Transitions

I wanted to give a quick update on my lessons. I had two weeks off due to scheduling issues and snow (yes, winter finally decided to make an appearance here in the Pacific Northwest!)

I was excited to get back on V! I've had two lessons (3 total now) and I am learning a lot. I got a nice compliment today from my instructor. She said that V responds well to me and is going better for me then she has seen him go with students in the past. This helps me feel like I DO kind of know what I am doing! Kind of.....wink wink!

V is not the kind of horse that is push-button. He is a former Grand Prix horse. Yes, he's a senior citizen but he makes you work and show him you know what you are doing. He is a big love bug. Seriously, a snuggle-poo. When you ride he makes you work (I was in a sweat- way overdressed!) but he never does anything silly or unsafe. He just won't stay on the bit or collected during transitions unless you can show him you can properly ask him and fuel his engine.

So, we are still trotting and walking. Here is a list of what I've been doing and I can't wait to apply these to riding when I get back on my own horses (my lessons are in an indoor arena so weather does not affect the rides as long as the roads are clear to get there!)

1. Body position: chin up and eyes forward (I tend to like to watch my horse's ears and mane....) leg underneath, shoulders back, don't hollow my back.....
2. Loosen hips, move them more, and use seat and hip motion to help control horses movement. The first time I used my seat alone to move him from a regular walk to a fast walk and to a trot or to down-shift I was like- ding ding ding! Brilliant!
3. Transitions: when I was first asking V to move into a trot I was getting a giraffe headed Warmblood! Head would go up and he'd kind of "jump" into the trot. Not graceful. So, remembering to use leg and seat to build impulsion and movement at the walk moving into a flawless (well that would be the goal) trot, keeping him on the bit into the trot.....and equally keep that momentum as he comes into a walk. It sounds counter intuitive but it makes sense, keeping that energy even when slowing down. It shouldn't just all fall apart into a hither-wither jumble because we've come to a walk! Only when I give him his head on a loose rein as a reward after several good rounds of hard work can he just drop that head and lolly-gag around the arena. (Which he does well, mind you!)

I'm not sure I described everything exactly as I am learning it in "instructor-ese" but in a nutshell that is what we have worked on. A lot of trot, walk (one or two strides) trot (two strides) walk, and so on.....it's tricky putting all the pieces together, trying to rise on the right diagonal, and keep him together. But there were several times where it DID and it felt great! Especially when I began to feel where I needed to make adjustments, pull him back to a walk and ask again.  My instructor reminded me that if I let him leap all messy into the trot then I am just teaching him that is okay and what I want. So if it isn't good then we got back to the walk and ask again. If he does it then I soften my reins and give him a bit of a release while driving him with my legs and I can just feel him extend and soften. Yeah!

{Wintec Dressage Pro saddle in the photo above, which I found on Google Images from a Polish Message Board.}

In other news the saddle search is STILL going on. Part of the problem is that my position in the saddle I am borrowing for the lessons is tipping me back a bit. That pushes my legs out in front. So I pull my legs back where they need to be and guess what happens? It tips me forward. Its a vicious cycle. We are going to try to level out the saddle a bit next time. Meanwhile, I have another saddle to try from V's owner. It is a lovely, somewhat older leather saddle and the seat is probably a better fit for me (but I think the flap is a little too long) but I am really interested in trying a Wintec Dressage Pro with contourblocs. I am hoping to pick one up at a local tack shop once this crazy snow goes away so I can use it during a lesson, and try it on My Boy. I know, why would I want a synthetic over real leather? The appeal of the Wintec (besides price) is that they have adjustable gullets which could mean the saddle could potentially fit Luna as well. Also, I have heard the Wintecs are super comfortable, easy to care for, and are light-weight. This particular model has a bit of "equisuede" on it and gives you some extra "stick." Some people might not like this but as I will be also trail riding and riding a green horse in this saddle I might appreciate the deeper seat and sticky security. If any of you have an input on the Wintec dressage saddles I would appreciate the input either via comment here or you can email me at ranchgirldiaries@gmail.com. Thanks!

I hope your week is off to a good start (maybe with an extra day off on Monday?)

Ranch Girl

Mama Bear

I had my first "scary" moment with Ranch Boy Jr. the other day. Not bad for 9 months! I mean, he had a high fever with a cold and that was scary but this was different because if something had happened it would have been totally MY fault.

{Junior is learning to crawl and right now can only go backwards and turn....so he ends up in the funniest places.}

I have always been a bit of a worrywart- I now understand where the term "mama bear" comes from. Yes, I've been a  bit protective of Junior but I am not OVERprotective. And as time passed, I have become a more relaxed mother. Junior was my first child and maybe my only, so of course I want to protect him with my life.

