The last sextal (bi month) of 2018. November, December goals and training orogress

[piedmontfields]

piedmont do you know if that bit is legal to show in? Bit clinic sounds interesting, I've never attended one.

I am pretty sure that it is legal (although that is not a deal breaker for me). But I am not a TD, so I'd check on that. I think we did 6 bit changes during the clinic, so it is a bit chaotic but if you know what you feel, you can get some very quick insights. Exvet, I know what you mean about short-term bit romances. I'll update in awhile. If I change my opinion on this one, I might try the 3-piece version instead of the straight version. That was the mare's second favorite. In general, I did realize that while eggbutts quiet lots of things down for many horses, they are not actually what my mare prefers. She is happy to mouth the rings softly when she has a lot of bar and tongue relief.

I have some exciting news. I will be hosting Jillian Kreinbring in May 2019 for a biomechanics lecture and 2 lesson days in Georgia. Her lectures have so much information to them. Looking forward to it:)

That should be a really great event!

[demi]

Almost two weeks left for this thread so maybe I’ll get a video before the end.

I am pleased with Rocky’s recovery. I am also reminded of where we were 4 months ago, in terms of training , before the injury. The few rides I’ve had since she has been cleared to go back to work, have all been in the arena because that’s what I really like. Yesterday she was a good girl but not nearly as cooperative as she had come to be in the last year, and I think the reason is that she needs her trail and pasture riding. So today we’ll ride in the pasture. Trail is her fav but it’s too foggy and drizzly today for my own comfort...

I tried the 2019 test app in the arena yesterday. It will read the tests at three different speeds and I was hoping that the slow speed would be like have someone call the test as I rode it. Unfortunately, the slowest speed is too fast to use it as a caller. So I am wondereing why they have three speeds, none of which are suitable for riding the test to. Hearing the test while looking at the diagrams is helpful to me, but I think having the ability to use it as a caller would be the best.

[demi]

I am also interested in Piedmont’s new bit. Emma has had head shaking issues and I’ve tried a few different bits. Her problems are complex. I am figuring them out, but can see trying some different bits in the future. I don’t think the right bit will be the complete answer, but it could make an important difference.

[piedmontfields]

The bit clinic approach is actually a fairly efficient and affordable way to explore bitting options. I had watched one in the fall and was so impressed that I signed up.

Kim Gentry was the clinician and I believe she works throughout the country (but winters in Florida). Her home base is outside Memphis. She is an FEI rider/trainer herself, so her experience is also helpful for evaluating bit impacts. She noted that horse mouth conformation (roof of mouth, size and shape of tongue, fleshiness of mouth), horse sensitivity, and horse dental health/condition are major factors for bit selection. Then she just tries different options that might work and observes the horse and rider. It's very much the eye exam approach: "Better or worse?"

[Ryeissa]

The bit clinic approach is actually a fairly efficient and affordable way to explore bitting options. I had watched one in the fall and was so impressed that I signed up.

Kim Gentry was the clinician and I believe she works throughout the country (but winters in Florida). Her home base is outside Memphis. She is an FEI rider/trainer herself, so her experience is also helpful for evaluating bit impacts. She noted that horse mouth conformation (roof of mouth, size and shape of tongue, fleshiness of mouth), horse sensitivity, and horse dental health/condition are major factors for bit selection. Then she just tries different options that might work and observes the horse and rider. It's very much the eye exam approach: "Better or worse?"

Yeah- Kim is good!
Another approach depending:
During a teeth float/sedation-I took a look with my dental vet who drew me the shape of the mouth and I could look right in and see for myself!
I was already paying for it hahahaha. It's not the same as a bit clinic, no, but it was super helpful to me.

[Chisamba]

I fell for the " bit less is better" mantra and decided to try a little bit less riding. Because you know the "bit on the tongue paralyzes the front end." I did some research. Asked abby k, and ordered a bridle.

Unequivocally my horses hate it. I tried to introduce it with light hacking, no pressure. Kimba after a few minutes flung her head, reared and then took off bucking. Now, I started this mare from scratch as ne she never had that response to anything.

She despises the pressure on her head. I need to learn if it ain't broke don't fix it.

