Saturday, October 19, 2013

Everything Happens For A Reason...

My new saddle... in need of matching stirrups though...
this happened to come from my dressage saddle. 
Cliche I know, but its true everything happens for a reason and I firmly believe that. Take for example, today. I was supposed to be out riding on the Children's Miracle trail ride, but 5 minutes before I leave the house I get a call my partner in crime has a stomach bug and is sick. I was depressed about not going because I love this event so much, especially given I could have ridden with other friends once I got there had I not canceled my original trailering plans.

But, as it worked out my trainer happened to have a saddle for me to try and just happened to be showing at Silver Sands this morning (about 30 minutes from my new barn). The trainer comes all the way from Lees Burg almost 90 minutes away so its not exactly an easy feet between our crazy schedules to make lessons happen so when she called and said she'd be this way I was actually a little upset I thought I'd miss her by going on the trail ride. When my friend canceled our plans it ended up working out perfectly for her to stop by on her way home from the show.

Stubben Siegfried 
Now keep in mind we've been shopping saddles for 3 or 4 months if not more, with no luck. We probably tried 6 or 7 different saddles of varying shape/sizes tree widths and most did not fit him and OR if they came close to fitting him they did not fit me. Even the dressage saddle that I have and have been riding him in for the past 8 years didn't really fit him 100% correctly and it was too big for me.

I wasn't exactly holding out hope that this saddle would work given that I'd tried a similar saddle 2 weeks ago (a version of an older Stubben) that clearly did not fit the minute you sat it on his back with out even having to seriously look at it. BUT... drum roll...... this one  actually fit him really, really well! And, the better news is that it fit us both appropriately! So I am now the proud owner to be of a Stubben Siegfried all purpose saddle originally made in Switzerland and sold for over $2400 brand new. I'm getting it for about a fifth of that price and my trainer is amazing because she's buying it and allowing me to use it until I can actually afford to buy it off her which is going to entail me selling my 2 saddles both of which don't fit Rio, but are good saddles. When its all said and done I should actually make money if I get my asking price for the two I'm selling and Rio finally gets to ride in a saddle that doesn't make his back sore.

It was amazing to actually feel him loosen his back muscles and swing underneath me. He's a good mover and always has been for a foundation bred Appaloosa, but now I have a better understanding of why he took so long to truly warm up under saddle and go at his best. He may  not have been noticably sore to the touch with the dressage saddle, but I would ride 30 minutes of walk trot just to get him moving freely because the saddle was sitting down on his spine. And, when I rode in any other saddle it was always obvious that it made him very sore the next day.

Part of the reason I started looking at new saddles was also, so  that I could do some more jumping. If you've ever jumped in a dressage saddle you know its not the easiest thing to do. My trainer is bringing out jump standards since I don't have any at my current barn and I'll be set to "jump" (no pun intended) back into regular training now that I have a saddle that allows proper form over fences.

For the sake of trying a jump with the new saddle before making a decision we hopped over some drainage pipe covering that was out in the pasture.... more like a small novice cross country jump then a show jump fence. It was about 2'6 solid and fairly wide.  Let me put this into perspective for you. Rio used to stop at a small 6 inch cross rail throwing on the breaks and looking back at me like I was crazy when we first attempted jumping years ago. Since working with our current trainer his willingness to approach a jump has improved hugely. He's been taking small cross rails that were a foot or less and more recently I started taking him over verticals slowly raising them to see what I could convince him to do. He'd been over logs on the trail, but nothing more then 6-12 inches wide and barely off the ground. Until today the most he'd done was a 2'3 vertical which is super skinny, not really all that big or imposing looking  fence, but enough of a jump that the horse has to do more then just step over it.

I thought for sure the more solid object would send us straight back to square one, but not only did he take it easily he cleared it more then once and from a trot on a short approach with a rider, who' lets face it,  may not be green in her over all riding skills,  but is when it comes to jumping and seeing distance. I was absolutely over the moon with his work today.

As for me, I felt a little awkward and out of sorts in the saddle at first and I was unsure, but the more I rode the more comfortable I became with the saddle. I'm used to having more of a knee block for support, but that's only because I was riding with a shorter jump length stirrup in my dressage saddle so my knee would hit the more prominent knee roll and I would use that as a crutch to support my seat, but in reality I was never riding in correct position no matter what I did short of dropping my stirrups which created other issues for me so I was never really free to move with the horse or use my body effectively when riding.

The trainer's assessment was that Rio did indeed move much more freely under this saddle and that she'd never seen my position better then it was after riding in this saddle for just 30 minutes. I made the decision to go ahead and get the saddle knowing that I would have to work to build up my muscles and muscle memory to a point where I am truly riding correctly, and that while it was a very different feel this saddle would help me accomplish that. It helped the decision making process that my trainer was so supportive of the choice and so knowledgable being a former international level evener and Grand Prix jumper with years of experience behind her. I am beyond blessed to have found her. Especially given that there is no way I could have purchased a second saddle with out first selling my other saddles. She so willingly stepped in to help out and is just an amazing fiend and teacher.

I was also happy to see that she was happy with Rio's weight gain! I see him all the time so sometimes I think its wishful thinking that he's gained, but she took one look at him after not seeing him for 3 weeks and said "no, he looks a hundred times better". I hopped on him bareback while we were waiting for my trainer and was pleasantly surprised to find that I was actually very comfortable. His top line has filled out quite a bit and it wasn't like riding on... I can't even come up with a good description, but if you've ridden bareback on a skinny horse you now its not comfortable....

