One isn't the loneliest number

One year ago on May 16th a much anticipated colt arrived late into the world. 

Tell me where the light is

With the rain and the dreary, it's hard to be motivated to walk to the indoor.

Yes I can be lazy too.

The good news is that it looks like there will be at least two cuttings of hay prior to June. That is, if it stops raining.

The work after the acupuncture has been going very well. She is much better about the double and the forward and back work. The lateral work came late in the week is a little bit of fuss and the changes... well... the changes are there, but since we've upped the anti on them, things have been slow to develop. Pony negotiation tactics.

We did manage to pull off several really nice working pirouettes, and she has a much better piaffe. This week looks more like a sharpening week where we work on transitions in and out of the gaits and the never ending battle of lateral work.

On pins and needles

Last week I spent a little time in the saddle, and most of it on the ground.

I've started what I've promised to start- a support program to help maintain the pony through the hard work ahead.

We ended the week well enough, still stuck in the same problems, but coming along. I paused Wednesday through Friday for three full days of equine and human physical therapy.

Truth is, FEI in any discipline is hard work. It demands the most out of the partnership, it is unforgiving as it is rewarding.

My normal routine with Sinari pre-ride involves stretching, a bit of tapping and a few other things, post ride is bath, and aqua therapy (technical term for cold hosing legs). She is fed supplements, and has regular massage/chiro work done. I have regular body work done as well.

But we were plateauing in some areas. 

We've taken it one step further- we've added acupuncture to the venture.

Prior to the first session I was a serious skeptic. It seemed more like bunk science than anything else. But considering the source (my vet), I bit.

For about an hour, the good doctor palped, pushed and poked the pony. She put needles in various spots, with B-12 in the tips, wiggled a few around, removed and repeated everything. She cracked a few spots in the lower spine, adjusted her neck, and managed, beyond my belief to accurately diagnose the problems we have been having for the past three weeks without seeing Sinari jog a single step.

When it was all said and done, I was sold. The pony's posture improved dramatically, her range of motion was huge and she was twice as relaxed. Her joints were flat, and even after three hard rides, she was non-reactive across her back.

I about nearly cried. If you have the chance, get acupuncture done.

101 Things: Number 93: Schoolmaster

One of the best things a rider can do for themselves is the gift of education.

Education comes in many forms, books, DVDs, media, forums, instruction, symposium, and a variety of sources but usually, the best is something that has been there, done that and knows the ropes.

Enter the schoolmaster.

These are university professors reincarnated into horse form. They know all the movements, they know how to do them correctly and they know that you don't know any of it.

Usually they are the unassuming 12 plus year old geldings that is a little too worn out of the showing, but still too young for full retirement, who has a low level of tolerance for mistakes and green riders, but won't bury them near the bushes. These equine gems are worth their weight in gold, teaching correct feel, execution and how to ask for specific movements.

The title isn't limited to ex-FEI horses, you can have a schoolmaster who is great from level to level.

The benefit is riders become stronger, more knowledgeable with their aids, gain more confidence through asking for more advance movements and a stronger seat, which translates down the levels to green horses. 

If you have the opportunity especially to ride the upper level masters, do so. You'll thank yourself in the end.

No one said it was easy

April lent itself to more schooling, more lessons and undoubtably more work to do.

Sinari, as she is fitting up, is becoming stronger in the FEI work. While I doubt that will be confirming PSG by fall, we will most likely be to that point to run through the entire test.

I've begun to think about next year already, which is unfortunate because this year isn't half way done yet. I would like to be at Devon if we qualify, the CDI in my backyard and with the Gladstone Pony Championships getting underway, I would like to attempt to qualify for those as well.

To compete with the best, you train not only as smart as you can, but as hard and with the best. I feel incredibly lucky to receive two opportunities to go out and play. First is with Christoph Hess, the I Judge, the second, I can't announce yet, but just being able to sit on the sidelines and watch him in action is something I couldn't imagine happening.

Recapping April:

Her pirouette work has come a long way, her left is better than her right, but she is turning, and with the dozen or so new exercises that Sharon and Patience have given me to work on the next 30 days,  my favorite of which is the canter-walk-canter transition in the pirouette. Sinari doesn't think it so amusing.

Half pass has improved ten fold, but still needs work. I think it's due to me finally learning to deflect the outside shoulder an sweep the outside hind under. She's more straight, and vertical but gets a little cranky still. We managed to pull off a number of good ones in recent weeks.

Half halts better, not as bad, but still need to be sharper.

 

More educated transitions through the gaits came late this month thanks again to Patience who had us road trotting around the arena to transition to passage-y steps back out to road trot medium. Sharon capitalized on it, working in and out of half steps making sure that the transitions run clear.

 

Saddle that fits properly. I finally got something as an in-between of the Duett and a custom. Vicky lent me her old Ideal Jessica, which fits far better (except it needs extra girth holes) than the Duett. Sinari has an appointment with County in two weeks. Can't wait to start rolling with them.

 

I didn't get to school through PSG at least once, but we schooled a number of things from it.

 

And we're back in the double bridle two to three days a week.

May's goals are:

Four and three time changes (we do them but I'm not counting them)

Pirouette and half pass.

Transitions, transitions and more transitions

Piaffe/passage

All hung up

Since my stint at Rolex and with the clinic, the small lad has not had much time to train or be handled between rounds. I was lucky to go out and scratch his neck before I disappeared into the fog of a weekend.

The young man must have had ants in his pants because a friend called to say he became hung up on a board on the fence. He's alright, and while he's no worse for wear, his halter needs replacing.

It was about time, he was growing out of the old one with the crown on it's last holes and the halter itself being on its last legs. No bother, go to my old tack trunk and find another.

Now it's the end of April and just the start of may and what did we accomplish? Much of nothing except a little triangle work. So more of April in May and only 15 days till his big 0-1!

If you want a revolution, evolve.

The week prior to Rolex is always the hardest. I'm on call for the event to cover the event, and this year we had massive freezes.

The karma was well rewarded- I not only experienced excellent shopping, I picked up a number of potential sponsors along the way for the Team. I'm happy.

The week lent itself to a lack of riding, so when my partner and I hosted our kickoff clinic with Patience Prine-Carr and a rider dropped at last minute, the pony took the spot (company perk). I felt horrible for not preparing. Thanks to Lindsay and company the pony got there, in style and was warmed up for Saturday.

To make the situation more interesting, we're trying out a new saddle, and it was my first serious ride.

The first day was a tuning day. Patience had us ride in and out transitions and ultra forward canter and trot sets to get rid of the up and down pony trot. Patience is on par with everything. By the end of day one, we had crisper in and out transitions and clarified the changes.

Second day we switched to the double, I wanted Patience to see Sinari in this, and some of the problems. Thankfully due to the expectation laid down the stoppy-ness has stopped. She worked mostly lateral work, going to mediums in haunches in and shoulder in and half pass to working pir's to counter canter. Patience also gave us numerous exercises to play with. She also said the pony is getting too whip smart about the changes and I should go do more counter canter work for flexibility and carrying power. Sinari also needs to work on flexibility. I need to work on my position.

In the end, FEI is getting more and more in reach. Give us six weeks and we should be schooling in the sixties at PSG. But it's not easy.