Alright, I have a confession to make: Right on the heels of Nicole's Popeye of Death, I made a big blunder and gave Nikita too many electrolytes. Now, this week has been the worst in a while, with losing my electricity for several days thanks to a little bitty thunderstorm that apparently blew away the electric company, since they took forever to respond. To add insult to injury, I got really, really sick during said blackout, so, I've been somewhat distracted.
Back to my confession. I gave Nikita too many electrolytes, as evidenced by her inability to pee and her newly featured leg oedema. Have you ever seen a mare who can't pee? They lift their skirts, make a valiant attempt, and get the same face I'm certain an old man with an enlarged prostate exhibits. Luckily, I witnessed this sight only 2 days into the new electrolyte regime, and she's fine, although it's taken the better part of a week to clear the oedema. The old man face was gone the next day. It won't be missed. Nothing like putting your Grand Prix horse into renal failure to cement your career, right?
We've started putting together pieces of the various FEI tests, since I think going round and round gives a false sense of security. The tests are there for a reason, and built to test skill. So, why not put them to good use, and actually see what this horse and I are made of?
Today we focused on the trot tour in the Prix St. George test. I did better than I thought - I seriously thought I was going to poop out half way through, but we made it through passably, and the medium and extended trots were easier to get and collect than I thought. Nikita likes to fall on her forehand as we go into the 8m volte out of the shoulder in, so I've spent time making sure she remains uphill and under herself in the volte. It's easy to lose the energy "out the backdoor," as we say, and I suppose vigilance is the better part of valor when it comes to recycling the energy in the horse. It's encouraging that at this time we can respectably put together parts of the Prix St. George test, since I plan to really work on the test this winter for next year's competition season, and it's the trot work that has me concerned. I do more difficult canter work every day than appears in the Prix St. George test, and I'm stronger with the canter tour anyway. It seems we're a few months ahead of schedule.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Benched and Crabby About It: July 23, 2010
Nikita has come up with some sort of hoof problem related to an old shoeing job. The last farrier put a clip on too tight, and now that her foot has grown, the clip has put too much pressure on the hoof, and the hoof has started to split dangerously.
This is one of those things that happens because I know nothing of farrier work, and couldn't tell if a clip was on too tight or generally if there's a clip on at all. I almost never blame anything on the farrier, but this time, baby, it's definitely the farrier, and now I've been waiting 2 days for Farrier Extraordinare Mike to fix it, and given the heat, everyone, horse included, is cranky. So, the mare and I have been benched until at least tomorrow (when it's supposed to be 105*). Hopefully losing part of her foot hasn't lamed her.
Of course, Nikita being Nikita, she hasn't lost her sense of humor, and had a great time playing practical jokes on the farrier. At one point, she managed to get her foot wedged nice and tight on one of his hoof stands just to test his patience and ingenuity in freeing her foot. I suppose a mare has to get her jollies somehow.
This actually hasn't been that big of a hassle since I've been at the SRS clinic the past 3 days and have had other horses to ride. More on that at a different time, since I'm still processing everything I saw and learned. However, since Nikita is still my prime horse, I'd like to be able to keep riding her, you know?
This is one of those things that happens because I know nothing of farrier work, and couldn't tell if a clip was on too tight or generally if there's a clip on at all. I almost never blame anything on the farrier, but this time, baby, it's definitely the farrier, and now I've been waiting 2 days for Farrier Extraordinare Mike to fix it, and given the heat, everyone, horse included, is cranky. So, the mare and I have been benched until at least tomorrow (when it's supposed to be 105*). Hopefully losing part of her foot hasn't lamed her.
Of course, Nikita being Nikita, she hasn't lost her sense of humor, and had a great time playing practical jokes on the farrier. At one point, she managed to get her foot wedged nice and tight on one of his hoof stands just to test his patience and ingenuity in freeing her foot. I suppose a mare has to get her jollies somehow.
This actually hasn't been that big of a hassle since I've been at the SRS clinic the past 3 days and have had other horses to ride. More on that at a different time, since I'm still processing everything I saw and learned. However, since Nikita is still my prime horse, I'd like to be able to keep riding her, you know?
Monday, July 19, 2010
Nicole, Nikita, and the Popeye of Death: July 19, 2010
Nicole seems to have resolved her popeye of death. Lots of saline, cold compresses, a fly mask, and yes, even a little human topical steroid cream (unorthodox, I know) seem to have done the trick, and the swelling is much reduced. She no longer looks as if she's ready to go on vacation with those huge bags under her eyes.
Nic has started some in-hand work for piaffe, and right now we're in the half-step phase. The popeye of death has stymied any riding efforts for the past few days, so we've been concentrating on these half-steps. It's interesting work, although I believe it's going to take a while before anything video-worthy occurs.
The half passes with Nikita are going much better, although she got today off because she seemed a little fried from the collection. In the half pass, I think "forward, forward, forward" while asking for the half pass with my hips, and the 2 efforts combined have produced some sort of collection. I guess it's a lot to ask (although it feels like crap to me) because Nikita doesn't display feelings of being fried unless she actually feels them. In other words, she doesn't express anxiety or pressure unless she's actually feeling those emotions, unlike Nicole who displays anxiety when the wind blows from the North, South, East or West. I imagine we're in another muscle-building phase with the half passes, much like we are with the collected-medium-collected trot transitions.
