I hate leaving gaps in my writing because it’s hard to pick back up sometimes…
In this case though I’ve decided to make my entry fairly short, for me, anyways.
Last I wrote Diego was only just settling into his new home and the new relationship we’d hoped to build, he was also just starting to open up and express himself again, largely because of starting clicker training with him. Everything was so new, uncertain, scary, exciting…
Fall flew by with various difficulties – some horse related and some in my personal life or health.
Winter is approaching now.
A freezing wind is blowing this morning and it’s under 50 degrees right now. Brrrr
And D is probably out roaming the pasture with his herd, sans blanket, munching the left over grass and hiding in the valleys from the wind. In otherwords he’s finally getting to be a real horse. I can’t say he’s ever looked back. I’ve put him in a stall maybe 3 times in the past 5 months. He has buddies, and responsibilities (he has a mare now) that must be kept at all times when he’s not with me. Life for them is moving, communing, playing, eating etc.
* * * * * * * *
He is still very herd-bound when not with his buddies, especially if he senses my nerves, threatening weather or anything out of the ordinary on any given day, but that is a trust issue between us that will come with time. It’s already improved, but is probably one of the slowest moving of everything we are making progress in.
He is still not often soft or loving towards me, though I have made an effort to repress my demanding, bossy former nature with him. He expresses each opinion with the intensity with which he feels it – often pretty intense. Like mine. Birds of a feather. ;)
Lastnight he was thoroughly dissatisfied with me restraining him in the barn and constantly telling him ‘no”. While tied for grooming he poked his head over the wall to bully Levi the colt, off his food – despite the fact that Diego couldn’t reach Levi’s food. I verbally scolded D and gave a tug at the base of his halter for him to back up off the wall. He did, but promptly put his ears back, cocked his head and gave a warning ‘snap’ in my direction. The other boarder about 15 feet away saw the exchange and commented on D’s response, surprised at his ‘sass”. I ignored Diego’s snap and simply went about my business as I do now when he responds in a not so nice way, telling the boarder he was telling me how he felt. It’s true, he often tells me exactly how he feels about something and often I’m completely unprepared when I’m bombarded by his opinions. XD lol 14 years of living a repressed life in a relationship might make me a tiny bit cranky too!
But there are some quiet moments where he puts his head against me, or comes to me for comfort that make all of this effort worth it. One of my friends in the horse community I joined owns a former abused Spanish bullfighting horse. She has beautiful pictures of him calmly resting his head against her with his eyes half closed. It was an expression of trust that overwhelmed me. I have dealt with many headshy horses in my life, but never truly given thought to the fact that that is their most prized and sensitive part of their body! Their head, eyes, mouth…. Something we often feel we have a “right” to.
“Give me your head and put this stupid bridle on!”
“Give me your jaw – accept that bit!”
“Grab his head.”
“Grab his nose.”
The list goes on.
We’re a rather bullish, selfish, insensitive race at times aren’t we? o.O
It makes it all the more meaningful that Diego chooses and has chosen in the past to give me his head. He doesn’t always… try bringing a syringe of wormer into eye sight and he’ll fling his head up to the sky! But on cold nights like last week when he was in pain from a leg injury, he walked behind me with his head resting squarely on my back for comfort. He followed me in the dark through physical contact and trust.
* * * * * * *
These past few months have opened my eyes to how truly intelligent, emotional, sensitive and physically powerful Diego is – even more so than I could have imagined when I started this journal.One of the most incredible times was one hot summer day...
I have taken on the endeavor to learn pheromone/intent communication through breath exchange, at the suggestion of a friend. Apparently the horses extremely sensitive sense of smell is able to pick up so much more information from other mammals than we thought previously. Intent can be conveyed by a single simplistic thought or emotion and then the pheromone is created when the we let the breath out. Have you ever watched a horse blow out to another’s nostrils? Or watched a horses nostrils contract, shrink taking in the exchange? If dogs can tell age, food eaten, general health etc. by sniffing eachothers butts I see no reason why horses can’t communicate by breath.
So I try it. Though I am clumsy at collecting my thoughts.
I felt extremely tired and was in pain (sunburn) on this day and sat in the barn on a chair, dripping with sweat. Diego stood with his head next to me and finally after a long time of silence raised his head so his nose hung in the air 10 inches from my face. I breathed out, feeling all my pain and tiredness. His nostrils contracted very slightly and stayed contracted, he did not breath out at all. I was told later that means he was waiting for more information… inviting me to talk.
That to me speaks volumes. In his own language he was offering a listening ear, more so than we give horses credit for. They don’t understand our words when we rant about a bad day – but he certainly understood the pain and fatigue I was experiencing and offered me the chance to share more. Mind blowing…
I will post more on specifics of what we’ve been working on later. For now just know that we are on our way to something more powerful than I had prepared myself for!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Settling In
So…this week in recap…
It’s been unbelievably hot again which is really cutting into our energy levels. We’ve still managed to do some new things though.
I’ve brought treats back… *alittle*. I only use them for VERY short sessions, maybe 3 minutes max, he starts to get too impatient and upset emotionally so we quite and dome something else for awhile. He’s finally tapping into his old self again though. I started out in the roundpen in the afternoons, and came up with very basic games that I could reward him for and get him interested, One of the first was holding the whip in his mouth. He enjoys this, and it’s a challenge to see him try to balance the whip horizontally. He even started drawing in the sand with it one day. ;p When he drops it I cluck (deeply) and say ‘good’ and he gets a treat. The longer he can hold it the more enthusiastic the reward. This is a really good way to get him mentally interested when he’s been tuned out.
The second trick was starting leg lifts. I was not convinced this would work well at all since I had NO luck tapping his legs with a whip. It finally dawned on me her prefers and understands the direct contact of my hand better than an impersonal object. A light pinch of the elbow now gets a lifted foreleg. The response was nearly immediate, I was amazed! He “holds” his left leg up currently, as if for picking. His right, he strikes out and paws. At first he couldn’t lift his right up at all without slamming it back down, but after I got extra persistent one day & kept signaling he finally dipped his head and started pawing, so he got a big reward. =) I think he’s really enjoying it because he’s offering pawing on both sides now. My next goal is to get him to raise the legs higher and flourish alittle more.
As for exercises I started asking him for the ‘neck arch” a few weeks ago. Back and forth touches from the chin to his neck to tell him “Hey…fingers are here, follow the fingers and tuck”. He does pretty well but still tries to bend to one side so he can mug me for treats. I need to do this from both sides. I am noticing a slight bit of muscle increasing on the top of his neck though!!! Not a bulge in the center, but more along the base to halfway up… I think I should start asking for low tucks AND high tucks just for the sake of stretching and building that muscle.
I’m not seeing a lot of filling out of his back muscle yet, but not more wastage saddle indentions either. I’ve used the Klimke saddle twice now and I actually like the way it fits him better, he seems fairly relaxed with it. I just can’t use it with very high impact activities because of it being SO close to coming down on his spine. We are doing long and low traveling when we can, riding and otherwise. Although on the ground he seems reluctant to stretch except on the lunge. Riding we made HUGE progress this week as I got him to stretch down both at the walk AND trot a good deal while riding. My reins are too short though, need to get new ones so I don’t have to lean down when he stretches.
I’ve been terrible about doing hillwork with him this week. He’s made it exceedingly clear he does not like it, probably because it’s uncomfortable. Can’t blame him really. But we do need to start back. I really plan to do more lunging and walking in the back pasture to rid both of us of the “boogy man” nervousness. His buttocks are blossoming into big QH looking muscle as is his chest (the change is amazing). His gaskins and lower haunches are filled with veins and bulges now. And the dips on either side of his hip have all but filled in, I’m SO happy about that!
Other exercise includes now should ins on a small circle, ala Bent Branderup, anything to help him step under on a constant basis.
Backing is one I’ve slacked on but it’s getting easier and easier for him to do it. I can really tell he has to tuck and stay under himself. My one complaint is him always wanting to back with tension in his head and neck. I have to keep fair amount of pressure on his nose usually and I don’t like that, I gives him something to brace against. Currently thought he’s so reluctant he won’t back without pressure.
As for riding I haven’t done much this week due to the blazing sun. I have worked on my seat though while using the Klimke. I find even posting is a sloppy chore, I simply can’t slide up over the pommel like I used to, “light “ posting and seat is going to have to be relearned. I DID figure out though that my ankle stiffness? Is partly caused by my boots! XD of all things… riding in hiking boots one day showed me just how flexible my ankle can be as I ride. I am looser though – Diego’s back swings so much at the walk that my legs nearly bump his sides alternately with each step! My hips dip from side to side with each step of his hind feet. I’ve given up on a ‘still” seat for now and worrying about pumping. I think I was just creating far too much tension in my body. Diego seems to respond to this infinitely better.
Reins are another project. My hands fuss and control everything and it’s done nothing but impede and mess Diego up for too long. The other day I threw my reins away and started riding on the buckle, neck reining at all paces. It wasn’t long before I noticed I’d shortened the inside rein and was attempting to bend D around it, to which I threw the reins away again, frustrated. It’s hard to unlearn 18 years of rein control. O.O My biggest thing are those corners and that “bend”. I despite going around a corner with him counter bent and leaning in and I just can’t seem to control myself when I try to ‘fix” it. I’m thinking to stay my temper I should take everything back to walk and do gentle circles with him regaining the ‘step under’. D has enjoyed and been VERY responsive to the neck reining, showing NO signs of tension like when I use a direct rein. No tension is what I’m going for right now, the less he has to brace against the more he can concentrate on his own balance and gaits. This is making shoulder in rather confusing though, and I no longer have my old way of doing it. I guess I should do it more on circles for now until I get the hang of the straight away while neck reining. I definitely have to remember to keep my weight to the outside and open my outside leg more.
Another small note is the leg. I still use mine insistently to ask for a bend or a move over of the haunches. I’m learning horses can in fact find this very rude, so I’m having to be careful. And often the nagging to tension of my leg gives the horse the impression that he didn’t do what I asked so he goes back to his state he was in before I asked and the vicious cycle continues. Donald posted a very good few posts about releasing before the horse complies out of politeness. IE “ask & thanks” before the horse responds. I really should try this more and quiet my legs or release them more often.
The rest of the week was spend monitoring D’s pellet intake. I’m giving him slightly more Gro N Win at the beginning, thinking about doing it through the summer. He’s got a bit of a belly now but I imagine that’s partly from lack of motion exercise. He’s still got large patches of gooey skin and hair loss on his forehead so I’m still treating that. I’ve resigned myself to currying his face everytime I go out. Same with his body, his coat is just not what it is when I groom regularly. He’s got a small cut below his hock that I’m treating after 2 weeks. It’s healing over but keeps wanting to grow proud flesh, so I’m hard at work watching that daily and applying copper sulfate if I need to. I can’t wait till the skin grows over completely. The rain rot on his heels are at that stubborn phase. Almost all the scabs are gone but a few little ones just won’t go away and the skin is still alittle inflamed. *sigh* The Zinc Oxide is working wonders though keeping it dry.
It’s been unbelievably hot again which is really cutting into our energy levels. We’ve still managed to do some new things though.
I’ve brought treats back… *alittle*. I only use them for VERY short sessions, maybe 3 minutes max, he starts to get too impatient and upset emotionally so we quite and dome something else for awhile. He’s finally tapping into his old self again though. I started out in the roundpen in the afternoons, and came up with very basic games that I could reward him for and get him interested, One of the first was holding the whip in his mouth. He enjoys this, and it’s a challenge to see him try to balance the whip horizontally. He even started drawing in the sand with it one day. ;p When he drops it I cluck (deeply) and say ‘good’ and he gets a treat. The longer he can hold it the more enthusiastic the reward. This is a really good way to get him mentally interested when he’s been tuned out.
The second trick was starting leg lifts. I was not convinced this would work well at all since I had NO luck tapping his legs with a whip. It finally dawned on me her prefers and understands the direct contact of my hand better than an impersonal object. A light pinch of the elbow now gets a lifted foreleg. The response was nearly immediate, I was amazed! He “holds” his left leg up currently, as if for picking. His right, he strikes out and paws. At first he couldn’t lift his right up at all without slamming it back down, but after I got extra persistent one day & kept signaling he finally dipped his head and started pawing, so he got a big reward. =) I think he’s really enjoying it because he’s offering pawing on both sides now. My next goal is to get him to raise the legs higher and flourish alittle more.
As for exercises I started asking him for the ‘neck arch” a few weeks ago. Back and forth touches from the chin to his neck to tell him “Hey…fingers are here, follow the fingers and tuck”. He does pretty well but still tries to bend to one side so he can mug me for treats. I need to do this from both sides. I am noticing a slight bit of muscle increasing on the top of his neck though!!! Not a bulge in the center, but more along the base to halfway up… I think I should start asking for low tucks AND high tucks just for the sake of stretching and building that muscle.
I’m not seeing a lot of filling out of his back muscle yet, but not more wastage saddle indentions either. I’ve used the Klimke saddle twice now and I actually like the way it fits him better, he seems fairly relaxed with it. I just can’t use it with very high impact activities because of it being SO close to coming down on his spine. We are doing long and low traveling when we can, riding and otherwise. Although on the ground he seems reluctant to stretch except on the lunge. Riding we made HUGE progress this week as I got him to stretch down both at the walk AND trot a good deal while riding. My reins are too short though, need to get new ones so I don’t have to lean down when he stretches.
I’ve been terrible about doing hillwork with him this week. He’s made it exceedingly clear he does not like it, probably because it’s uncomfortable. Can’t blame him really. But we do need to start back. I really plan to do more lunging and walking in the back pasture to rid both of us of the “boogy man” nervousness. His buttocks are blossoming into big QH looking muscle as is his chest (the change is amazing). His gaskins and lower haunches are filled with veins and bulges now. And the dips on either side of his hip have all but filled in, I’m SO happy about that!
Other exercise includes now should ins on a small circle, ala Bent Branderup, anything to help him step under on a constant basis.
Backing is one I’ve slacked on but it’s getting easier and easier for him to do it. I can really tell he has to tuck and stay under himself. My one complaint is him always wanting to back with tension in his head and neck. I have to keep fair amount of pressure on his nose usually and I don’t like that, I gives him something to brace against. Currently thought he’s so reluctant he won’t back without pressure.
