Lessons with a new Trainer/Instructor

Our new barnlord and I got to talking and she wanted to know more about the lessons I had taken with G in the summer.  Since she doesn't have a trailer I made an inquiry to see if Mike would come by her farm for back to back lessons, but he told me he doesn't travel.  It's unfortunate since we're on his way to the highway to go home, but it wasn't meant to be.  I went through my mental list of trainers and remembered watching Katie Hill of Field Day LLC working with a few students at a barn where we both boarded.  I always liked her style, and we used to have some great conversations on horsemanship in passing.   I found her on LinkedIn and after a few conversations set up lessons for me and Linda.

Katie didn't disappoint.  She was still the same relaxed, down to earth, patient to the max person I'd remembered.  She started our lesson by walking along side us as G warmed up and relaxed asking what it was I wanted to accomplish with G.  My answer was simple.  For now, I just want him to be happy with contact on a snaffle and use his abs and topline correctly. 

Without the structure of lessons or workouts, most all of our riding has been on the trail.  And, I have to admit that in G's new relaxed state, I haven't had to be so aware of what my body was doing, and bad habits crept back in.

We worked through October last year and we picked back up again this summer.  Doing long and low work.  Asking for connection and leaving him be until it was broken.  Being patient and allowing him to make mistakes, and be quiet in my corrections.

We've been doing a lot of tedious but rewarding work.  Riding on the lunge line without stirrups or reins, relying on my seat to spiral in and out.  Doing exercises in the saddle to find balance, and mainly doing more with less aid.  We did make lots of progress between fall and summer and Katie said it was evident.   This past lesson we worked on turn on the haunches and turn on the forehand around a square.  It really helps me work on my inside/outside rein and pay closer attention to my seat.  G never seems to disappoint.  The softer I am, the softer he becomes.  It has taken me way too long to fully realized exactly how much I was standing in his way of being a soft horse.   

What I love about this simple work is that I can practice it all out on the trail in a western saddle as well.  Unfortunately, summer is almost over, and before we know it daylight will disappear at the end of the day and we will have to suspend lessons until next year.  The one downfall of not being at a barn with an indoor arena.  But it too teaches patience :)

My happy boy.

Another New Beginning for G

It has been way too long since I've updated our blog.  There have been some changes, and a lot of transitioning, once again. The barn we thought would be heaven, was not.  Bad management.  We left and found another backyard situation, no pasture - individual dry turnouts, but no cuts, scrapes, or fights.  In mid May we were informed that the barn was going to be closed to boarding :( I was very disappointed, as G was getting great care, and we liked everyone.  We started our search once again, and a friend of the current barn owner found out about this little backyard situation where we would be the only boarder.   We went and checked it out and it was a great situation.  Awesome price, great facilities and pastures, and G's two herdmates during the day are both gaited - one Walker, one Spotted Saddle Horse.  Yes!  It is soooo nice to ride with other gaited horses again.

The situation is perfect.  G has his own grassy paddock at night with a run in shed covered in front half way across and shares one fenceline with two Alpacas, and one with his two buddies who have a dry paddock where they can go under an overhang and into a wide aisle of the barn for protection.  Each horse has a stall, but they're only put up in extreme weather conditions.  So far, they've only been in once when we had a pretty horrific thunder storm.  During the day all three horses are turned out in one of two pastures.  The grass isn't overly lush like it was at the barn I that hought was perfect.  I'm happy to have something in between.

The first few days G was a bit frantic being alone in his paddock at night.  When the boys went around to the front of the barn he would lose sight of them.  He wasn't bad if the Alpacas were out, but when they disappeared into their barn, G got a little unglued.  Thankfully the barn owners were understanding and put up with his whinneying for a few days.  Within a couple of weeks he was at least not screaming for his buds.  He'd still pace at the fence a bit, but every day it got a little better.

Now after 5.5 weeks, I show up after work and he's in his shed happily munching his hay.  He doesn't care that the boys are no where to be seen.  The barn owner says he loves his run in and spends alot of his time in there in the evening.  Since he has been stalled at night for the past 10 years, I think he feels comfortable being in a structure.  He certainly treats it like his stall cause that's where he does all his poops and pees overnight lol.  Though I have to say the past week, we've found more piles outside then before. 

The board is really reasonable, the only extra is we pay for his grain.  She orders it with hers, and on delivery I write a check for our bags.   The other things we're responsible for is to keep his paddock/runin clean and when they go away one week in the summer and on weekends between December and March, we feed 1x a day.   She has a friend that does the morning feed, so this works well for me. 

G seems to really have gotten into the new routine and seems much more relaxed than a couple weeks ago.  Tonight I decided to take him for a ride down the driveway, down two driveways and out to the river trails.  We only did a 35 minute loop, but it included a return ride on the road.  Usually on the way home is when he gets antsy, but tonight he stayed foused and calm.  It was the best solo trail ride off a barn property in the past 10 years.  The weather was aboslutely perfect, and so was Mr. G  - its doesn't get any better.

Training the Vaquero Way

The one thing I quickly discovered, the difference between a horse trainer and a riding instructor, and fortunately, Mike is both.  I understand that at one time he refused to work with people because he couldn't understand why they just didn't "get it".  Apparently he learned over time how to deal with people.  Maybe not as good as with horses, but he seems to be "getting it" lol.  He reminds me a bit of Mark Rashid, as he breaks it down to its simpliest form.  In my first under saddle lesson he told me that I would have to justify why I did everything I did in riding my horse.  Why do you hold continual contact, why do you not release?  I was like, can't we just start over?!?  He said, "well that's basically what we're going to do." The first change was he had me put G in a 3/8" single joint snaffle with large loose rings.  
 
