What I Did on My Summer Vacation

I'm an English teacher.  More specifically, I teach writing - "composition" as those of us in the know call it.  Sometimes, I can't help but sympathize with the teacher on the classic movie A Christmas Story.  In Ralphie's dream scenario, she assigns A THEME (and states it so dramatically that it warrants the use of all caps in this case).  Ralphie sees her as she - in the midst of Ralphie's reverie - agonizes over the poor writing she has received.  She marks each theme with an F until she comes to Ralphie's.  She reads his in complete rapture, nearly singing every word.  After reading, she leaps from her desk chair and fills the chalk boards with "A +++++++++."  I understand how she feels. 

Anyway, I was thinking today of the timeless classic THEME of What I Did on My Summer Vacation.  How many of those have you written in your lifetime?  And, if you didn't write it, you were probably compelled to somehow share with your classmates on the first day of school what you had done the previous three months.  There was inevitably the classmate who did something so magnificent, so earth-shattering that your stories of going to the community pool paled horribly in comparison.  You so desperately wanted to be the cool kid who traveled or got to meet someone famous.  But, that never happened.  So, in that vein, I'm going to share what I did on my summer vacation.

I did lots and lots of weedeating.  Seriously.  And I don't mean the simple, trim-around-the-edges-of-your-freshly-mown-lawn kind of weedeating; I mean practically blazing new trails in a jungle kind of weedeating.  Here's the deal - to help pay for Obe's board (and to aggressively tackle the debt we have), I took on the weedeating at the farm for the summer.  On a horse farm that is nearly 30 acres - and is fenced and cross-fenced for pastures - and is situated on a steep hillside where a mower or bush hog can't go - that means A LOT of weedeating.  So much weedeating, in fact, that there's no way I could ever be "caught up."  Add to that the fact that we had ample rain this summer, and you've got me practically running around the farm with the weedeater trying to stay on top of it all. 

Allow me to use some visuals to help you see what I'm talking about.  First, the tools of the trade:

On the left is the trusty weedeater.  Beside it is the ear protection/mesh face mask that I wear - gasoline and Cyndi, the loppers (get it?).  The only missing tool is the small spool of weedeating string, but I had just used the last of it for this morning's jaunt. 

Now, prepare yourself for this next picture.  Seriously, small children should probably be removed from the room, because this picture is the stuff of nightmares.  I have successfully startled nearly every horse on the property in my get up.  I'm sure I look like a horseflesh-eating creature in their prey minds; some will bolt to the far side of their pastures while I work on one fenceline.  As I make my way around the pasture, they will strategically graze around the fence farthest from me.  Anyway...this is me, believe it or not:

Ear protection/mesh face mask, baseball cap, dust mask, bandana around neck, long-sleeved shirt, long pants and boots.  Every single time I did the weedeating this summer, this is what I wore.  This morning, with temps in the mid-60s, it wasn't so bad.  However, on a few of those 90-degree afternoons, it got a little brutal.  Okay, a lot brutal.  Note the flecks of eaten weeds stuck in the face protection.  At the end of a day weedeating, I would be completely covered in these flecks.  I'm not exaggerating at all to say that I had grass all over my body at one point or another while weedeating - all I can say to that is, "eeewww."  Seriously.

So, this morning, I decided to work a bit on Adora's pasture.  Adora, the special mare that she is, has her own little pasture that is basically a long, narrow run that opens up into a large square of a field.  Her pasture borders Obe's, and they've become quite good buddies.  They even travel well together, and Adora is kind of particular about who travels in "her" trailer.  The long, narrow run part of Adora's pasture was a little crazy with weeds...and I mean WEEDS.  Huge weeds...as thick as my arm and as tall as I am.  Here are a couple of before pictures.

 That's Adora on the right, looking typically aghast that I would come into her pasture at all, let alone in the get up that I showed you above.  The two greys on the other side of the short, electric fence are Spirit and Jasmine, two of the best school ponies in the world.  Anyway, that's one section of fenceline that I attacked today. 

This is Adora's little run - I like to call it her catwalk, because she's kind of a diva.  You can't even see the fenceline on the left.  It has been completely swallowed up by weeds.  It is definitely time to fight back the jungle. 

So, over the course of two and a half hours, I hacked away with Cyndi the Loppers and my trusty weedeater.  I would do one section of fence at a time (from fencepost to fencepost), digging through the weeds and lopping off the large weeds that would spell death to my weedeater string, then cranking up the weedeater and mowing down all the rest.  So...the after shots...

