The 3-beat gait

This week's award for "most improved gait" : The canter. Do not worry, I still remember the days when T-Bone's canter was rushed, a little hollow and somewhat unbalenced. The difference now is truly astounding to me. He now has a balanced canter reliable and solid transitions. And, in recent weeks we have really started working on collected canter. T-Bone's talent for this just floors me. It took him a mere week to figure it out. Now all I have to do is squeeze with my legs, half halt a couple of times and the horse literally canters on the spot. He is so animated and it's the coolest feeling! Yesterday's lesson we started to introduce the canter-to-walk transition. (this means NO trot steps at all). This is a border-line upper level movement, simply because of the amount of collection required to perform this. I wouldn't say we nailed any transitions that would score a 7 or 8, but for the first tries T-Bone did really well. His best gait is definately the canter and collection comes easy for him. woo hooo! I need to start incorporating more counter canter into my work, so that we can start to prepare for flying changes.
We also worked on more lateral work, which is starting to get more difficult. Travers on the wall is no problem at all - but ask us to do it down the center line - total disaster! ugh. Need to work on that. It's good to see where the holes are now, tho, so they can be fixed and you are better off down the road. He needs to be quicker off my leg for half pass too, we seem to make it to the center line and then it sort of "dies off".
I'm off to ride and work on more of the above. Maybe I'll write a non-dressage post later on. Sure to be much more interesting then lateral work. Maybe.

A creature of habit

More excellent work from T-Bone today. I havn't had a lesson in weeks (been really busy with my work schedule switching around), but I've been working on the same movements and developed a really nice routine. I think having the same routine each day gives T-Bone some comfort and confidence. Shoulder-in especially has gotten much better - rarely does he hollow when I ask anymore. Same with travers (which never really was a problem for him) ... and halfpass is really starting to develop. I love how working on the more difficult movements has instantly improved the easier things - like leg yielding and general cadence. Working on half-steps before doing any canter work helps tremendously with the collection. I have a lesson Nov. 24 and I hope my instructor is pleased with our progress and we can get additional homework to add to the equation.
T-Bone just moved into a new field and is now living with about 6 or 7 other horses. He hasn't lived outdoors in a big group since he was 2 years old. He has a few "battle scars", but not bad. It looks like he'll fit in just fine. He's smart, and knows that the rest of the horses are indeed bigger than him. lol. It's great to see how his attitude has changed since living outdoors. He is so much more laid back (he was in the first place), and rarely has his "trantrums" anymore where he screams and bolts at random times. lol. This could also be due to a saddle that correctly fits now. Or a combo of both. But he has such a good attitude about work now - even when the movements get tough, he just goes along with it and tries his best. It's great. I'm so lucky to have him.
And a mental note: I really need to worm the horse. Geez. A trip to TSC is in order this week for wormer. Must. Worm. Horse.
Peace out!

Time to twiddle the thumbs

In my opinion, a horse is the animal to have. 1100 pounds of raw muscle, power, grace, and sweat between your legs - it's something you just can't get from a pet hamster.

My life feels a little ... static right now, as it's come to that point in the year when horse shows have been over for a little while and I'm now feeling a little useless with nothing to prepare for. This summer was insane ... T-Bone and I went to at least one event (show/clinic) a month, sometimes more. The past couple of months were great to recover and regroup, but now I'm itching to get out again. But I can't ... because it's Indiana. And nothing happens in the winter. Ah well. I think if I went back and rad old blogs I would probably be saying the same thing during November. All I can do is stay focused on reaching our goals for next season (showing solid 1st/breaking into 2nd level). Plus, I guess I have other things in my life to distract me so I that I don't obsess over the angle of my shoulder-in for days on end. Winter is time for me to be a normal gal for once ... you know, and fret over things like boys, my job, friends, and what I'm going to do Friday night. I'm playing more guitar again, which has done wonders in lifting my spirits. Open mic may be in the future - who knows. It's been some time since I've played in front of an actual audience .. that is, if you count peeps at the Silver Dollar (RIP!) an audience. (Which is exactly what made it great). I'm also making efforts to get rid of my debt ... in preparation for the future when I want to purchase a house. I promised myself that if I could pay off at least half my credit card by Feb or March, I would buy myself a used waverunner at the end of next summer. This may be counterproductive, but I consider a waverunner to be a "stable" debt you know, like my truck payments. lol.
Well, I've written a pointless novel here. I do apologize. Maybe more mind-vomit to come within the next few days. Peace!


