"Paint me, like one of your French girls."
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
Over achiever ... err reacher.
Thank you to those who commented about the foot issue. There were many excellent points I had not considered.
Here is what I believe is going on.
A few weeks ago, Hampton went pretty lame. I forgot to post a follow up about that. Doh. Anyway, he had over reached and sliced his heel bulb up pretty good. After a few more days of treating that, and a new pair of no-turn bell boots, he was sound again.
Hampton has always been an over-reacher. He has long legs, and a short back. He is built to over reach. That will always be an issue. After he was shod, he kept over reaching of course and I believe that he has been chronically bruising his heels now that his hind feet have shoes. He likely has some deep bruising, which is why some days he would rather I not pick up his feet and handle them.
Today I picked out all 4 feet and he was he usual, cooperative self. So that made me feel a little better. I did have treats in my back pocket though - just in case!
(It seems the horses at the farm are on a crosstying strike as Hampton is the 4th or 5th horse to break out of them in the past week.)
Last week his farrier did adjust the breakover on his front feet to help him with the over reaching issue. It did help, but did not get rid of the problem.
I bought him a lovely pair of Professional's Choice ballistic over reach boots. They seems pretty tough, and I'm going to give those a chance for a little while.
I have been looking at other types of over reach boots. There are mixed reviews. Some are no good for turn out because they ride up. Or turn. Or leave rubs on the horse. I have no problem spending the money on a pair of boots he can live in and that will not ride up or leave rubs. But some of them are upwards of $200. Jeezus.
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| Grab boots from Dover. Cheap, but no good for turnout. |
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| Review on these said they ride up. |
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| $200 but some reviews said they rub. |
Anyone have any suggestions? So far the ProChoice boots seem to be doing a good job.
I think in the end I am just going to have his hind shoes pulled. I had the hind shoes put on to see if it would help keep his back feet from wearing off so quickly - but perhaps he was actually doing himself a favor! The shoes helped, but now his hinds grow actual foot and make the over reaching worse.
Live and learn I suppose.
Hoping to get some new conformation shots this week. SOMEONE has gained some weight and is looking rather fly.
(hint, not me)
Sunday, May 19, 2013
If she shoe fits
Ever since Hampton got his shoes put on, he has been acting really strange about his feet.
There now have been 2 "incidents" that have concerned me.
About a week ago, I picked up his left front foot to pick it out. Almost immediately, he went down to his knee on the right front. I dropped the foot - thinking maybe he lost his balance. I went to pick it up again - same thing! Very, very weird. Picked out other feet no issue.
He was reshod on Tuesday.
Today, I go to pick up the right front. He keeps wiggling around and not letting me pick it up. VERY uncharacteristic of him. Eventually I got tired of bending over and when I stood up, I growled at him to knock it off. I did not hit him. I did not even raise my hand. He SHOT backwards, broke the crossties, broke his expensive halter and walked out the door. (Thankfully easily caught with a guilty look on his face).
WTF.
First off, he has always been a sweetheart about his front feet. He can get a little "snatchy" with his hinds, but has always been very agreeable. Secondly, this overdramatic breaking-the-cross-ties like an idiot made me furious at first (I didn't punish him as he seemed to have scared himself) and then concerned. Very out of character for him. I ended up taking him into his stall and then he gave me that hoof no problem.
He crosstied quietly like nothing had happened while we tacked up.
He is otherwise moving sound and feels great under saddle. (We even jumped today!)
But I can't help but wonder if something is going on?
On a positive note, I do have an excuse to buy him a new halter.
There now have been 2 "incidents" that have concerned me.
About a week ago, I picked up his left front foot to pick it out. Almost immediately, he went down to his knee on the right front. I dropped the foot - thinking maybe he lost his balance. I went to pick it up again - same thing! Very, very weird. Picked out other feet no issue.
He was reshod on Tuesday.
Today, I go to pick up the right front. He keeps wiggling around and not letting me pick it up. VERY uncharacteristic of him. Eventually I got tired of bending over and when I stood up, I growled at him to knock it off. I did not hit him. I did not even raise my hand. He SHOT backwards, broke the crossties, broke his expensive halter and walked out the door. (Thankfully easily caught with a guilty look on his face).
 |
| Wild, cross tie breaking beast back in November |
WTF.
