With his teeth done, and his feet on their way to being somewhat normal, we finally rode Riley for the first time last night!
I lunged him first as he has been stuck in the isolation pen, and then got on him...all the while thinking "why was it I thought buying a horse based on a two year old video and gut feeling was such a good idea?". But..he was an absolute darling to ride! Took it easy on him as he hasn't worked much of late and is still in rough shape, but what a lovely horse he is to ride.
Amelia rode him for a bit as well, and she looks great on him and they seem to suite each other.
Now I need a lease rider for Kokanee though if anyone is interested!
Karen
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
What a week...
What a week last week was. Monday went ok, but I woke up with the stomach flu on Tuesday so had to cancel some of my lessons. I would like to thank Rob for bringing the flu home with him...
On Wednesday and Thursday the farriers were out as it seemed we had a lot of horses needing to be done at about the same time. Wednesday I also saw a new doctor for my Migrains who gave me some pills to take when I feel one coming on...not sure why I needed to see a specialist and wait 6 months for something my regular doctor could have done!
And then on Friday it was MRI day. I managed to survive it this time, but I did not say no when one tech offered to hold my hand during the procedure. I just absolutely HATE the feeling of my head being trapped and tied down! The hospital had a better system than the clinic I tried though; they had headphones that did a much better job of dampening the noise. I still could feel myself panic from time to time.
So then I Saturday I felt hungover from the MRI...being in a panicked state really does something to the body!
Hopefully this week is better and I am really hoping Rob doesn't pass his newly acquired cold my way...
Reminder that the month is almost up and that board is due on Thursday! Check the board to see if you owe for Farrier work...most of you do.
Karen
On Wednesday and Thursday the farriers were out as it seemed we had a lot of horses needing to be done at about the same time. Wednesday I also saw a new doctor for my Migrains who gave me some pills to take when I feel one coming on...not sure why I needed to see a specialist and wait 6 months for something my regular doctor could have done!
And then on Friday it was MRI day. I managed to survive it this time, but I did not say no when one tech offered to hold my hand during the procedure. I just absolutely HATE the feeling of my head being trapped and tied down! The hospital had a better system than the clinic I tried though; they had headphones that did a much better job of dampening the noise. I still could feel myself panic from time to time.
So then I Saturday I felt hungover from the MRI...being in a panicked state really does something to the body!
Hopefully this week is better and I am really hoping Rob doesn't pass his newly acquired cold my way...
Reminder that the month is almost up and that board is due on Thursday! Check the board to see if you owe for Farrier work...most of you do.
Karen
Monday, November 21, 2011
I hope everyone survived the first real cold snap of the season! The horses seemed fine and I think they rather like the cold if it means getting more food and less work! Dexter and crew scared me on Friday night as they stayed hidden in the back, missing their afternoon hay. Finally Rob and I drove out back to find them; apparently they have found some delectable grass within the protection of the trees and saw no point coming up front for hay...but they did enjoy following the truck when they saw it coming!
This week in lessons we will be improving upon the leg yields, in particular leg yielding to the right (off the left leg). Last week we did some jumps where the second jump in a like was set at an odd angle. This week we are going to build on that, and use jumping fences at odd angles to improve upon inside turn options (in jumpers) or bending lines (in equitation classes).
There will also be an important poster up in the barn that I hope you all take the time to read.
Make sure to stock up on windshield wiper fluid and I hope to see you soon!
(oh, Amelia's horse has a name now...Riley!)
Karen
This week in lessons we will be improving upon the leg yields, in particular leg yielding to the right (off the left leg). Last week we did some jumps where the second jump in a like was set at an odd angle. This week we are going to build on that, and use jumping fences at odd angles to improve upon inside turn options (in jumpers) or bending lines (in equitation classes).
There will also be an important poster up in the barn that I hope you all take the time to read.
Make sure to stock up on windshield wiper fluid and I hope to see you soon!
(oh, Amelia's horse has a name now...Riley!)
Karen
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Snow!
So I am Assuming that most people won't want to drive out for a lesson today, but if you do, I will teach you, just let me know you are still coming.
This year I am not having a temperature cut off for lessons as I have stalls designated for the horses to cool/dry off in, but I do not expect anyone to drive if they feel it is unsafe or too cold!
The amount of snow that feel while the vet was out doing New Horse and Coregel's teeth was astounding. The farrier opted to not challenge the roads, so farrier work is postponed until next week.
Amelia still hasn't let me know her new horse's name, so Rob is calling him Noodle.
Karen
This year I am not having a temperature cut off for lessons as I have stalls designated for the horses to cool/dry off in, but I do not expect anyone to drive if they feel it is unsafe or too cold!
