Tag Archives for half halt

The Terrible Twos Arrive

Yes Ike is a four-year-old, but he is just now working his way through the terrible twos.  The Mayo Clinic website notes that human two-year-old toddler development is characterized “by mood changes, temper tantrums, and a familiarity with the word no.”  Hmm, this behavior sounds very familiar except that my toddler weighs close to 1200 pounds and can knock me off my feet with a push of his oversized head.

Under saddle the terrible twos are evident with Ike ignoring my half halts or bracing into the contact followed by a quick head flick to try to jerk the reins from my hands.  He also has started to bolt as I’ve mentioned before and will not slow down until he is good and ready.  I’m having to think on the fly and come up with suitable punishment.  Putting him in a time out in the corner of the arena just doesn’t seem feasible.  When the naughtiness rears its ugly head, Ike is subjected to one-rein flexes or repetitive walk-halt transitions.

Half halts were the focus of our lesson today.  The take away?  I need to work on my timing and be more black and white in my request until the lesson sinks in with Ike.  He likes to put on the cruise control and truck on while I’m squeezing/releasing/breathing hard from all the exertion.  Ms. C was calling out when I was to be executing my half halt.  Phew!  My arms were burning, and I’ve got a blister on my hand where my wedding ring and my rubber reins rubbed.  I’d say that Ike heard and responded to about 60% of the half halts today. At least I can finally do more and more sit trot since that is when I achieve the best response.  The rest of the time I’m pretty sure he said, “la, la, la, I can’t hear you!”

Ms. C also had us work on some shoulder in which also tested my ability to time my half halts while also achieving the appropriate angle.  It is a shame that we just can’t track to the left all the time…yes, that is the easy side.  But Ms. C knows our weaknesses too well so we spent the majority of this portion of the lesson tracking right.  Ugh, that dominant right shoulder did battle with my body today.  Too much bend in the neck, hindquarters falling in and falling out, the left shoulder unable to move because Ike’s right shoulder said no.  We could get about 5-6 steps and that was it.  Guess that is better than not getting any at all.  It is going to be a while before we are ready for Second Level!

Canter is also coming along.  Ms. C told me the secret to improving Ike’s canter……can you guess?…..I know you will be shocked by the answer……….yes, it is the half halt.  Felt like I used my entire body with each stride and by the aches in my muscles tonight, I’d say that I did use ever fiber of my being.  Going to do it all again tomorrow if I can creep out of bed in the morning.

We are Dressed as a Four Year Old

We are calling yesterday’s schooling show a success.  The weather, albeit cold and drizzly, cooperated enough to let us get both tests completed and Ike loaded before the rain restarted in earnest.  Ms. C’s schedule was flexible enough this weekend that she was able to accompany us for schooling and moral support.  My dearest husband was the best cheerleader and chauffeur.  And Ike?  He was again a superstar and demonstrated a maturity well beyond his four years.

Since our ride times were some of the last rides of the show, we didn’t need to leave the barn until close to 1:00 p.m.  That meant that there was plenty of time to groom in the morning, but my lazy side kicked in and I only braided Ike’s forelock.  What can I say?  The motivation wasn’t there to even attempt my cheater braids (http://www.dressageextensions.com/ProductDetail.asp?KEY=14985).  We did make sure that Ike had no big hunks of dirt on him and that he had plenty of hay to munch since the ride would take almost an hour and a half.  Ms. C rode with us which meant my hubby had to endure an hour and a half of horse talk and test strategies.  Have I mentioned that he is a saint?

The drive was uneventful and we arrived in plenty of time.  The facility was lovely and big, so there was a lot for Ike to take in and process, including riders and horses in costume.  Once I checked in with the show secretary, I went ahead and tacked up and hopped aboard.  Well, okay, there is no hopping aboard Baby Huey – even my legs aren’t long enough to reach the stirrups without a mounting block.  My clever husband with great foresight purchased a portable mounting block for the trailer last Christmas.