I'm getting to know the owner and other boarders and really like the new barn, and most importantly Rio is happy and healthy.

Over all, despite missing out on the trail ride, it was just a really good day!


Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The One In Which We Play Musical Barns...

Ready to move out...
 I may not have written a blog in a while, but that doesn't mean there's not lots to update... if anyone even really reads my blog given how sporadic I am about posting regularly. 

Big news item A - we've moved barns again. With both of my riding buddies moving out of the neighborhood there didn't seem much point in keeping my horse at a barn where he was turned out on sand at a barn that was too far for me to get to on a regular basis... 

And, when last I left you all we were dealing with skinny horse issues... we seemed to have resolved that issue... not by adding more or different feed to Rio's regimen, but by moving barns yet again.... I'll let you come to your own conclusions about what was going on there, but lets just say my horse is eating half of what I was paying for him to eat at our old place and gaining weight at his new place. 

Peak-A-Boo

As it turns out it was a good move regardless of what spurred me to look at yet another barn... I say yet another because this makes barn number 5 in just under 4 years since moving to central Florida... And those of you who know me know I'm pretty loyal. I typically stay in one place once I find a good fit. We were at our last barn in GA for 5+ years. 

Once upon a time I had a gut feeling the Orlando area wasn't a good place to keep horses, and now that we're here it turns out I was right. There are very few places that are reasonably priced, safe, clean, offer good care and proper feed, and have decent amenities... like a bathroom for boarders. I'm really not too hard to please. 

All the complaining aside I think we've finally hit the jackpot. We're staying at a friends place in Osteen which is about 15 minutes outside of the Sanford area where I live. Its the first boarding facility I've found in 5 years that has grass!!! Rio is in seventh heaven to say the least. And, for the first time since moving he's turned out with other horses. For a horse who was raised in a natural heard setting its obvious watching him run with the group that he has missed being a part of the heard. 

And, while he spends most of his time turned out he does have a stall for bad weather days & the friend who owns the barn has taken amazingly good care of him so far doing everything I've asked to make things a good fit for us. 

The barn is missing a graded arena, which I really miss. Riding in the pasture when its been wet because of rain is a bit of a musical chairs act  in and of it self trying to find a dry enough place to ride. But, the trade for lack of arena happens to be close to 1500  acres of trails right out our backdoor. 

Out with his new friends



Over all Rio is happy and that makes me happy. Riding time is limited because of work, but I'm still working with my trainer a couple times a month, and looking at a group lesson here or there with the trainer across the street from out new place. We are still on the hunt for a new saddle... how hard could it be to find something to fit both of us was apparently not the right mantra to begin that search with because three months later I still have not found a saddle. 



On the plus side the horse I was told would never jump is now jumping 2'6 verticals willingly. At some point in the near future I will do a training update because Rio is truly doing amazing, but this blog is getting a little long as it is. 

And, lastly we're headed to the Children's Miracle Networkd for the third year in a row. Its a great cause & a lot of fun. Look for a blog update about that soon! If you want to donate to the cause you can sponsor Rio & I here


Saturday, August 31, 2013

Never Say Never...

Its a two in one blog kind of day. Mostly I just don't want to miss writing down all the cool things that have been happening lately, but putting them all in one post it started to seem... well a bit like trying to read The Odyssey, Gone With The Wind or War and Peace rather then a blog update. Anyways make sure to check out my blog from last weekend that was posted this weekend because I'm so busy I don't have time to blog... you can see that here

And, the reason I don't have time to blog.... 



School is officially back in session. Which means long, long, torturous work hours. I keep reminding myself that its worth it to be able to have Rio. And, I do love the kids despite all my complaining. 

My real reason for posting this blog though is this!...


We've been slowly working on adding a little bit of jumping to our routine with the help of my trainer, but up to this point he'd only free jumped 2' and never done more then an 18" cross rail under saddle.

My leaser was riding with me to day and she asked if he'd go over the vertical. I said I don't know lets find out fully expecting him to stop short and the above is what I got instead! 

 When I bought Rio, he would either plow through or just plain refuse to jump anything, even a six inch cross rail. I know this doesn't look like much... and lets ignore for the moment my HORRIBLE form, but it is indeed a 2'2" vertical. And the standards that he's pretty close to clearing thanks to his majorly over jumping the fence are 3'3. Verticals are also more difficult to jump then a cross rail because they maintain their hight all the way across so they look more imposing to the horse. Just to make sure it wasn't a flue we went over it again 2 more times. 

I once had a trainer tell me that maybe he was just not cut out to be a jumper and I foolishly believed her. All the dressage we've been working on has improved both our balance so much that even though he still hesitates at times going to a fence we are doing more then I ever thought possible and of course when things don't go as planned to a jump its usually my fault not his...

Something to be said for the saying "never say never". 

Personally I think I should get extra points for jumping in a dressage saddle... cannot wait until I get a replacement saddle and a few more months with the trainer under our belt. 

Happy three day weekend all!

Flying Solo...

Do you remember that moment as a child when you finally road your bike with out training wheels? That feeling of sheer terror when mom or dad let go of the bike and you thought you might fall for the one millionth and one time, followed by the exhilaration of freedom in finally accomplishing something you'd worked so hard for when you managed to stay upright moving forward, the wind blowing in your hair and newfound independence finally within your grasp. Learning to ride a bike is a right of passage for youth, and its just one of many steps we take along the path to growing up.

