Supposed to be a hot beginning to the week! Still planning to have jumping outside, but if it is too hot, we can warm up inside, and then come out just to jump. Either way, I recommend bringing a bottle of water to stay hydrated!
Going to work more on landing leads over jumps, and on canter to walk transitions.
Remember when trying to land a lead over a jump, you must have control of the horse's shoulder on the approach, so that they can push off squarely with both hinds and the jump. This makes it easier for them to switch leads in the air. Then, as they are taking off, the rider must look in the direction they wish to go on the land, open that rein, and put weight in the opposite stirrup.
Outside, I will have a jumper course set up so we can practice landing the lead with more obvious turns.
Karen
Monday, July 14, 2014
Monday, July 7, 2014
Wall of Shame
When we were at Maple Leaf Meadows I saw they had a "Wall of Shame" where they listed clients that had apparently broken the rule of not sweeping up after themselves.
If we had a "Wall of Shame" at Hillside, I would use it differently:
THE HILLSIDE WALL OF SHAME:
- Java: for not wanting to be caught on the hottest day of the year.
- Rocket: for ripping his expensive new fly sheet in the first week of wearing it.
- Charlie: for leaving a mouse bum in the arena.
- Phelps: for digging hoof trimmings out of the manure pile, eating them, and then throwing them up in the living room at 2 am.
If we had a "Wall of Shame" at Hillside, I would use it differently:
THE HILLSIDE WALL OF SHAME:
- Java: for not wanting to be caught on the hottest day of the year.
- Rocket: for ripping his expensive new fly sheet in the first week of wearing it.
- Charlie: for leaving a mouse bum in the arena.
- Phelps: for digging hoof trimmings out of the manure pile, eating them, and then throwing them up in the living room at 2 am.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
What a lot of rain over the weekend! Over 2 inches of rain fell on Hillside over the weekend! The week is supposed to be sunny though, so hopefully the outdoor has a chance to dry.
Stephanie, Roman and I went to the Maple Leaf show on Saturday, and they too were hit by the heavy rains the night before. Fortunately they were able to move the classes to the indoor arena rather than cancel, and we had a good show with nice weather during the day. I look forward to returning there in August for their development show which I am hoping with be Dani's debut!
This week in lessons we are going to work some more on counter canter and also on lead changes. Being able to do a correct counter canter helps the horse learn to balance at the canter, so the horse can do its lead change in one piece rather than changing in front first like they tend to do.
For jumping we are going to work on finding the correct approach to diagonal fences. Turning too early remains an issue for many riders, and this nicely ties in to the lead changes: much easier to have a nice corner, or even get the change in the air, with a proper approach to the jump!
Karen
Stephanie, Roman and I went to the Maple Leaf show on Saturday, and they too were hit by the heavy rains the night before. Fortunately they were able to move the classes to the indoor arena rather than cancel, and we had a good show with nice weather during the day. I look forward to returning there in August for their development show which I am hoping with be Dani's debut!
This week in lessons we are going to work some more on counter canter and also on lead changes. Being able to do a correct counter canter helps the horse learn to balance at the canter, so the horse can do its lead change in one piece rather than changing in front first like they tend to do.
For jumping we are going to work on finding the correct approach to diagonal fences. Turning too early remains an issue for many riders, and this nicely ties in to the lead changes: much easier to have a nice corner, or even get the change in the air, with a proper approach to the jump!
Karen
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
This week in lessons
It looks like an other annoying weather week meaning I have to have jumps set both inside and out....hopefully not though! Really enjoying the sun today and yesterday. For fun I decided to put Izzy over a few of the jumps...I have jumped her in the past over ankle high jumps, but this was her first time over something higher than her knees. She definitely has a unique jumping style: head down, body way up and over! Not sure what her knees where doing, but it didn't feel all that pretty. Still, likely good for her fitness and to help her work off her big belly.
This week in lessons we are going to work on diagonal jumps. How to find the proper approach in order to get the horse to the jump straight/perpendicular. We will also be doing a two stride combination if we are outside. Assessing which lead you are on will also continue to be a priority.
The easiest way I find to feel or even see the leads, is just to focus on the order of the footfalls. When a horse is on the left lead, they go right hind, diagonal pair, left front. So to know you are on the left lead, just feel the rhythm of the canter, and make sure it is the left front leg that is the last one to hit the ground. Usually on the left lead you will also feel your weight pushed more to your right leg, so your left leg will feel less steady.