Up next: Learning how the Spanish Riding School trains piaffe/passage in hand at a clinic with Christian Bachinger, a rider from the SRS. Doing a clinic is odd for me, since I rarely blow money on anything horse-related except board and the absolutely necessary, but since I'm starting Nic on piaffe/passage, I want to see how the SRS method compares to the way I was taught to teach the movement in hand.
Nic has started some in-hand work for piaffe, and right now we're in the half-step phase. The popeye of death has stymied any riding efforts for the past few days, so we've been concentrating on these half-steps. It's interesting work, although I believe it's going to take a while before anything video-worthy occurs.
The half passes with Nikita are going much better, although she got today off because she seemed a little fried from the collection. In the half pass, I think "forward, forward, forward" while asking for the half pass with my hips, and the 2 efforts combined have produced some sort of collection. I guess it's a lot to ask (although it feels like crap to me) because Nikita doesn't display feelings of being fried unless she actually feels them. In other words, she doesn't express anxiety or pressure unless she's actually feeling those emotions, unlike Nicole who displays anxiety when the wind blows from the North, South, East or West. I imagine we're in another muscle-building phase with the half passes, much like we are with the collected-medium-collected trot transitions.
Up next: Learning how the Spanish Riding School trains piaffe/passage in hand at a clinic with Christian Bachinger, a rider from the SRS. Doing a clinic is odd for me, since I rarely blow money on anything horse-related except board and the absolutely necessary, but since I'm starting Nic on piaffe/passage, I want to see how the SRS method compares to the way I was taught to teach the movement in hand.
Friday, July 16, 2010
July 16, 2010
Well, today was certainly exciting. I was woken up at 5am by an earthquake only to be entertained by Nicole's most current "Nicolescapade." Currently, Nic is doing her Popeye impression, as some irritant has caused her eyelids to become completely swollen. What number escapade is this for 2010? Number 1234? All in a day's work for a mare.It's pretty bad, but not painful, and looks worse in the photo than I think it is. But it's sure unsightly.
The half passes with Nikita are getting better, but they're still far from consistent. I'd like to see more collection, but given a week ago we could barely get through the half pass, I'm happy to take what we've got currently. The secret, I'm finding, is to make sure she really responds to my leg for the sideways motion, and to always think about forward. I have to stop trying to use my hands for anything - it accomplishes nothing using the hands except interfering with the horse.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Half-Pass Hell: July 13, 2010
Since our canter work is in great shape, Nikita and I have been working more on our trot, which is my weak area. Specifically, we've been concentrating on half-passes, since those are super weak. Our canter half-passes are bordering amazing, since we have little trouble performing them at a grand prix angle, and they're powerfully collected and straight, but we just lack that feel in the trot half pass. It's getting better because a few months ago the half-passes were a disaster; currently, they're hit or miss.
Nikita is the kind of horse that you have to set up perfectly in order to get a good movement; she has to be super through at the poll and pushing from behind, and you have to be on the ball and, honestly, micro-manage her every stride. She's not the kind of horse, I'm realizing, that really offers unless you really ask. If you add into the mix the fact that she's super powerful, you get a horse that's really hard to collect, and I mean truly collect, sometimes. Nikita isn't a schoolmaster, and is confident enough in her own sense of self that she waits until you ask correctly before doing the movement. Nicole, who is no where near as educated as Nikita, requires simply pointing her in the right direction and asking for the bend, and away she goes into the half-pass with little set up required. She wants your approval, and I think she was born knowing how to move sideways. I'm not able to set up Nikita yet for the trot half pass so that she's collected in the movement consistently. We've been working on being more elastic, and the half passes are showing that we're not quite elastic enough yet. Good information to know.
For whatever reason, I'm the kind of rider that if a movement isn't damn near perfect, it's physically uncomfortable for me. It just doesn't feel right. I think this is pretty odd, but a lucky twist of fate since I have an inner litmus test telling me if a movement is good or not, or at least where I need to improve. Right now, these half-passes are so uncultured that they're actually torturous to me. Add into the mix the humidity and heat of the past few days, and you've got a real inferno.
Nikita is the kind of horse that you have to set up perfectly in order to get a good movement; she has to be super through at the poll and pushing from behind, and you have to be on the ball and, honestly, micro-manage her every stride. She's not the kind of horse, I'm realizing, that really offers unless you really ask. If you add into the mix the fact that she's super powerful, you get a horse that's really hard to collect, and I mean truly collect, sometimes. Nikita isn't a schoolmaster, and is confident enough in her own sense of self that she waits until you ask correctly before doing the movement. Nicole, who is no where near as educated as Nikita, requires simply pointing her in the right direction and asking for the bend, and away she goes into the half-pass with little set up required. She wants your approval, and I think she was born knowing how to move sideways. I'm not able to set up Nikita yet for the trot half pass so that she's collected in the movement consistently. We've been working on being more elastic, and the half passes are showing that we're not quite elastic enough yet. Good information to know.
