Similar to most of the rest of the US and southern Canada, we're in a heatwave right now. It's not awful, late 80s, early 90s mostly, but it gets hot early and I try and get my rides in by 10am.
Out of the three Rocky mares, one is definitely not pregnant, one definitely is, and one is pregnant but is probably losing it as the vet couldn't see a fetus on the ultrasound. Mae is the one who isn't, which is good for me as I can ride her again now. We didn't need the ultrasound as she came into really strong heat last week, but she got checked anyway. So, she's a little fat barrel right now, so I'm doing 2 or 3 trails a week, plus 2 or 3 school sessions with her. She needs suppling, fittening and her gait needs to become more regular, so I'm working on circles, beginning pivots and leg yield, as well as canter departures and keeping her soft in the poll. She's very round and curvy, so finds it easy to relax into a nice outline, even while gaiting, whereas some Rockies are very angular and find it hard. Amber, Valerie's trail horse, is back from the trainer's, so we're going on an overnight trail at the end of next week to the lower Laurentians to get the Rockies out and about and noticed!
Maverik left for his new home yesterday, to go and compete in dressage level one and two over the summer with two girls and their mum. His leaving wasn't without drama as despite wearing a poll guard, he reared up after he was loaded and smacked his head on the roof of the trailer, injuring his forehead. We called the vet to meet us at the new barn and it turned out he actually cracked his skull. Yikes. He was sedated, given stitches and plenty of antibiotics and hopefully he'll be ok from now on, but it was damn scary! Luckily the people were very nice about it and coped well!
Saturday, 23 July 2011
Saturday, 9 July 2011
Come on, Canada Post!
i still have not had the call from the computer shop saying that my new keyboard has been delivered so I have found a separate one which I have connected up. The Canada Post strike has affected deliveries with a huge backlog, but I've received all my backdated mail, so fingers crossed it will be soon!
The three mares are having their ultrasounds next week to see if we have any pregnancies.
I am starting more advanced groundwork with Lily the big grulla Rocky Mountain. She discovered a nasty habit of pulling back in cross ties so far that she overbalances and last week she fell. Fortunately the floor is non slip and soft, and the ties snapped, and she was actually very calm about falling (!) but it's getting to be a problem where she has also spooked when leading and despite pressure telling her to move on, she has run backwards. When not spooked, she responds to pressure fine and leads very well, so this lesson is going to have to be repeated until she gets it. She's a big girl, 14.3 at 2.5, and very stocky, so the next few months are vital.
Now, my verrry late TREC report:
The Sunday dawned a nice day, we set up obstacles on the Saturday. The course was:
a slalom of orange cones, just 4.
a corridor of two poles, 90cms apart to go through.
a gate, which was the lead rope on a clip between wings.
a maze, which was 90cms wide and kind of an s shape, so you rode in, turned left, walked forward, then turned right and rode out. The sides were raised and if you knocked them, in real TREC you`d get penalties.
a bridge of planks of wood
another corridor of poles to ride through then rein back.
low poles, which are meant to be 20cms taller than the horse you`re on, and there are 3, so it`s about 6 feet you have to ride for, under them. Mav was a complete pro and on our 2nd go, we trotted under and on our 3rd go, we cantered!
After this, there were cones set up about 100m apart to do the collected canter away from the horses and then the extended walk back to them.
We ran through it one by one, and I went first each time as the poles needed to be highest for me! Mav was fab. He freaked at the bridge first time, even though he`d seen it plenty of times last week, but was cantering over it by the end of the morning. We did three goes round, walk, trot and canter, and we smashed up the maze a bit, but I was riding it wrong, so we sorted that out at the end when we had a little practice, and he also cantered the cone slalom, doing nice counter canter. He`s so much better outside.
The three mares are having their ultrasounds next week to see if we have any pregnancies.
I am starting more advanced groundwork with Lily the big grulla Rocky Mountain. She discovered a nasty habit of pulling back in cross ties so far that she overbalances and last week she fell. Fortunately the floor is non slip and soft, and the ties snapped, and she was actually very calm about falling (!) but it's getting to be a problem where she has also spooked when leading and despite pressure telling her to move on, she has run backwards. When not spooked, she responds to pressure fine and leads very well, so this lesson is going to have to be repeated until she gets it. She's a big girl, 14.3 at 2.5, and very stocky, so the next few months are vital.