[Ryeissa]

Kimba after a few minutes flung her head, reared and then took off bucking..

oh my!
Yeah, my horses never went differently in bitless.

I could have done the bit clinic but I didn't really think I needed to chase something that wasn't a known problem.

[Moutaineer]

We are talking about getting Kim over here in the spring--apparently she is a buddy of my barn manager. I would like her to take a look at Laddie as he has always had a rather busy mouth.

We're just chugging along, working on collection and uphill balance, putting all the pieces in place to improve the changes and get them reliably clean in both directions. Nothing earth-shattering, which is fine by me.

[khall]

Chisamba I agree with Rye if it isn't broke don't fix it:) Though I do think there are some horses that do not like bits and go better bitless. There are lots of options to go bitless, I've ridden in just a rope halter before and I had a long debate on the bosal/hackamore (which is what a bosal is called when it has the reins attached) with a rider. I do still prefer bits and especially for most training, the snaffle. You have better access to the TMJ IMO. The in hand work I do does rely on being able to access the mouth.

Exvet wow! Excellent for you and Jr! Impressive for him to handle that much commotion. Shoot a warm up arena will be nothing after that schooling. Glad he is going well for you.

As for finishing up the thread for the year, well instead of dashing through the snow here we are sloshing through the mud. Lots of mud. Going to be a nice weekend but with Christmas will probably not be getting much done. Trip to Savannah with my sister Sunday and family stuff M and T. Ah well, I was able to work a little this week before the rain with the 4 I normally work.

Rode Rip and was working on figure 8's with simple changes, was nice work. A bit of medium trot stuff and lateral work. Then I worked him on line next day seeing what he is looking like and I was surprised that I am getting more expression especially going L. Was targeting the hind feet with the whip energy (not touching just swishing at them) and he was getting much more expression. So the half steps/piaffe and the SW work is having an effect. Hoping to be able to think about some passage work from the medium trot. Am contemplating trying some long lining to see if I can work some more on this collection work. I do a good bit of W C W work on line or half steps to C. Wondering how it would work with long lining.

Joplin seems to be ok now. I was not sure, was seeing a bit of NQR but now I am not. Not sure if her sticking a bit in the R stifle was the issue and the TO was helping that. I hope I've got some help lined up with Joplin and be able to get back on her after the holidays.

Gaila is looking so much better both physically and in her work. Now to quit being a muddy mess so I can keep these guys going regularly.

[Sue B]

We are talking about getting Kim over here in the spring--apparently she is a buddy of my barn manager. I would like her to take a look at Laddie as he has always had a rather busy mouth.

Huh, now that Rudy is happy with his new bridle, maybe I should look at his bit. The one he uses is getting worn out and he needs a new one. Let me know if Kim comes and you have room, it may be worth a trip.

Not much going on here, some freezing rain, some snow, blah, blah, blah. Rode Rudy Saturday, had fun in and out of the arena and then...my beloved Looney Lucy got killed by a semi that couldn't bother to move over 6". Pretty bummed right now. Tio's foot has improved quite a bit but now the other one is sore from doing all the work. Oh and my back is too sore to muscle the "good" foot off the ground so I can iodine it. Aaaargh, I just wish the weather would stick with snow and make a nice base layer so that Tio's feet can rest and regroup. I think that next time I buy a horse i will reject it if the feet aren't perfect.

Merry Christmas (or whatever you celebrate this time of year) everyone.

[Moutaineer]

Sue, I'm sorry about your Lucy. That is a bummer.

Yes, of course I'll let you know if we do get Kim over.

I will admit I'm loafing around this morning "doing laundry..." I will go ride this afternoon if I can safely get off the mountain by then, as I hear reports that the road is wicked slick and lots of people are in the ditch. I can do without that today.

[piedmontfields]

Whoa, that's very sad, Sue.

From the other weather reports, it's clear we have it pretty easy here in the mid-south. It was icky and rainy much of yesterday (high of 42 F) but I rode early before the rain came. And today it was blue skies and sunny, in the 40s. I planned to just do a walking hack, but Em was happy and asking for more so we did an easy 15 minutes of trot and canter in the fields with a few miles of walking. Our easy work included one accidental (not quite planned) clean change our harder way (R to L). Good mare.

