tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23680922275469169052024-03-05T11:25:35.667-07:00Dancing HorsesA place to talk about my horse, my family, and my life.Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-58696956771728970242013-08-16T18:04:00.000-06:002013-08-16T18:04:12.145-06:00Help needed from my fellow bloggers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I am and have been trying to sell this handsome little bugger to a good home where he will be loved and worked with but i havnt done much buying and selling of horses so my knowledge in the matter is fairly limited. I posted him on Kijiji (canadian craigslist) and had two responses one lady offering me less than half my asking price as she was buying it for her 8 year old son to start....(yeah right lady) and the other wanted photos of his whithers and chest which she never responded further than that.<br />
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Any tips on what the add should look like? Where should i post him... and a reasonable price for him?<br />
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He is 1.5 years old, can be registered. Is gelded and up to date on all shots/worming/ferrier, loads like a champ (better than my 7 year old) and is a sweet calm quite guy who needs to go to a home that can afford him first of all and has the time to start him properly.<br />
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I need him to sell fairly soon.... but i will hold on to him if the right home doesnt come along.<br />
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Any and all advice is more than welcome!<br />
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-91729648833813368112013-08-15T17:10:00.003-06:002013-08-15T17:10:59.685-06:00I was lost but now i am found..... promise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
Hey everyone! I hope all is well with you and your making huge strides towards your goals and i cant wait to get caught up on everyone show season. I clearly have some updates to get posted because so much has changed over the past year. <br />
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I still of course have the magnificent G, we have become very much of a team and i finally trust him. Im not scared of him anymore his antics dont make me nervous and we are able to go through anything together he is perfect for me in so many ways... the biggest one is hes taught me not to give up just because things get hard. I had a bit of a melt down and was looking at selling him we were not making any progress.... i paid for him to work with my coach for a month and they looked amazing it was very disheartening that i couldnt get that with my horse. I eventually came to my senses and kept him of course. <br />
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While in training with my former coach she took him to 2 jumper shows just to get him the experience, the first show he did amazing in i think out of 8 he got 6 firsts 1 third and 1 second... the second show was outdoors and a little more stressful so he definitly did not do as well. I have a few videos of the first show that i will try to get posted here shortly.<br />
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G and i are on the move again to a new dressage barn that opened up in my area, things blew up majorly at my old barn and i didnt want to deal with the manipulation and drama that ensued so i left for a friends place in the country to take some time to just enjoy my horse and let him be a horse which was probably the best thing i could have ever done for him.<br />
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I also aquired a yearling, he was brought to my old barn as a companion to the owners new baby. He was gorgeous and they where just letting him go to waste saying confirmationally he was not sound calling him Guesome Grimly. The barn owner wanted my Wintec all purpose so i traded for the little guy he is a Pintabian rescue who is now called Ace which is short for Accidental Aquisition. He is for sale to a good home that is going to take him to his full potential i mean hes stunning sound and can be registered. So for now until i find a good home for him he is staying at my friends place hanging out putting on some weight and being a horse. <br />
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I have also met an amazing guy (i know i know they are all amazing at the begining) but he is the man of my dreams and i am potentially looking at packing up my whole life and moving away from Canada down to the US to be with him... we will see how that all goes though.<br />
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Have a great remainder of the week everyone.<br />
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-23230042348068566772013-02-12T16:26:00.001-07:002013-02-12T16:26:48.228-07:00Blogging Vacation, Dressage lesson #23<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
aahhh sorry!!! I have been so crazy busy the last little bit with the 3 jobs and all!! I hope everyone has been great i will need to get caught up on my blog lists as soon as i can find some time.... my boss put a bit of a kibosh on us using work computers to do personal stuff so i had to "lay low" for a little bit. <br />
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G is doing great he had his feet done on friday and had a nice 30 minute massage as well. <br />
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I had Dressage lesson #23 i guess last night and i am so sore its not even funny. It was 30 minutes of fighting with a very athletic horse who refused to do serpentines to lengthen his trot and to canter on a circle by the end of it i was exhausted my entire body ached and G was dripping sweat i wish i had a video because even my dressage coach was blown away by his behavior... im thinking its because im winning he almost respects me im almost the boss hes giving it one last effort to try to gain control again..... im hoping thats the case. Either way we ended the lesson lunging him until he got his little brain focused. Im going to lunge him again tomorrow when im out to feed the horses. This change in weather is messing with the herd big time.<br />
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I got some more good news recently, i start with a personal trainer next week... he is one of the best in western canada and has worked with jockeys previously. So he built me a diet and a work out schedule to get me where i need to be physically to compete as far as i want too. <br />
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My weeks are going to be riding 4days a week, running 3 days a week and gym 3 days a week with a very strict and lean diet.<br />
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Fair warning i may be crabby. </div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-87234932445632525842013-01-22T13:03:00.002-07:002013-01-22T13:03:31.297-07:00Lesson #20 Dressage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
First im going to start off with a quick weekend recap....<br />
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FINALLY i got canter in both directions... WITH NO BUCKS... we stuck to a 20M circle defined by pylons because i cant keep him from dropping in without visual aids still. We also slowed down and got perfect leg yeilds to the right and left on the normal wall... the scarey wall not so much.<br />
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Now on to the lesson;<br />
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We did a lot of work with Trot poles there were about 3 sets of trot poles set up around the arena and we would have to do a circle over 3 once in the middle once on the small end and once on the bigger end. Then we would cut accross the diagonal going over a set then accross another diagonal going over another set. G tried to cheat a little on the circle by attempting to bulge out and cut the circle by the trot poles but with a lot of work and even more leg on we managed to get it.<br />
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We then did the circle exercise at the canter... I started out going clockwise got him into a canter (no bucks or kicking out) and it was a bit of a struggle to get him to go over the canter poles but we managed to get 3x and it was time to change direction.. which is when i started to psyc myself out thinking the new direction was his bad way... HAH in all the concentrating i didnt notice that the first way we went was his bad side... so when i asked for the canter we effortlessly went over the canter poles 3x on the other side. He got lots of pats and loving for this and i had a big grin on my face. <br />
