let ‘er rip

Over the last couple weeks we’ve checked a whoooole bunch of routine maintenance and wellness tasks off the list. We’re about half way thru the month of ulcergaurd treatment, Doozy had her jump saddle reflocked — plus got a new dressage saddle on trial also fitted to her, and last week finally saw her favorite chiropractic / acupuncture guru.

#creepin on her friends

For me, personally, I try to stay proactive about this stuff… Especially with a horse as sensitive and reactive as Doozy. So most of that was already on the books before our trip to Waredaca earlier this month. After seeing what a tense mess we were in dressage warm up on that day, tho, I was extra eager to give the mare a proper ‘once-over’ via all the various specialists etc.

fan’s nice but the cookie bag is nicer

And it felt like a good ‘order of operations,’ too. She was about a week into the ulcergaurd treatment in time for the saddle fitter, and then immediately got a fresh bodywork treatment right after all the saddles were adjusted. Seemed like a nice all round reset, right?

acupuncture!

Right. Because… Ya know. Lol... It turns out that none of those things are in fact a substitute for training. While issues with gut health, saddle fit, or general body soreness can certainly hinder a horse’s ability to perform in a predictable and relaxed fashion… The absence of those issues does NOT guarantee that… suddenly the horse will go better lol.  

mare is so violent, she gets a very minimalist treatment — and even then we had to compromise. that lower left one should be up top with the other, one on either side of the spine. but mare said NO!, so it’s shifted further down the meridian

Because, ya know, Doozy is who she is lol. But by taking a wellness-first approach, theoretically I can have more confidence in ruling out physical problems and instead focus on the approach to training. 

More than once now in my two years with this horse, I’ve had to kinda step back from a certain training style because it seemed to be increasing tension in our rides vs promoting increased relaxation. And I’m wondering if we’re in maybe a similar place now.

things mare did not say no to: fun little narrow block jump with flower topper!

This past week I’ve tried to take a few steps back and simplify the terms somewhat. Dialing down the focus on contact, and instead focusing again on trying to find a forward balance in all our gaits and transitions. I’ve also really increased the amount of cantering we do. If Doozy is so hell bent on cantering, fine. Let’s go. 

pleasant little 21’ X to oxer!

She’s a thoroughbred, after all. She’s a natural born runner. Maybe constantly focusing on making her wait and holding her back is the root source of all her fizziness — like shaking up a soda bottle but never fully unscrewing the cap.

continuing to intermittently practice flat schools out in the grassy paddock

There could be a few advantages to this approach: 

- Let the mare work off some of her tension early in a ride, with less fussing and fighting

- Take advantage of all the cantering to really work on building strength and balance and adjustability in the gait — don’t just let her blast around for a few laps, make it work

- And therefore maybe resolve the issue of slipping into canter as an evasion

there was a VERY SUSPICIOUS water tub in the next paddock over, but we survived

Or ya know. Maybe instead I’ll just reinforce the mare’s tendency to constantly try to run off with me, while simultaneously making her fitter and less and less likely to tire haha. 

For now, tho, we’ve had a couple decent rides with this approach — including a couple dressage schools in the trial saddle, and a jump school too. That jump school actually started off really tense and hectic… But it finished with some really nicely balanced canter and tidy jumping efforts. So I’m hopeful.

the store was out of the Stress Free forage, so i grabbed a bag of the Safe Starch instead. it’s apparently less tasty lol

It’s an approach I want to try the next time we’re in a warm up ring too. At Waredaca, the mare was such a mess that we never even touched the canter in warm up (other than the various steps she slipped in while racing hither and yon in trot). My thought had been to try to avoid her getting too too dialed up before the test. But maybe that’s not quite right for her, and maybe giving her a little space to vent energy and tension will work better? Idk haha. We’ll see.

will still begrudgingly eat it tho lol

It feels like she really understands the individual elements of the job at this point, and the moments where everything clicks together are straight up magical. For now, tho, cracking the code on her tension / relaxation feels like the most pressing puzzle piece. 

friday foto finish

Happy Friday, folks! Anybody else feel like schedules are starting to get a little chaotic with the close of summer and impending fall? At least around here, esp with all our recent events and whatnot, we’ve kinda been running from one thing to the next, without much downtime.

