Doing a good ostrich impression, I'm going to ignore my last post and continue as before. We'll see how it goes. I had a lovely day out on Sunday with my friend, she overlooked my moaning and self indulgence and she helped straighten my head out a little. I've not been at my best the last 3 or 4 weeks, but I'm starting to feel a little stronger now. Yesterday I rode Anky in the school, she was very good, we did our usual work at walk and I felt quite well balanced.
The only good thing about being tired is that I don't have the energy to be worried or frustrated by anything. This helped me today as I took Anky out on a hack. It felt like the right thing, I was really calm and I wanted to ride her out. She is the most jumpy horse I've ever ridden, so alert to everything, but despite this I felt safe today, she was trying to be a good girl, and actually she succeeded because we went halfway round my usual short ride with a few spooks and jumps but very willingly. When she's jumpy, she has a tendency to suck back at me, her head high, but at times today she stretched out into my hand and relaxed a little and it felt quite good. My right side is still weak and I have no strength at all in my leg (I've discovered I can ride with my leg brace), but I was aware today how tuned-in my seat and body felt........
I've spent the last 2 days thinking about this.The thought has been lurking in my head for a while, unchallenged. The last 3 weeks have dumped me on my arse (physically and emotionally) and perhaps it's time to take stock. We have 4 horses here, including 2 youngsters (2 and 3yr old) and a tricky young mare. I think my riding is good enough to train these horses, but I'm not sure it's realistic or that I'm up to the extra complications that come with young horses. I love them all, especially Remy who is my "boy", but I don't think I can do it. I want to, but don't think I can. I tell myself I can buy a lovely schoolmaster, something totally reliable, with some talent that I can enjoy, perhaps that's the answer. So many people have said that it would be very easy to get a buyer for Remy, but it's never been an issue before. At what age does one have to start making sensible decisions? Perhaps the answer is- at my age.
I didn't ride today, too tired. My Dad sent me some pics from their visit so I thought I'd share. Mothers Meeting. Friends and Family. Memories, this is where I used to live. This one is mine from today, I should have gone searching.....
Today was a beautiful sunny day and I couldn't wait any longer, I just had to ride Anky. She doesn't have that reassuringly solid and reliable feel that Corky has and I felt a little unbalanced and one-sided. We worked at walk in the school and she was fairly settled and calm. Unfortunately there wasn't a lot of structure to the schooling, I was just so glad to be back riding her. We practiced a few halts, slowing down the walk with my seat, some leg yield on a circle and one or two attempts at shoulder-in. So not great on content, but fantastic on feel-good factor.
It's nearly 3 weeks since I've ridden, so today I took Corky out on a hack. She is such a good girl, she hasn't been ridden in a long time, she's fat, getting on a bit and a little stiff, but everytime I ride her it reminds me why we have her.
She was so well behaved and we had a lovely relaxing hack. She was soft in my hand, responsive to very light leg aids and we got some nice leg yield and shoulder- in. I took her through the wood and she sometimes get's a little worried and wanting to rush ( I know, hard to believe with Corky!) so I practiced some halts by using my seat and closing my fingers. She responded really well, but then just sat on my hands a little so I asked for halt and then rein-back which lightened her to the hand. She is so tolerant, she does put up with "Mum messing"! I can hear her tutting as I take the tack into the stable, she keeps insisting that she's retired!!
I love 3 day eventing. I think the horses are fantastic, they have to be so versatile and very brave. I've spent a very lazy day watching the Badminton 3 day event and really enjoyed it. I've always been a supporter of Mary King who's had a very unlucky year and she got round, a few hair raising moments, but nevertheless....
Karin Donckers usually rides a very good dressage test and this year was no exception, she has a beautiful mare, Gazelle de la Brasserie. As a partnership they show how 3 day eventing should be done.
This is Tia, Corkys daughter. I sold her before we came to France. I've just heard from her new owner,(who sends me updates and pics from time to time)that she has been picked to apply for the para olympics 2012 with Tia! She had hinted at it before, but now it is certain. I am so proud of them both. This is a pic of Tia with Tara.
Well I'm still deprived of my horses and reduced to getting my horse fix by reading, watching dvd's and trawling the internet. I came across this vid (not brilliant quality I'm afraid) of Bonbons dad Keystone Valentino , taken at the Week of the Stallions Show Zwolle, 2007.
As for Bonbon, she's not little , but she is funny.
Having been deprived of my horses for days, I have nothing to say in my blog. I have been checking out stuff on the internet though and came across this. I like Paul Belasik, read all his books and thought this might be interesting.Trudi, do you think this would satisfy your scientific side. :-)
It's been raining for days and I haven't ridden for days. I have had time to watch my Philippe Karl and Anja Beran dvds. They make it look SO easy. I admire and follow PKs methods but I would so much like to ride like Anja!!