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After that he was gung ho about the canter i had to keep bringing him back to a trot because all he wanted to do was canter... he would do it any time i put some leg on with his ears back listening to me so i know he was trying to anticipate what i was going to ask him to do so he didnt get into any trouble for that i just asked him nicely to bring it back and we carried on. <br />
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We did a bit of leg yeilding to the wall from the quarter line in both directions and shoulders in(? i think) along the long wall in both directions, which he did try to get fast and trot off but he was much more behaved than the last time we did it in a lesson. <br />
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My coach then asked if we wanted to do a few trot poles up to a little fence and immediatly my head started going into over drive and i got a little panicked... but i agreed and said as long as it was just troting up we were game for what ever. G did amazing all i had to do was direct him to it and keep myself balanced and he had no issues it felt amazing. We only did a little cross rail 2-3x then i walked him out and gave him tons of loving. We have come so far in our lessons i was so proud of both of us. <br />
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Last night after my lesson i reflected a little on where i was last year... around this time last year i was terrified to ride him he reduced me to tears a few times and i was contemplating that maybe he was in fact way to much horse for a greenie like me, But now we are doing little cross rails, our canter is coming along i have ridden through a rear, kicking out, bucking and bolting. I am so proud of where we are we are turning into such a great team! I am so blessed to have an amazing friend who knew i could do it from day one and pushed me through all my excuses and my fears.... and now im so lucky to be at a barn surrounded by supportive people who can see us going places and help encourage and cheer us on every step of the way.<br />
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I truly am blessed in the little horse world i am building. Including this blog i appreciate every single post you guys make <3<br />
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Tuesday- Off<br />
Wednesday- Maybe a trainer ride<br />
Thursday- Lesson w/ Jump coach<br />
Friday- Off</div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-77122151774175280362013-01-14T09:26:00.001-07:002013-01-14T09:26:39.086-07:00Weekend Recap #2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This weekend was extremely busy and i am so tired and sore... but i think i managed to figure out how to fix some of my pictures so i am going to try to get caught up on some picture posting for everyone. <br />
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Friday i had to work both jobs so i was not able to make it out to the barn. <br />
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Saturday i was up at the crack of dawn to go and help out with the barn chores which was pretty simple other than being freezing cold. I didnt get a ride in since i had to run to Ikea to pick up some new bins for the feed room as well as pick up some feed for G since he is now inside and gets custom feed in the evenings. So currently i have him on Beet pulp, ground flax meal (human grade), Sweet feed and apple eh multivitamin..which will be getting changed to hoffmans once i run out. G already seems much happier minus the horse in the stall next to him hating everything about him lol.<br />
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Sunday i went out bright and early before work to drop off all the feed that i had picked up for G as well as the bins and helped put the horses out. Then it was off to Job #2. After work i was lucky enough to stop off at the barn to put a quick ride on G....and he was fantastic it was exactly what we needed right now just a good relaxing easy ride with no spooking no bucking... I can tell that he is much happier being in the barn just with how he responded to my aids.. i was even able to get him to leg yeild down the long wall without him getting to crooked or fast. I tried for a little bit of a canter he went into the canter quite nicely so i figured we would try a figure 8 at the canter to see if he would change leads or if he would try to stay on the same lead.... which he attempted to do and it was a very unorganized and unbalanced canter so we went to work on the leg yeilds. He did great though he was trying so hard and got tons of loving before i had to leave. <br />
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Im still working on getting the pictures up... blogger now isnt giving me the option to upload... wtf....</div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-54738531064256572112013-01-11T15:58:00.001-07:002013-01-11T15:58:35.567-07:00Change of plans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last night i went out with the intention of having a lesson i was really rushed so i didnt have time to lunge him. Just before the ride i spent some time catching up with my coach and letting her know what has been going on with G. I walked him out and did a little trotting and we started in the lesson.<br />
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She had me doing circles at one end of the arena then every other time when we reached C we would head down the center line halt then go in the opposite direction. G had a nice bend in both directions but was bulging out against my leg and when i would put leg on he would start getting fast and grab onto the bit. <br />
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N pointed out that a lot of the fears that i had previously overcomb are starting to come back my position is suffereing im hunching forward and collapsing in my chest instead of sitting up straight. She also felt i was reaching for my stirrups and felt they should be shorter (obviously contrary to what my dressage coach says). <br />
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So we discussed her putting a few rides on G to help strengthen his canter leads and maybe help to teach him to move off the leg. So she ended up getting on him for the majority of my "lesson" and it became a trainer ride. She immediatly pointed out that he is a thinker i need to make sure that either the work im doing with him is complex so he is not allowed to get "bored" and start doing what he wants instead of what i want. <br />
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She showed me when it was good to allow things to slow down.. like with leg yeilding, i was having a hard time getting him to leg yeild facing the long walls because he would try to do what im asking but would either end up backing, walking into the wall or getting fast and ignoring my leg. She told me to not be afraid to use my whip, she would allow him to go a few steps then stop to let him think about it and to praise him, if he backed he got a tap with the whip if he walked into the wall he got a tap but 2 or 3 steps of the leg yeild he got lots of praise. <br />
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There was a small cross rail set up in the arena and everytime she went past it G would almost try to set himself up for the jump so we thought we would see what would happen if she took him over it... He was great picked up the right leads every time didnt hit the fence, didnt try to slow down or stop or refuse. <br />
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I have some vidoes but im still having some issues with my youtube account and struggling to get the videos up. After she was done riding him i got back on and we did a little bit of walk trot since he was nice and relaxed. We also worked on some patience... standing without pawing or trying to walk off without my cue. <br />
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I was quite happy that he was starting to be brought in last night because it hit -23C last night and G was nice and comfy in his stall. Tomorrow ill be out to learn all the barn chores and in what order they want them done so im hoping to be able to lunge him and get a bit of a ride in. <br />
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Friday-Off<br />
Saturday- Lunge/light ride<br />
Sunday- Off<br />