 This is where Adora was standing in the before shot.

And this is her catwalk.  Notice that you can actually see the fencelines!  Yay!  Clear fencelines are one of my favorite things.

There you have it - what I did on my summer vacation.  Yes, school has started and I'm still weedeating, but that's because the weeds are still growing!  They don't know that summer is over.  But, I must admit that it sure feels good to look down that fenceline and see it all clear and pretty - hard work is just that, hard, but it's also very rewarding. I'd give myself an "A++++++++++."

Now, was that so hard?

I just want to open up this post by reaffirming that I believe it is wrong to abuse horses.  Clear?  Okay...moving on....

Yesterday evening, I rode Obe for the first time in a week (life got CRAZY last week with the beginning-of-the-school-year faculty meetings and going out of town to see long lost friends in Virginia).  I gave her all the benefit of the doubt I possibly could and longed her forever.  In fact, as I longed her, I let her walk for nearly 10 minutes each direction, making sure that her back was nice and stretched and warmed up.  She was all cool and calm, not even looking around in the scary corners of the arena.  I was pretty impressed, to say the least.  After all, it had been an entire week since she'd been ridden AND she had been stuck in her stall the night before because of too much rain keeping the horses from being turned out. 

After our long and leisurely longe (like that alliteration, folks?), I got on, and she struck out at fantastic walk.  It was big, stretchy, forward, swingy...all the things we love in a walk.  Now, I've learned over the past few months that if I let her warm up on the longe, I can get to work pretty quickly under saddle - nothing too collected or tough, just get her moving.  This has made life MUCH easier, and it's really changed the way she's working under saddle...for the good!  So, I went to a canter pretty quickly (easier to get a good canter first, then go back and work on trot...again, nothing too collected...just loose and moving around).  Both directions were nice, and the transitions were prompt off my leg.  So, I decided to work a little in walk. 

Now, Obe doesn't like truly working in walk.  Walk on the buckle?  Absolutely.  Medium walk and perhaps a turn on haunches or two?  Not so much.  Work on lateral work in the walk to truly confirm it?  Yeah, right.

I had her in a fantastic working walk to the left.  As I made a turn through a corner, I put my left leg on to ask....well, let me just share the conversation I had with her. 

Me:  Obe, could you move off my left calf and engage your left hind a bit?

Obe:  *humming*

Me:  Hello?  Obe?  Could you move off my left heel?

Obe:  What?  No...I can't.  I'll stop moving my feet so you quit asking me.

Me:  No, we still need forward...both heels will now ask you to move.  I may even use my spur.

Obe:  Oh yeah?  Well, what do you think of backwards?  And for good measure, I'm gonna toss my head up so you see my forehead just inches from your eyes! 

Me:  Seriously? 

Obe:  Yep.

Now, let me interject that we've had this EXACT SAME CONVERSATION about a million times over the past year and a half.  It is nearly always in the same spot in the arena, and after I address it, it goes away.  She is not in pain; she just happens to BE a pain sometimes.  This issue has pretty much disappeared since I've started letting her warm up her back on the longe, but it occasionally shows up when she decides that she doesn't want to do what I ask.  Back to the story....

So, I put both reins in my left hand, turned my dressage whip overhanded in my right hand, and cracked her across her butt.  Immediately, she took off bucking.  I kept her head up, and after a few bucks, she settled into a trot, and I released and praised the daylights out of her.  After that, we didn't have ANY issues moving off leg, whether they were asking for sideways or forward.  In fact, we got some darn nice shoulder-in left on a 20m circle, proving that the engagement of the left hind was not only possible, but quite lovely! 

Seriously, mare...I just wanted forward.  Is it really that hard? 

Calgon, take me....to the barn!

Life just gets in the way sometimes. 

I haven't ridden since this past weekend (it's Friday right now), and I'm getting ready to head out of town for the weekend.  So, when I finally do get to ride sometime next week, it will be over a week since my last ride.  Obe will be nuts.  I HATE that...I hate feeling like I'm getting somewhere and making some decent progress only to be set back by being busy.  Ugh....

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm totally excited about going out of town this weekend.  I'm seeing some dear friends that I haven't seen in ages...one I saw last year; one I haven't seen in several years; and the other I haven't seen in seven years.  I can't wait!  I love these folks like they were my own family, so I'm completely content with leaving town.

