Horses

Progress At Last

Posted on by Equestrian Jane

The “Aha!” moments just keep on coming! There has been a lot of progress this week and I really think that a real corner has been turned.

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Beaux vs Mud

First, the knots on Beaux’s jaw and back have not returned, and the neck is making a little progress. There may be a chiropractic adjustment down the road, but the neck is showing some improvements, so I will continue the massage and manipulations and go from there.

Second, I took a test ride on a synthetic Western saddle with really good results. The trainer at the barn, who is very knowledgeable in Western saddle fit, found it fit his shoulders and his shark fin withers, while being level/no bridging. After a bit of tweaking with stirrup length, found the sweet spot, and put Beaux through some basic schooling. The saddle fits Beaux perfectly, and while it is a smidge large on me, I have a sheepskin “tush cush” that will make the fit perfect for me as well. The price is right and now I am the proud new owner of a Western saddle! I am really thrilled with the new saddle, and this gives me a very comfortable saddle for trails (which, to be honest, is my main love).

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Western Saddle Test Ride

I’m not sure if it is having a saddle that properly fits or what, but Beaux had moments of absolute brilliance. We had moments where we were in perfect sync, very responsive to seat and leg cues, a relaxed but forward walk, and really good brakes. Those moments when we clicked were almost magical and gives me the confidence that we are going the right direction with all the tweaks. I am also switching Beaux over to Manna Pro’s Safe Performance from the Purina Healthy Edge, and I upgraded Beaux’s Smartpak to include a digestive supplement for his sensitive stomach. Beaux is prone to ulcers and I will also include more alfalfa to his diet. He is currently on a timothy/alfalfa mix so buying a bale of straight alfalfa and adding a flake or two to his current ration of t/a hay should give him more of a buffer to his diet.

I got a couple of days before I can get back out and see if I can recreate the magic. I like to think between the massage, proper fitting saddle, and getting Beaux back on his Smartpaks, I’ve fixed a few issues. I can also start hitting our new trails now that I have a comfortable saddle and that we rediscovered steering and brakes. Now it is time to branch out of the arena and to add trail riding (our true love) into our repertoire. We got a couple of months of nice weather before the heat of summer makes riding either an early morning or late evening affair. There are some summer shows that we will check out, and then the fun starts in Sept when a full riding schedule of trails, competitive trails, and intro rides/limited distance rides will be our goals. It is amazing what can be accomplished, when you put the horse first.

 

 

 

Bitless Journey Continues

Posted on by Equestrian Jane

I’m thrilled to report that the 2nd ride in the DIY bitless bridle was a success on many levels, and has even given me a better idea of which bitless option should work well going forward with how Beaux was responding to cues.

First, Beaux continued being relaxed and did not fight or seem at all annoyed with the sidepull (more on that in a bit). Beaux was as responsive to the cues as he was with the bit, which is both good and not as good, as Beaux sometimes can have a small “delay” between signal given, and signal carried out. I truly believe this will not be an issue with a bit of tweaking on the nose band and more time in the saddle. Beaux got a good 30 minute lesson in, was good with leg cues, was great with going over poles, and was good with his suppling exercises. I was really happy with Beaux’s attention span, he was focused for the entire ride, Beaux was great with the poles, and had solid responses with leg and seat cues. Which bring us to….

The Nose Band 2.0 update ended up being converted to a side pull when I apparently did math unsupervised, and came up a bit short on the chin strap. I’m using a scawbrig bitless option, and while I had the nose band adjusted properly, the chin strap was about 3-4″ too short. I’m looking at a few different tweaks that give more clear signals and give quick release of pressure. I’m thinking of diving into the paracord craze (again)fb_img_1487699849756 and making a nose band with two Spanish knots on the cheek pieces. The paracord is soft enough to give, yet stiff enough to give clear signals. The two Spanish knots along the cheek will help give a clear signal without putting too much pressure on. The chin strap I’m going to switch the nose band out and put that on as the chin strap. This scawbrig design gently pushes the horse’s head into the turn, and with the metal O rings, give an immediate release of pressure, and so far, seems the option Beaux responds the best in.

