Lesson Time

This has been one heckuva week, trying to plan work and personal lives around a day playing hooky to take a riding lesson in a town (theoretically) 2.5 hours away.

On Wednesday, 11/9/11, we loaded up the horses in time for an 8 am departure from Sebastopol to our Colleen Kelly lesson in Gilroy which is, according to Mapquest, 2 hours and 22 minutes away. Mapquest has apparently never made the trip anywhere near the vicinity of commute hour. We made good time until we hit Oakland at a little before 9 a.m.. Supposedly this is after the morning commute, but somebody forgot to notify the rest of the automotive community, and we did a slow crawl all the way south to San Jose and the merge with 101. Three hours later we arrived at Rancho Ruiz just north of Gilroy, still well in advance of our appointed hour of 1 pm. for our lesson. The weather in the North Bay has been brisk and cool, so we wore our winter clothes, but in Gilroy it seems that Indian Summer is lingering and the temp hit the 80s. The horses have their full winter coats and we were in long sleeves so it was a very warm day indeed! But the facility is really beautiful, designed by an architectural team from Oregon specializing in stable/landscape design. I think I may have found my dream job! Check out Equinearchitecture.com.

The horses had taken the trip very well--we love our ponies! I have gotten Cowboy a slow-feed hay bag as he can go through a haybag in record time, and he definitely does not appreciate the gesture. The small openings in the bag cause him to slow down his consumption and it caused him some consternation. We caught him pulling his tie rope through his Blocker tie ring and sneaking around the trailer to steal Dexter's hay. But they were nice and relaxed and happy in their surroundings, which certainly made the lesson a better experience.

Laura got her lesson on Dexter first. Her concern was Dexter's odd "skipping" gait and his reluctance to move forward. Colleen's focus is on "rider biodynamics" so she assessed Laura's riding posture first, and then moved on to Dexter's movement. What I mostly got from the lesson is that we are way over-analyzing the horse issues and sometimes you just have to get after them a bit. Colleen did emphasize tapping the horse's shoulder, not the rump, to get the horse to move out, and soon Dexter was moving nicely forward in response to the tapping. Colleen is from Australia and is very extroverted--she pointed out that at one point Dexter discovered that he has a butt, and that now he must use it! I'll say one thing--this is really a one-hour workout and you get your money's worth.

After Laura and Dexter were done, it was time for Cowboy and me to take our turn. My concerns were that Cowboy is my tenth horse, and that makes 10 horses I've owned that work off the forehand rather than the hind end, and maybe it is not the horse that is the cause of my never achieving a flying lead change. I was also concerned about his saddle fit issues and what I may be doing to contribute to it. Colleen focused on the flying lead changes and assured me that we would achieve it that day. Wow! After 40 years of trying....She also went into some detail about the bit I was using (a thick French link mouthpiece recommended and sold by Parelli)--apparently this is a popular bit with larger horses with wide mouths, but not appropriate for smaller mouths (she referrred to Cowboy's mouth as a "teacup" mouth), and recommends a very inexpensive loose-ring sweet iron snaffle sold by Stateline Tack. Cowboy does tend to fuss a lot with the French link bit, and I do have another bit very similar to the Stateline bit that I intend to try when I have 5 free minutes. Then she recommended abandoning the rope reins in favor of leather (much easier to make subtle adjustments), and then we shortened my stirrups A LOT. She had me trot and canter along the rail, and disengage the hindquarters so that we were moving diagonally across the arena toward the opposite rail. I would have sworn we had this move down, but it was way harder than I would have thought and we kept getting crooked. To correct this, she had us go off the diagonal into a circle--not an intuitive move, but designed to get the correct bend and flexibility. The idea was that when we reached the opposite side, we would do a fairly fast change of direction, so that if we were moving from right to left diagonally across the arena, when we reached the left fence, we would start circling to the right--forcing a lead change from left to right. Sounds good in practice but really hard to do! I kept getting my hands too high so what with correcting my hand height, the newly shortened stirrups, and continued crookedness, we never did achieve a flying lead change, but boy did I learn a lot. I have a western saddle, and I kept getting the reins snagged on the horn. I was not adjusted to the short stirrups, so when Cowboy would slow down abruptly I felt I was going to catapult over his head. But, the fact that she was asking to accomplish so much actually made me feel much better about my riding ability since she would not have been asking for these fairly complex moves if she didn't think we were capable of achieving them. After an hour of this, Cowboy and I were both dripping sweat (did I mention the temp was in the 80's?). We were allowed to set up a video camera so there is a clip from the video here. (I had to compress the file to upload so it looks like the quality is seriously compromised). One useful bit of info that Colleen imparted is that the preferred libation for riding is gin and tonic rather than beer as the gin and tonic tastes good even when warm and the beer does not! Who knows what you will learn at these events.....I also got caught red-handed (red-footed?) in my relentless and mindless kicking of my horse. Feedback--DO NOT kick your horse with your heel! One nudge with the mid-calf or with the knee, and if you don't get a response, go to the crop/whip. The horse should respond to leg pressure, and if you keep after them with the leg, it is just annoying nagging.

