This week in lessons...

This week in lessons we will be working on counter bend and flexions inside and outside. The most important thing to doing counter bend correctly is to remember that you are trying to take the horses nose and hip out, and not that you are trying to push the shoulder in. Pushing the shoulder in (usually with the hand crossing over the neck....) doesn't cause the horse to carry an outside bend, rather it causes the horse to drop its shoulder and/or get crooked.

When doing a counter bend, you also have to make sure that the rein on the side that the horse is bend towards needs to act like an inside rein and have a lot of give and softness; the bend needs to come from the leg on that side (at the girth). The opposite rein needs to act like an outside rein and maintain a steady contact that the horse can reach for and that prevents the horse from bending more than it is able to.

Doing counter bend to try bend exercises can really help show and correct how crooked a horse (or rider) is, as it is impossible to do this exercises correctly without having the horse balanced and working off leg aids.

For jumping, we will be doing Joan's course. It involves a fan jump, a skinny jump and a bounce.

It is interesting that Nicole's course diagram portrayed the arena as a tiny postage stamp space, whereas Joan's makes it look like a giant grand prix ring...perhaps perspective given their respective mounts?

Karen

Freestyle Clinic

As much as the Amberlea show was fun, and the Dale Irwin and Karen Robinson clinic's informative and motivational, I will be looking forward to a weekend of not going anywhere next weekend!

The Freestyle clinic was great. As I wrote in my previous post, Karen is a very engaging speaker, and is in general a very encouraging person. These two traits made it easier to be open with ideas and opinions during the creative development process of making a Freestyle.

Day 1 started with me loading Brie and taking her over to Westwood Warmbloods. I have never had to load her by myself, but she hopped on and trailered well. The barn at Westwood is lovely, with the stalls looking into the alley on either side of the area, so the horses can watch the horses in the arena, and see right across to the horses on the other row.

The first day of the clinic was devoted to music selection; I was second rider in after Paula. It was interesting and helpful to watch Karen pick out music for Paula to ride to, and to see how some music worked, and others did not, even though they were set to the correct BPM (beats per minute).

Brie it turns out has very steady gaits, and is similar in her way of going to the left and right, so measuring her BPM was a quick process, although we needed to run through all our "tricks" such as lateral work, lengthening and such to make sure the rhythm was consistent for all our moves.

The Karen picked out some music for us; we decided Brie needed something elegant. My stipulation was I didn't want bells and whistles (and apparently I don't like to ride to Tambourines either). I did not think this an odd request, but apparently in all her years of doing Freestyles professionally, I am the first person ever, to not want to ride to a particular instrument. So apparently Rob is right and I am a tad on the difficult side at times... Of course as nobody had ever made that kind of request before, Karen realized she didn't actually really KNOW what instruments the music had, so there were a few false starts where the music reminded me too much of someone riding around with change in their pockets...

In the end we found a pretty music for both trot and canter. I will have to find some similar walk music as well based on the BMP information.

Day 2 we tried one more canter song...but this one had whistling, clapping and snapping! I tried to be a good sport and rode to it anyway, but was thankful that she didn't like it either. We decided to stick with the selections from day 1.

The choreography went very smoothly; Karen watched carefully as we did our canter and trot work to match the music, and noted the types of moves we played with and were good (or bad!) at. Today I did a few things in the warm up that I thought may work, and she agreed they looked good, so we integrated those ideas. She then added some lovely moves to fit in the remaining requirements and to add some time to the freestyle...it was just long enough by 3 seconds! I was pretty amazed that we were able to put together all the moves and able to ride it from start to finish if one 45 minute session!

Now I have the pattern it is up to me to time the transitions and edit the music as needed. Karen does this professionally, but I am too stubborn to pay for it ;)

This I learned;
1- a metronome really helps
2- having a music machine that allows you to alter the bmp on the fly really helps
3- when coming up with the choreography, consider what your horse finds easy, and use those moves to add difficulty to the test. The things your horse (or you) find hard should be done in the easiest fashion.

So...

I am thinking a few of you should set the goal of doing a training level freestyle at the bronze show in August! It will be fun, and I do think you need to do a few before you really understand and can do them well.

I also HIGHLY recommend a clinic with Karin Robinson if you get a chance! Even if just to audit (watch). It is so uplifting to be around such a positive person.

Karen

(PS: Paula....can't wait to see your freestyle! Wish I could have watched your day 2 stuff...but I loved your music selection on day 1!)

!

Friday was eventful. In the morning I saw Sailor and Tucker off to their summer homes, dewormed some less than thrilled horses and rode a bit. After chores I went to look at a horse that kind of looked like what you would get if you crossed Zander with Jezz, and then bonked the baby in the head as a foal. I actually kind of liked him though; super sweet, so will go back another day to see him ridden and get on him. Then I headed over for the theory portion of the Karen Robinson Freestyle clinic. It was a fun and informative evening. Karen is great to listen to with a very engaging conversational style. It was a little eerie how much she reminded me of black Java's "mom" in her mannerisms and way of speaking.

The evening ran a little later than planned, and it was about 10 pm when I got home to feed and let Ginger out of the barn. As I headed back out to get the Mule to feed hay, I noticed a black shadow by the hay shed that didn't really make sense. Nothing was there to cast such a big shadow, and the blog was too round to be a dog, and to big to be a cat. Ginger and Rolo were both heading to the shadow ahead of me....fortunately Ginger triggered the motion sensor light and I could then discern it was in fact a PORCUPINE! Where on earth did a porcupine come from, and why is it by the hay shed!

So of course I call Rob, waking him up. Because there is so much he can do 500 km away... He reminded me they are slow, non-aggressive creatures...just keep the critters away from it, and to not try to touch it. He suggested the lights and sounds of the Mule would scare it off, and sure enough it lumbered between the hay shed and grainery when I drove up (after locking Ginger and Charlie in the barn). However as I was putting the first bale of hay in the Mule, the darn thing came back out and was waiting for me near the entrance of the hay shed! Logical or not, I was imagining being attacked by a rabid, quill throwing pin cushion and wondered if the horses really needed hay after all....fortunately he lumbered back into his hiding space and I was able to get the horses fed.

Surprisingly when I let Ginger out of the barn she didn't even go to check out the intruder...perhaps she DID learn her lesson after the 5th trip to the vets to get quills removed all those years ago...

Of course now I am worried it will wander into Dexter and crew's pen....because none of them are known for sticking their nose where it doesn't belong...something to look forward to in the morning!

I made sure the four cats and one dog are safely accounted for and in the house or barn.

So...if anyone has any porcupine relocation tips, please fire them my way!

Karen

Funny for a cloudy day

Ok, maybe you have to own a boarding stable to fully get this, (or read ads on Kijiji) but I thought it was hilarious!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4HRkAwN_oA&sns=fb

Karen

Jumping with Dale Irwin

I finally downloaded and uploaded some video from the clinic last weekend!

Video of Brie and I jumping. This was the first time I have jumped her since November due to my neck injury. She is such a great horse. She got a lot of comments on how lovely she is and was mistaken for a warmblood by a few people. Students, please note how I hold my outside rein to keep her straight into the corners and to not allow her to drop in for her lead changes. The ring was only 60 feet wide, so the turns came up fast, but it is a good habit to always ride your horse straight after the jumps so they can be balanced for the lead change and you give yourself as much room as possible to set up to the next jump.

I can't wait to get the dressage video to show you some of the exercises we worked on.

Karen

This week in lessons

This week in lessons we are going to work on some of the exercises that we worked on during the Dale Irwin clinic.

#1 is releasing the inside rein. Dale had us release the inside rein as often as possible; mostly in corners or during lateral work. This release helps make the rider be more effective with their inside leg; you can't release the inside rein and stay on your track if you are steering with reins rather than legs!

#2 Stroking the horse with the inside hand; as well as releasing with the inside rein to make sure the leg aids are effective, we also quite often stroked the horse with the inside hand. To do this you keep the rein in your hand, and just reach forward and stroke the horse with your fist. As well as being nice for the horse, this can really loosen up riders that get locked against their horse.

**for both the above, it is important to remember that the inside hand is the one on the side that the horse is bent into, it does not refer to the side the arena wall is on.