Being an educator and now an Aunt to two beautiful little kids I can't help, but look at the world around me with my "teacher" glasses on, realizing that we never stop growing (if we're lucky). There are always fears and unknowns, but each experience makes us a stronger version of ourselves. 

I see that in my riding and in my horse's development, especially lately, since starting back in lessons with my most awesome trainer. Rio has always been a curious willing horse, but there have been times when he was afraid of his own shadow, or the trash can on the corner, or the giant sandhill cranes trumpeting as they walk lazily down the road in front of us, or the enormous... at least to Rio, barking Chihuahua, or the kid on the bike wising by with out a a care in the world, or the imaginary horse eating monster that no one else can see. You get the idea.  

When I first acquired Rio he was a green coming six year old. And, when I say green I'm not exaggerating . We used to go around the ring with our head in the air looking more like a giraffe then a horse looking at everything and pulling every stop in the book to avoid any real work. We used to spook on a regular basis sometimes sitting down like a dog in the process. New things always triggered disaster.

In the past few weekends I've out and down the road by myself relaxed (for the most part) and enjoying the ride going a mile and a half all on our own. And, I realized in that moment how much my pony has matured and grown up.

I am a super proud momma.






Thursday, August 8, 2013

Horse Therapy?

Trying on a friends saddle...
Its quite amazing what the human body can adapt to. I watch my niece learning to walk... and actually learning to walk in general is a pretty tough feet even when you don't have added roadblocks to fight through like hypotonia (low muscle town) in her case; And, I"m truly amazed.

And, then I look at my own history and what I've overcome, and how my body has adapted to life's activities with out me really even realizing it.

There's a lot of similarities between my niece and I. We were both born premature. We were both born posteriorly (face up as apposed to the normal face down position).  We both had some abnormal muscle tone, and neither of us crawled. 30+ years ago they didn't have the medical knowledge they do today. It was labeled developmental delay because I was 10 weeks premie. I eventually caught up with my milestones, and aside from some fine motor issues due to week shoulder and girth muscles and some mild scoliosis that has affected overall body alignment,   I never really felt that I was different or that anything held me back.

Its funny that at almost 32 years of age horses and riding are forcing me to realize just how much the things I was born with have affected the way my body moves, and works. I've been in denial for a while... I'd had doctors ask me about back pain as an adult because apparently I am far enough out of alignment in my hips that it "should" be causing me some pain, and it became more apparent to me when my sister moved my feet into proper alignment to complete an exercise during a work out and I actually felt off balance standing correctly because I had become so used to standing incorrectly.

My riding lesson this week was just one more confirmation of just how much my body has incorrectly adapted itself to be able to do daily activities despite being out of alignment & having weaker muscles.

Because I want to start jumping more we've been trying different saddles on Rio. Riding in my dressage saddle I've felt slightly off center, and uneven in my stirrups despite the stirrups being very much even. I chalked it up to the fact the saddle needs to be reflocked and was sitting uneven. When I started riding in other saddles and realized the off balance feeling was not limited to my dressage saddle the thought popped into my head that perhaps I was sitting unevenly because of the way my hips are misaligned. When I pointed this out to my trainer she confirmed that I do tend to ride with more weight on one seat bone and let my right shoulder collapse in, sitting lower then the left shoulder. On that same right side I have much harder time keeping my leg position and heel down position required to have a good anchored seat in the saddle. When we work to the left I have a bad habit of picking up the wrong diagonal so much so that I know when I'm actually on the right diagonal because I feel out of sync with the horse's movements.... what an odd concept.

An even more interesting concept to me though, was how much my habits as a rider have affected Rio. He tends to favor my good side when we ride, and struggles more on the side that is more difficult for me. When the chiropractor adjusted him at one point last year she mentioned that he had more muscle development on one side of his back then the other. And, when we were trying on saddles they consistently fit better on one side over the other because of the amount of muscled development on each side, and the difference in his shoulder alignment. The more I look at it the more I realize these things are definitely not a coincidence.  He's developed in this way because of how I ride.

My trainer, of course was quick to point out that they use horses for physical therapy for exactly this reason. Their gait mimics natural walking movement for riders with more sever disabilities. It's going to take a lot of work to retrain my brain and muscles to ride in a correct position, but riding offers a really unique, and natural way of working on my issues that will only benefit me in every aspect of my life.  Having a personal trainer and doing some weight resistance training is also helping. Yes the horse is an expensive investment BUT, hey he's my councilor, and now he's my physical therapist as well.

I hope with all my heart my niece doesn't face anymore struggles in her life, that she achieves everything she wants in life... but that doesn't mean I won't use this to convince my sister to let me get her on a pony as soon as possible...

Sunday, August 4, 2013

What Do You Feed Your Horse?

What do you feed?
Lets play a game... who actually reads my blog? For the most part I write mainly to to document my life with my horse for myself, but occasionally it turns out to be a good way to get some feed back.

Todays topic? Equine Nutrition.

I've had horses in a variety of settings for 2/3'rds of my life... that's over 20 years for those who want to date me... I won't actually put out there how old I am getting... yikes. One major thing I've noticed since coming here to Central Florida is that compared to other states and even other areas of Florida, feeding a horse in Central Florida is particularly expensive, a lot of horse barns (unless you're at an $800 a month show barn and sadly sometimes even then) do one of two things to save money. One, they skimp on feed and are ok with a horse who has a body conditioning score of 3 or 4 (go here to see what I'm talking about with regards to a BC Score) OR they feed crappy feed. I've been in four barns in three years since moving here and been at both types of barns.