I did try bitless on Beaux a couple of years ago, and was met with a mixed bag of success. I stopped with the bitless because Beaux was having some serious confidence issues at the time. I was spending what little riding time we had working a lot of leg and seat cues, and I threw the bitless in the mix before he really understood what I was asking for with the leg cues. Beaux is a smart horse, but his confidence can be easily wrecked, and at the time riding was very hit and miss, and what little riding we did do, I’m sure Beaux felt more like he was being drilled than actually learning a new skill. Beaux is now much more confident about riding, and this new-found confidence can now allow for the bitless bridle that I feel that Beaux goes best in.

I’ll get good pics of the nose band to give a better idea of what bitless option we are trying, and I’ll even get some video to prove how well Beaux is doing. I am very thrilled that Beaux has lost his tension under saddle, he isn’t bracing, stiff, uncomfortable, chewing, drooling, head tossing, or even rooting the reins. I truly feel confident in our direction, and cannot wait to start getting real trail miles going again, and start our journey to our first Limited Distance ride. Start looking forward to more updates on this bitless journey and lots of pictures and videos of Beaux and I hitting the trails.

February Goals and Stuff

Posted on by Equestrian Jane

Or “Let’s Tempt the Fates”

I have purposely not done another “Future Goals” blog as the last one I did brought out the “Life Gremlins” and I have had a very chaotic past two months with minimal riding or free time at all. I’ve had to take on a new job, which between training and getting a new schedule, I’ve had minimal time for training. It also hasn’t helped that I’ve recently had a near 100% tack overhaul, and I’m still in the tire kicking phase of saddle shopping. One good thing though of having to completely overhaul your life and tack trunk, it puts things into new perspectives and new priorities. I like to think that after so much chaos, that a new order is taking shape. So here is my blog on tacking stock, making changes, and crafting some goals.

Goals for February are kinda on the mundane side, general terms, more riding time, more blogging, more time for family. Now thanks to my Bullet Journals I’ve been experimenting with, I’m slowly getting some time management skills back. My favorite part of the bullet journal is the weekly and daily logs, these have allowed me to see my schedule, and I’m able to actually see where I’ve over and under scheduled my time. This has been a great way of keeping me focused and getting control of my day. So I have some confidence in making some goals for February.

RIDING GOALS: I’ve actually made some minor progress, I’ve temporarily set aside my bitless goals, and decided to get the 6″ low port Kimberwick. I want to get Beaux more confident in leg and seat cues before trying bitless. He is a smart cookie, but if you introduce one thing at a time, Beaux figures things out much easier. So, while waiting for the mail to deliver our bit, this week is just going to be grooming, massages/energy work, and some hoof trimming. Once the bit does arrive, spend some quality bareback saddle pad time working on the legs and seat cues.  I’m crafting another blog regarding the saddle shopping adventures, so stay tuned for that. I’m also gonna put on my big girl pants and take Beaux out on the trails while using the bareback pad, so definitely looking forward to that blog.

BLOGGING: I’ve already have 3-4 blogs in the works, so I should be back to writing on a regular basis. I also have some blogs regarding the rehoming of Standardbreds after racing, I will also revisit the bullet journal as it has really been a real game changer and I’ve barely touched what the journal is capable of. I am also a big fan of the “Daily Prompt”, some days it just really strikes the cord.

PERSONAL GOALS: I have a few things I’m working on in my “Private Life” with keeping my Significant Other aka The SO, in my top priorities. He is a great guy and puts up with my horse addiction, so having enough time and energy to be a proper partner is top of my goal. In the theme of having enough energy at least, I’m taking up the 30 Day Rider Challenge to get me in shape for riding, this way I can be a more balanced and effective rider and have more energy to boot.

Lots of good things here for February, will be celebrating a birthday and Mardi Gras the same week, and my saddle shopping adventures should hopefully end with a (at least new to me) new saddle. Here’s to an action packed February!

