Before and after

Ok, well, just before since the blog is about the after. Although I STILL want to get some current pictures and video with our new dressage saddle but I haven't managed to do so. I must say again and again and again how much I LOVE my saddle!

Anyway, about the before.

My friend sent me a photo of Mac in his earlier years, when he had another job.

The person I got him from has a couple of pictures of Mac (formerly known as Buck) on his Facebook page, so I downloaded them. I wrote and asked his permission to use the photos in my blog, and sent him the link to get here. I haven't heard back from him yet but I'm hoping he doesn't mind. If he does mind, I will be happy to take them down. I'll at least say that photo credit goes to Mark Montgomery.

Herewith are a couple more pictures of Mac's early days!

In the above picture he's just left of center, mugging for the camera.

In the above picture he's actually got his head down, drinking, and you can't see him (he's in front of the palomino) - I just wanted to show what beautiful country he's visited!

Since I'm already writing, I'll give a bit of an update from our last ride - we had the BEST canter departs yet! For some reason, there was something that hadn't dawned on me with regards to cue-ing him to pick up the canter. Maybe because it is so instinctual with Paddy, and I've never actually *taught* the canter departs myself. That coupled with the fact that I feel discombobulated in that particular transition made for some really ugly attempts.

I suppose that it helped that it was windy and gloomy on Wednesday when I rode him last. He's really alert and aware and responsive and I *ride* more when the weather is like that. At first, I thought I wouldn't give it a try since he was a little bit on edge. But I figured what the hell, he doesn't do *bad* stuff even if he is a bit fresh, so I didn't shy away from it. Actually, *he* decided that he was ready to pick up the canter. We were just trotting along on the left rein (typically the side I have more trouble with) and I sat up and kept my contact and used my inside leg to move him over and set him up and that was pretty much it - it was so smooth and easy. And the canter that we got was good, too - I could maintain contact with my outside rein and reach forward and give a "good boy" scratch on his neck and he maintained the canter. I promptly gave him a break and did it again, with the same result. I was so pleased! Repeated the exercise on the right rein and called it a day.

Whenever I have a great result like that, I can't wait to ride again!!!

Best lesson today!

Today we had the best lesson! I finally figured something out. First, let me back up a few days. Winter has decided to make an appearance and on Tuesday it was a cold and blustery day. Mac was very fresh for our ride and he was spooking (which for him just means looking around and trotting sideways - he *knock wood* doesn't really do anything naughty) and in order for me to keep any kind of contact with him I had to shorten my reins. In case I haven't mentioned it or in case you can't tell from photos/video, I like to ride with my reins long. I know it is wrong, but I've always "equated" long and loopy reins with soft contact. In my mind, I know that's not true, but it is just a bad habit that I have. So on Tuesday, that kind of loopy rein would just not do - with his head in the air, I had to have short reins to keep the contact. Lo and behold, though, despite the spookiness, we had a really good ride!

So then when I rode him on Wednesday even though he wasn't spooky, I rode again with the shorter rein. And again, he was really good. We practiced transitions both from walk-trot-walk and trot-canter-trot. Transitions are something we need to work on (especially at the canter) but they are improving.

I used the same short-rein approach in my lesson today (mind you, I've been told this by trainers my whole life!) and had such a good lesson. It really keeps a constant connection between us and shortens the reaction time on both sides - I can more quickly respond to his balance, and he can more quickly respond to my requests. We did a couple new exercises and did more trot-canter-trot transitions and I was so pleased! He does move over his right shoulder more than the left so I do a lot of straightening on that side. I think that has something to do with the crookedness I feel at the canter - going left I feel like I'm falling off the right side and going right he falls in on that shoulder. Just another thing for us to work on!

Have I mentioned that I love my saddle?!

Captain Destructo

I have no idea how Mac did this:

If you look closely, you can see that he pulled the hose out of the barn and somehow got it wrapped around his neck!!!

Good thing Paddy is a tattletale. Colin could hear Paddy screaming outside so he went up to the barn to see what was the matter and he found Mac just standing there like that.

Dork!