I wish it would, it's been raining all day. The horses spent their first night out last night (who's bright idea was that!!) and it rained buckets. They came in this morning and all except Corky lay down and slept. I'm sorry to say that I had no enthusiasm for the day so stayed in, had a very lazy morning, watched the Formula 1 and then baked (we do have a shed-load of eggs). I've been invited to a choir practice tomorrow, they'll be sorry!!
Another beautiful day today. I took Anky in the school with mixed results. She started off quite good, straight, forward and relaxed. I worked around the perimeter of the school on halt/walk transitions, leg yield, small circles. At one point she was straight and soft enough to ask for a trot transition which was quite good, but then the trot was rushed. As the walk improves, I will start to work more on the walk/trot transitions and work on achieving a slower more relaxed trot. Meanwhile, the other horses had been turned out and soft lad Remy was calling for his mum, which really distracted her. Having had some nice work in the school, I walked her around the field. As we reached the far end and turned for home, I asked for a couple strides of leg yield and as she softened and relaxed I asked her to canter (couldn't resist it!). We were heading home, so she needed no encouragement, made a nice transition and we cantered up the field. Our first canter - it felt good!!
A lovely warm day today and after a tiring day yesterday I went for a ride on Anky with a friend riding Corky. We had a quiet, relaxed ride, Anky behaving very well and for most of the ride was fairly straight and forward. I'm getting a much better feel in the right rein, which is resulting in a more genuine bend to the left, but she does have a tendency to curl down a little as she relaxes to the right hand.
After I put the horses out we had a little play in the field, first, follow the leader
then a little session of "One 'man' and his chucks"
So it's been a week since lightning killed my modem and it's seemed like a lifetime. I'm such a sad case!!
Anyway, I've been working Anky in the school with some success. I've ridden her out alone and even did a little schooling on the edge of a small wood,bending her round some trees. The locals must have thought I was mad, but Anky was quite attentive which is a real step forward.
I've been taking Remy out of the field and spending some time with him, also Bonbon who isn't used to being seperated from the rest, but she wasn't worried by it.
They're all finally losing their winter coats so are looking better.
This is Bonbon after her grooming session. She's 2 on Saturday.
The exercise is started from the ground facing the horse. Take both rings of the snaffle with both thumbs and push up toward the joint between second and third vertebrae following the natural direction of the mouth itself. Push steadily, progressively, strongly if necessary, introducing the strength little by little. When the horse yields (stops pushing down on the bit), relax immediately and drop your thumbs.From your position facing the horse, you must never push the reins towards the horse's chest, it must be an upward movement from the corners of the lips. With regular sessions the horse will start to display the behaviour detailed in my last post, "a behaviour similar to tasting a sugar, playing with the bit and swallowing, then salivating. Not chewing".
When the horse has been educated by this exercise you can then progress to lateral flexions in hand as a base for all the in hand lateral work to follow.
The process would be 1. Mobilising the Jaw and Tongue, relaxing the horse. 2. Controlling the neck, longitudinally and laterally. 3. Flexing the poll.
Well, Anky's had a few days off. She's had a little pain with her season this month, I'm putting it down to her Spring transitional seasons and hope she will improve over the summer. I've had a little play with Remy with the bit which now has the reins attached and he's slowly getting used to the feeling.
Not had much to say really, but the other day I was trying to explain to someone what I meant by flexions and the whole thing regarding mobility of the jaw. Why I'm trying to train Anky this way and, of course, intend to train Remy the same way. She actually said, "well, aren't you just messing with the mouth when you should be concentrating on the back end?"
Well, a few years ago, I might have said the same, but being quite a lot older and perhaps (hopefully) a little wiser, I've changed my opinion.
So, what is it?
Flexion (mobilisation, yielding, call it what you will) of the jaw is a flexion of the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ), which is found about 2 inches behind the eye, under the base of the ear. Whilst the rider is concentrating on the bit and the mouth, the important thing happens in the head, far away from the bit.
Opening the jaw itself is not only what is looked for (although it's part of the process). The aim is to relax the TMJ, as the French say, 'decontracter', to prevent it from being contracted.
In the flexion of the jaw, the horse "lets go" of the bit. The tongue goes up and down, several times, and as Philippe Karl says "a behaviour similar to tasting a sugar, playing with the bit and swallowing, then salivating. Not chewing". I really like his DVD's :-)
So she asked me how to get it. Well, I try to follow PK's method which I'll try to describe in my next post.
Was what we had this morning on our ride out. We even saw the sun. A friend rode Corky and Anky was very good. Little jumpy as usual, but not having ridden out for a while, I really noticed the improvement in her responses. She was much more responsve to the leg, we had some lovely leg yield, and even though she was quite distracted at times, her response to the hand was better. We had some nice active walk, with good stretch out to the hand. So, a good ride, perhaps the work in the school is having a positive effect.
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