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baby horses
Oct. 24th, 2008 07:32 amYesterday was one of those 4 pants, don't stop kinds of days.
I did go to Yoga, and did a small number of very hard things, and made the teacher laugh. It still feels like a small, sneaky triumph to make the teacher laugh, no matter how old I get.
I rode the two younger horses. Penny, I keep forgetting, is 4. She doesn't feel like 4 because she is sensible and huge. It is easy to forget youth when the horse behaves like a slow geezer, but I can see it her balance. She can get some very nice trot work going; round and forward, and on the bit, but cantering is like waltzing with elephants. She tips, her shoulders go a different direction, and she has serious steering issues. So I spent a lot of time today trying to loosen her up on the right rein. She is stiff to the right trotting, and that translates to appalling canters to the right. We did a lot of shoulder fore and leg yielding to try to help her stretch her left side out around right turns. Then we did tons of canter departs, working on getting her bending right instead of dropping her shoulder and ploughing right. It is getting there, but slow.
Penny also has some issues with being saddled, mounted and dismounted. I've been taking it much slower, and trying to make sure she is comfortable and unworried at each step. The dismounting has to be the funniest to watch. She used to tuck her tail and squeal when I swung my leg over to get off. Now she swings her head around to find the carrot I am offering her as I lie over her back. I swing my legs around, and climb part-way off and slither back on again, praising her all the way. The plan is for her to get so used to me thrashing around up there that nothing bothers her.
Ruby is the opposite of all that. It is easy to think she is young because she is short and springy, and she looks a little sneaky. She is 3, she gets huge props for doing what she does calmly and well. What she does is walk, trot, turn and stop. We practice that a lot, and then we go walking and trotting in the woods. I was thinking she would be fun to do a walk-trot dressage test with next spring.
I re-upped my New England Dressage Association membership, so I get a list of shows and a membership card. The owners I ride for are cheerful about the idea of me competing their horses. I am laying in long term plans for some dressage competitions in the spring. Starting with learning my tests.
The rest of the day was driving to Brattleboro and a family circus class. We did mostly partner acrobatics. Both kids get flown, but the big one is starting to be just a little too heavy for me to carry easily. We all three line up to toss the little one around. Last night she was up for it, and we all had a pretty good time.
We are going to see They Might Be Giants tonight!! They come to my town. I walk to the show. I love this place.
I did go to Yoga, and did a small number of very hard things, and made the teacher laugh. It still feels like a small, sneaky triumph to make the teacher laugh, no matter how old I get.
I rode the two younger horses. Penny, I keep forgetting, is 4. She doesn't feel like 4 because she is sensible and huge. It is easy to forget youth when the horse behaves like a slow geezer, but I can see it her balance. She can get some very nice trot work going; round and forward, and on the bit, but cantering is like waltzing with elephants. She tips, her shoulders go a different direction, and she has serious steering issues. So I spent a lot of time today trying to loosen her up on the right rein. She is stiff to the right trotting, and that translates to appalling canters to the right. We did a lot of shoulder fore and leg yielding to try to help her stretch her left side out around right turns. Then we did tons of canter departs, working on getting her bending right instead of dropping her shoulder and ploughing right. It is getting there, but slow.
Penny also has some issues with being saddled, mounted and dismounted. I've been taking it much slower, and trying to make sure she is comfortable and unworried at each step. The dismounting has to be the funniest to watch. She used to tuck her tail and squeal when I swung my leg over to get off. Now she swings her head around to find the carrot I am offering her as I lie over her back. I swing my legs around, and climb part-way off and slither back on again, praising her all the way. The plan is for her to get so used to me thrashing around up there that nothing bothers her.
Ruby is the opposite of all that. It is easy to think she is young because she is short and springy, and she looks a little sneaky. She is 3, she gets huge props for doing what she does calmly and well. What she does is walk, trot, turn and stop. We practice that a lot, and then we go walking and trotting in the woods. I was thinking she would be fun to do a walk-trot dressage test with next spring.
I re-upped my New England Dressage Association membership, so I get a list of shows and a membership card. The owners I ride for are cheerful about the idea of me competing their horses. I am laying in long term plans for some dressage competitions in the spring. Starting with learning my tests.
The rest of the day was driving to Brattleboro and a family circus class. We did mostly partner acrobatics. Both kids get flown, but the big one is starting to be just a little too heavy for me to carry easily. We all three line up to toss the little one around. Last night she was up for it, and we all had a pretty good time.
We are going to see They Might Be Giants tonight!! They come to my town. I walk to the show. I love this place.
