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.