As for riding I haven’t done much this week due to the blazing sun. I have worked on my seat though while using the Klimke. I find even posting is a sloppy chore, I simply can’t slide up over the pommel like I used to, “light “ posting and seat is going to have to be relearned. I DID figure out though that my ankle stiffness? Is partly caused by my boots! XD of all things… riding in hiking boots one day showed me just how flexible my ankle can be as I ride. I am looser though – Diego’s back swings so much at the walk that my legs nearly bump his sides alternately with each step! My hips dip from side to side with each step of his hind feet. I’ve given up on a ‘still” seat for now and worrying about pumping. I think I was just creating far too much tension in my body. Diego seems to respond to this infinitely better.
Reins are another project. My hands fuss and control everything and it’s done nothing but impede and mess Diego up for too long. The other day I threw my reins away and started riding on the buckle, neck reining at all paces. It wasn’t long before I noticed I’d shortened the inside rein and was attempting to bend D around it, to which I threw the reins away again, frustrated. It’s hard to unlearn 18 years of rein control. O.O My biggest thing are those corners and that “bend”. I despite going around a corner with him counter bent and leaning in and I just can’t seem to control myself when I try to ‘fix” it. I’m thinking to stay my temper I should take everything back to walk and do gentle circles with him regaining the ‘step under’. D has enjoyed and been VERY responsive to the neck reining, showing NO signs of tension like when I use a direct rein. No tension is what I’m going for right now, the less he has to brace against the more he can concentrate on his own balance and gaits. This is making shoulder in rather confusing though, and I no longer have my old way of doing it. I guess I should do it more on circles for now until I get the hang of the straight away while neck reining. I definitely have to remember to keep my weight to the outside and open my outside leg more.
Another small note is the leg. I still use mine insistently to ask for a bend or a move over of the haunches. I’m learning horses can in fact find this very rude, so I’m having to be careful. And often the nagging to tension of my leg gives the horse the impression that he didn’t do what I asked so he goes back to his state he was in before I asked and the vicious cycle continues. Donald posted a very good few posts about releasing before the horse complies out of politeness. IE “ask & thanks” before the horse responds. I really should try this more and quiet my legs or release them more often.
The rest of the week was spend monitoring D’s pellet intake. I’m giving him slightly more Gro N Win at the beginning, thinking about doing it through the summer. He’s got a bit of a belly now but I imagine that’s partly from lack of motion exercise. He’s still got large patches of gooey skin and hair loss on his forehead so I’m still treating that. I’ve resigned myself to currying his face everytime I go out. Same with his body, his coat is just not what it is when I groom regularly. He’s got a small cut below his hock that I’m treating after 2 weeks. It’s healing over but keeps wanting to grow proud flesh, so I’m hard at work watching that daily and applying copper sulfate if I need to. I can’t wait till the skin grows over completely. The rain rot on his heels are at that stubborn phase. Almost all the scabs are gone but a few little ones just won’t go away and the skin is still alittle inflamed. *sigh* The Zinc Oxide is working wonders though keeping it dry.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Rainrot & Whuffles
I'd been at the barn 5 minutes yesterday before I had beads of sweat dripping down my chest. Don't get me wrong - I love summer but it was mildly unnerving. I imagine I'll be much more miserable in the winter.
D still lifts his head when he hears me at the gate. I feel like I'm so close to getting that first step towards me, but no cigar yet. I've been bribing, I hate to say it - I take a small treat out with me for haltering. I find it greatly helps with the getting his head up for the halter though. Still having issues in the pasture - he wanted to "shove" me off the path with his shoulder, which I strongly resented. I'm thinking I should start swinging the leadrope again, not in an aggressive way but just a "this is my space stay out" way. Then again I have noticed in the past he will respect the leadrope, but still not me. *sigh* Smart horse. I feel like alot of our space issues are because I was trained to leade the horse RIGHT NEXT TO me. No wonder we get bumped and stepped on so much... I'm really trying to adopt more of a Klaus Hempfling type leading, keeping much more awareness and space between us.
We spent time in the roundpen since it was the only shaded spot at 6:30 in the evening. Sugar the mustang got to watch the show next door. ;)
D really didn't want to walk or do ANYthing, but I brought along some of the senior grain I'm not feeding anymore, as a treat. Pretty soon he was offering to touch his barrel with his nose for treats, but I didn't want him over doing the stretches so I directed his attention elsewhere. I finally figured: well targeting is one thing he needs to learn to be able to do alot of things I want to teach him. We haven't had much success in the past even though he's a smart horse. I decided to start with something very straightforward that he would easily understand (and like): holding something in his mouth. I unscrewed the lunge whip in half and gave him the bottom portion to hold in his mouth, he enjoyed it and moved it around alittle, trying to balance both ends and keep it parallel to the ground. It was really funny to watch. Once he dropped it I clicked with my tongue and gave him a treat. He perked up immediately and started grabbing the whip quicker when I would hand it to him, even shaking it or trying to drag it along the ground with his head tilted. My goalt was to eventually get him to target the whip when it was laying on the ground. We only got down to his knees though, if I laid it down he ignored it and just tried to mug me. He was heavy on the mugging once I stood up to decide on another task to work on, so I immediately took a more assertive approach about my space, giving him very direct intense looks and holding my hands and arms up to keep him out of my space. I got alot of nasty looks in return, pinned ears etc, but he complied mostly with no offer of nipping. at this point he is not allowed to go "groping" his nose all around me or his own body to find a treat when I am working by his shoulder, I've decided I need to make it clear that when he is fed a treat I come to his head and administer it now. Same place, same neck position - everytime. That way hopefully he learns that bending around like a rubber band will not earn him treats unless that's what I'm asking for.
The next task was leg lifting. My 3 goals right now to work on are Shoulder in (groundwork), Leg lifts & Come to me. Leg lifts are HARD as he usually could care less if I tap his leg with a whip. I come to my method by two bits of info: I read someone on the MBs say they touched the elbow to get a leg lift and it seemed an automatic button & I also know the only way D lifts a hoof right now is when I physically ask with my hand, not a whip. Maybe he considers the whip too impersonal. So I hunched over and squeezed his elbow. He froze, then shifted his weight all over for a second like he was trying tofigure out what the heck I was doing, then his simply lifted his hoof! Immediate release of my hand and walking forward to treat him - along with a "Good!" We tried this on both sides multiple times. He gets in a habit of lifting the foot and backing up - his idea is that he lifts it and backs at the same time so his nose can automatically reach me for treats since I'm not allowing him to bend around and mug me. *sigh* Again, too smart. Novel logic though. At the very end I got to where I only rewarded a stand-still lift, back up steps I just followed at his shoulder and ignored his please for treats until he stood still. At his very best he held his left hoof up to his knee for 4 seconds! I was impressed. His right hoof is harder though, currently he just kind of picks it up 3" and stomps it back down. Atleast he's got the idea. After that we did some more with the whip. I really need to get him a chew toy...
Work in the ring was hot but the sun had gone behind the clouds. The Mastiffs were skeptical of me and the horse in the ring so they stood on the hill, making D alittle nervous - so I decided to keep the halter on. I unclipped him and walked along the rain and he easily followed. I played with my stride, lengthening and soon found he was outwalking me with his over-tracking. He still over tracks a good 6-8" when he's really moving. Then I did short tiny collected steps and I noted he slowed down considerably, though it looked like he was just taking short lazy steps and he looked rather peeved that we'd slowed down without actually stopping. I did a circle, being very careful to keep my hips pointing where I wanted to go and he followed suit. He still won't trot. The most I got of him was some lengthened strides and head bobbing while I trotted off ahead of him. After we'd walked several times around the ring in various directions with circles, I headed to the center to start our shoulder in. He immediately reached for the whip and took it out of my hand to proudly bob it up and down. I regretted not having any treats but I still told him 'good' and stroked his neck in a rewarding way, then took ym slobbery whip back. Going counterclockwise, to my left he understands circles very easily, going forward Vs simply turning to face me. We dropped into our old circle routine very easily that I used to do in December. Only this time I faced his barrel and encouraged his hind end on while using my hands to give small pushes in time with his balance and inner hind leg coming up. I found he stepped under well, although after a minute he turned away from me pointedly and faced himself towards the fence. I stood there "You didn't like that?" he flicked an ear back and eyed me. I asked him to come with me to a new location and walked off. After a few paces of walking I heard him behind me and he walked up to my shoulder and stopped, like "Okay... what now?" I wih I'd had a picture XD. We tried a slightly bigger circle this time with me allowing him to go where he wanted - straight or circle - as long as he stayed bent and attentive to my asking of the hind leg. Going to the right (clockwise) was harder, that's the direction he has a harder time understand "forward around me" instead of simply turning and facing me. We got a few good steps in though. After all that bending we went for a stroll along the rail again. It was plesant but then he found a tuft of extremely lushy grass, followed by another even better tuft and so on. had I had several hours to spend I'd have let him graze until he became interested again - but as it was I had very little time left to get him washed up and I knew it. I waited a few minutes, strolling along in circles near him pretending to ignore him. Then I tried to drive him forward - he ignored me. Finally I took to swinging my arms above his head to get it to raise - but I think it was partly because I stepped into his space as well. I hate that I had to 'force' him away from the grass but what else could I do? =( I'm still figuring these things out.
Anyways. He was happy in the barn, although looking for his food. I tied and rinsed him, then worked on his face, which he did NOT like. He finally settled for me wetting my palm and rubbing a miniscule amount of water into his forehead at a time. It took forever but he wasn't flinging his head up. His heels & pasterns are looking okish, a few new scabs formed on his hind heels where it was worse. I scrubbed everything I could and also took the scrub brush to his head, he grudgingly obliged and then acted like his head itched, poor thing. He's loosing some chunks of forelock due to that scabby yellow crust that's formed just underneath. Rinsing took forever as well, but once the cream and towel came out he knew it was almost over and stood still for me, though he mouthed my shirt like "Hurry up will you..I'm bored." After pulling the new tube of zinc oxide cream out of it's box I walked over to where he was tied and saw his nostrils flare... and he whuffled O_O This horses NEVER whuffles to a person, EVER. In fact he's rarely vocalized to humans (other than grunts) ever. I've only ever heard him whuffle at a mare he was interested in once (Rose). It was very very low and airy. I stood shocked thinking I was hearing things and he rocked forward against his leadrope and bobbed his head at me, maintaining the pretty neck arch. I left him sniff the cream, in case he thought it was food but I think it wasn't wholly about the cream, it was about knowing that I would feed him very soon. I applied the cream and then untied him and fed him, still in shock. Apparently he was a happy horse yesterday...
D still lifts his head when he hears me at the gate. I feel like I'm so close to getting that first step towards me, but no cigar yet. I've been bribing, I hate to say it - I take a small treat out with me for haltering. I find it greatly helps with the getting his head up for the halter though. Still having issues in the pasture - he wanted to "shove" me off the path with his shoulder, which I strongly resented. I'm thinking I should start swinging the leadrope again, not in an aggressive way but just a "this is my space stay out" way. Then again I have noticed in the past he will respect the leadrope, but still not me. *sigh* Smart horse. I feel like alot of our space issues are because I was trained to leade the horse RIGHT NEXT TO me. No wonder we get bumped and stepped on so much... I'm really trying to adopt more of a Klaus Hempfling type leading, keeping much more awareness and space between us.
We spent time in the roundpen since it was the only shaded spot at 6:30 in the evening. Sugar the mustang got to watch the show next door. ;)
D really didn't want to walk or do ANYthing, but I brought along some of the senior grain I'm not feeding anymore, as a treat. Pretty soon he was offering to touch his barrel with his nose for treats, but I didn't want him over doing the stretches so I directed his attention elsewhere. I finally figured: well targeting is one thing he needs to learn to be able to do alot of things I want to teach him. We haven't had much success in the past even though he's a smart horse. I decided to start with something very straightforward that he would easily understand (and like): holding something in his mouth. I unscrewed the lunge whip in half and gave him the bottom portion to hold in his mouth, he enjoyed it and moved it around alittle, trying to balance both ends and keep it parallel to the ground. It was really funny to watch. Once he dropped it I clicked with my tongue and gave him a treat. He perked up immediately and started grabbing the whip quicker when I would hand it to him, even shaking it or trying to drag it along the ground with his head tilted. My goalt was to eventually get him to target the whip when it was laying on the ground. We only got down to his knees though, if I laid it down he ignored it and just tried to mug me. He was heavy on the mugging once I stood up to decide on another task to work on, so I immediately took a more assertive approach about my space, giving him very direct intense looks and holding my hands and arms up to keep him out of my space. I got alot of nasty looks in return, pinned ears etc, but he complied mostly with no offer of nipping. at this point he is not allowed to go "groping" his nose all around me or his own body to find a treat when I am working by his shoulder, I've decided I need to make it clear that when he is fed a treat I come to his head and administer it now. Same place, same neck position - everytime. That way hopefully he learns that bending around like a rubber band will not earn him treats unless that's what I'm asking for.
The next task was leg lifting. My 3 goals right now to work on are Shoulder in (groundwork), Leg lifts & Come to me. Leg lifts are HARD as he usually could care less if I tap his leg with a whip. I come to my method by two bits of info: I read someone on the MBs say they touched the elbow to get a leg lift and it seemed an automatic button & I also know the only way D lifts a hoof right now is when I physically ask with my hand, not a whip. Maybe he considers the whip too impersonal. So I hunched over and squeezed his elbow. He froze, then shifted his weight all over for a second like he was trying tofigure out what the heck I was doing, then his simply lifted his hoof! Immediate release of my hand and walking forward to treat him - along with a "Good!" We tried this on both sides multiple times. He gets in a habit of lifting the foot and backing up - his idea is that he lifts it and backs at the same time so his nose can automatically reach me for treats since I'm not allowing him to bend around and mug me. *sigh* Again, too smart. Novel logic though. At the very end I got to where I only rewarded a stand-still lift, back up steps I just followed at his shoulder and ignored his please for treats until he stood still. At his very best he held his left hoof up to his knee for 4 seconds! I was impressed. His right hoof is harder though, currently he just kind of picks it up 3" and stomps it back down. Atleast he's got the idea. After that we did some more with the whip. I really need to get him a chew toy...
