A horsey weekend

I have so many photos from the lovely horsey weekend spent with Jennie, Susan and Laura, and our horses; it is taking me ages to choose the ones to share from so many super (and embarrassing) images and videos, thanks to the lovely Laura who so kindly watched most of it through a lens!

Lucie: with reliable helpers here to observe and give feedback, I decided it was the moment to put my weight on Lucie's back and see her reactions. We started by me standing on a log and leaning over her back and when we were both relaxed about it, I slid my leg over. Quite a moment to be up there after 5 years - it was in autumn 2010 that her bone spavin was diagnosed. As all seemed well and she hadn't so far collapsed under me, we walked her a few straight steps, and she seemed to move easily enough. 

On Sunday, I put my old Etonian saddle on her, and got on. She felt very narrow after the chunky Fjord but she walked around without signs of weakness on the bad leg or lameness or feeling of discomfort or resistance. When I got off, she gave a little nicker, an enduring thing she always used to do, as if to recognise me back beside her.

Seraphina: we started out with the groundwork to see how connected we were; Susan asked to see what we had been doing together and when Seraphina didn't show much enthusiasm with the obstacles and groundwork on line, she suggested we tried some free work; not being very sure Fina would stay with me, I unclipped the rope; as it turned out, I should have taken the halter off as she stuck to me from the first and off we went down the paddock, turned at the far end and trotted up the long side, she stopped dead when I stopped, backed up, trotted off in step with me; then she weaved in and out the tyres at trot as I ran along beside her, just motioning with my hand to go around the outside of the alternate ones; I changed sides and same again, then we did it backwards with me alongside, then leading by the tail, backwards weave round the tyres; turning and changing direction, yields and turns, she was totally into it and connected, stuck to me like glue, it was thrilling and better than I hoped for, I just went with it and asked for all the moves we know and then a little more, or rather, asking less, getting more - I must learn to trust her more and see what happens in future. Once or twice at the beginning she lost confidence or concentration and trotted off to where Lucie and the others were watching, by the entrance and shed, but as soon as I went to her she reconnected and off we went again. 

Stick-to-me

Back-up

Weave

Lead backwards by tail

In the afternoon, and again on Sunday morning, I rode Fina. I wanted to check she was happy in the bit and get an informed opinion and continue with the ridden work from the dressage clinic as well as some of the points that came out of the ridden session with Bandit the previous day. Different horses but both needing to soften to the bit and lift and carry themselves better. The same problems that I experienced before manifested themselves, needing to slow down Fina's trot and not allow myself to be pulled forward with it, to have a loose rein and control the trot and direct her through my body, and with Susan's excellent feedback and suggestions and reminders it was looking a lot better and she left me with the challenge to get as much lightness and feel with the bit as we have in the halter. My own thoughts from this are that I would like to achieve this in a sidepull or bitless bridle, but we didn't get on to that this time. We did get lots of nice softening from Fina but I still have a tendancy to lose my shoulders and core which is not helping her.

What was interesting was being able to see from the ground with Laura riding Fina, this helped me to understand what was happening, and Laura's photos and videos are a huge help with this too. Of course, I am not showing the bad moments here!

Laura on Fina

A few more:

Warming up on the circle

Change of direction

Dressage clinic with Denise O'Reilly April 2016

We finally got to do the postponed dressage clinic the first week in April. Having lessons over 3 consecutive days was great, only maybe I could have done with a couple more! The first issue to sort out was Fina's fast trot, she sets off like a runaway train, which was taking me out of position and my timing was poor on correcting her and releasing when she steadied so that had to be addressed before we could move on. We did however get complimented on improving her lateral suppleness. I needed to (continue to) work on my core which still tends to collapse. I was put in a body belt to help remind me (like being back in pony club when you had a crop stuck down your shirt or behind elbows!) but we were getting a much steadier trot and flashes of some nice work, and good results from the various exercises. We stayed in trot work and didn't get on to any canter work or advanced movements but made real progress in the areas I felt I needed help on, like the trot speed and tempo, and my position and the effect on Fina's way of going, and our communication. On day 3 we managed some nice soft thoughtful trot work with flashes of how Fina will feel like if I keep this up; she has a really exciting powerful trot when steady and engaged, and when it all came together for a few strides, it made me smile as I remembered how it should feel like (from a time when I rode better and on "proper" horses). We can't do the next clinic, which is in June, but maybe the autumn one, if my purse allows. The good news is that the steady, thinking trot is still with us, even when hacking Now I really must get a bit of flat field fenced off.

Before...

... After

Everything means something

Everything means something in the horse's view of life

The little details matter

It's important to your horse in their view of the world that you pay attention to little details, because if you don't notice them be sure that the horse will. Be aware of their Attitude. Like how they go past you when asked, or how they lead, are they pushing just a little into your space maybe with their shoulder? Who is really leading who? Are they giving you the respect they would another higher ranking horse? Do they stop when you stop, or do they take an extra step? It's easy to let it go, say to yourself they were not paying attention. You may think it doesn't matter. That's where you would be wrong, you are most likely losing a tiny bit of respect in your horse's eyes; and those little things can add up, until one day you may notice that your horse has started making faces at you, or moving into you, and it isn't an accident, it never is with horses!