This week in lessons we are going to work on diagonal jumps. How to find the proper approach in order to get the horse to the jump straight/perpendicular. We will also be doing a two stride combination if we are outside. Assessing which lead you are on will also continue to be a priority.
The easiest way I find to feel or even see the leads, is just to focus on the order of the footfalls. When a horse is on the left lead, they go right hind, diagonal pair, left front. So to know you are on the left lead, just feel the rhythm of the canter, and make sure it is the left front leg that is the last one to hit the ground. Usually on the left lead you will also feel your weight pushed more to your right leg, so your left leg will feel less steady.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Picture of Izzy from the last show
Linda Finstead from Sharper Images took some lovely photos of Izzy at the Arabian show in Ponoka! I ordered a few and will have to frame them and put at least one in the barn. This is the only one I bought the digital rights to though. This was our first dressage class (first level test: we are doing a 10 meter half circle at the start of the test).
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
This week in lessons
Well the Killerney show was fun with nice weather, but it was much bigger than I expected with over a hundred entrants on the Sunday! I was expecting to be home by 2pm, but we didn't roll home until after four!
Our next show is Maple Leaf the first weekend in July. Jumping on Saturday and dressage on Sunday. Let me know ASAP if you want to attend!
This week in lessons I am really hoping we can be outside! Janine helped me build a course today, and we will be working on adjusting strides and on getting in corners.
At the show they had some mud at the one end, so the jumps were all kind of squished at the top end so not a lot of room in the corners. The horses could see the approaching fence line and reacted by dropping a shoulder and turning early...which of course made getting on the correct lead and getting a good approach to the next jump difficult!
Karen
Our next show is Maple Leaf the first weekend in July. Jumping on Saturday and dressage on Sunday. Let me know ASAP if you want to attend!
This week in lessons I am really hoping we can be outside! Janine helped me build a course today, and we will be working on adjusting strides and on getting in corners.
At the show they had some mud at the one end, so the jumps were all kind of squished at the top end so not a lot of room in the corners. The horses could see the approaching fence line and reacted by dropping a shoulder and turning early...which of course made getting on the correct lead and getting a good approach to the next jump difficult!
Karen
Sunday, June 1, 2014
After last weekends somewhat demoralizing horse show, I wasn't all that sure I wanted to go to a show again so soon, but I am glad I did. I had a GREAT time at the Aurora Arabian show in Ponoka. People were so friendly and helpful when they realized I was new to the circuit.
Izzy wasn't so sure about the first day. We got there mid afternoon, with our class running after the supper break. I took her for lots of walks for grass to try to convince her that showing is fun...she is a great dandelion hunter. Then we warmed up in the main ring during the supper break. We were in there with western horses, saddleseat horses and other horses preparing for the sport horse classes....poor Izzy did NOT like that ring. She didn't like the people in the stands, the "play pen" they had set up in the middle, or the man sweeping the stands. There was threats of rearing and tantrums...but she eventually seemed reasonable, and by the time of our class she went pretty good...only falling apart when one horse in the class started to buck, setting off a second horse and then Izzy. The class was quite big with over 20 horses, but it was a fun experience.
Day two was the dressage classes, running in the afternoon. The class was kind of in a far corner of the show grounds in a made last minute show ring...and I think that worked well for us. Aside from bolting when the judge blew the start whistle, and spooking at the show photographer, she did SO much better than the last show, with both our tests scoring above 60% and a second and a fifth.
I am sure most of the improvement came because it was a more relaxed atmosphere, but I had also switched her from my super expensive KK Ultra snaffle, to a simple eggbutt snaffle I have owned for close to 30 years...ungrateful horse seems to vastly prefer this simple bit! Maybe she also liked being around her kin.
-----
It looks like there is a lot of rain in the forecast, but hoping to start getting horses out on grass this week.
For lessons, not sure if we will be stuck in the indoor again or not...I hope not! Keen to be back outside. If inside we will do some more precision type courses, with jumps coming up quickly and poles to make sure you keep the horse balanced and attentive. We will also do a little more counter canter work, and trying to feel the lead we are on when jumping.
Karen
Izzy wasn't so sure about the first day. We got there mid afternoon, with our class running after the supper break. I took her for lots of walks for grass to try to convince her that showing is fun...she is a great dandelion hunter. Then we warmed up in the main ring during the supper break. We were in there with western horses, saddleseat horses and other horses preparing for the sport horse classes....poor Izzy did NOT like that ring. She didn't like the people in the stands, the "play pen" they had set up in the middle, or the man sweeping the stands. There was threats of rearing and tantrums...but she eventually seemed reasonable, and by the time of our class she went pretty good...only falling apart when one horse in the class started to buck, setting off a second horse and then Izzy. The class was quite big with over 20 horses, but it was a fun experience.
