Goals

*Edited to reflect the new situation*

Several weeks ago, I sat down and made a list of my short- and long-term goals with JJ. Since then I've had a chance to reflect a bit more, and amend my list. Here is the final product, what I hope to achieve in the coming months with this very special horse.

Long-term: (Ideally by June 2009)

-Be able to walk, trot, and canter sound

-Enter at least one Training level schooling show

-Develop my confidence to the point that I can canter without stirrups... bonus for bareback

Short-term: (On-going basis)

-Continue rehabilitative work starting with hand walking over poles and progressing to lungeing in (loose) side reins and light riding
-Develop an effective warm-up routine for myself and JJ that promotes suppleness and relaxation
-Work on accurate figures  
-The basics of the Training Scale: Rhythm, Suppleness, Contact 
-Work on lots of figures, transitions, and changes of direction to accomplish the above

New developments

So much has happened since the last time I posted. I almost don't know where to start! I guess it makes sense to work from the beginning...

The weekend before last, JJ's owner and I hauled the boys to a private arena down the road. I sort of beat myself up about my ride, but the whole experience wasn't bad. Both horses were good about loading and the new surroundings. JJ was VERY forward. I have never had to hold him back before, and I almost did this time. Now that I know he has it in him, I'm going to be sure to ask for it--and gently and gracefully demand it. Amazing that the little guy had so many issues, as we later found out, yet he was so forward and eager to please. That, to me, is what it takes to be a dressage horse--not necessarily flashiness or "proven" bloodlines (NOTE: I do NOT promote willy-nilly breeding of horses, just saying that you don't need a European warmblood for dressage. That is my philosophy in a nutshell.) So it was overall a productive day, with the one caveat that J did not want to load when it came time to go home. He's much better about it since then, though.

This past Saturday, JJ's owner and I went on a trail ride. It was my first trail ride in quite a while, and my very first one on a horse that isn't one of those geriatric trail string horses that any dead beginner can ride. JJ LOVES the trail. I hate to anthropomorphize, but I can't figure why else a horse would want to GO so much. I know I keep going on and on about that, but I just can't believe he was the same horse! I really think he was "bored" at home, so getting him away brought out the young horse in him. I joked with his owner that his walk would earn an "8"--well, it's not a joke, it's true. Forward, swinging back, energetic, not a hint of tension. We also did some trotting up and down hills, which was, shall we say, a thrill. (Daredevil I am not...so yes, I consider trotting up and down hills "a thrill.") ;-) And by the way, when I say "hills" I do not mean gentle slopes...I mean rough terrain, think mountain biking. Except you're on a 1000 pound animal with a brain the size of a walnut and an instinct to flee from danger--even if that "danger" happens to be a deer! The scariest part is the prospect of getting smacked/swiped off on a tree......yeah, not fun, I can imagine. I had a couple close calls...yet strangely, I can't wait to go back. There's something about JJ's energy and being in the great outdoors that makes me feel so alive. :-)

A New Man in My Life...

...and who would've thought I'd have gone for a redhead? ;-)

It's true. Normally, I'm a sucker for a bay, particularly mares, but this 15.2ish chestnut Appendix gelding by the name of JJ ("Jentleman J" is his registered name) has stolen my heart. To make a long story short, he was graciously offered for me to ride by a friend not too far from my new locale in northwest Washington (yes, my bipedal man and I made it across the country...and what a big country it is) ;-)

So in spite of a few minor setbacks (saddle fit and JJ's soreness relating to an old injury), I have really enjoyed working with JJ and look forward to being able to show him in the spring. He is somewhat older at 14 but I think he can still do Training and First level, easily, if the chiropractor can fix him. The really exciting part is that I met a very knowledgeable contact through my saddle search who said she might be willing to coach me on JJ! I believe she has shown to 3rd level. She has a couple Dutch mares who are rather green as well as a schoolmaster. I have been to her farm several times and worked on the ground with one of her mares, both of whom are drop-dead gorgeous (if a bit on the hot side.) Believe it or not, she said I may be able to show one of the mares! Very exciting!