Life Happens…Again

Posted on by Equestrian Jane

I made the joke after I posted my December Goals that something would happen, and somethings happened.

First, weather, yes living in South Florida it means we get rain, a lot of rain, and apparently a lot of rain during the “dry season”. The rain and mud have meant very little to no riding, and the mud also means the thrush that I just got rid of, has come back. I have been studying a lot on the various “barefoot” trims and have been slowly getting progress in having a healthier hoof that is in balance. The “Summer of Mud” brought on a vicious case of thrush in all 4 hooves, and not just thrush in all 4 but deep heel thrush in all four. I’ve been treating them aggressively with a 1-2-3 combination of “No Thrush”, “Thrush Buster”, and athlete’s foot cream and triple antibiotics so we lost very little riding (soft/sandy soil) time. I will write a review on the “No Thrush” dry thrush treatment as it did a great job and I saw improvement by the 3rd day of treatment. This last batch of rain has triggered the thrush in the hind feet while thankfully sparing the fronts, and I’ve already started treatment so hopefully can clear this up quickly.

Which brings up the next setback, the dreaded “boarding situation”. The Prior Barn had many positives, including miles of trails but I truly needed a proper arena to train in. I made several attempts to work on goals while on the trail, but Beaux was unable to truly concentrate and give me his attention to really learn the skills necessary to be a safe and fun riding partner. Our New Barn has two large arenas, lots of turnout, and just enough trails to stretch the legs out. We also have a lot of riders who trailer out to many of the trails and events here, so we can maintain our “Rock Star Trail Horse” status.

Once Beaux has had a few days to settle in and adjust to his new home, we can start working on basic dressage, playing with barrels, and maybe, just maybe, see if Beaux wants to pop over an easy cross rail. Here is to new beginning and new goals! Until next time. ride on.

 

 

December Goals

Posted on by Equestrian Jane

Or Stuff We’ll be Working On

November was a good month goal wise, got a bit of riding in, exceeded our goal trail miles by almost 10 miles, planted the seeds of neck reining, and fixed saddle and bit issues. Now it is time to think about December’s goals and what new and fun things we can work on.

Even with our amazing South Florida “winters”, we still have limited daylight in which to work with but, I have a few goals as a big milestone will happen in December (barring a “gawd forbid moment”) we will have hit 100 trail miles since we started keeping track back in July. Beaux is also going to a Gary Lane in February to put some polish on his saddle rack, I am very excited about this.

New Goals:

TRAIL MILES: With the limited daylight I’m putting 50 miles as my goal for trail riding ( I use Endomondo as my GPS app on my phone (free version) and I do upload them to Open Trail website and they keep track of my miles. It’s fun (almost free basic plans start at $15 for the year and opportunities for prizes) and supports keeping trails open to horses.

INTRODUCTION TO DRESSAGE: Yup, it finally happened, Beaux has progressed in his training to the point he can do some basic dressage training. I don’t see competition (outside of a fun show) in our future, but I’m a firm believer in classical dressage as the foundation on which all riding is based. Riding centered, having a confident horse light on the aides, and having basic skills. Using FOSH dressage tests for our inspiration, their two gait intro test has plenty for us to work on. That dreaded 20 m circle, transitions upward/downward, halt, straightness, and working in contact. It’s time for Beaux to learn to “give to bit” and start learning about contact and collection, yup his big boy pants are coming on.

Continuing Goals:

SEAT/LEG CUES: With dressage on our plates, this will help our goals of having light leg and seat cues, so win/win on this goal.

NECK REINING: I consider neck reining a basic trail skill that should be mastered and I introduced this skill last month, now it’s getting consistency.

SADDLE RACK: Beaux can switch from a trot to a saddle rack and for trails, I gotta say, gliding down the trail is a lot of fun, I’m hooked on gaiting. This month is looking for a consistent upward transition, gaiting a few strides, than downward transition to a walk, and gradually ask for longer gaiting times.