Day two was the dressage classes, running in the afternoon. The class was kind of in a far corner of the show grounds in a made last minute show ring...and I think that worked well for us. Aside from bolting when the judge blew the start whistle, and spooking at the show photographer, she did SO much better than the last show, with both our tests scoring above 60% and a second and a fifth.
I am sure most of the improvement came because it was a more relaxed atmosphere, but I had also switched her from my super expensive KK Ultra snaffle, to a simple eggbutt snaffle I have owned for close to 30 years...ungrateful horse seems to vastly prefer this simple bit! Maybe she also liked being around her kin.
-----
It looks like there is a lot of rain in the forecast, but hoping to start getting horses out on grass this week.
For lessons, not sure if we will be stuck in the indoor again or not...I hope not! Keen to be back outside. If inside we will do some more precision type courses, with jumps coming up quickly and poles to make sure you keep the horse balanced and attentive. We will also do a little more counter canter work, and trying to feel the lead we are on when jumping.
Karen
Monday, May 26, 2014
This week in lessons
Well we needed rain, but I was hoping it would be on non-lesson days and happen all at once rather than all week, but it looks like it is going to be a wet week and we will be stuck inside again. So for this week we are going to do some controlled work combining flat work and jumping.
I want to work on some bending exercises, and changing bend at the trot while maintaining the trot. We are going to do some leg yielding at the canter, and some mild counter canter loops. For jumping there will be some controlled bending lines to work on changing bend over fences, looking for the turns over fences, and keeping/getting the horses straight out of a bend. We will also be doing a fence on an angle which requires the rider to really hold the horse straight between leg and hand.
Remember, no lessons on Saturday!
Karen
I want to work on some bending exercises, and changing bend at the trot while maintaining the trot. We are going to do some leg yielding at the canter, and some mild counter canter loops. For jumping there will be some controlled bending lines to work on changing bend over fences, looking for the turns over fences, and keeping/getting the horses straight out of a bend. We will also be doing a fence on an angle which requires the rider to really hold the horse straight between leg and hand.
Remember, no lessons on Saturday!
Karen
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
this week in lessons
Today is the only day I think we might be stuck inside, but the rest of the week looks great! I don't really want to build a full course in both rings, so if we are inside tonight I will keep the lesson simple.
I think we will work on counting 3-2-1 to the jumps. Not just counting down to the jump, but also thinking about how our position changes as we approach the jump. We will also do some tighter turns, focusing on seeing our distance (counting down) as we approach on an arc as well as making sure we still meet the jump at a perpendicular angle.
There may also be some leg yielding, as making sure a horse is listening laterally to leg aids really helps be able to control the arc and keep the horse from collapsing in or bulging out.
See you soon!
Karen
I think we will work on counting 3-2-1 to the jumps. Not just counting down to the jump, but also thinking about how our position changes as we approach the jump. We will also do some tighter turns, focusing on seeing our distance (counting down) as we approach on an arc as well as making sure we still meet the jump at a perpendicular angle.
There may also be some leg yielding, as making sure a horse is listening laterally to leg aids really helps be able to control the arc and keep the horse from collapsing in or bulging out.
See you soon!
Karen
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
this week in lessons
This week in lessons I am hoping to teach all classes outside! Thursday and Saturday seem iffy though, but fingers crossed. It has been nice so far, and the horses seem happy to be in the larger ring and fresh air!
I kept the course simple with no related distances as I expected more naughtiness, but the horses so far seem to be staying focused. We have a serpentine to trot and then jump, and a simple course. Keeping the horses and riders turning and bending was meant to help keep the horses from getting stiff and strong, and to keep their focus on the exercise rather than giving them time to look around the countryside.
Karen
I kept the course simple with no related distances as I expected more naughtiness, but the horses so far seem to be staying focused. We have a serpentine to trot and then jump, and a simple course. Keeping the horses and riders turning and bending was meant to help keep the horses from getting stiff and strong, and to keep their focus on the exercise rather than giving them time to look around the countryside.
Karen
Thursday, May 8, 2014
More Adventures in horse shopping
Went to look at another horse yesterday. Sounded ideal in the ad: experience western & English. Trail ridden and jumped by a child. Cute, registered and a decent price. Useless pictures and no video, but close enough to be worth going to see.