Monday- Dressage lesson</div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-67972838522303147802013-01-10T09:36:00.003-07:002013-01-10T09:36:42.795-07:00Could i love this barn any more?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I got some great news this morning... well good news for me... The girl who was doing the barn chores on Sundays is no longer able to do it... so my barn manager asked me to do it!! So pumped!<br />
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What that means is a discount on board for me!!! Not only that but the arrangement i worked out with T the barn owner is G will be coming in every night and turned out every morning as well as getting custom feed... typically $500... however because i am doing barn chores i will get all that for my paddock rate which is $330.... no more waiting for him to dry off... no more turning him out in -30... no more haveing to wander out to the feild to find him....<br />
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Not gonna lie... this is going to be the best year yet <3<br />
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-55612729046438778892013-01-08T08:43:00.002-07:002013-01-08T08:44:14.847-07:00Lesson #19 Dressage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Thanks to everyone who has been reading my blog and posting their thoughts. Most people are suggesting pain or something that is physically limiting his ability to canter on that lead... I genuinly do not think this is the case at all and i will explain further in this post. Just wanted to say thank you sometimes i dont think of things and its nice to hear the suggestions.<br />
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Last night i had a lesson with my dressage coach who is also an Myofacial Release whatevertheyarecalled for people and horses so i knew that if it was a pain issue or anything of the sort my coach would pick it up so before the lesson i advised her exactly what it was that we have been experiencing so she could watch a little closer and we could go from there. <br />
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We started the lesson out with circles, one small, one medium and one large and we would start a large circle then sprial down do the smaller circle then do the same down to the even smaller circle at a trot focusing on rythem and keep the trot balance and at an even steady pace which G did great at. He was flexing beautifully clock wise and pretty deccent counter clock wise which is opposite of out canter issues which really helps to push that its a balance thing. <br />
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We did some laps around the arena trying to keep that steady pace and tempo down the long wall asking for a nice flex in all of the corners. We would focus on straightness while cutting accross our diagonals and some moving off the leg in our single bending lines. <br />
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Then my coach wanted to try to play a game of "leap frog" where the first rider is trotting around the arena and the other rider canters to catch up behind the first rider and so on... Counter clock wise was no problem for G he was a little quick but i still felt like i had control and we were able to do it a few times. Then we changed direction and it was a different story, the first time i asked i got a little buck (which was ok i will take the bucking getting less and less im perfectly ok with that) The second time i asked i got no buck but he more or less grabbed the bit and fought me for it he ignored my leg and left the circle i was able to keep him on the correct end of the arena but he then proceeded to ignore my seat and it took a bit to bring him back into a trot... which he instantly tried to drop to a walk. We tried one more time but he did the same thing... after a short walk break we moved on to leg yeilds at the wall. <br />
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G has such a hard time understanding what im asking so i have been trying to ask different ways but its trying to find whats the attitude and him trying to get out of doing it and what is the genuine attempts. We would leg yeild at a walk down the long wall then trot the short wall. The other girl did great... G would ignore my request to half halt and attempt to trot the whole way. So i would bring him back come to a complete halt and try to get him into it... again he would either back away from the wall getting 90 degrees from it or he would try to walk into the wall.... as soon as i got a few steps i would allow him to trot off...<br />
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Im happy to be back in lessons because its nice having someone on the ground with more experience than me to work with G. Everyone absolutly loves him and says that he will be amazing once we get him in the proper mind set. Last night i called my old trainer T and talked with her about whats been going on... she has known G as long as i have she has ridden him on multiple occasions, i explained the whole situation to her and we both agreed that its more of a stubborness issue that come from him being so weak on that side... he doesnt want to do it because its hard and because he used to be able to bring me to tears when he pulled stuff like this he is resorting to that again, so im trying to keep my chin up and i will give G a couple days off to mentally process the lesson as well as give his body a break because we have been doing a lot of harder stuff and he doesnt have as much muscle as i would like at this point. <br />
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Thursdys lesson is cancelled so i will be out there on Saturday to do lots of lunging on his bad side and to work on some of the stuff from my lesson. Im also going to bring out my dressage saddle and do the next few rides in that saddle just to rule out saddle fit as an issue. <br />
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Tuesday-Off<br />
Wednesday-Off<br />
Thursday-Off <br />
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Starting Saturday back to my 4 rides a week.</div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-79791920618690672452013-01-07T09:24:00.000-07:002013-01-07T09:24:29.383-07:00Weekend recap #1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong><u>Saturday</u></strong><br />
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I managed to get in a quick ride before going to work that night. There was some people who trailer in on weekends to use the arena in the arena but i was happy to see that all the jumps had been cleared out of the arena to make room for the dressage lessons. I didnt have time to lunge him but he did very well at the mounting block stood nice and still and waited until i asked him to walk on before going anywhere. <br />
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He was a bit fiesty so we spent lots of time walking the arena he is not used to there being no jumps set up. He spent a good amount of time spooking in one of the corners the first couple times wasnt a big deal but he started to do it every time so at the walk and trot i really had to push him into those corners. We did a lot of trot work focusing on contact and a steady pace. <br />
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Then we started our canter work and counter clock wise he was great and could go forever there were no bucks and no major spooks. However clock wise which is by far his worst side he tried to get out of cantering that way by giving me a few big bucks (big for my horse that rarely ever bucks). My back was sore after that ride from lifting my hands up to stop him from getting his head down. After he tried a few times to get out of having to canter on that lead and me bringing him back and asking again he finally cantered on that lead, it wasnt for long but we got the canter on his bad lead with no bucking so i called it quits for the day and wrote it off as a win.<br />
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<strong><u>Sunday</u></strong><br />
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I ended up getting off work early this day so i was able to get out to the barn before i picked my little guy up from his dads (they just got back from Disney Land) so i snuck out for another quick ride to try to work on our canter situation. I admit i was a little defeated with all this bucking nonsense from a horse that has never offered to buck and i have been thinking that it must be something wrong that i am doing but i tried to swallow my fear because G is the type of horse you allow him to be in control the issue just escalates. So i put on my big girl panties and a brave face and went to work with my horse. I made sure that i went out with time to lunge him so i could get him cantering on his bad lead as much as possible on the lunge hoping that that might make the ride go a little smoother. <br />