First off, he has always been a sweetheart about his front feet. He can get a little "snatchy" with his hinds, but has always been very agreeable. Secondly, this overdramatic breaking-the-cross-ties like an idiot made me furious at first (I didn't punish him as he seemed to have scared himself) and then concerned. Very out of character for him. I ended up taking him into his stall and then he gave me that hoof no problem.
He crosstied quietly like nothing had happened while we tacked up.
He is otherwise moving sound and feels great under saddle. (We even jumped today!)
But I can't help but wonder if something is going on?
On a positive note, I do have an excuse to buy him a new halter.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
10 secrets to horseh success
Why do some people seem to remain perpetually at training level?
Why do some people regress?
Why do others make progress through the levels?
Take my ideas with a grain a salt. I am no George Morris. Or David O'Connor. I am just a typical, average adult amateur with a very average horse. On a below average budget.
1) Observation
Watch those who are successful. How do they train? How to they ride? Pick an idol and when you ride, try to ride like them. (I sometimes envision JJ Tate or Silva Martin when I ride. They look so quiet and elegant on a horse, and so I strive to ride like them. My right airplane ankle has other ideas but ... what can ya do ...) There are plenty of YouTube videos available. Watch them ride tests. Watch them train. Observe the little details - like how the highly successful riders are strict on details. Was that walk-trot transition behind the leg? They don't "let it go," they do it again until it is better.
2) Study
Read books. Watch videos. Audit clinics. I really like dressagetrainingonline.com and similar sites. The videos often focus on specific issues and apply to all levels from greenie to Grand Prix. TIP: Don't just watch the videos at your level. Watch the upper levels and see where you need to be next. I find this helps make sense of the exercises you are doing at the lower levels.
3) Experiment
If you never take risks, you won't make much progress. Schooling First and Second level? One day when you and your horse and feeling good, try a flying lead change. Try half pass. See what happens. So what if you mess up - the horse doesn't know it was a mistake. Or, you may surprise yourself!
4) It's ok to be ugly
Dressage people especially are so afraid of having ugly moments. Understandable, since the sport is all about harmony and the quest for perfection. But you have to start somewhere. Our first canter/walk transition was BAD. In fact our first everything was pretty bad. And these days our attempts at flying changes can get horrendous. But with time, and strength, it gets better. But if you never try, if you never push through the ugly - you never get to the pretty. Laugh it off. Keep trying. Reward good efforts.
5) Find quality instruction ....
I don't need to preach here about how difficult it is to find a good instructor. An instructor who clicks with your friend, may not click with you. A teacher who keeps you on a 20m circle for 45 minutes and tells you how great you are is not going to help you make progress. Unless you are Steffen Peters. Pick an instructor who has been where you want to go. For example, my current coach has trained her own horse through Grand Prix. She knows what it takes to bring a horse through the levels. If my goals were to get through Training Level eventing, I maybe would not pick her. She hasn't evented. So pick someone who knows how to get where you want to go.
6) ... and stick with a consistent program.
I was very bad about this with my previous horse, T-Bone. I jumped from clinic to clinic. Hoping SOMEONE would tell me how to ride this friggin horse. All that did was confuse both of us as each person had a different program. So we didn't make much progress at all. Yes it's fine to go to clinics, but following one program is likely to help you make progress easier and faster. Plus, it's less frustrating and confusing.
7) Back to the basics
Yeah, I know. This is an obvious one. If you do not establish the basics, then you will just end up practicing the "tricks" the wrong way. Practice does not always make perfect if you are practicing things wrong.
8) Have a friend take photos/video your riding, shows, lessons, etc.
Sometimes this can be a little difficult to watch, but I have found this to be highly beneficial. Especially since we don't have mirrors in our arena (if you do, USE THEM!). You will see yourself do things you didn't know you were doing, and how it affects your horse.
9) Put in the work
Trust me I know how hard it is to balance a full time job (with an extremely erratic work schedule) and riding. And I don't even have children to throw into the picture! But the fact of the matter is, if you want to make progress, you have to do the work. Riding once or twice a week really isn't going to cut it. If I had my way, I would ride 6 days a week, as many horses as I could throw a leg over. That is how you become a better rider. But riding my own horse 4-5 days a week is my typical schedule at the moment. Many people ride way less than that. And we all know how winter throws a wrench in riding. Over the winter, as long as the footing was good and it was not pelting ice in my face, I rode.