I've never had to worry about these problems until I moved to Sanford. When I had my horse on my own property in Colorado I fed close to a bale of T&A a day and grain if needed and kept my expenses to $150/horse roughly a month. At the bigger boarding barns you payed a fixed rate and the horse got what they needed regardless of how much or how little the amount was. I think the least I paid for boarding was $150 (pasture) $250 (stall) and the  most I ever paid was $350 for a stall with T&A, grain, shavings and full care.

Our most recent move has turned into a major headache, but at the moment I don't have an affordable alternative so here I sit trying to make the best out of the situation. Rio initially lost weight for a couple of reasons. One, he was put into heavier work being ridden 4-5 hours a week W/T/C and occasionally jumping as opposed to a weekly trail ride. 2. He was sharing his paddock with a food aggressive horse. And, 3. H went from eating 24/7 on a round bale or pasture his whole life to eating a fixed diet that was really not enough given his increased work load.

At his thinest I would have put him at a 3.5 BC. He's now what I would consider a 4 maybe a 4.5 after adding extra hay to his diet and increasing his grain intake. While he is maintaining at that level he's stalled in gaining, and I still see a difference in his energy levels so I'm now looking at further changing his feed. I'm looking for the most cost effective way to give him a quality diet long term and to help him gain a little more weight through his top line and neck.

Rio - working with my trainer


He's currently getting 2 good size flakes of T&A & 4 quarts of Safe Choice pelleted feed twice a day.

I would rather increase hay then grain, but T&A is so expensive here that its difficult to add too much more with out going well over my budget. Feeding coastal requires feeding so much more coastal then T&A to maintain his weight that it doesn't end up being that much more cost effective unless you're feeding round bales. Why not get a round bale? A. He is a big waister of hay when I feed off a round bale. B. most places won't deliver to where I'm at because its hard to get a big truck or trailer onto the property. C. A round bale won't fit through his current paddock gate and moving him to an alternate paddock means he looses shade and shelter that is ideal in his current paddock.

I've also looked at feeding alternative supplements like beat pulp or alfalfa cubes, but unless I want to be responsible for soaking and feeding the beat pulp or alfalfa cubes twice a day this is pretty much impossible. The Barn Owner doesn't want to take the time to soak feed, and my schedule is so hectic that I would be lucky to get there once a day.

So my current solution? Buy a few extra bales of coastal so that I can add a flake or two more hay to his diet and change to a feed with a higher get/protein content. Which is where you come in... if anybody takes the time to read and respond to the blog that is (which I would really appreciate!).

I'm looking at different feeds and trying to make a decision between them. I'm looking at content of the feeds hoping to find something that is not too much above a 12% protein content, but that has a high fat content. I'd prefer to stay away from high sugar/starch based feeds, and from anything that has corn as the number one ingredient.

So far I've narrowed it down to the following...

Purina Products

Ultium - currently my top pick I think

Southern States Products

Legends Performance
Triple Crown Senior
Triple Crown Training

Nutrina Products

XTN
Safe Choice Perform
Safe Choice Original - what he currently gets

My questions are many, but I'll try to keep it short. Has anybody used any of these with success for gaining/maintaining weight on a horse in moderate or above work? Are there any that I should know to stay away from for whatever reason? What's better, textured or pelleted? I like the TC feeds, but they are textured and I've heard that textured feeds are not as easily digestible??? Safe Choice Original that he's currently on has a protein content of 14% and a fat content of 7%. All the other feeds range between a 12-14% protein content & have an 8%-12% fat content. Should I look at adding weight builder or similar supplements into his diet or will bumping his fat content up by 5% really make that big of a difference? How do the different products compare price wise in this area?

Note that, yes, he had his teeth floated in April. Yes he had normal blood work panels done at that same time. Yes, he is wormed on a rotation on a regular basis. He has no known health problems. The one thing I have not ruled out, but will call a vet for if a change in feed doesn't help, are ulcers.

No he is not extremely thin, but my trainer, and vet do agree with me he does need some weight.

Suggestions that I haven't listed are more then welcome!

Check out the most awesome Fergus...

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Look Where You Want To Go...

Warming up for our lesson...

Look where you want to go... How many times have I heard it, thought it, and said it to my own riding students? Only about a million times. If you’re looking down and something happens that’s where you’re headed, down to a usually not so pleasant dismount off your horse. If you look a head of you, if you have a plan, your body follows through subconsciously with out thought and the horse picks up on those movements and responds to them. 

Its frustrating, having ridden for 24 years of my life, to realize I’m still making rookie mistakes.  As we progress in our lessons my trainer is adding in some small jumps, and lately she’s also been adding some more complicated entries to the jumps having me approach off a tight angle or a bending line trying to get me to look ahead, have a plan, and be focused on more then one area of the ring, and one step in my riding at a time. Its one thing to take a jump, but we won’t be able to do a course if I can’t multi-task with my brain a little bit and get my eyes pointed up and a head of us. Mind you, I have ridden some small jump courses, but I was always on a horse that seemed to have auto-pilot. Point. Shoot. Jump. I didn’t have to think about it on the school horse I was riding. Riding on a green horse (at least where jumping is concerned) is a whole new ball-game. Rio is still unsure, and often unbalanced approaching a fence so when I’m not looking where I need to be with a plan in place well ahead of each jump or turn our ride falls apart and he knocks jumps, hesitates, or refuses all together.
I used to think Rio just didn’t like jumping. Some horses, training or not will go over a fence the first time you point them at it like they were born to do it.  The more we ride, and the better I get at looking ahead instead of down at Rio, and the more balanced I am, the better Rio takes each jump.
We had a rather frustrating lesson on Wednesday, which consisted of me trying about 25 times to get through a particular pattern and over a small set of cross rails coming off a very tight bend. But, in the end when we finally got it; when I’d finally put all the puzzle pieces together I realized Rio doesn’t dislike jumping at all really. I was just not providing the direction he needed to be confident about what I was asking him to do.

