Always Learning

Had someone comment on my Facebook today saying I needed to get a school horse so their daughter could take lessons from me...aww. I feel the love! :)


Really though, I have this conundrum these days. I am at the point where I could give lessons to beginners--and when they got too close to my level for my comfort, I could happily hand them off to Coach!

But I really don't feel like I could or should, even if I had the horse to do it (River would be great for intermediate and up, but he's got too much "go" for beginners in my opinion). It doesn't matter that I've ridden for close to eight years regularly, ten off and on. It doesn't matter that I've ridden a great many of the problem ponies in the book, more or less successfully, English and Western, sale horses, school horses, and privately owned horses. And all this is not because I have yet to show or compete. I'm of the opinion that competitions only demonstrate a tiny part of what you might be.

It's because I still have so much to learn. SO much. I feel like I'm just scratching the tip of the iceberg that is horses, and I love it, but the thing is, I'll always have so much to learn! I love that, it's one of my favorite things about training (anything, but at the moment horses)--you never, ever quit learning, or at least you shouldn't. But it doesn't make me feel qualified to "teach" anything!

So I responded to the comment saying that said daughter should "come and meet" River anyways. ;) She could sit on him anyway...that's enough to get the Horse Bug going if it's in there! Which is always my goal for us humanoids! :) 

Love This Boy

We've been just hanging out this last week and a half, enjoying ourselves, since we don't have any tack (my fault, but I'm loathe to begin saddle-shopping), and since the Boy's feet are sore.

Regarding feet, I decided to hold out a while and see if they improve with proper barefoot trimming. If not, I'll do shoes. We don't plan on doing a lot of competition or such, so that's not a big deal. So far he's progressing slowly but steadily--he's 100% on the grass, even if the ground is hard, and today he was only mildly ouchy on sandy gravel, bark chips, the lumpy arena footing, and the rock-hard barn aisle.  Woo! If he stays barefoot that long, I'll put some boots on his Christmas list just in case. ;)

So we are doing groundwork and hand walks, lots of them. The trails are nice and it's a great experience for him. He LOVES them and power-walks along so that I can hardly keep up, if I let him! Put some steering and brakes on and the boy will be a XC machine someday!

Out for a walk

Also introducing some undemanding time, which the boy currently thinks is nothing worth thinking about, but he'll come around. It's always fun to just chill in the pasture with a herd of horses--you really get insight into the herd dynamics and into the personality of the different horses. Today was the first time for that, and while he stared at me for a very long time from behind a few little trees, he didn't decide to come up and investigate. I think I'll be doing that regularly.

Handsome face

We have an official photographer in the Brother, so that's quite nice. :) I've promised him a ride when River's ready, as payment. Haha. The Brother knows how to ride, so it's not too far in the distance!

I leave for two weeks a week from today, so he'll get a long break. Hopefully he's not a crazy herd-bound maniac when I come back. . .

7 Habits

http://watapama.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/the-ten-habits-of-highly-effective-dressage-riders/

It says dressage riders, but I think it applies to everyone. Some thoughts for life in general, too. ;)

Goals for Winter 2012-13

So everyone knows that wintertime is pretty much training time, unless you live in a super-horsey area where they have fun shows all through the winter.  And we don't live in such a place.  Well there is one barn that keeps saying they're going to have a winter schooling show series, but so far they've canceled it two months in a row.  That doesn't make us happy.  But...anyway. 

Wintertime is schooling time.  Therefore I am coming up with some goals for this winter's schooling, for myself and for the ponies.  Everybody says good goals are SMART--Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-centered--well I don't know as all of these are SMART, but for me to set any goals is pretty exciting!