Well I still don't have dressage saddle photos or video, but I do have fun jumping photos and video from today!

Yesterday my friend trailered her pony up to my place for a fun pony play weekend! This is the same pony who came up earlier in the summer for a trail riding adventure. Yesterday afternoon we just hacked around in the arena at home with Bugzy and Paddy (just got him back from his lease situation) and popped over a few crossrails. Last night we decided we would give XC schooling a try today with Bugzy and Mac.

Mac has been to this place once before to walk around and check things out - he'd gone through the water and walked up a bank but I was in my Western saddle so we really didn't do anything else and it was shortly after I got him. I've had him about a year and a half almost and I've jumped him maybe five times and only cantered him over a fence once. So jumping is VERY new to us. Bugzy has also been jumped only a handful of times and has never been to this venue and my friend has never taken her XC schooling. So this was to be an adventure indeed.

After recovering from our mild hangovers we decided to venture out. We got the trailer packed, put the ponies on the trailer, got into my truck, turned the key and clickclickclickclickclick....dead battery. MoFo!!!! We transferred everything to my friend's trailer and then I had to do some magical trailer-backing-down-the-driveway-and-turning-around-between-two-gates to get her trailer facing the right direction and we moved the ponies from my trailer to hers. They were so good about it and didn't care.

We drove to the XC schooling location and we had the entire place to ourselves - everyone is at a HT this weekend so we lucked out! Mac and Bugzy are old friends at this point and they trailer very well together and hung out in their paddocks eating hay while we got ourselves organized. We then tacked up the ponies and got on and did a bit of warm up in this lovely grassy field area. Then we went into the water. Mac lead the way for Bugzy to follow and despite having a staring contest with a frog, she went in and so we did a couple laps in and out of the water complex.

Then we moved on to another field and did a bit more trotting around before taking some jumps. Mac is not very good at trotting jumps so I cantered him instead and he was better, although he kind of crow-hopped over a lot of them because he just doesn't know what to do with himself. Bugzy just went over them like it was nothing and she's been doing it all her life.

Bugzy video:



Kali and Bugzy.MOV

We moved on to a little ditch area and the ponies could have cared less about it, they were so good. So then we did some more logs and I put two together in a line. Mac was good and actually jumped and cantered away vs. crow-hopping and landing with a hump in his back.

Mac video:



Susan and Mac.MOV

Then we tried an up-bank and Mac trotted up and over it but crow-hopped on the landing side and so Bugzy thought she should do the same thing!

Off to another field we went, via going down an embankment, through the dry creek, then up the embankment on the other side. Good ponies!

This field had a flock of geese in the way - great. The horses didn't really care, though, and the geese moved out of our way so we could do some more water and then one more log. Mac had a bit of a fit trying to get to the log (part of the approach was alongside a line of tall trees that he could kind of see behind and something was getting his attention) so we had to school it a couple times at the trot, but then finally we cantered it and he was good. Bugzy did it after us and was awesome!

Mac video:



Susan and Mac 4.MOV

Bugzy video:



Kali and Bugzy 2.MOV

Back to schooling the front water one more time for Bugzy so she could go in by herself, not following Mac, and so I could get a video, and she was great. Called it a day and ate some lunch and now we're drinking a beer while the ponies are grazing in the pasture.

Bugzy in the water:



Kali and Bugzy 4.MOV

I'm so proud of us weenie eventer wannabees and our brave ponies who went over everything we pointed them at - they were so good!!!!

It just keeps getting better

Well unfortunately Colin hasn't had time to video tape me riding lately, but I'm happy to report that things are going well. I had a great lesson last Wednesday, then Friday we jumped! Mac went back to "hopping" over the fences, so I decided to be brave and canter him over, instead. He actually got it and from the canter jumped over the fences - he got himself to a good take-off spot and jumped well. They were just small cross rails so it was more like a big canter stride, but he did a good job.

Sunday I trail rode bareback, which I love to to do, and that was fun. Colin came along with his mountain bike but had some chain issues so had to cut his ride short.

