Christian Schacht Clinic

This past weekend I decided to sign myself up for a two day clinic with Christian Schacht. Prior to my lessons I knew very little about the clinician but following my weekend I'm so glad I signed up. I always learn so much from clinics and always leave with a sense of determination and purposes in my riding. I decided to make a note of the most influential bits of my lessons. 

                                    

Jacket Buttons

This is the point that probably resonated the most with me. Christian noticed that I have trouble sitting the trot, which has always been a struggle for me, especially on Stryker. What I realize now is that I tend to stiffen and become rigid and overly formal in the sitting trot and at times also in the canter. Christian told me to imagine that I was wearing my show jacket and to think of the two buttons on the back. He told me to imagine moving those up and down with the rise and the fall of Strykers back. I rode around on a twenty meter circle, eyes closed, just imagining rotating my back so that the buttons of my jacket would rise and fall, and suddenly I was moving with Stryker! Not ahead or behind or above but moving right with his back, that was a harmonious feeling. This was one of those things that is so incredibly simple but which immediately impacted my riding so much, it's simultaneously exciting, and annoying that I only just now got it. 

Lower Back

Something that ties into my seat is my lower back. Something I had never thought about but which was pointed out is that I tend to arch my lower back. This feeds into my rigid-ness in the trot and canter. Christian told me to think about pressing my lower back against someone's hand, and although it took me a few tries, I fought myself and softened my back. This really, really helped my canter, the second I softened my lower back he rounded his whole body and my seat and legs remajned effortlessly still and in the saddle. 

Canter-Walk

I was told to canter a three loop serpentine with simple changes on centerline. Nothing too challenging, however my canter walk transitions were less than perfect. Stryker tends to do one of two things, 1: he trots into the walk on his forehand or 2: he plants his forehand and just stops. Christian said something which immediately changed my riding. He said to think about beginning the walk, not ending the canter. So instead of stopping my seat and then having to compensate for his lack of power in the transition, I simply thought about riding his hind legs from canter into a walk. There it was! An effortless transition into the walk from the canter, almost easy. I can't pinpoint exactly what I do with my legs and seat differently, but when I actively think "begin the walk" the transition is smoother and more balanced. I want to say that my seat and legs stay active and I ask for a downward transition without tightening and shutting him down.

Giraffe Moments

We're all aware of the similarities Stryker shares with his longer necked specie sibling. Although his attitude has improved significantly, there are still times when Stryker has the nerve to turn his nose up to me. Christians approach is one that I have no problem resorting to at a competition when my patience is endless, being that all eyes are on me, however at home my patience occasionally runs short and I end up in a fight. When Stryker puts his nose in the air Christian instructed me to basically do nothing, don't pull, don't yield, simply put my hands down and wait him out. A fight will only prolong his behavior and make it more persistent. After a few moments, Stryker would give it up and continue in a content way. 

Clinics are so unique, in that you and your horse seem to excel at a rapid pace in a matter of 2-3 days. You leave with a plethora of tools and a refreshed idea of how to obtain your goals. I think clinics are an important aspect to training both rider and horse, because you get a set of professional, objective eyes and often leave with new understandings of your own riding and how to better communicate with your horse. 

Cellulitis

Sitting at work at the beginning of an eight-hour shift on a Saturday morning, I definitely wasn’t expecting any news from the barn. But I got some, Stryker’s hind right leg was swollen. UGH! I had just gotten done dealing with the vet that Thursday because he’dbeen off and on lame on his front feet. Luckily the front-end problem was an easy fix, thin soles. However, the hind leg would not be such an easy fix. I rushed out to the barn after work, and came to find Stryker’s leg was definitely swollen. Not just a little stocked up, like, his leg was close to twice the size of his other hind leg. So many things were going through my mind, “He got bitten by something, he hurt it in his stall overnight, he hurt it yesterday in the pasture, he couldn’t have broken it…. He’s putting weight on it, which means it can’t be broken… right?”

Not Strykers leg, but he had similar swelling. 

He was obviously stiff on the leg, but he was putting weight on it. What worried me most was that he didn’t want to bend his hock; instead he was trying to swing the leg around to walk on it. I took him into the wash rack and ran my hands up and down the leg. The swelling began around his stifle area and went all the way down the leg, and where there was swelling, there was heat, lots of heat. The hottest area was centralized right around his hock, where he did have a small (small as in tiny) hock sore. I cold hosed the leg and called the vet. After describing Stryker’s situation the vet immediately came up with Cellulitis. Now, I for one had no clue what Cellulitis was, the vet (who seemed unalarmed by the whole thing) recited how I should care for it and set up a prescription for him. I hung up the phone, at ease since the vet didn’t seem to be worried, and immediately googled Cellulitis. In the simplest terms, Cellulitis is an infection of the subcutaneoustissue (tissue just beneath the skin). Often Cellulitis causes swelling, heat and tenderness in the affected limb, and once contracted, the horse can be more susceptible to the infection in the future *face palm*.

