Awaiting Winter

It was scary that the water bowl in their paddock was broken/frozen. They were turned out about 4am! What time were they brought in to their stalls for more water? It was also horribly deep frozen mud in their “field,” so AJ said one thing they knew for sure about her current horse project was that he was an easy keeper.

They were not doing enough canter work and AJ knew it. But, the new array of trotting poles was definitely having its benefits! He was willing to offer to go long and low after about just 10 minutes riding, that followed just 10 minutes of lunging and ground work. His grey usual paddock buddy turned out to have been turned out in the sanding - so that’s why her mount was spooky in that corner and whinnying through out the ride! He was good about opening the gate to walk through though. He really seemed to hate the black and red pole, and took many good spooks at the random sun beams and shadows they were creating around the ring, but they stayed together and worked through it all. He really needed to start moving forwards next. How to make that happen?

Back home, she was not really worrying if she was eating a bit of the dirt between 3 legged unpeeled organic roasted carrot limbs. The most nutritionally beneficial part is always in the skin/peel right? and there’s minerals in the dirt too! She wondered if she could offer i-pick gifts instead of missed u-pick flower opportunities as a workshare/volunteer duty next summer at her favourite CSA Farm?

Jill knew that AJ had found a way to earn a new set of boots and was finally tossing her original blundstones! She also knew she would be in need of snowtires for the upcoming season, but didn’t want to bring up the finances. She was putting a second set of stirrups and leathers and a house pair of half chaps for AJ on her wish list to Santa instead.

A First (Always Unexpected) Snowfall

When they’d first got started that morning, he was so fresh she decided to get off and lunge a bit. So as to give him a chance to run and buck and play a bit, without having to ride through it. It was something she did more now she was older, and more hesitant about falling off!

After she’d mounted, they’d used the trotting poles in the less complex but still very useful and new arrangement. She was also able to ask him to do some leg yielding down the long sides, which he would do, but which always seemed to speed him up. AJ did not trust his canter, and was not quite satisfied with his straightness at trot, and not at all pleased with his head carriage or relaxation either, but he’d been working 40 minutes. He was quite furry in his lack of winter blanket and she didn’t want him to get wet and sweaty. When she was getting ready to quit for the day, he delighted her by offering to stretch his neck long and low while keeping the trot. Fantastic!! Finally some new ground!! She praised and praised and praised him as they went round a few times both directions.

When she asked for a walk to begin to cool out and really finish on a positive note, he took a big spook at a bird flapping across the arena behind him. So, she asked him to return to trot, long and low again, and then ended the riding session.

Jill said, “See, when are you in tune with somebody, there’s not much to talk about, it just happens.” She wondered how long AJ could continue to incur the mileage expense of riding him for her, now that her income level had changed so much. “Did you know the word manage comes from the riding ring - menage - and that Xenophon wrote the first book on business management?”

Of course the fool took another big spook in hand when the bird did another flap past, ha.

AJ told of a clinic she had attended that Sunday. “You know how when you lie down on your massage therapist’s table to you relax and start to breathe better, and start to release the tension in your body? Our EFT demo/practice horses were like that in the cross ties!”

A Recent Royal Season

When AJ had managed a staff of 32, she had been required to submit quarterly reviews, summarizing all the day to day feedback she’d given to the employees. She got so good at it, they used to send extra “problem” employees into her department so that she could sincerely try to coach them to better performance, while accurately documenting all employee issues in compliance with HR law in case they had to be terminated. Jill wanted to know if that’s why she was calling herself a “trainer” on the resume she’d drafted for a potential employer, lol. She was suggesting an edit because the horse lady owns and rides the 20 horses and only wanted an exercise rider... "Obviously, she is the trainer."

AJ laughed that it was true she hadn’t really trained Jill’s horse much in her absence. “I am pretty sure a photo your mom could have taken from that arial view of that “campfire,” in the middle of all of the trotting poles laid out, would have been perfectly at C, dead centre in the middle of the arena. Her in-person-horse-buddy, Jill's mom, had said she arrived in the lounge just in time to notice the steaming manure mountain in the cold area.

What was really nice to see was the big bright glossy picture of a top horsewoman, in action, posted on the bulletin board on the way in. A handwritten caption had been added on a big yellow post it note. “Beezie Madden even grabs a bit of mane to save her horse’s mouth.”