The amount of snow that feel while the vet was out doing New Horse and Coregel's teeth was astounding. The farrier opted to not challenge the roads, so farrier work is postponed until next week.
Amelia still hasn't let me know her new horse's name, so Rob is calling him Noodle.
Karen
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
New horse alert
Is it possible that my horse shopping is over for 2011? Perhaps...time will tell.
Amelia's new horse arrived yesterday. Of course we waited until after her lesson and after she put Kokanee away to tell her! She hadn't met her horse yet, only seen videos as he came from the middle of nowhere and is in rough shape, but he is starting his Hillside Makeover tomorrow with hooves trimmed and teeth fixed!
The poor fellow is in need of a lot of TLC, and who better than a 13 year old girl? Of course she has to come up with a name for him or I will start calling him Noodle.
He is a VERY cute bay, with a giant star and white under his chin. Cows chewed his tail, and his mane was lost to the round bale feeder...but hair will grow back by the time he is ready to show.
We bought him based on video from 2 years ago when he was at a show barn and jumping. So sad that his life took a wrong turn and he ended up at auction to be run through with the meat horses. Fortunately someone took him home and fed him...but not much else. Lana (vet) doesn't think he has seen a farrier since spring and he has all sorts of dental issues.
If you want to visit him he is very friendly and is living in the wood pen behind our garage. Because of his sketchy past, he is in true isolation, so please don't pet him and then one of our horses...maybe save visiting him until you leave.
I am ridiculously excited to ride him, but it will be a little while before he is ready for that...poor guy! Of course I have to keep reminding myself he is for Amelia not me!
Karen
Amelia's new horse arrived yesterday. Of course we waited until after her lesson and after she put Kokanee away to tell her! She hadn't met her horse yet, only seen videos as he came from the middle of nowhere and is in rough shape, but he is starting his Hillside Makeover tomorrow with hooves trimmed and teeth fixed!
The poor fellow is in need of a lot of TLC, and who better than a 13 year old girl? Of course she has to come up with a name for him or I will start calling him Noodle.
He is a VERY cute bay, with a giant star and white under his chin. Cows chewed his tail, and his mane was lost to the round bale feeder...but hair will grow back by the time he is ready to show.
We bought him based on video from 2 years ago when he was at a show barn and jumping. So sad that his life took a wrong turn and he ended up at auction to be run through with the meat horses. Fortunately someone took him home and fed him...but not much else. Lana (vet) doesn't think he has seen a farrier since spring and he has all sorts of dental issues.
If you want to visit him he is very friendly and is living in the wood pen behind our garage. Because of his sketchy past, he is in true isolation, so please don't pet him and then one of our horses...maybe save visiting him until you leave.
I am ridiculously excited to ride him, but it will be a little while before he is ready for that...poor guy! Of course I have to keep reminding myself he is for Amelia not me!
Karen
Monday, November 14, 2011
This week in lessons
Two weeks ago we worked on a perfect 20 meter circle, and that went very well. Last week we worked on a 15 meter circle and found some issues, in particular at the canter, with some horses/riders only able to do a good 17 meter shape, so we will return to that one day.
This week though, we are going to use the 20 meter circle to develop a good leg yield. On a 20 meter circle, the horse requires very little bend to maintain the shape, which is part of why it is so easy. For a leg yield the horse should have NO bend through its body, and only a slight tip of the jaw/nose away from the direction of travel.
So in this exercise, we will do 3/5 of a 20 meter circle, then start to turn a little sharper to go down a little past the quarter line, a rebalancing step to package the horse together and then bring the inside leg back to push the horse laterally to the wall. This uses the horse's natural desire to get back to the wall to help with the leg yield.
The most important thing when doing the leg in this manner is to keep your hands together close to the neck! You do not want to open your outside rein or you will be encouraging the horse to fall out with its shoulder to the wall. An opening inside rein may be helpful if the shoulder starts to lead, but in general, it is usually more helpful to balance the horse back, straighten it out by going forward, and then asking for the over again.
In jumping we are going to count down striding to a jump on an arc/turn, and do some work jumping verticals at interesting angles. It is helpful if you can see a distance when jumping out of a tight turn as the horse doesn't have as much time to set itself up, and if you are jumping at an angle, the horse won't have a clear view of the jump out of both eyes, so its depth perception is compromised.
To assist, the rider must keep the horse between their legs and to the center of the jump (or at least make sure that both horse and rider are aiming for the same part of the jump!). Even pace is very important, as is keeping the hands close together.
(Miranda was the clear winner at counting down strides last week...way to go Miranda!)