So, the route I chose to care for the leg was rather simple, just time consuming. In the beginning when the leg was at its worst, I gave him a dose of UlcerGard every day, and supplemented with Bute on the bad days. Everyday would cold hose the leg for about 10-15 minutes and wash the leg with something similar to Betadine, hand walk him,medicate his small cut, and poultice the entire leg. Although most say to wrap poultice with standing wraps over the quilts, I wrapped with vetrap. DON’T WORRY, I was very careful to not tourniquet my horse’s leg. You may think it is impossible to turn a horse out with a fully wrapped leg (yes including the hock) but you, my friend, are incorrect. I didn’t want Stryker standing in his stall, I couldn’t imagine how stiff the leg would get with no movement, so we put him out in a small paddock with a buddy, and I had no problems with the wrap. By the way, I spent 6 months in Florida, and I really thought I was good at wrapping, but let me tell you, wrapping a wounded leg from top to bottom every day for 3 weeks really brings out the inner wrapping-queen that’s in us all. Anyway, like I said, I wrapped everything that was hot after cold hosing. So the whole leg was wrapped for about 1 ½ weeks, and then it was just the hock plus directly above and below it for about a week and then the hock was wrapped by itself for another week and a half. Then I took the chance and let the leg go. About every other day I would throw some poultice on for a night with no wrap. But all in all, the leg was feelingnormal. Except, of course, for a small rash he got because of all the wrapping. That was an easy fix though; clean the leg, dry the leg, medicate as needed.

Wrapping in action. 

Now it was time to try to get back to work. I had been hand walking him and there was no lameness in the walk, some occasional stiffness, but nothing that really worried me. So, it was time to trot. I took him out on the lunge and on day 1, he was lame when going left with the bad leg on the outside, but with the leg on the inside he was fine. I gave him a few days and he looked stiff going left but no limp. Another few days later and I pushed him in the trot and saw nothing at all, he practically told me he was feeling better with the upright tail, snorting and prancing (definitely a sight for sore eyes). Today, another week later, he is back to work on the lunge with side reins. At this point I’m focusing just on forward, stretching and obedience. Yes, he still has an attitude. I plan to get on in a few days and get him back to work to rebuild and get back to where we were with his training. Unfortunately, I missed the schooling show in September, but I’ll be able to make it to a clinic at the end of November, which is when you can expect another post.

Oh yeah, I'm home!

Well this is a bit overdue, but I'm home!
It's actually been just about a month since I've returned home and I'm finally starting to get into a routine. It was just as much of a shock coming back home as it was leaving, and I actually have felt a little homesick for Florida. Don't ask me what it is about the early mornings, 12 hour days, Florida heat and non-stop labor, but I really did enjoy it. I think it was because I didn't have to try to enjoy it, I mean yes, cleaning multiple stalls at the crack of dawn is not my idea of fun, but spending everyday around beautiful horses, talented riders and in the midst of friends who understood my love of the farm brought me peace.
At the same time, it is so wonderful to be home. I missed my family so much, and I got home just in time for my baby nephew Noah to be born. It feels good to be able to take a weekend and spend time with my family out at my parent's farm, or to drive to Denver to spend a weekend with my big sister. I did miss the freedom I have here at home, but I can feel myself not being as disciplined, which annoys me. Right now I am finally starting to settle into a routine of riding 5 days a week, and I've started taking lessons from a really great local trainer. The boys seem happy to be home, they both have gained a bit of weight since leaving, which they needed and I think the quality of my riding has remained like it was in Florida. I have tried to make myself wake up early most days, because while in Florida I really appreciated how much of the day I got when I woke up at 6:30. To be honest I have compromised slightly, and have been rising around 9:30, but hey it's summer vacation! 
In other news, I have this terrible habit of obsessively tracking the Job Search page on Yard and Groom looking for opportunities. Then I find one and realize that it's too soon to commit to something again. I am already enrolled for the Fall semester and if I take on a different position it would be more long term (and preferably by the ocean!).
That's all for now, I'm taking it day by day, just doing what I know, which is caring for my horses and keeping myself busy one way or another. I will try and update again soon, I want to keep this blog as a sort of training journal, so that I can look back and know how I have ridden in the past. 

