Farrier Clinic, Sophie Style

We had a consult with a farrier clinician this weekend, which was interesting and fun. I highly recommend the format if you're at all interested. I pick my farrier's brain all the time, but it was pretty cool to have someone more accustomed to teaching come out. I felt like a lot of the info was still way over my head, but there was good news - the farrier was really happy with Sophie's feet and the work we have been doing. The take home of the day for me was basically that I can be more confident and take her toes back further than I have been, but to otherwise follow my instincts, because her feet look good and she's growing into herself as she should.

In other news, Sophie just couldn't bring her energy level down and was a bit of a nightmare to deal with. I was unaware it was a clinic format with auditors and such, so I was surprised when a number of people came and parked themselves all over the barn and around Sophie. I think that added to her anxiety. She's a very social creature and I think had a lot of questions as to who all these people were! Now and then, there were a few audible gasps from the audience at my lovely pony's more extreme measures at expressing her boredom, so unfortunately for Sophie, not too many people were interested in getting close enough to say hi to her properly.

I don't mean it to sound like it was the auditors or format at fault - certainly not, Sophie was having a tough day all on her own. When I got to the barn she was busy trying to show the boys that she's grown up and all mare, while also trying to start a play fight with the gelding she apparently doesn't find as attractive. Mares! The boys were less than impressed with her and I think were relieved when I took her out of the field. Poor Sophie, however, firmly believed her destiny was outdoors with Bachelor Number 1, so obviously taking a time out for a pedicure was not where she wanted to be and she was not shy about letting everyone know.

Having a drink with her boyfriend

As a side note, to give you an idea of how my life runs, there was also an informal acupuncture clinic going on. I can only guess what they thought of my barn smashing, screaming pony as they all tried to ignore us and embrace calmness and Zen thoughts with needles 20 feet away.  Looks like I'll have to keep Sophie, because after her display I'm pretty sure no one else in my town wants anything to do with either of us  :)

That's us. No manners, all class ;)

 In all seriousness, I'm not too fussed. Maybe I should be, but meh, she's young, she's had a winter off, and meeting a bunch of new people and having to stand and pay attention for 2 hours is just too big of an ask for her right now. There was a time I would have been worried about what everyone thought of her/me, but I'm past that - no matter what, horses are going to humble you at some point. I in no way prepared her for this weekend, so it would be unfair to have any expectations of her.

I apologized to the farrier, who is the one who matters, but the farrier loved her and didn't mind. I've honestly never seen one quite so positive and chilled out - I wish she came here all the time! She's a pro, and had a great feel for the fine line between getting it done and keeping it positive. Sophie doesn't have a mean bone in her body, at least (just many, many impatient ones!), so all's well that ends well.

"Treats?"

When a friend texted later in the weekend wondering if I wanted to take Bridget in a riding clinic the first weekend in May, I signed up. Except, I signed up Sophie and we'll do groundwork :) Boot camp is going to start a couple of weeks early for the yellow pony. I might be OK with her behaviour this weekend given the situation and the time off to grow up she's had, but that doesn't mean it's something I want to continue forever. Look out, Big World, Sophie is coming.

Weekend Happenings, 2019 Bridget Style

The last post ventured back to 2015, which was a fun time. But you know what? I'm  so glad I was brave enough to keep moving forward and change between then and now. I've got zero regrets about selling Ginger. I miss her, for sure, but she's doing so well with her new owner and it's a way better fit for everyone. I'm glad I kept Bridget, I'm glad I had the experiences at EC's barn that I did, and I'm glad everything led me to buying Sophie and reassessing my work and home life balance.

So, now that we've established how grateful I am to live the life I do, onwards to new adventures!

This past Friday, I thought it would be fun to take Bridget's little friend along with us on a ride. Bridget's friend, Lily, LOVED it. She's the best mini I've ever been around. My husband G likes bringing her because she's so easy and polite, so it's a win win. I want to buy Lily and keep her in my backyard :)

So fuzzy, so cute! Lily enjoying a little snack on the bluffs.

I'm not sure Bridget enjoyed the outing quite as much. Someone had A LOT of ants in her pants, and thought having Lily there meant the game was on and it was play time. She was generally being pushy and disagreeable to boot, because even Happy Forward Bridget is not happy to have anyone tell her what to do.