Karen
This week though, we are going to use the 20 meter circle to develop a good leg yield. On a 20 meter circle, the horse requires very little bend to maintain the shape, which is part of why it is so easy. For a leg yield the horse should have NO bend through its body, and only a slight tip of the jaw/nose away from the direction of travel.
So in this exercise, we will do 3/5 of a 20 meter circle, then start to turn a little sharper to go down a little past the quarter line, a rebalancing step to package the horse together and then bring the inside leg back to push the horse laterally to the wall. This uses the horse's natural desire to get back to the wall to help with the leg yield.
The most important thing when doing the leg in this manner is to keep your hands together close to the neck! You do not want to open your outside rein or you will be encouraging the horse to fall out with its shoulder to the wall. An opening inside rein may be helpful if the shoulder starts to lead, but in general, it is usually more helpful to balance the horse back, straighten it out by going forward, and then asking for the over again.
In jumping we are going to count down striding to a jump on an arc/turn, and do some work jumping verticals at interesting angles. It is helpful if you can see a distance when jumping out of a tight turn as the horse doesn't have as much time to set itself up, and if you are jumping at an angle, the horse won't have a clear view of the jump out of both eyes, so its depth perception is compromised.
To assist, the rider must keep the horse between their legs and to the center of the jump (or at least make sure that both horse and rider are aiming for the same part of the jump!). Even pace is very important, as is keeping the hands close together.
(Miranda was the clear winner at counting down strides last week...way to go Miranda!)
Karen
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Pictures of Coregel
Rob came out to the barn on Friday and took some photos and video of my Coregel filly. She is coming along well and I need to remember not to push her too hard. With only one "personal" riding horse it is hard sometimes to have the patience to bring her along slowly and correctly, but now that I have the video I have lots of things I can see that I need to work on on my own position rather than worrying about Coregel!
I noticed I have a bad habit of dropping my hands below the line of elbow/wrist bit, but that Coregel looks best when my hands are a on the ideal line. I also need to stop dropping my eyes and staring at her cute little orange ears! You can see my looking down in the first photo, and my dropped hands in the last one.
Hopefully I can convince Rob to video me more often so I can better see and improve my own riding while Coregel gets the basics down. I really am very thrilled with her, and am glad that despite being on the short side, she has plenty of girth room for my leg!
I noticed I have a bad habit of dropping my hands below the line of elbow/wrist bit, but that Coregel looks best when my hands are a on the ideal line. I also need to stop dropping my eyes and staring at her cute little orange ears! You can see my looking down in the first photo, and my dropped hands in the last one.
Hopefully I can convince Rob to video me more often so I can better see and improve my own riding while Coregel gets the basics down. I really am very thrilled with her, and am glad that despite being on the short side, she has plenty of girth room for my leg!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Some excitement across the way...
Apparently some nidgit stole a truck and went driving cross country from the highway, ending up breaking through the neighbour's fence and joy riding in their carved out trails, finally getting stuck in some muck. The police helicopter was called out to trail the tracks and pinpoint the truck.
Fortunately it does not seem like any horse fencing was damaged, but a little concerned by the fact that these idiots then likely ended up on foot....not the kind of people I want loose in my neighbourhood!
Karen
Fortunately it does not seem like any horse fencing was damaged, but a little concerned by the fact that these idiots then likely ended up on foot....not the kind of people I want loose in my neighbourhood!
Karen
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Rob sent me this lovely link on why you should not let your dog sleep in/on your bed, or why you should not let it lick your face;
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/20/letting-sleeping-dogs-lie-in-your-bed-can-kill-you/
Of course he is the one that wants Ginger on the bed (and previously wanted both Mike AND Ginger on the bed...) and lets her lick his face from time to time....
(of course I skipped over the cat germ warning sections conveniently...and i am sure sharing ones food with horses has its own issues...).
Karen
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/20/letting-sleeping-dogs-lie-in-your-bed-can-kill-you/
Of course he is the one that wants Ginger on the bed (and previously wanted both Mike AND Ginger on the bed...) and lets her lick his face from time to time....
(of course I skipped over the cat germ warning sections conveniently...and i am sure sharing ones food with horses has its own issues...).
Karen
Monday, November 7, 2011
This week in lessons
Well Clare won last week's challenge, with Kelsey a close second. That Zander can really adjust as long as you believe it is possible!
This week in lessons we will be working on perfecting 15 meter circles at trot and canter, as well as counting down strides to a single jump.
