coming into focus

This 'new horse' journey with Doozy has honestly been full of surprises. It's not at all what I expected, and at times it's still really really hard. But she's also been an incredibly rewarding horse to work with, and consistently steps up to the plate -- seems to want to step up. 

farm walkies with Mondeuse!

We are 8 months into this journey together now, believe it or not. And it's interesting to compare with the first 8 months with Charlie. He was farther along at this point, but the contours of our early days also looked a LOT different. 

Recall, Charlie came home to what was basically a new-to-me boarding barn. I'd lessoned there on and off over the years (particularly, pre-Isabel), but we were essentially still new to the community. New horse, new barn family, new everything, had me feeling a lot of urgency to get things moving along enough with Charlie where we could get to shipping out to our normal lesson haunts and start riding with friends again.

nature walkies too --- remember when crossing that little stream ahead of us was a big deal? me neither!

That, combined with Charlie's general laid back disposition, meant that his under-saddle work progressed pretty quickly. And let's be real, here. I was also a bit impatient.

getting acquainted with the fish bowl / water trough

Maybe I felt like I had something to prove? The way things ended with Isabel left me feeling a bit defeated. We had done so much together, had so many adventures. She was such an incredible horse and gave me so much, that when I was ultimately unable to resolve her stopping issue... it was hard not to feel responsible. 

But I didn't own the horse, and ultimately did not have permission to pursue potential veterinary interventions... so, c'est la vie, right? And by the time Charlie entered the picture, I felt bound and determined to "get back" to where Isabel and I had been.

i thought i'd get video of cute splish-splashies,
but instead she just tried to scratch my nice bridle lol

The picture is a bit different now with Doozy, tho. On one hand, we're safely ensconced in an established and wonderful barn family -- with plenty of friends who have happily been good vibe-y riding buddies for a very fresh green OTTB. With so many resources at home, Doozy has spent far less time on the trailer shipping out to lessons etc. 

Meanwhile, I'm intentionally trying to be a little less 'urgent' about things. Originally the idea was that Charlie would keep me occupied enough to protect against impatience, although that has yet to prove true (he's still not particularly sound, sigh). 

can't stand still / won't stand still lol

But Doozy has made her own impressions anyway. She's not really a horse that can be rushed or squished into things or "gotten around" by hook or by crook. Quite a few times now with this mare, my lofty aspirations have crashed down to basic reality. Often in kinda... deflating ways. 

Like a couple days ago, on a gusty windy day after what felt like endless rain... I thought maybe Doozy and I would amble up to the jump ring for a little solo school. Which, eh, we did technically "make it" to the jump ring -- tho "amble" isn't quite the right way to describe how we got there. And I only stayed long enough to do a little courtesy circle by the gate before exiting to immediately head for the safety of the indoor. Where we proceeded to have a slightly wild and wooly session more reminiscent of her earliest rides. 

oooh i bought a pro photo from Hunt Club!! not bc like, we make a nice picture at the moment (hint: if you took away the boards in the background you'd never guess we're mid dressage test by either of our postures!)... but bc hey, we did it! and also grateful for the photogs who stuck around all day lol

The thing is --- there were so many silver linings to that ride, right? Like, first of all, we rode up from the barn, actually hacking successfully to and from the jump ring along the way. Which... remember when Doozy could barely hand walk around the farm?

Secondly, Doozy actually was able to stand for me to open and close the sliding doors from the saddle both to enter and exit the indoor -- a first for her. And then rode back down to the barn post-ride in a very civilized fashion.  

can ride in the rain!

So yea. On one hand, the riding still isn't 'good,' per se, but it isn't bc Doozy isn't learning, right? Like, actually, it feels like she's learning so much. 

Remember when she wouldn't stand still for the dismount? Or when she'd drag me around the ring while I tried to run up the stirrups and loosen the girth after a ride? Not bc she was being bad, but just bc... that's how they did it at the track, right? ALL of that has improved, and not bc I'm some sort of ground work guru LOL, but just bc she's figuring it out.

and we've had LOTS of rain

It's easy to get frustrated and demoralized about the actual under saddle work not being further along... mostly bc, wow sometimes it's just plain hard to work up the mental fortitude for yet another frenzied flurry of attempted trot circles lol.... No joke, I'm grateful every day for how 'easy' Charlie was in many, many ways!

But, eh, then there are the rides where Doozy just knocks me over with a feather, when she proves that, "Actually I'm really trying to listen and give correct answers -- I just need to understand the question!" Like when I finally clearly communicate, Yes we do actually want a slow trot, and then she does it. 

more farm walkies... bc guys, getting proficient at strolling around the farm is a BIG DEAL for us!

Doozy can trot around like a maniac, often breaking into canter at the least provocation. But when she knows I want to walk, I can literally chuck the reins at her and she still transitions down. So... It's clearly just a training issue of her not understanding what we want in the trot (maybe she's a bit philosophical about it lol -- "what's the point of doing it if you don't do it FAST?").

In recent weeks, tho, we've had a breakthrough. She seems to learn the best, go the best, balance the best, when I can push my reins forward to her. Which like, duh haha. But on a horse who wants to get racey and inverted and on the muscle, it's hard to find those moments, right? 

So I dug into the archives to an old Dan C lesson with Isabel where we worked on stretchy trot, and his instruction was basically to sit the trot deeply and slowwwww it down until the horse comes over her back and wants to stretch -- then push the contact forward and post and praise. Rinse repeat forever. And it's working!! Doozy seems to understand!

basically every riding area on the farm requires some level of commute from the barn

Which ya know. Is such a good feeling. Also a feeling made possible by all the other little skills Doozy has learned over the past months -- like how to accept leg aids, how to bend, how to balance, all the things. Just very very slowly introducing her to all the various micro-skills, then putting them together into something that might eventually look like a proper trot.

pretty magnolias!!

The best way I can describe Doozy is that, 'she colors inside the lines.' She wants to be good, wants to learn, and often seems quite interested in the job -- esp if it involves jompies! And she's actually learning some things quite quickly --- it just doesn't exactly look like the Syllabus of Under Saddle Skills that I maybe expected after Charlie. 

So we carry on and keep working on it. With some stuff on the schedule for April that will hopefully address some of the gaps in her rider's ability to establish good under saddle work (hint: lessons, lol). 

It's always useful and exciting to have stuff on the calendar to look forward to, tho I'm working very hard to not fall into the stress trap of zillions of interdependencies, dominoes that have to fall in exactly the right way in order for my plans to work. Just wanna be here to enjoy the ride lol! So we'll see. Anybody else getting excited about the spring season?