Today I road him down the road to a neighboring barn to work with a friends horse & to expose Rio to a new setting… God forbid we actually ever want to show I want him to have as many new experiences as possible with out it being a major deal. He was extremely well behaved once we got down to work. A few minor spooks at some polls and jump standards piled along the fence and a little apprehension about riding in the ring with horses he didn’t know, but five minutes into the ride he was behaving like he was at home.  

I warmed him up long and low at the walk and trot, before coaching my slightly less experienced new leaser through some basic walk trot work with him. By this time he was fully focused and plenty warmed up so I asked for the canter which is something we’ve been struggling with lately. Getting a collected canter from a walk or standstill is also a nemesis of ours… at least with out Rio throwing a small tantrum about having to do the work. Quick side note  - I’ve been working him on the lounge line in side reins a couple of times a week, as well as working to make sure we are both better balanced and in good rhythm at the trot when under saddle. Apparently all that work has paid off, because today for the first time in quite a while I got a good balanced canter on the correct lead in both directions. Really for the first time ever, I couldn’t tell a difference between his good side and his bad side, and we maintained our canter through several circles and through turns. Before it would have been a fight to hold the canter around the ring one time when working on his off side.

Since we were having such a fantastic ride, and Rio was rather forward and game to go I figured why not try a couple of cross rails. We trotted through the first couple of times, and on the third go around he landed in canter and I was able to maintain a balanced canter to bring him back around to the jump so I let him approach at a canter. He took the jump like it was really no big deal and by the fourth circle through he was looking for it. On the fifth cycle I broke our pattern asking him to turn before the jump so that I could bring him back to a walk and I actually had to over correct our course with my seat & legs because he was locked on to the jump and ready to go again if I’d let him. It was a complete 180 in attitude from our Wednesday lesson & completely negates my theory that he just doesn’t enjoy jumping.

I can look at this turn around and say, well he’s figuring out his balance and so am I which is helping our ride over all, but the biggest difference in today’s ride was that I made a conscious  effort to be looking well ahead or us, not only not down at the horse or my position, but well out ahead of where we were aiming.

Looking ahead isn’t just a part of riding. It’s a metaphor for life really.  It seems like the last 10 years of m life have been nothing, but one big transition after another. A move to Florida. The completion of my B.A. and a new job every year since graduating trying to find where I fit best.  When things get scary its easy to look down and burry your head in the sand hoping life will just fix itself.

This last year of teaching and this summer have been all about digging myself out of that hole and looking ahead to my future rather then just doggy paddling a long against a current and hoping it will get easier.  God gives you opportunities, but its up to you what you make of them.

This summer I took initiative to get healthy, working extra hours so that I could work with a personal trainer and I’ve lost 16 pounds since the start of the year, and 10 of those this summer. Getting fit has really helped my confidence level, and my riding. Training with my most amazing coach has made a huge difference in how I ride. I always thought I had a good partnership with Rio, but I’ve realized until recently I was letting him down by not being the leader he really needed, and I didn’t even know I was doing it until we found L. I’m headed into a new year of teaching staying in the same position for the first time since graduating college and already I’m seeing positive changes that have been made in our small school because of advice I gave, and I’m starting to see myself as an educated adult who’s opinions are valued. The lesson’s I’m learning through riding are lessons I plan to apply to my life and to my teaching in the classroom. And, I’m fully confident that this will be the most amazing year yet because I’m looking forward for the first time in a very long time. 

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

I'm A Keeper...

Exhausted pony...
Do you ever get a warm and fuzzy feeling all over when someone you really admire compliments you? That's how I'm feeling right now... that and more then a little lucky I've found myself in the situation that I currently am in... and what situation is that you might ask?

I've eluded to the fact that I've found an amazing trainer in my last couple of blog posts, but I really haven't had time to write a blog post that will explain just how awesome she is or how much we have grown since starting with her in March. There just are no words to do her justice really.

I have spent my whole life wishing I could train more seriously, but never having the money, the time or the right horse. And, when I have been able to take lessons its been mostly with backyard rider/trainers who are good, but not great. Even when I was taking lessons with a Prix Saint George level rider and judge a few years back I never quite felt that we clicked. We spent a lot of time working on the horse which she was good at, but you'd think that she'd have also corrected my hunter/jumper seat to make it more correct for dressage which would have helped the horse work in a proper balanced frame more easily... yeah not so much.

So I feel truly blessed to have found my current trainer (we'll call her L for the purposes of this blog), who just to give you some background, is a now semi retired combined training (evener) and show jumper who has competed at the top levels, was at one point long listed for the Olympics, and rode with the top riders competing at Rolex, one of only a few 4 star events in the world. She's trained in Europe and across the U.S. with some incredible mentors in her time. She retired from competition after loosing her last advanced level competition horse to a heart attack. She had stopped training on a large scale, and was just enjoying life leasing a horse to start training him for CDE (Combined Driving). The horse she was leasing (and has since bought) happened to be at my new barn for a short time and so with a a little convincing she started training both Megan and I.