So for our first lesson under saddle he just asked me to take G out on the rail and "play".  He then started asking why I was doing "this" or "that".  He asked me to halt and we chatted for 10 minutes.  He asked me to go out again and ask G to break at the poll and lower his neck.  So I started doing what I would normally do in my dressage lessons and he asked me to stop.  That's when he told me that you can't teach someone to write in cursive, if they haven't learned their block letters properly - we're throwing out all the stuff you've learned and starting anew.  G needs the basic basics, and I'm going to show you how to do that (oh great).  

His first observation of G, and after discussing some of the issues we've had over the years, was that G still didn't have full trust in me as his leader.  Basically, because without realizing it, I haven't been able to keep his focus.  As we were walking on the rail he asked me to pull back on both reins until G gave, not just by stretching out, but by breaking at the poll.  The moment he did, he had me throw the reins away.  I was like "what?!?".  He said "in the beginning, you gotta make the release reward big so they understand it more easily."  So the first lesson was asking for G's face, and working on bettering my release.  

The second lesson, Mike asked how we were doing, what we'd worked on. and I was happy to tell him that for the first time ever, I was able to ride my horse on the trail in a snaffle and had an incredible ride. I kept working on focus, and G stayed relaxed.  We also had a ride in the open arena at the barn, where the neighbor was running a backhoe in the adjoining woods, scraping gravel/rocks, and pulling up stumps - noises that would've turned G into jelly.  We had the best ride in the arena, we'd ever had that day.  I kept my focus, and G kept his.  It was such a simple thing.  But that said, I would never have used that much pull on G's face to ask for his to soften.  But Mike said it has to start somewhere, and with some horses you really need to grab their attention.  Pressure will lessen in time; but at times I may need to remind him with more.  Mike says G has a good mind and a lot of heart.  He told me I was lucky, as a lot of the horses G's age that he starts over, they aren't quite so agreeable to the new "feel".  

So now Mike asked me to come 8' off the rail and go straight.  Not 10' not 5', but 8'.  I turned where 8' looked to be and walked G straight to the short end.  I'm proud of myself.  Yep, nice and straight. Mike was like "so what the heck just happened?"  I'm like, "what do you mean?"  He responded "I mean, you just walked a straight line, but why wasn't G focusing on you - why did you stop asking for his face?"  lol, really....I did?  Yep.  Mike told me not to worry "you all do it" he said.  Do what?  He said, focus so hard on one thing you forget the thing you just perfected over the past week.  Duh, yep, I remember feeling the same way when I first started dressage lessons - talk about feeling inept.  So we worked on focus, while being asked to do other things.  He told me to go play, so I did.  I came down the long side and started leg yielding over to the rail.  He yells over "what are you doing?" and I responded.  He shook his head and reminded me that I need to stop doing high school moves...right now we're mastering elementary school.  I said "well, I wanted you to see that he is capable of it".  His reponse?  All horses are capable, Kate, but are we capable of asking correctly so that the horse is relaxed?  Uhm, maybe not.

The third lesson he added forward momentum, while asking for G's focus/face.  Easier said then done, especially having a horse that has always wanted to raise his head when asked to step it up.  So now we've got two dimensions....focus and momentum.  One of the things I like is that Mike likes to give a horse a mental break while he gives the rider something new to think about.  I like that he makes me think and understand why the simplistic approach works so well; think about what I have been doing, and why I should be doing it another way.  So we worked on this several times during the week between lessons, and one session we actually got some nice strides of running walk with his neck level....get your motor running...ruuuugh ruuuuugh rruuuugh, G sings as he hits his lick.  

Lesson #4 last week, we spent the first 15 minutes showing Mike that we could focus and have forward momentum....well, it comes and it goes.  But Mike praised us both for the progress we've made since day one.  Okay, what's next?  Let's add turning.  Now in dressage, turning for me was all seat and the upper body twist so that my hands stayed pretty level, and the inside rein coming slightly back helps cue the bend/turn.  Ahhh, heck no.  Mike said, "we don't want the head to turn, we want the neck and body to turn.  Bring that inside rein out and toward your knee."  ACK! What? Take my hands "out of the box?" "Kate, why are you holding the contact?" he yells over, "because that's what I've been taught" I respond.  "FORGET WHAT YOU WERE TAUGHT, ask him to bend, when he does, release the contact, tell him thank you"....okee dokee Mike, after all, I'm a 58 year old women, so the memory is going anyway, shouldn't be a big stretch to forget what I've been doing the past 40+ years.   After a few attempts, I'm feeling like I'm plow reining, but sure as anything, G is bending head, neck and body.  Big smile on my face, again I'm feeling happy with us.  Mike yells over "what the heck just happened".  "I'm turning" I said.  "Yeah, but what happened to G's focus and momentum?"  ACK!  So he tells me to play (meaning, go make circles).  I go into the middle of the arena and start doing 20 meter and 15 meter circles.  He yells over "no precision, I want to see squiggles in the sand". "Oh, you want me to do serpentines?"  "No, Kate, I want you to make random turns all to the right, when you get that side perfected, will start on the left".  What, no serpentines?  So we made squiggles, and lots of them.  Mike came in and said to take a break.  He then started talking about the difficulty people have in becoming 3 dimensional riders and why.  I'm thinking, "what the heck is a 3 dimensional rider?" He explained.  He said that the human brain, breaks down all processes into steps, and that in many cases we become so focused on one or two of the elements, that the third falls by the way side.  Whether it be the first, second or third step, doesn't matter.  The key to learning is to stop focusing so hard, and to feel.  Okay, so we ask for focus, while we ask for forward momentum, and we turn.  So what do you do if you don't get focus?  I lose momentum to get focus, and stop turning.  NO NO NO!  Do not sacrifice the forward momentum or the turn for the face, continue to turn, continue to ask.  Ugh.  But I want it to be right!  I got the "you all do it" speech again.  I asked Mike if he would mount up and show me how it should be, as I'm a visual person.  Maybe I'll "get it" by seeing the master do it.  He obliged.  The best part was to see that G didn't respond right away to him either, but by the 3-4th request he was turning with great bend.  Here's Cowboy Mike up!