#3 Doing exercises in quick succession to test that the horse is listening and that the rider isn't abandoning their passive aids. During the clinic Dale had us do exercises such as doing walk/trot transitions in shoulder in, or doing half pass for a couple strides, then leg yield, then half pass. This was tricky for me, and really showed me that when in half pass, I was neglecting my outside leg. We won't be doing that exact exercises, but the staircase exercises where we do leg yield, then straight, then leg yield will be an easier alternative.

For jumping, we are finally going to be doing Nicole's course! We are going to try to do the turns with a soft inside rein to carry the flat work exercises over to the jumping!

Karen

Easter Update

I hope everyone is having a good Easter long weekend. What great weather for a long weekend!

Brittany, Tucker, Brie and I spend Friday-Sunday at the Dale Irwin Clinic. It was great! I will up date in more detail soon, and as you may expect, I will be integrating some of what I learned into lessons this week.

Rob drove the horses to the clinic on Friday, and also dropped Carma off at her new home. I am sure he was trilled to spend so much time on the road considering how long he has to commute too and from work! The clinic was out past Stony Plain, so quite a drive for us, but very close for Brie's owners, so they were able to watch her go and brought her lots of carrots and apples.

I think Carma found a great home and I am confident she found someone who appreciates her and will bring out the best in her. I do miss her cute little nicker at feeding time though, and she truly was a dream to jump. So that is three horses sold recently, and five more to sell; Brie, Pony, Piper, S'Argent and Cara. I am also looking for some horses..but as much as there aren't many buyers, there aren't many sellers of good horses either!

Karen

Charlie has a friend!

New barn kitty Charlie is really fitting in well to barn life; he has already taken care of the resident mice, and entertains me with his little kitty foot prints all over the arena. Maybe I will let Charlie design the jumping course one week... His main icky habit is that he rubs on the Mule when I park it in the barn at night...after driving through mud and water...it makes him pleasant to touch. He did make the potential mistake of rubbing on Flair's legs while I was working her tonight...fortunately horses seem oddly tolerant of cats, and there was no tragedy!

When I came out of the arena to untack Flair, there was Rolo cat sitting in the barn looking for Charlie! It was the first time I saw Rolo willingly come fully into the barn. Later I saw him and Charlie outside together seeming to get along, so hopefully they will be friends and Rolo will share his time between the barn and the house...and not that Charlie will also want to be a house cat (our furniture is not water proof, and that can DROOLS!).

Ginger seems to like Charlie, and was chaperoning the meeting between the two cats. Poor ginger has been limping a bit, but I notice the limp seems to get worse when someone new comes, and then better when she is jumping on and off the furniture...Ginger is not stupid. I am sure she will be three legged lame when Rob gets home tomorrow.

Karen

This week in lessons...

This week in lessons we are going to be doing some sitting trot work. Being able to sit the trot helps when schooling lateral work and transitions. A misconception about correctly sitting the trot, is that the rider must hold themselves still. What in fact needs to happen is for the rider to maintain themselves in motion that absorbs the horse's motion and gives them the appearance of being still. In the trot, there are two motions that the rider must absorb; the side to side motion created by the shoulders, and the up and down motion created by the back. The side to side motion requires the hips to rise and fall in rhythm with the shoulders and requires looseness in the pelvis. The up and down motion is addressed by the rider contracting and relaxing their core muscles (the muscles right under the ribs) with EACH step. So for each footfall, the rider must relax and contract their core muscles (so this is double time compared to posting!). It can sometimes help to imagine you are trying to lift the horse's back up and forward with your seat bones. A common issue riders have, in particular females, is that we tend to have a bit of a sway backed which tips the your pubic crest into the saddle and makes sitting painful and absorbing the motion difficult. It is important that you are supporting your back with your core rather than letting your lower back take the strain! For jumping...well...Nicole has claimed she has a course designed for lessons that involves a lot of twists and turns...we will see! Karen

First show of the year

Clare and I started the show season off by heading to Amberlea for the third dressage schooling show in their series. We both were in Senior Training Level tests 1 and 3, which made it a nice short day; we pulled out of the yard at 11am, and back in at 4:30!

The roads were in good shape, so the drive was nice, but it was a far cry from the 24 above it was at this show last year!

This was Pony's dressage debut in the new Training Level 1 test. We scored a 69% for that test, and placed 2nd. Our second test rode about an hour later and was Training Level test 3. We scored a 66% for that test, and were again 2nd. I think we had more better moments in the second test, but she was a little uptight as there were horses making a fuss in the barn and she was being a little spookier.

It was kind of funny, as for both tests I was immediately after a short rider on a very tall horse!

Magnus was a little overwhelmed I think by the number of horses in the little warm up section, but I thought he handled it very well, and had some moments of brilliance...punctuated by moments of baby tantrums. All in all though, I think the two did very well, and hopefully this show will give Magnus some more confidence about being in the show ring all by himself.

Pony and Magnus made quite the mismatched pair!

I don't know why dressage riders get so hung up on having a big horse...Pony does not require a mounting block to get on or a step stool to braid, and for that matter, hardly needed any braids! Plus...she is super cute!

Karen

This week in lessons

So this weeks lesson plan was supposed to be designed by Nicole, who was all excited to get to dictate the jumping course and plan for this week...but then she forgot. So I tried to come up with a pattern for the advanced classes that would be more challenging for her than for others, but she and her horse did very well indeed, so my plan failed... Advanced lessons are going to work over a course which required focus and straightness to get to the correct jump. We are also doing a little bit of leg yielding. Introductory jumping lessons are going to work a bit on two-point and crest releases; reinforcing that hands must be beside the neck and not in hover land. Hopefully people can actually make lessons tomorrow though...I hear the snow is on its way back! Karen

Charlie

New barn kitty Charlie is settling in well. I have been leaving him loose at night, and he really seems to enjoy the arena judging by all the little kitty footprints! A little irony that he was named after the silent film star Charlie Chaplin...this Charlie is anything but silent! Poor Kokanee didn't know what to think when the kitty started to cry on Saturday. I also find it funny that despite having a fancy cat tower, he would much rather spend his time in a Kitty cave carved out of a horse blanket...sign he likes being a barn cat? Karen

New Hire!

If your wondering what the pathetic whining sound is coming from Coregel's stall, it is our new hire, Charlie. Charlie quit his position of being farm cat for Nicole and Laureen as he wanted a more indoor job with more human interaction. At Hillside, Charlie is in charge of improving moral, general security, and rodent patrol. Ginger has appointed herself his supervisor.

He will be living in Coregel's stall for about 2 weeks so that he accepts that this is where he gets fed, and so that he feels safe around the new smells and sounds. He is a very friendly cat, who loves to chat, so feel free to go in and pet him, just be very careful he does not get out of the barn!

I let him out today while I cleaned stalls so that he could check things out; he likes the pile of winter blankets in the blanket stall, but did venture to check out the barn a little. He managed to get a strip of dirt right down his back; perhaps he was trying to look like a skunk so I would set him free?

Ginger seems disappointed that he does not find her fearsome.

Karen

First ride on Coregel!

How quickly they grow up...

She may be little, but I think I fit her just fine!

What a good girl...

If your horse has a swollen head...

If you come out this week to find out your horse has a swollen head, blame Lily. Her head has been doing much better, but we are still unsure of the reason for her puffiness. A new hypothesis is a word I can't remember...but something to do with blocked salivary glands. The fix? Carrots. Yes, Lily's "medicine" is carrots. lots of crunchy carrots. (Rhiannon speculates that Lily got a hold of a cell phone and called in some bribes to get that prescription...) This is like Joan's doctor prescribing Cheese Cake. What does a person have to do to get a prescription like that?!? Karen

Lessons this week

In lessons this week we are going to be doing some work on going straight down the centerline. Common issues with going down the centerline include preparing too late and then turning too late coming into the center line, and pushing the horse out in the opposite direction before turning at the end of the center line. We will also be doing jumps and transitions on the centerline. Looking and being centered will be key! I also want to do a skinny jump if I can find my skinny rail! The key to this week is going to be keeping your horse between the aids! And...apparently all sentences will be ending in exclamation marks! Karen

Shedding season is official!