Work in the ring was hot but the sun had gone behind the clouds. The Mastiffs were skeptical of me and the horse in the ring so they stood on the hill, making D alittle nervous - so I decided to keep the halter on. I unclipped him and walked along the rain and he easily followed. I played with my stride, lengthening and soon found he was outwalking me with his over-tracking. He still over tracks a good 6-8" when he's really moving. Then I did short tiny collected steps and I noted he slowed down considerably, though it looked like he was just taking short lazy steps and he looked rather peeved that we'd slowed down without actually stopping. I did a circle, being very careful to keep my hips pointing where I wanted to go and he followed suit. He still won't trot. The most I got of him was some lengthened strides and head bobbing while I trotted off ahead of him. After we'd walked several times around the ring in various directions with circles, I headed to the center to start our shoulder in. He immediately reached for the whip and took it out of my hand to proudly bob it up and down. I regretted not having any treats but I still told him 'good' and stroked his neck in a rewarding way, then took ym slobbery whip back. Going counterclockwise, to my left he understands circles very easily, going forward Vs simply turning to face me. We dropped into our old circle routine very easily that I used to do in December. Only this time I faced his barrel and encouraged his hind end on while using my hands to give small pushes in time with his balance and inner hind leg coming up. I found he stepped under well, although after a minute he turned away from me pointedly and faced himself towards the fence. I stood there "You didn't like that?" he flicked an ear back and eyed me. I asked him to come with me to a new location and walked off. After a few paces of walking I heard him behind me and he walked up to my shoulder and stopped, like "Okay... what now?" I wih I'd had a picture XD. We tried a slightly bigger circle this time with me allowing him to go where he wanted - straight or circle - as long as he stayed bent and attentive to my asking of the hind leg. Going to the right (clockwise) was harder, that's the direction he has a harder time understand "forward around me" instead of simply turning and facing me. We got a few good steps in though. After all that bending we went for a stroll along the rail again. It was plesant but then he found a tuft of extremely lushy grass, followed by another even better tuft and so on. had I had several hours to spend I'd have let him graze until he became interested again - but as it was I had very little time left to get him washed up and I knew it. I waited a few minutes, strolling along in circles near him pretending to ignore him. Then I tried to drive him forward - he ignored me. Finally I took to swinging my arms above his head to get it to raise - but I think it was partly because I stepped into his space as well. I hate that I had to 'force' him away from the grass but what else could I do? =( I'm still figuring these things out.
Anyways. He was happy in the barn, although looking for his food. I tied and rinsed him, then worked on his face, which he did NOT like. He finally settled for me wetting my palm and rubbing a miniscule amount of water into his forehead at a time. It took forever but he wasn't flinging his head up. His heels & pasterns are looking okish, a few new scabs formed on his hind heels where it was worse. I scrubbed everything I could and also took the scrub brush to his head, he grudgingly obliged and then acted like his head itched, poor thing. He's loosing some chunks of forelock due to that scabby yellow crust that's formed just underneath. Rinsing took forever as well, but once the cream and towel came out he knew it was almost over and stood still for me, though he mouthed my shirt like "Hurry up will you..I'm bored." After pulling the new tube of zinc oxide cream out of it's box I walked over to where he was tied and saw his nostrils flare... and he whuffled O_O This horses NEVER whuffles to a person, EVER. In fact he's rarely vocalized to humans (other than grunts) ever. I've only ever heard him whuffle at a mare he was interested in once (Rose). It was very very low and airy. I stood shocked thinking I was hearing things and he rocked forward against his leadrope and bobbed his head at me, maintaining the pretty neck arch. I left him sniff the cream, in case he thought it was food but I think it wasn't wholly about the cream, it was about knowing that I would feed him very soon. I applied the cream and then untied him and fed him, still in shock. Apparently he was a happy horse yesterday...
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Shortcuts
Anyone that’s a complete perfectionist shudders at that word. Often shortcuts are not without problems, either in the execution of a task OR in the final product. I’ve been turning my attention the past few days to shortcuts in riding, or horses more specifically. Two things have sparked this:
*Reading an article on Anky van Grunsven. (famous dressage Olympian for those not familiar – Google her and be prepared for a bunch of controversy)
*Reading the blogs about rollkur (again, Google, it’s a method) on the Writing of Riding site.
The writer of the blog pointed out our patterns of taking shortcuts in training to produce a faster image of dressage ‘finishedness” (collection). And how many of the methods (cruel and/or just plain frivolous) are really not the issue – taking shortcuts and impatience is the issue! The thought had never truly occurred to me. The article I read on Anky solidified that statement though, and I was shocked (I had read the article before I read the blog on rollkur).
While often the press twists words to make a viewer feel a certain emotion and thus a certain opinion regardless of whether it’s truthful and accurate I don’t believe this was the case with the Anky article. It was very pro Anky and honestly focused on her home life with the horses and her famous horse Bonfire. But amongst the glitz and glamour the article conveyed, talking about what a lavish lifestyle the horses lived and what a scheduled and dedicated life Anky and her family led in working on her riding goals, I caught a glimpse that confirms my newfound opinion on the shortcuts we take with horses.
Even Olympians are not above this.
Anky felt that turning to breeding [note I am not saying she should run a breeding stable] would be rather useless for her, as she had much rather have an already 5 or 6 year old horse that is ready to ride and suitably trainer for saddle so he “doesn’t buck her off”. While enemies of Anky might scoff at the seeming yellow-belliedness I think the more important implication is the impatience of wanting something handed to you on a silver (or maybe bronze) platter, a third of the work is already done, now she gets to put the more esteemed and revered work of strength and high level movements into the horse for the glory and rush of competition.
-No bonding from early youth with the horse – she doesn’t have time for that.
-No bonding over being the first one on it’s back – no time for that either.
It’s like saying you love children and want to raise them, but you’re not willing to spend the time with them building those crucial bonds in early stages of development. If you truly care that much about them wouldn’t YOU want to be the one to show them the way when they’re young? Heaven knows I’d rather have that than have to undo some of what someone’s already put in their head before I could work on the current issues with them…
*shakes head*
I don’t get it - and yet - I do. Impatience.
Everyone who knows me really well is smirking and raising an eyebrow at this. I’ve been pegged as a rather impatient person myself. But what good am I if I can’t overcome these faults in myself? What do I contribute to life if I continue on with them affecting everything I do and never working to change that?
So that’s my rant on impatience. I’m quoting the one main section of the article that got me but there were slight hints elsewhere that to me spoke of an impatience to ‘get the training on’ so Anky could then ‘get the competition on’. *sigh* I’m sure she loves her horses, but it’s a question of degrees – for years I loved my pony – but I loved myself and competition more. I tuned her occasional quiet protests out because I wanted the rush and thrill of competing, because I knew what was best for her, etc. We can all blindly tell ourselves we love our horses, kids, pets, spouses, etc. but when it comes down to truly listening and observing – if given another choice from what I give them now, what would they choose? That’s a question everyone should reach at some point. Even now though it makes me slightly sick to my stomach: because for me and my horse, it has meant the end of a lot of my horse and competition dreams. On the otherhand I believe it is the beginning of his own dreams that he’s never before been able to believe were possible. Until Anky, and others all over the world sit down and ask themselves if their dreams are more important than truly listening to see if the horse wants something different? They will continue to take shortcuts at the expense of the horse to reach their goals, and this cycle will continue.
On another side note – the article mentioned the horses were pampered to the extreme : their description of the care made me wonder if the article was even from a horse magazine or not because of the level of ignorance about care! Kept in stalls all day and “taken out” 3 times a day? Fed grain? Only the special/current horses being handwalked? (the rest were resigned to a hotwalker…gee how personal.) Sure they’re groomed, have plenty of human interaction etc. but what about BEING A HORSE??? Geez! Years ago I might have accepted that picture as 'pampered', but nowdays to me “pampered” means grass – space – social time with others, along with regular grooming and human interaction. What are we DOING to horses? Uhg!
*Reading an article on Anky van Grunsven. (famous dressage Olympian for those not familiar – Google her and be prepared for a bunch of controversy)
*Reading the blogs about rollkur (again, Google, it’s a method) on the Writing of Riding site.
The writer of the blog pointed out our patterns of taking shortcuts in training to produce a faster image of dressage ‘finishedness” (collection). And how many of the methods (cruel and/or just plain frivolous) are really not the issue – taking shortcuts and impatience is the issue! The thought had never truly occurred to me. The article I read on Anky solidified that statement though, and I was shocked (I had read the article before I read the blog on rollkur).
While often the press twists words to make a viewer feel a certain emotion and thus a certain opinion regardless of whether it’s truthful and accurate I don’t believe this was the case with the Anky article. It was very pro Anky and honestly focused on her home life with the horses and her famous horse Bonfire. But amongst the glitz and glamour the article conveyed, talking about what a lavish lifestyle the horses lived and what a scheduled and dedicated life Anky and her family led in working on her riding goals, I caught a glimpse that confirms my newfound opinion on the shortcuts we take with horses.
Even Olympians are not above this.
Anky felt that turning to breeding [note I am not saying she should run a breeding stable] would be rather useless for her, as she had much rather have an already 5 or 6 year old horse that is ready to ride and suitably trainer for saddle so he “doesn’t buck her off”. While enemies of Anky might scoff at the seeming yellow-belliedness I think the more important implication is the impatience of wanting something handed to you on a silver (or maybe bronze) platter, a third of the work is already done, now she gets to put the more esteemed and revered work of strength and high level movements into the horse for the glory and rush of competition.
-No bonding from early youth with the horse – she doesn’t have time for that.
-No bonding over being the first one on it’s back – no time for that either.
It’s like saying you love children and want to raise them, but you’re not willing to spend the time with them building those crucial bonds in early stages of development. If you truly care that much about them wouldn’t YOU want to be the one to show them the way when they’re young? Heaven knows I’d rather have that than have to undo some of what someone’s already put in their head before I could work on the current issues with them…
*shakes head*
I don’t get it - and yet - I do. Impatience.
Everyone who knows me really well is smirking and raising an eyebrow at this. I’ve been pegged as a rather impatient person myself. But what good am I if I can’t overcome these faults in myself? What do I contribute to life if I continue on with them affecting everything I do and never working to change that?
So that’s my rant on impatience. I’m quoting the one main section of the article that got me but there were slight hints elsewhere that to me spoke of an impatience to ‘get the training on’ so Anky could then ‘get the competition on’. *sigh* I’m sure she loves her horses, but it’s a question of degrees – for years I loved my pony – but I loved myself and competition more. I tuned her occasional quiet protests out because I wanted the rush and thrill of competing, because I knew what was best for her, etc. We can all blindly tell ourselves we love our horses, kids, pets, spouses, etc. but when it comes down to truly listening and observing – if given another choice from what I give them now, what would they choose? That’s a question everyone should reach at some point. Even now though it makes me slightly sick to my stomach: because for me and my horse, it has meant the end of a lot of my horse and competition dreams. On the otherhand I believe it is the beginning of his own dreams that he’s never before been able to believe were possible. Until Anky, and others all over the world sit down and ask themselves if their dreams are more important than truly listening to see if the horse wants something different? They will continue to take shortcuts at the expense of the horse to reach their goals, and this cycle will continue.
On another side note – the article mentioned the horses were pampered to the extreme : their description of the care made me wonder if the article was even from a horse magazine or not because of the level of ignorance about care! Kept in stalls all day and “taken out” 3 times a day? Fed grain? Only the special/current horses being handwalked? (the rest were resigned to a hotwalker…gee how personal.) Sure they’re groomed, have plenty of human interaction etc. but what about BEING A HORSE??? Geez! Years ago I might have accepted that picture as 'pampered', but nowdays to me “pampered” means grass – space – social time with others, along with regular grooming and human interaction. What are we DOING to horses? Uhg!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Pleasure & Learning
Yesterday I got to do something I haven't in the past few weeks - ride around and gallop up hills with D. It was a refreshing, positive point in a depressing time for me.
It was humid and approaching 96 degrees, with 'realfeel' well over 100... Uhg. D just stood, breathing hard from the heat, under the barn roof with me. The walk from the paddock exsausted us both. Still, I wanted to move though, and the cool breeze under the grove trees in the back pasture were calling me, surely a very short saddled ride wouldn't hurt. Currently I'm refusing to put the Wintec on his back since I'm trying to help heal all that muscle wastage. Bareback has been uncomfortable lately, my tailbone has been acting up. >_< I decided to try the Klimkie again, I haven't tried it since April and I figured maybe if I just walked it wouldn't get banged down into his spine. He eyed it suspiciously when I pulled it out, but he didn't show any opinion or emotion when I held it under his nose to sniff. Saddling was ok, I noticed his head and neck tense but he's been that way about every saddle put on his back... but he didn't move at all. Upon mounting he headed back for the barn, and I was about to turn him when I noticed a LARGE herd of deer in the lower field. Since he'd already been acting spooky I didn't want to deal with extra added stimuli at the moment, so I allowed him to walk through the barn to the other side. I figured riding in his pasture with his buddies would alleviate some of the insecurity he was apparently experiencing. After remounting he made it clear he'd rather just go take his usual position under the trees with the herd. Unfortunately with a rider it's hard to fit under the tree. I admit we argued some and for me it's really hard to find a balance right now - if I don't to some degree "make" him excercise he won't walk up and down the hills at all unless he has to. Thus his muscle tone will continue to decrease. After some major "I want to go this way.." "No, We should go this way" I convinced him to head along by the pond and oaktree. He burst into a trot up one of the hills and I worked on keeping a steadily balanced light seat. So much easier with stirrups. Then he wanted to go back X_X. I pointed him towards the beach at the pond corner and suddenly realizing what I was suggesting he splashed gladly into the water and nearly into the middle of the pond! O_O I had to suggest that he NOT take me swimming in my leather saddle. So we stood there in belly deep water while he pawed happily, grunted and blew bubbles. He reached his head around when my hand caught his eye and I gave him a few strokes. He seemed incredibly happy and relaxed. We left and walked back towards the gate, though I still wanted to walk the entire pasture. We started off up the hill by the side of the house but he wasn't comfortable with walking so he started into a bolt-canter. I had to hold on for dear life and apparently me trying to hold him back annoyed him, he let out some hopping bucks and a grunt. At the top of the hill he cantered along for a moment before slowing to a walk. It was really nice actually and I tried very hard to have a soft seat and not bump him. After that though he was about done - wanted nothing more than to stand with his buddies, so I took him back to the barn and unsaddled him. I inspected his back and noted one small spot on either side of his wither, but they weren't dry, just lighter in color.