Anyway, back to JJ. I am going to start keeping track of our progress on a regular basis here. Right now, obviously we are working on the bottom rungs of the training scale, Rhythm and Suppleness. JJ was getting a bit quick in the trot at times, which I suspected was due to the arena footing. It has since dried up, and his tempo is more regular. At times I count the beat aloud to make sure the rhythm/tempo are even and correct. He has a wonderful free walk, but when I pick up the reins he shortens his stride/loses energy. This is something we obviously need to work on, and it's probably as much me as it is him. I need to remember to keep my aids on during the medium walk. Another issue we are dealing with is that although not always in front of the leg, he is very sensitive to the laterally driving leg. When I ask for a leg yield at the walk or turn on the forehand, yes, with my leg correctly behind the girth, he breaks into a trot. I do half-halt on the outside rein but to no avail. I tried doing ground work, using the butt of the whip to gently massage his side to have him step over, but he seemed nervous about it, so I stopped.

I'm hoping to get some pics and video up soon. They'll be me riding bareback for now, as the saddle I was using was way too small for me and put me in a horrific position (almost a chair seat--it was horrible.) The bareback pics may not be spectacular, but at least they'll put a face to JJ's name. He really is a cute little guy.... Is it obvious that I love him? :-)

Some new developments

Unfortunately, I haven't ridden since my last post. I was supposed to ride another Walker much closer to me, but apparently she found someone to lease him (and didn't have the decency to return my e-mail..I had to call her.) I updated my CL ad...crossing my fingers I get a bite soon.

Since I'm not able to ride regularly, I've been doing whatever I can to get myself mentally and physically ready for when that time comes. For one thing, I've been taking Pilates classes at the Y. I really enjoy it even though it's challenging. I'll come right out and admit I cannot hold a "plank" to save my life, and even then I do the modified version (forearms on the mat instead of the palms supporting the upper body.) My poor, pathetic abs just can't handle it for more than 10 seconds or so. LOL. Yeah, just call me Flabby Gaby. ;-) (...My first name is Gabriella if you didn't get the "joke".)

Oh, and speaking of flabbiness and whatnot...I have to say that although my core definitely is a work in progress, my cardiovascular fitness is coming along nicely. I started out doing 20 minutes on the elliptical 3-4 days a week (or as much as my Chronic Fatigue will allow...insert eyeroll here.) 20 minutes may not seem like a lot, but I do interval training--3 minutes at a moderate speed, 2 minutes as absolutely fast as I can go, usually around 200 strides/min. So I do get a good workout even though the time is not that impressive yet. When I first started, I felt like I was about to die during those 2 minutes, but after a couple weeks, they're actually kinda fun. It's good for getting some pent-up anger out (especially at FLAKY people, grr.)

I decided to try to discipline myself to weigh myself only once a month, instead of nearly every day. This is going to be an exercise in self-discipline, but I think it's best so I don't obsess over 1 or 2 pounds. I'm also going to look into getting my body fat tested. Last time I checked (which was on a digital bathroom scale, so I don't know how accurate it was) I had 26% fat, which I believe is just a hair over the ideal range. I weighed about 15 lb. heavier then, so it's probably in the ideal range now. So anyway, here are my stats for August 1st:

Weight: 167.5
Size: 12...on a good day. ;-)

Goal:
Weight: 130.0
Size: solid 8
Body fat: well within ideal range

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I do weight training also. So I cover all three of the major components of fitness: flexibility/core strength (Pilates); cardio (Elliptical for now); and strength training. I had been alternating my upper and lower body, but since I only do two exercises for the lower body (leg press and lunges) I have started combining the two. Of course I leave a day in between in which I only do cardio. I've been making it to the gym at least 4 days a week now, which *I think* is great for someone who succumbed to exhaustion only a few weeks ago.

