Following Too Closely



Are you following too closely?

     Horses on the trail like to follow each other very closely. They are prey animals and prey animals stick together in herds for safety.  The closer they stay to the horses around them the safer they feel. It doesn't matter how close your horse is to the horse in front of them, if the horse behind them gets too close they will let them know. Maybe just a jump or spook but some horses get really annoyed and will kick out. Following too closely could get a horse a nice hoof print on their nose.
    We have a tendency to do the same thing

    "If  you want to teach your horses to be easy to catch, start by catching the ones begging to be let in first," advises horse trainer Clinton Anderson. "As you start weaning down the herd, you'll notice that [hard to catch] horses get more willing to be caught. No one wants to be the last horse in the pasture because a lone horse in the pasture is easy pickings for predators." Clinton says that eventually the horses that are easy to catch will train the other horses to be caught easily, too. They soon learn being caught isn't so bad afterall. It actually comes with benefits like sweet feed and human companionship.
     The opposite occurs if you start by trying to catch the unwilling ones first. As they begin running away from you,

Love Came Down

Blessed Rain Drops

    It's like heaven opened up it's doors and let God's Love rain down! We had gone so long without rain that we began to think we wouldn't see the earth wet again. Everyone is concerned about their pastures and even worried that next spring, if conditions didn't improved, we would be even worse off.

"I could sing about His forgiveness
I could praise Him till the sun goes down
I could say that I am a witness
I was there when His love came down
Love came down on me
Love came down on me" lyrics by Lindell Coolery and Lenny Leblanc

    Saturday when the rain began to fall, I couldn't stand to be inside. I walked in the rain, played with the horses in the rain, and when it was really pouring just stood in the barn and watched it rain. It felt like I was in the center of God's manifestation of the love He had reminded me of at last week's prayer meeting. The land was quinching its thirst for God's blessing along with me.

"Love broke through my darkness now I can finally see
He paid the price for my freedom no more chains on me
Since the Savior came and He took the blame
Changed everything
Since the Savior came and He took the blame
Changed everything

I could sing about His forgiveness
I could praise Him till the sun goes down
I could say that I am a witness
I was there when His love came down
Love came down on me,
Love came down on me." lyrics by Lindell Coolery and Lenny Leblanc

The Drought Takes Its Toll

    The effects of the drought here in the midwest are taking a toll in many visible as well as invisible ways. The brown grass and large cracks in the earth are tell tale signs of distress on our land. Our horses have been eating hay since the last week of July, something we normally don't put out until late November. The winter hay supply is hard to come by and when you find some it is very expensive. The pastures have been grazed down so low that they are virtually dirt. We have taken them off the summer pastures and decided to instead sacrifice our alternate pasture in hopes we will have some pasture come back next spring.

Drought Drying Up the Ponds

     The effects of the drought on hay production and pasture are one of the most visible effects of the lack of rain in this area. However, the effects have a ripple effect. The grass is burnt, it crunches when you walk on it. The trees, whose leaves are brown, are already dropping their leaves. Much of our burnt fields and overgrazed  pastures will need to be reseeded but the fear is that the seed will be just as scarce as the hay. The water sources are receding.

     Less obvious effects

Sometimes Algebra Doesn't Work!

Okay why do I not believe that you can feed 144 horse in this field for a whole month?

Question 637670: if 12 horses can feed in a field for 12 months. How many can feed in 1 month. please show the work.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Algebra.Com's Answer #401814 by stanbon(51681)
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
if 12 horses can feed in a field for 12 months. How many can feed in 1 month.
----
# of horses and # of months are indirectly related.
---
h = k/m
---
Solve for "k" using "if 12 horses can feed in a field for 12 months"
12 = k/12
k = 144
----
Equation:
h = 144/m
----
How many can feed in 1 month?
h = 144/1
h = 144 (# of horses that can feed for one month = 144)
================
Cheers,
Stan H.
==================
 Sorry Stan, the correct answer is 12... you have to give the grass time to grow!! Allow 2 acres per horse for constant grazing; NLT 1 acre per horse in a rotational grazing program with 3 fields.