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I lunged him in his good direction for a few minutes then did a little longer on his bad side.. he was pretty good other than the head tossing going into the canter transition and other than needing constant encouragement to stay at the canter he was very good. <br />
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He was definitely not as patient this time at the mounting block but still stood still long enough for me to get on. We started out at the walk (again the arena was clear of all jumps) again he was spooking at the same corner so i spent a lot of time pushing him into that corner in both directions but still he would hop to the side he was also ignoring my seat and would speed up. Trot he was good, Canter counter clockwise was perfect no bucking nothing smooth rythmic and he didnt try to stop without me asking him too. <br />
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Clockwise was a different story he bucked harder this time everytime i asked and one time i had to turn him sharply to get him to stop and to get his mind back on me the other time i had to run him into the wall. I was so disheartened and i know he is weak on that side but i felt like there must be something i was doing wrong... this is typically where i would have quit and tried to find someone else to ride him and work him out of this, but i stayed on and we started doing figure eights at the trot, we did quite a few when i finally mustered up enough courage to ask for the canter again and it was perfect no bucking or anything we didnt canter for long but he got lots of pats and praise. <br />
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Im so glad to be starting lessons again i need to make sure that its not something that im doing wrong. Im also going to try to use my other saddle and see if he bucks under the other saddle as well... i really dont think its anything wrong because he doesnt do it every time and he doesnt do it in both directions only the side he is weak on. But i am very proud of myself for not giving up and not giving in... however from my back being sore from the ride the day before i did feel myself leaning forward and collapsing in so i will have to keep that in mind and make a concious effort to correct that again.<br />
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Monday-Dressage lesson<br />
Tuesday-Off<br />
Wednesday-Off<br />
Thursday-Jump lesson</div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-63757025445207304142013-01-04T10:18:00.001-07:002013-01-04T10:18:35.036-07:00Scariest Place on earth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yesterday i played hookey from my full time job so i could spend a day relaxing and riding it was +4 C here so it was a perfect day to get out and spend the day at the barn. <br />
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G was a tourist the entire time i was bringing him into the barn had to look at everying walking slower than molases, causing the barn manager and one of the trainers to make jokes about how pokey horses arent very good eventers (joking of course they would never say things to be mean he was just going that damn slow...).<br />
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We got in and i tacked him up and lunged him and i could tell from his cutting accross our lunge circle and throwing his head around that he was going to be nice and fresh to ride (lucky me)...<br />
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Now, our arena is heated but its the type that you have to turn on and it makes a lot of hissing and banging noises after the loud clicking just to turn the timer dial.... that combined with the snow sliding off the roof, the jumps set up in the arena, the fog that the heaters created and the dripping water from the roof made for an eventful ride....<br />
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It look a good 10 minutes of walking/circles/serpentines just to get G to settle down and pay more attention to me than everything else going on. There were tons of spooks... lots of slamming on the brakes... lets just say that by the end of 40 mins we were both exhausted me from trying to stay on and him from trying to do what i was asking even though we were riding in the scariest place on earth.<br />
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On the way back out to the paddock he got to relax and enjoy a nice roll in a big snow hill. Going to be a busy next couple of weeks trying to get him back in shape and ready for show season.<br />
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Friday-off<br />
Saturday-ride<br />
Sunday-off<br />
Monday- Dressage lesson</div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-90297678644009798102013-01-02T13:38:00.000-07:002013-01-02T13:38:08.397-07:002013 Resolutions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have been away for a while taking some time to myself and allowing G a little more time off, mostly because i lost my second job and had to try to hunt for another one in order to start my lessons up again but now the new year is back in full swing and i cannot wait to get back at it and get ready for show season.<br />
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Starting next week i will be having 2 lessons a week one will be Dressage and the other will be with a Jump coach. I absolutly adore both of these coaches and consider myself very lucky to have the opportunity to work with both of them again on a regular basis. <br />
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G will be getting started over fences within the next few months that should be an interesting experiene, we will probably be going to mostly eventing shows this summer. <br />
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As for my resolutions....<br />
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1) stick to my 2 lessons a week no matter what<br />
2) Even if i dont have time to ride get out there and lunge G<br />
3) Go to at least 3 shows this summer<br />
4) Continue to work on my own personal fitness get to my goal weight and increase my cardio<br />
5) TAKE MORE PICTURES!!!<br />
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-38040936948913343682012-12-14T09:14:00.000-07:002012-12-14T09:14:25.654-07:00Back at it <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When i found this image on Pinterest i must have laughed for a good 2 hours i couldnt even look at my phone without laughing... sassy starfish... ha ha!<br />
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Anyways I hope everyone has been doing great i will have to go and read through everyones blogs to get caught up. I took a little bit of time off to work on me on my physical fitness and to work on my mental state, there has been so many positive changes in my life lately and i have been trying to keep those going and stay positive focus on getting caught up with work.... not to mention i had my CAIB 1 exam last week... fingers crossed i passed.<br />
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G has had some time off but seemed more than happy to be back at work when i was out there last night I lunged him first because i was expecting him to be a little hot after so much time off but he wasnt bad he was a little quick and a little sassy going clock wise (yes i did giggle a little bit when i wrote that) but it was very minimal and easy to get his mind back on what we were doing. <br />
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He stood better than usual at the mounting block and was very well behaved considering there was about 6 other riders in the arena.The entire time i was riding he had his ears back on me listening waiting for me to ask him to do something and he tried so hard to do everything that i asked... he has just lost a lot of his conditioning, he was huffing and puffing after about 20 mins so we took a little walk break then cantered both directions... again clock wise he was a bit of a brat and through a buck in but he does it once then goes into this beautiful flowing canter.<br />
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Saturday is our barn christmas party so i am sure i will have more pictures for you guys... before that we are having a show meeting so everyone who wants to show this summer can "sign up" with our barn so we know who all is going to what shows and we all have some goals for our training. G and i will be back in lessons for sure by January i figure by then i have to have another second job.<br />