 It's got me thinking, she's been consistently a bit spicy for a few months now and has changed energy wise in a big way from last year.  I haven't been bothered because she seems happy and enthusiastic, which is a positive considering she was still kind of shut down and dull when we first came back.

Anyway, I'm not sure in the 5 years of Bridget I ever really needed to enforce the whole "stop means stop", "no you may not blow throw my half halt" "walk, don't jig" thing. Probably because the discussion was always about the go button! Even the past few months where she's been borderline getting worse I always in my mind have labelled her as lazy and so I let it slide thinking it was temporary - winter sillies, spring fever, too much good food, etc. I tend to redirect to canter work or other things requiring the energy, thinking I am being smart. In retrospect, I guess in her mind cantering when she offers equals Bridget being large and in charge!  Since it seems her energy is here to stay and  I apparently have been lax in setting boundaries, B now thinks it is cool to race everyone and go everywhere as quickly as possible whenever the mood strikes her. A long overdue chat was had and poor B's mind got a little boggled.

This hill is about 5km long and normally B slows down by the time we get to the top. Not so much lately - I have no idea where this energy and fitness is coming from - certainly not any dedicated efforts by me!

 Every form of forward shes offered until now has always been a good thing and rewarded. If you've been here a long time, you may remember Bridget Version 1.0 would slam on the brakes and refuse to move, even in walk. Gradually, we established walk, then trot, then canter and even gallop and even then the brakes always felt like they were stuck on a little.  In true pony form, I wonder if she's finally given up on napping and hiding behind the leg, and is now doing a 180 and electing to bring all her efforts to escaping out the front and gaining back her pony independence that way?

On our Friday ride it was also super insulting that her favorite person G was walking with such an obviously inferior pony IN FRONT OF US the whole way home. Oh, the tragedy of it all. Never mind that Lily and Bridget are besties in real life!

She's been getting a bit of extra alfalfa, perhaps the attitude comes from there? :)

Wow, never thought I'd be writing a semi serious post about installing brakes and dealing with a too forward Bridget, but here we are.

In other news, Ms Sophie was an absolute brat as well this weekend, and I'll recap that fun tomorrow.

For now, bear with me while I am the poster child for spoiled pony owners everywhere. My two are over here taking pony mare drama to new heights, and yes I'm that person who thinks it's just as amusing as it is annoying.

From The Vault: 2015 (In Photo Review)

I have 167 posts in my drafts folder. If I plan this right, I can schedule a year's worth of blogging! Just kidding, I would never do that to you. However, there are a few of those that I think would be fun to share. This post, for example, appears to be the start of a year end recap...for 2015. To set the scene, 2015 was the year I moved back to the coast and took my current job. I still owned Ginger, Bridget was fairly new to me,  and it appears I met my current coach mid year. Exciting times! :)

I thought about typing up a 2015 monthly recap type post, but I just don't have the patience to do it. If I don't have the patience to write it, I doubt any one will have the patience to read it either. This year we're going to test out an illustrated version...

January:

Ginger was living the easy life - once or twice weekly outings, but mostly just hanging out in the pasture looking pretty

Midge had been under saddle about 4 months and was doing lots of  trail riding, plus some introductory poles. She was pretty angry about actually having to work for a living...

February:

Doing lessons 1x a week and trail riding the rest is not helping Ms Bridget or I ride a balanced turn

Ginger was getting low stress rides,  still on a pretty relaxed schedule due to my own anxiety and preference for riding Bridget

March:

Bridget and I went to two (not overly successful) clinics, one 'cowboy' and one dressage. Pony was a bit uptight but a superstar considering it was all new to her.

Ginger came along for the trip, but was pretty stressed out and after the not so great experience with Bridget I ended up chickening out and just hacking Ginger on the area trails rather than taking her in the clinics as well.

April:

More hacking

More weekly lessons. B is (finally!) starting to learn how to carry herself, and even canters a couple of tiny cross rails

May:

I got a new job and moved for work, so pony visits were limited to weekends. Where of course we took a lesson,

and went for a hack.

June:

Bridget said goodbye to her old stomping grounds

And hello to new ones. We started weekly lessons with our new coach, and dressage boot camp was kicking both of our asses.