The warm weather is here, and the sun is (finally) shining...the last of the horses seem to be accepting spring is here and are shedding copious amounts of hair; I think the muck tub is half full of S'Argent and Cara alone... My advice is not to wear fleece anytime soon! Rubber boot season is soon to follow....not looking forward to it this year as I can't recall ever having this much snow! Hoping the warm up is slow and steady. Karen

:(

YJ and Tommy left to their new home today. I was prepared to see Tommy go, as they wanted to take him home last week right after trying him (I needed to let his rider's say goodbye), but you never know until the cheque is in hand. YJ on the other hand they didn't decide on until this afternoon. I am surprisingly sad at the thought he is gone. He was a lot of fun, and was my Hastings Lake Western Pleasure super star....now who will I ride in by bright aqua heavily fringed western chaps? They have both gone to a home that will better suite their abilities, and it is for the best, but still I will miss them. I hope they do well with their new owners. Karen

What a day...

On Thursday we had the vet out to do Strangles vaccines. Most of the horse's were good about it, with the exception of Rocket who knew what was coming and wanted no part of it! Just as we were finishing up, Natalie mentioned her feet were cold...and then I realized mine were too....I never have cold feet in the barn with that nice heated floor, so I checked the boiler, and sure enough, it wasn't working. AHHHHH! Rob tried to talk me through getting it back on line, but nothing worked, so we called Double G Mechanical out to work on it...but they couldn't get it going right away either.

So Rob has me all worried the barn is going to freeze up and pipes and toilets would be bursting, so I carefully put blankets in front of the doors to block all potential drafts...but still lost sleep. The concern was unwarranted; when I got in the barn this morning it was still 12 degrees...apparently the horses do a good job of keeping the barn warm and Rob did a great job in building it! That is one of the very nice things about in floor heating. It heats the cement mass in the floor and walls and takes a long time to cool off.

As well as the boiler not working, poor Lily's head was swelling up like a cartoon horse. Still happy enough, but looked like a horse a 5 year old would draw, so called the vet and her owner, and got her looked at at the same time as Double G was out trying again to get the boiler working and as I taught an "intro" lesson to a new potential student. Chaos! Thankfully Natalie was out in the afternoon to help me! Poor Lily looks to be allergic to something, so please don't feed her any treats or hay until we are sure of the cause. We think/hope it is a weed or something in the latest load of hay that Miss California Girl just hasn't been exposed to yet.

After the vet, repair men, and students all went home the barn seemed oddly quiet and I felt exhausted. Fortunately Pony was a very well behaved little dressage horse as she was my last ride of the day and I don't think I had the energy to deal with any silliness. For a 13.3 hand pony, she doesn't feel small under me in the least! She is taking well to dressage too, and is starting to learn all the lateral work.

After a rush trip into town to get hay cubes for Lily, I came home to spend a quiet evening in the house being harassed by neglected cats. Today marked Rolo's first attempt at playing. I have tried playing with him before, but he just looks at me oddly. Sadly his choice for his first toy was Ginger's tail...seriously, that dog deserves a medal for her patience with that cat! Right now he is complaining we are not all tucked into bed yet.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Karen

Yippy!

I got into the Dale Irwin clinic! I am excited as it will be a good start to the 2011 show season. Hopefully Brittany got in too, as I am hoping to go with her. The clinic is towards the end of April and is my Birthday present to myself. I am hoping to take Brie if she is not sold by then. Speaking of which, her ad is in the April issue of Gaitpost.

I was dissappointed when the Karen Robinson clinic was cancelled as I really need help figuring out how to do a good freestyle, but I guess I have to keep muddling along on my own. I think I need more of Rob's help this year...he has more of an ear for music and beat than I do.

Karen

This week in lessons....

This week in lessons we are going to work on two main things: getting our horses rhythm/stride back after a transition or jump, and using our eyes to find a circle, line, or turn.

Last weeks lesson really showed me some weaknesses in being able to look ahead to the next obstacle/turn. We also have a few too many horses that like to rush through transitions and take too long to balance after transitions or jumps. Both these issues lead to it taking too long to get our horses rebalanced, prepared and straight for the next obstacle/movement.

More details to come...

Karen

Rolo the Cat & Ginger the protector

It has been a little over three weeks since Rolo the feral cat became Rolo the house guest. Today is the first day he considered venturing outside; I thought he might be back outside to stay, but a little while after I returned to the house, there he was meowing at the door to come in. I guess he sees the benefits of being warm, sheltered and fed. He has claimed a spot on the sofa as his. It is now permanently dented to fit his bum.

Rolo is completely infatuated with Ginger; she can hardly walk by him without Rolo weaving in and out of her legs and rubbing on her chin. She can't lay down without him trying to curl up next to her. She does not return his affection, but that doesn't stop him from trying. Our vet figures that he looks to Ginger as his protector.

Ginger would like him to return to being an outdoor cat.

As a treat for Ginger, and a break from the farm for me, we went to Elk Island on Saturday to enjoy the fresh air. Sadly I am not very good at reading maps, and set out upon the first thing I saw that looked like a trail. It was not a trail and soon went from a fairly packed goat trail, to little more than footprints in the snow...foot prints that were 18 inches deep. This was not an easy walk for either Ginger or me! It was pretty though, with all the hoar frost, just hard to appreciate when 100% focused on where my feet were stepping. This inattention led to us getting rather close to a herd of sleeping buffalo...just as well, as this prompted me to turn around and head back. Good thing as who knows where my "trail" was taking me and without so much as the sun to guide me I could have been lost for hours!

How do you respond to this?

Email sent to me regarding a horse advertised for sale:

"can you grab his feet with out gettin a boot to the head....call G ***-****"

For some reason this conjures up the image of someone hiding around a corner than suddenly diving at the horse's feet and making a grab for his ankles... Or hiding in the bushes and lunging at his hoof as he walks by...

I really did not know how to respond. Has to be the oddest, one line horse inquiry I have ever gotten.

Now if they had asked "Can you pick up/out his feet without getting kicked" that would make more sense.

Karen

This week in lessons

This week in lessons we are going to do some work again on basic position; and will be doing some bounce work with shortened stirrups to really work on feeling the flexion in the joints. We will also do a bit of a course (with normal stirrup lengths) to continue working on looking for the next jump as a progression from last week's figure-8.

Karen

Oops...

I flipped Straightness and Impulsion around on my list...although for jumping, I definitely feel Straightness should come first!

It is actually pretty nice outside right now, but still planning to drop to -26 tonight! Hopefully the rest of the week cooperates though.

Karen

This week in lessons

So this week in lessons we are going to discuss the Training Scale and how it applies to warm up and training.

The training scale is pretty universal to dressage training, and is basically a formula describing the order of priorities a rider should have when warming up and training the dressage horse, but the basics also apply to jumping.

Once we understand the training scale, it is easier to look at were a horse is "failing" so you can know what step you need to go back and focus on.

If I knew how to draw on this form, I would, but instead I will try to explain. You can view a diagram of the Training Scale at the barn, or using google.

Step 1 is the base of the Pyramid, and is Rhythm. Rhythm refers to the horse holding a steady beat in each gait. A rhythmic one-two-three-four at the walk, one-two-one-two at the trot, and one-two-three at the canter. It isn't to do with speed, just the steady beat. Horse tend to speed up their rhythm when they are loosing their balance or evading coming from behind (using their backs/hind quarters), and they tend to slow down their rhythm when they are allowed to get behind the leg, heavy in the hands, or loose hind end power during turns. By keeping the same rhythm, we help the horse keep its balance.

When jumping, we need to keep the horse's rhythm to make approaching the jump with a good distance easy.

Step 2 in Relaxation. This is looking for an attentive and willing horse. Note...it is NOT submission or obedience, but relaxation! The difference being this is something you cannot force, you can only ask for. If you get on your horse and it isn't relaxed, you will find your training progression stops here, and your focus needs to go back to rhythm, with exercises to work on rhythm, and to get your horse's excess energy, or lack of focus in check. Relaxation is not being half asleep either....your horse needs to be relaxed, yet attentive.

For dressage and jumping, a relaxed horse is ready and willing to respond to the rider, and lacks tension in its body.

In jumping, a relaxed horse will wait for its rider to tell it what to do, and will not take over and rush the jump or run out.

