Dragged Over Jumps

"Half halt, half halt!"

Happy New Year! After taking some time off to travel, and then deciding it would be fun to contract 'the plague,' it has been about two weeks since I have been able to ride Ruby. Ruby does best with consistency, and when I am unable to give that to her, things get wonky.

Monday was pretty much what I consider a 'training ride;' we get stuck on something I consider 'basic' and play on repeat for the lesson.

The jumps were only set to about 2', but for some reason Ruby wanted to drag me over them at full speed- we even had some bucks and head-throwing in there. I was hoping she would chill out after a few minutes, but this didn't happen. So what to do? Spend 40 minutes doing transitions until she FINALLY figured out what I wanted and listened. The only thing worse than having a horse that won't 'whoa' is one that won't go...both are equally frustrating!

The key (here's that word again) is consistency. If you let your horse run off with you, they will continue to do it. Debi had me do trot-halt-trot transitions until I no longer had to do it with loads of hand force (your horse *should* stop or slow down when you lean back and close your leg, but we missed that memo). I then took her over the jump and halted after until she had that down. Next up was canter, where she forgot what she was supposed to do so we had to go through the exercise again: canter-halt-canter. The biggest difficulty here was that smarty-pants figured out the routine and started cantering like a slug...not what I wanted. I needed her to be full on cantering like she normally would and still halt when I asked.

Not exactly the lesson I wanted to have, but sometime you have 'those days.' With the weather being as cold as it is, it has been hard to get out there and ride.

I can't even imagine how those of you up north ride in this!

Christmas 2014

"We are all the same dead grass color..."

Merry Christmas from myself, Ruby, Dan, and Bailey!

Thanks to Erin for the pictures! They turned out awesome!

Visiting My Hometown

"I know, it's been almost a year since you rode him last!"

Since I came to visit family and friends this week, I figured that included the four-legged kind as well! Connie was nice enough to let me hop on Sully.

I had a little bit of trouble at first- the only horse I have been able to ride since I moved was, well, Ruby. Sully is massive compared to her, and going from little pony strides to big horse power trot is was a bit of a challenge. Ruby has no bounce to her, so I am a tad shocked I didn't somehow post myself right off Sully's back. His canter motion was also different, and it took a few laps around before I figured out/remembered his rhythm.

When it came to jumping, I was even less prepared. Instead of my little pony hunter jumps, I got massive movement with Sully. I stayed with him pretty well coming up to and over the jump, but the landing was definitely different- it's as if all of his weight and force comes crashing down. If I didn't know where the ground was before, I did now! It bounced me a little bit and I started snapping up out of two-point too quickly, but hey. It's been a long time since I've felt anything other than Ruby.

Connie also has a new, super adorable ottb named Lady. For whatever reason, I have always seemed to do better with the mares, so I was pretty excited to be able to try her out! What a nice horse! Super balanced (especially for a greenie/baby) and she floated around the ring. I could sit that trot all day! Lady is definitely going to have to be a hunter horse. Ignore my goofiness in the photo- I was explaining to Connie how Lady felt like a priss; I talk with my hands.

Had fun riding. It is nice to know then even as rusty as I am with riding other horses, I can still get by on them.

Thanks to Dan for coming out to take pictures!

Loops and Turns

"Look where you are going!"

This week was another super star pony week! Debi had us do something similar to last week's lesson: grid and a course. The theme of this lesson seemed to be "Loops."

We started with the line as we did before: poles, raised the first jump, raised the second jump, raised the last jump. As we progressed, Debi raised the last jump in the gymnastic line, just to see how ruby would handle it.

This is the final course we did for the day- and it was tough! Up 1 going north, loop and lead change going down to 2, to 3, lead change and loop to 4, lead and direction change through 7 and 8 to get to 5 on a diagonal jump, follow around to 6,7,8 one stride line, lead and direction change to 9 and follow the south curve to 10.

Ruby has gotten pretty good with her lead changes- if she has issues, it is usually that she swaps in the front and lags in the back. You should be 'resetting' your horse (slowing down and getting the pace controlled) after each jump, but it is even more important when this happens- slow down to let the back end 'catch up.'

Here is a photo down (most) of the line: I believe that is the first of the three jumps, going in the opposite direction as in the course above.

For Ruby, I really have to get her going strong at the first jump. If we do not have enough power, she will do this awful chip stride and manage to cram 2 strides into the 1 stride- not fun! When this happens, I tend to get up her neck and it really is not pretty.

