Year End Quarterly Goals

Because I need a kick in the pants...

Bridget:

-Work to get her fitness back up.
-Work hard on strengthening her hind end. Lots of lateral work and transitions.
-Be consistent about carrying what I learn on Audrey over to Bridget.
-Dig out our lights and high vis gear - long winter nights are coming.
-Basically, while I really have no further expectations for Bridget competition wise, that's no excuse to not continue to make Bridget the best Bridget she can be :) Also, it's good for her health and fitness to be in proper work.
-Quantitative goal: Ride 4x a week.

Sophie:

-Gets to grow up for the winter, and will remain at the new farm until at least the spring.
-but, I'd still like to get her out at least once a week so that she remains level headed about change and new experiences.

Audrey/lessons:

-Master lead changes properly on her. Would love to try tempis by Christmas, but we'll see!
-Budget for at least one lesson a week. Work off what I can. Ride any other horses in the barn that are offered. It's all good experience!
-Be diligent about keeping lesson notes and following EC's advice and homework.
-Practice what I can on Bridget.

Myself:

-Take advantage of the "slow" season by re-reading books and watching video. It's silly to waste time/money in lessons rehashing concepts I could have a head start on understanding by studying on my own time.
-Use up all my gym fitness passes by year end.
-Choose and complete another online 30 day yoga or fitness challenge.
-Continue to work on being more accepting of surprises and changes in plan.
-Be very budget conscious. I have a big wish list, including a trailer, plus Sophie will need her own tack before I know it!

Not Lesson Monday

Mondays have been my lesson night for 3(?!) years now, so it felt a little weird to go to the barn and just ride Audrey. EC is away for the next little while, but lucky me gets to keep my Mondays with Audrey while she's gone.

I had big plans of practicing all the things, but I got there and the weather was decent and I realized this is probably the last time I'll be riding A in daylight for the next several months. Also, A was away showing until Saturday, so it hardly seemed fair to make her do more dressage. So, obviously we had to go for a hack!

Happy mare ears.

She's a funny mare, she's fairly brave and actually quite safe, but our trail ride was...edgy. I think she was quite enjoying herself, but if I didn't know her better I'd probably have been experiencing visions of my imminent demise.  As it was, I wouldn't say it was quite as relaxing for me as I had planned, lol.

When we got back, she was still feeling very good so I put her to work in the arena for a short time. Just lots of bending and stretching with a more open neck, walk thru canter. She was cute : "Oh, I know this! Stretch and relax...feels so good!" She went from dragon mode to floppy eared sleepy mare in about 5 minutes. Such opposites with B, Audrey finds relaxation in working correctly in the arena, where B much prefers to find it on a loose rein on the trail.

A is "only" 16hh and actually a nice size for me. Thank goodness - she can feel very big when she's feeling lively or otherwise expressing her emotions :)

After that, I hung around and caught up with some barn mates. I really, really miss the atmosphere of EC's barn, all those people with goals similar to mine and so much inspiration to be found everywhere there.

Speaking of being inspired, I did a terrible thing and fell in love with another horse. I stuck around partly to watch a barnmate school a 4 year old that's been at the barn for a little while and that I think is pretty much the sweetest thing and my dream conformation wise. Watching her go under saddle though...oh my, she's just wonderful. I'm not sure I've ever been quite so struck by a horse. If only I had talent, money, and time for such a mare :)  Barnmate looks wonderful on her, so let's hope the stars align and she keeps the ride. As the mare is not mine, nor do I lease her, it feels weird to post pictures. I'll post a picture of her sire, though - she inherited a lot of his looks and I hear he's also got a super temperament:

Sire = Connaisseur. She looks just like her dad - in 16hh chestnut mare form :)

Moving Day, Riding, Etc

I had a long, long weekend, and it was fantastic!

Thursday evening ride to the arena on B. While the days are getting noticably shorter, I do appreciate that I can still fit outdoor daylight rides in after work.

Thursday night: Took Bridget to the ring for some flat work, then came back and picked paddocks. So.much.poo, since I was away Tues/Wed - it's going to be a relief to have Sophie on full board! Particularly with my schedule and the days getting shorter, it's starting to feel like any daylight hours are filled with my day job and wheelbarrows of poop...