Teaching vs. Disciplining

During the 2:00 group lesson everyday we, the students, are expected to learn from multiple different things. Our horse, the other horses, the instructor and the mirrors. It's difficult, but once I get into the flow of all of the commotion in the arena, I find myself multitasking and being able to listen to the other instruction being given, even when its not directed at me. Something I overheard the other day really sunk in and changed my attitude while riding.
What I heard was an explanation of the difference between teaching a horse and disciplining a horse. A lot of riders discipline rather than teach, that is, when the horse doesn't respond correctly to an aid the rider will react aggressively instead of in a forgiving way. It's somewhat equivalent to yelling at a child when they do something wrong rather than telling them what they did wrong and what is right instead. Hearing this explanation gave me a healthy dose of patience. When Stryker comes above the bit and goes behind the leg, instead of acting like he should know better and succumbing to an argument, I stay relaxed, put him into a lateral  movement and let him figure out the right answer.
What I most gained from remembering that horses will always make mistakes, and a lot of them, is that we as riders have to have the patience and tools in order to correct the horse without him feeling threatened. This approach saves so much time and is so much better for the mental health of the horse during the ride. It's like what the instructors say here, to treat your horse like you would treat a child, because it really is like teaching children. They are sensitive animals and speak a language that is difficult to understand. When I can remember these things, everyone involved goes back to the barn happy, and that's the whole point.

Happy Horse, Happy Life

It has been about two weeks since I had Stryker worked on by a woman who practices a very interesting form of chiropractics. I will put the link to her website here, http://www.jsessentialtherapies.com. The name for what she does is "body work" I believe and I encourage every horse owner to look into it. It was extremely interesting to watch and I'm completely sold on the methods she used. 

Stryker (as I assumed) was out in his hips, had a rib out and was extremely sore. She worked all over his whole body and he even did some self adjusting which is when the body adjusts itself without the practitioner actually having to directly influence the area. When the body adjusts itself the adjustment generally lasts longer. Anyway, I practically worshipped this woman by the end of the appointment. Strykers top line looked better, he was standing more upright and wasn't cocking his hind feet every chance he got. He walked with so much more suppleness and most amazingly, his back wasn't sore whatsoever! He got two days off following the adjustment and then we slowly integrated him back into work. Now, the therapist warned me that his attitude and aggression had probably become a sort of reflex and a habit and that he needed to be worked correctly in order to learn that he can be comfortable while working. The first three or so rides after his adjustment he tried giving me an attitude a few times throughout my ride. With persistence and tactful riding, however, he has become so much more willing. I have become more attuned to the subtle hints he gives before deciding to explode. For example, when he would kick out at my leg he was giving me plenty of warning. First he would suck back from my leg and pin his ears, then when I didn't insist he go forward he would twist his body around one of my legs so that I felt like his neck, mid section and hind end were all going in different directions, and finally he would really suck back and kick out. What I have been doing differently is correcting him for the thought. If he pins his ears at me that horse better go forward and if he tries anything more he gets a smack on the hind end or shoulder. 

For 2 weeks he has been steadily improving. He hardly gives me an attitude anymore and when he does he practically corrects himself before I have the chance. He is going forward and lifting his forehand and his lateral movements are improving so much! I'm so proud of him! Our shoulder in is getting consistently more forward and correct and he is beginning to give me honest half-pass steps (even if it's only 3). We are really challenging him now, every ride I am doing lateral movements interrupted by a spurt of forward movement, in the walk he is doing turn on the haunches and we have begun working on counter canter again. He is accepting all of the work and has a happy demeanor while doing it. Let me tell you how much of a breath of fresh air it is to ride a willing horse. Not to mention how good it feels to know that my horse isn't in any pain. 

The chiropractor will look at him again in 2 weeks and I'll have galaxy checked out as well. Speaking of Galaxy, I just love that horse. He has so much heart and he's just so stinkin cute. He's a little half passing machine and he's really taking the contact now. I stretch that horse to death at the beginning of my ride and he gets so forward and swinging in his back that when I really go to work I can achieve long, supple strides rather then short, tight little trot strides. His lateral work is better then ever and it feels so good to have him accepting the contact and keeping it himself without constantly dropping it or inverting. 

