A Break From Our Normally Scheduled Programming

Cupid's break has officially begun, and his human "little brother" arrived on Thanksgiving day!  The next few weeks he will just get turned out daily.  I've just been grooming him and giving his grain, and putting anti-thrush stuff in his feet since it's started raining.  I talked to our farrier, and we decided to keep shoes on.  I'm also switching him from biotin to Farrier's Formula to see if that strengthens them.

Response Time

Cupid and I have continued taking it easy.  Even though I don't really notice the smoke anymore, I'm not sure how much better it actually is versus me just getting used to it, so I don't want to push it too much.  Also although we've had some better and worst days, I'm still not convinced he is 100%.  It still is only ever a problem cantering on the left, and not all the time.  It's possible it's just a training/attitude problem, but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and not pressing it.  So we've been keeping our rides shorter (generally 30-45 minutes) and lighter, but trying to focus on more prompt responses.

Part of this has been crisper transitions, within and between gaits.  We've also been working a bit on trot-halt-trot for when we move up to First level - this definitely needs work!  I know I also need him more responsive to the leg, so we've been doing leg yielding and playing with some turns on the forehand and haunches, which he's starting to get the idea of.

The other thing I've been working on is improving our connection.  I start with asking for a halt, then use steady pressure on both reins until Cupid drops his nose.  Then I tell him he's a good boy and ask him to walk on while maintaining that connection.  When we start to lose it, we stop and start over. 

Making friends

Post ride cuddles

Last week and this week we did hop over some little crossrails, but that was mostly just so we don't forget and it doesn't become a big deal if we do start jumping more again next year.  Indeed it was no big deal for Cupid, even though I felt a little sloppy and disorganized.  Otherwise we've just been cruising around the property a bit, sometimes bareback for fun.

We have rain forecasted for tomorrow, and on and off the next few days.  But it hasn't rained in a while so I don't think it will get too muddy.  But time to start preparing for winter, yuck!

Trail Ride in Runnymede Sculpture Garden

Though it is still a bit hazy, the air quality has gotten better.  On Sunday I did a light ride, about 30 minutes in the covered arena walk/trot and hopped over a few tiny crossrails.  Cupid was not very inspired by the tiny jumps (a foot tall, max), and didn't even muster a few strides canter on landing.  But I did try to get him going forward and straight as best I can, and also did some leg yields to get him listening to my leg.

I had Monday off for Veteran's Day, so Cupid and I headed out to meet our friend for a trail ride in the Runnymede Sculpture Garden.  We haven't been there in about a year.  A lot of the art is large, industrial-type installations.  (Stuff I don't really get, but I can barely draw a stick figure so who am I to judge.) 

There are also some life-size and larger than life people and animals - a camel, horse, monkey, and more. 

Then there are random ceramics. 

And some stuff I don't even know how to describe. 

It was a nice, easy ride and for the most part fairly flat. We kept it at a walk.  Cupid paid no attention to the art, but did occasionally try to stop to forage.  He's weird and likes to eat moss.  He also pulled out a giant clump of weeds, then tried to figure out how he can knock the dirt clod off the roots and eat it with his bit on. 

Yummy moss

Smoky haze covering the view.

We eventually made our way out of the sculpture garden and into Huddart Park.  A part of the trail was fairly steep downhill with several narrow switchbacks.  I was a little worried about taking a bad step, but Cupid was able to navigate through it.  We also did a little gate practice, and as I suspected a real gate was quite a bit more difficult than the rope gate we did for working equitation so it was not pretty but we eventually got it.  Aside from the gate needing more work he was a perfect trail pony!  It was about a 2 hour ride total.  Cupid was a little sweaty, probably from being so fuzzy more so than the actual work. 

After the ride I remembered to start my TIP recreational riding log (thanks to http://poorwomanshowing.blogspot.com for the motivation!)  I was able to look up most of our trail rides from the past year from my blog entries, and we are almost at our first milestone to get a badge! 

Ranch Ride

Wouldn't you know, the day the arena is full of the perfect tiny jumps we could pop over for fun the air is too smoky for a real ride.  Luckily the fire is 200 miles away, but we are still covered in a smoky haze.  So instead I just hopped on Cupid bareback and we strolled around the property for about 20 minutes.  Not much to write about so here are some photos from our ride.

Velveteen horse, so soft and fuzzy but dusty and static-y too!

Signature trees that give the property it's name, Cypress Ridge

Though we have plenty of pines too

Let him stop for a snack...

... which led to a game of what else can I find to eat

Making up for Lost Time

Cupid got Monday off, and on Tuesday we had a pretty good ride in the covered arena.  He didn't feel quite so lazy, but instead of settling for that I tried to push him for a little more still.  We kept it fairly light, continuing the things we worked on in our last lesson just less small circles.  I decided to just focus on the trot work again and not canter.