Friday: Took Bridget for a long hack around the neighbourhood. She was super spicy, which is nice considering I've been worried about her energy levels and condition. Also, I re-evaluated diets and made a stop at the feed store to try her on a new feed. She's been off pasture about 3 weeks now and her shiny summer coat is shedding out. Her winter coat is growing in looking a little rough, rather than the nice dark shiny coat I'm used to. I'm switching her to a high energy/hi fat grain and upping her protein (alfalfa) a little. The vet is coming to visit us mid month.

Winter fuzzy pony on Friday

Saturday: We took Sophie on an epic walk to her new barn. It was a gorgeous day, and Google said it was about a 2.5 hour walk on the trails, so we thought that might be fun instead of trailering.

Sunshine breakfast

Actually, it took closer to 4 hours because Google didn't realize that the trails aren't straight lines, plus there were diversions due to winter puddles and trail flooding. It's pretty flat the whole way though, and nice trails and gravel roads so it wasn't exhausting...just long! Sophie was a superstar, she's really solid with traffic these days, plus all the miscellaneous people, animals, obstacles, and vehicles you meet on the trails. I was quite proud of her!

"I'm a very girl girl, yes?"

She settled in to the new barn without a peep, very much looking like she owns the place and has been there forever. Her new friends were very interested in meeting her, but she was more interested in lunch, lol. I'm really happy with my decision to give her a few months there to grow up and run around with their herd.

24 hours later, pony has settled in and is now interested in having new friends. She's also ridiculously bum high again! 

Sunday: Monsoon rains. I checked in on Sophie, who had now decided she wanted to be friends and go out with the rest of the herd. Maybe in a day or two, little one! I remain impressed with her brain. She was pretty wound up looking for her new friends when I arrived, but I took her into the barn and groomed her and aside from maneuvering so she could peek out the door a couple of times, she was not fussy at all in her new environment and minded her manners. I can't wait to start her under saddle, I really think she's going to be quite special.

I'm fairly certain she thought I was there to take her back home to Bridget, lol. 

When hinting for me to open the gate and take her with me didn't work, she decided to stick to plan B and make other friends.

I then went and gave Bridget some love and mucked her paddock, but beyond that it wasn't much of a horse day because I had to catch a ferry back to the lower coast.

Bridget got her lady beard clipped, how exciting for her, lol. Sophie got introduced to clippers this weekend as well and was a very good girl.

Monday: A much needed sleep in after all the holiday family and horse commitments. Then, back at EC's barn to exercise Audrey. Typing that, I just realized I now have horses to see at three different barns in two different cities...busy, busy! But, this post is long enough,I'll recap the rest later!

More Products I Like

Pony moving went just fine yesterday, but the monsoons have returned for today. Seems like a good morning to hide inside and write a blog!

Amazon was busy delivering to my house this summer! I really am not a huge spender on tack and am not a fashionista, but seasonal clearances usually see me stocking up on necessities and replacement items and making the odd splurge (somehow my splurge is ALWAYS saddle pads, why?)

Yay, Amazon delivery! Let's look inside.

Oh wait, never mind. Kitty customs is holding this box, yet again. 

Here's a few of the things I bought this summer that I'm really happy with:

Tub trugs: I love these for in the trailer or at shows as water or muck buckets. They're priced reasonably, flexible and safe for horses, and tough. Lately, I've been using a smaller one for Sophie's dinner grain, and it's a winner since she's a slow eater and I can just leave it with her overnight, no having to wait around until she's done.

Plus they come in fun colors. The coordinating bucket and blanket were unintended, but I appreciate that it looks like I had a plan.

Mountain Horse Opus Tall Boots: 3 months in with near daily use and they have yet to give me any blisters and clean up like new! Plus, they're pretty.

I ordered the brown, and if a little extra money found it's way to me, I'd strongly consider ordering the black for showing. 

