AIKEN DAY 2: A lesson with one of the Greats

AIKEN DAY 2: TUESDAY

We had an easy morning after feeding the boys in the morning. So we (naturally) found ourselves exploring some of Aiken and accidentally wound up in a couple of tack stores. And by accidentally I mean we googled locations and found they were mere miles from another another.

I didn't do too much damage but did get a bucket hanger, socks, a ground feeder because I forgot one, and polos. Aiken Tack Exchange was probably my favorite. They had a massive warehouse of used tack. You name it, they probably had it.

The Alley in downtown Aiken

We also hit up Dover later in the week, and drove by a FITS outlet store which I did not dare go in.

Clearly, the equestrians are a HUGE part of the economy down here. It is fantastic!

It was also not uncommon to see horse trailer traffic anywhere you went. Horses and riders skip around farm to farm and you can get anywhere in about 15 minutes.

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Three of us had lessons with JS in the early afternoon. Hampton and I were up first, and I WISH I had a way to write down everything he said to us as he was saying it. It was such valuable information, such thoughtful theory on his understanding of the horse as an animal.

He had a very calm, thoughtful approach to training and thinking your way through issues. Also, he was adorably profain. Hampton worked his ass off. Jumping Branch did not have a "real" dressage ring, so we just rode out in the field which was a great change of pace. That's something I wouldn't do at home, because the ground is often hard, rutted, or too damn muddy. But the ground in Aiken is this lovely sand, so even out on the grass it was nice footing and Hampton had no issues with it.

We worked a lot on helping Hampton to really rotate his pelvis under and bend his hocks. It it more difficult for him that other horses because his front legs are a tick shorter than his hind legs, making him perpetually croup-high. This conformation is very desirable for horses who gallop as a career. But, in the words of JS: "It is a dressage conundrum."

Horses "pull" three ways. (And technically, horses do not pull at all. they push at the bit. They push the breast collar of a harness, etc.)

1) Outward - this is ok, and many times desirable depending on your horse and what you are doing.
2) Upward - also at times not a problem. You can work with it.
3) Down. The worst of the three. Guess which one Hampton does. lol.

Riding in short sleeves was glorious!

We schooled quite a bit of haunches in at the canter on a big circle as well. Using this positioning to force Hampton to balance himself. Then, I rev the engine with my seat ("Push at him") and inside leg. of he tips down, he gets either a down transition or back into haunches in. A lot of this was very complimentary from what I worked on with Lauren a couple of months ago. If he tips down, drop him and then say 'No sir" and correct. Do not keep halt halting and trying to lift him up. You cannot raise the forehand. But you CAN lower the croup.

Here are some other tidbits collected from lessons with JS both from my lesson and from the others in the group (which included a couple of young OTTBs with some normal young OTTB issues):

• What is work? different for each horse. You could lunge for an hour and horse could not be tired. So, that's not work for him.
• Contact is long term dialogue with the bit
• Work out the tension, don't try to "relax it." make the tension muscles tired. Does not make horse's more fit, make them learn to use the right muscles
• The witching hour: dusk. When wildlife come out. Horses might be more difficult to ride 
• Down transitions are proof of your collection over time
• Put all your eggs in the up transitions at first
• Jigging is avoidance of the work
• Treat tense, spooky horse like a criminal. Ask them "Oh yeah? what are you avoiding?'
• The walk is proof of your training
• "As far as my work goes, if my work doesn't create relaxation, then my work is wrong"
• Teach walk to canter on a 10m circle. If horse trots, keep him on the circle. When he canters go straight.
• Rider controls the tempo
• Horse's back should be like a guitar string. Not too floppy (or you cannot sit on it), but with some positive tension. 

There was also a lot of advice on how we all need to stop making excuses.

Listening to one of the greats. He had all the eventers looking super!

All of us make excuses for our horses.

"Oh my horse can't show at this showgrounds. He doesn't like it here. He spooks here" etc

"Oh I'm going to avoid this arena because Red spooks/bolts/bucks here."

"Oh his back hurts so that's probably why he is sucked back so I will stop riding now"
"Oh he doesn't like this bit/saddle/girth/saddle pad/footing/side of the arena/star alignment"

I loved his no bullshit approach. Quite making excuses. Your horse should do what you ask really no matter what (within his skill level of course). 

