So Gwyn got hock and stifle injections while I was away for my work conference and when I came back she was still NQR. To that end I've continued keeping work load stress light and focusing on things that are less high impact. Like ground work.
This prompts a "stay in School, Gwyn!" correction lol
I would really like to be lighter with my aids and I do think that starts from the ground and can be applied in the saddle. We have a trainer coming out regularly (some of the boarders REALLY need to work on it) and I leapt at the opportunity.
Super soft and paying attention like a good girl
We worked on backing up with as minimal an ask as possible. We worked on groundwork after the riding portion of the lesson and I think Gwyn had a hard time remembering what groundwork was because we had to get fairly loud in the aid. But when I went to practice the next time at the barn, we did groundwork first and she was SO sensitive like I remember. We just had to knock that rust off. Literally just a finger wiggle and she'd step back.
Super super cute Goober. I just love her expression here.
I also asked for her to give and turn on the haunches. We also got a new mounting block at the barn that's the biggest we could buy in plastic molded and I wanted to see if it was good for getting on bareback. Gwyn is big and I'm stiff, so if I could use it, then I won't have to need the tractor.
While riding bareback my plan was to work on some of my physical therapy homework, namely using leg aids without using the back of my calf, which is causing strain in my old knee injury. Since I also like low effort riding, I didn't bother to use a bridle and said 'Fuck it' and just clipped my mohair reins to the rope halter. If I'm supposed to be working on turning her with just my seat and legs, let's just jump in the deep end and take away my ability to pull on her mouth.
Success.
On Sunday, Trainer C came out again for another session. This time I came in with a plan. I'm going to be out of commission for my surgery in 10 days. Let's pick something that Gwyn is okay at and make it excellent. Namely, I want to be able to place her very specifically so I can get on her on the trail if I get off. I can't mount from the ground, so positioning her to use stumps and logs as mounting blocks is useful.
Thinking ear
So we played a game. Make the Goober Mare walk down the pole with left legs on one side and right legs on the other without being up in her business.
Pushing back but attentive
This was a big brain day for both me and Gwyn. I think to a some outside observers it looked like we were doing nothing but wow, fine tuning into her body was super cool. Like watching her contemplate taking a step with a super soft ask because the muscles in her pecs were twitching back and forth but her weight wasn't actually shifting yet. It was so subtle.
Thinking some more, softening. Lots of opinions
I was able to get her front feet straddling the pole with little issue. And learning just how loud I am and how quiet I need to become was a good lesson for me. Her back feet were tricky. You can see in these pictures, it's not just the angle I'm taking the photos at, but home girl here likes to have her hind end shifted just that touch to the right. Goober is crooked. I have my suspicions as to why (hmmm, that bad left stifle?)
"Fine, I'll play the silly game"
Anyway, this is a game in straightness and delicate communication. And low effort say, if you're recovering from surgery and need pony time. There was a lot of licking, chewing and yawning as Gwyn thought about what we were doing. And then would lift a foot. And think about where she was setting it down.
Listening and being allowed to relax after finally getting all four feet placed properly
I was not able to get her straight straddling the pole with all four feet. C did. I was able to get her to take a couple steps, but eventually the crookedness won and she decided tripoding was preferable to straddling.
Softening and thinking
At one point she even just straight up stood on the pole (it's landscape poles, so flat on a portion) rather than straddle.
Weight shift onto the front right foot, thinking about moving the front left but mind where she's looking.
"I tap the pole"
The big thing I need to work on is not being late in reaction. I keep the pressure on too soon and I don't correct. Gwyn reaches a point where she thinks she knows what the rest of the answer is and she rushes to guess and I'm not quick enough to correct correctly. So that's something for me to work on.
Also, key words are patience. I need to wait and recognize that she's thinking about it and that me pushing too hard is going to create an incorrect answer on her part. And that it's okay to choose to walk away and reset. In fact it's probably a good plan to do that if we get to a point where I don't feel like I have enough control each foot to move it where it needs to go.
Those hind feet are ballerina style in line
Things for me to remember are that I want her looking in the direction of travel and that hind feet connect to eye line the same way backing a trailer is connected to which way you turn the steering wheel. If I want the left hind to move right, she needs to be looking left.