Now, my verrry late TREC report:
The Sunday dawned a nice day, we set up obstacles on the Saturday. The course was:
a slalom of orange cones, just 4.
a corridor of two poles, 90cms apart to go through.
a gate, which was the lead rope on a clip between wings.
a maze, which was 90cms wide and kind of an s shape, so you rode in, turned left, walked forward, then turned right and rode out. The sides were raised and if you knocked them, in real TREC you`d get penalties.
a bridge of planks of wood
another corridor of poles to ride through then rein back.
low poles, which are meant to be 20cms taller than the horse you`re on, and there are 3, so it`s about 6 feet you have to ride for, under them. Mav was a complete pro and on our 2nd go, we trotted under and on our 3rd go, we cantered!
After this, there were cones set up about 100m apart to do the collected canter away from the horses and then the extended walk back to them.
We ran through it one by one, and I went first each time as the poles needed to be highest for me! Mav was fab. He freaked at the bridge first time, even though he`d seen it plenty of times last week, but was cantering over it by the end of the morning. We did three goes round, walk, trot and canter, and we smashed up the maze a bit, but I was riding it wrong, so we sorted that out at the end when we had a little practice, and he also cantered the cone slalom, doing nice counter canter. He`s so much better outside.
We then had a break for lunch and afterwards, we went to the manege to do a cavaletti and the immobility, where there is a circle drawn, you dismount there, walk out and your horse should stand. Everytime I practised this, inside and out, he was brill and didn`t move an inch. Today, he followed me like a dog. Typical! Then we had to remount from the right - I was allowed steps!! - and ride out of the manege, up and down the ditch there, and back round. I was allowed to do the bigger jump, because he tripped over the cavaletti, and I kept asking him to take a long stride and he was flying. All in all, it was a lovely day, he really surprised me with how cool he was with everything, and the French TREC guy who was training us was really impressed too. I`d love him to go to a fun home, not just someone who wants to do dressage. He`s so bored doing that. He`d be a great riding club horse in the UK, or a worker if he got plenty of outings, but there`s nothing like that here. He`s a warmblood, so he does dressage. Poor guy. There`s no local show scene or anything.
I`m just so pleased because everyone was so incredulous like `you want to do it on Maverik?!`and making jokes about him spooking and not being able to do anything, when he was an absolute trooper. and he likes to curl his neck round and chew on your feet while you`re waiting around. Or his reins. He is a character.
Last week I did a jumping session on him, now he's been declared good to go by the osteopath, and he did a 1.05m upright no problem. He's a star.
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
I spilled alcohol on my laptop...
consequently, it`s in the shop being fixed. I have written about how TREC went, but it`s on another computer. I will update when it`s back.
In other news, the 3 Rocky mares are in heat after their course of Regumate and hormone injections, and will be inseminated tonight! Exciting!
In other news, the 3 Rocky mares are in heat after their course of Regumate and hormone injections, and will be inseminated tonight! Exciting!
Thursday, 16 June 2011
frustration
I have a lesson each week on one of the gaited horses with a top reining rider and trainer. I like her a lot. She`s kind to the horses, she`s nice, and the horses always come first. This is great, until you simply cannot work out a problem! I`m riding a 6 year old who has some training and is very kind and sweet with a lovely gait and movement, but she`s unfit and hasn`t been schooled for a while, so I`m learning right along with her, as this trainer`s methods are Western, and I`ve always ridden English. I`ve introduced young horses to flatwork before, sure. But not like this. My co-ordination is off. She`s asking me to approach the wall at 45 degrees, then ask the hip to move over with a leg bump, then block the shoulder with the hands halfway up the neck, then leg bump, then block, then bump. Whilst keeping momentum, on a horse that doesn`t quite get it, with me, who doesn`t get it a lot! I understand the principal, but I`m so darn frustrated, trying to forget everything I know so I can ride this different way with a horse who`s not on the ball either! The only positive I can take from today, apart from a couple of steps of leg yield, is that I didn`t take out my frustration on the mare. When I was younger, I`d have blamed her for it. If anything, I was maybe too nice, apart from when she was staring out of the window and resolutely ignoring my leg so I smacked her one with the crop. I`m going to ride her again tomorrow and try again, without the pressure of someone yelling instructions, however well-meaning! Then, the mare is going to be put in foal, hopefully, to try to increase the Rocky Mountain gene pool here in Quebec. Meanwhile, I`ll stick to lateral work with the dressage horse. After we`ve completed our TREC!
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
preparing for TREC!
So, in a bit of a twist, there is a mini TREC competition being held on Sunday. We had a theory day - In French! - this last Sunday and 8 or 9 of us will be trying out the three phases this week. Given that the stable mainly has youngsters and inexperienced rocky mountain horses in at the minute, my best option for this is Maverik! Spooky, freaky Maverik. Joy.
