2025 Transitions: January/February Goals and progress

[blob]

I hope the Hastilow works out, Exvet. I tried a few several years back for MM.

My passier is not a GG, it's a much older style, but was custom made for a connemara a friend had 20 years ago in the very old style. Zero thigh block and pencil knee roll under the flap. Really just a flap of leather!

In other news, more rain is coming our way. Yuck. The clinic this weekend might be pushed/postponed until March as several people have dropped out. I'm hoping that isn't the case since I'm available this weekend and March dates are a maybe for me. But let's see!

[Chisamba]

I have had to cancel both of my clinics because of cold and ice. I hope march brings happier riding weather. And I just mean warm enough to get to the barn safely.

Letta is going to be training level ready I think. I'll spend money on a couple of training shows to see how tense she becomes but I'd like to show her in the USDF shows to start getting her scored. I've about given up on PSG hopes with Saiph. I cannot find it but there is something NQR about her when we push for more collection. I have considered breeding her. She is nice enough that I feel her genetics worth passing on but breeding is such an expensive gamble

She may just be my forever project.

I ride mostly for me anyway, my show ambitions are so much less impetus to me than they used to be. Tho making decisions when under the influence of winter blues are likely to be adjusted when the summer hits. Lol.

Hope you are all keeping well. Exvet and Aleuronx, I so look forward to you FEI debuts. Tanga i how your health let's you show your mates is you want to. Moutaineer go get your bronze ( do you already have it?)

Flight, looking forward to seeing Spots in the WE.

Blob and Khall, excited to see how your year goes.

[exvet]

Thank you Chisamba but I think the jury is out as to whether or not Junior and I will meet my goals. I think it will all hang on Aleuronx (good luck and knock'em dead).

I did get an Ideal Youth (Tonishia Petite) dressage saddle to try that was made to accommodate larger shoulders. As luck would have it, Junior is lame not due to a leg issue but because on Tuesday I vaccinated him and administered it in the right pectoral. Poor guy has a huge uniboob and clearly is sore on that side. I did go ahead and saddle him up since the saddle just came today with a limited trial period and worked him lightly with the hope that I could get a feel for the saddle but also that exercise might help work out some of the inflammation. There does seem to be better allowance for Junior's shoulder movement however I'm concerned that because this saddle had hind/back gussets that it's too long despite being 16.5. The only plus was when I took the saddle off, Junior's sweat pattern was clearly covering all the right areas without extending to places it shouldn't and no dry spots. Hopefully Junior's lameness/swelling/inflammation will subside soon so we can really see if this saddle is the answer.

[Moutaineer]

I got my bronze, Chisamba. Then I broke my foot... I didn't get a lot of showing in last year. I think I'll start out at third again this year (June before we really get started with shows here,) with a goal to do 4.1 by the end of the year. But, yeah. Depends how hot it gets and how motivated I feel

We have spent the week walking under tack. I'm sure it's good for us. Potters is striding out well at the walk, nice and loose in his back, free in his shoulder. The vet will be out on Tuesday so he should be back to work by the end of the week. Which will be a good thing as I can sense a certain boredom and need for adding some entertainment to his day. (He got loose when he was being brought in the other day and went for a merry dance through the property in the snow, so he's obviously not that sore... Bad boy!)

We have EHV in the state. Sigh. There have been several cases about 50 miles away. I don't know how much of a crimp it's going to put in everyone's plans this year.

[StraightForward]

Wooh, I got to ride today! The arena is still pretty sloppy, but at least we could W/T/C. Thursday we were plodding around on the buckle just breaking up the snow, but I made the best of it by seeing how subtle I could be with my aids and still steer accurately. T started out a little sticky today, and we had to have a discussion about getting in front of my leg. After she got moving though, we had a really good ride, considering it was our first "real" ride in probably three weeks. She started out just a little sticky in canter but worked out of it. Saddle still seems to be good, and she is much more willing to rein-back. It used to be that the first one was always terrible, and then they would get slightly better. Today, if anything, she just went back too many steps on the first attempt. Second attempt she stayed on my seat and did three prompt steps, then right forward again. We are supposed to get more rain tonight, but nice weather is in the forecast, so I'm excited to start riding more regularly!

