Monthly Archives for May 2012

HRSWSPR

Bet you are thinking what the heck are those letters in the title of the post.  Look closely and think of a license plate.  Got it?  It is the license plate of the gentleman who came today to help Ike and I over our trailer issues. [Horse Whisperer for those of you who need a little extra help.]  Mr. Revelle arrived bright and early this morning.  Thank goodness that I was able to give coherent directions to the farm.  We introduced ourselves and I explained Ike’s issues.  He was not at all concerned, but he’s been working with horses for 50 years and has been there and done that.

We retrieved the big boy from his paddock.  Mr. R went right to work with some lunging and groundwork – a bit of a get-to-know-you and you get-to-know-me.  I stood to the side and watched.  As Ike would trot by me while lunging, I swear he kept looking at me as if to ask, “Who is this and why are we doing this?”  But, Ike being the good fellow that he is, went along with the program and tried his best.

Then it was time for the trailer.  My role was limited at first.  Stay out-of-the-way and dispense treats if and when Ike got on the trailer.  All I can say is that I was truly impressed with Mr. R’s technique.  He has a great feel for when to push and when to release the pressure and when to push for more.  Soon Ike was walking on and standing quietly.  In the blink of an eye, the butt bar was in place.  What?!  Holy Moly!  The ramp was up and there we were.  The boy did try some pushing to see if it would move, but got a poke in the butt.  Then it was my turn to try.  With Mr. R’s guidance, I had Ike load himself and was able to then put the butt bar in place.  No way!  I can load my horse by myself?!  Who would have thought it…not me.  The light at the end of the tunnel is a bit brighter.  We will practice regularly and pray that it will only get better from here.

The day was not over once Mr. R headed home.  Ike and I also had our lesson with Ms. C.  Boy was he strong and dominant with that right shoulder today.  I like to think that my legs are strong, but it took all I had to attempt to stop it, but failed miserably on numerous tries.  (I wish the hot tub was filled tonight for the sore leg muscles.)  What impresses me with Ike is that even after his trailer training, he still gave 100% in our lesson.  Worked on shoulder fore and turn on the haunches with some success.  The canter continues to improve.  Ike’s right lead is now better than the left lead on many days; that dominant right shoulder caused us some turning issues today as well as some outward drift and ovals rather than circles.  We even played with the thought of canter lengthening.  Ike liked that part of the lesson.  There is definitely some range in that canter.

I did my own horse whispering as I took Ike back to his paddock when we were done.  Told him that he is a very special horse and I am very lucky to have him in my life.

Sometimes the Hardest Thing to do is…

…the right thing.

Made the decision today to scratch our entry in Sunday’s schooling show.  Let me explain…as you know Ike has been having some trailer issues.  The biggest issue is not that he won’t get on the trailer, but that he panics when you go behind him and either touch the ramp or the butt bar.  He throws his mass into reverse quicker than a stunt car driver and backs off the trailer.  Not sure why now since he did ride in this trailer to and from the dressage show in April.  Too bad I’m not psychic.  It is not a safe situation and someone or Ike is going to get hurt.  It is an issue that needs to be resolved and soon before it becomes dangerous.  Better to stay home and work out these kinks than to travel to the show only to find that Ike won’t get on the trailer to come home.

I have talked to a local expert who works with behavioral issues and horses who have trailer “concerns.”  If the scheduling works, he will come next week to help me with Ike.  Hold the press!  He just called and is coming tomorrow.  Keep all fingers, toes, and hooves crossed that he can work his magic and our problems will be solved.

I did manage to fit in a ride this afternoon as well.  Had not been in the saddle since Sunday.  Do you know what happens when you give a four year old three days off?  He gets very forward, but in a good way.  Wow, what a ride.  It is a shame that he has decided to be a homebody for the time being.  Walk-trot transitions were fluid as were the down transitions.  Gone are the days where we ran into the brick wall when asked to walk.  Ike also got every canter transition when asked, on the correct lead, and with round circles instead of ovals.  Dare I say the boy is starting to have some body awareness?  I probably should not and jinx myself.

