Mostly this is for myself, but also for anyone else interested in horse training.

I suspected this to be the case but wasn't sure.

I can prevent Beau from leaning on me, IF I keep the trotting to a minimum and give him lots of opportunity to walk and stretch. Then he comes back with even more suspension. It must take an enormous amount of strength to keep that going, and working out that hard requires rest  breaks. So, that is what we're going to do. Shorter periods of trotting and more frequent breaks to stretch and relax.

He was much better tonight when i didn't push so hard like I did last night, and he was better other nights when I gave him frequent breaks. Then it comes almost too easily and with much more suspension. I have to keep in mind that he's doing pilates for horses and needs time to build that core strength to sustain such engagement for longer than a few minutes at a time.

The trick to getting what I want is to ask for the walk before he gets sore and starts leaning. I can usually tell when that is, because he'll lean for a step or two but come up easily again. Once he's up off his forehand, I'll ask for the downward transition. Then I know he's getting tired and needs a rest.

We're getting it, a little at a time :) He's gonna be awesome by next summer!

I finally get it! It all makes sense. I feel stupid for taking so long to get here, but, well, we can't all be experts.

What did I get? An epiphany. I thought I understood before, but tonight something really clicked, like the last piece of a puzzle was missing, because I could see the picture but there was still something not connecting in my mind. Tonight that happened with Beau.

Until I started getting suspension in the trot (what I've referred to for the non-horsey friends as the "trampoline" trot, like each step is on springs :), I never fully understood how all the pieces fit together. Since we've been getting that consistently now, I've been seeing how those pieces fit. Tonight a light bulb went on and it all made perfect sense! (You dressage riders who have known what it feels like already know, I'm sure.) I got here with Beau kind of by accident. I took what my instructor gave me and applied what I'd been reading in my dressage magazines and--viola!--this wonderful suspension at the trot. The epiphany was figuring out how it all connected and how I made it happen. I know the feel now--lightness, roundness, and suppleness. I know what they mean through my own experience, not just a text definition.

( details about our training... )

I figure I'm overdue for an update, so here's what I've been up to:

1. I just heard from my riding instructor. She was gone last week. I'd emailed her before she left about setting up a lesson. We're on for next week. I was so excited to tell her about the suspension in Beau's trot--that floaty, springy feeling he has now pretty consistently, the feeling I had glimpses of for the last year but never truly developed. She sounded pretty happy to hear it and complimented me on developing his muscles correctly and bringing his training along as I have. I can't wait to show her, but I wish I could see it for myself. Oh, well, I have more fun riding that trot than I would seeing it :)

( Not much happening but progress being made in a few areas )

Beau modeling his new winter blanket. Btw, for the couple of snags he's already inflicted (in his first week wearing it! grrr >:( ) I found at the local hobby store something called Fray Check. And these blankets are easy to fix with iron-on patches.
( lots more fun under the cut :) )

( long winded excitement about Beau's training )

And here's something that will probably give you a good chuckle...On the drive home, I was running over all this in my mind--like I always do on the drive home--and thinking how tonight I barely stepped into either stirrup and he just turned for me to the point that I had to be very careful with my weight. Beau will go straight if I'm balanced in the saddle, but he's REALLY turning with the barest weight now. Anyway, I came off the quiet rural road to a busy intersection after crossing over the Interstate highway and had to get into the left lane to turn. My first reaction was to lean to the left to get the feel of the stirrup under my weight, instead of using the steering wheel. I laughed about it, and turned the wheel to get over. But it's that ingrained in my head now to "step into the stirrup" to turn my horse--in other words, shift my weight the direction I want him to go--and the reins are to move the shoulders.

( more stuff about training Beau :) )

Here's a bit of what's going on in my corner.

1. I just found this in our local newspaper (online, of course): Mountain Lion Shot in Bismarck. Kind of spooky to think one could easily pass through our neighborhood, particularly since we're outside city limits. Last year or the year before that, one was killed just outside my hometown west of here.