I figured some trot work would be good without a rider, so we went out to the ring and lounged on an extra large circle. I noticed his bend and any stiffness in his circles. He's definately stiff both ways, both shoulders seem to fall in, but he kept a much lighter feel on the line this time - maybe my circles have been too small and I've been asking for too much bend. His trot transitions were fairly prompt this time but his trot was lazy and draggy - although he did pick up on the straight away a couple times. I wrapped things up quickly because within 5 minutes dark clouds had blown over and it certainly didn't feel like 96 degrees anymore. A big storm was coming. He stood rather nervously in the barn while I put tack away and took him out to his pasture. Upon being turned out Levi came over, to hide behind D because of a cardboard box that'd been blow into the front yard. D immediately seemed relaxed when turned out, despite the massive winds, dust and debris being kicked up.
A note on the rainrot battle - I've been away for 2 days and upon inspection a huge yellow oozing scab came off his forehead just under his forelock. I've really gotta take care of this junk. I think Zinc Oxide based cream might do for his heels now that they're getting better from the dew poisoning/rainrot.
I think my point about yesterday was the relaxing feel of a short but free ride, and my slow learning about working together with him.
It was humid and approaching 96 degrees, with 'realfeel' well over 100... Uhg. D just stood, breathing hard from the heat, under the barn roof with me. The walk from the paddock exsausted us both. Still, I wanted to move though, and the cool breeze under the grove trees in the back pasture were calling me, surely a very short saddled ride wouldn't hurt. Currently I'm refusing to put the Wintec on his back since I'm trying to help heal all that muscle wastage. Bareback has been uncomfortable lately, my tailbone has been acting up. >_< I decided to try the Klimkie again, I haven't tried it since April and I figured maybe if I just walked it wouldn't get banged down into his spine. He eyed it suspiciously when I pulled it out, but he didn't show any opinion or emotion when I held it under his nose to sniff. Saddling was ok, I noticed his head and neck tense but he's been that way about every saddle put on his back... but he didn't move at all. Upon mounting he headed back for the barn, and I was about to turn him when I noticed a LARGE herd of deer in the lower field. Since he'd already been acting spooky I didn't want to deal with extra added stimuli at the moment, so I allowed him to walk through the barn to the other side. I figured riding in his pasture with his buddies would alleviate some of the insecurity he was apparently experiencing. After remounting he made it clear he'd rather just go take his usual position under the trees with the herd. Unfortunately with a rider it's hard to fit under the tree. I admit we argued some and for me it's really hard to find a balance right now - if I don't to some degree "make" him excercise he won't walk up and down the hills at all unless he has to. Thus his muscle tone will continue to decrease. After some major "I want to go this way.." "No, We should go this way" I convinced him to head along by the pond and oaktree. He burst into a trot up one of the hills and I worked on keeping a steadily balanced light seat. So much easier with stirrups. Then he wanted to go back X_X. I pointed him towards the beach at the pond corner and suddenly realizing what I was suggesting he splashed gladly into the water and nearly into the middle of the pond! O_O I had to suggest that he NOT take me swimming in my leather saddle. So we stood there in belly deep water while he pawed happily, grunted and blew bubbles. He reached his head around when my hand caught his eye and I gave him a few strokes. He seemed incredibly happy and relaxed. We left and walked back towards the gate, though I still wanted to walk the entire pasture. We started off up the hill by the side of the house but he wasn't comfortable with walking so he started into a bolt-canter. I had to hold on for dear life and apparently me trying to hold him back annoyed him, he let out some hopping bucks and a grunt. At the top of the hill he cantered along for a moment before slowing to a walk. It was really nice actually and I tried very hard to have a soft seat and not bump him. After that though he was about done - wanted nothing more than to stand with his buddies, so I took him back to the barn and unsaddled him. I inspected his back and noted one small spot on either side of his wither, but they weren't dry, just lighter in color.
I figured some trot work would be good without a rider, so we went out to the ring and lounged on an extra large circle. I noticed his bend and any stiffness in his circles. He's definately stiff both ways, both shoulders seem to fall in, but he kept a much lighter feel on the line this time - maybe my circles have been too small and I've been asking for too much bend. His trot transitions were fairly prompt this time but his trot was lazy and draggy - although he did pick up on the straight away a couple times. I wrapped things up quickly because within 5 minutes dark clouds had blown over and it certainly didn't feel like 96 degrees anymore. A big storm was coming. He stood rather nervously in the barn while I put tack away and took him out to his pasture. Upon being turned out Levi came over, to hide behind D because of a cardboard box that'd been blow into the front yard. D immediately seemed relaxed when turned out, despite the massive winds, dust and debris being kicked up.
A note on the rainrot battle - I've been away for 2 days and upon inspection a huge yellow oozing scab came off his forehead just under his forelock. I've really gotta take care of this junk. I think Zinc Oxide based cream might do for his heels now that they're getting better from the dew poisoning/rainrot.
I think my point about yesterday was the relaxing feel of a short but free ride, and my slow learning about working together with him.
Friday, July 23, 2010
New Barefoot Trimmer!
(written post trim, which was on the 19th)
7/20/10
Well I’m stoked. ^_^
It seems like a few things are finally being lined up properly. I had an appointment with our new trimmer Marion Figley yesterday. I got a lot of information about D’s feet and health, conformation and movement and confirmed some suspicions of mine. It also helped do away with some of my pessimism about other issues as well.
Feet First
The condition of D’s hooves, especially the walls were about as bad as I thought. She hardly took anything off except to bevel the walls and lower his heels. His heels are definitely growing forward, and she felt they’re out of balance (the front), and his hinds need to be lowered, gradually to help the toe-drag he does with the hind feet. The integrity of the walls is not good at all and needs to be strengthened by good nutrition and worn properly by – you guessed it – regular work.
Conformation
She noted D’s slightly more ‘upright’ hind legs, the dragging of the hind toes and a slight ‘coon footedness’ (that being the straight line/angle of the hoof matching the pastern is broken one way or another). She feels a good part of the hoof drag can actually be addressed by proper heel height (lower) and hill work to strengthen the muscles. She suggested a joint supplement might be in order but we will have to see, I don’t know if I can afford it currently, so I’m leaning towards the hillwork.
She also explained D’s bump in his spine behind the saddle, calling it a ‘hunters bump’ more technically a spinal subluxation (yeah I had to look that word up). Mostlikely came from an injury or fall, possibly in a pasture where his hind end slid the wrong way – out of synch with his front end. Knowing how wild he can be when he wants I wasn’t surprised. She recommended a chiropractor who’s name I quickly forgot. Will have to get that again… She also noted the muscle wastage all along his back when I pointed it out and recommended her favorite bareback pad (BestFriend Barebackpad). She feels there’s some muscle wastage on top of his quarters as well but that regular hillwork will fill those in.
Diet
His hooves were definitely in that terrible shape from lack of nutrition – plain and simple. Grain just doesn’t cut it (like at Leslie’s) and even the good quality hay at Adrian’s wasn’t enough. To get everything in good healthy growing condition again she suggested a ration balancer, surprise surprise. Needless to say I’ll have him 100% on the Gro N Win again ASAP.
On first glance D’s hooves still seem too long – the toes are. But I can definitely see a difference today in the way he uses his hooves, with the lowered heels. In time I know the toe will be able to be taken off, just not now. He now lands heel first and I see the roll-the transfer of the weight from front to back. Almost a rocking of the hoof… but no straining or digging like if he had a long toe on a 100% flat hoof.
She also was quick to say she’s willing to train anyone who is interested. My boyfriend showed some mild interest in learning and I am definitely interested, so she told us she’s looking to train apprentices. I really should look into this, as she’s moving to Montana next year… o.o talk about timing. ;)
7/20/10
Well I’m stoked. ^_^
It seems like a few things are finally being lined up properly. I had an appointment with our new trimmer Marion Figley yesterday. I got a lot of information about D’s feet and health, conformation and movement and confirmed some suspicions of mine. It also helped do away with some of my pessimism about other issues as well.
Feet First
The condition of D’s hooves, especially the walls were about as bad as I thought. She hardly took anything off except to bevel the walls and lower his heels. His heels are definitely growing forward, and she felt they’re out of balance (the front), and his hinds need to be lowered, gradually to help the toe-drag he does with the hind feet. The integrity of the walls is not good at all and needs to be strengthened by good nutrition and worn properly by – you guessed it – regular work.
Conformation
She noted D’s slightly more ‘upright’ hind legs, the dragging of the hind toes and a slight ‘coon footedness’ (that being the straight line/angle of the hoof matching the pastern is broken one way or another). She feels a good part of the hoof drag can actually be addressed by proper heel height (lower) and hill work to strengthen the muscles. She suggested a joint supplement might be in order but we will have to see, I don’t know if I can afford it currently, so I’m leaning towards the hillwork.
She also explained D’s bump in his spine behind the saddle, calling it a ‘hunters bump’ more technically a spinal subluxation (yeah I had to look that word up). Mostlikely came from an injury or fall, possibly in a pasture where his hind end slid the wrong way – out of synch with his front end. Knowing how wild he can be when he wants I wasn’t surprised. She recommended a chiropractor who’s name I quickly forgot. Will have to get that again… She also noted the muscle wastage all along his back when I pointed it out and recommended her favorite bareback pad (BestFriend Barebackpad). She feels there’s some muscle wastage on top of his quarters as well but that regular hillwork will fill those in.
Diet
His hooves were definitely in that terrible shape from lack of nutrition – plain and simple. Grain just doesn’t cut it (like at Leslie’s) and even the good quality hay at Adrian’s wasn’t enough. To get everything in good healthy growing condition again she suggested a ration balancer, surprise surprise. Needless to say I’ll have him 100% on the Gro N Win again ASAP.
On first glance D’s hooves still seem too long – the toes are. But I can definitely see a difference today in the way he uses his hooves, with the lowered heels. In time I know the toe will be able to be taken off, just not now. He now lands heel first and I see the roll-the transfer of the weight from front to back. Almost a rocking of the hoof… but no straining or digging like if he had a long toe on a 100% flat hoof.
She also was quick to say she’s willing to train anyone who is interested. My boyfriend showed some mild interest in learning and I am definitely interested, so she told us she’s looking to train apprentices. I really should look into this, as she’s moving to Montana next year… o.o talk about timing. ;)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Questioning Everything
Starting out with some slight depression this morning. I was in Chattanooga all weekend and haven't seen D since Saturday morn. Atleast I had time to let our less-than-stellar interaction sink in and mostly roll off...
(Quick back track)
Saturday started with a beautiful day - him walking away from me when I went to get him. Then he refused to hold his feet up for longer than 2 seconds despite the fact that they're long and cracking and desperately needed rasping. He cooaperated part of the time for treats but still fussed, nearly getting me in the face 3 times with his front hoof. I finally gave up and finished up and turned him back out.
(Quick back track)
Saturday started with a beautiful day - him walking away from me when I went to get him. Then he refused to hold his feet up for longer than 2 seconds despite the fact that they're long and cracking and desperately needed rasping. He cooaperated part of the time for treats but still fussed, nearly getting me in the face 3 times with his front hoof. I finally gave up and finished up and turned him back out.
Anyways. I've been frustrated with D's lack of energy/will to do anything this past week or so. Sure following me around the ring is a start, but there is no spark, no nothing. He rarely focuses on me at all. I'll catch him watching me out of the corner of his eyes as he walks around the arena, but that's all the signal I get. And he mainly comes up to me because he's bored or wants treats. -__- *sigh* Oh how I would love to hop on his back and us gallop across the fields happily with him shaking his mane and grunting like he used to... I'm missing that right now.
In talking about his lack of attention to me that brings up another BIG point of frustration: the respect issue. I know he doesn't respect me, and despite me working on the windmill arms now when he gets in my space I can't do it all the time and he also doesn't always respond to that. Hoping some of the AND members and myself can figure this out... The gate is a huge point of contention and maybe the truth is I'm just not patient enough. (still?! You're killin me here ;p ) I've worked (what I thought was extensively) with him about the gate, waiting, not always grazing, etc. It just doesn't stay "good" though even after a good session. I don't know how I'm screwing it up though as I can't have 4 hands to deal with a cranky gate and a large pushy horse while holding onto him so he doesn't bolt etc. O_o'''' Maybe the answer lies in my own patience, making gate equitte the lesson of the day until we see true progress. I'm still kind of a mess with him: one minute it's non confrontational, non preassure body communication to ask for what I need (move away from me etc.) and the next when he crosses the line I do something that makes him throw his head up or I start applying preassure on the halter or his chest. Very frustrating, I don't feel like I have a proper "new habit" to replace each old reaction I gravitate towards when he does something I don't like. I've only replaced some of my habits, so I revert back to them when I don't have an immediate answer for his behavior, because oddly the last thing I feel like I should do is stand still and do nothing.
Some people did remind me on the MB about the head being held high releasing adrenaline and causing tension mentally as well as physically. With as much as D throws his head up or raises it to get it away from people, I imagine he's pretty tense even when I think he's not. Despite the domaneering manner and insistance that Adrian exerted over him this past winter, the ultimate product of having D lower his head for a person during haltering & leading had a nice effect on him. He was often very calm with little head swinging. He's never hit me with his head when it was wither height or below. *thinks about that* Playing with the head down response has started dancing in my mind again this morning... although I'm probably going to have to find a new way to get him to do it considering the somewhat firm poll preassure is something he'll most likely reject now that he's been able to say 'No' so much.
Also another random idea occurred to me: Chase the Tiger in the pasture? even if D didn't take me up on the offer (as he still seems to have very little interest in the thing on the ground) I'm sure Levi the colt would. Would watching other horses frolick and play encourage Diego to become more open to the idea? Will have to test this theory...
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Hormones of D00m
So yesterday I get a call from Jamie at work during lunch - I panic. Jamie tells me somewhat timidly that Diego has suddenly taken to acting like a "stallion' around the herd mare and he has had to separate them for the time being. At this point I stop panicking and just roll my eyes. Not again... Then Jamie says something about Dream (the mare) returning to normal soon, I go "Is she in heat?" "I think so." Um duh, there's your problem right there, if she's in heat and egging him on, of course he's going to get all testoteroney and comply. Still though, I'm glad he separated them, Dream is much too small to be mounted by D and could be seriously injured. =( Poor girl.