Today's lyrics:
Run now get away from me
if I can get my grip I'll pull you down
into the hell I call my head
you'll never get away
I sit down in my ugly place
and build walls out of fragments
from my past of all the people that I needed and loved that walked away

Half pass, check.

Do you ever have those days when you finally put together all the little pieces of work from the past few months and it actually works?
Today I did.
T-Bone was in such good frame of mind today, that I could basically work on anything I wanted. After warming up and doing some collected canter, I worked a little on half steps. We had only been asking for a little bit up until now, and of course it was confusing - I mean basically you are telling the horse to stop and go at the same time. Well today, he did it! It finally clicked! It's still just in the baby stages, as I have to ask him for half steps by doing turn on the haunches in the trot - this sort of forces him to collect and trot on the spot. But it was way cool!
I decided to leave half steps alone after that ... and moved on to half pass. (at the trot) I always start out doing shoulder in, circle at E, then travers to warm up. After I feel the lateral movements are going well, I picked a long side ... started shoulder-in and then I asked "Would you move sideways?" (with the appropriate aids of course, wouldn't it be nice if you could just vocally ask for the movements? haha!) ... and he did! I was watching in the mirror and was astonished to see a lovely half-pass. I only asked him to half pass from the wall to the quarter line, immediately dropped the reins and said "good horse!" and finished on that. My instructor happened to be watching too and was so tickled. I was so proud of my horse. I still can't believe what progress we've made since August.
That's all me gots for today. Peace!

Over the river and through the woods

Finally, I have a few moments to reflect on Sunday's trail ride. This week has been SO busy that I havn't been able to wrap my mind around much.
Anyway, the state park we went to was about an hour drive from the farm. We packed 7 horses into the trailer and off we went. T-Bone was an angel and loaded right up, having never been on a trailer of this size before - especially not one full with other horses.
We arrived safe and sound and unloaded. I went ahead and tied T-Bone to the hitching post thing "just to see" ... and was really impressed that he stood there like he does this everyday! I was expecting him to be nervous, looking around, ancy ... nope. A couple of people commented on how quiet he was. If only they could have seen him two years ago! His confidence and serenity now is a result of putting all that mileage on him. Finally, it's starting to pay off.
Once everyone was tacked up, we walked around for a bit and T-Bone was right off the bat incredibly relaxed and mellow. For a second I thought maybe I had the wrong horse. haha! And off we went into the woods. The scenery was gorgeous, and while we did spend a good time walking and enjoying the park - I'd say we mostly trotting and galloped like hooligans - scaring other trail riders off the trail and resulting in VERY tired horses at the end of the ride. All the hills I am sure made for a good workout for the horses. It's pretty cool how your dressage training pays off on the trails too. Our horses were by far the most obedient bunch, and during our galloping rampages - sometimes you had to make sharp turns around a tree or whatnot. No problem - just half half, add some leg, and T-Bone bends around the tree without a hitch. It really makes you feel a lot safer knowing that your horse is able to listen to you and not just fling himself around trees. Oh - we jumped a few logs too! Perhaps T-Bone has some eventer in him? He was afraid of NOTHING.
Even tho the other horses were all draft horses or draft crosses and larger than T-Bone, we not only kept up with the group but ended up way out in front for a while with a couple of other "speed demons." It was pretty cool. We were both tired at the end, and I've given him Tues, Wed and Thurs off to let his muscles recover.
Well I'm off to go ride now ... I think I'll make it an easy day. Peace out!

**
Today's quote: "It seems only yesterday I used to believe
there was nothing under my skin but light.
If you cut me I could shine.
But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,
I skin my knees. I bleed." -- Billy Collins

By the way, the rest of the videos for Randy Pausch can be found at YouTube

The last lecture of Randy Pausch 1

Another video not horse or dressage-related, but truly nspirational. This is Randy Pausch, and he is dying of pancreatic cancer. This is his last lecture he gave to a university class. Watch it, it's worth it.