2. Been subbing a couple of shorts--one flash and one novella. Rejectionitis hasn't been fun, but at least something is going out.

( projects, projects, more projects, and the horse too! )

USDF issued a statement regarding hyperflexion and the welfare of the horse. I suspect this is in regards to the large outpouring of disapproval about the training method that involves hyperflexing a horse's nose to its chest while making it work. This is formerly known as rollkur. Very unprofessional and useless, imho. Wikipedia sums up the controversy pretty well.

Here's a picture of a horse in rollkur for those who haven't seen it:



This is something I would never do with my horse. If I want my horse to stretch his topline, as proponents of this method claim it does (note that they make the horse work constantly in this frame, not just stretch the horse for a second or two), I ask him to stretch down into the contact properly. I see no advantage in doing this to a horse.

Now, I must say that I disapprove of CA, like other western riders, riding his horses in this fashion while training, usually with the horse's nose to one side or the other so it's further behind than in dressage rollkur but on a lighter contact. I didn't like it in his tour presentation a few months ago, but I've liked his way of working with horses in other ways and find them very effective and safe, so I didn't argue.

I don't, nor have I ever, aspired to force Beau into such a frame. I flex sideways and release and encourage him to move out comfortably. I do like DUH groundwork for the respect and strength-building in other parts of his body (although it's mostly as a pre-ride stretching exercise now), and a couple of under saddle lateral flexing exercises to stretch him once I'm on his back (otherwise he goes all stiff and off balance), but I don't ride like that constantly. I warm up with said flexing, in which it is only held for a couple seconds max, and counter it by letting him stretch. Once we're done warming up, we move off in our dressage work on a regular-length rein.

I must say that while flexing a horse is good for stretching muscles, kind of like how we stretch before a strenuous activity, working in hyperflexion is harmful. I'm glad USDF took this step and I hope USEF does also, especially since USEF also governs western specialties like reining. It's equally harmful for all horses, no matter their discipline.

Edit: Thanks, skyhuntress , for pointing this out...The statement is only as effective as the punishment. I hope there are consequences that come with the statement for those who pursue this method of training.

Last night I took the time to pluck some tail hairs from my horse, and the project turned out pretty nice...



That's a real horsehair bracelet made from his tail hairs (clean, of course)!

With a bit of an investment in time and money, I made myself a keepsake of my horse :)

Not only that, but it's quite wearable.

You all know that already, but I love nights like this!

He was kind of slow tonight in our groundwork and didn't really seem to want to race around, so I figured I was in for a push-push-push kind of ride.

Nope. A reminder with the whip was all I needed, and he was WAY better than he is when he's all wound up. Beau's like a child in some ways; he can be like one who doesn't nap, too much energy and can't stay focused and settle into working. But if he's a bit more relaxed, he really MOVES and listens!

Tonight was the best yet. He just keeps getting better and better...he he! (and then he'll counter that with a terrible day. The good days are more frequent, though and are always better than the last :) I can see Training Level easily next summer :D

I'm a verbal rider too, btw. I talk to myself/Beau about what I'm doing. It clarifies things in my mind. And I say a lot of "good boy"s along the way, as my instructor does. She's very positive in how she teaches, though, which is part of the reason I like her so much better than anyone else. I'm sure it's annoying to certain other riders to hear me praising him and enjoying myself, but they'll get over it; to anyone else, they probably just think I'm really enjoying my work with Beau, and they probably think I'm a little weird...but they'll get over it :P

( Goody goodies tonight :) )

I love my boy!

Had a SUPER lesson tonight! Beau has done so well with DUH that tonight we worked on refining our work for dressage and getting out of a bad habit we've developed. These are the cliff notes version for anyone interested and for myself to remember. (Note to self:  he should respond to a touch like a butterfly, as my instructor described it. If he isn't, that's where the whip comes in. A touch of leg, and if no response, a tap (or snap if necessary) of the whip.)