 It's a good thing I love him so much because I don't have time to ride him until after work, usually around 6:45 so I've been in the barn until about 8:00 most nights working him. Luckily the sun is out until then. During the day I have been able to ride the upper level horse that I had a few lessons on at the beginning of my time here. It's really wonderful being able to ride something that gives me the opportunity to work so much on myself. Not to mention the fun I'm having with one tempis, piaffe and passage :)

Random thought-In one of my lessons a while back it was pointed out that when I was trying to influence the rein I would usually pull my hand out without being loose in my elbow and shoulder, or I would bring my hand back without being loose in my elbow and shoulder. What I have been told to do now is use my whole arm, so when I need to bring my hand back at all I bring it back from my shoulders. My arm moves back from my shoulder and my elbow bends to take my hand back... Kind of like a train only without the circular motion... I hope that makes sense. 

Anyway, I'm down to only 2 months and 2 days until I go home. I can't even imagine what I'm going to accomplish with the boys in that time. I'm excited to find out though! 

Becoming an Educated Owner and Rider

Ok, it's been awhile.
I am learning how to be a horse owner. Being here in Florida, on my own with my two horses has really made me see how uninvolved I have been in their care. Not only am I the decision maker now, but, Stryker (being the princess and the pea) has given me the opportunity to see that as a horse owner, I cannot blindly trust anyone really. I'm learning that I need to educate myself and be able to make decisions for myself according to what I think is best for my horses.
Stryker has been having all sorts of problems, at first I thought it was attitude, but it kept getting worse and I realized that he was in pain. I had the vet look at him at first and do a flexion test. He tested positive on his hind legs and the vet immediately wanted to give him injections and put shoes on his front feet. Of course, I wanted to do what she said, but wasn't sure if it was the right thing so I reached out to some people I trust and made my decision based on that. I decided to have someone come out for a second opinion, a chiropractor who was recommended to me by a woman here in Florida. I am so glad I had her look at him, she worked on him for a full hour and by the end Stryker was not showing any pain in his back and showed so much more relaxation and comfort just in the way he was standing. The difference I saw in him after he was worked on was unbelievable! He has had 2 days off and will go back to work tomorrow. I am not expecting him to have let go of his attitude, because I believe that he's become defensive and until he realizes he can work without pain, his attitude will still be a defense mechanism.
Galaxy, on the other hand, has been getting worked primarily in the last week while Stryker has been in recovery mode. He was definitely worn out yesterday, in time for our day off. He's doing really good work, on the lunge and under saddle. Mrs. P thought it looked like I was fighting my saddle, as in my saddle was hindering my ability to balance and give aids. So, she put me in an old Spirig saddle, and wow, I absolutely hate to say it, but I will need a new saddle at some point. In the Spirig I was able to really feel his back and was lighter and more secure in the seat, not to mention how much more quiet my legs became. So, I'll put it on the future project list to keep my eye out for a used saddle that will fit both me and Galaxy. I had never realized before that a saddle has to fit the rider too, I mean more then just be big or small enough for the seat. It has to be shaped correctly for the rider and enhance the seat rather then just be something that you sit on.
I will hopefully get to put up an update after Stryker gets back into work again. I was so happy after I saw the change in his body after being worked on, but riding will be the real test. Wish me luck!

Ulcers and Draw Reins and the Beach, Oh My!

Sorry about the title, I'm from Kansas so I can use the "oh my" thing. Random collection, but that's pretty much what's been filling up my days.

Stryker is on Ulcer medication (very, very expensive medication) but it will be worth it in the long run and I'll know when to treat him for prevention now instead of waiting until it gets this bad. He has been working hard, but I'm seeing results in every lesson. Yesterday we worked on his canter and I learned a new exercise which will help his impulsion and help to strengthen his hind and back which he desperately needs. Lately I've become much more attentive to his subtle evasions of stretching over his back and building those essential muscles. All of his evasions are connected too, it seems. When I want to take him forward, he drops his back and inverts (thus, he doesn't have to stretch his muscles in the transition and it makes it "easier"). When I want to go sideways he sometimes does the same thing, and in turn he doesn't have to use whatever inside hind leg I'm asking him to use. However, I have been riding him much deeper in the neck which (because of his anatomy) makes it so that his back stretches smoothly from his hind end through his back and into his neck. When I want to make a transition up or down, I make him deeper in the connection and take him sideways, even if only for a step, and then as he is floating sideways I ask for the transition. It's that easy! I have been told that he is a horse that wants to compromise. In other words he is willing to go forward if he can be inverted. Or he will trot around the ring in a pretty frame but won't go sideways or forward when asked. This is where building his back muscles will really help. Soon, this kind of work will be easy for him and he and I will both learn that compromising one thing for another is never going to get us anywhere.
Anyway, this exercise I was doing in the canter goes like this: in the canter on the true lead make 10 meter circles all around the arena at almost every letter. The goal of the circles are to use your inside leg and half halts on the outside rein to encourage collection in the canter. Once you feel a steady, collected and controlled canter make a transition to the walk on the last quarter of the circle as you're headed towards the wall. Next, pick up the counter canter and try and keep the collection you just created. Counter canter around the short end and then cross the diagonal and do the same exercise on that lead. When I did this with Stryker his tendency was to just stop. He was having trouble staying in the canter, instead of collecting he though he should make a downward transition. Not a big deal, but he was never allowed to run in any of this work. Because now that we have established the forward we have to teach him how to keep balanced for collection. So, when he would trot I would slow the trot and pick the canter back up to continue the exercise. Once he figured out I wasn't asking for the trot I did occasionally feel a few really good steps of collection. Usually in the last half of the circle I could feel him lift his shoulders and get more airtime in the canter. Then, I could make a walk transition and pick up the other lead. I could tell this was really tiring for him and I was really proud he kept at it for as long as he did.

