Weekend

5/31 

I arrived to the barn around 1745. The temp outside was still about 90 so I opted to ride in the indoor. Tacked up mister cranky pants complete with ear bonnet and headed in. We warmed up at the walk letting him stretch down and meander around the ring, and then into a collected walk and right into a working trot.

Vinny has been giving me a lot of problems in our initial walk to trot transition. I'm not sure what the problem is with him, but I will ask normally by sitting tall, having a light contact with the reins, squeezing with my calves and saying "trot" firmly. End result: he has come to a complete halt. Okay. Revert to big kick, kiss, TROT! Nope. Grab crop. Squeeze/kick/smack with crop. Maybe a little faster working walk. Halt horse. Try the transition again. Start growling at him. Turn him and go the opposite direction. Repeat previous tactics. Finally, we start a choppy slow trot around the ring. Ughhh! Why horse, why?

What does this sound like to you? Testing me, or pain? Or laziness? Something else? 

don't wanna work.

I continue around the ring changing directions on the diagonal and finally I have a more engaged working trot. We do a few big circles and practice some  inverse change of directions. Good boy! We have a pretty decent, active trot. On the long sides I post extra tall, lifting my hands slightly and urging him forward to engage his hind end and attempt the extended trot. He's okay, but could stretch out more and really lower his head down a little more. On the short sides its back to the working trot. I enjoy this exercise, but it is hard on my leg muscles that are still developing. Lots of pats as we take a breather and walk around the ring. 

Next I decided to work on the simple changes exercise from June's issue of Practical Horseman. I pick up a nice canter, slightly more contact so he knows to pay attention, and take him down the centerline a few strides. Break to trot, give aids to pick up new lead. And we're very good going from left lead to right. As far as right to left, ehhhh. Not so much. I'm encountering a lot of over bending to the right and then by the time I've corrected it, there's no more room to pick up the new lead. I guess we'll be working at this more. 

Anyway. We cool out after about 30-40 minutes of work and I hand walk my boy around the ring. Boy do I love this horse. 

Untack, hose off, coat conditioner, wipe his face off (he loves this). Throw him back in stall with his fan on for the night. 

Did I mention that I took the night of from the barn on Thursday? Please, please don't ever let me do this again. I was so bored that evening I just didn't know what to do with myself. I ended up making a pizza and painting my toe nails. Nothing good was on HGTV :( huge fail. Justification for skipping the barn? Too hot and humid. AND I left my riding garb at home. Not very good reasons if you ask me though the break was probably good rest for my muscles. 

Saturday, 6/1

I made a decision the night before to get up semi early in attempt to beat the heat. Let

me just say, huge FAIL. Wait wait wait. I did get up pretty dang early though. 0745? The problem was that it was still a simmering 80 degrees by the time I was on the road. Ummmm. Why! Why must it be so humid. Anywho. I Made a stop at DD for my iced coffee and arrived at the barn around 0840. When I pulled into the drive I immediately see my boy to the right in his paddock trying and failing to eat the little tufts of  grass that are sort of growing. Haha poor guy. I hung out in the tack room slowly drinking coffee, checking FB, ya know, the yoosh primarily Avoiding going outside to grab the pony. Eventually I brought pony in and spent a good half hour slowwwlllyyyy grooming and tacking up. Firstly I curried the crap outta his coat. Then a medium brush to get the dirt and hair off. Then a soft brush on his cute face. He loves this :) and thennn the picking of the hooves. Sometimes he is okay about this, others, not so much. I always start with the left front, I don't know about you but the whole left sidedness was instilled to me from a young age, I swear every time I go to pick up this hoof he HAS to instead take a step to the right. Don't know why, I guess this is just part of his childhorseness. Then onto the hind left where he may or may not try to kick me. Whatevs Vinny.

After quickly tacking up, Finally we make it into the ring where I'm anything but enthusiastic about riding (again, humidity) so we wander around on a lose rein, I let him go up to the scary corner where the roll up door is open and gaze longingly at his frenemies.  After a lazy lap er two at the walk I go into my usual battle of the initial walk to trot transition (see below for deets). After an entire lap around the ring I ask one of my barn mates to hand me a crop. Enter kicking spanking and growling episode. Now, please keep in mind that literally all he does is stop. He halts himself when I ask for forward movement. He does not kick out, buck, crow hop not anything. Wtf?! Again, I will take any suggestion here. 

At last after another half of the arena of me spanking, kicking, yelling, I get a weak trot. Today I decide were going to work on quick transitions. So after a few laps and circles each way of working trot, I ask for a halt. Then walk a few steps and immediately back up to working trot. Then walk. Then halt. Then maybe back up etc. at this point he is in full, but a little lazy, work mode. This makes a very happy rider. We come down to a walk and I ask for right lead canter. I get a few strides and then he breaks back to trot. I chalk this up to the weather and the fact hasn't had a day off since Sunday and ask for the canter again. Good boy! We do a few laps of a regular canter and then work this into our transitions. So maybe canter to walk. Walk to canter. Canter  to halt to canter. Canter to trot and back up to canter etc. I very much enjoy this exercise as well and I become very proud of my boy as his response time gets quicker. I absolutely grin when I halt him, wait a few seconds and ask for the canter and he immediately picks it up:) good Vinny. We end with a lap of long and low trot. 

This was probably about 25 minutes total. Yeah, that's how much I cannot tolerate humidity. 

I hosed him off, washed his legs and tail, conditioned tail, and then brushed it out with show sheen and sprayed some coat conditioner into his coat. My boy gleams! I love it! 

And then since I am the adult version of a barn rat, I make myself busy. Clean saddle and girth with my Higher Standards soap as well as condition it with Lexol. And thennn I cleaned Vinnys brushes and let them dry outside in the sun. 

What a good mommy I am! 

 

 

beautiful Child-horse.