First of all, the bad habit. He's always had that tendency to fall on his left shoulder--the problem that used to have him running out on me when he was at his worst. He used to also lean heavily on me to support him. DUH has fixed that and really lightened him on my hands as well as given him a reason to fear trying to run out on the left shoulder when I want him to go right, but he still tends to lean that way and sometimes a bit heavy, in which case he gets flexed left going down the wall and around the corner until he finally yields--that's hard work!

( details for those interested and reminders for myself... )

This seems to be turning into my horse journal, but it's more. It's just that this is where I point from my website for my horse updates for anyone interested.

Tonight Beau had springs on his feet. He was soft, supple, and forward, giving each trot step a huge spring and each walk step lots of ground. It was heaven!

( what I learned to do tonight... )

I had a great night with Beau :D

But now I know what he can do, so I will be expecting it all the time >:)

Found this on the No Worries Club (Downunder Horsemanship) forums and thought we haven't had a meme for a while here.



What breed of horse are you? Find out!

It's kind of obvious when you see the patterns in the questions, but it makes sense.

Beau has turned around sooo much in the last two months that he's hardly the same horse. I am so in love with Downunder Horsemanship. Every dressage horse should start out with this training.

And tonight, we cantered. Yes, cantered, after three months of giving it up because he was so difficult about it. Tonight, it was no big deal. He went around the indoor arena on a loose rein without breaking down or making any attempt to misbehave. All I had to do was sit back and focus on my seat. It. Was. WONDERFUL!

I didn't have any expectations, except that I wanted him to canter. Where he would go, I didn't care, as long as he cantered. It was a bit fast and on the forehand, but he's young and we're treating this like we're starting over. But he cantered, and far better than I expected, because I didn't know what to expect. He chose to stick to the wall, which I didn't care, except that the first direction was to the left and he picked up a right lead; after a couple rounds, I put him on the diagonal and switched directions, without breaking his canter :)

We went around and around and around, with a big grin on my face and a relaxed stride on him--no attempt whatsoever to play or fight. Nothing but acting like an old pro. I slowed him to a walk and rubbed and patted him. After walking a couple rounds, I asked him to canter again, still going to the right, and he picked up the right lead, the one that he used to absolutely refuse as if it would kill him 8D 8D 8D <- the big grin on my face from that monumental victory. After a few rounds at that, I let him walk on a loose rein again and switched directions. To the left, he picked up the left lead, but after a couple rounds, he did break down. I let him commit to the mistake and squeezed and clucked to get him moving again until I decided it was time to rest.

I'm so proud of my boy!

Everything is coming together so well!

We've been consistently using Downunder Horsemanship for six weeks now and riding for four, I think. The exercises have suppled Beau and softened him, forced him to be better coordinated (this is a horse who would stumble over his own feet doing anything some days), and started strengthening muscles he didn't know he had :)

I'm not even halfway through the second series of groundwork DVDs (There are three), and I don't have any of the under saddle DVDs, but as a No Worries Club member, I have access to all the shows that have aired on RFD-TV. In there I've found episodes with dressage trainers and seen the exercises they've done. I've also applied what I know from training horses the past twenty-plus years.

Now, this is all about soft contact. If he doesn't give that, I will jerk on one rein as I ask for lateral flexion, until he softens and gives. The driving pressure makes him uncomfortable and as soon as he obeys, the pressure is released.

( details of how AWESOME Beau is :D :D :D )

It's Friday again and another weekend awaits, which will probably blow by before I can catch my breath. The older I get, the faster time goes. The opposite was true when I was younger. Must be some sort of warp where as our bodies and minds slow down, everything around us seems faster, kind of like the Flash or Superman can move faster than anyone else and so everyone else seems slow (except this is the opposite). *sigh* I'm getting OLD! The old saying really is true--youth is wasted on the young.

Anyway, besides getting older and seeing time pass before I can blink, it's been a normal week.

Beau

( horses and writing, next to kids and family, the two most important things in my life. )

I'm just pumped tonight after working with Beau. For two weeks of about every other day, I've been working Beau with Downunder Horsemanship groundwork--round pen and lunge line.