For the second time this week, AJ felt blessed by how the poles were all laid out in the riding ring in a perfect schooling formation. In a big, complex arrangement she wanted to have, but didn’t want to double check measurements for, or set up herself BEFORE the exercise of riding. Those poles can be heavy! Her specialty was riding the bounce bounce spook spook boing bounce of them, not the dragging them around, ha. She was excited for access to an exercise to cultivate balance, focus, suppleness, elasticity… she knew it would also support coordination, including hand/eye, in both horse and rider. But was she surprised to find as she worked over them, that it was also helping them with straightness. Their number one priority!! There were at least 4 lines of 3 poles, plus 4 lines of 2 poles, each with their perfect spacing. And yet, you could make perfect centre lines, both short and long, as you rode figure after figure over and around them.

After the 30 minute workout, that actually loosened up her back very nicely as well, she raved some more “Besides, if you were trying to set that up for yourself as a boarder, you would have to put it all away at the end as well. So as not to leave the ring a mess for any upcoming lessons, so it would be twice as much work. AJ had invented a new exercise to try by the end, which was trotting between two poles in a line, a STRAIGHT line, right in the middle, on the same angle. “They keep him straight — plus, he’s afraid of them. Probably always will be” her companion obviously wasn’t as optimistic as AJ was about the activities. AJ was grateful also, to notice that while the formation was the same two rides in a row, the poles themselves were different colours. Such a subtle new challenge and pleasure!

Jill agreed that when working over ground poles horses use their backs more correctly, and use greater flexibility to bend in their joints. Was AJ’s encouraging him to stretch his neck long and low over them working? Yes, and, yes, was extraordinarily careful not to catch him in the mouth. She loved how the work was getting the horse to begin balancing himself and using his hind quarters more, instead of reliance on his head and neck for balance. What would a pattern/layout course look like to use to begin to learn how to shorten and lengthen stride in different gaits?

AJ was encouraging Jill to start a band now that she was in university. “Is this because you always wished you started a band in high school?”

They lamented that a friend of theirs had made an appearance on DNTO’s program about the Royal Winter Fair that weekend, appearing on CBC before ever guesting on hoofbeats!  And it was a bummer that neither of them had had a chance to attend the festivities this year.

Friday The 13th

Its true AJ had been fired, and an action she had taken that she said could be misconstrued was written up in the reprimand letter as her saying “it was the wrong thing to do.” She had hated how the district manager had pulled a skid in his car when he saw her out back, before their meeting, as he was on his way to dump garbage into the dumpster. She laughed and told him she’d hated it when her former manager put on his name tag as soon as she walked in the building… she thought worse luck was not being able to find a tuner at home. It was raining and made her want to play guitar… she’d got started only playing when the din on the roof of her home would camouflage her efforts.

Trotting poles trotting poles trotting poles, little ponds in the sanding, trotting poles trotting poles. My day has a nice rhythm to it so far! (p.s. BRIDGE, pilons and the gate 2X) she wrote. She was thrilled to think, for the second time in row, “what a nice ride!” He had lowered his head at least twice over poles, and lots at the water. Was he learning to trust her hands? She knew that sometimes training a horse was like watching paint dry… And she sent Jill an email “I think Bob is looking at the scary place the burn pile USED to be... here he is at the end of a very nice ride.”

Did you read the article about “accidentally UNtraining your horse?” Jill had, but thought it should just be called “Training your horse with bad habits,” because they both knew that 100% of the time you are around a horse you are training it. AJ was still having trouble with item “4. Veering to avoid an obstacle or scary object. The scenario: You’re riding along a straight line in the arena and heading toward a banner attached to the rail. As you approach the object, your horse veers so he doesn’t have to pass the object closely.”

She said that first of all, it drove her nuts that he stopped dead to make manure, and that second of all, it was infuriating that he wouldn’t just travel through it afterwards, always deaking out one way or the other to avoid trodding along in the straight course his rider was dictating.

Jill had posted a link on Facebook “I love this show! And, not just because of all the horse facts…” They were considering editing segments of it to air on hoofbeats — was that allowed?

