New year, new goals! Jan/Feb 2020

[Moutaineer]

Back in the saddle again... whoopee!

The leg is still a bit hard and filled but goes down with exercise, so we are taking it pretty carefully, but he is sound at WTC and pushing off and using his hind end well. He's on previcox for a month to help with the residual inflammation as well, and I'm sousing it in linament and massaging every day.

His neck still looks a bit lumpy, but he's not sore when you poke at it and is quite happy to come on the bit. Interestingly, his coat on his neck doesn't look good at all---he's normally very shiny and sleek, so it's noticeable to me.

What an ordeal. Just as well horses are forgiving creatures.

[Rosie B]

I have something exciting to share!! Flying changes!! Bliss is still figuring them out but we got clean ones several times in each direction in my lesson this morning.

Yay! Feels pretty great to be at that point. .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S3KqI6LNtg

Edited to add: Mountaineer - glad you're back in the saddle! Sorry you've had a rough go.

[Dresseur]

Rosie, those are some lovely changes!!! He looks like it comes very naturally to him

[demi]

Yes!! Rosie, that IS exciting! And thanks for sharing the videos.Bliss is looking better than ever.

[demi]

I was hoping to be able to spiral in from a 20m at trot to a 10 m and then pick up canter on the 10m by my lessson tomorrow but that’s not going to happen so soon. I feel like it’s close though. At the last lesson in order to even attempt it I needed to shorten my reins by 3-4 inches in addition to slowing the trot and Rocky was not a willing partner in this. Back at home, I needed a day to get her “happy” again, then several more days to get the reins shorter (but only about 2 inches) and the trot slower. Once I got that, when I asked for canter, it was noticeably more balanced. So I just started asking for trot-canter or walk canter on the full arena as opposed to 20m to 10m circle. I am really happy about this new shorter rein feel.

I really feel that we had another breakthrough this week and hope my trainer notices at my lesson tomorrow!l If she wants me to try that exercise again, I may just ask her for a couple more weeks before I have to try it again.

[piedmontfields]

Love reading your updates, Demi. Lots of good progress! And Rosie, you and Bliss look wonderful. Very happy for you! Edited to add that the Laddie update is a relief.

Yesterday, I was mud walking. Reference: https://eventingnation.com/tuesday-vide ... -fox-pitt/

[StraightForward]

Moutaineer, glad you are back in the saddle.

Rosie, congratulations on the flying changes!

Rides on Annabelle are getting incrementally better. I'm lunging her outdoors so she can get used to working when there are horses in the pasture, people are moving wheelbarrows and hoses, etc. Yesterday we got to do some actual schooling at the trot, riding a few loops and spiral in/spiral outs. In walk, my new favorite exercise for her is CSI around the short side, then a few steps of CSI straight, straighten, LY away from the wall, then SI the other way a few steps and then HP towards the other wall. In the small arena, this has a nice flow because given the right amount of each movement, the HP can go right into CSI around the other short side to ride it in the other direction.

[Ponichiwa]

We made it through Jan/Feb!

I'd had a pretty ambitious slate of things on the docket for these two months, and it'll be a depressing roll-call to check against actual accomplishments. So in the spirit of always-forward-never-back, here's what we managed to do these past 8-9 weeks:

Queso:
- Went to his first schooling show at TL. Came out with 64-65% rides. Feeling pretty good.
- Got his first set of front shoes thanks to intermittent soaking wet/bone dry weather causing some cracks. The first 2 weeks he spent trying not to make any noise while walking on the cement barn aisle. Pretty solid entertainment factor.
- Working on installing a lengthened trot. Right now: cutest hustle on the planet


Kiwi:
- Gave me polite and prompt 1/2 pirouettes and several lines of related-stride (5s, 4s, one set of 3s) changes several rides in a row
- Working on keeping the neck long and brisket up during all upper-level work

Me:
- Worked out 4-5x/week all Jan/Feb
- Worked too much.

[blob]

Oh gosh, I can't believe this chunk of time is already over.

Ponichiwa--congrats on the schooling show! Sounds like lots of progress all around!
Flight--those changes look lovely. Consider me jealous!

Here's how the period worked out for me:


Goals:

--Figure out what's going on with RP's head tossing and get it sorted (he's had teeth done, ulcers checked, tomorrow is the saddle fitter, and then this weekend bodywork--may not be physical, but want to make sure I can rule it all out):

I think we've made good progress on this, but it's definitely not gone yet. I think this is the default thing he goes to when he's not going well in some place. Meaning, if he's crooked or behind the leg, or dropped, or stiff, etc he'll head toss.

--Get some trailer loading time in with MM

I did this! And I need a lot more of this!

--Finally get my saddle with MM fixed (it's still not right...siiighhhh)

Fixed as much as it can be fixed. Still don't love it, but will work with it for now.