Anyways Jamie continued to go on about how D 'wasn't the same horse, nothing phases him." etc. Yeah... another sigh. People don't believe me when I try to tell them D is not always as quiet and compliant as when he's content. They don't tend to believe me. He tunes out EVERYTHING around him and focuses entirely on one thing: what he wants. At times it's gotten very dangerous. =/ But I've made big strides in interpreting his body language and anticipating those outbursts and then try to redirect his attention before it gets bad...
Needless to say I was a bit nervous about heading to the barn after work, not sure what state I'd find him in. Jamie was afraid he was going to push the fence down. >_< I can't say I'm surprised but I am alittle because this is what, the 4th or 5th day he's been out with a "herd" in TEN years??? Sheesh. He sure does bond fast.
I got there and it was too hot for them to care: everyone was huddled by the pear trees in the shade. D did perk up when I came to the gate though and came to me of his own accord. (I was so thrilled) ^_^ As soon as I led him out of the pasture though the screaming for the mare started, so I worked hard to keep my tension down and calmly ask him to do small steps on the way to the barn: turn on forehand, back, lateral steps, anything to bring his attention back to me. Aside from alittle antsy-prance the walk was uneventful...just...loud.
Once he was tied in the barn though that was another story: screaming, pawing, head tossing, swinging his hind end from side to side wildly to try and "see" the mare. He nearly hopped up on his front end once. Luckily the Mustangs owner was there and we chatted for a few minutes out of kicking range and watched him. I remember Carolyn Resnick talks about ignoring alot of their acting out. In the old days I would have untied him, or gone over and put myself at risk by trying to calm him down. Instead I just kept an eye out for any critical issues and talked normally. It took about 10 minutes total of all that fussing but something finally clicked and he became more interested in what I was doing (rummaging through the tack locker 15 ft away) than the mare. So he settled down to stand quietly and watch me to see what I was going to pull out of the locker. It was cute. =p
I took him out to the ring and let him loose. He didn't have much of a desire to run or buck & get energy out like I was hoping, but he did trot around for a minute or two, back and forth past me as I ambled along in the sand. He even trotted up to me one time, upon holding my arms out slightly he stopped and didn't invade my space until I reached a hand out and he reached out with his nose before stepping forward. I was happy... considering personal space is one thing I'm REALLY trying to work on. In past years he'd have barrelled into my space and has just about run us over and crushed me against walls before. I used the lungeline a bit and we did some walk-trot transitions. He seems alittle stiff at the trot, most likely because of all his manic running earlier. His ligaments aren't even used to those massive hills yet... he's only been here 3 weeks. His transitions were great though, he responds really great to my energetic stepping: if I start running in place he starts trotting. =) YaY! So much better than having to use a whip. After that relaxing work we were both pretty happy. I had a small amount of grain in my pocket and he knew it, so when I let him loose again he followed me all over. I worked on the 'head/neck up" pose for a minute. He did a good one twice and was very pleased with himself, I think once he gets the hang of it that'll be something that suits his personality that he does alot. ;) We did some lateral work and him yielding the shoulder - it's still hard but it's amazing how quickly he decided: Oh? Food involved? SURE! *backs and goes sideways super quickly* Unfortunately we are having a problem with rudeness in taking the treats and I'm not sure hot to deal with that. He still invites himself into me just about in my FACE and I have trouble getting the grain out of my pocket and keeping him at distance at the same time. He tried to nip my fingers one time when I was getting the grain out and hand my other hand out 'blocking" his head. Despite the nips he did everything happily.
He'd calmed down so much I figured a short ride might be ok. Plus it's been atleast a week. I put the bareback pad on and climbed on. He was forward & happily swinging as we walked. I really wanted a chance to work on my seat and see if I can't unlock this stiffness I think I've created in myself. =/
The highlight of the whole ride was us jogging... I had to hold the pad in front to keep from jarring, but with my deeper breathing & softer seat he actually kept a moderately slow pace around the ring with no contact while I worked out my position (unheard of for mr Former Speed Demon). I think he liked my lighter seat.
The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. We did have some problems once I got him to the pasture. He seems to lose sight of the fact that I exit, again and focuses only on his buddies. He's already hit me in the back and torso twice VERY hard because of his head slinging. So we did some turns and backs before I took the halter off and I used the leadrope swung in a circle to keep him out of my face while I latched the gate. Hopefully in the next few days he'll calm back down and Dream will go out of heat. >.>
Anyways Jamie continued to go on about how D 'wasn't the same horse, nothing phases him." etc. Yeah... another sigh. People don't believe me when I try to tell them D is not always as quiet and compliant as when he's content. They don't tend to believe me. He tunes out EVERYTHING around him and focuses entirely on one thing: what he wants. At times it's gotten very dangerous. =/ But I've made big strides in interpreting his body language and anticipating those outbursts and then try to redirect his attention before it gets bad...
Needless to say I was a bit nervous about heading to the barn after work, not sure what state I'd find him in. Jamie was afraid he was going to push the fence down. >_< I can't say I'm surprised but I am alittle because this is what, the 4th or 5th day he's been out with a "herd" in TEN years??? Sheesh. He sure does bond fast.
I got there and it was too hot for them to care: everyone was huddled by the pear trees in the shade. D did perk up when I came to the gate though and came to me of his own accord. (I was so thrilled) ^_^ As soon as I led him out of the pasture though the screaming for the mare started, so I worked hard to keep my tension down and calmly ask him to do small steps on the way to the barn: turn on forehand, back, lateral steps, anything to bring his attention back to me. Aside from alittle antsy-prance the walk was uneventful...just...loud.
Once he was tied in the barn though that was another story: screaming, pawing, head tossing, swinging his hind end from side to side wildly to try and "see" the mare. He nearly hopped up on his front end once. Luckily the Mustangs owner was there and we chatted for a few minutes out of kicking range and watched him. I remember Carolyn Resnick talks about ignoring alot of their acting out. In the old days I would have untied him, or gone over and put myself at risk by trying to calm him down. Instead I just kept an eye out for any critical issues and talked normally. It took about 10 minutes total of all that fussing but something finally clicked and he became more interested in what I was doing (rummaging through the tack locker 15 ft away) than the mare. So he settled down to stand quietly and watch me to see what I was going to pull out of the locker. It was cute. =p
I took him out to the ring and let him loose. He didn't have much of a desire to run or buck & get energy out like I was hoping, but he did trot around for a minute or two, back and forth past me as I ambled along in the sand. He even trotted up to me one time, upon holding my arms out slightly he stopped and didn't invade my space until I reached a hand out and he reached out with his nose before stepping forward. I was happy... considering personal space is one thing I'm REALLY trying to work on. In past years he'd have barrelled into my space and has just about run us over and crushed me against walls before. I used the lungeline a bit and we did some walk-trot transitions. He seems alittle stiff at the trot, most likely because of all his manic running earlier. His ligaments aren't even used to those massive hills yet... he's only been here 3 weeks. His transitions were great though, he responds really great to my energetic stepping: if I start running in place he starts trotting. =) YaY! So much better than having to use a whip. After that relaxing work we were both pretty happy. I had a small amount of grain in my pocket and he knew it, so when I let him loose again he followed me all over. I worked on the 'head/neck up" pose for a minute. He did a good one twice and was very pleased with himself, I think once he gets the hang of it that'll be something that suits his personality that he does alot. ;) We did some lateral work and him yielding the shoulder - it's still hard but it's amazing how quickly he decided: Oh? Food involved? SURE! *backs and goes sideways super quickly* Unfortunately we are having a problem with rudeness in taking the treats and I'm not sure hot to deal with that. He still invites himself into me just about in my FACE and I have trouble getting the grain out of my pocket and keeping him at distance at the same time. He tried to nip my fingers one time when I was getting the grain out and hand my other hand out 'blocking" his head. Despite the nips he did everything happily.
He'd calmed down so much I figured a short ride might be ok. Plus it's been atleast a week. I put the bareback pad on and climbed on. He was forward & happily swinging as we walked. I really wanted a chance to work on my seat and see if I can't unlock this stiffness I think I've created in myself. =/
The highlight of the whole ride was us jogging... I had to hold the pad in front to keep from jarring, but with my deeper breathing & softer seat he actually kept a moderately slow pace around the ring with no contact while I worked out my position (unheard of for mr Former Speed Demon). I think he liked my lighter seat.
The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. We did have some problems once I got him to the pasture. He seems to lose sight of the fact that I exit, again and focuses only on his buddies. He's already hit me in the back and torso twice VERY hard because of his head slinging. So we did some turns and backs before I took the halter off and I used the leadrope swung in a circle to keep him out of my face while I latched the gate. Hopefully in the next few days he'll calm back down and Dream will go out of heat. >.>
Friday, June 25, 2010
Cordeo
Two days ago after reading more on the AND forums (art of natural dressage for those wondering - check it out!), I decided to re-try working with D in a cordeo. (again for those wondering, a cordeo is a loose rope around the base of the neck)
As much as D fights against restraint and 'shuts down' I figured the cordeo would give him a much stronger feeling of freedom when working with me. I'll refrain from telling the story of my very first cordeo experience with him this winter... >.< but needless to say this time I want to make sure he is responsive, I won't be on his back and I won't be bareback XP lol.
I didn't have a leadrope or anything sufficient, but after a moment of thinking I came up with the idea to take one side of our biothane reins and clip the snap to the buckle at the other end. It fits him nicely. He looked at me though like "What are you doing human?" Once out in the ring I expected him to atleast trot off or walk away from me in happy freedom when I took the halter off. No such thing. He just stood there staring blankly at me. I get that blank look alot nowdays. =/ I walked off to the first barrel, he started after me but it took him several minute to follow. Actually I had to walk back part way and take a swing towards the rail before he felt inclinded to follow. Although part of his just outstanding enthusiasim *sarcasim* could have been the 95 degree heat. >.>
So we walked around, I worked with him on backing, which he did well. I'm still frustrated that I'm having to use sometimes a fair amount of preassure in his chest to get him to back, while other times just using wide spread arms and a "shooing" motion with an upright assertive torso will easily do the trick. Several days ago we also worked on yielding his shoulder. They've always been stiff and stuck, atleast when I'm doing ground work with him. The first time I tried to get him to yield it the other day he nearly glared at me. But I reminded him that 1 second before he'd easily moved his body laterally away from me, and the shoulder should be too hard in itself... I asked again and he rather clumsily complied. It was a big step for us, I definately need to work on it so he learns to readjust his balance and give the shoulder easier. I really want to get a camera out there and tape him, personally I feel he's actually pretty balanced in some cases, yet other times his progress seems terribly slow. I dunno... I think seeing it on camera would help me see what I can't upclose.
After our lateral and stepping under/backing I clipped the lead to the cordeo and began alittle work. At first he was reluctant and seemed to either be thinking or confused as to why I was doing this, but he followed me around easily with the cordeo. I question whether it was really my signals, or just my body language he was acting off of. Anyways after about 15 minutes total the heat was too much for us, so we went back to the barn. I know I have a tendancy to get ahead but I was so excited to see how he would do I asked him to walk back with me on the cordeo. Aside from trying to eat grass once (because I stopped and he took that as "break time") he behaved himself extremely well, I was impressed. ^__^
I'm so excited he's being so responsive.
One other note... as of this week I've been taking him on leisure walks on the longe to the creek. He did really well the first time, but he's gotten in the habit of trying to run by me, in front of me, or around me in a circle when I'm going going fast enough. Especially downhill it's hard to keep my balance.
One good excercise I'm sure he hates me for...
Walking up the epic hill: I stop every few strides, and we resume from the standstill. Keeps him from cheating and using momentum to climb up the hill. >=)
As much as D fights against restraint and 'shuts down' I figured the cordeo would give him a much stronger feeling of freedom when working with me. I'll refrain from telling the story of my very first cordeo experience with him this winter... >.< but needless to say this time I want to make sure he is responsive, I won't be on his back and I won't be bareback XP lol.
I didn't have a leadrope or anything sufficient, but after a moment of thinking I came up with the idea to take one side of our biothane reins and clip the snap to the buckle at the other end. It fits him nicely. He looked at me though like "What are you doing human?" Once out in the ring I expected him to atleast trot off or walk away from me in happy freedom when I took the halter off. No such thing. He just stood there staring blankly at me. I get that blank look alot nowdays. =/ I walked off to the first barrel, he started after me but it took him several minute to follow. Actually I had to walk back part way and take a swing towards the rail before he felt inclinded to follow. Although part of his just outstanding enthusiasim *sarcasim* could have been the 95 degree heat. >.>
So we walked around, I worked with him on backing, which he did well. I'm still frustrated that I'm having to use sometimes a fair amount of preassure in his chest to get him to back, while other times just using wide spread arms and a "shooing" motion with an upright assertive torso will easily do the trick. Several days ago we also worked on yielding his shoulder. They've always been stiff and stuck, atleast when I'm doing ground work with him. The first time I tried to get him to yield it the other day he nearly glared at me. But I reminded him that 1 second before he'd easily moved his body laterally away from me, and the shoulder should be too hard in itself... I asked again and he rather clumsily complied. It was a big step for us, I definately need to work on it so he learns to readjust his balance and give the shoulder easier. I really want to get a camera out there and tape him, personally I feel he's actually pretty balanced in some cases, yet other times his progress seems terribly slow. I dunno... I think seeing it on camera would help me see what I can't upclose.
After our lateral and stepping under/backing I clipped the lead to the cordeo and began alittle work. At first he was reluctant and seemed to either be thinking or confused as to why I was doing this, but he followed me around easily with the cordeo. I question whether it was really my signals, or just my body language he was acting off of. Anyways after about 15 minutes total the heat was too much for us, so we went back to the barn. I know I have a tendancy to get ahead but I was so excited to see how he would do I asked him to walk back with me on the cordeo. Aside from trying to eat grass once (because I stopped and he took that as "break time") he behaved himself extremely well, I was impressed. ^__^
I'm so excited he's being so responsive.
One other note... as of this week I've been taking him on leisure walks on the longe to the creek. He did really well the first time, but he's gotten in the habit of trying to run by me, in front of me, or around me in a circle when I'm going going fast enough. Especially downhill it's hard to keep my balance.
One good excercise I'm sure he hates me for...
Walking up the epic hill: I stop every few strides, and we resume from the standstill. Keeps him from cheating and using momentum to climb up the hill. >=)
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Freedom and Leaving the Grass!
