mixed bag

Well it was a mixed day yesterday but it ended well. It was the most gorgeous sunny day and got to about 8 degrees which felt tropical by comparison to the last few days. I was so excited to ride outdoors and finally try out some of the successes of the last week. I was so lucky to have Lydia take some vid on the camera, not very good quality but bless her she managed to get us in shot all the time. This at least gives me a moment in time to compare with later. I want to see a big improvement in his grass/hay belly as we continue his new work regime, I'm strapping his bum and neck so I'm already seeing a big improvement there, the belly will improve with work, I hope!!





Having had a good lunge session the day before I decided to lunge before riding. Got a really nice stretchy trot after just a few minutes so decided to get on.







You will see from below that he was a good boy for mounting but you will also see his typical head roll/twist after I'm on and he does this unmounted and even hanging around in the field...just another Moo *thang*.

Sorry the vids don't run sequentially....I'm not that clever yet!!

So after mounting he was HORRIBLE, boo, cry.....he felt like he wasn't settled, eyes on stalks (unusual for him) and I almost got straight off because I was so disappointed. However, I'm not about to give up that easily so I just focused on the work, turning from seat, halts without hands, giravolta and suddenly he came to me. Light and listening and managed the BEST leg yield he's ever offered me. In for a penny.... forwards to trot, OK on the left but awful on the right. Changed reins, transitions, little sitting and then back to walk. OMG what had happened? This final walk work was incredibly light and relaxed, didn't want to get off but as the sun had dropped down the sky it was getting cold. At least we finished with a smile on our faces.

our green credentials

A little *aside* tonight in the form of our *poo* bricks. That's not actually *our* poo bricks but rather horse poo bricks!! Following a forum tip off we purchased the brick press and made our first bricks just before Christmas. After a spell drying out the first batch are currently burning well on the log burner.

On the horse front (rather than t'other end that is) it finally warmed up today, minus something awful this morning but up to about +6 this afternoon, yeehahahah!! So worked Moo on the lunge in the ménage which had thawed well. Warmed up in walk and changing rein every circle and then worked on some trot/canter transitions. Very definitely better on the left rein but after lots of transitions and spiralling in and out he 'released' on the right rein too. Not so full of beans as the other day but that was good because after about ten minutes work I could actually ask him to work forwards instead of constantly having to slow it all down. Lots of lovely stretching down in the final trot work and then finished with some giravolta and leg yield in hand.

Off to drink wine and watch the bricks burn, cheers.

I got icicles on me icicles

Next door's donk in the cold this morning.

Yesterday I was determined not to ride in the barn but the ground was solid and the temperature never got above -4 so I did some in-hand work instead, just to give us a break. Moo was a really good boy, worked at liberty and in the cavesson. He really seems to concentrate well on this work and will now work free on a circle, change rein etc. In-hand we worked on the giravolta, shoulder-in, counter s-in and leg yield and I was pretty pleased with the quality he offered...he's much more up off his shoulders now.

Finished by working on his spanish walk, now moving it on after the jambette so it's raise leg, walk two, raise leg (same leg each time) walk two and it's helping him get a better height with his foreleg. Finished in the centre with jambette but he still struggles not to stamp his foot, slowly slowly I think and lots of patience needed on my part.

Today I rode again in the barn as it is bl**dy freezing, every day I think it can't get colder but it does. Good mounting but full of the *jiggles* just like riding a coiled spring. However, he did settle enough for me to work out a way to help him from curling back on his left rein!! Just ride him a little into the outside rein, not outside bend, more straight but not inside bend either. Then I could keep a light inside rein but be ready to raise it if he dropped back behind me. Can't wait to try this in the trot work.

Just warming up now with coffee and sandwich before braving the elements again to do the yard.

Still the big freeze

Yesterday was sooo cold, never got out of the minus scale and with a light covering of snow it was 'school's out' for Lydia, on the plus side I got some *extra* help on the yard.

I had intended not schooling but the tracks were frozen solid so a hill trot session was out and the indoor school was still frozen so it was back in the barn. Don't get me wrong, I realise I'm lucky to have anywhere to work.

Chapiro had his usual tie up and groom and stays nice and still for this now, followed by bit on headpiece, which he now takes nicely. Did some circling work, ground tying and backing up which he concentrated well in. At the moment I'm actually just happy that he leaves the others and can concentrate on me for 10 minutes.

On to Moralejo, the frustrating thing is that he quite obviously wants to please, he offers too much of everything but his intentions are generally good. We started with the mounting which was pretty good since the biting wind was rattling every door on the yard. Went on to ride and he tried so hard to *contain* himself. After mounting I asked him to stand still for a couple of minutes, oh boy is that hard for him, head up and down, then a tail swish, move one back leg then another, yank on the reins and then....with much soothing voice he stood stock still and started to sigh. Is it so hard to stand still? Well obviously for him it is. Fidge used to stand still for ever (well until the canter work) if I asked but why is it so hard for Moo; even in the field he is a horse who can't chill, better in summer of course.

So my work for the next few weeks will continue in the same calming vein, lots of standing still, helping him find his balance etc. and I can't wait for the *thaw* because I think walking up and down our steep hill will be really helpful.

So yesterday was another good day, he can now cope with counter shoulder-in all the way round the barn, change to travers and true shoulder-in without loosing his balance. Tried a half pass for a few meters and then into a small circle when I hit the wall (not literally of course) and you get an amazing control of the shoulders. Maybe this cold snap was sent to me to make these discoveries...I'm a great believer in fate.

