We're just chillin': November-December goals and progress

[khall]

Blob I hope you can find a solution to your instructor problem. I know how I felt until I found Mark and then the time I had between his death and finding Cedar. Ugh learning from someone should be energizing not something to dread.

Hubby and I went off last weekend for our anniversary. 32 years. With mom gone I find it a bit easier to step away. Finding good farm care is the only hiccup but so far it’s been doable. My big issue is keeping Joplin in some light work just lunging to keep her almost IR status in check. When she was at UGA I had them run a sugar tolerance test and she’s borderline. Poor girl is on restricted diet of 16 lbs soaked hay and her “feed” which is all forage based. She’s one who would eat until she popped. So lots of small feedings throughout the day and night. Ugh. And work.

Have some more Christmas shopping and things to do before next week. We’ve definitely pared down.

Hope all have a restful and peaceful holiday. Happy riding all

[exvet]

Well not an issue with dressage trainers/coaches, currently I'm in a good spot; but, facilities? ugh! I'm lucky I've always been able to make due and figure out how to train and prepare test movements on the trail or in the pasture. Our HOA spent $100,000 on new footing for our covered arena. It was finished this past week and it's CRAP! Don't get me wrong. The footing material is good European grade but we don't have a single individual at the facility who knows how to maintain and groom such an arena. I've offered on my days off to water and drag and have been refused so now it sits and is as good as it was - for hand walking your horse and that's it. The manager refuses to have it watered and drug more than once a week. Right now it's a soft tissue injury waiting to happen - total quick sand pit. Our outdoor dressage court was taken down for the winter due to our winds. So, I got lucky in that my neighbor begged the manager of the equestrian center to at least drag the area where the dressage court was and I was able to use that for my lesson today.

As a result my hope to run through fourth level test 3 as part of my lesson was dashed. Instead we worked on forward and back in the canter and trot. The focus was to make our transitions prompt, crisp and with a soft connection. While Junior is better built than Monty and has more athleticism than Monty, he simply does not enjoy working......................PONY! It was a bit funny, his grunting and groaning, his sullen attitude and then he sucked it up, signed up and the last half of my lesson produced some really nice work. I was able to have some truly lovely looking and feeling collected canter, half pirouettes were decent. The medium trot had some really nice power. The problem was and is that Junior does it all with a bit of a grimace on his face. My instructor said, "I really like how soft he's become and the use of his body. Now just do that all again with a smile on his face." um yeah......

How do I convince a pony who can do it but doesn't really want to do it that dressage ain't all that bad? It's not the suppling or warming up/stretching that needs to be finessed or re-thought. I've got a lot of that figured out to a point that I can get him malleable without losing all the gas/energy so that I have just enough left in the tank. I don't drill him every day. We do plenty of trail riding. He gives me effortless and really nice work when we ride the mile home, doesn't matter what it is. What I need is a way to get him to at least realize that once he signs up and gives me 20 minutes of his time in the arena, he's .................DONE...............because that part puts a smile on his face........well that and getting into trouble. The not so little turd opened all of the stalls yesterday afternoon and trashed them. Usually my guys are anxious to leave their stalls but nope, Junior decided he was bored and needed to move furniture and give the place a new look. Now I'm driving to town to get more keepers/carabiners/snaps and the like to Junior-proof the gates, again. I swear when I caught him yesterday he was totally grinning and fully willing to take the blame.

Smart, athletic, well-conformed PONY..........well I got what I wanted...........LOL

[Moutaineer]

Oh, dang, Exvet. That footing is going to take forever to settle unless they water and drag the heck out of it. What a waste. And what a risk.

I had the most lovely ride this afternoon. We've been doing some ground work to start for the last week or so and it really makes a difference. I'm not very good at it, (my complete lack of coordination and dance skills really show up here!) but my trainer is patiently teaching me and I'm trying not to trip over my spurs.

I've made some position changes, too. I'm holding my hands lower and thus taking responsibility for them through my core and back rather than my shoulders. I'm finding that doing this is making me much quieter and steadier, and allowing me to be more precise and focused in my aids. My body and brain are finding it quite difficult, ("I know I had a canter transition last week, where's it gone now?") but oh, so rewarding!

Potters had his first in a course of Adequan shots on Friday, so that might already be starting to take effect and would account for some of his happy a cooperative nature today, but I also do think he's approving of the "new me."

[Aleuronx]

I've found a replacement arena to travel to with a trainer who rides with my trainer and has competed Grand Prix so an opportunity to have eyes on the ground a bit more this winter. She's super happy for us to have a play around and she understands the systems/themes without too much rocking our boat and plan so feeling good about that. I can't imagine having a trainer that doesn't believe in you as a team blob, but I also get trying to get eyes on you wherever you can. I wish you luck either working with what you got or seeking elsewhere.

Exvet ugh on the footing. That is such a deal breaker if not safely maintained. Maybe it will get to the point that they take you up on the offer to work it?