10) Treat your horse fairly.
This should probably be #1 on the list. While you should challenge yourself and your horse, you should always be fair. My typical rule is that Hampton is allowed to make a mistake 3 times. The fourth time he makes that mistake, I make a stronger correction. (the first few times I continue on no big deal ... give him the benefit of the doubt). You can't allow mistakes to continue or they become an evasion, but you have to be fair in that horses make mistakes in trying to figure out what you want. If your horse comes out stiff, be fair to him and maybe take it easy that day. Set him up for success.
Why do some people regress?
Why do others make progress through the levels?
Take my ideas with a grain a salt. I am no George Morris. Or David O'Connor. I am just a typical, average adult amateur with a very average horse. On a below average budget.
1) Observation
Watch those who are successful. How do they train? How to they ride? Pick an idol and when you ride, try to ride like them. (I sometimes envision JJ Tate or Silva Martin when I ride. They look so quiet and elegant on a horse, and so I strive to ride like them. My right airplane ankle has other ideas but ... what can ya do ...) There are plenty of YouTube videos available. Watch them ride tests. Watch them train. Observe the little details - like how the highly successful riders are strict on details. Was that walk-trot transition behind the leg? They don't "let it go," they do it again until it is better.
2) Study
Read books. Watch videos. Audit clinics. I really like dressagetrainingonline.com and similar sites. The videos often focus on specific issues and apply to all levels from greenie to Grand Prix. TIP: Don't just watch the videos at your level. Watch the upper levels and see where you need to be next. I find this helps make sense of the exercises you are doing at the lower levels.
3) Experiment
If you never take risks, you won't make much progress. Schooling First and Second level? One day when you and your horse and feeling good, try a flying lead change. Try half pass. See what happens. So what if you mess up - the horse doesn't know it was a mistake. Or, you may surprise yourself!
4) It's ok to be ugly
Dressage people especially are so afraid of having ugly moments. Understandable, since the sport is all about harmony and the quest for perfection. But you have to start somewhere. Our first canter/walk transition was BAD. In fact our first everything was pretty bad. And these days our attempts at flying changes can get horrendous. But with time, and strength, it gets better. But if you never try, if you never push through the ugly - you never get to the pretty. Laugh it off. Keep trying. Reward good efforts.
 |
| 2010. Our canter looked like this. Basically a train wreck. |
5) Find quality instruction ....
I don't need to preach here about how difficult it is to find a good instructor. An instructor who clicks with your friend, may not click with you. A teacher who keeps you on a 20m circle for 45 minutes and tells you how great you are is not going to help you make progress. Unless you are Steffen Peters. Pick an instructor who has been where you want to go. For example, my current coach has trained her own horse through Grand Prix. She knows what it takes to bring a horse through the levels. If my goals were to get through Training Level eventing, I maybe would not pick her. She hasn't evented. So pick someone who knows how to get where you want to go.
6) ... and stick with a consistent program.
I was very bad about this with my previous horse, T-Bone. I jumped from clinic to clinic. Hoping SOMEONE would tell me how to ride this friggin horse. All that did was confuse both of us as each person had a different program. So we didn't make much progress at all. Yes it's fine to go to clinics, but following one program is likely to help you make progress easier and faster. Plus, it's less frustrating and confusing.
7) Back to the basics
Yeah, I know. This is an obvious one. If you do not establish the basics, then you will just end up practicing the "tricks" the wrong way. Practice does not always make perfect if you are practicing things wrong.
8) Have a friend take photos/video your riding, shows, lessons, etc.
Sometimes this can be a little difficult to watch, but I have found this to be highly beneficial. Especially since we don't have mirrors in our arena (if you do, USE THEM!). You will see yourself do things you didn't know you were doing, and how it affects your horse.