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Im excited its going to be an interesting 2013, we will probably go to a few dressage shows and a few eventing shows... probably a few more eventing shows.<br />
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I also have 2 videos that i am trying to get uploaded :)<br />
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happy riding!! </div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-36639467148861367882012-11-28T12:22:00.001-07:002012-11-28T12:22:26.518-07:00Wordless Wednesday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-36144241519106644872012-11-23T09:50:00.003-07:002012-11-23T09:50:52.789-07:00Lesson # 18 Straightness + Halt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last night i had a new girl join me in our lesson with her spunky little mare that used to be a reining horse, so this mare was doing lots of spins and FAST... the rider thought that would be a good way to get her attention back on the task.... it wasnt overly productive but it was pretty neat watching how fast this little mare could spin.<br />
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Anyways last night i got on G and he was a bit of a brat, not listening to my leg or my seat or my hands... or anything... as my coach said he was being a "tourist" looking at everything and completely ignoring me. It took some serpentines and some 20m circles with a bend to get him focused on the task at hand, all and all about 5 minutes for his brain to get into a "time to work" mode. <br />
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My coach wanted to work on staying off the track to force me to learn to use my legs to keep him straight and how to properly get to the wall. Usually when G and i come up to a wall i would use the wall to force him to turn which is VERY lazy of me but it is an effective way of turning a large animal *ha ha*. So we worked on a few serpentines with a pole on the ground the goal was to try to keep G nice and straight while coming accross the arena and before i hit the end of the pole (which was just before the track) to have him bent around my leg starting the turn so i could then push him over with my inside leg to the wall, sounds simple huh? <br />
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Once the other girl was ready to join the lesson we worked on getting a steady rhythem and getting a nice bend on a circle while maintaining a circle... not a Squoval... believe me.. G and i are the champions of the Squoval... if there was a squoval competition we would win the olympics... just saying...<br />
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We also worked on going up and down the quarter line focusing on straightness and again turning just before the wall and pushing the horses over. My Dressage coach has completely changed my riding position so for me i also had to work on keeping my legs back a little more (i have a tendancy to push my legs forward like im riding downhill constantly) and slow my posting as well as the amount im posting. <br />
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Then we worked on the halt down the quarter line, typically i will ask for a halt and it goes like this<br />
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ask--ask----G continues to walk forward---i ask again---he takes 2 more steps----he turns --- stops for a second ---walks off without me asking him<br />
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Last night it was like this<br />
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Ask--halt...... ask to walk on---walk on<br />
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He was even squared up and everything.... needless to say G got tons of hugs and kisses and face scratches and loving, he was perfect.<br />
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Friday- off<br />
Saturday- ride deworm <br />
Sunday - hoping for another ride</div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-47402735131839097192012-11-22T16:48:00.002-07:002012-11-22T16:48:21.429-07:00Basically a true story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Have a great thanksgiving everyone i am about to leave work for my lesson!<br />
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Be sure to stuff your face for me.... im on a diet :(<br />
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-71958109183086344582012-11-21T16:12:00.000-07:002012-11-21T16:12:47.376-07:00Learning about...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>Splurge or save:<br />1. saddle </strong>splurge<br /><b>2. board </b>save as much as I can w/o compromising his care <br /><b>3. halter </b>save<br />
<b>4. bit </b>what ever is recommended<br />
<b>5. bridle </b>im saving up to splurge lol<br />
<b>6. saddle pad </b> save<br />
<b>7. trailer </b>NOT even an option any time soon lol but it would be splurge<br />
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<br /><br /><b>First thing that comes to mind: </b><br /><strong>1. Haflinger </strong>sounds complicated</div>
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<b>2. Quarter Horse </b>sounds boring </div>
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<b>3. Thoroughbred </b>sounds fast</div>
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<b>4. Warmblood </b>sounds big</div>
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<strong>5. Welsh Cob </strong>small and adorable want one for my son <3</div>
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<br /><b>This </b>or That:<br /><b>1. <u>English</u> </b>or Western<br /><b>2. <u>tall</u></b> or short<br /><b>3. </b>trail ride or <u><b>beach ride (never dont it)</b></u><br /><b>4</b>. <strong><u>long mane</u></strong> or<strong> </strong>short mane<strong> </strong><br /><strong>5. </strong>hunters or<strong> <u>jumpers</u></strong> <br /><b>6.</b> <u><b>XC</b></u> or barrel racing<br /><strong>7.</strong> outdoor arena or <strong><u>indoor arena </u></strong>i live in Canada ill take my indoor for the 8 months of winter<br /><strong>8</strong>. trot or<b> <u>canter</u> </b><br /><b>9.</b> <b><u>canter</u></b> or gallop<br /><b>10</b>. paddock boots,<b> <u>tall boots</u></b>, or cowboy boots<br /><b>11</b>. <b><u>horse shoes</u> </b>or barefoot<br /><b>12</b>. <b><u>saddle</u> </b>or bareback</div>
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<b>About you: </b><br /><strong>1. How long have you been riding? </strong>training and taking lessons for 1.5 years, rode here and there when i was younger</div>
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<b>2. Do you own or lease a horse? </b>own<br /><strong>3. Breed? Age? Height? Name? (if you don’t own or lease, you could talk about your lesson horse) </strong>Trakehner 6 years old 16.1hh Gjonstone HR</div>
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<strong>4. Do you have any other pets? </strong>Crixus (pitbull black lab X) Mortimer (Rabbit)</div>
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<b>5. If your horse was a person, what kind of voice would they have (you can use a celebrity for an example)</b> He would be snarky and sarcastic a bit of a rebel but all in all have a big heart.</div>
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<strong>6. Does your horse have a “color”? If so, what is it, and what do you have in that color? </strong>He looks flashy in red and white</div>
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<strong>7. Does your horse do any tricks? </strong>He enjoys knocking things over and will do it while you are watching he also thinks its funny to do all the things he isnt suppose too.. like nip... he will try to nip my pockets while i am bent over cleaning his feet</div>
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<b>8. Have you ever dressed your horse up for Halloween? </b>Nope</div>
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<br /><br /><b>Favorites: </b><br /><strong>1. Breed? </strong>Trakehners (personality wise) Dutch Warmblooks (appearance)</div>
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<strong>2. Discipline? </strong>Dressage </div>
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<strong>3. Coat color? </strong>I love Greys</div>
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<strong>4. Famous horse?</strong> Bold Ruler </div>
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<b>5. Horse race/competition?</b> Love watching Masters at Spruce Meadows</div>
