Trail Riding is Social Distancing

I have had a week.  I haven't really talked about my new job on this blog, but suffice to say that things just went heads over heels this past week and I ended up being at work for 12 hours on Friday and still wasn't able to get everything done on top of the emergency stuff that popped up.

So I was beyond ready to social distance myself in the woods on the back of a horse on Saturday. And that's just what I did.

Seeing improvment?

On Sunday I gave Gwyn her first dose of Adequan and then it was just so bloody hot (and my Mom was here) that I didn't do much with Gwyn, but I felt better by telling myself that I was giving Gwyn some time off after her chiro adjustment and letting the adequan start its work.

Last night I went out to lunge. I've got the creeping crud but the weather has been SO NICE that I made myself go. It'll be hot again soon. As per usual, despite feeling like I could fall over and sleep once I was actually out and grooming and lunging I perked up quite a bit. I just grabbed my surcingle (need a new one) and my side reins (also falling apart) and switched out the sidepull for a baucher on my biothane bridle. 

Is that a more balanced canter I spy?!

Almost immediately I noticed a difference. Gwyn was offering the canter very willingly and was much steadier and more balanced than she's been. There was clear separation and push in her hind feet placement and no bunny hopping until she sassed me and got too rushed and off balance. I was so paranoid watching the quality of her gaits.

I also had two trot poles but I need to finesse the distance. They were set up and then my 5 year old decided that rearranging my arena was totally an activity she should do while I was otherwise occupied. Oh kids.

I didn't want to overwork her on the 20m circle so we did a little bit and then I took off the surcingle and side reins, reattached the regular reins and hopped on bareback to walk her and cool her out. I worked more on the lateral work, side pass, haunches in, shoulder in and she was great. I'm really loving how I can swing her body around right now. That dressage lesson was just wall breaking with whatever obstacle was in my head in how to achieve it.

"I smell your boot"

Good mare

 After riding I hosed her off and fly sprayed her just in time for Eric to come out with Hazel. He wanted to finish moving the hay out of the trailer so that's what we did (because the weather was super conducive to moving bales of hay)

"Okay tiny human, this is how to walk into the trailer"

So hard to see because the bushes and fence are in the way, but we caught sight of a Doe and two fawns! 

 Once all the hay was gone, Saffron slowly made her way into the trailer to snatch up the leftovers. The last time she was on this trailer was when I brought her home and I just sat and watched her. I really want her to be able to load calmly and have good associations with the trailer so this was excellent! The one thing I read that I feel is really important about donkeys is that they remember. They've got an iron trap of a mind and if you've got a repeat bad association you're pretty much screwed with them ever thinking otherwise about a situation.

I also didn't want to leave them alone with the fence open like this. They are escape artists, these two!

Have a silly video of Saffron hanging out with me and Saffron. 

Made my own Rope Halter! (Plus ice)

After the nice weather on Thursday, Friday was cooler and I had lots of company helping me in the barn. Saffron came out and just stood in the aisle and let the girls love on her. That donkey keeps surprising me. I know I keep saying this, but it's true. She's such a mystery with her history (though the vet thinks she's young) but she's the sweetest thing with the kids even if adults make her a bit skittish.

They love loving on her too.

She also keeps a close eye on Hazel.

Kaylee wanted to ride so we tacked up Gwyn real quick so she could pop around the arena. And again, Gwyn was foot perfect. Kaylee is still very much learning how to ride and steering still eludes her. Gwyn did her very best to interpret mixed signals and was slow and careful with her movement. Every time she was confused she just came back to me.  Good mare.

Then I hopped on bareback for a quick trip around. Bad weather was incoming.

The next day, Saturday, was just cold, rainy and windy. I woke up to find Gwyn was running the front pasture fenceline whinnying. Saffron could occasionally be seen back at the barn. When I finally went outside I figured out the problem. The wind had closed the gate to the front pasture, trapping Gwyn, leaving just enough space for a tiny donkey to sneak through.

Gwyn was soaked through, as was Saffron, and raced for the barn as soon as I opened the gate. Both were shivering when I finally got a good look at them. Out came the coolers. I figured they wouldn't be going out in the weather the way it was with temperatures only supposed to drop.

Did you know that an 80 inch cooler can fit a small donkey? It's very MaGuyvered, and it worked for what I needed.

Yes, the chest straps are wrapped up and connected on the top of her neck. The belly straps shortened enough to not be a danger.

The rain was coming in from a different direction than it usually does so my flooding was manure tea. Gross.

Gwyn got her wool cooler and everyone got lots of hay.

Then on Sunday everything had finally become iced.

Icy truck

Everything was pastel and pretty though, from all the ice.

The poor silver maple buds. They just want to be leaves!

I've been meaning to make a purple rope halter for a while. I've bought a LOT of paracord in the mean while. I used the measurements from her current rope halter so that it would fit and it does! All I have to do is merge the tails of paracord and maybe add some decoration on the noseband.

I think this will look much better underneath my biothane bridle, rather than the thicker blue one I have.

It's all proper too, with a fiador knot and everything.