So we pull up at the facility, and my first thought is that this place is way to chaotic for me to want to try out a horse! Children everywhere. On big horses in the dirt arena (gymkhana night apparently), running around playing, on horses in the pens....everywhere. It was like an after school care with horses program.
We manage to locate the horse and owner quickly, and it seemed odd, but the horse was already saddled, yet not really well groomed...still had little bits of "stuff" on its neck and back. Usually this is for a reason, and sure enough, when I felt under the saddle pad, she was thin. Not rack of bones thin like the one Rhiannon looked at, but definitely had no extra fat either. Seller's answer? "They all are". No idea what that means. Still, cute horse, albeit finer than I expected.
Seller led horse to the indoor which we hoped was quieter than the crazy outdoor, albeit very small. Unfortunately there were two more small children on big horses careening around what was pretty much large round pen, stirring up an insane amount of dust. You could literally hardly see the horses! Fortunately the children were willing to head outside so we could have the space to ourselves and the dust could settle a little.
Unfortunately, as those horses left and the seller started to pull down stirrups and such, the little mare leapt forward and spun around. She got a little better, but remained jumpy and spooky for the time the seller rode, and the seller couldn't really get her to canter. It hardly seemed like a horse that was being jumped by a young child! Still, the horse wasn't looking dangerous, and I kind of wanted to see how Jessie would look on such a refined horse, so she went to get her helmet.
Meanwhile one of the young riders came back to the arena to see if we were done:
"Are you riding Princess now?"
"Princess is actually my horse."
" Keyanna used to ride Princess but just couldn't stay on her. I don't know why, but she just kept coming off."
"Oh" (subtitle would read "please just go away and shut up little kid!)
I said nothing.
At that point Jessie came back with her helmet, and went to get on Princess, but again she went nutty, so we opted to not bother. I then filled Jessie in with what the little girl had said...out of the mouths of babes comes the truth! To be fair I don't know if the owner knew the kid that was jumping her was coming off her regularly, but her single syllable response made me think yes.
Sad thing is I think this was actually a nice horse, who at one point was a kind horse, but just couldn't handle her current environment and lost it. While the seller had been riding I had been standing just outside the door to avoid the dust and was half watching the "lesson" in the outdoor. It made me cringe on so many levels. Kids with toes down just hanging on by the safety of the big western saddle, yanking their mount around by the curb bits in their mouths. Cantering around with only semi control, likely kept safe mostly by the small confines of the arena. I don't imagine the jumping lessons were much more safety orientated.
I can see why the place was popular with parents though: just kids having fun on horses or running around, but I don't think the horses were having much fun. None of the kids looked mean or anything, just cruel through ignorance.
Still, I have to wonder...where did they find all those saintly big horses?
On to the next one!
Karen
So we pull up at the facility, and my first thought is that this place is way to chaotic for me to want to try out a horse! Children everywhere. On big horses in the dirt arena (gymkhana night apparently), running around playing, on horses in the pens....everywhere. It was like an after school care with horses program.
We manage to locate the horse and owner quickly, and it seemed odd, but the horse was already saddled, yet not really well groomed...still had little bits of "stuff" on its neck and back. Usually this is for a reason, and sure enough, when I felt under the saddle pad, she was thin. Not rack of bones thin like the one Rhiannon looked at, but definitely had no extra fat either. Seller's answer? "They all are". No idea what that means. Still, cute horse, albeit finer than I expected.
Seller led horse to the indoor which we hoped was quieter than the crazy outdoor, albeit very small. Unfortunately there were two more small children on big horses careening around what was pretty much large round pen, stirring up an insane amount of dust. You could literally hardly see the horses! Fortunately the children were willing to head outside so we could have the space to ourselves and the dust could settle a little.
Unfortunately, as those horses left and the seller started to pull down stirrups and such, the little mare leapt forward and spun around. She got a little better, but remained jumpy and spooky for the time the seller rode, and the seller couldn't really get her to canter. It hardly seemed like a horse that was being jumped by a young child! Still, the horse wasn't looking dangerous, and I kind of wanted to see how Jessie would look on such a refined horse, so she went to get her helmet.
Meanwhile one of the young riders came back to the arena to see if we were done:
"Are you riding Princess now?"
"Princess is actually my horse."
" Keyanna used to ride Princess but just couldn't stay on her. I don't know why, but she just kept coming off."
"Oh" (subtitle would read "please just go away and shut up little kid!)
I said nothing.