Exvet, good luck with the saddle search. I wonder if the gusset could be taken in a bit, or the flocking just softened up in the back to shorten up the weight bearing surface? I know the struggle of trying to find something within such narrow specs.

[exvet]

I don't know SF. I'm leaning towards keeping the saddle because it really puts me right in the correct spot and gives Junior the shoulder freedom he needs. Unfortunately my gut instinct is correct on the length because he's getting rubs on his croup like he did with my Albion several years ago. I'll call my fitter on Monday and see what she thinks.

[Chisamba]

Go get your silver Moutaineer!! sorry I missed or forgot your bronze.

So I have been attempting to identify one thing that whomever I am riding is seeking to avoid, that is detracting from the connection and response to the aids. And then fixing, as in supporting the horse to do that one thing and be comfortable it.

In simple terms, if it tends to hang on a rein, its probably avoiding contact in the other. If the horse loses impulsion with left bend is probably not stepping under with the left hind. I am trying to identify the thing that is causing the problem, rather than focusing on the problem. It's been a really interesting way to solve long standing issues. So I realize that Saiph has always ducked in the canter. I can get the flying changes and the half passes but she feels behind the leg. So instead of kicking i tried to work.out what she is avoiding by slowing down and getting downhill. So I got really ugly. I asked her to stay poll highest and nose out into contact. Wow. What a mess that became. If anyone of you ever ride in a Galop lesson I basically channeled her hands high and wide asking the horse to seek the middle, into the canter. It did not go well. But I persisted I simply asked her to gallop up and out. Just gallop, just go forward uphill. Ever done such a thing? It was probably the most undressage thing ever. Surely every horse can gallop with its poll up and it's nose out? The bronze mare was horrified. Horrified i tell you, and this indicated to me that there was some value in persisting. The fact today just the first time the weather had been above the freeze probably fueled my desires to gallop. Ah well, all of my Spanish riding school instructors are as horrified as Saiph. I'll let you know if i unlocked something or flubbed.

[blob]

Glad you got some better riding conditions, SF! It's been a similar struggle down here.

Exvet, i'm sorry the saddle search drama might be ongoing for you. I am lucky that even though I have two small ones, neither has an especially short back, in fact RP is a bit long in the back. This causes other problems, but it does mean I have decent space for a 17" saddle and probably could even go to 17.5" in some models.

Chisamba, I think getting to the 'why' of the problem is interesting and useful. I will be curious to see how your next ride with Saiph is. Does she jump at all/do you think she would be safe to jump? I wonder if some jumping might get her up and open in front of the leg. You could even set up a jump chute if you don't want to be on board.

Sadly the clinic was cancelled/postponed this weekend. But I was able to get a lesson scheduled for today, so still some learning to be had. Instructor is really trying to get sharp and specific on RP's straightness or lack of it, i should say. They are micro things, but tracking right when you ask him to bend he tends to put his haunches out slightly, if you think of doing more of a haunches in feeling, he will duck out of contact and get chompy on the bit. Tracking left he leans against the left leg, but when you push him off, he also lets his right shoulder fall out. he also throws me too much on the left tracking left, so I need to sit more centered. We also work on collecting the trot. First doing trot-walk transitions -- really keeping his hind end active in a slower walk, almost trying to get him piaffy behind. And then coming to almost walk to get that bouncy activity behind for a couple strides before letting him go into normal trot. Some really good moments, and some less successful attempts. But even if every attempt at that very collected/buoyant trot wasn't successful, it did improve the trot over all. And then worked on CC. His right lead is far more adjustable than the left lead, so it was easy to keep the CC really collected and straight this way. Tracking left, he was more prone to either being a little too strung out or falling out of the canter if I really asked him to sit. So that is homework. Will probably not school changes for another week and then come back to it when left lead CC feels a bit better.