To tide you over until we make it out in public again, here is the upload of my rides from April.  The video was done by Video Vibes.  If they are ever at your show, get them to do the video for you – it is well worth it.  The first ride up in the video is our Intro A test which was actually our second ride at the show.  Next is the Intro C test.  Finally Intro B – Watch closely and you will clearly see us almost take down the rail on some of the turns.  No laughing at our canter is allowed…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0g6UQyd0AY

Success and Failure

I saw a quote in my new Whole Living magazine (http://www.wholeliving.com/) that arrived today that made me grin to myself, “The upside of grand failures: They make great stories.”  If that is the case, it is no wonder that I started a blog about my riding experiences.  Oh yes, there is some success in the mix, but it seems like the small victories come after I’ve failed in some miserable and usually public way.

Apparently, I am a magnet for special-needs animals who are experts at humbling me.  Anyone who knows Cigar knows that he relishes his misbehavior and naughtiness even in retirement.  He just recently ripped the hot wire off the fence when he realized it wasn’t working.  My dogs are no exception.  My therapy dog Tim was pretty easy to train, but chose to relieve himself on the bag of expensive dog treats with the entire class and instructor watching.  My old hound dog had me chasing after her around the neighborhood while wearing 4 inch heel boots – my future husband dubbed them my jogging boots.  My newest canine addition Spencer?  He barked and lunged at every dog at the local dog parade and in his Obedience 101 class.  We dropped out of the class since we were more of a distraction to the other dogs who were trying to learn.  I was so proud.

And Ike?  Well he is quickly earning a reputation as “challenging to load” and “frequent no-show” at clinics.  Great.  I was hoping for a reputation as “a talented, young horse with great potential to move up the levels.”  At least we can entertain the blog readers with our misadventures and hope for a better performance tomorrow.

Ike had the day off to enjoy the weather, recover from the vet visit, and because I worked all day and had the commute from he_ _  to get home this afternoon.  Back to work tomorrow.  Three days to practice loading and get some saddle time before our Training Level debut on Sunday.  Just breathe, Alison, breathe.

Open up and Say Aaaah

It was dental and shot day for the boys.  Cigar needed the full set of spring shots and his teeth checked.  Ike needed his flu shot, a coggins (in case we actually get on the trailer and leave the farm), and his teeth checked.  And since they get sedated for their teeth and I believe in better living through drug chemistry if necessary, they also had their sheaths cleaned since neither is cooperative in that department while fully conscious.

I will never forget the first time I saw a horse have their teeth floated.  The Medieval-looking mouth clamp, the “wood rasps,”  the blood.  It was an eye-opening event, but a necessary evil because of the domestic lifestyle of today’s horses.  Ike still has a few baby teeth.  It is odd to look in his mouth and see those teeny tiny teeth when the rest of him is so large.  I’m hoping to find one before all the baby teeth are gone – a little sick and twisted, but I’m sure I’m not the only horse owner that wants one or already has one sitting in a box somewhere.

Was not able to get to the barn early enough to ride…but since we seem to be doing fine under saddle, the time was spent doing what?  Take three guesses and the first two don’t count.  That’s right, trailer practice!  Ike was cooperative and walked on and off the trailer three times and stayed on the trailer for a full 5 minutes fully relaxed the last time.  He also spent that time eating the grain strewed on the floor of the trailer.  Hey, if it helps him get over his fear, I say let him eat off the floor.

No ride times yet for Sunday.  Trying not to get too excited or think too much about it  – one step up the ramp at a time, one step.  In the mean time, Ike is going to bed.  It was a big day for the big man.

Square One, Two, and Three

How could anyone stay mad at a face like Ike’s?  Sunday morning we were back at square one with the trailer.  It was 7:00 a.m. and if Ike wanted breakfast, he would have to eat it on the trailer.  The bucket was full and up the ramp I went and waited.  Not ten minutes later he was all the way on and happily munching his feed.  Where was this horse the day before???  Maddening.  Breakfast was over and I backed him off.  Told him what a good boy he was and said, “OK, let’s hop on one more time and you can then head to your morning turn out.”  It was going to be interesting to see if loading would happen with out the enticement of a bucket of food.  Phew, Ike got on the trailer.  Irish luck won out over Polish luck this time.