July:

Bridget slowly got into reasonable shape

And with our coach and barn mates away all summer showing, we spent many hours alone in here doing dressage and tiny jumps

August:

Bridget was getting ever fitter, and we started planning for a mini show season: a local hunter cross rail division and a dressage show later in the month doing Canadian eventing Entry level (= US Beginner Novice) dressage tests. Much practice to be done!

September:

Bridget and I had some super fun outings, and I was really pleased with how both of her first shows went!

Ginger left the farm and went back to work with Trainer M, in hopes of being sold to the best home.

October:

Ginger's training continues and it's her turn for outings and shows. She won her first dressage outing. The ponies were making me proud!

She also got to go to the beach, while Midge and I buckled down with twice weekly lessons in hopes of being ready for a late fall combined test in the big city.

November:

December: 2019 T back in - it looks like I had great ambitions and started my year end recap early and didn't finish it, so I guess we'll never know what happened next. We're all still here so it couldn't have been too bad!

Five Ways To Be A Better Rider

Since my riding life seems to come with a lot of ups and downs, I'm often pondering what I can do to be a better rider, particularly when I have some down time out of the saddle. There are tons of articles, books, and lists online that address this exact topic and I won't pretend to know any more than they do. I do, however, know myself better than anyone and I know what works for me. My top five is likely different than yours, but I thought it would be fun to share:

1. Focus. Striving to focus on the moment. I'm quite good at worrying or trying to be proactive about something that *might* happen. I'm also easily distracted. As in most aspects of life, if I can drop all that excess and simply "be"  I'm more apt to have a good feel of what my horse is telling me.
My favorite resources: Yoga, hiking.
Book suggestions:The Brave Athlete: Calm the F*ck Down, Inside Your Ride

Trail in our neighbourhood looking especially Zen.

2. Knowledge. I'm lucky I like learning things, because I'm not sure there's a sport out there that requires quite so much of it! A good coach is invaluable for reaching your riding goals. I'm so lucky to have mine! Auditing clinics is a cheap and effective way to learn. I've also found a ton of value in books, on the internet, and even in random places you might not expect. These days, while having eyes on the ground is invaluable, there is still a lot you can do on your own with freely available resources. Don't limit yourself to equestrian topics, if something interests you, try it and find out more about it! I think keeping an open and learning mindset benefits me in all parts of my life.
My favorite resources: The library, equestrian professionals, live streaming events with commentary. Youtube - there are tons of clinics and how to videos there. USEF network. Check out old Badminton dressage videos - Carl Hester is doing the commentary and giving a mini clinic while he does so! More recently, the Adequan West Coast Dressage festival has commentary from retired judges usually at least on one of the days.

3. Fitness. As we all know, riding well is tough. Staying mentally and physically fit is a huge help. I admittedly struggle with both, but again, there are a ton of resources out there and you don't need to join an expensive gym to see results. From my own experience, the fitter I am, the easier better riding comes.
My favorite resources: yoga, hiking, in saddle exercises like dropping reins and/or stirrups, two point practice. Book suggestions: Equine Fitness: A Program of Exercise and Routines For You and Your Horse, The Brave Athlete: Calm the F*ck Down, Centered Riding

4. Inspiration. Nothing gets me motivated to be better and set some big goals than surrounding myself with like minded people. My coach's barn is amazing for that. The times I'm boarding on my own? The internet and books are my friends. There are so many events that stream live these days, and good books are easier to find and acquire than ever.
My favorite resources: My coach, my barnmates, Youtube for riders I admire, bloggers. Outside the riding box: autobiographies, TED talks, and interviews with people who are passionate and excited about their chosen topic.

Legit would have never tried eventing without super inspiring barn mates encouraging me.

5. Ride. I used to worry that since I am not a perfect rider, unsupervised time in the saddle would result in bad habits. That is true, at least for me, but the benefits of simply putting the time in, whether its in the arena or out on the trail, have still been huge. I think, no matter what, you simply need hours in the saddle. Once you've got a good seat, the finer aspects of riding come a lot easier. Riding Bridget bareback all winter due to saddle fit issues improved my riding so much, even as someone who's been riding for many years. If you don't have access to a horse to ride all of the time, I've also learned so much by simply watching other riders and yoga has been a huge help in keeping me balanced and aware of my body.
My favorite resources: Bridget! The Trailforks app for planning trail routes and times, Equilab app for arena work.

