The final countdown

This was taken in October.

May is now three times as big and ony three months remain until something appears at her side. Despite waddling when she trots, she still keeps up (usually out runs them as well) with a very large herd of Haflinger youngsters and manages to keep all ten of them in line.

Here's hoping that baby will stay a pony and have the grit its mother has.

Old school

I'm taking a break from the usual updates to address something that has been rumbling in the back of my mind.

Not too long ago, I had enough dressage theory beat in to me via dressage judge and schoolmaster. A lot, if not all remains strong.

In my teenage years, I was a strong, capable, headstrong, fearless rider. I'm still strong (mind and body), I'm still capable, I just have a little bit more fear of God instilled in me and much more experience beyond a trained horse.

When I started the sport, I had my reins and my stirrups taken away and I was kept on the lunge for a solid year. Eventually I schooled up to fourth with enough collection to do PSG on said schoolmaster (with stirrups and reins), and in the end, it was well worth the time spent. I understood much more of the fundamentals than if I didn't take the time.

I found out that the basics never go out of style.

Despite being a product of the old-school German system, I'll admit that I dabbled across the boarder to the French ideals. In the end, I'm still a general product of the German school of thought and scale.

Recently there have been flair ups here and there with the blogs I visit and the whole classical versus modern dressage ideals. Discussions like this usually put the two head schools (French and German) not only at odds with each other, and usually involve lots of evoking of the old Gods, random examples, experiments in physics and the e-word: emotions.

The world is changing in my sport, it has been for the past 10 years due to the advancement of technology and access to information. Things the ODG's wouldn't really would have seen coming, or have expected, but would have strived to incorporate anyways.

With the flood of info and debunk, people are becoming confused, using, trying, incorporating new ways in the sport. They're looking for a universal answer for all horses. Some successful and some are epic fails. But still they try no less.

Technology has busted some pretty big myths recently and it's only going to get more interesting as the years wax on. I honestly look forward to a lot of this because it not only provides my geeky side cool stuff to play with, but helps me expand as a rider and trainer.

In my ten plus years as a dressage rider, and twenty plus years as "just a rider" I've found that no one school of thought is the be all end all of producing a top competitor and that very few methods that are truly "wrong" or "evil". Like raising a child, it takes a village.

It is our responsibility as riders, trainers, and people to use the tools/methods at our disposal responsibly, to recognize when certain tools are not for every horse (that every horse is not the same), but beyond our capabilities. It is our responsibility to try to incorporate different things, ideals and try to understand why certain methods work or don't work for certain people and horses. Its important to learn and ride adjustably, learn to recongize the elements of a "good outline" in different horses, but what it feels like.

But above all, we must learn to be open minded. That, for a lack of a better saying, there are many roads to Rome, and no one way is the right way. To close out without fully understanding is not only short sighted but, defeatist and does no one any good in the end.

Baby is on the level

After a year and a half I sucked it up and went to physical therapy (PT).

Three years ago today, I was physically dumped by my young horse. He managed to give me a concussion, and two dislocated shoulders on a soppy wet Valentine's Day. I managed to pop my shoulders back into place (youthful stupidity), get on for another two minutes and get home.

I didn't start feeling the effects until three months down the road when I couldn't really sleep on my right side or breath truly deeply.

My PT-ist came recommended by the girl who does Sinari's work. He is also a rider, and has a dressage background.

I went consistently for six months before I felt utterly broke and really, really, really good.

Roll around a year and a half later (now), I felt like a cripple.

Falling off, walking on my current surface and riding babies took its toll. My shoulders locked, I felt my neck sinking into my chest, and my lower back tight enough to bounce quarters off of it. I felt like a real life Picasso painting.

So I sucked it up. I called my PT person.

I spent an solid hour and change on the table doing and having hard adjustments on my body. For the first ten hours it felt great, then the soreness kicked in, and that wasn't so good. But it's evened out.

Lo!

It worked. Not 100 percent (still want to pitch forward) and I'm due in four weeks. But it did wonders for my attitude and riding.

The mare instantly responded, the haunches in on the right became much easier. The lesson was fabulous today, working on half steps to super collected to pirouette work. In the end we were working on transitions in and out of the gaits.

Next week though we kick off the season. Doing second level test two. The goal is to bump up in June.

On the side bar, I'm looking into GOV registration for both mares. If not GOV then ISR and/or RPSI. Sinari will easily make Elite mare status in a year's time. May's get will have to speak volumes, but if conditioned correctly she should at least make second book.

Shaved pony

Since the weather turned a bit south (rain) for the day but still was warm, I thought I touch up the pony's styling. We have a show in a week, and frankly I don't want to look like we pulled ourselves out of the field from po-dunk.

The problem with ponies in general is that they love to prepare for the winter. Even if they live in the south. Sinari grows hers starting in October, and doesn't stop until woolly mammoth status is fully achieved. Next to her barn mates (Quarter Horses), she is a giant teddy bear.

She was initially clipped in October because she was in full work and cooling out/coping with the odd weather changes is just too much. I have only recently recovered from the initial shave, only to repeat it again today with much amusement.

The body clippers I was using temporarily died (the motor would turn but the blades wouldn't), so because the mare was tranqued, and I paid for it, I wasn't going to let a perfectly good moment go to waste. I went to my backup clippers, that were meant to be used for just jowels, fetlocks and minor work.

It was like polishing a hallway with a toothbrush.

I managed to get a little under half done, silently praying that the damn things wouldn't fall apart or the blades wouldn't crap out.