Ignoring the signs, the little details, is also losing a big opportunity to create, nurture and maintain that respect, and to have the rapport and partnership that the best horseman have. Not through fear, not through mastering and manhandling, or micromanaging, but through mutual politeness and respect. That is how it works in horse world. Because if the horse believes you merit respect he will do anything for you. It really is that simple. It may look wonderful and magic how the spectacular equestrian trainers like Lorenzo or Jean-François Pignon can perform with multiple horses but it all starts and rests on this.

So these are the little things that you can correct without giving offence to your horse and that make a bigger difference than you might imagine.

If like me, you check the groundwork every day, and before riding, test the responses, ask for a forehand and hindquarter yield on both sides, note any difference or blocking, maybe ask again for a little more effort or less resistance. But it should start before that, the moment you approach the field. The way in which you approach the horses. How you halter them. Before even talking about how you ask them through the gate. You get the point.

Like looking through the wrong end of a telescope.

Take any of these as an example:

Going through the gate.
Who goes first? You do, you're the leader. I teach my horse to wait while I open the gate, then I pick up the lead rope and invite her to follow. I may stop to adjust the gate, if she doesn't stop I ask her to.

Look out for that extra step.
When walking or leading your horse, does he take an extra step when you stop? Do you correct this, always, sometimes or never, or don't need to because he doesn't do it? Or maybe you haven't noticed.

Start to notice, because your horse will, and it means something to him. One day it starts with a little step, barely noticeable; next day it might be two steps; then one day there will be a big bang and if you wonder why, start thinking about the little signs you may have missed, before you blame the scary corner or the flapping plastic.

Everything means something to the horse, to some more than others but only in what they do with the knowledge. So allowing your horse to make decisions may be useful in some situations, but in others it just tells your horse that you are not an effective leader, and that belief or perception of you can lead to their lack of confidence in other situations.

So next time you lead, notice if your horse takes the extra step. If so, ask him to take that one step back. Quietly, not as if it's a big deal. And do this every time you stop and he doesn't, and do it occasionally at any time, to reinforce the principle, that you are the leader and you decide when he moves his feet and who goes through the gate first.

Of course, you will be doing this, as you do everything, quietly and without emotion, assertive not aggressive, and in my view without complicating it with vocals or treating. This is a basic respect issue.

So observe and don't ignore or underestimate those little signs; take care of th edetails and the big picture may take care of itself.

A small step for you, a big step for your relationship, and maybe your safety.

Safe haven or scary place

Not a very nice week weather wise, or at least, not on the days when I was able to get the horses out. We have a new car so it got the garage space where I used to shelter and tack up the horses so I'm having to change my habits and prepare them near the woodsheds and field shelter. I had just got them ready for a hack on Thursday hoping to dodge the rain, when it poured down. So we headed for the field shelter. Not Lucie's favourite place at the best of times - she will use it in summer, for shade, and allows Fina to stand in it with her to keep the flies off her face. On a wet and windy day, Lucie  would rather stand out in the rain; well, not even stand because there are scary noises out there which need keeping and eye on. So while Fina, who I think was delighted to find she could stand in the shed unchallenged, and I sheltered from the rain, Lucie fidgeted about on the end of the rope and got wet. I treated it as an exercise, allowed her to move her feet when she needed to, not trying to make her stand still or come inside until she offered to, then allowing her to float out again when she felt insecure; she did accept to stand with us for a while.

Once the rain stopped, we had a quite a nice ride and lead, both horses happy to get out and get moving. Later we came to a fallen tree which I had to get off to move; the horses waited patiently but once again Lucie's horsenality got the better of her, she thought I was taking too long and it would be quicker if she did the job herself and only managed to get entangled in the branches...  I took this photo when I got off to move the fallen branch, and before Lucie got bored of me taking photos and broke ranks...

Just a couple of examples highlighting the different horseanalities of my two mares, and how for Seraphina, standing still is a comfort, while for Lucie it is often a trial and brings on anxiety and the need to move her feet. Being in an enclosed space is hard for her.
 

Vet routine visit

The vet came this morning for winter routine visit and jabs. The ponies behaved perfectly and stood quietly, he has a simple effective unconfrontational approach anyway. Only Fina jumped dramatically as the needle came out, I guess it offended her being woken in her day dream. Lucie has it all sussed in advance and knows the routine. Fina always manages to look mildly surprised at everything.