Warmup went well.  Ike got a bit tense when the herd of deer (it is a herd isn’t it?) appeared out of the woods and bounded through the field, but a proffered peppermint from Ms. C soothed his nervous soul.  Food motivation can be such a useful tool to have available.  We stayed in the warmup ring for most of the time since the warmup area near the competition ring was grass which was still a bit wet from the morning rain.  Didn’t want to tempt fate and slip.

We were able to ride early because of some scratches.  As we headed around the ring waiting for the bell, the judge asked, “Where is your costume?”  I smiled since she is dressed as a judge in a black robe and answered, “We are dressed as a four-year old.”  Wasn’t going to tell her that if I was too lazy to braid, there was no way that I’d had motivation to make a costume.  Also didn’t want to deal with costume malfunctions since I didn’t know how Ike would do at a show in the cooler weather.  I should have know that he’d rise to the occasion and perform like the champ he is.  Training Level Test 2 went well and we came home with a 65.2% and third place.  The judge liked Ike and commented what a good boy he was for his young age.

Then came time for Test 3.  My biggest worry was knocking over the ring as we attempted to make the canter turn off the short end and onto the long diagonal.  I had visions of the entire arena falling like dominoes and the ring having to be reset while the volunteers cursed us under their breath.  We nailed our centerlines and achieved 7’s for our trot loops which I never expected.  It is our canter that still lacks good engagement in the hind end (more half halts was the judge’s comment), but we did manage to canter onto the long diagonal without hitting the rail.  Final score – 65% and second place – not bad for Ike’s first attempt at Test 3.  And if I can just say that the first place rider rode Test 1 while the other three riders in the class rode Test 3.  Hmm, not sure how I feel about that.

So we now have six decent Training Level scores from schooling shows which are enough scores to submit for year-end awards.  The competitor in me really wanted to have at least one score that eked over the 70% mark – we only had one that even came close with a 69.375% – missed it by that much.  So today I asked my saintly husband for one last show at the end of the month…god bless him, he said yes.  We will head back out on October 27th for two more rides/attempts to cross that 70% mark.  And who knows, we just might try it in costume…

The Coefficients are Out to Get Us

Sooooo I finally sat down and looked at Training Level Test 3 a little bit more closely…the coefficients are again on the free walk and stretch down trot (shocking), but there are also coefficients for the canter transitions.  Hmm,  that could be a good thing for us IF we are having a good day, and the planets align, I remember to breathe, and we can keep Ike focused.  Test 2 has coefficients on the canter circles and we tend to get a bit strung out and one the forehand by the last quarter of the circle, and of course, our marks reflect that fact.  It is a double whammy when the scorer doubles that tiny number.  When Ike and I are in sync, we tend to get higher marks on the canter transitions than the circles.  I must emphasize the “when,” since if you have kept up with our progress, you are well aware that in an instant Ike can shift his weight to that outside hind leg and (boom) we score a 4 for that right lead transition since Ike picked up the left lead.  Ah the struggles of a young, big boy.

The weather is going to be another challenge for Sunday.  Tomorrow the temperature will be 80 degrees and sunny with evening showers.  What about Sunday??  Well let me tell you….the HIGH temperature on Sunday will be 51 degrees with a 70% chance of rain.  Yuck, double yuck.  That is a huge swing in temperature in a very short time.  Maybe I am glad that we don’t have an early morning ride time.  Ike has been full of himself in the morning and has been demonstrating his gallop stride regularly.  I don’t recall seeing that as a movement in the Training Level tests.

Ike and I struggled through our lesson with Ms. C.   We rode pieces and parts of our two tests, and then Ms. C would ask, “So what did you think of that work?”  Ugh, do I pretend that we are the best thing since sliced bread or admit that I know the work was not up to par?  The little Catholic girl in me decided that I’d better confess the truth.  The work was 5.5 to 6.0 work at best.  Ms. C concurred.  It took us a good 30 minutes before we found a steady connection and rhythm.  Lots of quick walk/trot transitions with constant half halts while in sit trot finally helped us click.  Why did it take so long?  Ike isn’t sharing that detail.

Tomorrow shall be a day off for Ike, but we will spend some time tidying the wild whiskers and unruly mane.  Guess I’d better load the rubber boots and rain gear as well…

Dear Santa, Define Good?