Do A Little Now

Friendly Game

    "Do a little now, instead of a lot later," Pat Parelli said. I heard that little jingle in my head as I headed out to the barn in my slippers to feed and water. I was just going to dart out and fill the hay bins and water tanks and get back to my after work nap. Afterall, it had been a long, busy day at work and I deserved a little down time. I would do a lot of horse training this weekend I told myself unless of course something else came up.
    "Do a little now, instead of a lot later," I heard again. It would take about 15 minutes to fill the water tanks so why not do something with Snooze while I wait. I looked down at my slippers. If I go to the barn in slippers, I know I won't do anything. I ran back in the house and put on my boots. I'll do something even if it's just 15 minutes of friendly game.
    So now, whether I intend to work a horse or not, I always take a few extra mintues and put on my boots before I head to the barn. Then I can do a little every time and end up accomplishing a lot by the end of the week.
     If you are familiar with the friendly game, the first of the seven Parelli Natural Horsemanship games, you know the idea is to get your horse happy to be near you. You start off slowly rubbing them and moving around them with your hands or a rope or a scratching stick. The rest of the games are the start of controlling the movement of your horse or moving them generally away from you. But at the end of the game, you bring them back to you for friendly rubs or scratching spots. The friendly game is a  good way to get to know your horse's scarey spots. Does she have sensitive ears? Does he not like having his belly rubbed or feet picked up? Is she spooked by the spray bottle? So we play friendly game to get the horse comfortable allowing us to move around them freely with our toys and  tools and hoses and sprays.
     It didn't take til the water tanks were even half way full to realize we were not going to start with much friendly game with Snooze. Although we just met, it only took a little time to realize that she was very comfortable being near me. Her favorite place was on top of me. I could put my hands anywhere on her and her response was to move closer not away from me. Moving on to game number two. The porcupine game. This game involves applying pressure with your fingers or training stick until the horse moves in the direction of the pressure to release the pressure by moving out of it. She did figure this out pretty quickly but as she did she would twist around so that if I ask her to move her hindquarters she would snuggle her front shoulder into me.
    The tanks weren't even 3/4s full when I realized it might be safer to play a long distance game like the yo-yo game. I drive her away by jiggling the lead rope then allow her to come back. We did get a lot done in a little time. She seems to enjoy the yo-yo game. She figured out quickly that she needs move back when I ask and other than anticipating coming back before I ask she learned to wait until I ask (if I didn't wait too long).
   It was a short session but we learned a lot about each other in that short time. We have a good start to our relationship. We identified some needs. And we have a plan for our next short session.
   If you are procrastinator like me, keep Pat's little saying in mind. "Do A Little Now, Instead of a Lot Later." Whether you want to write a book, read the entire bible, or become champion partners with a new horse, do a little something about it now! Sometimes later never comes and in the mean time, you can get a lot of little things done!
  

'No Alarm' is My Sweet Little Joy

'No Alarm' Following Me in the Pasture

       "No Alarm means joyfully jumping out of bed in the AM," Carol comments after seeing No Alarm's photo on facebook. Reminds me of the perfect day off. No alarm clock. Waking up rested without any obligations and the whole day ahead of you to do whatever you want. What a great way to explain the feeling I had when I met our new filly, No Alarm.
        I had no expectations about her. As a matter of fact, I had bought her sight unseen. I had met her mom and her sister but I had completely forgotten to meet her before I signed the paperwork. Sometimes you just have this spiritual prompting that leads you to move through something without much planning. It's like sitting down in a raft and trusting the water slide will guide you to the bottom without knowing the twists and turns it might take. In this case, it was like waking up in the morning without any plans as a magnificently joyful day unfolded before me.

From The Horses' Perspective

     In our little world, the world really does revolve around us. We can only look at the world from one set of eyes, touch the world with our own hands, hear the world from one set of ears, and along with our own set of taste buds and olfactory senses we process it all in our own little brains. I recall how frustrating it was writing a masters paper with a colleague because I could not get in her brain to think. She would say things and I thought we were in agreement but then when it was down on paper it was obvious we were worlds apart.

    We can try to understand the world from someone's perspective but we can not truly understand the experience of another. We can ride alongside someone else but can't share their saddle.