For Mwah:

• School verticals to 2' or higher
• Work on oxers
• Strengthen my position and leg
• Transitioning in and out of two-point on the flat
• More stirrupless and bareback work, especially at trot and with just one stirrup

Fringe (mostly mounted work):

• Work bareback all three gaits
• Do trail rides at least a couple times a month
• Jump crossrails and verticals to 18" at trot and canter
• Work on getting her slightly quicker off the leg
• Desensitizing to crop

Rhapsody:
Groundwork:

• Get a breakaway catch halter on her  done!
• Catching work--catch, treats/petting/grooming, release
• Learn all 7 Parelli games
• Further desensitization

Mounted work:

• Walk/trot patterns
• Loose-rein work
• One-rein stop at walk
• Half-halts at walk/trot/canter
• Canter work on the rail

Brandi:
Groundwork:

• Learn all 7 Parelli games
• Stand nicely for mounting, both from block and from ground
• Cross-tie well and calmly
• Thorough desensitization program

Mounted work:

• Walk/trot patterns
• Loose-rein work
• One-rein stop at halt and walk
• Sustained canter on the rail

Should keep me busy enough I think.  Plus exercising my favorite Miss Lass whenever requested. :)  Does anybody else have goals for this winter's schooling?...or summer's schooling if you live in the southern half of the world?

Rhapsody Goals

Rhapsody doing what she thinks she's best at...

It is being a rainy, cold week and Coach isn't feeling good, so I'm not going to make it out to the barn till Friday.  So then I am stuck inside trying to stay warm and making schemes for Friday instead!  :)

I am definitely going to catch Rhapsody again if I can.  I think if I take enough time to go slowly and follow her as much as I need to, it will work.  And that is what I want; I don't want her to get the idea that if she acts nutty and keeps running away, I will eventually let her alone.  She already has that idea all too firmly fixed in her little mind!

The main things I have in mind right now to work on with her are:

• Just accepting people, period.  Realizing we're not going to eat her up.  She's had very little work with people since she came back from the track and as a result she's very worried.
• Relaxing...see above goal!  She is so worried about everything but she tries so hard to be good. This will involve gentle desensitization and mostly a lot of rhythmic, relaxed attitude on my part.
• Learning to lunge and do basic groundwork.  Theoretically she knows some of this, but she is very tense throughout it all.  Though she leads fairly well, her groundwork is near nonexistent.
• Overcoming claustrophobia.  Loose rein/halter work both on the ground and under saddle, getting her to accept my legs and weight--both "static" and as cues--without freaking out.

I have no clue how long this will take and some of it depends on whether I can get over there frequently.  With winter coming on, I don't know how that will work.  After we've mastered those four goals I don't know what's next, either.  I've put her over poles under saddle before, and she is an absolute klutz; she's too hot for the kids, and so far too spooky for trails...well, hopefully we'll find something she likes and is good at!  Dressage maybe?  She has pretty good movement...

Then for Friday hopefully I can find someone to canter poles with.  Fringe maybe; it would be good for her to get back into some very basic jump work.  I started her on jumps but then the little kids took over and that was the end of that.  We could stand having another jumper around and she is really a natural. 

Sometimes....(random wanderings)

(If I rode in this I would think myself in heaven, no joke.  You mean we could jump even after it's rained for two days straight?!  Impossible.) 

Very rarely, but sometimes, you get this kind of depression about riding...well I do. 

Nothing's going the way it's supposed to!

Why are my project horses not improving?

I haven't been able to jump in two weeks!

And the only two things I really really really want to do are (okay, 3 things)

1. Cross-country courses.  Don't care if it's in a proper event or not.  Just want to ride one! (Okay, preferably a dozen or so)
2. Jumping just in general
3. Training

Annnnddd okay I've done bits of all but the cross-country.  But things just aren't working the way I want them to work!

And I know it's foolish thoughts but it still happens...then I read a post like this or (most definitely) this and...

Ha ha!  It's not just me!  Oh hahaha, lol, I'm fine, the world is good, let's go get 'em!  Take a break?  Do something else?  Are you kidding?!?!

People are really strange, you know?  Myself included...