Wordless Wednesday: July 4 Trail Ride

 After a very long hiatus, K is back on the blog. She found a new home for Eddy and is now riding a very sweet QH/Arab mare named Aria.

 While not Aria's first trail ride, there were lots of firsts on the day.

First time in water, first time dealing with a lot of fast bikes, walking next to and then under a busy road, and more miles than she has done before. Plus, bridge practice.

She's definitely an upgrade over Eddy in my opinion, as she wants to take care of K.

And now we have twinkie horses.

 It doesn't look like much, but it was right at the edge of what I could physically do.

I have lost my ability to ride lots of miles, quickly. 

Love this trail

Party for Squish

We have a Russian imported warmblood in the barn by the name of Nyuushka, or Noosh, or Squish. He is ridden by G, who is doing dressage with Amanda, or Ree, her daughter. Ree is Ardee's mom, so she also jumps.

Last night Squish turned 20 years young and we had a party.

Squish in his stall, pre festivities.

There was cake and carrots and a big bag of apples

The four of us did a trail ride: Ree on Ardee, me and Ashke, Amanda on Jackson, and G on Noosh.

I cannot tell you how happy my horse was to get out and explore. He was forward, swinging in the walk, engaged and soooo very happy. He looked hard at a tarp and a storm drain. I encouraged him with "good boy" to approach the storm drain and he did. The only time he wasn't calm and moving easily, was when Ardee and Noosh were in front of us and Noosh was between Ashke and his girl. Then we piaffed. 

 SD Jackson and Ashke (not happy ears)

SD Jackson is a three-year-old gypsy cob Amanda has in for training. He showed in his first dressage show last weekend and won with a 67%. He is for sale and will make a wonderful horse for just about anyone. He is calm and likes people. We had a bike go past a couple of times and his only response was to flair his nostrils. This was the first time off property and there were zero shenanigans. Plus, he is taller than Ashke. Nice poneh.

 SD Jackson with Amanda up.

 Noosh and G in the front and Ree with Ardee in the back

Ree was bareback in a hackamore. No issues.

To be 21 again and fearless.

 More of the Jack man

Big smile and relaxed mare

See my unicorn horn? I wanted it on Ashke but he was not willing to stand still long enough for me to put it on his head.

Headed home. About 40 minute walking ride and almost two miles (I figure).

Ashke was not happy to be headed home already. It bodes well for his attitude on the 4th (we are doing a trail ride). Jackson and Noosh were ready to be back, however.

It was a great way to celebrate the birthday of Noosh, who speaks Russian, btw.

Straight Egytian Unicorn

Our first attempt at the canter leg yield.

We had a great training ride and I feel like Ashke is getting straighter at the canter, but we will see at our next lesson. 

Sidepass. Trying to keep him moving forward with impulsion, instead of stalling out.

L brought an accessory for my Unicorn.

 I absolutely love the look on his face.

He wanted carrots and was displeased that there were no carrots for him.

Lesson

We did our normal lesson last night, which incorporated all of the things we've been working on. I feel like we've hit a plateau and will be very happy when we tip over the top and start making progress again. It's not that Ashke is bad or not trying - nothing could be further from the truth. Amanda said that is how training progresses and it is normal to have to go back and forth on what you are working on.

Moooom, why are you holding the carrot waaaaayyyy over there?

Last night we worked on keep him straight in the canter by asking for a shoulder fore. We've stopped working on the half-pass because he is not holding himself straight (although I was confused and did half-pass, which is easier for him than the leg yield, by accident last night) by working on the leg yield at the canter (still a little rough) and shoulder fore at the canter on the circle without losing the outside hind leg and not pulling the inside rein.

It seems that pulling on the inside rein is something that is built into my muscle memory and very difficult to correct. I know, you are surprised.

 Surveying his kingdom

He is finally getting a decent lengthening (medium trot) while remaining in his box and I am getting so much better at not giving him four foot of rein and a ham sandwich while he does it. We also worked on adjustability in the canter on a 20 m circle, then did a couple of transitions across the middle. Toward the end of all of the canter work, Ashke got a tad bit bouncy, although certainly not to the same extent as in prior months. He also looked hard at a couple of terrain coloration differences and tried to see where Ardee was in the barn. Distracted much?

I rode through it only offering a "stay with me please" comment at the distraction. Amanda told me I was doing great and I answered by saying that someone else would probably look better on him (poor guy). She got pensive and thoughtful and said "no, I think the two of you were meant for each other". That kind of jerked my head around because as much as I love my poneh, I've always felt like he might do better with a better rider.

Always getting into something

Amanda basically said that I don't get upset when he gets bouncy (I do sometimes, but I've trying very hard not to let him distract me), or looky or acting out. She said that a lot of riders would react to that energy and it would descend to a fight, whereas, I just let it roll off of me, most of the time. I think that is a talent I developed when I was managing restaurants, and then honed as a human resource manager. You have to develop professional distance so you aren't drawn into their emotional reaction to whatever flipped their switch. It was beneficial when raising smart ass teenager, now I guess I am applying that discipline to my riding as well.