So here we are at the beginning of October.  You expect to see Halloween items in the store right now, but I’ve been in two stores recently and there right next to the Halloween costumes and decor, are the Christmas ornaments and the inflatable Santas.  Before we know it, Santa will be toting gifts in a pumpkin while riding a turkey.  I mention Christmas because both my equine boys will be getting new halters from Santa this year since they are hell-bent on destroying their current ones.  Well, if they behave, they will be getting gifts.  Cigar’s motto is “go ahead and put me on the naughty list.”  He likes to live on the edge.  Ike has been listening to his brother way too much recently.  His behavior today exceeded expectations for naughty.  When I yelled at him, Ike asked for clarification on the definition of good – I informed him that public outings top the list for good behavior expectations as well as listening to my aids while astride.  He was non-committal. and tried to steal the treats in my pocket.

From his forward thinking behavior today, I am led to believe that Ike is feeling better.  Mr. D watched my warm up and the first part of my ride and noted that he saw no abnormal movement or kinks.  That was the good news of the day.  Most of my ride was quality work today.  We nailed our canter transitions that have bugged us the past week.  Our trot loops were smoother and Ike actually reached into my contact for the stretch down trot circle.  So since things are going so well, I say to myself, “Self, let’s try some shoulder in and see if we can get that right hind to really come up and under.”  Maybe I got too greedy.  When I tapped Ike with the whip behind my right leg, that is when things got a little out of control.  That slight tap was obviously the signal for “let’s practice our canter lengthening…oh heck, let’s just run really, really fast.”  We were off to the races, and Ike wasn’t going to listen to anything I had to say until he was good and ready.  After close to 5 minutes, Ike finally heard my request to SLOW DOWN!  Spent the next 10 minutes walking him on a long rein to cool him down.  It was a bit warm and humid today and Ike was lathered after his jaunt;  I actually had to hose him down before tucking him in for the night.

Quite the day.  I’m hoping that this breaking bad behavior is temporary and that the schooling show on Sunday will be smooth sailing.  If Ike decides to test the definition of good again, I am doomed.

The Horse World Shrinks to the Size of My Laptop

The internet is a double-edged sword.  It is a way to waste hours and have nothing to show for your time, but it is also an amazing place where I have helped network animals needing homes, learned of the amazing work animal rescues do on a daily basis, and interacted with some cool horse-minded people who I would never have met otherwise.  Case in point, I’m cruising Facebook one night recently and come across a group called Dressage for Adult Amateurs.  There are only 504 members currently.  When you join, they ask you to share something about yourself, so I mention that I’m bringing along a Dutch Harness Horse in dressage and post a photo of Ike…and this is where the world shrinks to about 2 degrees of separation or whatever the proper number is.  A fellow adult amateur posts that she knows my horse, has ridden other horses belonging to his breeder, that he sold before she could ride him and that he is a snuggler and very sweet.  Say what?!  Amazing.  There are millions and millions of people on Facebook, and I find someone who has met Ike.

And speaking of the big man, he and I have a date on Sunday and our ride times arrived yesterday evening.  We ride at 4:08 and 4:50 p.m.  We are the final horse down centerline on Sunday.  Is that a good or a bad thing?  We have been the first down centerline this year, first in our class order, but never the last rider of the day.  Saving the best for last?  Ha!  Our competition includes a horse that earned a 77% for Training Level Test 2 in the class that Ike received a 66%.  We have our work cut out for us.

Luckily Ike is getting back to his fighting form.  For the past two days, we practiced our trot loops, trot circles, centerline halts, turns onto and off of centerline, canter transitions, and the dreaded canter turn onto long diagonal and trot at X.  The stiffness is waning, but if it is still noticeable next week, I will have the vet come out to see if chiropractic adjustment or acupuncture can help speed the healing process.  Since Ike is doing his part for the team, I suppose I will do my part and memorize Test 3.  This will be our first time out for Test 3 – turn left off centerline, trot loop (it is a loop, not a triangle, a smooth curve, not an abrupt change of direction), canter after A..circle….half halt constantly on the short end to prevent knocking the arena over, SCREECH- turn onto the long diagonal, then the dreaded trot transition at X…..or in the general vicinity if we are lucky.  Sunday is going to be an interesting day!