I mounted back up (from the ground for the first time in ages!) We did a couple more turns, these were much better, so we ended on a positive note.  I spent the next day working on focus, forward momentum, and turning.  We warmed up for 5 minutes, worked for 20 and cooled down for 5.  It wasn't all pretty, but I got it done.   

As we reassemble the puzzle, piece by piece, it will hopefully become a work of art when we're done.  All I know is I'm enjoying the heck out of Mike, and I feel G has made more progress in four lessons, than we did in all those years of dressage lessons.

Wait, Who are You, and What Have You Done with My Horse?

Really?  Who are you?  

Today we started out with breakfast at Town & Country before driving over to the farm to pick up G for a trail ride.  He was out in the far pasture, so I grabbed a wrapped peppermint just in case I need enticement.

I walked down the center aisle, called a couple of times, and he barely picked his head up.  I said the magic words "were you a good boy?" and he lifted his head.  I then started crinkling the peppermint in my hand, and viola, he walked over to me.  I slipped on his halter and off we walked.  This is new for me.  In the 9 years I've owned G, all the barns required horses to wear halters while outside.  The new barn likes them naked...and naked he is, no halter, no fly mask.  Mister I can't stand to have flies touch my face, is so happy eating real pasture that he really pays them little mind these days.

I grabbed the grooming tote and what used to take me 30 minutes to do, took 10.  It is such a pleasure to have a clean horse when I show up at the barn.  No mud in these pastures, and he loves to roll in the grass.  Horsie heaven, it is.

So I open one of the doors to the trailer (slant load) and thought optimistically that I would try to see if he would load without having to open it all up like usual.  Since the peppermint got his attention in the pasture I grabbed another one out of the kitchen.  I walked into the trailer with lead rope in hand, peppermint in the other and asked him to step up.  He stood and looked at me.  I crinkled the cellophane.  He stretched as far as he could to sniff at the prize.  I stepped further into the trailer.  I asked him to step up.  And, he did.  What?!?!  We're loading at the barn, which you never want to leave and you're hopping into the trailer?  Okay, I'll take it.  He walked over to his corner feeder, and was happy to find some fresh hay, num num num.  Off we went.

Hubby came along as my support team.  We rode off in one direction, he went hiking off in the other.  Both of us with cell phones in hand should one of us need the other. 

Before heading out, I did ask him to take a picture of our newest t-shirt, which has become all the rage with the GHS members.  It's a simple design, but packing such a powerful message.....

What a gorgeous morning.  It was warm, but it hadn't gotten hot yet.  Nice breeze, some blue sky and puffy clouds.  We didn't see one other horse in the 2.5 hours out there. 

 G made friends with a black lab, two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, a 2 year old girl and her 6 month old brother.  All the kids on the playscape started waving and yelling "horsie, look at the horsie" so I waved back.  Horses are such great ambassadors.  Who doesn't love a horse?  Oh yeah, the hiker that just stepped in the fresh pile of G's manure, lol.

The streams are lower than normal, even with the good rains we got earlier in the month.  But, a couple were deep enough in spots so G got wet up to his chest.  I think he really enjoyed just standing in them today.

One of the things that I've been really pleased with is the new hair care product we've been using the past few months.  I don't use it as often as recommended, so I can only imagine how great it would be if I did.  G's mane was always dry, and the crest always had broken hairs.  Well, after using Mane-ly Long Mane & Tail Conditioner and Polisher, there are no more broken hairs, his mane is much more silky, less tangled, and the best part is its actually getting longer for the first time in 9 years!  

One of the things G was always known for was his desire to go home and stop working.  If we turned around on a trail, there was always a discussion on the speed at which we would travel.  I would say walk, he would say gait.  The argument usually continued for 15 minutes or so.  Today, we rode on the yellow trail, which the last time we tried to traverse, couldn't because of the storm damage from October of 2011.  I think it was late May or early June.  Well, the summer help worked their magic and trail is open again.  We got about half way down it when I looked at my phone and realized that we had an hour to get back to the trailer, and we had been out for 1.5  I turned G around AND.....he walked.  Slow and relaxed, happy as a clam.  Who are you?

When we got back to the trailer, hubby was taking a little snooze in the truck, but wonderful man that he is, had the haybag back on the side of the trailer, the dressing room open and the mounting block positioned just right should I want to use it for the dismount.  What a guy!

G was happy to munch on more hay as he cooled and I brushed him down.  When he was cooler and took the lead rope and walked him to the single open back door of the trailer, walked in said "step up" and lo and behold, G followed me into the trailer, first time, no stopping, no questioning, arguing, natta!  When I came out and shut the door, hubby said "I can't believe he walked in with no discussion".  Yep, just hopped right in.

What a good boy.  But who are you and what did you do with my horse?!?   

I'm not sure if its the new lifestyle he has at the new barn, where he's out when he wants to be, and in when he chooses, or no grain, just wonderful pasture, or is it the small dose of Mag-lite he gets in his 1/2 cup of forage extender?  Hard to tell, but at this point, I'm not going to question it further, I'm just going to enjoy this wonderful horse of mine!

G's New Home

Well, we packed up and hit the road at 10:30 this morning, and G walked off the trailer 30 minutes later in horsie paradise.  I took a bunch of pics, hope you don't mind me sharing! 
Driving up the driveway to the barn



Pastures to the right of me pastures to the left, here I am, stuck in the middle of grass lol!


This side has the winter pasture and a larger one behind the trees. Its accessed from around the back side of the barn.  Its really cool how she set up these paddocks and gates.  She can channel them through to any area she wants.

This is G's temporary digs for the first week or two as he is transitioned onto grass.  He has the ability to go in and out of the stall, with a hot wire running between his area and the other two stalls where the head mare and gelding come in and out of.  They have access to the pastures during the morning hours and then again at night.  On the other side of the gate behind the barn is Willy and Candy, both ponies.  G and Candy have been flirting all day over the pipe gate.  This is where G will have access to the winter pasture with Candy on Sunday.