9) Put in the work
Trust me I know how hard it is to balance a full time job (with an extremely erratic work schedule) and riding. And I don't even have children to throw into the picture! But the fact of the matter is, if you want to make progress, you have to do the work. Riding once or twice a week really isn't going to cut it. If I had my way, I would ride 6 days a week, as many horses as I could throw a leg over. That is how you become a better rider. But riding my own horse 4-5 days a week is my typical schedule at the moment. Many people ride way less than that. And we all know how winter throws a wrench in riding. Over the winter, as long as the footing was good and it was not pelting ice in my face, I rode.
 |
| Riding in the snow |
10) Treat your horse fairly.
This should probably be #1 on the list. While you should challenge yourself and your horse, you should always be fair. My typical rule is that Hampton is allowed to make a mistake 3 times. The fourth time he makes that mistake, I make a stronger correction. (the first few times I continue on no big deal ... give him the benefit of the doubt). You can't allow mistakes to continue or they become an evasion, but you have to be fair in that horses make mistakes in trying to figure out what you want. If your horse comes out stiff, be fair to him and maybe take it easy that day. Set him up for success.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Derby picks
I admit I am not really into horse racing all that much. All the stats and numbers just turn me off. I typically just pick my favorite based on how they look. :) Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It's all who decides to play the game and run that day anyway. No matter the numbers that back them.
This year my pick is
Revolutionary.
I like his bright expression, suggesting that maybe he gets a bit distracted sometimes.
But he also has a very Seattle-Slew-like look to him. I'd put money on him. If I had any.
My second pick is probably Verrazano.
In contrast, he appears very workmanlike - almost worried - in the photos I have seen of him. He strikes me as a real people pleaser. One who will keep trying and trying.
Both my picks are trained my Todd Pletcher.
Mostly, I just hope they all make it around safe.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
One lame beaver
So what do you want first? The bad news or the bad news?
Bad news first? ok!
So I lunged Hampton on Monday assess his soundness. He was glorious!! He was free, swinging and SOUND. I was looking forward to riding on Tuesday.
Tuesday I tack up and hop on. I go to trot and ....... LAME. Like the most lame he has ever been in his life. While riding, it felt like the right front but I wasn't sure. I hopped off and removed all of his boots. I checked his legs. No heat. No swelling. No cuts. No signs of scratches. He did not react at all to me touching his tendons, or picking his feet. So I untacked and put him back on the lunge. He was nearly sound going to the left. But going to the right, he was favoring the right front. No quite head-bobbing, but limping for sure. Very short strided. Argh. HORSE!!!
Checked him again today and he was maybe a touch better, but not much. It may have been my hope getting in the way. Again checked his legs. I may ... MAY have felt a little heat in his right front hoof but again I can't be sure. Again I poked and prodded and he did not react at all. His shoes were secure and have no moved or lost any nails. I examined his hooves closely for any sign of an abscess brewing. I could not find anything but I am no expert. All of his legs are cool and tight. He does still have that little scrape/puncture healing up but I don't think that's the problem.
I am going to give him the rest of the week off and see what happens. Perhaps he just tweaked himself out in the field? Could be an abscess. Could be something worse. Of course all of the possibilities have run through my head. If he is not better by Monday then I will call the vet (or if he gets worse).
Now for the bad news! :)
So the barn manager called me to inform me that Hampton has been eating the fence out in his field. She said that there are chew marks EVERYWHERE around his 20+ acre field. And he is getting the blame for all of it. The barn owner is very angry. We are going to try putting out more salt blocks (he will get a new one in his stall, too). And I am going to repaint the fence that has been chewed. If this does not work, he may have to wear a muzzle. Or he can be out 24/7 in the gelding field that has only electric tape around it. *sigh* I guess they were out watching to see who was chewing and Hampton was busted in the act. I certainly do not want to piss off the barn owner. The beast may have to be muzzled. Booo. Any tips on how to stop this? He has plenty, and I mean PLENTY of green grass to eat. He gets hay when he comes in for the day. I have no idea how long this has been going on. Nor do I really have any idea if it has been only him chewing on the fence.
So yeah it appears our dressaging is on hiatus for the moment. There is a pony type fellow at the farm I can hitch some rides on though. We'll see how the Hamps is doing next week.
In some GOOD news - I did get moved into a wonderful apartment. No more living out of my car! Boy did that reduce the stress in my life by about 80%.
And Happy Derby! (not going this year, but certainly drinking. lols)
Bad news first? ok!
