Happy Mother's Day... um, a day late!

Warmest Mother's Day wishes to all! I usually am not a big fan of Mother's Day. It's always been a big let-down for me. Yesterday wasn't starting out any better, kids were their usual selves, I had to break up the typical squabbles and clean up the messes. Then husband came home from early morning bike ride and banished me to the barn (smart man).

It would have been another nice day to head to the trails but I had no one available to ride with. I suppose I could try to ride it alone but I prefer a buddy because of the length of time spent riding on the road to get there. So we schooled at home in the large arena.

I board Monty at a very interesting place. It's owned by an equine veterinarian, who also has a boarding stable and hosts dirt polo matches in the large polo arena on his property. The polo arena is huge! The footing in it is quite good and before polo season starts, we have some jumps set up in there, too. Yes, I have watched some of the polo matches there and it's a wild game. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to try but I know my limits!

I decided to work Monty in a much stronger bit and work on his self carriage and response to the aids. He's a big horse and I don't have the upper body strength I used to. I can generally ride him in a 2-link D-snaffle with a copper bead join in the center but he can get heavy through his transitions and also when jumping. So I changed it up with a Myler full cheek with a twist mouth and copper roller in the center. (Monty has always been a horse with a somewhat dry mouth, I have been experimenting with copper, cypruim, Happy Mouth, etc. to find what he accepts well. I am a notorious bit buyer, especially from Ebay!) I have very good, sensitive hands and I prefer to only have to "suggest" what I want rather than having to "shout" and the stronger bit allows me that.

Monty was again on his best day-after-trail-ride behavior and we did a lot of cantering work and cantering over ground poles. He carried himself instead of me having to lighten his forehand and give as I usually do. After we did flat work and ground poles in the polo arena I rode him up to the smaller riding ring at the top of the hill behind the boarder's barn. I set up a cross rail there and tried a little jumping. Monty was good but after trotting the first one, his "motor got running" and I had to keep trotting the X-rail back and forth with a soft hand and contact release to get him quiet. (He hasn't jumped regularly since late last fall, so he anticipates the jumps when we start up again each spring) After about 6 or 7 times he settled and gave me a nice little jump and we ended with that. Always nice to end on a productive note! Thanks for the Mother's Day ride, Monty!

The evening was dinner at the local diner and husband, kids and I going to the movies to see Speed Racer. Fun movie, I always loved that cartoon as a kid! It was great to see the movie with my own boys! Go Speed Racer, Go!

Trail Ride Numéro Deux

After two days of rain, rain, rain, today was sunny and cool here in NY. So my friend and I headed out on trail again. Monty was exactly what I expected and considering he also hasn't been ridden since last Sunday, I guess he was even a little better than I expected! And boy, did I need a fairly calm ride to settle myself since my twin boys have been like two wild colts. I need to do some "Natural Kidsmanship". They need someone to run them around a round pen and then sit on them!

Leaving the property was no problem and the only time he got frisky was when we turned around to go back at the place on the trail that becomes an absolute swamp when we get a lot of rain. And I'm talking suck-the-shoes-off-your-horses'-hooves swampy! Otherwise we would have kept going, because past that point we come to the grazing field nirvana. There isn't much lush grazing grass at our barn but in this field it's a real treat and the horses get to feast on the thick grass and clover.

Next week we will head up to the trails on the higher ground. Tomorrow is Mother's Day. Too many things to do and people to see so we will be schooling in the arena at home.

Custom Breeches!

Wow, this is where I want to shop when I have time and lots of cash:

http://www.equissentials.net/index.htm

Custom made riding breeches?!? Awesome!! I can so see myself in beige breeches with leopard leather knee patches! Yeah I know, it's a tad tacky but damn, it's unique!!

Dressage is "Bull"

This always makes me smile...

Lorenzo the Flying Frenchman

LORENZO THE FLYING FRENCH MAN
Uploaded by marycousine

c'est magnifique!!

I Know my Horse

Today was supposed to be another trip to the trails but plans got changed and we schooled in the arena. I was right, Monty was a star! I knew he needed a trail ride away from the barn to clear his head and stop the shenanigans in the ring when schooling. He was settled and focused today and carried himself in a lovely frame with no resistance. It was the most productive hour of riding at home we've had so far this year!

First Trail Ride of this Year

Yesterday was a great day. It was Monty and my first return to the trails after a long winter. I've been trying to get consistant work in the ring with him to get his fitness up (to say nothing of mine) so we can get out and enjoy the adventure of the trails. I say adventure because where I board, the trails are not close by and you have to do some road riding to get to them. (Every year my horse "forgets" that he has been doing this for years and needs about 3 trips with a quiet trail partner before he's ready to have a relaxing ride on trail.)

Monty has been good enough riding at home but when he starts acting like a fool and trying to buck and scoot here and there after 15 minutes of really good work, I know he's bored and needs to get back on trail.

So this was the weekend. I felt we were ready to head out. My friend with a very reliable aged QH was happy to go with me. I knew he was the best partner for us as my horse got reaquainted with venturng away from home. So, we met at the barn, tacked up and were about to head out when our plans took a detour.

Into the driveway that is in front of our barn pulls a small stock trailer with two whinnying horses. The driver stops a few feet from the barn instead of driving to the back of the property where we have always been told to unload horses. I'm walking my horse outside the barn and by now he's wide eyed and snorting over the two horses calling out in the trailer.

Instead of the @$$hat driver noticing my horse was upset and saying to try and leave with my friend before he unloaded the horses, he gets out and opens the trailer door. One horse steps back off the ramp, still tied, and has to be shoved back in as the other horse bounces around and tried to turn around. By now, Monty is freaked, he's kicking out, tossing his head and has managed to put his tongue over his Happy Mouth kimberwicke bit which has freaked him out even more. I can't get him past this fiasco to get back in the barn to calm him (and myself) down, so I had to deal with it until they untangled the two horses and unloaded them.

My friend is looking at me by now like oh God, and we wanted a nice quiet experience today. As soon as the coast was clear, I told her give me 15 minutes. I brought him back to his stall, removed his bridle and left him in there tacked. I changed the bit to his usual D snaffle and added a drop noseband attachment. I went back to him, let him finish the hay he was munching on and rebridled him. He seemed to have calmed down and I called my friend and said we were ready. This time I walked out of the barn and we headed to the road with my friend right behind. After we were across the street and onto the church lawn full of fresh dandelions, all seemed much better.

From there the ride went well. Monty had a few moments where he got antsy on trail but was steady as a rock on the road. Overall, he was a good boy. It figures the selfish idiot who caused us to have a stressful start never said anything close to "I'm sorry" for causing what could have been a really bad scene. And I'm happy with myself. As I'm getting older and have two little kids, I find it harder to suppress fearful thoughts of "oh God, what if he..." But it was the anger over the stupidity of the situation that overrode any fear and made me kick into trainer mode (as in, I will NOT let this horse end today without walking calmly off this property). I still have that ability, and that is a good feeling.