September Lord Hill Ride

Work was being stressful in September and with the change from summer to fall (you could smell the difference once day), I needed some forest time on horseback. I asked Cortney if she had plans and we were going to make a big day of things down south with another person who was just cleared to go back to riding.

Unfortunately, she couldn't make it after all, so rather than drive down to her, we adjusted for a more local ride. Cortney and Robin would come and meet me at Lord Hill Park. Robin had never been and given the forecast, it would be the most ideal spot for us. 

We met at the south parking lot, which is a shared lot, and to my surprise, there were a ton of people! Usually that's due to an event at the park and this was no exception. Search and Rescue was practicing that day. The lot is big, so there was plenty of room for our two rigs.

Starting in the south lot means that you start at the bottom of Lord Hill and have to climb. The 'usual' horse lot is at the TOP of the hill. I do like starting from the bottom because the climb up is a nice leg stretcher.

The forest was nice and quiet. Robin and Cortney are always down for adventures so I was able to finally figure out where that trail went (that my barnmates were convinced was not a trail - it is) 

Cortney rode her older mare, Splendid and ponied Reign. Reign has been changing so much that her saddles aren't fitting well. Hopefully the new saddle she ordered will be perfect! It arrives at the end of October!

We stuck mostly to the horse trail and had a good, quiet time in the woods. We encountered a few hikers, mostly near to the main parking lot. 

I always feel like I'm in a fairy tale when I ride through here. The best part is, it mostly stays this green through winter.

 The video I have below is from the section in the above few pictures. Just gorgeous!

We even found bones on a log, it looks like they were laid there by humans, but were not human in origin. 

The Five Rein Aids

One of the first bits of education I ever had in a lesson with Jim was about the five rein aids. 

• Direct rein (also called opening or leading)
• Indirect rein (also called neck rein or bearing rein)
• Indirect in front of withers
• Indirect behind withers
• Direct rein of opposition

Tonight's lesson was both a reeducation and reminding about the five, but also key in how they shaped my riding. 

 I was once again the first one to arrive. While we still had clouds, they weren't low like last week and Mount Si was visible from the arena.

The previous week the tops of these hills were cloud covered

 Cortney had mangled her foot (but not broken it!) while helping to load a friend's horse at the endurance ride last weekend. She was in a boot and was thus on the ground for media! (and basic ground pole adjusting) Jim was riding Amira, who while is a great 50 mile endurance arabian, sometimes just needs to have her 'yoga', as Cortney calls it, lol. She mostly walked and had to stand still, something she has some trouble doing. This mare is like the hyper part of ADHD as an equine.

I had been focusing all week on my posture and holding tone in my core without raising my shoulders. I'd also been reading a book by Charles de Kunffy that was almost philosophical in nature on the art of riding. I'm about a third through. I've really been trying to saturate myself in education as much as I can, including watching youtube videos of clinics. I'm bound and determined to actually make forward progress.

The footing was a lot softer thanks to a drenching rain but not baking sun. Gwyn was much happier to work in the arena.

 We focused a lot on maintaining a bend in her body and not letting her go straight. I also need to keep my elbows bent and loose and moving with her. I'd adjust one bit and the other thing I had been concentrating on would be lost. Getting it all together at one time is coming in moments. But it's coming. I worked in lots of circles and big loopy serpentines. I LOVE working in a giant arena with this horse. It really helps you stay off the rail and use geometry to benefit the dressage.

This is where the rein aids come in. My indirect in front of withers rein was the key to really helping create this bend in Gwyn where she was reaching down and relaxing into the contact. And I realize now that what he was having me do was steer with my shoulders, which is like what de Kunffy is saying when he talks about the shoulders of the rider should be what the shoulders of the horse do, while the rider's pelvis mimics the horse's pelvis. Sorry, that's a lightbulb that JUST went off as I wrote up this entry.

A touch behind the vertical here but WAY better than giraffing!

 There were some barrels set up and we used those quite a bit to have shallow and quicker serpentines to really drive home switching the bend up. I went through at a walk and then at a trot and did that back and forth several times then came out into a larger circle and haunches in'd and made the circle larger, then as I really had this gorgeous steady trot we went down over some ground poles.