I forgot to mention, Mrs. P had me put draw reins on Stryker. I know... Somewhere in the world Sue just cringed. I promise, Sue, they are completely loose the whole time!! The only time they come into effect is when he tries to invert and completely back off the connection. Basically they aren't there to effect the bit unless he pulls them tight. I was really not interested in using them at first, but I am glad that I'm learning how to ride with them and how they can be used in different situations. 

Galaxy is as wonderful as ever. He had lost some weight on his trip over here so he has been getting extra hay. I think this horse is full for the first time in his life. I actually saw him not eating while there was still hay in his stall... That's unheard of.  He has been getting about 8 flakes of hay over the course of the day and I think he may think he's in heaven. But, he has gained weight so eventually he won't be getting so much. Lucky for him though they like the horses to be a little meatier here, I think it helps to build muscle, which makes sense. 

Another working student and I took her horse and Galaxy on  a trail ride on Saturday, in the rain. We were feeling adventurous and decided to go see what kind of trails were around the farm. Turns out there's quite a bit of land to explore so I'm excited about that. I will probably start taking them out on the weekends instead of working them, or at least after working them. I think giving the horses a day off or riding them out in the woods is just as (or even more) beneficial as working them.
All in all I would say the boys are happy and healthy. Other then Stryker having to be turned out in the monster paddock every morning (seriously, it's scary... It's next to the highway but not where you can see it so you just hear the traffic, and to top it off the dumpster is right next to it so the garbage truck comes to attack him once a week... Poor guy) other then that though they are happy horses :)
Today, I had an unexpected day off so I went to the beach!!! The beach is only 35 minutes or so from me and I hadn't gone yet before today, so I decided to treat myself to a laid back beach day. I sat out and read my book and listened to music for about three hours right on the shore. I got some much needed vitamin D. Tomorrow I get back to real life and then in two weeks I get to have my mom for a whole day!!! Not to mention I get to take a hotel shower. I never thought this would be the case, but I miss my bathroom from home SO much! The water here smells funny and the shower is all small and it's just not home... Or a fancy hotel. So I'm going to drive to Orlando after work and greet my mom all smelly and covered in hay and then plan to take the longest, hottest shower! Ooh, I hope the shower head has those different settings so you get a little back massage.... Can you tell I'm excited? Sorry about that weird tangent into my home life. Anyway, Netflix is calling me so I must go find a chick flick and get into bed.

A Quick Update

     I am thrilled to say that I've been able to ride both of my horses every day. We have a group working student lesson, which I typically ride Stryker for (except for last week which I'll explain) and then for an hour or so after that I have had time to ride Galaxy as well. 

     So here's an update on Stryker since his last lesson with his kicking and bucking. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and have him checked out by an Equine Therapist before insisting that he behave in case he was in any pain. Turns out his hips were about an inch out of line, if I remember correctly his right hip was an inch behind his left. He also had an issue with his stifle that I still don't completely understand, I'll have to get a better grasp on that during my next session. What the Equine Therapist basically did was run her hands over him so she could feel where he needed to be worked on and then put wires on certain spots and sent electricity into his muscles causing them to spasm and contract and so forth. The whole point being that it essentially sets the reset button and we can begin building the muscles in the correct alignment (I think!) this was my first time working with an Equine Therapist. 

     She also checked him for gastric ulcers and guess what? We think he has some. It didn't surprise me whatsoever, he has been so stressed and everything here is completely different from what he's used too so I've put him on medication and he's on the road to recovery.  