Step 3 is Connection. A connected horse is one whose hind end and front end work together both laterally and longitudinally; when you ask them to lengthen, their neck lengthens as well as their step. When you ask them to bend, they take a feel of the outside rein and stretch into it off of the inside leg.

Connection is where things get a little more tricky. A horse has to trust its rider's hands, legs, and body to want to be connected. Most riders use too much hand creating a horse that fears the hand rather than stretching into it. Many riders lack the fitness to use enough leg, and so the horse is ridden off the front end, rather than in its entirety.

In dressage connection is what gives a rider control over the entire horse. In jumping, connection is what allows a jump rider to control their horse with subtle cues.

Step 4 is Straightness. This sounds simple, but as most horses and most riders have one strong side and one weak side, there is inherent crookedness to most horses and riders. What makes it even trickier, because we spend most of our time being crooked, we don't even realize it, so being crooked feels straight!

Obvious examples of crookedness in the horse are: horses that favour one lead over another, horses that bend one way better than the other, and horses that halt tipped one way consistently.

Obvious examples of crookedness in the rider are; riders that tend to habitually drop one hand lower than the other, riders that have one heel that sinks lower than the other, or riders that tip their hips out to one side more than the other.

In dressage we want the horse to be as straight as possible so that they develop even athleticism on both sides. This makes complicated maneuvers like Tempe Changes or Passage possible.

In jumping, the level of straightness required by the horse is less, but we still want to be able to get them perpendicular to the jump, land each lead, and travel from the center of one jump, to the center of the next. These things are all easier when the rider is even on the horse! (perhaps photos from the front would be interesting....)

The top two levels are impulsion and collection. These apply more to dressage than jumping, although a good jumper will need to have moments of impulsion (think of the power needed to clear a big combination) and collection (balancing for a tight turn or tight spot). In dressage, impulsion and collection require considerable fitness and they require the basics of the first 4 levels to be fairly solid. To an extent, when we work on transitions, we are working on the basics of both impulsion and collection.

Ok, so I am being lazy...I will describe them better:

Impulsion is the power and thrust in the horse's step. It is the amount of suspension between each stride, and PUSH power in the horse's hind end.

Collection is the coiled energy in the horse's hind end. It is the amount of flex and bend in the hocks and the SIT in the horse's hind end. Collection is the transfer of weight bearing from the front end to the back end.

In jumping lessons we are continuing to work on position fixes, but we are going to use the ideas of rhythm and relaxation to help get our horses to jump quietly, and to get rider's to also jump quietly...and to wait for the horse to jump. A large part of the issues I am seeing is that riders want to do too much and so jump ahead. A circle may be involved....

Karen

I feel like I am drowning in a sea of phlegm

Even the dog is sick of listening to me breath

No evening lessons tonight. It is cold and windy and I am sick.

I am planning to teach tomorrow though. Not sure if I will have much of a voice, so it may be a quiet lessons...

The wind and snow outside my window are not what I want to look at!

Rolo (stray cat) seems happy to be inside. He is starting to fit in to indoor cat life, and is currently sitting in front of a heating vent by the back door. Smart cat. He also likes watching TV...in particular Symphony music on TV. He is apparently a classy stray cat!

He still favours the company of Ginger over the other cats or us humans, and Ginger is not that receptive of his attention, although she does tolerate it. I think it odd that the cat things the big dog is the safest friend to have...

Karen

Tuesday

Tuesday is sunny

Deceptively so

The sun hides the malicious cold. Do not be fooled!

I realize it is too cold for many of you to safely ride your outdoor boarded horses, but please try to come out by Thursday with your board cheque if you haven't already done so. After Thursday there will be a $1,000 per day late fee charged.

I am not teaching tonight because 1) it is cold, and 2) I have the flu. Or something flu like that gives me a fever.

Not sure if tomorrow will warm up enough either, but we will see.

I AM teaching on Thursday even if we do walking lessons!

I am also going to be teaching on Friday; so far I have a jumping lesson scheduled for 2, and a flat/dressage lesson at 5:30. Other arrangements possible.

Karen

Another sucky week of weather

No lessons today (Monday).

Not sure about tomorrow (Tuesday).

Looks like it may warm up enough by Wednesday to do some light lessons like last week.

May do some make up lessons on Friday if anyone is interested.

Karen

Ok, it is very cold out. Sunny, but cold.

Elk Island Weather

I am teaching the 5:30 lesson, but that is likely it...it is supposed to cool down very quickly tonight.

If you want to ride at 5:30, let me know. I will offer make up lessons Tuesday at 6:30 if you would rather ride then.

Karen

A catastrophy!

Yes, it is a bad pun, but forgive me. It was a stressful few hours.

It is supposed to get very cold out tonight (7:30 lessons are for sure cancelled, not sure about others), so when I saw Rolo out in the cold, I thought today might be a good day to bring him into the barn and put him in the blanket stall. I figured I could then take him to be neutered tomorrow to decrease his urges to wander.

So I put him in the stall where he hid behind blankets. I took him food and water and let him be. I then made the mistake of checking on him later. I could not see him anywhere, so I began tossing blankets aside...but he was in one of them. My searching did not sit well with him, so he ran to the back of the stall, climbed up the flower boxes leaning on the wall, jumped over the the blankets hanging up, climbed the blankets to be on top of the stall divider, then proceeded to walk along the back wall above Magnus's stall. I was amazed at his athletics.

But then his fear got the better of him, and he decided to hide...in the nice dark whole that was the wall. And down he went. About a 7 foot drop IN the wall. Fortunately there was insulation to cushion the fall...unfortunately he was too heavy to stay on top of the insulation, so trying to reach in from above was futile.

So now what? That wall is double lined, and would require taking the stall down to get at! Thankfully I called Rob, and he pointed out the obvious; go in from the other side.

So, Natalie, Sydney (who is here from Cold Lake) and I got some tools, and set to work. First we took of a sheet of plywood. This allowed us to pull out the insulation and find which space Rolo was in...but alas, he was still to far to reach. Natalie and I tried to think of a way to scoop him out, but we gave up, and it became apparent more of the wall had to come down.

Rob however did not build those walls to come down easily! Many removed screws and bent hoof picks later and we were able to pry the board enough so I could reach in to get Rolo...but wow, was he wedged! It took some ungraceful maneuvering, but at last (about 80 minutes later), Rolo was free from the wall...and quickly stuffed into a cat carrier.

I didn't want to risk putting him back in the stall, nor could I put him outside lest he is suffering from shock...and locking him in a small space after being locked in the wall seemed cruel...so I now have a feral cat roaming the house.

He thinks windows are escape routes, and flowery curtains are for climbing. Fortunately the flowery curtains are old and unattractive, so not a huge loss.

I think he is hiding in the living room now with Kit Kat keeping watch.

When I have to head back out to feed I will need to lock him in our basement bathroom or something.

At least the poor traumatized kitty won't have to be cold tonight...

Must make a note to pick up some new hoof picks though...the ones I have are all bent now!

Karen

Weather

It is cold once again, but I am hopeful the wind chill/temperature drop holds off long enough so I can teach tonight. Call or text me if you aren't planning to come for lessons.

Tomorrow on the other hand is expected to be brutally cold. May still teach the earlier lessons (5:30 and 6:30), but likely NOT the 7:30 lesson. If you are in the 7:30 lesson, and still want to ride tomorrow, please let me know and rebook for an earlier time.

Karen

The cat came back?

Rolo (the stray cat) returned in the night! My first clue was little kitty prints in the snow outside the door. My second clue was the very vocal meows as a passed the hay shed...Rolo was back and was hungry!

Not sure where he was, but it apparently didn't offer the same plentiful cat food that we do, as he lost a lot of weight.

Poor little cold kitty. I am glad he wasn't eaten by the fox.

Karen

This week in lessons

This week in dressage lessons we will be moving on to EC Training Level test 3.

It is very similar (if not the same) as the previous Training level test 4, with the loops from corner to x and back to corner. We worked on that loop at bit at free walk, so now we will work on it at trot. This loop is leading up to the canter loop in First level test 3 that introduces counter canter.

I like the loop as it is a good exercise to work on change of bend, so we will also be focusing a little on bend, and changing bend, with more on this next week when I see what the issues are this week!