Now for a subject change, something that will be of interest to all riders who are serious about their sport. I remember reading awhile back about a study on basketball players that divided them into three groups; one group practiced 20 minutes daily, one group visualized their practice daily, and another group did nothing. At the end of the study period, the researchers measured each groups' performance. I forget how they measured--I think number of baskets scored, but I could be wrong. The point is that they found that the visualizers performed slightly better than the group that actually practiced! Now, I'm not saying we all should cut our riding back to one day a week and visualize instead, but 1.) this is GREAT news for those of us who don't get to ride regularly, and 2.) those who do ride regularly and utilize this tool will undoubtedly improve themselves and their horse/s exponentially! It also doubles as a mindfulness practice for those of you who are interested in it. FYI: there is more than one way to "meditate"!

So, every day for the past week or so, I've been visualizing myself riding. I've noticed that it's more difficult for me to stay focused when visualizing than when doing transcendental meditation, which typically involves repeating a word or phrase over and over silently to oneself, in time with the breath. My guess is that visualization is more difficult because I'm much more verbal than visual. Hence, it must be easier for my brain to focus on words rather than images. The other problem I have is that for some reason an image of the horse acting up pops in my head *every* time. Probably my fear cropping up, I imagine. I do make sure to visualize myself calmly correcting the behavior and moving on. I'm sure that in time it will become easier and easier to stay focused.

An Interesting Experience...

So as I wrote in my last post, I went to a new barn on Sunday. I'm still unsure as to whether I'll go back. Without going into a long-winded description of the four hours I spent there, here are the pros and cons:

Pros

1. The two horses I rode (Walkers) were sweet and sane
2. I have an opportunity to go trail riding
3. I can ride for free

Cons

1. I absolutely, positively HATE the dressage saddle I rode in (her only one unless I want to ride in an AP or cutback.) It's not a matter of snobbery, it is just a poorly-made saddle which = more difficulty maintaining a good position.

2. It's a 35-mile drive. Yes, I know, lots of people commute farther than that five days a week for work, but gas at 3.79 a gallon is still not what I would consider cheap.

3. The place is drowning in Roundup (an extremely carcinogenic pesticide manufactured by the "wonderful" corporation Monsanto.) Actually, within 5 miles of Ashville, there are signs everywhere touting "Production", "Technology" and other propaganda, so I shouldn't have been surprised when I saw the Roundup barrels everywhere around the farm. I feel sorry for the horses and the barn manager who lives on the property having to breathe in that s*** 24/7.

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Bottom line: I think I'm going to try to call the TWH barn I went to last winter. I sent the guy an email last week, but he didn't respond so I'm thinking it probably got sent to his junk/bulk folder and deleted. He was very nice, and didn't sore any of his horses (or even pad, as far as I can remember.) His farm is about 15 miles from my house, so a much better commute.

P.S. You might be wondering why someone like myself, interested in competition dressage, would spend time riding Walking horses or any gaited breed. To be honest, I never thought I would be as interested in them as I am now. Several years ago, when I was looking for my second horse, I looked into Walking horses and rode a few at a barn in Southern Ohio. I didn't think much of them then, but when I got the offer to ride at the barn I mentioned in the last paragraph, I fell in love with their sweet personalities and smooth gait. Since then, I've been toying with the idea of buying a Walking horse for trails, and obviously use dressage principles and the Training scale in our work. Since I can only aspire to own one horse when I settle in WA, it will be interesting to see what I decide as far as a trotting horse for competition (U.S. Dressage Association rated shows) vs. a Walking horse for trail and possibly NWHA shows.

New Direction for the Blog

I won't go into the details here, but I just wanted to explain why the title has changed and why I will not be talking about Emmy anymore. I am not riding her anymore. Obviously, I am very sad about it as I was just developing a rapport with her, but I guess it was just one of those cases of "too good to be true". Currently, I am looking for a new opportunity and am actually scheduled to ride at a barn later this evening. I am told the barn manager has several horses for me to ride: two Tennessee Walkers; ironically enough, another NSH; and some Paints and QH's. I'll post tonight or tomorrow and tell how that went.