Good and bad news, vet thinks I should gradually try Lucie back in light work (she has been lame for about 4 years with bone spavin in one hock) and he suggests boosting her with a mineral composition for a month. The small bones in her hock are fusing nicely, which means stiff movement but less pain. She is fine on forward movement, a bit stiff to start with but once moving she trots and canters and even jumps happily. Less good is that she has a small brown melanoma developing in the corner of each eye, which I have to watch. She has always had irritated eyes even now in winter and some discharge which I wash off daily. The irritation and rubbing may have caused the melanomas to develop, and if they enlarge may interfere with vision and have to be removed Not much I can do except try to keep them clean and less irritated.

He also checked teeth and says time for a tidy up, he saw a point developing on one of Lucie's, so will get the horse dentist round to do them both.

Don't ignore the signs

The weather has turned colder and it's stopped raining, but field and consequently the horses, very muddy. I got them out of field and mud and cleaned them up a bit, really to check them over and give a good scratch because the next day they would be covered in mud again. So I just tidied them up quickly and decided to go for a hack. Very cold but nice and sunny, and quiet for a Saturday, some dogs hunting in the distance but no shots.

The day before, when I walked them up from the bottom field, not having been handled or out of the field for a week, some ground rules needed re-establishing as manners had been forgotten. This is where it all goes wrong if you don't take a moment to do things quietly and I noted the signs. Lucie trying to get ahead as we went up the path, trying to eat, trying to impose her idea (where the grass looks tasty); Fina looking away from me, both of them a bit pushy and impolite. Fair do's, I haven't done more than feed them and go back in the warm recently.

With Lucie, I have learnt that she needs quietly but firmly to be put in her place, alongside or behind me. Allowing her to get zone 2 in front gives her the idea that she is in charge or that she thinks I am not. I don't want to be pulled along, or to be constantly checking her, and have long ago stopped getting annoyed or using my voice. I simply stop and when she doesn't stop, I quietly ask her for a step back into place. I keep doing this, no more no less, until she stops resisting the feel I put on the rope, behind her chin. Walk, stop, back a step, until the stop and back happen without any touch or pressure. As the lane gets narrower, I ask Lucie to walk behind me, stopping if I stop, backing out of my space if I take a step back. I feel the horses start to connect with me again. Ignoring Lucie trying to get ahead, or fighting her, results in my quiet little mare becoming a bolshy, excited bombshell who if she thinks nobody is in charge, or sees her chance to be leading or making decisions, is liable to kick whatever is behind or near her. I learned never ever let her think I am not the leader, and only let her go ahead if I ask her or allow her to. Some horses, especially mares, are like this, it is what is most important to them, and if you tap into what makes them tick, they will trust and respect you. So it is with Lucie. Seraphina also needs to respect (my) leadership but with her it is different, less extreme, more grey areas and she is more laid back, and somewhat lazy!

Being more provocative

I have realised I need to be more provocative with Fina. I said at the start of the year that I wanted to complete the Parelli level 2 audition and we still seem to be messing about so I got the task sheet out. There is a list of things you should be able to do and certain compulsories to be shown in the video submission, it's much like an Interdressage test. It's all about improving communication and connection. The checklist has things like back your horse out to the end of the 22' rope and 2 to 4 laps circling at trot with change of direction, sending the horse to to different points using the 22', you standing still, etc. all of which we can do, kinda... but I need to get Fina doing with more enthusiasm 
and less of the "well if I must but I'm really not interested"... 

Yesterday I thought I'd up the game, see what happens. So after some circles where I let her discover that if she didn't pay attention to the speed of the trot she would slip on the wet ground, and sending her around markers at distance, I set up a squeeze where she passes round a marker and then I disengage her to stop and face me. The first time she went through the gap and stopped when she felt like it; the second time I just focused strongly on a spot on the ground behind her (where she should no longer be) as she went through the gap and that woke her up, she zoomed through and turned and stopped with head high and ears pricked... I don't want to scare her, just motivate her, and it worked, next time I got a snappy departure and her full attention on the game, and I didn't have to do anything; she offered more and with an interest in it. So this looks like the way to go and I was right, I was being boring and ineffective and she switches off. With the girls it's so easy to get this wrong and offend them; with boys it's much easier to wake up the play drive.

Then we went for a hack, the day was nice and cool but still some nasty biting flies around.

Afterwards I let them graze in the orchard while I poo-picked; the grass has been well grazed in their field now and Lucie keeps telling me I should open more field; so when she goes back in she's looking round for where I've moved the fence. I will have to get this on video, she is so cheeky! I had moved a section but she didn't see it. I was taking them towards it and tried to remove a fly from Lucie's side but she was cross with me because she thought she didn't have anything fresh to eat and took umbrage, galloping off and taking Fina with her. They did three laps of the field flat out, with some high kicks, then pulled up and came over, hot and puffing like two old ladies and I had to stick around guarding the water trough until they had cooled off enough for it to be safe to let them drink Amazingly Lucie who is lame and was resting that leg afterwards, was moving fine this morning. Silly girls. I expect i'll give in and open more grazing today.