I just want it all, I guess.  I want to leave town, see my friends, and somehow be able to ride my horse!  Until that whole "teleporting" thing gets ironed out, that kind of situation is not happening.  *sigh*

The good news is that classes start on Monday, so I'll be able to fall into some sort of routine with work, lessons and riding.  Routine is good...routine gets stuff done.  Yay, routine!

A good time was had by all...

I feel it's only fair that I update you on how the schooling went at this past weekend's show at Tryon.  In short, Obe was a rock star!  The day went perfectly, even with her brief moments of complaining and protest (during which she stops, hollows, and backs up).  After riding through several of those protest moments, she settled in and I got some decent work out of her.

Allow me to set the stage.  It was HOT.  I don't mean it was warm or a little uncomfortable, it was downright hot.  My friend Stacey had a reading of 104 degrees on her truck's thermometer as we left the showgrounds around 1:30 PM.  Misery. 

Michele and I, though, braved the heat.  We loaded up our ponies around 9 AM and headed south to Tryon.  It's always a blast to ride places with Michele because she's so easy to talk to.  We talked about Rebecca Farm, how to open your seat to encourage lateral movements from your horse, movies that are playing at Cinebar...fun times.  We got to FENCE and parked by the barns (near the wash areas), opened up the trailer doors to let in some air, then went to check in.  I've discovered that this helps Obe.  If I leave her on the trailer with doors open, she gets a chance to rest, look around and decide it's not so bad.  Once we got our numbers, we pulled the girls off the trailer, tacked up and hopped on.

The show organizers were smart...they put warm-up in the covered arena.  Typically, you ride in warm-up longer (and harder) than you do in the show ring, so it's a good idea to put it in a cooler location.  I can handle warming up for 30 minutes in a covered arena, then sucking it up and showing in the blazing sun for about 8 minutes.  No problem.  Stacey was warming up her new horse, Mitchell.  Michele wanted to pop over a few of the warm up jumps, which were down at the end of the arena.  So, I poked around on Obe, working her through her initial stickiness and protesting.  She did well...she was a bit looky, but I'll forgive that since the covered arena creates some interesting shadows.  I then followed Michele over to the jump ring and watched her do a round at Novice height.  Stacey's dressage ride was in the very next ring, so we sat and watched that, too.  Obe was awesome, allowing the other horses to leave without dancing or jigging.  I think the heat helped with that a bit, too! 

Stacey's ride was the last one in the short court arena.  Once the judge and scribe left, Michele and I went in and played around a bit.  This is where Obe started to get a little sticky again...after all, she had to keep an eye on Adora and where she was at all times.  Michele just hacked around the arena while I got Obe inside the dressage arena and worked a bit.  After a few circles and work on lateral stuff, she sighed and got to work.  I love discovering little tools that help, and shoulder-in is THE lateral movement to use with Obe when she's being sticky.  I have to remember to keep the trot energy moving through my knees so I don't lock up.  Once I'm there for her, she engages and settles.  So, I exited the arena, let Michele go in and practice a test, then worked on canter stuff at the end of the larger arena.  Obe was soft, responsive, and fantastic!  So, I quit, walked her out of the arena on the buckle and waited for Michele and Stacey.  I love the fact that she'll just stand and wait patiently now.  Again, the heat probably helped with that - she was begging to stand still - but, it's a nice way to just chill with my pony and let her know that all is right with the world.

The three of us took our horses across the street to the xc area.  FENCE is a great facility, but I HATE crossing the street there.  First, it's on a curve, so you never know when a car is coming.  Second, you have to walk up the street a little ways to get the entry gate, and you walk under the Interstate...so, two over passes above you with cars zooming across WHOMP-WHOMP!  WHOMP-WHOMP! Obe is most comfortable following, so we hung out in the back of our little line of three, and she marched right through like it was no big deal.  Love her. 

This is part of the xc course at FENCE. 



We hacked around a bit around a few of the trails at FENCE, and Obe was so brave when a couple rounded a corner facing us and their off-leash boxer came bounding up to us.  We halted, of course, and just waited for the incredibly apologetic owner to get her dog under control.  Michele looked over her shoulder and said, "Relax your butt cheeks."  I smiled, because I needed to do just that!  I was so tense, scared that Obe was going to either lash out at the dog and kill it or bolt off into the next county.  She stood very still, her ears flicking around, while the boxer sniffed at her legs and her (beautiful) tail.  I was so proud of my girl! 

This is a cuter version of the dog that took its life into its own hands by sniffing Obe's tail.