the softest schnozz <3 <3

I like being busy, don’t get me wrong — but I also like being able to sit down and reflect on the totality of what all is up in the Land of Dooz erry now and again. So let’s take a quick trip thru all the various random photos that have accumulated on my phone in recent weeks without landing in any dedicated post.

such a pro at the trailer these days

For starters, a couple recent lessons have slipped a bit thru the cracks — but maybe deserve some attention. In the weeks leading up to Waredaca we rode with both longtime dressage trainer C, and new eventing trainer Woodge, and both lessons were excellent. And then we had yet another lesson with trainer C yesterday. So let’s get caught up, yes?

young bucks were racing around the cornfields outside of trainer C’s ring like they were running the daytona deertona 500 lol

I’m continuing to really enjoy intermingling these two trainers, and feel like Doozy benefits so much from the slightly different approaches. Idk if it’s just a dressage thing, or maybe just a trainer C thing, but we seem to be able to let Doozy travel along a bit more in these lessons while helping her find her balance in the forward — vs feeling constricted or held back.

we had a good lesson anyway <3 not that it made much difference for waredaca tho, womp

The focus has stayed on continuing to establish and sustain a fluid inside bend thru Doozy’s whole body — utilizing circles, serpentines, spirals, and leg yields to help achieve the right positioning and posture in the horse. 

In one lesson, Doozy was really getting it in one direction, and really locked up going the other way, so we used one-loop serpentines to slowly introduce the difficult bend in more ‘bite-sized’ steps when she was already traveling well in her stronger direction. 

and yet another pre-waredaca lesson, this time with new eventing trainer, and we jumped jomps!

For my purposes, I’m working on thinking more about ‘lifting my chest’ vs ‘shoulders back’ as that seems to be a more effective mental trigger to help me sit taller. Also thinking about ‘knee down’ vs ‘leg long’ as again this slight variation on the terms helps me arrive in an overall better posture. 

Other current inner mantras include reminding myself to feel the balls of both feet pushing equally into each stirrup footbed — to help me stay sitting centered and down on the horse. And trying to unlock my arms in canter while keeping my torso more still. Feels like rubbing my tummy while tapping my head, but y’all know how it is lol.

we changed farriers at the end of last summer and our experience this year has been so much better. note that little white squidge of some sort of epoxy-esque substance he’s started using under the clips to reduce chipping and damage 

Our recent lesson with Woodge was a good one too — and she moved us fairly briskly thru our warm up and into some jumping exercises — including multiple jumps in a row, and approaching jumps in canter omg. The whole focus seemed to be on utilizing shorter turns on landing to try to show Doozy the importance of not blasting away from every jump. 

another day, another ride. we practiced circles in this session lol, can you tell?

Doozy, for her part, has been an absolute princess for all of these lessons. Which again, can be hard to believe considering how we performed at Waredaca. But I swear, the mare is really getting it. 

And when the pieces come together and she finds her balance, it suddenly becomes so easy — for both of us! Suddenly I feel like I’m sitting up tall like the queen and all my body parts are where they belong. And Doozy feels like she’s floating along, continuing to unlock stride length and suspension. 

slicked with mtg… #pray4us

The trick, I think, will honestly come down to management. Doozy is so sensitive, she has such big reactions, I suspect even the littlest issue or discomfort or complaint can morph into a giant problem in the added pressure and atmosphere of a big show. 

clever biscuit knows how to customize her hay nets for a perfect fit

Her saddle fit situation, for example, has kinda been a nagging low grade issue for a couple months now. I don’t think anything is wrong with the saddle itself — it looks like it was made for the horse. But we think it sat unused for probably a couple years, and the flocking keeps doing weird things. 

My local rep has been super helpful with frequent visits for ‘micro adjustments,’ but we haven’t quite resolved a somewhat specific issue. So we’re gonna squeeze in to an appt at trainer C’s next week with a very established longtime fitting professional who travels the region, and see what he has to say. 

ta da!