G learning to eat out of a hay feeder

Inside the barn, G is in the last stall on the right.  There are two wires that cross over the back door so the ponies can't come in the aisle, but they have access to the stall on the left, as well as the run in that will be G's winter home should we decide to stay here rather than find an indoor arena for the winter.

The fence line continues behind the runin with a lane that takes the horses over to the winter pasture.

The view from the barn....you can't see the owner's house



 So far I'm thinking that G is going to just love this place.  He didn't whinney at all when we got there; we had a few squealing matches with him and the head mare, and the pony mare Candy, but that was about the extent of it.  But, when the owner opened the gate and the other two horses hightailed it out to the pasture G finally became unraveled.  He ran to the end of his paddock and whinnied loudly several times; out came the runny poop and he ran back to the barn.  Rut ro I thought to myself this could be a problem.  As I was standing in the aisle of the barn, G looked out to the pastures and whinnied again, and within 10 seconds both mare and gelding were running back to the barn to see what his problem was.  Heavy sigh, and he was happy again.  So the game plan is that they will have access to the pasture all night and Candy his fence buddy will still be out there so he has a buddy.  I sure hope he respects the hot wire and doesn't try to get out there.  We're not afraid of him getting hurt as much as getting sick on over eating this lush pasture!  I'll hand graze him again tomorrow, and Sunday he'll go out with Candy for an hour and a half.  She'll do that for a couple of days and then increase it 20 minutes every couple of days until he's up to 3 hours.  She'll try to add a second horse, then a third.  Once he's there, he'll be able to be introduced to the herd as a whole.  Fingers crossed this works.  Our favorite vet will be out next Friday for his final two spring shots and I'll get to talk to him about nutrition now that he's off grain and eating grass. 

The bummer is I can't store my trailer there, so its in our yard.  Probably not so bad though as I can keep the windows and roof vents open and not worry about it getting rained in. 

Hubby called me as I was driving home to tell me there was something waiting for me when I got home. Our new Sky Chair!!  These are soooo awesome, and boy did it feel good to end the day with my feet up and a smile on my face!  More fun tomorrow!
 

The Hackamore Journey

It has been in my head for quite some time that I wanted to try G with a Bosal.  He has a typical Pusher mouth (for those who don't know, Pusher was a Tennessee Walking Horse) which many will say, isn't a great mouth.  Some horses just have wonderful mouths, one that will take just about any bit and be responsive.  Well, Pusher mouths are fussy mouths, that go along with their sensitive natures.  G always seems more relaxed in a bitless setup, but I haven't found one that he doesn't seem feel sluggish in.  Hence the Bosal.    

Liz Graves was wonderful enough to spend a lot of time with me on the phone to a couple of times and she filled my head with as much Hackamore knowledge as I could handle, and then some.  Although she had told me a few years ago that the Bosal was not something you just use without knowledge, I didn't understand why one would fail without it.  How hard could it be, right?  

So where does one start?  With the construction.  A good working Bosal is made completely from rawhide, from the core to the plaits.  An exceptional Bosal is generally made of Kangaroo, as it is softer, yet strong.  Bosals come in a variety of sizes, both in the diameter of the rig, to the interior dimensions.  Diameters are 3/4", 5/8", 1/2", 3/8" and 1/4" which is called a Bosilito (these are used with a fully trained bridle horse and a spade bit).   A horse is generally started in the 3/4" or 5/8" and as they progress, the diameter goes down to the 1/2" or 3/8" once a horse is considered "finished".  The rawhide core can be soft, medium or hard, which will determine how well a Bosal will shape and maintain its shape overtime.  Liz recommended I start with the 5/8" Bosal with a medium core.  The next consideration when purchasing a Bosal is the plait count.  What's a plait?  Plaits are the braided strands of rawhide covering the core.  The higher the plait count the smoother the Bosal will be against your horse's face.  A cheaper Bosal will be 12 plaits or under, a high end Bosal will usually have a 36 plait nose, 24 plait cheek.  16-18 is still considered a lower end Bosal.  G's is a 32 plait nose, 16 plait cheek.  Why not use a cheaper Bosal?  Well, simply stated, you can rub your horses face raw with the coarseness of the braids.  The horse should feel the pressure/bump from the Bosal and respond, but not be hurt by it.

The key to a good fitting Bosal is that it fits the horse similar to a hat.  Not too loose, not too tight.  Now how do you get one to fit.  I was fortunate that Liz has had her hands on G and told me what size she thought would work for his face.  There are plenty of sites that explain how to measure.  Once you have one with the right dimensions, fill your kitchen sink with hot water and weight your Bosal down into it.  Let it sit for 30 minutes.  Place a Bosal shaping block to the interior, strap it, hang it upside down in a shady but warm spot and let it dry for a few days.  For G's Bosal we used a 5.5" wide x 6" long pine block.  Hubby used a 2x6 piece of pine and just cut the length.  He also grooved the bottom corners to accommodate the Bosal (he's such a sweetie).  You may need to adjust the block size to get the right shape for your horse's face, but you can start out with a standard block.  Try it on your horse and adjust your block and fitting as needed.

 

Especially when starting out, it is important to use a Fiodor.  The fiodor's purpose is to balance the Bosal on the horse's nose properly as the rider gains the proper feel of the reins.  (the black and white candy stripe throat latch is the fiodor).  The fidor goes over the horses poll like a throat latch and is attached to the heel knot of the Bosal.    This particular one is made of Mohair, and very soft.  