At that point Jessie came back with her helmet, and went to get on Princess, but again she went nutty, so we opted to not bother. I then filled Jessie in with what the little girl had said...out of the mouths of babes comes the truth! To be fair I don't know if the owner knew the kid that was jumping her was coming off her regularly, but her single syllable response made me think yes.
Sad thing is I think this was actually a nice horse, who at one point was a kind horse, but just couldn't handle her current environment and lost it. While the seller had been riding I had been standing just outside the door to avoid the dust and was half watching the "lesson" in the outdoor. It made me cringe on so many levels. Kids with toes down just hanging on by the safety of the big western saddle, yanking their mount around by the curb bits in their mouths. Cantering around with only semi control, likely kept safe mostly by the small confines of the arena. I don't imagine the jumping lessons were much more safety orientated.
I can see why the place was popular with parents though: just kids having fun on horses or running around, but I don't think the horses were having much fun. None of the kids looked mean or anything, just cruel through ignorance.
Still, I have to wonder...where did they find all those saintly big horses?
On to the next one!
Karen
Monday, May 5, 2014
This week in lessons
I keep hoping that we will be able to move outside for lessons, but it looks like nature has other plans...hopefully soon though! Alberta weather is such a tease.
Meanwhile I am being tortured by a Robin that is attacking our house from 5:25am until nightfall. Thunk thunk thunk. This is the reason for the garbage bag décor in front of the house. Sadly it just finds a different window. At least the cats are entertained as indicated for the window screens pulled off the windows, however I am sleep deprived. Robin stew anyone?
For lessons this week we are going to do some work on leg position both on the flat and over fences. We want the heals stretched down, with the heel below the hip. The inside of the entire leg should drape along the horse's side. The leg should be secure regardless of what your body is doing.
We will do bounces and one strides to help work on this, and some of you may find your stirrups tied to the girth to help you feel where your leg should be. We may also play with stirrup length as I think some riders might be helped by a shorter stirrup over fences.
Karen
Meanwhile I am being tortured by a Robin that is attacking our house from 5:25am until nightfall. Thunk thunk thunk. This is the reason for the garbage bag décor in front of the house. Sadly it just finds a different window. At least the cats are entertained as indicated for the window screens pulled off the windows, however I am sleep deprived. Robin stew anyone?
For lessons this week we are going to do some work on leg position both on the flat and over fences. We want the heals stretched down, with the heel below the hip. The inside of the entire leg should drape along the horse's side. The leg should be secure regardless of what your body is doing.
We will do bounces and one strides to help work on this, and some of you may find your stirrups tied to the girth to help you feel where your leg should be. We may also play with stirrup length as I think some riders might be helped by a shorter stirrup over fences.
Karen
Sunday, April 27, 2014
This week in lessons...
Sadly, but hopefully not surprisingly, it will likely be too muddy to lesson outside still, so we will remain indoors. It is still April, so keeping with my April theme there will be a spooky jump or two in the ring so keep preparing horses and riders for dealing with the unexpected jumps!
For flat work, we are going to be doing canter and trot leg yields, but moving away from the rail. At the canter this will resemble a half pass, but with a straight neck. This will require a little more preparation by the rider, as you will need to (for the trot leg yield) get the horse flexed slightly to the outside before asking them to step over. You will also need to fight the magnetic pull of the wall! At the canter, you will not do a counter bend, but rather keep the neck straight, and ask them to move over with each jump between strides.
Being able to leg yield at the canter helps with straightening a horse in a line, or fixing a poor approach.
I think we will also work at jumping a fence at a specific point: picking to jump the center, the left, or the right side. This can be useful in the jumpers when a certain side of the jump offers and advantage for a turn or because of how it is built.
We will also jump a combination as we haven't done one of those in a while! A combination is a series of 3-4 jumps ridden with usually only 1-3 strides in between. Very common in jumpers, but also sometimes seen in jumpers...MLM had a 3 to a 4 stride combination last year in their hunters.
Karen
For flat work, we are going to be doing canter and trot leg yields, but moving away from the rail. At the canter this will resemble a half pass, but with a straight neck. This will require a little more preparation by the rider, as you will need to (for the trot leg yield) get the horse flexed slightly to the outside before asking them to step over. You will also need to fight the magnetic pull of the wall! At the canter, you will not do a counter bend, but rather keep the neck straight, and ask them to move over with each jump between strides.
Being able to leg yield at the canter helps with straightening a horse in a line, or fixing a poor approach.