Trot, Skip, and a Trot

Before I update you on Ike’s condition, I feel I must apologize for my less than humorous posts the past few days.  It is sometimes hard to see the glass as half full when life is siphoning the water out before your eyes.  But Ike and I are rallying and are back to work with good spirits.  Two outings are in the works in the next couple of weeks, and we’d like to put our best hoof forward as we venture back out under public scrutiny.  We have a clinic with Rebecca Langwost Barlow on Friday and our next schooling show is on October 7th.  Dare I say that I’m more nervous about the clinic with Becky than I am about riding the two tests?

I popped on Ike after work on Monday.  Mid-to-late afternoon can be challenging because that is feeding time.  Ike, being the strapping young man that he is, HATES to miss a meal or have it delayed because his uncaring owner choses that moment to ride.  We try to fool him with a handful of oats, but he is no dummy and knows he has been jipped.  He was a good sport, and I’m happy to report that he felt even stronger than he did during my Sunday ride.  He even gave me a more forward-thinking trot without any argument.  My half halts were a bit half-assed since I’m still not back up to full speed either (nursing a cold with a dry hacking cough), but Ike did hear my pitiful efforts and tried his best to comply with my requests.

Tuesday dawned a cool and glorious fall day.  Had to be at the barn early for Ike’s pedicure.  Sadly, his feet are much more presentable than mine…maybe I should try some bell boots to hide their wretched condition.  I then went home and finished my work day.  It was too nice a day to not ride, so I headed back to the barn after work to have my first lesson with Ms. C in over two weeks.  She has an incredible eye for the movement of a horse and can see things that people like me miss.  Right away she spotted a small hitch in the movement of Ike’s right hind leg…the one that had the worst trouble last week.  She asked if I could feel it, but it was so slight sometimes that I felt nothing.  Other times it felt like Ike would trot a few steps, take one skip step, and then get right back to trot.  There was nothing screaming “ouch,” but Ike definitely is not back to full steam yet.  And since we are laying it all out there, my skills were a bit rusty today as well.  It is very clear that I require weekly adult supervision to keep me on my toes with my fingers closed, legs relaxed, and reins the proper length.  Ike and I started off with work that would have earned us a 5.5, but ended the lesson with work that could get us a 7.5.  It was agreed that Ike’s movement improved over the course of the lesson, so hopefully it is just a matter of working out the kinks to get us back to show form.

Hopefully Ike will be done skipping before our October 7th show.  I just don’t see the judge giving us extra credit for our interpretive trot.

Can You Say Fresh?

So we changed things up this week and had our lesson on Monday rather than wait until the end of the week.  Why not right?  Sometimes changing your schedule or the way you do things helps to give a fresh perspective on things.  And speaking of fresh, the boy was definitely feeling a bit fresh today.  He must like the change in the weather, but who can blame him.  It was 71 degrees with low humidity and NO buzzing terrorists in sight.  Maybe it was his way of celebrating their departure.  Not sure if they are gone for good, but the cooler temperatures should send them packing soon.

We started the lesson with the walk – a very underappreciated gait in my humble opinion.  Not very glamorous, but if you can’t establish a connection while walking, you might as well throw in the towel at the trot and canter.  Ike does hear half halts, he just choses to ignore them some days. Ike’s freshness today translated into “la la la, I can’t hear your half halts,” so we opened the lines of communication while walking.  I half halt and nothing happens, so I HALF HALT and Ike halts.  I feel like Goldilocks, too much, too little, just right.  I just need to learn that just right feeling and Ike needs to pay attention when I ask.  So much work to do on such small details.