Edited to add: Em did her best "big trot" with me in quite some time last night. She looked like a Lippizaner trucking along! (I mean that in that best possible way, as Lippis tend to have very nice big trots and they are a similar size to my Lus-Trak mare).

[demi]

It’s been a week since my last post and I’ve only ridden Rocky twice and worked Emma twice. I had big plans after I got back from staying with mom in Michigan for a week, but I promptly got the flu/cold. And that in spite of getting a flu shot. I doubt I’ll get a video by the end of this thread which is disappointing.

I am looking forward to some schooling shows next year. I think there is a lot of potential to have fun doing this with Rocky. I checked for recognized shows in my area but there is nothing under two hours from here and that kind of travel would take the fun out of it for me, at this point. I really want to enjoy showing my little horse!

There is an interesting thread on COTH about a symposium on the new tests, and videos/commentary postings on youtube. I am very happy to have the videos of the test! I’ve watched a lot of them and will watch the rest tonight. I was initially not pleased with the judge’s scores in some of the tests I watched, but after reading some of the comments on COTH, I started to understand the judge’s perspective more. Knowing where this particular judge is coming from gave me a lot more respect for her scoring. I found it very interesting....

Hey SueB, so sorry to hear about your dog. At the very least, you made up for the bad treatment she had before you got her, and that’s a very good thing. I don’t remember seeing anywhere what kind/type of dog she was, but your description of her sounds like a female rat terrier I picked up off the road 20 yrs ago. We had her for 18 yrs and she never got completely over being dumped. I think the smarter/keener they are, the deeper they are hurt by unfair treatment. OTH, those bright little ones are so very appreciative of good care.

[Moutaineer]

Demi, I've been enjoying the symposium videos, too. Very interesting and actually rather inspiring. I've been bumbling around a bit recently and needed something to help me focus on specifics.

So, with that in mind...

I had the ring to myself this afternoon--such bliss! Once we got nicely warmed up, we had space and time and focus to work on both trot and canter half-passes. Both are really rather good in one direction, adequate but not inspiring in the other. He's still weaker in that right stifle which is I think the issue--he lacks the bend and swing with the right hind on the outside. I'll talk to the vet about it next week when I see him, see if he thinks there's anything else we can do to support him or whether it's just a matter of chipping away at it, building strength.

We also did some much needed work on the rein-back, taking on board Kristi's comments from the symposium. I understand now why I haven't scored as well as I thought I should on it, and it's one of those things that everyhorse ought to be able to do and get a decent score on, and it's a double coefficient. so worth putting a bit of time into.

I have company coming tomorrow for a week or so, so riding might be a little inconsistent... I will also have a toddler in my completely non-child-friendly home, which may be a bit stressful--my poor cats are not going to know what hit them.

[Sue B]

Demi, Lucy was 1/4 German short hair, 1/4 Australian cattle dog, 1/4 Boxer and 1/4 Am Staff. Pictures are in the OL. Goofiest dog ever. My ds had her DNA tested for a fund raiser for the shelter he did last year.

It's snowing more and covering up the ice! Also, ds took the opportunity to play on the new tractor and shortened some of the drifts in my arena so...if I can get time away from work i will ride Rudy today.

[Moutaineer]

Yikes! I got well spanked in that CoTH post... Such drama!

[blob]

CoTH is *always* drama. I didn't read past the first few posts of the thread--just enough to find out how to search for the videos. I've also found it helpful to watch, if for no other reason than to see the new tests being ridden. I always enjoy judges comments, but in this case I think many of the judges are saying things differently from how they would actually score or at least differently from how MOST judges would actually score.

I just watched the TL-3 test and Krysti Wysocki gave both the free walk and the stretch trot high marks despite being very little reach down and out in either. She mentioned that the directive for the stretch trot is only down to the shoulder, but I can be sure that I've never seen a horse get an 8 who only stretches to the point of their nose being at the level of their shoulder.

It's not especially helpful from an educational standpoint if what we're being taught/told in a symposium does not match the reality.

