In the Arena # 107 - The wa-ai-ting is the hardest part...

We have achieved tracking info. The Neidersuss is on it's way. Fed-Ex says eta is Friday. *jumping up and down clapping*

Val says, "Saddle - schmaddle. If you really want me to be happy, just keep putting things in my mouth - NOW! (I mean please...)"

In the Arena # 82 - Control issues From the Farmette # 2 - 24 hour news cycle

One of my favorite things about riding / horsemanship is how I am consistently reminded about the many aspects of my personality which need improvement. Patience (lack of), self control (lack of), ability to tolerate frustration(lack of)... it's a long list.

Friday started off cool, overcast and breezy - perfect for riding - oh I wanted to play hookie (sp) from work. By the time I made it up to the barn however, it had cleared off into a sticky and sweltering afternoon. Well too bad - I was at the barn, last ride was on Monday, we were going to ride. (add stubborn to that list) When I finished grooming I was soaked. I tacked Val up, applied plenty of fly spray - and off we went. Sort of. He was less than motivated, I was uber uptight, and we degenerated pretty quickly into a no steering, no forward, balky mess. No unicorns or rainbows here. I dismounted and got my sh#t together on the ground (had a little big 'ol hissy fit).

The upshot - I was hot, uncomfortable and most importantly feeling overwhelmed with non-horse related concerns. (more on those later...) I was neither able to control my body or my emotions. I couldn't concentrate, and basically had no business being on my horse. I also couldn't leave things with Val like they were, unresolved. After much deep breathing (and a few tears) I remounted and salvaged our ride. We did some very nice trot work, especially the 15m circles - round in both directions - and I worked on relaxing my ankles while posting. Add some crisp transitions and we ended on a good note.

After work comes pampering. A cool rinse + minty fresh liniment, drinks from the hose, green grass and then it was dinner time - the best time of the whole day (besides breakfast time). Thank goodness horses are patient with us humans, that's all I can say.

Sweaty all over 

 

Fun with the hose

Refreshingly handsome!

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Yesterday's ride went tons better. Until the gun shots that is. I had just worked through some reluctance to pass close to the neighbors property when blam blam blam - extremely close by gun shots happened unexpectedly. Val and Cowboy both bolted - expectedly. I stayed on. I think my very stern hollering to the neighbor convinced Val that I had the situation under control. 

Me "What the hell?! I'm trying to ride my horse over here!"

The neighbor, "I'm shooting a snake! Water Moccasin!". 

Me, "Did you hit him?" 

Neighbor, "Not yet!"

Me, "How many shots do you need?!"

Neighbor, deciding to have a sense of humor, "Maybe a few more!"

I dismounted and led Val over to the very closest spot by the fence and waited. After each gunshot I fed him a cookie. Training opportunity = bribery. ;) Once the neighbor finally dispatched the snake, or ran out of ammo, I led Val back to the mounting block. He swung his butt out so I force marched him around a few times. We proceeded to have a lovely ride. I focused on draping my legs while still giving effective aids, and we achieved the start of some bend - I could just see Val's inner eye. More successfully round 15m circles, work on our big walk, and turns on the forehand. Attitude is everything in riding.

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On to news of the farmette. Fixing to have ten tons of peppers. Weeding, weeding, weeding. Still no rain, so lots of hand watering. I found some blossom end rot on the first little green tomatoes. Usually a sign of lack of calcium exacerbated by drought conditions / uneven watering. Solution - powdered milk. Who'd have thunk? :)

So - there is some really big news. I think I have found a way to live on my property sooner rather than later. In a decent sized travel trailer one of my landscaping clients owns. I've been eyeing it for a while. The owner mentioned the other day that he would be moving it soon. I took a chance and asked what he was doing with it and he offered it to me. Super affordable price and terms. 

This changes everything. As in I'd be getting out from under paying rent + mortgage thereby saving a bigger down payment for building my house - which will likely need to be huge. As in no more commute to the barn two or three times a day - fuel savings and more riding! As in just about all my stuff will have to go into storage - time to seriously minimize.

It's a ton to think about. Lots of decisions and logistics to work out. First step is inspecting the trailer. Then I'll have to figure out the storage situation. I'll probably need to get a small out building for studio space and extra storage. And I have to make sure I can be comfortable for several years in a tin can. With two dogs :)

There is even more news that I'm not at liberty to mention yet - stay tuned... (I think I need a drink!)

In the Arena #65 - There are no bad rides... OR the kiss of death might have been when I set up the video camera...

We're expecting crappy weather for the weekend. Yesterday was for sure the day to ride. After cleaning up, I pulled out some fresh hay. Val moseyed into the run-in after me. I groomed and tacked him up while he ate lunch. I didn't even have to halter or tie him, he just hung out for the procedure.

Things were going swimmingly. Our warm up was smooth, but gradually I lost the ability to steer. Ran through the usual reasons, trying to address and correct them, but just could not get it together. Val and I began arguing, and I was unable to muster the presence of mind to resolve the situation. (In retrospect, a healthy dose of forward was likely the answer.)