On Monday I went back to the dressage saddle, and our ride was better than the last one. So far with this saddle every ride is better than the last. His canter is really improving, we worked on more interesting exercises (turn on the forehand, turn on the haunches), and we were getting nice forward work.

Hopefully I can talk Colin into getting a video for me within the next week or so.

The new phone books are here! The new phone books are here!

Wait, actually, my new saddle is here!!!!!

I will admit to being scared that I wouldn't like it once it arrived. I LOVED the demo I rode in, but no two saddles are alike, and I was just worried. Especially after my friend just got her custom saddle and both she and her pony hate it.

Susan and Dave from Saddles that Fit came out on Sunday to deliver it. First, props to them. They are ALWAYS on time. That is a big deal to me because being late is one of my pet peeves, so I appreciate that they always arrive when they say they will. I got Mac out and Susan checked his back and adjusted the flocking accordingly. Then I got on for a quick test ride. Mac seemed to like it - had a nice big walk, moved easily into the trot, seemed relaxed. It did feel a bit high on his back, though, like it was perched up there, so Susan pounded the flocking down a bit. She said it would be a few weeks before the flocking settled but assured me that it would.

I rode in it on Monday and still liked it. It puts my leg in a good place, there's a natural balanced place for me to sit, and it fits Mac well. At the canter, I had a big grin on my face and actually said aloud, "Well this feels nice!" There may be hope for us yet!

Today I had my lesson and Lucy likes the saddle, too. She said it is a good size for me, well-balanced, a good fit for Mac, puts me in a nice position, etc. She's really pleased with it. So now I can really start riding "proper" dressage since I have the right saddle for the job. It even felt better today than on Monday. I like having a suede seat because it shows the marks from my butt, which tells me if I'm sitting correctly or off to one side. I'm happy to say that today I was sitting even and centered!

Hopefully in the next week or so I can get Colin to get some photos and/or video.

Yay for the new saddle!

Mac jumped!

I'm sure it sounds quite silly to those who regularly jump, but Mac jumped yesterday! And it was an actual "jump," not a "bunny hop landing on all four feet" type of movement.

I had had a less-than-stellar lesson on Wednesday and was pretty down. It was one of those lessons where even just steering is difficult and I felt like a total ass. Yes, we walked; we trotted; we cantered. But we cantered sideways, we trotted almost over the arena perimeter, and we were distracted by the other person walking her horse around.

On Friday we went trail riding with our friend and that was so much fun - being on the trails always puts me in a good mood.

Yesterday I decided I would take myself less seriously and just have fun and not worry about DRESSAGE (yes, in all caps) and trying to be perfect. I went to the arena and set up some trot poles and jump standards with the idea that we'd give jumping a try again. We've "jumped" before, but it was more like the aforementioned bunny-hopping and it seemed like Mac just didn't get it.

Our walk, trot, and canter work was good. I tried a new approach with him on something and it seemed to be a good tactic. We worked on circles and just going forward into contact, wherever that may be. His canter work was actually the best yet - an actual 3-beat canter, not a "push off with both hind legs and then see what happens with the front legs" gait. I was able to get up into a light seat and have a light contact and we did a couple laps - he was really good! So I decided I'd jump. I put the poles up into a crossrail with a take-off and landing pole. I think the extra poles confused him, as he pretty much crashed through it the first time. I rolled the poles in so they were just at the base of the crossrail (on either side) and then went through again. This time I got a bunny-hop. Did it again with the same result. Then I closed my leg a bit, and he actually took off and jumped and landed in a canter and cantered away quietly!!!! (And he was on the correct lead!) Did it again to make sure it wasn't a fluke and we had the same result! So after a little break we did it going the other direction and he was equally as good so I called it a day at that. It was so much fun!

Sometimes I think I do better when I can practice on my own and I'm not totally in someone else's program. I mean, yes, I continue with lessons, but I have to experiment and find my own way of doing things that feel natural to me and get results.

Today we went for another trail ride with our friend and of course Mac was so good. So in a matter of days we went from good to bad to best. Oh, and supposedly my dressage saddle has shipped and will be here next week! Unfortunately I don't think my schedule will synch up with the fitter until the week following, but I can't wait to get it!!!!