Another management area I want to shore up revolves around gastric health. Doozy doesn’t have any indications you’d associate with a classically ulcery horse — except the extreme tension and reactivity (at times). And, obvi, her lifestyle of frequent travel and training. It’s not hard to believe she may have low grade inflammation at the very least, and probably maybe more than that — even if it’s not a raging case.

post-lesson, feeling like a princess <3

So we started another month long treatment of omeprazole, and will continue to supplement with the sucralfate — which I rely on heavily for routine management. Ooh and that Triple Crown Stress Free fortified forage — that’s just so so so useful to have on hand for keeping bellies full of forage even in stressful situations (like at a horse show or while trailering).

Personally, I *do* expect to see a positive difference from the treatment. And hopefully from there, a positive difference in her ability to cope with stress or tension, fingers crossed lol.

and so it goes, on and on!

Presumably a better rider than me would have more tools or abilities for getting Doozy unlocked when she’s as tight and explosive as she was for dressage warm up. IMO, tho, it’s a helluva a lot easier to not let her get that dialed up in the first place. 

And if that can be accomplished through management practices? All the better lol. We’re all happier when Doozy is happy!! Plus, there’s still so much more fun stuff ahead of us in the coming months, and maybe even this weekend! So we’ll do what it takes. Hope y’all have a good one too!

a job for charles

So. Charlie. This horse. I just love him so much. But he has been a colossal pest lately. Like, he has a big personality. He's a huge ham. He's very interactive with his environment and all the people within it, and entirely confident in his position as the gravitational center of the universe. 

decorations are still up from our halloween party and i love them lol

In Charlie's view, it's his world and we're all just living in it, supporting cast members explicitly here for his own benefit and entertainment. 

charles, trying to not look like the massive pest he's become

He is also just oh-so-sensitive, he feels everything at an eleven. And his feelings are, understandably, BIG. If he's sad, he'll be sure to tell you. 

"did someone say pest??"

And ya know. Having a horse like Doozy really reinforces just how, hm, neurotic Charlie actually is. Like, sure Doozy is chaotic... But she's honestly a pretty normal animal. Charlie, tho? Lol... No. Not normal. Lovable, special, keeping him forever. But... not normal. 

it's not a great look, friend

Still, tho, Charlie's been a bit much lately. I suspect gastric distress, tbh. He had all that stall rest from the heel bulb injury last winter (remember that?), plus the stress of moving barns this summer... Then we ended up giving him a lot of bute for about a week during his mega abscess recently, which probably exacerbated any existing inflammation or ulcers. 

mmm now that's a much nicer expression!

The behaviors most concerning me relate to his general restlessness and worry lately. Suddenly he's whinnying at the gate in a paddock full of beautiful grass AND a round bale. Like that gorgeous northern lights photo -- legit my immediate reaction when seeing the photo was... why are you at the gate, tho, Charlie??? When he's in his stall, he wants to go out. When he's out, he wants to come in. Just not settled and very much a handful about it, and I don't like it. 

So I'm working through a plan with his vet for how best to address. We're going to start with a month of sucralfate and see where that gets us. 

confronting the curiosity of.... a mattress in the indoor lol

The other part of my grand plan, however, involves... giving Charlie a job. Giving him tasks, asking him questions, holding him to some degree of accountability for his behavior in relation to handling. In other (simpler) words, I'm starting to do intentional ground work with Charlie again. 

chasin a flag!

Really really basic stuff, bc let's be real I'm not really an expert in this work in the first place. But Charlie and I learned some simple exercises back in our earliest days together, posts here and here. 

My aim is to have fun, ask Charlie questions he knows the answer to, remind him how much he loves being a Good Boy for a job well done, while, incidentally, sharpening expectations around boundaries and appropriate behavior for a 1,400lb brontosaurus.

lol charlie... when in doubt, put yer teef on it!

Charlie has always been a boundary pusher, and I've certainly been accused of being, well, easily pushed over. I enable the shit out of this horse bc I love him and he makes me happy and it really really sucks that he's not sound. 

When he was a riding horse, spoiling him rotten wasn't such a big deal bc I'd already learned (the hard way, natch) that I had to be black and white in my expectations for him under saddle. It's been close to 2 years tho since he's been in regular work, and it's time to find another way to pick up that slack. 