This week in jumping will be working to correct the issues that I caught on camera over the last two weeks. Stirrups will be tied to girths again this week, and we will be doing a LOT in two point, including transition exercises similar to last week. We will also be jumping a simple line of three jumps, maintaining the two point throughout and learning to balance/adjust our horses in two point. Neck straps may be involved...I am not 100% decided if we will do that this week or wait until next week....

Karen

Hillside Is Hiring!

We have an opening for a barn cat (or cats). I had hoped Rolo would fit that roll, as he had become quite tame and bossy, but alas, he vanished during the last warm spell. Hoping he wandered off in search of a girl friend and found some other suckers to feed him, but also worried he mistook the fox for Ginger.

I contacted NASAP, but they won't adopt to anything other than an indoor environment. The SPCA has their barn cat program, but those are cats that are unsuitable to being indoor cats due to poor litter box habits...do I really want a cat that sprays in the barn?

Milo and Henry will be hard cats to follow, but hopefully we can find someone suitable before the word spreads to all the mice that we have a catless barn!

Karen

Funny for the over 18 crowd...

http://damnyouautocorrect.com/

Who am I kidding, this is funny for anyone, I just feel morally responsible to limit the reading to over 18 year olds to preserve the innocence of today's youth....

Kijiji has some gems today:

Horse board, with a "riding rink" available in the spring.

Pony filly for sale that is expected to mature to "5-6 feet tall" (that is 15-18 hands tall....)

There is also the "Homesagis" stallion with a $350 stud fee.

Then there is the 10 month old that is "STILL GROWING!" Amazing....

Good old kijiji.

Don't let the bright sunshine reflecting off of pristine white snow convince you otherwise; it is frickin cold out today.

I am still teaching lessons if you want to come out, but we will be taking it very easy on the horses so they do not get overly warm and sweaty.

Looks like this nasty weather is going to encroach on the weekend too...that is not fair.

Karen

Humourous photos

http://www.news4jax.com/slideshow/family/26884847/detail.html

Cute horsey blog

http://sallymetharryhorse.blogspot.com/

I am in the process of reading Micheal Schaffer's new book "Riding in the Moment". It is my first ebook, and although I do like real books and paper, it is kind of neat to have a video in the middle of the book to further explain processes and expected results!

I like to read horse training and riding books, as sometimes hearing something in a new way, or put forth from a different angle can be illuminating. In one of Schaffer's chapters, he refers to two types of horse commands; mechanical and cognitive. Mechanical aids are basically those that are obvious to the horse, and exert some form of force that will cause the desired outcome. An example of this is pulling the left rein back and out to get the horse to turn its head to the left.

Mechanical aids are what most riders learn to ride with at first, and are what most horse's learn to be ridden with at first.

He then talks about Cognitive aids; these are the aids that we teach the horse how to respond to. An example of a cognitive aid would be halting with seat and leg, and a softened arm. There is nothing really intuitive about this aid, it is something the horse (and rider) must be taught.

Reading these two types of aids broken down and defined like this was illuminating, despite being somewhat obvious once I thought about it.

Let's go back in time to yesterday. I was showing an owner some ground work moves they could do with their horse. We started with a basic; getting the horse to walk beside their shoulder. This is a simple cognitive aid. The mechanical version would be leading the horse behind us. In order to teach the horse to walk beside the shoulder, the handler had to be ready to send the horse forward with a flick of the dressage whip so that the horse had a clear understanding of expectation.

The owner next did some simple figures leading in this manner, and some stops. Horse picked up on the exercises quickly, as the owner was consistent and observant.

Next we moved on to teaching the horse to do a turn on the forehand from the ground. This involves 3 steps; tip horse's nose left, stand at shoulder to block shoulder, and tap hock to engage horse behind. Horse has no reason to know off the bat that these three cues = turn on the forehand, so horse at first walked forward. No big deal. Tell horse to stop, and try again. Once horse attempted the exercises at all correctly, she got a lot of praise and a short break. This is how we teach cognitive aids, with then blend together to form patterns from which we can do complicated things!

But it was the next thing that happened that interested me; horse started to do a turn on the forehand when I did only steps one and two. She no longer waited until step three. Owner was right in her assessment that horse was smart and getting ahead of herself, and I think we often let our horses do this; they recognize a pattern, and start to get ahead of our actually asking. The problem is, this can lead to a lot of confusion and frustration down the road.

So in my example, if horse assumed that tip nose left, and blocked shoulder means turn on the forehand, how on earth will we teach her how to do a shoulder in? She is going to feel the ask for inside bend, the inside leg go on...and then throw her bum out, as that is what she was allowed, and therefore taught to do!

Rather, we have to make sure the horse waits for all the applicable steps; not by punishing, but by stopping horse, and trying again, and only praising when all the correct aids are given.

Karen

This week in lessons

This week in lessons; for flat work and dressage work we are going to take a break from learning tests, and work a lot on transitions and having high expectations of our horses and their response time. If we cannot get our horse to respond in a timely manner, we are going to look at why by going back to basics. Some of the horses (and riders) have been getting lazy about transitions and expectations, and this muddles up the horse's training as they are no longer clear on what is expected of them. For some riders, this may even mean going back to ground work!

For jumping, we are going to again do some video, this time with the rider's stirrups tied to the girths as we didn't get around to that last week. it will then be interesting to compare week 1 and week 2 positions. More work on lead changes too, as some of the trickier horses are really coming around!

Karen

Some good things

Had some good things happen this week; all the horses have been dewormed; Coregel gets to spend her days back out with her sister and the pinto girls; Percy and Java both figured out how to do lead changes BOTH ways, and my photos of Brie finally came!

And...it finally looks like a decent weather weekend for those of you who are stuck working all week and who have had to suffer through the nice weekdays followed by icky weekends!

Enjoy the weather! You know it won't last long....

Karen

Mental Aspect of riding

Riding is a sport that is both physically demanding and mentally demanding. On the mental side, it requires us to trust another being that we can't communicate clearly with, and that is very large. We also have to set aside our own way of thinking, and communicate and react in a way that makes sense to the horse.

A quote was recently shared with me that I really appreciated: "In order to get the most out of a horse, you need to put aside all negativity -- about the horse, about yourself, and about anyone who previously handled the horse" Bill Dorrance.

I am sure we have all had bad days at work or at school, which seem to follow us to other aspects of our lives. Those bad feelings will creep into the riding, and set a negative tone, where you will be harder on your horse, harder on yourself, and less receptive to learning. At some time or another you may have been asked to ride a horse that you have seen be naughty previously, and so get on with apprehension even though the horse hasn't done anything bad with you.

This isn't just about being positive when you first get on either, but it is also means retaining a positive outlook as the ride goes along. You have to continually hit the reset button on your attitude towards your horse and yourself.

An example would be yesterday. A certain horse was being spooky and fresh on the flat. Once she got some energy out she was being much better behaved and so we started jumping. The rider wasn't able to ride the moment though, and was still riding the spooky/fresh horse she first got on, so ended up clutching the reins a bit too much, and not allowing the horse to jump as it expected. As a result the horse felt trapped and pinned in an uncomfortable position, and so the horse got a little grouchy on the land and was a bit naughty. The horse was fulfilling the expectation of naughtiness. When the rider was able to set aside her nerves and trust the horse enough to let her canter down to the jump with confidence and some freedom, the horse jumped as per usual and the two were fine.

I don't mean by this that you should toss the reins away on a horse that is having an excitable day as that could be dangerous. You should still ride a little defensively in your position, and perhaps grab mane just in case, but the horse should be given the benefit of the doubt with respect to how much you hold them back or chastise them. Holding a nervous horse too much will just reinforce their nervousness!

Same thing if you do have a horse that is perpetually hot/forward. Sometimes people who ride hot horses get in the habit of always telling them to slow down, slow down, slow down, and make the horse crawl around at a useless pace, frustrating the both of them. I think this is done as the rider feels that if they stay at 10 km per hour, then if the horse rushes a bit, they will only increase to 15km per hour and they will be ok. From the horse's prospective though, it likely feels trapped at 10 km per hour, and feels it has to argue/fight the restraint and then does bully the rider and panic when aimed at a jump. The rider in this case needs to go to the jump at course pace, and correct the increase in speed if/when it happens, not go slow so the rates in speed when the horse runs off averages out to a decent speed. As well in this case, the rider has gotten so used to the 10 km per hour speed, that 15 km per hour feels crazy fast!

