In the Arena #64 - Sometimes I can be such a knucklehead...

As was the case with most things regarding Val and his tack when I first got him / it, how I initially adjusted everything was trial and error. We've had a number of errors. Saddle placement for instance - there are guidelines, but every horse is built differently. Val needs room for his shoulders but also has a bit of a roached back. He has no problem expressing himself - some mini bucks clued me in. For Val to be truly comfortable the saddle needs to be just so. Our first dressage girth let the saddle slip forward. More mini bucks. A timely mention of the Le Tixerant girth from Grey Horse Matters got us on the right track. Val's not too keen on anything but the largest setting for his cavesson. And loose ring snaffles were pinchy. Not good. It's french link eggbutt all the way for us.

While catching up on some reading over the weekend, I came across a suggestion that sometimes geldings and stallions can use to have their bit sit just a bit higher in their mouths. There was no explanation of why, and I couldn't for the life of me even tell you where I read it. All I know is when I tacked up today, that thought came to me. I checked out how the bit sat in the corners of Val's mouth. I could really only see one, maybe one and a half wrinkles, so I took up each side a notch.

We had a lovely ride. It was actually hot out - very sunny and still. There were no issues with geography. (!) Making good progress with our big walk, and responsiveness to my asking for it. Lots of trot work. Trot / walk, trot / halt transitions, half halting through the corners and some two point work. Nothing new, but some nice work.

I'll need a few more rides to confirm, but it seemed like Val really liked the adjustment. He was very responsive and did quite a bit of chewing / mouthing his bit. Turning was smoother, and the contact felt easier to maintain. Go figure... 

After a refreshing liniment rub down we grazed for a spell. Val tucked into some juicy green stuff while I thought about things. Like how come I could overlook such a simple adjustment. And how long Val may have been trying to tell me about it. Just like with the saddle, the girth, the needle hay... Bless our horses hearts for being so tolerant of us humans, who can be a little on the slow side. :)

In the Arena #62 - When it's time to cha-ange...

A little break from the Herbermann article. Next post - part IV :)

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Daylight savings time...

On Sunday morning I was hating it.. by Sunday evening I was l-o-v-i-n-g it! Plenty of time for barn chores, feeding and to fit a ride in. I do think Val wondered why I arrived in the dark on Monday morning...

Unfortunately our ride was a real struggle. Another dose of distraction practice. Neighbor screaming at (and cussing out) his dogs and grandchild + loud tractor work + motocross + target shooting. And it felt like I had to reinstall steering and brakes. Can't blame that on the neighborhood though. Actually, Val had to deal with me being super crooked and stiff. I had such a hard time keeping my weight even - I was constantly collapsing my right side. We got it sorted by the end of the session. I guess it's progress that I realized right away what the problem was.

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Today was spring vaccinations day. I beat the vet to the barn by a good while, so Val got a walkabout through the neighborhood to search out grazing. Then we got a top to bottom grooming. Picture snoozing horse with dangling bottom lip. Still no vet... I flipped over a bucket, leaned up against the tack room and thought about dozing off in the delightful sunshine. Forget that! Val wouldn't leave me alone. He groomed me all over... with periodic grabs of my clothing and a cheeky look checking to see if I was noticing, with his very close to me eye, eye. I couldn't stop cracking up. :)

Our vet finally arrived. As usual my horse was perfect for his shots and getting his coggins drawn. (bragging) Dr. G showed me how to do an iv injection, how to find a vein (and miss an artery). I hope I never need to do it, but it might come in handy some day. He and his assistant loved on Val and we demo'd some liberty work for them. Fun.

Next I hopped on bareback, which I knew I needed to do after Sunday. The connection we had shared through the afternoon flowed right into our ride. We worked on forward and I focused on using my core for halting. Super fun.

One day I hope to have a saddle that feels close to my bareback pad. When I saddle shopped before bringing Val home, my first choice was an older County, like the one I've ridden in for years at my trainer's place. Close contact and a spring tree. Searched high and low on ebay and in tack shops online - no luck. Either the size was wrong (Val is fairly wide), or the seller seemed dicey. Couldn't find my second choice either - Neidersuss. I settled on a Beval Natura, which fits Val well but is a bit cushy. One day, when I hit the lottery, I will have a deluxe / custom saddle... among other things. :)