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<strong>6. Brand of tack? </strong>I have a bit of Mondega stuff currently </div>
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<strong>7. Thing to do with your horse? </strong>I love hacking out with him listening to music and being calm relaxed and at peace with each other... no fighting no stress just calm.</div>
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-67211088130554444872012-11-20T09:58:00.000-07:002012-11-20T09:58:27.620-07:00Lesson #17 Dressage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I look forward to my Dressage lessons more than anything else because i feel like i am doing more than just riding and i can tell after my ride just by how my horse looks that i worked his mind as well as his body. (i was going to post pictures but i cant get them to rotate...)<br />
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Anyways i was running late so i had to ride my dressage lesson in my all purpose saddle. Everything started out great he stood perfect at the mounting block (both times) because i forgot my helmet the first time. I started warming him up and he was very fiesty he wanted to go and wanted to work i loved that, i loved feeling like i needed to bring him back to me as opposed to pushing him forward. <br />
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We worked on flexion on a circle making the circle bigger and smaller, when my coach noticed that G was fighting the bend to the right she wanted to work on that during the lesson. (she also corrected my possition i tend to ride with my legs to far forward and again my posting is awful).<br />
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We started down the long wall doing a leg yeild with his nose facing the wall at a walk he didnt want to move off my leg as usual so we tried it at the trot and he was much more responsive but i had a hard time keeping a rhythem and stop him from running away with me we did it quite a few times around the arena then we started on single bending lines. <br />
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Single bending lines go from one letter to x back to the same wall at the last letter G did very well with this exercise 2 weeks ago but my coach wanted to incorperate the canter so we could work on our canter to trot transitions. So the idea was to canter the short wall and do a single bending line at a sitting trot down the long wall to pick up the canter again at the end and repeat.... it didnt work out quite that way...<br />
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As i mentioned previously G has decided that kicking out and bucking is a really fun way to try and intimidate me and help us change up the exercise it didnt work in his favor because we pushed through the kicks and the bucks and even though it wasnt pretty it improved greatly by the end... anyways it usually went like this<br />
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ask for canter-buck kick---canter---ask for trot---ignored still cantering to x----ask for trot again----get some head tossing then trot--- and repeat....<br />
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Again this is not an injury thing or a soreness thing because when you push him through it a few times he gives up... also my dressage coach is a myofacial... something or other (equine massage therapist) so please dont think it is a soreness issue because he is completely sound believe me that and saddle fit was the first things i looked at. <br />
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I am quite proud of myself that this did not intimidate me and we were able to ride past it but my back has been sore the last few days as well as my inner thighs from the change in position and the balanceing a horse off my hands. <br />
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This week is going to be really busy but i am hoping it will look like this...<br />
<br />
Tuesday- Off<br />
Wednesday- Off<br />
Thursday- Lesson with Nat<br />
Friday-Off<br />
Saturday- ride<br />
Sunday- ride<br />
<br /></div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-86447002454690620512012-11-20T09:30:00.001-07:002012-11-20T09:30:19.523-07:00Lesson #16 More Canter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sorry i have been a little tardy lately with my posts, we have had some really bad weather so i havnt been getting out to the barn as much as i would have liked due to the really bad road conditions over two days we had something like 400 reported accidents in my city alone. <br />
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Anyways im back on having my regular lessons so i have a few to post about now. I keep getting told about how much progress G and i are making... i have a video but i have to 1 build up the courage to post it and 2 find a video of me riding worse so that there is something to compare too... that will be later this week im hoping.<br />
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Anyways G and i had a lesson with Nat on Thursday it was great G was forward and ready to work however he has now decided that in the canter transition he would like to buck and kick out, he does this almost every time now and i have had people watch him move to make sure that it is not a soreness issue all the coaches and other riders at my barn even the equine massage therapist says it is him testing me. So we have backed off the canter a little bit for the time being.<br />
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Trot poles are greatly improving i no longer hold my breath while going over them and i am able to go through with a posting trot as well as a sitting trot. MY biggest challenge is trying to fix my posting trot... if i get up the nerve to post the videos you will see i post like a a crazy person and thats why i have such a hard time with controling our rhythem and pace... as well as why i feel like he is running away with me all the time. <br />
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Thats my biggest challenge right now trying to fix my posting.<br />
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I also will be taking a few lessons with another coach at our barn before she goes away to compete in the states in January because she will be the one working with me in the summer since Nat will be leaving for ferrier school.<br />
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-68503004980634013652012-11-04T21:15:00.001-07:002012-11-04T21:16:07.567-07:00Lesson #15 - Dressage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
At the new barn i take weekly lesson with one of the girl who is an experienced eventer, she is great she pushes me to try new things to not be a chicken and to just "get over it" and make my horse do it. She has been showing for a lot longer than me and i learn a ton from her every week but when i found out that my barn was going to bring in a dressage coash 1x a month i jumped on that as quickly as i could because i knew that she wasnt going to be taking on to many students and man am i glad that i did!! The best part is that today went so well that she is going to come in every second sunday! <br />
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I had my first lesson with this Dressage coach today and i was nervous because she is a judge and used to compete up to pretty high levels, not only that but the girl that was going to ride with me originally is much more advanced in her riding so i was worried that i would be holding her back or i would not be able to do what was being asked.... luckily the lessons were move around and the girl i train with on Thursdays was moved into my lesson with me... AND she called in sick so i got a private lesson for the cost of a semi private.<br />
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The lesson started out with the typical questions about where we are at what have we accomplished that type of thing. I brought out my dressage saddle so we have to lengthen my stirrups. G was still having a hard time with the far side of the arena and i dont blame him since the snow is melting right now and sliding off so we kept the lesson at the one end of the arena for the first half. <br />
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First thing the new coach pointed out to me is that i am putting weight on the inside of my foot while posting which is twisting my foot out, she wanted me to focus on putting the weight on my baby toe which will point my feet straight ahead as well a help me sink further into my heels and lower leg as well as keep my posting rhythmic and make my rise not as high. As soon as i started to focus on this our tempo was much better we kept a pace instead of him getting quick and my posting getting faster to match.<br />