I was watching some Ferdi Eilberg clinics on Hand C the other night and there was some nice work but I kept thinking how *dull* it looked, there's been a lot of online discussion about Oliveira's work and for me that is anything but dull, however, many people find it just too *busy*. I suppose Moo is just going to be a *busy* kind of horse but the joy in riding it, I hope, will show on our faces.

I want to look out some 'pics that will inspire us on our way, put it on the list, yet another job!!

balance

Well yesterday I typed up my entry and was in the process of uploading pics when everything just seized up, resulting in loosing all I had typed...argghh. Lesson learned, save work before uploading 'pics. Pic of Chapiro in the cold.

It was a good day yesterday and continued in the same vein today. Still freezing and so worked in the barn, for everyone who hasn't seen it it's approx 12mx8m and on a slight incline. Both days the mounting went well, he absolutely hates to stand still for anything but with the chance of a click he's prepared to give it a go., very pleased but must keep working on it for a while yet to be on the safe side. We worked on our halts, reinbacks and generally slowing everything down from the seat and keeping him very lightly into the rein. A few real *moments* where he and I timed cues, aids and responses to achieve what I feel we're aiming for. Just got to string the moments together now but I do feel much better about it all.

When I first came to France I bought the French Federation handbook for dressage (basically like the British Dressage rule book) and Cmdt Licart's book *Dressage*. Both buys were to help with the French dressage vocabulary and have pencil notes everywhere!! The Licart book is exceptional, it's not long (don't know if it's ever been translated to English) but has some real gems. His wise words on balance are really hitting home at the moment, with Moralejo's tendancy to curl over the hand and rush off I'm really trying to find a way forward to this.

In the past I always used movements to correct postural/balance problems e.g. put the horse into a shoulder-in and he will have to engage his hind more/open his shoulder more which will straighten him out.

Some tell me to keep my hand still and ride to it from my seat and legs, admirable intentions and has worked in the past for me with WB's and less energetic souls. Moo, however, is so full of energy it is almost electric. It is rare that anyone else has sat on him but when they do the look of *help* flashes across their faces, not that he is a dangerous horse but you can just feel his raw energy fizzing up constantly and it's hard to know what to do with it. Hence my search outside of the keep your hands wide and low and ride half halts into your hand.

So my thought for today from Licart is *Il faut d'abord le mettre en état de pouvoir obéir* in other words *it is necessary first to place the horse in a state from which he is able to respond from*

For Moo this state is one of calm and still, until he is calm and still I can't ask him for better balance and after all the reason he rushes and curls is his lack of balance. So it's a chicken or egg dilemma!! The thing that has hit me these last few days though, is that he will never find calm, still or balance when he stays in movement, it just gets faster and more furious and I end up having to use my hands more than I would like. So he gets one chance, if he speeds up I use my seat and a light feel in my fingers, if he ignores this then I raise my hands to bring the bit into the corners of his mouth and stop him instantly. So far he is grasping this and I can almost hear him thinking as we ride out of a corner and as he almost looses the balance, he steps under a little more and corrects himself. Licart himself quotes de Brignac as saying that centre of gravity is like a lead ball rolling in a tube trying to find it's *position*. This is like Moo at the moment, trying to keep himself balanced throughout our work.

Sorry off on one tonight!! Just some thoughts that are buzzing in my brain.

on, off, on, off.......

OMG it was even colder today. I waited until 3.00pm but the school was still frozen in parts so it was just walk work. I spent most of the time sorting out mounting. When I bought Moo he was a pain to do most things and mounting was no exception; it took me a few weeks to get him to stand near a mounting block and to be honest I never really finished the job.
He tends to get excited at most things and so I've always been content that he stands stillish and as I don't need to use a mounting block I have let him get away with wandering off as I through my leg over. Today seemed the perfect day to start his remedial work. Hooray for CT!! Hand on reins, stand still click/move no click; foot in stirrup, stand still click/move no click and finally swing leg over.....so lots of clicks and treats and then about 10 mounts/dismounts while he stood still in an icy school with the wind up his bum, what a good boy. Hope he remembers tomorrow.

Worked the midget in the barn, leading, halting, walking on, backing up etc...stood really still tied up on the yard for his groom, perhaps he's *getting* it at last.

who ate all the beans?

Well it was a quiet day yesterday, dry and sunny so just turnout and grooming. No hangover but a very late night (or rather morning) and a day full of festive feeding left me too knacked to ride.
Today was back to icey cold, nice and sunny but a stiff, cold breeze brrr. Moralejo was the culprit with the beans!! Started on the lunge as I find it really helps to get his back/neck loose and he was going well until he spotted the others in the bottom field! There followed a squeal, a buck, a rear, a rocking horse impression and then all four feet off the ground and p*ss off. He does this horrible canter where he paddles along with both back legs going at the same time as fast as he can, looks like a hare at a dog track and just as fast. I promise you that not many folks would want to sit on him after seeing his displays but he saves it all for the lunge, truly!!
After warming himself up and fully digesting his beans we had some lovely ridden work, the walk/halt/reinback/walk is working it's magic and using a click for the halt is making it really direct. I just need to time a vibration in the rein to keep him light in the jaw through the transitions, at the moment I'm riding one handed to guard my rein hand from coming backwards during the transition; my other hand acts as a *stay* to make sure I'm not cheating.
The trot was better today, riding constant changes of direction from the seat and thighs. Very sweaty horse when we finished, the downside of not rugging or clipping. Just done late hay and he's nice and dry so perhaps it's better to leave nature do her thing.

Hello Di, another eagle eyed friend.