Just an exciting note from our work the other day...
It's been opressively hot the past week. Anyone who knows me knows I love heat, but we're talking the kind where I've got sweat bubbles all over my skin and yet I still feel heat radiating off me like a furnace on high. No evaporation. I generally prefer to have water close by me (pool, ocean) when it's like this.
Anyways, partly due to the heat I haven't been riding him. The other hald is due to me realizing just how badly my saddle fits. I know I keep saying that but I keep seeing new signs. Most recently I've been able to actually pin point the exact location of the saddle panels on D's back simply by seeing the indentions it's left in the developing muscle! (and this is without him being saddled for 2 weeks)Iiick.
Anyways, so ground work it is. I love my new longe line ^__^ (lightweight, cotton round, small clip) and I take him out on it freaquently. It gives me extra length for sure. Anyways now that I've been able to actually close all the gates in the ring I let him loose in there. The other evening two great things happened in our short, and very molassas like session:
*He immediately decided, it was fine to walk around the arena with me despite being completely free. I started walking along the rail after ;etting him go and putting my equipment on the mounting block. He decided to follow suit and pretty soon he was plodding after me. We made it around to the otherside of the ring where the view drops off over the vast back pasture where the deer like to gather in the evenings. There was nothing there this time but he stopped and stood, watching, smelling. I kept walking and walked about 20 feet over to the fence and stood there looking out over the same area he was, breifly showing interest. He faltered for a second, staring at the pasture, then his eyes flicked to me and his weight started to fall in on his inside leg like he was thinking of following me. His attention stayed on the field but I started walking around the rest of the arena and within a few more seconds he started to follow again and a ploddy pace. Needless to say I was impressed and highly excited. He followed me around the barrels in the middle of the ring as well.
*He left grass to follow me. ^_^
He's VERY fixated on food. Since he's come here he's done nothing but eat, like it's his last meal. =/ I guess being off of pasture for almost 10 years does that to a horse, poor guy. The point is though, that the ring has grass growing up through the sand. D discovered this after some hesitation and instead of walking up to him and insisting he stop eating I watched. He eyed me, took a few bites, decided it was good and moved to the next patch or so of green stuff. I was frustrated, I've always hated it when the grazing takes up time I want to be spending with us actually communicating. I drummed my fingers on the barrel and bit and looked off elsewhere trying not to make eye contact, although I did mentally think "I really wish you'd stop eating right now, you can do that when I turn you back out in a few minutes." After watching him move from clump to clump I asked "Don't you want to come over here and do something?" He acknoledged me with an ear and eye and then looked up, directly at me, head at about his chest level. He bent down and took another snif of the grass, decided he was disinterested and plodded over to me. I stood there in shock, his very earnest, although not entirely enthusiastic expression was burned into my brain. O.o he just left grass to come see me! WOW We spent a minute communing at the barrel. I'm really hoping now he gets the idea that the barrels are objects for play, but he hasn't yet. He's close though... as we were standing there he took a sniff and put his lips over the rim of the barrel before loosing interest. I was alittle dissapointed. In the old days that would have immediately been followed by him either picking the barrel up by his teeth, chewing it to death or knocking it on the ground, pinning his ears and dancing off. I miss that side of him and that's my whole goal: to get it back. Right now I'm just trying to show him I won't freak out if he messes with stuff.
It's been opressively hot the past week. Anyone who knows me knows I love heat, but we're talking the kind where I've got sweat bubbles all over my skin and yet I still feel heat radiating off me like a furnace on high. No evaporation. I generally prefer to have water close by me (pool, ocean) when it's like this.
Anyways, partly due to the heat I haven't been riding him. The other hald is due to me realizing just how badly my saddle fits. I know I keep saying that but I keep seeing new signs. Most recently I've been able to actually pin point the exact location of the saddle panels on D's back simply by seeing the indentions it's left in the developing muscle! (and this is without him being saddled for 2 weeks)Iiick.
Anyways, so ground work it is. I love my new longe line ^__^ (lightweight, cotton round, small clip) and I take him out on it freaquently. It gives me extra length for sure. Anyways now that I've been able to actually close all the gates in the ring I let him loose in there. The other evening two great things happened in our short, and very molassas like session:
*He immediately decided, it was fine to walk around the arena with me despite being completely free. I started walking along the rail after ;etting him go and putting my equipment on the mounting block. He decided to follow suit and pretty soon he was plodding after me. We made it around to the otherside of the ring where the view drops off over the vast back pasture where the deer like to gather in the evenings. There was nothing there this time but he stopped and stood, watching, smelling. I kept walking and walked about 20 feet over to the fence and stood there looking out over the same area he was, breifly showing interest. He faltered for a second, staring at the pasture, then his eyes flicked to me and his weight started to fall in on his inside leg like he was thinking of following me. His attention stayed on the field but I started walking around the rest of the arena and within a few more seconds he started to follow again and a ploddy pace. Needless to say I was impressed and highly excited. He followed me around the barrels in the middle of the ring as well.
*He left grass to follow me. ^_^
He's VERY fixated on food. Since he's come here he's done nothing but eat, like it's his last meal. =/ I guess being off of pasture for almost 10 years does that to a horse, poor guy. The point is though, that the ring has grass growing up through the sand. D discovered this after some hesitation and instead of walking up to him and insisting he stop eating I watched. He eyed me, took a few bites, decided it was good and moved to the next patch or so of green stuff. I was frustrated, I've always hated it when the grazing takes up time I want to be spending with us actually communicating. I drummed my fingers on the barrel and bit and looked off elsewhere trying not to make eye contact, although I did mentally think "I really wish you'd stop eating right now, you can do that when I turn you back out in a few minutes." After watching him move from clump to clump I asked "Don't you want to come over here and do something?" He acknoledged me with an ear and eye and then looked up, directly at me, head at about his chest level. He bent down and took another snif of the grass, decided he was disinterested and plodded over to me. I stood there in shock, his very earnest, although not entirely enthusiastic expression was burned into my brain. O.o he just left grass to come see me! WOW We spent a minute communing at the barrel. I'm really hoping now he gets the idea that the barrels are objects for play, but he hasn't yet. He's close though... as we were standing there he took a sniff and put his lips over the rim of the barrel before loosing interest. I was alittle dissapointed. In the old days that would have immediately been followed by him either picking the barrel up by his teeth, chewing it to death or knocking it on the ground, pinning his ears and dancing off. I miss that side of him and that's my whole goal: to get it back. Right now I'm just trying to show him I won't freak out if he messes with stuff.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The Importance of Centeredness
I find myself wondering when this important lesson will finally sink in enough that I remember! Staying centered on D's back is apparently critical to his ability to move at any given moment with lightness and balance. This was evident yesterday...
We started out in the round pen with alittle lunging just to loosen his muscles. This consisted of a few minutes medium walk and then some brief trot. From there after it was walk-trot trot-walk transitions, as I've noticed I can keep an eye on how balanced he is and whether he's truly using his back end or not better. He was more energetic due to the light rain falling, a thunderstorm had swept over right before I arrived so he was more alert than normal. I found I was much more excited about his alert mood though than nervous. A good step for me, I see now that his moods and reactions can be channeled (hopefully into some really great self carriage =p ) in a positive way.
Riding was great, his walk was forward & active, except for his constant looky-ness at the two deer down in the back field. They interested him alot...
We got some very good leg yields off before anything else and I could feel him fairly loose under me. Surprising considering I'm still expecting him to be quite stiff from all the new hilly terrain he constantly navigates. Determined not to make this a long ride though, I quickly moved us into trot and canter.
Trot was not surprisingly off, as usual. It hasn't been truly good since December. I still don't know what the main contributing factor is but I know several possibilities: bad saddle fit, sore back, sore neck, sore hooves. Probably his back though... I don't say all this lazilly - I really am trying to make him comfortable. I try to limit riding in that saddle more than once a week. It's just that $900 for a new (or used) saddle is alot of money to save for a broke person. =(
The canter however was the magic of the evening...
At first he didn't want to, period. He was acting dead to my light aids. I'm trying to get away from the legs aids and gripping with my thights/legs. I finally changed direction to his good side (clockwise) and he enthusiastically leaped into a canter, much to my surprise. His front end came up as much as he's capable of right now but unfortunately braced itself there against me as he tried to take control and bolt off due to enthusiasim. We had a moment of deep seated 'words' on my part as I half halted back down to a bumpy trot then walk. We changed directions again now that he was anticipating the canter, back to his hard side. I'm determined to work this side more than the other in hopes of strengthening that weaker stifle again. I had lengthened my stirrups considerably and was working very hard on proper classical seat position, upright as a broomstick 24/7 with an elastic centered seat. While tempting to tip inwards or forwards into the canter transition I restrained myself and as soon as I did the canter came... just like that. Barely even a movement from me, just a thought. Again the canter got hoppy and bolty down the long side, but after a few more breaks and tries it became clear he could much more easily strike off into canter on his hard side if I was sitting up and centered on the saddle. He couldn't make it but halfway around the ring before he simply lost his balance though, we fell back into a nasty jarring trot everytime, his hindquarters swinging in terribly. (bad habit of his) The same went for his good side once we retried. Transitions were quick and clean so long as I was upright & balanced. One time I got left behind by the sudden transition but I think that's better than the alternative.
In other observations I still notice I seem to have very little effectiveness in the canter with my position over all. I guess a big flaw on mine in the past 6 years has been learning to stay quiet in the canter by grip instead of balance. I balanced, but only because I was gripping. Now that grip is eliminated and I aim to let my leg dangle as they please while my abs do the work of keeping me supple and upright at the same time, my whole body wants to seize up and fails to cooaperate. X_X I'm dissapointed, I thought I was a better rider than that. I'm also having alot of trouble being soft in the hands/reins but still connecting the hands & elbows to my torso. Eventing taught me to let the elbows be elastic shock absorbers. Dressage later taught me to anchor them to my seat & waist for a more unified oneness in my body's signals to the horse. I took the time to work on my seat though and I dare say there was alittle improvement. Instead of concentrating on sticking to the saddle like glue, which I find impossible currently - I concentrated on minimal movement of Diego, not the saddle itself. Allowing my pelvis to rock very slightly back and forth and not stay so stiff seemed to aleviate the bouncing. I don't really know if this is good in the long run or not, but anything to alleviate the possible bouncing on D's back right now without gripping is a plus to me...
So two encouraging things out of what could have been an icky night (with the rain). The only thing I'm currently discouraged about is my more recent habit of freedom with D. I had gotten where I rarely tied him, as I liked being able to have the type relationship where he was actually willing to stand with me to be groomed, tacked etc without force. Unfortunately right now he is just not trustworthy enough =/ maybe my expectations are unrealistic, he's still in a new place. I just feel bad tying him up constantly. But let's face the facts... this is someone's property and were he to get a whim that he could he'd run right up into their garage or down the driveway to the road, and we really can't have that.
Grooming and tacking up in the ring had occured to me, although it requires me to lug alot of stuff down that hill... it would give him the freedom to roam though. The rings is wonderfully flat and a nice place with views.
We started out in the round pen with alittle lunging just to loosen his muscles. This consisted of a few minutes medium walk and then some brief trot. From there after it was walk-trot trot-walk transitions, as I've noticed I can keep an eye on how balanced he is and whether he's truly using his back end or not better. He was more energetic due to the light rain falling, a thunderstorm had swept over right before I arrived so he was more alert than normal. I found I was much more excited about his alert mood though than nervous. A good step for me, I see now that his moods and reactions can be channeled (hopefully into some really great self carriage =p ) in a positive way.
Riding was great, his walk was forward & active, except for his constant looky-ness at the two deer down in the back field. They interested him alot...
We got some very good leg yields off before anything else and I could feel him fairly loose under me. Surprising considering I'm still expecting him to be quite stiff from all the new hilly terrain he constantly navigates. Determined not to make this a long ride though, I quickly moved us into trot and canter.
Trot was not surprisingly off, as usual. It hasn't been truly good since December. I still don't know what the main contributing factor is but I know several possibilities: bad saddle fit, sore back, sore neck, sore hooves. Probably his back though... I don't say all this lazilly - I really am trying to make him comfortable. I try to limit riding in that saddle more than once a week. It's just that $900 for a new (or used) saddle is alot of money to save for a broke person. =(
The canter however was the magic of the evening...
At first he didn't want to, period. He was acting dead to my light aids. I'm trying to get away from the legs aids and gripping with my thights/legs. I finally changed direction to his good side (clockwise) and he enthusiastically leaped into a canter, much to my surprise. His front end came up as much as he's capable of right now but unfortunately braced itself there against me as he tried to take control and bolt off due to enthusiasim. We had a moment of deep seated 'words' on my part as I half halted back down to a bumpy trot then walk. We changed directions again now that he was anticipating the canter, back to his hard side. I'm determined to work this side more than the other in hopes of strengthening that weaker stifle again. I had lengthened my stirrups considerably and was working very hard on proper classical seat position, upright as a broomstick 24/7 with an elastic centered seat. While tempting to tip inwards or forwards into the canter transition I restrained myself and as soon as I did the canter came... just like that. Barely even a movement from me, just a thought. Again the canter got hoppy and bolty down the long side, but after a few more breaks and tries it became clear he could much more easily strike off into canter on his hard side if I was sitting up and centered on the saddle. He couldn't make it but halfway around the ring before he simply lost his balance though, we fell back into a nasty jarring trot everytime, his hindquarters swinging in terribly. (bad habit of his) The same went for his good side once we retried. Transitions were quick and clean so long as I was upright & balanced. One time I got left behind by the sudden transition but I think that's better than the alternative.
In other observations I still notice I seem to have very little effectiveness in the canter with my position over all. I guess a big flaw on mine in the past 6 years has been learning to stay quiet in the canter by grip instead of balance. I balanced, but only because I was gripping. Now that grip is eliminated and I aim to let my leg dangle as they please while my abs do the work of keeping me supple and upright at the same time, my whole body wants to seize up and fails to cooaperate. X_X I'm dissapointed, I thought I was a better rider than that. I'm also having alot of trouble being soft in the hands/reins but still connecting the hands & elbows to my torso. Eventing taught me to let the elbows be elastic shock absorbers. Dressage later taught me to anchor them to my seat & waist for a more unified oneness in my body's signals to the horse. I took the time to work on my seat though and I dare say there was alittle improvement. Instead of concentrating on sticking to the saddle like glue, which I find impossible currently - I concentrated on minimal movement of Diego, not the saddle itself. Allowing my pelvis to rock very slightly back and forth and not stay so stiff seemed to aleviate the bouncing. I don't really know if this is good in the long run or not, but anything to alleviate the possible bouncing on D's back right now without gripping is a plus to me...