[Chisamba]

Blob, Saiph does jump, she enjoys poles, she is not careful over jumps and hangs her knees which is why her early career as a hunter was scrapped for rapid rushed dressage training to sell. She is hunter bred , Redwine is absolutely a hunter presuming stallion. She was shown hunter in hand as a youngster. And in the 2'6 as a green hunter. Then they threw herb in worth a FEI dressage trainer who quickly threw in piaffe and she was marketed as dressage. All of this long before she became my horse. She was bought by a friend of mine who rode and continued with her training and had some of the same problems I have. Then it was decided that she had something wrong with her neck, and she was injected with steroids and already insulin resistant so she foundered. It was in recovering her from laminitis that she came to me. In the process of her recovery she became mine. Her insulin resistance and tendency to eatvrather too well is a long term problem, as is the care of her feet post laminitis. But I don't think she has ever dully overcome the change from hunter to dressage and I think her previous owner likely had it right guessing that they're is some discomfort in her neck. But I think most of the discomfort is this. She doesn't believe she can go forward uphill into contact. She is very willing and able to be freely forward downhill. I have considered it might be pain. I have had both good vets and quacks look atvl at her. Chiropractic, laser , acupuncture, etal but I think its emotional. She is not a confident horse. Poll highest nose out should be her most comfortable position. It's every horses natural stance. Only it isnt.

[blob]

Thanks, Chisamba, I'm sure you're shared all of this context/information before but it's nice to get the refresher.

If the ducking is linked to her hunter history, then I take back my jumping suggestion as it likely won't help. It may not be pain, but the emotional block could still be making it physically hard-- muscle memory, strength, etc. I think you are also saying this, so not sharing anything new to what you are already thinking.

When she canters at liberty does she also put her head down?

[exvet]

Well the saddle went back to the seller but I'm finding I might have better luck shopping overseas either in the UK or Australia. Even with shipping, the price for used is much better on the model I want. Since kids riding welsh cobs is much more of an 'in' thing in both places I hope I might get lucky and score the right size for Junior and the right size for me (plus I'm finding the Aussie tack stores are far better at providing all the needed measurements in their ads). I actually broke down and rode in my Albion SLK on him today. I figured one day's use won't hurt him plus I used the Winderen pad. He most definitely needs a model with shoulder relief/cut back shoulder - the amount of reach he has and the difference is amazing. There was a whole lot more go and forward in him with the Ideal though (compared to the antares and/or the Albion)............now just to find the right size. I feel like damn Goldilocks lost in the forest still searching for that stinkin' cabin in the woods.

[Chisamba]

Goodness Exvet you are in saddle finding hell aren't you.

Blob, if she is anxious spooky or sees something distant she can and does the giraffe imitation. If she and Kimba are galloping around playing at liberty she tends to be level where as kimba tends to be head high.

I agree with your thoughts, on physical versus mental . Today she seemed to understand that she could canter up and out and it was very freeing of he musculature, she seemed to go forward more comfortably. Many things have happened that i haven't detailed. But she can be making beautiful progress and then just shut down. I can ask her to do something she has done effortlessly many times and is really good at and with out a reason i can understand she will just tighten up stop going forward and hop up and down, sometimes acreason I can understand but can't prevent.

[Moutaineer]

How frustrating, exvet.

Saiph and Potters have much in common, Chisamba. Ask them for just that little bit more than they are prepared to give at that moment, and their heads explode.

Glorious warmer, blue sky, muddy as heck day today. Several of the horses came in from turnout to go to work with a distinct gleam in their eye. Including mine! We took one look at him prancing and snorting on the cross ties and said, nope... not getting on that! So he had a bit of a riot on the lunge instead. I don't entirely approve, but he really did need to bust out some moves, apparently. He was flat-footed calm and relaxed to walk afterwards.

The trot on the lunge, while forward, is short-strided and lacking his normal brilliance, though, so I am glad we have the vet tomorrow. (Who has just let me know he won't be there until 6pm, so that blows my yoga class out of the water. Wah. First world problems.)

[StraightForward]

LOL T was a monster yesterday too. I got to the barn and ppl said she was doing her dressage moves in her pen, so lunging was on the menu. She demonstrated her signature move of bucking while leaping backwards. Decent ride after she got it all out. The arena needs to drain more and get groomed though.