We were pretty tired as we headed out just before 4 pm and put out good thoughts for a speedy trip home. Alas, not to be. We got onto Hwy 880 at San Jose and immediately traffic slowed to a crawl. This continued, with speeds mostly at 5 mph with occasional bursts of dizzying 35 mph, all the way up the East Bay until just before the Richmond-San Rafael bridge almost 3 hours later, when we finally got clear roadways. We had left the trailer windows open so the horses could get maximum air flow and were praying that we would not have 2 horses suffering from exhaust fume poisoning by the time we got home. They took the whole trip in stride (did I mention that we love our tolerant ponies?) and we finally pulled into the driveway at just after 8 pm.

Since we got back it has been nonstop work, but it is now Friday night and although I still have work to do, I don't have any appointments and it isn't supposed to rain tomorrow, so I am crossing my fingers that over the weekend I can try to put to use what I learned on Wednesday.

Been awhile...

It's been busy and I'm surprised to see just how long it's been since the last post. Plenty of work (mixed blessing)

Still working on the saddle fit but with the help of the Parelli saddlemakers, there are vast improvements. Some subtle changes in the shimming pattern and paying more attention to the way I ride have at least stopped the rubbing and he seems to have more back and shoulder freedom. Saddle still seems to sink in the front and wobble in the back though...but the horse seems happier and I'm not getting many offers to buck anymore.

Yesterday we hit the trail to try avoid the terrible rain we heard was coming today. Ironically, it did not rain today but it poured late yesterday. Laura even forced me to get up early to get a head start to beat the weather. It was pretty cool and we got some sprinkles but we did get pretty lucky with the weather. I don't know if it's the change of seasons or something else, but the wildlife was out in force at Pt Reyes yesterday. We were met in the parking lot by a heron who apparently was looking for the Morgan Horse ranch.

There were also deer hanging around, which didn't used to be unusual but a couple years ago there was a movement to eliminate the non-native white and spotted deer, and since then, deer have been in short supply. They were back yeaterday, though, and we even spotted one of the lucky white deer escapees on our way back at the end of the ride.

We kept our eyes open for bobcats and coyotes, which we have spotted before and always like to see, and hoped we didn't spot any of the larger carnivores that live in the park (here kitty, kitty, kitty...). No sightings though, and it it was an uneventful ride to Horse Camp. Horse Camp closes for camping at the end of October, to Cowboy's relief. During the camping season, it's a bustle of activity and the hubbub gives Cowboy the vapors. Thankfully, all was very quiet and we rode through with a minimum of drama. We did spot a doe napping on a knoll in the middle of camp as we headed toward the restrooms, which we were hoping were open but were padlocked shut. But as I was checking out that situation, Laura spotted a fox lounging about behind the bathrooms. This was a new event--we know there are foxes locally, including some that live in our backyard, but we have never actually spotted one during our rides and in fact, I've never seen one at all. We were very quiet so as not to frighten him (her?), but soon it was obvious that the fox was unconcerned about having us so near, and in fact let me circle him quite closely with my iPhone camera. It seemed pretty healthy so I'm hoping it's placid nature and hanging around in broad daylight wasn't a result of being rabid!

