Motivation

The last three or so weeks I've been super motivated when it comes to Allie and our goals together.

I've done a bunch of stuff:

- I went to the saddlery and put show stuff on layby - bridle, tall boots, saddle cloth, that sort of thing.
- I've kept her in work 5 days a week for the last three weeks. This has been no small feat and my poor baby has gotten a bit of Peppa Pig screen time while she waits for me to finish schooling.
- We have even been off-property 3 times in the last two weeks!
- I bought 10 poles and I've painted them. I also dug out my old cavaletti/jump wings. Since I've brought them to the paddock we have had a few jump schools and I have to say we are doing better than I expected.

- I finally cleaned the float. That thing was a mess of cobwebs. So glad it's done.
- I've started organising jumping lessons. I've given up on the idea of sending her away to someone to start her. I'm going to do it, under supervision from a coach.
- I've organised a part lease on her. I can't keep her in work 5 or 6 days a week all year around, especially with uni and work starting up in February. The girl is 14 years old and is quite a good rider. She has had a couple of rides on Allie now and they get along really well. I'm hopeful that the pair will be able to go to a few shows and lessons together in exchange for keeping her in work for me 2-3 days a week.

Today, was her first time through a little grid. This video was from when we were done, she was starting to get tired. But she tried so hard for me anyway.

I'm thinking of aiming for newcomers at Equestriad in April, after a couple of training days early in the year. Then probably SIEC in July.

I AM going to make this happen, I am I am I am.

I did some horsey shit.

No, really, I did!!

No photos so this is going to be really boring but Linda ran her very first clinic and I attended. It was awesome.

We ran through some basic exercises, like "stop your feet, give me your head" (or one rein stop), which is where you hold the reins on the buckle, then lift one hand straight up and take the rein with the other hand by sliding halfway down, and bringing your hand to your hip. Then, waiting until the horses are stops moving her feet and gives you the rein, then just drop the rein.

We also yielded hindquarters, played with side passing, rein back, that kinda thing. Then, in the afternoon, she set up a working equitation course and we played around with all the different phases and then out it all together. There was slalem poles, small jumps, poles making an L shape to rein back through (around the corner), poles to six pass over, a very small clover leaf barrels pattern, and a big giant tarp to trot over.

Oh man, I had so much fun.

My husband had Evie all day but she won't take a bottle so the poor bloke had to drive her to me every 3 hours for a feed, but he said it wasn't too much if a pain in the arse. So I was able to concentrate and enjoy the day.

Allie was a gem. Linda has done all the basic exersices with her before, a couple of years ago when I had Allie in training with her. So it was a bit of a refresher course for her, and I got a lot out of it because if that. The only thing was Als would get a bit frazzled if I asked for too much at once. So the rein back was one step at a time, as was the side pass. She was great with the one rein stop, we did it from walk, trot and even canter!

I didn't manage to ride again until today, a whole week later. But she was good (even though I today in the dark). She remembered it all and I can't wait to get on again.

So, I've been very quiet here. I guess it's because this is a horse blog and I've not been doing much more than feeding the damn things. Being a mum to a tiny baby is hard you guys.

But Evie is starting to go longer between feeds. She is very happy being looked after by her dad, so I'm slowly starting to go do more stuff by myself. It is really helping my mental state.

I've tried riding a couple of times but Allie needed/needs so much stuff done to get her right, before she can officially start back in work again. The shopping list:
- Vaccinations
- Teeth
- Body clip (way too hairy and itchy)
- Body work (massage etc)
- Feet trimmed, lucky I know a good trimmer ;)
- Saddles fitted and billets changed on dressage saddle

Of course, hooves were easier than most, I just needed hubby to look after Evie while I did them. Then I had the EMT out for a massage - she's feeling pretty good over all, just slightly tight in the hind quarter. The EMT and I agreed that the jump saddle fits well right now but that the dressage does not. So I'm riding in the jump until next month when we can afford to have the dressage altered and billets done. That works!

My float needed a new loom because we lost blinkers and electric brakes. So that finally got fixed, and we took the horses to the vet to be vaccinated and clipped (and Allie's teeth). The trip over was super eventful, with Gracie not traveling well at all and a bloody truck riding up my arse and holding his horn down honking straight into the float and terrifying the horses again and again to the point where I stopped and got out of the car and had it out with him on the side of the road. I was fucking furious. He didn't give a shit though. Ugh I hate other drivers when I'm towing.