Moving on to trot, Ms. C had us establish a forward, rhythmic trot about 4 feet off the rail.  Ugh, that means I can’t cheat and have the rail “help” keep us straight and between both reins…sigh, Ike and I have to do all the work.  Well I am pleased to report that we succeeded in the stay straight department, but were less than stellar with our throughness and connection.  Ms. C called us out immediately.  “Where was your half halt there?”  Fudge.  Nothing gets past her keen eye.  She is right though.  So I listen intently as she calls out what to do and pray that my body cooperates and does what it asked.  By the end of the lesson, Ike and I were pushing for a very forward trot on the long sides, I’d half halt and we’d slow down the trot on the short ends, and push-off again down the next long side for a trot that could grab us an 8.  Ah, that is what a good half halt can do.  All well and good, but the trick is to re-establish that feeling on my own and then in the ring as we head down centerline.

We also worked on the trot loops and canter patterns for Training Test 3.  Um, ah, um, yeah.  We have a lot of work to do before October 7th.  The loops should flow, but we are a bit too herky-jerky (think of Elaine dancing on Seinfeld).  Screech, we are at X and need to get back to the rail…too much with my hands.  Our canter needed half halts that were too numerous to count.  We attempted the turn onto the long diagonal and trot at X.  The turn was better than yesterday; the down transition started at the quarterline and might have happened in the vicinity of X.  I had to work for that one since Ike was just as fresh when it came time to canter as he was when we started.  Our right lead canter was more like Marmaduke running with the landscape a blur.  Half halts were not even half heard.  “Say what?  But look how fast I can run.”  After some time on a trot circle, I whispered canter.  It was still fast, but at least Ike heard me when I’d half halt with my outside rein.

It is going to be an interesting fall and winter if Ike’s freshness blossoms.

The Girl with Two Left Feet Tries to Dance with her Horse

Hopefully everyone was able to find some time today to get outside and enjoy the weather.  What a relief it was to be able to take a deep breath of fresh air sans 100% humidity.  Fall can’t be too far away which means the oppressive heat will retreat until 2013.

The entry for our next schooling show has been mailed.  We shall attempt Training Test 2 and Test 3.  I’m still not certain if we are ready for Test 3, but we will give it a go and keep fingers and toes crossed that we don’t embarrass ourselves.  There are parts of Test 3 that are familiar, but I have to admit that the change of rein at the canter will be a challenge.  After all, since I still don’t have good control over Ike’s shoulders, how can I be expected to turn from the short end and onto the diagonal without some drift occurring.

Case in point, today was a perfect day to check on the straightness of my lines and to check for drift.  The gorgeous weather today was preceded by rain storms yesterday.  The bluestone was smooth and we were the first ones to ride.  Ike performed a smooth left lead canter transition, we finished our circle, and headed toward the short end.  Had to give Ike a little bump as a reminder that he was still to be cantering (I think he recalls the other tests when we down transition before the short end.)  We made it around the short end and we made the turn to the long diagonal with probably too much inside rein.  Attempted a down transition in the vicinity of X, and I also tried to remember to half halt a couple of strides before X.  Then made our way back to the other end to check out our travel path.  I should have taken a photo.  Hmm, it definitely drifted too far right and I had to guide Ike back to the correct line.  The worst part is that you have to make that turn right down near the judge…uh-oh.  No chance that it will slip by unnoticed.  At least we have a month before we go.  Perhaps we will have one of those “and then a miracle occurs” moments and everything will fall in place.

Yes, I like to share our difficulties and challenges, but I do continue to be amazed at Ike’s progress.  My only comparison is with Cigar (my now retired OTTB).  It took almost 2 years to get Cigar to canter in both directions when asked and without improvisation during the up transition (judge’s comments usually included such descriptors as “playful”  or “disobedient.”)  I feel truly blessed that I now have a young horse who is so giving and kind.

We will be back in the saddle again tomorrow.

Ike’s Large and In Charge

Hi everyone!  It’s Ike filling in for my mother who is having writer’s block and can’t seem to get her thoughts together well enough to tell you how the rest of our week has gone.  I thought I was going to get Tuesday off since Mom couldn’t make it to the barn…well unbeknowst to me, she had asked Ms. C to give me a workout.  Sneaky.  I have to say, Ms. C is a clever lady.  I tried my best to evade her requests, but she always seemed to be two steps ahead of me.  I bet she is a good chess player.  Even though it might hurt Mom’s feelings a bit, I must admit that Ms. C is better at that half halt thing than Mom is.  That being said, I guess I should confess that I didn’t always comply with Ms. C’s half halts.  My brother tells me that it is good to keep them on their toes by misbehaving sometimes.