I gave him a few days off from work to settle a bit more into his new routine and to let the medicine kick in. I got him out to work on Saturday, I started him out on the lunge line and he was a perfect gentleman, went forward from my aids and stretched over his back. I got on and walked him which was fine, then I started with some turn on the forehand to see if he would be uncomfortable with pressure from my leg, no problems there. I asked him to trot and head up, ears back and a buck. At first I stopped him, but the second time I was prepared and grabbed onto my bucking strap and smacked him one with the whip and off he goes into the rein and forward. After that he tried it once when I asked for each canter lead for the first time. I did the same thing and he responded the same, forward and into the reins. By the end he was giving me beautiful, smooth transitions and staying forward. 

     I gave both boys Sunday off and then on Monday I got to go on a surprise field trip to see some equine acupuncture, so the boys and I had 2 days off. 

Today I got Stryker out and he gave me the same attitude until I changed his mind, and we ended with some good transition work. I think he has been testing me, like he did when I first bought him and I just need to ride through it and not make a big deal of it, just handle it and get back to the point. 

     Galaxy has been working so well. He never ceases to amaze me with his willingness to work and his consistent improvement all the time. He is such a great horse. I have really been loving the way I have been told to warm him up, forward rising trot until he is stretching and tracking up. I keep the reins relatively long and am always asking for stretch on circles, and serpentines and in transitions. He gets so loose and free in his body. After his warm up I have been dropping my stirrups and working a lot in the sitting trot doing lateral work. A new exercise I've learned (and love) is to go down the long side at the trot in a leg yield head to the wall and work on improving the impulsion by interrupting the leg yield with a forward canter circle. The canter circle makes the horse pick up his shoulders and revives the impulsion in the trot. After the canter circle I make a smooth transition back to the trot and back into the leg yield. I do the same thing with all of my trot work, once he starts to feel flat and heavy I canter him for a moment and then come back down to the trot and continue what I was doing. This has helped both his trot and canter a lot and I'm really loving it. I can tell this will really help his strength in the trot which he desperately needs. 

     I think that's all I have to report for now, things are going super, and I have a good feel for everything in the barn. I know the grain chart pretty well and finally have grasped the turnout schedule. This is the beginning of week 5, so I am 5 weeks from being halfway to the end of May. It's already bittersweet thinking about leaving!!! The time is flying by and the training I'm getting is so priceless, I am very grateful for this opportunity and proud that I decided to take it! 

Old Habits Die Hard

     Well, it's been 3 weeks, it's about time Stryker threw a fit. He was... very challenging today. His old habit of fighting my forward aids reared its ugly head today. My warmup trot went fine, it was when I asked him to canter that he planted his front feet and kicked both legs out behind him. I took him forward and asked for the canter again and he did the same thing, only multiple times. Mrs. P had me get off and put him on the lunge because we thought (because this kind of behavior is really out of the ordinary for him) that he was in pain. However, he trotted and cantered beautifully on the lunge. Ugh, I was so angry when he stretched out and went forward on the lunge line, I knew that meant I was going to have to get on and he was going to do the same thing and I was going to have to work through it. There were two times I lost my balance and thought I was coming off, but I didn't. When I got back on after lunging, he immediately did the same thing, planted his front feet and kicked out behind. After this happened a few times I shut down, got intimidated and just didn't want to challenge him (which of course is the complete opposite of what you should do). Mrs. P came out into the arena and put him on a lunge line with me on him. Stryker, being a smart horse, trotted nicely, challenging a few times only to be chased out by Mrs. P.
     Being on the lunge line gave us an opportunity to work on my seat and position a bit. I was being corrected on my legs rolling back and forth and my hands wanting to float up, as well as me wanting to curl my right wrist and flatten my hand. I've been working on keeping my legs up against the knee rolls and my calves draped around the horse and quiet. When I can get my legs put into that position, its painful but I sit SO much better! Anyway,  the one time he really objected on the lunge line was when we asked for the left canter. He sort of tossed out a rolling buck and ran forward.
      I finally ended up being able to trot in both directions without the lunge line and with him accepting my forward aids. I still want to get him looked at by the chiropractor. I'm sure he needs an adjustment, after the trailer ride and him being ridden more then at home. I also think that some of his challenging is due to my seat. In the trot-canter transitions I think that I put my outside leg too far back, and I either fall forward or backwards and then I lift my hands and in exchange he drops his back and inverts.
     Either way I am facing this again tomorrow and no doubt he will challenge the same way he did today. Wish me luck!