     We want to do our best to understand our horses. We are designing horse friendly living areas for our herd at the ranch. Our hope is to build happy horse paddocks from the horse's perspective. Obviously, it's not as healthy for them to stand in a 10 foot by 10 foot box stall all day long as it would be for them to be roaming free on the range. However, every consideration includes compromises and hazards. Pastures expose them to threats from predators and less control of their forage as well as injuries less likely in a box stall. Although I have had a horse run by me to retreat to the comfort and safety of their box stall, I believe my horses are happier free-ranging on a large pasture in a herd with their buddies than living alone in a stall.
      Paddock Paradise by Jaime Jackson takes it even further. He designs paddocks to recreate the movement of wild horses in a herd across miles of forage land. The claim is not only are the horses happier, calmer, and healthier but their hooves remain naturally trimmed and supportive without the need for man-made shoes nailed into their hooves. The track paddocks allow the horses to keep moving all day and stimulate their daily exercise and workout routine but how do you know if the horses are happy?
     Happiness from a horses' perspective is safety, forage, and socialization within the herd. So a horse friendly living area must include opportunity for horses to live with each other in a safe manor with plenty of room to move around. We are going to do this by building paddock living environments for up to six horses with natural cover for shelter. Each paddock will have free choice hay, water, and mineral blocks. I agree with Joe Camp in The Soul of a Horse that horses should have something to chew on all day if they choose. Chewing stimulates the pleasure center of the horse's brain. So we will make slow bale feeders using soccer netting to allow the horses to have free choice hay all day without overeating and wasting hay. The slow bale feeders replicate the slower consumption of hay that foraging would offer them.
    Looking at the world from the horses' perspective is not as hard as you might think.  Remembering that a horse is always honest; a horse is always just being a horse. If they develop a stall vice, it is not the horse's fault, it's the result of their living environment. Horses need to have room to move and be a horse.  Horses live in herds and they need to be able to interact with other horses. Our paddock designs will help keep our horses happy. Happy horses just want to feel safe, move, chew, and be with their herd.

Working Out At The Ranch

    Bypass the expensive, stinky gym and go straight to your local barn or horse ranch. This is where your workout can really be productive. You can help move 50# hay bales or clean out stalls and move wheelbarrow loads of manure to the compost pile.  When your done with your strength training, you can burn plenty of calories with the following activities:
   
     Horse grooming  -                burns* 405 calories per hour
     Ground training your horse-             454 calories per hour
     Walking undersaddle-                     190  calories per hour
     Trotting undersaddle -                     490  calories per hour
     Galloping undersaddle-                   604  calories per hour
     General horse activities-                  299  calories per hour
     Hiking out to catch a horse-            405 calories per hour

*all figures were based on a person weighing 150# and derived from "The Most Accurate Calorie Calculator" -  click on the calculator to see how many calories you will burn doing a variety of activites or to get the calorie count for your current weight.

      They claim fencing burns 405 calories per hour but I don't imagine they think of fencing the same as we think of fencing. However, at the ranch you can burn calories and strength train at the same time while helping to run new fence. Volunteer to help in the gardens and burn an average of 369 calories per hour. Not only can you get an excellent workout and burn calories but a trip to the ranch is a lot more fun than a stinky gym.

The Waiting Begins

    Jazz is home. Now the waiting begins. We wait 14 days to see if she is in foal and if everything took, her estimated foaling date is May 14, 2013.
  
Will Our Baby Have Color?
   Certain colors, such as Jazz's Tobiano, do not appear in pure-bred arabians. Our hope is to produce a half-arabian foal with color. Since the Tobiano gene is dominate, Jazz has a 50/50 chance of throwing color. We know she is not homozygous for Tobiano since one of her two previous foals was black. Bay is pretty much a given for our foal since daddy and mommy both carry the bay gene. Although as we have learned, all bay horses have a black gene present and Jazz has produced a black foal in the past.

Estimated Foaling Date: 2013-05-14
by Dream Horse.Com

  

Mare Name: Jazz Tangent Last Bred: 2012-06-08 To: KA Odysseus
Broodmare Reminders Consult and Schedule with your Equine Veterinarian 5/7/9 Months: Rhinopneumonitis (killed) 30 Days Prior to Foaling: Encephalomyelitis/Tetanus Toxoid (EWT), Flu, Strangles, and West Nile
Vaccination Schedule	Due	Done
5-Month Vaccine	2012-11-08
7-Month Vaccine	2013-01-08
9-Month Vaccine	2013-03-08
30-Days Prior Vaccines	2013-04-04
Estimated Due Dates
Early Watch:	2013-05-04	(330 days)
Average Date:	2013-05-14	(340 days)
Full Term:	2013-05-24	(350 days)
Foaling Notes
Date Foaled:
Days in Foal:

When I'm Found in the Desert Place. . .