In just a short few months maybe 8 lessons total I have made more progress in my riding then I probably have ever made in 25 years of riding and taking lessons on and off with different people.  L being European trained teaches a classical seat as a basis for everything else weather you are doing dressage or wanting to jump or go cross country. She takes everything slow and methodically, and what I love most is that she never puts limits on any horse or says they can't do something until the horse proves otherwise. Her philosophy being that a horse is only as good as its rider verses the other way around. So many American trainers look for quick fixes or focus on fixing the horse with out truly fixing the rider's issues as well.

The little corrections she has made to my position in both seat and hands have made me a more secure rider, and my improved riding has changed Rio's response to what Im asking. While we are still working on building muscle (his & mine!) he much more readily carries himself which makes my job as a rider so much easier. All (or most anyways) of his spooks and silly behaviors are going away because, (a) he knows that I am solid and that he can trust me to support him when he needs it, and (b) because he's carrying himself and working from the back end he really has no where to go but forward. Its much harder for him to spook, jump sideways, or evade the bit.

I find myself riding with a longer leg, a more open hip and ribcage, and a properly anchored heal. I used to ride with short stirrups (more hunter style) because I felt like it gave me more support, but now that I've corrected my whole leg position all the way through my hip I am actually much more comfortable riding with a longer leg. I've found too that its ok to ride with a shorter rein (which used to drive Rio bonkers) because instead of pulling on his mouth I'm pushing him into the bit from his back end so that there is contact, but I am never truly pulling on him. In this way my hands are actually more steady. It was never the tight contact he hated, but more so the fact that I was always bumping him in the mouth. It kills me now knowing that the "dressage" trainer who started him with his former owner used to tie his head down because he is so smart, and has picked up quickly on the idea of self carriage, that there should never been a need to force him into a frame in the first place.

Today L and I worked on lounging with side reins and ground work so that I would be able to work on improving Rio's balance and top line with out the weight of a rider on days when my riding time is limited. I had the chance to talk quite a bit with her after not having seen her in a month because of summer schedule changes.

At the end of that conversation I was told that I am indeed a keeper. That while she's looking to open her own barn in the next year or so and get back into competitive riding she doesn't want to take on a lot of boarders or riding students. She only plans to keep a hand full long term, and along with one of my BFFs Megan I am one of only a few that are in her long term plans. She even mentioned taking Megan and I on as working students so that I would be able to work off my board and train on a more regular basis with out going broke... in and of itself she's already working with me and not charging charging anywhere near what she could given her abilities...that includes the opportunity to ride her horses so that I get more experience outside of just riding Rio who is now in his teens, and will eventually be too old to compete at higher levels if I were to want to go down that road. These are all things that I have heard come out of Megan's mouth, but until I actually heard L say them to me I took it all worth a grain of salt. These words coming from L are huge praise because I know she only takes people that she respects and enjoys working with at this point in her life and career. And the fact that she is a true horse lover, always putting the horses first, and is willing to entrust her horses in my care was an even bigger compliment in my eyes.

For the first time in a long time, because of my riding and the relationships I'm building through it. I'm taking my own health and fitness more seriously, and I'm realizing now more then ever that even though its hard work to financially and physically keep horses a part of my life that with the effort and the right connections horses will always be a part of my life. I don't know what the next few years of riding hold in store for me or what will happen when Rio is ready to retire, but its very exiting to have the opportunities I'm gaining, and its made me a better person and given me a goal to work towards and more importantly the belief that I can reach those goals that I am setting. And, that philosophy has carried over to everything I do in life both in and outside of horses.

My current mantra....

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Feeling A Little Water Logged...

As I type this grey clouds are moving into view and I can hear the low rolling clap of distant thunder. I know we need the rain, don't get me wrong, and it is very beautiful. But, it's put a damper on riding lately... no pun intended... damp get it? Ok maybe not so funny. But, seriously, what happened to Florida being the "SUNSHINE" state!

I feel like maybe Rio & I should take up scuba lessons
Clearly riding has been limited because of the weather, but we've still made some good progress in the last few weeks when we do ride.We've spent quite a bit of time on the trails with Megan & Belle which has really been good for both Rio & I. He no longer rides out tense and really seems to enjoy the trails. We've found a good clear spot for safe canters and gallops, and a nice open area to work on flat work out on the trail. And, we have the added bonus of riding in the woods and jumping over small obstacles  and logs. We run into all kinds of critters, bunnies, birds, deer, bear, turtles, horse eating butterflies, even occasionally people, and or people with their dogs, and we pass by cows, goats, dogs, and other horses turned out as well as people working with tractors and larger machinery in their yards. Not too much bothers him anymore. Lately I've even been riding him on a loose rein which never would have happened on the trail before. We lead now as well, no longer bent on following the safety of another horse. Rio even walks back a short distance from Megan's barn on his own content to be by himself which I NEVER thought would every happen. The different sights and sounds take away from the monotony of riding circles in the ring which has been good for my super smart pony who's wheels are always turning.

We've become entertainment too for the people whose houses back up to the open grassy area where we will occasionally do some flat work or hill work. You'd think they'd never seen a horse before the way one guy stares. I even had a family role down their car window to say hi and point at us while we were walking back down the rode from Megan's barn to ours... I felt kind of like we were objects in a zoo.