The photo above is my favorite from the lesson. Go pony go! To the right is the last jump in the grid, going the same way as the course above. As I mentioned, Debi kept raising this one up as we went along. Maybe 2'9" ish? It is always hard for me to tell. Remember that Ruby is only 14.2hh; she looks like a horse when she jumps and sucks in her pony belly!



Special thanks to Erin McMahon for coming all the way out to the other side of town to snap these shots for me!!!

Super Star Pony!

"I think this is the best lesson y'all have had."

Yup. Pony was a super star today! I have been working on dealing with my riding anxiety (control freak here) and telling my self to just get out of Ruby's way and deal with whatever happens. Seems all of the practice has finally started to pay off.

We started the lesson with the gymnastic line (trot in, canter out) with just the first jump up and the others left as poles. These were one strides. The first time through was a bit awkward (it usually is), but Debi tightened the stride for Miss Pony, and we went through super well (with me adding some leg). We continued going through until all three jumps were raised.

Debi had me do a few variations of the course, and we singled out a few elements at a time to practice. If you look at diagram B, there is a non-numbered jump between 4 and 5- not gonna lie, that jump stumped me. Ruby was a champ, and let me goof up a few times before I finally figured out the approach. The bending line from 7 to 8 was also a little interesting at first...I don't think I have had to do a bending line since I rode with Connie!

Diagram A is the course we started with; B is the course we finished with. Course A was absolutely excellent if I say so myself! For B, we had one run-out at jump 4: I came out of jump 1 with way too much speed and instead of paying attention to lining up my next jump, I was half-halting my ass off. We came to 2 a bit too far to the left- I felt her wiggle at 3 and was able to correct but she darted left at me on 4. Totally my fault; I am actually surprised we even made it over 3! Second time around was MUCH better.

Very proud of Ruby today. I am hoping we are back on the path to trusting each other again :)

Saddle Fit: Dry Spots?

"This looks like an ink spot test..."

In February 2013, I became the proud owner of a custom Hastilow Concept H/J saddle (more info on how I made this decision in my Quest for a Saddle post). I was thrilled- great saddle, made to my (and ruby's) measurements, great support, comfortable, lifetime warranty, and adjustable. I thought for sure my saddle fit struggles were finally over.

Unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a 'perfect fitted' saddle. Your horse's body can change due to a number of variables: health, physical fitness, age, etc.

When I bought my saddle, it came with two tree bars- a medium-wide, and a wide- in theory, to compensate for her usual weight loss changes throughout the year. I started noticing a few changes in the saddle fit a few weeks ago (it felt like I was tipping forward and the saddle was pinching at her shoulder).

According to old school fitters, one of the most obvious saddle fitting concerns are dry spots. You can clearly see that there is an area behind her shoulder where there is no sweat. There are some mixed reviews about this online:

Although my first reaction was that the saddle was not touching her, it is actually the opposite case. Dry spots occur because the saddle is pinching to the point that the blood flow is restricted, causing lack of sweat in those areas. However, I was told this this is the case only if dry spots are less than the size of a coin. The dry spots you see here are actually considered good, as it means that the saddle is not rubbing.

Information about dry spots and general saddle fitting tips can be found at The Saddle Fitter. I have spoken with Cordia in the past and she has always been very polite and helpful when I have had questions. Another perspective I have seen can be found at Jochen Schleese's page.

My next thought dealt with the saddle sliding. Interestingly, the pads stayed where they were supposed to be, but the girth and saddle moved up her wither. Ideally, your saddle should sit an inch or two behind the shoulder blade. For ponies or horses that have wide/broad shoulders, this can be a challenge. I tried adding my ThinLine pad to see if it would grip a little better, but it did not seem to make a difference.

 Although I have been told that no slip pads and anatomic girths can help with the sliding, I would like to get the saddle fitting properly first to try to fix the issue. I have learned that the horse word is full of gimmicks/marketing ploys, so before I jump on the bandwagon, I will start with the saddle.

You can see in the next two pictures that the saddle is a little bit too narrow. It seems to fit pretty well on her shoulder, and I did not notice any bridging, but that gap is a bit too much. Most fitters recommend 2-3 finger-widths of space- I do have small hands, but I can pretty much stick the entire thing in there (photo below). When I have the girth cinched and am in the saddle, the saddle gets pressed down until the gap is lessened, but I can feel by sliding my hand down that is it really tight.