     There was a day when I would rejoice in sunshine everyday no matter what the temperature. We spent our summer days at the local swimming pool where the hotter the better. I remember coming home after a day at the pool, wet and freezing in the air conditioning until I ran back to my room to warm up. Our bedroom doors were kept closed so that the air conditioning unit in the dining room window could cool the common areas of my parents' house: the family and living room were the only cool rooms and they were freezing! Kids were acclimated to warm temperatures back then and spent lots of time running around outside in the heat. We didn't need air conditioning and rainy days put a damper on our summer plans.
    Today, however, in the middle of this drought I realize the necessity of God's gift of rainy days. Our land is dried out and the ground is cracking where lush green grasses would normally be growing over soft fertile soil. The horses have combed two pastures and left nothing but dust and short brown clumps of grass roots behind. It is mid-June and I have already started putting large, round bales out for the horses to eat. We normally don't set out bales until November or the first part of December. They come off the bales in mid March. Normally, with adequate spring showers and an occasional shower in June the pastures can sustain the herd until the cooler weather and light rains come in September.
    I just have to say that God really does know what is best for us. The winter of 2010-2011 was so harsh and we had so much snow that my spring hay crop produced over 90 bales of hay in two fields that normally are lucky to yield 55 bales. It was such a difficult winter for us getting around in the snow and freezing temperatures that froze water tanks, broke hoses, and stalled out tractors. Last fall, I prayed for a mild winter and God answered my prayer. We only had a dusting of snow and I didn't have to clear my driveway once. There was no shoveling, no frozen hoses, no stalled tractors, and most days I got by with a light jacket. It was the easiest winter I'd ever had to work at the ranch.
     Then came the reality of what a dry, mild winter would mean to the ranch. It was a drought in disguise. Last spring and early June, we could hardly find a weekend to ride that wasn't drenched with rain and mud. This June I am praying for rain. I have fresh seed in a pasture that desperately needs water, the horses have ate all the grass and there is no new grass growing to replace it, and even the ponds are drying up. We don't have ragweed that took over the pastures last year in the moist, swampy conditions. Even the ragweed and burrs don't have enough moisture to grow. The only plants that seem to be thriving are the short sticky plants that grow out of the deep cracks in the dry hard land.
     So now my prayer is, "God- I am sorry that I didn't trust you to take care of me in the winter conditions that challenge us on the ranch. Even though for seven years you have always provided everything we needed to get through them. Whether a kind neighbor who stopped by and plowed my driveway before I got home from work or a natural water source the horses found when the tanks froze over, you have always taken care of us. I am sorry for thinking I needed to change the conditions you provided for our good in order to get through the winter. It is obvious you know what is best for the survival of the ranch. Today, I pray for rain but I also trust that you will provide all we need in this drought as well."

"The Lord says, 

         I am the Lord your God, who led you out of Egypt. You have no God but me. I alone am your savior. I took care of you in a dry, desert land. But when you entered the good land, you became full and satisfied, and then you grew proud and forgot me. --Hosea 13:4-6 GNT

"Thank you, Lord, for reminding me who you are. You are my God in abundance and in drought! Blessed be your name." 

Blessed be Your name

In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Lyrics by Matt Redman   (Click to worship with You Tube version)

     
     

The Dream Ranch Journey Continues

What's up at the Ranch?

http://www.r4c-ranch.com/

Big news at the ranch is that we are expecting our first foal in the Spring of 2013. Keep up to date on this wonderful event as we progress through the next 11 months and 11 days until our Jazz baby arrives. We'll know in about two weeks if our Jazz Tangent vs KA Odysseus breeding was successful.

Zip's Jackie is back in training; Zippi is reviewing her Natural Horsemanship ground training and progressing under saddle. Her specialty will be Western Dressage and Trail riding!