We were done after about 40 minutes, which left us both sweaty, hot and tired. The cold water rinse I gave Ashke afterwards seemed very welcome.

He has put on a little weight and a lot of muscle just behind his withers. 

He is on grass hay and water. No supps. No alfalfa.

I was lucky enough to catch some of Amanda's ride on Laz, her FEI dressage horse. And a little bit of video.

Working on piaffe and passage.

Canter half-pass

One tempis

Teenagers

My ride yesterday was solid. Ashke and I were sharing the arena with Laz and K, plus Kat and L. The outdoor arena is large enough that even with water still standing at the ends, there was plenty of space for us to ride and do what we needed to do. I did a lot of canter work, focusing on keeping Ashke straight. Even at 10 in the morning it was starting to get hot and we took several walk breaks. We did a lot of transitions, then did our trot circles and leg yields, finishing up with figure 8s and canter leg yields. By that time K had taken Laz in and L was done, so I finished up with Ashke. I knew he would be anxious if left in the arena alone after having company and I wasn’t going to fight with him.

I suggested to L that we do a ride around the property. I wasn’t expecting to go far, but hoped that the walk-about could help L’s confidence and communication with Kat. Kat is a Friesan-Arab cross and L has come off of her a couple of times. The last time that happened, L broke one of the arena fence boards with her helmet (always wear a helmet. Always). She has had a bit of PTSD about riding the mare again, after that, which we can all relate to. L agreed with some trepidation and we set off down the road. Ashke was on a loose rein, but Kat was a little tense and L was worried about a rabbit spook (they have big icky teeth). We were about half way to our goal when L shouted “horses out” and I turned around to see three teenaged QH fillies charging toward us at a breakneck gallop.

Fuck.

Kat spun around and thought about bolting, which L redirected into a one rein spin. Ashke, meanwhile, got puffy and a bit bouncy in response to three young girls throwing themselves at him. I checked that shit quick and told him to stand. He did, losing his puffed up chest and kind of deflated into place. Kat was standing still and watching the careening babies, having decided standing was preferable to spinning, and I quickly swung off Ashke. As soon as I was off, I took a hold of Kat’s rein and held her for L to get down. Once L was on the ground, I figured things had just gotten a whole lot better. 

We moved down the road toward the girls, using Ashke and Kat as a visual block to keep them from tearing off the property. They were mostly interested in interacting with the horses in the field along the road, so that helped make it easier. K went to find the BO while I handed Ashke off to L to hold. I snagged a halter off the nearest paddock and approached the fillies.

I had met the two black fillies in the indoor about a week ago and they had been very approachable then. I got the rope around the smallest filly’s neck, and was able to hold her despite the halter having the shortest lead rope in the world. I couldn’t have been longer than about 3’. I finally wrangled her head into the halter, amidst several half-hearted protests and attempts to break free, and headed to the barn. The second black filly followed (they do turn out together a lot and our buds). Once I got them back in the indoor arena, I got the door behind me closed but then had to follow the other filly as she made beeline for the far door which was also open. I followed her, hoping to get a chance to cut her off before she could exit, but it was not to be. She wandered into the show barn, into the bathroom which has a sitting room next to it, came back out just as I got a bit in front of her and I managed to get the front door closed before she could escape back out into the world. At that point she was willing to follow me back into the indoor arena, where I managed to get the doors closed and the two of them safely penned. I released the little filly and headed back outside to collect my horse.

He, Kat and L were fine. The BO had captured the roan filly and was leading her back inside. I let her know where I had left the other two, and then collected Ashke. He had been such a good boy and didn’t so much as fuss while all of the teenaged shenanigans were going on. Thank gods, he’s matured.

I have to tell you, teach your horse a command for holding still. I use stand, but you can use whatever floats your boat. It has saved me several times and in this case helped defuse the situation that could have occurred with Kat. Even though Ashke was up and bouncy and wanted to be stallionesque, he planted his feet and didn’t move until I was off his back. And once I was off his back, he was perfect from the ground - no nonsense, no antics, just a solid, calm presence in the midst of much teenaged angst.

This horse just gets better and better.

Transitions: A Lesson in Difficulty

I had no idea riding could be hard . . . I knew it could be sweaty, long, hot, cold (depending on time of year), exhausting, demanding. All of that is true. But it is also hard. Difficult. Exacting. A huge part of learning dressage, which in my case currently, is teaching both Ashke and myself how to move shoulders and hips based on leg and seat cues, at any given gait. And keeping all of his body parts within our ever shrinking box.

Amanda explained it this way:

When you first start riding dressage you are riding down the middle of a road and your horse has the area within that road to move. Then as you advance, you move to the sidewalk. Where Ashke and I are now, we are expected to ride on a single track mountain path. Amanda at almost Grand Prix, is riding a tight rope. 