Spooky Hallowe'en

It was annoying that he kept taking off in the hayfield, or big ring, for several strides with his head turned so far left. When he pulled a spook like that, and took off, the only/safest way to stop him was to tighten the circle left. It was becoming an over-used emergency measure between them.  She could have almost put her finger IN the snaffle ring of his bit. Meanwhile, if she knew he could behave, what she really wanted to do was gallop. As if she was staring down mortality, and fulfilling a last life wish. Not just a steady, forward canter in half seat either. For 50 or 100 acres! To hit the rhythm where gallop changes from clattering hoof beats to a steady hum, with his head moving more than the flash of legs beneath. “To the speed where you can hardly believe anything can go this fast without the axles breaking and the machinery all flying to bits.” She'd liked how the magazine article she'd tweeted described it -- it feels like flying.

AJ had taken a riding day just to bond with her horse buddy like she used to do when she was a teenager, hand grazing and grooming him on the line. She was trying to do as much as possible from the right side, because she found him to be such a one-sided horse. She thought she probably looked like a chicken and inexperienced to the farm owners, but whatever! She also did a bit of ground work including lunging, especially to the right, and insisted he stop at the end of the line when she asked, instead of turning in, or worse, turning completely around… It took several repetitions.  They also walked past the scary junk pile, over and over. He was learning to spook away from her, instead of always to the right, with his tucked in to the left, as if unaware of his leader.

On her second riding day of the week, she’d concentrated on riding “no hands.” He wasn’t acting too frisky and it seemed to work, they even made a couple of transitions to halt, with absolutely no use of the reins, no contact with his mouth whatsoever -- out around the edge of the hayfield.  She'd felt calm and brave riding absolutely on the buckle like that, to test out a new theory.  She was wondering if it was when she shortened her reins that made him quicken, inciting her to shorten her reins etc.

The head trainer was dismissive of her efforts, you should "only close your hands on the reins" for a transition…  It was also discouraging to simply feel like riding, and arrive ahead of/unscheduled at the farm, hoping to ride in the beautiful weather, to learn the horse was reserved to be ridden by a beginner at the in-house Hallowe'en show. It haunted her how the trainer said he had previously been her horse and he was easy to round up, because AJ didn't understand what she was getting at.

Dear Cat Sitter,
“Before I started letting them out, the black cat was peeing inappropriately and I was to the point I was thinking of having him put down. You have to hold him sideways for a snuggle, and its always with a countdown. 10-9-8…  You can let/leave him out into the backyard, I have to trust him to look after himself. The black and white cat, on the other hand, is a big fat lazy bones, always hissing or meowing, hiding and worrying/overeating about something… while always demanding attention. She is really down right snuggly, and she’s good at spooning. She'll probably stay in while I'm away?  Thanks for making sure they have food and water.  Please help yourself to dried spearmint and fresh fennel from the window ledge?”

It was AJ's first time leaving the cats in the care of a non-roomie, which she did find a tiny bit unsettling...

A Bit of Thanksgiving

AJ reported that walking around at the breeding farm was a joy. Firefly was in the yearling paddock by now and had become very friendly, instead of shy or spooky. The newer foal was harder to visit around its grumpy, protective, very large and well filled out dam, who looked to be in foal again already — is that what made her such a grouch? Or was she that moody anyway? The little bay had eventually approached the human visitor and AJ was surprised to find herself thinking the equine’s coat must feel like what a fawn would feel like if one were to ever pet a baby deer.

When asked, AJ told the mounted rider it had looked to her eye like the horse was forwards enough. She said to see him bending and rounding up in his experienced way, made her very jealous. “The only thing I would suggest is that you work on keeping that frame and flow THROUGH transitions, because he did pop his head up and scramble a bit through the transitions, upwards and downwards."

Watching the head trainer ride a temporarily boarded horse was a mix of inspirational and frustrating.  Because AJ was so very far from obtaining any similar results with her current mount.  She sincerely hoped the horse would get some "real" (world class) riding lessons from Santa at Christmas.

Jill chided AJ on having her horse loose in the arena without covering the mirrors. They both knew that a horse could perceive a mirror as a opening and accidentally jump into it.  "No wonder at that place they think loaning you draw lines would be putting them in the hands of a novice!"

