My boy Carl (Carl Hester) says that the only way to get over show nerves is to show. So I joined my barn's Carroll County Western Circuit and go out with them for the season -it starts in April and ends in August. It was a great way to get my feet wet, and at a combined event of Western and English,...

I know that for me, now that Fella is fit (from doing things like cantering up hills, PNG_pony :) ) I get a much better canter from a walk than a trot because I get tense asking from the trot. Because I"m tense I am stiff and leaning forward when asking from the trot and throw his balance onto ...

I can't do a whole lot by way of formal training until I start getting paid in February (I'm an adjunct university professor -this is my period of no pay). Outside of that I'm trying to keep us both fit without sweating up Fella (my very very furry percheron cross) so we're walking lots of miles wit...

Sue, your description made me laugh out loud! It is kind of comical when they move that fast!

Paula

Absolutely. I've learned to look everywhere for help, input, and training. I regularly take lessons with Patrick King when he's in the area, for example.

Ryeissa wrote:I'm so proud of you! I remember your early posts with Fella- you have come a long way! very inspirational.

Thank you, Ryeissa! I am very happy with our progress as well. I think the best thing we ever did was move to a barn full of cowboys and eventers!

Paula

Percheron/Standardbred gelding.

My goal for November is to put a canter on Maddie. She's a draft cross so her idea of a canter is to trot fast until she breaks into a canter which I know is a strength issue (besides never being taught the canter cue). So, for the past few months I've been working on building her strength and now ...

That canter is getting better! The depart is still a bit tense, but I can relax and follow the action. I schooled in a corn field today for a few reasons; 1. A friend observed that she's more comfortable cantering outside than in the confines of a ring, so I tried that today. Yes, in fact having the...

No I don't wear chaps, but I am looking at some full seat, boot cut jeans. I usually don't have an issue with his spook -I am pretty sticky and have decent reaction time. I just didn't see this coming and it was pretty violent :D We were cantering up the hack trail and our cows were in the left corn...

I have to say falling as a 47 year old relatively fit 180 ish pound person was a thoroughly different experience than falling off 4 years ago as a 43 year old 230 ish pound weakling. And I could remount from the ground! And it was at mile 3 of a 6 mile conditioning ride (should have been 8 miles, bu...

Well I am now riding 5 days a week. I'm also a trail wogger (walk/jog in the woods with my dogs) and take barre and Pilates.

Paula

I think it's probably self carriage, but just not the kind of self carriage we're looking for in dressage? What I like about it is that it doesn't look like the hindquarters are trailing so the horse looks balanced, his poll is up, and he's ifv. So a nice outline, but just perhaps without much impu...

Hahaha, you're right. We've just been doing hills regularly (multiple times a week) for a year...and we're only just now getting this sort of result. I just underestimated how long it would take for her to build up the strength! You know, I think it took about a year for us too! Fella is a Perchero...

I don't know that you can tell impulsion from a still photo so I won't speak to that. It is definitely self carriage. I've seen worse in dressage. Like you say; he's using his body, he is balanced, his hind quarters are not trailing, he's not BTV or compressed. A very very nice thing for me to see. ...

I found two very cool pictures of Western ridden horses with Western contact with self-carriage! I love that picture of Buck Branaman. I am going to stare at it a while before I go out and ride today because it is a visual I need to carry over into my riding. That is not self carriage imo. It's a h...

That is so cool, Pique! Today I have no evening class so I'm hoping to take Fella out around the farm for about 2 hours. We have many places to ride outside the ring and the ring has a rodeo chute on it so I can actually ride the farm and the ring together since I won't have to stop to open and clos...

My appy had no gallop until a week or two ago...she's very low key and the concept of speed or extension was just absolutely foreign. She also doesn't care if she's by herself or not (not competitive at all...she's also bottom of the totem pole in the herd) and wouldn't even canter up hills. But, n...

... I have been able to ride him one handed with my split reins at Western contact so things have been moving along nicely. I love my split reins! I use them on trails all the time and ride in a Western contact. But I just recently started trail riding Rocky in a bosal and I think I am going to swi...

I like showing, progressing, learning, but I have a pure joy of riding. If I lost that in the process of learning, progressing, and showing I don't know that I'd continue in that way.

Paula

Hills and competition! Point at a hill, pull the trigger. Competition; go out with a galloper.

Paula

I discovered that Fella has all kinds of Western buttons; he can move off leg and seat! I have been wearing my motivator spurs because we've been working on some lateral work and needed him to pick up and move his ribs more than he was with my regular boot heels. Motivator spurs are mild -essentiall...

How's this for a goal. It was 30 degrees this morning and it's so far warmed up to a balmy 39 degrees. My goal is to man up and ride today.

Paula

I am very lucky in that my barn is about 85 acres with a mile-long hilly hack and a 1/3 mile exercise track. I use the farm alot. If I had my own trailer I'd be out in my woods near my home all the time (Michaux State Forest). Hacking out and trail riding have done wonders for our relationship -Fell...

Bailey, How to post pics. The reply dialog box defaults to "simple". Choose, "Full Editor & Preview" and you'll get all the buttons to attach things to your messages. Now an update for me: Fella has gone from fit to fat I'm afraid. I went from riding 5 days a week over Summer...

I don't go as hard as HIIT, but I employ a similar pattern where, for example, on the trail I'll walk a half mile and run a half mile regardless of terrain. With Fella I use a long warm up and long cool down of a mile-walk, then we'll TC the two middle miles. For example I'll canter the up slopes an...

Heya, Linde! Paula Paula, how is Fella doing? He is doing awesome, thanks! I have a before and after picture over the space of a year in the "Interval Training" thread in the Training forum. Of course right now he's a bit fat because I've gone from 5 days a week to 3 days a week this Fall...

Thanks, Demi! I am getting glimpses of "in front of the leg" now. It's pretty awesome!

Paula

I use it and swear by it. I belong to a barn of eventers and cowboys (mostly barrel racers and bull riders at this stage) and fitness is important to them -their horses have to go long (eventers) and go fast (barrel racers). Coupled with this I started on a fitness journey myself about a year and a ...

I am all for herd turnout. Fella is out 24/7. IMO it makes for a saner, healthier horse. He is not herd bound. He occasionally gets scraped up in play and such, but again, I think that is normal, healthy, and expected. BTW Fella is out on about 12 acres with 5 other geldings.


Paula

Heya, Linde!

Paula

I agree. I love the accountability. Why not start our own? I plan on hauling Fella over to my dressage trainer (where I usually take longe lessons on her horse) once or twice a month to work on our Western Dressage and Ranch Pleasure. This trainer is an accomplished Traditional Dressage rider and tr...