 

We finally left him and got to Five Brooks, where the bathrooms were open, and the fox and deer were both still in their spots when we got back about 15 minutes later. Still unconcerned. Obviously the fox could tell our horses were not into fox hunting. He did finally get up and mosey away.

The sky was getting darker and we trotted a good part of the way back, making the horses grumpy as we usually let them do a lot of grazing along the way. Good thing we hustled, though, because the rain started coming down when we were about 50 feet from the horse trailer. The horses never got disrobed so fast! I actually had Cowboy loaded before we remembered the shipping boots, and I will get no points for safety since I put his boots on him while he was in the trailer, with me crouched under his belly. Good thing we have nice horses! It was a wet ride home but we still managed to get them back in their paddocks and fed before it really started dumping. I did have to go shovel some trenches in the downpour though, to keep their paddocks above water, and actually got a lot of water INSIDE my muck boots. They got to dry out in front of the heater overnight.

On Wednesday we are heading to Gilroy for a Colleen Kelly lesson on rider biomechanics. Colleen Kelly is a dressage judge who lectures and teaches on rider biomechanics and has hooked up with the Parellis. Rider biomechanics is the science of natural riding position and analyzes a riders posture and position to improve performance. I'm hoping that in my 1-hour lesson she can help with getting Cowboy even more comfortable with the saddle, help me keep from getting sore during rides, stop bracing in my stirrups and figure out why I have never ever been able to get a horse to do a correct flying lead change (I've gotten changes in the front legs but not the back so I end up with a crossfiring horse). I guess that's a tall order for one hour but let's see what this gal is made of!

more info at http://colleenkellyriderbiomechanics.com/.

Well, it's late (even later than usual with the time change) so I better call it quits.

Ouch!

Well, we're back.  We left Wendover, NV at 4 a.m. Pacific Time (well, it was really 5 a.m. Mountain Time, but since you enter Pacific Time about 20 feet west of Wendover, I'm going with Pacific Time) and streaked across Nevada and California with the minimum possible pit stops to arrive back home at 2 Tuesday afternoon. Getting away is great but getting home is even better. Got unpacked and re-acquainted with the cat, who was happy to see me, and with the horse, who was not quite as enthusiastic. Vacation over for him too! I'm easing back into work--I had planned to hit the ground running but easing back seems a lot more friendly.

I got (more) saddle shims while in Colorado in my never-ending quest to get the saddle fit right. We now have not only white spots on his shoulders but actual rubbed-raw spots. NOT good! I'm at my wit's end trying to figure out how to make the horse comfortable.  I tried the suggest shimming and was met with pinned ears and bucking when I requested a canter. I finally had to drop the whole project as I was on the verge of losing it completely.

Enter our veterinarian, who visited on Wednesday to administer rabies shots. A quick eval of Cowboy pointed the problem, not at the shoulders, but at the back end of the saddle. Most saddle fit today is geared toward allowing a lot of freedom at the shoulders and is designed to allow a lot of room for wide horses all the way from the front to the back. Cowboy is not wide, in actuality is quite narrow, and the back end of the saddle tends to float when the front end is shimmed correctly. All the saddle fit suggestions are geared toward allowing enough room for movement and don't address excess movement from a saddle that is actually too wide.  So this may (or may not) be the problem. Yesterday I tackled the problem again with Tere's suggested shimming, and was again met with pinned ears and bucking. Changed the shimming. Same result. Finally, in frustration, took off the saddle completely and hopped on bareback. Same result. Hmmmm.....perhaps this is behavioral and not related to saddle fit.  After a few corrective measures, I got a happy relaxed canter, ears forward, no bucking. Sort of a good thing but doesn't solve the problem of why he is getting white spots and rubbing on the shoulders.  So I remain flummoxed about this.