I have contacted Hastilow and ordered another bar up (extra wide); I will be out this evening to switch the old one out and see if there is a noticeable difference. I am fairly certain that widening the tree will then cause the saddle balance to shift forward, so I would not be surprised if I need some flocking changes.

Either way, I have the name of a recommended saddle fitter in my area (thanks Tammy!) and will have her come out to check and validate (or not!) my thoughts. Sometimes it is best to just step aside and let the professionals handle it :)

Once I get the fitter out, I will update this post to include her observations and solutions! Hopefully we can get this resolved soon- a comfortable pony is a happy pony.






Update: January 7, 2014
Finally had the saddle fitter come out (I wanted to coordinate with other boarders to split the farm call). Putting in the extra wide (orange) bar turned out to be the right decision (yay me!). Some flocking was removed near the center of the saddle as well: the fitter thought that my saddle might be riding up Ruby's withers because it was rocking. I will have to ride in it a few times and see if there is any difference, but I am hopeful for good results.

For others in my area who might be interested, the fitter I used was Embrace Saddle Fit. The farm visit, fitting, and flocking came out to be $120.

Show Manners

"Seriously, she almost ran me over!"

Going to a horse show is stressful enough without having to deal with riders who seem to not know basic show etiquette. Although I have had mostly positive experiences in the show ring, a fellow barn mate had a rough show class due to a breach in etiquette.

So here are a few quick bits to keep in mind next time you are in a jam-packed show setting (schooling ring or competition ring):

1. Pass on the left: this is one of the first rules I learned riding in a lesson program. My trainer always said "pass like you are going to shake left hands." If this is confusing, think of it just like driving a car (in the USA)- stay on the right.
2. If you are moving more slowly than others in the ring, walk on the inside.
3. Keep a safe distance away from other riders- if you are coming up from behind and get too close, either circle or cut through the center of the ring and pass on the inside. If you are passing close on the inside, alert the rider in front of you that you are coming up behind them.
4. Riders who are jumping have right of way- if you are working on the flat, try to stay out of the way when another rider is practicing a jump course.
5. If multiple riders are jumping, call out where you are going to give everyone else a heads up!
6. Do not stop on the rail.
7. If your horse starts to act up, move out of the way and get reorganized.
8. When entering the ring, let others know you are coming in.
9. Know the rules for your discipline- a lot of these are 'unspoken' courtesies, but some shows will have a set list. Just be aware of what the show expectations look like so you don't inadvertently upset another rider.

Horse tail ribbons: some shows will allow or even encourage riders to make certain designations by using colored ribbon in the horse's tail.

1. Red: Horse kicks
2. Yellow (some riders use Blue as well): The horse is a stallion
3. Green: Horse is green or young
4. White: Horse is for sale
5. Pink: Mare in heat

The second part of show etiquette must be followed by spectators. I have been to a horse show with Ruby where an exuberant show mom was screaming and rattling a cow bell during the class...a COW BELL! Ruby spooked, as did a few of the other horses in this pleasure class. Rude much?

1. Be aware of what you are doing: let's face it- horses can act pretty stupid sometimes. Follow common sense- do not (bring a freakin' cow bell), open an umbrella, swing your jacket around, whatever when standing outside the ring and watching the classes. If you have children there, make sure they know how to behave (I have had kids throw rocks in the ring while I was showing!). Come on people!
2. Watch what you say: another 'we don't admit it but it is true' fact: Horse people love to bash their competition. Grow up, show some sportsmanship, and bitch later. Yes, there are some riders showing who have no business being on the horse, or trainers with bad reputations showing up to shows. Get over it. How would you feel if you were about to get in the ring and you heard someone snicker or say something hurtful? The only person you should be worried about, is you. Plus, you never know who can hear you...one nasty comment can ruin your own reputation.
3. Don't talk to the judge when there is a class in the ring. Wow, I have had Mr. Narcissism come to the judge, flirt with her, and distract her during a hunter class...judge was not paying ANY attention to the rider. The rider fell, got back on her horse, finished the course, and placed FIRST because the judge did not notice her fall! I know Hunter shows are all about politics, but seriously. Get off your high horse (ha ha.)
4. The reason #3 sucks- don't argue with the judge. This is considered a faux pas, whether you agree with the judge or not.
5. Stay seated until the class has finished. Most people ignore this one and move about freely, but keep in mind that you moving about and stomping around the bleachers is super distracting.

**THANK YOU to Erin for helping me out with these lists :)**