B having a post ride snack.

Of course, it should go without saying that good horsepeople generally have a head start to being a better riders. I try to be as hands on as possible with my horses - for someone like me who doesn't have a lot of natural talent or "feel" for riding, it's a big help for me to know my horses inside and out.

I'd know this nose anywhere :)

So, thats my list! I'd love to hear the tips and tricks that help you improve.

Clinic Notes

This weekend's clinic was shortened to just one day. We were lucky to get that, given the wet and windy weather that resulted in ferry cancellations and a not so pleasant outdoor experience for the particpants.

Throwback pictures from baby Bridget's first outings with the same clinician, 2013. It feels weird posting photos of other people's clinic,  so you're stuck with old ones of Bridget and I.

I sat this one out and just audited. The format is normally groundwork in the morning and riding in the afternoon, and since Bridget is pretty solid these days and Sophie isn't under saddle it seemed to me my money was better saved for another time.

Aww, baby Bridget sass!  First week I owned her. We still laugh because I rode to the clinic on quite a busy road without much of a thought, and the poor clinician just about choked when he heard that. (B was VERY green, lol) 

I still got quite a bit out of it. I appreciate the clinician (Sev)'s approach because it's positive and straightforward. In the morning, the participants practiced all the usual groundwork you expect from a nicely mannered horse: leading without pulling, respecting the handler's space, responding when asked, etc. I know all the horses are pretty solid citizens, so it was interesting to see the wheels fall off a little given the crazy weather and the energy a couple of horses and humans brought to the group.

Once everyone settled a little, one of the greener horses got a lesson in appropriately existing with other horses around her. She's very quick to get defensive, so it was neat to watch the clinician introduce her to each horse and lay down boundaries for her that she respected. I know that mare and just love her, but I'm not sure anyone ever thought she'd willingly walk up to a strange horse and be calm about it quite so quickly!

That done, there was some fun stuff with teaching the horses to sidepass away from and toward the handlers, plus longeing over and through obstacles.

Baby Bridget tackling a bridge for the first time, 2013.

The afternoon riding was fun. There were a couple of green horses and riders, and some nervous adults too, so the starting exercises consisted of drill team type stuff: follow the leader in pairs, focusing on keeping equal distance and pace. Deceptively difficult for everyone. Then it got "extra" with the clinician asking everyone to ride one handed on a super loose rein and do the same patterns. Idea being you should be able to turn and change speed off your seat and leg, no hands required. Surprisingly, this proved to be way bigger of a problem for the riders than the horses...by that point most of the horses were pretty tuned into the program, even the super green ones. The riders, however, were pretty unwilling to let go!

B has less than reliable steering too, back in the day.

I'm hopeful I can sign up for the summer clinic. It's put on just down the road from where I board and Sophie will be back by then. I think Sophie would benefit hugely from some of the exercises involving other horses. There were a few greener handlers and horses this time and the usual rules and boundaries weren't always respected. Kind of like a busy show warm up! I'm thinking it would be a fun way to introduce a show atmosphere without the stress and travel. I'm going to see if I can share a spot with someone who maybe wants to take the afternoon riding portion.  If not, I guess we could drag Bridget along and I'll ride. As always, I'd prefer to save some pennies if possible, though  :)

It's kind of sad this remains one of my favorite pictures of us...she was maybe 3 months under saddle here?

Topics covered that I can use:

- Sophie definitely needs work on moving her shoulders independent of the rest of her body.

- Getting Sophie out in a busy arena.

- Having her stand patiently away from everyone...She's not quite clued in that being alone and tied could be a happy place of rest.

- I need to up the ante and rely less on the lead rope for reinforcement and have her respond to my voice and body language more quickly.

- The side pass exercises and turns on the forehand and haunches would be easy to teach on the ground and translate directly to under saddle.

Jinxed It!

After my post about being so grateful that Ms Sophie ended up in my life, obviously the universe felt the need to humble me a little and my little mare was a bit of a jerk this morning. Babies - always keeping you guessing!