Then on Wednesday I rode Cupid in the outdoor arena, and as soon as I got on I could tell he had a little more energy.  It was slightly cooler... or maybe because I've been giving him apples all week :p  We walked a few minutes.  I've been doing some stretches while we walk, rotating/windmilling my arms one at a time, taking my feet out of the stirrups and stretching my legs out long, then lifting my leg out to the side.  The last one is quite painful for me, tight hip flexors, but isn't so bad if I keep my other leg in the stirrup.

After my stretches we did some shallow loop serpentines each direction, then went up to the trot a bit sooner then usual.  And Cupid wanted to go!  So we only trotted a few minutes before I asked him to canter, thinking he would quickly get tired and want to stop.  But he was full of energy!  We cantered on a 20 meter circle and did some transitions down to the trot and back to the canter.  Then we changed directions and we got the left lead, even though Cupid ran into it a little.  We transitioned down to the trot, then when I asked for the canter we got a fairly decent up transitions, yay!  I may have pushed my luck a bit because the third time he picked up the right lead, but we went back down to the trot and then he got it.  I thought three times was good, but then Cupid broke to a trot so I made him canter again.  Overall I was happy with how he felt, though I felt a bit loose and sloppy myself, tipping forward a bit and my heels were coming up and feet out of the stirrups.

Then I let Cupid walk a little to catch his breath, though he was still feeling pretty good.  He was a bit distracted at one part of the arena so we did some small circles as we walked by.  We ended with a fairly long trot set incorporating exercises similar to our last lesson.  Cupid was a bit quick initially but we managed to channel that energy into pretty nice work!

Powered by apples

Better

Cupid appears to be feeling good, and back to normal.  I've still been keeping the cantering to a minimum, but he has felt comfortable and not acted cranky about it.  I lunged him a few days ago and he picked up the left lead correct all three times I asked. 

What he have been struggling a bit with is him being behind my leg - which is part of the reason why we haven't been cantering as much, because I don't want to practice sloppy transitions where I have to chase him into it.  Usually he's good about midway through a ride, but it starts out pretty poky.  The weather has been quite warm, and Cupid hasn't been clipped so I think that contributes to it but of course is not an excuse.  So I'm trying to be more clear about expectations and not settle for less, and make sure that starts during warm up.  Part of that is just intent on my part (I get lazy too!), making sure I'm not blocking him with my seat, and being firm when needed instead of just nagging throughout.  Transitions within gaits and leg yielding are good exercise to get him listening.

Enjoying some sunshine and what's left of the grass

Lessons have been going well, and have been primarily focused on increasing our connection.  My trainer has been focusing on making sure I don't let my reins get too long - check each time we change direction or increase bend.  Cupid isn't resistant, the last week or so he's felt amazing and light and responsive.  But it still feels a bit foreign to me after 20+ years riding on a longer rein, like I'm water skiing on his face, but I'm trying! 

We've been doing a lot of 20 meter circle with 10 meter half circles inside to change direction.  We've also been doing a 20 meter circle, with a 10 meter circle to the inside, then shoulder fore coming out of the smaller circle a few steps, then straighten a bit and increase the trot.  We've also been doing a 3 loop serpentine with a 10 meter circle figure-8 as we cross the centerline.  All this at the trot - like I said we've been doing a lot of trotwork!  Cupid's work ethic has been super lately, once we get warmed up anyways.  He likes to figure out what we're doing and seems quite keen to get it right, so I just need to be clear and consistent!

Semi-Update, and more WE Show Photos

Cupid has seemed slightly better our last few works, but we also took it a bit easy so it's kind of hard to say.  We had lessons on Friday and Sunday, where I started warmed him up at the walk and trot, then got off and he cantered on the lunge line, then I got back on and finished with trot work.  Both days he was a bit lazy to start, so I focused on being more forward in the warm up portion.  Friday he was inconsistent with the left lead on the lunge, but was much better on Sunday.   I didn't have side reins on him, and he looked much happier without them.  However on Sunday cantering to the right he did twist his head a bit - I was using a caveson and had the line clipped over his nose so it wasn't related to the bit or uneven pressure.  

After the lunge portion he usually has more energy, and we've had some really great trot work.  I don't know if the lunging is helpful for him to loosen up a bit?  I'm not a huge fan of lunging because doing that many small-ish circles seems hard on them so I don't do it very often, but right now it is seeming to help.  ??? 

In between lesson days we went for a nice hack around the property, bareback.

Some photos from the working equitation schooling show.

Not very dressage-y, sigh.

No I shouldn't have to lean this far to get it - that is just bad form!

Medieval times