The mecate are also very important to the balance and feel of the Bosal.  The diameter of the mecate should be the same as the diameter of the Bosal.  So if you're using a 5/8th Bosal, you would want 5/8th mecate.  As with the Bosals, mecates come in a variety of materials and quality.  It was recommended I buy the best quality I could afford.  What you see here are Joe Ortiz, 5/8th 6-strand mane hair mecates.  I bolded the word mane, as some braiders use tail hair, which is much coarser.  As you can imagine, these little hairs feel prickly to your hands, until such time that they break off, which they are meant to do in time.  You can wear a pair of lightweight gloves if it bothers you, but I found the prickly hair makes one hold the reins with a ligher feel.  These little hairs also signal the horse when they touch their neck, and when they touch under their jaws.  As far as strands, just as plait count is important in the quality and feel of the Bosal, the strand count is of importance to the mecate.  The 6 strand gives you a good feel, without being too stiff, nor too limp.  The key is the slightest flex of your fingers on the reins should elicit a response.  This won't happen right away, same as when you introduce a horse to a snaffle bit, you need to do lateral and vertical flexion from the ground before attempting to do the same under saddle.  A friend of Liz's who is has been riding his horses in Bosals for many many years, recommended that I check into Richard Caldwell.  I picked up his DVD Jaquima a Freno Series - Part 2 Starting the Horse in the Jacquima (Bosal) and it has been very enlightening.  There are those who use other materials for Mecate, but I think the horse hair are not only more traditional, but they do have a purpose feeling the way they feel.   One more piece of the puzzle is the Headstall.  It should be soft and very pliable as the Bosal needs to fall forward so it releases at the chin groove (see pic above).  Using a regular headstall doesn't work well as it doesn't allow proper movement of the Bosal on the face.

So far I've been sticking to working with G in the arena where he feels safe and relaxed.  Unfortunately, if a horse runs through the Bosal immediately, they will never respect the feel.  That said, yesterday it was a beautiful afternoon and G was super relaxed so we walked out of the arena and down along the paddocks.  When we got to the end I cued him to lower his head and graze, I sat and relaxed as he grazed down and around the corner.  I rode him up the hill out back and then back down, paying close attention to his body and any time I felt him get a little bit tense we did some lateral movements to get his mind back on me.   I'm not sure G will ever be a confident enough horse to ride the trail in the Bosal, but you never know.  And if not, we've both learned a new art form!  

There is so much more we need to learn in our journey, but I feel that with Liz and Mike's help, we're on the right track.

 

2011 Winding Down

Although 2011 started with too much snow and not enough riding; it is coming to a close with no snow, 40 degree temps and plenty of riding (so far).  My hopes are that 2012 won't be a repeat of last year and we won't have as much snow as we did.  Afterall, we've had over 69" of rain in 2011, the highest amount recorded since they started recording back in 1905.  Enough moisture!  If I remember right it was at least 3 months of no riding with the indoor arena roof tearing.  It was a long winter. 

 

After 20 years with the same company, I finally decided it was time for a new beginning and went to work for the very same Aerospace company where my dad worked for 25 years.  I ended up in the same division, helicopters.  Although there is no one left there that worked with my dad, there were some old timers from other divisions that remembered some of the names that I remembered from my childhood.  It's like deja vu walking some of the same halls that my dad walked; seeing helicopters that he helped design.  It's life coming full circle.  I'm totally enjoying the new company and the people I'm working with.

I finally got to audit a Mark Russell clinic, did numerous solo off the farm trail rides, but the highlight of the year was being chosen to ride at Equine Affaire in all three of Liz Grave's clinics.  G was wonderful and he proved to me that he is indeed a super star.  At least he will always be that in my heart.  Sharing our success with Liz and enjoying her company along with the others who participated in her clinics was simply joyful.  Its a weekend that I will never forget.  

We lost our fourteen year old Pomeranian Buster in mid October, which broke my heart.  He was the biggest dog I've ever met, even if he only weighed 5 pounds.  He was a tough little guy, but with that sweet face of his, he melted your heart.  Buster will always be in my heart.

 

I was very proud of my weight loss but somehow got sidelined in late October when we got hammered with a freak snow storm on 10/29 that left us without power for 8 days.  I've been eating wildly ever sense.  So 2012 will take me back to Weight Watchers and me paying closer attention to what I'm eating.  I'm hoping to begin weaning myself off of red meat completely in 2012 and eventually all meat.  I'm not sure its something I can do, but its a goal I would like to reach toward.  If it means I'm eating more veggies & fruits and eating better overall, that in itself will be a great thing.  

After 37 years without a real haircut, hubby had his ponytail cut off in celebration of his 50th birthday.  But he took it a step further and had his head shaved completely.  I think he looks awesome without hair, and he donated the ponytail to Wigs for Kids.  I think he's a sexy guy.

It only took us 4 months, but we completely gutted and renovated our main floor bathroom (Circa 1953).  It was hard work, and there were times I didn't think we'd get it done but when it was finished all the blood sweat and tears were worth it.  On to the next project!

Tonight we're going to First Night 2012 in Hartford.  We started going back in 1998 and the last year we went was 2002...we thought it was time to go back and celebrate a little (plus its supposed to be 40 degrees, woohoo).   2011 was overall a very good year for us.  I'm hoping that 2012 will be as kind; bring us all more peace & harmony; and all our heart's desires.

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Equine Affaire November 12-13, 2011

Where do I start?  It was such an amazing weekend, with an array of experiences and emotions, and I’ve been walking on clouds for almost a month now.

The first new experience was trying to load G into the trailer in the dark.  It was a first for us both.  Seems I remember thinking it sure would be nice to install an interior light in the back where those two wires are sitting, but somehow we just haven’t gotten around to it.  After the fourth failed attempt, I tried putting on my headlamp to shine some light on the dark box I was trying to get him into.  Well, that was great as long as I was standing still - now there was a dancing spotlight inside, and G said “heck no, I’m not going in there, that light beam eats horses you know”.  It finally clicked in my brain to put the headlamp on the divider against the wall so the light would be still.  After three more attempts G finally relented and got in.

