AIKEN DAY 5: Into the woods

AIKEN DAY 5: FRIDAY

One of the big reasons I decided to make this trip was because I wanted to go to Hitchcock Woods. While our plans changed and evolved over the week, this was one activity I made sure was going to happen.

Stolen from Liz. .... NERDS.

While the eventers stayed behind to school some more XC, Hampton, Royale, Liz and myself made the short trip to Hitchcock Woods for a lovely morning of trail riding.

It's just as beautiful and perfect as everyone says it is.

Lovely sand footing. No bugs. No trees hitting me in the face. Pretty much the perfect place to trail ride. (I'm sure the bugs probably return in the summer tho)

We rode for about 2.5 hours and really only covered maybe an 8th of the property. The trails were really well marked, so while we did accidentally trespass on someone's driveway at one point, we did not get lost and that is impressive for us. haha.

We did come up on the kennels for the hunt hounds. And saw one lady dressed to the NINES in her fox hunting gear (Barbour coat and all). It was so neat! they let the hounds out int he woods a couple days a week and have plenty of signs warning you and what times they will be out. I bet the hunting through the woods is just f-ing fantastic. There are so many jumps - 3, 4, 5 horses could jump together over some of them.

Memorial gate

The boys were really well behaved of course. My ONLY regret is that I wish we had a second day to explore more of the woods. Next time!

Horse show grounds

It was just so peaceful and horse friendly and everything you dream of for ideal trail riding.

Photo by Liz

We headed back to meet up with the other gals for an afternoon watching the Grand Prix Eventing Showcase at Bruce's Field. What a cool venue! We unfortunately missed the dressage, but got there in time for the show jumping. For the first time all week the temperature was FREEEEZING. Even though it was still supposedly 50 degrees I was COLD and had to sit in the truck during the break to warm up. hahaha. But still a fun time and so cool to watch some of the country's top eventers!

Bruce's Field

I assume this was probably the last jump on the XC course

Boyd

It was an early night for us since we had the long drive back home in the morning. I was both exhausted and totally in love with Aiken. I thought we were spoiled in KY as far as horse country, but Aiken is rider's country. It is infested with horse people.

Our drive back was thankfully uneventful and all the horses and people are home safe and sound which is the most important. I'll be back for sure. In what capacity I don't know. Maybe permanently some day. I loved it THAT much.

But for now, we do our homework! Show season is creeping up on us.

Saturday sunrise at Jumping Branch before we left

AIKEN DAY 4: Threading the hind legs

AIKEN DAY 3: THURSDAY


We had a lesson scheduled for the afternoon so Liz and I hit up downtown Aiken again in the morning. We hit up New Moon cafe which was DELIGHTFUL and is a total hippie joint which made my heart sing.

We also spent a little time in the Antique mall which had some super cool shit. But also, some things that reminded us we were indeed in the deep south.

---------

Another barn friend with her OTTB joined Hampton and I on the short trip over to an ADORABLE farm owned by trainer SD. She came recommended to us through a friend and I have to say, it was our best ride of the week.

Her teaching reminded me so much of JJ Tate. Very methodical, purposeful and easy to understand for the horse. She was a very classical teacher. Plus she had GGT footing which is basically HEAVEN to ride on. Hampton LOVED it. Best footing ever it is amazing.

When can I go back???

I went in with the same request as I did with Jeremy. I don't care about the tricks or movements, I need help with the engagement and lowering the coup overall. 

After an easy warmup, she started working with us on threading the hind legs. This exercise is very similar to what JJ had us do several years ago, but on a less dramatic level.

Threading the hindlegs is what is sounds like. Put the inside hind leg under the body. Then the outside hing leg under the body. It's all about positioning. (If you want more clarity for your horse, you can do haunches in to shoulder in)

Hampton lowering his croup. :)

Any time he tipped down, he got a transition and a turn on the haunches with sometimes a reinback thrown in within the TOH. Any time he popped his croup in the air he got a down transition as well.

At first we were doing A LOT of transitions. It's also OK for me to ride him up off the bit for a while.

 There was never any rough-ness, just methodical explaining to the horse that no, we keep our croup down now mister. And because he is built croup-high, both of us are going to have to work  harder than other pairs at lowering the croup. Just how it is!

Hampton just kept getting better and better! We worked in the trot toward the end of the lesson and he was swinging through his body and lifting his shoulders. I know he didn't look like Valegro but he felt like it! After he becomes lighter and up in the shoulders, then you start to add power. My abs were BURNING.  

Also, I need to shorten my reins. SHORTEN THEM KAREN.

We also experimented with tapping him behind my leg, or on the shoulder as well. He responded best to a tap on the shoulder and that was less likely to make his croup bounce. He worked so hard and I had a different horse at the end of that lesson. Even though it's nothing "new" per se, sometimes it just takes a fresh set of eyes and different words.

I really enjoyed her instruction and next time I make an Aiken trip I plan on spending at least a week training with her. It was just what I needed to leave inspired with excellent homework.

.... annnnd the day ended with more great food and booze. 

AIKEN DAY 3: A little easy

AIKEN DAY 3: WEDNESDAY

Wednesday ended up being more of an easy day for us.

In the morning, we loaded up Hampton and his barnmate to hop on over to the gorgeous Hopeland Farms. They had a standard arena they very generously let us use for about an hour. Both of us were able to get our freestyles on video.

Hampton was ok. I could tell he was tired from Tuesday, and the footing was very tacky. So, the video is not great. Most def would not get a 60% with what is on the video but it's not a huge deal I just need it to set the music too. Hampton can't be a super star every day ya know. He did get some robaxin after that ride. And I had some Advil. We were both a little sore and drained.

Hampton and his new 3 year old OTTB buddy. Hamp has a great time bossing him around.

In the afternoon, the eventers went out schooling at Jumping Branch. Hampton and I just supervised. I am still gun shy about jumping him after he went really lame after the little mini trial we did in the fall. Plus after working that morning, a leisurely hack was quite appropriate.

Our group rolling out to the XC fields at Jumping Branch

We cheered on our eventer friends and took in the scenery. There was 8 of us out there and not a single horse acted up. Not too shabby.

Our entire group! Can't believe all the horses stood still

After the ponies were fed and turned out for the night, we enjoyed a lovely evening at the BnB and more booze.

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.

--

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.