The drought is hitting the pastures hard and we are going to be putting out round bales this weekend. This has us drawing up plans for sacrifice paddocks that can accomdate the entire herd for times such as these. Ongoing fence projects continue as we try to eliminate barbed-wire fencing around the ranch completely. We'll be sharing our progress in detail in the days to come.

Amanda Lee Photos is now taking your individual and family shots at the ranch. So come enjoy a day at the ranch and get your country portraits taken! Click on the link for more information. Follow her on facebook at Amanda Lee Photos.

The Dream Ranch Journey continues so follow us on the blog and enjoy the highs and lows of ranch life from your neck of the woods. Hope you'll share your dream with us by replying with your comments and ideas.

My Riding Journal-- May 25, 2011

Q: What do you do if your horse starts bucking?
A: Raise your right arm.

Relationship 101: Rule #1

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." John 15: 12-13



   My thirteen year old son's aunt was graduating from college one Thursday evening and I had given him the choice to go with us to help her celebrate or to stay home. He was busy fixing up his room in hopes of getting a new computer over the weekend. He told me he was having a hard time deciding whether he wanted to go and help her celebrate or stay home and finish his project. He decided to stay home. "There are no do-overs," I said, "She will only graduate once."
   I got ready to leave and when I stopped by my son's room to tell him goodbye he jumped up and told me he was going with me. "I wasn't going but when you said there were no do-overs I realized my room project would still be here tomorrow but I could never go to her graduation again."
   The first thing to emphasize on any study about relationships is that relationships take time. "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." You have to give up time to yourself to make time for others even when it is something you'd rather not do. Sometimes just being with a friend is what they need. Maybe you sit quietly while they sleep in a hospital room or you sit in the audience at a service or program where all you give to them is a hug in a receiving line or a wave from a distance giving them only the fact that you showed up. How much you give will determine the depth of your commitment to the relationship.
   When my late husband was in the hospital I got a lot of phone calls from friends wanting updates and sending their best wishes but my best friend sat with me in the emergency room all night. She laid down her life for me so I would not have to go through the night alone. It wasn't comfortable. We slept in waiting room chairs. It certainly wasn't fun. I didn't feel like talking or joking or playing card games. I am sure she had a million tasks she put off to be there for me. But I can not imagine going through that without her there.
    My friend and I have always been good about dropping our lives to reach out to each other in crisis but as mothers of four kids trying to find time to enjoy each others company was more of a challenge. It is important to lay down our lives for each other in crisis as well as time to build the relationship in good times. When you need a helping hand moving, or a shoulder to lean on, or child picked up during your work day, a friend lays down their life and jumps in to help. Friends help celebrate the milestones and hang out in the quiet times, too.

     Rule #1 about relationships; Be there! Show up for the crises and the celebrations.

My Riding Journal- May 9, 2011

      The best move I ever made was to change my regular schedule-- instead of riding after all my work was done I decided to ride first, then ranch work. Amazing how much I can accomplish after a ride and actually get my ride in because I am not too exhausted to ride. Thus, got a nice ride in today during the cool of the morning on my grand-horse, Apache. Our first ever ride, went well. I had heard he can be a little stubborn and I did have to use my encouraging stick to keep our transition smooth but he was amazingly willing to try to figure out what I wanted.
     I made our first ride short and sweet. We worked on walk-trot transitions and once he got his balance and realized I meant it he kept quite steady. Additionally, my goal was tempo. He seemed very concerned about the tall grass and the dog playing nearby but relaxed when I counted cadence at both the walk and the trot. Eventually, he relaxed and kept an even tempo when I didn't count out loud.
    Our transitions, which were quite rough at first, became smooth and more balanced as we practiced on the short sides. Tracking left I would prepare him with a little jiggle just before M, ask at M, and up my phases until I got a trot. At first he balked, stepping up into the trot on cue but only taking a step or two and then acting as if he crashed into a wall (I assume it was the bit he was fighting with). Not sure if he was used to riding with close contact on the bit. I practiced a few times giving him the reins and letting him move forward until he was comfortable with a little more contact during the transition. With a little encouragement from the crop, we began getting transitions on cue, with a steady tempo, and a continuous trot along the short sides until I asked for a walk at H. Repeating again preparing with the jiggle at K, asking at K, and on this side a little reminder at the gate, A, to keep him from stopping at the gate. Sometimes a little more encouragement at the quarter-line to get him to continue the trot around the corner until I asked him to walk at F. Of course, we repeated the exercise tracking right: preparing just before F and H, asking at F and H, and transitioning to the walk at M and K.
      The trot to walk transitions were a little troublesome although we had several good ones. Many of them were before I asked or taking too long to respond. I suppose I need to use a little more rein but then he would do a dead stop. Which by the way his walk down the centerline to a halt at X, was very nice, on cue and fairly straight.
      Thoughts for next time: work more on the walk-trot transitions and trot-walk transitions. Continue working on steady, tempo at both gaits and work on straight lines and adding circles to practice the bend. Apache needs a lot of saddle time to build up his balance. He was tripping all over the place and losing his balance and stumbling. I don't think it is from his foot because I see him playing and having no problem in the pasture. My guess is he is just not used to carrying a rider and needs to build up some new muscles and balance. One reason I'll keep our rides short this week.
       