But Tere did suggest laser therapy and body work for Cowboy, so today Laura and I started working on that. His head should be down for the body work, so we took him out in the pasture. Cowboy is a horse who likes to move his feet, which can drive you a bit crazy if you are trying to keep him still. I followed the suggestion to just let him move around, and we took quite a journey around the pasture. Until he finally jammed his foot in a yellow jacket nest. Talk about exciting! I was trying to apply pressure to his belly to get him to lift his back at the withers, and suddenly the horse was airborne and heading toward me. This was a bit disconcerting but while I was trying to figure out what the horse was up to, I suddenly realized that something tiny was squirming around high in my blue jeans. That was my first hint that the problem was bee-related. OUCH! So now I am trying to control a completely frantic horse, who doesn't know if he should run or roll (opted for rolling) while dealing with a fiery set of stings to my person in a very inconvenient location. We headed toward the barn at high speed and bucked our way through the barn with Laura trying to shut the barn doors on the angry swarm.  We exited on the other side and Cowboy dropped and rolled again. Meanwhile, I am still fighting the bee in my jeans. Laura grabbed Cowboy and I made my way to a nearby stall to drop my drawers and tend to my wounds. Ken conveniently showed up with more beer but he was directed away from the stall I was occupying to honor my modesty, which frankly I didn't much care about at that point. The beer was medicinal though. Cowboy and I both got topical Benadryl and we'll see how we are tomorrow. But if I am sighted wearing baggy pants with absolutely no visible panty line, there's a reason for that.

Tomorrow night I am headed for Dressage in the Wine Country to cover the event for the Horse Journal. I requested, and got, a press pass--my very first press pass! So I get to attend THE horse event of the season for free. Woo Hoo! I guess I better start figuring out which baggy pair of pants I should wear for the occasion.

Last Day in Colorado

Today was the last day of the Parelli Summit. We'll be heading home tomorrow eager to inflict our new learnings on our blissfully unaware horses. As always, the Summit was inspirational, motivating and emotional.

We had a beautiful day for the finale after 2 days of cold, clouds and light rain. This is the view from the covered arena, with a balloon visible in the background.

A moment of silence was observed for the 10th anniversary of 9/11. This was followed by a ride by one of the top Parelli instructors, Kalley (the Cowgirl) Krickenberg, a former firefighter, carrying the American flag in a pattern around the arena at a high gallop. All without a bridle, by the way, as the theme for this Summit is Bridleless Riding.  Not a dry eye in the place after that. At least mine weren't.

I always come away from the Summit red-eyed and emotional. In addition to Kalley's ride, we heard from Lauren Barwick who rides with the Parellis and won gold and silver at the 2008 Paralympics in Hong Kong. Lauren is paralyzed below the belly button and has overcome tremendous challenges in her quest for gold, and is going for more gold in London next year. And Pat's son Caton, who has faced challenges since birth and was not expected to ever walk, now rides with the best and competes (and wins) in spite of serious physical and other impediments. Today he and Pat, along with several other Parelli pros, gave a demonstration of working cows during the lunch break. Caton is the closest rider in the picture. He's in his twenties now and riding well. We've been watching him for several years and used to be terrified watching him ride. I still wish the Parellis would endorse helmets.

So after 3 days of hearing about damaged riders and damaged horses who have overcome the odds to become inspirational success stories, I have to say their strategy works. I'm inspired to be a better person, to, if I may borrow the Parelli mission, to make the world a better place for horses, and also for people. I signed up to volunteer for the Parelli Foundation, which offers aid to rescues, therapeutic riding centers, and offers scholarships to Parelli students.

I just hope the inspiration can last as we start our journey back to Normal tomorrow!

Living Large at Parelli Land

It's been a whirlwind last few months, mostly related to work, but Cowboy and I did manage to pass all our Parelli Level 3 assessments and are (well, at least I am) eagerly awaiting the coveted green string. Meanwhile, I've managed to get work (barely) under wraps and am now blissfully on vacation in Pagosa Springs at the Parelli Summit. Laura and I had an uneventful 2-day road trip to get here and are now hanging out in the Rockies surrounded by horses and crazy horse people. Weather has been cloudy and cool with sprinkles of rain occasionally but it's still gorgeous here, even if someone did seem to steal all the oxygen.

The mood here seems to be a bit more subdued than in previous years. The effect of budget cuts are evident but why should the Parellis be any different than the rest of the world? The horsemanship is still top-notch and is, as always, inspiring and motivational.