So I lunged Hampton on Monday assess his soundness. He was glorious!! He was free, swinging and SOUND. I was looking forward to riding on Tuesday.
Tuesday I tack up and hop on. I go to trot and ....... LAME. Like the most lame he has ever been in his life. While riding, it felt like the right front but I wasn't sure. I hopped off and removed all of his boots. I checked his legs. No heat. No swelling. No cuts. No signs of scratches. He did not react at all to me touching his tendons, or picking his feet. So I untacked and put him back on the lunge. He was nearly sound going to the left. But going to the right, he was favoring the right front. No quite head-bobbing, but limping for sure. Very short strided. Argh. HORSE!!!
Checked him again today and he was maybe a touch better, but not much. It may have been my hope getting in the way. Again checked his legs. I may ... MAY have felt a little heat in his right front hoof but again I can't be sure. Again I poked and prodded and he did not react at all. His shoes were secure and have no moved or lost any nails. I examined his hooves closely for any sign of an abscess brewing. I could not find anything but I am no expert. All of his legs are cool and tight. He does still have that little scrape/puncture healing up but I don't think that's the problem.
I am going to give him the rest of the week off and see what happens. Perhaps he just tweaked himself out in the field? Could be an abscess. Could be something worse. Of course all of the possibilities have run through my head. If he is not better by Monday then I will call the vet (or if he gets worse).
Now for the bad news! :)
 |
| Hampton now a beaver |
So the barn manager called me to inform me that Hampton has been eating the fence out in his field. She said that there are chew marks EVERYWHERE around his 20+ acre field. And he is getting the blame for all of it. The barn owner is very angry. We are going to try putting out more salt blocks (he will get a new one in his stall, too). And I am going to repaint the fence that has been chewed. If this does not work, he may have to wear a muzzle. Or he can be out 24/7 in the gelding field that has only electric tape around it. *sigh* I guess they were out watching to see who was chewing and Hampton was busted in the act. I certainly do not want to piss off the barn owner. The beast may have to be muzzled. Booo. Any tips on how to stop this? He has plenty, and I mean PLENTY of green grass to eat. He gets hay when he comes in for the day. I have no idea how long this has been going on. Nor do I really have any idea if it has been only him chewing on the fence.
So yeah it appears our dressaging is on hiatus for the moment. There is a pony type fellow at the farm I can hitch some rides on though. We'll see how the Hamps is doing next week.
In some GOOD news - I did get moved into a wonderful apartment. No more living out of my car! Boy did that reduce the stress in my life by about 80%.
And Happy Derby! (not going this year, but certainly drinking. lols)
Monday, April 29, 2013
Rolex wrap-up
Here are a few competitive horse prancing photos I took on Friday:
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| Wise Requestrian Master Rose. I really liked this pair's slow, relaxing warm-up. |
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| Mary King after her dressage test. |
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| Mary King's groom takes Fernhill Urco back. |
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| This Great Dane was very interested in the little yapper dog. |
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| I think this is Becky Holder coaching. |
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| The Master. |
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| William Fox Pitt warmed up Chilli Morning slowly and calming. |
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| drool |
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| Putting DQs to shame |
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| Last minute fixes |
Saturday was a really fun time. The boy came along (I assured him there was plenty of beer ...). We had a fun time walking around and he especially enjoyed making fun of the pretentious, overpriced Dubarry booth. (I joined in on the mocking but if I had that much disposable income you bet I'd purchase a pair! lol! However I really love my super comfy, well worn Dublins thank you!)
I did not purchase one thing! (except a bloody mary). I did find some OK deals, and even found one double bridle but the leather seemed really crappy so I decided to just hold out. I didn't really have the money to buy anything anyway so no big deal. Was fun to try out fancy saddles though!
The horses and riding were breathtaking, as expected. I was disappointed that we did not have an American higher than fourth but maybe next year?
I got a few crappy photos.
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| Head of the Lake |
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| At the sunken road |
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| I think this was Daniel Clasing and Houston |
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| Cliche cheesy photo with Bruce Davidson statue (with my barn buddy Nicole who also joined us) |
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| Big ol' brush fence |
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| I think this was Hawley and Gin n' Juice FLYING over this fence. |
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| HUGE up bank. |
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