On recent rides AJ had been doing only short lengths of the hayfield and was constantly trying to vary the routine. She wanted to get him to pay attention to her! He was a sensitive horse, but he was only sensitive to whatever he was thinking about in a given moment, he was constantly oblivious of the fact that he even had a rider, and that they were supposed to be working as a team!!

She admitted that she missed having loaner time in the barn with just her and a horse buddy. It was one of the benefits of her history of horsemanship, but it wasn’t a part of the current deal. Not that she would ever mention it to such a lovely, helpful, pleasant human-horsey companion, but her introverted nature was well aware the barn time wasn't energizing to her.  Overall, she was extraordinarily grateful to be riding regularly a couple of times a week.  It was nice to feel safe and he was a nice horse.  She also appreciated that there was always something new set up at that farm - a new small course, or a new mounted games obstacle or flag or bridge or ditch to school -- that she didn't need to preplan or set up herself!

Jill was laughing about a mistake she'd made on hoofbeats radio -- she'd been mentioning how she wanted to start a "Riding With The Stars" segment but had actually called it a "Riding OF the stars" thing, ha. Would "Horsing Around With The Stars" make a better column/segment/show title? She would start by reaching out to Corb Lund, a known, actual horse person.

AJ was proposing a feature for the show about having an isolated horse on a property. They were herd animals of course, but could you get away with just providing a goat as a horse buddy, or maybe a llama? She recounted how she had once seen a miniature donkey line up horses for turns one at a time at their paddock's water trough. She'd also said the CEO of the Canadian Equestrian Federation's hand shook in hers when they met for the first time, because he had been reading her blog and found her to be a very compelling writer. Should she try and arrange a guest appearance?

Fall Hacks

It wasn't just the riding Jill loved, it was the opportunity to be in nature... Her roomie agreed. But added that it was even more magical on horseback. She'd had nice views, and a nice breeze and bird buddies while riding that morning. 

AJ knew that it was best to stay in the tractor tire tracks, when riding around the hayfield, because of potential ground hog holes. She’d been out around the property with the horse’s owner for the rules tour, when the grass was tall. Now that it had been cut, its true she had been making circles, and leg yielding zig zags in and out of the field along the treeline, with many other transitions, because the horse was so fresh. She could easily watch for ground hog holes to avoid. Would you consider it riding defensively? Intellectually? Pointing a horse that wants to take off in a straight line, with no exercise to think about, turned into a battle of wills pretty quickly. She wasn’t as strong as him, in fact she felt old and brittle, and at risk lol. How far would he run if he took off with her? And, how fast? They were new to each other. And, he was testing or challenging her, when they went out to the fields, that was certain. He was still slow off the leg, but extra spooky. Not too mention bucky/prancy/head shakey ha. Was it called a crow hop when they jumped into the reins?

It turned out that farmers had just drill seeded with alfalfa - “Ouch, sorry etc. As she returned to the sand ring, she explained to his owner’s mom, “I am trying to see if he will channel his energy into perky ring work.” she’d said returning to the sand paddock. ponies galloping off with friskiness in all paddocks around the outside, on and off, created some distraction also bounce bounce bounce,emergency dismount etc. Could her new accidental horse buddy be interested in setting trotting poles? She hoped so, and would look up the measurements.

On another recent trip to the farm, she had him loose in the arena, and all he did was run up to mirrors and look at himself! "Do you blame him?" AJ thought her Tuesday/Friday morning commitment was just as handsome as he did.

She brought some youngsters to the farm that day, and they made a two second hoofbeats radio report about the visit in to a portable recorder. She was also slightly offended to learn that the farm owner didn't want to loan draw lines. She said to the horse's owner's mom that she knew such reins in the novice could be very dangerous, and tried not to display her frustration. She'd thought they would be useful when riding around the crops, because he had so much forward impulsion from behind at those times, and the tack could help her round him up, while keeping control, with that forward energy directed into straightness and bending. She wasn't sure how give her mount a clue about what she wanted without them.