So, we`ve been practising obstacles and trails as much as possible. i.e. not much. We`ve put a bright blue tarp weighted down with poles in the indoor school, made a bridge out of planks, made a cone slalom, a little maze with pieces of wood, some small jumps and a couloir for rein back etc. Everyone`s pretty doubtful that Maverik will do the course, and maybe he won`t, certainly not without penalties, but he`s better than he was, and we`re going to give it a go. Another practice session tomorrow, and we`ve built a `gate`, which is a leadrope attached to a carabiner between two jump wings and added in a couple of other tasks. My main worry would be a ditch, I think. He gets a bit spooky and likes to dither before leaping like a frog over them. I grab mane and hope! The control of paces section will also be tougher than I anticipated. Lengthened, fast walk is ok, but collected canter will be tough outside. Tough for everyone though. I will update with any further progress!
So, we`ve been practising obstacles and trails as much as possible. i.e. not much. We`ve put a bright blue tarp weighted down with poles in the indoor school, made a bridge out of planks, made a cone slalom, a little maze with pieces of wood, some small jumps and a couloir for rein back etc. Everyone`s pretty doubtful that Maverik will do the course, and maybe he won`t, certainly not without penalties, but he`s better than he was, and we`re going to give it a go. Another practice session tomorrow, and we`ve built a `gate`, which is a leadrope attached to a carabiner between two jump wings and added in a couple of other tasks. My main worry would be a ditch, I think. He gets a bit spooky and likes to dither before leaping like a frog over them. I grab mane and hope! The control of paces section will also be tougher than I anticipated. Lengthened, fast walk is ok, but collected canter will be tough outside. Tough for everyone though. I will update with any further progress!
Thursday, 26 May 2011
riders of the storm
It's been mecha busy here. We now have 12 horses in residence, 7 Rocky Mountains, a littl'un, Maverik, the Canadian, the Paint and the Kentucky Saddle Horse. The Canadian and baby boy rocky are lame, Mav has a sore back, again, and the newbies are still settling in. We're short of horses to ride!
The Rockies are all from Kentucky and two are here to have foals, but at least one is not pregnant as she was showing signs of heat. 4 of them live out at night and the others are in. There is one grulla filly, which is a colour I had never previously seen in real life, so that's exciting and she is very sweet to boot. Weather is mainly humid and there have been storms in the region all day. I went out on the trails with Chelsea, the paint mare, and we got caught up in the beginning of a big ass storm! I hate storms! She was fine, but we were soaked through by the time we made it back, just as the heavens opened and I had to cool her off in the barn. She's steady to the point of laziness, but I was very glad for that today!
From reading the Fugly blog I came across the term 'following release' with regard to jumping. I have no idea what this meant, versus 'Crest release' So I looked it up, and found this:
http://glenshee.blogspot.com/2009/01/crest-release-and-how-it-has-ruined.html
Glenshee Equestrian Centre's extremely helpful blog about it! My immediate thought was 'well of course I do that.' So then I looked back through some photos. Sometimes I did that! A lot of the time I did crest release. Bad me. Poor ponies.
top photo is bad! very tight crest release, although otherwise, this is my favourite photo of us doing working hunter, apart from my awful lower leg position!
the bottom photo is us flying round a mid size xc competition and I'm much more relaxed and my legs are in an ok position. The jump is maybe 2'6" in both photos.
Having started small jumps with Mav here, I'm keen to jump properly after having not done it for a while. Once his back is better, I will pay plenty of attention to this detail!
The Rockies are all from Kentucky and two are here to have foals, but at least one is not pregnant as she was showing signs of heat. 4 of them live out at night and the others are in. There is one grulla filly, which is a colour I had never previously seen in real life, so that's exciting and she is very sweet to boot. Weather is mainly humid and there have been storms in the region all day. I went out on the trails with Chelsea, the paint mare, and we got caught up in the beginning of a big ass storm! I hate storms! She was fine, but we were soaked through by the time we made it back, just as the heavens opened and I had to cool her off in the barn. She's steady to the point of laziness, but I was very glad for that today!
From reading the Fugly blog I came across the term 'following release' with regard to jumping. I have no idea what this meant, versus 'Crest release' So I looked it up, and found this:
http://glenshee.blogspot.com/2009/01/crest-release-and-how-it-has-ruined.html
Glenshee Equestrian Centre's extremely helpful blog about it! My immediate thought was 'well of course I do that.' So then I looked back through some photos. Sometimes I did that! A lot of the time I did crest release. Bad me. Poor ponies.
top photo is bad! very tight crest release, although otherwise, this is my favourite photo of us doing working hunter, apart from my awful lower leg position!
the bottom photo is us flying round a mid size xc competition and I'm much more relaxed and my legs are in an ok position. The jump is maybe 2'6" in both photos.
Having started small jumps with Mav here, I'm keen to jump properly after having not done it for a while. Once his back is better, I will pay plenty of attention to this detail!
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