THEN second guess yourself after the day's ride. Reevaluate after the ride.

Don't back off mid ride with an excuse  This creates spoiled horses and behavioral issues. I just LOVED LOVED LOVED this. We all need reminded at times.

Royale and Liz rode during the witching hour and Royale was a star!

We were all tired and yet fired up after our lessons. So inspiring to have instruction from such a world class trainer. He was easily one of the most intelligent trainers I have ever taken a lesson with. His theory made sense, and was so thoughtful and methodical. He really understands the horse both on an emotional level, and a biomechanic level. He never was upset or bothered by mistakes by either horse or rider.

After our rides we went to an AMAZING place to eat: Takosushi! Highly recommend and that is coming from me - a total food weirdo.

And of course the evening was topped off with more booze. :)

AIKEN Day 1: Travel

I had every intention of blogging at the end of each day of our adventure, but we were honestly so busy and having so much fun from 7 am - 10pm that I simply didn't have the energy.

DAY 1: MONDAY TRAVEL DAY

Our goal was to pull out of the farm driveway at 5:30 a.m., and I gotta say that getting 6 horses and 6 horse girls organized and loaded on time was an impressive feat. It wasn't without some drama, because horses, but we were Aiken bound!

The drive was thankfully uneventful, other than raining the entire way. Driving through the mountains is .... hairy ... at times. But beautiful. It took us about 9ish hours, but wasn't bad thanks to some great podcasts to pass the time. I recommend Dr. Death, Down the Hill and Dying for Sex. (Sensing a theme here hmmm)

We gave the horses several breaks to rest, and for us to pee and re-up on caffeine.

Guess who joined us!! Liz and Royale!

Pit stop

tunnels

Smokies

We ended up pulling into the gorgeous and peaceful Jumping Branch Farm sometime after 3 p.m. Sort of a long story, but Hampton and another stablemate ended up getting shod very shortly after we arrived because our farrier just happened to be in Aiken and the boys were about due so ...

Hampton at the end of the aisle getting shod. He was so good, although bewildered.

Aiken has a bunch of these dirt roads. Almost all of the farms are off such roads.

Hampton was probably wondering why we drove so long for a farrier appointment.

Some of the other gals went on an easy hack that afternoon, but I decided just to let Hampton rest. He had some muscle fatigue from the trailer ride and I noticed he was shaking some in the trailer so I felt like he should probably just chill. (He stopped trembling within 60 seconds of stopping) Plus, as the elder statesman of the group, he does not need to work out tension or nervousness. He settled in just fine.

oh Hai!

He liked the window accommodations

Plus the next day we had a big dressage lesson to rest up for!

A great thing about Jumping Branch is that they had small paddocks you could use, so Hampton got to at least spend the nights outdoors with stepbrother Royale.

Classic Hampton

We ended up back at our super cool AirBnB, had dinner, drank too much and crashed.

The AirBnB was a farm with resident horses and THIS THING

It was so cute!

A long day but a week of adventure awaits.

Fun with counter canter

Our first Second Level test.

I know some paths/programs/theories don't particularly like using counter canter in schooling (Stephen Peters is one), but I have always found it to be super helpful for a horse like Hampton who needs to loosen up his back behind the saddle and oscillate his hips.

A couple of these exercises were passed down to my instructor by Anne Gribbons and I have found them challenging for both myself as far as being precise and aware of the haunches, and a great way to get Hampton's lower back loosened up.

Second Level at the KHP!

Goals:

Straightness with NO swinging haunches. The counter canter should be the same as the true canter. Same balance and quality. Is your horse even in both reins?

Watch for:

Careful not to flex the horse's neck too far in the direction of the leading leg. A lot of people do this in an effort to keep the horse from swapping leads I believe. But all it does is destroy the straightness and throw the horse to the outside. Which he may still swap leads.

If your horse does swap leads, just calmly stop and restart. Not a problem.

You can start with 3 loops - which appears in second level

. (or First level has the one-looper)

Difficulty: Requires some collection but quite attainable.

Next up is the 4 loops serpentine.

Level of collection is more challenging here.

