Bit

 

So, five weeks ago, four days before our schooling show, at the end of my lesson as I was untacking, this happened:

The bit fell apart at the cheek piece.

 

The end piece that fitted through the cheek piece rusted out completely.

This is the end that was inside the cheek piece. I figure it must have been made of sweet iron and it rusted out on the end that he sucks against the side of his mouth. 

I contacted the manufacture and was told it was normal wear and tear. I pushed back on that and the woman I was working with talked to the owner. They said they could fix it and would guarantee the repair to both sides of the bit. It cost me a little bit of money, but it shouldn't happen again. I was given a three week time frame for repair.

In the meantime, Amanda loaned me her mom's bit to ride in and Ashke had definite opinions about it. He hated it. He would stick his tongue out of his mouth and just had no interest in relaxing and carrying himself properly. It has gotten worse and worse as time has gone on. I was supposed to get the bit a week ago, but it was sent to my old address and then sent back to the company. I finally received it late yesterday afternoon. Before that though, we got in a big fight during our ride yesterday.

Today, I put the bit on his bridle and then eased it into his mouth. He moved the roller with his tongue, took a deep breath, and his whole body relaxed. The other thing I realized the day before is that he no longer needs spurs. So I lost those before our lesson today. He was so relaxed, on the bit, self-carriage, soft and receptive that both of those things were the right thing to do. Before the end of the lesson he had given me two relaxed and correct canter pirouettes and four or five steps of true piaffe in each direction. It might have been the best ride we have had ever. He was so happy.

First Show in Two Years

 The last time we showed in Working Equitation was June of 2019. It rained all weekend, so the show was inside. Ashke had just started getting injections for his hocks and although our dressage was okay, his behavior in the EOH was atrocious on the second day. I came away from that show having made the decision we were hanging up the effort for good. I stress too much about our performance and he really only wants to do speed all the time. It just wasn't fun. And since my last show was also on the same day that my divorce was final, I wasn't sure what my financial outlook was going to be long term. I made the decision that I would invest in our training with Amanda and put my show ambitions on the back burner.

Some time between then and now, maybe both Ashke and I matured, developed additional skills and listened to our trainer. I completely changed my tack and attire, Ashke got injections, we've rehabbed a serious leg injury, and have consistently taken lessons with Amanda. Last Monday, Ashke and I had a huge fight in our lesson. After the lesson, I walked back out to her and said "he's for sale". She kind of laughed and said why? I answered "because I suck as a rider and I hate fighting with him". She said, "when are you going to learn that you will never win that fight? He is a 1000 lb animal with a mind of his own. The trick is to not fight. And you need to remember that he is Loki in horse form. You need to respond with humor not anger."

Chris agreed when I talked to her later that he does have a bit of Loki in him, and that most Arabians do.

I thought a lot about that conversation over the week. I also thought about the fact that Amanda has been chasing two scores on her FEI Grand Prix horse for the entire time I have been taking lessons. She doesn't get angry, she just keeps working on the things that need to be better. It's humbling. And recognizing that changed something for me this weekend.

For the first time in a dressage test, when I knew I had made a mistake, instead of feeling frustrated or upset, I gave myself a nod and kept riding. No one in the history of dressage has ever scored a perfect 100%. We are going to make mistakes. And with Ashke, there is a likelihood that there are some movements we will never score better than a six on, so a six it is. I was still anxious, but it felt different this time.

The gate during Speed
 

I also talked to Ashke on Friday when I went to bathe him. I told him we had two shows this weekend and I needed to wash both his face and his forelock, since he needs to be clean enough to glow. Damn if that horse didn't drop his head and let me wash his face. When I put him back in his stall I asked him to not lay in his poop so that he was still clean the next morning, which he complied with. He was amazing at the show. He stood calmly at the trailer when he needed to and was responsive under saddle. We were there from 8 am to almost 4 pm (the show was over about 1 pm, then we ate lunch together and then we had to reset the course for the following day. I was exhausted and humbled by my horse's attitude. He came back and did the same thing the following day without complaint.

We did two solid dressage tests in two days. We scored 62.11 on Saturday and 61.36 on Sunday. The biggest differences were the walking pirouettes (2x score) and his changes across the center line were all early. The one thing I was able to correct was our entry down centerline (on Saturday I completely forgot to salute the judge and was saved by the fact that the test they had was the wrong one and so I got a do over). The other item I addressed was making sure our canter down the left side of the arena was straight rather than bigger. We were consistent. On Saturday I didn't have a score lower than 5.5, but on Sunday we had more 7's. 

Bell Corridor during speed. We cantered in.
 

The EOH on Saturday was harder for Ashke. There was a jump (which I practiced at our home barn on Friday for the first time in two years) and the double slalom was seven poles. I knew that both of those would be difficult. We also had a back foot slip in the gravel around the figure 8 barrels. He wasn't the only one and the judge changed the location of one of the obstacles to avoid that slick area on Sunday. We scored a 61.11 on Saturday. We were the only ones in our division so it would have been easy to not race on Saturday, but even when I have the best of intentions of not racing, we end up going fast. 