I think we will also work at jumping a fence at a specific point: picking to jump the center, the left, or the right side. This can be useful in the jumpers when a certain side of the jump offers and advantage for a turn or because of how it is built.
We will also jump a combination as we haven't done one of those in a while! A combination is a series of 3-4 jumps ridden with usually only 1-3 strides in between. Very common in jumpers, but also sometimes seen in jumpers...MLM had a 3 to a 4 stride combination last year in their hunters.
Karen
Went with Rhiannon to look at a horse this weekend. It was at a newish facility that I had never been to, but was interested to see. It had a decent/big indoor, but unheated so once again I realized how spoiled I am at home! Anyway, she brings the horse in and we pull the blanket off...and it is skinny. Play the xylophone on its ribs skinny, but not SPCA skinny. Her response to my question of why? "the barn owners only feed for maintenance".
Really?!?
First off, how stupid to bad mouth the barn you currently board at, and secondly how stupid do you look for leaving your horse somewhere that doesn't feed it enough? And trying to sell it that way (and not cheaply either!)?
I won't name the barn because I question if the barn is really at fault: obviously the horse isn't being fed enough, but the horse is blanketed and on outside board, so it is possible that the barn staff just don't know the horse needs more food.
Which reminded me of the "Tell all" currently of Facebook, where someone is bashing a local boarding stable for endangering the horses in various ways, lying to boarders, and not feeding the horses for days at a time. She listed many good reasons to leave the barn and months and months of incidents...so why did she finally leave? She was told to get out by the barn owners. Why did she stay? By the sounds of it she liked being in the center of the drama.
I remember when we had that barn up the road (not Pleasant View) that would turn out super thin horses. Hillside rehabbed a few of them. The barn owners were clever and would point that most of the horses looked good, so would blame the horse owner, or say the horse had some ailment. In reality it was because the idiots would only put out four piles of hay for twelve horses, so only the strong got to eat. So why would people stay? It was cheap and close and they bought the barn owners stories/excuses. But once they left they would bash the old barn and not take any accountability for letting their horse get skeletal. Smart people would leave as soon as they noticed weight loss, and not leave it for months and months!
Edmonton has lots of boarding stables. There is no excuse to be at one that doesn't provide the basics of life such as feed and water, and if you leave your horse at one to get crazy thin, don't look to me for support on Facebook or the like. Its your horse. accept the responsibility!
Karen
Really?!?
First off, how stupid to bad mouth the barn you currently board at, and secondly how stupid do you look for leaving your horse somewhere that doesn't feed it enough? And trying to sell it that way (and not cheaply either!)?
I won't name the barn because I question if the barn is really at fault: obviously the horse isn't being fed enough, but the horse is blanketed and on outside board, so it is possible that the barn staff just don't know the horse needs more food.
Which reminded me of the "Tell all" currently of Facebook, where someone is bashing a local boarding stable for endangering the horses in various ways, lying to boarders, and not feeding the horses for days at a time. She listed many good reasons to leave the barn and months and months of incidents...so why did she finally leave? She was told to get out by the barn owners. Why did she stay? By the sounds of it she liked being in the center of the drama.
I remember when we had that barn up the road (not Pleasant View) that would turn out super thin horses. Hillside rehabbed a few of them. The barn owners were clever and would point that most of the horses looked good, so would blame the horse owner, or say the horse had some ailment. In reality it was because the idiots would only put out four piles of hay for twelve horses, so only the strong got to eat. So why would people stay? It was cheap and close and they bought the barn owners stories/excuses. But once they left they would bash the old barn and not take any accountability for letting their horse get skeletal. Smart people would leave as soon as they noticed weight loss, and not leave it for months and months!
Edmonton has lots of boarding stables. There is no excuse to be at one that doesn't provide the basics of life such as feed and water, and if you leave your horse at one to get crazy thin, don't look to me for support on Facebook or the like. Its your horse. accept the responsibility!
Karen
Monday, April 21, 2014
Horse show update and this week in lessons
Had fun at the horse show on Saturday! Nice weather, although still a little muddy. Wolf and Duncan both behaved and came home with a pretty assortment of ribbons. There were quite a few horses that looked a little shocked to be at a show, with may run outs and refusals in the 2'3" division...some of these riders should have been reading this blog to know how to handle the run outs, and instead of stopping and reassessing and/or letting the horse look at the jump, they would just keep going at a canter and loop back and try again...and again...and again... trying the same thing over and over is just going to get you the same result!