So, December has some lofty yet attainable goals and I’m looking very forward to some serious saddle time. So until next time, ride on!

 

November Wrap Up

Posted on by Equestrian Jane

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Beaux Post Ride

I’ve been very lucky, I’ve done more riding than writing, so let us move past elections and dive into more enjoyable subjects and that is riding!

Living in So Florida has a lot going for it and right now that big perk is the weather. We’ve been in the upper 70’s with mild humidity and I’ve taken full advantage of this break in temperatures. I had some goals in mind to work on for the month of November and this blog is about those goals and setting up goals for December.

The Ultimate Goal for Beaux is to be a Rock Star Trail Horse that can go in company or alone, cross bridges and water, spook in place (which he mostly does naturally anyway, gotta love that Standardbred Sanity), and move off of leg/seat/neck rein cues. I am incorporating a lot of dressage to get Beaux moving off of leg and seat cues, getting his smooth saddle gaits consistent, and get him lighter on his aides. I don’t have a set time frame at this moment, and while I would love to eventually do Competitive Trails and Limited Distance Rides, I know Beaux needs a lot more polish before tackling “big boy” rides. Our ride season here in Fl is winter/spring and if I can get an Intro ride in by March, I would be thrilled. If we don’t it’s not a loss as we do have almost 100 miles of horse trails in my backyard, so no hurt feelings there.

Beaux has stepped down to a low port mullen Kimberwick from a 3 piece “Wonder Bit”, Beaux had some bad pulling habits coming off the track, we’ve been through over a dozen bits (and bitless) options, Beaux seems much more relaxed and responsive with this bit. I chose the low port mullen mouth as he seems to like tongue relief (which was one reason he liked the 3 piece wonder bit, it collapsed over his tongue) and he doesn’t play with the mullen mouth. The 3 piece bits he chewed and chomped a lot on, so having him quietly take the bit and carry it is a big improvement. We also upgraded to a gently used dressage saddle as sadly, our Wintec AP was outgrown. Beaux put on some nice muscles which means his medium gullet saddle was now too tight. We both really like the new saddle, it fits very well and with my favorite accessory, sheepskin “tush cush”, we can both ride comfortably for hours. So big progress on saddle fit and finally getting a bit that Beaux responds well and is comfortable with.

Once the bit issue got sorted out, next goal is to plant the seed of neck reining into Beaux’s repertoire.This is a “seeds planted but long way to go” goal, basically the light bulb flickers but hasn’t blinded us yet. Beaux learns some things very quickly and others…..well he’s our special snowflake, and this is a skill that he should master in another month or so of consistent riding.

Leg and Seat Cues are a consistent work in progress, Beaux was a driving horse for the first 9 years of his life, and while he has learned to carry and balance with a rider, he has been a little slow to learn leg and seat cues. Beaux still prefers voice commands for upward and downward transitions, but leg and seat cues are inconsistent at best and seem to annoy him at worst. I am trying to find the “sweet spot” to use as little leg pressure as possible yet still get a response.

 

According to our Endomondo app we’ve tacked on over 45 miles this month and surpassed my goal of 35 miles this month. Beaux has come leaps and bounds trail manner wise from the pushy/rushy/I hate my trail buddies to mostly relaxed trail horse who is keen to go down the trail, can pass and be passed (yay on leap frogging!) has learned that trail buddies are not so bad to have around. I am very proud of him, he has come along way from “Trip over tree roots, pine needles, small twigs, and counting gators in every water puddle we meet” to “I’ll pick up my feet the majority of the time” and Beaux is better with water although it does get the “stink eye” before passing. Mud is no longer a nemesis to be avoided at all costs, and Beaux has crossed multiple bridges with barely twitching an ear. I do give a lot of credit to the Standardbred Sensibilities and spending his first years in the controlled chaos that is the track. Beaux has no problems with traffic, including large vehicles/noisy bikes, and his spooks are few and mostly in place. It is this great brain wrapped up in an athletic body that helped me fall in love with this much underappreciated breed.