Moutaineer - Smart move on the Adequan but fair warning about the potential necessity re-install of the half-halt during the shot series. Kora got a serious case of the zooms about half-way through in the most playful way. Otherwise, kick on!

A very Happy Christmas Eve hack in the lightly falling snow this morning. Happy and healthy Holidays to all!

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[StraightForward]

Very cute with the antlers!

No snow here yet, we just got rained on while riding last night. The arena is probably quite swampy today. Tomorrow I'm getting the plug in the bed replaced on my truck, and hopefully that will fix the random issues I've had with the trailer brakes. Then we'll probably be hauling out every chance we get for a while. I'm having the rusted out nerf bars on my 25 year old truck replaced as well; Merry Christmas to me.

T has been starting out a little sluggish lately. The trot work starts coming on and she's stretching nicely, but then reluctant to canter. I'm not sure if it's the weather, or if the wet footing splashing up is bugging her or what. Once she gets cranking she seems fine so we will keep on keeping on. Night before last we did get a R/L flying change that I think was clean-ish. Doing a few steps of HP, then straightening and asking for the change a few strides before the fence seems to give her the idea, but I'm holding off on L/R until I get my aids and timing figured out a little more. Friday she has a chiro appointment.

Yesterday I went out and trimmed Obie. He seems exactly the same as ever and I was able to get his feet done without bute, though I'd like to go back in a few days and see if I can get a little more.

[exvet]

Happy Holidays to all! Worked yesterday and plan to trail ride today. Junior has been doing relatively well though I find that if he's a bit lack luster or demonstrating too much ponytude it's almost always due to the fact that he has to urinate. He's usually pretty good about urinating right after tacking up and mounting prior to reaching the arena/trail but not always. It's a huge reason that even at the shows close to my I have to get a stall. He refuses to drop anywhere that isn't soft/deepish footing because he hates getting splashed, such a princess. I'm doing my best to try to get in some work/training without it seeming like constant drilling. Riding the trails helps but even that seems to get a bit boring for him and me. We're one week out from leaving for the show. Now it's time to start packing and double checking my list.

[Tanga]

Wow. Forum has been flooded with spam. Just commenting here so this can go back to the top.

[StraightForward]

Well CostCo is having a sale in SPAM.

I think we can call it for this period. More rain tonight, then we'll hopefully get a couple dry days.

Yesterday the arena has a fair bit of standing water, but the footing was firm and not slippery, so I did my best to give T some exercise and burn off some energy. This morning we hauled to the indoor. A friend hooked me up with her barn's Sunday morning reserved time. I didn't know anything about her new barn, but it turned out to be all western riders who were kind of toodling around. It was hard to do a whole lot, but T did have some tension that manifested in getting behind my leg and stopping. Eventually we worked through it, but it will be good to keep coming out and riding with these peeps if they'll have me.

Oh yeah, Friday the chiro checked her and although she was out in her poll and mid back, she said it was nothing to worry about WRT saddle or the work we're doing.

Given the time of year, I'm pleased with whatever we might have accomplished!

Jump once per week As weather allowed, we did pretty well here.
Continue working on the relaxation and bend through transitions
Quality of contact, encouraging an FDO feeling in the work as much as possible, since T can get a little "up" and posed
Play with changes when the moment seems right
Play a bit with half steps and canter piri

Me: Continue hitting the gym 3x a week. Increase that if/when I can't ride as much. Not so much in November, but I was sick the entire month, so I'm giving myself green for doing the best I could with the circumstances.
Remember to use the Home Horse and/or stand more during the work day.
I keep spinning my wheels on diet. I'm not doing terribly, but work is a lot right now, so I tend to just grab whatever is around. Maybe if the weather keeps me in, I can take some time for meal prep on weekends Being sick probably had something to do with it. We won't talk about the last week's dessert intake.

[exvet]

Since I have to work tomorrow, I guess I too will call it a finish for the period. I decided to take the suggestion from a few OTOB regarding a constant issue with Junior being behind the leg or let's just say never willing to give it his true focus/all. I put my ancient Roosli back on Junior just to see if there might be a difference in his shoulder freedom and willingness to go and stay forward between my two saddles. The answer was not much. His musculature has been building appropriately (filled in just in front of the withers, fewer wrinkles) and his strength has improved. I guess I just have to find other ways to tap into his energy reserves and hope I find it before the show. He still goes for broke like he's in his version of the Kentucky Derby when I offer to let him canter (we'll call it a conserved gallop) home. I plan to ride later this morning and work even more on keeping him coming from behind, bouncing off his hind end landing softly and politely into my hands.......

Troy has had more time with the bridle/bit and more in hand walks around the neighborhood. Decided to wait before adding stirrups to the saddle but that is coming next.

My plans for next round will have to wait after the show. Looks like small classes and an overall small show. I recognize a few people who will be there but for the most part it should be a relatively new crowd for us. Judges, however, are ones I've ridden under in the past

[Moutaineer]

Good luck, exvet and have fun!