What this means, practically, is that he is not allowed to bulge a shoulder or throw out a hip. I have to provide the parameters of that space with my legs, seat and rein. It means riding every single step. And being aware of how you ride those steps.

I finally figured out why every canter-walk transition we had in our last dressage test said "on the forehand". It's because I get to the transition and stop riding. I release my hands, have already taken off my leg, and I slump in the saddle like a sack of potatoes. Ashke dumps onto his front end, because why not? I'm not supporting him any more, so why should he continue. Last night I recognized what I was doing, and instead of letting us both "dump" out of the canter, I actually rode into the transition, keeping my seat and legs active and just slowing the canter until we were slow enough to walk.

Its so damn hard.

I finally realize that mentally I see the canter-walk transitions in my test as a moment to take a break from riding because exhausted, when what I should be doing is seeing them as an active moment in the test. Which is what it is. I'm an idiot. My horse is reaching saint like attributes.

We also worked on a lot of lateral movments: shoulder in to half pass to shoulder in at the trot. (No canter half-pass until Ashke recognizes the need to keep his body straight not bent around in haunches in at the canter.) This was a moment when I could feel Ashke trying to figure out what it was I wanted and getting really wiggly. He seemed to be saying, "What the fuck do you want, woman?!" I stopped for a moment after our first attempt, patting him on the neck, and told him he was overthinking this exercise. He didn't need to try and predict what I wanted, just wait until I told him what I wanted. He was better and less tense after that. He really just wants to be right and do what I want.

Then we worked on canter leg yields. This was really a first for me and Ashke. The last time we tried any canter leg yields it was over a year ago for the Novice B test and involved maybe three steps from the quarter line to the rail, which at that point was too much for his hind end. Last night we were doing them from one side of the dressage arena to the other. My biggest thing to work on going forward is keeping my outside leg cue that asks for the canter continuing to do so even when we are yielding in that direction. Yes. That is much harder. However, Amanda says that I don't want to create a grey area where he is taking the canter cue from the rein or what we are doing. He needs to listen to the leg cue in order to work on counter canter, which we haven't tackled yet.

We did some work on developing the medium canter and then going back to the collected canter. Again, another exercise that is damn difficult. But we focused on our single track, not giving away my hands, riding each step and driving with my seat.

I was shaking with exhaustion when I led him back to the barn. He was warm but not sweaty, and pretty damn proud of himself.

Climate Change

Sometimes I wish scientists had used the terminology Climate Change rather than global warming, because although the planet is warming quicker than in years past, the real risk of climate change is the unpredictability and severity of the storms we are going to experience. In addition to changing the weather systems, which also impacts our ability to forecast what we might expect, it is also going to change the shape of land on the planet. One of the things that causes those types of change is water. In 2013, we had weather that was described as a thousand year flood. Although we haven’t yet reached that level, we are seeing catastrophic hail again this year and spot flooding in areas around the greater Denver region.

Too much rain for the drainage to handle

Amanda went home for lunch and when she returned she had to drive her truck to get on the farm

The area in front of Ashke’s stall.

It’s actually pretty dry compared to earlier.

Pile of hail several hours after the storm.

This slid off the corner of the barn.

Puddles in the indoor. Water came in through the door and under the walls.

Water from under the walls.

Indoor arena will take a couple of days to dry out.

Pile of hail on the back side of the barn wing, right next to a door.

This actually caused flooding inside the barn. One of the horses had to be moved to a box stall for the evening.

Do you know there are actually new cloud formations that have been identified and named?

I wonder what it takes to create a new cloud formation after 1000 years of watching and tracking clouds?

Wall Cloud taken from the back porch of a friend’s house.

With rotation.

Dropping a tail. 

We had two that touched down today.

A fox that crossed the road in front of me on my way home.

Out racing the storm.

Some people say that climate change is natural, and they are right, However, human forced climate change is happening at a much more rapid pace than evolution can keep up with (I will not discuss evolution with anyone. It is the closest thing to scientific fact that exists. It is real.) Humans have pretty long life spans in comparison to other animals, and although we have seen insects like moths and butterflies and even trees adapt to their changing environments, humans will change much more slowly. (Although, I do personally believe that the reduction of our population growth is an indicator of evolutionary change.) That slow change will put us at risk, just as the dinosaurs were at risk when their climate changed rapidly and drastically. The saddest part, is that we are doing it to ourselves. The real risk is the unpredictability and the chaos change in the weather systems. I expect it to get worse before it gets better.

Tonight, the ponehs and peeps are all safe under cover, dry and fed. The clean up on the barn will continue tomorrow and the leaks in the roof that contributed to the water inside the walls will be addressed. We will talk about drainage and what we can do to help mitigate the mud. And some few of us might look out at the sky and wonder what we will do when the storms intensify, when the hail gets bigger, the rain comes down heavier, or there is no rain at all.