 Cortney observed that in one direction Gwyn was really able to keep a steady trot over the poles but not in the other direction, which was (not coincidentally) the direction that we always have issues. Going to the left.

 We ended with a brief bit of canter in her good direction, I think so Jim could see what he was working with and have a baseline. To his eye, it looks like our issues are a lot of weakness, which was my suspicion. But if we have more lessons and rides like tonight, that will not last long.

 By the time I was basically done, Gwyn felt like her back was springy, like I was sitting on a diving board instead of a 2x4. It was the strangest feeling, but I'm pretty sure it was a good thing. She felt amazing and really really tried her hardest. And it felt like I was riding as optimally as I could. I want to capture that feeling.

 I need to improve my leg aid though. Right now I do a weird thing where I bend my foot to give a leg cue rather than using my whole calf. So that's something to think about. And remembering thumbs up, hands high like a serving platter, elbows bent and loose. I also should relax my face, apparently, haha. I hold tension there too.

And yes, those are my ground poles. I made the movers pack them up.

Just a little bit of lipstick! 

So, overall it was an incredibly productive lesson. Gwyn was great for loading and I move her to her permanent boarding facility on Monday! Eeek! I found pasture board with minimal facilities for SUPER cheap. Even though they're charging me half again as much to store the trailer it's still a better deal than any other place. We can do rough board, that's fine by me if it saves me money for now. It means weekly lessons! And a YMCA membership to work on my own fitness. 

Trail again!

Alicia and I have been riding together more frequently again! She recently had surgery and is in 'recovery' which, as horse people, we understand as taking things easy but riding anyway.

 We met up again at the Polly Ann Trail on the 15th and went the same way I'd gone prior when I was alone. This time the snow was gone from the trail and we had more gravel from the former train line to contend with. We also went much further!

Alicia brought Amanda, and I've decided that we are the Triple A team. They have been dating since shortly after meeting for the first time at Oak Leaf in October (seriously, met online with a dating app and Amanda drove out to meet Alicia for the first time to camp all the way across the state).  They're great with each other and I love it.

Gwyn once again was great for loading and I'm really feeling the enthusiasm she has for getting out and about lately.

Then on Saturday (23rd) we met up again, this time in Dryden. The weather was warmer and fully sunny! I had to run into work to check sample results and did that as quickly as possible, and pre-dressed in my breeches. I basically came home and hooked up the trailer and left. Best Husband stayed with the kids. Bless him.

And color coordinated to boot with Sara's side nail business :D  

 Gwyn once again hopped right on with no hesitations. I don't think I'll ever stop mentioning it because it's still amazing to me and I still expect what she was when it comes to trailer loading.

Blue skies and a water slide in the background

Happy Mare is Happy

 I finally have a new case for my new phone so I felt secure holding it to take a photo while also trying to control a mare who JUST WANTS TO GET TO THE TRAIL DAMMIT.

 We wanted to try and get to the point where it crosses under the highway I-69. We almost got there. Maybe about a mile more but I couldn't tell because my estimation was based on us riding perpendicular to the mile roads and I knew we had reached a point where the trail took off at an angle. Plus it was getting late and we still had to turn around. I didn't want Eric to be alone with the kids for too long.

 I did use my hoof boots this ride, the Equine Fusions. Gwyn's hoof has changed SO MUCH from the time I bought them that she was slipping in them and walking more on the back soft part rather than in the cup of the boot themselves. They are now too big. Which is a great issue to have, imo! If I had been able to get an application of hoof armor on her after her last trim I would have gone without, but it was just too cold at the time. Her hoof shape is far improved. More on thoughts about that in another post.

 She got sweaty on this ride! We did a lot more trotting and I've decided I'm giving her a tiny trace clip to help. I'll likely clip more before Brighton as extended forecasts show GOOD weather *knock on wood* but pretty warm for a still very fuzzy creature to be making a lot of effort in.

And then, like a good Michigan resident, she had a Paczki, long after Fat Tuesday

I think it would be about 12miles total to get to the highway, and maybe 16 if we tried to go all the way to the Imlay City parking lot. That's a good goal for conditioning!