ANYWAY they both got clipped. Even the groomer kept going on and on about how much better Allie looked with a clip! She seriously looked like an unkempt yak (see comparison below). And she feels awful with all that hair, she's too hairy for Aussie winters. It's been pretty mild this year so she's been super itchy from sweating.

So with teeth, body, hooves and coat all done and a saddle that fits, yesterday we went for a fang around the property. She was a lunatic, had so much energy. She started the stupid threatening to rear bullshit again (I guess that happens when you aren't schooled for almost 3 years) so I wore my vest and got stuck into her and made her move FORWARD. And it worked.

We ended up bowling along the gravel drives (it's so wet that we can't ride anywhere else really) and along a high well drained ridge in a big balanced forward canter with me up in two point and her feeling the awesomeness that is her body and she could breathe fine (!!!!!) and I felt like the last 3 years of setbacks didn't matter and it was just my horse and I and and and and yeah. All that good stuff. It was fricking fantastic!!

Next up is saddle fitter, then hopefully we can figure out a way to get to the indoor to school on some footing that doesn't threaten to trip my horse.

Dragon Mare or, Where Did That Come From?

Looking like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth after the ride. The discharge out of her norstril is actually sand stuck to normal clear fluid.

Allie was a moron to ride this morning.

I got up at 5.45am to ride her before work - I thought, after 4 days of work (all going really well, just normal, unbalanced, no muscling issues) that she would like a walk up the back to the racetrack, maybe a little trot down the straight and then back home on the buckle in the early morning mist. The property is an old racehorse pre-training facility that had been abandoned for 6 years before someone else bought it and opened it for agistment. There are only 8 horses on the property at the moment.

Red arrow is Allie's yard, blue arrow is where I tack up and get on, and above the green arrow is the lane we ride down to get to the racetrack you can see there on the left. It takes about 5 minutes to walk from the tack up to the gate at the track.

Our ride could not have gone further from the plan.

She seemed fine until we nearly got to the track - they had put down road base down the aisle between yards we ride down (great for her feet!!) and since the last time we rode on the track they have put down more sand. But I don't think that is what bothered her. She put 3 stops in, with me ending up having to boot her like she was a Thelwell pony. She then spun and tried to go back home but when I tried to pull her up she started humping and spinning. WHAT?!

Eventually we got to the gate, through the gate and I hopped off to lead her over to a pile of white railings on the ground that I thought she was worried about. She was fine and walked over them.

I got back on and tried to walk clockwise on the track. She had that glazed-over-thoroughbred-stare going on and wanted to nick off on me. I couldn't put my leg on, I couldn't get in her mouth, she was igoring a heavy seat. I had NO horse under me. She felt like she wanted to go up, but worse, like she was prepared to go right over if I tried to stop her with the bit. I was worried that the surgery had done something to her face that was setting her off. I did not have the balls to ride it out because she was reacting negatively to my aids. She was humping, head between her legs, spinning and just loosing the plot. She wasn't even looking at anything in particular, it was like she was spooking at the fog!

I jumped off again and tried to get her attention by doing the old leading and stopping game - she knows my expectations 100% with this - when I stop, she stops before her shoulder gets to my shoulder. If she doesn't, I pop her on the chest with the whip or the tail of the reins or lead, whatever I have handy. We have done this pretty much every time I lead her since I got her. Well, today when I popped her on the chest, she went nuts - spun around, bucked, reared, tried to get away. I felt like I was flying a kite!!

Reenactment.

WHAT THE F*(% ALLIE?!? Obviously she was just so far gone that she was dangerous. When she came back down to earth, I just stood there for about 5 minutes, waiting for her to let go of whatever devils were possessing her. Eventually the glazed eye and quivering nostrils went away and she sighed, licked and chewed, and looked towards me.

I put my big girl pants back on and got back on again. We got about 5 strides when she started jig-jogging and I had a coiled spring under me. She was on the buckle though! Heavy seat, light seat, leg on, leg off, didn't matter. She was going to explode again when I took up the reins to stop her to dismount a-fricking-gain. Then, I handwalked her back to the gate with my hands holding the reins as if I was riding her, trying to simulate contact and asking her to just go forward. It worked. Sort of.