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She also mentioned my head position, i guess i have a weird head tilt... which i wasnt aware of so trying to correct that is a little harder than correcting things you know you have been doing wrong. I also have a habit of looking at my horse and not straight ahead which is something i did now and am getting much better with.<br />
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I have also been having a hard time with G buging out and cutting corners as well as cutting accross the circle, the coaches biggest suggestion was to keep me hands closer together thumbs on top but ony about an inch of space in between my hands it was amazing how quickly this fixed my bulging problem.<br />
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Other than being lazy G was great we did lots of work on the circle making the circle bigger and smaller, we did some work riding from one corner to X then back to the same wall on both sides of the arena (ill look up the letters and fix this post later). We also practiced some turn on the forehand.<br />
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Did i mention that the entire lesson was at a trot.... a sitting trot because she liked my sitting trot better than my rising trot... every now and then she would throw in a rising trot but that was few and far between... G did amazing as always i am so proud of him and how much progress we have made.<br />
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He has earned his next couple days off, and i need to nurse my sore abs and legs before thursdays lesson. Sorry for the double post but i wanted to get this caught up before going to bed.<br />
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Mon-Wed- Days off<br />
Thursday- Lesson W/ tr 1</div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-65880513479111631492012-11-04T20:58:00.001-07:002012-11-04T20:58:26.821-07:00Lesson #14 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sorry i have been bad and not getting on here as much as i should to update. I will be making up for that for sure because so much has happened!<br />
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As those of you who have been following me for a long time know i was terrified of the canter i would do everything and anything to get out of it... well that has changed... i love the canter i have found my balance in it so now its jut practice to get G's balance.<br />
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Thursday i had my lesson as usual we started with getting an inside bend at a walk and a trot around the arena but G was having very little of it so i kept him on a circle to avoid the spooking in the one area of the arena. I just didnt want to have that fight with him at that time, i wanted to work on stuff with my trainer there and get him focused mentally before pushing him into the corners again.<br />
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We did some riding in the 2 point position (which sucks royaly!) im starting to find this easier and easier as i spend more time in the saddle, i have also been practicing on my own a little bit since i knew it would be coming up in lessons.... was i ever right.<br />
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We did a little bit of canter the first time i asked i got a nice little buck out of G but a very nice canter on the correct lead, ever time after that we kept on getting the wrong lead so we moved onto something else (after he got it one last time of course).<br />
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Trot poles are something that i have never really done a lot of and G is not used to it either, the first 3 times we went through he felt the need to jump the first rail then managed to trip over the last one. My trainer quickly pointed out that i am looking down instead of straight ahead that i need to keep my head up after that small change we where getting through them much better he was picking his feet up... most likely because i was not preparing myself for him to trip and tensing up. After clearing the trot poles we were suppose to stop for 3 seconds then continue for another round.... we clearly need to work on our halts... G would do a 180 take a few steps, try to pull the reins out of my hand then finally decide that stopping would be acceptable. <br />
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Friday-no ride <br />
Saturday-ride<br />
Sunday- Dresssage lesson</div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-83829629210554564832012-10-19T09:13:00.001-06:002012-10-19T09:13:42.554-06:00Lesson # 13 Canter.. Finally<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last nights lesson was great it was a huge leap forward for me in my confidence with riding G i have so much to write!<br />
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My new coach has recommended some tack for us to try to hopefully help us move forward with out training. I was previously riding in a standing martingale because G at one point would get frusterated and turn to tossing his head which i found terrifying so that helped me get passed the head tossing and not cause any further anxiety but we have now outgrown the standing martingale so last night my coach had me ride in a breast plate with a running martingale.<br />
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Made a big difference it helped keep G's head night and low and helped to keep him off of my hands as well as keep my jiggling hands somewhat off of his face. Now to come up with $100 to buy one of these bad boys... until i can afford this my trainer is going to let me use hers, i am very happy i can retire the standing martingale. YAY for progress!<br />
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She also had me try out a new bit one that would prevent G from grabbing onto the bit and resisiting originally i was riding in a typical Eggbutt Snaffle like this one. (not quite that thin... mine was much thicker than that)<br />
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And last night i rode in one that looks like this.<br />
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The combination of the change in tack made a huge different in our ride, he felt amazing (not to mention was back to being sound after having his shoes pulled). Our trot work was great it was very forward and he kept his head nice and low as i had mentioned.<br />
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Some of the other boarders brought a few horses into the arena that were causing some craziness at one end so Nat had us stay on a circle at one end and work on riding a circle with an inside bend in both directions at a walk and a trot. Then she asked for us to pick up a canter... oh no... this is something that we had done virtually 0 work on because i had such bad anxiety towards it for no apparent reason is started to make excuses for why we should be able to "practice" on the weekend and work on it in our next lesson (thank fully before i started taking lessons i told Nat that i was full of crap and i had no reason for the anxiety and had asked not to buy into my excuses and to make me do it) she gave me a look and told me to canter down the long wall behind the other girl in my lesson. I kissed at G and squeezed and because the horse in front was doing it he started cantering as well we did pretty good werent as unbalance as we usually are. <br />
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We came back to the circle and did a little more trot with an inside bend asking with our outside leg to make the circle smaller and smaller. Then Nat asked us to canter on the circle this was something that made me a little nervous because in my head i could see G running away with me over the jumps and what not in the arena but we did it Nat was awesome she kept talking to me and telling me to slow the trot down before asking for the canter and explained we wanted a nice slow trot before the canter to put him on his hind end before asking. The first couple times we cantered on the circle i was really heavy in the saddle and very active with my hands but with each attempt it got a little bit better and i gained a little bit more confidence, there was very little head tossing and that was curbed with the martingale very quickly.<br />