I am still not sure about going to jumping shows this early in the year though...it was awkward to not be able to warm up properly before the classes and to have to get off to get into the show ring, and then get on again to show...and we didn't exactly bring short horses! I so look forward to being outside again!
This week in lessons we will still have some spooky jumps, but it will be more of a jumper course vs the hunter type courses we have been doing. This means some bending lines and complex turns. You still want to get the horse straight to the spooky jumps, so it is important to hold the horse out on the turns and keep control of the horse's shoulder so they are straight when they get to the jumps. To this end we will do some flat work to make sure the horses are listening to the leg aids and bending around the inside leg rather than falling in.
Karen
I am still not sure about going to jumping shows this early in the year though...it was awkward to not be able to warm up properly before the classes and to have to get off to get into the show ring, and then get on again to show...and we didn't exactly bring short horses! I so look forward to being outside again!
This week in lessons we will still have some spooky jumps, but it will be more of a jumper course vs the hunter type courses we have been doing. This means some bending lines and complex turns. You still want to get the horse straight to the spooky jumps, so it is important to hold the horse out on the turns and keep control of the horse's shoulder so they are straight when they get to the jumps. To this end we will do some flat work to make sure the horses are listening to the leg aids and bending around the inside leg rather than falling in.
Karen
Monday, April 14, 2014
This week in lessons
This week in lessons we will be doing a hunter course to prepare for show season. To school the horses on their rhythm, balance and straightness, we will first jump the courses small and slow (adding strides) before raising the jumps and riding at course pace. I will have the jumps decorated like at a show, and we will continue to practice riding the spooky jumps by staying back with our body, and straight with the horse.
Hunter courses should always be started and finished with at least 3/4 of a circle to look polished and to allow you to develop a course pace, and to finish in an organized fashion. You don't want the horse to just fall apart into a walk/trot when done!
Rhythm, pace, and straightness are the key ingredients to a hunter course, with the details of lead changes and distances made easier by paying attention to these basics.
See you this week!
(and if you ride Wednesday, apparently I may have trouble talking loudly as I will have a tube up my nose...should be fun)
Karen
Hunter courses should always be started and finished with at least 3/4 of a circle to look polished and to allow you to develop a course pace, and to finish in an organized fashion. You don't want the horse to just fall apart into a walk/trot when done!
Rhythm, pace, and straightness are the key ingredients to a hunter course, with the details of lead changes and distances made easier by paying attention to these basics.
See you this week!
(and if you ride Wednesday, apparently I may have trouble talking loudly as I will have a tube up my nose...should be fun)
Karen
Monday, April 7, 2014
This week in lessons
This week in lessons we are going to continue to work on some tricky looking jumps. This helps make sure rider's have a strong position that can keep their horse confidence even if they are sceptical about the jump.
Spooky jumps really highlight rider issues such as dropping their eye, or dropping their body. Riding a spooky jump needs a rider that has a deep and secure seat, but that isn't so much behind the motion that they will get left behind if the horse jumps. Basically, just make sure it is your CORE and not your lower back holding you up, and that you can feel your seat bones in the saddle. They rider's eye must stay up, as must the rider keep the horse's eye up so they don't fixate and focus on the spooky jump, and instead both horse and rider must look up and past the jump.
Looking up and past the jump also helps the rider FEEL if the horses starts to wiggle or get crooked. It is important to hold the horse straight, and to maintain the same rhythm to the jump. If the horse gets quicker on the approach, chances are the horse is nervous, and planning to run out past the jump rather than over.
It is far better the horse stops straight in front of the jump, than runs by. A horse that stops in front of the jump is at least still thinking about the jump. When this happens I usually hold the horse in front of the jump, let them look a moment, give them a bump with my legs to remind them to GO, and then try again. On the next approach I will sit a little deeper, possibly cluck as well, but keep them from getting quicker, and be ready for a BIG leap over by grabbing mane and/or slipping the reins as it is very important to not catch the horse in the mouth when it finally jumps!
If the horse tries to run by the jump, the rider needs to do their best to NOT let them go past by pulling on the rein to keep the nose pointing at the jump, even if they bonk their (the horse's) nose on the standard! If the horse goes to run out left, pull right! Simple as that. If they DO get past the jump, pull them up as soon as possible, bring them back to the jump, bump with the heels, then turn away to the opposite side and come again, protecting the side that they ran out on, making extra sure to not let them get quick as that almost always precedes the run out! As with stopping, make sure you are ready for them to jump by being ready to grab mane or slip the reins!