Magic Bands: Last show season, I ordered standard rubber bands. The tack store was out and subbed in Harry's Horse Magic Braids. They're a game changer for me! So tough that they're reusable more often than not, they don't tangle and pull out hair, and they don't break. My tiny hands appreciate that they're a little wider than the norm, too, so IMO easier to grip. I use them all winter for B's tail and one elastic typically lasts 2 or 3 weeks, even with combing her tail out once a week! They are only slightly more expensive than the cheap rubber bands. I think I paid $5 for a bag of 500 last time.

Someone (*cough*Bridget) raided my brushes in search of treats and grabbed the container of elastics, took it into her paddock and spread the elastics everywhere. I ordered this brand last month as a replacement- they work equally well. Www.cottagecraft.co.uk

BR Passion saddle pad: It's pretty and shiny. Oh, and it fits nice and is wearing well. It's just an averagely nice saddle pad, to be honest, but it looks like one of those super expensive "luxury" pads. And for $35 on clearance ;) Plus navy. Navy or black seem to be my go to saddle pad colors because they pretty much match anything close enough to make it look like I had some sort of plan when I got dressed in the morning.

 I'm a fan of the BR brand in general. I have another saddle pad and a really nice waterproof quarter sheet, both found at very good prices.

Magic Brush: I use this thing on everything. The cat has one and loves it, I have a spare for getting hair off my clothes, saddle pads, blankets before washing, and one for the horses that's pretty much my go to year round. It works on their entire bodies including mane and tail and is gentle, but still manages to get dirt and loose hair off. Both my horses love it. My only complaint is that it works almost too well and I feel like I spend a lot of time cleaning it out because it gets clogged with dirt and hair pretty quickly.

I don't actually have these, I have some knock off ones from the local tack store. I think they're $2-3 each there.

Ventolin Green Spot: This came in a basket Bridget won at a show, and I finally tried it out on Sophie the other day. Works super well, a little goes a long way, don't need to rinse it out. Bonus: it doesn't turn them blue or purple :) It doesn't smell as pretty as the Cowboy Magic stuff, but it works just as well and I think the bottle will last a lot longer given how thick the liquid is and how little you need to use. I'd buy it again.

Random on sale leather halter. I finally subbed one in as Bridget's daily halter (unlike another pony we know, she can be trusted to not pull back and break them). There's truly nothing at all special about the halter, but seeing B in it makes me smile...there's nothing wrong with her nylon halter but the leather one, to me at least, makes it look like someone thinks she's special. And, they do. So it makes me happy. Next up, nameplates  :)

What's Happening

-Sophie moves to her new home this weekend. The weather turned awful this past Sunday night and I was lying in bed at 2am wondering if she'd been brought in for the night (she has a stall in the barn when the weather is yucky, but no shelter in her paddock beyond a big tree) By 5am, I was pretty much of the opinion that whether she had been brought in or not, it was time to move because who needs to stay up all night worrying? Not me. (There are many other reasons this move is a good thing for her, of course, but the main one is peace of mind knowing at the new barn Sophie will come into the barn every night and have a huge pasture (with run in shelters) to run around in during the day.)

She looks great right now, but she's definitely bored in her small paddock and the winter weather is here.

-Yes, Bridget stays where she is. The situation at the current barn actually suits her quite well - she has her own winter paddock with a shelter, so doesn't need to be moved around, and is a super low maintenance pony in general. She prefers her own space, and she's on a permanent diet so the more limited pasture turnout and two feedings a day in her hay net works for us. Also, with winter coming, it's invaluable to me to be within a 10 min hack of the indoor area.

-Ginger! She's doing so well in her new home! She's very much loved, she looks fantastic, and even did her first Pre-Training event last weekend. She's found the best home ever and I'm so happy. It turns out that I work with the new owner's husband, so I even get the odd cute Ginger story at work :)

-Bridget has not been feeling quite herself. I have the vet coming on the 17th to investigate.   Nothing I can specifically pinpoint, she's just lacking her usual sparkle and seems weak/maybe slightly off(?) behind.

You can even see a little here what I'm noticing - she's losing muscle in her bum and topline - her bum used to be quite round, even when she was young and unfit. I know it's not dramatically noticeable, and the lameness/stiffness also is pretty off and on and vague, but she's only 9 this year,  so I think we need a professional opinion.