Now I’m certain that 45 minutes later he regretted his decision to get into the dark box.  He was being off-loaded onto pavement, walked into a dimly lit, strange barn and put into a simple 8’x8’ stall with bars all the way across the front.  “Whoa, what happened to my spacious 12‘x12’ room with a window and open door front?”  He whinnied several times and got no answer.  I could see the panic setting into his eyes.  You could see the lid above actually twitching with tension.  I knew he was in for a long night.

We set him all up with enough hay to last the night, a full bucket of his own water, and sat with him awhile talking quietly in reassuring tones.   One horse whinnied three aisles over and the chorus ensued.  It was like listening to an echo rolling through a canyon.

The Canadian Cowgirls were in the next aisle behind G and there was a lot of activity as they got ready for their Pfizer Fantasia performance.  Of course we had to stop and let them know how much we’ve enjoyed their performances over the years and wished them luck.  After an hour or two we decided we needed to get home to get some sleep, as 5 am would come pretty quickly.  As we were leaving, I stopped and asked the Cowgirls if they could do me a huge favor.  I explained that this was G’s first time at such a large event, and if they heard a ruckus after their show, if they could just take a peek and make sure he was okay.  They said “you bet, we’ll even stop and talk to him”.  I left my boy, and I had a better understanding of how mom’s feel when they leave their child at summer camp for the first time.  Here's G with some of his new girlfriends:

When we got home, I knew I needed to shut down my brain or other I would never be able to sleep (yes, I am an overthinker) so I took two Tylenol PM caplets and headed to bed.  They worked their magic.


As I thought, 5 am came real quickly.  We arrived at the Exposition grounds at 6:30 and began our barn chores.  When G heard my voice he responded with a nice big nicker.  When he got his morning grain, he was even happier to see mom.  G was fed, groomed, and ready to ride by 7:30.  I called Steve Lunoi and we agreed to ride in the Coliseum.   

Riding inside the coliseum was probably another thrill for me.  Although G wasn't so crazy about it when the other three horses left.  He went from relaxed and walking, to stressed and side passing.  But hubby caught a cool shot of us that gives you a great perspective on how big an arena it is:
 

We ended up side passing all the way over the the exit lol.

What an incredible weekend!  I'm not sure I can truly put into words how proud I am of G, or the feelings of pride that I have for how he performed for me in each of the three clinics, and handled the whole circus atmosphere of EA.  I'm still walking on clouds and have so many emotions that I can't sort them all out to put them down in words.  I've just been smiling and yes, bursting with pride.  I think it gave me a slight inkling of the high that people get when they show a horse and are awarded a ribbon.  When a stranger walks up to you and tells you that you have a wonderfully gaited horse, and you later find out that he's a reputable gaited horse trainer, well it is such a high. 

One of the things that I loved about Liz and her presentation is that she includes a little bit of each horse's story, so the audience has an understanding that not one of us got where we are today without a lot of blood, sweat and tears.  This weekend wiped out all the nights that I sat on the couch in tears, telling hubby I had to sell G cause we just weren't connecting or I just wanted to give up cause I didn't think I was the person that he needed.  I told hubby that I thought I would keep him    Hubby was awesome, took lots of pics and video.  And he was even taking photos with Liz's camera for her...he was a busy guy this weekend, and I have thanked him a hundred times for supporting us the way he did this weekend.  Not every woman, or their horse, have a groom boy :)  Heck, I have to thank him for supporting us the past 9 years.  Without him and his encouragement, I'm not sure I would've experienced the kind of high I've been on the past two days.  Beyond the fun, I felt rewarded for all the hard work the pst 9 years.  It goes to show you that sometimes there really is a diamond under that black rock.  You just have to keep chiseling away until you start to find the small glints of light that keep you looking closer and chipping away at it.  I know I still have some shaping and polishing to do, but the diamond is finally in my sights.  Here's a couple of short videos of two of my favorite moments.  Like Liz, I love the big ole' head on my boy and I almost got a trot out of G yesterday afternoon.  When Liz asked me to try and get him to do it again, I couldn't repeat it.  But that's okay, I like his gait just fine!   Liz is just so awesome, and she truly makes you feel like a part of something special that's for sure.

 

 
I hope I don't bore you with all the videos (see below) but the fact that it wasn't just a few steps, or a few passes of wonderfulness, is still blowing my mind!!  I only wish we could've been in a larger arena to not have to deal with the tight corners.  But the GFS footing was to die for!  I have to send the video links to David & Lisa Taylor, as I know they will be pleased as punch to see the beautiful horse that G has turned into.  I knew back then that this horse was special, and can now thumb my nose at the 5 people before me that passed on him saying he wasn't worth a damn. Another example of why one should always trust their gut and stick to their guns.

 
Hubby and a friend of hers (Sue I think) took pictures with Liz's camera and Liz put a slide show on her website.  Some really nice pics which brought back lots of memories.  If you look closely in one of the early arena shots where we're all lined up, you may see some snowballs near Liz's feet.  Liz was razzing Steve about New Jersey getting snow before her in MN, so he made some snowballs from the October storm and put them in the freezer to bring to EA.  While Liz was talking, Steve took one snowball at a time out of a bag and gave them to each rider.  When Liz came to a pause, Steve said "hey Liz, remember you were making fun on me getting snow before you?" She turned with a smile on her face, and we all threw the snowballs at her feet!  Totally shocked her, she laughed and said something to the effect of "see this, this is how great gaited horse people are".
Here's the link to Liz's slide show (ignore the opening shot - hubby needs to learn when not to take close up shots lol): 

Liz Graves 2011 Equine Affaire Slide Show

The following morning I took G back to the coliseum to ride (you can ride between 6:00-8:00 a.m) and as we turned to go in the entry, here comes a drill team of 6-8 riders with flags all waving straight for us.  Up Periscope went G's head and he took two steps back.  I decided today wasn't the day I wanted to desensitize him to flags, so we went around the corner to the covered arena at C barn.  Steve was there warming up Pavo and DJ.  I told him about G and the flags and he gave me some advice on how to go about it at home.  So a little while later Steve comes over to G's stall and asked me if I was ready to desensitize G to flags.  I'm like really now?  He said no, for our afternoon session I'm like what?!? Well. apparently the announcer for our sessions was referring to us riders as "Liz's Calvary" (as we know how she likes to reference the Calvary training manual). Since Steve had his flag shirt and American flag with him, he thought it would be fun to ride into the arena in formation.  And so we did.  G walked right up to Steve with his flag, and once under saddle never gave it a second look.  Goes to show you that following the spooky item is never an issue.  Again, Liz's smile said it all when she saw us coming in.  Good stuff, the whole weekend.