Jill was making a PSA at their campus radio station, to air in any future weather crises. It recommended you have at least one phone that does not require electricity to operate. Also to make sure you have battery powered smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and fire escape plans/access. The other tips included..
1) Stay away from downed power lines. Know how to report them.
2) Secure windows and outdoor equipment, park vehicles in protected areas if possible.
3) BBQS are for outdoor use only. Do not bring them inside.
4) Make sure generators are approved and has proper connection, carefully located outdoors to ensure exhaust fumes do not enter the home.
5) Use extreme caution during flood emergencies and power outages, as wet electrical equipment can be extremely dangerous.
6) Make sure stove elements and appliances are off or unplugged to prevent fires and power surges when power is restored. You could also unplug computers, televisions and such.
7) use a transistor radio check local media outlets for updates

She was also reminding AJ that they had never sent a thank you card to the guy that rescued their herd-member.

All Clothes Become Barn Clothes

It was only straw bales, but yes, AJ had finally jumped with Bobcat... more exciting was to walk through the archway left over from the recent wedding, ha. "thank you burn pile, for a hack with just the right amount of excitement," she'd said, filling Jill in on the morning.  She'd gone in her "street clothes" instead of any proper riding gear...
"And, I need some kind of holster for riding with my cell phone. For pictures and also emergency contacts if ever required."

Jill said "It's not too late to sign up for the schooling day. All three phases without the pressure! Jump the course as it was for the June event, then stick around and school the jumps that didn't jump quite the way you wanted."

The next day she reported "I really need to borrow draw lines. and, I think we could use some thrush remedies. I think I am going to bring up my own tack “trunk” and squish it in the tack room. I should really try and get in one more good practice before going around the fields with the farm owner.  Today, he was dead in the ring, but then tried to take off on me when we moved to trot towards home around the 2nd length of the hayfield. He trotted off fast, pulling, and then actually cantered a few strides against my will, and so I yanked him to the left towards to high grass line speaking whoa, sitting up and commanding he stop and it worked.   But I’m not sure it would work if he was trying a little harder because his mouth is so dead. How can I retrain it?" She definitely wanted to try draw lines...

Before attending to her riding horse, she'd visited at the breeding farm with her yoga teacher, who said 5 minutes with AJ taught her more than 3 years of lessons at the riding academy."  She had asked how AJ got started with lessons, and for days Jill felt sorry to have let her very first mentor/sponsor Victor pass without saying thank you.  She pointed out that Firefly is a spooky little thing, and turned out a big grey who needs a chain over her nose. She amused the stallion who actually was quite affectionate and very dressage-y with his naughtiness in the crossties.  And, she offered the bitless bridle to the head trainer but she’d already tried it and it was too small.  "See how the foal on the left is lying in the grass a little closer to its mother than the baby on the right? That bay is a week or two older than the other."

She could tell he was probably back in training, because he didn’t rush over for the affection.  How was his sarcoid was gone?  She thought that they had probably let his teeth get long over the winter, because he wasn’t as fat as the spring training season the year before.  "He is horse that doesn’t need his teeth floated as much as other horses." she said to her guests.  She said how she'd got started at that place "I just wanted to go and get the horse smell on me. And they let me stay, since I cobwebbed."

Have You Jumped Him Yet?

In stopping by to say hello to a mentor, AJ was sad to hear of the passing of the nicest horse she had ever met.  She had taught many lessons to beginners on him, despite the fact he was also a reliable event competition horse.  Marty was part clyde, so could carry men, but would also support even the tiniest little human beginner.  He was awesome with verbal commands, and had no vices in the barn, despite his super big feet and enourmous self, and despite being constantly hand fed treats by so many admiring folks on the ground.  He loved food, but was always agreeable, sensible, adorable and trust worthy.  (Except when he was sneaking out of his stall to get to the feed bins.  He had a talent for an amazingly silent tip toe.)

*
When she went to visit other horse buddies, and collect her riding helmet to leave at a different farm for future rides, Lulabelle had come right over to where she was.  But her ex-project Mouse also came right towards her, and she had shooed away one of her favourite all time horses away, without recognizing her, because the mare was intimidating Mouse.  What a terrible farewell!  She would have to come by again soon to make nice with the bay she had seen grow from an unmanageable, underhandled 3 yr old to a successful, well homed brood mare.
*
Showing up with her riding helmet at the new place, AJ had been joking in the barn that they expected her to ride bareback, just as the owner showed up with the saddle! Talk about earning that hug!!  The cats at the place were also very wonderful.  The head trainer was walking around the paddock with a metal detector looking for a lost shoe.  How much does a shoe even cost? AJ wondered, seeing how much time she was putting into it.   He moved around at the mounting block to ensure AJ was getting on from the "correct" side.  When she commented how well behaved and generous that was, she was told He tends to be quick off the mark.  You will good for him.  We aren't so good at fixing bad habits.  "I am very disciplined.  I find that if you insist consistently it can make a difference." 