My neighbor Ann is watching after Jasmine, and Laura's husband Ken is home tending the horses. Cowboy and Dexter are vacationing across the fence at Laura's place to make things easier on Ken at feeding time. Apparently they don't miss us at all since there is no riding, breakfast is considerably earlier than at my place, and Ken is an extremely good carrot supplier (locally famous as Carrot Man). We miss them terribly though. Although we did have to scope out the Atwood Ranch yearlings. After all, our horses are not getting any younger and it might be time to start looking for replacements.

Speaking of which...Here are a couple new friends of ours, Big Ben and Ladybug, who we think would make fabulous additions to the herd. Ladybug is a Dexter twin, a striking strawberry roan, and Big Ben has Cowboy's exuberant and cheerful personality. They are NOT coming home with us but wouldn't it be great...

Two more days of horse heaven and then time to head back home. My cell phone, which rarely rings, has been busy. Apparently I have clients who DO miss me after all.

The Horse Journal is out, and is even posted online, with my article on a local mustang training project the featured article!

http://www.sonomacountyhorsecouncil.org/content/sonoma-county-horse-journal

What the??????

I am trying to respond to comments and am being directed in an endless loop of logins. Huh? Anyway, the whole trophy wife thing is just a joke! Obviously I will never be, and will never strive to be, a trophy wife! But it would sure be sweet to have a trophy hubby with deep pockets!

We are back to rainy weather again. At a time of year when people are planning outdoor graduations and weddings, I'm curling up with hot cocoa instead of firing up the grill. And there is not much riding going on.

So instead of riding, I've been tuning in to RFDTV's horse programs, hoping to at least expand my knowledge base. This morning, Craig Cameron did a segment on developing a brave horse. That seemed like it was made for me after last week's ride on my shrinking violet. So I checked it out. The new princess, who has now been named Jasmine, was in the room, playing with her various cat toys, but when Craig Cameron came on, she was riveted. Seems she likes horses, too. I hope she got some hints so she can help me out.

Jasmine is getting much more comfortable around here and is turning out to be a live-wire. Patches never liked to play with toys, and the few I did get for her have been hidden away for years, as her reaction to them was total disdain. I swear she rolled her eyes whenever I tried to get her interested. Jasmine, on the other hand, loves all of them and gets full mileage from them, and if there are no toys around will chase her tail instead.

This has turned out to be a problem since she is very nocturnal. So am I, usually, but I do like to get to sleep by 1 or 2 in the morning. Jasmine is just warming up about that time and is ready to play. She tries to engage me by patting and licking my face as I try to sleep. She's determined, too. If I pull the sheet over my head, she pulls it off and resumes. After 2 weeks of getting virtually no sleep, I finally resorted to putting a squirt bottle by my bed and spritzing her, which seems to be working and I actually got some sleep last night. And although she is clearly traumatized by it (the horse is not the only drama queen around here), she has not resorted to living under the recliner again.

The sleep is at least as good for the bags under my eyes as the Preparation H or the eye roller. Seems like almost everyone has heard of that Preparation H trick. It is still causing some mascara smudging though, so I'm focusing on using the eye roller. I got the CVS brand rather than the Garnier one as I figured the difference was probably packaging, but I found out that one should not dismiss good packaging too lightly. The roller ball is falling out of the tube--fortunately it's too big to go down the bathroom sink drain but it's pretty annoying.  I also checked out Lifestyle Lifts as I know someone who had this done and thought it might be worthwhile. It seems a bit price-y--average price nationwide is $5,900, and of course it is more expensive here. And that does not include the optional eye lift which I would need.  Now I know that this will not turn me into a true trophy wife due to that baby thing, but I'm willing to settle for being the runner-up award if the price is right. Jessica helpfully noted that even with a lifestyle lift, I am probably not trophy wife material due to some sort of attitude issue, but if I can pony up several thousand for plastic surgery, surely I can kick in a little extra for some sort of immersion program in a good charm school. Hopefully one that involves brainwashing as I don't think I could pull it off without it. Although really, I don't know what the *#^!&(% is wrong with my attitude.

Everyone stay warm and dry!