-The farm dream remains on hold. The local real estate market has been going through a giant correction, and although we risk losing out on the place we love, we just don't feel comfortable purchasing until the market settles. If I'm being honest I would be very happy living on acreage again, bur I also like our current home and am appreciative of the freedom boarding allows. It's only when there is barn drama that I really start to feel a big push to have the horses at home again.

Here's a picture (from a google image search/pinterest - sorry don't know who to credit) that shows what our milk jug pit looked like last weekend. Our pit had about 4 times the amount of bottles inside though, lol.

-Yoga. I love it, love how the strength, balance and body awareness is directly applicable to riding  - and holy crap is it making me strong.  Since I'm cheap and self conscious, a lot of the time I just watch at home YouTube channels and follow along as best I can. This is working surprisingly well for me because I don't get in my head about looking dumb or fitting it into a class schedule. It's just the first thing I do every morning, a lot of time in my pajamas :) I can also curse out the TV when it's hard (yoga rage is a completely appropriate state of mind, or am I missing something, lol?), unlike a real instructor, which is actually kind of fun in itself.

Not As Good

You knew eventually it had to happen! A not so great lesson on the lovely Audrey...

I could rationalize it a million different ways - she just ran XC yesterday (in line with my book review last week re: the horse with basic training - yes, she's competing PSG dressage, but she also jumps regularly and events a couple of times a year too). I've missed two weeks worth of lessons, which also doesn't help, when you're me.

I was really feeling this as my morning inspiration.

But honestly? I think we were just sort of due. I didn't bring my A game, which I find frustrating given how much I look forward to these rides and how much I can potentially learn. Mentally, it was a very long day and my mindset wasnt the most focused or positive it's ever been. I hate knowing what I want to do, and yet being unable to put the pieces together. My body and mind just didn't want to cooperate as well as they might have. Ah well.

Audrey had a little of her own thing going on, I think just kind of frustrated with my ineptness and also the fact she was missing dinner time, lol.

Sophie has similar opinions of me at times. Here she's mad I didnt scratch her butt just right, so she had to do it herself while giving me a mare glare side eye , lol

Low spots included my inability to keep her in a counter canter without some serious crab imitations, plus some very impressive kicking at my leg, one of which only narrowly missed the arena mirrors, but of course hit the wall hard enough to scare everyone, including herself :o Because if everyone didn't know it wasn't going great before, they sure knew now.

I was perusing Facebook yesterday and was like "I know those adorable ears!" Hi Ginger! 

On the plus side: I wasn't at all intimidated. I learned a lot. The bad things were mostly just moments in time that we worked through. We got some fantastic canter transitions between medium and collected, and I really feel like I'm sitting and influencing her canter a million times better than at the beginning of the summer. Trot work ended on a fantastic note, with some very fancy feeling movement!

And, a little something to look forward to - my coach is away for a few weeks, and I get to exercise Ms Audrey. Free rides to practice on one of my favorite horses are a gift I plan to enjoy fully!

Trail Challenge

Brain installation continued successfully this weekend. Sophie surprised me again by being an absolute star at our informal trail challenge.

I took her a little early so I could put her in the round pen to burn off steam, just in case all the obstacles plus the busy arena was a little overwhelming. That was totally unnecessary - she was definitely aware of all her potential new friends and admirers, but the initial energy she was giving off was that she was just curious and excited to see everything rather than scared or overwhelmed.

"They are making weird noises over there, let's go check it out already!"

And so, she marched right up to every single obstacle. My expectations were very low so I didn't really actively ask her for much, I just let her take her time and investigate thoroughly, then proceed at her own pace. Some things she marched right through without much of a look - the assorted poles, the bridge, some hula hoops on the ground.

"Let's go see the tarp thing!"

Other things needed a couple of minutes to process - the car wash tarp, the pool noodle gate. Her least favorite was a pit filled with empty plastic milk jugs. She was quite happy to dig around with her nose and push them out of the way, but really reluctant to step on them fully and it took a little bit before she was ok with walking through and squishing them.

"I am so good at this"

Her very favorite? A toss up between a punching bag type thing and a giant ball - she was killing me by pushing on the punching bag dude and then jumping when it swung back at her. Over and over. And over. LOL. I think this is a toy she needs in her paddock. The ball as well, she was right into pushing it around and chasing it.