Add-on options:

Counter bend in the counter canter.

Simple change or Flying change so you remain on counter canter in all loops.

Add a halt on center line.

Difficulty: Ranging from challenging to oh shit that is hard.

And if you really want to test yourself, try 6 loops.

You are basically making half 10 meter circles down the centerline.

Add-on options:

Counter bend in counter canter (make sure haunches don't swing out)

Increase collection

Simple change in the middles, so you only do counter canter and never have a loop of true canter.

Flying changes to counter canter (at the Xs)

Can you counter bend in the counter canter? 

(Hampton threw in a few flying changes at first because duh that is easier)

This is excellent for making your changes precise, and keeps horse's attention because you turn the "wrong" way after the change.

Difficulty: Ranges from challenging to FML.

There's a bazillion ways to change these up to fit your horse's needs and current strength levels as well. Are your simple changes a little rough? Try a few steps of leg yield within the down transition. These are really good for the rider as well as it requires you are clear with your aids.

And remember to do a refresh with a forward canter down the long side!

Ya or nay on these types of posts?

The Curious (cribbing) Case of a Porkchop

I miss green grass and warm weather.

Hampton picked up cribbing about 4 years ago.

Since then he has been managed with ulcer preventative, the DARE collar and a rather humiliating muzzle. He can eat and drink freely with it, just not crib. When he's not in the muzzle he wears the collar which does a good job of deterring him, but not totally preventing it.

A few weeks ago something weird happened.

He stopped.

Like just. stopped. cribbing.

I was absolutely gobsmacked.

Everything looks like THIS right now

I mean I have tried every ulcer treatment, supplement, vitamin bullshit out there. We all know that curing cribbing is pretty rare.

But there he was. He would eat his grain and after obsessively licking the bucket, he would simply walk away. No cribbing session. Same when I brought him into a stall. (He lives outside 24/7 so is not in a stall often)

Nada.

Nothing changed.

He wasn't sick. I checked his teeth. Nothing seemed amiss.

For a second I thought I had FOUND the cure! By golly!

Then 2 weeks later I caught him standing at the fence. off the wagon. No longer sober.

Damn.

Goddammit

and that's the story of when Hampton tried to be sober and then relapsed.

Cool story, brah.

HorsePersonShip

I asked social media peoples a couple of questions this week.

How do you define good horsemanship?
What makes a good horseperson?
What makes a good rider?

Here are the responses:

"Patience and perseverance; educating oneself in the classical foundations of riding and applying that every time one is in the saddle."

"Empathy and kindness. Being under thousands of them day in and day out has taught me that horses are almost never actually malicious in their intent. They just are trying to explain what is going on in the only ways they are capable of. Trying to be empathetic - to understand what they are trying to say, and to try and relate and care for them in a species appropriate setting - that's all that really matters."

"Someone that can respond to the what they are given on and off the horse with compassion and knowledge"

"compassion, dedication, teachability"

"Conscientious. Puts the animal first, always. Can anticipate what will happen before it does, and therefore choose things that will have positive outcomes to build upon"

"I'll do a word association when I think of good horsemanship these words come to mind:
Care, knowledge, willingness to learn, work ethic, positive attitude, safe are just a few"

"Putting the needs of the horse first, always."

"The horse is first, always. If that's the star that guides you, you can't go wrong. Sometimes it sucks though, because horses can be heartbreakers."

"Passion"

"Good horsemanship is taking care of the horse when you’d rather not. Good horsemanship is paying attention to the animals needs before it really needs it. It’s putting your ego aside and doing what is best for your equine partner. It’s paying attention to herd dynamics, to being aware something is not quite right, to reading expression."

"Puts the physical, emotional, mental well being of the horse first. Makes the effort to acquire and use science based information regarding the above. Knows a well trained and mannered horse has the best chance of a decent life."

"Being an advocate for your horse, being able to help someone less knowledgeable without ridiculing them, and always ready to learn and listen. There is so much to learn, even if you disagree with someone."

"Listening to your horse."

"Achieving mutual respect"

"Listening to the horse above all else. A good rider needs to put hours and hours in the saddle with a solid trainer but cannot ever forget to be a horseman first and foremost."