Halfway back down the lane I got back on again and normal Allie had returned. I did school her for aboout 10 minutes in her own yard before untacking because I wanted to see if I could get in her mouth and get contact seeing as that seemed to be setting her off the most. Wak, trot, canter with "contact" (well, not proper solid dressage contact but something resembling it for a horse who has been off for so long) all good. She is stiff, not wanting to bend her ribcage around my left leg especially, but I know how to ride that. I couldn't really fault her in the last 10 minutes except she was rushing in the trot (I think this is a balance thing for her). I untacked and fed up. I have been tossing it over in my head all day long. Why? She had never ever acted that crazy whe whole time I have owned her. She can be an idiot about walking near ditches or piles (I honestly think she fell in a hole covered with a pile of junk as a foal) but I can normally ride it out and she doesn't loose her shit.

Gosh - so what do I do now? Just keep schooling for the next few weeks and then try the track again when we have more rides under our belt? Or do I get back out there and tackle the track again asap? She honestly scared me. I don't want to make it into a 'thing'. I just do not know how to ride a horse who is so explosive and ignorant like she was today.

Just to clarify, we have full vet approval to be riding and schooling and doing normal horsey things, just like a normal legging up program. I don't think this has anything to do with her surgery but it is a small possibility. We have ridden around that track about 7 times before and while she can be a bit looky, she has never been batshit crazy spooky. Except the sand was new. That's all I can pin down. There weren't any 'roos, no foxes, blah blah blah.

Lesson Videos

Had another lesson with Ann today. Gracie and Nat came to have a lesson after mine too. While we were getting ready a horse galloped in his yard and spooked our mares - who then proceeded to pull back, break the twine they were tied to (Gracie has NEVER done that before!) then they pranced off to disturb the lesson before us and ran all over the property causing havoc. Allie even ducked under a temporary one strand fence! Brat

Allie was amazing there as per usual. We worked on proper flexion (she tends to tip her nose to the right to avoid that rein) and transitions within the trot.

It was pretty fun, the exercise we were doing - big trot, then little trot (almost walking) then immediately bog trot again, over and over. She did so well!

Then, out of the blue, Ann said "alright, now canter, don't even think about it" and suddenly she gave me the most beautiful right lead canter depart. I laughed out loud it was just perfect and easy and I can't wait to do that again.

Left canter was pretty funny - the video below shows how hard Allie tries to get it right but she just doesn't have the balance there to canter while being through anf forward into the bridle. IT's geting there though.

Seriously though - watch this video, it's pretty funny.

Photo spam of pretty well behaved ponies:

Pretty mareface!

Ann talked Nat through the whole 'lowering the neck' and 'reaching down' and 'taking control' thing. I think it is some sort of initiation into dressage? :P

Next lesson in a month's time. We certainly have some homework to do!

Bits and Pieces.

I have just spent my Sunday morning doing horse chores. I cleaned both my and Natalie's saddles and bridles, trimmed both the horses and cleaned the float out.

I was going to ride but I never get time to do any of that stuff so I decided to give Allie a day off. I wondered - when do you guys clean your tack? How often do you clean it?

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Yesterday Nat and I took the girls back up to Mulgoa for another trail ride. It was awesome. We had the girls charging up hills and having extended trotting sessions, with about 3 big gallops in there too. I finally was able to get Allie to understand what galloping actually is - I honestly think she just didn't realise she could make her legs go that quick!

Both the girls were super sound on the rocky, hilly, sandy terrain. When I say rocky, I mean quite rocky! No boots, just a bit of extra wall (they were both due for a trim). Love it when my barefoot ponies kick arse like that.

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On my lunch break Thursday I drove to the saddlery and bought this book:

I took Allie to the indoor that night and we played around with a few of the warm up exercises. She particularly enjoyed this one:

The book says to do this one for 10 solid minutes in sitting trot! I did it for 5 minutes half sitting half rising. I concentrated on precise shapes and flexion. It was super fun.

The book is pretty good - just a bunch of different exercises for different things (warming up, looseness, lateral work etc etc). I'm excited to incorporate our favorite exercises into our regular schooling routine. I really want to get my head around shoulder-in. Any tips?

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Funny story - Natalie took Gracie on a road ride around our home suburb with her friend on another pony. Apparently there was a little girl with her father watching the horses go past. Nat said "want to have a pat?" and the little girl said to her dad "I want to pat the dirty horse!" while pointing at Gracie. I loled when Nat told me - Gracie is quite a grub - she always rolls and ends up with mud chunks on her forehead.