The new title is a reflection of my interests in Mindfulness/Zen and Dressage. For those who don't know, "be here now" is a prominent saying in Zen. It basically means that we should live every moment as if it is the last moment we will ever live--neither dwelling on the past nor worrying about the future. NOT focusing on the present moment increases the suffering we may already have because of events in the present that make us legitimately upset anyway. It can even create suffering that we simply don't have to experience now. I feel this teaching is very applicable to riding. To provide just one example, it is sad when we see people venting their anger or frustration out on their horse--yet it happens every day. If they were just "mindful" of their anger, they would be able to observe it and let it pass by without taking it out on their horse. The best riders are able to focus 100% on the movement they are doing at that particular time. They have to set aside their emotions and all other thoughts (easier said than done.) Dressage riders are often told by their trainers, "Stop thinking so much--Just ride the damn movement!" I think this is very true. Analysis is a wonderful tool that we humans possess. Yet it can actually impede our progress as riders/trainers if not combined with mindfulness. Ideally we should be able to analyze our riding when IN the particular movement, and then immediately move on mentally to the next movement. The mind and body are inextricably connected. If we're still mulling over that horrendous transition, how can we expect the next one to be any better?

So that's my brief introduction to mindfulness... :-D And no, I don't consider myself a "seeker", because I don't believe there is any truth or higher dogma outside of the collective human consciousness, hence, what is there to seek? Wisdom and love and peace and all of that good stuff is well within our reach; we just have to know how to tap into it. I'm not religious, and quite frankly I hate the word "spiritual" because it conjures up images of the Occult and our consumerist culture. If anything, anyone who knows me remotely well knows that I think the Occult is a bunch of garbage led by egotistical maniacs (and religion isn't far off...yeah..I said it! ;-)), and if buying 99% of my stuff used/bartering/making my own isn't anti-consumerist, I don't know what is. Goodwill and Craigslist are my friends.

Anyway, don't worry, if you're not into mindfulness, you'll still find plenty of technical horse- and dressage-related writing here. The primary purpose of my blog is still to record my experiences in catch riding (until I can afford my own horse, that is, *sigh*.) So sit back, grab some Fair Trade coffee/tea/wine, and enjoy! I doubt I can surpass FHOTD and I won't even try, but I'll try to be as entertaining as possible.

Emmy gets an A+...

Quite a shocking event happened today. It was so awful, in fact, I didn't make it to the clinic. :-( But I will definitely be going tomorrow, bright and early. I almost didn't go to the barn because I figured I was too emotional to ride. I told myself I'd just groom Emmy and the older blind horse, and go from there. I decided to ride and take it slow. A storm was brewing: wind, rain, the whole shebang. Having had horses spook and take off on me before, I was feeling a bit nervous but I decided to talk and sing to Emmy, which, if nothing else, helped me breathe.

Emmy, on the other hand, was calm from the beginning. LAZY if anything. While the wind rattled the arena gate like mad, she just clip-clopped along. I think she may have looked out of the door once, but it wasn't a spook, more like, "Hmmm..is that rain?" I even took her saddle off at the end and rode bareback (at a walk..I'm too chicken to go any faster bareback.) I had to nudge her with my legs just to keep her in a walk...lol. Is this the Emmy I know and love?

Maybe I'm just overly sentimental, but it was almost like she "knew" I was vulnerable. I put her away with tears in my eyes, once again relieved from the disappointment of mankind by the innocence and honesty of equines (if that sentence makes sense.)

Dressage clinic with Gigi Nutter!!

..No, Em and I aren't participating. I would've loved to, though. Maybe someday.