I agree with all of these as I think most of us will.

but you know what I found interesting?

It was what was NOT said.

No one mentioned "wins all the blue ribbons' or "Only scores above 65%" or "never takes a rail" or "never has refusal' or "never falls off." Nothing about "has multiple national titles' or "competes at the Olympics" or "has the best tack."

And nothing about "rides only in accordance to such and such theory" or "shows FEI" or "has a bunch of clients."

Who takes better care of their horse? The competitive rider in Wellington who stables her horse only at the best barn with the best footing, and supervised turnout with boots and the most expensive tack OR the cowboy who has ranch horses who live out in the field, never wear blankets, work half the day sorting cattle but are in good condition and up to date on vet and farrier work.

My opinion? Both. 

My point? Quit your judging on how people ride and care for their horses. And I'm not innocent either. Honestly as long as it's not abusive, I could not care less how others choose to keep and ride their horses. It should be the horsemanship that matters. Not your discipline. Not what training system you choose to follow. (There many, even just within the dressage world.). Not if your horse lives in a stall, or outside, or a combination. 

If your horse is fed, has water, and up to date on vet/farrier checks they are more than likely doing just fine and there are PLENTY of horses that don't even get that much. Scores don't matter  - they do not reflect much except a 5 min test you rode - blue ribbons don't matter (I have seen plenty of abuse win blue ribbons). How many rails you pulled doesn't matter. The "level" you ride doesn't matter. Honestly step off your high horse. (ha). (That's another can of worms I might open)

What matters is a happy, healthy horse. Do you watch your horse's expression? 

Do you listen when they are sore or hurting? do you pain attention to their emotional state as well? How do they interact with their herd? How does change affect them? How do you handle it? 

As a rider, are you fair to your horse? I almost wrote "Are you making an attempt to improve?" but then thought, gosh, there it is again. JUDGEMENT. There are plenty of riders who feel no need to improve because their chosen discipline doesn't really require it. For example, weekend trail/pleasure riders. If your only goal is a fun relaxing few hours on the trail, fine! Like I said, just be fair and not abusive and it's all good. I don't care if your spine is properly aligned and the E+MC2 pounds of pressure in your right seatbone aligns with Jupiter. It doesn't matter.

(although I've seen a handful of hilljack trail riders making REAL DUMB decisions and those people I will still judge.)

And here's the other thing, don't judge yourself, either,  so harshly. I know it's hard not to. I need to do a post in more detail. 

__

Are you a partner and protector for your horse? 

That would be how I define horsemanship. A protector. An advocate. A partner (if you ride, drive, or otherwise interact with your horse regularly.

how do you define horsemanship?

Is there a distinction between a horseperson and a "good rider.?"

Wordless week: Around the farm

I got nuthin' as far as riveting blog content at the moment. So here are some recent photos from around the farm and daily life with Hampton. :)

Piaffing it

does this bridle make my jowls look big? 

Barn cat Pippin follows me around all morning when I do chores

Why is their gravel on your nose.
(I promise he hasn't been doing rails of coke)

Nope it's not the bridle. Just massive hamster cheeks.

Buckley very busy

Hunter. A classic Stage 5 clinger.

I'm not Barbara Walters, and this is 2020

Our traditional New Year's Day ride was a nice one this year. It was close to 50 degrees and sunny. We did a little schooling and then went on a hack around the farm. I can remember some previous New Years rides where it has been frozen tundra cold so I will take this!

And we are now less than 2 months away from our trip to Aiken. I'm not sure when the appropriate time is to freak out and develop anxiety over this/ Feb. 1 maybe?

I body clipped the porkchop as well. We both lived through that process. The motor on my clippers starting going in and out so it wasn't the best clip job but oh well.

nekked

We are just plugging away here! I sincerely enjoy the day to day training and time I spend with Hampton. He needs his hocks done soon, but has otherwise been feeling great.

I'm not sure on 2020 goals yet. Or if I want to set any in stone. Regionals are on my radar at I-1 and I-1 freestyle, but with horses you always write things in pencil right? .

I DO know that I want to take more photos! I got a new lens for my good camera so I am going to put it to use. I'm also focusing more on my own strength and fitness.

But really if you have your health (and your horse's health), you have everything.

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