Someone in the karma department took pity on me and sent a friend with much more knowledgeable mechancial know-how came by, fixed them and I was back in business, finished clipping two hours later, covered in hair and removing the two pounds of it off the floor.

I have to say though, this is my sixth time body clipping Sinari, and her coat hasn't looked this fabulous. I've been feeding Glazen 5, a coat supplement. I've fed coat supplements before (oil, black as knight, flax, ect) without much success. A friend tossed Glazen over to me in sample packets, and I reupped them in the Smartpak form for the last three months.

On the side I really didn't think it would work, I thought it was just another supplement. But the deep bloom even in her long winter coat was there, but I really didn't see it until I clipped her completely out. Even under the low lights she glowed under her muscles.

Can't help but smile with a beautiful mare.

Afterward I headed on over to see May, now in her 8th month. Bigger, more pregnant than ever. Part of me is excited about this. another part of me is ultra scared about the results. But either way, her time is quickly approaching whether I like it or not.

When the whole world smiles

I forgot about regular life for a bit during the weekend.

You know, bills, torrential weather, money, collapsing economy and stupid people who don't call your insurance back, the entire usual gauntlet of stuff that occupies my desk on a day-to-day basis it was forgotten for the most part and it was just me and the ponies.

I guess it was the weather that allowed me to breathe a temporary sigh of relief. It's been an unusually warm few days.

Saturday was lesson day at the barn, worked on a number of fun things, pirouettes, half pass, cleaning up transitions to and from. The mare was incredibly game, putting it all in under a thick fur coat and warm weather.

We also had an audience from the past. A couple of friends who knew Sinari when she was younger, and then saw her go for the first time in five years. It's a bit of an ego stroke to hear the compliments.

Also got to hash out some other stuff and gained new perspective.

Sunday was equally productive with mostly canter work, emphasis on the ultra-collected and throwing in lateral movements.

Today though it was drama-central between lame horses, catching up, making plans, website re-design, ect. that the little euphoric bubble I carried throughout the weekend popped into a giant sized headache. Nothing seems to be going exactly as planned.

Then car repair people came in with quotes. Overall I'm looking at a 1,000 with all the repairs ala dealership (that's without the tires). Meaning I'm going to have to become really clever with how I'm going to do this.

I was thinking the obvious first:
-Seatbelts
-Tires
-Breaks

Then the not-so-obvious:
-Bumper
-Hitch

So I'm looking into buying my own parts, and just paying for service. Seatbelts, which would normally retail for 300 total, I know I can get the entire thing for 24 via web. Breaks and pads would run around 100 for parts, and the bumper would run around 200. This is without shipping and doing an initial search.

So 624 plus labor (tack on 200) is still less than 1,000.

Go me.

With that bill coming, another bill is soon-to-be paid off. Cardi's fee is 100 shy of completing out (much to both breeder and my own excitement). This also begins another round of other payments.

Speaking of the pappa to be, he recently cliniced with Debbie McD to a lot of success. Debbie is gaining success with ponies lately and I'm trying to arrange something so we get a pony only clinic series going.

Hopefully, it can come to fruition. But for now I'm back tabling it until some things clear.

Tuning the Ferrari

The weather finally warmed above twenty to get back to it again.

Actually the weather went from quite literally from zero to 50 in a day and everything (and for the most part everyone) is on the melt down.

Getting on Sinari is always the highlight of the day, but occasionally the Ferrari does need tuning. I'm huge fan of small forward and half halting aides. I love forward horses that are just naturally hotter.

I don't blame the girl for being a little dull, when we work on something new, occasionally we do it at the sacrifice of something else (only to be re-incorporated later).

But lately I noted how much leg I had to use to get her into the trot when we first started. The canter work was the same way. What I could do with a bit of driving seat and upper thigh now took my lower leg and heel.

We went back to the basics yesterday. My favorite of these exersises is the kick sled. Premise is that the horse should go forward on its own from a light aid, and continious stay there until the half halt.

So it goes:
Application of the aid, go, go, go, go, slow down, aid, go, go, go, go, rise, wash repete.

But to get to the kick sled there needs to be a response to the aids.

So I apply the light aid, no response.

Apply the whip. Go forward, immediately reward. Rinse and repete, both ways.

Same with the half halt. If she didn't immediately respond, she was halted, backed up and sent forward again.

Combining this with stay straight and even under me, while staying soft in the neck, it was a very productive session and in the end, she was lighter, through and much more respectful to not only the driving aids but to the lateral ones as well.

The message was very clear, respond to the whisper and not to the shout and you cannot negotiate your way out of what I ask.

Bumper cars

When I thought the week couldn't get any more sour (aside from weather and not riding), I was rear-ended by a SUV driving woman while I was stopped at a stop light. She got the bumper, the hitch receiver. I got her head light and the majority of her front bumper.

Trucks are a lot tougher than they look.

My truck is an older truck (1996), and I've driven it through a lot. I've managed to take care of it the best I can. Its not only my day-to-day vehicle, but my hauling vehicle.

I hold my horses lives more valuable than my own. It is because of this, I have the hitch inspected and the breaks done yearly. She jeopardized the integrity of the hitch, and really jeopardized my ability to haul safely for this year.

So I filed the claim and I'm waiting.

But frankly, I'm still annoyed. Really annoyed. I can't afford a new(er) truck yet, and I'm saving as quickly as I can for another while expanding my portfolio of bloodstock and DOW stocks.

Speaking of things that haul, I'm eying the F250, so I have the alternative of hauling with the gooseneck.

I did manage to get on Sinari today. She felt wonderful for having a week off.