The clinic is actually over the entire weekend; today was the first day. I'm lucky in that the barn is <10 minutes from my house. I'm so glad to have this learning opportunity, even as an auditor. Gigi is such a warm and genuine person--the diametric opposite of the stereotype of "stuck up" dressage rider/trainer. It's too bad that stereotype exists. Dressage is for every horse and rider, not just long-legged blond Frauleins with 17H+ Warm bloods (not that there's anything wrong with that... ;-) ) It's just not me. And a lot of people. Anyway, I digress.

One of the horses is a Morgan mare that resembles Emmy a great deal: quite stiff to the right, tends to "run" with quick short steps, and very sensitive. I'll be watching her rides very closely over the next couple of days. Some things I've learned today....

~Not to focus on slowing down first. The horse needs to stretch over the topline first in order to move with longer/slower strides. This stretching is accomplished by massaging the bit with the fingers as well as posting more slowly (in trot) and dropping the weight into the heels. Half-halting a horse who is already tight and hollow in the back will slow the pace, but doesn't fix the root cause, the back.

~Use a leading rein (slightly outside rather than straight back) to encourage the horse to bend its poll. This will take some getting used to for me since I'm used to riding with very quiet hands. Even when bending in a circle, I tend to massage the inside rein for the bend rather than pull back at all. Gigi seems to believe, too, that this "playing" with the bit should be done almost constantly. When I do it, it's only for a few strides. I have this fear of interfering with the mouth too much (silly, huh? quiet hands + snaffle = not much risk of doing any harm.) Still, I prefer to ride the back of the horse than worry too much about the reins. I guess that's better than the other way around...!

There's more, but I'm too pooped to think right now. On top of a full day, I had a very emotional moment earlier. Don't you just wish sometimes that life were less complicated? I sure do. Then, of course I go ride a horse and worry about getting Ms. Princess off her forehand, rhythmic, and supple. At least it takes my mind off the shit in my life. !

Good things come to those who wait

After that disappointing ride on Monday, I think we are finally making some progress. She's actually starting to stretch her neck forward and down, accepting the bit. It was like she finally realized, "Ah, ok, if I just relax and stop fighting, it will be a lot easier." :-)

Granted, in the trot she only does it for several strides and then goes back to the old way, but the point is that she's doing it, and that's the important part. The consistency will come. I wouldn't say she is "on the bit", because that phrase I take to mean active/engaged in the hindquarters as well, and she is just not there yet. But this is progress. At least I can slow her down when she's light like this. With her head up and that short, tense neck, there's no way my half halts can possibly go through. All I've been doing is simply riding her into a steady and elastic contact. Not once have I used a martingale, or any of those silly devices to try to force her head down. (Side note): Why must people insist on short cuts when it's really so amazingly simple? Is it lack of time, laziness, what? I'm not a genius or an upper level dressage rider, yet things are happening here. I'm excited. I might even go as far as to say that I look forward to proving that "trainer" wrong: yes, National Show Horses/NSH-types can "do" dressage. Heck, there is a Saddlebred by the name of Harry Callahan who is shown GP (YouTube him-he's amazing.) If he can do tempi changes, piaffe, and passage, surely Emmy can w/t/c/ accepting the bit and going in a steady, forward rhythm--basically all that Training Level requires. What's so hard about that?

A lesson in patience..

Let's just say that today's ride didn't go very well. Basically the same problems we've been having, but worse. I tried, in vain, for 45 minutes to slow her down, and we had to end early because it was so ungodly hot and Emmy and I were dripping sweat. The whole time we were trotting, her head was up, and she was trying her darnedest to pull the reins out of my hands as I was half-halting like mad on a small circle desperately trying to slow her maniacal trot. In short, not a pretty picture. I think we got about four steps of a decent rhythm...then as soon as I patted her neck (yeah, it was that big of a deal) it was all over. *Sigh* I'm seriously hoping my effort pays off someday, because I truly believe she could be a cute little Training level horse. I totally believe in Arabians in dressage, and it's nice to have one to work with that's not loony--energetic, (I was going to say "hot", but not exactly according to my book) but sensible.