INTRO OBJECTIVES (USDF):

• forward with steady tempo in all gaits
• elastic contact with independent hands (light, steady contact except during freewalk)
• correctly balanced seat
• proper geometry of figures
• straightlines on rail and down centerline
• correct bends in corners and circles
• 20m circles @ working trot rising
• 20m circle developing canter in first quarter of circle
• smooth transitions
• working trot rising to halt through walk
• halt to working trot rising
• working trot rising to med walk
• med walk to working trot rising
• med walk to free walk
• free walk to med walk
• working trot rising to canter
• canter to working trot rising

A Circle of Wagons for You

    Sometimes when you feel like life is attacking you straight on, you have to regroup and circle the wagons. The wagon train is a symbol of fellowship and protection. It represents folks doing life together. They travel together, share meals together, and share their resources with each other. When they set up a base camp, they form a circle of wagons around  a common use area to serve as a defensive barrier. Children safely play inside while the wagon train provides protection around them in all directions.
    You can not circle the wagons with just one wagon. Even two wagons can not provide protection from attacks in all directions. If you are not in fellowship with other believers, you are leaving yourself and your family open to attack on all sides.
    Who are the travelers in your wagon community that are traveling alongside you. Who is it that you are doing life together with? Are you sharing your resources including gifts and talents with each other? Do you have a strong community that can circle around and provide a barrier for each other in times of attack?
    If you are like a lot of us who are traveling down this road too fast, too busy, and too distracted by a string of trivial pursuits you may be saying, "I don't have enough wagons in my group to protect us on all sides." If that is you, then it is time to get out and build up your wagon train again. Building a community of strong friendships and fellowship takes time and effort. For some of us who are not super outgoing socially it can seem like an insurmountable task. A strong community of believers helps minimize attacks and gives you the advantage when you are attacked.
   Over the next few posts I am going to offer some ideas on how to go about building up strong relationships and meaningful friendships that can eventually lead to a stronger community that you can do life together with.