I'll tell you what--I have a completely different horse! Not only is he respectful, but he's responsive and relaxed, and he's much better coordinated. The movements involved in "moving his feet" (forward, backward, left, and right), which is the basis of what's taught, have forced him to pay attention to where his feet are going and place them without stumbling, which was an issue for him and all those long legs.

( long winded praise for Clinton Anderson's methods for english riders behind the cut :) )

Finding out he was coming to ND couldn't have been better timing. This was exactly what we needed!

He he >:) I'm figuring him out. (warning: some cursing)

Tonight, one more piece of the puzzle clicked into place. Actually two.

( he he he >:) Oh, what my horse doesn't know what I know! )

Just a quick note.

1. I've been busy working on something new in one of the two spec fics I like--adult targeted fantasy, as in character depth--and it's been a struggle figuring out this new world, but things are finally starting to fall into place, so I can say there's progress. I'm loathing YA right now.

2. Beau has figured out round pen work. We have that much respect and attention from him, and it's carrying over into other aspects of ground work beautifully. Thanks to the Clinton Anderson techniques.

3. I can't wait for this weekend! It'll be long days--leaving by 6:30 am and returning home probably around 7:30 pm both days because of a 2 hr drive between Bismarck and Minot. All to see Clinton Anderson in person. But SO worth the drive and missing the english schooling show! Notes will be forthcoming next week.

4. I almost forgot. Currently reading Halo: The Fall of Reach by Eric Nyland and liking very much! (I always preferred science fiction, though, and I know the game from watching DH play Halo on the Xbox.)

ttfn

The last week flew right by me. I hardly thought of anything but a web project I was working on. It's done and no big deal. I'll just say I love free web templates :D

1. As such, I didn't get much writing done. But I did sit down last night and reworked the couple of chapters I had written for A3. NOW it's going in the right direction and I can pick up where I left off. With the other web stuff out of the way, I can relax and concentrate on angels.

2. Beau's been doing well. The last week and a half has been time off for him. Yesterday I received a hand made rope halter in the mail, which I had bought off ebay. My old one was too small for Beau, as I had adjusted the knots to fit my mare's smaller head. Beau has a long head. This halter stretched the knots tight after I used it on him a bit and now fits his head right. It has two extra knots on the nose band, and boy do they make a difference. We started work in it yesterday and did some bareback riding inside.

My goal with Beau now is to get him sensitive and responsive right away. But I've been aware of something that never really struck me until yesterday--he's a dead head. Unlike the Quarter Horses and Arabian/crosses I've had, who, once they learned something, memorized it and were ready to go onto something else, Beau needs a lot of repetition, even after he finally gets something. He tends to turn into a spacer. He's a daydreamer who doesn't want to think. Things don't stay with him like they do the other breeds I've had. And that's probably part of the reason the training overwhelmed him into shutting down.

So, now we're working in a rope halter, and last night even rode bareback in the indoor arena and had him listening. My goal is to get him consistently sensitive to neck reining and my legs before I go back to a bridle.

When I'm ready to trot bareback, we'll see how he behaves. THAT will be the challenge :O
( writing and story updates )

Not of books, but of horsemen. Just got an email today from equine.com--Clinton Anderson's Walkabout tour. He is coming to Minot August 22-23rd. squee! Ever since I first saw him on RFD-TV over four years ago, I've loved LOVED his way with horses and in explaining things. I'm so there that I bought my ticket as soon as I saw the Minot date ($25 = CHEAP! I'd pay way more if I had to). It's only a 2 hr drive to the state fairgrounds, where he'll be. OMG! Must. get. autograph! Oh, God! Maybe I can ask him about Beau's running out on the left shoulder. *sigh* but there'll probably be hundreds of people fighting for a chance to ask questions. At least I can try.

My heart won't stop pounding. This is so awesome!! One dream come true.

This. Is. Too. PERFECT!

Of course, i will take notes and share what I learn for my horsey friends :)