Here comes trouble.

Last year when I bought her, my coach really, really wanted to call her Sass. I've had a few sassy mares and didn't want to tempt fate. There are days where it's the perfect name for her, though!

"My friends have my brain over there somewhere"

Sophie forgot her brain out in the pasture with her friends, which was unfortunate. I'm not much of a fan of screaming ponies, and Sophie is definitely one to ramp up the behaviour if I engage it, so the easiest thing to do was walk away and wait for her brain to reinstall.

Pony had a temper tantrum to end all temper tantrums, while I went off to the pasture and said hi to the other horses,  then she gave up and settled and I came back and gave her a good grooming. For today, I thought we'd that a good enough win. I was tempted to do some groundwork and get her working a little, but reconsidered...even though it's not normally an issue, standing tied alone at the barn was really, really hard for her today and maybe I just need to respect that.

Being a baby is exhausting sometimes

I feel like as time goes on, I'm less likely to try to push things, and it's working just fine for me. I might be way off base, but when I watch the other horses in the herd with her the treatment is similar...none of them really engage her when she's being rude, but she's also not welcome to hang out with them if she's in that frame of mind. Being a very sociable pony, she figures it out pretty quick and calm and order is restored without anyone doing much of anything.

Go away, Banana Pest.

I've been reading up on the "less is more" concept with training horses, and also newer research showing popular theories about herd dominance are incorrect and outdated. I'm intrigued. I'm not a trainer, nor an expert by any means, but I'll post some of the things that struck me as useful and/or interesting later next week.

Anyway, enough with the deep thoughts.

Bridget was also feeling pretty sassy this morning and it resulted in a really fun ride!

I took advantage of how active she was feeling and was able to use some of that energy for good - we had quite respectable collections and lengthenings in trot and canter and even a couple of strides here and there where I was able to get her haunches in and shoulder coming around...I'm sure it was not recognizable by any dressage gurus as a pirouette canter, but the right feel was there and it was fun :D

Pouring rain today, but too cute to resist posting this one from last weekend.

Those of you who have been reading for a while know that the biggest problem I have with Bridget is getting enough energy coming from behind - she's often disinterested and behind the leg, and often feels underpowered even if she looks like she's really moving. So, the days she brings 110% are really treasured by me.

Bonus to not showing? No mane taming. It's natural state is quite...something.

Like with Sophie, I feel like taking the path of least resistance/celebrating the easy wins is creating some good changes in Bridget. (Lets be real though, there is no master plan to it, mostly I am just a lazy and non confrontational person ;) She's feeling very good and way more forward and agreeable than when I was putting pressure on us to move up the levels and be all serious about this dressage thing. No regrets on "retiring" her, because we're both happier now.

One Year On

Time flies...a year ago I was driving home from the worst show ever and really feeling sad and discouraged. I had made the decision to stop attempting to seriously compete in dressage with Bridget (for both of our mental well being) and was pretty down and out about that.

Tiny baby Sophie and her mama. (This story subtitled "Baby ponies make everything better" :)

While I was beyond excited to be bringing an almost 2 year old Sophie home from that same trip to Vancouver, it was bittersweet given my decision with Bridget. It felt like it was going to be forever until she could take over for Bridget and I could potentially start to get my riding goals back on track. I was second guessing my decision to buy a youngster rather than something I could just start riding.

Walking the pony everywhere last spring.

A year on? Zero regrets. Everything has worked out as it needed to. Yes, I very much miss my lessons and showing and having dressage and eventing related goals and a full schedule at a competition barn.

March 2018

March 2019. She's grown a little over 2 inches in the past year. Still looking like there's room for more, too!

My riding feels quite rusty these days. Despite still spending many hours a week in the saddle, lessons have been infrequent and I'm noticing it. But, now that I'm looking at starting Sophie in a few months and organizing appropriate coaching and schedules,  it's kind of surprising how quickly the year passed and how used to being independent I have become. I enjoy problem solving all things horses and so, while some of the technical aspects of my riding have been lost, I feel like I've made great improvements on the horsemanship side of the equation since I've had less of a support network and been forced to think for myself a little more.

So cute. So happy.

