie was finally able to cross it all by himself!! <3

Which happens to be pretty convenient bc we're at that point about as far away from "home" as is possible, but then Charlie gets all jazzed up and eager to power-walk, -trot, or -canter his way back. Plus naturally jumping whatever little obstacles are in his path. 

Not coincidentally including the nasty little natural ditch they tore up with a kubota or tractor or some other heavy thing last year. Charlie had a bad experience getting stuck in it, and hasn't wanted to touch it since. But I figured he'd be more willing if we were going toward home. And? Was correct, good boy!

as well he should, since he's a brave event horse <3

That ride left us feeling so refreshed and loose and full of good post-workout vibes that it was immediately clear to me: THIS is what's been missing. We need more of this. And not just like rigorous conditioning work or trot sets or whatever. But just... moving freely through open spaces on rolling and varied terrain. 

So, obviously, that's exactly what we've been up to since then haha. Helped in no small part by the longer days.

eeeee i love how happy he looks here <3 <3 <3

Maryland is experiencing absolutely perfect spring weather right now with super pleasant temps and dry ground -- so obvi literally every single barn mate has the exact same ideas haha. And all the xc fields were dotted with various groups of riders out and about doing their thang and enjoying their ponies. 

yes we 100% took our horses out into the field and to stroll around and take pictures of everyone trotting and cantering through the water lol

Including naturally our little old lady group LOL, where we mostly walked -- and possibly peer pressured a few members into jussst a litttle bit of trotting and maybe thru the water too. Plus naturally walking and trotting up and down the littlest step banks, just to get that feeling again. 

And honestly it just feels so good. Charlie's still a little lazy at times, and was certainly the slowest and quietest of the group. But again, once he gets moving it's like he finally lets go and loosens up in his body. 

my most majestic beastie after his "school"

It's helpful for me, too, as a rider. It's liberating. Just riding the horse forward in a balance over whatever comes our way -- with no arena walls or boring sandbox circles to slow us down, and no need for me to pick at him or micromanage. 

So... Yea, haha. If you need me, we'll be out riding in the fields for the foreseeable future LOL.