Her third time riding her new horse project, A.J. worked him in the arena, because of the rainy weather, trying to stay off the track because the footing was packed and hardest on the actual track.  She mostly trotted thinking about getting his body straight and going forward.  She tried a little bending to the right and to the left... he seemed not to know what she was asking for with any of the exercises.   The farm owner said   "He can go straight.  He can round up."  its just that his owner/rider hasn't worked hard at it, and in fact that rider has to work really hard at everything because of her body shape....  Recently many tears have been shed over the 8yr old TB/Warmblood Cross, the rider's father thought they should just sell him.  The farm owner went on to say that the Grand Prix horse that people are coming up from the states to buy is out of the same stallion.  She was going on about how much potential AJ's new mount had, although his history was mostly that they had him out to the D-rally a few times. We “struggled” with the gate and went outside but we weren’t allowed to ride around the grass field - too much risk of making manure ha. There was a wedding planned on the farm for the weekend.   AT the end of the ride they fed him carrots down between his knees.  Horse yoga! AJ wanted him to start to use his body in new more-dressage like ways.

Meanwhile, in the barn they asked her, have you jumped him yet? 

Persistence Above All

She was thrilled that her recent car-pool-to-the-farm buddies were now regularly volunteering at the Pony Rescue. It was a follow up to their visit at the breeders with Jill. The shy foal sure wanted to have a good long sniff of the youngest visitor. Who was so lucky to get to pat that young one directly on the face! It reminded her how Lulabelle, the foal’s dam, used to give her a long head to toe sniffing, when she would stand near her in the paddock with the others… back then, she’d been trying to socialize a critter in need of it. It felt, out of time, and magical, like a whale approaching a human in water for complete examination. And, she liked to think it was useful to the equine’s development. Look at the life the mare was leading now!

Yes, AJ had posted a joke about cooking a naughty cat up for supper on Instagram. No, she did not know how to delete it. She decided to reminisce instead about the segment she heard on hoofbeats radio about the horse that spooked and executed a perfect rollback, ditching his rider.

When she’d showed up at the farm, just to sniff the air and look at horses to cure her agonizing jones for them, a generous part boarder delighted and surprised her saying “Do you want to hack my horse a bit this morning?” When AJ enthusiastically responded to the mounted rider, she added “Can you get on from the ground?” And so it was that AJ took a surprising, therapeutic walk on horseback. Apparently he was good any where you took him! To AJ he felt a little wiggy at the end of the fence line. Was it the yearlings come up alongside them? Was it the puddles of water? AJ had been able to actually hear the electricity buzzing through the paddock fencing, when she had been gazing over them instead of walking beside them, and considered that maybe the water was providing the gelding the threat of a little jolt as they walked towards the soggy ground. They probably shouldn’t step on ground that soft. Regardless, she insisted he walk on the forward straight line she was asking him for. After all, she was the human! But, she was also considerate of the farm and the horse’s concerns, and when he obeyed, she turned him around after a few steps to continue their march towards the comforting direction of the barn. She’d forgot to report in the barn when she got back that one of the paddocks had an electric waterer that was overflowing, she thought it might be of interest.

AJ lamented the irony of how the horse had given way to the motor car. She needed her car to keep functioning so she could get out to the horses! She remembered the university student looking for someone to take over her horse, “He definitely needs a strong personality.” Maybe her new goal should be to start riding in the fall. In the meantime, should she contact the yoga buddy who had offered an opportunity to try Western?

Despite the limited remaining use of her jalopy, she had taken a drive all the way out to the Therapuetic Riding Place, only to drive the long way back home without any recordings. It turned out it wasn’t the right environment to be thrusting a new surprise script at unsuspecting guests with special needs…. she would have to try another way.