Karen
(remember no lessons on Tuesday night!)
Spooky jumps really highlight rider issues such as dropping their eye, or dropping their body. Riding a spooky jump needs a rider that has a deep and secure seat, but that isn't so much behind the motion that they will get left behind if the horse jumps. Basically, just make sure it is your CORE and not your lower back holding you up, and that you can feel your seat bones in the saddle. They rider's eye must stay up, as must the rider keep the horse's eye up so they don't fixate and focus on the spooky jump, and instead both horse and rider must look up and past the jump.
Looking up and past the jump also helps the rider FEEL if the horses starts to wiggle or get crooked. It is important to hold the horse straight, and to maintain the same rhythm to the jump. If the horse gets quicker on the approach, chances are the horse is nervous, and planning to run out past the jump rather than over.
It is far better the horse stops straight in front of the jump, than runs by. A horse that stops in front of the jump is at least still thinking about the jump. When this happens I usually hold the horse in front of the jump, let them look a moment, give them a bump with my legs to remind them to GO, and then try again. On the next approach I will sit a little deeper, possibly cluck as well, but keep them from getting quicker, and be ready for a BIG leap over by grabbing mane and/or slipping the reins as it is very important to not catch the horse in the mouth when it finally jumps!
If the horse tries to run by the jump, the rider needs to do their best to NOT let them go past by pulling on the rein to keep the nose pointing at the jump, even if they bonk their (the horse's) nose on the standard! If the horse goes to run out left, pull right! Simple as that. If they DO get past the jump, pull them up as soon as possible, bring them back to the jump, bump with the heels, then turn away to the opposite side and come again, protecting the side that they ran out on, making extra sure to not let them get quick as that almost always precedes the run out! As with stopping, make sure you are ready for them to jump by being ready to grab mane or slip the reins!
Karen
(remember no lessons on Tuesday night!)
Monday, March 31, 2014
This week in lessons
March.
In like a lion our like a lynx
This spring weather really stinks!
But...tomorrow is April! This must mean better weather! So this week we will have to surprise jumps to really test that we have our horses connected on both sides, straight, and obedient (aka narrow & spooky jumps) so be prepared! On a plus side, these jumps will both be soft if you come off into them...
The course will involve these jumps along with poles to create a technical course that will require rider's to make sure they have the horse's balance, attention and focus. Last week's course which finished on the same skinny grid it started on, really showed how much some horse's become a little less straight, and a little less attentive as they go through a course. It is really important to establish and use a reset button so every jump is taken with a balanced, straight and attentive horse!
Karen
In like a lion our like a lynx
This spring weather really stinks!
But...tomorrow is April! This must mean better weather! So this week we will have to surprise jumps to really test that we have our horses connected on both sides, straight, and obedient (aka narrow & spooky jumps) so be prepared! On a plus side, these jumps will both be soft if you come off into them...
The course will involve these jumps along with poles to create a technical course that will require rider's to make sure they have the horse's balance, attention and focus. Last week's course which finished on the same skinny grid it started on, really showed how much some horse's become a little less straight, and a little less attentive as they go through a course. It is really important to establish and use a reset button so every jump is taken with a balanced, straight and attentive horse!
Karen
Monday, March 24, 2014
This week in lessons
One of the main themes of the clinic was the importance of straightness. The horse needs its hind legs following in the tracks of its front legs in order to maximize its power and balance. This is important both for flat work and for jumping.
This week in lessons we are going to continue to work on this skill, both on the flat, and over fences.
Making it a habit to hack off the rail as much as possible really helps in this, as it forces you to use your outside leg and rein rather than the wall to keep your horse straight.
We will bring out the skinny boxes again, and use leg to keep the horse forward and straight to approach them without wiggling out either side. This is helped by looking UP as you will feel the wiggle sooner than if you look down and try to see it.
There will also be bending lines similar to in the clinic to work on turning straight to the first jump, then catching the horse with the outside leg to get it straight to jump two.
Karen
This week in lessons we are going to continue to work on this skill, both on the flat, and over fences.
Making it a habit to hack off the rail as much as possible really helps in this, as it forces you to use your outside leg and rein rather than the wall to keep your horse straight.
We will bring out the skinny boxes again, and use leg to keep the horse forward and straight to approach them without wiggling out either side. This is helped by looking UP as you will feel the wiggle sooner than if you look down and try to see it.
There will also be bending lines similar to in the clinic to work on turning straight to the first jump, then catching the horse with the outside leg to get it straight to jump two.
Karen
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