It is important to look UP and past the jump when trying to judge take off and just have the jump in your peripheral vision. If you look down at the jump you will tip forward and usually it will end in a chip! You should also make sure you count in rhythm with the canter. If you find yourself counting faster as you get closer you will likely push your horse past the distance.
Remember this is all in fun, and being able to count down your distance to a jump is not indicative of your ability to ride, it just helps me know how aware you are of how far you are from the jump. We will also work on identifying the distance you got once you get to the jump. Was it: Long and weak? Long and powerful, short and weak, a chip, perfect, good distance, but weak? Rushy and flat? To help learn this part of it, it is important to WATCH the other riders, and to learn what I am looking for when I judge the quality of a jump.
Karen
This week in lessons we will be working on perfecting 15 meter circles at trot and canter, as well as counting down strides to a single jump.
It is important to look UP and past the jump when trying to judge take off and just have the jump in your peripheral vision. If you look down at the jump you will tip forward and usually it will end in a chip! You should also make sure you count in rhythm with the canter. If you find yourself counting faster as you get closer you will likely push your horse past the distance.
Remember this is all in fun, and being able to count down your distance to a jump is not indicative of your ability to ride, it just helps me know how aware you are of how far you are from the jump. We will also work on identifying the distance you got once you get to the jump. Was it: Long and weak? Long and powerful, short and weak, a chip, perfect, good distance, but weak? Rushy and flat? To help learn this part of it, it is important to WATCH the other riders, and to learn what I am looking for when I judge the quality of a jump.
Karen
Sunday, November 6, 2011
So Rob got himself a horse. It is a bay mare with a big white blaze and two matching hind socks. He named her Wench...would should be reason alone to call the SPCA.
Wench is not a bad looking horse; a little high withered perhaps. Seems well trained; he just has to point to a spot in her paddock and she will canter or trot over to were he pointed, even throwing in some tempi changes along the way.
Rob is training her to jump, and she jumps pretty cute, and has a very steady canter and perfectly balanced flying changes. For some odd reason he keeps jumping in a western saddle....
I will say he has been taking good care of her; feeding her regular batches of oats and barley, exercising her, brushing her and training her. Apparently when he feeds his horse she poops gold coins...so maybe we should all start feeding our horses oats and barley...
So without further ado, here is a picture of "Wench"
Wench is not a bad looking horse; a little high withered perhaps. Seems well trained; he just has to point to a spot in her paddock and she will canter or trot over to were he pointed, even throwing in some tempi changes along the way.
Rob is training her to jump, and she jumps pretty cute, and has a very steady canter and perfectly balanced flying changes. For some odd reason he keeps jumping in a western saddle....
I will say he has been taking good care of her; feeding her regular batches of oats and barley, exercising her, brushing her and training her. Apparently when he feeds his horse she poops gold coins...so maybe we should all start feeding our horses oats and barley...
So without further ado, here is a picture of "Wench"
Canadian Show jumping superstar "Hickstead" died while competing in a World Cup event. Went down during the course with no apparent injury, and no immediate cause of death.
I cannot imagine the feeling of having a horse go down out from under you like that; my heart goes out to Eric Lamaze and to his owners. So very sad for all involved and for show jumping in Canada.
Karen
I cannot imagine the feeling of having a horse go down out from under you like that; my heart goes out to Eric Lamaze and to his owners. So very sad for all involved and for show jumping in Canada.
Karen
Friday, November 4, 2011
Instructions to jump Gody...
I jumped Gody for the first time today. It has been interested to buy a horse that I had never ridden before, and had only seen under saddle on video. Basically trusting the integrity of the seller.
Today I decided he was fit enough to pop over a few jumps. He is simple;
Step 1: Make sure he is awake
Step 1a: No, really, you have to make sure he is awake
Step 2: Pick up suitable canter stride
Step 3: Aim him more or less at the jump
Step 4: Grab mane three strides out and leave him alone to do his job (but don't drop your body at him or you will get popped!).
Step 5: Find the saddle again, and get the outside leg ready to ask for the change if needed (yes, he has fairly simple flying changes!).
The only downside I could feel, was that he likes to use that long neck of his over the jumps (which is a good thing), so he will likely do best with long armed riders who can consistently give a release, but I think he will be a nice addition for rider's ready to move up a bit. His jump has a little too much pop for a complete beginner, but then he hasn't jumped for a while either and was perhaps putting in more effort than needed...not sure. Will be interesting when Emma jumps him next week!
I have also made some good progress with Coregel; I started her back under saddle mid October and she has been progressing nicely. We are now able to do some lateral work at walk, some nice working trot, and can canter each way. She even walked and pooped today! She seems to think cantering is never more than one lap though, and takes it for granted that she should trot when we get back to the starting point, but I am ok with that for now as it may be all she is able to balance for.