"Don't wanna move that hind leg back over!"
I like that I have some homework to do with her while I'm recuperating from surgery. I'm looking forward to seeing our communication get finely tuned!
At this point I'm finding it easier on my time and commitment to use the trainers that come to the barn. These are typically the ones my barn owner is using as she trains for eventing (she's moving up to training). Plus the BO typically schedules for groups of lessons so we all split a travel fee which makes them overall very affordable.
All this to say, we had a jump focused lesson on Sunday! Since that was Kaylee's birthday, I didn't want to be at the barn ALL day, so I chose the 9 am lesson slot. I was the first out there. Gwyn had already been turned out with her breakfast hay and willingly left it to come to me at the gate. It was sunny and in the 60s, perfect temperature.
Mismatched brand, but matchy purple gear!
Freshly groomed arena too
I was mounting up when Trainer S arrived. She seemed nice and got to work setting up the jumps which the barn owner had moved into the arena. She asked for a brief history of me and Gwyn and explained a little about her teaching style. She's very big on rider form and correctness. I let her know that Gwyn's education in jumping was very basic to nonexistent and I wanted her to develop a good sense of how to approach a jump.
I found her to be a bit of a mixed toolkit instructor. But what I LOVED was how brutal she was with my position and jumping form. She almost immediately had me raise my stirrups a hole (OUCH) and then proceeded to pester me about my heels, especially my right heel. I like to post from my toes. I'm not sinking into my heel as much as I should. When I apply leg my foot raises and swings back. So there was a huge biomechanic component that we worked on to make me more correct and secure.
To warm up my goal was to get Gwyn a bit more energetic and less dressage ploddy. This was the morning after all the personal fireworks of the 4th and Gwyn set the tone for all the horses today. They were TIRED and slow. It took a lot of effort on my part to perk her up and even trying some canter didn't wake her up like it has previously.
I was pleased, however, to find that my form over fences is still there in muscle memory from being a kid. We started with a set of trot poles, then moved to a simple trot pole into cross rail. My first task was to get Gwyn energetic to the jump to get her actually considering a jump rather than a big trot cavaletti. Eventually we strung a course together. It was all right turns but had two bending line approaches. I totally biffed the course a couple times, thanks ADHD, but Gwyn was a superstar.
She was a tired Goober when we were done. We did the final, middle cross rail once more and she just barely trotted it and immediately walked. Trainer S wanted once more but we had just finished the round and it was a good round on the course so I insisted on ending on a good note and letting her walk. There was no issue with that.
So far, I like Trainer S. I think she'll be good for me and Gwyn to incorporate something with a little more technical difficulty. And it's a good step towards AECs 2022! She definitely thinks we could bomb around a BN course really well. And that's what I've got my sights set on. She even has experience with working with Friesians and F-crosses so she knows the struggle with that weak hind end and tendency to just be super front heavy.
I stuck around and watched a barn mate's lesson and took some pictures and video. The day was starting to get warm and I had to get home to celebrate a certain newly 8 year old's birthday.
My day started early. Since Cortney couldn't get her trailer down the hill at her house due to slushsnow, she planned to ride down and have her husband drive some of the less easily packed items like a hay bag and bucket. I would meet her at a trailer accessible parking lot 2 miles from her house and we'd load up there.
From the espresso stand's FB page
So I met her at a bank, after she'd acquired coffee, 4 year old mare Reign in hand. We packed her things up, waited for her husband to come down too (he was held up by someone driving SUPER slowly down the hill)
Gwyn's hay was decidedly the more delicious of the two, apparently
It was only 45 minutes from pick up to the farm and we arrived perfectly in my expected window.
It's a nice property. And for sale if you have a couple million lying around...
We couldn't show out of the trailer but a stall was included in the clinic cost. So we unloaded the horses and tack, then I parked. And we got checked in and tacked up!
See what I mean by nice? They have several all weather outdoor rings, and a cross country course and track.
Warm up poles
There were five riders in each session, which was just enough. For the most part we took turns doing each exercise since there were two GIANT warmbloods who dwarfed Gwyn, Gwyn, Reign and a little quarter horse. Striding was not matched at all.