So. Ground work it is! And hey, maybe we'll finally get around to doing all the trick training I've always imagined he might like LOL. Wish us luck.... 

since Iggy

It's been just about 3 months since Charlie lost his best horsey friend, Iggy. Obviously it's not unusual for there to be changes in large groups at busy boarding barns -- horses come and go from Charlie's herd for a multitude of reasons. 

Horses transition to different groups, leave the farm entirely, or go on brief or extended stretches of stall rest and/or limited turnout. Charlie himself has gone through various shifts in his turnout routine, including lengthy rehab stints and even moving farms in 2017. And ya know, it's never really been an issue. 

don't let that majestic confident stride fool you, charlie is happiest when he's nose-to-tail with a trusted friend

But with Iggy.... I dunno, it's different. He and Charlie were so close, always together, always going through the motions of life in lockstep with each other. 

Charlie did get to say goodbye, at least. He saw Iggy in the barn shortly before Iggy shipped up to New Bolton. And based on Charlie's reaction in that moment, it seemed like he knew Iggy was sick and possibly dying. You can call that anthropomorphizing if you want, but I believe it. 

And actually, Charlie happened to see a deceased horse about a week later (a dearly beloved elder statesman of the farm who was humanely let go, but not yet interred) and had a pretty strong reaction so.... Yea. They know, ya know? 

bentley and charlie have always gotten along, my sense is charlie is gravitating toward him as his new BFF

Since then, there have been some observations and perceptions that I'm inclined to link with this change in Charlie's social life. 

First up -- not long after I wrote about Charlie's "great hoof year," including crediting his farrier as a key player in Charlie's wellness.... Well. Charlie flunked a farrier appointment. As in, the farrier had to make a snap safety assessment based on Charlie's behavior, and opted to end the shoeing session and reschedule for another time. 

apparently charlie was dancing around like a maniac with ants in his pants, wildly tossing his head around, and disinclined to let steve get a hold of his hind feet.... yeesh buddy, c'mon :(  

Some background: as you may know, Charlie's home farm is large, large enough to secure fixed-day weekly visits from 3 farriers. Boarders can simply add their horse's name to their farrier's list for that week, and staff take care of details like bringing the horse in and holding as needed for the farrier. Charlie's farrier comes on Tuesday mornings, so I'm almost never actually there for the appointments and have only really met him in person about a half dozen times, tho we communicate often via text. 

It's been my understanding, however, that Charlie's generally a pretty reliably decent citizen for his shoeing appointments. Barn staff all seem to agree on that point, and actually my farrier confirmed that himself -- saying that's what made this particular episode with Charlie so unusual. 

more charlie and bentley, plus moose nose cameo <3  i  love this pic bc the longer you look, the more awkward it gets

He said that had the shoes been in rough shape, or had there been some urgent necessary reason for Charlie to get shod on that day, he could have made it happen -- possibly via some strong-arming of the horse. But he did not feel like that was in Charlie's best interest, nor did he particularly want to risk injury to his own self. 

Of course, I agreed completely and apologized profusely on behalf of my emotional 1,400lb wrecking ball of a creature.... And we scheduled a follow-up appointment where I could be there to hold the horse myself. Naturally Charlie was on his best behavior for that appointment too, so who knows, it could have been a fluke. 

Y'all already know I tend to be a little trigger-happy when it comes to 'better living through chemistry....' So, that episode, combined with some other really fussy and unsettled behaviors I observed in the horse, prompted me to put him on another multi-week Ulcergard protocol. 

Charlie's not really a classically ulcery horse, but I still end up treating him 1-2x annually -- mostly due to his travel frequency. This seemed like as good a time as any, so we went for it. Obviously I'll never know if the treatment truly makes a difference unless I scope the horse, but eh. 

did 7 total full tubes/day, then the tapering protocol outlined above. always check with your vet first about your horse's medical care

After a couple weeks with the liquid gold, Charlie returned to his normal sedate and relaxed self. Would the change have happened without the medication? Mebbe. Possibly. Probably? Idk. The change happened, tho, and that's what matters to me. 

So... At this point, only one remaining aspect has changed about Charlie since losing Iggy. And.... it's kinda a weird one. Charlie's bathroom behavior is.... different. 

