Indian Summer

It's been a real scorcher this last week and everyone, human and horse alike, seems to be happy with the last blast of summer. I've been playing with the liberty again with Chapiro, working mainly on free shaping (successive approximation) where I'm looking for the tiniest hint of him trying to stay with me and rewarding it. It makes no sense to an onlooker but it's already bearing fruit in a small way. There is a small part of Chapiro that stops him from 'giving' himself to me, on a lunge, lead or ridden he can cope but set him free and he can't make the link but it's definitely improving.

Today he was a little 'alert' in the school but by relaxing the neck and asking him out and down a little he finally chilled. We worked on my current ridden project of separating the aids into voice, weight,rein/leg. I started 100% with voice as that was the easiest to transfer from ground to ridden work but now I'm transferring this, firstly, to hand/leg aids (hand says stop, leg says go etc) and then to weight aiding. Ultimately it will be a light weight aid but having a three fold aiding system should theoretically give me  a lot of choice when training different movements.

I've been deliberating about Moo lately, to the point that it's rendered me useless! The fact that he got tight and sore again after the canter work has really bugged me, maybe it was nothing to do with the canter work but the fact that it winds him up and stresses him makes me think it was. We haven't really done any ridden work for a couple of weeks but this morning I figured that I should just keep the walk and trot work going and just wait and see.
He is such a star that boy, no work for a few weeks and I slapped on the bareback pad and away he goes. I had a real emotional surge sitting on him, I just love this horse. We worked on lots of lateral work, playing with half pass and pirouettes and I didn't sense any soreness or tight areas...onwards and upwards then.

1st September 2011

Tuesday I gave Moo a light warm-up and then some quite deep massage, I managed to get in behind his scapula (point of old problems) and found a very tight spot which he finally allowed me to get into. Yesterday I just did some gentle stretching with him as he seemed quite a bit better and today he seemed pretty good, yay!!! So just a little lunge to warm him up and then on to some stretches and light massage, hopefully I've sorted the problem but we'll have to see over the next few days. Certainly no ridden work for him until after the week-end.

Chapiro continues to impress! A couple of lovely sessions and I've upped the stirrups a hole and moved them forwards about 1cm which feels better, I could show you video that Lydia took but it would make you dizzy, lol, she definitely needs some work on keeping her hands still. I'll go back to the trusty fence posts next opportunity. Anyway, more on what we worked on.
The release when I ask with the unilateral rein is really coming on and aided by the touch of the whip at the shoulder stops an inside collapse. Injecting a little more energy can result in loss of the relaxed neck so I'll be patient on that and wait for him to build a little more stamina and balance before asking more oomph. We've had a couple of wanders about the place with Lydia on foot (she's a good gal) and he is very relaxed with her around and even went up the lane without a thought.
The fly spray saga continues, I can now spray near him or actually on to his rear end but he's a bit panicky about it all. I think I'll have to continue with water in the bottle until we have this thing licked, he was the same with the horse eating hose serpent but now he loves a bath....we'll get there I guess but every new situation seems a mountain for him to climb!

29th August

Aaarrgggh, yesterday Moo was very tight/sore when I brought him in so we did some moving massage and stretching and a short stretchy lunge session. Today he was slightly easier so more of the same, I'm just hoping it wasn't the canter work that exacerbated it; time will tell.

Chapiro was lunged yesterday and he's getting much fitter, I think he's like Fidge and just retains a certain level of fitness whatever work he's doing/not doing.
Today I rode him and again just concentrated on keeping his neck relaxed so that he stretched out and forwards, I'm really pleased that we've slowed the whole thing down and now he can really balance himself even with me on top. I'm downloading a short clip as I type this and I'm pleased with how his neck looks and his general relaxation (flies aside!!) but I can now see that I can let him use his forwards energy as long as I can direct it to the right place ie more lateral work. I can also see I need to move the strirrups if I'm rising to the trot, on Moo I need them further back but Chaps is more slender and the stability of my lower legs looks pants, makes it look like I had to nag with my legs which I can assure you is a long way from the truth. Lots to work on then but another good day.

I'm blogging from an unusually quiet house as Lydia is off on her club's pony camp night. They ride a couple of hours to a farm and then play games, eat and camp with the pones. Unfortunately it's a bit dreary here today and I hope she's wearing all the warm stuff I packed for her; knowing her she'll be half dressed in her sleeping bag. One thing is a dead cert, tomorrow the tack room at the club will have that certain aroma of unwashed children and greasy ponies, LOL, but I'll still be happy to have that first hug!

Moo came in a little sore today so I invested all my time in him, a massage and stretches and then lunging/moving massage. He is so much braver about it all now, hope he's a bit better tomorrow.

I had a call from the saddle agent tonight, not only to apologise again for the wonky saddle but to ask could she send me a new dressage saddle to test! Apparently it's a treeless that she's thinking of stocking and she would like my opinion, LOL, it's a funny old world. It will arrive with the Barefoot next week.

My last 'pressie' arrived today...my Scholl shiatsu massage chair...it is THE business. Maybe I should get one for Moo!