I became so frustrated that I finally ended up having a meltdown in the center of the arena. Sobbing, tears running down my face. (Not trying to be dramatic - just fessing up.) I've been under a ton of pressure lately, and apparently it's affecting my riding. Worst of all, I was taking it out on my horse. Bummer.

Val patiently waited for me to calm down. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE MY HORSE!! Then we began walking quietly around the arena while I sniffed, hiccuped and generally felt sorry for my self. A bit of a pity party... Well what do you know, suddenly there were no steering issues. The tension in my body had melted away. My seat felt totally connected. Val was relieved. He began to snort and reach. We moved on to some very nice trot work, with lots of two point, and many transitions. Nothing video worthy, but solid work.

Interestingly, Val eventually walked over to the gate, put his nose on the latch, and asked to go out. I opened the gate, and we rode back to the small (fence-less) arena. Since there have been steering and brake issues on our last few outings, I thought that should be the focus for our outside the arena work. There were a few sticky moments, but I coped better than earlier on. I stopped myself from asking for too much, (why is this so hard?) and rewarded even the smallest step in the right direction. In other words, I was patient. It didn't take long to get on track this time.

As we made our way back, Cowboy challenged us by lunging out from behind his run-in, racing the fence line, and generally acting foolish. He ambushed us, charging around at the blind corner beside our gate, which left Val hesitant to enter. As we were in a narrow area hemmed in by my truck and the hitching post, I backed him up, circled a few times, chastised Cowboy, and tried again. Success ;)

Lessons... while we are almost always the cause of riding problems - we are always responsible for resolving them. And with perseverance every ride can be salvaged.

At the barn #30 - Put one foot in front of the other....

A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel full of brains. Dutch Proverb

Well, my opportunity to come down to earth from our recent happy rides came sooner rather than later.

For some reason, which I'm trying not to obsess on, Val suddenly wanted nothing to do with getting into his trailer yesterday. It's been a few months. We're heading up the road to my trainer's farm this weekend, so I thought a dry run would be in order. Disclaimer: trailer loading has not been an issue for us since our first few attempts. It's gone swimmingly as a matter of fact. He practically self loads.

At first Val came halfway up the ramp - totally normal - and then the balking began. And head throwing. And dancing around with ants in his pants. For nearly an hour. I thought I had left plenty of time just in case, but it was starting to get dark. I knew the situation. I had better be prepared to be there all night if that's what it took, because quitting before Val got into the trailer was out of the question. I had to convey that thought to Val as well... "Hey Mr. Man - take your time - because I have alllllll night." Apparently I needed to practice being patient as much as more than Val needed to practice loading.

It was dinner time.... I left his blanket on... the ramp felt wiggly on the uneven ground... the trailer looks scary in the dark? Who knows. What I do know is what finally worked. I used pressure with the lead rope from side to side, releasing immediately if he gave an inch. (front to back pressure created dangerous popping up horse!) This broke his feet lose and he suddenly walked right in. I praised and rewarded him lavishly. Once more for good measure. A slight hesitation and then in he came. More praise and rewards....

Round two today. Three successful loads. The takeaway... frustration gets you nowhere. And - Val can stretch his neck so very far to try and reach a bribe. (bribes don't work) Plus he gets a few extra inches with his major lips. In the midst of the drama he was cracking me up. Oh and the hierarchy of treats... horse cookies, then peppermints, then the holy grail... gingersnaps. Good to know :)

In the Arena #30 - Being here now...

Over the weekend, I groomed up Val within an inch of his life and attempted to take conformation photos.

I suspected it would not be a one person job, and that is a fact. So my father was enlisted as assistant. The mosquitoes continue to be epic... it was challenging for Val to stay still - especially since I didn't apply any bug spray not wanting to diminish his sparkly-ness. Every photo has an in motion tail and most show Val slowly walking towards his handler (Dad), searching for treats. And his reverse side pictures mostly had his feet cut off.

What I didn't expect from the experience was the effect of the horse handling 101 lecture I gave my Dad. When you have to break something down for someone else, you get a different, (really beneficial) perspective on it. I believe Einstein once said something like - "if you can't explain a concept to a 10 year old, you don't really understand it yourself." Not comparing my father to a 10 year old, but he has zero horse handling experience, so the analogy kind of works. Also, my whole demeanor changed, more authoritative. Very positive experience.

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I believe some of that leadership spilled over to our ride today, which was the best ride we've had to date outside of lessons at my trainers farm. Our turning issues have all but disappeared, we had some super turns on the forehand and we were making decent circles - both directions - by the end of the session.

Val has recently decided that the back right corner of the paddock is scary (spooky neighbors with guns related) and the area where the sand has gotten dry and fairly deep is hard to work in. He began the ride trying to avoid both areas. I kept my legs on and gently created walls wherever he tried to evade. Breathing, patience and tons of praise. Basically, I was able to stay in the moment today. My seat felt so good. And both of our attitudes were excellent. I may be on the way to conquering my confidence issues...

A great ride to build on. Can't wait until we do it again :)