For whatever reason, I'm the kind of rider that if a movement isn't damn near perfect, it's physically uncomfortable for me. It just doesn't feel right. I think this is pretty odd, but a lucky twist of fate since I have an inner litmus test telling me if a movement is good or not, or at least where I need to improve. Right now, these half-passes are so uncultured that they're actually torturous to me. Add into the mix the humidity and heat of the past few days, and you've got a real inferno.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
July 10, 2010
The heat has finally broken for a day, and it's a relief. Nikita has gotten the past 3 days off because of the heat and because she's seemed a little fried from the elasticity work we've been doing. Pooping in the aisle (something she's never done in the past 2 years I've known her) was the first clue. Trying to nail me with a hind leg was my 2nd. You gotta love the mares, and by now I can read 'em like a book. I know the work I've been doing is correct and I've been clear in what I want, but we've been doing a lot of collected work, and she's in that muscle-building phase, so she's probably sore.
She's also coming down from a "wardrobe malfunction" - the noseband on her double snapped mid-pirouette. She was perfect to the left, then freaked to the right, which is her difficult side. I thought I'd held the reins too much and created too much contact, but there the noseband was, swinging insolently. Even after I changed the noseband, she was still very hot to the right, and after performing the right pirouette correctly, the training was ended for the day. The next day, she was still very hot, which is when her mini-vacation began.
Here's some video to the left. She tries to turn by herself, or to do more than 1 rotation, which is why I've stopped her a couple times.
Nicole has been worked in the early AM, but even so, it's been hot and the air heavy. On Thursday, she was cooked after 15 minutes because the air quality was so bad. I've been working on the usual stuff, but focusing on making her really push to the bridle and swing her back while we do the usual stuff. More important than anything else, she has to focus on using her back. She wants to suck back, which is the worst thing she can do. It takes a lot of forward, forward, forward and reminding her to stay through to get her release that tension.
She's also coming down from a "wardrobe malfunction" - the noseband on her double snapped mid-pirouette. She was perfect to the left, then freaked to the right, which is her difficult side. I thought I'd held the reins too much and created too much contact, but there the noseband was, swinging insolently. Even after I changed the noseband, she was still very hot to the right, and after performing the right pirouette correctly, the training was ended for the day. The next day, she was still very hot, which is when her mini-vacation began.
Here's some video to the left. She tries to turn by herself, or to do more than 1 rotation, which is why I've stopped her a couple times.
Nicole has been worked in the early AM, but even so, it's been hot and the air heavy. On Thursday, she was cooked after 15 minutes because the air quality was so bad. I've been working on the usual stuff, but focusing on making her really push to the bridle and swing her back while we do the usual stuff. More important than anything else, she has to focus on using her back. She wants to suck back, which is the worst thing she can do. It takes a lot of forward, forward, forward and reminding her to stay through to get her release that tension.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
July 4, 2010
The past few days with Nikita have been about making her more elastic. I can tell that she needs some strengthening to become more truly elastic - right now, I'm having a hard time keeping her relaxed in collected-medium-collected transitions after just a couple transitions. After just a few transitions, she becomes either heavy in the bridle or tries to come above the bit, telling me that she's tired. We've been spending about 20 minutes every day on these transitions.
I've started to approach tempis different. I used to get wound up, worried about mistakes (laziness coming out, as I didn't want to have to do them twice). It was mostly a confidence thing, worried that I'd have to do the tempis again and again until I got them right. The other day an odd thing happened. I found I just didn't care if I messed them up, that I knew how to correct it, and could handle having to repeat the exercise. And of course, since I stopped caring about screwing up, I haven't screwed up, and have done them correctly the every time, up to 2 tempis. I've been working on making them more collected and expressive since.
I've had to play with different curb bit set-ups with Nicole. She isn't pushing to the bit enough, and simultaneously isn't through enough. When I make the curb chain tighter, she doesn't go forward enough, and when I make the curb chain looser, it's harder to get her through, which with Nicole is really, really important since she's so spooky, i.e., it's a safety thing. I'm playing with the placement of the bit now, but still haven't found that sweet spot.
I've started to approach tempis different. I used to get wound up, worried about mistakes (laziness coming out, as I didn't want to have to do them twice). It was mostly a confidence thing, worried that I'd have to do the tempis again and again until I got them right. The other day an odd thing happened. I found I just didn't care if I messed them up, that I knew how to correct it, and could handle having to repeat the exercise. And of course, since I stopped caring about screwing up, I haven't screwed up, and have done them correctly the every time, up to 2 tempis. I've been working on making them more collected and expressive since.
I've had to play with different curb bit set-ups with Nicole. She isn't pushing to the bit enough, and simultaneously isn't through enough. When I make the curb chain tighter, she doesn't go forward enough, and when I make the curb chain looser, it's harder to get her through, which with Nicole is really, really important since she's so spooky, i.e., it's a safety thing. I'm playing with the placement of the bit now, but still haven't found that sweet spot.
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