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My trimming is picking up - I have picked up so many clients recently that I am trimming most of the day every Saturday and almost every Sunday too. I can't wait for daylight savings so I can trim after work to free up my weekends a bit. I am loving it though. I am getting quicker and quicker every trim. I can easily trim 5 horses one after the other without a break. I have my website up and running, have a new logo and am waiting for my cards to be printed. I am booked in to start my diploma of podiotherapy next year -I start my first block in February. This really is turning into a career for me. I can't wait until I can do it more then just part time. :)

A recent trim.

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Oh - best of all - it is spring next week. :)

Catch Up!

Next week Allie is getting a full body clip. She is SO HAIRY right now and she is uncomfortable when being ridden (even in 2 deg Celsius [35F]) and she does not dry off quickly. She is itchy with old dry sweat no matter how much warm water from a bucket I wash her down with. Poor horse.

Our riding-in-the-morning-before-work regime has been interrupted by the weather. Australia is famous for our droughts but you wouldn't know it from the last few years. It has been very wet. The footing is crap and my horse is not confident in the wet. So I have only ridden once in the last week.

HOWEVER we have a hold of a tow vehicle (towing capacity is only one horse at a time and no prolonged hills sadly) but I should be able to get her to the indoor once a week after work and still ride in the mornings 3 days a week plus ride on a Saturday.

My sitting trot needs work.

Allie is already muscling up - her top line is improving (not that it was crap before) especially over her loins. Her shoulders look good! We are concentrating on going correctly, long and low, with transitions being smooth. With a little low jumping or trot poles thrown in for variety. The canter needs some work, but it is getting there (at least she canters when asked now!).

Nice and uphill here!

Oops.. getting strung out... Plus I look like a lump.

The plan is to try and keep her in consistent work (as best I can with no arena and bad weather) which means ride when I can. We are hoping to compete at the end of July (another dressage test) where Natalie will be joining us with Gracie for their first competition (!! they have been doing really well, see the photos!) and then another in August. In between, more lessons with Ann and indoor arena schooling sessions.

No laughing at me jumping in my dressage saddle!

Ok, maybe you can laugh a little bit...

That is where we are at essentially! We still haven't moved yet, they still have the house for sale but not much interest (They want $100,090,000 for it!!) and we are still in limbo.

Oh, the kittens you ask? Well - they are really well! I have one last girl to adopt out. Andrew and I are keeping two of them now - Herman and Fluff. They are so big now! (And Funder, they haven't yet DESTROYED a curtain but they sure have tried!).

Fluff!! (My husband named her and he won't let me change it!)

Herman! He is really big now...

Saddle Fit, Lesson, Happy Ponies.

We had Tony Flynn come do a saddle fitting for both Allie and Gracie yesterday. I bought my saddle from him over a year ago, but I could tell that my saddle wasn't balanced for me (it was fine for Allie). Sure enough, it was tilting me forward and needed a heap of flocking up front. It felt great in my lesson!

Gracie's dressage saddle is no good. It doesn't have a changable gullet so it is now for sale for about $50 if anyone wants it? Natalie's other saddle, a wintec all purpose, DOES have a changeable gullet so he fitted that to her and she went so.much.better. under saddle with it - Nat said it was her best ride on her - ever. He put an extra wide gullet in it! No wonder the poor mare didn't have much forward or want to lift her back before.

We got some photos and video:

Nat was trying to get up off her back here I think - looks like it worked!

Watch this one, it has a lol moment!

Happy pony and rider after the cool down walk up the street.

Our neighbor's cute dog who came for a walk too. LOVE those ears!

I also got a lesson with Ann before Nat rode Gracie - pics and vid of this too! We concentrated on her being 'through' to help with our walk-trot transitions (which are normally 'leaping' - Ann said "we will fix that today!" and so we did!) and then have a little go with the same principles at the trot-canter transition.

Finally - a nice trot-canter transition. Just what I was looking for!

 

I was so satisfied with the lesson - Ann said that with a horse at this stage normally they look for nice moments - Allie rather has bad moments among the nice, if that makes sense? She also said once Allie has the balance and strength, her trot is going to be amazing. I'm so excited. :D

So motivated and excited for my test now!!