A lesson in the rain
Rio is spending his summer vacation teaching little kids how to ride... something he is surprisingly patient with for such a big guy who's mind is always working. We've made friends with 2 of the girls from my church and their mom who love Rio, and of course Rio being such a big ham, loves all the attention they shower on him. Last week the girls got to experience a riding lesson in the rain... again I ask where is the sun!? It didn't seem to phase them at all, and it actually cooled things off and felt kind of good. Today, though it is poring out not just drizzling  so our lesson may have to hold off. I'm bummed out because I've really come to enjoy teaching the lessons.

And, speaking of lessons, I've been taking lessons since March with an AMAZING trainer! We have made so much progress, but that deserves a post all of its own. Hopefully I'll have time to update again this weekend. I've also traded tutoring services for personal training services so along with riding 3-4 days a week I've added walking/running a few times a week, and working out with our trainer twice a week to my weekly regimen...  taking lessons again and riding with friends who want to ride competatively more has definitely woken up the sleeping athlete in me. I'm hoping to take advantage of the time I have as a teacher during the summer to get both Rio and I into better shape. More on that in a later post per haps.
Katie's depiction of Rio

For now, I'm just staring out at the down pore of rain, saying a silent prayer to the rain gods, and hoping it stops before I have to go back out in it to tutor... or at the very least in time for me to teach my lesson tonight...  I don't think they are going to cooperate though. *Sigh*.

Time to build an ark!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Even More Extreme Sports...

Just when I thought I'd found the most unique extreme horseback riding event this pops up on my FB page...I stand corrected...


For more water skying horseback riders check out this link

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Taking Extreme Sports To A Whole New Level...

Horseback riding is a bit of an extreme sport in and of itself. I don't think most people appreciate that fact. My friend Megan and I were discussing this after my lesson last night in what has become an every other week tradition of getting dinner at the local sports bar after a ride.

I suppose it depends on the type of riding you do, but when you really stop to think about it the horse and the rider put their own lives at risks when they go out for a ride every time. I mean, really, would a thousand plus pound animal do even half the things us crazy people ask it to do if it didn't enjoy the partnership and the challenge? Thousand pound horse vs. hundred and something pound human... no I really don't think so.

And for those of you who say the horse does all the work my sore ankles... and pretty much every other part of my body would beg to differ after last nights lesson! Riding with any real purpose requires strength, coordination and balance... and I almost forgot stamina and no fear. I will definitely be hitting the gym and the yoga mat this summer in an attempt to beef up my core strength for the purposes of bettering my riding skills.

Anyways, my real reason for this post was to point out this...

I've heard of skijoring, but this takes it to a whole new level of crazy things that crazy people do with horses...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200446685023534&set=vb.1048842868&type=2&theater


Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Adventures In Trail Riding...


The small hurricane that hit just
before I made it to my car...
Let me preface this entire story with... I was not going to ride tonight... I was going to take the night off... catch up on house cleaning, get groceries, maybe watch a movie & cuddle with Buster. But, no, I was drug out kicking and screaming by my two crazy friends. "its my last night at the barn" "You have to come!... even though I'm only going to be moving up the rode."

I tend to be the annoying voice of reason in most situations and lets face it of the four of us I am the oldest in the group so its my job to have my head screwed on straight.... that, and I've done my fair share of stupid things and learned the hard way from them. 

So anyways, we head out on the trail tonight even though its already thundering and there's a 60% or better chance of rain... and not just a drizzle, but a 

Rio trotting over a log taken in a ride
 earlier this week


torrential down poor akin to a small hurricane with thunderunder and lightening hitting almost on top of us. 

We've been doing a lot of exploring lately, and recently found a short strip of cleared grass with brush on either side. Safe for a good canter or gallop. We manage to make it about half way around and reach the clearing.  I'm holding my breath as we trot down it and turn around to come back because I can feel Rio gearing up to go... the third time we've done this, and he's figured out he's going to get to run every time now. The encroaching storm has the horses a little worked up too.... and then there's Sky the Thoroughbred practically pushing him from behind because she wants to go so badly.... Crystal's logic is that Rio acts as a break for Sky... comforting as long as she actually listens to Crystal's half halts rather then running us over. 

Belle & Megan at the bank coming back from a ride
earlier in the week. 


Rio has such a big solid canter that even though Belle is rocketing down the path at a full gallop we barely break from the canter if at all the entire run. I have to say though despite all the factors in tonights ride that could have had him amped up he and I were probably the most balanced we've been ever going at that speed in an open straight away. I was really super pleased. 

At this point I can hear the thunder getting closer, but we've hit the woods. We take a few minutes to play jumping over fallen logs and head for the the road back towards home. I'm thinking to my self... "self maybe you were just being a big sissy". "You're going to make it back no issue before the storm hits!"

And, that's when I see Belle freeze at attention to something in front of us and I hear some one say "look there's two little bears"... great just great. Two little bears equal bear cubs which probably means bigger meaner momma bear is probably not too far away... warning danger will robinson danger!

If we go forward we run the risk of finding Mamma. If we turn around we run the risk of getting caught  in the storm....  Needless to say we turned around. We broke the number one rule of trail riding which is never run towards home. I think we made it back in record time. I managed to get Rio untacked and put away before the down poor came, but didn't quite make it to my car so I ended up getting drenched anyways... At least we weren't out with the horses in it. That would have been a nightmare! It was raining so hard I couldn't see where I was going walking back to the car. And, when I finally did get the courage up to try driving in it the streets were pretty flooded and there was a giant tree branch down in the rode. 

Sky & Crystal... last weekends ride. 