In general, you just do what is right, and correct what is wrong. You don't ride the opposite side of wrong hoping you and the horse meet in the middle.
.
But this takes trust in your horse, and trust in your ability. You need to reset the positive feeling after each and every trouble spot. Ride smart and perhaps ride defensively, but don't punish a horse for something it may be about to do but hasn't yet, and don't let past issues override feeling and reacting to what is actually happening in the present.

Get rid of the negativity.

Karen

Jumping lessons

Laureen mentioned this link to me last week, and given this weeks lesson plan, I thought it was timely:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUsJpLejrf4

Once I get some video clips to analyse, I will also be posting a document for you to read to help you better understand my analysis of your riding and why it is an issue, as well as the potential cause.

Karen

This week in lessons; jumping

In jumping this week we are going to work on upper body balance. I will be posting more information on this on the blog and in the barn so that riders can understand a little more about what I am talking about!

For the lesson, we will have some jumping exercises set up, that I will then video tape. Then, I will tie stirrups to the girth, and again video tape. Later in the week I will analyse the videos to identify jumping position errors, and compare the jumps with legs loose, vs stirrups tied as many upper body issues stem from leg issues.

Riders can either view the video via private YouTube link, or can provide me with a CD or data stick to copy the video onto. In the following weeks we will work on exercises to correct the base issues. From there we will work on positions that help with different scenarios; spooking fences, spread jumps, tight turns and so on.

We will also have the ring set up to again work on lead changes in the corners. I think this is also helping riders sit up and balance for the corners!

Karen

The week in lessons; Dressage

This week in dressage lessons we are going to run through Training Level test 2 or Walk Trot test 2.

The training level test has changed very little from last year, just the addition of the stretchy circle.

Walk trot test 2 is the same as last year.

Diagram of walk/trot test 2

Both tests have the free walk with a bend in the middle. This is not easy to do if you plan for it. The mistake most people make is to not turn enough out of the corner. Let's say the free walk is from FXM. What is common, is for the rider to just turn at F as though heading across the long diagonal to H, the problem with this though, is that you want the turn at X to be smooth, with a moment when you are looking at the judge at C. You are also on long/loose rein, with a long stretchy walk, so your turning radius will be larger than you may expect.

The best way to approach this element, is to turn and aim at between E and H, while keeping C in your peripheral vision. Once you approach the center line, look to C, then look to the right of M. By aiming for the right of M, you are compensating for the horse's natural drift to center, and for the fact the horse's head and neck need room to turn (remember you want your shoulder to reach M). You then shorten your reins as you ask for the bend at M. I find it easiest to shorten the inside rein first to get the bend/lateral tuck, and then take up the slack in the outside rein.

The other element to work on is the transitions on the short side; all too often the rider will work to get the horse into the first corner, but neglect to use enough outside leg to keep the horse's hind end in line and engaged. The horse ends up falling out through the hind quarters and bouncing off the end of the ring. At this same moment the rider is trying to do their transition, which further throws the horse of balance resulting in a cut of second corner.

When riding the transition on the short side, you need to remember a few things;

1) The long and faster the stride you have, the less deep you will want to go into the corners. So if you are on a well balanced and collected horse, your corners may be 6 meter quarter circles at all gaits, if you are on a less balanced/strung out horse, then your corners may be 6 meter quarter circles at walk, 10 meter quarter circles at trot, and 15 meter quarter circles at canter. Find out what your horse is able to do, then plan for it. In the training level 2 test, where your canter transition is in the second corner of the long side, this may mean you have to plan to do a more gentle corner than your first corner which was at trot. If you try to go too deep into the second corner and do the transition, your horse may loose its balance and its forward.

2) You have to remember to BALANCE for turns. All turns, even at the walk. Your horse needs to increase the engagement of its hind end to prepare to turn in a balanced manner. If you do not balance before the turns, your horse will brace and balance on its front end. A horse on its front end is hard to transition upwards!

3) Outside leg. Complete the turn with your outside leg so your horse is sent forward and straight into the short side. Keeping the bum slightly in for an extra stride will help prevent the horse "bouncing' off the short stride and falling in for the second corner.

Karen

Back in the saddle again!

It is good to be back riding! Was able to ride three horses today, with just one major neck twinge (not surprisingly it was on jack hammer Tango...) and it feels good to be back in the saddle. Interestingly it was Mother Nature that helped with my recovery; on Monday I had a little slip on the snow/ice and it resulted in just the right tweaking to cause a loud POP in my neck...and suddenly I could look up again! More than just gaining movement it also cleared much of the fog that had settled in my noggin. The "cure" reminded me of the Simpson's episode where Homer hurts his back and fixes it by falling backwards over a dented metal garbage can. He was able to market the can...not sure I can market ice.

Still not jumping yet, as I am worried that a good pop over the jump might knock me back out of it, but with time I am sure I will be back to 100%.

Meanwhile I am trying to start Coregel under saddle without my typical routine of lunging. The vet wants me to get her going so as to help her ankle scar down securely and properly, but at the same time I should not do too much lunging which may strain the area...so to get her used to voice commands and the feel of the tack I am doing in hand work...which is me leading her around with her tack on (she looks so grown up in her dressage saddle, white pad and dressage bridle!). Apparently I am very unfit though; two laps around the indoor and I feel faint! Apparently it has been too long since I last had to chase Rocket around with a beginner. Rocket has been good for my fitness...always looking after me that one.

Note to boarders: we are deworming next week; cost to deworm with Exodus is $8.00 for inside horses, and $10.00 for outside boarders. Please call, email or sign up on the white board if you wish for me to deworm your horse!

Karen

Ground Hogs Day

Today is the day we look to a large rodent to tell is if we are going to have an early spring. What a silly notion. Today is partially cloudy, so I am guessing some will see their shadows, and some will not. How often do all the little rodents actually agree?

In Sherwood Park they don't even have a Ground Hog...they have a bunny. Yes, a bunny. Not sure how that works.

But it doesn't matter, the horses have already told me to prepare for a long winter. How? By waiting until January to start shedding....normally the indoor horses start to shed their mid winter coat in December, but this year they waited an extra 2-4 weeks....so hang in their folks, it is going to be a while yet until spring is here!

Now lets see if bunny and ground hogs agree with the equines...

Karen

Ride for Red Idea...

I am just waiting for confirmation from Lisa regarding the Ride for Red show dates, and then I will post them so you can plan your vacations suitably :)

I wanted to run an idea by you guys as a possible new idea for Ride for Red. The idea for the show is to increase blood donations for Canadian Blood Services...so I was thinking;

In order to qualify for Prize Money, entries have to register a blood donation under Ride for Red. It doesn't have to be the rider/entrant, could be a family member, friend, or unsuspecting passerby who really wants a juice box. Riders that don't register a donation would have their prize money donated to Canadian Blood Services. One donation would qualify for both shows. The blood donation could happen anytime from Feb 1, to the show date.

Alternatively riders could donate a minimum of $20.00 to Canadian blood services and still qualify for prize money.

Thoughts?

Karen

Lesson plan for this week

This week in dressage lessons we will be going over the first walk trot and training level tests. The Walk/Trot test is the same as last year, but the Training Level test is new, and presents some new challenges.

The main challenges I forsee in this test are:
1) Picking up a canter halfway through a 20 meter circle; requires making a transition while maintaining the circle.
2) Doing 20 meter circles and half circles at E and B. These tend to be hard to visualize.
3) Stretch circle at trot soon after the canter, with walk/stretch walk soon after.


Walk Trot Test 1
Training Level Test 1

Both tests require a nice straight line to X! These tests are both designed to be ridden in a 20 by 40 arena or a 20 by 60 arena, so we will be practicing in the 20 x 40 size.

Jumping students will also practice elements of these tests; learning to ride with precision as needed in dressage can help with riding correctly over fences as well!

For over fences work we will once again be working on lead changes using poles/small jumps in the corners. We will also be working on landing leads, and creating a balanced round canter to help with getting lead changes. More info to follow!

Karen

Rain

Rain. That was nice. Just what the horses needed. And ice. Ice is great isn't it? The paddocks are ok, but the entrances to the paddocks are likely to be a little slick once the slush freezes, so be careful!