Week 3(ish)

     Here comes week three! I feel like last week was a hump-day week, I felt like I had been here for months and it had only been 10 days. However, now that the third week has started I am feeling much more comfortable in the work and time is starting to speed up. Homesickness is really no joke though... The good news is that the days are going by quickly and I lose track of time because there's always something I need to be doing.

     My horses arrived last Tuesday and are starting to settle in. I have been able to get them into turnout at 12pm until about 5:30 or 6:00pm. The farrier came on Sunday and they have freshly filed feet, and are looking very dapper for the other horses. Galaxy is more comfortable being alone in the stall when I take Stryker away, he isn't screaming every 5 minutes for him. Today following my lesson on Stryker we put him next to a different horse on the other side of the barn and I was able to (finally!) get Galaxy out to ride without any distress.

                     

     Stryker has been really good during all my rides so far. Today, he started to feel like he usually does on the 3rd or 4th day of work, lazy and cranky. He wanted to start out behind the leg, but Mrs. P had me take him forward in the trot (keeping my hands low and together) around the arena for about 5 minutes and he got much more willing and energetic. We've been working a lot on transitions because Stryker has the tendency to come above the bit and invert in pretty much any transition. I have been taking him sideways and (to the right) allowing him to bend right and really yield to my right leg while making the transition. Going to the left I almost need to counter-flex him because he wants to  over-flex to the left and pop his right shoulder out. The transitions get better and better using this technique. Mrs. P finally pointed out my floppy legs... She reminded me throughout my lesson to keep my legs long, knees bent and calves draped around the horse, I have always had a problem keeping my calves draped around the horse, especially in the sitting trot where I have the most trouble with my seat. However, as we did transitions and Stryker got more through and round, the sitting trot became easier and I was able to concentrate on improving my seat.
     Galaxy got a mini-workout today, being it is his first time being ridden in about 3 weeks I didn't want to overdo anything. Mrs. P got a little look at him and thinks he might be good to do a lunge lesson on. I really hope we do a lunge lesson because I always need improvement with my seat and being relaxed throughout my body while keeping all of my body parts independent of each other.

     In other news, I had been riding an upper level horse while my boys were getting settled in. Last Monday I worked on tempi changes. I have only ever done 3 and 4 tempis and that was only once. Seems to me, much to my surprise, that one tempi's are actually easier in some ways then 2 tempi's. When I would try the 2-tempi's I was having trouble getting the timing right and the horse would get into his own rhythm and would get stuck in the 1-tempi's. Mrs. Poulin talked me through it and by the end I could get about two 3-tempi's at the beginning of the diagonal and then two or three 2-tempi's by the end of the diagonal.

      I also got to try canter pirouettes for the first time! It was fun :) I was having trouble keeping the horse light and able to pick himself up in order to move around in the pirouette. Mrs. Poulin explained to me that the rhythm in a pirouette should be ONE, two, three. The emphasis should be on the first beat, when the horse is picking his shoulders up. Instead, today I started out not keeping his forehand light and the rhythm was more like one, two, THREE, with the emphasis on the final beat, causing the horse to fall even more onto his forehand. Thinking about the rhythm immediately helped me to improve my riding and keep the horse up off his shoulders.

     Anyway, now that I am riding my own horses and have a little piece of home with me in them, I am much happier and am not feeling so homesick. Although, I'm never going to feel perfectly at home without my Chewie.

       

Things I Don't Understand About Horse Care, Explained

Ok, so I haven't had much experience at "big barns," and by "big barns" I mean somewhere like where I am now. Somewhere with multiple trainers, a staff, and over 15 horses or so. I started out at a good sized barn, but I was quite young and not involved much in the care or management of the barn. Then I moved to Rockhaven Farm, which I think is the perfect size. The horses are low maintenance and since there aren't usually more then 16 horses, there is room in the pastures to distribute them comfortably. Work generally takes me about 2-4 hours at home and most horses eat the same grain and hay. Also at home the turnout is simple and horses are out either all day, or all night, making it so that whoever is working only has to worry about 1 cycle of turnout.
Now, the whole point of this post is to list the things that I don't understand about how some barns function and hopefully find a reason and decide for myself whether or not I would practice these methods in my own hypothetical "big barn."

The List

1. What is the purpose of wet hay?

2. What is the purpose of feeding Bran?

3. Why feed horses more then twice a day?

4. Why provide limited turnout for horses?

5. Why wrap horses legs overnight?

Wet Hay

I found a lot of information on wet hay, most interesting of which is that it can spontaneously burst into flames! No, but really, wet hay is something that, at first, I thought was silly. But after reading into it I do see its benefits, especially in older horses and horses with allergies. 