Helped D muck stalls while Ike had his morning fresh air and visit with his buddy Lady.  No rest for the boy – time to tack up for a ride.  I think he is a morning horse – nicely forward and through, relaxed with spot on up and down transitions.  Such a shame that no one at the clinic got to meet him.  If he could speak, I would have him apologize to the clinician and the club for his silliness.  Since he cannot, I will say that I am deeply sorry that we did not make it.  Ike and I will work diligently and fingers are crossed that it will not happen again.  Holding dressage shows at our barn just isn’t going to happen and hacking to show grounds would be a death wish on the roads around here.

Ms. C and Mr. D were kind enough to practice loading Baby Huey again in the afternoon.  He played mule for just a few minutes before conceding and walking up the ramp.  He also loaded once today without great protest.  Dim light at the end of the tunnel, but we still have a long way to go to reach daylight.

Tomorrow the vet comes for spring shots.  If it is not raining, we will sneak in a short ride and another trailer loading session once the vet is done.  Don’t have much of a choice….we have a schooling show this Sunday and Mom is still learning her lesson in patience.

The Little Engine that Couldn’t

 

As I am typing this I have a BIG glass of wine next to me….I now seriously believe that Ike is part mule, because there was an epic battle of wills today when it came time to load him on the trailer for the clinic.  Like I said, I have a BIG glass of wine….can you guess whether or not we made it to the clinic???  That’s right, we did not.  We are now 1 for 3 for clinics.  Not a good average if you ask me.  We’d even been practicing loading on the trailer this week with no issues, so why today did he decide that no, he was not getting on the trailer?

After two hours, my very patient husband told me that it was time to call the clinic organizer to give her the news.  I knew it, but did not want to make the call.  I was humiliated, mortified, embarrassed, sad, and angry all at the same time.  Breathe, Alison, breathe.  I made the call.  It was like tearing my heart out.  That bad.

We then turned Ike out in his paddock and left.  I came back in time for dinner.  So Ike, you want dinner, you must get on the trailer………………………………………….half the body on, back off,  two hooves on, back off…………….45 minutes later, success.  All four hooves on the trailer.  Seriously?

Another lesson in patience is the best I can tell.  Serenity Now!

Happy Hour

It is Friday, so the weekend is officially here and to many folks that means Happy Hour!  I remember in my younger days planning with my girlfriends which bar to head to based on which had the best free happy hour food.  Sound familiar?  Hey, we were poor, and that free food was dinner to go with our reduced cost beverages.  Now, my Happy Hour is spent at the barn with the horses making sure that their buckets are filled with fresh water and that they get their fair share of peppermints and horse treats.  Of course, that doesn’t stop me from having a glass of wine (or two) once I get home.  My how the times have changed.

Ike and I had a short ride, since our lesson was yesterday and the clinic is tomorrow.  He’d had a bad day because the adjacent farm was cutting hay and had spent most of this gorgeous day in his stall.  I wonder about the boy sometimes.  Anyway, I could tell he was on edge while I rode him, but with Mom astride, he tried his best to listen and be brave.  After 20 minutes and solid trot work and multiple successful canter up and down transitions, we called it an afternoon.  There were two feeble attempts at a stretch down trot——-we will leave it at that.

I’m still trying to find the balance of work and time off for Ike.  I typically ride 4 to 5 days a week right now usually for 20-45 minutes depending on the other demands of life.  Is that too much?  Not enough?  Feel free to weigh in if you have a system that you have found works for oversized four-year-olds.  I’m sure that our progress could be greater if I could devote all my time to the pursuit, but unless there is a miracle and we either win the lottery or some long-lost rich relative appears, my barn time will continue to get squeezed in with the rest of the to-do list.  Of course, not everything on that list is a fun as Barn Happy Hour.  Cheers!

 

Sit, Ike, Sit, Good Boy

Ms. C passed along an interesting observation of Ike.  First picture in your mind a dog sitting, then substitute a 1200 pound horse in place of the dog.  Yes, Ike was sitting like a dog.  Not for a long period of time and of course not long enough for a camera to be located, but long enough for Ms. C to take notice.  It was not an AKC obedience quality sit, but a kickstand-style casual sit.  I still cannot picture where exactly all the leg parts were during this.  But I digress…

Today was lesson day and overall, I am pleased with how Ike and I did.  As Ike gets stronger, we are looking for a steadier connection.  The days of his head being a little higher, a little lower, even lower still, and then back up are getting fewer and fewer as he develops his topline.  His trot work is a pretty solid “7” and we are working on finding the “8.”  It is there in fits and spurts.  And can I just say, where the heck was the canter I rode today when we were at the show??  The right lead was very balanced and I was able to sit back and follow the motion – just like a rocking horse.  The left lead was a little bit less balanced, but it too was better than what I had in my test.  Must be show nerves and green horse nerves.  At least we know it is in that big hulking body.  We started to introduce shoulder in with some limited success.  We also schooled turn on the haunches to help Ike learn to weight the inside hind.