I was worried about Sunday's EOH ride. The last time allowed Ashke to race the Speed on the first day of a two show weekend, he was out of control in EOH the next day. When we were in the warm up arena, I talked to him and asked him to remember to go slow on the first course, that it was the EOH and he needed to listen and be with me. When we first got in the arena, I asked him to canter around the outside of the arena nice and collected. It told me he had listened and was willing to do the EOH course correctly. There were a couple of bobbles. I should have approached the single slalom differently and the change on the figure 8 was entirely my fault for cutting the back of the circle off and not getting him straight for the change. Other than that he did really awesome! We ended up with a 65.0 in the EOH.

Then we got to run speed and run we did. But even when I let him out fully, all it took was a halt from my seat and he came right back down to me. It was so much fun.

We be flying . . . 

This was the first set of shows that I've had fun participating in. I let the small stuff slide off and enjoyed the partnership with my boy. It was pretty amazing. He was amazing.

Beans

 Wow. it's been a long time since I posted and so much has happened that it might be a book to detail all of the things that have been going on . . . . that said, this is a story about Ashke.

We started working on flying changes in December of 2018 and Ashke has shown moments of brilliance, but less of consistency. His issue has been from the change from his right lead to the left. From left to right, he is flawless and it takes just a slight shift and bump on the rein to execute, but in the other direction, he can be half a step off behind. We had reached a point where he was getting it clean 90% of the time, but the consistency wasn't there. I worked on making the warm up work we did consistent to see if that helped and although it does help overall (a warm horse is more consistent than a cold horse - who knew?) it didn't fix the real underlying issue. I began to suspect there might be something else going on, since otherwise he is well balanced and we have worked on getting him equally strong on both sides.

We started with having the chiro come out. I felt like he was out in his SI area (chronic issue) which was the case, and also in his neck. He was better after that, but still kind of struggling. We brought in the vet and had his teeth done. They weren't horrible but there were a couple of points that needed to be addressed. It had been two years since his last teeth float, and as is usual with geldings, I had his sheath cleaned while he was drugged. He, of course, didn't drop and my vet, bless his soul, he had to go digging.

At the end of that adventure, my vet pulled three beans the size of my thumb out. Ashke must have known that he was trying to help, since Ashke didn't kick or thrash, but also didn't drop. The vet said to me, going forward, we need to do his teeth once a year, specifically so we could clean his sheath. That poor boy.

Guess what got 100% better? That's right, his change is now correct and balanced in both directions. Life is hard when you are a gelding. 

 

Mother's Day ride with Amanda on the Drum mare, Portia.

 

Dressage Tests

 I got to practice my dressage test this last weekend and although I went off course at the first walk pirouette, I thought we had made a marked improvement. Below you will find the last test I rode in a show and below that the test I rode on Saturday.

The dressage test from the June show (Jill Barron, judge)

February 6, 2021

Hobby Horse Farm

 OMG, this was the best move to date. I love this barn. 

We moved in on 12/26. I needed to be able to ride without worrying about concrete footings, icy roads, and moving holiday blow up decorations (the new little gypsy cob Amanda is working with tried to destroy one of them - she be fierce). The move was fairly easy and we got the horses out to ride the day we moved in.

 

The stall is big - 16 x 16 - and kept very clean.

They go into turn out from about 6 am until 1 pm. Ashke is in a single run turn out, since he plays way to hard with the boys. We are going to try and find a mare he can go out with, who won't be annoyed by him following her around.  

He was a little distraught at not being able to see Kat across the aisle from him and all of the horses were in turn out when we moved into the barn, but he settled within a day or so. He loves being in turn out although he keeps trying to get the black mare next to him to snuggle.

 

This is the outdoor arena. We are about mid way in the arena. It is huge.

 The footing is immaculate.

 

We were close to the north end of the arena.

The horses all seemed relieved at seeing and recognizing each other.

Laz and Ashke (who normally hate each other) seemed relieved to be riding together.

 

Ashke on the inside, Laz on the outside.

 

I got a pair of the BOT Royal Work Boots for protection and support of the right front (where he sliced himself open). They seem to be working just fine. He is also back in shoes, for support and stability. He came back into work a lot quicker than I did. My lower back has taken a couple of weeks to get the muscles strong again. It's been very painful.

This is the indoor. With 8 jumps set up (right before a show) and still plenty of room to work in and around them. The footing is even better than outside, which is saying something. It is also quiet in the indoor (well, except for the horse noises on the other side of the left wall) even when the wind is blowing.

He hasn't been real interested in running to the far end, however.

Our lessons have been just challenging enough to not kill me while still tiring us out.

 

 

There is also trail access from the barn.

We got out and rode about 4 miles last Saturday.

He had . . . moments.

 

 

 There is a lake that we will ride around next time (I wasn't sure it was allowed).

He was pretty much an ass when we turned around so we spent our ride home at a collected trot, in shoulder-in, with a change of bend every ten strides. 

I seem to be settling into a schedule. Trying to ride at least four days a week. In our lessons we are working on piaffe (getting him to really engage his hindquarters and come up in the wither as development work for his pirouette), changes and lateral work. And on me riding more like I know what I am doing than the sack of potatoes I feel like.