Of course, it helps that the pony I ended up with is Sophie. I'm so glad I took a chance and bought her sight unseen - she's got the most fantastic outlook on life, is plenty athletic, and I think has all the makings of my dream pony (minus the unfortunate palomino color, of course...I'm still not quite on board with it :)

I'm looking forward to many more years of Sophie, and no matter where this unexpected detour takes me, I don't think I'll ever have any regrets about purchasing this particular baby banana pony.

Small Wins - February/March

Keeping on with my new tradition of celebrating the small things, here are some recent things that made me happy!

March had so much sunshine. It was definitely appreciated after our long grey winter. G and I had take out dinner and watched the sunset here after I rode this Thursday. So beautiful!

- Recent adversity was a good reminder of how strong and determined I can be and that I need to be more confident in myself and being firm about setting boundaries. Also, that I have a good support network that I can and should utilize before things get so bad.

- Fitness and diet have suffered a little, but I have been getting lots of hiking and gardening done and so my yard and paddock maintenance has been A+. Basically I've been using any excuse to be outside in the sun, but I'm still super motivated to be fit and happy - particularly as I have a pony I'd like to back this fall!

Hiking has been stealing many hours from yoga and the gym. How could I be inside on days like this?

- Calling Sophie in the field now results in her leaving the herd and cantering up to me about 50% of the time. (The rest of the time she walks over) Either way, my inner Black Stallion loving child is delighted :)

- Overcame my worries about an unwanted confrontation and made some decisions about farrier care and boarding. (Of all things horsey, why is hoof care THE hot button topic? Like, it's important, but people don't seem to have nearly such strong opinions and feelings about vet care, nutrition, etc!?)

- Daylight Savings Time.

Daylight savings = trail riding after work!

- In my biased opinion, I think both ponies are looking good despite it being the time of year where they're shedding and muddy.

Joys of owning ponies: We're on month 2 of shedding season, and it still looks like Bridget has plenty of winter coat left.

- Website revamp. Been pondering it for months, and am glad I finally just got it done.

- Another work conference...oh boy do these put me outside my comfort zone. This past one I unexpectedly ended up demoing some things and answering questions from a fairly large group. And  I survived. This is relevant to horses because pretty much the only thing holding me back from doing the testing for my coaching certification is my anxiety about teaching and presenting a lesson plan to a panel of people. So, the more comfortable I can get presenting things confidently, the better!

- Mini hoof trimming clinic with Sophie and she was very patient. In general, her attention span is improving.

I'm generally not a fan of palomino coats, but Sophie's dapples almost make up for it :)

- Have been riding as much as I can, and Bridget came into spring surprisingly fit!

- Set a plan for Sophie's training. Signed up for a bunch of learning opportunities for myself in April too.

The past while ended up more about getting my mental well being back to a strong place and less about definitive progress with the ponies. I've been enjoying some downtime and the opportunity to spend more of my free time pursuing some of my other interests.  An increased horse focus is coming again soon though, and I'm feeling refreshed and ready. We have horsey activities scheduled every weekend in April, and of course I'm counting the weeks until Sophie boot camp!

B is ready and waiting! She lives to boss baby palomino ponies around :D

March Resources

A short one this month! I've been spending a lot of time outside and in the evenings, seem to have been reading books unrelated to horses. Thanks to all your input re: cameras I've temporarily(?) gone down the rabbit hole of all things photography.

- To start, here's an inspiring, feel good story.

- The Double Bridle: An Instrument of Understanding. From Eurodressage, a great in depth look at  history, use, and technique.

These are amazing and I want them. Holly Spagnola Design.

- Check out this blog post outlining exercises From The Queen of Cavalletti. Ingrid Klimke might just be my favorite rider, so I'm going to try these for sure.

- If you're showing in Canada this year it's time to review the 2019 Equestrian Canada rule changes! Here's a handy article from Horse Sport magazine outlining some of the changes that might impact you.

- 'Ride' the 1969 Badminton Cross Country course. You know you want to!

- The Mustang. Looks like it could be good!

- The Greatest Sports Story Never Told. Great article and I'm going to buy the book, because she sounds like a protagonist I could cheer for.  Unbreakable: The Woman Who Defied the Nazis in the World's Most Dangerous Horse Race by Richard Askwith