I don't know if I can adequately describe how much I enjoyed her attitude today. So curious and brave! If she scared herself she basically spooked in place then wanted to see the scary thing again right away. She handled all the other horses and noises really well and I was very proud that mentally she stayed really tuned into me, especially given her age/greenness and all the crazy distractions. For the second day in a row, she was super polite on the ground and brought zero sass or drama to the table.

Patiently watching the other horses go.

I can honestly say if she was going under saddle I would have had no anxiety about tacking her up and trying the whole course mounted, she was being that brave and sensible.

Someone there commented "T, you always have the quiet, well behaved babies." Again, I was like "The Rotten Banana? We're comparing her favorably to Bridget's sensible self right now?!" I don't think anyone there believed me that she can be a bit of a wild child.

At home enjoying some well deserved treats. She likes apples now!

So, I felt a little like a fake given Sophie 's usual level of drama, but hey, I'll take the compliments she recieved as they were intended in the moment and cross my fingers hard that maybe all the hours of enforcing the rules and taking her places the past few months are starting to pay off :)

This metal recycling dude has been helping to make my horses bombproof since forever. He's NOT horse savvy, so can often be found throwing large metal things into bins or smashing things with his forklift as we go past. He's very nice and I actually don't mind the noise and clutter - it's good training for the horses :)

Growing Up?

Being away last weekend meant Sophie hadn't been out for a couple of weeks. I was expecting a bit of a monster to take out on our walk today, and I was fine with that.

This brain install is a little buggy.

So, I was surprised when she walked politely and perfectly beside me all the way down to the exhibition grounds. Normally she's good for at least one big spook/scoot and some reminding of personal space and not dragging her handler.

Living in her own condo, like a grownup.

She's been separated from Bridget for about a week now, and part of me wonders if she's feeling a little less secure in herself and a little more interested in being besties with whoever will pay attention to her, horse or human :).

I stuck her in the round pen at the main arena and she surprised me by somehow becoming a pony genius since last time and knowing my verbal cues for walk/trot/canter/change direction. I've maybe stuck her in there 3 or 4 times total, and being conscious of baby pony legs, I never "work" her or demand much so it's a bit of a pleasant surprise she's picked it up so easily. 

Trotting around like a grownup.

Still downhill like a baby, tho

I bumped into some friends before we left. I hadn't seen them for a while, so the next thing you know an hour had flown by while we chatted. Pony stood and waited, and then quietly grazed on the end of her lead, just like a patient, well behaved pony, receiving many compliments on her manners. Who is this pony?!

"I am a very good girl, yes?"

Our hour long chat resulted in a grand scheme to set up the ultimate trail course. We put together a bunch of fun and spooky obstacles right there, and using the power of social media, we're now hosting an impromptu extreme trail challenge tomorrow at noon!

Sneak preview of part of it. We're adding inflatable creatures, a water sprinkler, and lots of balloons tomorrow :)

I'll take Sophie down and lead her through, and if time permits I'll bring Bridget later. I think it's going to be a super valuable experience for Sophie. Bridget will probably be bored, lol.

Rainy Day Reading - Dressage Edition

I unearthed not one, but two boxes of riding related books while I was in the basement looking for my extra bottle of saddle soap. I thought they were in storage, so thanks, previous me, for putting those boxes in the basement instead!

With Sophie in mind I did a quick re-read of one of my favorites - Basic Training of The Young Horse with Ingrid and Reiner Klimke. I've reviewed it before, I still love it. If you've got a young horse, you might find it useful. Lots of great common sense insights and lots of tips to help you from handling a foal all the way to riding at their first show.

Next up, one I don't remember reading previously: Elements of Dressage by Kurd Albrecht Van Ziegner. This book ties in really nicely with the Klimke books, and is equally jam packed with useful tidbits.

The book is organized with an introduction, and a description of his training process, which differs a little from the training pyramid you usually see used as an example. There is a chapter dedicated to each of the 10 elements of his training tree:

Similar to the standard pyramid you're probably seen before, but with the order a little different and some of the components broken down into 2 distinct elements to emphasize them more. 