I think it's a tough time of year to hold a show, immediately after the holidays. So many people are coming off 2 weeks of family obligations and barn down time, and I can see many employers taking a dim view of further time off. The organizers have been hounding our group to go, but apart from everything else, the weather is surely not conducive to trailering.

We are just soldiering on. Nothing very exciting happening, which is fine by me. I need to go back and look at the start of this thread to see what my goals were!

[khall]

Good luck Exvet!

Not much going on here riding wise. I am lunging or wih several days a week for ms fatty pants but like mountaineer wrote the holidays were pretty bust here. DS came down for a week. Spent Christmas Eve with my family and saw DHs family over the weekend. That relationship has become a bit strained but my relationship with my sister has been repaired thankfully. She made things right and was here for mom as we sat vigil for her death in August.

My biggest news is the covered arena gets started this week! Post will be going in the ground!! Should go up fast then footing and fencing shouldn’t take long. Whoop!!

Just in time for a polar express next week which is Georgians are not equipped for.

Happy new year to all and stay warm those of us on this side of the planet

[Aleuronx]

Close out means another month checked off of winter which is a-okay with me.

Section Goals:
-Halfpass trot zig-zag ease of change Better but need to focus on the swap suppleness and having her take me along in the new direction
-Halfpass to change shorten straight strides to the change Big check on this one, the zig-zag has come along to very recognizable
-Consistency in counted tempi'sThe more solid I set up the front end and not wobble the better the counting
-Investigate new indoor visitation optionsCheck! Have been going to another option, have to lesson but good for us to have eyes too
-Follow the 5k speed increase programBig check! Ran my goal of sub-32 minutes 5k by 40 seconds.

Here’s to a healthy and amusing new year full of goals met and hard work realized.

[StraightForward]

Well I have an amendment, because I was able to ride yesterday and today. Tomorrow is promising to bring snow to remind us that it is, in fact, January in Idaho.

Yesterday T was still in her stickiness phase, and I was wondering if it had to do with the weather, or more likely, lack of turnout making her a bit stiff. Today I made a point of starting with a full 10 minutes of walk on the buckle, then more walk starting to take up contact. Then I gave her about two circuits of lazy trot before asking for more. Rather than putting the canter in the warmup, I went to W/T/W transitions in SI, really insisting that she stay engaged with her poll up. That did the trick, and we got good canter both leads right away. After that, she was delightful, and we played with a bit of canter on the spot, a couple steps of piri, and ended with trotting a smallish circle yielding the haunches out, and developing half steps. The ground was a bit iffy, so we didn't go all out, but I was happy to have a ride without the stickiness that's been with us for the past week or two. Saw a FB memory from last year that confirmed how far we've come this year. She is looking a lot more muscular, and just feeling more like a trained horse, so all in all, a good year!

[heddylamar]

Maia and I rode alongside the Monday afternoon working eq group in the indoor. They were working around huge inflatables. And that damn tarp. Maia didn't even bat an eye at the inflatables, but that tarp got a good long look when they were folding it up at the end

We're working on some of our sticky spots — my left hand staying on the left side of her neck (ongoing), downward transitions (canter/trot is good; the rest suck ), and somehow all this has resulted in great canter work. I'll take it!

Maybe I'll set some actual goals in the next thread. Our temps are plummeting in the next few weeks ... fingers crossed Maia doesn't turn into an absolute dragon! I've been having daily, hourly, minute by minute, muscle spasms that make riding, working out, and existing enough of a challenge already. And, yes, my new doctor is on the case, and I have an appointment in 2(!) months with the first speacialist.

[Moutaineer]

I had a lovely ride yesterday to round out the year.

I'm very happy with the progress I've made in my riding quality this year. I feel like I'm doing a lot more intuitive creating of movement and going with the flow and a lot less pushing and shoving and trying to "make" things happen. My position is far better, my seat is way more supportive, and as a result my hands are so much quiter and softer. I'm able to find that lovely draped, relaxed top line that to me is what it's all about.

Potters looks great. He's really packed on the heft and muscle this year. His brain is happy, he's staying sound (fingers crossed and furiously knocking on wood) and he seems to like his life.

I feel very fortunate to be able to take advantage of the top quality training and boarding opportunity I have, with lovely supportive and like-minded barnmates.

Let's hope that 2025 is kind to us all...

[blob]

Happy new year everyone! Closing out:

Me:
Keep trying to eat well
keep trying to work out some
Keep trying to balance work and riding

MM:
get her in shape again! Even if it's just long walks, in fact...
find time to do long walks on weekends
set up a better system for keeping her moving when i'm busy
look into nebulizer?

RP:
Continue to get 1-2 lessons a month
Continue to have high bar for lateral work and getting reaction off the leg
Keep playing with changes
Ride through 2-3 a few times to identify biggest areas to focus on