So two encouraging things out of what could have been an icky night (with the rain). The only thing I'm currently discouraged about is my more recent habit of freedom with D. I had gotten where I rarely tied him, as I liked being able to have the type relationship where he was actually willing to stand with me to be groomed, tacked etc without force. Unfortunately right now he is just not trustworthy enough =/ maybe my expectations are unrealistic, he's still in a new place. I just feel bad tying him up constantly. But let's face the facts... this is someone's property and were he to get a whim that he could he'd run right up into their garage or down the driveway to the road, and we really can't have that.
Grooming and tacking up in the ring had occured to me, although it requires me to lug alot of stuff down that hill... it would give him the freedom to roam though. The rings is wonderfully flat and a nice place with views.
Our History - Recent (04' - today)
The past 4 years of my ‘horse life’ really fell apart for me, it’s only been in the past year that it’s started coming together again.
Tailbone surgery kept me from riding for good 6-9 months in 04/05. A big blow considering I feel more natural on Diego’s back than I do on my own legs, his legs have become mine over the years and although we fought a lot, I took for granted just how one minded we had become in locomotion. The time after I began to ride again was an agonizing few years of only being able to ride once a week. His barn was an hour and fifteen minutes from my house, and with the new responsibilities of a job it was too much. About 2 years ago I allowed a woman to ride him in dressage lessons, mostly walk trot, with my trainer. While everyone else was very for this, I wasn’t, although I agreed to it. I trusted my trainer to pick a confident, gentle rider for him, since she was the one who had finally broken my shell and challenged ME to be more patient and gentle with him over the years. It’s just that we had become so one…. The idea of another woman getting in the middle of it was a constant irritant. Would you give your 12 year partner easily to another person? All my life, I was the kid who had a way with one horse or another, and usually once I’d built a bond with said horse other people then took advantage of it or took the horse away completely thinking it was “fixed”, instead of stopping to observe the relationship and mimic it on their own. =( While I knew I was still his life partner, days at work sitting at a desk while D was being ridden by someone else weighed heavily on me. Diego’s response to my aids grew more dull and I could tell he was confused at times. My usual routine wasn’t the same as what he was used to twice a week, and yet I was signaling the same way I had for years. I had serious emotional problems with this muddled confusion and grew depressed. I have no doubt the extra work was good for him but I often frequently wondered what was going on inside him, confusion? Abandonment? Fear of changing ownership? Happiness? I’ll never know, I never saw the woman ride him and saw the look on his face.
Unfortunately our barn was hit with an enormous flood because of pipes breaking in a close by water treatment plant less than a year ago. My friend’s horse was killed along with another newer one. Diego survived uninjured, along with the rest of the barn and were found the next morning in chest deep water. They were quickly relocated to a rescue barn and kept in stall for 2 weeks. Upon moving them back home after flood clean up there was still no fencing so the horses were kept in most of the time as the few small paddocks roped off had to be rotated between nearly 10 horses. Diego became crabby and depressed as well as his weight started dropping. I wanted him closer to me, and this seemed like the right time, so after 10 years I moved him from his old home. We moved to a very small barn located close to home and I spent the winter getting reacquainted with him....
I didn’t feel like he didn’t know me, but I wanted to reestablish the old bond and make it stronger than ever. When most people are bundled up inside hoping for spring to ride, I was out in the cold riding through rain, slush and ice on him (the latter being interesting, he nearly went down with me after a bucking fit landed him on a patch of ice).
I started studying the popular Natural Horsemanship as soon as I arrived. The new barn owner was a big fan and promoted it and I liked the kinder way of handling the horses instead of simply hitting them, like I’d been taught years ago. Diego showed progress with his pushiness on the ground after dealing with the owner on a regular basis (feeding/turnout). In my studies and in talking with the man though, I noticed I was being encouraged strongly to stop some of Diego’s more rare behavior like grooming me (which had taken him years to do as he used to not trust interacting with humans during grooming, he’s been hit in the head a lot for his habit of being mouthy). And also his habit of kicking out when being lunged. Both things are met with strong opposition in the NH world and seen as immediate disrespect to the human. I had noticed that lack of respect for me in general seemed to be one of Diego’s problems. Something didn’t feel right though… I worked so hard to build a trusting relationship between us and still punish the kicking outbursts. Sometimes it didn’t seem worth it – like when I’d let him loose in the ring to run off some steam and he’d end up bucking and kicking halfway to the otherside. Other times direct kicks at me (usually after a directional or driving aid) seemed very appropriate for punishment. My method of growling at him and chasing him mercilessly around for a good 3 minutes afterwards though never seemed to really fix the situation though. It only made him snort and prance or run around obediently until I got tired. I swear sometimes he acted like it was a game. O.o I started to see that really he wasn’t making the connection between kicking out and my “punishment”, but I didn’t feel making physical contact with him over the issue was a good idea either, even though inside I really wanted to lash out at him like he had me.
But on our more successful issues, and journey I discovered a lot of things:
*Rhythmic preassure was a better way to get a response from him, constant preassure is something he seems to despise enough to ignore or constantly fight and he will either A) win or B) make me tired and miserable in the process.
*I had too much of a “schedule” mind, Surprise surprise…just like my mother. I always had these expectations of our “ride time” that needed to be met for my happiness and I always had a routine, rarely did anything different.
*I rode in a way that was most convenient for me.
*The way I was riding and doing things was not only making Diego bored, but had lost his interest in our time together period.
*I was way too focused on my agenda and not flexible enough to go with the moment. I’m learning now how to play: get on, get off, get on again…staying in the saddle gets stale - switch our program up. Run on the ground alittle… ride alittle. One of the very first things I started several years ago was cooling him out off his back – us just walking side by side. I believe it makes things more comfortable for him. =)
Many experiences have influenced my goals and current path/philosophy, they include things like trainers Thomas Ritter, Brent Branderup, Klaus H. etc, seeing performances like the Spanish Riding School & Cavalia… but my philosophy side was tickled & convicted when I read about a very controversial trainer Alexander Nevzorav. His words that the horse should be free to exist without the dominant imposing will of humans struck at the heart of who I am and my Christian beliefs. I had to reexamine all my years with horses and my motives, were they me-based or loving-selfless-giving-based like Jesus asks of me? For I truly believe Jesus intends his followers to treat animals with the kindness and respect we want as well, for they are all God’s creation and respecting & caring for them is as if we were doing it to Him. I have seen many Christians use the line of “God gave 'dominion' over the animals to Adam” as an excuse for unfair treatment to animals for their own happiness and enjoyment. Under the teachings that Jesus brought to us though I can no longer accept that reason as valid in my own life though. Nevzorav bluntly calls people out for our own selfish motives and behavior towards horses… causing pain to control them, wishing to reduce their fire for our convenience, riding for our own pleasure only and thus blinding ourselves to any possible discomfort the horse experiences. His goal to bring out the fire in his own horses fascinated me and also made me wary, I was beginning to realize I lack the intuition at the moment to safely handle that much power. This realization brought to light just how magnificent and powerful horses are. The majesty of such a fierce animal was brought back to life in my mind again, something I hadn’t experienced since childhood. Where along the lines had I become desensitized into thinking they were just beasts we should control? I also watched his videos in confusion seeing his horses run, buck, rear, strike and kick at will. In any NH training this would be considered severe disrespect and yet Nevzorav called it playing. I realize now the complexities of when a horse is playing Vs. when they are truly a danger to me is something I don’t have a grasp on yet. I have a long road ahead of me, the realization was humbling and depressing.
Since this realization I have spent the past 6 months struggling and floundering in a muddy pond (that's what it feels like) of uncertainty.
I have studied as much as I can about a horses natural enviroment and made changes in Diego's best interests. Honestly some have been more of an adjustment for me than him! Like moving him to pasture only...
I've also changed alot of how I interact with him: I tie him less, I let him follow me where ever. I let him loose in large spaces more often for our work. I ride shorter amounts of time and often bareback (due to an ill fitting saddle). But sometimes I still feel lost standing on the ground staring at him. I have dozens of horse friends and trainers around me willing to "help" guide me at the drop of a hat. But I'm not as trusting as I once was, and I see ego pop out of every dark corner, no matter how small... I know the path I want to take with my horses from now on, and I have found so many horse people all over the world who feel the same, yet finding someone I trust to guide me has not happened. Yet. Maybe it will when the time is right, or maybe this is something I'm supposed to do on my own... watch an observe until I know who Diego truly is.
Well... here's to watching.
Tailbone surgery kept me from riding for good 6-9 months in 04/05. A big blow considering I feel more natural on Diego’s back than I do on my own legs, his legs have become mine over the years and although we fought a lot, I took for granted just how one minded we had become in locomotion. The time after I began to ride again was an agonizing few years of only being able to ride once a week. His barn was an hour and fifteen minutes from my house, and with the new responsibilities of a job it was too much. About 2 years ago I allowed a woman to ride him in dressage lessons, mostly walk trot, with my trainer. While everyone else was very for this, I wasn’t, although I agreed to it. I trusted my trainer to pick a confident, gentle rider for him, since she was the one who had finally broken my shell and challenged ME to be more patient and gentle with him over the years. It’s just that we had become so one…. The idea of another woman getting in the middle of it was a constant irritant. Would you give your 12 year partner easily to another person? All my life, I was the kid who had a way with one horse or another, and usually once I’d built a bond with said horse other people then took advantage of it or took the horse away completely thinking it was “fixed”, instead of stopping to observe the relationship and mimic it on their own. =( While I knew I was still his life partner, days at work sitting at a desk while D was being ridden by someone else weighed heavily on me. Diego’s response to my aids grew more dull and I could tell he was confused at times. My usual routine wasn’t the same as what he was used to twice a week, and yet I was signaling the same way I had for years. I had serious emotional problems with this muddled confusion and grew depressed. I have no doubt the extra work was good for him but I often frequently wondered what was going on inside him, confusion? Abandonment? Fear of changing ownership? Happiness? I’ll never know, I never saw the woman ride him and saw the look on his face.
Unfortunately our barn was hit with an enormous flood because of pipes breaking in a close by water treatment plant less than a year ago. My friend’s horse was killed along with another newer one. Diego survived uninjured, along with the rest of the barn and were found the next morning in chest deep water. They were quickly relocated to a rescue barn and kept in stall for 2 weeks. Upon moving them back home after flood clean up there was still no fencing so the horses were kept in most of the time as the few small paddocks roped off had to be rotated between nearly 10 horses. Diego became crabby and depressed as well as his weight started dropping. I wanted him closer to me, and this seemed like the right time, so after 10 years I moved him from his old home. We moved to a very small barn located close to home and I spent the winter getting reacquainted with him....
I didn’t feel like he didn’t know me, but I wanted to reestablish the old bond and make it stronger than ever. When most people are bundled up inside hoping for spring to ride, I was out in the cold riding through rain, slush and ice on him (the latter being interesting, he nearly went down with me after a bucking fit landed him on a patch of ice).
I started studying the popular Natural Horsemanship as soon as I arrived. The new barn owner was a big fan and promoted it and I liked the kinder way of handling the horses instead of simply hitting them, like I’d been taught years ago. Diego showed progress with his pushiness on the ground after dealing with the owner on a regular basis (feeding/turnout). In my studies and in talking with the man though, I noticed I was being encouraged strongly to stop some of Diego’s more rare behavior like grooming me (which had taken him years to do as he used to not trust interacting with humans during grooming, he’s been hit in the head a lot for his habit of being mouthy). And also his habit of kicking out when being lunged. Both things are met with strong opposition in the NH world and seen as immediate disrespect to the human. I had noticed that lack of respect for me in general seemed to be one of Diego’s problems. Something didn’t feel right though… I worked so hard to build a trusting relationship between us and still punish the kicking outbursts. Sometimes it didn’t seem worth it – like when I’d let him loose in the ring to run off some steam and he’d end up bucking and kicking halfway to the otherside. Other times direct kicks at me (usually after a directional or driving aid) seemed very appropriate for punishment. My method of growling at him and chasing him mercilessly around for a good 3 minutes afterwards though never seemed to really fix the situation though. It only made him snort and prance or run around obediently until I got tired. I swear sometimes he acted like it was a game. O.o I started to see that really he wasn’t making the connection between kicking out and my “punishment”, but I didn’t feel making physical contact with him over the issue was a good idea either, even though inside I really wanted to lash out at him like he had me.
But on our more successful issues, and journey I discovered a lot of things:
*Rhythmic preassure was a better way to get a response from him, constant preassure is something he seems to despise enough to ignore or constantly fight and he will either A) win or B) make me tired and miserable in the process.
*I had too much of a “schedule” mind, Surprise surprise…just like my mother. I always had these expectations of our “ride time” that needed to be met for my happiness and I always had a routine, rarely did anything different.
*I rode in a way that was most convenient for me.
*The way I was riding and doing things was not only making Diego bored, but had lost his interest in our time together period.
*I was way too focused on my agenda and not flexible enough to go with the moment. I’m learning now how to play: get on, get off, get on again…staying in the saddle gets stale - switch our program up. Run on the ground alittle… ride alittle. One of the very first things I started several years ago was cooling him out off his back – us just walking side by side. I believe it makes things more comfortable for him. =)
Many experiences have influenced my goals and current path/philosophy, they include things like trainers Thomas Ritter, Brent Branderup, Klaus H. etc, seeing performances like the Spanish Riding School & Cavalia… but my philosophy side was tickled & convicted when I read about a very controversial trainer Alexander Nevzorav. His words that the horse should be free to exist without the dominant imposing will of humans struck at the heart of who I am and my Christian beliefs. I had to reexamine all my years with horses and my motives, were they me-based or loving-selfless-giving-based like Jesus asks of me? For I truly believe Jesus intends his followers to treat animals with the kindness and respect we want as well, for they are all God’s creation and respecting & caring for them is as if we were doing it to Him. I have seen many Christians use the line of “God gave 'dominion' over the animals to Adam” as an excuse for unfair treatment to animals for their own happiness and enjoyment. Under the teachings that Jesus brought to us though I can no longer accept that reason as valid in my own life though. Nevzorav bluntly calls people out for our own selfish motives and behavior towards horses… causing pain to control them, wishing to reduce their fire for our convenience, riding for our own pleasure only and thus blinding ourselves to any possible discomfort the horse experiences. His goal to bring out the fire in his own horses fascinated me and also made me wary, I was beginning to realize I lack the intuition at the moment to safely handle that much power. This realization brought to light just how magnificent and powerful horses are. The majesty of such a fierce animal was brought back to life in my mind again, something I hadn’t experienced since childhood. Where along the lines had I become desensitized into thinking they were just beasts we should control? I also watched his videos in confusion seeing his horses run, buck, rear, strike and kick at will. In any NH training this would be considered severe disrespect and yet Nevzorav called it playing. I realize now the complexities of when a horse is playing Vs. when they are truly a danger to me is something I don’t have a grasp on yet. I have a long road ahead of me, the realization was humbling and depressing.