I am a hopeless optimist even if the jaded realist in me gets annoyed by that fact, and I am very focused upon our successes. In just the last 3 months of semi-consistent riding, Beaux has come from being a slightly kicky, pushy, cranky, and prone to fire breathing dragon moments to a mostly relaxed horse who can pass and be passed, has stopped seeing his trail buddies as rivals, and is becoming more confident on the trail. December’s goals are a continuation of many of the same themes: 50 miles of trail miles, continuation of neck reining, continue with leg and seat cues, and getting more consistent saddle rack.

Until next time, ride on.

Weekend Wrap up or Monday Musings

Posted on by Equestrian Jane

It’s been a great weekend, even with rain on Saturday, we salvaged a good Sunday and it carried over to today.

The rain of Saturday gave way to a grey Sunday but we had plans to go to our local trail riders pancake breakfast and tack sale, so we didn’t let the weather stop our plans. Good food and good people with a few bargains to be had, I ended up with a $1 hat and a mullen mouth, low port Kimberwick bit came home with us. Beaux has been a challenge it wise and we’ve gone through several bits and bitless options trying to find that “sweet spot”. Our arena bit is a 3 piece lozenge style full cheek but for trails we needed a little more to get through Beaux’s “Tagliabue Moments”. We’ve been using a Wonder Bit but with solid mouth piece with 3 chain links in the center. It was a good bit for the stinky moments, but his gaiting wasn’t as smooth and his trot was choppy.

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If this bit journey has taught me anything is that I have a good idea what works and doesn’t work bit wise, and I figured a low port, mullen mouth Kimberwick would be a good start. I found one at the tack sale and tried it on our Sunday ride. Beaux was forward yet relaxed (one of our goals) and he found his smooth gait and with posting, a smooth ground covering trot. Today Beaux went “two trips” as our BO (who loves Beaux) asked to take him out on a short morning ride with the two Paso Fino mares Stella and Ticki. Beaux was awesome with The BO, she loves the dressage saddle (and the sheepskin tush cush) and said Beaux was nothing but smooth gait and walked home on a loose rein. The time change is upon us and our afternoon ride was a short loop around a new trail opened up at our local park that boarders our barn. Beaux continued his awesomeness with being relaxed, forward, and having smooth transitions, smooth gaits, and all on a loose rein.

I am so happy with Beaux’s progress and now I feel that I can focus on the next step of our progression of being a solid trail team. I’m settling nicely into the new to me dressage saddle, some minor cinch tweaking and it will be perfect for the next level. I’ll blog about goals and hopefully some good video of Beaux en gait on the trails to share.

Until next time, ride on.

Dressage Saddle Anyone?

Posted on by Equestrian Jane

The Saddle Saga continues but with a better direction on where we are going.

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Good bye Wintec saddle, you served us well

Beaux is growing up and out, with muscles adding on to his fledgling trail riding skills, and saddle fit is now a pressing matter. We’ve been riding for about 3 years in a great Ebay score, a $36.50 Wintec AP saddle, but unfortunately an old style model with a fixed gullet so I am unable to let the saddle adjust with Beaux, so off to Saddle Shopping Adventures.

I’ve been looking at a lot of different styles and models but nothing has screamed “Ye Gods I NEED this!” I’ve ben looking at Endurance models, Aussie saddles, Wintec both All Purpose and Dressage, as well as Abetta synthetic models. Beaux is as choosy as I am when it comes to saddle fit, and we have a checklist for our saddle wants and needs:

Weight – Lighter the better and the Wintec was a game changer as far as going from a grumpy “I hate this riding stuff” to “Eh, I’ll go along reluctantly with your nutty ideas” so weight is definitely our top priority.

English – I love Western saddles but they are unbelievably heavy and bulky, so English or English style Endurance saddle. AP or Dressage style are at the top of the list as we do 98% trails so definitely a deeper seat and comfort, comfort is big.