[demi]

Haha Mountaineer! I quit reading it after the 3rd page because of all the drama! I had to go back to figure out who you are on that board! I agreed with your comments, of course! I was glad I went back to it because there were some more good comments worth reading.

[Flight]

I don't know who you are on coth, Moutaineer. I find those threads a bit hard to follow but I'm glad for the links to the youtube vids though. Bit of nightshift viewing

Just looking at what I put for my goals:
Norsey's changes - have been working on them, but not so well
DIng's piri's - yep they are slowly improving
Me lose weight - hahaha no chance over xmas! What's that sound? Ahh it's screaming cotton (clothes are very tight).

I decided I want to do 1x tempis. What I discovered is I have no idea how to ask for them, and my 2x weren't that great. So, have been working on the 2x and they are getting a lot better. Need to be straighter, and I'm working towards quieter aids, but Ding is getting the hang of them more reliably.

https://youtu.be/GjkG9q7Cz78

[Ponichiwa]

Well, it's very nearly time to wrap this thing up. Here's what I said I was going to do:

My crew and I are in. Looks like there may be some new-to-the-thread "faces" around here, so here's a quick rundown of who we are and where we're headed:

Kiwi, 2007 GRP, consistently schooling somewhere between 3rd/4th:
- Flying changes are in season. By the end of this, I want to be nailing consistent 3- and 4-tempi changes without the extracurriculars that we currently have (maybe just a bit too much "expression")
- Clean up the collected/medium/collected trot transitions
- School 1/3 pirouettes 1x/week

Queso, 2013 QH, super green-broke:
- Longe 1-2x week in side reins to introduce contact
- Ride 4x/week
- Canter transitions: by the end of this I want to be able to strike off on either lead at will.

Me, ahem yrs old, who even knows what level I am:
- Lose 8lb by my birthday (early Dec)
- Ride 4-5x/week
- Work out on days I don't ride
- Smile more

Kiwi:
- Did not touch the 3-4 tempis as I signed up for a show in early December at 3rd and did not want to add any extracurriculars to the show.
- Medium/collected transitions are getting much cleaner and more reliable-- that first step isn't charging downhill. Much progress here
- Check! I've also done pirouette serpentines to school changes and pirouettes in a bit of a continuous exercise. Helpful.

Queso:
- Yeeaaah I almost immediately forgot to do this. Good news: He's getting it under saddle instead.
- Check!
- Also check!
- Bonus: Can also handle busy warmups and new situations (went to a show!). He also loaded/unloaded off a trailer for only the 2nd and 3rd times in his life without any fuss. What a great boy!

Me:
- Did not get there. Lost 4!
- Check!
- Check!
- Still working on this. I naturally skew towards skepticism and find that takes a lot of joy out of the simple things in life. Trying to turn that around so I'm not a miserable person.

Altogether, this was a great 8ish weeks. I'm really happy with where both horses are right now: well-fitting saddles, schooling well, and ready to take on the now-lengthening days! It doesn't hurt that I've been off work for over a week now. Looking forward to 2019!

[exvet]

So sorry to read about your dog Sue. That just stinks. I've been slammed over the holidays with emergencies, unfortunately, a few of a similar nature and end.

On an upbeat note, I did have my last lesson of the year the day before yesterday. We were able to get Junior to understand how to slow the front end down in the canter going both directions and take more weight on the hind end. His transitions were spot on by the end of the lesson. I was also jazzed because he's really starting to get the idea that when I put my full leg on from seat (hip) to ankle almost like I'm scooping him up underneath my seat (but not quite) he is to fill up the rein and finish the stride into the contact so that he's more powerful within the stride and really connecting over the top line. We got it at the walk, trot and canter. He still gives me multiple answers when I ask for this but he is more consistently arriving at what I want and in a shorter time-frame. Looking forward to 2019 and more progress developing his strength and understanding of how to best use himself.

The mustang is still doing his job in stellar form. He is such a sweet, honest guy.

[blob]

So sorry to hear that, Sue, what a horrible thing. Sending you love.
Exvet, what a lovely and exciting way to end the year with Junior.
Flight, Ding is so lovely, he really has come such a long way!