My Riding Journal

      Even though we have been having a lot of winter weather, we have gotten a lot of riding in. However, I haven't been keeping up with the riding journal. Have been riding at Tally Ho EC under the instruction of Amara Packwood. The first lesson was an impulsion lesson on a almost 17 hand slow to go beginning lesson horse. Trained to stop when his rider is off balance, I spent the whole lesson trying to get a 'go.' Guess I had some balance issues to work out. I did learn how to offer impulsion cues with my legs while posting. Additionally, learned which muscles I use posting that apparently I don't use for anything else.
     After that ordeal, I starting riding Sugar. Sugar also is happy to stop on the dime if you are off balance but very senstitive to cues. Unfortunately I do a lot of cueing that I am unaware of. After three weeks of riding Sugar, I have learned to maintain a better seat, keep my shoulders balanced, use my inside leg to keep her on the rail, avoid crossing my reins over the whithers, and to maintain a soft contact. In addition to the continuous implusion cues with my legs. Needless to say my thighs and calfs love me!
     This week I continued my work with canter departs from the posting trot. Did not realize that I need to stop posting, sit, and then ask for the canter depart. The trick is to sit with impulsion...LOL! In other words, sit while asking for forward impulsion so that the horse doesn't stop trotting. Then ask with a half halt (which I call a rein jiggle) to prepare the horse to listen for the next cue and then ask for the canter. The ask for canter is outside leg slight behind the girth and inside leg on the girth and check your hands to make sure they are soft then squeeze and let your hands go slightly forward making sure you don't brace against the reins. With Sugar I also have to encourage forward impulsion with a crop. Just a tap on the shoulder immediately after I squeeze usually does the trick. I then transition back to the trot and try to keep the impulsion. Working to keep or regain my balance and actually keep him from cutting the corners with my legs.
     My lessons to Opie transition was not as encouraging as I had hoped. Possibly because Opie just came out of the paddock after a long rest and wasn't listening very well at all. I expected to start up where we had left off-- a very positive note on our last ride in January. That didn't happen. It was obvious Opie wanted to be back at the hay bale just slightly barn sour. He even took off on me once when someone opened the arena gate. Our ride back to the barn wasn't much more impressive as he took off and cantered down the hill to the driveway and almost hit my car.
     I was much more encouraged after this week's lesson though. I felt I had a great sense of balance, I was able to stay balanced during the posting trot and keep Sugar on the rail with leg cues. The trot to canter transitions went well and I really didn't feel like I was going to come off during the down transtions even if he took a tight corner unexpectedly. I must say I was pleased and as an added bonus... I could still walk the next day. 

December 19, 2010

My Riding Journal- December 19, 2010

     Such a great day today. Almost 50 degrees in the middle of December and mostly cloudy turned into very sunny and beautiful. Opie was excited to come out and play. A little fuzzy and I had to add a few holes to his girth...LOL. We both were overdressed for the weather... He in his fuzzies and me in my silkies and a sweatshirt. Didn't take long for both of us to work up a sweat.
     Things went as planned with the exception of the neighbor's target shooting but I was successful in keeping Opie busy and paying attention to my requests. A little reassuring him that we were doing well and he relaxed.
     First thing on the agenda was to work through the warm-up pattern we're designing for riding school. Worked well for one horse--- we will see how well it will work with six horses in the pattern. Enter on the large track- come in at C and track left to your assigned letter. I used M. Turn right at  your letter and halt on the centerline. Opie was a little distracted at the centerline and kept looking back over his shoulder--but otherwise straight. I think he was more worried about the cackling birds in the trees behind us and the gunshot sounds. After a 4 second halt at centerline, the horses ride on at the previous gait and track left and come all the way around to their letter again. Making a left at their letter and halting at the centerline completes the first warm-up segment. The instructor at this point can request the ride to walk-on or trot-on to the track and track right, repeating the pattern as many times as necessary to warm-up properly while correcting as necessary to get everyone in the proper balanced seat and to help with the transition to halt at the centerline practicing straightness. Today I practice the pattern several times with a mix of walk-trot and practicing the halt on the centerline.
     Then we moved on to the exercise I wanted to practice from The Right Track. "Learning the feeling of the half-halt." Opie was little confused during the exercise and it would have been helpful to have some eyes on the ground to help out. The exercise commenced with posting the trot on the track and asking for a walk for 5 steps at A, E, C and B and then returning to the posting trot. The plan was to continue reducing the steps from 5 to 4 to 3 to 2 to 1 until I could just ask for the walk, act like I changed my mind, and then ask for the trot. Well, we did get to the point where I could actually count 5 steps but Opie was a little frustrated and seemed confused at what I wanted from him. A couple times I think we actually were doing piaffes!! That was kind of cool but we sure didn't plan to.
  I practiced the first 3/4's of the Intro C pattern at the walk and rising trot. Could not remember the end and did not have a reader. Also practiced the canter depart on both leads. The left lead went very well and we practiced some 20 meter circles at the canter. However, had trouble getting the canter depart on the right lead. So we did a few serpentines at the rising trot and called it a day.
   It was a very pleasant ride. NOTE TO SELF: no more graining inside the paddock with four horses. So I'll plan to stop by the farm store and pick up a few more hanging buckets for the paddock. Just to keep things a little safer for my fragile human bones. Berry fights for his bucket or two with a powerful hind kick and that is just too close for comfort.
   Jazz was putting a lot more weight on her left foot. I think the bute is also giving her a little more empowerment to fight for top dog. However when all is said and done-- she is a pretty solid third.
   Anyway, it was awesome to have this window of opportunity for a spring weather ride in the middle of December. Another Great Winter Ride!!
   GOALS for NEXT RIDE:

1. Hopefuly will get a chance to ride the warm up with more than one horse so that we can get a feel for how that works.
2. Need to memorize the rest of the Intro tests so that I can practice without a reader.
3. The trot to walk and halt transitions are coming a long great. Still need some work on posting with balance and correct seat. I can see why some dressage arenas have the big mirrors. Definitely would have been of value today to ride by and check my seat.
4. Get with my riding school partner to practice some of the schooling exercises together so we can present them to the classes in the spring.

   Thank you Connor for coming and being my safety spotter while I rode. I think Opie felt safer with you on post, too!

My Riding Journal- November 28, 2010

     With temperatures dipping to below 30 degrees last week, it was a pleasant surprise to have a sunny 60 degree day after church to ride in. The wind was a little vicious in the corral tacking up but amazingly enough not so bad on the top tier riding in the arena. Had plan to take a try at Training Level with Opie. Training Level introduces the canter into the test and hey, we had a great canter depart and a canter on a 20 m circle last time.
     Warm up went swell, lots of posting and working on the downward transtions to the med. walk. Still need work. Did a little canter work, great departs but not so much going straight in a direction I chose. It was a little difficult to work with all the riders in the arena that the nice break in winter weather brought out to the ranch today. Although other than one near head on collision and one fall, all went well and everyone had a great time. Some may be sore tomorrow but if they are, they need to ride more often.
     Due to the inability to get direction at the canter and the crowded arena, I decided to opt out of starting training level today. Did some modifiied work on the introductory tests. The final Introductory A went well with an exception of riding down the rail from M-F. For some reason, Opie wanted to keep his head turned into the center of the arena when and to trail off the rail toward the center. At the canter that was exaggerated and we did a sort of sideways canter down the diagonal.
     All in all it was a great ride. I don't know if I had any great insights this ride but I did get some work done. Worked on keeping my legs under me and not over-exaggerating my post. I worked on the downward transitions, picking up the pace at the trot, and slowing down the canter without losing it.
     Next ride I need to work on the downward transition to the walk, staying at the pace of the working trot, the canter take off on the right lead and staying straight.
      I was so happy being able to get this ride in; not just cause it's winter but also because we have a long to do list that needed our attention. But at the end of this day I feel blessed to have squeezed so much in. Cleaned the house before church; enjoyed a great worship and teaching, picked up the hay rings, took the youngest to a play date, packed my boarding bag, visited my daughter, put out hay bales, had a post-turkey dinner, and spent a few hours in the saddle! What a sweet, sweet, sweet day at the ranch.

My Riding Journal- November 8, 2010

     Dodging rain and mud and a new chill in the air, I managed to work in a wonderful ride. Practice on the intro A tests went well and though I did not get Opie down to a med walk on command, I did eventually get him to walk from C-M where we picked up the working trot on command. Med walk went fairly well but asking for a free-walk on the diagonal always resulted in anticipation of a trot. After riding the test several times, I practiced the canter depart using the transition outlined in the Schooling Text:

•   jingle the inside lead to gain balance and attention,
•   ask for the canter depart with center pressure on the inside girth.

     The first attempts failed as I do what I always do, as the horse departs I pull back on the reins and restrict the take off. FAIL. I did realize this right off and was able to correct my balance on takeoff. Determine a start point of C for a successful depart, jingle inside lead to set up, pressure on inside girth to ask for inside lead, as Opie lept forward I followed that motion with both wrists forward and let him take that step out into the canter. He lept into a well-balanced canter and I was able to maintain it with control asking for a circle at A. Although our circle was a little larger than  20m as planned, it was just icing on the cake of a great canter depart. I was able to repeat the canter depart on cue and the correct lead on command.
            Was also able to get a recording of part of our ride. The video gave me some insight into my ride especially the fact that I was riding with my legs too far forward. I plan to shorten my stirrups slightly and concentrate on a more forward seat. Also want to try a little less height on posting and more practice on what lead and change reins while posting.