Silly, fluctuating weather.

Made for a pretty morning though, with mist rising from the hills as the rain sped evaporation.

Karen

Rest in Peace my Friend

Milo was put down today.

He went from be fit and demanding Milo kitty to being so small and weak in such a short time.

I hope he liked his week of being a house cat, and getting to sleep on the bed. Milo definitely thought that was his place. I liked having him around the house, but I have missed having him in the barn.

It won't be the same without him pestering me for food, dodging horses to make his way to sit with me in the area, and playing on the mule while I worked. He was a great barn cat.

Rest in peace Milo. You will be missed.

Karen

I thought all week was supposed to be warmer, but it sounds like Wednesday may still be nasty? This wind isn't much fun either! Highway 16 seems ok to drive, and so is out range road, but some of the off ramps and other roads have a lot of snow blowing across them, so please drive slowly!

I think this week's lessons will be working on 20m circles, a bounce, and adjusting number of strides in a line (mostly adding strides to keep the horse's slow/calm!).

Karen

Well it looks like lessons will be back to normal tomorrow, where you will all be riding fresh horses while snow falls off the roof. I need to come up with an easy lesson plan...I will post it tomorrow.

On a sad note, poor Milo is ill. He gave me a scare last Tuesday night when I could not find him. He always comes down to play with the hay bales as I feed...chasing the baling twine is fun apparently, so when he did not come, I went looking and could not find or hear him anywhere in the barn, so Rob came out and helped me look in the barn and out in the cold. I was scared he snuck into the truck that took Coda and Chris home. The next day I found him curled up in a dark corner upstairs. He hadn't touched any food since the afternoon before. He licked the soft food I brought him, but didn't eat, so I booked him in at the vet for Thursday. We spent 1.5 hours there! I guess I was lucky it was a slow day so they were thorough. Palpation revealed a lump in his belly, so thinking impaction (I was imagining a rolled up thread of baling twine), x-rays showed a shadow, but nothing clear, which supported the rolled up thread, but initial blood work added some confusion; it showed an odd mix of elevated globulin and some red and white blood counts were elevated, but ones showing long term infection and not something like an impaction. I mentioned his chronic ear infections, which the vet thought were also odd as cats tend to get mites, not infections, and hoped that is what was causing the blood to show it was fighting something.

Of course as soon as I got Milo home (we decided to move him into the house to keep a closer eye on him), he immediately went for the cat food!

We decided to send blood off to test for Feline Leukemia to be safe, but didn't get the results back until today. He does not have Feline Leukemia...he has Feline Aids. The shadows in the X-ray are likely a disease that can go with Aids where their internal organs start to stick together. Aids also explains why he gets so many ear infections.

Feline Aids is spread through direct contact with infected blood and saliva. It is possible he was born with it, or got it in a cat fight. Feline Aids is rare, and cannot be transmitted or carried by dogs, horses or humans, only cat to cat. Rob and I will have to decide if we want to test our other cats.

Maybe this explains why Kit Kat hates him so much?

Tomorrow I will pick up a facts sheet from our vet, as well as some medication for Milo. I will post the fact sheet in the barn for anyone who is interested.

Milo will be staying in the house at least until his current infection is cleared, and then we will decided where he is best off. Our neighbours don't have cats to risk infecting. Although he seems to like sleeping on the bed, he is restless in the house.

Karen

Still cold

Looks like lessons might be on hold until Sunday, but we will see how today shapes up. Supposed to get to above -20, but with the windchill and snow not so sure how it will feel. It has been as while since we have had such a long extended cold period.

Yesterday I decided to bring horses in a little early, thinking they would be ready to come in and eat...but no, when I went out to get the geldings they were all running madly about, playing in the snow, oblivious to the fact that I was ready to bring them in to the warmth and/or feed them their afternoon meal. Goof balls.

Karen

Lessons Cancelled Today

Yikes! i have been lazy about posting on the blog! I think my creative side was damaged when I got kicked :(

Too cold today for lessons, and according to Rob, highway 16 on the way out here was pretty nasty this morning and I am thinking the snow falling now isn't going to help.

The horses seem happy enough though and are having fun playing in the deep snow. I just came in from giving them an extra flake of hay to help them stay warm; the mares just go over and eat quietly, whilst the boys warm up by chasing each other around in order to find the perfect flake...doofuses.

The marshmallows in instant hot chocolate do not last long enough; by the time the drink is cooled enough to drink they are gone..yet I still buy that kind. A few years back when I had a "real" job, I got some mass produced "home made" marshmallows at the office Christmas Party. At the time I thought "wow...how cheap" as there were only about a dozen of the things, but then I tried them....they created a gooey layer at the top of the hot chocolate and were so yummy....but I have never seen them in the stores. That is what I need today...gooey marshmallows on hot chocolate.

Stay warm and drive safe!

Karen

So apparently when you hurt your neck or back you are supposed to keep using it to keep it from seizing or weakenning...but when you hurt your head you are supposed to let it rest. That means laying in the dark...no radio....no TV....no books....no boy asking you for dessert or tea....cats asking to be pet are ok though.

Of course here I am on my computer which I am sure is another no no...

So I am still teaching, but limiting lessons, and don't expect brilliance. This week we are working on bending lines; in particular jumping from a diagonal fence to a fence along the rail then straight to the end...last week I noticed that riders were continuing to turn over the second fence and then cutting the end off.

Karen

Brief update

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas break and is ready for 2011!

My neck is getting better, but my head is still a little fuzzy and I have trouble focusing for long periods. Ginger thinks I am defective and no fun....the cats think I am perfect as I have more time for them! Sad that it took a kick to the head to get a week more or less off! Poor Rob had to scrap his plans for his break though and was stuck keeping an eye on me and helping me with the horses.

Our stray cat (Rolo) has decided that I am not so much of a threat, and more of a lackey that can't be trusted. He now sits in the hay shed or under the grainery and meows at me to remind me that his stomach would like some kibble. Still won't stick around long enough to be touched, but doesn't run out of sight either. He seems to understand that humans are pathetic and can't climb very well.

Karen

Didn't get what you wanted this Christmas? Have no fear, I have the perfect gift you can get for yourself...a tea cup piglet! I suppose their upside is that they don't shed or claw the furniture. Aside from that they seem an odd pet choice.

For Christmas I got a sick horse and a kick to the head. It was great. Oh, I also got a really nice camera from Rob, and a lovely necklace from my parents. Wait...come to think of it, Dexter gave me the camera...(I think he wants to make sure he doesn't get sent for glue seeing as he is not rideable any time soon). The cats gave me an Air Purifier, and Ginger gave me things for the CRV.

Ginger got TWO balls for Christmas. One squeaks. And squeaks. And squeaks. Ginger can make it squeak in the most pitiful manner if you opt to not throw it for her or want her to stop squeaking it for a while....it may have to be banned from the house.

Poor Rob had all sorts of plans for the week, but it looks like he is stuck helping me in the barn during the times Natalie is not out until I am fully functional again. We were both thrilled to spend most of the morning/afternoon in the hospital. Apparently neck injuries get you in fast though. I think it helped that I wore a turtleneck too, as I had to take it off to get the neck brace on, and so of course I needed to be in a room, and I think once you are in a room they want you out of that room as soon as possible. Or maybe it was because I smelled like a barn and likely had bad morning breath too....

I saw irony in the nurse having to drip Children's Motrin into my mouth via a syringe...it even smelled a little like bute. Although I always offer the horse's a treat after being given bute...the nurse did not!

Thanks to Nicole, Laureen and Carolyn (tamara's mom) for helping out today!

And the sick horse seems to be getting better, so fingers crossed for her too. It doesn't seem like anything contagious, just some odd, albeit mild, symptoms....that of course had to show up on Christmas morning. I am sure Lana (our vet) was thrilled to hear from me on Christmas day!

I hope you all had a great Christmas though!

Karen

Anyone else have this problem?

So why am I planning to be out shopping on Christmas Eve Eve? Because I have a significant other who goes out and buys himself gifts on the week before Christmas. And not obscure things, but something he had been talking about wanting.

Isn't there an unwritten rule about not buying things for yourself in the week before Christmas?