We started over three ground poles to get our horses focused on their feet and realizing what we were focusing on today. Then we moved on to the first exercise that was built up over time. The goal was to learn where our horses wanted to drift and also to learn if they were going to speed demons *cough* GWYN.
We introduced this exercise at the walk first, then went through at the trot. Then the final pole was raised on one side, then the final two, etc.. Gwyn wanted to rush through this, so in that middling space I really asked her half halt and almost fully halt to keep her from barreling through. The clinician, GB, really wanted us to let the horses stretch down and use their backs through these exercises but I was having a hard time with having Gwyn actually listen to my seat so I could get out of her face. Plus, Gwyn wanted to be with her buddy Reign the whole time.
I want to try these exercises at home to see if I can have her brain in one piece and get some better results. We did end each exercise with improvement in all the horses, so that was really nice though!
Next up was the triangle set up. I really liked this one for teaching bending and flexibility.
This particular set up is extremely versatile. There are SO MANY options and ways to increase difficulty as your horse becomes more balanced and skilled.
We started with guide rails to encourage straightness to start.
We started by coming in and just plainly exiting at the tip of the triangle. It's more difficult than it sounds, especially if you're struggling with straightness. Gradually we added in loops. So in on the flat side, out the pointed, turn to come back in. It requires a tight, balanced turn at the trot. Repeat in the opposite direction.
Next version we did we kept coming in the same direction but our exits changed each time. This mimicked more a bending line. More often than not, Gwyn and I ended up drifting more to the point part of the exit when we had a bending line. This was also the version where Gwyn tossed me the metaphorical middle finger and blew through my outside aid toward Reign. Which Cortney got on video.
Finally we used the channel created by all the parallel poles to work on turn on haunches or forehand, depending on the comfort level. You can do this at walk, trot and canter as your skill increases. And use the inner channel at a trot once you can do the outer channels at a canter. I opted to remain at a walk.
This was Reign's second time at the clinic. She did really well for being 4!
Next up was the Bow Tie exercise.
They called it a bowtie. Drawing it out... it's an axolotl
The outer edges of the poles are raised and the poles were marked in their center, where the average trot stride length would be. You can treat this as a circle and then treat it as a figure 8. The center of our exercise was a skinny pole flanked by two barrels.
This was the exercise where Gwyn FINALLY started using her brain and I was able to metaphorically and literally let go and trust her.
In the video you can see me let go, and Gwyn magically lift her back, drop her head and balance. This wore her out. I'm setting it up at the barn.
Next up was this simple square. We basically did a clover leaf pattern in both directions, at the trot. Also difficult with those tight turns. You need to have a balanced trot.
Finally, we did a pattern with a set of cones on the ground. We very shallowly serpentined at the trot forward through the cones, then halted at the last cone and serpentined backing up. This was DIFFICULT! With Gwyn at least. My aids were likely too strong and she was overswinging her haunches rather than having a mild change. More things to practice!
I debuted a new running martingale that's MUCH faster to put on since it isn't a 5 point. I really like the gray color! Plus the running attachments clip on rather than buckle so I could theoretically not have to unbuckle my reins every god damn time I untack or lead her around.
We were color coordinated in purple and teal. LOL
Cortney and I hung out and chatted with a friend from WAY back when I first brought Gwyn to Washington. She had been in the first group. It was so nice to see her and catch up. Then we packed up, loaded and cleaned the stalls as requested before heading back to the bank.
Mount Si
Back to the bank where we unloaded Reign and Gwyn got upset while Reign ignored her.
Cortney's husband drove down to pick up the extra stuff and Cortney hopped up and started her 2 mile ride back home!
Then I headed home to handle my own stuff. Usually our drives home are enough time for Gwyn to dry, then I brush out the sweat marks and out she goes. It makes leaving her fully furry manageable, despite the sweating that occurs.
With my new job, I'm thinking of clipping her like Reign and paying for the blanketing. Especially since the cold doesn't last as long as Michigan and if we continue our 3-4 hour conditioning trail rides, she'll feel better if she can cool down faster while on the trail.