Ok, time for a wrap-up for me:

MM:
Increased shoulder adjustability/control: This is still a work in progress, certainly some improvement, particularly showing up in canter HP, but not as much freedom and control as I'd like.
More consistently in front of the leg: This was going really well until I went out of town in late november/early dec for 3 weeks. We're just now starting to get it back.
More uphill balance in medium trot: This was a real failure on my part. We barely worked on medium trot this period. I partly have weather to blame, but mostly this is just something that is a slog for us and is often pushed aside for more rewarding work.
Continue working on changes: definitely made some progress on changes! I've found that I'm my own worst enemy. When I THINK about the changes, I mess them up. when I don't, I ride them just fine and she gives them to me just fine. Of course, it's hard to tell myself NOT to think about something. But I am going to try to stop carving aside time to 'school changes' and instead just sprinkle them into our routine.

RP:
Consistent tempo and contact
Consistent feel on both reins
Bending lines
Put on some weight!
More canter work on the lunge to build strength and balance
Oh boy....most of the goals below became irrelevant. It was after the start of this period that RP started having issues that led me to investigate his health more deeply and try to figure out what was going on. What we did accomplish:
RP finally did start putting on weight
He's in the middle of an aggressive ulcer treatment
His teeth were done (he had a pretty dramatic need for dental work waaaay back in his mouth)
He's started bodywork to help with some of his tension.
The ridden work is going slowly but mostly well. He is still giving me some questionable moments when I mount up (maybe 40%) of the time, but luckily the questionable moments have not led to another explosive moment. I am hoping this is a behavior thing he needs to sort out, time will tell.



Me:
Work on building back core strength: meh, baby steps. I tried using the equicube, but I'm not sure it did much for my core, I mostly felt it in my upper body.
Eat less sugar (bad time of year for this...): lol I forgot I even set this as a goal. OOPS.
Make time to ride even when it's cold/dark: I did pretty well with this goal, though all the wetness has made things a bit tricky at times.

[greenholmeshandy]

Bit of an odd update from me. I rode 2x different horses today. Both on the same yard as mine, it came about as I was wondering past the menage and one of the other horses riders asked I wanted a go. I suspect she thought I would decline but that might be my paranoia! I tend to think I’m an awful rider,. So I clambered on her lovely Arab x and quickly realised what a good rider his owner is. He always looks so forward floating along with her but in fact I found was very behind the leg, ducking behind any contactand very pritective of his mouth with this new to him rider. Sadly at some point is the past he had been ridden with very harsh draw reins as a result very scared of contact and his current owner has worked miracles patiently taking him back to basics and reschooling. Weird thing was he was 15.1, Shandy is 13.3 but twice his width so my legs kept wondering where the pony had gone but my hips were v grateful.

Second horse is a giant modern sports welsh cob like a giant version of my beloved Brychen. At 16.3 I was a little daunted but it was wonderful, like coming home, power there in the trot and a wonderful push button canter I just had to sit straight and ride no struggle to get canter etc. I ride round hooting with laughter and going I want one of these. His young owner has produced him beautifully, it was a revelation. I can ride.

Lastly I brought Shandy in the arena, warmed her up, practiced my dressage test then the other two horses owners tried her. It was so funny. On got Alex and of whizzed Shandy, powering round the arena like a mini turbo. Alex kept saying “oh you need lots of half halts with her”. If she hopped and on got 6 foot tall Jess who has never ridden a pony before as rode horses as a tall child so was a bit dubious. Ponys barrel took up her leg well and if she set, walk , trot, turbo canter either rein with Jess howling laughing and saying what fun pony was, she said she know feels she had a deprived childhood as missed out on whizzy, nippy ponys.

So, I’m now in a quandary, it was MUCH easier to ride and olook good on a big more type appropriate horse for dressage. But I love Shandy and have such fun with her. I’m 54 so if I keep her for life as intended I won’t be looking for a second horse until I’m 60. It’s so tempting to sell her and I think she would be snapped up as loads, easy to handle, won Affiliated dressage, showing, trec would I find a similar paragon to her and what would happen to her if she didn’t Fell with new owner? As an example of what a good pony she is, I went of chatting to yard manger, came back to find I had left Shandys stable door open and stable chain had come off, she had walked out of stable, left one hind foot in and every one walking past with their horses to turn their horses out had assumed she was tied up. Shandy looked rather embarrassed and relieved to be put back in her stable!