Back at the trailers, I sponged her down (she was foamy) and gave her ginger snaps.  It was fan-freakin'-tastic! 

Maybe, just maybe, my pony is learning to trust me even more.  :)

Rider, calm thyself!

I'm planning on taking Obe to simply school at a dressage show in Tryon this coming Saturday.  I haven't entered any classes (partially because it's so expensive!  Only $15 to go school all day...I can even school in the competition rings during breaks and after all the rides...THAT'S a deal!).  So, why am I already getting kind of worked up?  When I think about Saturday (and doing the laundry I'll need, making sure I pack my nice helmet, clean up my boots, etc.), I get that little flutter at the base of my ribcage that makes me breathe a little shallower than normal. 

Seriously, JB...get aholt a yerself!

I know it's just a vicious cycle.  I expect Obe to be tense and perhaps interested in schooling the airs above the ground when I take her off campus.  Past experience has shown that she has a proclivity towards this.  My expectations build the tension in me.  My tension then transfers to Obe, which pushes her closer and closer to that cliff edge.  Which makes me tense.  Which transfers to Obe.  You get the picture. 

A couple of months ago, I went with Michele to school Obe at the last dressage show.  While we went to check in at the show office, we left our mares on the trailer with the doors and windows open.  They happily munched their hay.  Once we had our numbers in hand, we pulled the girls off, leisurely tacked up, then hacked around the warm up areas.  We managed to get into the performance rings...AND, I worked Obe in one ring while Michele took her girl to another ring.  Obe wasn't sure about that, at first, feeling a strong desire to keep track of where Adora was and what she was doing.  But, I got some good schooling done.  On the drive home, I was elated!  You would have though I had just won my first FEI class.  I was so proud of my girl...and, let's face it, of myself!  We had a calm, positive experience off campus! 

So, I'm working on making this weekend a repeat of that one.  I just want to hack around, school in the warm ups as though I were going to show.  The show is even offering a schooling show jumping round for various levels, so Obe will be seeing other horses galloping and jumping.  A good thing...we hope.

One of these days, I'll have my own truck and trailer.  Then, Obe is going to get VERY used to trailering off for rides in various places...we're going to go EVERYWHERE.  Or, maybe I just need an old ratty convertible!

Flash Week

Just some time to remember the sweet horse that taught me so very much.

The games ponies play

This morning, I was riding alone in the outdoor arena.  Don't worry, I wasn't alone on the entire property; I won't ride if I'm the only one there.  But, I was the only one riding.  This means that Obe was COMPLETELY distracted, needing to look everywhere and pay attention to everything except me.  It must be the alpha mare in her driving her to feel like she needs to take care of everything.  *sigh* 

The first 35-40 minutes were fantastic.  I got some great canter work, and I then I moved to working on some lateral stuff.  The shoulder-in has improved by leaps and bounds since I've stopped cramming her with my inside leg and, instead, have started opening the outside leg from my hip joint and inviting her to step into it.  Much more fluid. 

After a walk break, I picked the reins back up to work a bit on the timing of my half-halts in sitting trot.  I've been working on making them happen on the upbeat so that I really catch the energy rather than on the downbeat which would kill the energy.  All of the sudden, a corner that we had been riding in for over half an hour became the Lair of All Things Deadly.  Obe absolutely wouldn't go near it.  Her ears were hard and forward; she stopped dead in her tracks, then started back up with that telescoped neck and dropped back that I really hate feeling.  It took all I had in me not to get mad and take it personally.  Seriously, walking around on the buckle, the mare isn't scared of anything.  As soon as I pick up the reins to work, we have the most despicable monsters living in the corners of our arena.  *sigh...again*

This is what she sees in the corners.

So, I walked her a few times through the spooky corner, went to another part of the arena, and worked on my plan...my half-halt timing in the sitting trot.  I actually had some nice collected steps...and the transitions from trot to walk became much more fluid as I really thought about the timing of the half-halt to ask for them.  I have to move my concentration towards the fronts of my thighs and half-halt towards her crest (about where a martingale would sit).  This keeps me riding on TOP of the wave of energy rather than squashing it with my butt.  There's really no delicate way to state that...it's just what it is. 

After my successful school, I dropped the reins back to the buckle, and we walked bravely everywhere.  Silly mare. 

Lesson learned...and still being learned:  Don't take it personally.  She isn't scheming or out to get me.  She's simply acting like a horse...a mare, at that.