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I felt very accomplished after yesterdays ride even though i have the worst cold on the planet im an excited to go out tonight and ride, i am hoping that we will be able to canter again by our selves so we can be ready for next weeks lesson.<br />
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-26952057579049045492012-10-15T09:12:00.002-06:002012-10-15T09:12:51.781-06:00Weekend recap<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
G was still a little ouchie on his front feet but doing much better than he was so i didnt do any riding this weekend but we did do a fair bit of lunge work to help continue to get him used to moving in the sand.<br />
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When i lunge G i alternate with and without side reins and when i do lunge with side reins i dont lunge for long and they are not very tight i will post a video soon that shows the slack in the side reins but it gets him thinking about how he is moving and were his head is. <br />
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Ill get some video this week of both him in side reins and without. Dressage lesson on sunday was canceled, which makes me happy because i didnt have to cancel due to G being ouchie lol. <br />
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G also has a new paddock mate so he isnt all alone his new friend is another little Trakehner named Finn ill get some pictures when i am out there next.<br />
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Monday-off<br />
Tuesday- lunge<br />
Wednesday-off<br />
Thursday-lesson</div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-46038291541858521462012-10-12T08:47:00.000-06:002012-10-12T08:49:06.238-06:00Lesson #12 Another New Trainer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So now that i am settled into the new barn i have started taking lessons again with a new girl Nat i have watched her ride she is very patient and what she says makes sense i have gotten the opportunity to watch a few of her lessons as well so i figured she would be a great fit... But of course she is an eventer and teases me constantly that my horse would make a great eventer ha ha... we will see....<br />
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One down side is i prefer private lessons (i like things to be all about me ;) lol) but i dont like the cost of $50 each but luckily i found a girl that i get along with really well that is fairly close to the same level as i am in my riding so she is jumping into my lessons slot with me and now i only have to pay $30 yay for saving money that means i can now afford a dressage lesson 1x a month! <br />
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Anyways, i brought G in from his paddock (loving him being in paddock especially now that he is in there with a little baby Trakehner that he gets along with really well) i didnt notice anything off with him because we were outside but he was very hesitant to walk on the cement in the barn and on the wood around the arena but i tacked him up and let him warm up a bit before lunging him.Nat was in the arena teaching a lesson when i went to lunge him and G was definitely a little sore on his front feet from getting his shoes off he was worse in one direction than the other but as he warmed up he started moving much better still a little short in his reach but better.<br />
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I got on after a few minutes of fighting him at the mounting bucket and walked him around the arena to feel how he was moving at the walk he was fine but the trot he didnt want to extend very much but all in all was moving good in the sand so we decided to go forward with the lesson but keep it at a walk.<br />
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One of the big things that Nat wants me to work on is my inside bend currently we have none lol G does not like to bend to the left so we spent a good amount of the lesson walking around the arena with me trying to hold an inside bend and not allow him to push through my outside leg then we would do a few circles in this same movement the circles were the worst because G tends to ignore my outside leg.<br />
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Nat pointed out that i take up so much of my reins which isnt a bad thing but currently where we are at in our riding i want to be promoting him to stretch long and low and to allow for him to reach for the bit. She had me go to the buckle and try to same exercise and it helped a little. <br />
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The lesson went really well i am really excited to continue with her consistantly, she suggested moving G into a rolling snaffle to help stop him from grabbing the bit (she hopped on G for a couple minutes after my ride to help her determine were to go from here kind of thing) She also suggested draw reins to help teach him that being a Giraffe is not pretty in an event horse or a dressage horse. So now i am going to troll my barn to see if anyone will lend me a rolling snaffle before i go out to buy one. The girl i ride with in my lessons said she has a set of draw reins that she will lend me to try out before i go and buy some as well. <br />
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Friday-day off (i work both jobs and G needs to feel better)<br />
Saturday-lunge in side reins and ride to work on what we learned<br />
Sunday-possibly a dressage lesson if i can make it work with my 2nd job<br />
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Have a great weekend everyone :)</div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-30557921537777520452012-10-10T21:13:00.001-06:002012-10-12T08:49:28.288-06:00Ferrier day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
New ferriers are my favorite part of new barns every barn has a hot ferrier and my barn is no exception.<br />
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G had his shoes off and will remain barefoot now for the remainder of the winter. He was bit of a brat for the ferrier but everything was great with his feet. The ferrier did mention however that the crack in G's hoof that i was concerned about a while back was because the prior ferrier was not beveling the top of his hoof enough and basically G's hoof was cavng in on itself.... kinda glad we fixed that one early on... and now i have 2 horse shoes that i need to figure out something sentimental to do with them...<br />
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Question: What have you done with your horses first set of shoes?<br />
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Anyways -<br />
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Thursday night-Lesson<br />
Friday-day off<br />
Saturday- ride <br />
Sunday- dressage lesson<br />
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Life is good :)</div>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368092227546916905.post-63628408405175936942012-10-10T21:09:00.000-06:002012-10-12T08:50:00.320-06:00Weekend Woes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Im typing this on probably the smallest computer ever so hopefully i manage to catch all my typo's so i apologise in advance.<br />
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This weekend was interesting i went out friday night to ride and had a great ride G is really starting to get used to the sand arena which is great he was very hot however and saucy but it was forward so i cannot complain to much.<br />
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I went out saturday to ride brought my room mate to see the barn since she is considering possibly moving barns. I brought G into the arena to lunge him and sure enough he was stocked up in his hind right leg so i took all his tack off and lunged him and he was definitely off. So we put him in a stall for the day and night after cold hosing a few times for 10 minutes each time.<br />
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Sunday i went out to check on my boy and sure enough stocked up in both legs but he lunged really well so we decided to put him in a paddock after cold hosing him again. <br />
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Monday he was fine both legs looked great and by Tuesday he was lunging out properly again but i have decided that pasture is probably a bad idea especially now that we have gotten snow so my boy will be in a paddock to prevent further injuries.<br />
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Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00038462663750441403noreply@blogger.com0