On the positive side: the mounting process is down to about five minutes (compared to over twenty!) :-D

Adventures with Cavaletti and more

This past Thursday (the 29th) marked my third session with Emmy. In case anyone is curious as to how I found her, her owners (aka "parents") responded to an ad I had on Craigslist for catch riding. They originally wanted me to train her in western pleasure, and I told them that while I have no experience in that discipline, I would love to do some basic work with her and see where we can go from there. Since my interest is Dressage, Emmy's mom thought it would be neat for me to take her to some schooling shows this summer. So, that is our primary goal: to do a decent Training-level test by the end of the season.

Fortunately, Emmy has a great disposition (although she can be stubborn--but how many horses aren't? ;-)) But she is pretty much a joy to work with, which makes riding her that much more fun. She is great on the ground, too--with the exception of refusing to stand still when you try to mount her. We are working on this by teaching her to flex laterally via one rein, which she is slowly--but surely--getting the hang of.

Emmy has two major issues under saddle right now. Being an ex-Saddleseat horse, (which I am somewhat familiar with, back in the Dark Ages before my conversion to dressage) she was trained to trot around the arena "like Speedy Gonzales" as her Mom aptly described it, with her head up in the air. At the risk of sounding elitist, this is the opposite of what is classically correct. I have to include a side note here that I can no longer watch any English Pleasure, Park, etc. class without shaking my head and wondering how people can possibly want their horses to go like that. I understand that the conformation of NSH's lends itself to the high head carriage, but there are also quite a few, along with Arabians, Saddlebreds, and Morgans--competing successfully in dressage. Apparently a "trainer" told Emmy's mom that Emmy couldn't "do" dressage because of her breed. ...ANY sound horse can do Training Level!!!!! It's just w/t/c with circles! *gets off soapbox*

Anyway, back to Emmy. So far, we've been working on a lot of quick w/t/w transitions to get her off her forehand. When I say "quick", I mean every four steps or so. When she's above the bit, she sometimes resists coming back to trot, and I have to half-halt HARD. I don't like doing that, but what's that saying--"as little force as necessary, as much as required"? She's a fairly agile little mare (that's what I like about Arabs and Arab crosses--soo much easier to maneuver than the big honking European Warmbloods. Sorta like my Civic compared to a Yukon ;-)) but regardless, I like to do shallow serpentines to get her bending. This is somewhat of a challenge since she does not understand lateral leg aids, so I have to move her off the rail and back with my seat and reins only. I guess this is good experience for me to pay more attention to my seat!

Lastly, I have to say my personal favorite exercise is cavaletti (not sure what hers is--I would venture to say walking on a loose rein.) My all-time favorite trainer, Dr. Reiner Klimke, RIP, was a strong advocate of cavaletti for the way they help with getting a horse off its forehand and pushing from the hindquarters (HQ.) Next to hill work, which is usually not much of an option in Ohio, cavaletti are probably the most effective tool for that purpose. Initially, Emmy tried to dodge the cavaletti ("But it's sooo hard, surrogate-mom!") but moving them against the arena wall solved the problem. Apparently, trying to escape to the inside was not as fun as scooting between the cavaletti and the wall at the very last second.

Up next tomorrow: pics and video clips. I can't wait to read some constructive comments from my fellow dressage aficionados. :-)

ETA: pictures from today, June 2nd. I didn't feel like wasting page space on another post because we did essentially the same work today, with the exception of cavaletti on an arc. She did very well--we even did a bit of cantering--WOW what a dream. Smooth, but has a nice jump.

Also, her mom informed me that there is a graded hill accessible to the property. Yes!!!!! No doubt, we will be taking advantage of that A.S.A.P.

Sorry the pics are not the greatest quality. I still have not figured out how to use the flash on my camera, and it appears some dust got on the lens. I did get some video clips taken, but they won't load for some reason. I'll post them to YouTube later and post the link here.