Out of all the craziness one thing was solidified for me. My horse trusts me and I trust him... wow have we come a long way in a short couple of years. Rio used to spook at every thing and be high energy on the trail pulling, and racing through it and generally being a nut. Tonight of all nights when he had every reason in the book to be spooky... rain, thunder, lightening, wind, cantering toward home, other spooky horses, being left behind a bit by said horses,  and wild horse eating animals... he did not spook once, not even a flinch... I could tell his energy was up, but he listened to every single cue I gave him. 

When its all said and done it makes for a good story I can tell my kids some day, but I don't think I'll be doing any more pre-storm rides... I'll let Megan the brave and Crystal the crazy have fun with that.... then again who   
                                                            knows!

I could take a lesson from Fergus...
If you haven't seen Jean Abernathy's cartoon... totally go do a search fro Fergus the Horse!
`

Check out the rain...


For my friends...

Friday, April 26, 2013

I Blame It On Them...


My mom recently threatened to set up a match.com account for me... apparently she's decided I need to get a move on and get married. I even had my friends threatening to do the same thing on E-Harmoney tonight.Aside from a few bad past relationships and a crappy family life growing up, I blame my lack of a social life, and a guy on my horse and these three girls....


Above - Megan & Belle, Rio & I, Crystal & Sky
Below - Christian & Rio
 I've always had an obsession with horses, but it seems to have grown ten fold since I found people to ride with who have the same goals as I do. When I was a kid I was more then happy to have my little rescue horse and be able to ride at all. But, when we'd attend the National Western or go out trail riding at the local hack stable I'd find myself wistfully wishing I had a horse I could show, or at the very least other riders my age to hang out with. I wanted to join the Westernaires (if you don't know who they are check them out by clicking the link) so badly even tough I was not a western rider just to be around other kids who rode more seriously. My parents just did not have the time or finances to support those dreams, and as I got older and took on the majority of the horse expenses myself through high school, college, and on to adulthood neither did I.



Growing up I got my fix from reading the Saddle Club series, and daydreaming what it might be like to go riding with characters Stevie, Lisa, and Carol weather it be going to a schooling show, riding on a haunted Halloween Trail Ride, or taking horses out camping and getting lost in the woods. I read every horse book known to man, and watched every horse movie, and on the rare occasion I got to take my little mare to a 4-H meeting with neighbors down the road who had a trailer I lived for it despite the fact she pretty much hated leaving home and would spend the hour trying to find a way to buck me off.

Moving from the small backyard properties I grew up with and into my first real boarding barn setting in College was a step in the right direction towards achieving my goals of riding with a group and working towards showing, but even then it was difficult to juggle.

When I moved to the Central Florida area I got my first real exposure to off sight trail rides with my gelding who, unlike my barn sour little quarter horse mare, actually loves trail riding. And, in the last year I had the opportunity to meat up with the three aforementioned culprits shown above.

I fallowed them to our current barn even though I loved Seminole Stables where we'd been for a couple of years because having my own little pony club of friends seemed to be falling into place... good things come to those who wait, pray daily, and work their butts off. Despite some drama with the current barn owner... a long story for another day... I'm still convinced that all things happen for a reason. Had I not moved to the barn we are at now I never would have met our current instructor, who in four lessons has made more progress with me and my Appaloosa horse then then our last dressage instructor did in a years worth of lessons. More on that in a future blog to be sure. And, with other friends to ride with weather its a training session in the ring or a road trip out to the trails its just that much more motivating to put in the effort to get to the barn consistently.

Riding 6-10 hours a week on top of working 60 hours a week has been a challenge. I'm often tired, and grumpy about the prospect of dragging myself to the barn at the end of a long day, but 20 minutes in and I don't want to leave. For once in my life I feel just a little bit like an athlete. And, for the first time since graduating college and moving further south I have  group of friends who all like riding as well... Riding pretty much is my social life...

So, I've come to the conclusion that I just need to find a guy who will tolerate, or better yet love horses and the horsey lifestyle as much as I do, because I don't see that part of my life changing anytime soon.

Anyone know a single cowboy?










Monday, April 22, 2013

Happy Birthday Rio!



Birthday Boy



Wednesday April 17'th marked Rio's fourteenth birthday and 8 years under my care and ownership. Wow has time flown by! 


No matter how old I get I will always have a little bit of kid inside me, and yes I am one of those crazy people who celebrate their animal's Birthdays and treat them like family. So you can bet we celebrated this year just like we do every year. But, this year was especially special because I had 3 amazing friends to celebrate along side. 

Rio got his annual overdose of treats including peppermints from his second mom Christian, giant carrots from the farmers market provided by Aunties Megan and Crystal and I brought out apples and cookies... 

I figured since cake wasn't such a huge hit the last two years (see The Birthday Cake Massacre) we'd try sugar cookies.  They were a much bigger hit!



And, while Rio may be turning 14 I think it was me who hit an early midlife crisis. After we finished our treats we spent the afternoon taking pictures and doing stupid things like around the world... pure pressure at its finest ladies and gentlemen. You'll notice I was smart enough to NOT tell my friends about the movie function on my camera until after I'd been successfully hazed into completing the game myself... at which point I let Megan video everyone else... I'm sure they'll be payback coming my way in the not so distant future. 
  
Rio & Christian
We finished out the afternoon with a nice quiet trail ride. It felt a bit nostalgic... like we could have been taken from the pages of the classic kids book series "The Saddle Club" that is near and dear to most preteen horse loving girls of the nineties, 
myself not with standing. Over all it was a great day, filled 
with fun, and I am beyond blessed. 

                                                                                                                                                            


                   

 



















Do not attempt this at home...