The ten elements make the base or trunk of the tree, and all horses, regardless of discipline, should have a good base. The crown of the tree is the special, discipline specific training.

Notes:

- Start under saddle around 4, first two years under lunge and saddle are basic training. Which, yes, isn't surprising. But, just like the Klimke books, the author goes on to say he'd expect the horse to be going Second level, and confident over all sorts of jumps and terrain (ditches, water), hacking on the trails and in traffic. This is a horse with basic training and at this point should be enjoyable to ride. I'm pretty sure the European definition of basic training differs hugely from what we expect locally :)

- Basic training is basic training...It's not new school, old school, there are no shortcuts. The basics haven't changed since Xenophon.

"Keep your horse happy. Happy horses don't get tense."

"Take your time. Relaxation does not equal fatigue."

-Advocates caveletti and free jumping to help horses learn to use their bodies (emphasis on using their backs to promote relaxation, regularity of gaits, and strength)

-Short rides, forward seat for the first few months. Again, looking to build strong, correct back muscles and relaxation before sitting in classical position.

-Purity of rhythm depends a great deal on riders seat, aids, feel. Riders who cannot follow or feel the motion or deviation in rhythm or tempo best spend time improving their seat on a well trained horse.

-People who are not musical may not hear the difference in footfalls, but they should see it/feel it. Canter beat sounds like "It is fun"

-A lot of discussion throughout the book about 'leg movers' vs 'back movers'. Makes a point quite often that back movers are the correctly trained ones, leg movers should be penalized and have been trained incorrectly.

-Talks a lot about Prix St James test, proposed to be first part of a PSG test (essentially, you would ride them both back to back and get one score.) "Here, the goal is to show that no "tricks" lead to FEI, only solid basic training, whose fundamental elements of submission, throughness and impulsion are highly valued."

Overall, this was an interesting book and well worth reading. I'm glad I picked it up!

Changes

I've been away for a nice getaway in the Okanagan. I don't even like wine (I know, that's crazy talk and you just lost even more respect for me) but we had a great time and spent a couple of days wine touring and just generally enjoying a lack of real world responsibilities.

Mission Hill was pretty spectacular, but my favorites to visit were the smaller wineries.

Sadly, even in the middle of our getaway, I was getting barn drama texts. It might have actually been a good thing, because I finally realized enough is enough and I can't manage everything all the time. I've made arrangements to move Sophie elsewhere. Exact date is pending, but it will probably be soon. Bridget is beating up on her a little, and the barn owner isn't too keen on Sophie having her own paddock. While I really enjoy having her at the same barn as Bridget, and having so many amenities nearby, the recent move to small winter paddocks isn't working well for Ms Sophie or the barn owner, who I'm pretty sure would love to not have Sophie being generally rambunctious and destructive! I'm also not a fan of being THAT boarder with THAT horse, so I think everyone will be happier.

Look! I even have pictures of the fields at the 'new' barn, because Ginger and Bridget were both boarded there at one point!

I'm thinking they lived there way back  in 2012- 2015, before I moved them to the lower coast where my work is.

     

Sophie is a good girl, she's just very babyish still. She's got a lot of energy and is easily bored, so I think she'll enjoy hanging out in a big pasture with friends to play with this winter. The new place is full board, which is money I don't want to spend, but honestly, with the days already getting shorter, one less paddock to muck and horse to feed and exercise will make my days a lot easier! The new place is pretty short on amenities like riding arenas and round pens, so I'm a bit sad that this move will put a temporary end to taking her out on the trails with Bridget or playing in the arena. However, the care is top notch, and Sophie is only 2.5 and knows all the baby horse basics - a winter off to grow up with lots of pasture and room to run might even do her some good.

Ginger hanging out at the barn, back in the day :)

They both got very round on all that pasture, which is why Bridget will not be making the move with Sophie, lol

Hopefully, I'll be back with proper riding adventure and lesson updates next week. The past couple of weeks have been super busy and while I loved having a mini vacation, I'm really looking forward to settling back into a routine of some sort and getting Sophie moved to her new all inclusive resort.

Hope they're ready for this amount of baby pony trouble :)