But I have learned from past years, that this is the case, so off I will go later today to fight the crowds to finish my shopping.

As an aside, I didn't think there was a good toy store in Sherwood Park, but the Laugh n' Learn on baseline near Save-On has some pretty cool stuff!

I hope everyone else is done there shopping so they can sit back and enjoy the holidays!

Karen

Finally a Christmas party when it isn't 30 below out! Thank you to everyone who came, and I hope that all of you who spent the day at home sick are feeling better soon.

Miranda won the match the poopy stall contest, and we had a three way tie for the "which horse is this" contest where I took close up shots of certain distinctive parts of horses and had people try to match it with the horse. Three people got 7 out of ten, with Kelsey winning in a draw. (Clare and Joan were the other two top finishers I think). I still have the poster in the barn if anyone else wants to see if they can make a guess.

We might need a bigger barn for next year's party!

Yesterday I spent the day judging an in barn show at Cholchester. They had a variety of classes including dressage, hunter, western, english, command class, and showmanship. It was a long day with the judged classes going from 9 to 4:40, but we managed to stay close to on time.

Judging dressage was harder than I expected, particularly in a small ring, as the different moves happen so quickly that it is hard to find time to make a comment on one move, while still watching/judging the next move. The first level tests were the worst as they way they have some of the scoring isn't even in the same order as the movement; The rider has to do a free walk a short diagonal, then turn fairly sharply and do a medium walk across the next short diagonal....yet the score card has you mark the free walk, then the medium walk, THEN the transition between the two...which is followed right away by a score for a trot and canter transition, and then another score for a canter circle...comes up way to quickly! Thank goodness my scribe was on the ball.

I am surprised to find though, that I am SORE from judging! How pathetic is that? Standing for that long or sitting on a hard bleacher is apparently harder than cleaning stalls and riding all day. if I judge jumping there again, I must remember a seat cushion!

Karen

When I was young I remember there being a lot of snow before Christmas. I only remember one "green" Christmas in my childhood...and being a kid, not having snow was such a disappointment! Lately though, it is seemed that December is just as likely to have grass still showing as not...and as an adult it is such a pain in the butt to have so much snow while doing Christmas running around! Amazing how a few decades of age can change perception so much. I guess the skiers and snowmobilers are likely happy though...and kids under the age of 12!

Natalie and I decorated the barn yesterday; Flair was not impressed by the little Christmas tree. Not sure if her silliness was due to her knowledge that trees do NOT belong in the barn, or if she was making a commentary about our decorating skills...everybody is a critic. Milo on the other hand seemed oddly disinterested in the garland and Christmas balls. What sort of cat isn't fascinated by shiny objects?

Speaking of cats, our stray has a name now; Rolo. You may have seen Rolo without knowing it; he is a tabby so can be mistaken for Milo at first glance, but he is a little fluffier, and a lighter coloured tabby with more white on his chin and chest. Rolo is also likely to be the fattest stray cat you will ever see. We feed our stray cats well.

I am hoping that if the weather stays cold he will move on to our covered deck as Milo did a couple years ago, and we can catch him that way and get him looked after at the vets. I think Rolo is a true feral cat though, and not an abandoned pet who was pretending to be wild like Milo.

I know the roads have kept many of you safe at home, but fear not, the horses are doing well and seem to be enjoying playing in the snow...well except Lily who cannot comprehend what she did to deserve this, and Brie who didn't want to leave her shelter all day yesterday despite being fully covered in a fluffy blanket.

I like the idea of the full neck blankets on windy and snow days like yesterday, so I am slowly trying to outfit the lesson horses with new neck covering blankets. So far Zander and Rocket have been the lucky recipients of new blankets. Zander was less than thrilled as he ended up being allergic to the blanket I got for him....fortunately he is not allergic to his new blanket, and the one I bought for him has been passed to Rocket. Of course a side effect of the full neck blankets is that the horse's name will be pressed flat...is Rocket still Rocket if his mane is not standing straight up? I hope his super powers are not contained in his spikes....

karen

This week in lessons...

This week in lessons we are working on Broken Lines and different ways to ride them. Hopefully the snow we are supposed to get today doesn't make it hard to get to the barn!

We are also doing a little work on Counter Canter.

...

Christmas Party Update: Thanks in part to Tudor Tack Shoppe, we will have Door Prizes at the Christmas Party. Names of clients that come to the party will be drawn throughout the afternoon to win one of 10 or so horsey prizes! If you have any questions about the party, post them in comments, give me a call, or send me an email! Anyone who has been a Hillside Client in 2010 is welcome to come, as are family members!

Karen

Wow, it is actually looking like it might be warm for the Hillside Christmas Party on Saturday! That would be nice for a change...

Went to Rob's work Christmas party on the weekend. I like dressing up, but hate the late nights, particularly with Flair needing medication that takes a fair bit of time to give at night. It is just no fun staying up late when I have to be up before 7 each morning. Fortunately Rob has a cold so didn't want to stay late for this one, so we had planned to be home at a decent time...but the company held us hostage with the lure of door prizes! Not not just any door prizes, they had big screen TVs, a fancy Bar-B-Que, Blue Ray players and so on... and they dragged out the draws....draw a few tickets, then give some speaches. Draw a few more, then have some loud music playing for dancing (music from the 70's it seemed....). But the lure of the big ticket items held us captive even though I was pretty much falling asleep on Rob's shoulders. But did we win any of the 50+ door prizes? Nope...and neither did anyone at our table.

The most entertaining part of the evening was the eclectic mix of outfits; from people in jeans and a sweater, to the girl in a short black dress with BRIGHT PINK high heels. Then there was the girl with the veil. Who wears a veil? Looked cool, but out of place.

I escaped the music briefly by making a run to the ladies room...which I thought would be a nice quiet place, but this girl was having a very loud conversation while sitting in a stall, with two people at the sink...two people she apparently didn't even know! (she was complaining about the prize she won...she was bitter she won something before the TV's had been given out). I found the toilet talking very odd. Maybe she was trying to talk over whatever she was doing in the stall?

And it seems my Luminosity training to help with remembering names isn't helping so far...I only remembered 4 names from the party...unlike in the games, I can't really sit and just stare at someone for a minute to try to figure out how to remember their name. Fortunately I am unlikely to come across most of those people anytime soon! Still, I would like to be able to remember people's names as well as I do horse's names!

Karen

Brie

Had some fun trying something new with Brie today.

It was harder than I thought; Brie was good, but perhaps I should have started out by practicing flatwork without a bridle before attempting to jump without one. The tricky part was knowing what to do with my hands; when I would pull left, the neck rope would slide left and I didn't know what to do with my right hand and vice versa. The other tricky part was steering with leg but not having her interpret that as an invitation to go forward.

She is a super fun mare who tolerates my foibles well. Hopefully we can find her a great home that appreciates her and will treat her in the manner to which she deserves!

Karen

This week in lessons

This week in lessons we are working on:
1) Bending lines.
2) Trot and canter cavaletti grids (to improve gaits and rider balance)

It will be fun.

Karen

Ginger

Poor Ginger had been behaving oddly of late. Looking sad and mopey. Alternatively staring at me like I should do something to help her, and shunning me. I thought she was in mourning over the loss of Mike as the timing fit. But no, she was in mourning for the loss of her green ball. She is now revived, rejuvenated, and regingerfied with the purchase of a new green ball...one that mercifully does not squeak. She even slept with it a few nights.

She even picked the ball over a visiting puppy. If only we could all find completeness and happiness in such a simple (and cheap) way.

I should learn and stock up on balls though...hopefully this one isn't left in the snow to hide until spring...

Karen

Christmas Party!

The Hillside Christmas Party is scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday December 18th, from 2-4 pm. As per usual we will have a secret Santa gift exchange ($22 value), Hillside trivia contests for prizes, and a snack type potluck with Hillside providing the drinks, plates and cutlery. We are also hoping to arrange to have samples of our logo wear for people to try on for size in case they wish to place an order. We will also be discussing our show schedule for 2011.

The party is open to all Hillside Clients and friends, as well as their families. We have lots of new clients this year and want to give everyone the opportunity to get to know each other!

Hope to see you then!

Oh...and it tends to be -30 on the day of our Christmas party so plan for a cold weekend!

Karen