I remember feeling that way about My Boy when I first got him. Every little scratch, I worried. I remember his first lameness.....his first abscess. My sister called me (that is where MB was boarded at the time) and said, "I think your horse has a broken back. He will hardly walk." I had just gotten off work. It was dark and pouring down rain. It was at least an hour and a half drive in the rain and commute to get up there to check on him.  Long story short, it was a hoof abscess (hot nail) and not a broken back but I remember being sick to my stomach and not sleeping all night while waiting until the vet came the next morning (he was better then next morning after a little bute with his dinner.)

After I became involved with Ranch Boy I learned to relax a little about horses. Helping him care for 30+ horses and seeing a variety of injuries over the last three years has helped me realize that a little scrape is not going to kill them. An emergency is an emergency, and I still probably worry more and would be quicker to call the vet before Ranch Boy would, but I have definitely learned to not be such a mama bear.

I think before I had a child, I was a natural motherly type and treated the animals in my care the same way I figured I would if I was a parent. I try to be vigilant about preventing potentially dangerous situations. I cap my t-posts (I know someone who lost a mare who decided to impale herself on one by trying to jump the fence when her pasture-mate was led away) I make sure there are no nails or protruding things that my horses could hurt themselves on. No, my pasture is not perfect, but I have done the best with what I have. I think we all know we could put our horse in a rubber padded stall and they'd find a way to injure themselves.

But having a child......a lot of my worry about horses flew out the window. My world was centered around Junior. And now that he is starting to scooch and crawl around, I see everything as dangerous to him, while he sees the world as his oyster. I won't share the entire story of what happened the other day but he basically got a hold of something he shouldn't have. I'm sure most parents have had almost happen with their babies, but it did make my heart pound. I knew he was okay to the best of my knowledge but the feeling of "OMG- I might have just seriously hurt my kid"- I couldn't believe that a silly, split-second decision could have ended differently. It made me open my eyes and remember that as his mother, I am solely responsible for his safety and well-being. That awesome responsibility is huge, and emotionally scary at times. But without that intense feeling, I wouldn't be able to do my job as a mama. And its the best job in the world. I gave Junior some extra snuggles and kisses that day, vowing to always do my best to protect my little bear cub from harm.

Ranch Bear Girl

Luna- Time Will Tell

Luna is not the first young, green horse I have owned. But she is the first young green horse I have owned since I was a teenager.

In retrospect, it probably was not a good idea to get her. At the time, I did not know I was going to get pregnant and have a baby, which has changed everything in terms of the amount of time I have had to work with my young, green horse.

{You can also how wide my filly is. She is built like a tank and the bone in her legs is huge. It would be fascinating to know what breeds make up her mustang heritage. I've been told some Draft blood and maybe Foundation Quarter Horse. Also, she looks blood Bay here but has white hairs underneath and will totally roan out in the summer from her head back.}

But Luna came into my life with a lot of potential. The little, scrawny, winter-coat shedding 2 year old filly with a big head had a great disposition and I couldn't pass her up. She has not dissapointed me. The pregnancy set us back but I was able to find a great local trainer and I had 30 rides put on her this fall. She continued to show that she is moving in the right direction of becoming a good riding horse.

However, I am a long way from having a finished horse and knowing ultimately if she will work out for me. That is the gamble of a young, green horse. You can learn as much about their breeding, history, and monitor their body language and disposition on the ground. But ultimately you won't know what kind of horse they will be as they mature and begin to be ridden under saddle. Time will tell.

As Luna is a mustang born in the wild, we know little about her genetics and family disposition. Luckily I knew her owner, who was the person who adopted, gentled, and did some preliminary saddle work with her. I trusted that she had a good start. I don't have any specific goal for Luna other than she be a solid trail horse. She needs to be trustworthy on the trails and good with other horses. That is the only thing she needs to be. If we could round up some cattle (she shows some cowy-ness) or do some dressage or pop over a jump, then that would be a fun bonus. 

If given the time and training we find that trail riding just isn't Luna's thing, then hopefully I am in the position to use her in a way that will best develop and foster her talents. If I can't, I sadly wouldn't keep her because she is too good of a horse and craves attention and work- an idle pasture pony she does not want to be!  It would break my heart if she didn't work out because I have come to adore this darling mare- she is quite the character and full of personality! Hopefully that won't come to be, because I really do feel that she will make a great trail horse.

 It's a gamble for sure, raising a foal or getting a young horse. It's such a blank slate.

Have you ever gotten a green horse and trained or had it trained? Did it work out or not for you?

Ranch Girl