Wet hay is more similar in some ways to fresh cut grass. Grass is 80% water, while hay is dried up, making it harder to chew, harder to digest, and more susceptible to containing mold and dust. Horses who don't drink enough water also benefit from wet hay, being that they take in so much water by eating it and for some reason can't get enough of dirty, smelly, hay water. So, in the end I find wet hay a perfectly acceptable practice for the horses who need it, as long as you don't let it sit around and catch itself on fire.

Bran

Before coming to Florida I'd never dealt with Bran at all. It seems like most feed it on alternating nights or when horses have not been drinking enough water. From what I have read, most suggest using Bran for mineral imbalances. It is suggested to only feed a Bran mash occasionally, because feeding it too often can strip the horse of certain nutrients such as Calcium. On this website it gives a few myths about Bran that I found interesting. I do like Bran as a supplemental water intake meal, and so does Galaxy. When my horses don't drink as much water as I'd like them to during the day I have been feeding them a small scoop of Bran with a large scoop of water. It makes me feel better about their water intake and Galaxy is so happy when he gets a random snack! :)

 http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-health/feeding-bran-3151.aspx

Frequent Feeding

I have always been at barns where horses were fed twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. This always proved to be more then enough, however I do see advantages in feeding 3 or maybe even 4 small meals a day. On one hand, horses are natural grazers. Their digestive system is set up to digest a little bit all throughout the day. Now, in the wild, horses are constantly eating. But, our horses at home, can't generally be sustained on just a pasture diet. The way I see it, the most efficient way to feed a horse would be, individually in a stall for their personal rations such as grain and supplements and then in a small group setting for their grass and hay rations. This way, the horse can be in a natural, group setting and won't develop bad habits out of restlessness and boredom (such as gnawing on the walls and pawing at doors). I do like the schedule here of frequent feeding. My horses are pleasantly surprised when I bring them their lunch and occasionally a late night, and I know it's ideal for their digestive systems to be eating multiple times a day. 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CEAQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uky.edu%2FAg%2FAnimalSciences%2Fpubs%2Fasc143.pdf&ei=WwjSUu_IIaessQSWh4HwDA&usg=AFQjCNHu31rm1VvXFds_45HGM7oHJzIrUw&sig2=vijzILppR1zkoMoj8kOSiA&bvm=bv.59026428,d.cWc

Wrapping Legs Overnight

From what I have read, wrapping a horses legs overnight is a good way to keep a horses legs from swelling and becoming stocked up. I would say that at a horse show when my horses will be standing most likely on concrete for a few nights in a row, then wrapping is a good way to relieve the puffiness. Something else you can do for your horse is hydrotherapy, which is rinsing each leg for about 5-10 minutes in cool water. At a competition I can see these being helpful tools, however, at home I would hope that my horse would be mobile enough that he would not require that kind of special attention frequently. 

 https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6177286277700313537#editor/target=post;postID=5308138408324631456

I find that a small barn with the number of horses limited is ideal. That way there will be room for turnout on pasture or dry lot and the work load wouldn't be exhausting for only a few workers. I am learning a lot about (I don't want to say high maintenance but more persistent and detailed) horse care. Every barn is unique and I'm glad I am experiencing how to care for high caliber horses (especially high caliber client horses) because that's one of the areas I am lacking a lot of knowledge. 

Until next time!

Caitlin

Week 1

Okay, I thought I'd have a post up by my first day of work. I was wrong...

I started work on Monday and since about Monday evening my entire body has ached in places that haven't ever ached. My day starts at 6:30 am, with feeding, water and stalls. So far we've gotten only about 30 minutes to an hour for lunch as I think they are short staffed in the barn. My horses haven't gotten here yet, so I have been fortunate enough to ride some of the Poulin's horses. I have ridden an older upper level horse. He is one stiff old man, but I got to ride some piaffe, half pass, flying changes and collected canter, so I'm not complaining.
I am SO ready for my boys to get here! I love the experience on other horses but I miss them so much! I'm so happy that they can both come.
Anyway, below are some photos of my weekend with my Grandmother and Step-Grandfather, they are only an hour from De Leon Springs, so we decided to come up two days early and spend some much needed time with them. I'm really glad I'll have some family nearby while I'm here, hopefully it will help cure some of this chronic homesickness I've been experiencing.

I promise, my posts will get more exciting once I have my boys here and I am riding more and have more to talk about other then the feeding schedule for a barn full of horses!

Until then,

Caitlin

Angelo, Mom, Grandma and I