Since this realization I have spent the past 6 months struggling and floundering in a muddy pond (that's what it feels like) of uncertainty.
I have studied as much as I can about a horses natural enviroment and made changes in Diego's best interests. Honestly some have been more of an adjustment for me than him! Like moving him to pasture only...
I've also changed alot of how I interact with him: I tie him less, I let him follow me where ever. I let him loose in large spaces more often for our work. I ride shorter amounts of time and often bareback (due to an ill fitting saddle). But sometimes I still feel lost standing on the ground staring at him. I have dozens of horse friends and trainers around me willing to "help" guide me at the drop of a hat. But I'm not as trusting as I once was, and I see ego pop out of every dark corner, no matter how small... I know the path I want to take with my horses from now on, and I have found so many horse people all over the world who feel the same, yet finding someone I trust to guide me has not happened. Yet. Maybe it will when the time is right, or maybe this is something I'm supposed to do on my own... watch an observe until I know who Diego truly is.
Well... here's to watching.
The Problem Horse
In today’s convenient horse world, where horses are pets & riding is mainly a sport people do on the side, Diego was the monster ‘problem horse” most people would have sold. We nearly did… he came home from his first dressage show and nearly had a for sale sign slapped on his rear. After becoming unruly, rearing and screaming constantly in his stall, causing a warm up nightmare by bolting in circles on the lunge line, kicking at anything & anyone, biting Mom on the chest and just generally being Mr. Discontent the entire 2 days (I couldn’t even ride my classes on him, I was 11 and Mom was concerned about my safety) Mom was feeling hopeless. But once home with him behaving like his normal self again, I guess she wanted to prove to the rest of the barn that we hadn’t made a terrible mistake in buying him. He continued to have his moments though, from kicking in the stall to nearly rearing on the lead line at moment of passion, to nipping and pushing you out of the way whenever he felt like it. Not to mention riding him was like riding a very lightweight freight trail, rough and fast and it never slowed down, only got bumpier when you tried to hold him back. I remember one lady at the barn told my Mom, “He’s too much horse, get something more suitable for you and your daughter.” I have to smile at that nowdays when I watch him in the pasture or eyeing me when he’s tied in the barn. He was the perfect horse God picked out for us, maybe not to be a calm mount for my mother to ride, but years later I’m learning life changing lessons because of him.
More experienced horse people started taking note of him once we changed barns. His fire and determination, as well as good looks lured them into thinking he’d serve as an excellent sport horse, had he the right training. Problem was no matter how hard we tried, through conventional methods, we couldn’t get the desired results with his speed problems, jumping or ground manners. He was still firey, pushy, speedy and green. I spent years fighting with him to “harness” his ‘power” and train him in the conventional way to be an eventer. While he liked eventing, he hated travel & being separated from other horses, and he hated restraints & being told ‘no’ when it he felt excited (which was usually manifested in bolts of speed). While I took pride in his fire I also spent years frustrated over and fighting what makes him him, as well as makes him a horse in the most natural, primal sense.
Behind the Name
Nowdays I just call him my Red Dragon and laugh.
He has this posture he likes to do when he’s feeling very powerful and intimidating: he arches his neck and his Mohawk splays like spines, his eyes either roll back showing lots of white – or they fixate on you and his shoulders come up, he’s very adept at using his front limbs for striking. That posture finally solidified his nickname. I have been a huge fan of science fiction for most of my life, fantasy combined with our reality and science to produce something that goes beyond what we experience here... where we can grow and change and experience things outside of what we know. I think it's an instinct in many humans, knowing we want more than this world has to offer (yes yes a Switchfoot line ;p ). Dragons have been the epitome of fantasy creatures for a long time, and seeing "How to Tame Your Dragon" recently put it in the forefront of my mind. It made me realize I already have the closest thing to a real life Dragon I could find. He may have fur instead of scales, but he's a heck or a formidable beast, and he may not be able to fly very far but when he does it's exhilerating. =)
Our History (96-04')
Detailing our history together is important, so I figured I’d dig into the memories and start here.
I was 11 when we got Diego, and was currently still riding my school master pony and second mother, Checkers. Diego was really for my Mom, but knowing me I couldn’t stay away. I remember the day we met him, I was expecting a chunky app, along the lines of the other horses our farrier was selling. What I saw up against the side of his stall was a skinny red colored horse reminiscent of my childhood fantasies, marking wise. White stockings, blaze, with an added burgundy dorsal stripe. I was surprised by and skeptical of this skinny critter though, being used to gorgeous Throughbreds and filled out ponies. Test riding him was fun, but his constant speed was a pain in the rear in the ring. Getting him out in the pasture to run though was paradise. He was extremely powerful, almost to a scary extent, but it fed my need for speed nicely. During the first year that we had him I really didn’t handle him a lot or ride too much, I was honestly very slightly afraid of him, though I would never admit it. His resistance to slowing down cues, even forceful ones and his bad ground manners were too much of a nuisance. We were taught to handle him roughly when he misbehaved, more so than normal. Checkers rarely needed any strong reprimand so it was foriegn at first, but we did it unfortunately, thinking it was the only way to set boundaries and gain 'respect".
When we first got him he was headshy. Bridling was not a problem, but raising your hands around him was. The reason being this: in all the time I’ve known him, he’s always been lippy. He expresses a lot through exploring things with his mouth… in today’s sport horse world where horses are supposed to be well behaved puppets, this is looked down on or viewed with fear. Diego had been hit in the face very aggressively by his previous owner to try and curb his lippy habit. (A current note: D will try to bite on occasion when he is angry with me, but gets a very quick hard reprimand followed by immediate normal behavior like he giving his cheek or ear a good rub. His lippiness has never escalated due to lack of "discipline" and in fact I’ve found it’s decreased over the years of not hitting him in the head over it) Looking back I see how badly D’s trust in humans was damaged by all the harsh treatment he received. I’m rather ashamed to say as a teen I learned to channel my anger and frustration over D not meeting my expectations, into various forms of harsh punishment. Whether it be harsh kicks and rein pulls on his back for simply spooking or all out war on the ground if he tried to push over me. This behavior in me was never really addressed by anyone until I met my respected dressage trainer in 99'. After we began seriously training for the summer 2000 show season she began to give me gentle instruction on not getting so frustrated with Diego over his limitations. She was the first to explain that he was trying to accomplish what I asked and was unable to do so. I guess the thought that my horse was fallible and sometimes unable to do things had never occurred to me. I slowly started to see his huge efforts and nearly spastic will to please for fear of any impending punishment. No wonder he was so manic half the time, all this discipline had only served to confuse and frustrate him more. After I calmed down, he calmed down considerably while under saddle. We also started our journey into deep dressage territory and through that I saw him blossom into a new horse – a strong horse. Muscles that had never before been strengthened gave him new balance. The horse who rushed everywhere eventually turned into that beautiful rocking horse. I frequently cantered around the barn yard instead of walking or trotting because his canter had become so balanced that I could ask him to do it as slowly as a brisk walk. And it was much more fun to sit. =) I was amazed at the change strength brought to his under saddle demeanor. I’m sure he was too. Unfortunately with me riding less and less in the coming years we lost a lot of the strength, but mentally I know he remembers how, because I see him try again and again to be as balanced as he was. This was also around the time in our relationship that he truly began to trust again. He started displaying more affectionate behavior with myself and Mom, this floored us since we’d never seen any from him. He got where he would groom me in the crossties, he LOVED to unzip and unbutton jackets in the winter. He also loved to pull me around by my shirt…he tore a nice hole in one that way! He also gave Mom his first hug (over he shoulder when she hugged him). It nearly brought us to tears seeing how many years it had taken for him to become outgoing around humans. It also clued me in to the incredible sensitivity inside him, and the effects our harsh human egos have on these animals... we carry a heavy burden of responsibility, and in a society that is so lazy and shuns personal responsibility, woe to the horse that gets stuck with an irresponsible human. =(
More experienced horse people started taking note of him once we changed barns. His fire and determination, as well as good looks lured them into thinking he’d serve as an excellent sport horse, had he the right training. Problem was no matter how hard we tried, through conventional methods, we couldn’t get the desired results with his speed problems, jumping or ground manners. He was still firey, pushy, speedy and green. I spent years fighting with him to “harness” his ‘power” and train him in the conventional way to be an eventer. While he liked eventing, he hated travel & being separated from other horses, and he hated restraints & being told ‘no’ when it he felt excited (which was usually manifested in bolts of speed). While I took pride in his fire I also spent years frustrated over and fighting what makes him him, as well as makes him a horse in the most natural, primal sense.
Behind the Name
Nowdays I just call him my Red Dragon and laugh.
He has this posture he likes to do when he’s feeling very powerful and intimidating: he arches his neck and his Mohawk splays like spines, his eyes either roll back showing lots of white – or they fixate on you and his shoulders come up, he’s very adept at using his front limbs for striking. That posture finally solidified his nickname. I have been a huge fan of science fiction for most of my life, fantasy combined with our reality and science to produce something that goes beyond what we experience here... where we can grow and change and experience things outside of what we know. I think it's an instinct in many humans, knowing we want more than this world has to offer (yes yes a Switchfoot line ;p ). Dragons have been the epitome of fantasy creatures for a long time, and seeing "How to Tame Your Dragon" recently put it in the forefront of my mind. It made me realize I already have the closest thing to a real life Dragon I could find. He may have fur instead of scales, but he's a heck or a formidable beast, and he may not be able to fly very far but when he does it's exhilerating. =)
Our History (96-04')
Detailing our history together is important, so I figured I’d dig into the memories and start here.
I was 11 when we got Diego, and was currently still riding my school master pony and second mother, Checkers. Diego was really for my Mom, but knowing me I couldn’t stay away. I remember the day we met him, I was expecting a chunky app, along the lines of the other horses our farrier was selling. What I saw up against the side of his stall was a skinny red colored horse reminiscent of my childhood fantasies, marking wise. White stockings, blaze, with an added burgundy dorsal stripe. I was surprised by and skeptical of this skinny critter though, being used to gorgeous Throughbreds and filled out ponies. Test riding him was fun, but his constant speed was a pain in the rear in the ring. Getting him out in the pasture to run though was paradise. He was extremely powerful, almost to a scary extent, but it fed my need for speed nicely. During the first year that we had him I really didn’t handle him a lot or ride too much, I was honestly very slightly afraid of him, though I would never admit it. His resistance to slowing down cues, even forceful ones and his bad ground manners were too much of a nuisance. We were taught to handle him roughly when he misbehaved, more so than normal. Checkers rarely needed any strong reprimand so it was foriegn at first, but we did it unfortunately, thinking it was the only way to set boundaries and gain 'respect".
When we first got him he was headshy. Bridling was not a problem, but raising your hands around him was. The reason being this: in all the time I’ve known him, he’s always been lippy. He expresses a lot through exploring things with his mouth… in today’s sport horse world where horses are supposed to be well behaved puppets, this is looked down on or viewed with fear. Diego had been hit in the face very aggressively by his previous owner to try and curb his lippy habit. (A current note: D will try to bite on occasion when he is angry with me, but gets a very quick hard reprimand followed by immediate normal behavior like he giving his cheek or ear a good rub. His lippiness has never escalated due to lack of "discipline" and in fact I’ve found it’s decreased over the years of not hitting him in the head over it) Looking back I see how badly D’s trust in humans was damaged by all the harsh treatment he received. I’m rather ashamed to say as a teen I learned to channel my anger and frustration over D not meeting my expectations, into various forms of harsh punishment. Whether it be harsh kicks and rein pulls on his back for simply spooking or all out war on the ground if he tried to push over me. This behavior in me was never really addressed by anyone until I met my respected dressage trainer in 99'. After we began seriously training for the summer 2000 show season she began to give me gentle instruction on not getting so frustrated with Diego over his limitations. She was the first to explain that he was trying to accomplish what I asked and was unable to do so. I guess the thought that my horse was fallible and sometimes unable to do things had never occurred to me. I slowly started to see his huge efforts and nearly spastic will to please for fear of any impending punishment. No wonder he was so manic half the time, all this discipline had only served to confuse and frustrate him more. After I calmed down, he calmed down considerably while under saddle. We also started our journey into deep dressage territory and through that I saw him blossom into a new horse – a strong horse. Muscles that had never before been strengthened gave him new balance. The horse who rushed everywhere eventually turned into that beautiful rocking horse. I frequently cantered around the barn yard instead of walking or trotting because his canter had become so balanced that I could ask him to do it as slowly as a brisk walk. And it was much more fun to sit. =) I was amazed at the change strength brought to his under saddle demeanor. I’m sure he was too. Unfortunately with me riding less and less in the coming years we lost a lot of the strength, but mentally I know he remembers how, because I see him try again and again to be as balanced as he was. This was also around the time in our relationship that he truly began to trust again. He started displaying more affectionate behavior with myself and Mom, this floored us since we’d never seen any from him. He got where he would groom me in the crossties, he LOVED to unzip and unbutton jackets in the winter. He also loved to pull me around by my shirt…he tore a nice hole in one that way! He also gave Mom his first hug (over he shoulder when she hugged him). It nearly brought us to tears seeing how many years it had taken for him to become outgoing around humans. It also clued me in to the incredible sensitivity inside him, and the effects our harsh human egos have on these animals... we carry a heavy burden of responsibility, and in a society that is so lazy and shuns personal responsibility, woe to the horse that gets stuck with an irresponsible human. =(
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