[Abby Kogler]

I fell for the " bit less is better" mantra and decided to try a little bit less riding. Because you know the "bit on the tongue paralyzes the front end." I did some research. Asked abby k, and ordered a bridle.

Unequivocally my horses hate it. I tried to introduce it with light hacking, no pressure. Kimba after a few minutes flung her head, reared and then took off bucking. Now, I started this mare from scratch as ne she never had that response to anything.

She despises the pressure on her head. I need to learn if it ain't broke don't fix it.

I remember >;->

I have/had never had a negative reaction to a Dr. Cook. I don't discount at all that some people have. If a horse has poll or tmj issues or what have you that poll/cheek pressure will not be pleasant. So mang head shapes, so many jowl shapes...

Maybe because I only ever get horses that have been so wrecked in the mouth and maybe cause I have the therapy systems I have things are different, I don't know. I usually use them for a period of time while I get the rest of their bodies in to functionality and then I go to a kk loose ring. I think they can be very useful in rehabilitation and trust.

As for me, yippee I have another surgery scheduled Wednesday! Yay me.

[blob]

So, I’m now in a quandary, it was MUCH easier to ride and olook good on a big more type appropriate horse for dressage. But I love Shandy and have such fun with her. I’m 54 so if I keep her for life as intended I won’t be looking for a second horse until I’m 60. It’s so tempting to sell her and I think she would be snapped up as loads, easy to handle, won Affiliated dressage, showing, trec would I find a similar paragon to her and what would happen to her if she didn’t Fell with new owner? As an example of what a good pony she is, I went of chatting to yard manger, came back to find I had left Shandys stable door open and stable chain had come off, she had walked out of stable, left one hind foot in and every one walking past with their horses to turn their horses out had assumed she was tied up. Shandy looked rather embarrassed and relieved to be put back in her stable!

I went through/am going through a similar quandary for slightly different reasons. I have a tremendous amount of trust built up with MM and she too is just a very, very good citizen horse. But she is energy efficient and does best with a rider who means business. You don't even have to actually be that tough, she just has to believe you will absolutely make her do it. I'm not that rider naturally. I've always done best with very hot horses who need help channeling their energy. Earlier this year I very much started to feel like I would be more successful with a different horse (and that MM would be more successful with a different rider, not that she cares so much about 'success').

As I started looking for something else, I realized how risky that felt. What if I got a new horse only to really regret it and to want MM back? What if I was wrong and the type of rider I was wasn't the type of rider I am. What if the new horse I found ended up not actually being a good match? There were a LOT of 'what if's'. So, I decided I would really need to give myself a trial period before making any final decisions. Luckily I was lucky enough to financially manage taking on two for a bit of time. I figured with some overlap I could make a truly informed decision about which horse was best for me. It would give me time to figure things out. But if I hadn't been able to work out the situation, I would have considered leasing MM out while I took on something else or leasing MM out and leasing something myself.

All that to say, that I think if you think there might be more joy for you in something else, something more dressage appropriate then perhaps you can find a situation where you can lease something or lease Shandy out while you try it something else. Or if you can handle the time/finances of taking on two for a bit. I think finding some kind of situation where you can sort of 'test it out' before actually committing to selling Shandy would give you time to make a decision you feel good about.

As it turns out, I've realized through this own process for me is that even if MM may not be the right long term show partner for me, I don't think that I could give her up. She has too much of my heart. But I could see myself leasing her out (on or off site) at some point so that she can help someone else achieve their goals. At the end of the day, though, I want to be the one that make sure she gets the retirement she deserves.

[Sue B]

GHS, that is quite a quandary. I do not envy your position at all. Maybe you can trade rides sometimes ? My Rudy does not really have the best conformation for dressage and his trot can be challenging to sit, but I don't care because he is athletic and mentally suited to go up the levels AND play out in the desert. Tio, too, is not a dressage horse, but he is super fun to jump and pretty much not afraid of anything. So I guess I'm saying, you just need to evaluate what it most important to you.