Like, yea. He's a retired race horse. He's always pissed like one, ya know? True story: for the first year or so of owning him, he'd pee within minutes of dismounting from a ride. Better get him into a stall ASAP bc homeboy's gonna GO. Even now, I avoid cross tying him after a ride. 

clearly he's been busy out in the field since he's legit covered in mud spray lol

Lately tho.... he's peeing before rides too. Actually, he starts 'assuming the position' basically the moment he gets into the cross ties. Doesn't matter if he's coming in from the field, or if I'm pulling him out of a stall. He gets into the cross ties, and wants to GO. 

Obviously, I'd prefer if he didn't, thanks. So I usually try to stop him and throw him back into his stall. Where... as often as not, he'll get distracted by hay or whatever, and won't pee. Then I'll pull him out again and, boom, back to assuming the position. 

He does usually pee once back in his stall (even if it takes multiple trips lol), at least, so it is a genuine urge. And he'll definitely pee in the cross ties if I leave him. Honestly, half the time I groom and tack in his stall entirely now, rather than deal with it. Tho, naturally, Charlie has his own preferences about our routine and often wants out of the stall, go figure. 

So idk. It's strange. Definitely a shift in behavior too. Could be coincidental, of course. And sure, I've considered potential health implications. But I dunno. I honestly think it's related to Iggy. 

oh sir, you sure are a character!

My best guess is: Charlie and Iggy were always together. Maybe whenever Iggy peed, Charlie would be like, "Huh, great idea, buddy, I'll pee too!" Or some horsey-consciousness variation of 'monkey see, monkey do,' ya know? And now that Iggy isn't there peeing.... maybe Charlie isn't peeing as much either? Then he gets to the cross ties and is like, "Wow geez, yea I really gotta go!" And actually, at this rate, maybe the cross tie area itself is becoming a new trigger? 

Like I said, I don't really know. It's weird. It's not really something I've seen or heard about much with horses -- that even such basic physical functions could be impacted by their separation? Idk what else could explain this change in Charlie, tho. 

So. Overall, on one hand, I'm relieved to see Charlie behaving more calmly and relaxed, and appearing to forge closer relationships with his herd mates. He was a little depressed there for a minute, but seems recovered. This peeing thing tho... Ugh. Buddy. Hopefully this passes too?? Preferably not via a smelly puddle in the middle of our tack locker aisle?? 

flaunting it on the flat

I tried looking back to find where we first started talking about "giving up on dressage" and.... Yea, it's been a long time. Basically, the gist is that I felt like some key flaws in my style of riding Charlie on the flat were having very real negative consequences in our jumping. 

gettin back to my roots with video shot from a phone resting on jump standards... lol
charles flashback here and izzy flashback here

Charlie is a big long lazy horse who will happily "pose" while slugging around behind my leg. But.... "behind the leg" is exactly where I DON'T want to be when jumping bigger jumps, ya know? Who remembers that clinic with Sally Cousins where she sorta bluntly told me we wouldn't be able to do what I wanted to do if I didn't meaningfully change our style of going?

sorry guys, brace yourself for a study of literally four steps of trot in each direction LOL
and yes, obvi i know literally none of this is text book perfect. but that is 1,000% not the point <3

Just getting after Charlie and chasing him forward wasn't quite the answer either, tho -- as I managed to introduce a lot of tension and rigidity into our rides, while still not meaningfully shifting his balance. He'd just plow down into the bridle and drag me along. ALSO not a great feeling for jumping, ya know?

i liked the feeling of this trot a lot

So.... My solution was to basically just, uh, stop trying to get Charlie on the bit. Instead, I kinda spent all last winter just.... riding the horse. Mostly bitless, actually. Focusing almost exclusively on my own position and Charlie's rhythm and balance. 

so it's nice to review footage to see what a good feeling looks like

Lessons with Molly this year, tho few and far between, have made a BIG difference. Something in her style of teaching has introduced me to some very good new feelings, and finally helped me break through some very long-standing bad habits. 

elegant charlie <3

Like clinging with my lower legs, for example. It's not that no other trainer had ever coached me on that exact point -- it's not like I didn't know it was a problem. But... knowing a thing is not the same as doing a thing. And it turns out, the doing part is what actually makes horseback riding hard haha.  

unapologetic overkill lol

It's also possible that Molly came along at the right time in my education as well. It's been a long long journey trying to learn how to really work a horse on the flat, with many different key players over the years. With lots of back and forth between trying to connect both an understanding AND the feeling for what I want in the horse, why, and how *I* need to ride to get it.