The Canter

I was really stuck in my head while I was at work yesterday. I had looked up some show dates for the Eventing Derby that's local to me and there's one in May next month. I really want to take Gwyn but each time I go look at the dressage test they want the Starters and B/N to do I freak out because the Beginner Novice Test A (the test both levels do) has cantering in it. I keep wanting them to do the Introductory tests A or B, which are no canter.

The last time Gwyn and I attempted cantering in a dressage test she wouldn't stay on the 20m left circle (which was at A) and we went leaping out of the ring. It was mortifying and so so frustrating.

So I posted for some help and guidance in a facebook group I'm in and after actually talking through the issue I realized some of my fear was in my head and I should actually get on my damn horse and work on cantering to see where we are. That dressage test was something like 4-5 years ago. We've both changed since then.

I resolved to go home and actually WORK the pony. The arena footing was finally solid and not mucky or gooshy from rain. Conditions were perfect.

I started lunging.

Purple polo'd up

 And then decided to try the slow motion feature on my phone that was new with the latest update to the camera. Laugh with me.

All the while, that terrible white stuff insisted on falling. It was actually kind of pleasant. There wasn't any wind and it was a few degrees above freezing. An odd experience, all said and done.

Then I tried to take a photo of the sn*w in her forelock. She wanted treats.

"FEED ME"

"FEED ME TOO"

Anyway, lunging went well and just as I got on I heard the kids as they came running up to the arena. Apparently Hazel saw me out in the arena with Gwyn and insisted that they go outside. Two year olds, man.

So I took both of them up, Hazel in front and Kaylee behind me, and we walked around for a little bit. Both girls had a blast and Hazel was absolutely thrilled. Kaylee got down with the promise she could ride solo and I took Hazel around and we did a little bit of trotting and the child was laughing with glee.

Maybe I need a buddy seat. I definitely need a second child's helmet if this continues. Hazel was put down with significant protesting and went back inside and Kaylee stayed out with me while I schooled Gwyn on cantering. We did a lot of walk/canter and trot/canter transitions and specifically worked on circling at the canter.

And I realized that we would probably be fine in this dressage test. But I definitely should grab another lesson before that show if possible.

After getting one last good canter depart in both directions I hopped off and let Kaylee get on. They circled the arena a bit and little at a trot before Gwyn decided that she was done and walked herself back to the barn with Kaylee on board laughing.

Helping me cool off a sweaty Gwyn.

She learned why we make sure sweaty animals get dried off and cooled before having their dinner and she was the perfect height to rub at Gwyn's sweaty spots. I'm thinking I'll need to clip Gwyn before Brighton if 20 minutes of canter work got her as sweaty as it did. The one little stripe I created helped, but she'll need more cooling, unless it's rainy.

I hope it's not rainy.

Sn*w

And then we got an inch of the white stuff in like an hour. It'll probably disappear by the end of today though since temperatures are supposed to be on the rise. FINALLY.

So lesson learned, brains will fixate on issues that aren't as bad as the brain thinks they are. Trust in the horse, but also keep schooling those canter departs because they are uuuuugly.

And remember to get the dressage whip out of the truck. Jump bats are useless when schooling on the flat.

A Ride in the Sun: 1 mile

For just the briefest of moments this weekend, we had warm(er) weather and it was sunny and clear Saturday and Sunday AND I didn't have to go into work. The stars were aligned, y'all. 

It was a dead horse kind of day. Pink is Gwyn, flat out, and purple but blending in is Saffron, also down but not totally out.

"Mom, you have treats, right?"

Since shedding season has FINALLY begun (yay spring!) I took my time grooming Gwyn. In anticipation of ramping up some work with her, I also gave her the tracest of clips. My first time ever. No judging. This is where she sweats the most so it should help, especially at our endurance ride in April. I might do more for her in April depending on how much of her coat she's blown out.

After tacking up we took to the still sn*wy and wet arena for a 'what is your energy level like today' lunge.

Pokey pony was pokey. I didn't even bother lunging the other side. I could barely get her to trot without a lunge whip. She was of the "ewwww mom, my feet are splashing cold sand on my belly" opinion and just didn't wanna.

I figured that was a good mindset to have for a toodling kind of ride.

"Please can we be done?"

So I hopped on and we did lots of walking work with bending and walk halt transitions and some trotting but really the arena needed one more day of sun before I felt comfortable doing a lot of trot work in it. I need to go through and salt and drag it before the plants take hold.

I did set this up. We walked over it. Gwyn did not touch the poles. That's pretty big. She's usually very lazy with her feet.

We also did the first exercise from the Jumping Exercises book. I did a few extra stuff using this basic set up like a clover leaf pattern with smaller 10m circles. 

So sunny!

Parked out, for her.  Gwyn, you are not a Morgan or Saddlebred. 

I think she was happy for the attention though. Now that she's shedding I'll be making sure to groom pretty much every day so we can keep the itchies at bay. Saffron won't shed for a while but will suddenly be sleek in July. That donkey is enigmatic. I also pulled blankets from them since the weather seems to be on the up and up with no precipitation forecast for a week.

It'll mean less clean horses but they'll be fine, the woolly beasts.

We got about a mile of work in 30 minutes. So we weren't particularly marching. But it was a rejuvenating, warm ride.