Last ride of 2018.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/qvFkRCQjeSjpopjb7

The little bit of snow we have is perfect for riding in, and even though my arena is full of drifts, the hay field is not. Managed to do all 3 gaits and even work a few simple changes and throw in some medium trots here and there. I also use the snow to better judge the size of my toh's and to make sure he isn't sticking a hind leg out. The temp was 20F with a staedy breeze, so about 10F if you count windchill. That bright red jacket is super light weight, blocks the wind, zips from both ends and covers my hands. It is the absolute best jacket yet for winter riding. DH found it in the Bean's cataloque. The saddle pad is from Chisamba--Rudy loves it, as do I. Only bad part is that I want to use it every day (but I won't, I'll keep it nice for showing.) Tio is off the DL but I'm waiting for trimmer to come out before I ride. happy New year everyone.

[piedmontfields]

Lovely photo, Sue! I'm sure you are delighted to be back riding.

[Fatcat]

That bright red jacket is super light weight, blocks the wind, zips from both ends and covers my hands. It is the absolute best jacket yet for winter riding. DH found it in the Bean's cataloque.

Lovely pic. Do tell, which LLBean jacket is it? I like it.

[Imperini]

Well these couple of months were a bit of a goal failure for me however it did push me to re-evaluate my relationship with Paloma and I think that it's been a worthwhile learning experience. I'm pretty sure that I offended her by being a bit over aggressive with my keeping her forward and light off the leg goals and it completely backfired. We're mostly over that although sometimes I feel like I am walking on egg shells still but instead of getting more aggressive with my leg or getting stronger with the whip I am kind of annoying her into agreeing to work with me which if a little slower to begin with does seem to be having a longer lasting effect and she doesn't find it as offensive. I may have to someday accept that she would prefer not to be a high level performance horse despite the fact that talent wise she probably could be but for now I'll keep trying to build our working partnership and see where we can go from here. Perhaps if I can learn to ride better she'll be happier to work with me.

The good is that I've finally remembered that in order to prevent her from becoming a pretzel when I pick up the reins at the walk I must not go zen and try to become one with the pretzel If she ever comes back to this particular avoidance technique hopefully I won't forget again. She's also learned some "tricks" for playing on her days off and it's absolutely hilarious watching her think about and try to do what she thinks I want. She's been a pretty quick learner so it will be fun to see what all I can manage to teach her.

[Flight]

Greenholmeshandy - yes that is a hard decision. Not easy to decide what to do.
Nice pic Sue B, love seeing snow pics when we've been having runs of 40 degrees C days here!

[Chisamba]

GHS, that is quite a quandary. I do not envy your position at all. Maybe you can trade rides sometimes ? My Rudy does not really have the best conformation for dressage and his trot can be challenging to sit, but I don't care because he is athletic and mentally suited to go up the levels AND play out in the desert. Tio, too, is not a dressage horse, but he is super fun to jump and pretty much not afraid of anything. So I guess I'm saying, you just need to evaluate what it most important to you.

Last ride of 2018.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/qvFkRCQjeSjpopjb7

The little bit of snow we have is perfect for riding in, and even though my arena is full of drifts, the hay field is not. Managed to do all 3 gaits and even work a few simple changes and throw in some medium trots here and there. I also use the snow to better judge the size of my toh's and to make sure he isn't sticking a hind leg out. The temp was 20F with a staedy breeze, so about 10F if you count windchill. That bright red jacket is super light weight, blocks the wind, zips from both ends and covers my hands. It is the absolute best jacket yet for winter riding. DH found it in the Bean's cataloque. The saddle pad is from Chisamba--Rudy loves it, as do I. Only bad part is that I want to use it every day (but I won't, I'll keep it nice for showing.) Tio is off the DL but I'm waiting for trimmer to come out before I ride. happy New year everyone.

Its a lovely photo, i vote you use the pad every day, its for the good of the horse

[heddylamar]

I love shaped pads like that! It's hard to find ones anymore that fit a variety of saddles.

[demi]

Very pretty pic SueB! It makes me hear jingle bells in my head.

I met my simple goal for this thread. Rocky is rehabbed, and I did weekly lessons on my trainer’s school horse. It’s so much fun to have easy goals!