Mom and I survived our weekly lesson.  That clever Ms. C used her insider knowledge to try to educate my Mom on moving my body parts where she wants.  The poor woman is just not always coordinated, so I get confused.  Did you want me to just move my hind end or pick up canter?  I do my best to guess correctly, but it’s not my fault when I get it wrong.  She is also a bit spastic with her whip.  She forgets it is in her hand and when she mistakenly flails her chicken arm I get a bit tense when I see the whip out of the corner of my eye.  Seriously, can someone tell her to keep her elbows by her side?

Ms. C was very pleased with my canter work.  She told Mom that our goal is to teach me to stand up better in my shoulders and stop leaning on Mom’s leg, and keep my hind end from drifting.  Huh?  I’m always standing during our lesson, so I just stare at Ms. C during these educational chats.  They think I’m paying attention, but I’m really trying to figure out how to scam an extra mint.

Mom and I got to ride with my friend Lady today.  I like when she is in the ring with me.  I puff up my chest and try to show her how good I look.  Mom and I worked on the Training Level Test 3 movements -something called a shallow trot loop and the longer canters that involve cantering the short end onto the diagonal with a down transition at X.  That loop thing is pretty easy.  No big deal.  That canter work is a lot harder.  Mom needs to better prepare me for the canter-to-trot transition, i.e., half halt sooner than at X.  We also have trouble with the turn onto the diagonal.  Mom knows it should be done with the outside rein, but she tends to overuse that inside rein…such an amateur.  Good thing she has Ms. C to fuss at her when she makes those mistakes.  Ha ha.

Thanks for continuing to follow my adventures.  I’ll be back soon.  Ike

Put your left thigh in, Put your right toe out

And you do the Hokey Pokey right?  Not.  We are not in college anymore.  We are trying to ride and train a young, BIG, green horse.  We must be crazy.

I had Ms. C hop on Ike yesterday to give him a tune up and to check his (read – our) progress.  I mean, let’s face it, Ike’s progress and success is only as good as what the rider can bring out of him.  If the rider is an uncoordinated klutz, then poor Ike doesn’t stand a chance at understanding the subtleties of dressage.  Ms. C on the other hand has forgotten more about dressage than I will ever know.  Her input on our progress is invaluable.  We talked about her ride while I commuted home – could not think of a better way to make the commute more enjoyable.  The good news is that I have not caused any irreparable damage to Ike’s progress.  The bad news is that we still have a lot of work to do to confirm the basics.  Ms. C noted that when she watches me ride, Ike can look phenomenal and well beyond his 4 years…and then she rode him and was quickly reminded that he is a young, green horse who is only 4 years old.  His big heart and good nature belie his youthful body and lack of strength and stamina.

It was heartening to know that he tried his same games with her – an equal opportunity tester as the case may be.  He tried to bully his way through her hands, drop off contact, suck back, lean on her thigh, ignore her half halts, and ignore her half halts.  Did I say that twice?  Why yes I did.  Fine tuning the half halts is going to be one of our areas of focus for the next few months.  That and teaching Ike to move his shoulders into a rudimentary shoulder in and shoulder fore.  Guess we will also need to teach his rider the subtle movements necessary to move his shoulders.  The books make it sound so simple to set up a shoulder in position; it is as if you give a simple half halt, shift your thigh, and Ta-Da, the shoulders have moved.  Truth be told, it is more like, grip reins tightly, half halt, half halt, wiggle your bottom, try to position legs, grit teeth, (then a miracle occurs), and Ta-Da, the shoulders have moved.  It is that miracle part that I struggle with the most.

You could say that riding is kind of like learning a new dance except for the fact that your dance partner weighs 1200 pounds and when he steps on your toes, giggling shyly is not your first response.  The dance continues tomorrow with my weekly lesson.