(*Editor's Note: Jesus, how many different text effects do we really need for that emphasis, hm??)

oooh oooh we jumped the grid too haha

Just to clarify what we're talking about here, when I started riding Isabel, I'd basically never felt a horse lift his back. I can still remember the epiphany of first isolating my thigh as an independent aid. So like.... This ain't exactly Grand Prix stuff here -- I'm talking about fundamentals. How to feel -- not just what the horse is doing, but also what *I'm* doing.

look ma, we go left too! omg charles look at your fancy little knee action haha!!

And, of course, I had to relearn ALL of those feelings Isabel taught me when Charlie entered the picture. Bc, spoilers, Charlie is an entirely different animal from Ms Thing lol.

woot woot, four off the floor

Taking time over the last couple years of "giving up" has been good for us, I think. Charlie and I reset our parameters for expectations about how to simply... go around under saddle. In other words, I basically stopped fucking with his face, and he, in turn, got serious about maintaining rhythm and impulsion. 

lookin like a powerhouse as we circle back to the grid entrance, final element pictured above

Molly, for her part, has not really dwelled too much on my rein contact with Charlie. Rather, she's sorta deconstructed to begin reconstructing how I sit on the horse, and how I position myself to influence Charlie's balance. Recently --- this balance focus has been more lateral than longitudinal, too.  

wheeee trot cross rail to start! 

And the effects are mind blowing. I told you months ago that after practicing some exercises Molly gave us, I could "feel the sitting trot" in Charlie's gaits. And sure enough -- after I told Molly that in our next lesson, she got us there. More recently, we were practicing the exercises from another lesson, and suddenly.... I could feel where the shoulder-in was. 

15-16' to the small middle oxer

Maybe that sounds stupid bc.... Well, Charlie and I have had actual lessons on shoulder in before. But lateral work with this horse has always felt like... work. Like I had to do A LOT, and he needed a lot of holding together. But again --- changes in my position and Charlie's balance, and the lateral flexion work Molly's had us doing... It was crazy, I rode a circle, returned to the rail, and prepared for a diagonal.... And just got this intense feeling of, "wow if I didn't actually ride this diagonal we'd be doing shoulder in."

behold, my amazing framing of the final oxer element LOL, 18' from middle oxer back rail

Obvi I wasn't expecting it at that moment, so we kinda missed it, but I ruminated on that feeling for a while, and in a more recent ride tried to recreate it. And guys -- omg, there it was, a shoulder in. Without a ton of holding. Without a lot of pretzeling. Just clear positioning and flexion and balance. It wasn't perfect, but it also wasn't... messy, if that makes sense. 

30second video of trotting + grid trips

Of course.... The whole reason I sorta "gave up" on dressage in the first place was because it felt like I was creating bad habits and tendencies that would haunt us over fences. And, ya know, at the end of the day, Charlie is my jomping horse. And he takes excellent care of me in that department. So I remain massively suspicious of any type of flat work that doesn't feel like something I can jump from (if that makes sense). 

simple fun + satisfying <3

In our last lesson, tho, it seemed like Molly kinda got the same vibe. She still hasn't really seen us properly jump, and I'm obviously skeptical of any comments she makes about how she thinks we might jump until she actually witnesses it --- bc y'all know Charlie is an entirely different creature when there's a 3' jump in front of him vs when.... there isn't lol.

But lately, she's had me working on the exact same types of exercises, the same types of flexion and movement patterns... but in different variations of 2pt and half seat and everything in between. Basically trying to instill the same balance and positional mechanics into me, no matter where I am on the horse --- essentially trying to undo my "driving" and "against" habits. 

And idk.... it's exciting. Charlie feels really good right now. He's had an incredibly sound year --- possibly his soundest year since I've owned him. Mentally he's in a good place too (tho of course we did some serious coddling+ulcergard after he lost Iggy). There's still so much work to do to get better, but right now the work is fun and rewarding and we both feel good about it. 

So. Bring it on, 2022 -- we're ready for more!!**

(**But just of this, please, not all that other bullshit kaithxbai)