One final note – the countdown has started to our next show – a schooling show at Chestnut Oak Stable (http://chestnutoak.net/shows.html) 10 days from today.  Schooling shows are so much easier on the pocketbook.  I do plan to braid and play beauty shop so that we make a good impression headed down centerline.  I will also wear my show attire since the dressage coat beautifully hides a multitude of sins.  I had some success at their schooling show series with Cigar as well as some embarrassing moments that many folks can still recall.  I’m excited to be headed back with Ike – hoping for the success without the drama and hijinks.

Delayed Gratification

If I was looking for instant gratification, then I should have picked a sport that does not involve another sentient being, especially one as young as Ike.  Even if I had unlimited funds and could afford a horse that already had years of dressage training, I’d still have delayed gratification as I learned how to push the buttons of a horse that knows more about dressage than I do…sad, but so true.

Society as a whole continues to move at a faster and faster pace – more information, more data, and download things quickly.  We want instant results, faster fast food, and a flat stomach at the snap of our fingers. There is planned obsolescence – get the newer, shinier model with more features since you can’t get the parts for the broken model you bought 2 months ago.  If  it is too slow, toss it and buy a faster one.

The dressage training scale is very well established.  If you miss steps and the basics of training, you will pay later as the work becomes more and more demanding.  The judges have very keen eyes and it is hard to sneak anything by them.  I’ve heard it said that it takes 6-12 months to develop a bond with a new horse until you both figure out how to communicate with each other.  With a young horse, it feels like we are starting from square one every time there is a growth spurt.  We unfortunately cannot rush to the top of the pyramid.  Ike and I will hover at the bottom and progress when he and Ms. C tell me it is time for more.  I must wait for the results – is this all part of the lesson in patience?

Got a short but productive ride in today.  Practiced the Training Level canter transitions, and Ike nailed them like a pro.  Attempted the stretch down trot….well, ah, yeah.  Next topic.  Can’t guarantee that we will nail anything on Saturday at the clinic, but that is why we are going.  We have our weekly lesson tomorrow with Ms. C.  Her eyes are as keen if not sharper than a lot of judges – we will have our work cut out for us.

The Next Outing

So we are gearing up for a clinic sponsored by my local dressage chapter this coming weekend.  Ike and I will ride a dressage test of our choosing and the clinician will help us on the parts where we are the weakest.  If you have been keeping up with the recent posts, it is not hard to tell what our Achilles heels are….canter AND stretch down trot.  Here is the promised link with our attempt at a stretch down trot towards the end: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whk-4aCIjIo.  Don’t blink or you will miss that over-the-back-stretch into my hands (said with a facetious tone.) We will ride Training Level Test 1 to the best of our abilities.  If we find that it is just too much for Ike to handle, better to have found out at a low-key clinic than at a show.

Rode today with no dressage whip to see how our canter transitions would be.  Miraculously, we nailed every one of them; maintained the canter much longer as well in preparation for the Training Level tests.  I worked on sitting tall and following the movement with my hips.  The stretch down trot is still non-existent, but that was not a surprise.  More time and patience, much more patience, and it will come.

After our ride, we went trail blazing through the empty paddocks.  Ike is gaining confidence each time we walk them.  We then had a trailer loading session.  After a couple of false starts, Ike finally walked right up the ramp and into the trailer.  He is a smart boy and now keeps his head down when he backs off.  Thank goodness he learned that lesson quickly to avoid any further dents in the trailer or him having to wear the padded headwear (such a cool look – I’m sure the other horses would have made fun of him).

After a few peppermints, a Stud Muffin, and some ear rubs, I said goodnight to my big, handsome boy.   I will admit, it is hard to leave when you have a face like the one above watching you go…