For those of you who weren't around last year, Coregel's journey has been a little different than I wanted it to be. Last August something happened in her pasture, and the gate ended up broken. The other fillies were just over the hill eating grass near the neighbour's horses, but Coregel took off to rejoin her mom, and was found about as far south as she could go before hitting a fence. Sadly, along the way she twisted her ankle enough to rip a ligament right off the bone, taking a chip with it. So Coregel spent last winter on stall rest (and she was NOT pleased), and then hand walking and trotting and so on.
Her injury is healed pretty well, although the ligament won't reattach, so she will always be missing it, instead we used ultrasound and controlled exercise to help scar tissue hold the joint together more securely. As she has this weakness, I have not done the typical lunging I would normally do to start a horse and develop its fitness for training, so my usual routine of training had to change to just be ground work and riding. Interestingly it does not seem like she really missed any steps by missing lunging, and as lunging (or any repetitive work) is hard on joints in general, it has made me question the usual training routine of doing lunging with a young horse.
I plan to post an x-ray of her leg in the barn this week for those that are curious, and hope to get an under saddle video of her soon!
Karen
Today I decided he was fit enough to pop over a few jumps. He is simple;
Step 1: Make sure he is awake
Step 1a: No, really, you have to make sure he is awake
Step 2: Pick up suitable canter stride
Step 3: Aim him more or less at the jump
Step 4: Grab mane three strides out and leave him alone to do his job (but don't drop your body at him or you will get popped!).
Step 5: Find the saddle again, and get the outside leg ready to ask for the change if needed (yes, he has fairly simple flying changes!).
The only downside I could feel, was that he likes to use that long neck of his over the jumps (which is a good thing), so he will likely do best with long armed riders who can consistently give a release, but I think he will be a nice addition for rider's ready to move up a bit. His jump has a little too much pop for a complete beginner, but then he hasn't jumped for a while either and was perhaps putting in more effort than needed...not sure. Will be interesting when Emma jumps him next week!
I have also made some good progress with Coregel; I started her back under saddle mid October and she has been progressing nicely. We are now able to do some lateral work at walk, some nice working trot, and can canter each way. She even walked and pooped today! She seems to think cantering is never more than one lap though, and takes it for granted that she should trot when we get back to the starting point, but I am ok with that for now as it may be all she is able to balance for.
For those of you who weren't around last year, Coregel's journey has been a little different than I wanted it to be. Last August something happened in her pasture, and the gate ended up broken. The other fillies were just over the hill eating grass near the neighbour's horses, but Coregel took off to rejoin her mom, and was found about as far south as she could go before hitting a fence. Sadly, along the way she twisted her ankle enough to rip a ligament right off the bone, taking a chip with it. So Coregel spent last winter on stall rest (and she was NOT pleased), and then hand walking and trotting and so on.
Her injury is healed pretty well, although the ligament won't reattach, so she will always be missing it, instead we used ultrasound and controlled exercise to help scar tissue hold the joint together more securely. As she has this weakness, I have not done the typical lunging I would normally do to start a horse and develop its fitness for training, so my usual routine of training had to change to just be ground work and riding. Interestingly it does not seem like she really missed any steps by missing lunging, and as lunging (or any repetitive work) is hard on joints in general, it has made me question the usual training routine of doing lunging with a young horse.
I plan to post an x-ray of her leg in the barn this week for those that are curious, and hope to get an under saddle video of her soon!
Karen
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Apparently the cold is on its way, so winter/mid weight blankets on all horses tonight! Still not seeing snow in the forecast though. It is so dark in the morning. I think this weekend is daylight savings time though. I wonder if I can convince the horses to let me sleep in an extra hour?
Slight shift in the lesson plan this week; instead working on 20 meter circles at trot and canter, and adding/leaving out strides in a diagonal. We will do the countdown challenge next week.
I have some new students starting out, and am trying to match existing riders with more suitable horses before assigning the new students a lease horse, so if you are looking to change to a new mount, let me know! Roxy is ready to go and needs a rider. I really like jumping her, but she needs experience and miles. Kokanee also needs a lease rider.
Karen
Slight shift in the lesson plan this week; instead working on 20 meter circles at trot and canter, and adding/leaving out strides in a diagonal. We will do the countdown challenge next week.
I have some new students starting out, and am trying to match existing riders with more suitable horses before assigning the new students a lease horse, so if you are looking to change to a new mount, let me know! Roxy is ready to go and needs a rider. I really like jumping her, but she needs experience and miles. Kokanee also needs a lease rider.
Karen
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