It was short, but I got to ride with Liz, woohoo - boy would it be fun to trail ride with her.  I think she wanted to make sure this horse really could hold a gait, as Bob couldn't keep him up beside G at a medium walk.  Amazing how "intent" alone can change a horse's motivation.  She may have been talking about using her pinkies on the reins here, not sure, but I'm paying attention to her hands (box what box?)

 

Saturday night we got together with the other riders and Liz at Storrotown Tavern, which is one of our most favorite restaurants.  Old world charm, New England stick to your ribs cooking, great service.  What a fun evening enjoying conversation with old and new friends.  Each time we go here we have another wonderful memory of our visit:

 What an incredible experience, G not only met, but far exceeded my expectations. My not so solid trail horse, is in reality one heck of a show pony!  Put him in an arena with other horses and it's like he's a super star.  I've never ever experienced a ride like what I experienced.  Not once, but all three clinics.  I do attribute some of his shine to the incredible GFS footing they had in the arena.  So level and cushioned.  I think G felt very confident about where he was putting his feet.  There were a lot of wonderful moments, and so much to digest.  A month later and I'm still trying to write it down and its turning into a novel.  G worked harder on gait these two days then he has in awhile. 

Links to YouTube Videos:

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

Video 5

Video 6

And I think my most favorite picture of the weekend, which Liz was gracious enough to send to me.  Me & G with Liz sharing a laugh before our first clinic.  This summed up the weekend, yep, we were relaxed and happy!

 

I think I have an inkling of what it feels like to win a Grand Prix or Freestyle dressage competition.  When you're in that zone with your horse, there is nothing that breaks the magical connection that you have.  I have G to thank for that, as he has made me step up and become a better horsewoman for him.  I know I still have so much to learn, so much to work on, but boy does it feel grand to be in such a wonderful place.

I walked away from this weekend with such a wonderful sense of pride and accomplishment, and just when I did't think I can burst with any more pride or emotion, the one horsewoman I admire more than any other horse person who has walked this earth, paid me what I feel is one the highest compliments I could ever receive on Facebook this evening.  Words that brought me to tears. I hope she doesn't mind me sharing them, but it's the equivalent to a blue ribbon from the weekend to me!!

Elizabeth Graves-Kate Taylor
I'm home Kate although a long day traveling but I did want to share one thing I feel it important you know. You and G did a national title performance this weekend! I knew you would even though you you questioned your self at times in getting there I never, ever doubted you for a minute over the years. Thank you for being the student you are and share your journey in hopes others will grow also and follow you in theirs.

 
These words alone, are as big a reward as the magical connection that I felt with G this weekend.  I don't know if we'll ever be in the same magical place in the same way, but I think I got an inkling of what an Olympian must feel when their horse runs the perfect course, or performs the most magnificent freestyle dressage performance.  These words from Liz are like having a trainer patting me on the back and hugging me with joy.  The pride that one feels in their accomplishments with their horse in these moments is just surreal. 
 
The past couple of years I've talked a little about how much I would love to work with Liz out in Minnesota as she does apprentice/internship week long programs, but knowing it would more than likely never happen.  As we were trailering G back home from the expo grounds Sunday night and we're talking about how great a weekend it was, hubby said "I think you should work with Liz".  Huh?  He said "I know you've dreamt about going to Minnesota and working with Liz, I really think you need to go, you deserve to take it to the next level in your journey".  I was floored.  So, if we did it right and Uncle Sam gives us enough money back next spring, I will be making plans to fly out to Shades of Oak Ranch to continue the journey. 

Equine Affaire - November 2011!!

I'm very excited..... G and I were chosen to ride with Elizabeth Graves in her three clinics at EA this fall.  I've been fortunate to have audited one clinic and participated in one clinic during the first 2 years of our relationship; when I knew only a smidge about gaited horses; but more than 6 years have past and I'm curious to see what Liz will have us work on.  She posted on Facebook that she's very excited at the five horse & riders that she has to work with this November.  So I'm sure she'll have some fun exercises and challenges for us.   Here are the three session descriptions:

1.    SAT 11/12/11 • 9:30am–11:00am • The Five Essentials of Gaited Horsemanship: Achieving Straightness, Engaging the Hindquarters, Raising the Base of the Neck, Moving in a Weight Bearing Posture & Bending in the Rib Cage 

2.    SAT 11/12/11 • 2:45pm–4:15pm • Developing & Refining the Easy Gaits: Identifying a Horse’s Easy Gaits, Creating Shape for Each Gait, Achieving Consistency of Gait & Conditioning Each Gait 

3.    SUN 11/13/11 • 3:30pm–5:00pm • Maximizing the Rider’s Seat, Hands & Legs for Gaits: Learning Detailed Applications to Support, Guide & Direct A Gaited Horse Ms. Graves will accept up to four horse and rider combinations.  