[goldhorse]

Lovely weather here. Don't hate me I was going to do lots of riding this week in preparation for a clinic on Saturday but then things went awry. I had a MRI with contrast yesterday for a wrist problem. The IV blew out during the contrast injection. I thought I was going to pass out from the pain. So I'm left with a super swollen elbow and a hematoma to end all hematomas. Hopefully the swelling will reabsorb quickly and I'll be back on track. Otherwise, I'll have to ride one-handed.

[Chisamba]

Well goldhorse, that sounds most counter productive!! I hope you heal soon.

Moutaineer and Straightforward, I'm a great proponent of safety first longing. Especially when it's been icy and little opportunity for the horses to blow off steam in their fields.
I feel like I'm on a good track with the bronze mare. In fact it feels so productive I rode everyone a bit up and out today but into even contact in each rein before asking for a more traditional roundness.

[StraightForward]

I like to say that sometimes lunging is the better part of valor.

Tonight was good. Lightbulb moment realizing I'm blocking with my seatbone in the left halfpass. Duh. Tomorrow I should have more time to set up some jump gymnastics.

[heddylamar]

My last lesson turned into 35 minutes of lunging, 10 minutes of riding. She was safe, and had finally learned to stretch down, when I finally got on. 50+ mph wind gusts make for an exciting mare!

[Moutaineer]

Sick. Very sore throat, body aches, head full of wool. DH has had this for a week, so i suppose it was inevitable. I hope it doesn't last that long for me.

[Aleuronx]

Not a ghost but a gypsy... Annual work meeting in Florida got book-ended by a visit with a dear friend in the horsie carnival that is Wellington, Florida. Seeing the Freestyle night at Global live versus livestream was great fun in addition to watching those way braver than I jump the big jumps at the 5* International. Plus some chill time at tack stores (I only purchased a belt) and watching my trainer teach in the warm sunshine.

Sorry you are sick Moutaineer! I am amazed with all the travel/big group outings etc that I seemingly dodged every ick bullet. Others in the company did not as evidenced by multiple meetings this week with different people turning up ragged at best. Fingers crossed I am free and clear.

Exvet sending you all the good saddle universe vibes. Since I knew I was away for a bit and Kora on break, as discussed at our last fit check I sent my saddle away to have complete strip and reflock. It was a smart decision as she ended up reinforcing some stitching on girth billets that couldn't be seen unless saddle taken apart. No, I would not like girth to bust randomly from saddle thank you very much.

I'm either brave or stupid (or both??) as I clipped Kora's full neck/chest and once saddle returned hopped on straight away after she had 10 days to be feral and snow intermittently falling off indoor roof. Luckily she was the happiest worker bee to get back to it. I am giving her some grace to get back to loads of work but touching on the very collected piro canter with transitions in/out and tackling the tempis where she wants to brace in the 3rd change in the sequence and take over. One 10m circle off the diagonal after that 3rd change and wow did she listen and wait more on the next diagonal. Lesson #2378 learned again: deviations to the aids should be dealt with early and often

[Chisamba]

Wow, Feb is over and spring has sprung. Well not for Americans who use astrological spring, but for those of us who live metereologically. I accomplished both more, and less, in the first two months of the year than expected. Zero clinics, many weeks of deep freeze led to greater accomplishments in slow work. More work on contact and connection and less accomplishment in canter, flying changes or anything canter. I did ride eight times today, first time this year, and I can still walk . So I close our Feb both accomplished and with much to improve.

[Lipsmackerpony88]

Okay, January and February was mostly a bust for us between never ending illnesses and bitter cold. Thankfully now we are healthy and the weather is beautiful for now. I got a few rides in and Lynx was wonderful. Hopefully spring will be much more productive for us.

[exvet]

As you all know this go has been mostly a bust for me. I absolutely have to get the entire scab off of Junior's contact and forward issues and then hopefully it will heal so-to-speak. I don't think I can competently accomplish that until I have the saddle issue resolved. I do have another saddle coming from Canada that is supposed to arrive on Wednesday. I'm still riding and have chosen to work on basics that do not require Junior to work in much more than a training/first level frame. I think this is really not a bad thing at all and will see if this actually allows us to effectively fill our hole in the foundation.

[Moutaineer]

I'm still not feeling great, unfortunately. I'm missing the clinic this weekend.