Synthetic – I love synthetic tack, easy to clean and a bit more forgiving of the elements. Leather in humid conditions where rain/mud/dampness/sweat just gets havoc wrecked upon it, with a synthetic, you hose and wipe it off and bam! good as new.

 

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Hiyoh with Shanty and Christie Wales up

Tonight got to ride in a borrowed dressage saddle and it was like butter. Bonus, fits Beaux and he was fairly good riding in it. I have to say “fairly good” as Beaux is Beaux and the only thing consistent about Beaux is his inconsistency. Beaux has been making serious progress on the whole “where do my feet” go thing on the trail, he’s been picking his feet up and becoming more brave with his great nemesis, the puddle (which Beaux is convinced that sharks, gators, and pythons live in every single puddle, it is Florida, so probably not too far off the target). Tonight Beaux tripped pretty hard on a branch that dared to fall in the middle of the trail, and a few tree roots grabbed his feet. Beaux was seriously offended by the addition of Hiyoh, a young Brahma steer, on our ride. Beaux switched between being annoyed by Hiyoh to being seriously offended by Hiyoh’s mere presence.

 

So tonight was a “I’m gonna trip on stuff all while giving stink eye to the cow” kind of ride. Half halts would bring Beaux back to task, then he would wander again, so it was decided that if we leap-frog Beaux and Hiyoh, both would not be so upset about the other being near by. It worked with some modest success, which means more work on half halts while on the trail.

Beaux does get some “atta boys” for stopping on the trail, standing nicely while Hiyoh’s halter and lead were adjusted, and bringing his attention back on task when asked. This gives me new ideas to work on while out on the trail, better quality half halts (on both of our ends), keeping Beaux focused on the trail and where his feet belong, and getting Beaux to pay more attention to my legs and seat and less on rein cues. Beaux was a driving horse for the fist 9 years of his life, and he is typical as far as driving horses go with being heavy in the bridle. He still is in many ways a green horse, but the more miles we rack up, the better he will get. This is about the journey not the destination.

Until next time, keep on riding.

Procrastination Transformation

Posted on by Equestrian Jane

Transformation was Tuesday’s prompt and was unable to get this finished, so our new prompt for today is “Procrastination” and now on to the blog!

Transformation, it brings to mind so many ideas, and it is a perfect word for today’s blog.

In many ways, I feel a transformation happening with not just my riding, but my approach in training Beaux. Beaux is a huge personality horse, with big opinions, and is not always easy. Beaux has done more to turn me into a much more in tune rider, and has really done a lot to push me out of my comfort zones, these are all good things.

I am enjoying the journey to our transformation, and Beaux is enjoying the trails and is building up his confidence in himself and his confidence in me. Beaux and I have been a team for 5 years now, and it has been a journey of ups and downs. I will wax more poetic for our 5 year anniversary blog (Halloween!) but for now I will concentrate on the transformation of one human and one horse into a Top Trail Team.

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Today’s transformation came from another “push from the comfort zone” moment. My fabulous $36.50 Ebay score Wintec AP saddle is no longer fitting Beaux. Beaux is really filling out now that we are almost riding consistently, and that particular Wintec is an older model that doesn’t allow for gullet change. I hung up the saddle and borrowed a bareback pad (plus another saddle pad for Beaux’s high withers and spine) and off we went with our Wonder Pony Prissy and Ferrari the Belgian mare to Tree Tops Park.

The bareback pad allowed me to really ride “in the moment” with feeling every muscle, every swing of the hip, and each footfall so much more clearly. Beaux did really well, only one minor spook when a critter dashed through the woods, minor balking at mud/puddles, and only crashed me into branches and trees about a dozen times, so progress.

I’ll be riding on a bareback pad until I decide which saddle to go with, I’m  partial to Wintec and with Beaux, the lighter the better. I am adding bareback pad to my ever-growing wish list, and with the ELPO hoof mapping (topic for another blog) I see some fun miles and blogs up ahead.