Hubby said he'll be my groom and cameraman; I think he's as excited as I am!  The only downside is we're attending on the weekend, and it is a mob scene.  I usually attend on Thursdays and Fridays when it's not so crazy.  I've already decided since the barn is a 20-25 minute drive from the fair grounds that I'll bring him home Saturday night so he can relax in his own stall.  I'm hoping that will make for better performance for both of us!  I know I'll sleep better knowing he's tucked in safe at home.  For those not familiar with Liz Graves you can check her out at http://lizgraves.com   She's a wonderful horsewoman and so down to earth - if you ever get a chance to work with her, I highly recommend it! 

And now....Summertime Bliss!

I took a 4-day weekend, and yesterday I loaded up my boy and took him to Salmon Brook Park to ride their lands and McLeans Game Refuge.  It was 78 when we left the barn, and with a 70% humidity it was muggy/warm, but the breeze kept it manageable and the clouds kept the sun from heating up the day.  

It was such a pleasure to ride alone, just the two of us.  Being able to ride at your own pace and stop when and where you want is divine.  At each stream we stopped mid stream and let the cold water cool G down.  About midway through the ride, I called David at Evening Shade Farm, where I bought G from some 9 years ago.  I wanted to thank him again for selling me such a wonderful horse.  We've certainly had our challenges and obstacles to overcome throughout the years, but he's kept me honest and continually seeking to improve as a rider.  We had a great conversation.  I always enjoy talking to David and hearing about the horses he and his wife are currently working with.  Interestingly enough, two minutes after I thanked David for such a wonderful horse, he spooked!  But of course!  Still not sure if it was deer or a coyote in the bushes next to where the trail turns to the next field, but it caused G to do a half hearted spin to the left.  We did quite a few circles to keep the feet moving and always in the direction of the trail. 

Even so, it was a great ride, and comparing yesterday's reaction to that of 8.5 years ago, it so paled in comparison.  The best part of all was that at no time did G want to rush back to the trailer, even when he knew we were headed in that direction.  It was probably the most relaxing ride I've ever had to date.  I think he loves standing in the streams and munching on grass, it makes his time out on the trail much more pleasurable.   And the bonus is that G is now loading into the trailer with just the one door open.  I used to have to open up the whole back and remove the center post.  I believe he's finally trusting me to take him away and bring him back unharmed to the place that he loves.

I took a couple of videos on my iPhone so I could remember the wonderful day we had.

A Walk through the Woods

Turn it up to hear the stream!

Peaceful Stream

Summertime Blues....

I've always loved summer.  Summer means spending lots of time outdoors, and once I had a horse, that meant trail riding, trail riding and more trail riding.  Well, not this summer.  We've gone from wet to hot, hot to cool, back to wet, and hot again.  It has created an environment for gnats, mosquitos and deer flies to not only exist but to thrive!  With the wetlands in and around this area, the woods out behind our boarding facility are impossible to traverse, as the moment you enter the woods, you are swarmed by deer flies.  I'm talking 30-40 at a clip.  I've never ever seen anything this bad.  The past two trail rides, I've trailered over to Salmon Brook Park and ridden there for a couple of hours.  Its been wonderful, but I miss the convenience of just riding out the back door so to speak.  Even riding the outdoor arena can be daunting between gnats and mosquitos.  One of the down sides is that G isn't in as good a shape as he was last year traversing the hills out back 3-4x a week.  It's definitely noticable under saddle, as he has lost some of his hind end strength.  All we can do is wait until the first frost that kills off the bugs and start enjoying our woods again.  

And like the annoying mosquitos and gnats, we have a new boarder coming in this week.  She's someone that two of us in the barn were very happy to leave behind at the old barn, which is closing its doors.  She is a non stop talker who thinks she is queen of the world and all that she surveys.  I can only hope she hates it and leaves.  Truly, I'm not sure I have the patience to deal with her any more. She really burned a couple bridges at the last place with me and hubby.  So I guess the only thing I really can hope for is the bugs to die off so I can spend more time on the trail and less time at the barn, lol!!  Praying for strength, I'm gonna need it.

Fun with Liberty

I have realized that lately I haven't spent as much time working with G on the ground as I used to.  I've missed it.  I'm not so sure G has, but it goes a long way in keeping the lines of communication open and learning.  For both of us.  I bought a new camera recently so I thought what better way to test it out - video!  Hubby was sweet enough to come with me to run the camera.  Love having a supporting guy in my life!  The 35 minute video has been broken into two shorter segments.  One shows the magnetic connection when it's working, and then when the magnetic connection is lost.  There's nothing fancy or showy, it's just the beginning stages of our liberty work.  I just picked up Caroyn Resnick's Liberty Training DVD, which I hope will help me go to the next level with this.

The connection...

Magnetic Connection

Losing and regaining it

Okay, I'll Keep Him....

All my fears were for naught.  G, the unforgiving type, completely forgave me my moment of insanity and we have been enjoying the spring like temperatures.  Oh heck, just not having snow on the ground is exciting and new!! We hit the trail a week ago Sunday with Ozzy, who was sooo excited to back at the barn, never mind out on the trail with his buddy G.  Since this was the first trip out, we only did the small wooded trail out back that leads to a large crop field.  I think we stayed out all of 35 minutes, but every minute of it was wonderful.  Here's a little video between G's ears.

Our First Springtime Ride

This past Saturday, we got together with Jane and her mare Sierra and did the same trail but kept on going along the crop fields for an additional 30 minutes.  We still haven't found the end of them, and I'm betting we can travel another 6 miles before finding a road to cross (well, that's my guess).  G and Sierra are really good together.  G loves her calming influence, and since he stays cool, so does she.  Normally when we turn for home G gets more than a bit anxious, but Saturday he was happy to just move along at a nice forward walk without any stress whatsoever.  It was a perfect ride in my book, and one that again reminds me of the bond that we do have, and makes me reflect on how empty my fears of losing him were.  We are good together.  He brings out the best in me (eventually).  He keeps me honest with myself and makes me strive to make our relationship that much tighter.  I know I'll never be the perfect rider, nor will G ever be the perfect horse, and that's why we were made for one another....we will just strive to be the best that we can be.