Potters went back to work Thursday and Friday (in beautiful weather, sigh) and I'm told he was a superstar. So I'm hoping I feel well enough by Monday to get back on and enjoy his newly-lubed self.

We are having a few days of false spring here which is good for everyone's psyche, and will make the lousy weather still to come a bit more bearable, I hope.

However, a quick recap of January and February leads me to thinking we did get some work done as planned, at least in the first six weeks. It's always a difficult period to make much progress what with the weather and general crankiness of all concerned.

Out of the saddle, I've put in a lot of work on myself. I've been watching what I eat and have lost about 9lbs so far, and until I got sick, I've been working out, walking much more and have started doing yoga consistently. The core work has very much helped my seat and position. I'm looking forward to getting back to it!

[blob]

Time to close out with mixed results

Goals for these couple of months:

Me:
Continue to find good work/riding balance
Eat well
Get stronger/fitter

MM:
Figure out fecal water and stop it
Get her weight in a better place
Get in shape
Enjoy her

RP:
Use the equiband at least 2x a week
work on changes
Get in 1-2 lessons a month
ride through some test
Work on HPs

[StraightForward]

I'm just glad this period is over. All in all, it turned out pretty good - rode most of January, and got to go on an out of town adventure to get a few lessons. Acquired new saddles. Was pretty consistent about getting to the gym 3x a week. Eating was OK but could still be better. I'm afraid my wine intake has been a bit much since the inauguration. Only got one ride in on Kyra, the actual day Susan was cleared to ride.

Happy New Year!

Riding goals this period are simple - ride when the opportunity presents itself. Try to get a lesson or two if at all possible. At least the days are starting to get longer! If weather allows it, I might ride Kyra a bit as well while Susan is recovering from surgery.


SELF:
Diet and fitness will be my goal this period, since I can control that more than riding conditions.
Minimum 3, preferably 4 workouts per week.
Identify and address imbalances and weaknesses.
Take a break from wine for a few weeks.
Prioritize getting more movement during the workday.
More veggies and protein.

[Moutaineer]

I think you get a pass on the wine, SF.

[Tanga]

I feel pretty good in that I am now riding both horses, even though two days in a row is a lot and I'm tired. I'm planning on qualifying both for champs one more time. I'll see the neurologist next week, but I'm OK with coming out of it with bulging discs that won't get much better, because it's a lot better than where I thought I was going. Both horses doing well. I'm very, very slowly maybe dropping a little weight and doing my exercise class four days a week and walking the horses to and from the pasture most days.

[Aleuronx]

Same here, glad to see the backend of these two months. I set myself appropriate goals but have to say I love the succeeded on “enjoy her” of yours blob.

Mini-ppe went swimmingly so no ‘stuff’ was needed, we will continue with Adequan, poles and hill work. Saddle is prepped and will get fitting adjusted in April.

Section goals:
Hack when safe Lots of fun was had out in the snow
Shoulders up in the trot when we rode we tackled this bit by bit
Keep a running cadence Running bit by bit, kept fit enough to run with morning run work peeps each day at the meetings

[heddylamar]

Riding:
– Continue the regular lessons (today's was invaluable!) Add in working with the eventer, and Sundays afternoons for working equitation. Every other week, and it's been fantastic! I have a whole new horse I'm shelving jumping until I get the muscle spasms under control.
– Get out to ride 3-4 times during the week ... that's complicated by work, light, and cold, but it's do-able. I just need to get over the fact it's dark and cold. I have to be semi-presentable by 10 AM, and the barn opens at 7:30 and is a 20 minute drive. No time to dally! Mostly successful ... except when it was windy AF + bitter cold. That's just too miserable for everyone.

Me:
– Use the DH's tonal 1-2 times/week. Totally failed at this. But I have added more core workouts to address the muscle spasms in my lower back/hi.

[khall]

My goal of covered arena build was completed and I got to use it in February for our Cedar clinic. It’s going to be a great addition to the farm.

I got some work done with all 3 I’m riding. Lots of in hand stuff. Clinic was fabulous! All 3 were so good. Even Gaila who is transitioning back into a riding horse after being a brood mare these last couple of years.

Me my diet sucks but I’m continuing on with Pilates and progressing in the work.

Looking forward to spring warmth!